Esprit décor

I just wanted to post a couple items we made for Alec’s graduation party. His high school colors were purple, black & white. His college colors will be purple, black & white. AWESOME!Aside from driving to 7 different WalMarts on 3 separate (stifling hot!) days to find enough purple plates & napkins, these little graduation hats were the most time-consuming project of the celebration.I had envisioned a lovely string of purple bulbs with a black hat affixed to each. Since there were to be 20 bulbs, I decided the cutouts in brim of the hat would say: C – O – N – G – R – A – T – U – L – A – T – I – O – N – S - - A – L – E – C.                     Lovely in theory, but the mortarboards were too broad for the spacing of the lights. <sigh>However, we hung them along the enty arch to welcome guests. (You just couldn’t read what it said…)

The second project I used the electronic cutter for was the name cards for our refreshments.I totally love the little grad cap cutout!

The exhibit on Alec’s gift table was made perfect with the easel I borrowed from my friends’ antique shop. We used it to display his lovely framed praestantia award. And I loved that I could utilize my Wolf dressform to show off the cap, gown and honor cords from the graduation ceremony.

Spring has sprung… (pt. 3)

And now, we come to the “nesting” part of my story…

(This is where my beloved electronic cutting machine comes into play.)

Since there are 3 chicks in my nest… I removed the holiday berries & left the lovely blue eggs.

The Graphics Fairy is a favorite site of mine! Her vintage images are so perfect for cards & other art projects. Today I used a piece of French sheet music. I set it up to print multiples in my Silhouette software.I printed front & back.The cutter sliced such lovely shredsfor me to weave into the nest.Precious, right?
Every nest needs a loving mama & papa…

(mini family photo shoot)

Now the nest is perched above our entrysymbolizing the love nurtured here.

Spring has sprung… (pt. 2)

OK -- we were talking about a young birdy couple needing a place to stay. Well, this space was recently renovated. I’ll show you the “before” & “after” pics:

BEFORE

AFTER

Yes, sometime in the past I had a flair for the dramatic… Believe it or not, this is the entry to the office/guitar/piano studio.

(speaking of renos… my Pinterest board for office redo is screaming to be used! Still trying to figure out how to blend the nautical & music themes…)

Much as I love our monogram being visible upon entering the front door, it didn’t quite convey the cozy factor I want every one to feel in our home. Our nest.But then some vintage sheet music got involved…

Spring has sprung… (pt.1)

Many years ago my dear MIL had a miniature Christmas tree delivered to my door. (It was long before blogs/pictures, so you’ll have to imagine it…) Here’s how that 2-foot tree looks now:Anyhow -- the tree was covered in tiny nests with tiny eggs & lots of birds. Being the hoarder I am, those were saved.But then along came a certain black kittywho dearly ♥s to watch & “play” with birdies.“Who, sir? Me, sir? Couldn’t be, sir.”So I boxed up the surviving birds & nests to give to my craftiest niece.  Well, I saved one nest & a bird couple.

Because I know just where they belong…

Faux Zinc Stencils

I “needed” a few galvanized metal-looking stencils to complete a little tableaux atop my kitchen cupboards.

A stroke of frugality genius compelled me to cut my letters out of 5 layers of cardstock with my #Silhouette and then glue them together for desired thickness. A little black/grey/blue/silver paint dabbed here & there gave the appearance of aged zinc stencils.

My dad had given me the perfect slab of wood a couple years back -- all I had to do was dust it of & then run a light wash of grey over it.Fortunately in the garage I found some small silver-toned nails that looked just right hammered into the corners of the stencils.(I think I only bent one nail…)Ta-da!

 

 

“faux”– boarding

In the two and a half years I’ve been blogging, I’ve seen quite a few fads come & go. Some are understandable while others leave me saying, “Why? Just who thinks this thing/process/color is vital to the existence of every blogging (or Pinteresting) household?”

Having begun my teaching career in the pre-multimedia projector & pre-whiteboard dark ages; I pretty much had my fill of chalkboards, chalk, erasers & chalk dust… That could be why I don’t “get” the current infatuation with all things blackboard. Sure, I would love to get my hands on my grandfather’s 100 year old slate (& hand-carved pencil box!) but painting the side of my refrigerator or entire hallway with chalkboard paint is not quite to my liking.

But this time I have caved (on my own terms) to the decorating dictators who demand a chalkboard in every home. Here is how it came to be:

1. dumpster dive and find a down & out headboard
2. store headboard in garage for 7 (seven!) years
3. find headboard under subsequent crap junk finds
4. dust & displace spiders
5. paint blue
6. decide it needs to be antiqued with black glaze
7. store outside by front door a couple months to determine what the heck to make out of it (seriously!)
8. determine, well, the kitchen décor needs some class
9. paint upper panel with black craft paint
10. letter lower panel with gold Sharpie® Oil-Based Paint Pen
11. determine lettering would be improved with calligraphic border
12. squint and determine “blackboard” would also be improved with gold border
13. use white Sharpie® Oil-Based Paint Pen to impersonate chalk
14. be thankful it will only be viewed from a distance
15. stand on counter to place on upper cabinets & accessorize