Wednesday, May 30, 2012

The Vintage Vanity Comes Home...

                             
      

My mom was sweet enough to help me move what was left of my window display into my booth space last night.  I couldn't quite fit every piece of furniture into my space, so something had to come home with me.  I am not a bit sorry that my little vintage vanity didn't sell.  I am just loving it in our family room!  I think this is where it was meant to be!


A vintage vanity, placed beside a comfy chair, with a lamp and a stack of favorite books sitting on top makes for a charming end table.  The skinny drawer is the perfect size for remotes, and the cupboards are ideal for games and puzzles.  In the opening where one might expect to see a little chair or stool, a vintage picnic basket holds a couple of folded throw blankets.  I adore the idea of using vintage furniture pieces in unexpected places!


My Eden roses are in full bloom!  I looked forward to picking this first, lovely fragrant bouquet all...winter...long!




I hope you are having a wonderful week!  Stay tuned!  I will be back very soon with an exciting giveaway that you won't want to miss!  Thank you for your sweet visit!

Best Wishes and Blessings,
Amanda



 
Sharing this post with these fun link parties:
Open House Party at No Minimalist Here
Restored it Wednesday at Restore Interiors
THT at From My Front Porch to Yours
Creative Things Thursday at The Vintage Farmhouse
Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground
Home Sweet Home at The Charm of Home
Inspiration Friday at The Pickett Fence
Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Home
Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home
Fridays Unfolded at Stuff and Nonsense
Furniture Feature Friday at Miss Mustard Seed
Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Creating a Digital Photo Collage


Several recent emails from readers asking how I create my photo collages have prompted me to write this post.   Some of you are probably already in the know, but for anyone who is curious, this is for you!



The program I use to do all of my photo editing and where I create my collages is called Picasa.  If you haven't done so already, you can download it for free here.

Once your images have uploaded to Picasa, and you have edited and cropped them to your liking, you are ready to create your collage!

Google has straight forward instructions for creating a collage in Picasa.  I found the collage feature fairly easy to use and self explanatory with a little time and experimenting, but if you want detailed instructions, please see Google's instruction page, here.  I thought about trying to write out the specific steps for you but I am not a technical writer, so I'll leave that to the experts and just fill in with some details about my favorite features.


My favorite style of collage is called "Picture Pile."  Here you can move the photos around manually, set them at angles, enlarge or reduce their size and even use one of them as a background for your collage (see above).


The "Mosaic" style collage automatically creates a mosaic with your photos.  You can change it by removing a photo or rotating or switching out the placement of the photos but you can't adjust the photo's size.  I prefer "Picture Pile" because I have more control over the layout of my collage, but I do like the composition of the "Mosaic" and sometimes it's just the look I am going for.


Under the "Settings" tab where you choose the type of collage you want, you can also choose the background.  I like to use the little "dropper" to pull a color from one of my images (see above).



Another option is to use an actual photo for your backdrop.  I first add the photo that I want to use as a backdrop to the collage, select it, and choose "Use Image" under the "Background Options" tab.  In the case of the collage above, I then removed the selected photo from the pile.


Once everything is in place just how I want it, I hit the "Create Collage" button.  When the collage is finished, it will reappear in a Picasa photo editing window.  I then use the "Text" tool to add any words that I want to appear on my collage.



I hope these little tips are helpful to you!  Feel free to email me if you have any questions. 
Have fun playing with your photos!

Thank you for your sweet visit today!  Enjoy the rest of your week!

Best Wishes and Blessings,
Amanda




Sharing this post with these fun link parties:
Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground
What's it Wednesday at Ivy and Elephants
Home Sweet Home at The Charm of Home
Inspiration Friday at The Pickett Fence
Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Home
Shabbilicious Friday at Shabby Art Boutique
Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home
Fridays Unfolded at Stuff and Nonsense
Tickled Pink Fridays at 504 Main

Monday, May 21, 2012

Stencilled Leather Top Console Table - How To


When shopping for furniture, I find myself drawn to tables and chairs with curves, scallops and pretty carved detail.  I tend to choose just one or two colors for the makeover and accentuate those details with a little distressing and dark wax.  I almost passed this old console table by with it's chunky, straight legs and simple design, however I was attracted to the sturdiness and size of it.  The leather top was heavily distressed with lots of little nicks and pock marks and the finish on the legs was worn away.  The man selling it said to me, "if you know someone who refinishes furniture, this could be a great piece."  I love it when people say that to me.  I just nod and smiled.

I have been anxious to try a stencilling technique that Annie Sloan demonstrated on her U.S. tour.  The leather top of this table was the perfect candidate.

Annie said to choose three colors, a light, medium and dark. The medium color is the one you use to paint the first solid layer. I used a 50/50 mix of Paris Grey and Old White and painted the whole table in it.


I started stenciling by positioning the stencil at odd angles, half hazardly, to create an uneven, imperfect pattern. 


 For my first layer of stencilling I used straight up Paris Grey.



For the next layer I stencilled with Old White, overlapping with the Paris Grey in some spots and continuing the uneven pattern.




