Ruffled Handbag

This handbag is super cute and not too hard to make, either.

Here's what you need:
-1 Premade cotton canvas tote (I used 11"x13"... and my fabric measurements are based on that... you may have to adjust accordingly)
-1 fat quarter of your choice
-appox . 1/3 yd. muslin  (44" wide)

Here's what you do:
-Cut (6 in total) 3" strips lengthwise from the fat quarter.  You will need the whole thing.
-Cut (3 in total) 3" strips from the muslin, and then cut each of those in half for 6 pieces that are 3" x 22"
-sew a gathering stitch 1/4" from the edge of each strip.
-gather up eacg ruffle until it matches the width of the tote, knot it off, and even up your ruffles.
-Heat up your hot glue gun :-)
-Evenly glue each ruffle onto the bag.  I started by gluing one at the top, then one at the bottom, then one in the middle and then filling in from there.
-Do the above step for both sides of your tote, if so desired.
-I then glued each end together
-pin on a pretty embellishment of your choice- I used a muslin rosette.

And there you have it!!

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Etsy Sale!!

Good morning, I just thought that I would mention that I am going to be having a Canada Day/Fourth of July Sale in my Etsy shop.  Use code JULYSALE to receive 15% off your total order!  Hurry... it's only running now until July 5th!

simplychictreasures.etsy.com

Here's a sampling of a few of my offerings:

Cute Chalkboards

Pillows

Jewelry (Or Key) Hanger

Book Bundle

Enamel pots and other great vintage items!

Lovely White Hutch

This was quite the project for me.  This is the biggest piece I have painted thus far, and it took me a lot longer than I thought that it would.  But isn't that how things usually go?

This is what it looked like before- (this isn't the actual one, but one that is identical to it.  The finish on mine was a lot rougher.)

I kept the original hardware, but spray painted them black, for more of an updated look.  And black and white is always a classic look.  I also scraped all the gold crosshatching off of the glass... that was a job in and of itself!

I had originally bought this piece with the intentions of keeping it and using it to store all of my craft and sewing supplies.  However, I have decided that isn't quite the perfect piece for me after all, and have decided that I will be offering it up for sale... and continuing my search for THE perfect hutch.  

On another note: Does anyone recognize the pattern on the platter I have displayed on one of the shelves?  The name on the back of it says "Garland".  I have researched and researched some more, without finding anything.  It belonged to my great-great-grandmother, who lived in England.

 

Here is a closeup of the platter as well as the mark on the back.  I think that it may be a type of ironstone, or earthenware.

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Pine Dresser Makeover

Remember the dresser that I talked about in my Yard Sale Finds post last week?  If not, here's a few refresher pictures...

It was in pretty decent shape and had nice lines.  The finish was just kind of gross, and it also needed all new drawer stops.

For a while now, I have been admiring furniture that with unpainted tops and I thought this would be the perfect piece to try the look out on.

So, I sanded down the top and restained it with a dark walnut stain.  I used Varathane brand.   It didn't turn out as a dark as I thought that it would, but still I was happy with the end result.

I then painted the rest of the dresser white and added brushed silver knobs to replace the ugly wooden ones that it came with.

Here it is all prettied up:

Like the rose picture?  It was courtesy of my brother Nathan.  He just graduated from the photography program at Georgian College in Barrie, ON.  Check out his website, Masters Imaging for more great photography.

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How to make a burlap covered memo board

I have gathered a few bulletin boards recently.  But unless they are dressed up a little, they don't really suit my decor.

To make this memo board, I started with a regular bulletin board.  I cut it in half with an exacto knife. I drew a line down then center and then I found it was easier to make heavier, repeated, score marks along the line rather than trying to saw with the knife.

I then cut a piece of chocolate brown burlap that was little larger on each side then my piece of bulletin board.  I then began stapling it on with my staple gun, pulling tight as I went.

I did one side at a time, then the opposite one.

Here is the front side with the burlap on and undecorated.

Here is the finished product:

I hot glued some lace at the top and the bottom as a well a rosette that is made out of sheet music. The little flowers are punched out of a vintage dictionary.

The pictures I have displayed on it are of my dad as a child and my grandmother when she was younger.

This was a fairly simple project to do and adds that something special to an ordinary bulletin board.



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