~Faux French Linen~

I wish I could afford real French linen, but since I can't, I decided to make my own imitation.  I saw the idea for painting a tablecloth in Country Living Magazine and Flea Market Style.  I believe one used a drop cloth and one used burlap.  I really wanted the look and feel of linen, so I chose osnaburg fabric that I got at JoAnn's Fabrics. 

I cut a piece of fabric the width of the table and about 12 inches longer.

I sewed a hem around the edges...

Measured and taped where I wanted the stripes...

And then painted with a mixture of acrylic paint and textile medium.  The textile medium makes the paint washable.

I tested two different paint methods.  First I just painted a solid stripe with a paintbrush.  Then I used a stencil brush and pouncing method.  I chose the stenciling - more of the fabric showed through and it had more of an aged look.

Then lots more measuring and taping to get three stripes on each side.

The result...

A faux French linen table runner for just a few dollars.

I'm thinking pillows, basket liners,...

Janet

I'll be joining a few parties.

Saturday Nite Special at Funky Junk Interiors

Make It for Monday at Cottage Instincts

Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch

Show off Your Cottage Monday at The House in the Roses

Get Your Craft On at Todays Creative Blog

~Slipcover Party~

Did somebody say slipcover party?  I hope I'm not too late to join.  It's being held at Pink and Polka Dot .  This picture shows three of my slipcovers in one.  The chair, the table in back, and my toile table slipcover. 

The chair is my first and favorite slipcover.  I made it many years ago and it was my daughter's favorite place to lay and watch tv.  One arm and side were worn to threads, so I took the chair to the basement.  I was going to get it reupholstered or just get rid of it.  I started shopping around and decided both were too expensive at the time.  Since I had a lot of fabric left, I ripped off the worn pieces and replaced them.  Now it's my favorite chair again. 

I love the way the back turned out.

My sister-in-law got this chair out of the trash and gave it to me.  The back is upholstered and the seat is slipcovered.  The cat just wants to be the center of attention.

This was my most recent project.  A chair for the corner of my dining room.   I'm definitely thinking I need more ruffles this year.

Thanks for stopping by to see my slipcovers.

Janet

~Painted Table~

This project was basic "Paint A Table White 101".  Simple, nothing special.  Painted it with Rustoleum American Heirloom White and randomly distressed after.

Before

After.

I just loved the curved legs and the the little bottom shelf. 

I lightly brushed paint around the top edges and left the top with the original stripped look. 

The white just brightens everything a bit, don't ya think?

Janet

I will be joining Show and Tell Friday , Furniture Feature Friday, and White Wednesday.

~A Day of Decorating Disasters~

Did you ever just have one of those days?  It was finally my day off, and I was going to get some projects done.  I started out with this...

And ended up with this...

It actually looks ok in the picture, but there is ugly green velvet between the frame and the painting.

So, what to do with it?  Why not paint it?

Don't paint it.  Now I had no choice but to take it apart. Why not tear off the fabric?

Don't tear off the fabric.  It won't come off. 

I wanted to paint this table...

But when I put on the first coat it turned pink, very pink, and the smell!!  I guess  someone had stripped the table and the chemicals were still on there.  At this point, I probably should have stopped and stripped it back down myself.  But some primer will fix anything, right?  Wrong.  However, I'm on my third coat and I see hope.

So tomorrow I'll go to the fabric store and get some fabric to recover the frame and put yet another coat of paint on the table.  Wish me luck.

Janet

~My Heart for Jack~

Kim at Daisy Cottage is collecting fabric hearts for Jack in honor of his wife.  Kim's wonderful collection of fabric hearts inspired this idea by one of her readers.  This is one of the photos from Daisy Cottage.  Aren't the hearts beautiful?

Jack's wife, Tabatha,  passed away from cancer.  She enjoyed reading Kim's blog and found peace when she visited.  You can read the touching story by clicking on her name.  The idea is for everyone to send a heart to Kim and she will send them to Jack.  For all the details, go to Daisy Cottage  and click on the "Hearts for Jack" button on the sidebar.

I wanted to make a heart for Jack to help show him that Tabatha will be remembered.  Of course I chose a floral fabric and it just had to have a rosette.  I traced around a cookie cutter to get a paper pattern then cut out the fabric.

I used pinking shears to cut it out, sewed arond the outside leaving a gap for stuffing, and filled .

To make the rosette, I tore a strip of fabric to get a frayed edge.  I sewed one edge by hand to gather and rolled the strip, sewing it together as I went. For a little extra detail, I tore small strips of fabric and attached them under the rosette.

Now I just have to get to the Post Office! I hope you make a heart for Jack, too.  You have until March 31st.  To see all the packages Kim has already received, click here.  Can you just image Jack's reaction when all those hearts arrive?

Janet

I will be sharing this project at DIY Day and Get Your Craft On.

Kreativ Blogger Award

Bella at Bellas Rose Cottage nominated me for the Kreativ Blogger award.  She is new to blogland, so you should go visit her sweet blog.  Now the hard part.  I'm suppose to tell you seven things about myself.  I can't imagine that you would find anything about me very interesting, but here goes.

1.  At my "real"  job, I am an Area Supervisor for a large department store.  I play with clothes.

2.  After being a stay at home mom for many years, I started my own business designing and sewing window treatments.  After a couple of years of non-stop sewing, I decided I would rather keep sewing a hobby.

3.  I am a romantic and have to keep my pink and frilly side under control - sometimes.

4.  I can spend an entire day "window shopping" for fabric.

5.  Most of the time, when I start a project, I have no idea what I'm doing.  That's what makes it fun.

6.  I don't know one person in "real life" that likes to decorate, do projects, or go to the antique mall.  That's why I fell in love with blogging.

7.  I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up.

Thanks for listening.  I think all the blogs I read should be nominated for the Kreativ Blogger Award so consider yourself nominated.

I would love it if you left a comment telling me something about you.

Janet

~Easy Chicken and Dumplings~

There is just something about Sunday nights that make me want comfort foods. The whole family is usually home and we're free from the many activities that we have during the week. 

This recipe really is easy. The trick is to use canned chicken broth and a rotisserie chicken.  The only thing you really have to make are the dumplings.

2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 1/8 cups milk

Mix above ingredients in a medium bowl.  Stir until smooth and let rest 5 - 10 minutes.

Roll dough onto a floured surface to about 1/2 inch thickness.  Cut the dough into 1/2 inch squares.

In a pot, bring 6 cups chicken broth to a boil, add pepper to taste, reduce to simmer, and drop dumplings into the broth. 

 Simmer 20 to 30 minutes until thick, stirring often.  Remove the chicken from the bones and cut into bite size pieces.  Add to the dumplings and cook for another 5-10 minutes until the gravy is the desired consistency.

All that's left to do is enjoy.

Do you have a favorite food for a certain day of the week?

Janet