Vintage French Valentine Pillow

I have another quick Valentine project for you and, of course, it’s vintage and frenchy! I like it because it’s seasonal without being too cutesy and fits right into my decor.

Hmmm...I see by the look in Baby Kitty’s eyes exactly what he is thinking. Oh no, she didn't! Does the fabric look familiar?

Yes, it’s the same French ticking that I used in my ticking and burlap Christmas wreath…

…and in my ticking and vintage trim Christmas stockings! That’s because I am cutting up some old window panels and have oodles of that fabric! Prepare to see even more of it, I am sure! lol But I digress…


I started out with this graphic…Joyeuse Saint-Valentin…Happy Valentines Day in French…printed backwards for application by iron-on transfer…

…and applied it according to the directions on a 16 X 16 pillow that I made from cream twill bought with a 40% off coupon at Jo-Ann. Next, I stuffed it with a down pillow form from Goodwill for under $3.00. Then I found three frenchy fabrics in my stash (love the toile!) and cut four heart shapes, stacked them up and hot-glued them in a few places to the pillow. Finally I added a little twine bow…and that’s it!

And voilà! Gotta love the little French couple enjoying the dance! I didn’t want the hearts to be too perfect, so they are a little mismatched in size. The script is in a font called My Old Remington and I love the messy, imperfect look of an old-fashioned typewriter! What do you think…Valentine-y without overdoing it? Antique-y red and not too bright? Plus it has ticking and toile! I think am going to enjoy this one!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed a little peek at my project! Please visit these wonderful bloggers and their beautiful blogs to see what they are up to and to find a list of this week’s participants!
Stephanie Lynn at Under the Table and Dreaming for the Sunday Showcase Party
Sarah at Thrifty Decor Chick for Before and After Monday (first Monday of the month)
Mary at Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday
Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday
Beth at The Stories of A2Z for Tutorials and Tips Tuesday
Linda at Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Kristin at My Uncommon Slice Of Suburbia for Tuesday's Treasures
Kim at Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
Judy at DIY by Design for the Winter Blues Party
Paula and Patti at Ivy and Elephants for What's It Wednesday
Jill at French Cupboard for Voila!French Inspiration on Thursdays
Gina at The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursdays
Gina at The Shabby Creek Cottage for the Valentine Party
Sherry at No Minimalist Here for the Open House Party on Thursdays
Laurie at Bargain Hunting (and Chatting) with Laurie for the Valentine Party
Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
Courtney at French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday
Honey at 2805 for Potpourri Friday
Heather and Vanessa at At the Picket Fence for Inspiration Friday
Diann at The Thrifty Groove for Thrifty Things Friday
Debra at Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday
Sherry at The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday
Jen at Tatertots and Jello for the Weekend Wrap-up Party
Donna at Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special
Jennifer at Dear Lillie for the Valentine Party
See you next time! A la prochaine!

Easy French Script Valentine Candles

I have a quick, easy and inexpensive Valentine project for you and I’ll bet you already have almost everything you need! I am supplying all the graphics and the rest is simple! It’s the Wisteria copy-cat candles that I did at Christmas...with a Valentine twist!

Baby Kitty is concerned that I will get all mushy with this project…but no! It has just the right amount of shabbiness and frenchiness without being too cutesy!

Here’s another look…at night with the candles lit. I think I really like them! They are vintage documents with Valentine messages in French superimposed on them. 

Each candle is also tied with twine and a little heart repeating the message that is on the candle. Here’s all you need: 3 cylindrical vases (mine came from Dollar Tree), three pillar candles (I used my red ones leftover from Christmas), twine, red paper, white paper, tape, glue, a red Sharpie and access to a printer.

I printed each of the three messages in 8x10 format with Photoscape. For me, the red didn’t turn out quite vibrant enough, so I went over it with a red Sharpie. Then I trimmed the extra paper from the top and the bottom…but not the sides. Next, I wrapped each one around the candle holder and taped it. There will be a little blank space with no graphic on it at the back. To cover it, I just cut a strip from the plain document that follows and glued it in place. This one says Happy Valentines Day.

This one says Yours forever.

And finally, this one says I love you with all my heart.

