La Maison Reid

Create an Heirloom...A Chinese Antique

2012-01-19T14:43:00.000-08:00

While shopping in San Francisco just before Christmas

we saw a lovely antique Chinese cabinet and since every room could use a little "Chinoiserie" I decided to tackle this project

I took photos and

thought I might try to make my own

"Chinese Antique"

Last week my husband reminded me of an old cabinet we had in the garage and said it might be something to make into our "heirloom"

I immediately began stripping the chipping paint off the

old chest.

and ended up with this:

I painted the body with a very small brush and acrylic paints using raw umber, red, black and burnt umber mixed with water. I taped off a section for the inset and painted it

When I pulled the tape off some of the paint came with it and

"voilà" my prefect method for distressing

After painting the insert I added some Chinese peonies

and black trim. I also distressed the top of the chest

and the sides for authenticity and
I rubbed some bee's wax from this year's honey harvest onto the chest and then buffed it for a little glow.

This project was quite easy and didn't take much time at all!

xox

Nancy

Aotea (Great Barrier Island) New Zealand

2011-02-28T21:43:00.000-08:00

AOTEAROA

This is Maori for New Zealand or (Land of the Long White Cloud)

AOTEA

This is Maori for Great Barrier Island (or Island of the White Cloud) which is off the coast of Auckland

Awana Bay

A most beautiful bay on Great Barrier Island. We are fortunate to have a

summer home here. Here is a view from across the bay. Our home is just to the right of the rock peak in this photo about 1/3 of the way down, just left of a group of other homes. We cannot see another home from here!

Our thoughts are with all of the people who suffered in the recent

earthquake in Christchurch, South Island and wish them strength as they rebuild their lives.

xox

Nancy

2011-02-15T17:41:00.000-08:00

Maori Basket Weaving

Handmade Flax Laundry Basket

…while in Rome…!!!! While on our annual vacation to New Zealand (my husband is a Kiwi, after all!) we saw a nice basket and decided to try our hand at basket weaving. We viewed some Maori (indingenious people of NZ) techniques at the New Zealand National Library website and away we went! Michael couldn’t wait and made a small basket mostly by himself for our kumara (New Zealand potatoes) and garlic and such. It turned out pretty well, so yesterday we harvested some native flax from the driveway to make a laundry basket.

This is a native flax plant in our driveway

Material used:

20 flax leaves

Scissors for splitting the leaves

Clothespins

We started by making a base of 20 leaves that crisscrossed

Then we made four corners

Corners as seen from the top

Corner as seen from outside

All that’s left to do is weave the sides,

finish the top and make braided handles!

This basket will dry to a nice tan color. We learned a lot and can’t wait to try some other patterns and sizes.

xox

Nancy

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T14:35:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day

...from our little hideaway in New Zealand
(where it's full on summer!)

View of Awana beach (Great Barrier Island, New Zealand) from our deck.

xox

Nancy

The Art of Gwynne Reid

2011-01-17T11:48:00.000-08:00

It's an absolutely beautiful morning here in California. It's one of those days where it could be spring, it could be fall but it's the dead of winter. I will enjoy it while it lasts!

My husband's family is very artistic. Today I will introduce you to his

daughter, Gwynne. She is a very talented artist and her

artwork adorns our home.

We recently framed two of Gwynne's newest pieces that go well in our "French" style living

room. I love Paris but don't normally care for Eiffel Tower pictures, statues or paintings but this is an exception. It's just so whimsical I fell in love with it.

Gwynne brought this painting over while we were having a party. A bidding war ensued and I won! I also love the French style whimsy of this painting.

Gwynne was quite young when she painted this. It's perfect in our dining room.

What a fun "chess board." We also have an abstract black and white checker board of hers.

This sunflower is my drawing. I did it about 15 years ago when I sketched non-stop for about 6 months. I really would like to find time to draw again and perhaps learn to paint, too.

xox
Nancy

Pleated Pouch Presents

2011-01-02T09:54:00.000-08:00

I found a great tutorial on pleated pouches at Skip to my Lou and decided to make a few small gifts.

I found the tutorial very good and learned about some of the pitfalls in making these.

I found that a 6" zipper worked better than the suggested 7". It's also very important to line

up the front part of the pouch with the backside while installing the zipper.

This isn't very apparent at first but after my seam ripper got a workout I learned!

A cute ladybug button adorns this pouch. My mother loved hers!

An elegant black and white one for my dear friend, Ady (made one of these for myself, too!)

My friend, neighbor, cat lover and cat sitter, Ollie got this one topped in beige.

