Burlap Stamped Pumpkins {tutorial}

It has been awhile since I have posted a craft and what better time to do it than getting ready for fall!

This is easy and affordable. 

 

You will need:

a dollar store pumpkin

stamps and ink pad

twine

burlap strips/scraps

glue or pins 

Start with your pumpkin

I love these. They are so much fun to work with. I used them a lot last year. 

Gather burlap scraps or cut your own in strips. Start stamping randomly. I used postmarks.

Then start wrapping the pumpkin. You want to end up having both ends of burlap at stem. You can pin or glue to keep stable.

Gather all the strips at stem and start wrapping in twine. Leave some out to tie a knot in. These will be your vines.

See what I mean....EEEasy!! It cost me $1 for the pumpkin. The rest was scrap or what I had on hand.

Would you make one of these?

Have you been working on your fall designs yet?

I am a Finalist!!!

 I am a finalist!! 

I am so excited! I never thought I would be featured in the HGTV Shaw 30 Blogger Contest!  But I will need your help. This is done but popular vote. I am not a big blog but I have good friends and followers. You can vote once a day everyday through September.

Best of all YOU can register to win free flooring too!! Below you can read about my process if you haven't already. I would love it if you could help me out by sharing this! Thank you all in advance!!!
  

Where Women I Create!

Well it is finally here! My craft room makeover on a budget. I used things I had already to recreate a workable room. I changed my furniture arrangement to better suit me. This is my story!

When my last child left for college, the house was very quite. The empty nest syndrome set in. It took some time to adjust to the calm. I began sorting through pictures and past schoolwork in an office/bedroom with tears in my eyes. The room became a storeroom of memories. I missed my kids but knew it was time to make a change. I started and failed many times. Then right before Memorial Day I cleared the whole room out to start again. Everything went into the hall. Then I had people over and everything went back into the room!!!

I am an artist, a blogger, a wife and mom. Many hats are worn, like most women! I seldom had time for creating at home and now that the kids have gone I needed my own space. I really didn't have the extra money or the motivation to do a whole room. Then I went to the Haven Conference and met some amazing people. I came home pumped and knew I had to use that new found energy.

While I was there I met with Shaw Flooring.  They were doing a contest on redos. If you sent in your redo you got an area rug FREE! I knew that would give me the motivation to finish!

 All the years of volunteering for school, transporting children and making things for the kids had come to a close. It was time to finish what I had started. It was time to get organized. Create a craft room out of this office/bedroom. Somewhere I can work out of. Somewhere to create!

This is how it started....

What a disorganized mess!!!

I ran around the house looking for things to use in different areas of the room. I created different zones in my room. A table for my main workstation and my desk for blogging. I hung crates for storage and mementos. I added a wall of cubbies and shelving to hold jars and bins filled with small crafts. I want this room to express who I am.

 I painted my own canvas valances and hung it over the windows using things I had on hand to keep this redo cost efficient. I scattered around pieces of me by incorporating where I lived, toys I kept from childhood, family pictures, my painted works and more. I used color around the room and mixed contemporary and vintage styles. This room was me!

My blogging area!

My storage area for supplies!

My paintings/valances are titled The Dream Begins. It is so fitting for the room. This space became so much more to me than just a room to make things. By adding character and heart, I made it a space that feels like home! Let the creating begin!

Corner Hutch

Are you tired of looking at furniture redos? I feel that is all I have done lately and for those of you that are here for something else I apologize! It has been a very busy month for me. I have had so many custom orders and sales that I literally don't do much of anything else. My design services have taken off and it is hard to find time to schedule.

 I know most of you are in the same routine. Do you have any words of wisdom to pass to me? I love being able to do what I love. Just trying to find a little groove.

I got to spend some time with my aunt and uncle from New Jersey on Tuesday. It wasn't enough time but I treasure it just the same. I am traveling to New York again in a few months so I plan to go to New Jersey and visit them and other family and friends.

