Sunny Yellow

Golden forsythia is the first shrub to show colour in our garden. The cloud of yellow in the front yard is a welcome sight. Yellow against the blue sky makes is a stunning colour scheme, one of nature's best. 

 A couple of readers have wondered how to do a mosaic featuring photos superimposed on others. Here's a quick tutorial using the downloaded version of Picasa. For those who know how to do this, skip to the bottom for more sunny yellow.

Select the photos you want to use for your collage and edit them. Select and hold them together. Choose one for the background and one or two others to feature. In the create menu, choose Picture Collage.

Once in Collage, select Picture Pile from the choice of layouts. You will see your photos on a plain background. Click on your background photo, then move your cursor to the Background options on the left, choose Use Photo as Background. You should see the background change to your photo. Then you can remove the small photo (unless you want the same photo superimposed.) 

Now you can work with the photos on top. Adjust the size and angle by clicking on the center of the photo. A wheel will appear which shows the angle of the photo. Expand or contract the size by using your mouse. Using the menu on the left, add a border if you like. 

When you are pleased with the placement of your photos, click Create. Your collage will be created and you can then go back into your Library of photos to add a border to the entire collage, should you so choose. 

 

Lemon Bars are full of sunshiney flavours. Perfect for spring. This is my mother's recipe, a classic, found by clicking over to the link above which will take you to my recipe blog.

Linking to Sunlit Sunday, hosted by Karen of My Little Home and Garden, and to Mosaic Monday, hosted by Mary of the Little Red House.

Autumn Apple Tutorial

This is an experiment. I wrote a tutorial for the apples and saved it as a PDF file. Theoretically, if you click Autumn Apple Tutorial, you should be taken to the file. Will it work? It if does, let me know.

Edited to add: Thank you to those who checked out the link. I'm so glad it worked. 

Not Just for Dinner: Plate Wall Tutorial

I've been very slow to put up pictures and wall decorations. Every wall does not need something on it. I don't think that I'm minimalist by any means, but clutter appeals less and less. 

I've seen some wonderful plate walls on blogs. Some are full of pattern and colour, others are just white in various shapes. I went for something in between. A few pops of colour, but lots of white. 
 

 
Most plates are hung with the designated plate hangers seen in hardware stores. I opted out of that look, not wanting the visible wires. Sarah Richardson, Canada's HGTV star, showed how to do a plate wall a different way. I know I've seen a video of her technique, but cannot find it. So, I'm offering you my riff on her method. 

You'll need: 
picture hangers (I found mine at the Dollar Store)  The screw is not needed.
two-part epoxy (borrowed from my husband's shop)
a disposable container and mixing stick (plastic lid and wooden kebab)
a plate, or a dozen of them

Set out the plates and decide where you will place the hanger. It doesn't really matter unless the plate has a definite up and down. I placed the hangers so the triangular loop rested on the rim of the plate. 

Mix equal amounts of the adhesive and resin, as indicated on the directions. Do this in a well-ventilated place because it smells a little.

With the stick, apply epoxy to the plate back and then gently place the hanger over top. Be careful to not get the moveable triangular loop caught in the epoxy or it will be frozen in place. Which still allows for hanging, provided the hook is positioned properly. I know this from experience.

Let the plates dry, undisturbed for at least 24 hours. You don't want your plate to fall off the wall before the epoxy dries.

Once the plates are dry, trace each shape onto paper - plain or newsprint. Then start playing with the arrangement you want. I chose an arrangement that started high on one side and angled downwards. You might want a more geometric arrangement. It's your plate wall, do what you want with it. I laid out my plates on the floor in front of the wall I planned to hang them on. Once you are satisfied with the arrangement, tape the paper shapes onto the wall itself. Do any last minute fiddling with spacing now.

Then, measure where the hanger falls on each plate, transfer that to the paper shapes and hammer a nail into the wall at that spot, right through the paper. Pull the paper off the wall, et voila! you have your nails perfectly spaced. 

In the interest of being totally truthful, I did have to move a nail once I got the plates on the wall because I hadn't allowed enough space.
 

Here's my finished wall seen from the middle of the living room. I like looking at it while I'm seated on the couch. It makes me smile. Some of the plates were gifts, some I've had for awhile, and a few I bought just for this wall. 

I'm curious - do you have a plate wall? Or would you ever want one? People either seem to love them or hate them.

Evening Candlelight: A Different Twist

Darkness falls earlier. Although the days are warm, there's a distinct chill when the sun slips behind the hills. It's time to think more about life indoors. Lighting candles in the evening while we sit and read or knit or stitch adds coziness to the scene. 

