A "couple" of pillows

I finished making these pillows a few weeks ago and have been dying to post about them. They were a gift for yesterday's bridal shower, so I managed to keep it a secret until then. I saw these "mr." and "mrs." pillows on the Ballard Designs website and thought they would make an excellent gift for a bride-to-be. 

Ballard Designs $59

I knew that I could make these pillows for a lot less than $59. Plus I love giving homemade presents. I found some fabric on sale at Old Time Pottery for $4/yard. It was a light neutral color with a linen feel- perfect for this project. Since I don't sew, I enlisted my mom's help in making the pillow forms. I do know the basics of how to use a sewing machine, I just have no desire to put those skills to use. Maybe one day. Next I bought a package of 6" letter stencils at Hobby Lobby. I measured to find the center of the pillow, spaced out the letters, and taped the stencil to the fabric. Then I painted the lettering with dark brown acrylic paint, removed the stencil, and Ta-Da! They were so simple to make and I ended up liking my pillows better than the Ballard inspiration.

Lamp Revamp

The lamps in our living room are not completely unfortunate, but they are a bit outdated. I decided that I would look for some new lamps at the thrift store. I didn't care what color they were because I planned to paint them anyways. I hardly ever find exactly what I plan to search for at the thrift store, but I guess it was my lucky day. I found 2 gold lamps that I loved the shape of. I even liked the shade on one of them. One was $6.99 and the other was $9.99. I was so excited to give begin their transformation that I headed straight to the back yard with my spray paint in hand. I sprayed the first lamp until I was satisfied with the coverage of the ivory paint. When I started to spray the second lamp, the can was empty. Lovely. I decided to move forward with the painted lamp and save the other one for another day.

Before

After the paint had dried, I made a glaze to add an antique look. There are all sorts of glazes that you can buy in the store but I didn't really prepare for this project, so I made my own. I mixed acrylic paint in Burnt Umber with water and it worked just fine. I dipped a rag in the mixture and smeared it all over the lamp, working it into each crack and crevice. After letting it sit for about 30 seconds, I wiped the glaze off. It left a slight brown tint and accentuated the carvings of the lamp. Finally, I took a rough sanding block all around the edges to remove the ivory paint and show the original gold color. I also used a box opened to scratch and scuff the finish and to dig the paint out of the grooves. The shade that  was on this lamp was a sort of recycled linen material. For now, it is staying. The lamp turned out exactly as I had imagined and it goes perfectly in the living room. Back to the store tomorrow for another can of spray paint...or maybe a few.

After

My inspiration for how I envisioned the finished product came from Pottery Barn (Shocker, I know!). The PB lamp is $100 for the base, without the shade. Mine was $9.99 plus a little elbow grease. 

Pottery Barn Brentwood Table Lamp Base $100

Blogger Award

I was surprised and beyond excited to receive my first award! I was given the Versatile Blogger award by Melanie at You Made That. You should definitely check out her crafty, creative blog. Thank you so much!

As part of accepting the award, I was asked to list 7 facts about myself and then forward the award to 15 other bloggers.

7 Random Facts About Me

1. My yorkie Presleigh is my child. seriously.
2. I am always cold. summer. winter. spring. fall. ALWAYS.
3. I have my BS in Nutrition and am about to start grad school to become a Registered Dietitian.
4. I am a University of Alabama alumni and my boyfriend goes to Auburn University (huge rivals in case you aren't from around here).
5. I love to paint. Abstract is my forte.
6. I am a health nut.
7. Whole Foods is one of my favorite places. I can spend hour upon hours in there.

I am passing the award to the following bloggers. Check out their awesome blogs!

Novemberly Ever After

Deming Design Studio

Be Well

Vintage Barn 27

Itsy Bits and Pieces

Flips Flops and Pearls

Rules for Accepting the Award

1. Thank the person who awarded you and link them back in your post. Let the person know that you have accepted the award.
2. Tell everyone 7 random facts about yourself.
3. Pass the award on to 15 new found bloggers and link their blogs to your post.
4. Contact each blogger and let them know you have passed the award on to them.

Thrifty Find: Bird Cages

I really like home decorating accessories that are inspired by nature. Twigs. Sticks. Antlers. Moss. I love it all. Two things that I have been infatuated with for a while are bird cages and bird nests. The actual birds, not so much. I mean they are beautiful to watch but they just don't do it for me. I'm not sure exactly what my attraction is to such items used for decor. I think it is the combination of the chic appeal of a dainty bird cage with the rustic feel of a nest. I had been eyeing some of the cages in Pottery Barn but I wasn't quite ready to make the splurge, since I really had no idea where I was going to put them.

