miniature slipcover

Have you ever slip covered a couch? Me either....until just a few days ago!

When I was a young girly girl like my sweet daughter Haven, My Daddy made me a doll house for Christmas. He wasn't Daddy then by the way, cuz I was born a Yankee, but now I'm an old southern gal, and he is Daddy now, at least in my mind. He is still Dad out loud though, not sure why. So back to the story at hand...He didn't make it from some prefab kit, in fact I don't even think he had any plans. I still remember that towel over the window to the garage around Christmas time, and the hoping that whatever was being made behind closed doors in Dad's workshop, was for me. Fast forward a couple gazillion years, and that same dollhouse made an appearance under our tree this year for someone who had been quite the good girl.

This keepsake had seen better days my friends, let me assure you. My Mom (she's Momma in my mind)had decorated it with loving care, and lots of very long lasting glue. I had to sand for an eternity! It is only by the grace of God that I still have the old relic, well, grace, and a very endearing husband who has lugged the thing from here to kingdom come through like a catrillion moves. I can't believe it's still in one piece, guess Dad used some strong glue too!

Any how, I sanded, and painted, and re-decorated, and it was a BIG surprise, very much enjoyed by our own little girlie girl, Miss Haven Dorothy.

We didn't fully furnish it cuz,....well, cuz that's the fun of it right? Well, Haven felt sure that I could make a couch , and when someone has total faith and confidence in you, how can you not try? so I strapped a bit of duck tape around a piece of packing foam, and then sewed a bit of cream corduroy, and called it a couch, all 4 inches of it!

Check out that Heather Bailey wall paper people. This "family" is livin large!

"glass" tiles in the Kitchen back splash, and original filo dough earthen ware dishes!

Not sure who that is playing the piano????

oops, updated to say I meant Amy Butler wallpaper....

No offense Heather, you are both equally wonderful designers!

check out other cool things people make at

make it for Monday at Cottage Instincts, and

make your Monday at Twice remembered, and

sheet music wreath ornament

Handmade gift idea # 4

I recently discovered THIS blog, and have been inspired numerous times by the projects there. This is a simple project, found HERE, that I had a lot of fun doing. I am going to use it as a hostess gift for a tea party that the girls are invited to later this morning. It would be a small gift, good for SS teachers, nursery workers, neighbors...etc. It would also serve well as a package topper, or goody bag tag. I chose to make it out of Hymn book pages, as I liked the project instructions sheet music example, but the possibilities are endless. It would also be fun to use magazine pages, or an old children's story book. Of course there are all kinds of scrap booking papers that would be beautiful, or you could even use wrapping paper, or old Christmas cards. My Haven plans to make one for a decoration for her bedroom door! Why don't you try it, it's a quick and easy project, and could serve as a lasting source of encouragement for someone in your life!

A Banner Tutorial

Christmas gift idea number two

If you have seen all the banners around lately, then you know that not only are they very much where it's at, they are for every occasion. I love them, and after making one for Haven's 8th birthday back in 2007, I have been loving them!

How about a banner for that special someone with their very own name, or an encouraging word, like: SPECIAL, or CREATE, or GROW....etc... You can make birthday banners, business banners, or simple welcome banners. They can come in all sizes and shapes, fonts, papers, or cloth....you name it, it can pretty much be a banner.

Here is my latest Christmas banner, JOYEUX NOEL, or french for Merry Christmas. I used to think NOEL meant NO ROOM, you know, like what the Inn keeper said to Joseph when he was looking for a space for his very with child, betrothed, Mary, to rest after their arduous journey on Donkey back, to Bethlehem. I don't know where I got that, Now I imagine singing....No roo oom, no o room, no o room, no room....born is the ki ing of Is is Ry al. Whatever. Any way I was recently set straight, and to commemorate my new favorite french saying ....I made, what else, ....but a banner.

There is like a gazillion trillion ways to make a banner, but I will attempt to explain how I did this one. Make it as easy as possible, don't stress, it's only an heirloom that will be passed down for generations to come, with your name attached, but, no worries. Let's begin, shall we?

First, decide on colors, and shapes. I just gathered red and green fabrics from my stash, and some large chip board scrap book letters. I painted the letters all white (they were bright pink!). I cut 10 circles out of the fabric, about 7 inches across, and ten more out of white for the back, and ten more out of quilt batting. I only had the fluffy stuff on hand, in hind sight I think the thin kind would have worked better.

I sewed the pieces together, with prints on top, white on bottom, and batting sandwiched in between. I stitched it like a pie for stability, but you could do it any way you would like. Then I cut around the outside with pinking shears to give it a cute edge. If it ravels a bit, that will just make it more handmade and cozy.

Then I measured a strip of checkered bias tape to the length I wanted, and spaced the circles on it, remembering the letters that I was placing, and where the space between the words would go. I allowed the circles to overlap a bit. Then I pinned each circle to the bias tape, and sewed in place.


When each of the circles was secured to the bias tape,(you could use ribbon by the way), I glued down the letters. Then I embellished each letter with a bit of Christmas cheer.

After letting the glue dry, I hung on the mantle. Banners are fun, and personal, and really easy to make! I hope you will try it!

Here's the one I made for Thanksgiving. It was super simple, just glittered letters I backed with fall paper, and then strung on a orange ribbon. The craft stores are full of pretty letters made just for projects like this!