Decorating for Easter II

I don't go all out with Easter decorations around my house, but I do like to add a little bit of vintage look to the dining room buffet.

I began with an embroidered cloth I purchased in Paris 10 years ago. Then I layered on fun decorations I've collected over the years. Above is a chick pulling an egg cart, holding a filigree egg. It was from TJ Maxx, if I remember correctly.

Under the dome is real paper grass and three old pompom chicks. One was always in my Easter basket when I was a child. I remember having it when I was three years old.

A wood Easter sign from Hob Lob two years ago.

Cute chick egg cups, also from Paris, with painted wooden eggs in the cup sections. The eggs I purchased many years ago at Michael's; they were painted a shiny white. This year I rubbed them up with a sanding sponge, then I painted them pale blue with Martha Stewart's craft paint. I might speckle them with a bit of brown, but maybe not. I haven't decided.

In the black flower bucket I created an Easter tree with crape myrtle branches, sprayed white. Decorated eggs hang from it. It doesn't photograph well, so it's not shown.

I'm linking to Met Monday at BNOTP.

Decorating for Easter

The ladies Aesthetics Team at church spent the afternoon decorating the church for Easter today. We dragged out two huge tubs of silk floral supplies and then we sorted through them, looking for spring-like colors. After grouping like with like, we made bundles of each group, then wrapped them in brown paper. We gathered up assorted tin pails and buckets and plopped the paper-wrapped bundles inside.

Gathered together on the narthex table, under a large mirror, it looks like a French flower market. Very festive and springy!

The Greens Got Me

In the garden center I was drawn to the fresh, new plants they were unloading. I decided to strike while I could: I bought 4 pots of herbs, 6 tomato plants, a 4-pack of crookneck squash, 7 strawberry plants, a 6-pack of dianthus, and a bag of stargazer lilies.

At home, I finally, finally had more than enough plants to fill up my now-vintage strawberry pot. This pot was a housewarming gift 30 years ago, and I have never filled all the pockets since that first season. It was high time, don't you think?

Pinterest Craft Day 2

A group of six ladies met today for another Pinterest Craft Day. We decided to try out various methods of getting a photograph to a canvas. We had mixed results - some were successful; others not so.

Trish used a color photo enlargement from a photo processor. After painting the sides of her stretched canvas with acrylic paint, she used Mod Podge to glue it to her 8"x10" canvas. Once it dried, she covered it in a layer of Mod Podge. It turned out very well.

Trish also tried the same process on a color copy from her home printer. The thinner copy paper wasn't happy with the wet Mod Podge; the paper bubbled as it dried. Trish ended up ripping that paper off the canvas.

Heather took her thumb drive to a copy and print center, where she asked for an 11"x14" laser print on standard paper. She painted her canvas with a thick layer of gloss gel medium, then turned her paper copy upside down onto it. She rubbed it down thoroughly and left it to dry. It wasn't dry by the time she left, so she will finish the process tomorrow. She will dampen the back of the paper, then rub it gently until the paper comes away, leaving the image on the canvas. She's excited to see how it turns out.

Greta used a photo enlargement like Trish's, only hers was a large 16"x20" color print. Even though it was huge, it turned out beautifully too. It truly looks like a professional portrait from a studio. Greta's only difficulty was that the print was so large that she needed another pair of hands to lay it on the canvas straight.

Joyce was quite frustrated with her attempts at this craft. Using her home printer, she printed several 8"x10" images onto clear transparency film, only to have them rub off, or get rain-spattered. At the copy center, their machines couldn't enlarge her 4"x6" image on her thumb drive to the size of her 8"x10" canvas. So she had them make a laser print in the smaller size on transparency film. She coated her canvas with a thick layer of gel medium, rubbed the transparency ink-side-down into the gel medium, and nothing transferred to the canvas. She tried assorted tools and nothing worked. She was able to transfer her inkjet-printed images to a file folder, but that's not the craft she was hoping to make today. She ended up without a completed canvas today.

