Makeover Monday ~ Reviving Tired Linens

I have been hoarding collecting vintage and antique linens for a few years now. A good portion of my collection was acquired while living in Germany. No matter how many napkins and tablecloths I may have, if I see something lovely at an estate sale or flea market it comes home with me. I guess I have an insane desire to rescue cloth. Thankfully I now have an outlet for my passion in the form of Metis Linens.

As you may know I will soon be hosting the High Tea Tablescape linky party on February 23rd. Over the weekend I began rummaging through various closets and chests in search of inspiration for my own tablescape. I was also looking to see which lovely vintage and antique linen pieces could be added to the ever growing prize piles I will be offering at the party. Before to long my house looked something like this:

 

Ok I’m kidding. I found the above picture by googling “hoarder”. :) But I did find that I had no less than four white tablecloths all the same size. I am not even going to admit to how many sets of white napkins I have. (Mr. Décor reads this blog. :)

I decided that I wanted to create a tablescape in a pink and white theme but found out that I owned not a single piece of pink linen. So I selected the shabbiest, dingiest white tablecloth and napkins and headed to the wash room. First I hand soaked everything in warm water and oxy clean to rid the fabrics of any stains and brighten them up a bit.

I then grabbed a bottle of Rit Petal Pink Dye. I do like the liquid better than the powder. I wanted the tablecloth to have just a hint of pink so I added 1 tablespoon to the hot water bath. The napkins received about 3 tablespoons of dye as I wanted them to be a bit more of an intense pink. 

Once the linens were transformed into the wonderful shades of blush and bashful I hung everything out on the line. This is always the preferred choice, versus a dryer, when dealing with vintage and antique linens.

I removed everything from the line while they were still ever so slightly damp to make ironing a breeze. Here is the new pink cloth on the dining room table. I added a cream colored topper so you could better see the contrast.

I then began gathering all of my pretty dishes that feature shades of white, pink and green to use on the table. This dish is one of my favorites. It was a gift from Grandma Jingles and I didn’t even have to “demand” it. ( Smile~ a reference to Saturday’s post.) I just adore how it looks against the pink cloth.

Ok, back to the party. Everyone who links up a tablescape on February 23rd has a chance to win either the highly sought after “Fit For A Queen” or the equally desirable “Royally Scrumptious” winning titles. Of course to have such glorious awards we need a few experts on hand. So I invited two of the best tablescapers in all of blogland. First, we have the beautiful Susan from Between Naps On The Porch. I am sure that she really needs no introduction, but in case you are brand new to blogging, Susan hosts the highly successful linky party “Tablescape Thursday”. Week after week Susan presents such inspired beauty that her images often takes my breath away.

Next, we have my dear friend Yvonne from Stonegable. Now many of you might be familiar with Yvonne’s talent for creating truly unique and original tablescapes. Every time I see one of her designs I think “Love lives in the details.”  But I know a little something about Yvonne that perhaps you don’t. Given that the theme of this linky party is High Tea Tablescapes I think it is fitting that our expert Yvonne is well versed in high tea as she grew up in both Scotland and England. ( I try not to covet her fleur de lis utensil holders.)

 

I am in the midst of rearranging my living room to accommodate such esteemed greatness. I’ve moved in two new chairs. How do like it so far?

So here are a few little sneak peeks of the prizes that await you.

 

I will leave you with a favorite Valentine that I received from dear Nancy of My Crafty Little Page. The image of the wee lad in lederhosen reminds me of my own Sweet boy who was born in Germany.

Happy Valentine’s Day my friends!

XO

Laura

Button, button who’s got the button?

Makeover Monday~ A Wee Footstool and a Question about Round Top

As you may know I have an affinity for footstools. My sweet dachshund Rudi needs all the help he can get jumping up onto furniture he shouldn’t be on. :) I recently redid a sweet gem I found at an estate sale.

In it previous life the legs were made of dark wood that had extensive scratching. While the needlepoint was sweet, it had been very well loved and was fraying through on one side of the footstool and quite thin in other areas.

