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29 January, 2013

Make Your Own Vintage French Table Linens

You know how much I love collecting all things French...especially those that are vintage! There is nothing I would love better than to wander through the Sunday brocante at l’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue where I found my favorite Quimper plates in search of wonderful vintage linens. But a trip to France is not always possible. Sooo…being the copy-cat that I am, I  have learned to recreate them…and do it on a budget. Today I would like to share some of my favorite creations with you!

025_thumb[14] Among my favorites are these very budget-friendly but realistic-looking monogrammed vintage French tea towels…made from bargain IKEA  tea towels for under $1.00 each! And they are super easy! You don’t even have to be able to cross-stitch or sew to make these! I tweaked an image from The Graphics Fairy to accomplish the monogram.

019_thumb[11] Here are some more that are super easy and inexpensive…my vintage French tea towels…also coming in at $1.00 each. They are made from...guess what...flour sack towels from Target....with another tweaked image from Karen at The Graphics Fairy!

Easy Hydrangea Tea Towels I love the wonderful hydrangea prints on these tea towels…so fresh and summery! Once again, these are inexpensive, easy and require no sewing courtesy of Target and The Graphics Fairy!

025_thumb[5]Gotta love these…Wisteria inspired hand towels…made of fabulous nubby linen with a raveled edge for a really rustic vintage look! I like to use them as very generous napkins, too.

DIY Silverware Sleeve I think this is one of my favorite projects ever…my vintage French silverware sleeve! I used inexpensive user-friendly Osnaburg fabric for these for a linen look without the price! There are pockets for holding the silverware…labeled in French, of course…and even a pocket for the napkin!

silverware sleeveAnd I love the way it looks folded on the plate! I tied it up with jute twine for a rustic touch. Doesn’t it look like you are sitting down for supper in an old French farmhouse?

runner_thumb[6] And finally…for another farmhouse touch…a faux grain sack table runner to finish off your table!

044Just layer them on for a really rustic feel! One of these days I will have another chance to head out to the brocante, but in the meantime, I am happy with my own “vintage” creations!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed a little peek at my homemade “vintage” French linens! 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!
Under the Table and Dreaming for the Sunday Showcase Party
Thrifty Decor Chick for Before and After Monday

Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday
Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday

The Graphics Fairy for Brag Monday
The Stories of A2Z for Tutorials and Tips Tuesday
Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

A Stroll thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday
Cedar Hill Ranch for Cowgirl Up! on Tuesdays

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia for Tuesday's Treasures

Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
DIY by Design for Winter Blues Wednesday

The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursdays
No Minimalist Here for the Open House Party on Thursdays

Stone Gable for Tutorials, Tips and Tidbits on Thursdays

My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday

Common Ground for Be Inspired on Fridays
The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday

Craftberry Bush for the Inspiration Gallery on Friday
Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special

See you next time! À la prochaine!

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26 January, 2013

Pottery Barn Inspired LOVE Pillow

I couldn’t let Valentine’s Day go by without trying my hand at this one…my Pottery Barn inspired LOVE pillow! You know me and my thing for pillows! I knew I had to try to recreate it!

Kitty But I have got to say that this one was a bit more of a challenge to figure out. Kitty and I had to ponder the project a little to decide just how to attempt it. I didn't want to apply the transfer directly to the burlap since I wanted crisp, clear letters. But, once we figured it out, we realized that it was really pretty easy!


LOVE4

First, I downloaded four fun new fonts (Try saying that three times really fast!) for the project. Several of theirs were a little on the skinny and plain side and I wanted all of mine fat and decorative! (In case you want to know, they are: upper left- Cast Iron, upper right- Circus, lower left- Tropicana and lower right- JFRingmaster.)