My friend Phyllis (also a cat lover) go this one in pink.

They are useful for so many things that clutter up a purse. A lipstick, jewelry, gum, pen, receipts.

Two 'pretty in pink' ones for my daughter's darling nieces, Rain and Ayla.

My niece, Ali loves horses. Hope she likes the little pony button!

And for my daughter's new mother-in-law a burlap bag.

I MUST make one of these for ME! I'm getting better at the burlap bag and have

found that iron on interfacing is a must for the body. I've also learned how to feed interfacing into the straps after I've made and turned them making this bag much sturdier and easier to make.

I just made another burlap bag...white with yellow print lining. It's shaped just like the black bag above. Tutorial coming!

xox

Nancy

Burlap Bag and a Thank You!

2010-11-09T23:06:00.000-08:00

By now you know that I have a thing for burlap. Well, I've done it again, gone and made another burlap bag. Fashioned after the original by IraGrant this bag is a "thank you" for all of the hard work Mary Reed has done preparing for my husband's retirement party.

I did a tutorial on a chocolate brown bag a few months ago and used the same basic pattern for this bag but changed it up a bit. It's wider and shorter and has a large button instead of a shabby rose and I added a ring to dress up one of the straps. Do you like this one better? Here is the first one:

I have been using this chocolate brown bag everyday since I made it and just love it. Recently I added interfacing to the straps and an inside pocket for my iPhone. For Mary's bag I made the straps a bit wider and learned how to install a magnetic snap. That bag needed one because of the wider top opening. I also rounded the corners a bit so they weren't so "dog-eared." (see my tutorial for how to do this on a pillow here). It's a bit different for a bag. Perhaps I'll do a tutorial on this one, too.

And here is the finished bag.

Do you like it?

Mary Reed...I can't thank you enough for all of the hours and hours you have spend ensuring that Michael's retirement party is a great success! I hope you like your bag.

xox

Nancy

I Won the Giveaway!

2010-11-09T09:48:00.000-08:00

Amy at Maison Decor

hosted a giveaway this month and I won this book:

The French Inspired Home by Carolyn Westbrook

Here are some of the luscious photos Amy posted during the giveaway

My new book!

Linen slipcovers and needlepoint pillows.

A sweet ballet pink table...a ruffled lampshade. I just bought 25 meters of fabric in Hanoi two weeks ago just like the darker chair on the left. I'd better get busy making more slipcovers!

Who wouldn't want a kitchen like this one?

Love those weathered shutters. Still trying to talk my husband into liking them. So far, he's at least agreed to a ladder in the lounge! More on that later.

So sweet!

Can you tell I'm excited to receive this?

xox

Nancy

Hanoi, Vietnam

2010-10-19T19:02:00.000-07:00

Hanoi Celebrates 1,000th Anniversary

This Month

We are enjoying our stay at the Hanoi University of Agriculture. Ponds surrounding the main building are filled with lush water lilies and lotus flower.

Landing across the Red River. One can see from the air how lush things will be here!

Who needs a truck when you have a motorbike? This is the most popular mode of transportation here. Almost everyone has one. They drive safely but use their horns way too frequently!

A very local market. A far cry from the glitzy shopping area of downtown.

Hoan Kiem Lake is right in the heart of downtown Hanoi. This temple is called the Tortoise Tower.

Traditional Vietnamese hat still seen all about town.

The Temple of Literature was founded to pay tribute to education and to those of high academic achievement. It later became Hanoi's first university. Stone stelae record the names of successful doctorates of the past.

Rice "paper" tacos. YUM.

Our hotel restaurant chef getting ready for lunch

One of the lecture halls

Dr. Reid and his eager to learn college students!

xox

Nancy

FiLoLi Gardens

2010-09-29T12:18:00.000-07:00

FiLoLi

"Fight for a just cause; Love your fellow man; Live a good life."

Filoi is a grand estate located about 25 miles south of San Francisco in Woodside, California. It is a lovely home set in 16 acres of formal gardens surrounded by a

654 acre estate on the eastern slope of the Santa Cruz Mountains.

We were fortunate to attend a retirement party there this last weekend at the home

of Lucy Tolmach (Director of Horticulture) on the grounds of FiLoLi.

If this looks familiar perhaps you were a fan of the TV series "Dynasty." Filoli was in the opening scenes each week at the start of this show.

We toured the gardens at sunset after dinner. It was breathtaking.

Reflecting pool and former carriage house

The hydrangeas were enormous

Lucy Tolmach (Director of Horticulture)

was our hostess and gave us the evening tour.

