Tracy Porter Giveaway!

Tracy Porter has been hosting several giveaways over the past few weeks.  I decided that I should share the opportunity to enjoy the inspiration and perhaps win whatever lovely thing she is trying to send our way. So check out her blog and don't forget to leave a comment in order to enter her latest giveaway. Good luck!

New Pillows!

While I am working on making new window treatments for the kitchen, I thought I would change course a bit and show off the pillow covers I made for the living room.  I wanted something bright and cheerful to perk up the room until I can get a chance to paint it.

As you can see I could not resist the trend of making felt flower pillows.  I loved making my new pillow covers so much I really had to resist the urge to make 20 more.  I used the tutorial  done by Allison from Cluck.Cluck.Sew. I know that there are several great tutorials on this same pillow but I really thought her tutorial was easy to follow.  If I may say so, I think the pillows turned out great!  

I am now going to go out and enjoy some gorgeous Oklahoma weather!  It is going to be hard to make myself stay inside and work if the weather stays this way!  Hope everyone is able to enjoy the feeling of a cool breeze and the warmth of the sunshine this week!

Latest Kitchen Project...

As much as I would like to have brand new Vetrazzo countertops and backsplash in my kitchen, I decided to use my creativity to produce a one of a kind backsplash.  After reading Tracy Porter's book, Dreams from Home, I was inspired by the idea of using decoupage in the kitchen.  Once I knew what technique I was going to use, I had to decide what I was going to decoupage.  Then, it struck me!  Vintage food and beverage posters/ads from all over the world.  I hit the internet and struck gold.  I was able to find a ton of pictures that I could use.  Since I am working on the backsplash for what is going to be the drink station, I decided to focus my search and printing efforts on beverage related ads.  I got my collection together and printed off my selection on matte photo paper.  Here is the result:

In order to make sure that I had enough pictures and determine the placement, I had to tape them up first. Now all I have left to do is glue them on and coat with a sealer.  I realize that the pictures are not the greatest quality.  I am hoping that I get a new camera for my birthday... I would really like to get some feedback on what I have done so far.  For the countertops, I am going to use countertop paint and make them look like granite.  

Hope everyone is having a week full of decorating successes!

I'm Surrounded by Yo-Yo's

I have always adored vintage hand-sewn yo-yo's.  Something about their simplicity has me mesmerized and slightly obsessed.  While I have really been trying to be a good girl and focus on just getting the kitchen completed, my attention as of late has been drawn to the need for an entryway rug.  I haven't beaten myself up too much about my diversion because in fact I have been in desperate need of an entryway rug and every time I try to find one, there is some reason to not get it.  Early one morning (a 2am epiphany) the idea to make a yo-yo rug grabbed hold of me.  As I was contemplating this idea, I realized that I had some mismatched sheets that were blue and white stripes that would go perfectly in my entryway.  The next day I began tracing out the 2" diameter circles onto the sheet and spent hours cutting out the circles.  I am now forever sewing yo-yo's.  To break up the monotony I have also been doing some small projects to finish out the kitchen but I will save those pictures for later...  Here is what I have sewn of my rug thus far....

Here are the circles I have remaining...

I have not sewn yo-yo's in forever and forgot how much they cinch up.  In hindsight I would have done bigger circles so that I would not have to make as many but I am still loving the results.  What has been inspiring you lately?  I would love to hear about it....

Oh! As many know, I LOVE Tracy Porter.  As it turns out, she has been doing some giveaways on her site and I thought I might share the opportunity with you.  Just go here http://blog.tracyporter.com/more-tracy-porter/worldly-scavengers-treasure-giveaway and leave a comment and we can cross our fingers and toes together!

Flight of the Bumble Bee...

No, I am not talking about the orchestral interlude written by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.  I am actually referring to my next decorating adventure taking place in the kitchen.  I have some areas that consist of faux-tile that i decided not to tear out but instead painted over them.  After several months of looking at the tiles I decided that despite my fears I needed to add something more.  See the before....

I was afraid that with everything else that I have going on in the kitchen, adding another design would be too much.  I am glad that I took the risk and put my Cricut to use.  I looked through my cartridges and realized that I had a beautiful bee pattern on my Sentimentals cartridge.  I grabbed the black vinyl that came with my Cricut and started on my newest adventure. Here are the results so far...

I am still working on getting the effect I want for the upper portion of the wall but all in all I am pleased with the results the vinyl bees have added to the tiles.  All I need is to make a quick trip to my local Michaels to purchase some more vinyl.
Happy Decorating!

My Jewelry Beginnings...

Most of my blog postings have been related to my home renovation projects.  I thought this week I would switch gears a bit and talk about my jewelry.  I fell in love with metalsmithing a few years ago after taking a class at the Waterworks Art Studio in Tulsa, OK.  I knew that I wanted to get to a point where I could make jewelry on a full-time basis and that is a goal I plan on making happen in the next few years.  Since taking my first class I have made many pieces but did not bother to take pictures of my work before giving them away as gifts.  I did manage to get  a somewhat decent picture of my very first project.  I made my mother-in-law a pendant using sterling silver and my trusty jewelers saw.  Sitting down and sawing intricate details out of metal is a form of zen for me.  I literally lose myself in the action of it-at least until my hand starts screaming at me or a saw blade eventually wears down and breaks. So, here it is....my first creation.

It is a little blurry, but it is a version of the tree of life. If you look closely you can spot a few birds in the mix-some with wings stretched open and some just perching on a limb.  I got my inspiration from a wall hanging in a catalog.  I still beam with pride when I see my mother-in-law wearing it.  I can't wait until I can completely focus my attention on making beautiful jewelry pieces for others to enjoy.  I know that I must finish the house first but it has not stopped me from filling up sketchbooks with ideas or taking pictures of architectural elements that inspire me.  I have even found inspiration in some of the elements inside my home.  When I slow down enough I often realize that inspiration is all around.  Enjoy slowing down enough to look around and realize what inspires you!

Snow, Snow Go Away...

Like many others last week, we were hit with a major snow storm.  In fact, we received sooo much snow last week that we broke the record for the most snow received in recorded Oklahoma history!  Hey, I am all for breaking records, but this is one record I am sure I would not have lost sleep over if it never happened.  Instead, I lost sleep working to keep the pipes in the back part of our house from freezing as temperatures dipped below 0 a few times.  I did manage to get out of the house toward the end of the week last week and snapped a few pictures before another round of snow closed in.

This Tulip tree is by the curb. As you can see you are not able to see where the yard ends and the street begins.

My favorite Magnolia Tree.  It was happy that the snow melted some.

The deck in the backyard.

My hubby and I also managed to get out this past weekend to restock our food and pet supplies because we have another round of snow coming in tomorrow night.  Here is hoping that I am more motivated to work on my home improvement projects this week if we do get snowed in again.  The only thing I was motivated to do last week was to bake chocolate cake and help hubby eat it. I did not even think to snap a picture of the cake before it was gobbled up! While I am bracing myself for being trapped inside yet another week, I will be wishing everyone a safe and warm week!