504 Main by Holly Lefevre

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Guest Post! Artfully Caroline Fab Tucked Pillows!

Working...Working...Working

I have to tell you I LOVE this pillow.

When I was in fashion this was one of my favorite techniques!

So, here's Caroline to show you what I am talking about!
(she does lots of other fab projects too!)

Good morning,

My name is Caroline. I'm a wife, working mom, compulsive crafter and for the past few months , a blogger. My little blog is called:

I fell into the blogging world a bit by accident almost a year ago and found a great community and wonderful friends already so I'm "tickled pink" to be visiting Holly's lovely blog and readers today. I love her designs and creative ideas and she inspires me to update my home to a more stylish decor :)

I love to cook, sew and craft for my home, family and friends. Creating keeps me sane and happy in an otherwise crazy stressful busy life. Here are a few of my latest creations:

I'm especially thrilled to share with you one of my favorite projects today:

Herringbone tucks throw pillows

For a pair of 18x18 pillows you will need:

2 pillow forms 18x18 - I make mine from scratch but you can buy them at any craft store
2 yards of fabric in 44" wide - I used moleskin because it has a bit of stretch it is very soft and doesn't wrinkle which is a bonus for throw pillows.
Coordinating thread or invisible thread
Ruler and fabric marking device - chalk, pencil or marker
Sewing machine (best with fence attachment)
Scissors, pins and other basic sewing supplies

Remove the selvage then cut your fabric in half lengthwise this will yield 2 long rectangles about 21 inches wide

Tape it to your cutting table with painter's tape, especially if you use stretchy fabric

Mark a grid 2x2 leaving 6 inches unmarked on one end and 18 on the other end. This is the part where you need to be fussy and precise.

Iron each short line to mark the pleats

Set your sewing machine fence to 1/2 inch

Fold and sew along each pleat

Iron as flat as possible

Sew along the line lengthwise every other line

Iron the pleats in the reverse directions

Sew along the skipped lines

Hem each end

Pin the fabric right side in with the short flap on top of the long flap

Sew the sides leaving 1/2 in sewing allowance

Wash to remove the marks

Put your pillows forms inside the pillowcases

All done. Time to put your feet up !

Thanks so much for being here!

Everyone go tell Caroline hi!

Monday, June 6, 2011

Guest Post! The Answer is Chocolate's Hardware Bracelet

Hi all! Happy Monday!
It is deadline week for me,
so who knows what is in store for me for the rest of the week...
so instead you get some FAB guest bloggers!

You know how much I LOVE the hardware store,

well The Answer is Chocolate has a project right up that alley!
Thanks for being here Carol!

Hi there all of Holly's fabulous followers! I'm Carol from The Answer Is Chocolate where I blog about all kinds of creative things and as the name implies, chocolate! I'm so excited to be visiting again here at 504 Main. Glad Holly's getting some well deserved R and R, gearing up to finish up her book. How exciting!!

Like so many of us creative bloggers, I’d be lost without The Dollar Tree! I go there at least once a week just to walk the aisles and see what I might find. Last time I was there I found this pack of washers.

I had some chain on hand in my jewelry making stash:

I got mine at JoAnn’s but you can get this or similar many places. I measured off two lengths bracelet size. I attached the two chains to either side of a toggle clasp using jump rings.

Then I went to work on my washer charms.

I made sets of small, medium, and large based on the size of the washers, putting a jump ring on each:

On the small ones, I put one of the smallest washers on either side. Then I just started adding these to the chain, eyeballing the spacing but not being overly precise.

It doesn’t matter which of the chains you attach your washer charms to. It all kinda blends.

If you haven’t ever made jewelry, don’t be intimidated. Working with chain is very forgiving and there are tons of instructions out there. Here’s a video on how to open / close a jump ring and once you do that, you can open / close the links of chain…same principle.

It's a fun project and has turned out to be a great conversation piece. I hope you've enjoyed this and if you have any questions, please pop over to my place and leave a comment ( make sure I can email you!) . Thanks again Holly for your as always, wonderful hospitality! Remember, doesn't matter what the question is:

Carol,

Head Chocolatier,
The Answer is Chocolate

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Getting Serious About the Sofa

When hubby and I got married,

he had a brown sectional from his college days (ewww!)

and I had a floral slip-covered hand-me-down number.

