July 2013 | Vintage, Paint and more...

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Painted Pillows

Good morning everyone,

Imagine the surprise I had this morning when I logged on
to this blog
and
the Painted Pillows post was
MIA
(missing in action),
gone, vanished, no where to be found...
So, what did I do ?
I panicked...
this post was linked to several parties out there
now what?
Well, I am rewriting the post
and
then I have to try to mend the links
what a fun day this will be....
But...
on to the Painted Pillows...

I had been seeing all over blog land how people were
painting on drop clothes to make
various items
and
I had been wanting to try it
so,
my granddaughters and I decided to go for it....


They love playing with crafty projects...
and
this one is super simple ...


First I cut some pillow tops from the drop cloth
(I get mine at Lowe's and wash them before I use them)
I cut tops in 16"x16" and 11"x16".
Then I ironed them so they were as smooth as possible to paint on.
Next, you must decide what
you want to paint on them
whether you are going to use
a stencil, a stamp, or freehand it...
Then, select your paint...
We used craft paint, house paint, paint pens and sharpies..
They all work quite well,
go on smoothly
and
do not bleed....
( Now if you are using a different fabric - I would test a small piece
for bleeding before I started on the main piece.
I would also probably
mix a little fabric medium - found in the craft paint section of any craft store
to make the paint a little more pliable and softer...)

I chose this beachy stencil with little sail boats
in a row....
I placed a piece of painters tape down to make a straight line
to follow ....
This is where I placed the bottom edge of the boats to stencil.


Then I just taped the stencil in place at the top
to hold it steady
and
began to dab paint onto the stenciled areas
with a paint brush...
Very simple - goes on nicely...


To progress in a row I just moved the stencil
down and retaped it lining it up with the painters tape
and
the last boats stenciled.
A lot of stencils have little dots to line up but these do not
so
an "eye-balling" is called for here...


Then I added some little yellow stars between the boats.
I outlined each star with a sharpie
and
highlighted each sail with white craft paint...
All that's left is letting it dry,
sewing and stuffing
and
wallah....


You have this sweet little beachy pillow
to place on your
new beachy bedding...
Love it...
So simple, so cute and just what I was wanting...

That's it for today
I now have to try to go patch up my links
wish me luck...

and
get out there and create something you love.....


You can follow me on Pinterest and Bloglovin
by
clicking on the buttons on the sidebar.....


Click here to see the parties I am linking to this week.
Please visit them and see all the great projects and inspiration found there....

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Summer Entryway

Hello there friends,
Today I am going to show you my
summer entryway....

I know that we are late into the summer
but,
I just did get the 4th of July decor down...
We are running a little behind
due to Miss A's surgery...
However, she is doing great
and
we are finally moving along...
But,
then it helps if you're getting house guests in
a couple of days also....


We have changed the chalkboard...
and I say we
because
my granddaughter did the
graphics on the chalkboard.
(It's very hard to photo this area as
it's only 4x4 and totally enclosed)
As you can see we used colored chalk to make
it very colorful
and
playful
for the feel of summer....


Then, of course, I have hung
our colorful
and quite popular
flip flop wreath...
(the post on it can be found here)
I love how playful and bright it is...


On our checkerboard bench
( the post can be found here )
you will see a colorful beach tote,
an orange and pink scarf
and
of course,
a pair of hot pink flip flops.
They all add to the colorfulness
and
playfulness
of the entryway.

It is so bright and cheerful
when you open the door to come in now....
Loving this and thinking
I will have a very difficult time when
it comes time to change it....

Hope you are enjoying your summer
and
having a great time
at
whatever you are doing.

We are definitely having
fun in the sun
here at the beach

Until next time ...
get out there and create something you love....


Click here to see the parties I am linking to this week.
Please visit them and see all the great projects and inspiration found there....

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Flip Flop Wreath

Good morning friends,
Hoping this is an awesome morning for you all...
We are having some
wonderful weather here at the beach
right now....
Sun, breezes - just what you would expect.
Todays' post is going to be short and sweet....
Miss A had surgery last week-
tonsils are now history....
and
there just hasn't been much time for projects.
But,
yesterday I did manage to get the 4th of July decor
down
and
make this....

A bright, cheery flip flop wreath
for the front door.
Just the ticket for the front door
found at the beach...
How cute is this?
I saw one similar on Pinterest that sparked my interest
and
came up with my own version.
I just hot glued all these flip flops together.
( Found at Dollar Tree for - you guessed it $1.00)
Then I embellished them with
flowers, ribbons, and buttons to make them
even more colorful...
It's very bright and brings a lot of pop to that little space...
Love it...

So, that is it for here right now...
Miss A is doing better every day
and
hopefully
some sewing is on the agenda today....

Have a great day and create something

Click here to see the parties I am linking to this week.
Please visit them and see all the great projects and inspiration found there....

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

My Creative Space


Hi there Blog Friends,
Hoping this day finds you well
and
living in the sunshine
as we are here at the beach today....

I want to share my new space I have been working on
for a couple + months....
I actually started this somewhere around
February...
But with all the setbacks I had this winter it took me awhile....



