Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Mama's Memories Jar

After you reach a certain age, memories of the past seem to be more frequent than before.   I was talking to my sister by way of email the other day about the silly stuff our mother did while we were growing up and how we've started to do some of the same things we thought so comical at the time.  I thought about how wonderful it would be to create a Mama's (that's what we called her) Memories Jar, where, at family gatherings, children and grandchildren would write down what they remembered about growing up, the good times and not so good times.  Things that were instrumental in their lives centered around Mama. Or something that they loved or admired about her. 

This would be a fabulous way to celebrate Mother's Day, especially for the empty nesters, and grandmothers to receive. And also it would be a good way to past down memories from one generation to the next.  The memory jar would remain in the kitchen always so that family members could write down their thoughts and slip them in the jar anytime they visit.

My Mama's Memories Jar was easy to make.  
I used:
  • Clear glass container with top
  • Printed wording on paper
  • Printed flower silhouette
  • Sharpie paint pen
  • American 3D Gloss Enamel Transparent Glass Writer
  • Crafsmart Fine Line Paint Pen
  • Alcohol
  • Nail Polish Remover 





For the note paper:
  • Paper  (cut from inner envelopes)
  • Flower Stamp
  • Ink Pad






First make sure the glass container is clean and free of any oil or residue by wiping it down with alcohol.

Next, tape the printed wording(made in MS Word - Amazone BT font), in this case, Mama's Memories, to the inside of the glass.

Using the sharpie paint pen, follow the outline of the words. If you make a mistake, use a lightly saturated with nail polish remover (acetone) piece of paper towel to remove and start over.




 

 I messed up the "a" on the end so I
just wiped off the a, ', & s and rewrote them. 


                                       




The sharpie paint marker dries quickly so you can move on to the next part.
 Tape the printed flower silhouette next and again follow the outline of the flower using the 3D (dimensional) enamel transparent glass writer.

Once you have completed outlining the flower, according to the directions on the bottle, you need to wait at least 48 hours for the enamel to dry.
 This was my first time using the American Enamel paint writer on glass and I love the results.  I like it better than the Martha Stewart glass paint.  It flows better and is easier to use.  And it's a little bit cheaper, too. After drying, the paint is raised (dimensional) and transparent, giving off a stain glass effect, which I love.

I also used a crafsmart fine line paint pen to draw the stem and leaves of the flower. 
I thought the glass needed more flowers so I added one in the center, shown later.

Once the enamel transparent glass writer paint is allowed to dry for 48 hours, put the glass container in a non-preheated oven for 30 minutes at 200 degrees F.  After 30 minutes, allow the glass to cool with the oven door open. That's it!
So that it would be easy for relatives to write down their thoughts, I cut out (with a paper cutter) note paper using a stack of "inner envelopes" I had accumulated over the years, and made them decorative by stamping a purple flower on the front. 

I think my mama or any mother would have loved receiving something like this for Mother's Day.  Now the whole family can have fun writing, reading and remembering Mama. 

I asked my sister, Sandra, what memories would she write down on the slips.  She brought back silly but wonderful ones -  here's her short list:  cats and dogs mama raised, corn stalks and chickens in the backyard,  Sears/ Montgomery Wards/Avon catalogs she ordered from, Miss Piggy doll and other toys for the dogs, grapevines for wine, and perfume ( anything loud) she wore. 

What a great way to honor the memory of a mother who has passed on. This is truly a thoughtful and sentimental item!

Take a little time to enjoy! 















































Thursday, April 18, 2013

Dragonfly Garden Stake



Spring is finally here!  

I love dragonflies.  I think they are very elegant and regal looking. When I saw a beautiful beaded dragonfly garden stake at Pier One recently, I knew I wanted something like this in my rock garden.
 







I decided I would try to make my own since I had lots of beads on hand. Little did I know what I thought would be easy to do, turned out to be very frustrating and time consuming.  My motto became, you win some and you lose some.  With this project, I think I lost.  But wait!


Since this was a garden stake, I needed everything, wire and beads to be very sturdy.  The wire has to support the body of the dragonfly and the wings.










