framed-up fall mantel

I've featured the large crewel piece (created by my great-grandmother!) before but this is the first time I used an old window and empty picture frames. Natural treasures from the beach include driftwood and a large seagull feather. Natural treasures from the neighborhood include oak branches, acorns, various seed pods, and a pretty substantial piece of bark that I hauled home from a walk. Upon seeing it my husband only commented "Well, that's where the kids get it." A few pieces of glass including some of my milk glass collection and there it is. I am quite pleased with it and will probably leave it up until Christmas time.

a treat for me: new crewel!

I might have a bit of an addiction going on here!

How could I resist this adorable, only a dollar, thrifted crewel? A tiny piece of vintage craft past? And of course the colors – purple and yellow – go so well with my sunroom as does the floral motif. Love it!

Sunroom treasures: curtains & crewel

I finally got the curtains sewed for the sunroom!

I first wrote about my fabric selection way back here in February of 2012. The design is by one of my very favorite artists and bloggers, Geninne Zlatkis. I just adore her sweet little birdies and appreciate our mutual love of nature. When I finally went to buy the fabric it was actually rather difficult to find a continuous piece. There seemed to be plenty of smaller quilt-worthy cuts but it was a trick to find what I needed. The moral of that story is if you see some new fabric line you absolutely must have, well, don't delay in buying it.

Curtains are fairly simple to sew once you've mastered the elusive straight line (I will admit this was actually quite difficult when I was first learning to sew) but I still sought some online guidance. I ended up following these directions posted on Design*Sponge.

I also added these sweet little crewel pictures I bought for a mere $2 each at the Allegan Antiques Market. Of course odd numbers are better when it comes to decorating so I will have to keep my eye out for a third!

The oval shaped one had this inscription on the back. If anyone knows Judy Verslype, please pass along my compliments. Her craft work from long ago is making me smile today!

New couch + new rug + backyard birdfeeders =

Our new favorite room!

After many months of musing about updating this sunroom I was ready to take action. A side trip to IKEA, the magic of the minivan (that loveseat just barely fit!), and an enthusiastic evening of assembling and decorating and my family has now moved our evening hang out time to the cozy little sunroom. I moved a small bookshelf up from the basement and stocked it with our nature guides and nature-themed picture books, a magnifying glass, binoculars, some blocks, and our board games (which might get some use now that they're accessible!).

The loveseat is positioned in such a way that you can watch the birds, which is really my main purpose for this room – communing with nature in the backyard and reading. The large flat arms are perfect for leaving the chapter books we've reading as a family. Or for providing a perch for kitty. Purple wasn't in my original plan but it is my very favorite color. So I welcome having it upstairs.

The green shag rug reminds me of grass and I like it a lot. I know shag is not for everyone but I think it makes sense in this sunroom. My older daughter's toy horse has claimed it as her field and become a permanent sunroom resident!

We also hung a lovely crewel piece by my great-grandmother. The dimensional greenery reminds me of the rug and the little purple flowers pick up the color of the couch. I want to get a few more fun pillows to pick up the gold color. And I am still planning on adorning the window with curtains made of this great bird fabric (of course birds for a bird-watching room!).

what's old is new to me

I was recently lucky enough to be gifted with 3 framed pieces created by my great-grandmother. All were probably craft kits that she completed for herself or others. They are done with crewel, so there is a very fun dimensional feel to the artwork. They, and their frames, have a funky vintage look that I love.

I will admit the dark brown background on this piece is not my favorite. However, I am enjoying something fresh on the mantel. I may bring it back out in the fall.

hang it up!

My Festival of the Arts poster is freshly framed and hung. I absolutely adore the work of Alynn Guerra so I was quite pleased when I found out she was creating this year's poster.

And hanging my animal collection for the nursery is finished thanks to the dear husband. The smaller pictures are actually greeting cards. The larger one was made my great-grandmother for the nursery of myself or one of my sisters (20+ years ago!). It's crewel work, which, as I understand it, is a type of embroidery that uses wool yarn. There are a lot of different textures created with the different stitches and techniques. Interestingly enough, my little baby stares at it quite contentedly while I change her diaper!