I have a collection of sea glass and often display it in containers in our home. Here's a way to combine a bit of summer and autumn together. 

You will need two votive/candle holders, one of them should nest inside the other, with room to spare. Some sea glass, small pebbles, or sea shells, and a tea light. 
 

One votive holder inside the other, with pieces of glass slipped between them. Easy. And oh, so pretty on a September evening. 

 
Make one, make three or four. Line them up on a mantel, down the center of a table or on a window sill. Enjoy cozy.

Linking to Tutorial Tuesday, hosted by Hope Studios.

Two years. And many adventures. Happy Anniversary, Owen and Ashley, and many more to come.

"Je t'aime" Pillow Tutorial

While unpacking my fabric into my sewing room, I was inspired to use up some bits of French General fabric I have. This little pillow was the result. Designing pillow covers to fit the season is one way to add a little (but not too much) seasonal decor. 

This sweet pillow sends a message of love on Valentine's Day or any day.  Here's what you need to make it:

Fabric for front and back: (I used an oatmeal linen)

 1 piece 12 1/2" x 10"

 2 pieces 10" x 10"

Fabric for contrast 1 and 2: (I used fabrics from French General's Maison de Garance)

 2 strips 10" x 2 1/2"

 2 strips 10" x 1"

Quilt batting (I used Warm and Natural)

 1 piece 17 x 10"

5 buttons

embroidery floss (I used DMC 815)

thread, needle, sewing machine, pins, measuring tape

pillow insert, 17 x 10 (approximately)

                                               

1.  Begin by transferring the design to what will be the front of your pillow. I wrote it freehand, lightly, in pencil, but have included a photo at the bottom that you can enlarge and transfer, if you like.

2.  Using a whipped chain stitch, embroider the letters. For the dots above the "j" and the "i" I did a free hand satin stitch. Here is a link to a tutorial for the whipped chain stitch. I used the same 2-strand floss to do both the chain stitching and the whipped stitch over it. I like the corded effect of this stitch.

3.  To the edges of the embroidered front, with wrong sides together, using a 1/4" seam allowance, sew the 1" contrast strips to each 10 inch side. Press. Sew the 2 1/2 " contrast strips to the first strip, using a 1/4" seam allowance. Press.

4. Layer the quilt batting against the back of the front. Here you can see the batting folded back to show the back of the embroidery. 

5. Stitch 5 buttons below the stitching, through the front linen and the quilt batting. Set aside while you complete the back of the pillow.

6.  Hem one 10" side of each back panel by turning under 1/4 inch, and pressing, then turning again. Stitch. Press. You will be creating an envelope style opening in which to insert the pillow form.

7.  Stitch the layers together. On the bottom is the quilt batting, then the front embroidered piece, one back piece and then the second back piece. The two back pieces will overlap. The hemmed sides are in the center of the pillow. The above photo shows the layers staggered. Make sure to align everything neatly, and pin the layers together before stitching a 1/2 inch seam, all the way around the pillow.

8.  Trim any jagged edges, cut the corners at an angle and zigzag around the edge to finish the seam. Turn pillow right side out through the opening left by the overlapping back sections. Press lightly. Insert a pillow form. 

Et voilà, enjoy your pillow! 

Here is the handwriting I used. Print this on an 8 1/2 x 11 inch paper. Of course, you could write I love you in any language - or another sentiment.

There are more Valentine's Day-inspired tutorials over at Pink Chalk Fabrics.   

Fabric Pumpkin Tutorial

I seem to have a thing for pumpkins this year. White ones. First, the paper book ones. Now these. I've been admiring the plushy velvet ones I've seen, but didn't have any velvet. What I do have is some silk dupioni. 

So I thought I'd whip some up, and in the process, do a little tutorial in case any of you want to try them out. They are easy to make.

Supplies you will need:

fabric scraps for pumpkin

(I used silk dupioni, but you could use a print, or velvet, or whatever you have)

even smaller fabric scraps to hold rice in the bottom of the pumpkin

(tight weave - about 6 inches square)

thread to match

hand sewing needle

sewing machine

scissors

rice, flax seed, or barley

polyester stuffing

stem - either from a real squash or pumpkin, dried

OR a stick

wire for tendrils

paper for leaves

1.  For three pumpkins, cut the following:

- three circles of silk dupioni (or whatever you are using for the outside of your pumpkin) with these diameters, 9 inches, 10.5 inches, and 13.5 inches

- six circles of cotton, two each with a diameter of 3.5 inches, 4.5 inches, 5 inches

NOTE: These numbers are not set in stone - I used plates, bowls and lids that were in my kitchen 

2. Using your sewing machine, stitch the two smaller circles together, leaving about 2 inches open for filling. I drew a pencil line over the stitching so you can see where I stitched. 

