Fun With Feed or Flour Sacks...or Sugar Sacks!

 

Pretty Chicks of Summer!

 

Nothing says summer like a lot of pretty chicks strutting about and showing off their colorful finery.  I've mentioned before how much I enjoy what an All-American summer has to offer.  Summer to me is a garden filled with lazy days, country fairs, fireworks and parades beneath a blue sky full of fluffy white clouds.  There are lots of pretty chickens in a summer garden...well, in my neighbors' gardens...and it makes me happy just to watch them.  I like summer projects...this year I am being drawn to a country fair or carnival kind of theme.  Of course the colors red, white and blue will dominate...the colors of an American Summer!

 

Pinterest-Inspired Feed Sack Art

As seen on Pinterest...from Country Living.

Made by Cathe Holden of  Just Something I Made

 

I love Cathe Holden's blog.  She comes up with the most brilliant ideas...but what I love most is that though they are easy, they pack a lot of punch!  I've been inspired time and time again.  Pillows and other things made from feed, flour and sugar sacks can be found all over Pinterest, but I hadn't seen this idea anywhere.  Cathe has taken sacks with interesting graphics...added simple embroidery to enhance the design...and framed them like canvas art. What could be more fun in a vintage farm-style kitchen?

 

My version is a flour sack from Lehi Roller Mills.

I added a funky polka dot border...the dots are vaguely egg-shaped...lol!

 

Lehi Roller Mills is a local landmark featured on the first "Footloose" movie. I first posted about it last year here... Lehi Roller Mills. I was so excited to find I still had one flour sack left in my stash.  My embroidery skills are nothing to brag about, but it was fun to outline the letters and turkey with (very) simple stitches.

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The flour sack was simple to frame...I just stapled it to a white stretched canvas I found at Hobby Lobby in the art department...the sizes and possibilities are endless!

I used an 18" by 24" canvas.

These are the porch pillows I made last year from the same sacks

 

Sugar Sack Pillows...

 

 Sugar sack pillow found on Pinterest. 

Made by Maggie Jane's Vintage

I made these last year...See it here!

These will be fun added to my country fair theme.

 

Speaking of fairs...who doesn't love a first place ribbon?

Cathe Holden is also an expert on making fancy rosette ribbons.

I purchased her book..."Rosette Art". 

The book has tons of ideas and includes pre-scored papers to get you started.

 

Happy May Day...tomorrow!

P.S. Pretty Chickens!

 

Merry Miscellaneous Christmas Decor!

A Cozy Country Christmas

I feel a bit out of the blogging loop.  My blog book entries for December will be very few, I am afraid.  I know I am not the only blogger to be sidelined by that Christmas Grinch the "Christmas Flu."  It sure does a number on a person's holiday spirit.  With less than a week to go I am so glad that I was a bit of an "overachiever" in the shopping and decorating department.  I have no more gifts that need to be purchased or mailed...YAY!  I still haven't taken a lot of photos of my rooms, but I do have a few to share.  My porch, front hall and main family room are pretty rustic this year...Cozy Country Christmas.

 

Family Room Mantel...

 

Cozy Cabin...

Sweet Deer...

Hungry Little Mice...

Ornament I made from Graphics Fairy tutorial.

Family Room Tree...

Burlap, Felt Snowflakes, and Woodland Creatures.

Hallway Village...Vintage Style Houses.

Smaller Hallway Tree...

Sits on an old German sled.

 

George's Grandmother's Nativity.

The pieces are quite large!

For the garland I found some lovely Nativity Christmas cards from other lands

I kept the cards simple.

I made paper chains for the garlands over the doors.

They are from the pages of an old dictionary I have been crafting with for years.

 

I hope you have enjoyed this brief peek.  I left a couple of rooms undecorated this year...and the sky didn't fall!  Imagine that!

 

Merry Christmas!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've got the Red, White and Summertime Blues!

