Silence...

Put a Ruffle On It

I'm usually not the sort of person who would buy a guest towel.  My husband says, "You would never buy a guest wrench!  'Don't use that wrench!  That's the good wrench!'"

But I saw this tea towel at Hobby Lobby, and it was too cute to pass up.

As cute as it was, it was missing that little something extra, like a ruffle!

I cut a strip of fabric 8 inches wide and 36 inches long, folded it in half the long way, and stitched.  I turned it inside out and pressed it flat.

Next, I took a lot of pins and began creating the pleated ruffle with a lot of trial and error on the spacing.  "The King's Speech" is avaible for streaming on Netflix right now, so I pleated and pinned and re-pinned and re-pinned while watching Colin Firth.

Let me tell you, it's not a bad way to spend the evening!

When I was satisfied with the pleats, I stitched the ruffled to the towel, removing the pins as I sewed.  Don't stitch over the pins!

And the end results...

I'm linking up...
The Shabby Creek Cottage
At the Picket Fence
Funky Junk Interiors

Nell Hills Knock-Off

As soon as I saw this on display at Mary Carol Garrity's open house, I knew I could replicate it.

And here's mine:

Lucky for me, I found a decent wreath at my favorite thrift store.  Otherwise I tried to use what I had on hand.  However, I wish I had some of those long pine needles.  I'm on the look out for those.

See those moss balls?  You can see how I made them here.

 

I'm happy to be able to enjoy my little statue during Christmas.

 

 

 

 

 

I'm linking up...

Between Naps on the Porch

Savvy Southern Style

At the Picket Fence

Le Chateau des Fleurs

Imperfection

The hearth room is one of my favorite rooms.  Too small to be a family room, it's really a waste of space, but it's a cozy waste of space.

Mornings and evenings are my favorite times of day in here. 

It's the perfect place to enjoy a cup of coffee.  Since the room is small, I keep decorating to a minimum.  I gave up on keeping the silver compote dish polished and just enjoy its dull patina.

I think I prefer its tarnished imperfection over shiny elegance.

New Adventure

I'm trying something new.  I've rented a booth at a local flea market.

Actually, it's half a booth.  I'm starting small to see how it goes.

It's a bit of handmade, a bit of vintage, and a bit of housewares.  If you live in the Kansas City area, check out out Tallgrass Design in person at A Place in Time.

A Place in Time

207 W. Dennis Ave.

Olathe, KS 66061

Wish me luck!

Another Christmas Vignette

Do you have your Christmas decorating finished?

 

I have most of the house decorated for Christmas.  I'm still tweaking here and there.  Now, don't ask me about Christmas shopping because I haven't even started yet!

 

When it comes to holiday decorating, I like to focus on winter rather than Christmas so I don't feel pressure to take it all down immediately after Christmas Day.  The trees, garland, and lights come down by New Years Day, but I'll enjoy the vignettes for a little longer.

 

I fashioned a tray table out of a cabinet door last winter.  Being near the front door, it's great for creating seasonal vignettes.

One of the things I purchased at the Nell Hills open house last month was this deer.  I loved his patina, and he is heavy!

Isn't he a regal fellow?

As I was driving back home after the open house, I stopped at my favorite local antique store where I found this great copper vessel.

 

It's not really an antique.  How do I know?  It's stamped Pottery Barn at the bottom. 

 

I'm really loving this lantern I fashioned out of an old light fixture.  If you wonder if you can mix metals, the answer is yes.  Bronze deer, copper bucket, soft gold lantern get along nicely here.

 

 

I had promised myself last Christmas that I wasn't going to spend another year with those dark green walls. It really limits the palatte at Christmas. Maybe in 2013 I'll get around to re-doing this room.


I'm linking up...
Savvy Southern Style
Funky Junk Interiors

Christmas Vignette

I love putting together seasonal vignettes.  There's something satisfying about taking what I already have and rearranging them in new places.

As I mentioned in the last post, I found a fabulous chest of drawers at ReStore. The price was right, probably because the top was cracked.   For now, I'm hiding the crack with a large tray.

I always manage to buy too many floral picks, so I always have leftovers from my projects, so I tucked a few spares in a jade plant.

Some of our solar lights stopped working this summer, but the crackle glass globes make pretty decorations.

I'm really in no hurry to make the repair to the cracked top now.

Do you love creating tabletop vignettes too?




I'm linking up...
Savvy Southern Style
Handy Man, Crafty Woman