In His Grip

Simple Spring Mantel

Simple Spring mantel, seriously, I am going simple?  Normally, when it comes to decorating “simple” is not in my vocabulary.  My mantel has looked like this.

And this . . .

And this . . .

And many more looks.  My mantel decorations change often during the year according to the season.  The mantel is one place when you decorate it for a season and the whole room seems to carry the festive feel.  Going simple is a change for me, but I like it.

Now that I spend one day a week at Picture Perfect Interiors, I find myself loving the pretty things that surround me when I am there.

Shirley, the floral designer at Picture Perfect Interiors, helped me put together this arrangement.  I told her I wanted it to look like I just grabbed sticks from the bushes outside and stuck them in the vase, you know, simple.  I remembered a little nest that I had purchased earlier at the store and just stuck it in.  I love how fresh and Springy this looks.

Once I had the arrangement by the fireplace, I knew that I need something on top of the mantel, still simple.  I picked out this weathered finial and moss ball from Picture Perfect Interiors knowing I had a couple of items to add to it making it just right, yet simple.

On the other side of the mantel, I added this green urn I purchased at a garage sale for .25 cents years ago and added a boxwood ball on top and greens around the bottom.  Still simple, I think?

So you have it a very simple Spring mantel.

Next, I will show you my “simple” Spring dinning room table and buffet arrangement.  Check back soon.

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, The Lettered Cottage, Live Laugh Rowe, Seven Alive, 52 Mantels, Bloom, Adorned From Above, Hi Sugarplum, Savvy Southern Style, Yesterday on Tuesday, Clean and Sensible, Mom, On Timeout

Upcycled Sweater Pillows

Yay, I know I have not been around my blog lately.  Life has just been happening and my blog has taken a backseat.  But that does not mean I have not been creating.  The holiday season always seems to inspire me more than any other time of year.  I just don’t seem to have enough hours in the day to do all that I would like. So, I have learned to prioritize (okay, so it has taken me over 40 years to learn, but I am teachable) those things that I most want done.  These upcycled sweater pillows were on the of top the list.  I have made pillows from upcycled sweaters before.  You can see them here.  The cool thing about using sweaters that have been worn is that they have all of those little slubby balls and imperfections about them, making them perfect for a more vintage look.

I began my search for the deer pattern on Pinterest of course.  I searched deer pillows and found this pattern at Sew Homegrown in Japan. 

I downloaded and cut out her pattern in paper.  Before cutting out the pattern on the sweater, I applied a fusible web to the back side of the sweater to help with stability as well as adhering it to the main pillow piece making it easier to top stitch around the design. 

Here is one more tip I will give you free of charge.  When I am doing an applique, especially when working with a knit fabric, I place a piece of tissue paper under the fabric and stitch right through it.  This helps the feed dogs move more smoothly across the fabric and gives additional stability keeping the fabric from stretching out of proportion. Once you are finished stitching, you can pull the tissue paper off. 

Once I completed the deer pillow I knew that I needed a complementary pillow to accompany my new deer pillow.  Yes, of course a snowflake would be perfect.  I found the snowflake design here.

The white sweater for the deer was a much looser knit so it is a bit fuzzy, but I kind of like the look.

The sweater used for the snowflake was a tight cotton knit and ended up with a much cleaner cut.

The puff ball trim I found at Michaels.  It was a chain of the balls with edge, so I had to hand sew the trim.  I am not one to do a lot of hand sewing but the pillow really did call for this ball trim and I super happy to have taken the extra time.

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, The Lettered Cottage, Live Laugh Rowe, Seven Alive, 52 Mantels, Bloom, Adorned From Above, Hi Sugarplum, Savvy Southern Style, Yesterday on Tuesday, Clean and Sensible, Mom, On Timeout, One Project Closer's The Better Half

 

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

Blogging, Social Media and Web Opportunity

Several times since I have been writing this blog, folks have approached me to apply for, try out, (I am not sure what you call it) for a paid blogging, web kind of thing.  Okay, so it has only been three times over the last five years, but I would call that several.  It has never felt like it would fit in with my blog style, the time commitment was not right, etc. So I have allowed those opportunities to pass me by until late last year.  One of my designers, Brenda Freebern of Picture Perfect Interiors, came to me and asked if I would be interested in helping her increase her web presence on her internet site.  Brenda and I have worked together for over 20 years, she brings me her designs and I whip them up using my sewing skills.  In that time, I would say that we have become good friends and she can give me a scribbled line drawing, with a couple of measurements and I know exactly what she is asking for. This opportunity became real a couple weeks ago and I am now Picture Perfect Interior’s web designer, blog writer, social media updater, and all things internet and print ad related.  I have to say, it has been so fun doing something a bit different but yet still interior design industry related.  After all, I have been in my basement studio for over 20 years now, it is about time I can come into the light of day at least a couple of hours a week.  This is a very part-time opportunity and in no way takes away from Stitches By Sturman, but is in addition to my drapery fabrication work.  Who knows where this will go?  But again, I have a new creative outlet that really jazzes me and I get paid for it too.  Here is how you can give me a little boost right off the bat with my new responsibilities, go on over and check out the Picture Perfect Interiors website, “like” Picture Perfect Interiors on FaceBook, follow Picture Perfect Interiors on Twitter and Pinterest and finally go look at Picture Perfect Interiors on Kansas City Homes & Garden.  It would be fabulous if you would check back frequently to Picture Perfect Interiors as I will be doing weekly updates on not only what you can find in the store, but design ideas and trends as well.  Here’s to my new found opportunity and creativity. {Clink!}