Summertime Blues

I love this postcard recently posted by The Graphics Fairy

 

I'm not really all that depressed...I just have a wee case of the blues.  This morning is absolutely a beautiful one...the sky is bluer than blue, and the air is so clear I can almost see every individual tree on the side of the mountain.  I think I am just realizing that summer is speeding ahead faster than a speedboat on Lake Powell.  It's almost the Fourth of July already!  It seems like my grandkids just got out of school for the summer and now Hobby Lobby has Halloween black and orange pushing out the red, white and blue.  Luckily my crafting attention has been diverted by our upcoming "American Fork High School 40th Reunion!" It will be in early September and I have volunteered to make decorations...table decor, banners...all kinds of fun ideas.  This will help my blues considerably...and our colors "bright...of red and white"will inspire me for the next few months.  I will post some of my ideas when they come to fruition.  Pinterest is a big help!  And thank goodness for burlap...a decorator's dream come true!

 

Some Patriotic Decor...

My family room mantel...the pennants are from last year.

Kind of a Coney Island thing going on here.

Love my new ferris wheel...just found a German carousel to join it.

Fourth of July dollies.

The one in the striped skirt was a lucky recent thrift store find.

Table Vignette.

The box and hat are also from last year.

 

Tammy's Circus Garland!



Why are garlands so hard to photograph?

 

I had long admired Tammy's...of Tammy's in Love...fun circus garland.  I am simply crazy when it comes to circuses lately.  She crafted it from pictures cut from a Mary Engelbreit calendar.  One day...out of the blue...it showed up on my doorstep!  Tammy is the dearest friend...loved by many of us bloggers.  She knows instinctively what will brighten your day.  She's very busy now with her new job, but I hope she will still post from time to time.  You're the best, Tammy girl!!!

Cute Clowns and Barkers!

Like Tammy...I hung my pennants from a tape measure.

I made colorful rosettes to hang at the ends.

Tammy's garland is the perfect addition to my circus office!

 

Miscellaneous Summer Crafts...

 

Patchwork pillow I made for Holly of Cutie Pie Cottage

We did a swap...I got one of her darling button ball garlands!

We all love those, cute Holly!

Pinterest inspired Cowboy hat.

My granddaughter Madison pinned it one day...so I made it for her 15th birthday.

The fabric roses were applied with fabric Mod Podge.

A few pearls for bling!

 

I feel better already!

Sometimes posting is a great pick-me-up!

 



Summer Holiday Decor...Patriotic!

Red, White and Blue Days...
Summertime to me is made up of Red, White, and Blue Days...Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day and Pioneer Day.  Pioneer Day is also known as "Days of '47" to commemorate the arrival of Brigham Young and the Mormon Pioneers to the Salt Lake Valley.  The date was July 24, 1847.  Pioneer Day is filled with parades, picnics and...of course...FIREWORKS!  In my childhood it was as much a part of my heritage as the Fourth of July.  I am here today because my pioneer grandparents made the long, and often dangerous journey to this Utah...this Deseret I call home.  Deseret means "honey bee" and many of the symbols of our state incorporate beehives.  The Mormon Pioneers were known to be an industrious people.

Patriotic Theme Projects...

An arrangement I made some years back.

The firecrackers are wooden dowels.

Closeup of detail.  Simple wood shapes and postcard image.

Lady Liberty rag doll and a new garland.

Detail of Garland.

I used a striped Christmas paper and postcard graphics...plus navy rick-rack. 

The "American" bunting is a repeated graphic I found online.

A wonderfully faded tray I found for 50 cents at D.I. thrift store.

The USA magnets are game pieces in bottlecaps.

Some hallway decor...ignore the woman in the mirror!

The card holder has vintage patriotic postcards and old photos

from American Fork's parades...which are also in July!

My Patriotic House!

It will never be "Divided..."

I've made one for each holiday so far this year...next is Halloween!

Front Detail.

Back Detail...forgive the glare.

Again I used Christmas paper for the stripes.

The stars on the roof were torn in strips and modge-podged.

A Cute Mother's Day Project...

This year I decided to make little Mother's Day gifts for my daughters and daughters-in-love (I've seen this phrase around the blogosphere).  This is another batch of homemade hand soap.  This time I made Orange Almond.

Closeup of tag...little orange canning jars.

I hope they liked them...I added gift cards as well to some favorite stores.

I also found time to torment Kitty Luna with a big bow.

I hope your Mother's Day was as lovely as mine was!