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Thursday, March 29, 2012

Brown Paper Roses

I want to continue with my post on How to Make Paper Flowers. I made several paper flowers to add to the Bridal Show space. Remember these are great decorations for any event. They can be made large or small!


Ironically these are made similar to the Daisy flower below


This time you will follow the instructions given here but you will do three rows of 4 petals in a graduating size.

You will hot glue them together and instead of a balled up middle you will roll your scrap and glue to center.


Fluff out the petals and you will have a rose!!

Questions? Just ask!!!



 I love these! I cannot wait to try some on a smaller scale! These roses were great to just sit on the floor.

Simple and Easy!

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

How to make Paper Flowers


A few weeks ago I designed a booth for a bridal show. It was an outdoor theme and we had to come up with inexpensive decor. Making anything that costs next to nothing is always fun when it turns out so pretty.

Our colors to work with were yellow and blue. There were three different types of flowers created.

Small yellow and white roses




 This is the rose before I painted it with ink lines and everything lol!


Large Brown Paper Roses



Colorful blue and Yellow Daisies



I am going to show you how to make the daisy flowers we hung on the wall.

Materials:

Solid color paper (any kind will work)
stapler
hot glue

I began roughly cutting strips of paper. The glory of this is it does not have to be exact!


Then I cut to the size petal I wanted which decides the size of the bloom. I cut mine in thirds.


I then began to tear of the ends to make a rounded edge. Again nothing exact.


Then I gathered the paper on the straight edge and pinched together and stapled.


This will form the petal. I made four individual ones/

 I then stapled all four together. This will form the first layer.


Again there is no reason to be exact. This adds to the character of it.

Do the same steps to make another layer. With this flower you should have two layers.


Hot Glue one layer on top of the other.



Gather all scraps that you would normally throw away and crumple in a ball


This becomes the center of the flower. Glue to the center and you are done!


These make a great party decoration! By adding this to our curtain wall it enhanced the colors of the booth. It gave it an Anthropologie feel.

 Let me know what you think! If you would like to know how to make the others let me know and maybe I will do another post.

Now that spring and summer approach we will have beautiful fresh flowers but this is a great inexpensive alternative!


oopsey daisy buttonhomework

Sunday, March 25, 2012

DIY Network or HGTV

I love watching design shows. They stimulate and make me want to create something beautiful. I have been watching design shows forever! I remember watching Robb Weller on The Home Show when it first aired. Who can forget Christopher Lowell? He probably got me thinking outside the box the most. I first learned how to paint furniture from him.


But when Home and Garden Television entered the scene I was in heaven. I could not wait to watch the next design show. My husband got tired of my constant reference to "what they do on HGTV" and all the hogging of the television to watch "just one more show"

Everyday there was a show just as good as the day before. OH! I miss those days!!

What happened? I can't turn on the channel anymore. I am always looking for new design shows but all I ever find is property shows.

That is why I was so excited when Layla and Kevin from The Lettered Cottage did a pilot for HGTV. I did a post on it here. Then I got discouraged when I found out they did not accept it. COME ON HGTV!!! You need them! The production company is going to send it to other networks to see if they will pick it up.

I have been watching more of the DIY Network lately. At least when I get the chance to sit down and watch a little TV. The surprise....there are design shows on DIY Network. Imagine that. Is HGTV trying to push us to that network. I know they are related so maybe that is what they are trying to do. I don't get it.

So I ask you.......DIY Network or HGTV? Which one do you prefer? 

Maybe the pilot will go on to the DIY Network

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Nesting Bird Side Table

I have really enjoyed painting outside the last couple of days. The weather in Tennessee has been beautiful. A nice change from all the horrible storms that came through a few weeks ago.

One of the pieces I did was an old side table. I actually had an idea in mind when I came across some awesome knobs on clearance. You know I love knobs. I think is is quite the obsession! If I like them and they are reasonable I will buy them before I have something to put it on as in this case.

I have been decorating for spring and just finished my Spring Mantle. I remembered buying some little bird knobs. I just fell in love with them. They are so cute!

So I pulled out this side table.


Very boring but has some nice lines to it. I like the glass doors. So as I was trying to decide what to do with this, the only thing I knew for sure is what knobs I wanted.

I then decided to break the glass out. Oh yes I did!!!


Funny when you want things to break it is much harder then it looks and it doesn't always break the first time. After repeated blows of the hammer, it came crashing through. Remember to use safety glasses when breaking glass! It is also good to have gloves on to remove it. This came out pretty clean so it wasn't hard to remove.

I painted it Duck Egg. I then applied some chicken wire to the area where the glass came out. It kinda went with the overall look I wanted. Then I came across a big problem. The pulls I wanted to use didn't work together. They were too big side by side.
The doors would not open and close right. BUMMER!

So back to the drawing board. Well that's what I thought until I cam up with another idea.

I decided to fill one of the holes with wood putty. This allowed one of the pulls to be used. I worked perfectly too because there was a magnetic piece to hold the doors shut.


Isn't she just adorable? It just works so well with this piece. It makes me happy just to look at it.


I added both clear and dark wax to a lightly distressed look.


It just feels like spring to me. What about you? Tell me what you think!!

What would you have done with it? I think it is fun to let the knob piece speak to you!

Before



After
I am joining Debbie at her Alumni Party! Go check it out HERE!

Miss Mustard Seed's Creative Blog

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Pine Cone Carrot

 This is a repost from last year but one that is fun and easy so I decided to reintroduce it.


I was refinishing an end table this weekend and in the yard was this pine cone. I thought it was weird that there was just one sitting there. It was kinda closed up and narrow.
I kept staring at it and thought it would make a cute Easter decoration.

I started with this.....

  I got out some orange paint and painted it all over.....






I cut some green ribbon and attached to the top with hot glue.....




Now it looks like a cute little carrot! And it is perfect for my Twiggy Rabbit!







Another quick and easy project that is A-dorable!

Monday, March 19, 2012

Spring Fireplace Screen and Mantle




Time to add a little spring to another room! I started with the fireplace.


Over the weekend I wanted to change up the fireplace. It is a traditional fireplace but the tile on it is very dark. I would love to change it one day. In the meantime, I want to lighten it up for spring.

After the bridal show I brought in the two windows I used for the tablescape and placed them in the living room to store away. After looking at them for a few days I decided I wanted to incorporate them in my spring fireplace display.

I cleaned them and placed them in front of the opening to make a faux screen. I wanted to add something springy to the windows. I thought about painting them but then I remembered the paper I used for my Red Bird Hutch.

I applied squares to some of the windows


I loved the birds peeping through and looking at all the chippiness!

I added some spring green knobs to the center to look like little french doors.


It automatically brightened the space.


I grabbed one of these floor metal candle holders to make a nest and birdhouse.


I added my nest I bought when I was doing the HGTV pilot shoot and one of the Paper Bird Clips from my Etsy shop. I love that they can be clipped anywhere!


The best thing is that this can be up all spring without having to change too much.


Then I added my Egg Topiaries (click to see how to make) to the mantle with a little spring banner.


Whoops! That is a puppy on the chair!

Now I felt it needed some color so I went outside and cut some blooming branches.


I love the blooming red buds. I also added some to a vase for the coffee table.


As a last minute thought I covered the rest of the empty windows with some Graphics Fairy Morris-Eggs!





It was just what it needed to complete the look!!! I have terrible lighting in my living room but this Fireplace screen adds a pop to an otherwise dark boring front. I love the eggs. It took it to an artsy piece just by cutting them out and applying them to the windows.



BEFORE





AFTER


Happy Spring!!!

The Lettered Cottage
Funky Junk Interiors