Armchair Makeover

I saved a life. Okay, it was a chair. But it felt very life-or-death at the time. This poor little armchair was on the brink, and I pulled it back from the... from the... curb. Yes, I picked it off the street. And I have to admit,  at the time, it really looked the part. It had a Robin's egg blue pleather seat (ala That Seventies Show) and poop brown varnish.

After a few good coats of Krylon, my orphan chair got a recovered seat and a new home next to my vanity. (I have a fundamental belief that anything can be better with a coat of white paint.) My motto... I don't have one. But if I did, it would have something to do with Laura Ashley... and probably cookies :-)

Fireman Brothers Lamp

Stopping at a garage sale after work this summer, I found this awesome brass lamp. The woman (who probably didn't have a clue if it was true or not) told me the lamp was close to a hundred years old. The wiring looks antique enough, although still in working condition... The maker's mark reads "Fireman Bro., Brooklyn NY". After a few mintues of unfruitful research online, I decided I could care less what it's worth. It's good enough for me! I added a cheap shade and I spent a whopping $14.00 on my new little lamp :)

Paper Wreath

Another Pinterest idea :) The only variation I made here was that I originally found a wreath made of sheet music- and I couldn't part with that much of mine. So I found a dumb old novel I never liked anyway and went to town ripping out its poorly written pages for my wreath- no remorse. (I hope it wasn't a first edition or anything. Maybe I would have just a tiny bit of remorse then...)

This is a pretty plain version of all the things you could do with this, though... You could add a bow, or a few flowers, or both. Hang it with a yard of lace? Tons of ideas. But you get the point.

Christmas Pinecone Wreath

I've had these mini pinecones sitting around since last year. (I'm not a procrastinator or anything.) Originally, I wanted to use them for decorating a topiary... but with Christmas coming, I decided a wreath would be just as well- and easier to finish. The red ribbon, I bought in the holiday isle of Dollar General. And the little foam wreath body is from Hobby Lobby: $4.95. Total cost for cute Christmas project $5.95 :-) That makes me so happy... I added a little vintage button to hold the ribbon in place, and hung my new wreath on the mirror above our fireplace.

Etsy Sale

I just made my first Etsy sale!! I'm so excited. Here it is:

Dainty Gloves

Yay! And more items to be added soon...

Barbecue Wraps

Oh, seriously. I don't even wanna think how many calories are in these things, but you've got to try them!

1 can shredded chicken, drained
1 pkg. cream cheese
8-9 tbs. barbecue sauce, more to taste

Heat in the microwave. I make this the filling for a quesedilla wrap, usually grilling the wrap in a little butter and vegetable oil. Yum! Stupid easy and delicious.

Floral Frogs

So, floral frogs are way out of date. The first time I saw one, I had no idea what it was. But one road trip, my friend and I picked up a few at an antique store north of Bowling Green, KY. Asking the woman at the counter what in the world they were used for, she told us that women used to put them at the mouth of vases for "that perfect flower arrangement". Call me crazy, I don't think I'd ever bother so far as that; but they're a testiment to a time when women took homemaking much more seriously than they do now. I personally like the idea of using them as paper weights, pen holders, random points of interest on a bookcase- whatever. They're weird but great.

Old Clothes Quilts

I'm a terminal saver. If I think there's a good use for some old piece of whatever, I'm going to hang onto it. Old clothes included. And sometimes, I'm not gonna lie, it's more than economy. I tend to have an emotional attachment to things that've been around my life forever. Sometime over the summer, however, I decided it was time to clean out the back of my clothest and do something with these things I never (and for good reason) wear anymore.

I took a plain pattern and used these old clothes as the material.

Done!

And just a little embroidery...

But my favorite are the jean quilts. Love! My grandmother gave me this idea; she made something similar out of her children's old jeans as well. Growing up with everyone in our family coveting that blanket, I decided to make one of my own... Or two.

Piecing things together...

This one is my favorite. (It literally weighs thirty pounds!)

Pinteresting Planters

So my next project is to find some out-of-the-norm planters. I have several new starts of houseplants that need a home, and I'd really hate to give them usual, hum-drum starter pots.

The lastest thing I've tried has been a vintage candy tin (flea market find for a whole 50 cents!!). I squeezed ultra-black into the corners to prevent any leakage, and planted some monkey ivy in it. Love! Now to find some more Pinterest-worthy projects :-)

Etsy

Love, love, love Etsy! It seems like everybody's into handcrafted items nowdays- and who's to blame? I don't have to tell you all the reasons handmade is better than store bought. (Thanksgiving is a testiment to such things.)

I had to get on the bandwagon too, although I couldn't leave out my first love- vintage. Check out my Etsy shop- SouthernAsSweetTea.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/SouthernAsSweetTea