Use this blank document to cut little strips to cover the small white portion at the back of the candle.

And finally, cut these out and glue them to a red heart that you have created…making it just a little bigger than these. If you save them and then print them as they are, they will be exactly the right size.  Just punch a hole and attach to the candle with twine. That’s it!

And here they are in a little vignette I created on my buffet. I filled my Red Cliff ironstone tea pot with red tulips to add a festive Valentine touch. And I love the way it all reflects in my silver tray! I hope you will give them a try…and if you do…enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed a little peek at my project! Please visit these wonderful bloggers and their beautiful blogs to see what they are up to and to find a list of this week’s participants!
Stephanie Lynn at Under the Table and Dreaming for the Sunday Showcase Party
Sarah at Thrifty Decor Chick for Before and After Monday (first Monday of the month)
Mary at Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday
Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday
Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday
Beth at The Stories of A2Z for Tutorials and Tips Tuesday
Linda at Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Kim at Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
Judy at DIY by Design for the Winter Blues Party
Paula and Patti at Ivy and Elephants for What's It Wednesday
Jill at French Cupboard for Voila!French Inspiration on Thursdays
Gina at The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursdays
Gina at The Shabby Creek Cottage for the Valentine Party
Sherry at No Minimalist Here for the Open House Party on Thursdays
Laurie at Bargain Hunting (and Chatting) with Laurie for the Valentine Party
Jennifer at Dear Lillie for the Valentine Party
Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
Courtney at French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday
Honey at 2805 for Potpourri Friday
Heather and Vanessa at At the Picket Fence for Inspiration Friday
Diann at The Thrifty Groove for Thrifty Things Friday
Debra at Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday
Sherry at The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday
Jen at Tatertots and Jello for the Weekend Wrap-up Party
Donna at Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special
See you next time! A la prochaine!

DIY Frenchy Tablescape Placemat...No Plates? No Problem!

I like having my table set…it just looks so pretty and I love my plates…but it’s not always possible. But now I have found a way to have a French-inspired table setting all the time…with a tabescape already on the placemat!

Don’t you love it? I’ve only had a chance to make one so far, but I couldn’t wait to show you! It’s just my style…a vintage plate with antique mismatched flatware!

Baby Kitty is puzzled. It’s bad enough to be addicted to plates…but plates that are not even real? What’s up with that? lol

 

And it has all been captured here…on this graphic for iron-on transfer that I assembled from several lovely vintage finds from the Graphics Fairy! Karen is always so kind to share and I am very grateful!  I was already making plans for a project with her wonderful flatware graphic when she shared this beautiful graphic of a vintage plate. My little wheels started to turn…and I put them together! Then I added a little frenchy script to top it off…and voilà! You can cut the script separately and move it up higher as I did if you wish. Don’t worry…once it is ironed on, it will be facing the right way! Follow the directions on the transfers and iron, iron and if you think that's enough, iron some more!

I used cream linen to make my placemat…on sale 40% off at JoAnn…because I like the look. The mats are 13” x 18” finished size at a cost of about $13.00 for all four. Honestly, a stiffer fabric might have been better...like twill or duck. In any case, iron-on transfers work best on more tightly-woven fabrics. I just added a real toile napkin and some stemware and the table is set! And…it matches my blue and white collection on the hutch! Woo hoo!

And there you have it…my frenchy tablescape placemat! I hope you like it! And now, if you will excuse me, the staff and I have three more to make!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed a little peek at my project! Please visit these wonderful bloggers and their beautiful blogs to see what they are up to and to find a list of this week’s participants!
Stephanie Lynn at Under the Table and Dreaming for the Sunday Showcase Party
Sarah at Thrifty Decor Chick for Before and After Monday (first Monday of the month)
Mary at Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday
Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday
Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday
Beth at The Stories of A2Z for Tutorials and Tips Tuesday
Linda at Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Kim at Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
Judy at DIY by Design for the Winter Blues Party
Paula and Patti at Ivy and Elephants for What's It Wednesday
Jill at French Cupboard for Voila!French Inspiration on Thursdays
Gina at The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursdays
Sherry at No Minimalist Here for the Open House Party on Thursdays
Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
Courtney at French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday
Honey at 2805 for Potpourri Friday
Heather and Vanessa at At the Picket Fence for Inspiration Friday
Diann at The Thrifty Groove for Thrifty Things Friday
Debra at Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday
Sherry at The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday
Jen at Tatertots and Jello for the Weekend Wrap-up Party
Donna at Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special
See you next time! A la prochaine!

