making rebecca lynne: making house

Showing posts with label making house. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Making House: Mail Sack Domestic Pillow

One of my recent antique store finds was a Vintage US Mail Sack.

I think my mom thought I was a bit nuts because when I saw it I took an intake of breath and was so delighted! If you don't know there is a bit of a DIY US Mail Sack craze going on...so when I saw one of these bags for $20 + %40 off I was all over it!

I knew I wanted to cut it up to make rustic pillows for our living room.

As the Mr. has been slightly opposed to some of the brighter pillows being placed on our inherited green chair I thought how could he say no to this tough pillow...even if it does say "DOMESTIC" on it? I mean, the chair looks equally as beat up that it goes with it don't you think?

The Mr. ended up loving it - just don't tell him that it is So Cute!

My thought is to use the remainder of the bag "U.S. MAIL 3" for our rocking chair pillow. I love that the 3 fits in so well with our family...it is our special number!

- rebecca lynne

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Making House: revitalizing the couch

My couch is new relatively speaking. Well, it is 4 years old, but it is one of the few "new" as opposed to hand-me-down pieces of furniture that we own. However, it was bought in a huge furniture chain store and I can't help but feel like it isn't personal. [I mean, I've seen it in this furniture store's commercials, groan...] It has bothered me for a bit, add to that the fact that I've grown tired of its brownness amidst a room with a lot of also brown wood.

Lightening struck when I happened to throw some Anna Maria Horner fabric across the couch one day while I was working on a project - my flash of light was the realization that I could personalize the couch by adding some of my favorite fabric to it by covering the pillows!

This fabric is Anna Maria Horner's Lou Lou Thi Zig Zag Velveteen.

Well it definitely adds some flare! As we plan to paint the walls in this room a rich dark blue, almost navy with a sheen, I am picking colorways with blue in them to complement. I plan to keep the larger seated cushions the same as I think the brown provides a good foundation for brightly colored cushions. However, I intend to cover the rest of the back cushions with Anna Maria Horner Field Study Linen.

Now to just finish hand-sewing the last seams...

Linking up!

- rebecca lynne

Sunday, June 16, 2013

Princess Wall Art

For months now I have been meaning to create wall art to hang over each of the girls' beds. I thought of using their name, or initial, or even their photo. But ultimately I have decided on an illustration of their favorite animal to signify them instead. Miss E is all about giraffes and the color orange.

Miss O ~~doesn't have~~ can't voice an opinion about her favorite animal yet but I have to say that the *mmmm-hmmmph* look that this Owl has reminds me of her little 1 year old attitude. She most certainly has opinions whether she can voice them or not. ;)

I am still working on Miss L. She loves, like is head over heels crazy about, lions. So I know the animal...I am just trying to decide what accoutrement to give it. A bow? A flower? Another crown? Hmmmph... She is such a ball of sunshine it has to be fun, what could I use.

Think, think, think

- rebecca lynne

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Making House: DIY Fabric Napkins

When we moved I discovered that I have, uh, quite a little bit of fabric (imagine this being said with a wincey face and a shrug of my shoulders towards my ears). AND...while mentally I have quilt designs intended for every piece of fabric I ever purchase...well let's face it...quilts take time and I definitely don't have a lot of that. AND...I have lots of fabric that I just can't seem to Make Myself cut into because it is so precious to me that to imagine it no longer available for the day I have the cojones to actually use it for the absolute perfect project for it makes me teary eyed. Mary Fons Porter said on a Quilty video I tripped across that buying fabric is so much fun it is as fun as buying clothes. I don't know about you but for me that was pretty much the biggest understatement ever. Clothes require sizing, fitting, and a place to wear them. Fabric, unlike clothes, doesn't care where you put it or who is going to see you wearing it or whether your shoes will match, it doesn't make you feel fat or wonder why you didn't lose that last 5 lbs you promised yourself you would(!), fabric is just ready to be there to be loved, admired, inspiring, comforting, pet, and eventually so worn in to the point of sentimental love. Fabric is a hell of a lot better than buying clothes.

Anyway. I realize that I have to stop hoarding fabric. I have to USE my fabric otherwise it won't ever be loved and enjoyed. Which is why my 2013 pledge is project Making House. Those fabrics are going to be used goddamnit and I am going to enjoy them with each and every project I make to create personal touches in our home house. Be it pillows, quilts, fabric decals, hand towels...or napkins...

We painted one wall in our kitchen Benjamin Moore Bright Yellow...and man...it is bright. It is also a yellow that tends toward a gold hue which means finding the right yellow that complements and doesn't clash is an issue.

That is unless you have a crazy obsession for all things Anna Maria Horner (which, of course, I do) and therefore happen to own a stash of her Lou Lou Thi Needlework Crossing Paths in Tumeric. Which is only the perfect combo of gold yellow, burnt orange, and blue to go with my wood table, yellow wall, and blue chair pads. HA!

Clearly I was never going to use needlework for this fabric. Clearly I was kidding myself when I bought it to make pillowcases. Clearly...this was meant to be.

These napkins measure 17" for a bit of an oversized dinner linen. To keep it fun and versatile each napkin is reversible with a funky monotone fabric on the other side. This is great for changing the mood depending on the type of dinner and also will allow guests to distinguish their napkin!

Now someone clever is wondering why there are only 3 napkins thus far...yeah well chalk it up to motherhood. Nothing gets past my daughters. As soon as Miss E and Miss O saw Mommy's cool napkins they said Mommy we want napkins...where are ours? I knew I'd never hear the end until they had their own. I even considered sharing my AMH stash to the princess napkin cause, but I knew my heart would stop half a beat each time my two year old smeared something undesirable on that most beloved fabric. I know that sounds horrible - I really love AMH that much! Instead I went with another favorite and steadfast love of mine...Amy Butler!

And yes, these have cute little uncoordinating backs too! To accommodate small laps they measure about 12", roughly the size of a standard paper napkin.