Bathroom dresser

These old summer "camps" in Maine are adorable, but they generally don't have any closets so storage can be a problem.  Therefore, you will find dressers in almost every room of the house.  This old dresser in our bathroom needed a makeover.  Sorry, I didn't take a "before" picture, but it was previously painted a greenish color.  I painted the frame and the knobs with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Chateau Grey.  For the drawers, I used the same color but added some Old White to lighten it a bit.  I added a coat of Annie Sloan clear wax, buffed it, then lightly sanded the frame and went over it with a little of the Annie Sloan dark wax.  I finished it with another coat of the clear wax.  I love the way it turned out and hubby is happy we can put our things back into the dresser!

Wow, I can't believe it's been so long since I've worked on a project.  We arrived in Maine the end of June and I've been so busy enjoying myself with other things I just got away from it for a bit.  Every morning I put my coffee on this little table and look out at the water while I wake up.  I loved this lines of the table, but it needed something to make it stand out.  Two coats of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Duck Egg Blue and two coats of Annie Sloan Clear Wax and ... WaLa!  Now I have a beautiful little table next to me when I'm gazing out at the water!

Irish pillow

This was my Father's Day gift to my Dad.  My Dad is very into our Irish heritage so I decided to make him something Irishy.  I found this beautiful picture of Ireland's Historical Emblems at Karen the Graphics Fairy's site at http://www.graphicsfairy.blogspot.com/.  I printed the picture onto one of the two white cloth dinner napkins I was using to make the pillow with Lesley Riley's Transfer Artist Paper, using the instructions on the package.  I used fabric glue to attach some green and cream ribbons along the outer edge of the front of the pillow.  Using my sewing machine, I stitched the two napkins together at the outer edge (right sides facing out since the edges were already finished because they were napkins), leaving about a four-inch opening at the bottom to push the stuffing through. I stuffed the pillow with polyester fiberfill then sewed the opening shut by hand.  My Dad seemed very pleased with his gift. 

I'm getting in my vacation mood today.  We always vacation in Maine.  Maine is our home-away-from-home.  I made this adorable dish towel to take with us.  I bought a plain white dish towel at Walmart, downloaded an image from Karen the Graphics Fairy's website and printed it on Lesley Riley's TAP Transfer Artist Paper (highly recommended by Karen).  I ironed on the transfer using the instructions in the package.  I do love the way it turned out and, I agree with Karen, this transfer paper is the best! Now, ready for some lobstah?

In between other projects, I've been practicing image transfer techniques.  These pillow cases were inspired by The Graphics Fairy.  Translated, they say "Good Night" in French.   How cute!  I used CitraSolv for these transfers and the graphics from Karen, The Graphics Fairy.

My Search for Citra Solv

I've seen so many posts on Pinterest where they talk about using the CitraSolv technique to transfer images onto fabric.  CitraSolv is not easy to come by!  The CitraSolv website has a listing by state, supposedly showing where you can buy the stuff.  There was one place listed in Maryland but they didn't carry it.  There was also one place listed in Pennsylvania, but I have no idea where the town is and do you know how big the state of PA is!  I even read a post where someone had bought it in Whole Foods so I had my dear Mom go to her local Whole Foods but, you guessed it, no CitraSolv!  Finally, I decided to just order it online and got it in just a few days!  Now I can finally try to transfer one of the Graphics Fairy's beautiful images onto some fabric - maybe I'll try making a lovely pillow.

Chickadee tray

This little tray was my first attempt at painting in many, many years.  I had an old gold-colored tray that I never used so I thought it would make a good practice piece.  I applied two coats of Annie Sloan chalk paint in the color Old White and roughed up the edges a little with a sanding block to give it an aged look.  I had this little bird stencil, so I stenciled the outline of the image but hand-painted the details.  I applied a coat of clear wax and now I have an adorable little tray that is cute enough to use as a tray or a piece of wall art.

For the Birds

This little bird house was made the same way I made the fairy house.   A premade bird house from a craft store, some wood glue, and supplies from the woods.  The shingles were cut from strips of birch bark.  Don't forget to spray on a protective coating if you plan to put it outside.  They make great indoor decorations too!

Fairy house

This is one of my fairy houses.  I used a premade birdhouse purchased from a craft supply store, painted it with acrylic paint, then decorated it.  The roof is made of pine cone "petals" (I don't know the proper term for them), each individually glued on, beginning at the bottom.  For the exterior walls, I cut pieces of birch bark to fit and glued them on with wood glue.  The door was made with a piece of bark, then outlined with twigs.  I used lichens and the cap of an acorn for the finishing touches.  To make it weather-resistant, I spray it with a protective finish.