Pottery Barn (price unknown)

Pottery Barn $149 for set of 2

Pottery Barn $149- $229

I was browsing through the home and garden section at Ross and happened upon two bird cages. It was instant bliss. And the smaller one was $6.99 and the larger one was $9.99. I still had no idea what I would do with them but for that price I knew I would figure it out. For now they are displayed on a vintage suitcase, but in time I will find the perfect spot.

DIY grain sack dish towel

If you read my last post then you know how I feel about grain sacks. LOVE. It would be amazing to be able to stock up on authentic vintage grain sacks, but at more than $40 each, it is just not happening. After checking out all the fabulous French graphics by The Graphics Fairy, I decided I would make some myself. There were so many wonderful designs it was hard to choose. Plus all of the graphics already have the PDF file of the mirror image for FREE. One of my favorite aspects of the grain sacks is the soft feel of the material. I found a 4-pack of plain white flour sack dish towels at World Market for $9.99. They are quite large so I am planning to cover some pillows with them as well. I got some fabric transfer paper at Hobby Lobby, printed out the mirror image of the design, and ironed it on to my dish towel. Just follow the directions given with the transfer paper. This was so easy and I loved the result. I can't wait to make some more with different designs. I am thinking of adding some trim to dress up the bottom of my next creation.

Thrifty Find of the Day

So moving back home has not been the most exciting experience of my life, but it has its perks. Among other things on the list, is the thrift store, which happens to be about 5 minutes from my house. My mom and I try to go at least once a week. I absolutely love the thrill of a great thrift store find (Yes, I know I live life on the edge), whether it is that piece of furniture I have wanted for years or just a dainty little teacup to add to my assortment of white china. I can remember when I was young and the thought of buying anything from the thrift store was beyond revolting. When my mom would find me something that was just too good to pass up, I would make her promise not to tell where it came from. Wow, the things that mattered at thirteen. Now, I am proud of my unique finds and their bargain price tags. Many antique and vintage items are one-of-a-kind and are impossible to locate even without a budget in mind.

Today's thrift store adventure didn't end with any unbelievable finds, but I felt this tote bag was most definitely blog-worthy. I spotted it from afar and at first glance I thought it was a vintage grain sack. Oh, how I love anything made from a grain sack. Actually, I just love the sacks in general. The originals are so unique, ranging from a simple stripe to a beautiful french design. They are very popular for covering pillows and chairs.

photo from Willow Decor

Well once I got closer to the bin, I realized it was not anything made from a grain sack. But, it was an adorable tote bag that had the same southern vintage look. With its blue stripes and $2.48 price tag, this was mine. I'm thinking new beach bag. I'm also thinking beach in general. Enough with the sleet and snow.

Bedroom Make-over: Chest

This chest used to set flush against the left wall. I decided to place it in the corner in order to open up the room and display my recently added decor. I fell in love with this lamp because of the creamy ceramic base contrasted with the burlap shade. I found it at Hobby Lobby, marked $99. Hobby Lobby has awesome sales and the lamp just so happened to be 50% off, so yes, it went home with me for $50. 

That brings me to the baskets. I love baskets of all colors, shapes, and sizes. Not only are they great for organizing, but I just love the southern look and feel they give a room.

These baskets from Pottery Barn range from $24 to $54 each. I got the two baskets in my picture from Hobby Lobby and they,too, were 50%. The smaller one on top of the chest ended up costing $7 and the larger one in the floor, $12. Not bad at all.

I couldn't make it out of the store before I grabbed a few of these decor balls. I loved the natural look and   knew they would be perfect in my basket. These actually weren't on sale but they were dirt cheap at the original price. The two smaller ones were a $2.99 each and the larger one was $4.99. 

Next, I created three numbered burlap signs. I started with three 8x10 pieces of canvas. Then I cut out three squares of burlap material, each a little bit larger than the actual canvas. I pulled the material tight, folder it over the front edges, and hot glued it to the back side. Next I used 5" number stencils and painted the numbers 1.2, and 3 on each canvas with white acrylic paint. I am crazy about all of the number decor inspired by Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware. These were very easy and quite cheap.

To complete the look, I draped a light brown afghan out of the large basket and placed an old dark wooden frame to add a bit of contrast and rustic appeal. I am quite pleased with the finished product of this corner because I feel it complements the rustic chic theme I am trying to create. What do you think?