LOVE transfer

Here it is reversed for you so that you can use it as a iron-on transfer as I did for this project.
Here’s what you will need:
  • A pillow form (Mine was 16”x16” which seemed to be the perfect size and was a Goodwill find for under $2.00…not bad for down!)
  • A yard of fabric (I used red burlap) for the cover and an 8x10 scrap of white fabric for the letters
  • Iron-on transfer paper (I used Avery brand)
  • Iron-on adhesive (Be sure to use one like HeatnBond Ultra Hold that allows you to use a lower temperature on your iron.)You could skip the iron-on adhesive and the white fabric and just apply the cut-out transfer letters directly to the pillow cover according to package directions. However, since I was using burlap and wanted a crisp, white background for the letters, I chose to use the adhesive. 
  • And of course, you need access to a printer, an iron and a sewing machine!
 step 1a
Here’s what to do:
  • Print the design in reverse mode on iron-on transfer paper at 8x10 size and, following the directions on the package, attach it to a scrap of medium-weight white fabric. I used duck.
  • Cut a piece of iron-on adhesive the same size and let the iron cool off to the lower temperature recommended on the package.
  • With the paper side up, place the adhesive on the back side of the design and iron it in place over the paper.

step 2
  • Cut carefully around the letters, leaving a little white edge as you trim.
  • Remove the paper backing from the letters.
  • Cut out the pillow cover. Since my form was 16” square, I cut a 17” square. I used an envelope-style closure for the back. You can find directions for cutting and sewing that here.

step 3
  • Find the center of the fabric and position the letters.
  • Pin them in place and, following directions on the package, iron them in place. I used a piece of scrap fabric over the letters to protect them as I ironed. The lower temperature of the iron should not harm them.

Then just finish sewing the cover and there you have it…my Pottery Barn inspired LOVE pillow! I love the big, fat letters and the nubby texture! And now I think I am just about ready for Valentine's Day. How abut you?

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed a little peek at my Valentine pillow! 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!
Under the Table and Dreaming for the Sunday Showcase Party
Thrifty Decor Chick for Before and After Monday

Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday
Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday

The Stories of A2Z for Tutorials and Tips Tuesday
Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

A Stroll thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday
Cedar Hill Ranch for Cowgirl Up! on Tuesdays

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia for Tuesday's Treasures

Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
DIY by Design for Winter Blues Wednesday

The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursdays
No Minimalist Here for the Open House Party on Thursdays

Stone Gable for Tutorials, Tips and Tidbits on Thursdays

My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday

Common Ground for Be Inspired on Fridays
The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday

Craftberry Bush for the Inspiration Gallery on Friday
Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special

See you next time! À la prochaine!

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Also find Confessions of a Plate Addict on:

22 January, 2013

Chalkboard Love...Fun Ways to Use Chalkboard Paint

While I was working on my last post, I realized how many different ways I have used chalkboard paint…sooo I thought you might like to see them all in one place! And of course you know that most of them will involve frenchiness!

French Laundry Basket One of my favorites and perhaps the easiest is this one…a little oval chalkboard tag added to my frenchy grey willow laundry basket. You will find a tutorial including instructions for painting the basket here.

Frenchy Rooster Chalkboard The only hard thing about my frenchy rooster chalkboard was finding the shape! However, I later found them at Michaels for only 79 cents! Love it hanging on the guest room door! :-)

053_thumb[2] I made this little guy completely from scratch! Gotta love the burlap frame! See a complete tutorial here. That's my sheet music wreath in the background. A tutorial for it can be found here.

merci tag_thumb[6] OK…so I am cheating here! I actually found these tiny chalkboards at Jo-Ann for only $1.50 for three! Woo hoo!  Click here to see the changes I made to make it more rustic. Love these little guys!

poire_thumb[6] In fact, they are still popping up all over my house…with labels in French, of course!

IMG_1766_thumb[5] Here’s my first project with chalkboard paint…converting this bunny chef recipe card holder to a little chalkboard! See how to do it here. There’s a fun tutorial for a frenchy grain sack pillow in the same post!

041_thumb[13]I still love this one…chalkboard wine glasses! What a fun way to claim your own glass! There’s a recipe for a white wine Kir and links to some fun French amuse-bouche…little tidbits to accompany your drinks…on the same post!

CONFESSIONS OF A PLATE ADDICT Thanksgiving PlacecardsYou can use chalkboards at holiday time, too! Here are some fun ideas for Thanksgiving place cards…although the little tags could be used at any time!