Using different shades of green and blue beads I threaded the larger ones  onto a 18 gauge wire. That was easy enough, but when it came to making the wings, the smaller beads would not thread onto the thicker wire.  






First, I tried thinner wire - which looked okay in this picture.  But if I made the wings larger, I had nothing to support the wings in order for them to stay upright.




After switching out some of the beads (body) for larger ones I found from old necklaces,


I ended up wrapping the smaller beaded wire around the 18 gauge wire for the larger wings. This gave the dragonfly a hefty set of wings, but it looked sparse.  Next I beaded 24 gauge wire into loops and wrapped the loops together on each side with more beaded wire.  I realized that I couldn't or wouldn't duplicate all those beaded loops.






Feeling a bit frustrated, I decided to stop and secured the dragonfly to a plain painted stake using more beaded wire.






I had hoped to make a dragonfly like the one at Pier one. But this one is kinda cute with it's own quirky look.  





It doesn't photograph well, but I can tell you that it looks much better in a real-life setting.


 


 And, oh .  .  .

Outside in my rock garden, the dragonfly garden stake looks awesome next to the beautiful phlox in bloom.








Is this a hit or miss?  You decide!



Take a little time to enjoy!



















Visit thecsiproject.com



Linking to these fabulous parties:




The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sunday ,  Sewing Barefoot for The Weekly Creative, Alderberry Hill for Make the Scene Monday , The Dedicated House for Make It Pretty Monday , Feeding Big and more for In and Out of the Kitchen Monday , A Humble Creation for A New Creation , Thrifty Decor Chick for Before and After Monday , Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday , Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday , Home Coming for DIY'ers , I Gotta Try That for Linky Party Monday, Pursuit of Funtional Home for Monday Hop , One More Time for Share It One More Time , Kathe With A E for You're Gonna Love It Tuesday ,    The Stories of A2Z for Tutorials and Tips Tuesday , Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday , A Stroll thru Life for  Tabletop Inspire Me Tuesday , Cedar Hill Ranch for The Scoop on Tuesdays ,Homework for Inspiration Board Tuesday , My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia for Tuesday's Treasures ,Romance on a Dime for Take on Tuesday , Debbiedoos for Tuesdays Top Talent Pinterest Party , Primp for Primp Your Stuff Wednesdays , Ginger Snap Crafts for Wow Me Wednesdays ,  Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays ,The Shady Porch for Rock and Share Wednesdays , View from River Mountain for Show It Off Wednesday ,  DIY by Design for Swing into Spring , All Things With a Purpose for Thursday Link Up ,  CSI Project for Challenge of the Week Thursday , Dysfunction Junction for Linkin With My Ladies Thursday , Glued To My Crafts for Crafty Thursdays , The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursdays , Marigold's Loft for Tutorial Thursdays ,  No Minimalist Here for the Open House Party on Thursdays , Stone Gable for Tutorials, Tips and Tidbits on Thursdays , Chic on a Shoestring Decorating for Flaunt It Friday ,  Happy Go Lucky for Shine on Fridays ,    My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday , French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday , Common Ground for Be Inspired on Fridays , The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday , Craftberry Bush for the Inspiration Gallery on Friday ,  Diana's Rambles for Pin Me Linky Friday 504 Main for Tickled Pink Fridays , Shaken Together for What's Shakin' Friday ,  Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special, A Bouquet of Talent for Life on Lake Shore Drive on Saturdays , Classy Clutter for Spotlight Saturday , Crafts a la Mode for What To Do Weekends , One More Time for Share It One More Time Saturday ,  Serenity You for Serenity Saturday , Tutus & Tea Parties for a Pinteresting Party Saturday ,













Thursday, April 11, 2013

Open Toe Chained Tassel

Hi everybody!

I was chosen as the winner of last month’s Echoed Contest on P.S. – I Made This  after posting my DIY Collar Necklace on their website.  Hilary at "P.S." sent me the ingredients to make TasselBootie.  Since the boot is no longer available I was sent a $100.00 Nine West Gift Card along with the supplies.  How cool is that!!! 
   
For spring I came up with my take on Tassel Bootie.  I call it,  “Open Toe Chained Tassel.”  It’s more of an ankle bracelet for open toe shoes.

