Capture the Details

what a Valentine present!

Sarah got a great present for Valentine's Day - her braces are off! The one thing she wanted to do after they came off was chew gum. So, I made her a bouquet of a dozen packs of gum for her Valentine gift.

I hot glued long lollipop sticks to the bottom of each pack and let the glue set up.

Then, I added a bit of clear tape to help secure the pack to the stick. I wrapped florist tape around the stick to make a stem, and added a few silk leaves to make gum *flowers*.

I gave them to her when we got home from the orthodontist this afternoon. Here she is with her gum bouquet and a lovely smile....

She loved it. And I got the biggest thank-you hug. :-)

fresh flowers...... (almost)

I put together a bouquet of fresh flowers picked from a country garden. Well, not really, but I'm loving them anyway! They are actually from the craft store. Shhhhhhhhhhh

Silk flowers are amazing, aren't they? Right now there is snow outside my kitchen door, but I'm dreaming that I walked outside through my garden and picked gerbera daisies, ranunculus, allium, hydrangea and sunflowers.

My arrangement sits on top of my china cabinet. I wanted something colorful and showy up there and I think this fits the bill. 

Now, if only spring would come for real....... :-)

Instagram love

A few Instagram shots from today...

From left - at the fabric store. The specialty fabrics are so beautiful they make me weak in the knees. LOL 

The most beautiful tissue box I have EVER seen. Very whimsical, and I just love owls.

Bring on the warm weather - I have flip flops! I got a great deal at JC Penney with a coupon - only $2 for all four pairs! :-)

tip for hanging items around a thermostat

I have an area on my one studio wall that has a light switch and a thermostat. It's difficult to hang a picture there because the thermostat is right smack in the middle of where the picture should hang. When this room was my living room that same spot was bare for over 13 years because of that issue.

I got out my box of decorations from the "before remodeling" era in our little house and I came across a project I did a few years ago. I made a photo collage from embroidery hoops and fabric paper. Remember these?

I thought they would work great in that area because it's not one large item trying to fit in that awkward space, it's a bunch of smaller items that are flexible with their layout.

A great tip for when you are hanging a bunch of items is to make template of each item first. I traced the circle shapes onto paper and cut them out. I used Washi tape to hang the paper circles on the wall - it's removable and won't damage the paint, and it lets you play around with placement of your items before committing to nails in the wall.

Once you have your items placed how you would like them, you can hammer your nail through the paper. The paper rips off leaving the nail in position.

Now my studio wall has a nice collection of photos helping to disguise the thermostat.

Little by little I am filling blank walls in our remodeled house. :-)

 

cabinet makeover DIY - brighten the inside

I have a china cabinet that I inherited from my grandmother, along with the whole dining room set. I decided to brighten up the inside a bit with a simple DIY project. The wood is a dark color, cherry I believe. The area I wanted to brighten was the back wall on the inside, behind the dishes. I used foam core board and wrapped it with fabric - very simple. Plus it can easily be removed without harming the antique cabinet.

I started by measuring the height and width of the back area on each shelf. My foam core board was about 2" short on the width, so I cut a piece to fit and taped it all together. I used plain old packing tape.

I cut a piece of fabric large enough to wrap around the back on all four sides (press the fabric with an iron to remove wrinkles). I taped the two shorter sides first, pulling the fabric tight.

I used my iron to press the corners flat before folding the top and bottom sides over.

Make sure to have the fabric pulled tight as you are taping the edges on the back. Tape all the edges to keep the fabric secure on the board. Flip it over and you have a nice, new back for your shelf.

I covered the three back wall areas and it's amazing the fresh look it now has!

The dishes are all back in place and I love the change.

It's subtle, but I notice the difference. :-)