3.  Using a funnel, pour rice, barley or flax seed into the circle to fill it. Don't overfill. This will sit in the bottom of your pumpkin to give it shape and a nice weight.

 4.  Shake the filling to one side and carefully stitch the opening closed. Don't run over the filling with your needle - breakage could occur.

5.  Center the filled pouch on a pumpkin circle. 

6.  Using doubled thread in a hand sewing needle, stitch, using a running stitch, around the edge of the pumpkin, folding over the edge as you stitch.

7.  Pull the stitches tightly to gather, leaving an opening for filling. Don't cut your thread.

8.  Fill with fibrefill. Don't overfill the pumpkin or it will look stiff and unnatural. You want a soft, squishy look. Push the stuffing around the edges to plump them out.

9.  Place the pumpkin stem in the opening and pull up the threads around it. When the stem is secure, tie off your thread ends and cut them.

10. Twist wire around the stem for tendrils. 

12. Make paper leaves from an old book. My book was not old so I colored the leaves with a tea wash, letting them dry naturally which resulted in a bit of crinkling that I think adds to the verisimilitude of the look. Truth to be told, I used one of my French books - one that I didn't enjoy and will never read again. 

Et voilà - you have a pumpkin! Or three! Play with them as you like.

If you make these, I'd love to hear about it!

Saying Thank You - Tutorial

Recently, when I go on a trip, I like to say a personal thank you to the people whose work I appreciate. Waiters, chambermaids, guides, and drivers do much to make a tourist's vacation pleasant, and a pretty card along with a tip adds a personal touch. 

This fast and easy project could, of course, be easily adapted to saying thank you to anyone.

You'll need:

old greeting cards

cardstock printed on both sides

 8 1/2 x 11 designed paper for your printer

stickers or other embellishment

scissors, glue, or doublesided tape

1.  For some cards I used the fronts off old greeting cards. Just trim the front with scissors or a paper cutter.

2.  For others, cut various sizes of printed cardstock. Suggested sizes include 4 x 6 inches, 6 x 6 inches, 5 x 7, or whatever you like. 

3.  Open a Word document and compose lines saying Thank You, Muchas Gracias, Merci Beaucoup, or whatever line of thanks you want. I used a couple of different fonts, 24 point size, with three dashes before and after the words. Leave space between the lines for cutting.

4.  Print the document on printed paper - I used scrapbooking paper cut to size. Cut the lines apart, then trim as needed and apply to the back of the cardstock or card fronts that you prepared with double sided tape or a gluestick. 

5.  Add embellishments. I kept mine very simple, with stickers. Stamping would add great texture. 

And there you have it. Sweet and simple.

Flower Necklace Tutorial

Pearls are a favorite of mine. I've had this long (artificial) pearl bead necklace for a very long time. I wear it when it's in style and it lounges in my jewelry collection when it's not. Inspired by Anthropologie, I added a simple silk flower to the necklace.

Here's what you'll need:

bead necklace, really, any length that pleases you

1- 10 inch square of fabric, I used silk duppioni

3-5 small beads, I used fresh water pearl beads

needle, thread

scissors

fray check, if desired

scrap paper and a pencil to sketch your flower

1.  Draw out on paper, then cut from fabric; or cut free hand, four flowers. The two larger ones are about 3 1/2 inches at their widest point, and the smaller ones are 2 3/4 inches wide. 

2.  Apply fray check to the edges, if desired, to prevent fraying.

3.  Thread your needle and pinch the center of one large flower, taking a few stitches to secure the pleats. 

4.  Add the second large flower on top, again taking a few pleats to add dimension to the flower. 

The photo shows the two large flower pieces stacked together.

5.  Add the smaller flower pieces in the same way, pleating and stitching. The flower petals will be very free-form, this is the look you want.

When you have all four petals in place, you'll see the dimension, particularly if you hold it sideways as shown above.

6.  Stitch the beads you've chosen into the center of the flower. I used seed pearl beads in keeping with the monochromatic look I was after, but colored beads or even small buttons would work equally well.

7.  Finally, stitch the flower to your necklace with a couple of stitches that wrap the thread between two beads. Fasten off securely and enjoy wearing your new creation!

Creating Collages: A Quick Tutorial

This may be a redundant post, but someone recently asked about making collages so I'm doing a quick tutorial with my limited expertise.

I use Picasa for viewing and editing my photos, it's free and easy to download. I store my photos on my computer, not on Picasa Web Albums.

