Getting The Christmas Spirit

It was an absolutely gorgeous weekend in this part of Missouri.  I went to historic Saint Charles, the first capital of Missouri.  The Christmas decorations were going up and it really made me feel like Christmas time was here (despite the warm weather).  Next weekend the real festivities begin with parades, carolers, and Santas in costumes from different countries.  Here are some of the beautiful homes and stores on Main Street.

Cute log cabin

I love decorated store windows.

That bear is a Christmas tree topper.  It made me smile.

Fun store.

That's the end of the tour.  Hope you had fun and are feeling all

Christmas-y.

Janet

Sweet and Floral or Clean and White?

Are you thinking what I'm thinking?

I was thinking that I should make Christmas stockings out of my leftover fabric.  Then I saw this picture on Martha Stewart.

I love these, too.  Now what should I be thinking?

Janet

Plate Hanging Madness

The arrival of the holidays also means the means the arrival of guests.  This is my guest room in progress.  I don't have any before pictures because it was basically a blank room.  I began collecting things for this room about eight years ago.  I had the fabric that I found for four dollars a yard, the matching sheets, and the plates that I had collected.  Everything else I decided to use what I had. I painted the room a pretty french blue to go with the toile and hung blue and white plates for the focal point over the bed.  This is where the madness began.  Some people could probably hang these just by "eyeballing" it, but not me. 

 

I laid out a big piece of paper, measured, and placed the plates equal distance apart. Then I drew around the plates.

Next I put the hangers on the plates and measured every plate to see how far down the hook should be on the wall and made a mark in the circle.

Then I taped the paper on the wall and made a pencil mark where every hook should go.  It was a piece of cake after that.

That's about as far as I've gotten with the room.  I will be posting more as I go. 

Janet

I will be linking this to DIY Day at A Soft Place To Land and Transformation Thursday at The Shabby Chic Cottage. Also Boardwalk Bragfest.

Toile Table Slipcover

I know tables usually get a "cloth" or a "skirt", but a slipcover just seemed more fitting for this project. 

I bought this table at Home Goods on super clearance.  Although I like the decorative painting on top, it doesn't really match my decor.  Two choices - paint or cover.  Since I really liked the finish on the table I decided to make a slipcover.

I cut a circle out of the ticking fabric for the top,  sewed cording around the circle, added a 5 inch band of toile around that, and sewed on more cording. 

I then cut a 10 inch band of ticking and formed 2 inch pleats.  Sewed that on and Ta Da! A easy and inexpensive (the fabric was leftover) side table.

Of course " you know who"  had to be the center of attention.

I will be linking this to Transformation Thursday, Boardwalk Bragfest, and Furniture Feature Friday, and Show and Tell Friday.

Janet

Two Prizes In One Day

After I returned home from my weekend getaway,  I sat down to catch up on all of my blog reading.  I was surprised to learn that I won the Gorila Glue party giveaway from Shanty2Chic.  You can see it here.  I will be getting lots of gorila Glue for all of my projects.  Thanks Shanty2chic!

There were so many wedding activities over the weekend that I did not have time to shop.  But...on the way to the airport I got 30 minutes to power shop an antique store in Shrewsbury, Maryland.  I found this Ironstone pitcher for only $8.00.  Of course it is an "as is" piece, so it will be for display only.  There were several similar Ironstone pieces that were in better condition.  The prices ranged from $75.00-$95.00.  So I feel like I got a prize.

It will be perfect on my new dining room shelf.

Janet

Happy Weekend

I am going to Pennsylvania this weekend for a friend's daughter's wedding.  Hope I have time for some shopping. And I hope you enjoy your weekend. See you next week for more fun projects.

Janet

Shabby Corbel Shelf Project

I found a pair of old corbels at my local antique mall.  I added some boards, molding, and hooks to create a shabby shelf for my dining room.

I used my miter saw to cut  molding to frame a 1x12 board.  The board can be any length that works for your space.  Mine is 44 inches and I had Lowe's cut it for me.

I used Gorilla wood glue around the edges and then adhered the molding.  I have a hard time hammering in the finishing nails while holding the molding, so I let the glue dry and the molding stays put while I nail.

This is how the board looked after putting on the molding and filling the cracks with spackling.

Painted it white and sanded the edges...

Used more Gorilla glue to hold the corbels...

(Oops! I better catch those drips.)

And added a 1x4 board between the corbels.

I attatched the board with glue and mending plates on the back. I screwed in hooks on the front of the board, painted it white, and dry brushed the entire shelf with gray paint to blend with the corbels.  And it looks like this.

  It was a bit of work, but I think it was worth it.

I will be linking this to Shanty 2 Chic, the Shabby Chic Cottage, and A Soft Place To Land.