Kitchen Island Centerpiece

 It's been a Christmas shopping kind of day.  Weather was cold but sunny, so it wasn't too bad.  We have lots to do with the countdown getting serious.  We have a daughter and a son with a birthday on the 17th, (3 years apart, yeah that) and a grandson with a birthday on Christmas Eve, so there is Christmas shopping AND birthday shopping going on.   Gifts to be shipped.  Why am I down to the wire every year?  Oh, because it's me and that's what I do.  Some things never change.

Today, I thought I would share the decorations on the kitchen island and the top of the cabinets at the end of the kitchen.  I have these large mercury glass ornaments that I used to hang from the vaulted ceiling in our other house.  We don't have a vaulted ceiling here, but I love, love, love these big ornaments and knew I wanted to use them somewhere - somewhere where little hands wouldn't think they were balls to play with.  There is a large rusty pedestal bowl that I have had for years and I decided to put that in the center of the island and fill it with some of the ornaments.  Silly me.  It's not the little ones that turned out to the the issue.  They can't reach them.  It was the 10 year old.

We have ceramic tile floors in the kitchen and dining area and anything glass is a gonner if it's dropped.  Instantly.  Last week I broke a vintage milk glass dish that was given to me 40 years ago by a sweet neighbor.  It had Christmas cookies on it and she told me to keep the dish which had been hers for years.  The next day, Dan dropped a vintage mixing bowl that had been my mother's.  Gone.  Bye bye. Sadness.  I know it's just stuff, but they were memories.

Here is how the island looks.

It's really, really pretty.  I used the big bowl and put some of my free Christmas greens in it, then filled it with the mercury glass balls.  The base of the bowl is surrounded by large acrylic ornaments just in case little hands should get one.  They won't break on the floor.  There are mercury glass candle holders holding the taper candles and tall glass candle holders and red votives holding lots of tea lights.  It's beautiful when they are all lit at night.

Back to the 10 year old.  Saturday, we were expecting freezing rain in the evening, so all the local family came over for lunch.  I was busy getting everything ready, turned around and the 10 year old was lifting the large gold mercury glass ornament out of the bowl.  HOLY COW!  Grandma almost fainted.  This is when you have to stay calm.  Hopefully.  I quickly sidled up to H and said, ummm, please don't pick that up.  It's glass.  If you drop it, it will shatter.

I know it's bright and shiny and looked like it would be lots of fun to toss in the air.  Bless his heart.  He looked at me with complete innocence and said, oh, I thought it was plastic.  Disaster averted (this time).  I rearranged the bowl and hopefully, everything will stay where it is.  Whew.  Five grandsons can be a challenge.  The New York grandson isn't here, otherwise it would be 6 under 10.  They are 10, 7, 6, 3 & 3/4, 3 & 1/2, and 2 & 3/4.  They are busy little fellas let me tell you.  They keep Grandma and Pawpaw hopping, but they are so much fun to have around.  We had a great time at lunch.

I know the temptation is great, but Grandma will prevail.   (Most of the time)

The cabinets at the end of the kitchen hold the other large, red, mercury ball.  I put it in an old wooden box that my daughter gave me years ago.  I filled it with greenery, laid the ornament in the box and tied some ribbon on the hanger.

Oh, it's so pretty.  The red and gold ornaments are 10" in diameter.  They are not little.  That would be a lot of glass on the floor don't you know!

Doesn't it look gorgeous?  I keep little lights on top of the cabinets all the time to brighten up the area.  They make the ornament glow.

Next to the big rooster are three old Ball jars that I filled with rock salt and some old bottle brush trees.  Two of the jars were gifts from our youngest son.  He knows how much I like them.  The lights shining  through the jars are so festive.  Looks like down home Christmas doesn't it?

Simple arrangements can be very effective, easy to make,  and so beautiful.  I am a floral designer by training, but I like the natural look more than a formal arrangement most of the time.

Use what you have and look at it with new eyes.  Simple greens, some ornaments, and pine cones can be beautiful.  Think of new and different ways to combine and use the decorations you have without spending extra money.  It's challenging, but lots of fun to come up with new looks.

This arrangement makes me smile every time I look at it.  The bowl had been in the attic.  It was a natural to use for this centerpiece.  It took about 5 minutes to put it together.  Then, I just wove a little burlap ribbon across the table runner that I purchased last year and added all the candles and ornaments.  Easy peasy.

Hope this inspires you to try something new and different.  You will be amazed at the way something this simple can change a room.  Start looking around!  Make some changes.  Go!

