Christmas

 

Happy holidays everyone.  I've been getting ready for our traditional festivities and wrapping gifts for Santa so today I'll just share this little gem I found that I think is perfect for Christmas.  It's painted on an old ceiling tin and has the most wonderful red patina with the word Christmas painted on it in script.  I added it to our front porch decor.  Hope your holidays are merry and bright.

French Grain Sack Ottoman

I don't know what it is about ottomans, but I love them and they seem to be very popular especially the size of the one we just finished.  This is large enough to be used as a coffee table as well.

I used one of my grain sack stencils from Maison de Stencils, but it wasn't quite wide enough so I masked off some stripes and added a little width to the pattern.

I cut out a large square of a drop cloth and placed it over the top of the ottoman and cut out a piece for the top.  I stenciled that and then we tacked it down to the sides of the ottoman.  When the top was secure, I measured the length I needed for the skirt using the hemmed side of the drop cloth.  For the top of the skirt, I folded it down and pressed it so I had a finished edge.  It didn't quite go all the way around so I covered one side of the ottoman and then tacked the long piece of drop cloth around and tacked it over the one completed side.  We used roofing nails instead of upholstery tacks.  The industrial look is really in right now and I thought they would fit with the look I was going for.

This is the before picture of the piece.  It was clean and sturdy but the fabric was very dated.  Notice it had a pillow top.  I ignored that and just tacked the top piece of fabric to make it all snug and one piece.

It was easy to stencil on the drop cloth and everything I have done so far like this has retained the painted surface and has not worn off.  Have you ever gotten acrylic craft paint on your clothes?  I have, and I can tell you it does not wash out.

Thanks for stopping by.


I'm partying at...


Mondays          Le Chateau des Fleurs       The Graphics Fairy    
                                      Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday
Tuesdays          Knick of Time       Coastal Charm  
                                      Boogie Board Cottage    A Stroll Thru Life   
                                     Cozy Little House Tweak it Tuesday
Wednesdays     Savvy Southern Style
                                           
Thursdays        The Shabby Creek Cottage    No Minimalist Here 
                                     Between Naps on the Porch Tablescape Thursday    
                                     Rustic Restorations Homespun Happenings
Fridays            French Country Cottage       My Romantic Home        Miss Mustard Seed
                                    Potpourri Friday     Common Ground
                                    The Charm of Home    Rooted in Thyme
Saturdays        Funky Junk Interiors

Sundays           My 1928 Charmer Sunday's Best

Sandy Hook, A Blogger Day of Silence

Day of Remembrance

Burlap and Toile

Today I visited my favorite flea market and found some new dealers who had some wonderful stuff.  Although I did not buy this chair, I love the combination of the burlap with the black and white toile, and the dealers were kind enough to let me snap some photos of their space.  They were nice young men and one of them recovered this chair himself.  I think he did a pretty good job for his first attempt at recovering a chair, and this was not an easy one to tackle.  I have a few more photos that I will share another day.  These dealers had some great ideas.  Thanks for visiting.

I'm partying at...


Mondays          Le Chateau des Fleurs       The Graphics Fairy    
                                      Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday
Tuesdays          Knick of Time       Coastal Charm  
                                      Boogie Board Cottage    A Stroll Thru Life   
                                     Cozy Little House Tweak it Tuesday
Wednesdays     Savvy Southern Style
                                           
Thursdays        The Shabby Creek Cottage    No Minimalist Here 
                                     Between Naps on the Porch Tablescape Thursday    
                                     Rustic Restorations Homespun Happenings
Fridays            French Country Cottage       My Romantic Home        Miss Mustard Seed
                                    Potpourri Friday     Common Ground
                                    The Charm of Home    Rooted in Thyme
Saturdays        Funky Junk Interiors

Sundays           My 1928 Charmer Sunday's Best

The Biltmore Hotel

Each year around Christmas I try to celebrate at least one special tea with friends or family and this year I was invited to attend a Christmas tea at the magnificent Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles.

The hotel was built in 1923 in the Spanish Renaissance style.  It was built with beautiful frescos, fountains, columns and crystal chandeliers.

The hotel is a magnificent example of historical architecture and every time I visit their I am in awe of its beauty.

It is the hotel where John F. Kennedy accepted the Democratic presidential nomination in 1960.

The holiday decorations are more beautiful each year.

Can you imagine having a wedding in this venue?  I am sure many a bride has been escorted down these staircases.

If you look closely at the bottom of the next photo, you can see the ice skaters at the rink in Pershing Square.  It was a magical afternoon.

Please pray for the families and the community in Connecticut who have been stricken by yesterday's terrible tragedy.  I feel like a veil of sadness has rested on our nation and we must place ourselves in God's hands.  May he bless and give strength to these grief stricken families.

Old World Flower Pots

The holidays have been crazy busy this year and I have many projects I want to share but they don't seem to be getting done.  Last week I worked on two different new flower pots using my reverse decoupage method.  I like the coloration of these, but I wish I would have trimmed around the pattern a tiny bit better.  Other than that, I love the way they turned out because I love this antique map graphic.   I don't remember where I got it, but I included it at the end of this post.

I used an aqua craft paint on regular terra cotta pots and then went over them with gesso and a washy coat of terra cotta craft paint.  Then I applied the image and did a reverse decoupage.  This project has a nice old world feel.  Tomorrow I'll show you two more I did using Annie Sloan's graphite.  Thanks for stopping by.

I'm partying at...


Mondays          Le Chateau des Fleurs       The Graphics Fairy    
                                      Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday
Tuesdays          Knick of Time       Coastal Charm  
                                      Boogie Board Cottage    A Stroll Thru Life   
                                     Cozy Little House Tweak it Tuesday
Wednesdays     Savvy Southern Style
                                           
Thursdays        The Shabby Creek Cottage    No Minimalist Here 
                                     Between Naps on the Porch Tablescape Thursday    
                                     Rustic Restorations Homespun Happenings
Fridays            French Country Cottage       My Romantic Home        Miss Mustard Seed
                                    Potpourri Friday     Common Ground
                                    The Charm of Home    Rooted in Thyme
Saturdays        Funky Junk Interiors

Sundays           My 1928 Charmer Sunday's Best