Storing summer...

A few weeks ago, after I had played around in the garden with figs and birthday flowers, I brought the fruit and flowers back inside, letting them spread their colourful magic around the house...

The eagle-eyed among you will see that my "planted" red onions (in my moss pots on the lower shelf) have sprouted, but I just think this adds positive growth energy to the room...

Fresh figs are just irresistible to a snap-happy blogger... Oh, I do wish I could paint!

Not much new in this room, but for those of you who may be new readers, this is our open plan kitchen-diner (the cooking area is just to the right, L-shaped behind the pillar - you can see it better here and here), and this is where we soak up the light. Despite facing north-west, the six sky lights and the glass doors allow this room to always be flooded with light.

Here is where we invite nature...

... to join the light...

... and help us store summer in our senses for as long as we possibly can!

I hope your senses are filled with whatever makes them sing!

Helena

Coffee Sack Ottoman How To

Hey there, Happy Monday to you.  First, I'd like to say that I hope any of our readers who were/are in Hurricane Irene areas are all doing okay.  You've all been in my thoughts and prayers....

Remember all those coffee sacks I picked up at the farm supply store?  Well, I decided to use some of them to make a slipcover for an ottoman I built and I am so stinkin' happy with the results!

I love this thing!  And considering I didn't really have a plan and just kinda created as I went along, I'm so happy that the end result was the way I saw it in my head and not a big pile of junk.

I wanted to make it as inexpensively as possible so the only thing I bought was two 2 x 4's for the frame and 4 castors.  I started out by making the frame with the 2 x 4's.  This is the frame I came up with.

I ran out of 2 x 4's during the process, so, I used some scrap wood we had in our shed.  My frame measurements were 24" width and length, and 18" high.  After finishing the frame, I needed to find something to attach to the sides.  I didn't want to buy anything, so again, I used something we already had, which happened to be these wood strips that I had purchased for my Father's Day gift for my hubby.  Plywood would work just as well.  The goal here was to spend as little as possible to make this and use things I already had.

I attached those all around the frame with a nail gun leaving about an inch space between each one.  There was no reason for that, I was just trying to make sure I had plenty to cover the entire frame.

Next up was the top.  Since this was an ottoman, the top needed to be strong enough to sit on and those lattice strips aren't strong enough to hold a person, so, I used some thick maple scraps I had laying around from making bread boards.  I attached those with a nail gun, as well.  I'm actually starting to be able to use the nail gun by myself without being terrified uncomfortable.

 

I really wanted to put castor wheels on this because, well, I love castors and being able to easily move a piece of heavy furniture around if I need to is a bonus.  So, I headed to Lowe's and found these.

I really liked the copper/bronze look and thought they would pair nicely with the coffee sack that I was planning to use.  And they only cost 5.69 for a pair. 

After attaching the castors, I brought it inside to finish.  I wanted the ottoman to have some cushion to it, so, I wrapped it in medium loft batting.

Next I measured out the sides and top and cut the appropriate pieces from the coffee sacks.  For the top, I used canvas drop cloth instead of burlap coffee sack.  Burlap isn't soft and I wanted the top to be comfy in case we wanted to rest our feet and legs up there.

After measuring and cutting all the fabric for each section, I placed the fabric on the ottoman, inside out and pinned.  Then I removed it and sewed and then gave it a good ironing.  Sorry, I didn't get a photo of the sewing part, I was trying to get it done before it was time to start dinner.  

And that's it!  I can't tell you how excited I was when I slipped the slipcover over the frame and it fit!!  I'm still new to sewing my own slipcovers. :)  I chose to make a loose slipcover, instead of actually attaching the fabric to the frame with a staple gun, because I preferred the loose casual slipcover look for this project better.  I am LOVING this ottoman!  And the castors peeking out from the bottom are a fun addition.

I'm not the best at tutorials, but I hope these instructions are clear enough should you want to make one for yourself.  :)  And if I just confused you, you can always contact me with questions and I will help as best I can! 

I am huntin' for some pretty fabrics for fall to change out the pillows on the couch for the fall season.  I can't wait!

Hope you have a great day!

P.S.  More mini bread boards sets are listed in my Etsy Shop!  And I've designed and made a new large one.  I'll be sharing that with you later this week.  It is the perfect companion to the mini sets!  Take care and be safe! :)

Linking up with TLC today!  Come join the fun!  It's a party!

Pea love...

Yes, the same thing happened this year as last...

A handful of peas, rejected by the man in the house as being overgrown and too "square"...

...just happened to end up in my craft-eager hands...

... now sending the message of love to the world...!

So, pea LOVE to you all!

Helena

Olive tree overdose...

Well, one thing is for sure...

It would be downright cruel...

...so I have decided not to say anything...

...because I don't think my little olive tree at home... 

...could cope with my telling it about the ones we saw in Crete, without... 

Above and below: Our boys enjoying a Mediterranean sunset.

... developing a serious inferiority complex!

We have just returned from a week of sandy sun-cream and splashy adventures, glorious feta salads and water melons the size of warthogs, generous and welcoming Greeks and tomatoes that need a chapter of their own... Now, how do I find the button that switches "holiday mode" OFF and work mode ON again? Anyone?

