Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Making a faux fireplace

Thinking about the cosy and wonderful feeling that warms my heart when I look at a fireplace, I can't avoid feeling envious of those who have fireplaces in their homes. Especially on these cold days, having a fireplace is really advantageous. Christmas is the perfect time to show off the fireplace, and create a sumptuous back ground for entertaining friends and family. I don't have a fireplace so I put my motto in practice--"If I can't have it, I will make it" so I decided to make my own cosy fireplace.


I covered the entire piece with all-purpose joint compound to make it look like stone with a putty spatula.

To make the designs on the mantel, I used my cake decoration kit.

For the inside brick wall, I covered the back piece with a thin coat of all-porpose compound. Then, I made lines with a flat screwdriver to design the brick, and let it dry completely.

I painted the brick in acrylic burnt sienna paint. Then I  painted the lines in grey.
I mixed burnt umber, black and blendeing medium paint. Then I applied it with a wet sponge, and removed the excess with a wet sponge.

I din't want sharp corners.

Now I can enjoy the feeling of having a fireplace and decorate it for each season. I'm really happy with the result. I love it.

Some inspiration source that I found at Colonial homes magazine.
~ Have a wonderful day and come back soon~

















Monday, November 15, 2010

Poinsettias--another flower you can make using my dough

At this time of the year when we are full of enthusiasm to decorate our homes for the holidays, I would like to share this poinsettia arrangement that I made using my dough. I'm not showing how to make the poinsettias in this post , but I wanted to share with you the many things you can do using this ceramic russian technique.

Use your creativity and you can accomplish any project you want using this dough. I will show how to make these poinsettias and the grapes on a future post--they are easy to make.

"Poinsettias have their roots in Mexico. According to legend, a poor Mexican boy sheepishly approached the creche in his village church on chrismas eve. It was customary to leave gifts for the Christ child, but the boy had none to give. As the lad knelt in the snow to pray, a scarlet plant emerged from the frozen grown, and the boy presented it to the babe in the manger. It became known in Mexico as Flor de la noche buena. In 1928, an American named Joel Roberts Poinsett was visiting Mexico and came across the plant. He brought it back to America where it was renamed for him. Today, Poinsetias are as closely identified with Christmas as Holly and Mistletoe." Taken from: Christmas with Southern Living 1989 book, pg.138


~Have a Wonderful day and come back soon~







Friday, November 12, 2010

And the winner of the little bird is:

I would like to thank you all for reading, leaving comments and following my blog. This motivates me to create new projects and improve my self. I enjoyed reading your comments and visiting your beautiful blogs. There are a lot of talented ladys! I admire all of you . ~ The winner of the two birds with nests is: Happy @ home  Congratulations!

~Have a wonderful day and come back soon~

Thursday, November 4, 2010

My casual chaise longue

I always wanted one of those long chairs or day beds where you can put your legs up and relax or read a juicy book. So I went to a thrift store and I found a couple of chairs. I removed the cushions and I cut off the arms of one  chair for the end support. I bought a piece of plywood and made a round cut at both ends following the shape of the chairs. Then, I upholstered the long piece of wood, and painted the chairs.

I nailed tacks around the cushion edge for a finished look.



I really love how it turned out. I think it looks chic painted in white.
I painted this little side table. I love it.
Chair before
Imagination
  ~ There are two worlds: The world that we can measure with line and rule, and the world that we feel with our hearts and imagination.~ Leigh Hunt.

 ~Have a wonderful day and come back soon~

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"Please don't forget to enter in my crocheted little bird Give-away. The last day to enter is November 11th."