Much To Do With Nothing

My Boys Are A Bunch Of Nuts !!!

2011-10-22T11:13:00.000-07:00

My boys come to visit every summer. When they get together they act so crazy!!

Always good times!

Watch the video and see what one of them did with a back massager.

Eric.. the Man Child. LOL (The one up front in the pool pic)

They can't leave anything alone... :D
Click the link.

http://www.youtube.com/user/boracho714#p/u/9/eXGIwOm4meA

My Etsy Store Has A New Look!

2011-10-04T12:26:00.000-07:00

My Etsy store is "Breezy Beach Cottage"

My line of pet beds are called "Sugar Linen Pet Beds"

Named after our adopted black lab "Sugar"

She's modeling the "Sloppy Drinker" bed :) And she sure is one... Water everywhere!

She's my sweet girl.

I make my beds just like I make my slipcovers. Sturdy, removable and machine washable.

I've been working hard on this line and will be adding a few more styles and colors that will always be available and reorderable.

A couple of the fabrics are almost gone and will be replaced with fabrics I can reorder.

I hope you like them!

Thanks!

Kelly

Don't Ever Pass These Up!

2011-08-07T05:26:00.000-07:00

I almost passed this one up.

I was at the thrift store and saw this little foot stool. It was stained dark and was covered in furry leopard fabric.

I almost didn't see it's potential!

I don't paint everything I find at thrift stores...but when you picture a piece of furniture painted white/cream or even French blue, or black... All of a sudden you start to SEE the unique lines and special features of the piece, not just the ugly finish, ugly fabric, dirt or whatever.

I painted it ivory, then did a little bit of a distressed finish to the wood.

I made a cute little oatmeal linen slipcover for it.

Before that I took off the furry leopard fabric.

Then I recycled a white cloth napkin and stapled it over the padding. That's how little this thing is!

So...again...

they usually look SO ugly in the thrift stores or yard sales. They may not be your style at all!

So imagine it transformed and make it "your style"!!

I hope this gives you one idea and a little inspiration to take one home and make it your own.

Thanks for looking!

Kelly

Blue and White Ruffled Chair Cover

2011-08-04T14:27:00.000-07:00

I had so much fun making this little chair cover. The chair is wearing a little frilly dress.

The blue and white is so classic!

I hope to make more using linen and other pretty fabrics.

The ruffles are made of 100% ivory linen and a blue ticking stripe.

They hang down 7 inches.

Here's a nice shot of the botanical print fabric.

It really makes the seat of the chair look so much bigger!

I am in LOVE with this slipcover!

I use the rubbery shelf liner under this type of chair cover

to keep them from slipping around when the chair is sat on.

It works great!

Give that stuff a try. I get it at Dollar Tree for $1.00 per roll.

Thanks for taking a look ...

I listed it in my Etsy store too :)

Kelly

Cute Little Vanity Chair Re-do

2011-07-29T05:31:00.000-07:00

I've had this little vanity chair for awhile.

I painted it ivory and distressed it with a piece of rough sand paper.

Look how cute this is...It opens!

I think this would be such a fun place for a little girl to keep all of her treasures :)

Or a great place to store magazines.

I know some of you have seen it before when it was sitting in front of my 1940"s vanity.

It had a blue cover on it then.

I LOVE the new oatmeal linen cover I made for it. The pleated skirt is 3" long.

I'm so happy with the way it turned out!

Here's one last look at it.

Oh, and it's FOR SALE in my Etsy Store. I have all of the details and measurments in the store.

It fits in a box (with the legs off) and can be mailed USPS.

So Easy!!!

Here's a little look at the before.

Thanks for stopping by and taking a look at my Blog!

Kelly

New Wall Treatment In Our Kitchen

2011-07-16T07:06:00.000-07:00

A couple of weekends ago I put up this "square" treatment on our breakfast area wall.

It was SO FAST and easy. I'll give instructions in this post!

Here's how the wall looked the other day. I liked the blue, but I wanted something a little more interesting, beachy, and unique.

This is covering an arch wall that enters into our family/tv room. Oh I can't show that room. It's the room in the house that has been pushed aside for so long. The room where you dream of a suprise makeover. Where you leave for the day and come home and see the "Big Reveal".

Anyway...

I did the same thing in our bedroom in the house we sold. I think these squares were 24". This was done with the 2 1/4" wide lattice wood moulding. The cost was over $8.00 per 8 ft. piece!! OMGosh!

In this room I did the whole wall, from floor to celing behind the bed.

OK...I'll show a little peek at the other side of the arch.

That's the glass door that goes into the garage. I got this stencil from a store on Etsy.

Cutting Edge Stencils

You should check out her store! She has gorgeous stencils!

Click the link and go see the store!

I tried it on the wall.

I need to play with it awhile to get the final look.

Click this link to go straight to the stencil I used. Check out what she did with it...so pretty!

Anemone-Grande

To save money I used the PVC 1 and 1/2" "lattice". They were $5.00 something for each 8 ft.piece.

The wall is small and the area I covered was small too.

I got the supplies at Lowes in the moulding dept. These squares are 19". The bottom wasn't a complete square. It didn't work out that way. They're about 3/4 of the 19 inches.

I measured how tall I wanted it to go and put the top "cap" piece up.

You can get creative with what you use as your cap piece.

Thicker, wider, fancy...get creative.

I just used the same 'board'.

Next put up all of your vertical pieces. Use a level to make sure they're straight up and down.

Mine are 19" apart.

Then just fill in the spaces with the small pieces to make the squares.

It' was that easy!!

I cut all of my pieces with hand tools...a hand miter saw and miter box. This pvc cuts like butter!

I use a few little smears of adhisive on the back...stick it on the wall...and put in a few little nails here and there.

You can use your existing baseboard moulding as the bottom, or add a bottom piece above that moulding.

Keep all of the squares and/or bottom piece about 1/8" to 1/4" away from your baseboard. That way if you ever have to remove the baseboard, the wall treatment won't be affected..

Then I filled all of the joints, nail holes (set nails with a "nail set") and cracks where the moulding meets the wall with a squeeze tube of caulk.

I also went back with some spackle to go over the joints and nail holes one more time because the caulking seems to sink when it dries.

Then sand and paint.

I love the way mine turned out! And I think it makes such a difference in the room!

And it took just a few hours!!

Thanks for looking...

Kelly

You Gotta Love Him...Valedictorian!!

2011-06-05T08:34:00.000-07:00

We're so proud of him!

Yesterday...June 4, 2011 my son Andy graduated Law School!

With the honor of Valedictorian!!

What makes this day even more special is that this sweet boy put himself through school. He made the decision to go to Law School. The first year and a half, he worked full time in a law office to pay his own rent and living expenses.

He rode a skateboard to work and class, and used public transportation.

He did 2 Internships in the D A's office.

And now.....FINISHED! He gave his Valedictorian speech last night.

What a kid!...like I said...You Gotta Love Him!!

I'm one proud Mama these days!!

Breezy Beach Cottage

2011-04-20T10:25:00.000-07:00

I opened another Etsy store!

Breezy Beach Cottage

I'm offering a few slipcovers for benches, lamps and ottomans.

One is the 100% ivory linen bench cover in the picture.

I'm mostly offering one of a kind, cute pet beds with ruffles and cordings.

Every bed has 4 zippered sides with pillow inserts. And a zippered removable middle pillow.

Just machine wash like my slipcovers.

I've tried to keep the inside/center fabrics durable and sturdy.

Aqua toile Medium bed

Ikat comes in brown or chartreuse green.

Medium

I am loving this adorable "costal beach scene" fabric.

The blue center is thick and sturdy. Actually it's the same fabric I put on my camel back sofa in our living room...only in an aqua blue color.

Medium

Midnight navy blue paisley.

This one is 20" x 20" Still considered a medium bed.

Although all of my mediums are 20" x 23".

Here's my big girl Sugar modeling the matlesse large bed.

Right now my only large bed.

Large 24" x 28"

Oatmeal linen and with a twill matching floral.

Medium

Medium weight, 100% ivory linen and "candle light" chenille.

Right now my only small bed. 18" x 18"

For this bed you would really have to know your pets habbits.

This is probably more for a cat.

Heavy weight oatmeal linen with ivory linen pleated ruffle.

Medium

Even a "Shabby Chic" with the same 100% linen ruffle.

Medium

Here are the girls giving an idea of the sizes. We're using the aqua toile bed.

The Medium bed is 20" x 23". She would love to curl up in this size. Ha!

Sugar is about 60 lbs. She's a smaller black lab mix.

Here's our little scruffy girl Mija. She weighs about 16 lbs. She could even go into a smaller one.

Well, there's more in the store if you'd like to take a look!

Thanks for stopping by

Kelly

Outdoor Tablecloth And Chair Idea (And a How-To)

2011-04-13T07:27:00.000-07:00

The other day I had an idea! My mother-in-law gave us this table set years ago. She got it from a yard sale.

I love blue and white out by the pool. I already had the fabric from another bright idea.......

I bought it to make a crib set. I was sure it would be a winner. Ha! not one person even liked it.

Boy did I call that one wrong!

Here's the set...and an idea HOW-TO...

I cut the skirt from the decking keeping the gathers intact. Then added it to a round piece of fabric I had cut the size of the table top.