I continued this layering, alternating with the two colors until I had a look that I was happy with.  Once it was dry, I did some light, random distressing with a sanding block.  Lastly, I completed the finish with clear and dark wax all over.






This wonderful chippy old pottery vase was a yard sale find last week.  It is such a lovely vessel for the last of my Tinkerbell dwarf lilacs!  I am going to miss their fragrance when the blooms have all withered away!


I am so glad that I didn't pass on this simple, old table.  The stencilling technique was easy and fun and I just love the end result.  Thank you, Annie!


Have a wonderful week!  Thank you for your sweet visit!

Best Wishes and Blessings,
Amanda
 



Sharing this post with these fun link parties:
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm
Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Party at Shades of Amber
Wow us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style
Open House Party at No Minimalist Here
Restored it Wednesday at Restore Interiors
THT at From My Front Porch to Yours
Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground
Home Sweet Home at The Charm of Home
Inspiration Friday at The Pickett Fence
Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Home
Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home
Fridays Unfolded at Stuff and Nonsense
What's It Wednesday at Ivy and Elephants
Furniture Feature Friday at Miss Mustard Seed

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

The Pemberley Inspired Buffet



As I gathered the key pieces for my Jane Austen themed window display, I found inspiration for their makeovers in her novels, and the movies that were based on them.  Some of the pieces were simple or had more of a rustic, country cottage feel.





These are the pieces that I imagined might have come from the Bennets' charming country home. 



This buffet however, I felt was a little more regal...




 and therefore could have graced one of the stately rooms in Pemberley, the home of Mr. Darcy.


Of course this long, lovely buffet would be gorgeous in a formal dining room.


However, it would be just as sweet in a bedroom, a hallway, bathroom or a family room...


My husband imagined a flat screen TV sitting on top.



Wherever this piece ends up, it is sure to make a statement.




Once again, I chose my favorite color combination of Old White and Paris Grey. 


Refined without being too stuffy...


Neutral, but not without character...

A little different than it's original flame mahogany veneered former life.


I think it makes for a lovely feature in the Jane Austen window.


Thank you so much for your sweet visit!  I hope you are having a wonderful week!

Best Wishes and Blessings,
Amanda


Sharing this post with these fun link parties:
Open House Party at No Minimalist Here
Restored it Wednesday at Restore Interiors
THT at From My Front Porch to Yours
Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground
Home Sweet Home at The Charm of Home
Inspiration Friday at The Pickett Fence
Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Home
Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home
Fridays Unfolded at Stuff and Nonsense
What's It Wednesday at Ivy and Elephants

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Frenchy Table & A Special Bowl Story


I hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day! 
Mine was simple, sweet and relaxing...just what I needed!
I have a darling little Frenchy table makeover to share with you today, and a beautiful bowl with a story.  I didn't know that this bowl was going to tell it's story in this post until I started taking photos of the table and the bowl whispered to me.  It was just the accessory that the table needed for it's little photo shoot and it seemed the appropriate time to share it with you


I lost my dear grandpa in February of this year.  Without going into too much detail, it was very unexpected.  He was in great health and really not very old.  We are all still in shock.  This post has been difficult to write, but it felt like the right time.
Over the past few years, grandpa and I discovered that we shared a passion for treasure hunting.
 He lived a few hours away but came for frequent visits and we talked on the phone at least once a week.  He was usually calling me from an estate sale.  "I wish you were here.  You wouldn't believe all of the pretty dishes they have, and good prices too!" he would say.



The last conversation we had, he was holding a bowl in his hands and describing it to me.  "It's a large bowl, really pretty with little pink roses on it.  The bottom says Theodore Haviland, Limoges, France."  He knew my taste well enough to know that this bowl had my name written all over it!  I don't think he was really calling for my approval.  He was calling because he couldn't wait to tell me about it and wanted to hear the excitement in my response. 



I hadn't thought about that specific phone conversation or the bowl since Grandpa had passed.  Just last week, my Grandpa's dear companion stopped by for a visit on her way through town.  She brought with her a carefully wrapped package.  She said she had found it in Grandpa's closet and the moment she opened it, she knew it was something he had bought for me.

I have so many beautiful dishes, teacups, wonderful old books, and sweet little trinkets that Grandpa picked up for me on his shopping trips, and I treasure them all but this bowl is my favorite.  It was the last thing he had called to tell me about.  He didn't say he was going to buy it, so I am sure he was planning to surprise me with it...  He did, and I love it.


Thank you, Grandpa.


Thank you, dear blog friends for allowing me to share this story with you.



A  French style vintage thrifted end table gets beautified with two coats of Old White and clear and dark wax.


 I just love the little wire mesh sides on this piece.  They make it so very unique!



Pretty little legs...the carved details are accentuated with distressing and dark wax.




