Tuesday, September 7, 2010

~english farmhouse~

Good morning!

.....rain.

wet.

rain.


well if this doesn't get my mind straight
for school starting tomorrow ~
nothing will!!

I came across this charming English farmhouse,
too darling not to share!

I guess it actually started as 2 little cottages
and they converted it to one.
~*~
How about cozying up to a nice fire
this morning for a little cup of tea
and a browse through a favorite magazine?


ya' know, I think the home we're in
now is the 1st one we've owned without
*gasp* a fireplace.....

I've always wanted to add one....

 my good friend actually just put one in *exactly* like
the one above & they love it.


this home is just so charming & cozy....


love those floors.....
what fabulous patina, huh?


ok....now my favorite detail in the kitchen....
a sofa.....right there to lounge on while gathering
in the kitchen....how wonderful!


I've always loved the idea of comfy chairs
near the kitchen for just that sort of thing,
but this is just so neat.

I am really loving the farmhouse doors
throughout the home~

Their bedroom is nice and neutral....
~with a simple headboard...someone could
easily duplicate!!

{as promised...headboard slipcover tutorial up next!}


more reinforcement of what I need to do in our bathrooms....yep....pronto....

so darling, no?


and the thing about putting sinks into
various pieces of furniture....
it's just not that hard!
so why do I stall?
hmmmmmmm..........


 I wonder if that's an original
pump & well?  probably huh?

looks like the set of a Jane Austen movie....

I'm moving in......

and then I'll start wearing those sweet
cotton dresses like Elizabeth does....
with little boots....



Enjoy your week!



xo,



Shellagh


{all images from Period Living}

Monday, September 6, 2010

~tufted headboard tutorial~

hello there!

can you say, "smells like fall around here?"



yep, it does......

rats.......

I need to get over it....

2 more days & the kids are
back in school...

double rats......

anyhoo.....
the weather is lovely but cooling off for sure
(well it's not like it was blazing hot to begin with)
but it's low 70's all week & clear :)

oh but you know what? I have these little
guys growing in my garden.....yep I do....
I'm sooooooo excited!!!

they are just starting to get bigger~
well for their small little baby -boo size
{love that name.....}


do you like the headboard above?
well it can be yours for a mere $348 at
Urban Outfitters

OR

you can do it yourself for approx $20 give or take
depending on your fabric choice!!

let's get started!

first off run down to your local home improvement store (or into your garage) and get a sheet of 1/4 inch
plywood ~ I got lucky because they had mis-cut pieces in a stack for $1 each!!! so I spent a dollar on it.

 now you need to come up with your shape
and make a pattern on a big piece of paper.

I just took some paper and made an outline of my daughter's headboard (which is a twin), I traced just one side of her headboard and then added a bunch of length to go across the middle and folded it in 1/2 and cut the other side.  I have to admit ~ this phase took me the longest~ it was a little tricky getting the exact shape ~ but you can do it!!


so here we have the shape....now tape it to your
plywood (which is on a couple sawhorses right now hopefully) and trace around the paper the outline
of the headboard.

Next get out your trusty jigsaw
(very easy to use for this, btw, so don't get intimidated!!!)



and cut your shape....
seriously that was the easiest part of the whole thing!!!


 next you're going to draw your lines and mark little x's for the holes, where your tufts will be.

this is where a straight edge comes in
very handy......


once you've got them all marked and you like the pattern....it's time to drill the holes....


now for the soft stuff....you can put away all your tools and move out of the garage!!


oh did I say put away your tools?
how about just the power tools ~

go ahead and grab a staple gun
and start attaching your batting....

I just wrapped it around the edges
and stapled it to the back.

 


now that you have all the batting on it's time
to put on your fabric...

Lay the fabric wrong side up on the floor
and lay the headboard on top (right side down)

then pull the edges snug and
 staple the fabric in place.

here's what it will look like now,
minus the few tufts I already have in place

wow ~ nice blurry picture....sorry guys!


ok the tufting.....the hardest part of the project
unfortunately....
wear gloves!!

so you don't get a big swollen red
finger like so.......


first you need to decide if you want
covered buttons, or what but
for me I went with little squares of fabric
about 1 inch by 1 inch and just centered them over the hole and threaded through it so it would have kind of a raw edge ~ raggy feel.

if you would like a quick hot glue gun method
for covered buttons check out this post

did I mention using a heavy twine-ish kind
of thread?  And a heavy upholstery-ish
kind of needle?

all available at our only fabric store in town, trusty local fabric store,
where they offer nothing but the best customer *cough*cough*
service....


