Framing inspiring quotes

Go check out all the cute ideas this time around, and leave a comment!

A fun and easy project? Yep!

I found these cute round frames at Goodwill a long time ago. I originally used them to frame a foot and hand print of Macie when she was newborn. They were gold, I think, and I painted them white with acrylic craft paint.
I found them stashed away recently, and decided they needed to be re-used for something else.

I simply took the back off of them, and used the circle back to trace my favorite scrapbook paper in the same shape. Then, I got on my computer and typed out two of my favorite sayings. The font I used was called Little Lord Fontleroy, which I found on Dafont.com. Here's the direct link to that font. Love it, use it for everything lately! Just cut out your printed words, and glue onto your scrapbook paper, then insert in the frame.

I blinged it out with a vintage button, then tied some black ribbon around the hanging loop.
These are on my bathroom mirror. I attached them with a little rubber suction cup. Super cute, super easy!

Yes, my shower curtain is fabulous. I bought it a couple of years ago at the Sears Home store.. Who would've thunk?

A girl's gotta right to change her mind, hasn't she?

HI everyone!
Yes, I'm actually posting! I've been so busy getting my daughter back to school, and then enjoying some time to myself, I just plumb didn't get around to blogging, silly me!
I did complete a couple of projects during that time though. I really DID do more than just eat bon-bons while Macie was at school. Really.
I was browsing at my favorite consignment store last week, looking for a couple of cute outfits, and I spied this cool shelf with mirror and hooks.
Hmmm, that would look so great in the entry way where you come in through the garage, I thought. Wait a minute, said I. You already have a shelf with hooks in the entry way, that you redid, and posted on your blog, showing off how clever and crafty you are. (See this post.)
You don't NEED another one! said I. But I want it, said I.
No, said the other I, the practical cheap one.
So I left it.
And went home.
And thought about it for 2 days.
And went back to the store, hoping it would be there.
And telling myself that I could consign the old one, (NOW who's the clever one), and justify buying the new one.
So I go in the store, and ask if it's still around, and the lady says, No, I think we sold it yesterday.
IKNEWIT! my mind screams. You dummy! You shoulda bought it when you were here 2 days ago!
Then the other lady says, was it the smaller one that was $8.99. NO! it was bigger, and dark green. (don't freak girls, it can be spray painted).
And as I turn, here comes one of the ladies, carrying it up to the front for me. This one? she says, and I shout for joy in the store!
I quickly pay my $16.99 and smile the whole way out. Ya, it's not that cheap garage sale price you brag about, but it screams Pottery Barn, and it will look better in my entry way than the previous shelf, AND I consigned the other one, which will offset the price of this one, so HA!

Here is the before: Kinda ugly hooks, and the greens gotta go!

Here is the after!

I brush painted it black, and replaced the ugly old hooks with some newer ones that are the brushed nickel finish, that I just had laying around. Really!
Don't you just love it! So much better!

I also have this framed saying above the shelf, from Lydia Child, which states " Gratitude is the memory of the heart, therefore, forget not to say often, I have all I ever enjoyed."
If you have a favorite quote, type it out on your computer in Word, using your favorite font (mine was Papyrus), and then print it out on a nice heavier paper, like a calligraphy, or something flecked or textured, like I did. Then frame it in a heavier frame, and it will look like you bought it at a boutique store.

On to project #2 .
I have several vintage brooches that my MIL gave to me some time ago. Occasionally I will wear one on a sweater or jacket, but mostly they are put away. I wanted a way to display them, so I could enjoy them all the time, and I finally saw it.
I was at a local gift boutique, and the lady that had the booth had several old brooches pinned to velvet and silk, and then framed into old oval frames. So easy, and so cute!
Now the hunt for frames. It was hard find a frame with an oval center, and small, and of course, not expensive!
I finally hit the jackpot at a yard sale, and bought several:

Here are some of the brooches:

And the finished product!

I used some green silk leftover fabric I had laying around (again), removed the glass, and laid the silk across the back. Then take a wad of that white stuffing (I can't remember the name of the stuff) and start stuffing it, so it puffs out of the oval, until it's firm, and it looks like you want it to. Then stick the back of the frame back on, letting the fabric hang out a little. Pull at the fabric, working all the way around the back, until there is no puckering in the front, and your oval looks good and firm. Trim any remaining fabric hanging out of the backing to neaten.
Carefully pin your brooch through the fabric and secure the pin.
That's it! I will say that I think velvet, being a little thicker than silk, would be easier to work with, as the silk was thin and flimsy, and hard to make look smooth with the stuffing.