My Winter Mantel...Deer, Moss and Mercury Glass

Christmas has ended, but I still couldn’t quite part with a few of the elements I had used, so I decided to incorporate them into my winter mantel! Some of them are new to me, but still along the natural theme I used during the  holidays.

Among them are deer, moss and mercury glass with a few pinecones thrown in for good measure! I started out with the idea of tying pinecones and mercury glass acorns to twine to create a garland. It has a simple, stark wintery look, I think.

At the center of it all, my favorite new find…a fabulous deer head pedestal bowl! It came with two big candle holders, one of which you can see in the background. And best of all, the price…$18 for all three pieces! And they are heavy, too! Woo hoo!

You’ve got to love this guy! Isn’t he (as well as all of his siblings) a handsome fellow? I love the addition of deer to decor this season…as long as nobody got hurt. What can I say…I never recovered from seeing Bambi’s mommy get killed!

Inside the bowl…moss rocks from Dollar Tree (at five for $1.00…you read that right!), more pinecones from my yard and my mercury glass acorns from Walmart last year. I love a little bling with natural elements…a fun contrast!

On either side, the over-sized candle holders sport mossy ‘brains” since I didn’t want to use the huge candles they would require. I like the look of more moss on the mantel and I have other plans in the candle department!

And here they are…my $3.00 bargain faux birch wood candles! I bet you think I finally broke down and bought the ones I have been drooling over at Pottery Barn for the last two years…no indeedy! I happened upon these at Kohl’s for 75% off plus I had a 20% off coupon! A real steal so I bought the last four! Start the car! They are perched on my mercury glass candle holders from last year…lovin’ me some mercury glass!

To top it all off, a simple twiggy wreath from Hobby Lobby…bought with a 40% off coupon, of course! They had several sizes and this one came the closest to what I needed. I just had to give it a little hair cut so it wouldn’t overwhelm the mirror.

 And where is the staff?…you ask. Our scheduled co-hostess Miss Kitty found a spot of sun on the painted chest on the other side of the room and is in her usual Who me? I am a part of this vignette pose. Who can blame her…it’s been a pretty day after several days of cold weather.

And there you have it…my mossy, deer populated, sparkly winter mantel! I hope you like it. I am going to enjoy another couple of months of wintery weather (yes, I am one of those weird people) as the fire in the fireplace sparkles in the mercury glass! Won’t you join me in some hot cocoa? Ahhh!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed a little peek at my mantel! Please visit these wonderful bloggers and their beautiful blogs to see what they are up to and to find a list of this week’s participants!
Stephanie Lynn at Under the Table and Dreaming for the Sunday Showcase Party
Sarah at Thrifty Decor Chick for Before and After Monday (first Monday of the month)
Mary at Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday
Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday
Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday
Beth at The Stories of A2Z for Tutorials and Tips Tuesday
Linda at Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Gloria at Potentially Beautiful for the Winter Mantel Party
Kim at Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
Judy at DIY by Design for the Winter Blues Party
Paula and Patti at Ivy and Elephants for What's It Wednesday
Jill at French Cupboard for Voila!French Inspiration on Thursdays
Gina at The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursdays
Sherry at No Minimalist Here for the Open House Party on Thursdays
Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
Courtney at French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday
Honey at 2805 for Potpourri Friday
Heather and Vanessa at At the Picket Fence for Inspiration Friday
Diann at The Thrifty Groove for Thrifty Things Friday
Debra at Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday
Sherry at The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday
Jen at Tatertots and Jello for the Weekend Wrap-up Party
Donna at Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special
See you next time! A la prochaine!

Vintage French Script Fruit

Now that the rush of the holidays is over, I am enjoying a more leisurely pace and getting back to some projects that I have had on the back burner for a while. And here is one of them…my vintage French script fruit! I have tons of faux fruit in my stash…some not quite so realistic and in need of a make-over. So I decided to découpage them much like I did my Country Living inspired pumpkins.

