Opulent Cottage

A New Crochet Project

This is just one of the many projects that's being bounced around here --

We have so many that are half-done right now. I'm still moving slow after having the crud that was going around, even after two weeks. Anyone else out there still fighting it? 

Anyway, I needed something that I could sit quietly and do. I'm not every good at just watching TV. So I'm using up all of my scraps and leftover yarn. If you have seen my Pinterest Crochet board, you know where I'm headed with this. Could be an afgan, or maybe pillows if I get tired of crocheting :)

Hope y'all are feeling well!

Joining

Brenda for Tweak It Tuesday at Cozy Little House

Dawn for Budget Decorating at Creative Cain Cabin

 

A Spring Wreath and Gingham Burlap Ribbon Love

Thank you for all of the get-well wishes :)  We are still moving a little slow, but we're on the mend! Sometimes it's good to have something make you slow down, you know? Maurie actually took a little time off from work, and we have been relaxing and enjoying having our girl home. We did a little pruning in the back yard, and planning for this year's garden. 

I tackled an easy project this morning, a spring wreath for our dining room. 

This twig wreath has become a permanent fixture on our vintage scrolly iron piece -- you may remember this piece, I rescued it from a certain fate in the landfill when a precious farmhouse down the street was demolished. These gorgeous, huge gerber daisies came from the dollar store, believe it or not! I added a pomegranante sprig that I found several years ago at Michael's. I sure wish I had gotten several, because I have never seen them again.

Have you all seen this fabulous gingham burlap ribbon at Hobby Lobby?!! I'm in love with it. It's wired, which makes bow-making the easiest thing ever. They had black and white, too. I think I'll be going back for that :)

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!

I'm joining:

Courtney for Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

Cindy for Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home

Debbie and Shannon's Power of Pinterest Party

Susan's Met Monday at Between Naps on the Porch

Spring Thing Blog Hop

Kim's Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

Yvonne's Tutorials Tips and Tidbits at StoneGable

 

Mixed Print Pillowcase Tutorial

Who's ready to make some cute new pillowcases for spring?

As promised yesterday, here's a quick tutorial for cheery spring pillowcases. You'll be so glad you tried this super-simple method. While it took some time to figure out my yardage and sizing with the first one, once done, the second pillowcase was sewn and finished in 15 minutes. You'll be whipping these up in droves! Honestly, it took me longer to type this tutorial than it did to make each pillowcase. 

First, wash and dry your fabric. Do not use fabric softener -- it can gum up your sewing machine! This is sometimes the cause of skipped stitches, also. Iron your fabric before you do any cutting.

Next you'll need to decide what size you want your pillowcase to be. I just measured an old one and decided on 20 inches by 38 inches (king size). I figured on finished measurements of approximately 34 inches for the main piece, 4 inches for the outside edge, and a one inch middle trim that would overlap the large piece. So I cut:

35 inches by 41 inches for the main body of pillowcase

2-1/2 inch by 41 inch strip for middle trim

9 inch by 41 inch strip for outside edge

My main fabric was only 41 inches wide, which I didn't figure out until I had already cut the length. I got lucky and it fit even though the pillowcase measured only 19-1/2 inches wide when finished. When did 44/45 inch fabric start measuring 41 inches anyway? Unlike me, you might want to check yours before you ever start cutting :) Luckily there is a good amount of wiggle room on something as simplistic as a pillowcase.

Iron the middle strip in half lengthwise and lay it neatly along the edge of the main piece. You can pin it in place temporarily, if that's more comfortable for you. 

Iron one edge of the outside strip in about 1/4 inch. Lay the unironed edge atop the middle strip and pin all three layers together. Sew a 1/4 inch seam through the layers. 

Iron the seam toward the outside edge.

Fold the pillowcase in half, wrong sides together. Sew a 1/4 inch seam along the long edge and inside edge. Unfold the outside 1/4 inch ironed edge before you sew. Press.

Turn pillowcase inside out, folding the corners neatly to make a crisp corner. If you need to, carefully use a pin to pull the corner out. Make sure you don't pull the threads all the way through though!

Now sew a 3/8 inch seam, encasing the first seam within. You just made a French seam! No frayed edges on our fancy pillowcases! I mostly did this so that I didn't have to get the serger out,  but it really does make a nice finish.

Turn right side out and press. Fold outside edge in to meet seam inside and pin. You can pin it from the inside, like this --

Or the outside, if you feel comfortable with it. Just make sure that you line up the pressed edge exactly with the seam inside, so that all edges will be encased when you topstitch. 