A footstool is the very best project to begin with if you would like to learn how to reupholster. The cushion on this particular stool was held in place by four screws that were easy to undo. Removing the staples that held the upholstery and padding in place  was next. I replaced the old material with new padding and a yummy nubby linen. While the top was off I sanded the curvy wood legs, gave the entire frame a coat of cream spray paint, distressed it and applied a thin layer of Ralph Lauren “smoke” glaze. 

I would love to know if anyone has attended the famous Round Top Antique Show either as a buyer or a seller or perhaps you have plans to do so in the future. I am interested in hearing about your experiences. Pleas email me at decortoadore@hotmail.com  .

Have a happy Monday!
Laura

Linking To:

Miss Mustard Seed

Cream Puff Disaster and Cute Valentine Tutorial

Oh I knew you would click on that title!  :) Given your delight in reading about embarrassing stories I thought I would share my recent Long Beach Flea Market adventures. I also have a fantastically cute tutorial for you at the end of the post too.

Andrea and I began our day last Sunday at 3:3o am. By 6:30 our simple booth had been transformed into a sea of pink frothy loveliness. Soon after we received a visit from Kymberley Fraser of 3 Fine Grains. The delightful Mrs. Fraser’s designs can be found in a lovely store to adore, A Beautiful Mess, which is located just outside of Malibu.

The store was recently profiled by the New York Times in their Home and Garden section. She runs this fantastically unique store with the ever inspiring Junk Girls.

Over the course of the day the temperature grew warmer and warmer. I saw a lovely sprite of a lady pushing a wonderful oak cabinet through the crowded aisle. I imagine the last thing she wanted was to be stopped. But I piped up “Excuse me, are you Miss Emily?” A ray of sunshine crossed her face. "Yes, I am.” I invited her into the booth for a refreshing glass of pink French lemonade and she accepted.  My hands were shaking horribly as I poured her beverage. For it was this EMILY!

I was oh so ecstatic when Mrs. Henderson won the most recent competition of HGTV’s Design Star. Sometimes nice (and very talented) girls DO finish first! Here is a quote from Ms. Emily’s blog: 

“I believe strongly there is always a time and place for fresh flowers, and that nothing is more important than simply being nice to every person, every day.”

You may know that I feel kindness does count and manners matter. This lovely woman has both in spades. And I am NOT just saying that because she graciously gave us a shout out on her blog. (SQUEAL!) Her new show, Secrets From A Stylist, will begin soon this spring. I will keep you posted as it will be one to watch.

Not a minute after she left I was still reveling in my bliss when I said a verbal faux pas along the lines of “Well, that makes up for Eddie not coming by.” (When will I learn to keep my trap shut?":) Low and behold at that moment Eddie’s dear friend and amazing designer, Amy Meier, was in our booth. You may recognize Mrs. Meier’s tremendous design work from recent articles in both B H & G and Woman’s Day. She has clearly mastered incorporating line, texture and color (the best elements) into her designs. A true talent, I imagine we will be seeing much more of her in the future.  (The following image is one of my personal favorites showcasing her talents.)

I somehow redeemed myself  by revealing to Amy that we had prepared a large basket full of Metis goodness in the hopes that Jaithan and Eddie would stop by. Amy graciously called Jaithan who was indeed at the flea market. Due to scheduling Mr. Ross had to remain on the East Coast, but the ever so dashing and handsome Mr. Kochar stopped by for a visit accompanied by his lovely mother.

In the excited bustle one of Andrea’s yummy cream puffs jumped off of the tray and onto the floor. I then proceeded to step on it and somehow all of its chocolaty center sprayed onto the front of my pant leg. While I tried to discreetly clean my jeans I just had to laugh and thank the good Lord for keeping me humble. Afterwards Andrea said it was probably a good thing Eddie hadn’t shown up as I probably would have peed my pants, versus just cream puffing them. I have to agree. Let it be known that when I am excited, I am quite enthusiastic in sharing my joy. All of the star studded images will be on the Metis blog along with our booth shots by Monday. 

Now onto the tutorial. I adore Valentine’s day and this project is one of my favorites this season. The inspiration came from Lori Marie of  Pretty Little Things and the ever popular Christmas cracker. Here is the supply list:

TP rolls (What will I do when they are finally gone?)