First, I spray-painted the fruit white to keep the darker colors from bleeding through. Next, I printed some vintage French advertisements that I found here and here at the Graphics Fairy! Karen is always so generous to share her wonderful finds with us! Then I cut the graphics into strips the length of the fruit.

I notched the strips in on each side to make them easier to handle and applied them with Mod Podge. You can find a few tips for découpage here and here. It requires a little skill and lots of patience.

And…taa daa…here they are! You will notice that I tried to preserve the integrity of the ads as much as possible, but that’s difficult to do after the first three or so strips. I also painted the stems black once I had finished.

Our co-host Baby Kitty seems somewhat unimpressed by my efforts. Perhaps next time I will try doing a mouse instead of fruit!

But as for me, I think I like them! They look right at home with my vintage book bundle, don’t you think? Total cost of the project…nothing! Free! I already had everything I needed! Now that’s my kind of project!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed a little peek at my project! Please visit these wonderful bloggers and their beautiful blogs to see what they are up to and to find a list of this week’s participants!
Stephanie Lynn at Under the Table and Dreaming for the Sunday Showcase Party
Roeshel at the DIY Showoff for the DIY Project Parade
Sarah at Thrifty Decor Chick for Before and After Monday (first Monday of the month)
Mary at Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday
Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday
Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday
Beth at The Stories of A2Z for Tutorials and Tips Tuesday
Linda at Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Kim at Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
Judy at DIY by Design for the Winter Blues Party
Paula and Patti at Ivy and Elephants for What's It Wednesday
Jill at French Cupboard for Voila!French Inspiration on Thursdays
Gina at The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursdays
Sherry at No Minimalist Here for the Open House Party on Thursdays
Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
Courtney at French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday
Honey at 2805 for Potpourri Friday
Heather and Vanessa at At the Picket Fence for Inspiration Friday
Diann at The Thrifty Groove for Thrifty Things Friday
Debra at Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday
Sherry at The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday
Jen at Tatertots and Jello for the Weekend Wrap-up Party
Donna at Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special
See you next time! A la prochaine!

My Bargain Pottery Barn Santos Cage Doll

Look what came in the mail this weekend…my new bargain Pottery Barn Santos cage doll…for under $6.00! Woo hoo!

You may remember that I actually splurged and bought one last year…one with a beautiful expression that I love to showcase at Christmas.

And, yes, this one is definitely more primitive than the other and maybe not quite my style, but at that price, how could I resist her? I love the way the ex-voto heart is already carved on her chest! I spied her way back in early November and I have been waiting for her to go on sale!

Oh…and there is one thing I need to mention…she is only 6 1/2 inches tall!  Sorry! I had to tease you just a little! I have been wanting one like her, but they are all just soooo big and expensive! She’s actually an ornament with the little screw in her head removed.

But I think she will do very nicely atop my vintage book bundle…what do you think? I love the little extra pizzazz she adds! I think you may see a lot of her this year!

 Thanks for playing along! I hope you don’t mind that I teased you just a little! Next, maybe I will buy a tiny farm with teensy goats to satisfy my goat obsession! Is there anything you’d like to have in a tiny version?

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed a little peek at my little Santos doll! Please visit these wonderful bloggers and their beautiful blogs to see what they are up to and to find a list of this week’s participants!
Stephanie Lynn at Under the Table and Dreaming for the Sunday Showcase Party
Sarah at Thrifty Decor Chick for Before and After Monday (first Monday of the month)
Mary at Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday
Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday
Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday
Beth at The Stories of A2Z for Tutorials and Tips Tuesday
Linda at Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Kim at Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
Judy at DIY by Design for the Winter Blues Party
Paula and Patti at Ivy and Elephants for What's It Wednesday
Gina at The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursdays
Sherry at No Minimalist Here for the Open House Party on Thursdays
Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
Courtney at French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday
Honey at 2805 for Potpourri Friday
Heather and Vanessa at At the Picket Fence for Inspiration Friday
Diann at The Thrifty Groove for Thrifty Things Friday
Debra at Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday
Sherry at The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday
Jen at Tatertots and Jello for the Weekend Wrap-up Party
Donna at Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special
See you next time! A la prochaine!