To end, of course, a picture of my lovely girl on her first day of school, my big first grader.
You didn't think I'd forget the most important thing in my post, did you?

How to cover a simple lampshade

Howdy all.
Before we get started, I just wanted to share with everyone the fact that I will NOT be painting the Stickley end table I scored at a yard sale last weekend. This baby is worth some money (not that I care, I wouldn't sell it, and it's not a family piece, but still!)
Actually, it looks good as it is in my living room, take a look. I love the darker finish on it, and the subtle sheen of the wood.
O.K. Here is the long awaited lampshade covering tutorial!
A friend at work loosely showed me how, and then I ran with it.
I have this cute vintage wall lamp in my kitchen, which adds that all important mood lighting at night, and it had a plain shade. Don't you just love the milkglass? I had only added some vintage yellow trim to the top and bottom. Fine for awhile. Then I got bored.
What if I added some material to it? Would it be too fussy?
Heck no, I love it!
Here's how to do your own:
You need-
Fabric of your choice
Large paper to draw a pattern on
Spray adhesive
Sharp scissors
Trim or ribbon
Get a piece of paper to make your pattern from, one long enough to acomodate rolling your lamp shade around. I used a roll of kids wrapping paper. The print on this paper is a little nauseating, but kids love it at birthday parties, so what can I say?
Start your pen at the seam point on your lampshade, so you can stop at the same place. Slowly move your lampshade by rolling it on the paper, following with your pen laying against the edge, making the line all the way around until you come back to the seam. Do the bottom first, then the top again.
I go slightly past the seam point, so I have a little extra overlap.
Don't worry if it's not perfect, it will be close enough.
Cut out your pattern, and then lay it against the shade to see how close you got it. Trim if necessary. Here's how it should look:
Lay this on your fabric of choice, which should be pressed first to remove any wrinkles, etc.
Pin in place, taking into account were the front will hit, so you can get any pattern on the fabric in the right place.
Cut out with sharp scissors, and remove pins. Place AGAIN on the shade, and trim again if needed. Don't get too over zealous on the trimming, as you can trim after it is adhered, too. Here's how my fabric looks when it's cut out. This is leftover fabric my MIL gave me from when she made my quilt. It's similar to the fabric from my new curtain panels, huh? This a a lighter weight fabric, unlike the heavier fabric fro my curtain panels. You want the light to come through.
Here's where the fun begins: Using spray adhesive for me was NOT fun! The can will say for a permanent fix, spray both the shade and the material. Do not do this! You will start to put it on (crookedly, trust me, it's tricky) and you will not be able to remove and reposition!
I sprayed a small section on the shade, started my positioning, and worked my way around from there. It will pull off and reposition, if you work in sections and have patience.
When I came around to the back, I simply folded the fabric over to give it a finished edge, and sprayed it into place to flatten it.
I finished it off with two different ribbons in my stash, and Wah Lah, it was done!
The lamp was originally gold, but I spray painted it with the Bronze spray paint I had used on two other lamps in my house.
I also found this little lamp at Goodwill about 2 weeks ago, with no shade, but I had an extra one that was just the right size, and was plain as could be. Perfect for some MORE of my leftover fabric from my curtain project. It just goes on and on, folks!
So cute! This one is also in my kitchen, on top of the microwave. Hope you all have fun covering your lampshades and adding personality to your homes. Good Luck!

A curtain dilema solved!

Hey everyone! Hope you're all having a super Memorial day weekend! Ours is low key: barbequeing and hangin' out with family.

I wanted to share a curtain project I recently completed, with the help of my friend Chris. I have this large picture window in our front living room, that is insetted with a window seat underneath. The top of the window hits the ceiling part of the inset, and there is just an 11 inch strip of wall on each side of the window. Really hard to put a rod across, and too short to hang traditional curtains on.

Pretty bare and pathetic!


This calls for a custom curtain treatment!


I knew what colors I wanted for the panels, so I went shopping at Joanne's and found the perfect fabric. I had in my mind the design, but I don't really sew much, and so that's where my friend Chris came in. I descibed what I wanted it to look like, and she told me how much fabric to get. Isn't it lovely?


Now the dilema: how to outfit the area so that you can hang a panel. We took a trip to Home Depot, and with the help of a creative employee we came up with this:

First, we grabbed a pair of closet pole sockets and a 1' wodden dowel.. I spray painted them black. Then we bought a package of 1" rubber leg tip which fit perfectly inside the sockets. Then I purchased 2 traverse rod center supports(at Walmart) to hold the other side of the dowel that will be the curtain rod.

Socket and leg tip

Shows socket, rubber leg tip, and center support piece all mounted.