Acrylic paint/brushes (I used Craft smart Espresso, Anita’s Tomato Red and Apple Barrel White ~plus a bit of mixing of the two to create pink)

Egg carton  (Wooden craft discs might also work well.)

Cardstock printed with the words “I Pine for You!”

Heart shaped paper punch

Rayon seam binding in Valentine colors

Vintage spun cotton mushrooms, faux birds, bugs and flowers.

Various small bits of bliss~toys and candy~ wrapped in paper shred to fill the empty tube.

Paint the tp rolls and cut egg carton cups in various shades of Valentine colors. Let dry. In a complimentary color paint a faux bois (fake wood) image onto the tp roll and tree rings inside the egg cups.

Take an egg cup, add a bit of glue and seal the end with crazy psychedelic happiness.

Turn over the tube and add goodies and paper shred to the empty roll. Then, add another crazy cup (without glue) to close.

Slide the printed paper punched heart onto the ribbon and tie around the center of the roll. Glue on the mushrooms or other bits of bliss to finish.

Remember to share the love.

I will keep adding all of the creations shown each week to the grand giveaway pile. Two more projects will be revealed next Friday and the Valentine giveaway will be held on February 4th.

Who or what do you “PINE” for?

Laura

Linking to:

My Romantic Home, Tatertots and Jello, The DIY Showoff, BNOTP, Today’s Creative Blog, Tip Junkie, Someday Crafts

An Unexpected Thanksgiving Table

Ok, I’ll admit it. I am not fond of orange or rust. I like those tones on trees, but not for dining room design. I decided to create a tablescape using colors I adore but would still result in a fabulously fall Thanksgiving table.

Drawing inspiration from an antique Victorian postcard, I began with an antique dove gray Métis sheet topped by a vintage charcoal damask tablecloth.

Colors that pair well with gray are various shades of cranberry~ a perfect alternative. 

Here is a tiny representation of the postcard that provided my color palette. The image makes for a nice place card.

 

I decided to create an alternative twist on the traditional cornucopia. I began with a highly polished silver tray which gleamed beautifully against the charcoal damask cloth. The fall colored flowers were nestled in… what else…a gravy boat. A shower of grapes, fresh cranberries, and nuts spilling from heirloom baby cups completed the centerpiece.

Taking the wrapped candle concept one step further I hand dyed small pieces of antique Métis sheeting in similar gray shades.

In the evening, the candlelight flickers beautifully behind the lovely cloth.

No two medals are alike. A few of the votives were dressed in shades of gray and white.

I wanted the buffet to also feel abundant. Piles of rolls, pumpkin bread and pie look good enough to eat.

Here is a close up of the buffet centerpiece. You can see a larger image of the place card postcard (say that fast 5 times) and another postcard that features cranberry tones. Taller candles add height.

The candles were wrapped similarly to the votives but feature a larger medallion, pearls and crystals. They are nestled in silver nut dishes which feature an inscription to my MIL from a Panamanian women's group dated 1971.

Here is a close up of the velvet and silk ribbons and pretty gems.

How are you decorating your table?

For a complete candle “how to tutorial” please visit the Métis Linens blog.

Laura

The damask tablecloth, charcoal linen napkins, and candle kits are available for sale in the Metis Linen Blogtique.

Harried Mother Hosts Hootenanny

This post is not intended for beatific mothers who plan their polite children's birthday parties a year in advance.

No, this post is for the mother who burns candles not only on both ends, but also in the middle.

Let me start out by saying that I love my children. But I have been hosting birthday parties for over 21 years now. I am tired. This is probably due to always hosting children's events at home instead of locations such as Twinkles Tea Party or Charlie A. Cheese. But this year I begged Sweet Boy to have a party at Peter Peppers Pizza Place.  The thought of planning and hosting a 9 year old boys birthday party left me feeling like this:

I wanted to just press the EASY button. With day to day family responsibilities, two college classes, a design business, launching a second business and trying to build and maintain 2 blogs and 2 websites I needed someone else to do the work. But when you live in a world with children, Murphy's Law will always reign supreme.

Case in point. For years Sweet Boy has been begging for a party at Peter Peppers. But when finally given the option this year he politely declined and sweetly said, "Mom your parties are better than anything else. Can I please have a party at home?" This plea was accompanied by "the look". You know the one.  