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

Deck the Halls with boughs of holly, fa la la la la, la la la la.
 Tis the season to be jolly, fa la la la la, la la la la.

The Christmas Dining Room At The LIttle Yellow Cottage, 2012

We are counting down the days until Christmas - only 15 to go.  Whew.  Putting that in print kind of gives me an edgy, anxious feeling because I still have so many projects to finish before the 25th.  On top of that, two of our children have birthday's on the 17th (3 years apart - how did we do that?) and one of our grandson's has his birthday on Christmas Eve.  As you can see, December is a very busy month for us.

Today, I thought I would continue with our house tour by showing you our dining area and kitchen. We don't have an official "dining room", it is an area next to the kitchen that is separate, but quite cozy and can be very crowded when the whole family is here for dinner.  But that's quite okay, crowded is fine,  because it's all about being together.

Last year I made a lovely table runner that was ecru in color and it did not survive the season without getting some kind of spot that won't come out.  Surprise!  So, this year I found this beautiful black table runner at TJMaxx for $12.00.  Yay!  It has beautiful holly leaves and berries embroidered on it in red and green and is just perfect for the holiday season.  I put a piece of red deco mesh under it to give it a little oomph and hopefully it won't show stains like last year's.  We will see how it goes.

Texture plays an important part in any centerpiece, so I started by cutting some fresh cedar off a tree in our yard and laying it on the table runner.  In the center, I added a large glass vase that I  already had.  I put a candle in the vase that I glittered by putting Mod Podge on it and rolling it in crystal glitter.  The sparkles don't show very well in the picture, but it is so pretty and easy to do.  They would made beautiful gifts!  I surrounded the candle with fresh cranberries for some holiday color and texture.

There are sequined trees I made on either side of the candle in the vase.  They are very simple but add so much sparkle and glam to the setting.  Simply start with a green styrofoam cone.

I used silver schlung sequins to cover the cone.  Schlung sequins are the flat ones that are attached by thick thread and can be bought by the yard instead of individual sequins.  This makes covering the cone much faster and easier.  I simply used sequin pins every so often to hold the rows in place.

Start at the bottom and place pins every few sequins to make sure they don't slide off the bottom of the cone.  Wrap tightly as you go around the cone and place a pin every few sequins continuing to the top.  Spiral the sequins and pin until you have the entire top covered.  That's it.  Pretty simple isn't it?

These are 6 inch cones and I wanted the trees to have some height so I sat them on some silver flower pots I found at Michael's.  Simply turn the pots upside down and sit your trees on them.  These could be made in any color sequins you wanted.  Another great gift idea!  If you give these as a gift, glue the cone to the pot.

For more candlelight, I added two small mercury glass fish bowl-type candle holders I found at Michael's for $3.99 each.  I had seen the identical holders at West Elm for $12.00 each.  Yes for a major bargain!!

Next I use 2 silver snowflake garlands that I got at "you know where" for $1.00 each (Dollar Tree).  They add some more glitz to the setting.  Simply swirl them around everything in the centerpiece.

For the final texture and contrast, I added a bunch of small pinecones randomly placed.  Ta da!  Done.  It looks very beautiful in the center of the table, especially when the candles are lit and the lights are down low.

By the way, did you see the beautiful mercury glass ornaments hanging from our light over the table?  These were another major find at Big Lots.  They were 6 in a package for $6.99  I simply put some red velvet ribbon through the hanger and tied them over the arms of the light fixture.  I LOVE mercury glass and these were just the added touch I wanted to finish the centerpiece.  Hanging them at varying heights adds more interest.

The corner cupboard holds a collection of glass pieces that are from my grandmother and aunt.  To jazz it up a bit, I added some of the fresh green cedar, some of the mercury glass ornaments and red velvet ribbon which I randomly threaded through the glassware.

It looks so festive and ties everything in with the decor in the dining area.

The finishing touch is the red velvet bows tied on the backs of the chairs with silver glittered snowflakes .  Just that one final touch.  It's all in the details as they say.

When the table is set for dinner, there will be red chargers and gold napkins to finish the setting.  Because we use our table every day, I have not put them out yet.  Just use a little imagination if you will.

This is off the track, but I am telling you this for a purpose.  There is a little restaurant here in Nashville called Taco Mamacita.  It is one of our favorite places to go and the decor is divine.  I would LOVE a house interior that was decorated in such a way.  They have a huge assortment of colored mercury glass balls than hang from the ceiling in one area.  There is another area with lots of tin stars hanging from the ceiling at various heights and then there are all the huge copper bells hanging from the ceiling in another area.  There are old doors with light fixtures hanging from them which makes the dark interior have so much ambiance.  I wish you could see it.  All this to say, the mercury glass balls inspired me to do this.