Topstitch close to the seam, catching the folded edge underneath.

But! Don't sew over your pins! I worked for a sewing center years ago, and trust me -- bad things can happen! Go as slowly as you need to, and remove each pin as you come up to it.

All edges are now encased and will stay fray-free! Press pillowcase when done. 

That's it! Go make a whole stack of pillowcases for yourself! Talk about a great way to use up your stash. 

Im joining:

Yvonne for Tutorials Tips and Tidbits at StoneGable

Courtney for Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

Cindy for Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home

Heart Shaped Rag Wreath

Looking for a last-minute Valentine's Day decoration? Here is an easy, fun project that can be made with just one item from the dollar store -- shop towels! You will need a couple of wire hangers, also.

The original post with directions can be found here. This project took under an hour, and only cost $2 to make. The homespun look of the linen-like shop towels is so charming and sweet!

This wreath is being featured on Budget Decorating at About.com! Thanks to editor Tonya Lee for featuring this and many other great, simple Valentine's Day projects.

I'm joining:

Yvonne's Tutorials Tips and Tidbits at StoneGable

Cindy's Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home

p.s. Opulent Cottage is now on Facebook! You'll find my badge on the top right sidebar. Or just go here. I would love it if you would stop by and "like" me!!

Cow Art and Kitchen Shelves

Today I added a bit more fall color to our kitchen.

 

I think I'm having as much fun playing with Picmonkey as I am decorating the house :)  Although I have an awful time with Shockwave Flash crashing, does anyone else who is using Google Chrome have the same problem? Anyway, I rearranged these small shelves by our stove, and it's nice to have some seasonal color in this little corner.

 

This guy came in from the garden

 

This pumpkin came from the dollar bins at Target. I only got two, what was I thinking?

 

Have you seen the price for organic pecans lately? These came from our back yard! I think we might have a really good crop this year, if the squirrels don't get them all. And these are the last two jars of my spicy okra pickles, made with okra from our elementary school's community garden. I sure wish I had about a dozen more. 

 

I have been envious of everyone's cow art, so today I took matters into my own hands.

 

Yep, I made art from a grocery bag and vintage sheet music! Cut out the cow and glued her right on with a Uhu stick, then onto foam core, and put her in this shabby chic frame. 

 

Let's dress her up a little. 

I'm feeling goofy today :)

**Sweater Pumpkin Giveaway still going on here!**

I'm joining Kim for Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

Courtney's Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

Cindy for Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home

Colorful Sweater Pumpkin Giveaway!

**The giveaway is now closed. The winner of the Sweater Pumpkins is Jacque Miller! Thank you to everyone who entered!**

A glance at the calendar this morning reminded me that it is a special occasion! Tomorrow marks my four year blog anniversary. I'm long overdue for a giveaway!

With all of the felted wools I have hanging around, I had to jump on the sweater pumpkin bandwagon. So I made three colorful sweater pumpkins, for YOU! Just leave a comment and I'll pick a winner by random generator next Monday, October 29.

How cute would these be on your Thanksgiving table?! Or a sideboard, or any other tabletop that needs a little cheer. The giveaway includes a russet - colored tiny pumpkin with a green wool leaf, 

A gourd-shaped green pumpkin with a burlap leaf,

And everyone needs a purple pumpkin! Cranberry, actually :)

The orangey pumpkin was made from a woman's sweater sleeve, the green pumpkin was made from a super-skinny sweater sleeve, and the purple from the sleeve of a large men's sweater. I love the fatness of the stubby purple one. 

If you follow Yvonne's great directions (here) you can have sweater pumpkins in no time, too. Here's my tip, to add to Yvonne's: If the sleeves of your sweater are just too small, simply cut a rectangle from the front or back, and sew it into a tube! You could even use the whole body of the sweater to make a pumpkin as large as you desire.

Please be sure to include your email address when leaving your comment! I can't wait to see whose home these festive little guys will be going to :) 

Many thanks to all of you who have been visiting me during the last four years! Every sweet comment you leave is truly treasured! When I started this blog, I could never have imagined how many wonderful people would come into my life. My heart is full of gratitude for you all.

Love, Andrea

I'm joining:

Brenda's Tweak It Tuesday at Cozy Little House

Marty's Tabletop Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life

Kim's Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

Yvonne's Tutorials Tips and Tidbits at StoneGable

Burlap Owl Pillow, and a Squirrel Too!