We each despised the others sofa.

Bye-Bye they both went.

That was the easy part.

Finding a new sofa set was the hard part.
I was looking for slip-covered Shabby Chic easy elegance...
he was looking for slick "Moda Italia" bachelor black leather.
Neither of us got what we wanted...
first we purchased an inexpensive set and lived with that for awhile,
then another set...a compromise that led to an "OK" set,
with the ugliest fabric that was reminiscent of the 80's (it was 2002).

I eventually has this set cut up, transformed and reupholstered...I loved it...but they did an awful job and 2 years into the new look, it began to fall apart (we moved they went out of business...no recourse). It still lives with us - holes, tears and all -
and I am ready to be DONE with it.
Oh no, not sofa shopping with hubby again!

I think we could both skip the leather now...it is too cold here for leather. We need something comfy, easy to clean, and aesthetically pleasing - I am not as willing to "give in" this time. I have a much more defined plan (plans) than in the past. I am also steering away from a set (way back when I thought you had to buy sets...not anymore!)

I found this upholstered sofa. I like it very much...not fussy, simple lines, and it looks comfy...oh and the light color would brighten up my room!

I will have to say, I do love the idea of a sleeper sofa...just in case.
The darker color could hide a lot of little fingerprints!

Or then I get a little crazy and I think no sofa at all, just 3 of these chair and 1/2's placed in a circle around the fire place with a great coffee table in the center.

(This is my personal favorite idea and hubby thinks I am looney!)

Opinions? New ideas?
What do you love about your sofa?

To see my full disclosure policy, visit this link

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Tickled Pink No. 51

Happy Almost-Weekend!

Time for Tickled Pink!

Tired!
(what's new!)
Sick!
(again....whatever!)
10 days to go!
(Yikes!)
That's all folks!

Well, one more thing...
Yes, I have been LAME at doing my Facebook features.
It will get better in 10 days or so.

I know I am not the only busy lady or man out there..
so THANK YOU all for coming by!

I LOVE the ease of sharing links on Facebook and for now, while I am working toward my deadline this is how I will make my way through Tickled Pink links.
So, go on over and LIKE 504 Main on Facebook!
Don't miss a thing. If you have a Blog Page, just let me know
by leaving a comment on the 504 Main Wall!

I am also inviting you to share your

link on my FaceBook wall this week.

Please no giveaways or etsy shops,
but whatever you link up here, feel free to share the link on my Facebook Wall.
Hope I have not made a mess with that invitation!
(be sensible peeps...I reserve the right to DELETE!)

If I feature you on Facebook or twitter, be sure to grab a button HERE!

NOW FOR TICKLED PINK!

A craft...a recipe...a tip...a party...a short story...a poem...
a fashion find...a favorite product...your favorite post...
whatever makes your blog fabulous!
That is what Tickled Pink is all about!
{and it does NOT have to be PINK}
Click right HERE to Grab a button!

What are you doing this weekend?

PRACTICE PINK KINDNESS
1. Link up...whatever makes your blog fabulous. Family Friendly please. Guess what? Your post does not have to be PINK!!
2. PLEASE LINK TO A POST URL, ****NOT YOUR MAIN URL****
3. Pretty please...add the Tickled Pink button to the post* {people need to know what the heck they are doing!}.
4. I reserve the right to remove posts that are offensive or do not adhere to the rules, without any discussion, at my discretion.
5. Please visit at least the 3 links in front of you!

TICKLED PINK Now Has Categories
I won't banish you if you mess up, but try to link appropriately, pretty please!

Craft, DIY, Decorate
crafting, diy, decor type links

Cook, Bake, Eat
stuff to eat, cook, drink, and bake

DIY! Saving and Displaying Kid's Artwork

Save the Artwork!

My kids are out of school!
You know what I have to show for it...
piles of artwork...
some brilliant and some,
well, let's just call it artwork.

I do save the pieces that have their photos or their hand or feet prints, and anything else that seems to be super special, but I always have a heaping pile of sort of random pieces leftover. Joe's pile is pretty small these days, but the Jules - that is another story...
she paints and draws all the time and LOVES it.