Our kitchen has a vaulted ceiling with a ledge that runs across it.  That is the perfect place to hang some of those large mercury glass balls.  I was so excited to find these last year at TJMaxx Homegoods.  I tied them with velvet ribbon and teetered on a ladder to nail the ribbon into the top of the ledge.  They are hanging at different heights and I LOVE THEM!  The biggest one is about the size of a bowling ball to give you a little perspective on their size.  They make a nice separation between the dining area and the kitchen.

I do have white lights on top of the cabinets which add a lot of effective "glow" when they are on in the evening.  (These lights are there all year round).  They are just plain old white Christmas lights that lay on top of the cabinets, wound through the decorative baskets.  And, there is just a little decoration over the sink.  I could decorate the tops of the cabinets, but Grandma just plain old gave out.  Maybe next year.

To hang over the sink, I made some of the snowflakes that I wrote about in my post of November 8, 2012.  My daughter gave me some beautiful Martha Stewart  Christmas paper she had left over from a project, so I made some of these snowflakes and a paper chain to hang them from.

 These were easy and didn't cost anything other than time.   These are so much fun to make, check out my post with instructions if you want to make some.

Thanks for touring with us once again.  Things are busy here at the little yellow cottage this time of year.  I hope there are things here to inspire you for the coming holiday season and Christmas' to come.  Remember, it's about making memories.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

Maybe Christmas, the Grinch thought, doesn't come from a store.
Dr. Seuss 

Hand Painted Table Runner Tutorial - Easy and Beautiful

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It's been another busy, creative week here at the little yellow cottage.  Once I get started (finally) the ideas start to roll and I can't seem to work fast enough to accomplish all my goals.  You know how it is?  Anyway, I wanted to create a new table runner for our dining table and for the trunk I use as a coffee table in the living room.  My burlap phase from Thanksgiving has passed for the moment and now I am into painter's drop cloths.  Talk about a bargain!  You can get a drop cloth at Home Depot for $9.00 and it is huge.  Way cheaper than comparable fabric from the fabric store and it is much wider!  

From that one drop cloth I made a bunch of pillow covers, two table runners, two stockings and a partridge in a pear tree (just kidding about the partridge).  But, the fabric has the look of linen and is very easy to paint on with a brush.  Burlap requires a stencil-type method because it is very porous and has lots of "holes".  This fabric is like painting on canvas, you can use fine brushes and control the look you want.  Super!

Here is what you will need:

Fabric

Paint - colors of your choice

Fabric medium

Brushes

Print outs of words and stencils

Tracing paper

Trim

Sewing machine or glue

To make my runners, I simply cut pieces of fabric the length and width I wanted to fit the table and trunk.  Next, I printed out words I wanted to use in a font and size that I liked.  For this project I used Chopin Script which is quite beautiful and I was able to download it free from the internet.  Free = Yay!  Also, I downloaded and printed a lot of free Christmas stencils from About.com.  (They have some really great ones and they are - free.)  I printed a lot of stencils because I wasn't quite sure what I was going to use.  I ended up using two different stencils and putting them together for the big table runner to get the look I wanted.  

Now, I didn't use the stencils as "stencils" this time, but traced the words and stencils onto my fabric using tracing paper that I bought at Michaels in the art department.  Those of you my age will know it as carbon paper.  Remember typing class and all those carbons we had to make?  Sorry, I digress.  Simply find the center of your fabric and mark it with a straight pin.  Next, decide on the design you are going to use and place it where you want it to on the cloth.  

I used masking tape to hold my paper to the cloth, placed the tracing paper underneath and used a dull pencil to trace the words and designs.  It will look like this when you remove the paper.

These are the three brushes I used - a fine liner, a small angle and a small square shader.  The most important brush is your fine liner.

Put about a 50 cent sized glob of paint on a paper plate (so it doesn't dry up as you are working) and mix in fabric medium according to directions.  This will make your paint washable.  If you want to use fabric markers, you can.  I just prefer paint and brushes and I have plenty of both on hand.   Since I am right handed, I begin at the far left and work to the right so that I don't drag my hand through wet paint and get it everywhere.  You do what is comfortable for you. When using the liner brush, "roll" it through the paint to keep a sharp point so that the bristles don't splay out when painting.  I do the outlining first and then fill in one letter at a time.   It took me about an hour to paint the big table runner and slightly less for the smaller runner.  This is how they looked completely painted.