The Barn Sale is creeping up and all the pieces that I have painted to go there I keep selling. So I will be buying more furniture in my future!!

This is a piece that I finished for the store. A corner hutch in a farmhouse style.

 

I love corner hutches! I would have kept it if I had a corner for it to go into!! It is such a space saver.

This takes the place of the black hutch that sold in two days. I hope this one stays a little longer so I can do some other things. (Did I just say that?!)

I well off to paint. I have a special order to get out! I will be showing you soon. I also have some crafts to share if I get the time to sit and write the post on them!!!!

Thanks for reading and being supportive!!

French Hutch

French Provincial furniture is the in thing. Every time I paint a piece of it I sell it quick, This was no exception. I don't know about all of you but it seems it gets harder and harder to find those great pieces. I think everyone is painting furniture these days!

If you have been around my blog long you know I don't like doing the same thing. It gets harder coming up with something different though. I knew I wanted to paint it black but that is sooooo boring. It sat painted black for a while.

Then my sister gave me an idea to paint the back in french script.

I chose "How Do I Love Thee" by Elizabeth Barrett Browning because well...it is my favorite!!

 I painted the inside white so the writing stood out great.Almost too great. It needed toning down so I dry brushed over it.

 

It stayed in the store for literally 2 days when someone answered my craigslist ad and bought it!

  

The customer sent me a picture.

She change it up a bit and I love it. She tea stained it and painted the shelves black.

Thanks Mellisa!!!

I love when customers send me a picture!

What do you think?

Primitive Cabinet turned Farmhouse {All Good Things}

Like I said I am running crazy getting ready for Bella Rustica Barn Sale happening the end of Sept. Donna from Funky Junk Interiors will be a guest there! So excited she is one of my favorites!!!
She will be sharing her ideas about turning junk into fabulous home decor! Go visit the link and take down the directions and be there!!!

I wanted to share this new piece with you.
It was very old and primitive. I used my Purdy brush and the rest of my Annie Sloan sample from the Haven Conference to finish it. Quite the transformation!

I also added these adorable drawer pulls! Love stars!!
Do you think it needs anything else or should it stay this way?

Exciting News!!!

Today the article in the Murfreesboro Post came out about the adorable store that I am in. My designs, art and furniture are all available here. 

Micucci Designs/dreaming-n-color (me)

Read the whole article:
Blackberry House Article

Lots of exciting things going on!!! Can't wait to share all of them with you!

As always thanks so much for following my blog! I appreciate all of you!!!!

A New Day

Sometimes when sitting in my office I get so caught up in my thoughts and creativity that I often don't stop and look up.

We all need to take a break once and awhile to enjoy the beauty that surrounds us. That in itself can boost your talent to soar!

Nature and spirit go hand and hand for me. I feel it in my art and in my life. Today is a beautiful day in Tennessee. The sky is blue and there are many things to do. I have painted so much this week and today I will gather more things to sell.

I stopped for a minute to look out of my window and take in the sunny day. Then I was greeted by this little guy.

So my post today will wait so I can share this with you!

Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.  ~Nathaniel Hawthorne

Numbered Stools

If you checked out my post Wednesday, I put a teaser of pictures. I know it was mean but it was fun!

I got some really cool stuff pickin' and I also got some things given to me. Funny when people know what you do they love to give you things. Does this happen yo you?

Well I got two adorable stools given to me from a client. I just love them. They had been left in a garage and were pretty banged up. There also was some paint dripped on them. I really wish I remembered to get a before picture so you could see the difference.

Here is what they look like now after I painted and distressed them.

I knew when she gave them to me that I was going to stencil some numbers on the top!

I also layered several coats of paint so that when I sanded it the opposite color would show through.

I love the way it looks so worn. It would look great as bar stools for a farmhouse kitchen or how about a little end table on the side of a bed or sofa?

Another great feature is that they are stackable! So a great space savor!

I am really into numbers right now. What are you doing to your furniture? Do you embellish in a certain way or just paint? I would love to know!