What a Blue Jean Leg Became!

March 12, 2017 by Florence 22 Comments

Like most folks, St. Patrick’s Day is not a big holiday around here, but I decided to show some extra love to my hubby with this project. Here’s what a blue jean leg became, and the reason it’s a little wonky is because blue jean legs are tapered. No matter, I still love how it turned out! Once I decided what to do, it went quickly.

Yes, I flew by the seat of my pants (leg)!

A Project for Repurposing Blue Jeans~

Cutting out the lower leg to avoid the holes higher up and the grease stains lower down, I got a wonky piece of denim. Hemmed the edges, and made a plan.

I started with a scrap of lace and a pre-cut shamrock shape to trace onto the denim.

Adding a border of vintage buttons and a layered fabric yo yo in the center really brings out the shamrock!

I added a crochet border, a bit of a sentiment, and more fabric yo-yos & buttons….to create this…..No stencil to create the letters…free-handing did the trick. Outlined a shadow with a red Sharpie to give a bit of accent to the letters.

How to hang it? Well, I just happened to have these coordinating shower curtain rings which loop nicely over a wooden dowel painted green.

And here is the finished result! My beautiful and wonky shamrock flag! He likes it even if it is a little girly.

Now where to hang it? Our house, an open floor plan, doesn’t have many walls. Where to hang it? Ah, the front door! Where we can see and enjoy it frequently! I love it! What do you think about what a blue jean leg became?

Please note how impressed my little doggie is!!

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Valentine Fun with Pretty Pincushions

January 24, 2017 by Florence 22 Comments

Valentine fun with pretty pincushions is a project for a rainy day. I love it when I find little silverplate sugar and creamers at the thrift store! They are usually without their mates and the more ornate, the better. The tarnish gives them great patina too.

They make ideal pincushions, as you see here in this photo. This is not a new idea, of course. The taller is the first one I made, and I have enjoyed it sooo much! This creamer came from my favorite thrift store, and the smaller sugar from an antique shop. It was reduced to 50¢ because the other handle is broken off. I love it anyway. I could cover up the stump with a button, but it’s hardly noticeable.

I’m going to show you the process of how I made this…just a few steps and very easy.

Valentine Fun with Pretty Pincushions:

You need the item you intend to use, a circle of fabric, polyfill, needle and thread or rubber band, hot glue gun.

The rule of thumb is to cut out a circle of fabric at least twice as large as the opening of your piece. I did this first, but found it was still too small, so I made it 3 times larger, which worked better.

valentine fun with pretty pincushions — Twice as large…too small

A biscuit cutter, funnel, or bowl comes in handy to make a nice size circle on the fabric. Just draw around it with pen or pencil, or you can get techy and use a compass.

Insert husband, hovering, saying, “why don’t you use a compass?” Retired husbands tend to hover. We have had a few conversations about this. LOL.

Back to the tutorial…Cut out the circle. Iron the fabric.

Plop a dollop of polyfill down in the center. How much is determined by how full you want your pincushion. You have to play around with it some.

There are 2 ways you can close it. If you have enough fabric, you can use a rubber band. If not, I hand sew a long stitch all the way around, starting about 1/4″ from the edge. Then pull it up like a drawstring bag. When it’s tightly closed, put a knot in to hold it.

Place it in your piece to be pincushioned. Hot glue either the piece or the pincushion. I’ve done both with good results. I don’t have a photo of this step. You have to work quickly with the hot glue! I didn’t have enough hands to show the item being glued, the camera, and the glue gun!

Do you like the red fabric? I thought the bright color was a nice contrast to the dark of the container, and it’s got hearts in honor of Valentine’s Day! But it doesn’t scream Valentine’s, which makes it transitional into all-year use.

The other receptacle most often used is a teacup. I just happened to have one, and made in England! Cups made in England make better pincushions, right? Right! It has a hairline crack and a pink stain in the bottom, making it a perfect candidate for one.

Starting by gluing the saucer to the cup, using E6000, the rest of the process is the same. This time I applied the hot glue directly on the cup. I had a concern about the heat breaking it, but not a problem.

Displaying with a vintage postcard from my collection…hope you like my little Valentine vignette!!

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Curbside Find Completes the Christmas Porch

December 18, 2016 by Florence 12 Comments

Two reveals today: Curbside find completes the Christmas porch, and the Beatles mug reveal…WHO WON the Chic-Fil-A gift card for coming the closest in guessing the price on the Beatles’ mug!

But before we get to that….

On my way last week to a Christmas party, I spied a pile of red wood on the side of the road. Running late I told myself I didn’t have time to stop and besides I was dressed in nice clothes and not my grubs. Only 2 blocks further and the junker in me won out. I was so glad I stopped because I found THIS (in pieces)!

curbside find completes the christmas porch — Wooden Sleigh

All that was wrong with it…..

Nothing a little glue, wood scrap, and red paint won’t fix.

Don’t you love those curbside finds??

I’m really on the lookout for more discarded treasures. This week I thought I saw a ski…yeah I know…not much skiing in Alabama, right? Turned out it was the red reflector on someone’s mailbox post!

I love how this beautiful curbside find completes the Christmas porch! Thought I was through with decorating, but hey, there’s always room for one more, right??

Adding one of my little Christmas trees to dress it up…

And a little handcrafted sign I made out of scrap wood, paint, and glitter….

That’s my wish for you, dear friends! A very merry Christmas!

