Fun Finds Friday

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Hope you have a wonderful day with the ones you love.

It's also Friday, which means it's time to show off some fun finds.

The first items I have to show today is a collection of vintage sheets I've been adding to for the past few months or so.  I plan to make some patchwork quilts using the fabric.  Here's a stack of what I've collected so far.

These sheets are all so soft and cozy feeling.  And I just love that the colors are slightly fading.

I think they will make wonderful quilts.

Their cheerful colors make me smile and wish for more sunshine!

This next item I found last week and thought it was a big score!

Red and white is my favorite and the pretty floral is a plus.

Perfect for my red and white bedroom.

I found a matching set and I'm loving the added detail the ties along the opening add.

And finally, last week I also found two more bedding items that I fell for instantly.

I am obsessed with white matelasse coverlets.  I use them all year round on my bed and on the girls beds whenever they will allow it.  Adding another one to the collection will not go wasted.

I also found a charming faded yellow chenille coverlet.  It's super soft and has an all over faded look to it that I love.  I debated about this one for a long time in the store because of the color. Yellow is not one of my go to colors, but in the end I just couldn't pass it up.  I'm sure I'll find a use for it.

Don't you just love the texture of these two items?

How about you, any fun finds this week?

Robin

Easy Pinch Pleats

Good Morning!

My newly sewn tablecloth for the dinning room has been a wonderful, and colorful addition to our home.

You may remember the original post here.

So many of you commented about how much you liked the pleats that I figured a quick tutorial might be in order.

The pinch pleats were very easy to make . . . here is the method I used.

I started with a five inch strip of fabric.  

I then finished one side of the fabric with a rolled hem, you can see below.

Next I started "pinching" the fabric, taking anywhere between an inch and a half and two inches at a time . . .

Folding it flat.

Placing a pin through the fold to hold it and I had my first pleat.

To start the second pleat, I eyeballed down the length of my fabric an inch and a half, then repeated the process from above.

I continued on until I ran out of pins.

Taking my strip of fabric to the sewing machine, I simply ran a basting stitch along the raw edge of the fabric, removing pins as I came to them.

I then repeated the process until I had a length of pleats long enough to go around my tablecloth.

The pleats looked like this when I was finished.

The final step is to simply sew the pleats along the bottom edge of the tablecloth.  Making sure to pin the two pieces of fabric right sides together.

In the past when I've sewn pinch pleats for a project, I tediously measured every pleat and gap between the pleats and it took a long, long time.  

With this method, the project went much more quickly and the finished look is just as pretty.  I for one will be using the quick and easy method with any future pinch pleat sewing that I do.

Thanks for stopping by,

bye now,

Robin

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A Hankering For . . . Fresh Baked Bread

Good Morning!

Warm, soft bread fresh from the oven . . . slathered with butter and honey is a treat I remember from my childhood days.  A truly blissful experience.

I don't know about the rest of you but I can't remember the last time I've baked bread from scratch.

Sometimes I try to cheat a little and purchase frozen loaves of bread to bake.

It's good, but somehow lacks the perfection of bread made from scratch.

Seeing as I'm sorely out of practice in the bread making department, yet still hankering for it all the same.  I've been pinning away on Pinterest recipes to try my hand at.

Thought I'd share what I've come across just in case there are a few of you out there hankering for some freshly baked bread also.

Source

Source

Source

Source

Source

Source

They all look so tasty don't they.

Which one would you try first?

Robin

Simple Pillow Cover

A few nights ago I had an itch to break out the sewing machine.

Tried to ignore it . . . But it didn't go away.

So instead of going to bed like a good little girl I started scrounging around in my bin of scrap fabric to see what I could come up with.

Here's the newest addition to my collection of pillow slipcovers.

The case itself is just a simple envelope style which are a snap to put together.  I have a tutorial, here, if your interested.

I am obsessed with hand crocheted trim of late.  

Recently I found a length of red trim at the thrift store and was so excited to finally use it on something.

I thought the buttons would be a nice touch too!

I think perhaps if I copy this pattern in the future I'll make the center section smaller.  But all in all I like the way it looks.

Late night sewing sessions are so much fun!

Now I'm itch'in to try a white on white version of this pillow with pretty mother of pearl buttons.  Wouldn't that be pretty?


Have a great day everyone,

Robin

How To Build A Rustic Bead-Board Box

Good Morning Everyone!

Today I'm going to show you how I built the beadboard box that I've used as a centerpiece in the dinning room.

I love how rustic and vintage it looks.

I was pleasantly surprised how quick and easy it was to put together.

To build your own you'll need. . . 

1 - 1X8 cut 21" long

2 - 1X8 cut 6 1/8" tall

4 - pieces of bead board paneling cut 21" long

drill

screws

drill bits

brad gun

brads

wood glue

First cut all your wood to the correct size.

Next, attach the two side pieces.

Making sure to pre-drill any holes, and then attach with wood screws.

It should then look like this.

Here's another view.

The next step is to attach the two remaining sides.

Add a little wood glue along all three sides of the frame.

Then using your brad gun, attach the bead board to the frame.

Repeat on the other side and you should have something that looks like this.

To finish off the project I used my dry-brush/scraping technique to give it a weathered, rustic look.

I have a tutorial on how to do it here.

The key is to use very little top coat paint at a time.  Add a thin layer, then scrap it off.  This makes the wood grain pop out.

It's a very simple technique to use and it has wonderful results.

Hope you enjoyed!

Bye now,

Robin

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Simple Valentine's Day Decor

I might just be the new world record holder for fastest Valentine's Day Decorator of 2014.

Took me 15 minutes flat - - which includes searching for my box of supplies in the storage area.

This past weekend I wanted to get my decorations up but I just wasn't excited about it at all.

Hence, the speed decorating.

I've been a bad blogger and reused items from past years.

I few new items were thrown into the mix but not many.

Vintage Valentine's Day Cards take center stage in the hutch . . . 

Along with a few of the beaded hearts I made which I talked about earlier in the week.

Added a duct tape rose my daughter made for me a few years ago. 

My new chalkboards teamed up with a plate filled with pretty hearts - - again, last years project.

In the kitchen, I used tiny clothespins to hang my homemade Valentine card from to my chicken wire frame. 

Don't you just love Scotties?

And I also hung a few more beaded hearts around the kitchen.

As you can see, nothing too complicated  - - but just enough so I can say I've decorated.

Have a great day,

Robin

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