The retirement cake was yummy. It was made by Jim Salyards who works

at FiLoLi. It was one of the most delicious cakes I have ever had.

It was layers of genois, dacquoise, marzipan, raspberry jam, fresh

raspberries and homemade crème fraiche. I can't wait to try making one of these!

If you're ever in San Francisco it really would be worth the trip to Woodside to visit FiLoLi. You can tour the house or garden or both. Let me know if you visit. I'd love

to see your photos and hear about your experience there.

xox

Nancy

The Wedding

2010-09-28T09:22:00.000-07:00

Photos of my daughter's wedding. The day couldn't have been more perfect. It was truly magical and I didn't want it to end. I don't have many photos and the professional photographer's album isn't ready yet but here is what I have.

The dress

Ready to walk down the aisle

Mother-of-the-Bride (me!) and my husband (Deputy Commissioner of Marriages
for the day) who performed the ceremony.

David (the Groom) walking his mother, Annie down the aisle. Annie, God love her, was so emotional just before this when her son told her he was taking her down the aisle. So sweet!

Flower girls Rain and Ayla...precious and precocious! The Bride in the background.

The vows were so sweet

Mr and Mrs Nesting!

The first dance

The music

The cake. White chocolate and berries. Yum!

Proud Parents!

The honeymoon on isle St Lucia

Good luck Brie and David. You make a wonderfully special couple!

xox
Mom

A Wedding Toast to my Daughter

2010-09-12T17:34:00.000-07:00

A Wedding Toast to my Daughter

Thirty-Two years ago a beautiful baby girl came home

from the hospital in a special white dress.

Today, she wears another special white dress and

looks even more beautiful.

Brie, I love you. David we love you and wish you

all of the joy and happiness a

good marriage can bring.

Wedding photos to follow...

Nancy

Installing New Carpet: Eeeeeeeeeek...it's Like Moving...TWICE

2010-08-30T16:43:00.000-07:00

When was the last time you had carpet installed? For us it's been about 18 years and it was really time. Last year we put hardwood floors in the kitchen, breakfast area, living room, dining room and study and this year (TODAY) we re-carpeted the bedrooms and family room. The prelude to this was moving EVERYTHING out of those rooms and closets and this was the perfect time to put in new baseboards and do some painting. Talk about a PROJECT! :) We have been very busy beavers, to say the least. First you move everything out...then you get to move it back in again!

This is our dining room at the moment!

You should see the master bathroom!

Here is the living room!!! You can't even see it!

I'm really linking the way the carpet goes around the

new fire stove and wood box. I didn't want basebeboards around it

and I think it is looking nice. See the carpet power stretcher they

are using to install the carpet?

He's almost done with the family room. Time to move back in!

xox

Nancy

Burlap Purse with Shabby Rose

2010-08-19T10:44:00.000-07:00

This summer has been incredibly busy with preparations for our daughter's wedding, the purchase of her and her fiancé's first home, visitors from around the world, business trip to Costa Rica and Honduras for Michael (even though he's officially retired) and ongoing work at the house.

I have a another wing chair slipcover (and tutorial) almost finished but I just needed a break from that project. I saw a darling burlap purse online but it was $95!!!! Now, I can afford $95 for a purse but it was more of a challenge to see if I could make one as cute for a whole lot less than $95. I had just purchased chocolate brown burlap the day before beginning this project along with a darling pink chintz type print for lining. I was originally going to make another tote like the one I made here:

Burlap Tote

....but came up with something different:

Chocolate Brown Burlap Purse with Shabby Rose Tutorial:

TERMS OF USE: This pattern is offered for free with the understanding that my readers will use it for personal use only. Please do not sell this pattern, bags made from this pattern, or bags made from modifications to this pattern (example: enlargements, wider/longer straps, etc.). If you would like to sell the Burlap Bag with Shabby Rose or a bag made from this pattern, please contact me first. When selling or listing this purse, the design credit must be given to Nancy at La Maison Reid with a link to this pattern. I would like to say that I really appreciate the overwhelming support that I have received for putting this Burlap Bag with Shabby Rose out there for everyone to use. It’s immensely gratifying to receive such gracious emails from so many people who are using and enjoying it for themselves.

I made this bag for about $5.50. It was pretty easy to do. I started by cutting the bottom front and back. Cut two pieces 10" high x 18" wide. I made six pleats along the top, each pleat facing the center of the rectangle. After these were pinned in place I basted it on the sewing machine. Do this for both the front and back of the purse. Notice that the top is now curved. The piece that goes on top of this will need to be fitted.