And now The Big Reveal!

From last week, I told how I saw this Beatles’ mug at a local antique shop and fell instantly in love…

It may not be authentic…

It may not be truly vintage…

But I don’t care!

It’s my favorite group in the whole wide world!

It’s the Beatles!

Diehard fans, check out this Beatles post….Hottest-yard-sale-buy/

I LOVED it! (Swoon & sigh…)

But not $89 worth!!!

Not even for the Beatles!!!!

For the closest guess at $85, the winner of the $10 Chic-Fil-A gift card is……….Carol from The Red Painted Cottage!

Congratulations Carol!!!

Until next time~

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Christmas Decorating Even When You’re Feeling Bah Humbug

December 4, 2016 by Florence 40 Comments

Christmas decorating even when you’re feeling “bah humbug?”

Is it possible?

The older I get, the more I’m a little “bah humbug” about Christmas decorating every year. Is anyone else like this, or is it just me? I’m never “ready” for Christmas to be here, and by the time I am, it’s over. Sigh.

But this year, I’m turning over a new leaf, ~~dragging the stuff out~~ bringing out my beloved Christmas decorations because hubby enjoys the effort, and so do I once it’s done.

I’ve been doing a lot of cleaning out, discarding, and donating. Christmas decorations are up next, but here are a few faves I’ll be hanging onto.

Little Angel Display on the Hall Table~

christmas decorating even when you're feeling bah humbug — Little Angel Band

My aunt gave me this set when I was in the 5th grade. They are very delicate and have never been broken in all these years. Do you see what they’re displayed on? The back of a CD! Yes, I collect CD’s…”junk CD’s”…freebies in the mail. (I couldn’t find the mirror I usually use.)

Vintage Postcards on the Sideboard~

We always enjoy my collection of vintage postcards. Here’s just a few of the Christmas ones.

Vintage Display on the Hall Table~

I cross-stitched this picture years ago and only bring it out once a year. Isn’t it darling? Well….I think so anyway. Displayed with it are my set of vintage brooches, and my pair of milk glass lamps.

Would you believe some of these were still at an estate sale on the last day?? There wasn’t nearly as much interest in estate sales back then as there is now. I couldn’t resist even though I’m not a jewelry person.

Which one is your favorite? I like the pink.

My Dining Room Table~

This display features my small collection of vintage Santas, a folding wooden sleigh I found this year for $1, and the two deer date from the 60’s. See more about the tablecloth below.

Did you notice the smallest Santa? He’s only 2″L, made of iron and has paint wear unfortunately. He’s been around forever.

My Grandmother did a LOT of needlework in her day back in the early 1900’s. I’m blessed to have two of these hand-stitched Christmas card table tablecloths.

For those of you who have been following me….you can see I finally cleared my dining table! We have been enjoying the change! I’ve managed to keep it neat for 2 weeks now.

You would never believe I’m really a neatnik, would you? I didn’t have anywhere to put anything, hence the ongoing clean-out.

Remember the Vintage Picker Off Limits Home Tour? My dining table looked like this most of the time…

And my Christmas Porch~

The garden gate was left over from my booth. Hubby kindly made the wooden stand so it sits upright. You can see my rusty angel on the white table to the right, and the lit Snowman to the left peeking out behind the post. The gate is a keeper.

Hope you can get some inspiration from Christmas decorating even when you’re feeling “bah humbug!”

What did you like best?

So what is the answer when you’re feeling bah humbug about Christmas decorating?

For me it’s making the effort. I keep it simple and decorate with touches, not big displays. I move things around a bit from year to year. I give myself permission not to put out a tree or every single decoration I have. Even though I’m downsizing, I often buy one new thing to inspire me.

Ideas? Thoughts?

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When Hickory Nuts Fall

September 4, 2016 by Florence 33 Comments

When hickory nuts fall, Autumn has arrived! At least in my neck of the woods. Our hickory trees drop their nuts thickly. We gather the nuts in buckets and throw them away so they don’t trip us up, interfere with lawn mowing, or take root. The nut in the photo is still a little immature because I cheated and pulled it off the tree. This is sorta the way I feel about Fall too. Summer is waning, but not quite gone. I’m anticipating Fall, but it’s not ready to arrive yet. And the leaves won’t be fully off the trees until after Thanksgiving.

Here’s my last Summer arrangement that I can’t bear to break down yet~

So I’m finally into a little Fall decorating around here. I’ve seen so many of your lovely Fall porches that I got inspired and created a few looks of my own.

The pineapple cutting board is one of many I have, but don’t use anymore. The pottery vases I’ve had a long time and enjoy decorating with when they aren’t buried under a ton of yard sale stuff waiting to be listed. The books I got at an estate sale, and the old farmhouse kettle was gathering dust on top of my kitchen cabinets. The gourds and pumpkin are realistic specimens from Dollar Tree. The plant is real and called “Creeping Jenny.”

Here’s my Fall porch decor~

The wooden wheelbarrow was gathering dust and cobwebs in the garage. I bought it at a yard sale a good while back, and it suffered from dirt and a broken wheel. Thanks to hubby’s expertise, he did a few repairs, and it’s as good as new. I’ve had the shutter a while and brought it out after slapping some paint on it. I just bought the watering can at an estate sale this weekend…more on that in another post. I was ready for some white mums, and there you have it…just a simple arrangement.

Do you like it? Happy Labor Day Weekend everyone!

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