so thread the button through with your big ole
upholstery needle (they're about 3-4 inches long)

and pull it  t  i  g h  t....
this is where the gloves come in....

and staple it in place....several times....
keep going until you've done them all

or until you decide you don't like the shape of the headboard or the fabric (now I would never........)


and start over......




really?




is she kidding us?




no.




not really.




not kidding that is....


cuz you know this is my room ......

and most of you know me well enough
to know that I just might be that insane

{you can read about the transformation


but I didn't like the shape,
or the fabric....



so..............




 off I went to my local home improvement store
to get yet another piece of scrap plywood......


luckily got it for a buck so Mr. T & T
didn't shoot me (his words!!)



and created a slipcovered headboard

like this....


so the moral of the story is.....

"if you don't like it the first time ~
throw it out & start over!!"


next time I'll show you a quick tutorial
on the slipcovered headboard ~
it was actually pretty easy :)


well girls~



time


to


make


the


pillows....


you have to imagine that old donut commercial
"time to make the donuts...."
hee hee.....:)


anyway,
 talk soon my wonderful
bloggy friends!


xoxoxo,



Shellagh



{image 1 urban outfitters, 2 country living, the rest by me!}

Friday, September 3, 2010

~romantic home~

well, hello there!

betcha thought I was not coming back, eh?


I have come up for air.....
for a bit....
then back down to make 40+ pillows......
wow!! I'm busy over here!!


I am not complaining!!!
I am enjoying it all very much ~
I just don't have as much time to come
visit or post ~ but I'm trying to
b   a   l   a   n   c   e
myself so I can do all things ;)

~*~

anyhoo........ have you seen the latest issue of
Romantic Homes magazine????
yummmmmmmm-o!!!


this home (flat) is just amazing!
The couple is from Sweden  ~sigh~
and since for now they can't go back, they've
brought their country to London.

sorry 'bout the pic quality.....I had to
lay out the magazine & snap pics...
 

it certainly doesn't hurt that they are on the first floor of a Mansion right on the seafront.....


evidently, the property was built for friends of King Edward VII when he was the Prince of Wales.

Needless to say, the building standard was
impeccable!


gorgeous.....I love how they use
antique hemp linen rolls for rugs....

and, um....do I see painted wood floors?




need me some of those hemp rolls .....


I wonder if it shifts & rolls all over the place?
I'm sure in our house, it would be a crazy & mushed all around, cockeyed & all within...oh....6 minutes...

sure looks beautiful though~



what a place huh?
there's the cute couple...the lucky owners!

ok, here's one more lovely bit of eye candy in
the magazine, but not the same home...
totally reminds me of Bountiful &
Sue Balmforth's style
 (did I spell her name right?  hopefully!)


and for all of us who endure ceiling fans....
look at that!!  not too bad huh?

ok...now the weather!

just a couple days ago it rained for 2 days....
poured...
58 degrees...
we thought we were in for it ~
but no need to fear ~ now it's mid 80's
phew!! ;)

Hope you are all doing fabulous!
hugs to you all!!


have a great holiday weekend!



xo,


Shellagh


{all images from Romantic Homes magazine}


Tuesday, August 24, 2010

~french farmhouse love~

hello there bloggy friends!

what a beautiful sunny day it is here
in the Pacific Northwest!
apparently it's heading towards the mid 90's today,
a bit of a change from our 60's & 70's of late....
but that's just fine, a few more good swimming days for the kiddos....who are enjoying their last 10 days of summer break.



I thought I would show you a shot
of our front garden while it's still in bloom.....


Oh, I never mentioned our stone farmhouse?


really?



that truly surprises me.....
all the chats, all the pictures....hmmm..


ok.


.....of course it's not mine....



I'm just day dreaming.....
of lavender fields in the french countryside....
of maybe someday....;)



isn't that just the best color of blue for cabinets?
love the rustic door....

and you may not know of my love for exposed beams...
so beautiful.....


I love the turquoise side tables...


what a cute pooch, huh?
and love travertine floors.....what is this though?
carpet on stairs??? whaaaat???

well the house is so darn cute, I can overlook
this small infraction....;)

{my sincerest apologies in advance if I offend anyone who has carpeted stairs!!! ;)
I really don't mind them so much...}





what a lovely home!

speaking of France.....
I thought I would show you my latest creation....


I was having a little fun with some more
french graphics....and came up with a new
chair slip for the linen shoppe!


 



and a little bit of burlap to bring in Fall.....




and


......over in the linen shoppe.....
so go take a look if you like!


have a wonderful week everyone!


xoxo,



Shellagh


{all french farmhouse pics from Period Living}
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