fabric coverings.......

I love storage bins and baskets...they just seem to contain all of my bits and baubles perfectly. I recently recovered several of these bins that once belonged in my sweet pea's room...now they have a fresh new look with a little bit of vintage fabric and some additions to each of them. These are so easy to cover and are sure to become a huge hit in your home....perfect for organizing tid bits and snacks in your pantry, toys in a child's room or nursery, containing bits and baubles in a work space or to house socks or  mittens and scarves this winter.

You will need to start with a few items.....

a collapsible bin

fabric

hot glue gun

sewing machine (or you can sew by hand)

I recently found a few collapsible bins in various sizes at my local dollar shop. I rustled through my vintage fabric stash and found a few fabrics that I really liked and would sufficiently cover the bins. Now measure your bin and cut out pieces that measure properly for your 4 sides and bottom of your bin. Now cut another set (one set for the outside and one for the inside of the basket). Stitch all 4 sides to the bottom portion.....now place your bin in the fabric liner.

Your bin is starting to come together....eh? Now stitch the other 4 sides together to the other bottom portion. Once all of your fabric pieces have been stitched together you can place the inner lining inside your bin. Now heat your hot glue gun and get ready for some fun. Once your glue gun is ready you can start running a small bead of glue around the outer portion of the top of the bin...roll your fabric under just a bit and glue in place. You will continue this step all the way around the outer portion of the basket....this will give you a nice clean look all around your basket. 

Now you could add a vintage brooch or clip a vintage flashcard to the outside....adding a bit of fluff. I think these would be darling as a cute container to fill with baby goodies for a baby shower. Now fill it up.....enjoy!

making memories.....

I have been wanting to create a memory board for my daughter for some time now....finding the right frame was the first thing on my list. Thrift stores are a perfect place to find inexpensive picture frames. 

Once you find just the right frame you will need to take it apart to prepare your frame for some lively paint. I sanded the frame to prepare the frame and gave it a lovely, fresh coat of white spray paint.

You can use chicken wire or a lightweight gauge fencing wire....I used some wire that my parents had laying around the farm.  Cut your wire to fit the inside groove of your frame and staple in place on the backside.  Add some cute clips or clothespins....and viola'....you have an instant memory board for your office, bedroom or kitchen. I was lucky enough to find a package of vintage white plastic clothespins for a really cute look. Now it's just time to fill it up with inspiring items.

a little bit of this....a little bit of that.....

As school has resumed it seems like I have been busier than ever.....doing a bit of this....and a bit of that. My sweet pea's birthday is next week and I have been busy making some spa robes for each attending girl for my sweet pea's spa themed birthday party.

Busy making vintage fabric napkins.....

Painting the house....love our newest shade that has made it's way to our bathroom.

Found some nifty vintage decals and added them to some recycled pickle jars.

And covered some cube storage bins for some fab storage in my studio space. I am working on adding more Halloween goodies to my shop soon.....stay tuned.

a doily of a dish.........

As summer winds down and the kiddos are back in school....I thought I would continue with a few last tutorials. This one is something I have been wanting to do for awhile now and finally decided to just go for it. We all have vintage doilies that are cluttering up our spaces here and there....a few that possibly can be parted with. Today I am going to show you how to create doily dishes. You will need:

doilies (any size will work....preferably something shaped in a circle)

fabric stiffener or glue

paint (optional)

a sponge paint brush (optional)

clear wrap or foil

bowls (to use as molds for your dishes)

Now to get things started you will need to lay out your doilies to see what sizes and shapes you have. I found 4 bowls that looked to be about the right size to drape my doilies over. Turn your bowls upside down and cover with foil or plastic wrap to protect your bowls for future use. I also cover my work surface with a plastic trash bag or you could use an old drop cloth.

Next pour some of your fabric stiffener or glue into a plastic bowl (this is a great time for those empty plastic butter containers). Take your doilies one at a time and immerse into the fabric stiffener or glue. Squeeze any excess from the doily to ensure the doilies are wet but not dripping. Place the doilies over the bowls for the look you are wanting to achieve. The finished product bowls will be sturdier if the doilies are smooth all the way around the outside of each bowl. I wanted a rumpled look....so my smaller ones are scrunched up around the edges.

Now allow the bowl to dry for 24-48 hours until hardened. I then decided that I might like the bowls pink. So before I took the bowls off of each form I mixed more fabric stiffener and a bit of craft paint in my container and brushed the mixture over each bowl. Let dry for 24 more hours and take off of each form. The you will use the same mixture of fabric stiffener and paint and paint the insides of each bowl. Allow to dry for another 24 hours and viola'.....you have some cute little dishes for collecting jewelry, treasures and trinkets. The extra coats of fabric stiffener or glue will give your bowls extra strength an stability. Enjoy!

What Cheer......

The past two years I have taken a little trip to a place called What Cheer, Iowa....what a charming little town. They host a HUGE outdoor flea market every year that is a must go to event. I always find oooodles of goodies and treasures. This year's finds were some lovely vintage hankies......

 some extremely adorable vintage fabric.....

 a cute set of vintage kitty cat pillow cases.....

 doilies galore.....

the sweetest vintage baby shower wrapping paper......

vintage dime cards with the sweetest little animals.....

 2 vintage shabby chic hats.....

 a really sweet old book....the outer cover is in terrible shape...but the pages inside are perfect for framing.

 This sweet pink lil' wee box....it has a divider inside that can be taken out if so desired....I love it!

Pretty pink plastic basket.....

a big ol' stack of vintage quilt blocks with sweet Grannies names lovingly stitched to each one....

 a vintage terry cloth table cloth and a towel.....

a  vintage aqua chenille bedspread....

la la lovely vintage sheets....and a few other lovelies. My favorite items were a vintage metal beat up tea pot with 2 holes cut into the top portion and succulents growing out from all sorts of openings and an  old rusty metal container that I am also wanting to plant some succulents in. Ahhhhh.....the joys of a flea market!