Drop Cloth & Burlap Table Runner

I have decided on a decorating theme for our home...

COTTAGE!

Oh, yes, the style that seems to in, however, mine is a little more challenging then going to the local furniture store and picking out something that looks antique or worn.

I am making it ALL myself.

Ok, when I say, all, I mean the things I can actually make.

Which leads me over to our dining room table. A table which is used.

Used a lot.

We eat all of our meals here, especially since I just sold our kitchen table. My toddle climbs up and eats his morning waffles, his hot dogs for lunch and whatever happens to make it on a plate for dinner. He will even climb up in his chair for his nightly ice cream.

But I am bored with it. I need something to make it more appealing and cottage like.

Table runner it is.

I gathered the drop cloth left overs from the entertainment skirt I made and it just so happened to be a perfect amount for this project.

Here it is, the drop cloth, a burlap roll and my ever so wonderful glue gun.

I folded about 5 inches of fabric over to make a nice hem. It was also the size I wanted it after I folded it over. So I just went down each side gluing away.

Here I am with my nice glued hem. So much easier for me, I just can't sew to safe my life.

Or any one's for that matter. Something I need to work on.

The burlap is kinda thick for this project, so I folded it in half making a crease and then cutting it in half.

No certain measurements, just whatever looks right.

Then glued one side down it the bottom of the hem. The side that will be face down on the table.

Then I came back through and glued the other end on top of the already glued side. Making a double edge.

Viola! By doubling it up on the edge it makes it poofy. So it is not completely flat on the table. Also, so there is not too much burlap. I just wanted it to be decorative not overwhelming.

If you can't tell by all the pictures, I sure do like it.

Now if I can only keep it clean.

Wreaths for Fall

I really enjoy the fall/winter season. Though, here in Texas that just means it will dip into the low 60s, but yeah, it's better then the 100 degree heat.

With this change in weather, we all know the season is changing and nothing is more fitting for a season change then the coordinating wreath on your door.

I made one for EVERY season before my husband and I met. Just cute little ones, that I made with cheap things from the dollar store. They have lasted for over 7 years, so I must have done something right.

But now, I want something more fancy. More glamorous. More me.

So here is the first one. Yes, I said first one, I have a few more up my sleeve.

I really like how it all came together at the end.  I did not want it too dark, or too orange. So I think I found a happy medium. I also, love the little weed things, forgive I do not know the proper name, but they sure are cute.

On the door it goes...

Drop Cloth Skirt...

Before, I start I want to apologize for the quality of the pictures. It's hard holding a toddler out of the frame and taking the picture at the same time. Whenever I pull the camera out to take a picture of something besides him, he has to be in it.

Ok, a skirt. Well a skirt for my entertainment center.

I have been staring at this piece for weeks, thinking man, I just don't want to spend the money to get another one, when most likely we will be doing something different with this set-up once we move.

I sure don't want to get the paint out either. My hard labor does not come cheap these days.

I knew there must be something I can do, to make me happy and avoid spending a ton of money that will also give me a solution to the thing that has been plaguing me.

Drop cloth.

I purchased two large ones, last week for a chair I am working on. Post to come later.

And I remember seeing other fellow bloggers using "skirts" to hide storage under their desks or tables and I thought, well I can hide the darkness just as easy.

Here's the darkness.

I laid out the drop cloth and took measurements.

I added a few inches to the top so that I would be able to fold it. I cannot sew, so this is the easy fix for me.

Cut it by a chalk line that I made. I just used chalk I had lying around the house. You can barely see it and once I made the fold, you can't see it at all.

Then I tacked the two ends with furniture tacks, to hold them in place and let the center fabric hang loose so that I could place a crease in the middle.

I gathered the fabric in the center folding on each side and then joining them in the middle to make one nice fold.

Then placed a tack to hold in the center.

I did not completely place the tacks on the ends until I was sure that I liked the fold in the center. I also had my hubby there to help hold and to give more cloth in the center to adjust the fold to my desire.

I really like it and think that it fulfills my request to down play the darkness of the room.

Picture This...