Now measure the width of top (above the pleats) along the curve line with a soft tape measure. Mine measured 13" but this size will depend on how deep you make your pleats. Cut two pieces of burlap 5" tall x width of your top (5"x 13" for mine). Now...when I went to pin this piece on it appeared to be WAY too small. Don't freak out! Just follow the curve at the top and ease it into place. Sew these two pieces together. Now you can start on one side of the purse and sew down one side seam, the bottom seam and then up the other side seam in one swoop! Make your lining exactly like the outside and place it inside, wrong sides together.

I love this lining. Isn't it sweet? Before you sew the lining to the outside make your straps. I cut two strips 22"x3". Sew with 1/2" seam and turn inside out. Put these in between the lining and the outside and sew it all up. On this tote I put the straps side to side rather than front to back like I did in the first Burlap Tote (Tutorial). This is more of a "purse" while the first one I made is more like a "tote."

Now make a shabby rose! Easy to do and lots of good tutorials out there. Two of my favorite video tutorials are here:

Freckled Laundry
and
Crystelle Boutique

I made tiny shabby roses with grosgrain ribbon for this French Feedsack Style Pillow . They are so cute on so many different things.

Now that you can readily get colored burlap it will be fun to make unique and personal gifts. If you use this tutorial and make one for yourself, I'd love to see what you come up with. As usual, if you need any tips or advice or encouragement, I'd be happy to help. Just send me a note.

xox

Nancy

Follow up May 2, 2011

I'm still getting so many questions on how to make this purse so I thought I'd let you know that I've made some changes to and made it even better!

1) I added a magnetic snap. Many tutorials online on how to do this.

2) I added an inside pocket.

3) I made the straps wider and interfaced them as my first purse did not hold up very well without the extra fabric inside. After experimenting I learned that I had to turn the straps right side out after sewing them and THEN cut pelon/interfacing a tad narrower than the strap. I put a safety pin on one end of the interfacing and weave it through to the other end. This seemed to be the only way I could get interfacing in otherwise it was a mess trying to turn them inside right if the interfacing was already sewn in.

4) round the corners a bit so they're not so dog-eared. Follow this tutorial of mine about making better corners on pillows. There is a good photo of how to measure from the corners to get the rounded look:

http://lamaisonreid.blogspot.com/2010/07/french-style-feedsack-fabric-pillow.html
only use these measurements:
measure 3 1/2" from the bottom corner up and 3 1/2" from bottom corner across the bottom. Make dots here. From the corner towards the middle mark 1" in towards the center and using those marks as a guide for curving the corners.
5) I also use iron on interfacing on the body to give it more shape. I'm much happier with these changes!

xox

Nancy

Pavlova: Perfecting a Recipe

2010-08-13T14:17:00.000-07:00

I woke up one Saturday morning not too long ago to find four fresh Pavlovas in the kitchen. My scientist husband decided he was going to perfect his favorite dessert

recipe. After all, the Pavlova is a tradition in his country of New Zealand

and he takes great pride in making a good one.

This one has strawberries, kiwis, and raspberries and whipped cream, a special request of my daughter for her birthday "cake"

Here is the basic recipe and directions:

Four egg whites at room temperature
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Beat egg whites with salt and vinegar until shiny with soft peaks. Add sugar one tablespoon at a time beating until stiff. Add vanilla and cornstarch. Beat to mix. Bake at 250F for 2 1/2 hours. Turn oven off and leave meringue in until cool.

Now take your meringue and spread it on a piece of parchment paper. You can make it any shape you like. We usually make them round to fit a dinner plate but occasionally make it larger and sometimes we make sweet little individual servings.

The traditional Pavlova with strawberries,kiwis, whipped cream and a sprig of mint

And yet another one: Chocolate flavored whipped cream, raspberries

and shaved chocolate.

This dessert is guaranteed to please!
Here are some additional notes from The Professor, my scientist husband:

The egg whites beat better (lower viscosity) if they are warm, and they must be free of any trace of yolk or other fatty contaminants that will reduce foaming of the egg proteins. Adding vinegar and salt at the beginning improves and stabilizes the foam. Once the whites are well foamed, addition of sugar slowly retains the air in the foam but adds the necessary sweetness. Once the meringue mixture is stiff, the vanilla for flavoring and cornflour (for stability) are folded then beaten in. The meringue is placed on parchment cooking paper in an 8" circle (draw it on the back of the paper with a sharpie using a dinner plate as template), and the meringue is fashioned so that there is a wide rim surrounding a central bowl. The cooking should be low (250 F) and long (2 hours), and the oven should remain closed until completely cool. Abrupt reduction of temperature may result in collapse of the soft center, giving you a sticky/chewy center. Still edible, but not as easy to cut or eat. We like to put the whipped cream (whip 1 cup cream with 1 tsp sugar and a few drops of vanilla) and fruit on the Pavlova several hours before eating - some of the liquid from the cream moistens and softens the center of the pavlova. You can decorate the Pavlova many ways... New Zealand tradition includes pulp of the purple passion fruit. Kiwifruit and strawberries are our mainstay (passion fruit being a rare and expensive luxury in California). The chocolate/raspberry decoration was made with cocoa, sugar, and Kahlua in the whipped cream, and shaved chocolate and raspberries on top.

Enjoy! We'd love to hear if you try this and liked it.

xox

Nancy

Flea Market Bain-Marie (and other great finds)

2010-08-08T15:56:00.000-07:00

All polished up and ready to use!

Today we ventured to our annual Antiques Faire in town and came home with some wonderful finds. I saw this copper and porcelain Bain-Marie (double boiler) and couldn't believe my eyes when I saw a $4 price tag. FOUR DOLLARS! These sell new for three hundred dollars!

Before photo

My husband gently hammered out the small ding on the lid. The protective coating was still on the lid and all of the copper was pretty grungy. After a ~~little~~ a LOT of elbow grease it "Shown like the top of the Empire State Building!"

I also paid $4 for the cute zinc pitcher and quickly filled it with flowers from the garden

The blue enamel coffee pot was purchased on our way home from Yosemite National Park two weeks ago. It, too is darling filled with fresh flowers. I've got the "flea market" bug again and hope to make it to the "Foire Nationale à la Brocante et aux Jambons" in Île de Chatou (near Paris) next month and do some SERIOUS flea market shopping! Shhhhhhhhhhhhhh....don't tell my husband :)

xoxo

Nancy

Coffee Filter Frame

2010-07-26T15:49:00.000-07:00

When I saw a coffee filter wreath for the first time yesterday (I know...where have I been...under a rock?) I just knew what I was going to do with that great idea. My daughter just got engaged and had her engagement photos done and this next weekend we are having a gathering of friends and relatives to celebrate.

So far I have just made one wreath but I plan on making at least one other. The photos are so good it was hard to chose which one to use. Here are some of the photos I like. There were 128 and I loved several but here are some I'll use for the party. They were taken in San Francisco. Wish I could show you ALL of them.

This one I will do with filters soaked in coffee to go with the black and white photo.

This is the one in the above wreath that I made today. I used red food coloring to make "pink roses" to go with her pink top.

There are some photos under the Golden Gate Bridge but I don't have those yet.

To make the frame I put coffee filters in a baking dish. I don't use these anymore as I have a fancy espresso machine. I soaked some in coffee and others in hot water with red food coloring and a little coffee. I didn't want the red to be too pink or too red but a bit aged looking. I let the soup brew for 1/2 hour and drained and baked at 250 degrees for about 40 minutes. Then I folded them in quarters.

I cut a cardboard ring and hot-glued the filters to it. Taped the photo on the back and voilà. I'll get some ribbon to hang these with. I also made huge Victorian tissue roses for the party. Can't wait. I know it will be fun.

Here is one with both coffee stained filters and pink filters

This one is mostly coffee stained filters with a few pink.

I also made huge Victorian tissue roses for the party. Can't wait. I know it will be fun.

Burlap Tote with Shabby Rose: Another Tutorial!

2010-07-22T15:33:00.000-07:00

My friend Mary had a birthday last week so I

made her a French Style Feedsack Pillow

and

this tote

I was pretty happy with this, my first attempt at a tote bag.

I started with two 15" squares of burlap. The two pieces are

cut together, right sides together.

In order to have a flat bottom tote rather than a flat sided tote you need to cut out the corners of both the front and the back of the tote. I cut a 2" x 2" square from each corner. Now sew both side seams and the bottom seam.

Now you'll "square the corners." Open your 2" corners. In the above photo the side seam is in my left hand and the bottom of the tote seam is on the right.

Match the side seam and bottom seam and stitch this seam with 1/2" seam. This will form

the bottom of the tote. For the lining I just duplicated the tote, same size but a print fabric.

Put the lining inside the tote, wrong sides together and fold down 1/2" of the lining and 1/2" of the burlap into the inside. Cut two 4" x 22" strips of burlap for the straps and sew a

center seam. Turn them right side out.