 So I sighed and asked "What theme do you want?" As I fully intended to hightail it over to the Party Palace and load up on pre packaged party paraphernalia. His reply, "The Last Airbender". (This is a Nick toon that ended 3 years ago but is still extremely popular. It was also recently made into a movie.) But was there ANY partyware anywhere? No, of course not, because that would be too easy. Even Ebay was high and dry. So I asked "How about a Hotwheels party?" I was once again given the "Puss in Boots" face. So out came the glue, scissors, and scrapbook paper. Let it be said that I am forever indebted to images being available for printing on the web. The little red envelopes were found at my local Asian grocery store.  

The back read:
Airbenders, Earthbenders, Firebenders, Waterbenders
Are you ready to save the world?
Join Avatar (sweetboy) on Saturday, October 2nd
Training will occur from 11 am to 1 pm
The Four Nations will meet at (address)
You can assist in maintaining world order by calling (phone #)

I had to then figure out how I would decorate for such an event.

A trip to the Asian market yielded paper banners, lanterns, and dragons for prices that left me very, very happy.

I draped three yellow paper banners over a plain white dollar store tablecloth. More images were printed from the web and glued onto the front of dollar store cups. A cute touch that doubled as a take home gift were the chopsticks. The morning of the party I found myself in a panic as I hadn't remembered to purchase napkins. Luckily, some leftover Valentine napkins were folded to hide their design and they somewhat fit the bill.

The interior of the house required some digging into Mr. Decor's colorful past. He was stationed in Japan and thankfully we have kept his memento's from that time period.

Yes, the cake was store bought~ and delicious! The red candle, also purchased at the Asian market, is generally used in a Buddhist altar but I thought it made an excellent marker for year 9. Now let me tell you about the cake topper...

I went to 4 stores looking for the 6 inch "Airbender" action figures. Once again the easy button alluded me. I was finally told by a popular toy store employee that the Aang action figure was still available online. I ordered it 2 weeks in advance. The night before the party let's just say that the Toy Was Not Us. Grrrr! I handed Mr. Decor a picture of Aang and Momo and instructed him to "Build something".

Can I tell you how much I love that man? Here, in all their Lego glory, are Aang and Momo.

Almost everyone who was invited showed up. We take a picture in the same spot every year. It is fun to see how the kids have grown.

The warriors thought that Mr. Decor's Asian shirt and Mt. Fuji walking stick were "Cool!".

You know how you can google "birthday party ideas" and numerous sites featuring awesome games and activities show up?. Guess how many ideas showed up when I googled "Airbender Ideas"? Now, you're catching on~ none.
I put on my thinking cap. For the category of Earthbending there were two teams and a pile of small stones. The boys had to walk/run with the stone balanced on the spoon to the opposite end of the yard.  If it dropped, they had to start over.

Next, they developed their water bending skills with a water balloon toss.

Since it was close to 100 degrees the boys really enjoyed this skill.

Cooling refreshments came in the form of juiceboxes that featured Asian characters.

We also had several popular Asian snacks such as the Hapi mixed crackers guarded here by Katara~ a happy meal water bender.

My own little China girl prepared all the food. Cheery red plates held a beige sea of carbs.   In my defense the eggs rolls were vegetarian. :)

The boys happily ate it all.

Afterwards, the boys participated in the fire and air bending categories by enjoying a bit of cake.

Onto the mind bending. I explained the concept of the Chinese Zodiac and how Asian characters are like an alphabet of sorts.

I found a great website that took names and provided a representation in characters. The boys had a fun time trying to guess their names. The take out boxes were purchased at Michaels.

They then had to use their mind bending skills to solve customized puzzles.  

We had a total of six mindbending games.

After completing each game successfully the boys were rewarded with a prize to put into their boxes. Air bending whistles, journey aiding compass rings and Asian themed candy made up part of the loot.

I always photograph each party goer with the birthday boy, showcasing their gift. Afterwards the photos are printed and on the back we write a thank you message. It is a quick and easy way to instill gratefulness in your child, as well as document a friendship.

Tell me what you've done in the name of love~ 500 cupcakes? 40 costumes?