I got some of my leftover fabric, layed the it on top of the table, cut it about 3/4 inch bigger for the seam, and sewed the crip skirt pieces to it.

(first I sewed the skirt pieces together. Finished edges and all. No cutting or picking out stitches.)

I used all but about 1 foot of the crib skirt for this 42" table top. This skirt is an 18" drop. If you can't find a "matching" fabric a solid would be perfect too!

OK...Loving it!!

I made the chair pads in the same fabric with a matching striped ruffle.

I did the ruffle with just a few little pleats about 1 and 1/2 - 2 inches apart. That made a nice gathered look without the pain of gathering. You can see in the pictures that I only ruffled 3 sides because my chair backs go all the way down to the seat.

I had them "split" at the corners.

I added the ties to go around these areas.

One is pushed through the slit of the chair back and seat, the other goes around the back area.

All in all I think it's pretty cute. I'm so happy with the way it turned out.

I can just see my grown sons sitting here

having a Corona by the pool. LOL!

My two grandaughters will LOVE it though.

So if you're looking for something to do with that crib skirt your baby or grandbaby is finished with

Give this a try. The hard part is already done for you. The skirt is made!!

I hope you try it!

Kelly

2011 Parade Of Homes Welcome In

2011-04-08T04:07:00.000-07:00

Welcome!

I'm so happy and honored to be a part of the Parade Of Homes this year!

Thank you to Andy at Poppies At Play who took the time to put this whole thing together.

Come on in my yellow front door I painted last spring. I'm still loving it!

My name is Kelly. Our home is filled with refurbished thrift store finds. There's nothing like the satisfaction you get from taking a good old sturdy piece of furniture and making it look as good or better than that expensive piece you saw in the store.

I'll point a few of them out as you take the tour.

As you walk in the front door you'll come into the foyer.

And there's the kitchen! I tell you about the special touch we did to make it ok that it's in the foyer.

Go through an arch to the left and you're in the formal living room/sitting room. All of the furniture in this room, except for the coffee table, is from thrift stores.

I slipcovered the loveseat and chairs... and reupholstered the camel back sofa. I also put up the moulding to frame out these prints that were handed down from my father.

Now into the kitchen.

I just painted the little cabinet/island french blue. And we're waiting on the granite top. I tried it in our bedroom as you'll see in one of the pic... but I missed it down here!

This piece is from a garage sale and has been painted black, white, and now blue.

Thrift store chairs, covered in blue bird toile. You can see a tutorial for recaining the chairs at the top of my blog in the "TUTORIAL" section.

Here's a close up of what you see when you walk in the front door. We used the little mosaic Crystal Onyx tiles all the way to the ceiling to make some sort of statement.

My new knobs from Hobby Lobby :)

Now come see a couple of rooms upstairs.

This is our guest room.

I tried to keep in airy and relaxing. My thirft store coffee bable turned slipcovered bench.

I found this pretty duvet/coverlett at an antique mall.

Thrift store chair.

And now into the master bedroom.

This is the view as you enter the room. You can see another thrift store coffee table slipcovered "bench".

A $2.00 thrift store lamp with an new shade.

These 2 chairs were from a thrift store. I slipcovered them in white denim. A thrift store table and clearance, cube ottoman covered in oatmeal linen.

And last a little peek into the master bathroom.

Thank you for coming by to take the tour of my home!

Now if you'd like to link up your home in the tour go over to

Poppies At Play for the "Linky Party".

I'm sure everyone would LOVE to keep on looking!

Kelly

I Finally Made One!

2011-03-29T07:57:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to make one of these lampshade slipcovers for SO long!

I finally got out all of the supplies I needed and started sewing.

It's made from 100% linen in white.

Of course it's shown on a $2.00 thrift store, cut glass lamp base.

I love the glass lamps. They're so versatile. You can use them anywhere. And you can find them in thrift stores for a great price!

I think this one looks a little more contemporary with the little cut rectangles.

I used this type of lamp a whole different way in this picture. These are slipcovered shades too. I got the black shiny "snake" embossed fabric from Hobby Lobby. I measured and cut it to fit the drum shade. Then I cut long strips of self stick velcro and added it to the seam in the back This way they are removable.

And last...you're not going to believe this...but I got some chrome colored pin striping from the auto parts store. It's about 1/4 inch wide. I used it to trim the bottom and top of the shade. Just peel and stick!

They turned out pretty cool.

Back to the linen shade...

Here's a shot of the shade with the lamp turned off. I used the little natural shell buttons down the front and put a 1" pleated ruflfe around the bottom.

A side view.

The shade is a brand new champagne colored "silk" angled bell shape.

It gives the lamp a nice glow when turned on. It doesn't make a bright white glare.

Well, it's in my Etsy store today.

I think I'll go make another one. I LOVE these adorable shades!

Thanks for stopping by

Kelly

Blogland Might Like This!

2011-03-10T17:07:00.000-08:00

I bet you've never seen anything like this one out there. In a crib set?!

It's a greenish/aqua, botanical French script fabric. Printed on oatmeal linen.

It doesn't get any prettier than that. I'm having so much fun sewing these.

The skirt is full and made of oatmeal linen. The ties are the same fabric.

I'm still sewing lots of slipcovers full time and these sets in my spare time.

I'll be dropping off an ottoman and picking up a loveseat tomarrow.

No time to rest!

It has French script, butterflies and flowers all over it. And an ivory "linen look" pleated ruffle on top of the bumpers.

I placed the bumpers to show the most of this pretty fabric.

The fabric just happens to be the same color as this lamp! I couldn't believe it.

Well, it's in the Etsy store as of today.

Thanks for stopping by!

This post was featured on ~

Extreme Personal Measures

in the "baby" section of her blog! Thank You Denise!

Kelly

Where This Fabric Came From...

2011-02-20T09:29:00.000-08:00

I've been multi tasking! Slipcovers during the day...and crib sets at night and weekends.

Whew! I'm tired.

I wish it was break time, but never a dull moment here.

This set was made from my favorite fabric. BELOW you can see the slipcovers it was used for.

The stripe is in my bedroom on the little bench at the foot of the bed.

The solid was used on all of these!!

This love seat...

The mid century chairs...

And my favorite little round chair.

I love this one too! So pretty.

I used the same paisley chenille that I used on the pink linen set BELOW.

Soft and Cozy!

The aqua/turquoise is the same fabric I used on this little vanity chair below.

This chair sits around me everyday. I HAD to do something else with this gorgeous fabric.

And I AM LOVING the way the baby crib turned out.

Thanks for looking!

Kelly

A Fellow Blogger!

2011-02-16T20:38:00.000-08:00

My first Etsy sale was a fellow blogger! And an amazing Etsy seller herself!
Her name is Heidi and her blog is
Dreams Intertwined
Have you ever seen one of those blogs or shops that just make you want to linger for a long time? And keep scrolling and clicking? Where you just sort of get lost just looking around?
That's how Heidi's blog and store are. So classy and fun at the same time.

I covered this little round stool for her and sent it through the mail. I've never done that before. She took a chance on me and it was so fun!

Here's the before.

She gave me the measurements and before you know it she had it in her home...and it fit!!

I told her I was so suprised to see how perfect it looked on her little stool.

Well, she posted about it and I'm posting about her!

She was so fun to work with. And how about that... finding out that we both had blogs.

Isn't blogland special?!

I'd love it if you went by and visited her and clicked into her store. When you visit her blog you'll see that she actually has 2 stores. One is called Old Thyme Paper and the other is Vintage Dreams

Thanks again Heidi!

Kelly

Living Room Ideas So Far

2011-02-11T14:52:00.000-08:00

I put in 2 different views. This one is from the foyer as you walk in the front door. Some of you may remember this was my formal dining room that we never used. I've been working on turning it into a

living room/sitting room.

I'll put a little tv in here to give another place to escape to when my sisters are over to visit. The big camel back linen sofa still needs it's double welting glued on, and I've decided to distress the white wood a little. I started at the bottom but still have a long way to go.

This view is from the little sunroom off the kitchen. My huge, beautifil, aqua rug is gone...long story. So I'm looking for something to just sort of soften the floor. Still trying to sell the little oatmeal linen love seat you can see in here. I wish I had a place for it!

The drapery panels are outdoor fabric I got from Fabric.com. Miss Mustard Seed has some like it...I think... Or, her's might be the indoor drapery fabric. I just loved the idea of the blue when I saw her's.

Well, I'll let you know when I ever finish it. lol

But I do like it so far.

Kelly

I Couldn't Resist!

2011-02-08T15:08:00.000-08:00

I had to make one more pink crib set for my Etsy Store. I'm working on more boy or gender neutral ones, but I had to make something out of this ballet pink 100% linen. I've been looking at it for over a year.

I hope they're not all starting to look alike oline.

To mix it up a bit...I added this soft cream chenille. It has the prettiest paisly texture to it.

You can see the back of the quilt/blanket has the same pink linen.

See the texture? It's so cozy. And to give it a little more...I made the pleated ruffle, and the skirt out of off white 100% linen too.

Can't you just pictue a sweet baby girl snuggled dow in this crib?

I think this set would look so pretty in a wood tone crib too. The pink and cream would really stand out.

Thanks for stopping by.