Pin the straps in between the lining and the tote and stitch the two together.

I loved the burlap rose tutorial here at Crystelle Boutique
and I attached it with a hot glue gun.

As you can see this is a pretty easy, straightforward project. I plan on making several more although I may try one that is more square and maybe a one strap instead of two tote.
Mary loved both the tote and the pillow!

French Style "Feedsack" Fabric Pillow: A Tutorial on Cutting Perfect Pillow Corners

2010-07-15T09:52:00.000-07:00

The Secret to Good Pillow Corners

I made this pillow out of Osnaburg which is one of my favorite fabrics. It has a natural, hemp or jute look to it but is soft to the touch with a nice slubby texture. Osnaburg is known as the "Mother of all Cottons" and was used as feedsacking in the 1930s through the 1950s and has really made

a fashion comeback recently.

To Make the Pillow

I cut the front and back panels for my pillow allowing 1/2" seam allowance. My pillow is 14"x14" so I cut two 15" squares.

To get great corners without floppy "dog ears" I placed the front and back panels together

and then folded both panels from the top down once.

Fold left to right once

Mark 1/2 way down the right side. Mark 1/2 way across the bottom.

Now mark 1/2" in from the lower left corner. (can you see the little dot in the bottom right corner?)Draw a line from both halfway marks to the corner 1/2" mark and cut along this line.

This is the magic move to making a good pillow.

I downloaded a pretty graphic from Graphics Fairy and printed

it on transfer paper then ironed it on. (Don't forget to print a mirror image!)

I didn't have enough grosgrain ribbon to sew this around in one piece

with folded mitered edges which might have been easier but

I wanted to finish the pillow without making a trip to

the fabric store so I mitered the ribbon and sewed it on using a fine

buttonhole stitch at the miters. Then I made some silk ribbon rosettes.

I just learned how to do this . There are many good tutorials on the web.

This is a birthday present for a good friend. Now I'll have to make one for myself!

Antiqued Watering Can

2010-07-13T16:42:00.000-07:00

I recently purchased a lovely old watering can and wanted to personalize it.

It was actually quite nice as it was but I thought it might be more"me" if
I added a French floral label.

I printed a Graphics Fairy label

on transfer paper, taped it on the watering can

and ironed it on.

The effect is very subtle...just what I was after.

I think I may have to do something like this to my larger watering can!

Make Your Own Chandelier Chain Cover

2010-07-06T12:00:00.000-07:00

You can make your own chandelier cover in less than one hour.

Make it personal to match your decor.

Before

Let's face it. There is nothing attractive about chandelier chains and wires so I decided to make my own chandelier chain cover to match my breakfast nook toile bench seats and matching toile lampshades.

I had leftover toile from making my breakfast nook box cushions. I found matching toile shades for my chandelier on the internet at a price which was too good to pass up and saved me having to make them.

My chain is about 20" long. I cut a 4" strip two and one half times the length of my chain to allow for plenty of gathering. I hemmed both the top and bottom and sewed a scant 3/8" seam.

Once the "tube" was sewn I turned it with a chopstick. I just turned one end in and grabbed it inside with the chopstick and pushed until it was inside right.

You will have to remove your chandelier from the ceiling. Make sure

the power is turned off, first!

In order to get the chain and wires through I tied a piece of string to a rod and pushed that all the way through.

Tie the string to the wire and chain. (Photo only shows string tied to wire. Had to do this step twice to get it right!)

Now pull the string until all of the wires and chain come out

the other end. You're almost done! All you have to do is

attach your chandelier back to the ceiling.

You can make this chandy chain cover and install it in less
than one hour and you can personalize one for every room in your home.
Oh...it took longer to write this post than it did
to make and install this chandelier chain cover!

Winging it: A White Slipcover With a Twist

2010-06-30T12:57:00.000-07:00

I finished my thrift store wing chair slipcover!

I can't tell you what a feeling of accomplishment this is. I have read books and blogs

on how to make a slipcover for a wing chair but just never started. It's pretty scary

but once I started it went pretty quickly.

I started with a pretty ugly thrift store chair. Originally I was going to try my hand

at upholstery but quickly changed my mind and opted to try a slipcover, instead.

When you have four cats who love to lounge on anything upholstered it makes more sense

to slip instead of permanent upholstery. The chair was poorly recovered in the pink/green floral which my husband quickly removed.

Since the fabric was dark I covered it in cheap muslin so it wouldn't

show through the slipcover.

With a staple air gun and two people working, this was a quick job.