This is my new go to space-
my creative space.
I am so loving this space -
I practically live here 24/7 now.
It is so pretty, peaceful and inspiring.....

That wasn't always so-
it used to look like this....
Which was a really nice room also
but...


It was originally done for the grand kids for
when they came to visit....
However, they moved here
and
it was not getting used like we had intended.
In fact,
I would dare say it went for weeks with no one
even entering it
except to dust.
So, I made an executive decision
and
came up with a brilliant idea.

Why not use this for a craft, creative space
for me
instead of the dining room table.

So, it became this


I love it.....

I painted several pieces of furniture
we had on hand to use in this space
and I love how they turned out.

If you look at the original pic
the walls were contractor beige
but,
I painted them a nice subtle
blue.
Valspar's Ghost Ship.
I really like the way it brightens up this space.


This is the chifferobe that you see painted
a bright blue green in the original space.
I kept the blackboard on the door
just haven't found a quote to write on it yet.
I repainted the drawers
Valspar's Seashore Fog
which is actually a grey blue.
( I had some left over from our bedroom
and
made it into homemade chalk paint  -  recipe found )
The rest of the piece I painted
Valspar's Anthem White
also made into homemade chalk paint.
This piece is intended to hold all my fabrics and sewing supplies.


This is a small pantry that we have had for years.
It has been used in so many areas for so many different things
that I think it probably doesn't know
what it is actually supposed to be.....
I also painted it with the home made chalk paints
Valspar's Anthem White and Seashore Fog.


As you can see it has tons of space
and
at the moment I am working on the organization of it.
This is sure to change as I incorporate
all the pieces I want in this space.



This is another piece that has been around for years.
This was originally dark mahogany
however,
I painted it white and papered it with blue toille paper.
Well, it took me forever to strip that paper
off of all the drawers.
Then I painted it the homemade chalk paint
Anthem White and Seashore Fog.
I put the glass knobs back on but,
want to change them to brushed nickel to
match the chifferobe.
In due time....
This little piece actually is four different drawer units that stack.
I have only three of them here
because......


I have the top one here next to my desk.
It hold my most used items -
near and convenient.



My desk is an old farmhouse kitchen table
that I picked up
at a thrift store for $25.
It is in perfect condition
and
exactly what I wanted.
Next to my desk are a set of cubbie shelf units
that you cannot see very well
at this time.
I will get better pics and show you when I have the
organization done for them.
The desk chair is going to be
slip covered but that is a future project.
In the meantime,
I am so enjoying this space and getting so much done here. 
I will be sharing some of my storage ideas
with you soon......

I don't know what I did without this space for so long.
How bout you - do you have a dedicated creative space?



Cathy....


Click here to see the parties I am linking to this week.
Please visit them and see all the great projects and inspiration found there....


Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Hat Boxes and More

Good afternoon my friends.
How is your day going?
Mine has been busy as my last week.
Love the 4th of July
but
am definitely glad it's over.
We spent the day at the ocean....

As you can see it was quite windy
and the waves were rolling in
but,
the kids had a blast
and
the fireworks were awesome.
There simply is nothing
like watching fireworks over the ocean waves.

Since it has been so hectic around here
I
thought I would share
a little more
office storage I have done.


Hat boxes....
There are all kinds of things out there
that can be used to
prettify and make into beautiful
office/craft room storage.



I picked these up at thrift stores for
$1.00 each.
Then I decorated them with
bits and pieces found in my craft room.

First, I painted them with
DIY white chalk paint
(my go to paint for everything).
Then
I used brown craft paper, raffia, burlap
lace, flowers and buttons
to embellish them.
You can use whatever you have on hand....
ribbon, rope, markers, stickers...
anything will work...
They are so simple to do and
so pretty when you are done.
And...
the storage is unreal....
These hold my home decor trims
and
all my sewing trims
and
bits and pieces of lace.
That's a lot of stuff in there....

I love the way they look in my new craft room
so vintage....

Now I am going to leave you with
this


My next project....
Gonna keep you guessing on this one....


Have a great day
get out there and create something....


                                    

Click here to see the parties I am linking to this week.
Please visit them and see all the great projects and inspiration found there....

Tin Can Therapy Revisited....

Good afternoon friends,
Hope this day is going as well for you
as it is for me....

Remember, this post about how I transformed
some old tin cans into some
much needed
office storage?
( you can find it here )

This post has been featured at the
Celebrations website
in their
"Outstanding Office Decor Ideas" post.
You can find the entire post

They have featured some
very creative ways to spruce up that office space
and
still be able to personalize it
with your own touches.

Go on over and check it out...
I am definitely going to try a couple of these in my own
office/craft space....

And while you're there check out the rest of their site
they have some
truly inspirational ideas
for all sorts of things.
Have fun
and
get out there and create.....



                                    Cathy



Tuesday, July 2, 2013

July 4th Decor

Written by Cathy Carroll for Vintage, Paint and more...                                           

Hi, everyone....

Today I am going to show you some of our July 4th decor.  I don't decorate very much for the 4th...We are usually traveling or so very busy I don't have the time.  But, this year I decided to do the mantle and the entryway.

Vintage, Paint and more... book page wreath, scrapbook paper crafts, vintage patriotic crafts, americana crafts