Kelly

More Slipcovers In My Etsy Store

2011-02-01T16:16:00.000-08:00

I've started making custom slipcovers for cube ottomans and offering them in my Etsy Store.

These are covering a 15x15" padded cube I got at TJ Maxx in the clearance section. They can be customized to any size.

Here's what's underneath.

And see the blue cabinet behind them? Hopfully that's my next post.

It's our small kitchen island that I'm repainting and distressing.

They're covered in a homespun/linen textured fabric. The fabric is a nice durable weight.

I also covered one in Raspberry Toile to match one of the baby nursery sets I have for sale.

You can see it HERE

Thanks for looking!

I'm linked up today to Type A blog. Come check out her "Anything Goes Party"

Kelly

Lilac Toile Finished And Ready To Go!

2011-01-28T15:05:00.000-08:00

I just listed this one in my Etsy Store.

Why won't a computer pick up the color lilac/lavender.

It' looks so blue, but IT IS ture Lilac!

The sections of toile on the bumpers are the pictures of the little sheep and lamb sitting under a tree.

A pleated ruffle along the top of the 4 piece bumber is so cute.

And the comforter/blanket is backed in ivory linen.

Another one down and more to come!

Thanks for looking!

Kelly

Raspberry Toile And A Slipcover For My The Etsy Shop

2011-01-27T14:00:00.000-08:00

Raspberry toile, pleated ruffles, bows, pink tulips, a big feather boa, and a white wicker chair.

What a pretty combination!

The pictures don't do this color justice. It's so bright and pretty. It looks a little red in the pictures...it's not at all. The whole room glows of bright pink raspberry!

It's printed on duck fabric and the background is a soft ivory. It's not quite pure white.

I also made a little slipcover to match the set. It will be sold separately. It fits over one of those little 15" square cube ottomans. I got mine at TJ Maxx on clearance for $20.00. I see them everywhere.

Here's a little closer look at the detail.

The comforter/blanket is toile trimmed in raspberry check on the front. And ivory linen on the back.

The bumpers are raspberry toile on one side and ivory

linen on the other side, with a pleated ruffle made from the matching tiny check fabric.

I put a big pink feather boa around the top and bottom of the lampshade.

I think all of these little added touches make such a sweet nursery.

Come back and take a look later...I have the same fabric in Lilac. The most beautiful dusty lavender.

Thanks for taking a look!

Kelly

My Latest Slipcover Project

2011-01-25T05:32:00.000-08:00

This chair was so fun to do. I love the straight lines of it. The client didn't want any cording and she also asked for a waterfall skirt dropping straight down from the deck of the chair.

She said this was a thrift store chair and would be going in her boys tv room.

I think that will work well because I really don't think the dirt will show on this one.

The fabric is a natural linen color. It's very sturdy and makes such a nice slipcover.

I covered a matching ottoman, but woops...didn't get a picture.

Here's a close up of it. I've used it quite a few times and my supply is almost gone.

Thanks for looking!

Kelly

I Opened An Etsy Store!

2011-01-23T06:08:00.000-08:00

My Shop is called "Linen Baby"

I'm adding a touch of, or full linen in every set.

I've been woriking on this for months now! A little here and a little there inbetween slipcovers.

I Guess you can tell by the pictures what's in the shop!

Baby crib bedding. I love the softer side of life. That classic, traditional, timeless look for nurseries.

I'll never forget the nursery in "Father of the Bride 2" This room is in my head everytime I make a set.

I has an "Ahhhhhh"... "sigh" feeling when I look at it.

You can see the ones I've got for sale SO FAR. I have 6 more in different stages of completion.

Above is my blush pink and chocolate linen zebra. It's got ruffles everywhere.

This one is my "Shabby Chic" version. The pink is the most beautiful coral pink and blush pink.

I added little extras all over the rooms with the crib pictures. Just a few little ideas to show how classic nurseries can look.

This one is in the shop and finished. It's made of a dark navy blue, woven textured stripe, and pure white "linen look" fabric. It reminds me of a "Ralph Lauren" inspired... sort of nautical look so I used those types of accessories in the room.

I hope you go by and check out My Shop !

Hopefully I'll have it full of beautiful baby bedding soon!

I'm still figuring Etsy out. I would love to ship to Canada too, but I still have to look into charges and how to do it. And I need to look into the cheapest way to ship ever. I don't like shipping charges and wish I didn't have to charge them.

Kelly

Pretty Thrift Store Finds

2011-01-06T07:39:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I went to the cutest thrift store. It looks more like a sweet antique store. Sectioned off little "rooms" set up all through it. Every item catagory is organized and displayed with care and attention.

I saw these black and white dishes. Sort of a pen and ink design. It's a set of 8. Most likely a dessert set because there aren't any dinner plates or bowls.

I already had the pink set for years. I decided to blend the two together. I also found this pink creamer a few months ago. The floral patteren isn't the same, but the pink is the same color and it has the silver band around it.

I also found these 2 ocean pictures. I had been looking for something for my "costal" bedroom...and knew I would only buy from a thrift store. These are perfect. They're about 20x24 total size. Not too big or small.

Both for $15.00. I would have loved both for $10.00, but it's ok.

Kelly

How To Make Double Welting ~ Tutorial

2011-01-04T18:21:00.000-08:00

It's best to cut your strips of fabric on the bias, but you don't have to. Cutting on the bias just makes smoother and prettier turns around curves and corners.

(I put a quick turorial at the bottom for bias strips)

I cut mine about 2 and1/2 inches wide.

You don't need a special welting foot for your sewing machine to make this cording.

Note ~ this is MY way...and it always works great.

You will need the zipper foot to start the cording. You'll want to get really close.

Turn only part of the fabric over the first cord. Sew all the way down the length you will need.

Here's how it will look when this first part is finished.

Lay the second piece of cording next to the 1st one.

Fold the right hand piece of fabric over both pieces of cording.

Now turn it over, put it in the machine and start sewing. Sew down the same stitch line as the first.

See below.

This is where you can use the zipper foot, or the regular foot. Make sure the under fabric is pulled close to the cording, but not too tight.

NOW...STITCH IN THE DITCH

While sewing this part, just pull and sew making sure both cordings look the same size. Doing a practice piece is very much recomended :)

Continue along rolling it over as you go and stitching in the ditch on top of the previous stitch line.

This is what it will look like when you finish. You might need to click the picture to see more detail.

Now...turn it over and start cutting the excess fabric off the back.

See below.

Cut it very close, but don't cut the stitches.

It has to be close so it doesn't show when glued to the furniture.

And here it is finished! You can glue it around turns and sharp corners.

When I glue mine... I use fabric glue or Tacky glue. I like the Fast Grab Tacky Glue in the purple bottle best.

Another tip when gluing is to put the glue on the cording instead of the furnitue. I hold it up and glue about 1 foot at a time. I rub the nozzel over the cording while squeezing the bottle. This helps get the right amount and cover all of the area. Have the length of cording covered with glue and ready to turn your corners. Then press it down firmly. Keep going back and pressing as you go.

Of course using too much will cause it to leak out onto the furniture piece. Rubbing it on as you go will help a lot!

I've also put a staple or two here and there to hold it while it dries, and then remove it later very gently and slowly.

Here are a few pieces I've used it on. I'm so glad I gave it a try. What a difference it makes!

Now here is a quick lesson on making cording on the bias.

I'm using a piece of printer paper to show you.

Fold the rectangle over like the picture above. 1 yard of fabric works great for some nice long strips. 1/2 yard will make shorter strips, but still works fine.

Now start cutting the strips. The first one will be on the fold. Then just keep cutting strips until they start looking too short. Be sure to cut them wide enough for either single or double cording.

Kelly

A Really Pretty Givaway!

2010-12-30T11:34:00.000-08:00

There's a new blogger out there having an end of year GIVEAWAY! But you have to hurry!

Her name is Teresa and her Blog Is The Shabby Texas Cowgirl . Her blog is beautiful and so is the giveaway.

So go on over...take a look around... read about the giveaway...and put your name in.

Here's a peek at part of what she's giving away. But there's more...

New Knobs For The Kitchen Cabinets

2010-12-29T07:26:00.000-08:00

When we first remodeled our kitchen, the cabinets were finished and the men were waiting on knobs for the cabinets. I ran to Lowes and grabbed something that would do. Well, some of them had the finish start to peel off.

I had bought knobs at Hobby Lobby for a few furniture pieces I refinished, and loved them so much.

I decided to use some of them for the kitchen.

These are olive color. I knew the color would go beautifully with all of the aquas, linen, and white in the house.

This one is on the pantry door. They only had one and I need 8 more for all of the drawers.

I have them on order right now. I also need 13 more for the rest of the cabinets. They are ordered too. So I'll pick them up in a week.

I'll show the whole kitchen then!

They have a "silver" back plate on them and they're faceted like a jewel.

I priced them on the Anthropologie website and they are twice the price of Hobby Lobby's 50% off sale, and they charge $15.00 shipping. It's well worth a couple of trips to Hobby Lobby to get all that I need.

And...NO SHIPPING CHARGES!

Although the choices are a little more limited at Hobby Lobby, there are still tons of styles and colors to choose from.

I'm so happy with the ones I picked!!

DIY Chandelier Idea On A Budget!

