Look What My Hands Have Made

My New Bed Skirt from Damask Table cloths

Oh it has been too long since I have written, I am ashamed to say...however, I have been creating a bit around my home and thought I would share what I have been up to. This last summer I was given a big bag of beautiful linens. I couldn't believe the generosity of my dear sweet friends, Carolyn and Tom. Tom's mom had passed away and they were dealing with her estate and gave me these linens because they knew I would appreciate them and use them! So of course, I had to put them to good use. Not only to remember them by, but also because these linens were so beautiful.   Well in and among this bag were several antique, white, Damask, table cloths and of course dollies galore!

 My Sweet Little Lamp Shades

                                                                       

Believe it or not I decided to cut up(yes I did and yes I cringed when I did it!) and use the table cloths for skirting for my king duvet in our master bed room and I used one of the cut work, round doilies,  to make designer- like covered lampshades to fit the antique sconces I purchased from the Farm Chicks Show last June. I chose this doily because of the heavy scalloped edge and simple but raised thread work.Yardage at the fabric store, for this project, would have cost me an arm and a leg because of the design I wanted. Not to mention, I would never be able to find anything this fine and durable. For the lamp shades, I found  a self adhesive, designer shade at Joann Fabrics-perfect! This handy and simple product, allows you to remove the protective covering, use the covering to trace the paper as your pattern, then cut and stick on your fabric.Super simple! Both shades took me less than 15 min. to make!

Details of Skirting

The old saying the right tool, for the right job is so true. So instead of spending my money on yardage, I spent it on a ruffler foot for my Bernina sewing machine. Oh- my- word- this baby is worth it's weight in gold!! AND it  allowed me to create my dream bed covering in- oh about 30 min.- Waaa Hooo! Now I already had a handmade duvet cover that my mother had passed down to me and this is what I used to attache my skirting to.Then I put my decorative duvet on top. This way I can change out the duvet if I need to wash it or just need to change decore.  So here it is in all its lovely-ness!

Butter Dish to Posh and Pretty Bird Feeder

So how does this silver butter dish and wooden candlestick become a Posh and Pretty Bird Feeder? Read on and I will share.

This is another one of those projects on my list, like the last post, and with a little drilling help from my man, I was able to cross this project off the list today.  I sure am happy with the way this second-hand treasure turned out too!

At the beginning of the summer I went to the funnest place on earth! No not Disneyland - well this might be considered a kind of Disneyland for Farm-Girlie-Grown-Ups- but Farm Chicks! Wowee talk about super cute junk! Holy Cannoli, did I load up! It was so fun being with my gal pals and finding one-of-a-kind treasure. This silver butter dish was one of those wonders I couldn't pass up.

So here is the how to turn your second hand treasure into Posh and Pretty Up-Cycling At Its Finest: 

Flea Market Treasures to start

1)First I hunted down a wooden candle stick at a thrift store that was proportioned the way I liked. The candle stick I found was actually held together by a very long screw- a happy accident- because this allowed me to
2.) drill a hole in the bottom of the dish part and then
3.) re-assemble the footing of the candlestick to the underside of the dish and the main portion, to the inside of the dish.

bottom of candlestick to bottom of butter dish

4.) I then had my man drill 2 small holes through the top on either side of the finial and through the candle stick so that I could

top of butter dish bird feeder

5.) thread black wire through the top, through the candlestick, and back up through the top of the butter dish. This allowed me to  secure the top of the butter dish to the feeder but also allowed me to

6.)wire wrap a hanger to hang it from.

Ready for some wholesome bird seed!

Voila a most lovely bird feeder for all my little feathered friends! Don't you just love how a wee twig is the perfect little perch for the birds to eat from!

This Event Takes the Cake!

Thanks for stopping by on this tasty blog hop. I hope you have been inspired! This is my entry into this fun event. A special cake! I call it: Vanilla Sugar Spice Cake. My husbands favorite cake ever is Spice Cake. I just couldn't make one slice...I had to make a whole cake! All these fabulous stamps were just begging for it!

This cake, takes the cake! Sorry I couldn't help myself...LOL

I have made this mixed media piece from a round box, turned upside down and covered with designer paper from my stash. To make it more interesting I have stamped it with hearts from Fleur Hearts set in a pale pink. The cake topper is made using a cupcake liner and I used 4 more, folded into sugar crusted rose buds. The large brown sugar crusted roses are made from sewing pattern tissue paper.

I have used pattern tissue, cupcake liners, glittered covered leaves, gems, pearls, pink glitter, lace, clear pink bubbles, stacked sequins, white dove, and these LOC stamps:

Flowering Gems clear art stamp set

Fleur Heart clear art stamp set

Happy Wishes clear art stamp set

Nature Walk clear art stamp set

Renaissance Hearts clear art stamp set:

Tasty isn't it? Let's have some more!...You're invited to feast your eyes on the Layers of Color Design Team and Guest Designer's Cake Party treats! Make sure to visit all the blogs and leave a "sweet" comment too! You won't be disappointed!

Layers of Color

Beatriz Jennings

Dawn Burnworth

Diana Queen

Grace Nywening

Gunn Thelin Knutsen

Guro Aarre

Heather Jensen

You are here: Heather Wombacher

Iwona Palamountain

Janice Whiting

Jennie Harper

Jessica Fick

Joan Ervin

Julie Overby

Kazan Clark

Keri Lee Sereika

Linda Lucas

Maxine Diffey

Melisa Waldorf

Nina Brackett

Sharri Seffens

Suzanne Czosek

Be sure to swing by Layers of Color Boutique and grab a FREE Cupcake Card Template!Your little party favor for joining in the fun! And when you subscribe to this blog and leave a comment, you will be entered into our Party Favor Drawing to have the chance to WIN this yummy Layers of Color art stamp set!...

Birdday Party art stamp set

See didn't I tell you this party "takes the cake!" So many fun things to win and see. So "have your cake and eat it too!" (I know, I know! I just can't help it! LOL) Have fun!

Creative Home Touches

I love decorating my home and I love making old things new! Recently, I took a pillow sham I have covering a throw pillow, and gave it a bit of creative new life. I love this fabric and its soft tones but I thought it could use a few more subtle details to add some texture and dimension.

I used a new stamp design from Layers of Color called Nature Walk. I used the largest stamp in the set, the flourish, and VersaMagic multi -surface chalk ink pad in Jumbo Java and stamped directly onto the fabric. This is my favorite ink ever. I use it so much I am due for a new ink pad soon. See how the stamp gives an added dimension and texture. Just enough to make it new!