Here she is in the window display for the Mother's Day weekend event.  My mom and I put together several bouquets of lilacs for the sale.  Lilacs are one of my mom's favorite flowers.  As we arranged the fragrant blooms, we reminisced about Mother's Days passed when we were moving or building and there was no garden with lilacs to pick.  I can remember my mom driving by big, old lilac bushes in people's yards...tempted to knock on the door and ask to pick a few.  I also remember calling florists and asking if it was possible to buy a bouquet of lilacs for my mom.  They never seemed to have any for sale.  I guess they don't do well in cold storage.  And now mom's garden is so full of lilacs that we were able to make several bouquets to share...and the bushes are still full of blooms!

I hope you have a wonderful day!  Thank you so much for your sweet visit! 
Take a moment to stop and smell the lilacs today, whether they be in your yard or your neighbors!

Best Wishes and Blessings,
Amanda



Sharing this post with these fun link parties:
White Wednesday at Faded Charm
Wow us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style
Open House Party at No Minimalist Here
Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground
Home Sweet Home at The Charm of Home
Inspiration Friday at The Pickett Fence
Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Home
Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home
Fridays Unfolded at Stuff and Nonsense
Shabbylicious Friday at Shabby Art Boutique


Tuesday, May 8, 2012

How to Transfer Quotes onto Fabric Quickly and Easily!


I can't tell you how many people have asked me how I wrote the quotes on the painter's canvas drop cloth for the Jane Austen inspired window display.  I am afraid you won't be quite so impressed when you hear just how easy it is to do!  For me, the most difficult part was figuring the logistics of getting what I wanted, the size I needed, printed onto paper.  I am not a computer whiz.  I hope I can explain this clearly for you!

The font I used for my Jane Austen quotes was a free download from www.dafont.com.  I was so excited to find this font, based on Jane Austen's own handwriting!  I just love it!  There are so many fabulous fonts on this site.  A friend of mine who is a graphics designer turned me onto it and I have to admit that I have spent a little too much time perusing all of the great options.  Downloading fonts from this site to your computer can be a little tricky, unless you're technologically minded (not me!)  Look around the site though and you will find detailed instructions for your specific computer.  Of course you can also just use a font that you already have!


The program I used to type up my quotes is "Paint."  I think everyone has this program on their computer.  It seems to come standard, at least with PCs.  So, I typed up my Jane Austen quote, just the way I wanted it, in her hand written script in the "Paint" program.  I will describe the next few steps the way they looked with the version of "Paint" that I have.  If you have a different version, it may look a little different but I think you should still be able to find the right tabs to make it work.

1.  Click on the far left drop-down box (mine doesn't have a title, just an image that looks like a page of paper with lines on it).
2.  Go down to "Print" and move your mouse over to the right where another menu pops up with the options:  print, page setup, and print preview.  Choose "Page Setup."
3.  Select "Fit to" and enter the number of pages you want your quote to print on.  For example 3 and 2 will print your quote onto 6 pages.  You may have to play with this a bit before you get it just how you want it.
4.  After you select "okay," the window will go away.  You will then go back up to that drop down menu and select "print."  Make sure you print "all pages."  Keep in mind that some of your pages will probably be blank.  When you lay out your quote, you will see why!

I'd like to mention here that I once read about a website that does all of this work for you for free (if I understood it correctly).  I cannot seem to remember what the site was called or figure out where to find it, but if you know and would be kind enough to share it with me, I will post it here!




Once I had my quote printed the way I wanted, I had to cut some of the margins with my paper cutter in order line up the words just right.  I taped the pages together and then taped the whole quote up onto my giant light box (a.k.a. sliding glass door!) 



Next, I taped the drop cloth directly over top of the quote using masking tape.  It really helps to have an extra set of hands here if you're doing a larger transfer, and unless you have a huge picture window, you may have to do one half at a time, which is tricky.  I recommend keeping your quotes small enough to fit in your window, as I did in the photo above.  This will make your life much easier!  Now, as long as there is sufficient light shining through your window (this doesn't work in the evening or on a really dark, cloudy day...trust me, I tried!) you should be able to see the script through your drop cloth really well.  I used a black permanent marker to copy the quote and wrote it right there on my window.  I tested a few times to make sure the marker wasn't going to bleed through onto the glass, and it didn't.  I recommend you test it out as well with the fabric you're using.  I know you don't want permanent marker on your windows!  If you're nervous about it, or are using a lighter weight fabric, you can trace the words in pencil, take your fabric down and then go over it with your permanent marker on another surface (one that you don't mind marking up or that is lined with something to stop the bleed through).


There you have it!  I really enjoyed writing out these quotes and have some other fun ideas for using my big sliding glass door light box!  I hope you'll give it a try!  I'd love to see what you do with this project idea!  The possibilities are endless!



 Thank you for your sweet visit today!  I hope you are having a fabulous week!

Best Wishes and Blessings,
Amanda


Sharing this post with these fun link parties:
White Wednesday at Faded Charm
Wow us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style
Open House Party at No Minimalist Here
Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground
Home Sweet Home at The Charm of Home
Inspiration Friday at The Pickett Fence
Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Home
Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home
Fridays Unfolded at Stuff and Nonsense