CONFESSIONS OF A PLATE ADDICT Valentine Chalkboard Greeting2 And here’s my most recent project using chalkboard paint…a tiny thrift store tray converted into a little plaque bearing seasonal greetings! You can see more here. Not only am I using it for Valentine’s Day…

CONFESSIONS OF A PLATE ADDICT Tiny Christmas Tree Greeting …but I also used it at Christmas! I am going to have fun with this one! I see a Saint Paddy’s Day vignette in my future!

kitty_thumb[5]Hmmm…have I gone too far?

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed a little peek at my chalkboard paint projects! 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!
Under the Table and Dreaming for the Sunday Showcase Party
Thrifty Decor Chick for Before and After Monday

Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday
Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday

The Stories of A2Z for Tutorials and Tips Tuesday
Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

A Stroll thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday
Cedar Hill Ranch for Cowgirl Up! on Tuesdays

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia for Tuesday's Treasures

Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
DIY by Design for Winter Blues Wednesday

The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursdays
No Minimalist Here for the Open House Party on Thursdays

Stone Gable for Tutorials, Tips and Tidbits on Thursdays

My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday

Common Ground for Be Inspired on Fridays
The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday

Craftberry Bush for the Inspiration Gallery on Friday
Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special

See you next time! À la prochaine!

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Also find Confessions of a Plate Addict on:
 

18 January, 2013

Ticking and Toile Hearts...and...A Frenchy Valentine Chalkboard

CONFESSIONS OF A PLATE ADDICT Valentine Chalkboard Greeting2I like to have a little seasonal vignette in my entry as a way to welcome my guests into my home and Valentine’s Day is no exception. And now I have found a fun and festive way to display my greetings using a tiny silver tray turned chalkboard and another little tray filled with something fun…French ticking and toile hearts!

CONFESSIONS OF A PLATE ADDICT Rustic French Valentine Centerpiece You may recognize the fabric hearts. I used them last year in my rustic French Valentine centerpiece. Please forgive me if you have heard me say this before, but this is one of my favorite photos. Do you see the wonderful blue in the background? I accidentally captured the blue hour for the one and only time I have ever been able to do so!

Baby Kitty Baby Kitty, however, thinks you should be more impressed with the hearts since he played a major role in their creation!

CONFESSIONS OF A PLATE ADDICT Valentine Chalkboard Greeting1 I love the way the hearts suggest Valentine’s Day and still fit in with my French country decor!

CONFESSIONS OF A PLATE ADDICT Valentine Chalkboard GreetingThe space is small, so I was excited to find this tiny silver tray at Goodwill for a few dollars. I just taped off the edges and painted it with several coats of chalkboard paint…instant frenchy chalkboard!

CONFESSIONS OF A PLATE ADDICT Tiny Christmas Tree Greeting I don’t think I showed you, but I was even able to use it at Christmas! I filled the other tray with tiny trees topped with those wonderful Pottery Barn German glitter stars that I loved so much. Expect to see even more of those next Christmas since I ordered two more boxes when they went on sale! :-)

CONFESSIONS OF A PLATE ADDICT Valentine Chalkboard Greeting2And there you have it…my tiny Valentine vignette! Now I am thinking how fun it will be to simply change the greeting and add something different to the tray as each holiday approaches! What about you? Do you have some tried and true accessories that adapt themselves to the season?

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed a little peek at my tiny Valentine vignette! 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!
Under the Table and Dreaming for the Sunday Showcase Party
Thrifty Decor Chick for Before and After Monday

Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday
Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday

The Stories of A2Z for Tutorials and Tips Tuesday
Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

A Stroll thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday
Cedar Hill Ranch for Cowgirl Up! on Tuesdays

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia for Tuesday's Treasures

Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
DIY by Design for Winter Blues Wednesday

The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursdays
No Minimalist Here for the Open House Party on Thursdays

Stone Gable for Tutorials, Tips and Tidbits on Thursdays

My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday

Common Ground for Be Inspired on Fridays
The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday

Craftberry Bush for the Inspiration Gallery on Friday
Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special

See you next time! À la prochaine!

Subscribe by email or in a reader
Also find Confessions of a Plate Addict on:

14 January, 2013

Pottery Barn Inspired French Valentine Pillow

I can’t wait to show you what I have been working on…my Pottery Barn inspired French Valentine pillow! You know what a big fat copy-cat I am, so as soon as I saw it on their web site, I knew I had to copy it! And best of all, mine was practically free since I already had everything I needed!