Already the chair looks better.

I traveled to Singapore last month and was lucky to find some great, cheap fabrics there. This is a 60" wide white cotton with a linen texture to it. It was $4.10 a meter! Couldn't go wrong with this! I started making my slipcover by draping the fabric over the chair, pinning and cutting. Here you see the fold in the back which

will be the button/velcro opening.

Here is the back piece pinned to front pieces.

more fitting and pinning pieces.

After pinning most of the pieces I added the piping into the seams then basted them together with embroidery cotton. It really held the pieces together more securely than pins and gave me a good sewing guide.

more basting

basted gathers at the arm.

I sewed the main pieces together and made a muslin cushion cover

to hold the feathers I had to add to it.

I then made a made a ruffle and more piping to edge it with.

For the back I made burlap piping and burlap

covered buttons to match.

Actually, I tried to make burlap covered

buttons but they were too flimsy and it didn't work. I went to

my local upholsterer who made them for me for 50 cents apiece. Can't beat that!

The do-it-yourself buttons were $2.79 for THREE and they just collapsed when I

tried to cover them in burlap.

I couldn't be happier with how this turned out and how much I learned doing it.

My new Burlap "Paris" Pillow that I made looks pretty good on it!

Oliver can't wait to get on it! It's his favorite chair.

Care to join me for tea?

Victoria Magazine: The Early Days

2010-06-24T20:47:00.000-07:00

Victoria Magazine 1990

Rose Vine Covered English Cottage

I was chatting with a fellow blogger

Michella Marie

today about the Victoria magazine of the late 1980s and 1990s. If you haven't visited Michella, you owe it to yourself to take a look at her beautiful style. I'm sure we'll see lots more great things from her. Victoria folded in 2004 and was then republished beginning in 2007. I had no idea it was back on the stands! Shows you how often I go magazine shopping.

Remember all of the dreamy whites?

the lace and hydrangeas?

the architectural salvage

who could forget all the lace?

and silk and satin?

of course the roses...

the lavender

the silver

the ephemera

the wicker

Victorian influenced jewelery

never too much white!

I subscribed to this magazine for several years (20 years ago!) and waited each month

for the latest issue to devour. Maybe I'll have to go pick up a new issue!

xox

Nancy

From Another Viewpoint

2010-06-23T11:04:00.000-07:00

A view from my house

Last week I had a visitor from out of state...an old friend I hadn't seen in 28 years! We used to work together as flight attendants...back when flying was still fun. Phyllis took some photos and just sent them to me. It's interesting to see what caught her eye.

The road less traveled? My driveway.

My attempt at a "white village" in Spain. Too bad you can't see all that is actually blooming here now.

A "little" visitor we had one morning!

What would a trip to California be without a short drive to the coast?

Thanks for the great photos, Phyllis. It was good to see you!

Linked to:

A Southern Day Dreamer

Architectural Salvage: Make Some, Buy Some

2010-06-21T14:35:00.000-07:00

My living room/dining room is one big, boring rectangle with no architectural interest whatsoever. When remodeling this room recently we thought about putting in some columns with shelves but that just wouldn't work as it would have cramped the living room. The next best thing would be to have the "illusion" that the two rooms were separated without losing the views from both sides or losing precious space. That's when I started looking for a pair of antique corbels.

I ~~won~~ bought a pair on eBay. Couldn't live without them. You know how that goes! I wanted to hang them between the two rooms. But normally corbels are attached to a beam.

Beam? What Beam?

Not a problem when you have a ~~junk heap~~ corporation yard like we do.
There's some nice aged redwood in there. Just enough for a beam!

We made a trial beam. Thumbs up!

Gerry and my husband (The Professor) building the beam.

Supports are up.

Beam is up. Time to nail it in place.

Oops. Poor baby. Not a good thing to hammer your finger instead of the beam :(

I love my new beam!

Once that finger isn't so sore we'll put the corbels up.

For now the corbels look nice on the sideboard. Can you see the beam in the mirror?

Linked to:

Simply Designing The Shabby NestBetween Naps on the Porch It's so Very Cheri Tip Junkie

Crates: Tins, Trivets and a Planter

2010-06-13T11:29:00.000-07:00

I have always loved old crates and wooden boxes. This one was in my laundry

room for years and has now been upgraded to a place in our breakfast room. It sits in

a sunny corner and makes me smile everytime I look at it.

The colors on this starch crate are very vivid and the corner fingerjointing is a nice detail. Isn't

it amazing how much work went into one box of starch?

Don't you love the picture of the washer women?