You may ask why I chose the French words Joyeux Noel?  Because I think they are lovely, the English equivalent is Merry Christmas, and French script is very popular this year in decorating.  It was just a decorating choice.  But, isn't it gorgeous?  I simply LOVE the Chopin Script.  

Next, I pressed the hems all around the runners and stitched them down on the sewing machine.  If you don't sew you can use stitch witchery or "sewing" glue - just follow the directions.  Then, I added trims.  I don't like "matchy/matchy" so I used different designs and trims and yet they "go together."  Just personal choice.  The trim I used on the small runner is vintage and looks like this close up.  It ties in with all the colors in the living room.

It has the look of needlepoint with dark reds, greens, blues and blacks.  It is gorgeous.  This is the small finished runner.

For the big table runner I used a black and gold metallic trim that is very "madrigal" and regal in look.  

And how it looks on the table.

I had trouble getting the "whole" thing in a picture, but this gives you an idea of how beautiful it looks with all the decorations. 

Where else could you get a hand painted runner for so little money?   The joy of producing such a lovely piece is worth the effort!  You can customize it in any color with any words and decorations you like.  That is the best part.  And, you are using your inner artist!!  

What fabulous gifts these would make!  It wouldn't even have to be for a holiday - it could be something "everyday" useful.  It's the little things that make a house a home.  Have fun with this project.  Let your imagination run wild and let me know how much fun you have making it!  

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

Man will begin to recover the moment he takes art as seriously as physics, chemistry or money.  ~Ernst Levy

Remember those $1.38 plate stands I showed you yesterday?  Well, here is what I did with them.  This is the big reveal.  If you look really close, you will see that I used a candlestick, a sherbet dish and a martini glass to achieve different heights for my candle holders.  The variety is also very visually appealing.   The picture simply does not capture how pretty they look on the table.  

This is the way our kitchen table looked this morning before I began setting it for Christmas. 

 Nice huh?  Guess you would never know I have been crafting on the kitchen table.  Why you ask?  Because my craft/sewing table is also buried in projects.  At least, I resolved this table today.  The other one is going to take some more work.  

After I cleaned off the table and put everything away (sort of), I put down my new hand painted table runner.  It looks like this.

I made it from a painter's drop cloth.  I will give you a tutorial on how I did it later.  I have to say I love it!   Next, I placed three of the plate stands in the center, added three of the sparkly candles I made and some cedar and holly from our bushes outside.  (Remember, use what you have.)  The holly has really beautiful red berries on it and it makes a nice little pop of color on the elevated plates.  Then I added one of my beloved acrylic stars.  Yes, more stars because it goes with the star in the center of the table runner and it WAS a star that guided the wise men to the nativity.  

The same treatment was done on the other two plates.  Next, I added 5 mercury glass votives, and hung some stars from our light fixture.

Then, I put out my red chargers which were given to me by my dear sweet friend Don and added a festive red holiday napkin that is embroidered with gold holly.  I have some beaded napkin rings, but didn't want to use them so I searched around and decided to cut a branch of artificial berries apart that I had and twisted them around the center of each napkin and then added a sprig of fresh holly leaves.

The backs of the chairs have red velvet bows tied on them with a crystal snowflake and some red and white string.  Here is a close up.

Because we use our table every day (we don't have a dining room) I will have to move the chargers for daily use, but I just love the way the table looks.  It is simple but festive.  Smashing actually and that is what I was aiming for.  There will be so much ambience when all the candles are lit. 

These pictures were taken with my phone because I don't have a camera at the moment.  They are not the best, but will give you an idea of what you can do with little expense.  Here are a few more pictures.

I also used some of the plate stands on the trunk I use for a coffee table in the living room.  There is a new hand painted tabled runner on it also.  Instead of candles, I used some of my Dollar Tree mirrored trees that I got a year or two ago.  Here is what the coffee table looks like.  I LOVE this look.

So I have $1.38 in each plate stand and $1.00 in each mirrored tree for a total of $5.76.  Not too shabby for a great looking arrangement.  Greenery is from the yard.  Now that makes me happy.  Here are a few more pictures for you.