2010-12-27T09:24:00.000-08:00

You know those beautiful double layer light fixtures out there? We'll here's how you can make your own!Get these beads now while they're 50% or more off! I used faceted silver. The smooth ones look beautiful too. I used the medium size ones. Not the little ones. You can use any color. Even the pearlized ones.

One of those fat plastic tubes did about 1/3 of the lamp. I would buy 4 tubes to be safe. They're so cheap, and at the after Christmas sales everywhere!!

You'll need a metal wire wreath form. Mine is a 12 inch size. I spary painted it silver.

(In this picture you can see a close up of the key ring chains)

I cut my strips of beads in 25 inch lengths. The way I hung mine made the lamp 15 inches high.

You can customize how ever you want.

I hung mine from the kitchen light fixture wirth a twist tie, just to hold it there while I worked on it.

Make the twist tie very secure so it doesn't slip off.

I just started hanging the beads with the outside shorter. When I got them all on...I started adjusting the lengths to all be the same. Again...the outside layer is shorter.

This is hanging a little crooked because I don't have enough chains added yet. The chain at the top is little packs of key rings. I added as many as I needed to make the length I wanted.

The wreath form has joints on it. Attach the chain lengths to those areas. I'm showing 3 but you'll need to add as many lengths as there are joints.

Note ~ When we hung ours, we got the cheapest pendent light we could find at Lowes. You can use a hanging lamp kit too. We wanted a little frosted glass shade over the light bulb for a softer light. We wired the pendent to the center ceiling hole and and hung the new "chandelier" so the light was down through the center of the beads....I'm sorry... I can't remember how we hung the bead part from the ceiling. It was so long ago. We may have drilled holes in the ceiling fixture cover plate. Or use one key ring to bring all of the lengths together and use some wire to attach it to the screw at the celing base.

I know this doesn't help, but I really can't remember.

I know you all are so creative out there.

If you have any ideas leave them as a comment so others can read them.

Kelly

What I've Been Up To...

2010-12-05T12:10:00.000-08:00

Have you ever made a Tie Blanket?

Well... Let me tell you! These things are fun to create, pick out fleece colors, and match to the people you're making them for.

Making the ties is another story. After awhile you get good at it though.

I made all of these for Christmas gifts for my family.

Hancock Fabrics has table after table of this fleece. It's always on sale at Christmas time.

When you gather up all of your fabric, it can be 8,10,12 cuts at the cutting table.

And you're usually waiting behind someone having the same amount cut.

It's a long visit to the store!!

This one is for my son who lives in San Francisco. He's about all things brown. Knit caps, t-shirts, hoodies, socks. I knew his had to be brown.

This one is for my other son in Southern CA. When he came to visit last summer, he went out and bought some camo swim shorts. I thought of him when I saw this. I love the camel color I put with it.

This one is for his girlfriend. I backed it in heather grey instead of black or white. It's so soft and pretty.

A few years ago, another one of my sons in CA said he wanted "one of those red and black check flanel shirts". So this reminded me of him.

It's funny...as you're making all of the ties..you get lost in your thoughts about the person you're making it for.

It's such a great feeling.

This one is for my sister's dog "Lucy". She's a Boston Terrier mix who was in a shelter for a year waiting to be adopted. My sister saw her and took her home to live with them. She waited so long for a home, and she's the most precious, loving, sweet little dog. Oh when I think of the amazing dogs and cats in shelters waiting for good homes, that people will ever know about..

And this one is for Lucy's mama...my sister. I made her's wintery and fun.

And then her husband who loves everything blue. Every Christmas someone gives him a blue shirt or blue jammies. On Dec. 27 last year he had a terrible brain bleed. Just out of nowhere. He was walking Lucy and came in with a terrible headache. Who would have know when we were all so happy at Christmas last year.

I'm happy to say, a year later he is doing great after lots of therapy. Thank God.

Like I said...you think about the person the whole time you're making the blanket.

This one is for my little 3 yearold grandaughter Avery. It's hot pink "Hello Kitty" and hot pink Scottie Dogs.

She's going to look so precious wrapped up in this.

Now for my oldest son. (Yes...I have 5 of them. 5 sons) Avery's father. He's loves motercycles and paints the gas tanks. Not all flames, but I thought this one would be fun for him.

And his wife...my sweet daughter-in-law. She did their room in dark grey, black and white. I hope she likes this one.

My "oh so fun younger sister" I knew I could make her's bright and happy. I just went all out on FUN!

And her husband. His isn't as fun, but he's such a serious person. lol

I think he has a shirt like this ;)

Last year I made a few from college team fleece, Washington Redskins, Hannah Montana, and a camo one for our black lab "Sugar" (she sleeps on it every night)

Give it a try!!

I can think a few more I need to make!

Tips For Making Them

I buy 1 and 2/3 yards of fleece. (in 2 colors) This makes a 60" square blanket. (if you use 1 yard, it will look like a bath towel when finished.)

The finished selvege edges have a lot of stretch to them, so after you cut off that edge, your fringe cuts can be a little wider and shorter.

I'd say about 1 and 1/4" wide and 2 and 1/2" long.

For the other 2 sides, cut the strips about 1" wide, and 3-3 1/2" long. They will all look the same after the selvage side fringe stretches.

This side is soooo hard to tie if they're too short or wide. So be sure the strips are long and skinny.

If you buy plaid...make sure when they cut it they follow the lines on both sides of the folded fleece. Or you will have to cut off a bunch to make your plaid lines straight.

I only cut the fringe on one side at a time. I lay it on the guest room bed. That way I can close the door from the animals if I have to stop in the middle of makng it.

For your corners, cut out a square at each corner. This little square will be the same length as your fringes. This will meet up your corner fringe perfectly.

Kelly

Oatmeal Linen Slipcovered Loveseat

2010-11-29T14:47:00.000-08:00

This was the cutest little loveseat, but it's really the size of a settee. Probably from the 80's.

I took this picture with my phone so it came out so "pixiley" when I enlarged it.

Before I slipcovered it I reupholstered it in canvas dropcloth. This gave a nice base for the new slip.

It could really be used either way. Contemporary or Traditional!

But there's no cording on this part. I didn't want the cordings fighting with eachother once it was slipcovered.

I did a box pleat around the bottom, with a little leg still showing. Using the Quick Pleater of course!

Go check out how I did it.

I love this fabric! So nice to work with..

And a look at the back. You can see the arms and the back are the same height all the way around.

Kelly

Christmas In The Foyer

2010-11-28T16:17:00.000-08:00

I finished decorating the foyer for Christmas. (cord usually isn't showing ;)

I covered a parson's chair in white.

You can see the fish with little "snowball" flowers and some sparkly green sprigs added to it.

The wreath (up there) has dragonflies and stars on it.

(There's my Sassy girl sitting on the stairs)

I made the pillow out of a plaid napkin and a starched cotton tea towel with holly on it. Both from Carolina Pottery.

I just cut the tea towel in half, turned under the edge and sewed it onto the napkin. The back of the pillow is white linen. I used a lot of the lime green so this pretty green plaid was a nice match.

I really didn't have a theme in mind for the tree, but it ended up with birds and butterflies on it. I got the copper butterflies at Dollar Tree and the white doves were 2 for $1.00. See the pretty green bird too?

I love him! All of the balls are copper, and lime green.

This is the large cabinet with bar accessories behind the glass door. I made the little sign last year using a left over piece of wood from our kitchen cabinets, the cut out angel was from a Christmas card, and some gold snowflakes. Then I covered the whole thing with Sparkle Glaze I got in a little bottle at Walmart in the craft section.

Here's a close up of the sign. And of course I love my beautiful angels. I got the green mercury glass holders from Carolina Pottery. $2.99 each!

Thanks for stopping by!

Kelly

Just Finished!

2010-11-18T10:55:00.000-08:00

I just finished this sofa and ottoman. She wanted white denim. I love working with it!

I also made two matching pillows with blue cording and some nice big arm covers.

Hopefully all she'll have to wash are the cushion covers and the arm covers.

Wouldn't that be nice?!

Lots more in the works!

Kelly

The Linen Sofa...So Far...

2010-11-16T09:06:00.000-08:00

Well here it is so far! It's almost finished. Our crazy lab, Sugar jumbed up on it with dirty outside paws! Luckly I had a sheet draped over it at the time. I know I'll be freaking out over all of the hard work that went into this sofa...so I'm making a slipcover for it too.

See that aqua/blue in the rug? The fabric is the exact same color! And it will be machine washable!

I still need to cover the cushions and add the double welting all around the edges.

BEFORE

This picture is after I painted the wood ivory.

(there's a good shot of the aqua/blue in the rug)...The slip will be so cute. No skirt though, just cording around the bottom where the wood starts.

I'll show both covers finished soon.

Thanks for taking a look!

Kelly

Goodbye Dining Room...Hello...

2010-11-08T06:20:00.000-08:00

TV/Sitting/Reading/Pretty/Whatever...Room.

I thought long and hard about doing this, and I realized when we hadn't used this table but one time in 3 years...it was time to let go. Right now it's all in the garage waiting to go to some auction.

Here's the start of the room. I'm still playing with it. I just put everything in here last night.

See the sofa with the fabric laying over it? You can read about it at the end of the post.

I pulled in one of the yellow print wing chairs too.

