Clothes Line + Photos + Art = Wall Decor

Do you remember this photo from my headboard slipcover post?

It's from Pottery Barn and it was just the inspiration I needed to help me fill up the wall that our bed is on. That wall has been blank for over 2 years.

This afternoon I remedied that.



I started by drilling holes where I wanted my knobs to be (which in this case are actually curtain rod finials), then screwed them into the wall.


Then I just strung some grass rope (found at a thrift store) between the two and began attaching photos and illustrations using vintage clothes pins.


I found this ancient copy of "Wood's Natural History For Youth" on Ebay. This book was very fragile, which was perfect for this project. The front and back covers weren't attached anymore and the pages were practically coming apart on their own already.

But look at those beautiful illustrations.

I bought 6 of these old botanical prints on Etsy and will probably frame the other 3.

Wooden clothes pins like these are pretty easy to find at thrift stores and dollar stores, but I wanted vintage ones so I turned to Etsy.

Also included on my line are black and white photos of my husband and I and each of our children...



...as well as these photographs of mine and my husband's initials with a heart between them that I bought from Etsy seller Java Jane Designs.

I think it still needs something, though. Maybe some maps that are larger than what's already up there. It needs a little color, too. Not much, but a little.

Anyway, I like it. Much better than a blank wall. :)

Dressing the bedroom

I have a lot of infatuations. Polka dots, birds, boxes, embroidery, baskets, leather, vintage stuff, furniture... the list could go on and on. But one infatuation that's stayed with me for quite some time is this color. I don't know what to call it. It's blue, but with some gray and green in it, and I've loved it since before it became a fad.

After slip covering my headboard I decided the bed needed some color. The whole room, in fact, was really very plain with lots of brown and cream and white. Some throw pillows were in order.

So I went back to Joann and bought another couple of yards of that nice flax-colored cotton fabric. I'd also scored a brand new 84" embroidered curtain panel at my local Goodwill for $5, which gave me TONS of lovely blue fabric with some cream embroidery down one side. About a year ago I'd found another brand new curtain panel there, made of the same fabric but in a different style, which ended up in our guest room (shown below). Weird, huh?

Anyway, over the past couple of days I've sewn up some pillows.

This one I used a basic applique technique to put our monogram in flax on the blue background, with some crocheted trim from a scarf I'd already started to cut up.

A bird silhouette (of course) using that lovely blue and, again, a basic applique technique.

I had to make a pillow form for this one because I wanted a rectangle shaped pillow. I love that embroidery so, so much!

Not sure what to call this technique- "sloppy applique" maybe? (Click the image for a closer look.) It was pretty simple. I drew the letters onto a rectangle of white linen with a disappearing ink pen, then pinned the whole piece to the flax background. I stitched around each letter with a regular straight machine stitch, then cut a scant 1/4" away from the stitching to remove the excess fabric. That 1/4" frayed nicely in the wash, but I think if I were to do it again I'd make my letters thinner. They seem a little too chunky to me.

But I couldn't just stop with the bed. I had to redo a few other things around the room. I replaced the embroidered cream sheers with my favorite blue, tan and brown striped curtains...

...and removed the big, framed tulip print that had hung above our dresser since we moved in with something smaller.

These lovely tin bird pictures were found at our local Dollar Tree a few months ago. I stained some old wooden drawer pulls, used Liquid Nails to put small penny nails into the screw hole in each one, then used them like giant thumb tacks to hold my twine-strung pictures.

Last night I found two white fabric lamp shades on clearance at Target, so now the only remaining green in the room is on our bedside tables, which doesn't bother me at all.
I'm still planning to use this treatment above our bed and am working on collecting photos and old botanical prints and other images to hang. I bought some vintage clothes pins on Etsy and am sooo excited to get that wall decorated- at last!

Trying something

A couple of weeks ago I decided I wanted to try making a necklace for myself. Nothing complicated, just something simple, long and sparkly. I've tried my hand at jewelry making before, but I always shy away from projects that require expensive supplies and tools.

I love smoky quartz, so I bought some nice big, round, faceted beads on Etsy, as well as 3' of delicate gold chain.

Today I found some gold plated eye pins and a set of tiny jeweler's tools at Michael's. I couldn't wait to try them out.

It's far from perfect, but I really like how it turned out. A little fancy, yet a little quirky with the beads spaced unevenly. No need for a clasp. Just right!

And just how I imagined it. I think it'll look nice with the outfit I'm assembling to wear to my brother's wedding. That smoky quartz is a winner.

I Heart Etsy

I just need to express my love for Etsy and its artists. I only discovered it last February, and immediately fell in love. I've bought SO many things there since, but never once felt guilty about it because I knew I was supporting someone much like myself- someone trying to earn some income using their talents and ingenuity. Seriously, I could write pages about how great their website is, but let me just show you. Here are a few of my recent purchases from various artists who reside there:


These cute number stamps by WillsArt are perfect for the size tags that I make for my shoes. They came unmounted, but all I had to do was glue them to these wooden circles that I found at a craft store. They're awesome, aren't they??



This is a custom stamp made just for me by craftpudding. I just e-mailed in a drawing of what I wanted, along with my specifications for dimensions and voila! - my very own birdie stamp!!



Made from a little bowl in my favorite color, this pincushion by natalierensink was just what I needed to corral my various needles and odd little sewing bits. And, yes, that is a mountain of unfinished shoes waiting patiently behind it.



I couldn't resist this poster by BluLima. It gives me encouragement every time I look at it and is currently sitting on my desk behind my postage scale, just needing to be nailed to the wall.



These brass floral bookmarks from DownToTheWireDesigns came to my rescue when searching for an inexpensive yet personal Mother's Day gift. I got one for my Mom and one for my Mom-in-law. I made the tassels myself and etched a little message to my mother on the back of one.



These two pairs of sterling silver earrings were made by silverbeadsandclay and are some of my most often worn pieces of jewelry. I absolutely LOVE them! The tear-drop pair was actually somewhat of a custom request, which makes them even more special to me.