When I bought 8 yards of burlap last month, my first purchase ever, I couldn't have predicted getting so much mileage out of 12 or so dollars' worth of fabric. Or how much fun it would be using it! I know, this has been a big trend for at least five years now. Sometimes it takes me a while to embrace something new. But I will say for certain that washing and drying it (instructions here) made all the difference in the feel of the fabric.

This owl template came from the Storybook cartridge on my Cricut. If you don't have a Cricut, there a lots of cute owl templates on the internet. I found one here and another cute one here. It wouldn't take too long to print these onto card stock and selectively cut out details with an exacto knife. Then use this tutorial as a guideline, and you'll be done in no time!

 

See the little peek above of the new sofa slipcover? All I can say is, why did I wait so long? I'll have a full reveal soon.

So while I was it it, I whipped up a couple of cute squirrel pillows too. Cause you know, we're a little squirrel crazy here. I trimmed out all the pillows with a cute brown and green check piping that is perfect for fall. You might recognize this template from Better Homes and Gardens' Cozy Fall Crafts projects.

I threw in another quick project too, wrapping these pillar candles in jute webbing, and adding upholstery tacks to hold the webbing. This was a great idea that I found on Pinterest.

My tip: I just painted one coat of craft paint onto the burlap, because I wanted a vintage feedsack sort of look. If you want a darker, more solid image, just paint a second coat! The craft paint covers over really well, and should be permanent, according to what I read on the label. I haven't tested this, though, but might someday if these pillows need to be laundered.

Just joining me, and looking for more great fall burlap projects? My other burlap projects are here:

Initial pillows

Fall Greetings pillows

Breakfast nook table skirt

Burlap team bow

Burlap Trimmed Patchwork Pillows

Fall Tablescape on the Patio

I'm joining

Kim for Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

Yvonne for Tutorials Tips and Tidbits and StoneGable

Debra for Vintage Inspiration at Common Ground

Courtney's Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

Cindy's Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home

Donna's Saturday Nite Special at Funky Junk Interiors

Burlap Trimmed Patchwork Pillows with Vintage Felted Wools

Since my love affair with the vintage crazy quilt began, I have been thinking about how to bring more of that same fallish warmth to our living room. The other day I stumbled upon my stash of felted wools, packed away in the top of my closet. Since I don't have a craft or sewing room in our litle cottage, things sort of get stashed away and relegated to awkward storage places. But it's always a nice suprise to find something I had forgotten about. 

These felted wools have been gathered from all kinds of places, mostly yard sales and thrift stores. Most of them were acquired for mere pennies, and were nice quality sweaters in their day. Lots of them have designer labels, and are lovely wools, cashmeres and angoras. I guess if you're not a crafter, the uses for a shrunken sweater are somewhat limited. How lucky for those of us who delight in repurposing cast-off, forgotten items.

I picked my favorite fall colors to use, cut squares measuring 5-3/4 inches, and sewed them together in 1/2 inch seams. You can see that I added in a few plaids too, from vintage Pendelton wool skirts that I have picked up here and there. These were not as thick as the felted wools, so I backed them with a piece of craft felt. The finished pillow is the perfect size for a 20 inch down pillow form.

I also wanted to bring in touches of red, just like the crazy quilt. Although I have multiple mason jars full of buttons, a large cookie tin full, and even a couple of gallon ziploc bags full, I couldn't come up with 18 red ones. But oddly, I did have 3 different half-used cans of red spray paint. So yes, I painted 18 odd assorted buttons with spray paint! It only took a few minutes, and worked out great. Buttons this size are 2/$3 at the fabric store, so I saved a bundle, too. But best of all, I used some of my stash! See, there is a reason that I keep all of this stuff.

I have been eyeing the jute-trimmed pillows at Pottery Barn, but haven't been able to find any trims like that here locally. So once again, I made use of some of the yardage of burlap that I had on hand. I cut a 4 inch strip, ironed it in half lengthwise, then ironed the cut edges in half to meet the center crease. It was a little challenging to sew through so many thicknesses of wool and burlap, so I switched to a heavier machine needle and just sewed slowly. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out!

 

Here's a tip: when I find a good quality felted sweater, or one that has the potential to become one, I use this method for felting from Craft Stylish. And my secret to storing all of these sweaters? Space bags! It's amazing how many can be stuffed into one, and how small it becomes once the bag is sealed up. 

I'm working on a BIG project in my living room! Yes, I'm finally making a new sofa slipcover. Wish me luck, and hopefully I'll have photos for you soon!