But if you know me, you also know that I had to frenchify it! :-) It has basically the same message…but in French!

CONFESSIONS OF A PLATE ADDICT Pottery Barn Inspired Valentine Pillow Graphic
Here is the graphic in case you want to make it yourself. It’s backwards so that you can use it as an iron-on transfer.

 I just ironed it on to a piece of white duck and stitched it to red burlap! (That’s my sweater pillow with a burlap rose in the background. You can find a tutorial for it here.)

CONFESSIONS OF A PLATE ADDICT Pottery Barn Inspired Valentine Pillow3I used an envelope-style closure for the back so that I could just remove the cover for easy storage. You can see my tutorial for making the closure here. You may notice that I seem to have become a pillow addict as well, so this allows me to use the same pillow form over and over and saves space. This one is down-filled and was a $3.00 bargain at Goodwill.

 And there  you have it! It’s perfect for me…blending with my French country decor without being too cutesy! I still have a few more Valentine projects that I want to show you, so stay tuned for more! But I had better hurry…

staff…because Valentine's Day is one month from today! Hard to believe since here in the South we have been having a “heat wave” with temps in the 70s! The staff is enjoying having the windows open, but I am one of those weird people who loves cold weather! It won’t feel like Valentine’s Day to me without it! What about you?

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed a little peek at my frenchy Valentine pillow! 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!
Under the Table and Dreaming for the Sunday Showcase Party
Thrifty Decor Chick for Before and After Monday

Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday
Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday

The Stories of A2Z for Tutorials and Tips Tuesday
Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

A Stroll thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday
Cedar Hill Ranch for Cowgirl Up! on Tuesdays

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia for Tuesday's Treasures

Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
DIY by Design for Winter Blues Wednesday

The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursdays
No Minimalist Here for the Open House Party on Thursdays

Stone Gable for Tutorials, Tips and Tidbits on Thursdays

My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday

Common Ground for Be Inspired on Fridays
The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday

Craftberry Bush for the Inspiration Gallery on Friday
Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special

See you next time! À la prochaine!

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Also find Confessions of a Plate Addict on:

11 January, 2013

Fun Frenchy Valentine Projects for You!

pageValentines Day is only a month away and it’s time to get those projects started! Sooo…I thought I would show you a few a few fun and easy ideas for bringing Valentines Day into your home!

008 Here’s a project that is super easy and inexpensive…my French script Valentine candles. All you need is a few Dollar Tree cylindrical vases and supplies that you probably already have on hand! The French graphics are included in the tutorial here.

055My vintage French Valentine pillow is another fun project that includes the graphic! I love the way it adds to the season and still blends with my French country decor. You can find directions for making it here.

031 Our co-host Baby Kitty did a great job of supervising its creation. And the fun part was that I found yet another way to use my discarded French ticking drapery panels!

065And finally, here is my rustic French Valentine centerpiece starring the wonderful chippy box that I found at Joss and Main last year. It is filled with my frenchy handmade ticking (Yes...another way to use my drapery panels!) and toile fabric hearts. You can get a closer look here. And did you notice that I took the photos during the blue hour? I was so excited! That’s never happened before or since even though I have tried!  Woo hooo!

And there you have a few projects to get you started! I am working on a new one right now that I think you are going to love, so stay tuned!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed a little peek at my frenchy Valentine projects! 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!
Under the Table and Dreaming for the Sunday Showcase Party
Thrifty Decor Chick for Before and After Monday

Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday
Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday

The Stories of A2Z for Tutorials and Tips Tuesday
Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

A Stroll thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday
Cedar Hill Ranch for Cowgirl Up! on Tuesdays

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia for Tuesday's Treasures

Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
DIY by Design for Winter Blues Wednesday

The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursdays
No Minimalist Here for the Open House Party on Thursdays

Stone Gable for Tutorials, Tips and Tidbits on Thursdays

My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday

Common Ground for Be Inspired on Fridays
The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday

Craftberry Bush for the Inspiration Gallery on Friday
Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special

See you next time! A la prochaine!

Subscribe by email or in a reader
Also find Confessions of a Plate Addict on: