Home Decor DIY ~ Stage 1

Wanna see what I’m doing today? I’m prepping various pieces for some Fall Home Decor DIYs. 🍁
Let me tell you about Stage 1 of these projects…

~1. Pinecones – I collected a few of these beauties on my morning walk.
To get them clean and free of critters and mildew (without bleach!) I soaked them in a water/vinegar mixture. A bucket or an old pot will do…fill it with water and add 1/2 cup of vinegar. Soak them for about 20 minutes, move them around once in a while- you can use your finger, ’cause *No chemicals*, then set them on a newspaper or paper towels to dry for a few hours – overnight is best.

Next they need to be ‘baked’ for 2, 3 hours in a 200 degree oven. Make sure to check them once in a while to make sure they don’t burn!
A nice advantage to this process is that your house will smell amazing.

Tomorrow I’ll show you how they came out, and what I did with them.

~2. I’m also planning some wall art – for that I’m ageing paper…

…and drying fern fronds

Ageing paper – I’m using old book pages. Not an easy task for a book lover like myself -but, I got a book at a thrift store, and it was not in the greatest condition. That made it a bit easier.
Black tea works great to make your paper look old and yellowed.
Just place the page (one at a time) in a big pot, pour hot, strong tea over it (tea bag and all), and let it sit until it has the desired shade. Set it on a paper towel to dry…done!

~3. Leaves, ModPodge, and Music
This one is almost done – it just has to dry now, then it can be framed or be part of a collage. I’ll show you tomorrow what I decided. 🤔

Here’s something I made last week. This one is pretty easy – the drying process took the longest. If you read my last post Cottage Home Decor – DIY you know about the Juniper bush in our yard that is a great source for Fall-Decor supply.

I painted a big canvas (18″ x 24″) with acrylic paint, positioned the juniper, and went to town with lots of ModPodge and a flat paintbrush.
*You wanna do this outside or in the garage – the fumes could knock you out! It takes a day or two to dry (again…away from daily traffic!) but then you’ll have a very unique ‘Piece of Nature’ in your home. 🍁

I hope you’ll peek in tomorrow to see the results of today’s preparations.

Take care! 💕

~Tina xoxo

Weaving on a Dime

Well, it’s a little more than a dime….but not by much! 😁

If you always wanted to try your hand at weaving but shied away from the price of a loom then I have a low-cost solution for you.

All you need is a piece of cardboard (I used the lid of a shoebox), yarn in your favorite color palette, and a tapestry needle…and you’re ready to make your first weaving.

But first this….

(Image found on Wikipedia)

~1. Cut a rectangle out of your cardboard, pencil in 1/2″ markers on the top and bottom, then cut triangles so the point is between the markers.

~2. Make a little cut before the first, and behind the last triangle at the bottom. This will keep your yarn in place once you start winding the warp (the set of lengthwise yarn).

~3. Take a length of non-stretchy (!!!) yarn – I learned that the hard way – now I use cotton or hemp. You want to wind your yarn twice around the first triangle. Otherwise you won’t have a little loop at the bottom, which you will need later – I learned that the hard way too!

~4. Wind your warp yarn around the triangles.

~5. Now you can start your weaving.
With your tapestry needle and your favorite yarn you will create the weft.
Secure your yarn around the first warp, by looping it around twice.

Alternate between weaving your thread above and under the warp, and reverse in the 2nd row, and be sure to never pull the weft too tight.
Now just keep going – but always check the previous row -just to make sure that you go over when the previous row was under and vice versa.
If you don’t like ‘cleaning up’ your edges, aka hiding/sewing away the tails, you can use multicolored yarn to get a fun, colorful piece. Or, you can knot the lengths of yarn together – and let the knots show for some extra texture.

~5.  After a few rows push your weaving together using a wide tooth comb or your fingers. Repeat after every 4, 5 rows of weaving.
When you get to the top, loop the weft around the last warp string twice, secure it – either with a knot or by sewing it down the side.

Look at it – you made your first weaving! How cool is that?!

Now what do you do with it?
You can
– add fringes (that’s why you need the loops of the warp    ) and a rod (knitting needle, twig) and display your first masterpiece

(If you like add more fringes in between the loops)

-make multiples and stitch them together for a scarf, a bigger wallhanging,
a pillow, a purse, a baby-hat ….

~This one is crochet, but it would great in woven fabric

I sure hope this tutorial is helpful – if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me!
Have fun! 😃  …..and please show me your creations!

Until next time!
Take care! 💕

~Tina xoxo

 

‘Happy Fall’ Newsletter

Hello, Hello, Hello, my lovely friends! I hope this first day of my favorite season finds you in good health and spirits!
I took the photo above this morning to wish all my friends and followers a ‘HAPPY FALL’ and to showcase my latest
‘Pendant of the Loom’ Necklace. While exploring the photo editor on my new phone, I came across the ‘Art’ option, and had to try that one… of course! Here’s what happened…

Pretty cool, huh? 😍
What is your favorite part of Fall? The colors, everything pumpkin, sweater weather, the crisp mornings, apple picking… or, like me, all of the above?

Ahhh…the colors! While our trees here (Missouri/Kansas State Line) haven’t turned yet, last week I did find this leaf in the yard…

A bit odd, since all the other leaves are still green…but who am I to question Mother Nature, right?! 😇

I also love the luscious yarns that now fill the shelves. One of the first ones I picked up this year was a fake fur yarn, called ‘Just Fur Kicks’. I haven’t knitted with it yet (but I do see it’s future as a collar on my poncho in progress!) I did, however make tassels. I love tassels …I have them on my jewelry, my curtains, my purse, and also on my poncho in progress! 😁 Like I said, one tassel is never enough, so I made a ‘Tassel-Trio’! Take a peek…

Pretty nifty, don’t you think?
They remind me of the cute feather duster/french maid in ‘Beauty and the beast’! ☺

Now you heard so much about my Poncho in progress…wanna see?

In case you want to make your own ~ let me tell you how…
Simply knit 2 rectangles (appr. 30″ x 38″) Either get your favorite yarn in your color, or use, like I did, all the leftover yarn from previous projects.
Assembly is easy-peasy! Stitch, knit, crochet the panels together like so…

Then add embellishments to your hearts content. Fringe, Tassels, PomPoms, a collar… I’m sure you’ll give it your own personal, fabulous touch! 😍
…and, eh, Pictures please!

Thanks for sticking with me ’til the end. I appreciate it! 💟
But, before I let you go I’d like to show you the woven pendant (from the picture on🔝). I adorned it with a (mock)scissors-pendant, a yarn spool, and safety pins, because I’m making a sewing-theme necklace.

Alrighty… that’s really it for today!
Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it ~ let me know! 🙂

Love
Tina xoxo