I know for selling a home, it's nice to show a designated dining room. We may put something in here if we ever put the house up for sale.

This room really is the "formal living room". The dining room is what I call the "sunroom" now. So there's always options. This room was so much bigger than the "real" dining room. I also liked that it was at the front of the house.

And now... the chandelier still hangs over a round table :)

Here the before. It's a clean, sturdy Broyhill sofa that was home to a kitty.

Not really bad, but a few scratches on the back and some cat hair under the seat cushions.

It's all vacumed, steamed, and the wood is painted ivory now.

I'll be posting about the "before and after" of the sofa. And how the room finally turns out.

Just in time for all of the holidays and Christmas decorating.

Lots to do!!

Kelly

New Tool To Make PERFECT Pleats!

2010-10-21T21:27:00.000-07:00

A lot of you have commented that you really love all of the pleats I do on my pieces.

Well I've found a new tool and have never looked back!

This is how I make all of them now.

Angie Knowles of SIYS ~ Sew It Yourself Slipcovers invented this tool! She's in the process of marketing it right now.

She was so sweet to send me one of these...have me try it out..and let her know what I thought.

Go check out her new Slipcover Learning Blog. She's so talented and helpful. One of bloglands BEST!

Here's what I learned...

I love it Angie!!

I never have to worry about the pleats not being the same size anymore.

I use it for everything now.

I put together a short tutorial. The picture above is the tool and my strip of linen folded and ironed flat.

(it also comes in a 4") I used the 1" for mine. There are directions to use it for making "Box Pleats" too. She has a link with a video that explains everything.

Place one fork of the tool under the fabric.

Rotate it away from you like shown. Lay it down flat...pull it out and sew.

After sewing the pleat down...put one fork under again...rotate it away from you. Lay it flat..pull it out...and sew the pleat. Keep going this way all the way around the piece you're working on.

When you come to a corner, make one pleat across the corner.

Sew it down. Then put the needle down into the fabric and turn everything and keep going down the straight side of the pillow.

Adding pleats until the next corner. Repeat this with all four corners.

So you just place it under the fabric..rotate it...pull it out...and sew.

Place it under the fabric...rotate it...pull it out...and sew. It goes very fast! No pinning. No measuring.

No making your pleated piece separate and then sewing it on.

It's all done in one step thanks to Angie and her amazing tool.

Here's how they will look when you're done.

Here are the "Box Pleats" I made with it. To make these you just do the first part like above, while holding the pleat down, put the tool under the fabric again... but this time rotate it towards you. Hold it down and sew. It will make perfect box pleats!

Ahhhhh... Perfect Pleats everytime.

If you would like one,

Go See Angie She'll have one waiting for you!

Thanks For Stopping By

Kelly

Something A Little Different??

2010-10-19T21:20:00.000-07:00

I ordered this "Chocolate Peacock Toile" from Fabric.com the other day. I cut it in pieces and hung them on the clips. Now I keep looking at it and wondering if it's right.

I think it's beautiful fabric, but it almost looks black and white in the room. Sort of like a newspaper.

Here's a close up of it, and my new fish sign I got at the flea market. It's carved from a solid piece of light weight wood. It says "Beer & Bait" . It's so cute. The chain is all rusty. I guess it used to hang outside somewhere.

I painted this one wall the same blue as the Master Bedroom. I thought it was such a pretty color that I had to use it somewhere else, so I painted the 3 arch walls blue, and the others are ivory.

I wonder if I should take the fabric down and cover wing back chairs and slipper chairs with it, or leave it up.

I guess I'll live with it awhile.

Kelly

Linen Pillow Stack and A Slipvovered Wing Chair

2010-10-17T15:00:00.000-07:00

A couple of months ago I started making linen pillows with all of the beautiful fabric I've been collecting. When I won the wonderful book giveaway at Vicky's blog Room Service ~ Decorating 101 ... I added one of the styles of pillows in the book. The ones with the white linen and seashell buttons.

Mine aren't exactly like the ones in the book though. They used ruffles and I did mine with little pleats.

I had also made a few with the oatmeal linen. All are 100% linen.

I bought this piece a couple of years ago. I looked it up on line and found it in other colors. I guess they discontinued this orange/salmon color. (it's a salmon color in person) It feels like a yummy European linen. The weave is gorgeous!

A while back I found this wing chair second hand and covered it with a white King coverlet I've had stored away for this exact reason. I knew the right piece would come along...and here it is.

The King barely covered this chair. I guess because the back is so tall and the wings are wide. I used white denim for the cording and the seat decking to save fabric... and still used every bit of the coverlet.

I would have made the skirt about 2 " longer, but I almost didn't even have enough for it!

A lot of you have said you are going to, or might try this.

Plan ahead, skimp where you can, or have a twin size standing by just in case. LOL

I like the look with one of the white pillows. The white on white is so pretty.

Don't you just love this look?

Kelly

Slipccoverd Mid Century Chair

2010-10-03T11:55:00.000-07:00

I have a pair of these cool chairs. I covered them in an oatmeal linen.

The pillow is a soft white linen with natural shell buttons.

This close up shows how beautiful the fabric is!

I put a small knife pleat at the bottom but still let the flaired out legs show.

Here's the before. These chairs are very sturdy and clean.

Thanks for taking a look!

Kelly

White Slipcovered Sofa

2010-09-07T06:37:00.000-07:00

This one is on the way to my sister! She let me do whatever I wanted to it. And of course it got a little pleated skirt.

We put these 2 in her tv room last weekend. I covered these a long time ago. They're down filled. $7.50 each from a thrift store! Steam cleaned of course ;)

Since then I've brought so many chairs into this house, I was ready to give these up. Of course she gladly took them!

She has this little room off of her kitchen with a nice big fireplace.

I can't wait to see it when she finishes it!

I just stuck these pillows on it. She'll get to find her own to go with her colors. White, apple green, aqua, and soft blue. Sounds pretty huh?

It was a pretty salmon/pink with little white flowers on it. It has a slight curve to the very low back.

Here's where you can see how low that back is.

Look at my big girl Sugar out there. Mama had to put her outside to get the pictures.

I love the back of this sofa. That curve is so sweet!

Funny short story about this sofa. It was in the consignment store from an auction. I asked Joe the owner if I could slipcover it before it sold. He said sure! Well I went back in to get it...it was gone! I asked where it went and he said "I just donated it to a thrift store 20 minutes ago." I said WHAT! He forgot about the slipcover. I said "why didn't you donate it to ME!" LOL.

I had already covered many pieces for his store.

Well, I went straight to the store and had to BUY it from them. They said $45.00. I told them I could have had it for free 20 minutes earlier. They came down to $30.00. Ugh!

Kelly

My Version Of Re-Caning A Chair

2010-09-05T20:06:00.000-07:00

Say you're out thrifting and see the perfect chair. All of the lines are just what you're lookin for...and then there it is...damaged cane! UGH! It's the worst feeling.

I found 2 of these chairs. Look how horrible they are. But I loved the lines.

After a lot of elbow grease, they became these!

First let me say, I didn't do a very good job at this re-caning thing, but I gave it my best shot.
If you plan to paint or paint and distress your furniture...you can do this!
If I had planned to stain these chairs and make them look perfect, I would have thrown them in the trash after seeing my work. Well maybe not, but I would have been disapointed.
But I knew I could hide ALL of the flaws with the paint.
I called the only place within miles of us that did re-caining. This nice man told me they would cost $75.00 per chair! Then when I aked him if he thought I could tackle this myself, he said sure! And gave me a quick lesson over the phone.

Here are the steps.
I looked around on the computer for a supply company. This place was my best choice.
http://www.restorationsupplies.com/
I ordered 1/2 inch (the little holes) by a piece 14 inches wide cane. Sold by the inch /.34 cents, I bought 36 inches for $11.16. I also bought #7.5 cane spline. 5 ft. for $1.25. I bought 2 ft. which cost me $2.50.
Then my shipping $8.50. For a total of $22.16 to do both chairs.
Of course I measured the whidth at the widest point and the length and just eyeballed and sort of measured the width of the spline before placing my order.

The spline has been glued in so you have to use plain white vingar to release the glue. I put some in a bowl and used a tooth brush to saturate the area. I just kept rubbing in on and letting it puddle in the crack. It's ready in just a few minutes. Just do this in a couple of coats.

Now for the hard part. You should use an ice pick or some sort of pointed object to dig out the spline.

All I had was a small flat head screw driver, so I sturggled a little.

NEVER POINT THE SHARP OBJECT TOWARDS YOUR BODY PARTS, PETS OR CHILDREN WHILE DIGGING. ONE SLIP WITH ALL OF THAT PRESSURE AND INJURY COULD OCCUR.

Oh look at this picture... Don't I wish! It started so prefectly but quickly turned to...

This! My big piece split, and went down hill from there. I found this to happen with both of the chairs.

So now starts the digging and digging and digging. Adding more vinegar and digging some more.

It splits and tears, but finally you WILL get through it. I ran the screw driver through it and wiggled it all the way through the groove until almost every piece was out. There will be some "stringy" wood stuff in there, but make sure you can see a clear groove. Try pliers too. They help pull it out the stuff.

I raised my chair up on a box. This supports the back when I started hammering the cane and spline in.

