Valentine Table Setting

I have been so busy lately  with busy stuff that I have had little time to spend on my business and my home. Then I had computer, printer, phone, silhouette, iron, and shower head problems. Today I am playing catchup trying to get a few table runners made for a local shop. This gave me the perfect opportunity to do a little Valentine table setting for our home.
This table runner is now available on my Etsy Shop.

I love this table runner. It has fourteen inches of white ruffles.

 

 

I made this cute little silverware wrap. I just ironed on a cute transfer image from the Grahics Fairy found here.  This is really one of those no sew projects because I just used one of those little drawstring cotton bags.

 

 

Just slip the silverware inside and pull it shut.

 

 

I added a little patch made from drop cloth fabric. I just glued it on. I also added a cute little bow and glued it on also.

 

 

I love to make a special dinner and desert for my family on Valentine's Day. We always give each other cards and simple little gifts.
I am not sure what I will be making for dinner this year. What are you making for Valentine's Day dinner? Or do you like to go out to eat at a special place? If I let the guys decide they would take me to someplace like Steak n Shake. LOL.

Have a wonderful week.
 I am at Graphics Fairy Brag Monday
&
I will be at From My Front Porch To Yours

 

  Come join in the fun. Hope to see you there!

Love ya!

Joanie

Painting with India Ink on Burlap

I wanted to make a cute  pillow that looked like a grain sack.

 

 

I have always painted on fabric using craft paint and fabric medium but I never really like the finish they left on my burlap and canvas.

 

 

I found this waterproof India ink at Hobby Lobby and thought I would give it a try. I used a 40 off coupon because it is about 4 or 5 bucks a bottle and I was not sure how much I would need.

 

 

I wanted to make some pillows that had a grain sack look to them. I taped off my first stripe on each side. I could have taped all of my stripes at once but I did not have small enough tape. I made my stripe 1" wide. I used a couple of yards of fabric because I planned to make a few pillows. 

 

 

I used a flat brush.

This brand of ink comes with a dropper.

I used a small bowl to hold the ink while I was painting my stripes.

 

 

I wanted a bright stripe so I gave the burlap a couple of coats of the ink. Once it dried I taped off my other stripe and painted it with the ink. 

 

This is how it looks before I cut it and added my images.

 

This graphic is from Graphical on Etsy found here.

 

 

I added a few of my own images and text.

 

 

 

This is the brand of transfer paper I use. I have been using Leslie Riley's Transfer Artist Paper  brand for over a year now and although I have tried other brands, I always go back to this brand. It does not leave a shiny finish. I also use this transfer paper for outlines and then I fill in with my ink or paint.

 

 

 Here are some table runners made using the India ink.

 

I used a stencil and India ink for this table runner.

 

 

This pillow is made from black India ink. I made two different sizes of stripes.

 

I love discovering new ways to be creative.

Have you ever tried India ink?

Leave me a comment how you have used India ink.

If you have never used India ink, I hope you will try it on a project soon.

 

 

Thanks for visiting.

I would love to hear from you.

 

Merry Christmas

Happy Holidays

 

Love,

Joanie

 

That 70's Tree

I love finding new uses for burlap.

 

Most of you probably don't remember theses stuffed calico Christmas trees from the 70's.

 I always wanted one but thought they must be so hard to make and so I never made one for myself.

I needed a good Christmas stocking pattern and found this one at Jo-Ann's the other day on sale for .99 cents. It came with a pattern for the stuffed Christmas tree.

Since I now own the 70's style stuffed Christmas tree pattern I decided to try and make one. This was at 11 PM last night. It was so quick and easy. I finished and was in bed before one AM. Of course I did not quite follow the directions.

I wanted a more rustic look so I decided to leave the seams exposed.

 

 

 

I made a cute little garland by gluing tiny jingle bells to some jute, and strung it around the tree. I think it needs a star on top.

 

 

I love how it looks with my other burlap trees found here.

 

Thanks for visiting. It has been a blast from the past.

Happy Sunday.

God Bless

Love Ya

Joanie

Dollar Store Tree Makeover

Yesterday while driving home from the Signed Sealed Delivered Annex store warehouse sale I stopped off at the Dollar Tree store to see what goodie I could find for fall decorating. I thought I might find some foam tree forms but they only had foam wreaths. Then I spied these...

A tinsel tree. They have them in several colors at the Dollar Tree. The shape was right, and at one dollar, the price was really right. The frame is made of plastic and not foam so I would be able to remove the tinsel without destroying the frame.

I began removing all the tinsel, which was really easy. It just popped right off in one big piece. I can even reuse it someday if I need to.

 

With the tinsel removed, you are left with a very nice little plastic frame.

To hold the frame together I used some twine. I tied four pieces of twine to keep it from spreading apart. You could use wire or twist ties or even fabric. I had twine on hand so I used it.

Next, I cut a circle the same size as the bottom of the frame. I just used some old cardboard I had from a box of paper. Then I stuffed the form with some old newspaper.

 

Then using my gle gun I glued the cardboard circle to the bottom of the stuffed frame.

 

I will be using this tree for two seasons this year so I decided to make the tree out of burlap scraps I already had on hand from other projects. I cut the burlap in 2 or 3 " strips and about 24" long.

 

Then I cut some slits in the burlap about every 1" or so. Towards the top of the tree, I cut the slits closer together.

 

I rolled the ends of the slit burlap with a pencil to give the tree a more dimensional looks. I found that if I got the burlap damp it was easier to roll and teh curls stayed put.

 

The next step is to glue the slit burlap strips to the frame. I cut off the excess burlap and set it aside to be used for a smaller layer later. I used one strip for each layer until I got closer to the top then I was able to wrap the strip for a couple of layers. In addition, when I got about 3/4 way done I cut my strips about a 1/2" deep. This made it easy to wrap around the short distance. I also squeezed the burlap to the frame being careful not to burn myself. The shape looked nicer when I did this.

  Towards the top, I cut a few small pieces of burlap about  1/2" by 2" and glued them on top of the tree to cover the peak of the frame. Then I wrapped and glued a couple more layers of burlap strips, squeezed them to the frame, and it was done

 

 

Now I have a cute burlap tree that I can use for both Fall and Christmas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I plan on make several more of these to use throughout the house during the holidays.

I hope you and yours have a blessed week.

Love,

Joanie

 

 

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