:: porcelain nature

My porcelain twigs {L O V E}

Many years ago, way before pinterest...

I found an image of these porcelain pinecones & fell in love.

Thinking today of how much I love my twigs 

I began a search of porcelain nature...

here's some of what I found.

a c o r n s

f a u x  b o i s

m u s h r o o m s

and this beautiful & useful porcelain branch pitcher { l...o...v...e }

I also came across an amazing porcelain artist.

{ Kate MacDowall }

One word describes her work AMAZING.

Wouldn't you agree?

If you want to see more of my porcelain finds,

you can check out my pinterest board

p o r c e l a i n

all links to the images can be found there.

Hope you have had a lovely weekend.

{peace, love & hugs}

Carrie

:: recycled newspaper birds

Here it is as promised,

my newest little holiday craft.

RECYCLED NEWSPAPER BIRDS

I thought these would be cute either on the tree....

or used as gift tags for presents...

 

they are really super easy & fun to make.

SUPPLIES:

pen or pencil

newspaper

scissors

embroidery floss

embroidery needle

hole punch

jute twine

cereal box 

bird silhouettes

DIRECTIONS:

1. Find  or draw a bird silhouette that you can use as a template & determine the size you want

TIP:  my birds are 6" & 8" wide 2 up on and 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper

2. Cut out paper silhouette & trace onto cereal box & cut out {this will be your template}

3. Take a sheet of newspaper fold it in half and trace your bird template then cut out your bird

4.  Thread your embroidery needle with 3 strands of floss about 22" long tie a good size knot in the end

5. Begin sewing the two pieces of newspaper together using a simple running stitch

TIP: begin stitches on the bottom of the bird leaving a 2" opening for stuffing 

6.  Shred up some more newspaper & scrunch up to make stuffing

7. Stuff your bird using the shredded newspaper & pen or scissors to push into smaller openings 

8. Once stuffed to desired puffiness, finish sewing closed & finish with a knot

9. Take your hole punch...find a good center point for hanging and punch a hole for your twine hanger.

EASY PEASY....

Now that you've got your first one done,

you can go into production mode as my mother calls it.

You can make more folds in your newspaper to cut out more silhouettes at a time.

If you really want to get speedy, you could sew your birds on a sewing machine...

but I much prefer the hand sewing, I think it lends to a simple rustic look.

So what do you think?

Do you like my little birdies?

Sorry my pictures are a little lackluster, 

it was another rainy gloomy day here...not great for photos.

{peace, love & hugs}

Carrie

Joining the Party @

At the Picket Fence

:: rain rain go away

As you can see by my post title, it's raining here today.

Not a spring sunshine & rain day,

but a rain & gloom day.

I don't really mind, 

because as you can see by the photo above 

this is what we do when it rains.

Well sort of....

I'm working away on my computer,

and when I turn around this is what I see.

I grab the camera and capture two of my sweet fur babies

enjoying a rainy day nap together.

I'm still in my jammies which I should be ashamed to admit...

but I love days like this just for that reason,

and I don't even feel guilty.

Just one of the perks of being a SAM.

Yesterday was really quite fun & productive.

 

I used some of this.....

some of these....

and this....

to make a crafty project.

But thanks to the rain & lack of natural light

I'm unable to take any photos of said craft to share.

Soooo, stay tuned to see what I made.

Hopefully the sun will shine tomorrow.

{peace, love & hugs}

Carrie

Oh yeah, what do you think of my new header?

Better or Worse?

Your opinion matters : ).

:: finding fabric

Have you ever been on the search for the perfect fabric with no luck?

Checked all of your fabric stores in person & online...

Nothing....nada....zilch.

Well, I find that sometimes in order to find the perfect fabric

you have to keep your eyes open and look in unexpected places.

These are the new window treatments in my clients kitchen.

I knew she wanted yellow, but the challenge came in finding just the right shade & pattern.

We checked our local fabric stores and shopped online with no luck.

We just couldn't find what we were looking for.

Then one day while shopping at TJ Maxx I spotted it.

It was the perfect yellow, and the pattern was just what we had in mind.

Nevermind that it was a duvet cover, I knew it was the perfect choice.

I purchased it & took it home for her approval,

and well as you can see she loved it....and we used it.

We decided on a style & then had her mother sew them up for us.

The rope knobs {LOVE} were found at Hobby Lobby, 

I simply drilled a hole into the wall for each knob & screwed them in.

The curtains are a simple rectangle with little loops sewn in and evenly spaced to allow for the drops.

I used jute twine to tie the little loops onto the knobs...easy peasy.

Voila'....custom window treatments.

I think they turned out great....how about you?

Here are the window treatments in her Master Bath.

For these we appropriately used shower curtains.

I found these shower curtains at Target,

the colors & design were perfect for the space.

Again, we had her mother sew them up for us.

These are also simple rectangles, very simple if you sew.

I purchased inexpensive rods also from Target to hang them.

:: MISS WREN'S HANGING TIP ::

 to avoid seeing the brackets at the ends of the treatment

I simply cut a slit in the back side of the fabric lined up with the bracket

to allow it to slip inside of the seam...hiding the bracket.

{I think this is a much cleaner look, I hate seeing the ugly brackets at the ends of pretty treatments.}

I used my ever trusty jute twine to make the ties.

