Wine-Thirty

Knock Off Decor is one of my favorite sites (hey, they even featured my Sit and Relax pillows!). When I first discovered the site, I bookmarked this Wine Barrel Lid Lazy Susan. Problem was, I had no lazy Susan, and no plans to spend a lot of money on one, just to change it up. Enter the Salvation Army Thrift Shop.

I was there today and found this little gem. It still had jam on it from the last owner (note to self...clean your stuff really good before you donate it, lest you be judged by some crafty blogger.). It didn't however, have a price tag.

Now, I also found this bowl, which will look great on my coffee table once it's properly distressed. Right now, it's just dirty and chipped. Price on it? $4. I got lucky. The lady at the register gave both pieces to me for $4. Total. Score!

So, home it came. A little scrubbing, and a light sanding later, the jam (and the shiny finish) were gone. Next, I created a design on my Silhouette. Do you have a Silhouette? If not, go and purchase one. Right now. You'll thank me later.

I cut the design out of white Contac paper that I got at the dollar store. No sense using the pricier Silhouette vinyl when I was going to paint over it and toss it anyway.

I cut the image into sections and placed them semi-strategically on the lazy Susan. The "Bin-92" is crooked. I wasn't being very careful. I planned it that way.

Next up, my trusty Ranger Paint Dabber in Pitch Black, and a stencil brush. I probably should have just used the dabber on the top. Oh, well.

I left it out in the sun to dry because it was sunny in California today, for a change. About half way through the drying time (20 minutes total. I'm not patient.), I pulled off the Contac paper.

Pretty! But too pretty. So I used some sand paper. And a hammer. And a piece of chain. And I got so busy with all of that, I forgot to take a picture. So, you'll have to wait for the big reveal.

A coat of Krylon Satin Finish Crystal Clear and I was done.

It will go on the dining room table. Soon. But the dining room table needs some work.

So for now, it will sit on the hearth with the champagne tote I got at another thrift store for $1.50. And that will be fine.

Sit, Relax

I've been wanting to make these pillows for a while.

I was inspired by these from Ballard Designs. At $59 each, they weren't coming to live in my house any time soon. But I had linen, and I had a plan!

I started with two old pillows that I had on my sofa. Since I gave the sofa to my mother in law, the pillows had been sitting in my studio since February, begging me not to send them off with the next batch of Goodwill items. They finally won. The size was good, the fabric on the front was good. And I didn't realize I'd be blogging about them, so I didn't take a picture of them in their previous state. Ah, well.

My BFF gave me a bolt of lovely linen when she moved away (she has since moved back. And it's a good thing she did). I tore apart the old pillows and used them as a template to cut new pillow fronts. Then came the fun part.

I have these great magnetic foam letter stamps from here.

They're about three inches tall and sturdy enough that I haven't ruined them yet. And there's a lower case set. I want it. Badly.

 I was too lazy to wash brushes, so I pulled out my Ranger Acrylic Paint Dabbers in Mushroom, Black and Gold. Random dabbing on the foam letter gave me a cool, mottled look. I drew a line on my fabric using an air soluble marker, and working from the center out, stamped on my words.

I ironed the linen to heat set my words (I'm not washing these. Ever. So I didn't worry about using fabric paint), backed the linen with the old backing from my pillows for stability, then reconstructed the pillows, using the old front fabric as the new back fabric. You can see it here, on the left.

So now, my guests know the rules when they enter my sitting room. They must sit and relax. Maybe I should have made one that says "Amuse Me". I might have to do that on a floor cushion...