My "Apple Crate"

This crate I found in my mother's barn. I call it my "apple crate" but it obviously wasn't built for produce. It was built with square nails and it has hinges (on the right side) indicating it once had a lid. It was probably hung horizontally. It has a double letter tray (on the bottom right side). Maybe a home built wall unit that hung above a desk? I use it to store my tin collection and trivets.

Some tins are old and some are not.

Even a tin from an airline I worked for many years ago!

Perfect place for my trivets on the side

My favorite corner of my breakfast room!

In Loving Memory

2010-06-12T08:18:00.000-07:00

Comet

...the wonder dog

10/18/98...6/12/10

My daughter's best friend and loving companion of 11 years fought a long battle with congestive heart failure and more recently kidney failure.

We will miss you COMET!

Brie and Comet
inseparable for 11 years

My First Slipcover: A Burlap and Muslin Settee

2010-06-10T12:53:00.000-07:00

This little settee was cute
in 1980!

Some heavy muslin was laying around screaming to get

used. The heavy muslin makes up the seating area

and since I had purchased a huge bolt of 60" burlap I thought

I had better start making use of it. Then I dove into the numerous

slip cover books I had purchased and this is what I ended up with:

Side tabs are attached with velcro. Around the top is just a loop.

Velcro all the way around the bottom for the skirt

Bow ties on side are burlap, of course!

I'm so happy with the way it turned out that I started my junk store wing chair

slipcover. It's so much easier than I thought it would be.

Now it will be about an hour before my kitties are on it getting it all furry!
Oh...I made the "Paris" pillow just a few days ago. Here is my tutorial on how I did that:
Making a "Paris" Burlap Pillow
Oh...and the rocking chair re-do was my FIRST POST!
Distressed Rocker....My First Post

Making a Burlap "Paris" Pillow

2010-06-06T14:59:00.000-07:00

So today I started to write about the first slipcover that I made
which was for my settee

but it looked so bare without a pretty pillow :(

I decided then and there to make a burlap pillow to match the

settee's burlap skirt.

I cut the fabric to size.

Then I printed "PARIS" in the font "Castellar" at 200pt size.

This seems a good size for my 10"x17" pillow.

Using a single edge razor blade I cut out just the thick bits of the letters.

I pinned the paper to the burlap. Can you see the burlap showing through the thickest parts of the letters?

I mixed some acrylic black and gray paints together. I think straight black might be too stark. Then I painted my "stencil"

Freehand painting the straight, thin lines was a breeze.

Next I printed an oval shape, cut it out and painted around it. I removed the oval and thickened the line partway around the top and bottom.

I sewed up the pillow

et voilà

Soon I will show this off on my settee!

New Laundry Room

2010-06-05T10:32:00.000-07:00

Who wants to walk in the back door

RIGHT into the washer and dryer? I did that for too many years. It was time for a change.

Out came the old Maytags that I'd had for way too long.

What a MESS!

Enclosure for the new machines begins...

That's a tight fit...but my husband (The Professor) measured twice. Good thing!

Now The Fun Part

We get to reuse the old shutter doors that used to close off my now open study AND the recently purchased "Old Mexican Window" that was originally just going to hang on the wall.

I decided that this would be better as a "window" so The Professor made it into one.

The reused shutter doors have a dark walnut stain but the two new shutters (by the door) are unstained as yet. Would they all look better dark? Or do you think an antiquing or white wash?

The top shutter door has a neat surprise behind it. I'll save that for another post

Can you guess what is behind door #1?

...from the beginning (my first post!)

2010-06-03T13:07:00.000-07:00

Like so many people I have enjoyed reading blogs for years, often concentrating solely on food/cooking blogs and other times only on DIY, design and decorating ones. I have lately been so inspired by one particular blogger who has been ever so generous with her time and talent and advice.

For this reason, I dedicate my first post
to Miss Mustard Seed of Mustard Seed Creations. Because of her help, my brown bentwood rocker (blah) is now happily distressed and loving all the new attention being paid to it. Thank you Miss Mustard Seed!

This rocker has special meaning to me.

It was a gift from my daughter's Godmother and was waiting for me as a surprise the day we got home from the

hospital

many years ago.

Thank you Godmother Jan!

If you'd like to distress an old piece of furniture and give it new life you can follow this tutorial:
Distressing Tutorial from MMS

I cleaned and primed this rocker and then used Sherwin Williams Creamy semi-gloss paint with a sprayer. I distressed the caning and wood with a small electric hand sander and then glazed with an old can of dark stain I had laying around. Good luck!