I looped two lengths around, this also allowed me to easily adjust the length by pulling the twine.

I just gathered the fabric up until I had the look I wanted and repeated.

I especially love these treatments and the fabric with the branches, birds and butterflies.

Well, What do you think?

Did they turn out okay?

Are you thinking of new places to search for fabrics?

I also love to look for fabrics at thrift stores,

Old curtains, sheets, whatever is pretty.

Hope you are having a great Saturday.

{peace, love & hugs}

Carrie

LINKING UP TO

Savvy Southern Style

:: Many, Many Thanks

Many Thanks to the many brave men & women who have gladly & unselfishly fought for this country.

Our freedoms are not free, and they & their families willingly pay the price for us all.

Thank You, Thank you, Thank You...

a million Thank You's.

{peace, love & hugs}

Carrie

:: little chairs & a bookcase update

Okay, Okay,

so if I had to tell you what my favorite find from the Country Living Fair 2011 is....

I think it would be my collection of vintage children's chairs.

I think they are especially adorable.

My original plan was to mount them above my table in the keeping room

and use them as 3D artwork & little shelves.

Well, with the addition of some other items in my spaces

I decided it would be too much 3D stuff.

Honestly I also didn't want to have to put any holes in the chairs in order to hang them.

SOOOOOooooo,

I decided to display them on top of the bookcase instead.

This is the built in desk in our Keeping Room off of the kitchen.

My collection of butterflies I cross stitched used to reside up top,

but I did a little switcheroo and put them on the desktop to hide cords & 

ridiculously placed power outlets....seriously....

don't even get me started on that subject.

Okay....who puts a power outlet and a phone jack at the very top of a desk?,

shouldn't they be down low where you can hide them with your things more easily.

Okay, sorry rant over...but this is a serious pet peeve of mine....builders need to consult women.

My goal has been to really simplify things in my house,

I could possibly be a closet hoarder....I seriously can see the usefulness in too many things.

I simply turned all of my vintage books around to show their paper patina and vintagey goodness.

I really wanted to pull in some of the aqua color I'm loving,

so I pulled out some vintage aqua ball jars,

and some old electric insulators as well.

Okay, so I'm not going to tell you about every little thing up there,

but I will say this....there are only two things up there that didn't come from a thrift store or yard sale.

Here's a shot of pretty much what it looked like before.

Lot's of color huh and a little busy too.

I tell ya, bookshelves aren't easy.

I've messed & messed with this thing over the years,

but finally I'm pretty happy with it.

I think it's the simplicity that I love.

Another shot at some point in time.

See the mess, this spot is nearly impossible to keep clean.

It is the dumping ground for everyone's everything.....UGGH.

Do you have a catch all space like this?

Or do you have a bookcase that gives you a fit?

Well thank goodness I've finally gotten this one under control.

{peace, love & hugs}

Carrie

P.S.  I just want to say a big HELLO to any new friends and followers.

I try to find time to respond to all comments, but I'm really not very good at it.

I really do appreciate the time you take to leave them for me,

and know that I'm trying to get better ; ).

LINKED UP TO

Thrifty Decor Chick

Savvy Southern Style

Miss Mustard Seed

The Charm of Home

At the Picket Fence

:: indoor window garden

Here it is....

my indoor window garden.

This happens to be the only window in my home 

that receives direct sunlight throughout most of the day....

therefore, this is where I decided to put my herbs and a few house plants.

I finally rounded up some pots and a few vintage saucers

and got my little windowsill starters planted yesterday.

Here is my little thyme starter....isn't it dainty & cute.

My little window garden is appropriately in my kitchen, right behind my kitchen table.

I brought in this vintage bench from my hallway as a place to keep and display my plants.

I love the bit of the outdoors that it brings in.....green always makes me happy.

Hopefully with a little water & love

my little herbs will continue to grow &

eventually be large enough to harvest from.

Closer to spring I will use the bench to start some seeds

which I keep in my little SEED HOUSE COLLECTION tin.

I love my cute little seed tin & water spritzer both thrift store finds.

Do you have a sunny spot for an indoor garden?

{peace, love & hugs}

Linking up to

Homemaker on a Dime

:: my vintage birdcage & twigs

Happy Monday friends.

I'm happy because as you can see by the photo above, the sun is a shinin' here.

Last week was a little rough, because of the rain and gloom,

but this Monday is the perfect day to get caught up around here.

I just realized that I told you I was going to share some of my goodies from the Country Living Fair,

but that I never did, so here's a peek at a few of my new favorite decor pieces.

I found these amazing porcelain twigs, *swoon* I really am in love with them.

I simply tied them with a ribbon that came on another purchase and I think they are so lovely.

Of course I love my birdcage too,

I found so many great things that it's hard to say which is my true favorite....

these are just a few of my new things.

Here they are together on my trunk in the keeping room.

My favorite thing about this little birdcage besides her lovely curves,

is the rusty turquoise bottom, and the mustard yellow bird trapeze inside.

She's missing a few doors so she can no longer house a birdie,

but she's a great place to display some of my herb clippings.

I finally got around to planting some of my clippings yesterday,

so maybe tomorrow I'll share with you where I've put them for the winter.

Hope you are having a wonderful Monday where you are.

{peace, love & hugs}

Carrie