With all the fab wall decals that are available in stores and online, there are a ton of options for new and inventive, even sentimental ways to "write" what you want on your wall.

And then move it around. With the adhesive that is used you can casually take it down and move it into another room or another spot if it's not exactly where you want it.

Which makes these things all the more appealing.

However, with a plans to move in the near future, I still want to use the decals, I just don't want to leave them. Nor do I want to defer prospective buyers from making an offer because they don't like it.

So I came up with, making a picture.

Yes, a picture.

There is a Garden Ridge less than five miles from my house and I bet if you went into 95% of the home within a twenty miles radius you would see some version of this picture.

I own four.

So I covered it up.

 Then I slapped two coats of the green paint I had. 

Inside, we went.

Way too hot outside.

Here is the decal. A little Halloween-ish but I think the green will liven it up.

If I change my mind the decal peels right off, too!

Cut it in half.

I measured. The tree is tilting, not my cutting.

PLace it on there, one side at a time.

Finished project!!!

Project Brighten Up: Family Room

If you haven't notice, I am obsessed with brightening up my home.

First, we are having a ton of people over for my littlest one's 1st birthday and second, because I want out of this house and into a new one.

My goal is to make our home welcoming, where someone will want to call it their home one day.

So I have been focusing on the entertainment unit. It is the main part of the area, besides our enormous couch, which is a light latte color. Our entertainment center we made ourselves. We just bought a few shelves and a dresser from IKEA and put it together to make one. It sounds weird but it works and we like it.

But it's dark. Really dark.

I have been placing white, only white, things on the shelves but have run out of things. There are eight total shelves and I only have two left. I refuse to purchase something.

So I am using my brain power and coming up with something from around the house.

Intro to this project. Books.

I completely ripped the covers off, and then placed twine around them. They are still readable so no real damage was done. But I think they are super cute.

If you are paying attention you would have counted 5 books, three for the shelve and the other two for the end table with only a poor little lamp.

As I was dismantling the fifth book, it did not work, I could not get the cover off with out damaging the entire thing. So I came up with something else.

Burlap.

I hot glued the burlap to the back and then again along the edge to keep it tight and then again when I wrapped it around.

Easy.

Its not too much but just a little.

I like it.

More Balls Needed!

Still basking in this brighting the house idea. I am totally enjoying this new table cloth I got. But with the new table cloth had to come this new center piece basket/bowel. Well, there was not really anything there before and I have been looking for awhile.  With a $7 tag on it the basket was the way to go.

I placed the leftover decorative balls, is that what they are called? If you know the proper term tell me, or just let me keep calling them that, I don't care.  But I think the basket is over powering the decorations and I am feeling empty with the lack of this centerpiece.

So I must get some more, right? Well then I had this overwhelming idea, there has to be something that I have read or seen that can help me with this dilemna, so I don't go out and spend money. Right?!

There is, in the dozens of blogs I read daily and gather ideas and thoughts from I knew there had to be some ideas about this. And there were.

There are tons, so please forgive me. I just don't have the time to tag or give credit here. As each one's idea is different and I kinda just made mine up as I went along.

But each one that I did read, used something different, did use hot glue or did not. Used burlap, instead of yarn, used jute instead of something else, you get the picture.

But if you would like me to tag you, give me the link and I will be glad to.

So here is where I begin, I scowered the house and toy boxes for balls, a few easter eggs and one lonely ball left over from our poor ball pit that never made it through the 1st week in our house.

Some hot glue, because I love it, I think it might be better than duct tape!

Two kinds of yarn and some jute.

The first one, I just started wrapping, nicely. 

I mean straight lines, straight here, straight everywhere.

 

It was taking forever!

So I just started wrapping and wrapping. As if I was transferring one spool to another. That seemed to speed the process and I think give it a little charm.

Next ball, the dog's ball. Now don't worry for some reason he only plays with the big balls outside, so this one will not be missed!

LOL!

I used a thinner yarn. More string like, but with some puff. I liked out it turned out.

Then my last one, a textured kind of yarn that is two toned.

I heaaart this one, too.

They have moved into their new home nicely and I think livened the place up.