When I read directions on line they kept talking about these little wedge things. Well, of course I didn't order any so I started thinking of something to fit that groove. Ah Ha! Paint stirrers!

I broke them in half and hoped for a clean split. You can cut them with larger sheers if you have some.

These are the other tools you will need.

Your spline...the cane...hammer..cutters...wood glue...and a small box cutter or wallpaper blade.

Lay the cane on to cover the whole area. You can cut it close now if you want. About a 1/2 inch bigger.

Add a row of the wood glue to the groove.

I can't believe I didn't get a pic of the paint sticks hammered in the grooves as wedges.

Well hammer one at the end and leave it in. Then one on the other end and the 2 sides. Then use a few more to hold the cane in place. After that I just hammered the cane in the groove all the way around using one of the paint sticks to stuff it in. As the glue gets tacky, the cane will stay down in the groove.

See how it's stuck down in there. It can really be cut close because there's not much that actually goes down into the groove.

Now add another row of glue on top of the cane. Don't worry that ALL of the cain in stuck all the way down. Just make sure MOST of it is in there.

NOTE... the cane and the spline will have to be soaked in water for about a half hour. (they say longer, but that's all I did and it was fine.) I used an old tall kitchen trash can to submerse it, and held it down in there with a heavy cereal bowl.

Directions will come with the cane.

When you look close at the spline it has a sort of rounded side and a thinner squared side. Be sure the thinner square side goes down into the groove.

Oops...I forgot to soak my spline so it split at the curve. Can you see it?

But like I said...my paint will cover all of my flaws.

Anyway...start hammering the spline in. They say to miter the corners but after such frustration, I just cut mine HOWEVER! (paint will cover the flaws) Ha!

When you get to each end, cut the spline and start the next strip.

Now when all the spline is in, cut off the excess as close as possible. (RIGHT AWAY...BEFORE THE GLUE DRIES)

At this point I gently wiped off the excess glue. Don't worry if you have glue EVERYWHERE. It's ok. Just wipe it off at the end.

Then I took my cutter blade and very gently cut the tiny left over pieces off.

Last of all, the cane will flatten out and shrink up when it dries. It's only wavy because it's wet.

And here is the finished chair. With all of the chewed up wood and everything. I made so many gouges while digging out the old spline. But it's all good. I'll just sand it before I paint it.

And once again here it is finished. I'll never be afraid of broken or damaged cane again. And I'll never pass up a beautiful piece again.

I hope you try this! It's not a lot of work and so worth it for such a big savings. You'll be getting the furniture cheaper because of the damage. (bargining power) And doing the work yourself saves the most!

Kelly

Master Bedroom "Linen/Costal" Look

2010-09-01T07:56:00.000-07:00

I've been working so hard on this master bedroom. A while back I painted the accent wall yellow and put up the moulding.

After living with it awhile, I realized I had to make the bathroom tiles and bedroom blend together.

All of that blue tile had to make sense.

When we remodeled this bathroom, I ordered these glass tiles. I thought they would be a softer blue when they arrived, but I still liked them. For a quick fix, we "veneered" them over all of the existing tiles.

Here you can see the large wall is close to the bathroom. So I painted this wall blue.

Another pic where you can see the flow.

I made this bedskirt out of a beautiful "raw" looking linen. The bench is the last of my coffee tables I turned into benches. I covered this one with a flax colored and ivory linen stripe. I did a little pleated edge on it.

This is one of the 2 chairs I slipcovered for the room. They're covered in white denim. The little cube is covered in ivory linen.

I think maybe a sisal rug would look nice in here. Or at least something with a neutral and natural feel and color.

This is one of the ceilings called a "gazebo celing"?? I think? I call it the circus tent. I don't know about this thing. I really want to do something with it. Like maybe lower it. Or do a open beam technique. Or maybe cover it with beadboard. It will be a huge job. It was painted grey when we moved in and now the blue goes well with it.

This is the headboard I bought at a thrift store the other day for $15.00! I painted it ivory but now I think I need to back it with a piece of painted luan or some kind of thin board.

The open look doesn't really go with the moulding on the wall.

The curtains are an off white linen blend. They cover two glass doors going out to a second story balcony/deck.

This blue floral fabric is a beautiful linen. It has no aqua in it at all, but all of the colors blend and add to the soft casual look of the room.

I backed it with a pure white, fluffy, soft fleece blanket. That way we can wrap up in it while watching tv in the chairs.

I made a pair of matching pillows too.

I still need to find a round frame for that circle window.

Oh my...the hard parts are done, but I still have a few finishing touches to add.

Thanks for coming by to take a look.

Kelly

Fun Idea For Thrift Store Vase

2010-08-30T15:28:00.000-07:00

I got this very tall vase from a thrift store for a few dollars. I saw an idea of putting these tall grass sprigs in one like it.

Well, after seeing the picture, I was on the lookout for one. And here it is.

This arrangement stands about 3 feet tall!

Last year I saw this plant in my neighbors yard. It multiplies bigger every year like a lilly or hosta so you can devide it.

I asked her "please, please give me a chunk of it." She's so sweet :)

It's in the pampas grass family...umbrella something?... I think it looks like little palm trees.

Yes...these are my "faux" tulips. I know, I know. I also put some shells in another thrift store jar for a little bit of a costal/palm look in the dining room.

Thanks for stopping by!

Kelly

Re-Doing The Sunroom With Fun Slipcovers

2010-08-27T09:22:00.000-07:00

You can see in the picture that these two chairs are very different in size.

I didn't mind though, as long as they were covered in the same fabric.

I wanted a matching set of wing backs for the room.

I got the dandelion fabric on sale from Fabric.com. I used some of my white denim for the pleated skirts.

I kept the same creamy ivory curtains panels.

I thought about using white to match the background of the chairs, but when I put the chairs in the painted room with these... I knew I had to keep them up.

I painted the walls the same color as my dining room (you can see in my sidebar) because the two rooms extend into each other.

I'll show the way they're layed out one day WHEN THEY'RE FINISHED! Sheesh! It's taking forever!

The paint color is called "Innocence" by Behr from the Home Depot.

Oh well, one room at a time.

I can't wait to finish this one.

Hope you come back to see it!

I'm linking up to ~

Pink And Polka Dot's Slipcover Party!

Kelly

Just Delivered

2010-08-23T21:44:00.000-07:00

I just delivered this sofa today. It's covered in "natual" denim. I LOVE the way this style of sofa slips up!

Her back cushions were attached. I asked if I could cut them off and she said go for it.

It wouldn't look this classic and pretty if the pillows had still been attached.

When you sit on it.. it feels like clean, crisp, fresh laundred sheets!

My new blog friend Gina of Slipcover Chic just finished one almost identical to this one.

We talk on the phone at least once a week, and keep up with eachother while we're sewing and creating our slipcovers.

If you live in NC...she's your go-to lady for custom slipcovers.

Go on over and check out her blog. I think she has more energy than me!

Kelly

French Vanilla Guest Bedroom

2010-08-16T15:30:00.000-07:00

My mother used to describe this wall color as "French Vanilla". It's a very soft yellow, or a very yellowish ivory. It' looks more yellow in the pictures.

While the room is not quite finished...there are a few extra things I'd like to add... and of course my cutains aren't hemed yet.

This is the duvet I got from the antique mall when my booth was there. I also layed a white quilted coverlet at the foot of the bed.

The bench is one of the my "coffee tables turned benches". I covered in a linen print, with a box pleated skirt.

You can also see the yellow bedskirt from my turorial HERE

Do you remember my mother's Victorian headborad (footboard)? The one I had to paint because of the damage? You can see it HERE

I also put my little armless chair, I slipcovered in white denim, in the corner. And one of my "coral" pillows for the window seat. You can see how I made them HERE

I tucked a little blanket under the window seat for wrapping up in while sitting in the chair. I have 2 little foot stools to choose from to put in front of the chair. I'll do some sort of little slipcover to the one I use.

I always save the soaps and shampoos from our vacations and I like to keep them out for guests. Some have actually used them! I also added a basket of towels to carry to the bathroom or out to the pool.

I brought this Waterfall dresser home from my shop when I closed it. I put it in here to store it, but I think it looks kind of nice.

I accessorized it with a yellow Victorian dresser box, which belonged to my mother. I put her old perfume bottle on top. Then my cranes I found at a thrift store and some pretty shells in a clear glass dish.

Here's a close up of the box. It's so beautiful.

Now for the before... or storage room... or work in progress.

And then again the after. Ahhh...I like this much better.

Kelly

I'm linking up to...

The Lettered Cottage Guest Bedroom Re-Do

Thrift Store Finds And A Question??

2010-08-11T12:01:00.000-07:00

I went out today to my flea market fabric lady to stock up on her beautiful linen fabric she seems to have lately. Well, while I'm on that part of town, I always stop into my favorite thrift stores. Between the 2 of them I found a lot of good stuff!

First I got this mirror for my bathroom, the little foot stool (which needs a lot of TLC) and this cute, unique, FILTHY, lamp.

Here's a close up of the dirt. Where was this thing stored??

I wouldn't even bring it in my house until I took a toothbrush to it.

After some scrubbing, look how cute it is. Right now it's in pieces and ready to be rewired. I'm not sure what I'll do with the damage to the little metal stand. I sort of like the aged brass look. But that one part is very oxidized and won't come clean.