At last, I am at the end of my decorating spree.  Everything has come together quite nicely and I will be sharing some more tutorials with you and pictures of all of my efforts.  I LOVE when the sun starts going down and all the lights are on and everything looks so beautiful.  It's a lot of work, but so worth it.  Can't wait for the grandsons to see all the trees! Our New York grandson won't make it here this Christmas  because his dad (our son) will be performing and we will really miss him.  Otherwise, it's going to be such an exciting Christmas and we are counting down the days.  

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more 
beautiful.    Norman Vincent Peale

Other than Christmas, do you change the accessories in your home to fit the season - spring/summer flowers and accessories for spring/summer, fall accessories for fall and holiday decorations for the winter holidays?  I always have and probably always will because I like it that way.  It just makes sense to me that the inside decor matches the season of the out of doors.  OCD?  Probably.

Since today is the last official day of summer and fall is rapidly approaching, I have been working on making the transition indoors.  All the summer decorations are being changed for fall decorations as I create them.  Our new home, the little yellow cottage, is getting all new decorations because creating is a very joyous experience for me.  Yes, there are pumpkins and pots of mums sitting on the deck waiting for their assigned places out of doors, but first I want to finish the interior.  First things first - that's the way I like it.  

At the moment, I am in my burlap phase.  All artists go through phases and this is mine at the moment.  First, it's inexpensive and second, it has so much potential.  I bought two yards of red burlap when I made my fall wall hanging knowing I would use it for something.  I liked the wall hanging so much, I decided to make a runner for the table out of some of the remaining fabric.  The runner is 18 inches wide and two yards long.  The edges are unfinished and there are painted stencils going down the center of the runner.  Easy, inexpensive and creative.  

I thought about what I wanted on the runner and the thought of being grateful kept running through my mind.  So, I stenciled the phrase "Always Giving Thanks" in the middle of the runner as we try to always live in a state of gratitude.  I wanted the runner to be used through Thanksgiving, so I went with a fall harvest/cornucopia look.  Brown craft paper is great for inexpensive stencils that will only be used a couple of times, so I traced some of the artificial fall leaves I have on hand, cut an apple in half and traced it, googled images of acorns and drew one, and drew a small pumpkin.  I cut the center out of all the drawings to make stencils.  Quick and easy - my two favorite words.  If you don't feel comfortable drawing stencils, just find images on your computer and print them out.  The grapes were made with a round foam one inch "stomp".  It makes perfect circles and gives the bunches of grapes depth and dimension.  

Paint colors used were pumpkin orange, santa red, leaf green, hunter green, chocolate brown, dandelion yellow, purple pearl, eggplant and black.  All you need are the little bottles of acrylic paint available in any craft store.  Other supplies needed are a stencil brush, thin liner brush, foam stomp, and something to cover your table so you don't get paint on it.  I used a plastic trash bag.

Start by pinning a stencil to the runner with some straight pins.  I did leaves first, then acorns, grapes, apple, and pumpkins.  Start on the outside edge of the leaf stencil with whatever color you want to use and paint the outside 1/3 of the leaf one color.  Work toward the center of the leaf with a second color and complete the center with a third color.  If you start with orange, work to red then yellow.  You want the colors to be as natural as possible.  Nothing is ever just one color.  Don't be afraid to mix colors, it gives you depth, texture and dimension.

The brown leaf above was started with brown, then green and the center in yellow.  It makes everything much more interesting that way.

The grapes were done with the eggplant paint on the top part of the cluster and then the purple pearl was used on the bottom to give contrast.  The apple was painted yellow and then shaded from the top down with red.  The pumpkin was painted solid orange and the stem was done in brown and highlighted with dark green and yellow.  After all the paint was dry, I went back with the little linter brush and added veins to the leaves and lines were added to the pumpkins. All the stems were highlighted with green or yellow.  The acorns received a little shadow under the "cap" to show separation and depth.  Don't be afraid to trust your instincts.  I am not Monet or Van Gogh, but I love the way my runner turned out!

Stenciling is very easy.  Just make sure the stencil is snug to the fabric using pins or tape.  Use an up and down pouncing motion.  I like to work from the outside in, that way you get nice crisp edges.  Remove the stencil once the paint is partially dry.  I would complete one object, then move on to the next image I wanted to place on the runner.  

This is an easy and inexpensive project.  You can choose whatever design you want to put on your runner.  We now have a lovely table runner and the adorable candy corn tea lite holders from last night's post.  It's going to be a good fall!  

What could be more fun than creating your own personal table runner to use in your home or to give as a gift?  Give it a try, you can do it!  And, you will feel so satisfied knowing you created something lovely and meaningful out of something as humble as burlap.  Get that creativity out and use it as often as you can!  