 

Love to all, Andrea

I'm joining Donna's Saturday Nite Special at Funky Junk Interiors

Nita's Mod Mix Monday at Mod Vintage Life

Susan's Met Monday at Between Naps on the Porch

Debbie's Newbie with a Twist at Debbiedoo's

Kim's Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

Fall In Love WithSpray Paint Party

Front Door Fall Wreath -- With a Twist!

This is a first! Me, displaying team logos in our seasonal decorating. Who knew?

I'm not really a fly-your-team-flag-from-the-front-porch kind of girl. But this, I can live with. For once, burnt orange works with my decor :)

Have you seen the College Duck Tape? Our Michaels just had the two biggest Texas colleges, but I bet that every Michaels store has their local college. You can find them here, also. 

I was out of burlap ribbon, so I just cut some strips out of my burlap yardage and pressed the Duck Tape right on. I wired the bow together and then onto a fall wreath made from a leaf garland, some berries, and a couple of sunflowers. All I had on hand was an evergreen wreath, so I just made do with that! I can pluck the fall foliage off after Thanksgiving and use the same evergreen wreath for Christmas. 

How nice that I can show my team spirit and still be, well, opulent.

Hook 'Em Horns!

I'm joining Elaine's Sunny Simple Sunday at Sunny Simple Life

Seasonal Sundays at The Tablescaper

Aimee's Overflowing With Creativity at It's Overflowing

Susan's Met Monday at Between Naps on the Porch

Cowgirl Up! at Cedar Hill Ranch

Kim's Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

Yvonne's Tutorials Tips and Tidbits at StoneGable

Sarah's Easy Fall Decor at Thrifty Decor Chick

How to Make Coffee Filter Hydrangeas, a Pottery Barn Knock Off

On a rainy, gloomy day recently, Abby and I were stuck at home without a car, and decided to spend the morning cleaning and purging our craft supplies. They had been acumulating since, oh, probably kindergarten. Really, no one needs as many stickers, doo-dads and bottles of glitter glue as we had between the two of us. 

 

I found several packs of coffee filters that I had bought long ago to make flowers. After eyeing these beautiful flowers at Pottery Barn, I decided that it was time. Coffee paper flowers, here we come. I had pinnned this wonderful tutorial, which got me on my way. Thank you once again Pinterest!

 

 

Having just sorted through the craft paints, I knew I didn't have any blue or purple. But I did find some bottles of tie dye, in several shades of blue and turquoise. I simply mixed the tie dye with some water in a pie plate, and dunked the filters in for a couple of minutes. I alternated between batches of navy and batches of turquoise, some light, and some dark. Some batches were a combination of both colors. To dry the coffee filters, I laid them onto cookie sheets and baked them in the oven at 200 degrees. It only took about 5 minutes each. Each batch came out a little different, which ended up giving the flowers a very natural look. I scrunched a few of the filters up together as I was going along, to make sure that I was getting a variety of blue tones. 

Guess what else I didn't have on hand that day :)  You'll want to use gloves, unless you don't mind having purple fingers. 

Look at the beautiful variance in color that came from all of the different batches of dye --

To begin creating the flower, cut the center away from a quarter-folded coffee filter.

 

Twist the center piece, and cut a scallop along the outside edge of the long piece.

It's now time to assemble the flowers. Pretend that I am using a 3/4 inch piece of masking tape, which is what I would have used if I had planned this craft in advance. All we had on hand was 2 inch wide clear tape, so I cut it in half, which worked out fine in the end. I know it's hard to see in these photos, but the tape is about 6 inches long. Twist the center piece of the coffee filter, fold it in half, and place it on the tape. Add a piece of floral wire to use as a stem.

Scrunch the scalloped piece while sticking it along the edge of the tape.

Then roll it up, bunching the tape as you go to keep the flower from getting wrapped too tightly. This was a little frstrating at first, but got so much easier as I practiced on several of them.

Twist six of the small flowers together to create one large hydrangea head. As I assembled each flower, I made sure to mix in each of the varying colors of coffee filters. If the stems will show, you can wrap them in green floral tape.

 

I plan to make buckets full of these! They would be so pretty in green tones, or a combination of white and ivory.

 

Thank you to Lovely Crafty Home for the tutorial that inspired this project.

 

I'm joining:

Sherry's Home Sweet Home at The Charm of Home

Inspiration Friday At the Picket Fence

Courtney's Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

Honey's Potpourri Friday at 2805

Cindy's Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home

Jen's Weekend Wrap Up Party at Tatertots and Jello

Donna's Saturday Nite Special at Funky Junk Interiors

Aimee's Overflowing With Creativity