Thanks for the Mention!

This week I feel honored to have been mentioned on two different and equally wonderful blogs.  The first mention came early in the week from Trish at The Old Post Road and featured my recently published pictures in BH&G's 100 Decorating Ideas Under $100.  (Here) Trish creates beautiful inspirational art on canvas and also has an Etsy shop. I have been a happy follower of The Old Post Road blog for some time now.

The second mention came today from Roeshel at The DIY Showoff where I shared some additional pictures of my Sassy Stool Cover. (Pattern available in my Etsy Shop Here) 

Roeshel's blog is "a collection of creative and inspiring DIY features" and is a must see for anyone who enjoys sharing and seeing an impressive array of DIY projects. I just became a follower, have loved what I have seen so far and am looking forward to seeing more.

Please try to visit each of these women's blogs and leave a comment letting them know you stopped by.

Master Bath Remodel

So happy to share this wonderful master bath remodeling project done by Elizabeth Tanny of etanny design. If you are not familiar with Elizabeth, she uses a collaborative design style which is classic, simple and elegant.

Elizabeth said after completing a renovation of their kitchen and family room, her clients decided to tackle their master bath. The issues which needed to be addressed included bringing the overall feel of the room up to date with a bright and clean cottage look, adding an additional sink, increasing the size of the shower, and providing more storage space. Here is the bathroom before:

And here is the completed masterbath:

The first step in achieving the goals of this project was to remove a wall to incorporate the space of an existing closet. Once the wall came down, enough room became available to include a large 5 foot x 4 foot tiled shower as well as floor to ceiling open shelving (not shown), a double vanity with more storage space and additional lighting completed the room.

I will be posting more of Elizabeth’s remodeling projects soon. To see more of Elizabeth’s work now click HERE.

New Projects in Print

I am so excited to be able to share some recently completed projects. Three different Red Door Home projects have finally made it to print in the Spring 2010 edition of 100 Decorating Ideas Under $100. They include curtains for a budget remake of a beautiful dining room which appeared in Country French magazine, curtain panels and a pillow for a “pink room” and a stool cover made of Amy Butler fabric from my Sassy Stool Topper pattern.

Country french has always been a favorite decorating style for designers and regular homeowners (like me) alike. It is beautiful, comforable and can be achieved over time with a relatively modest budget.  In this feature article, Donna Talley shows how to accomplish this high end look for less.

100 Decorating Ideas Under $100 / Photographer - John Bessler

Stylist - Donna Talley, Regional Editor and Producer for Meredith Publications

The upper right hand inset picture below shows a photo of the inspiration room while the larger picture gives a complete view of the room remake on a budget.

100 Decorating Ideas Under $100 / Photographer - John Bessler

Stylist - Donna Talley, Regional Editor and Producer for Meredith Publications

Donna did such an amazing job including all the little details that make this room so special – decoupage plates, flowers, slip covered chairs, stenciled lamp shades, vintage china, and beautiful fabrics. My contribution to this story was the curtain panels

 100 Decorating Ideas Under $100 / Photographer - John Bessler

Stylist - Donna Talley, Regional Editor and Producer for Meredith Publications

 

100 Decorating Ideas Under $100 / Photographer - John Bessler

Stylist - Donna Talley, Regional Editor and Producer for Meredith Publications

 

100 Decorating Ideas Under $100 / Photographer - John Bessler

Stylist - Donna Talley, Regional Editor and Producer for Meredith Publications

100 Decorating Ideas Under $100 / Photographer - John Bessler

Stylist - Donna Talley, Regional Editor and Producer for Meredith Publications

The original curtains featured a smock pleated header. To achieve the same look for a lot less, I simply used pencil pleating tape on fabric that was purchased from Fabric.com.

Left unlined, the curtain panels were created from one width of fabric with a 1” seam allowance around the entire panel. The pencil pleating tape was sewn about ½ inch from the top and the gathering strings were pulled to the desire window width. To achieve a more gathered look, simply use two widths of fabric.

100 Decorating Ideas Under $100 / Photographer - John Bessler

Stylist - Donna Talley, Regional Editor and Producer for Meredith Publications

The second article, “At First Blush,” shows how pink is no longer just for little girls rooms. There are several pretty pictures including this table runner (above), a built in book case backed with wallpaper and a trio of mirrors on top of a vintage dresser. I had the pleasure of making the table runner, which Donna later embellished, and the simple curtain panels.

100 Decorating Ideas Under $100 / Photographer - John Bessler

Stylist - Donna Talley, Regional Editor and Producer for Meredith Publications

100 Decorating Ideas Under $100 / Photographer - John Bessler

Stylist - Donna Talley, Regional Editor and Producer for Meredith Publications

 

100 Decorating Ideas Under $100 / Photographer - John Bessler

Stylist - Donna Talley, Regional Editor and Producer for Meredith Publications

Again, these curtain panels were made from budget-friendly fabric and left unlined. The panels were cut to length and then finished with a one inch hem on all sides.

100 Decorating Ideas Under $100 / Photographer - John Bessler

Stylist - Donna Talley, Regional Editor and Producer for Meredith Publications

I also created this fringe pillow with a zipper closure (below) from Amy Butler fabric. This pillow adds a feminine feel to the room without being overwhelming.