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

Gratitude is an Attitude!

A Quick And Inexpensive Table Runner For A Wedding Shower

The Traveling Grandparents are back home after a trip to Chicago to help our son and his family pack their household for a move to New York City.  Our son has been performing in a show called The Million Dollar Quartet for a year and a half and will now be performing with the New York cast.  This was a sudden call with short notice for the move.  We left last Thursday and helped all we could to make the transition as easy as possible.  We headed home Tuesday, while they started their trek to New York.  But, the night before we left for Chicago, I had to make decorations for a wedding shower my daughter was hosting for her dear friend here in Nashville.  We had just gotten home from two weeks in Dallas helping our daughter and her family there while she went to New York to film a segment for 60 Minutes.  When we got home, we spent three days watching our grandson here in Nashville while they were transitioning Nanny's. (Okay, I am exhausted just reading about this last month)  I had told my daughter I would do the decorations for the shower, but it had to be something that I could make and leave for her to work with since we were having to make the trip to Chicago.  Normally, I would have helped her decorate and would make the fresh flower arrangements, but it was not going to happen this time.  I wracked my brain about what to do.  

While we were staying with her son, I saw the invitation to her friend's wedding on her refrigerator.   They are having a private wedding in their yard with a big party/reception afterward.  Dress was "dressy casual with hats."  Hmmmmmmm.  The invitation was dark green with a big tree on it and it said "Eat, Drink and Be Married."  Okay, now my brain was starting to swirl.  I called my daughter and asked her to pick up some fabric because I would not be able to get to a store before we left.  She got 3 yards of a linen like fabric for $4.49 per yard on sale.  Her dining table is six feet long and she has a table on her screened in porch also.  This was enough fabric for me to split and make two table runners.  I found three little girl's hats at Goodwill for $6.00 total.  Everything else I needed was already in my craft arsenal.  She was trying to keep cost way down and this was really going to help.

I made two table runners by cutting the fabric in half.  It was 45" wide and would be just right for this project.  I turned the edges under 1/2 inch and pressed with a steam iron.  I then turned them another 1/2 inch and pressed.  Using clear nylon thread, I stitched the edges on my machine.  I timed it to see how long it took and it took me exactly 5 minutes for each runner - 10 minutes total.  If you do not sew, you can use fabric glue or stitch witchery for the edges.  Just follow the directions for the product you use.

I did not miter the corners, but simply turned them under in this fashion.  Saved me time and I knew the ends would hang off the table and hopefully no one from the 4H would be looking.  

I had decided to stamp Eat, Drink and Be Married on the runners and I already had this set of rubber alphabet stamps.  I also had the leaf stamp in the picture above.  I always have paint of varying colors and they are using greens and shades of blue for their wedding.  Perfect!  I was set to go.  I started by finding the middle of the runners by folding them in half and marking the middle with a straight pin.  I chose a place on either side of center and started stamping the words Eat, Drink and Be Married.  I used a light blue paint and painted each letter and stamped it on the fabric.

Next, I painted the leaf stamp with green paint and stamped a random pattern of leaves around the words.  You have to put paint on the stamp each time you use it. 

This shows one side of the runner.  Next, I used a black fabric paint marker and drew vines and connected the leaves in random fashion.  Then, I added "squiggles" and used a round sponge "stomp" and made blue berries on the vine.  

The runners came together very quickly and I have to admit, looked quite lovely when completed.  They fit the theme of the shower and added color and depth to the tables.  Tomorrow, I will show you the hats I decorated that were also used on the tables.  My daughter took a picture of one of the tables for me, since we were unable to attend and I will post it with tomorrow's tutorial.  

These runners were so quick and could be made for any occasion imaginable.  Once you have invested in a set of letter stamps, you will have them to use forever.  I got mine at Michael's.  I also have a lot of stamps that I have used for various projects, but they can be purchased at any craft store.  Acrylic fabric paint is cheap and also available at any craft store.  The total cost for this project was only the cost of the fabric.  It certainly kept her under budget and made a really impressive look on the table.  Give this project a try.  Fall, Thanksgiving, Christmas, a baby shower, birthdays - the possibilities are endless!  Let me know how yours turns out.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

If a miracle has ever happened, it can happen to you. If anyone has succeeded, you can. If things have ever worked out for anyone, they can work out for you. No one and nothing sets you apart from your highest good other than you. You are the miracle, the success, the good. It is all present within you, now. Cynthia Occelli