I would like to thank you so much for your kind and supportive comments on my last blog post, where I aired some blog existential ponderings. Thank you so much and I shall try to let go a little of the guilt...

Wishing you all a lovely last week of August and hope that 

you have many sweet summer memories to savour when autumn 

stretches its first tentative tentacles towards us all.

Helena

Fall Sneak Peek

Hey there!  I just couldn't hold out any longer.  I'm so anxious for fall decorating that I decided to spruce up a little corner in the den for the upcoming change in season.  I was inspired by this gorgeous, dark green throw at Ikea.  The rich dark color is perfect for fall and the cozy blanket invites you to snuggle up with it and watch a good movie with someone you love.  I just had to have it!  I thought it would be perfect with our white arm chair in the den.

The dark green color is scrumptious, and the perfect back drop to the new pillow I made from the coffee sack jackpot I got the other day.

I picked up 14 burlap coffee sacks at my local farm supply store this past weekend for around 15 bucks!!  Got all kinds of projects planned for those.  So, if you are looking for some, check out your local farm stores.

I think this might be my new favorite corner in the house!

And I love this pillow and olive throw together with the crisp white chair so much!  I'm gonna have to make more of them!  The pillows aren't the most comfortable thing to lean on so we just throw them in the floor when we sit in the chair.  But they sure are pretty to look at, aren't they?

I can't wait for fall!  The gorgeous array of deep rich colors, the piles of pretty leaves, cooler nights, Halloween, football, yummy comfort food, the scent of pumpkin spice scented candles burning all around the house and cuddling up with your family.  That's what fall is to me.  What about you?

Happy almost weekend!  :)

Guest Bathroom Project Inspiration

Howdy!  Hubby came home the other day with a couple of vintage music magazines and I LOVE them.  Everyone in our family is a huge music fan so these were pretty special.

Check out the date......1936 and 37!  How cool is that?   And they are full of all kinds of wonderful vintage ads.

 And sheet music, of course.

I thought they were so interesting and unique but I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do with them, until I saw this.

Pottery Barn

We have a guest bathroom off of our kitchen in the laundry room that is very neglected as far as decorating goes.  I saw this pic in my recent issue of Pottery Barn and was instantly inspired to do my own version with the pages from these beautiful vintage music magazines and since it's a tiny bathroom, they will work perfectly.  I've got some really neat things in mind and I'm excited to give our overlooked guest bathroom a little TLC.  Oh, I love a project!

Have a great day!

Console Table Handcrafted By Dad, A Craft Project & Bread Boards

Hi there!  How was your weekend?  I finished up working on a table that my dad made for me before he passed away.  I painted it white and put it in my dining room.  After he finished building it, he had a little gold tab engraved and attached it underneath the top.  It says, "Handcrafted by Dad".  :)  Here's a look.......

 I'm so happy with it!  

I wanted to put something fun and different on it and since I've seen lots of projects lately involving spray painting glass jars, I decided to do a version for myself.

I had an old set of glass milk bottles that were just hiding away in a cabinet.  They were beautiful but the glass was so old that they were pretty scuffed and etched so I thought they would be the perfects candidates for painting.

I bought some foam stickers from a craft store and stuck those on the bottles.  I used numbers with special meaning, sentimental letters and did one that said milk, just for fun.   I primed them first with Valspar white primer before recoating with Valspar white spray paint and a clear glossy sealer.  The other color is also by Valspar and is called soft grey.  Here's what they looked like when I was finished.

I LOVE the way the spray paint made the letters on the milk bottles stand out.

Hope everyone has a great Monday!

P.S.  I have listed 8 sets of mini bread boards in my Etsy Shop and 8 burlap bread board bags.  :)

Desk for Master Bedroom and a Vintage Mirror

Hello!  My hubby came home the other day with a beautiful vintage mirror and an old black desk with wonderful old wooden castors.  Here's a look at them....aren't they lovely?  So much character....

Turns out it was perfect timing.  Originally, I had planned to put our computer and all the equipment that goes with it in our living room on the new desk I built, however, we ran into cable issues and putting a computer in there wasn't going to work.

But, I didn't want to move the new desk out of it's perfect little place in the corner of the living room, so, I painted the old black desk white and put it in our master bedroom.   I sure hope that makes sense to someone other than me! :)

Here's the old desk after I painted it white and the beautiful mirror....

Worked out perfectly and we already had this old chippy aqua chair that we picked up at a flea market.  I just think the mirror is so beautiful.  I love the little flowers etched into the glass around the edge.  I tied a piece of rope to the back of the mirror to the wire that was already there and then attached an oil rubbed bronze hook that I picked up at Lowe's for a couple of bucks and voila, a pretty piece of wall art!

It amazes me how well my hubby knows me and what I will love when he's out pickin'.  He brings home the best things and the excitement he has when he's unloading his truck just makes me smile and warms my heart.  Love this man so much......

*sigh*   Anyway...... :)

Love this room!

The other side of the room is where I'm putting the table I worked on last weekend.  We are currently looking for some fun things to put on it other than my sewing machine.   Several months ago, hubby came home with TWO of these.

Pottery Barn

At the time, I didn't know where I would put them and we are short on storage space, so he sold them!  Sure wish I had one of them now!  Oh well..... :)

Have a great weekend!