I cut the dowel a little longer, so the curtain would overlap the edge of the window slightly.
Get it, now that you see it all together?


I also spray painted it black, although you won't see it when the panels are on. Pretty imaginative, huh?


For the panels, we measured the area, and then eyeballed literally how long of a drop I wanted on the black and cream check. We finished the panel with a 1 1'2" seam on the sides and bottom, and made a 3" rod pocket, so it would slide across and cover the closet socket against the wall.


I seriously love it! It makes the room seem so much more cozy and designer-ish like!

Very simple, yet it looks like I bought it custom.

Oh, and to finish off the end of the dowel, I bought two drawer knobs, and spray painted them black. Then I hot glued them on the ends of the dowel to make it look finished.
Hope I inspired you all to tackle that weird space by just starting somewhere, and enlisting the help of a good friend to come up with some great ideas!

Stay tuned for an easy tutorial on how to cover a lampsahde, and make it look like a custom piece!

Have a fun and safe holiday weekend!

Adding a signature to your blog

I found this cool website that lets you create a custom signature to add to your blog. I know some of you have done it, but there are alot of clueless people such as myself, who don't own Photoshop by Adobe, to do such cool things.
This website will help you create one, or you can draw one to make it really custom. I would not recommend downloading your exact signature to the site (which you can do), because of identity theft and all.
The name is my live signature , and it was quick and easy to follow the steps to create my signature. You can pick from limited fonts and colors, but it was cool for me to do it, as I've been wanting one for awhile now.

At the end, I chose to see the html code, which you want to right click and copy, then come back to your blog on your dashboard, go to settings, then formatting. Scroll all the way down to the bottom, then paste it into the template box. It should now appear on all new posts.
Fun, fun, fun!
Hope ya'll had a super weekend; it's looking up here, with finally some sunny days ahead. I should be able to do some digging in my flower beds, and I look forward to my annual Mother's day trip to the local garden center to pick out lots of flowers. What a fun tradition!

Alphabet blocks bookmark

Hey everyone out there in bloggy land! I've had a very creative week, so I thought I'd share another project with you.
You know I love 'em easy peasy, so here goes! We're making bookmarks out of old wooden alphabet blocks.
You'll need some old wood alphabet children's blocks, copped from a thrift store or yard sale. (or maybe your baby!)
Look for old books that have small illustrations you can cut out, to fit on the sides of the blocks. I used an old Little Golden book I found at the thrift store.

I layed the block on the pictures I thought would fit, then cut them out. You'll need 4 pictures.

I then used an antique colored decoupage glue, and glued them onto the 4 smooth sides of the block. The antique colored matches the color of the wood, making it look more original and old.

Make sure you coat them on the outside as well, once they're glued on to the block

.I trimmed as needed, and overlapped edges as I went, so there was no bare wood showing. The glue will help you seal it all up nice. My blocks were from the 80's, but looked brand new and too shiny, so I took my Mouse hand sander, and just made it look a little worn on the painted parts, and a little on the glued edges, to wear it.

Then I took a small eye and hook attachment, but first drilled into the bottom of the block with a very small drill bit, to get it started. Screw it up into the block, until tight. I got these at Home Depot, in the hardware dept.

See how the edges overlap?

I used fat ribbon, trimmed as long as I needed, and strung through the eye hook, then knotted and finished. I did one hook on the bottom, and one on the top.
How cute is that?

Hope this sparks your imagination to create one of these little beauties. I'd love to see them, let me know if you do!

Antique silverware project

Finally! Here is my silverware project I promised so long ago!

This is very simple, but first I must give credit for the idea to Rechelle at Walnuthaven Cottage for this fabulous idea. Go check out her version of framed silverware, and then hop on over to cherrysjubilee. She did domething similar, but with old child's school scissors. Love them both!

I rounded up my old antique silverware pieces, then went on the hunt at Goodwill for 2 matching frames. Here's what they looked like before:

Yikes! I know!
Pick a favorite scrapbook paper, preferrably with a smaller print, so it won't compete with the patterns in the silverware. Attach to the back of the frame, and reinsert into frame, securing with staples.
Play with the positioning of the silverware, until it looks right, then hot glue your pieces to your scrapbook backing. Hot glue will not ruin your pieces, and will come off when you want to repurpose them.
That's it! Here's my version, below.






Sorry for the yellow cast, I think that's my flash

A very simple redo, and the frames were 1.99 a piece, and I already had the silverware. If you don't have any, search at thrift stores and yard sales, or see if an antique store has odd mismatched pieces they'll sell for cheap.

Happy hunting!