In His Grip

DIY Ruffled Scarf

As the weather begins to cool down, I always get the urge to knit.  I like to start out with a project where I can see the results quickly and this ruffled scarf was just the answer.  My friend, Jennifer, posted a picture a couple of weeks ago on FaceBook of a scarf that she had made. With the ruffledy, colorful, goodness I knew that I was going to have to make one for myself.  I sent her a message asking for the details of her lovely project and was surprised to find out just how easy this little scarf really was.  This scarf is made using Boutique Sashay yarn by Red Heart.  Sashay is a unique kind of yarn with a touch of metallic that creates beautiful ruffle scarves and accessories with just one ball.  The yarn is more like a ribbon, about 4 inches wide.  There are great videos to teach you how to knit with the ribbon type yearn.  A scarf like mine will take only one skein and can be completed in about three hours.

The ruffles are made with only 6 stitches knitting back and fourth until the skein is used up.  I made my scraf a big loop and then just wrap it around my neck twice.  Pink being my favorite color, I chose to make it first but I have another skein of a beige and grey varigated. I found several other brands of this kind of yarn here and here.  These yarns are slightly different but knit up in the same manner.  I can't wait to wear my new scraf.

I am participating in the following link ups:  Somewhat Simple, Fireflies and Jellybeans,Gluesticks, Beyond the Pikcet Fence, Momnivore's Dilemma, The Shabby Chic Cottage,Blooming Designs, Bubble Nature Creations, Liz Marie, Addicted 2 Decorating, Hof ouse of Hepworths, Stuff and Nonsense, Finding Fabulous, The Shabby Nest, Truly Lovely,Simply Sweet Home, Bubbly Nature Creations, The Answer is Chocolate, Sassy Sites, I Gotta Create, The CSI Project, Sisters of the Wild West, Boogieboard Cottage, It So Very Cheri, DIY Showoff, Natasha In Oz, I Should Be Mopping the Floor, Between Naps on the Porch, Skip to My Lou, Todays Creative Blog, Coastal Charm, Ladybug Blessings,Domestically Speaking, The Thrifty Home, Blue Cricket Design, Fabric Bows and More,My Girlish Whimms, Seven Thirty Three, Sew Much Ado, Someday Crafts, Lil Luna,Mama Hens Coop, {Primp}, Vintage Gwen, Frugally Sustainable, Tidy Mom,Pinkapotmus, Between Naps on the Porch, Etcetorize, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Sew Can Do,My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Mod Vintage Life, My Romatic Home, Making The World Cuter, Knick of Time, Slice of Suburbia, At the Picket Fence, French Countrty Cottage, Shabby Art Boutique, Rooted in Thyme, The Charm of Home, 504 Main, A Little Knick Knack, Five Days...Five Ways, Faith, Trust, and a Little Pixie dust, Freckled Laundry, Answer is Chocolate, Chic on a Shoestring, Knick of Time,The Ivy Cottage, Elizabeth & Co., The Winthrop Chronicles, The Dedicated House

Fall in the Dinning Room

The change in season always makes me want to make changes in my home.  Sometimes I want to make BIG changes and other times just small changes that include seasonal decorations.  I have become partial to “the rustic with some shinny thrown in” look.  Burlap has become a favorite of mine.  Now don’t worry, I have not thrown out my glittery ways, I have combined the two.  If you look around mercury glass is everywhere.  You can now find very reasonably priced mercury glass replicas in just about any shape and size.  If you know me at all, I am happy with a good fake any day. I have been collecting this silvery goodness here and there over the years and now have my share of mercury glass.  I really wanted some large silvery/mercury glass acorns, but all I could find were way out of what I consider a “reasonable” price.  So why not make my own?

I purchased this assortment of acorns from Picture Perfect Interiors and then took a can of silver metallic spray paint and went to town.  Although, they look great just silver I was not satisfied.  I decided to add a bit more sparkle.

The best glitter out there is Martha Stewart brand.  It comes in a large color selection and is very fine.  My favorite color is white gold and I used it here on the tops of my acorns.  These fake mercury glass acorns will do just fine.

There is just something about the shinny silver and neutral colors that I just love.  I stayed away for the traditional oranges and golds that I normally use in my dining room in the Fall and chose to go with a very subtle color scheme (shocker for me, I know).