Aren't the little gold circles/ovals cute?!

I also got the silver plate candle holder and this huge vase. I'll fill it with white tiny pumpkins for fall, and sparkly beads or red berries for Christmas.

These are still in the bed of my truck. One is a very old turned dowel headboard and footboard. I may make a bench out of it, because I DO NOT have a bed to use it on. I really like the dark wood color, and probably wont paint it.

This one is a king headboard. That's all ther was to it. I will paint this one for sure. Ivory with a sanded distressed finish. I'll use it for our master bedroom. I think it's gonna look pretty with a fresh coat of paint.

See the little flower detail on it?

Here's My Question...

What do I do with this?!? It reminds me of the one *Visual *Vamp Showed in her post about a Swedish chandelier. It's got a wooden base and the same kind of arms as the one she has pictured. She shows a double and a single.

(scroll through her post to see the single one.)

It's pretty big. 23" tall and 25" wide.

But these funny candle holders that won't come off.

The little dangle at the bottom is metal. What would you do to this?

I love it, but I'm sort of at a loss as to what to do to it.

Thanks for any info or suggestions.

Oh and the final total for EVERYTHING...

$50.00

That's... headboard/footboards for 2 beds, cool chandelier,cute lamp, foot stool, mirror, giant vase, silver candle stick!!

Makes Me Happy!

Kelly

Another Cute Pillow Idea

2010-08-09T12:24:00.000-07:00

These little flowers were just leftovers!

My sister came for a weekend visit and we decided to go fabric shopping. We headed over to Hancock Fabrics just to see what they had at their big sale.

She found this pretty sheer green fabric.

It has a water mark look and a ribbon flower design.

I had some white fabric, so I backed the 2 pillows with that. I also put a layer of the white behind the sheer green, sewing the 3 layers together.

Here's how they looked.

Well, then Amy decides to take the left over fabric a cut out the little flowers. I didn't think it would work, but she kept cutting. There were only a few so we arranged them on another white pillow, and fabric glued them on to look like they were falling from a bunch.

She stuffed this one when she got home. There were 2 full green pillows, but there were only enough flowers to make one with the leftovers.

She's so creative to think of this. I would have thrown the extra away.

I slipcovered 2 off white chairs and a white sofa for her.

These pillows will look so bright and cheery in the room with the new slips!

The room will be filled with this apple green, soft blues and aquas... and white.

She even decorates her whole home with aqua and silver Christmas decorations.

Won't it all look so light and pretty together?!

Kelly

Dining Room Chairs ~ Slipcover Decision Made

2010-08-06T16:29:00.000-07:00

A quick look at what I'm working on in my spare time. I said before...the furniture talks to me.

After covering the Kitchen Chairs here...I knew I didn't want the same look in the dining room.

My train of thought...

I knew I wanted to use dropcloths. I'm in LOVE with them because of the price, and the look.

I also wanted to use some of the ivory linen in the drapes/curtains in there.

I also didn't want them too plain, because after all... It's A Dining Room!

But I couldn't use the same pleated skirt.

I also didn't want to cover the whole chair.

So I mixed the two!

I used the linen to make the little knife pleat and I think they're going to look formal enough, without being over the top or stuffy. Casual but nice.

I have 6 of these big things. All arm chairs to go around our 63" round table.

Here's my dining room. The room they are going to be in.

I can't wait to finish and show them all at once!

Kelly

Vintage Vanity And Chair

2010-08-04T20:13:00.000-07:00

I bought this vanity in 2000. It was in mint condition. It had just been completely refinished.

After a few years, and a few moves, I put it in my Mother-in-law's storage building.

Well I thought it was a safe place to store furniture.

When I got it back a few months ago it was ruined.

Venere peeling, waving, and lifting everywhere.

So what do you do???

Peel the rest off. Patch the damage with wood putty, sand, and paint it.

I did a light distressing because the mirror had always been naturally "distressed" and now they go together.

I have another "Waterfall" vanity in there too. My husband told me it's ruined too.

It's even prettier than this piece. I guess I'll have to get it back and take a look.

I used the original drawer pulls and found this cute little vanity chair at a thrift store the other day.

It's on Craigslist right now. I put the set up today for $185.00.

The only inquiry I got was one of those scams where they "live too far away or are too busy to come look" but want your name and address so their "courier service" can deliver you a "bank certified cashiers check" "for more than you're asking" (hello?) and have their "movers come pick it up" Pahh-leeezzzee!

In fact, that's 2 scams in one week. I have a very large cabinet on there too.

I got one of those same emails for it too.

I covered the chair with some aqua latice print fabric I had left over from another project. And put a little ivory linen knife pleat ruffle around the bottom.

Isn't the seat cute?!?

It opens to hold magazines or hide a little girl's treasures.

Here's one last shot. You can see the mirror imperfections. But I think it adds to the age and "shabby" look of it.

I wish someone wanted it. I think it's so pretty.

Kelly

I'm linking up to

Miss Mustard's Furniture Feature Friday

I Feel So Honored

2010-08-04T09:02:00.000-07:00

I was out in our back yard this morning letting the dogs go potty. All of the little birds were going crazy around something HUGE sitting in one of the pine trees.
I called my husband out and ran to get my camera so I could soom in to see what that gigantic bird was. My first thought was a large vulture or maybe an owl.

Then I saw this!!! I thouhgt "NO WAY". I knew they were around these parts, but had never seen one.

Just Look At Him!

My husband said "I just want to see it fly!"

Well, he got to, I was busy trying to focus my camera.

A BALD EAGLE!

Gorgeous!

I feel so honored to see something this beautiful in my own yard.

(Click the picture twice to see it closer.

Look at the claws on this big guy!)

Now I'll be paying more attention to my little dog that likes to stay out alone a little longer than the other two.

Wouldn't want her swooped up!

Kelly

The Kitchen Chairs Are Ready To Show

2010-08-02T14:47:00.000-07:00

I've already had a lot of comments asking if I bleached my dropcloths. I didn't bleach mine. I may in the furture. I found a bunch of twin packs that all had the same pretty warm ivory color. So I didn't think I needed to bleach these.

This is my first time using dropcloths for slipcovers. I thought I would start small and work my way up to the larger pieces.

You can't beat the price of those things!!

On to the chairs.

I have 2 of these cain back chairs. The "before" was the WORST! I even attempted

re-caining...and it worked!! I'll show that post later. It's not so easy. In fact this one has lots of first time errors on it. But I knew I was going to paint and distress it, so it's ok.

I did a box pleat all the way around the arm chairs and 3 sides of the side chairs. They still need some kind of ties.

I can't take credit for this seat painting idea.

Miss Mustard Seed Was my inspiration for them.

She did her dining room chairs something like this. After seeing her's I couldn't get them out of my mind. This was one project I jumped on!

Her dining room is Gorgeous!!

Isn't that what blogging is about? Giving, and finding inspiration?

I asked her permission to copy her first. She gladly said YES! I knew I was going to follow her look as closely as possible, using what I had.

She painted the stripes on hers and them monogrammed them. Free Hand!

I knew I couldn't do that, so I stamped mine with dragonflies for the side chairs and one butterfly on each arm chair.

I put the first dragonfly to far back on the seat so I added another one which centered the 2. I sort of like 2 of them.

I put some pretty things out to go with my pretty new table and chairs.

I'm so excited about them! Miss Mustard Seed...I couldn't have done it without you.

Kelly

I'm linking this post up to

Miss Mustard Seed's copy-me-challenge-link-party

How To ~ Faux "Wood" Kitchen Table Top

2010-08-01T12:55:00.000-07:00

Check out how I made my white table top look like this!

It's not perfect, and it's just a faux finish, but now I have the "look" of wood.

I bought this table for $15.00 at a thrift store. It was scratched and the leaf had a name carved in it. I tossed out that part and painted the rest of the table ivory.

Well, after a few years I decided I wanted a natural wood table and white chairs. After looking around for about 6 months...I decided to do the FAUX!

Here's how it started.

First I used a coat of Kilz.

I picked a satin paint color that was sort of a nutmeg/yellow/ gold for the base. And let it dry.

And then my trusty "Aged Oak" gel stain.

I started brushing it on in very straight strokes. I used enough on the brush to stroke from the center of each row and out to both edges.

When the whole table was covered...I started adding in the darker streaks. I did this pretty light handed because the gel stain wants to start globbing up pretty fast. I also tried to bring it down the sides to sort of follow the same grain. On the ends of the table I went the same as the grain.

I would brush up the sides about 1 ft. down the table and then fill in the top, then brush up the side again.. and fill in the top again. Working my way along the table.

This is the shot where it looks like a brushed on "wood" top. But in most lights, and times of day it just looks like a real wood table top.

My last step will be to use a paste wax or rub on clear coat to make it more durable.

Go ahead and try it. Just do it when you won't have to stop or have any interuptions.

I did mine at midnight the other night :)

Kelly

An Awsome Giveaway!!

2010-07-31T10:11:00.000-07:00

Mustard Seed Creations ~ Miss Mustard Seed ~ Is having the most awsome giveaway! She calls it "Miss Mustard Seed In A Box" If you've never been to her blog...you're missing so much. She'll be one of your "go to" blogs for lots of INSPIRATION!