I wanted to find a way to commemorate the school year and save some pieces of the art that was not going in the memory book, so I came up with this idea, and if I do say so myself, I think it is pretty darn cute.

SUPPLIES

Supplies: Canvas

Canvas - you can choose any size. Mine is 6 x 9
Kid's artwork: at least one sheet of paper (see Note*) to cover the entire canvas and multiple others for cutting circles. (Most of mine )
Decoupage medium
Foam or regular paint brush
Circle Punch (Mine is from Creative Memories) or Circle Die cutter...or cut them the good old fashioned way...with scissors.

Supplies: Frame

1-2 yard sticks or wood rulers (you can use a pre-made frame or make one out of paint stirrers and paint it a solid color). I think the rulers add a fun school-like touch.
Gorilla Glue
Staining and Antiquing Medium (DecoArt)
Acrylic Paint, Asphaltum (DecoArt)
Tape (I used Gorilla Tape)
Sanding Bug
Hand saw or miter saw

Supplies: Adornments (optional)

The canvas is pretty darn cute with just the frame, but here are some options for adorning and dressing up your frame.
School photo of your child (or any favorite photo)
Chipboard circles or some sort of backing/frame
Vinyl or sticker letter to add the school year.
Glitter, rosettes, and just about anything that suits your style!

DIY: Canvas

Select the full size sheet of artwork you would like to cover your canvas (or paint the entire canvas in an acrylic paint of your choosing - typically one to compliment the artwork you have selected).
Prep canvas by applying a thin layer of decoupage all over.
Lay paper face down on a covered work service, and position canvas in the center of the paper.

Wrap the canvas with the artwork like you are wrapping a present. Once you get the front and sides secured, lay the canvas face down and then apply decoupage to the canvas covered portion on the back of the canvas and secure the remaining artwork to the frame - you can trim excess paper when you are done.
Apply decoupage all over the artwork and let dry. Smooth out bubbles with fingertips. If it is still a little bubbly that is OK, you will be layering on top of it and I did find that due to the thin nature of the paper there were more bubbles than usual.

DIY: Circles

Using the circle punch, cut circles out of the art work. I choose a few different pieces or art with colors I preferred and worked well together. This is a fun piece and so the colors can be a "little crazy" or you can choose to use more subdued tones too.
Cut numerous circles of the same size in all different colors.
Dry place them on the canvas, just to be sure you have enough circles.

Once happy with the layout, secure the circles to the canvas by applying a layer of decoupage to the canvas, laying the circles on top and then finishing with a layer of decoupage.

You will need to smooth out the paper as you go...The artwork I used was on inexpensive art papers, so it easily crinkled, but by smoothing it out gently with my fingers, the bubbles disappeared. Let dry.
Apply 1-2 additional layers of decoupage.

DIY: Frame

Measure the yard sticks so you can make the frame. I used about a 1/2 " overlap on the main board and frame (1/2 of the ruler was glued to the frame and half hung over)
Miter the corners of the frame (or straight cut if you do not have access to a miter saw)
Lightly sand the corners and the yard sticks (especially if there is a sealer on the sticks)
With wood glue, apply glue to the corners of the frame and match up.

Use tape to secure corners until they dry.
Remove tape and sand if necessary.
Get painting and staining. I used a staining and antiquing medium mixed in equal parts with acrylic paint in asphaltum. (of course you can paint the frame too.)
Finish frame with a spray of a wood finishing spray or I just gave it a quick coat of decoupage.

DIY: Assembly

Apply either a line of glue or I just used the decoupage around the outer 1/4" of the finished canvas.
Place the ruler frame on top, press down to "stick it" and let dry!

DIY: Adornment

I used a school photo of my daughter and cut it into a circle.
A cut a slightly larger circle out of chipboard and one out of artwork.

Decoupage the art work circle onto the chipboard and then place the photo on top and applied 2 layers of decoupage over the entire surface. Let dry.
In the meantime, create a paper rosette with the art work (cut the rosette is 1" wider than the photo circles x approximately 18"; accordion fold the paper; fold in half and glue to matching halves together; fold the other way and glue the other two halved together; voila - a circle!)
Glue the rosette to the corner of the frame using decoupage; glue photo/circle to top of the rosette using decoupage.
Place it in the lower corner. From here you can add another circle with a school year or a name, or just about anything you like.