To begin, open Picasa and choose your photos.

The green push pin icon in the bottom toolbar holds the photo, allowing you to select a number of photos. The red circle will take away any you don't want.

Click on "collage," found in the bottom toolbar.

The left window allows you to choose whether you want a picture pile (as above) or a mosaic, grid, etc. 

In this picture pile, each picture can be rearranged. Right clicking on the photo gives a number of options.

To set one photo as background, click "set as background." 

To change the border, click "change border," then "white."

Each photo can be manipulated as to size by clicking on the photo and scrolling up or down. When you click on the photo a circle will appear. The little orange button to the right of the circle enables you to change the angle of the photo.

When you're happy with your work, click "create collage" and voilà, you have a beautiful work of art!

Since my house is not yet decorated for Christmas (it's hard to decorate a dusty construction zone), these are photos pulled from 2008.

How to Make a Burlap and Lace Table Runner

This table runner was fast and easy to make. I've long admired the rustic look of burlap but it seems to me to be a fall-ish kind of material. Maybe because I associate burlap with potato sacks and harvest. I think the rough texture of the burlap tones down the sweetness of the doilies and makes for an interesting contrast. 


So, let's begin....

1. Gather your supplies. You'll need the following:


- one large coffee sack (I found this one at a feed store for $1.00)
- an assortment of doilies or pieces of lace, round, square, rectangular, the shape doesn't really matter, but there's more interest if you have a variety of sizes
- scissors, ruler, sewing machine, thread, needles


The runner pictured is 17 inches wide by 83 inches long, including a 2 inch fringe at either end.

2.  Prepare the sack.


Cut off the top few inches of the sack to clean up the edge. The sack I used had a drawstring through it about 3 inches down from the top. I cut just below the drawstring. 


Cut off the bottom seam and the one side seam. The sacks are constructed with just one side seam. 


Open up the sack. Pick out the leftover coffee beans (you can see them there on the far side of the table, beside my scissors. They are very hard, green and don't smell at all like coffee because they have not been roasted.


You will have a piece of burlap about 38 x 55 inches. Cut the burlap in half lengthwise, so you have two 55 inch lengths, each 19 inches or so wide. 

4.  Decide on the length you want your table runner. With the two pieces of burlap, you could have a length of 110 inches. I wanted mine 83 inches long, which allows for about an 8-10 inch drop over the ends of my table. 


Piece the lengths together. To avoid having an unsightly seam in the middle of the runner, cut the added length needed in two pieces and add them to either end of the 55 inch length. 


For example, I needed to add 28 inches to one 55 inch length of burlap to achieve 83 inches. So I cut two 14 inch pieces and stitched them, one to either end. Although you end up sewing two seams in place of one, the result will be an unbroken expanse in the center of your table.


I used a French seam technique to ensure a neat finish. To sew a French seam, place the fabrics wrong-side together and stitch a 1/4 inch seam. Press the seam to one side, then fold the fabrics right sides together. Stitch a 1/2 inch seam, completely enclosing the raw edges. 
To flatten the seam, press to one side and stitch through all the layers. This line of stitching will show on the right side of your runner.

5.  Finish the ends of the table runner.


Stitch a line of straight stitching 2 inches from the ends of the runners. This will secure the loose weave of the burlap. Then pull out individual crosswise threads, creating a fringe.

6.  Finish the side seams.


To avoid adding bulk, first finish the raw edges with a close zig-zag stitch. Then fold the burlap over to the wrong side of the runner 1/2 inch. Press. Stitch  1/4 inch away from the folded edge.

7.  Place the runner, right side up on a table, or the floor. Place the doilies, and or lace, balancing the shapes and sizes. Fold some doilies to the wrong side of the runner, creating a look of continuity. 


The oblong doily in the center that says "bread" has a rather full, ruffled edge. I flattened and folded it down. 


When you are satisfied with the placement of the doilies, stitch them in place. Tacking them by hand will result in a more delicate look because the stitches won't be visible. Another alternative would be to use spray adhesive. 


You'll notice a bit of writing in the top corner of the runner. The writing on coffee sacks is usually stamped on, and is barely visible on the wrong side. I thought a bit of ink showing through added to the authenticity of the coffee sack and decided to leave it in place. 


If you don't have access to a coffee sack, burlap fabric can be found at fabric stores as well.


I hope you enjoy making a burlap and lace table runner. I'd love to hear about it if you do.

I'm linking this post to Cheap Chic Home's Fabric Fun Thursday. 

And to The Shabby Nest's Frugal Friday