Burlap Table Runner

I have been doing a few little updates around the house.  This rug that I had ordered has arrived .  I really like the distressed look.

My assistant immediately ran over to inspect the new area rug.

I think I have her approval.  She seems to love it and has barely moved off it for the last two days.

 For my new table runner I chose sage green burlap and ivory and white laces and white ribbons.  I thought the sage green burlap was a little dressier look than the normal brown burlap. I plan to use it through the Holidays into New Year's.

  I began by making my table runner by pulling 2 threads, one on each side, were I wanted to cut the width out of the burlap to get the size I needed.  I chose to cut the fabric about 16" wide and used salvage to salvage for the length.  So I pulled one thread out 16" apart.  That is the easiest way to get a straight cut on burlap.

Here you can see where I followed the missing thread to cut my straight side.  You can also see how crooked the piece is  and what I cut off from where the fabric was cut at the store.

Next I took everything to the sewing machine.

I turned over a 1/2" seam to the wrong side and used a wide zig zag stitch on each long edge.

This made a very neat edge without a lot of bulk.

I measured the laces to be sewn to each end and hemmed the ends of all the laces to make a nice finish. Again I turned the edge to the back and zig zagged the raw edges.

Next I stitched the widest lace to both ends of the burlap first.

On top of that I stitched the narrower white lace on top of the ivory lace again using a wide zig zag stitch.

Next I used the two pieces of white satin ribbon to make a bow for each end that I hot glued in place.

I used a lighter to lightly singe the ends of the ribbon to avoid any raveling in the future.

And here is my finished runner.

Happy Crafting!

New Wall Hangings

We got our first rains of the season today.  There hasn't been a drop of rain since last May.  This is such a welcome relief.

So we ventured out in the storm today to attend this month's Vintage Gypsy Fair.  I didn't find very much, but I did find a pretty single gold trimmed vintage salt shaker I will probably make into a tassel  and a pair of miniature cast iron yard tools. 

When I finished my china cabinets a few weeks ago there was only one thing I didn't like.  The sides had holes along the front edge, which at one time must have been for shelves.  I didn't want to fill them in just in case at a later time I wanted to use them again.  But I wanted to disguise them somehow.

Luckily after I used the shelf pins on the inside I had two left over to use on the outside of the cabinet for the wall hangings to hang from.

When I saw these cast iron tools today I was certain they would be perfect to make into wall hangings.

Here are some of the elements I used.  I also used more laces and tiny birds.

I cut 2 pieces of burlap ribbons and clipped them to the two mini metal hangers.

Next I cut wire and wired the tools to the ribbon.

And bent the wire on the back to secure.

Using hot glue I added some pretty lace at the top.

I also used a little bit of hot glue in a few places just to make the tools stable.

Next each hanging received a pale yellow flower.

A crocheted mini doily and a pearl cabochon .

Under the tool I cut to size a small cardboard tube and adhered it to the back of the ribbon with hot glue.

Next I glued a couple of lace flowers to the tube on the front.

Then I glued two pieces of lace under the tube at the bottom of the ribbon.

And two little birds and some paper shred to make a nest for the birds.

And hot glued those onto the top of the tube.

Then I glued some real tree twigs to each side of the tube.

Also another flower at the bottom of the handle of each of the tools.

And they where all done and ready to hang.  So happy how they fit perfectly and cover the little holes at the side of my cabinets.

You could make these using large silver salad fork and spoon instead of the cast iron tools.

Later I could use these in another area if I choose to move my cabinets.

Happy Crafting!

Painted Vase

I have been going through things lately, getting rid of stuff I don't need or like anymore.

This huge navy colored vase which measures almost 2 feet tall has been in the hallway forever, filled with silk flowers.  I have never liked the color but the size and shape were great and it filled the corner.

One day I was reading on Pinterest that you can color glass with Mod Podge and Liquid Rit Dye.

Alright, what did I have to loose?  It was on the way out anyway, so if I didn't like the results, oh well.

 First off,  I gave it a thorough scrubbing ensuring a good adhesion with the dye mixture. 

As you can see the glass was cloudy looking, not at all attractive . 

This was  definitely an outdoor job.  Sort of a messy getting the color on.  First, in a bowl,  I mixed the the Mod Podge and a little of the liquid Rit Dye. No special measurements.  Just trial and error until I got the color intensity I liked.   I used a teal color dye.  I was trying for a summery ocean theme. 

 I started with a foam brush, loading it with the mixture and dripping it down the vase until the entire surface was covered.  The idea was to leave drip marks on the glass, not a smooth finish.  It goes on very white and dries to a darker opaque color.  When it was dry I dripped a second coat to covered any thin spots where the original glass showed through.  Then let the whole thing dry.

It was still too dark for my tastes. I wanted to add some highlights. I used the dry brush technique to lightly hit the high spots with an aqua acrylic paint and when that was dry I used Rub N Buff in gold to give additional highlights to the raised areas.  Next I hot glued tiny seashells around the top edge, tied a burlap ribbon and bow and added some jute twine with more small seashells glued down the length of the twine.  In the center of the bow I hot glued a small seahorse piece we bought during some past vacation.

close up of  the highlights

Bow detail

Now it reminds me of ocean waves.

I turned this from a piece I was ready to toss into a vase I love.  So glad I took the chance and experimented with this dye technique.

Altered Burlap Canvas

This little 5" x 7" altered canvas was fun to make.  I used a lot of odds and ends from my stash.

I distressed the entire canvas with brown distressed ink.  Next I screwed two small eye hooks to the top corners. Then I edged the entire piece with a shabby brown edging from May Road.  

With hot glue I added the blue burlap type trim across the bottom and dark brown rose trim down the left side. I inserted a pearl topped hat pin in the center and glued pearls to the other two.  

On the right side of the piece I glued a clock face  from 7 Gypsies with a train ticket tucked behind and an Eiffel tower tag.  And tucked a little Graphic 45 tag behind the blue trim where I attached a little pink rose applique .  And on top I added a little tag that says 
" Memory is the treasury and guardian of all things."  I highlighted few areas with Stickles

Here I added strip of sparkly paper, a lace medallion and a few pearls

On the bottom I attached a chandelier crystal that I backed with a floral piece of paper.