The grass bushes I purchased at Michael's some time ago on a whim not really sure how I would use them.  I wasn’t sure if this neutral Fall display was going to look as good in real life as it did in my mind.  But this has to be one of my favorite buffet displays ever.

My Burch bark pumpkins that I made a couples of years ago, go great with the silvery fake mercury glass acorns along with my fall harvest table runner as well.

Burlap, mercury glass, silvery acorns and no color have turn out to be just what I had in my mind for Fall in my dining room.

I am participating in the following link ups:  Somewhat Simple, Fireflies and Jellybeans,Gluesticks, Beyond the Pikcet Fence, Momnivore's Dilemma, The Shabby Chic Cottage,Blooming Designs, Bubble Nature Creations, Liz Marie, Addicted 2 Decorating, Hof ouse of Hepworths, Stuff and Nonsense, Finding Fabulous, The Shabby Nest, Truly Lovely,Simply Sweet Home, Bubbly Nature Creations, The Answer is Chocolate, Sassy Sites, I Gotta Create, The CSI Project, Sisters of the Wild West, Boogieboard Cottage, It So Very Cheri, DIY Showoff, Natasha In Oz, I Should Be Mopping the Floor, Between Naps on the Porch, Skip to My Lou, Todays Creative Blog, Coastal Charm, Ladybug Blessings,Domestically Speaking, The Thrifty Home, Blue Cricket Design, Fabric Bows and More,My Girlish Whimms, Seven Thirty Three, Sew Much Ado, Someday Crafts, Lil Luna,Mama Hens Coop, {Primp}, Vintage Gwen, Frugally Sustainable, Tidy Mom,Pinkapotmus, Between Naps on the Porch, Etcetorize, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Sew Can Do,My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Mod Vintage Life, My Romatic Home, Making The World Cuter, Knick of Time, Slice of Suburbia, At the Picket Fence, French Countrty Cottage, Shabby Art Boutique, Rooted in Thyme, The Charm of Home, 504 Main, A Little Knick Knack, Five Days...Five Ways, Faith, Trust, and a Little Pixie dust, Freckled Laundry, Answer is Chocolate, Chic on a Shoestring, Knick of Time, The Ivy Cottage, Elizabeth & Co., The Winthrop Chronicles, The Dedicated House

Autumn is Here

Autumn is finally here in the Midwest.  After our record breaking heat this Summer, the cool crisp mornings are a nice break.  I was looking forward to decorating for Autumn and decided to go with a natural look for my Fall porch.  I have used burlap and natural colors for my pumpkins with the only really pop of color in the Amber Mums.  I made the burlap pillows last year and wanted to add a table cloth this year.   

 

 

 

 

 

Using a 30” square of burlap, I frayed the edges and then stitched along the fray to keep it from fraying any more.  I then used my Cricut machine and cut a swirl and taped it onto the corner of my square of burlap.  Using a paint brush, I dabbed the opening with off white acrylic paint. 

This simple design turned out so good and took no time at all. 

Although, I have not completed my Fall porch this is a great start. 

I am participating in the following link ups: 

 Somewhat Simple, Fireflies and Jellybeans,Gluesticks, Beyond the Pikcet Fence, Momnivore's Dilemma, The Shabby Chic Cottage,Blooming Designs, Bubble Nature Creations, Liz Marie, Addicted 2 Decorating, Hof ouse of Hepworths, Stuff and Nonsense, Finding Fabulous, The Shabby Nest, Truly Lovely,Simply Sweet Home, Bubbly Nature Creations, The Answer is Chocolate, Sassy Sites, I Gotta Create, The CSI Project, Sisters of the Wild West, Boogieboard Cottage, It So Very Cheri, DIY Showoff, Natasha In Oz, I Should Be Mopping the Floor, Between Naps on the Porch, Skip to My Lou, Todays Creative Blog, Coastal Charm, Ladybug Blessings,Domestically Speaking, The Thrifty Home, Blue Cricket Design, Fabric Bows and More,My Girlish Whimms, Seven Thirty Three, Sew Much Ado, Someday Crafts, Lil Luna,Mama Hens Coop, {Primp}, Vintage Gwen, Frugally Sustainable, Tidy Mom,Pinkapotmus, Between Naps on the Porch, Etcetorize, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Sew Can Do,My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Mod Vintage Life, My Romatic Home, Making The World Cuter, Knick of Time, Slice of Suburbia, At the Picket Fence, French Countrty Cottage, Shabby Art Boutique, Rooted in Thyme, The Charm of Home, 504 Main, A Little Knick Knack, Five Days...Five Ways, Faith, Trust, and a Little Pixie dust, Freckled Laundry, Answer is Chocolate, Chic on a Shoestring

 

Pink Patio, Oh Yay!

