New Drapes in the Study!

For me, it feels decadent to have store bought curtains...
I have been sewing since I was 8 years old, so that's 47 years! I have learned so many things about how to sew properly and beautifully. And I have custom window treatments throughout my home in every room.

An example is the valances in the study...Understand it's hard to get a good picture when I am shooting a window!


I loved this

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Feed Sack Chair

Through this past year, I have collected several old feed sacks. I have made pillows with some of them...




Covered a chair seat with them with one of them...


Even recovered a child's rocker with one of them...


 Actually there are so many things you can do with them including making a lining out of them for a rolling cart...See it down in the larger picture with the pillow sticking out

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Longitude Pillow

I have been wanting to make a Longitude/Latitude Pillow for a long time.




I first saw one in the AWE (At West End) catalog that looked like this...





I didn't want it to say Paris, but my home city of Quincy, IL. So I just Googled Quincy's longitude and latitude to find out the correct geographical coordinates.

Remember, back when I showed a tutorial of how to print on freezer paper,

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Ball & Claw

Lately I have been infatuated with
 Annie Sloan's Old White and French Linen Chalk Paint.





I adore the combination of these two colors...





So old world, so classic, so today!





This chair that I picked up last summer, at a garage sale, was sitting around in the hobby garage just waiting for it's makeover.


Someone had painted it blue and recovered the seat but I could tell that

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Shabby is Better!

I am overjoyed




with the outcome





 
of this chair and slipcover!


Wait till you see it!


Initially, this chair looked like this...


Fairly new upholstery and very comfortable plus sturdy, this chair however, was not the look I was thinking of.



I painted the arms and legs with Annie Sloan Old White Chalk Paint then sealed it with Minwax Polycrylic. I love both of these products

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Too Many Valances

I remember when I was 8 years old, and the fourth girl that my mom had in four years (that's one girl a year for 4 years straight with three in diapers!), when my mother announced that us girls had to make all our own clothes or go naked! Plus, we didn't wear jeans yet.

She meant it! Back then, we did not buy any of our clothes so going naked would have been our only option.

I didn't

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Putz House & Tie Skirt

Since all the decorating is done,

 I have been having a bit of fun. 

I have always wanted to make a cute little paper house. In doing research on them, I found out the name of these sweet houses are putz houses.



I googled them and came across a pattern to use. I used this pattern...



I think it came out so cute and was a fun little glitter project.








Here is a great website with

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Fall Mesh Wreath & Stool Cover

Just a couple of things that I whipped up today...



 A Fall wreath made with a base of  green mesh.







 And I made a slip-cover for an old stool with various fabrics and trims...











That will do for one day!


These parties I love to link up to or check out my Blog Parties tab
Monday
Party Time @ It's So Very Cheri
Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps On The Porch
Motivate Me

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Wool Pumpkin Tutorial

 It has been a while since I did a tutorial for you to enjoy...and even make if you wanted to. I also have been crazy over wool lately and decided to play with various kinds. Sit back with a cup of tea and enjoy the tutorial!


Materials that I used:

1 old wool sweater, washed and dried to felt or shrink



1 old plastic pumpkin, purchased at a thrift store

2 wool flowers, premade

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Solution to a Hole in my Vintage Tapestry!

Isn't it funny when you just can't think of a solution to a problem and someone walks up and gives it to you on a silver platter? In this case, I had picked up an old tapestry. The problem: a hole right in the middle of it. Too big to repair without notice. One day, my lovely daughter, Lisa says, "why don't you just cover a stool with it!"

I just happened to pick up this very old and very

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New Kitchen Valance!

I really do like the valances that I made recently for my dining room bay window. You can see more on that HERE. This large bay window is located next to the bar between the kitchen and dining room or breakfast room as some people call it.  I decided that since I had enough leftover fabric, that I should make a matching valance for my kitchen window. This would allow me to have a different summer

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Addition to Drapes in Guest Bedroom

Have you ever been nagged about something that you made that just isn't 'right' to you? Well, I have.
 First of all, the window in my blue guest bedroom was built almost up against a wall...(I call it my blue guest bedroom because the ceilings are painted a soft blue and the bedding is blue)
Do you see how close it is to the next wall? Frustrating to make curtains for when the look you are going

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New Red Toile Valances

I finally made my new valances and they came out pretty good, if I don't say so myself.



Did you know that I adore Toile...any Toile?



But before we look at them further, let's review...



In the kitchen window, I made these valances that seem very popular with my blog viewers. I made up this design and just 'winged it' as I went along.

I love the look of these with the rod and rings.

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Buffalo Check Pillows

If I were to choose one favorite thing to sew, it would be pillows! I think they are fun to make. I can be as creative as I want plus they don't take a lot of time. And are fun to display!

I purchased this fabric...
I made two of these pillows...

I first combined them with these red tassel pillows that I made from leftover swag valances that you can see that post HERE.
Now, starts the pillow

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Shabby Dress Form Belt

I decided to undress my Dress Form 

and display her differently.






Initially, I had her dressed in my wedding dress.








But before that, she was a $2.50 garage sale find.I covered her in book pages and loved the outcome.
Then, I recently saw this picture (below) for new inspiration for her.So, I went to my sewing room and found a lace and muslin valance that I paid 50¢ at a garage sale

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Swag no more!

I purchased 5 custom made and unused swags at a garage sale for only $5 total! I knew that I could do something fun with them. This is one of the swags. See the pretty tassel trim? And the deep red fabric is very nice too.

I realized that they would make awesome pillows. It took a bit more than one swags worth of tassel trim to make an 18 inch square pillow. Which means that I was able to make

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Holly Jolly Tutorial

I finally did IT! I made a stencil with freezer paper. I had seen this on blogland and wanted to try it. My excuse...Hubby was out of town and I wanted to do a fast, fun and easy project.
Here are the steps to making a stencil.

ONE: Find a graphic that you like. You will have to cut out all the design, so choose carefully.
I chose this from Google Images by doing a search for Christmas letter

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Think Pink ~ A sweet doll cradle

I am participating in the Go P.I.N.K., Oct. 30th...Are You Aware? Many of us Bloggers are helping spread awareness and standing to fight for this cause.. Breast Cancer! With blog posts that are dedicated to pink, you can view my post then go on over to the party and see what other pinks are out there.

A few years ago I was asked to paint a child's doll cradle. The only requirements were to also

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Little Toile Stool & Funny Ad!

I have re-vamped a little stool with paint, tassel fringe and bird toile fabric. I think it turned out really cute and reflects my taste and style.

I originally purchased the material from Ballard Designs on clearance for either some pillows or a to make a new valance for my bay window in the dining room. However, when looking for something to use to upholster this stool, I decided to use
this

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White Iron Chair

You may recall the post that I did on the black iron chair, but if you don't, this is what the finished chair looks like...it is for sale in my booth. I also have a matching white one...




This is the Before picture of the chairs from a garage sale.



This is the chair that I kept for my front porch. I painted it white again to freshen the paint. I found exterior fabric and upholstered the

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