I started by cutting a triangle shape out of heavy duty cardboard. I then covered the front and back with Gorilla Duct Tape, trimming it to shape. I cut the leather trim into two 6" pieces and made 1/4 fringes out of the pieces.  Combining the two,  I folded it into three, gluing down each side.


 I made a hole in the top with a T pin and pushed an open "jump ring" from the chain through the hole and closed it.




After measuring the total length for the chain, 7 1/2 inches which included a clasp in the middle to open, I made the same type of holes for the other two ends of the triangle.



                                         So easy to make!






                                                Now if I just had a dance to go to! 

This piece is very versatile - also working great with any plain heels or sandals!


Thanks again to Hilary@psimadethis for everything!  What an honor!









Linking to these fabulous parties: 

The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sunday , By Stephanie Lynn for Sunday Showcase , The Dedicated House for Make It Pretty Monday , Feeding Big and more for In and Out of the Kitchen Monday , Thrifty Decor Chick for Before and After Monday , Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday , Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday , Home Coming for DIY'ers , I Gotta Try That for Linky Party Monday, Pursuit of Funtional Home for Monday Hop , Kathe With A E for You're Gonna Love It Tuesday ,    The Stories of A2Z for Tutorials and Tips Tuesday , Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday , A Stroll thru Life for  Tabletop Inspire Me Tuesday , Cedar Hill Ranch for The Scoop on Tuesdays ,Homework for Inspiration Board Tuesday , My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia for Tuesday's Treasures ,Romance on a Dime for Take on Tuesday , Debbiedoos for Tuesdays Top Talent Pinterest Party , Primp for Primp Your Stuff Wednesdays , Ginger Snap Crafts for Wow Me Wednesdays ,  Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays ,The Shady Porch for Rock and Share Wednesdays ,  DIY by Design for Swing into Spring ,
 All Things With a Purpose for Thursday Link Up ,  CSI Project for Challenge of the Week Thursday , Dysfunction Junction for Linkin With My Ladies Thursday , Glued To My Crafts for Crafty Thursdays , The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursdays , No Minimalist Here for the Open House Party on Thursdays , Stone Gable for Tutorials, Tips and Tidbits on Thursdays ,  Happy Go Lucky for Shine on Fridays ,    My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday , French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday , Common Ground for Be Inspired on Fridays , The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday , Craftberry Bush for the Inspiration Gallery on Friday ,  Diana's Rambles for Pin Me Linky Friday 504 Main for Tickled Pink Fridays ,  Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special, A Bouquet of Talent for Life on Lake Shore Drive on Saturdays , Classy Clutter for Spotlight Saturday , Crafts a la Mode for What To Do Weekends , One More Time for Share It One More Time Saturday ,  Serenity You for Serenity Saturday , Tutus & Tea Parties for a Pinteresting Party Saturday ,






Monday, April 8, 2013

Reupholstered Valet Chair



                                                                                                                 


 This was a simple project at best.  I gave my husband a valet chair over forty years ago. He was very particular about placing his suit jackets in well appointed areas while getting ready for work.  I thought it a good ideal to get him one since he is and has always been a very neat and organized person. Me, not so much. The chair bottom was originally done in faux leather, I think.  I have only change the seat once to a green striped pattern years ago, to blend in with the dark green (yucky) carpeting we had in our bedroom.  Green you say, yes, green is his favorite color, and back then,  I would change things to please him.  Today, not so much. 





                                        



I now "consult" with the hubby to see if he can live with what I like. Things that are either purple or will go with purple.  And  .  .  . he is always in agreement.  Lucky me!  Don't get me wrong.  I don't have a purple house!  Getting back to the chair, I recently found some fabric at Hancock Fabrics that I liked but had no idea what I was going to do with it. In the store it looked like it was gray with off white writing and light purple stenciling. I love the fabric and the writing pattern is so hip with today's trend.  But when I looked at it at home, the fabric seemed green and not gray.  Woe is me  .  .   . but wait!  It was time to switch out the seat on the valet chair. I had lived with that green striped pattern long enough.  And the new found fabric would be perfect for the chair .  .  . in a masculine sort of way.