Go become a follower and see what you have a chance to win. And the best part about following is... once you do... you'll never miss a thing!

Kelly

Beachy Pillow Idea

2010-07-26T10:35:00.000-07:00

I can't take credit for this SO CUTE idea! I got a call from a sweet woman who said she got in over her head with here first slipcover. She was covering her sofa and got a little stuck.

Well, I went to her house to help her finish and saw this idea in her foyer.

I asked if I could "STEAL" her idea, and she said YES! Go for it.

This is my attemp to copy her pillows.

One is about a 18" square and the other is a 14" x 21" rectangle. They're pretty big.

I found this fabric which had a light green print on the front side. But the back was plain and perfect.

Sort of a raw linen look. I don't know what it's made of because it was on the remnent table for $3.20/yard.

I used "seafoam" green rick rack on mine. She used very pale blue on hers.

The bench is one I COULD NOT SELL so I decided to keep it and use it in my foyer.

I just sort of free handed the shape, cut my pieces and started sewing. It was really fun, because I'm not crafty AT ALL!!

One has a few more sprigs than the other, but I told myself... "Don't obsess over it"!

I asked where she saw this idea and she said she just made it up. She copied some pictures of coral that she had in her dining room and wanted to bring the look into her foyer.

You should try it! It was fun to do!

Kelly

Easy To Sew Custom Bedskirt Tutorial

2010-07-16T13:57:00.000-07:00

After making this bedskirt, I decided to do a turorial about it because it really was so easy and can be done with very little sewing skills. So you can have the look of custom but not at the high price.

Before I start I'll say that this is a three piece bedskirt. (I didn't skirt the head of the bed at the wall) That way it's easier to handel to wash it.

I had a little over 2 yards of fabric. I cut mine length wise, because the print could go either way. If you have a one way pattern, you'll have to cut across the fabric. (I needed a length of 13 and1/2" plus the pleated ruffle) Your bed may be higher. You can adjust this by making a wider ruffle or starting with more fabric.

Most decorator fabric is 54". Sometimes 60".

I folded mine in half; the length of the fabric; and cut all the way down. Then I folded each of those pieces the length and cut again. So four long pieces each 13 and 1/2 inches wide. I measured the length of the bed/box springs, and the width at the foot of the bed. I only skirted 3 sides. I also cut another fabric the measured length of the three sides of the bed too. I used some extra dropcloth I had. You'll see this later.

Above is how I cut the pleated ruffle. I cut the width 3 and 3/4" and folded it in half. This ususlly takes about 2-3 strips longer than the finished length of what you're adding it to.

Once I cut up the fabric a little ways, I fold it up to use as a guide for the rest of the strip.

You'll have lots of these long strips. Like I said...for my three sides of the bed I cut 5 strips. You can always cut more if you run out. You can keep sewing pieces together if you don't have a piece long enough. This is a linen blend fabric.

Fold it in half and iron it. You can iron it in pieces if you want, instead of 1 hundred mile long piece!!

Here's where you can see the 1ft. wide piece of dropcloth I cut the same length as the box springs adding for the turned in finished ends. And you can see where I sewed 2 of the yellow fabric lengths together. (I only worked in 2 lengths at a time) Just keep sewing more lengths together as you need to add fabric.

I made these little 1/2 inch pleats about every 6 inches so the finished skirt would look a little ruffled. I pinned each one, then stitched them secure all the way down. I worked with one bedskirt piece at a time.

I turned under and finished off one end. Then I pinned the pleated fabric to the dropcloth.

Then when I got to the other end, I cut it enough to turn under and finish off the other end.

I used my serger to sew these two pieces together, but you can use a regular machine for this too.

Here's what you'll have when this part is done. You can see where I needed more than 1 length of fabric. (I used what I had) The seams sort of disapear into the ruffling of the skirt.

I just kept going from there with the next section of yellow. Now to sew the ruffle on to the bottom of the skirt.

I start by turning under about an inch at the end. Then fold it where you ironed it in half.

With the right side of the fabric up, lay the raw edges together, make that first little pleat and start sewing.

Mine are about 1" pleats. I just turn under about 1/2" and then move down 1" that saves fabric that way.

See how my folds aren't touching eachother? Sometimes I make about 3 pleats, hold them down with my hand and fingers, and sew across. Then make 3 more and sew...

...and we're sewing more pleats.

...and we're STILL sewing MORE pleats...

OK. Finally the end! See how I stopped a little way from the end, but sort of figured how many more would fit? Here's where I pick it up and turn under this end and then sew the rest of the pleats down to meet the edge of the fabric.

I then take mine to the serger and finish off the edges. You don't have to because they'll never be seen. This is a good shot of how my folds don't touch. Like I said, this really saves fabric and time. It looks the same in the end.

Now take the piece to the bed and stuff it between the mattress and box springs.

This is how two of the pieces meet at the corner.

Adjust the corners with a little overlap until they look nice. And that's it! This is perfect for the

"Memory Foam" mattress's because they are soooooo heavy to lift. You just stuff it in there. You can use any kind of fabric for the stuffing part. I just thought the dropcloth would be kinda stiff.

I hope I didn't confuse anyone with my directions. These are hard to write!

Hope you like it!

Kelly

This Is Such A Cute Idea!

2010-07-15T06:05:00.000-07:00

I found Olivia's blog "(406) Olivia" the other day.

Can you believe this dress was...

This men's shirt!

You've got to go see how she did it!!

And check out how C-U-T-E the back of this dress turned out!

I wish I had half of her imagination and creativity when it comes to reinventing thrift store finds.

A Little Sneak Peek Of What I'm Doing In My Guest Room

2010-07-13T16:31:00.000-07:00

I got this fabric from the remnent table at Hancock Fabrics. And of course...put it away until the day I could do something pretty with it. Well, now it's a bedskirt for the new room. I can't wait to show the whole bed!

I'm mixing white, ivory and yellow together in the room.

I found this white crisp cotton duvet at the antique mall where I had my furniture. It has all of this beautiful embroidery on it and it was only $20.00 and a 10% discount! I'll fill it with a down alternative insert.

I'm hanging pure white linen blend curtains in the bay window and hanging my mother's old Victorian headboard. high up on the wall to show the most of it. I'm working on turning some old battenburg lace pieces into pillows. And I've already painted the walls the softest creamy, ivory/yellow color.

I've been working on the room for over a week now! I can't seem to get it finished between everything else going on. I just go and work a little here and there.

I hope my sister will come stay in it this weekend ;) Amy...

Come back by later to see how it all turns out.

Thanks for visiting!

Kelly

Featuring Erica's Work

2010-07-02T10:59:00.000-07:00

Awhile back, Erica from Decorica was having a great giveaway. It was her decorating services from her online Decorating Business. That's the first time I "met" her and I've been following her blog ever since.

This bedroom is just one sample of this wonderfully, talented woman's work.

She's so creative ~ with her decorating business ~ and her blog.

When I saw this room SHE designed, I was sooooo happy!

It looked so much like what I'm going for in our master bedroom.

It's absoutely GORGEOUS!

I already have the wall color and the white window treatments. But my goodness! Now I can follow her inspiration to finish the room.

You should go check out her blog. If you follow, you'll never miss a thing. She posts "Feminine Friday's" and finds some of the most beautiful rooms. Then there's "Manly Monday's" too.

She has a list in her sidebar with catagories of every post she's ever done. You'll get completely lost in there!

Go click over and see the before pictures of this bedroom. And the full view of the finished room.

Kelly

Slipcovered Chair ~ And An Old Piece Gets A New Look

2010-06-30T08:12:00.000-07:00

I have a pair of these chairs. I got them from the thrift store...of course. They're very big and comfy! I covered them in white denim.

This was one of those chairs with the attached back cushion. You can see below and above how I treated this style. I went ahead and followed the outer "wing" area. And covered the "cushion back" area as if it were any other flat back chair. I did have to make the little darts at the corners.

I also hope you can see the way I attached the arm piece too. (check out this pic/and the one above. Click the photo to enlarge it.)

This seam was my trial to see if I had to use a zipper down the side. Well, Yeah!! It fits and comes off without one. I love when that happens!!

Does this sofa look familiar to anyone?

This sofa was my favorite thrift store piece of all time. I've had it for years. I covered it in ivory, but the dogs had thier way with it. Which is one of the reasons I now make slipcovers. I tore all of it off and put the sofa away for a while. I got this fabric from my flea market fabric lady for $4.00 per yard!

It really does have a slight sheen to it. Maybe not exactly what the flash is showing. Very beautiful.

I ran out of fabric before I finished the back. I remembered seeing a sample of it at our fabric store downtown. Wow! It was $25.00 per yard!! I think I'll cover the back in ivory, to match the wood. Also, I'll cover the staples with double welting

Here's a close up of the fabric.

Here's a before picture of the sofa in the same place when this workroom was a "REAL" room. I've decided to put it back together. I have a smaller sofa that I'm slipcovering in white, to take it's place. I guess I'll sell this one on Craigs List.

Now... I'll just have to find somewhere else in the house to bring the furniture I'm working on.

You may remember this room form my VERY FIRST POST. HERE The $215.00 room.

Thanks for coming by to look! I can't wait until the day I post the finished master bedroom and this little sunroom with it's new look!

Kelly