There is something so peaceful about a beautiful outdoor living space.  This summer I have done my darnedest to make my little postage stamp size back patio a place where I could go and drink my morning cup of coffee, read a book in the evening or eat dinner.  With the record high temperatures and drought here in the Midwest my dreams of spending a lot time on my little patio this summer have been just that, a dream.  However, this past week the weather has been beautiful and my dreams are now reality.  I took some old furniture that we had around and gave it a quick coat of paint and some fancy cushions, and changed my postage stamp patio into a pink party kind of place.

My sister used this little bistro table set in their booth at a conference several years ago.  It was originally all black.  As it has been sitting out in the weather for years, it has become very shabby.  My husband had threatened to put it out for the garbage truck several times, forgetting I take treasures like this off of the curb that others have put out for the garbage.  I figured I had better do something quick with it so that he would realize all of the pink potential that this little set still had it.

Using some pink acrylic paint I already had, I watered it down a bit and gave the slates a quick coat.  This allowed the weathered, beautiful, shabby goodness to show through.

This table is very small so it fits perfect on my postage stamp patio.  Because of the petit size, it makes this pink bandana an ideal choice for a table cloth.

The kids gave me this metal chaise lounge for mother’s day over 10 years.  It has never had a cushion, but I have enjoyed it as it is as a perfect place to read a book in the evening always thinking a cushion would make it better.  Then it came to me that if it were pink that would make it perfect.  So, yes, out came my pink spray paint.

Shopping on Wal-Mart.com one day I found this cushion that was lime green and white and would go nicely with the other fabric that I had found for the bistro chair cushions.  Using the ship to store option (free shipping, you just have to pick your item up in the store of your choice) I placed my order. 

Here is the fabric that I found for the cushions I made for the bistro chairs as well as the Adirondack chairs that are on my patio.

This is the other side of my postage stamp.  I have literally turned around and taken the picture so you can get the feel for just how small our patio really is.  But now that I have a bit of color on my sweet little patio I have grown to love it.  I am thinking about painting my Adirondack chairs next summer and adding a couple of fun pillows as well.  Maybe a very pale shabby pink  for these chairs would do nicely in keeping with the pink patio party porch feel.

I am participating in the following link ups: Somewhat Simple, Fireflies and Jellybeans,Gluesticks, Beyond the Pikcet Fence, Momnivore's Dilemma, The Shabby Chic Cottage,Blooming Designs, Bubble Nature Creations, Liz Marie, Addicted 2 Decorating, Hof ouse of Hepworths, Stuff and Nonsense, Finding Fabulous, The Shabby Nest, Truly Lovely,Simply Sweet Home, Bubbly Nature Creations, The Answer is Chocolate, Sassy Sites, I Gotta Create, The CSI Project, Sisters of the Wild West, Boogieboard Cottage, It So Very Cheri, DIY Showoff, Natasha In Oz, I Should Be Mopping the Floor, Between Naps on the Porch, Skip to My Lou, Todays Creative Blog, Coastal Charm, Ladybug Blessings,Domestically Speaking, The Thrifty Home, Blue Cricket Design, Fabric Bows and More,My Girlish Whimms, Seven Thirty Three, Sew Much Ado, Someday Crafts, Lil Luna,Mama Hens Coop, {Primp}, Vintage Gwen, Frugally Sustainable, Tidy Mom,Pinkapotmus, Between Naps on the Porch, Etcetorize, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Sew Can Do,My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Mod Vintage Life, My Romatic Home, Making The World Cuter, Knick of Time, Slice of Suburbia, At the Picket Fence, French Countrty Cottage, Shabby Art Boutique, Rooted in Thyme, The Charm of Home, 504 Main, A Little Knick Knack, Five Days...Five Ways, Faith, Trust, and a Little Pixie dust, Freckled Laundry, Answer is Chocolate