Of course, I had to add my twist on changing the look.

Lovely fabric, isn't it?  And it sure does look gray in this picture, too!  Anyway, it was easy to disassemble the chair seat.  Take a look at what I did.


























                   
 Removed the backing and seat from the storage base.


Hmm, this looks blue, but it really was different shades of green stripes.





Removed the staples and use the old fabric pattern to cut out the new piece.
Unfortunately, somehow, I forgot to take pictures of cutting out the new fabric for the seat, and stapling it on. I guess I was too eager to get to the next step. The foam on the seat was still intact and didn't need to be changed - so after I stapled the new fabric on, I painted the old cardboard cover that was hiding the staples and put it back on in the same spot as before.  The newly covered seat was screwed back on with everything lining up the same as before.

I wanted to give the valet chair a new or different look.  Painting was not an option since all of the furniture in the bedroom were wood tones, and despite what you might think of my taste, I am very conservative when it comes to decorating. A quirky color was out of the question.  But adding a fabric covered back panel over the wicker portion of the chair would give it a different look indeed!


I put craft paper over the wicker, and traced the pattern with a pencil.  Then I cut out the form in heavy duty cardboard.

Next, I glued cut polyfil batting in the shape of the form to the cardboard,



 And then placed a piece of fabric over the entire form and cut the fabric, following the shape, leaving an inch to fold under and glue down with Fabri Tac adhesive.


 


















 I cut another fabric piece in the shape of the form, slightly smaller, to glue on top to cover the ragged edges and give the panel a clean look on the back


I added velcro hanging tape to the back of the panel and placed the panel over the wicker area.



 You can see the results and the different look between the two:

 
















                                                                                                      
                                         What do you think?



The purple stencil color looks different in the photo - perhaps it's the angle, but the color is the same (more like what you see on the seat)  and also compliments the color of my curtains - light purple. 

I have a small off white sofa located on a window wall in the bedroom and I plan on making pillows in this same fabric for another project.  I think they will be different, too!  Stay tuned!


Take a little time to enjoy,










Linking to these fabulous parties:

The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sunday , The Dedicated House for Make It Pretty Monday , Feeding Big and more for In and Out of the Kitchen Monday , Thrifty Decor Chick for Before and After Monday , Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday , Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday , Home Coming for DIY'ers , I Gotta Try That for Linky Party Monday, Pursuit of Funtional Home for Monday Hop , Kathe With A E for You're Gonna Love It Tuesday ,    The Stories of A2Z for Tutorials and Tips Tuesday , Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday , A Stroll thru Life for  Tabletop Inspire Me Tuesday , Cedar Hill Ranch for The Scoop on Tuesdays ,Homework for Inspiration Board Tuesday , My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia for Tuesday's Treasures ,Romance on a Dime for Take on Tuesday , Debbiedoos for Tuesdays Top Talent Pinterest Party , Primp for Primp Your Stuff Wednesdays , Ginger Snap Crafts for Wow Me Wednesdays ,  Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays ,The Shady Porch for Rock and Share Wednesdays ,  DIY by Design for Swing into Spring ,
 All Things With a Purpose for Thursday Link Up ,  CSI Project for Challenge of the Week Thursday , Dysfunction Junction for Linkin With My Ladies Thursday , Glued To My Crafts for Crafty Thursdays , The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursdays , No Minimalist Here for the Open House Party on Thursdays , Stone Gable for Tutorials, Tips and Tidbits on Thursdays ,  Happy Go Lucky for Shine on Fridays ,    My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday , French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday , Common Ground for Be Inspired on Fridays , The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday , Craftberry Bush for the Inspiration Gallery on Friday ,  Diana's Rambles for Pin Me Linky Friday 504 Main for Tickled Pink Fridays ,  Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special, A Bouquet of Talent for Life on Lake Shore Drive on Saturdays , Classy Clutter for Spotlight Saturday , Crafts a la Mode for What To Do Weekends , One More Time for Share It One More Time Saturday ,  Serenity You for Serenity Saturday , Tutus & Tea Parties for a Pinteresting Party Saturday ,