Adie used an 8"x10" photo print also, but hers was black and white. She also painted her canvas edges with acrylic craft paint. She glued the photo to the canvas using Mod Podge, then, once dry, she sanded the edges of the canvas and print to soften the hard lines. She gave it a final coat of Mod Podge, experimenting with a satin finish and a matte finish. Everyone agreed that the matte finish made a more professional-looking canvas.

Kathy ended up having to drive carpool and didn't have enough time to begin her project. But she was interested to see the results the other ladies achieved.

I'm joining the Met Monday party at Between Naps on the Porch.

Framed

Last week I finally finished framing this antique beaded handbag, handed down from The Professor's grandmother. I used a shadowbox I already had, painted from white to black (actually oil rubbed bronze), and I stretched a linen-colored fabric over the backboard. By punching tiny holes in the backboard, I was able to sew the tiny hooks for the handle to the fabric and backboard. That is what keeps the handbag in place. The cording handle is tucked inside the purse for display.

My progress on the family room wall. I'm working on getting more artwork up in the frames.

And a view of the room.

Garage Sale Season Begins

Today was the first real day of garage sales again, after the winter break. Technically, we see a few scattered sales all year round, but from week to week there aren't enough during the cold season to make a special trip out.

Today was great!

Shown above, I bought:

30 wooden suit hangers for the church costume closet: $1

For David:

8 place settings pottery dishes (one dinner plate missing): $6

Baking pan: $1
Roasting pan: $1
3 kitchen gadgets: $1

For myself:
Hot tray: $1
2 boxes vintage game pieces (original Monopoly metal game pieces and wood houses): $1
Antique bonnet: $1

The final item I bought, but haven't photographed or picked up yet (I need help), is a chest freezer for Heather and Jared. It was $25.

I'm very pleased that I did so well on the first day of the season.

Strawberries

Today's deal: fresh strawberries at Aldi.

I bought three big flats, holding eight boxes each, or 24 boxes total. Each box contains one pound of berries. My cost? $6 for 24 pounds. 25c a pound. That's not a joke.

Most are going in the freezer for smoothies.

Pinterest Craft Day

I hosted my first-ever Pinterest Craft Day this afternoon.

The idea for this came from my friend Kathy, who wondered when we could get together to do some of these crafts that so many of us pin on our Pinterest boards, but never get around do actually doing. I thought getting together was an excellent idea - so I chose a date and time and sent out invites to friends who might be interested. Greta chose this simple craft for our first meeting, and I wrote up a supplies list.

Four of us met this afternoon to create our 3D paper cuts. Kathy and I chose to do apples, Heather did pears, and Greta did Easter eggs! I think they all turned out very nice.

It may be hard to see in the photos, but each piece of fruit (or egg) is 3-dimensional. Each is made up of two identical paper shapes stacked together, then folded and stitched down the center. The top layer is then fanned outward to create dimension. The stem/leaf part is painted on. Heather and Greta weren't able to add the details because they were late in starting: Greta worked late and Heather had to take a little one to the doctor for ears.

February Goals Accomplished

At the beginning of February I posted my goals for the month. How did I do? Here is a recap:

1. Do a birthday party for the three February birthdays in our family. Done

2. Create winter decor for the mantel and the dining room sideboard. Done
3. Restain and urethane family room coffee table. Done

4. Celebrate our wedding anniversary with a trip to a cute coastal town. Done

In Forsyth Park

5. Have contractor do repairs to our master bath. Done6. Clean up the garage. Still not done. I need help with this, and help seems to be too busy.

I did a few other things, too, that weren't on my original list.

1. Our washer broke and it took over a week to get the new part installed. In the meantime I used the laundromat.

2. Had the contractor fix the huge cracks in our kitchen ceiling while he had a crew at our house. He also installed 5 recessed fixtures, solving our lighting dilemma in the kitchen.
3. Primed and painted the bathroom and kitchen ceilings.

4. Re-caulked the bathroom shower.

5. Made two sofa pillows.
6. Painted a stack of frames black.