100 Decorating Ideas Under $100 / Photographer - John Bessler

Stylist - Donna Talley, Regional Editor and Producer for Meredith Publications

The third and final project is a picture featuring my scalloped edged Sassy Stool Topper pattern. This is a great project since it uses only small amounts of fabric and gives any stool a quick remodel.

100 Decorating Ideas Under $100 / Photographer - Michael Partenio

Stylist - Donna Talley, Regional Editor and Producer for Meredith Publications

 

 

 

Thank you Queen Bee Designs and The Lettered Cottage

Several weeks ago I was the lucky winner of a giveaway sponsored by The Lettered Cottage. Amanda from Queen Bee Designs was offering one lucky follower a $50 gift certificate to her online store. You can imagine my excitement when I discovered I had won!

After taking my time making my selection - a hard decision as there were so many wonderful choices - I finally picked the necklace shown below. 

I emailed Amanda my specifications and within just one week I received this fabulous necklace in the mail. (I apologize for the picture. I never realized how hard it is to photograph jewelry.)

I can’t say enough great things about Amanda and her jewelry. She was so quick to respond to all my emails and just super nice to deal with. Her jewelry is beautifully hand stamped and custom made to order.  I also want to say a big thank you to The lettered Cottage for sponsoring this giveaway.

One Dollar Decorating

I have seen so many fantastic purchases from thrift stores lately that I decide to pay my local Salvation Army a visit to see what I could find. While I didn’t come home with an undiscovered treasure, I did manage find these wonderful milk glass vases. The total cost for all five – one dollar.

As the saying goes, there is power in numbers. I love how they look all grouped together and filled with coordinated flowers on this silver tray.  The simplicity of the white color and the different textures and shapes of the vases creates a wonderful display.

They also look pretty lined up across a fireplace mantel.

My original intent when I purchased the vases was to use them as gifts for friends. Fresh flowers are always wonderful to give or receive and when they arrive in a pretty vase it is an added bonus. Some of these vases will undoubtedly find their way into other homes but most, I think, will end up staying here.

   

Some Old Fashioned Love

Ever since I can remember, I have been drawn to things that have a history (a polite way of saying old!) In fact, as I look around my house, there is not much here that was purchased new. So it should come as no surprise that I also find old books, cards, advertisements, posters, etc. fascinating,

Many years ago, my husband’s family bought some land on which sat a very old abandoned log house. Every year when we would visit, my husband and I would trek through the fields to get to this house. We spent our vacation days pulling down the old chimney to save the bricks, dismantling a staircase and fireplace mantel, pulling up wide floor and wall planks, and generally having a good time playing salvagers. While searching through the house, we came across, among other things,  a box of old Valentine cards that included some of the ones shown here.

I love the look of the graphics and fonts of these vintage Valentines. Can you imagine giving or receiving the card below today? 

How cute is this small Valentine book below? 

Hope you have a wonderful Valentine's Day and don't forget to tell the ones you love how special they are to you.

Two Vintage Block Printing Projects

I purchased a pair of vintage printing blocks and some wooden printing letters several years ago purely for their decorative appeal. They have been sitting happily on my shelves ever since.

Lately I have come across so many beautiful pillows, fabrics and papers that have been printed with these types of printing blocks - some old and some new - that I decided to take mine off the shelf and use them for their intended purpose.

What I Used:
Vintage printing blocks
Paint brush
Fusible interfacing
Linen fabric
Acrylic paint
Needle and thread
Embroidery thread
Scissors
Iron
Sewing machine

What I did:

For my first project, I began by attaching fusible interfacing to the back of white linen fabric following the manufacturer's instructions.  My fabric was cut a few inches wider than the printing block and about five times longer. I painted the block with gray acrylic paint using a paint brush.  I used enough paint to cover the raised portions of the block but not overload it with too much paint. I then pressed the block firmly on to the fabric.

I continued reapplying paint after each impression and printing until I had covered the entire length of the fabric with the design.

The next step was making a flower template. I found a clip art picture on the computer and used it as my pattern.  After waiting for the paint to dry, I cut out four flowers from the stamped fabric.

I then cut the center circles free hand from the same white linen fabric.  I pinned and sewed the centers in place on the flowers with my sewing machine using a 1/4" seam allowance. The completed flowers were then sewn in the pattern shown below onto natural linen fabric which had been cut to my desired pillow size. The flowers were sewn on by machine using a 1/4" seam allowance.

To complete the project, I edged the flowers and flower centers by hand with embroidery thread before constructing the pillow.

The second project involved using the letters “X” and “O”. I used two different colors of paint - gray and white - and did not interface the fabric.

Again, I simply painted the backs of the blocks with water based acrylic paint using a paint brush and pressed the blocks firmly onto the fabric (already cut to my desired pillow size). I started by alternating the large "O" and the small "O" to form a pattern. 

I then added a series of "X's" to fill in the open space.

This fabric was also turned into a pillow.

What I learned:

After looking online at other block printed fabric products, I have found most people use water based ink. I am not sure how the acrylic paint will hold up to washing. However, if you have ever spilled it on your clothes you know it is nearily impossible to remove once it has dried.  The fabric was definitely a little stiff where it had been painted. I have been told there is a fabric medium available in craft stores that can be added to soften the feel of the paint.

If you do use paint, make sure you place something underneath your fabric. The paint will go through the fabric and paint whatever surface is below.

Finally, I like to block print! I will be keeping an eye out now for vintage letters to use for future projects.