Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Somthing for the Garden...

Need a "Thank You" gift for someone special?
Why not give them a gift for their garden....


In my life I have been blessed with a handful of friends who
are always doing "Something Special" for me.

Friends that don't wait for you to ask, they just offer.
Do you know the type of friend I am talking about?

My Friend Sharon is one of  those friends.
She has really blessed me my offering to help me
 with my bedroom makeover.
I decided to paint all the furniture rather than buy new furniture.
Painting is her talent.
She recently helped me
and I wanted to let her know
 how much I appreciated her help.

I decided to make her a piece of garden art....


I have quite a stash
 of glass pieces I have collected to make my little treasures.


Vases....
Plates....
Wine Decanters....
and Votive Holders
were all used to create this garden art.


In addition to the glass garden art
I decided to put together a basket filled with little gifts...


I wrapped it with a pretty plaid ribbon bow and it was complete!


I made a frame with a special saying about "Friends". 
 The frame had a pretty ribbon on it.
  In the center of the ribbon I used something special.

Awhile back, Sharon had given me a bunch of cameos
 her mother-in-law had hand painted.
At the time she gave them to me, she said,
"I know you will put them to good use".

One of these cameos was the perfect thing to add to the frame.


Here's a closer look at the cameo.


I hand delivered the gift.
When she saw the piece of Garden Art
she knew exactly where she would put it.

Right by her RED front door!


It warms my heart to see it displayed in her garden.


Life has many blessings.
One of those blessings are wonderful friends!

I'll be linking up to....
at 20 comments:

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Add Some Nail Heads to a Cornice...

Looking to add some extra detail to a window treatment?
Recently I completed a drapery job for a client.

Here's the before photo...


And Here's the completed job...


The great room had just recently be redone.
I was called in to soften the room with fabric.

What to do?
It was a large room with some heavy elements....

I designed window treatments and custom pillows
that fit into the room perfectly.



Here's another view of the large window that needed
some accessorizing with fabrics.


The windows on either side of the fireplace
 were flanked with window treatments
 that had some extra special detail.

Sometimes just by adding nailheads to a cornice,
that will give you the added WOW factor you're looking for.



The cornice was covered with a dupioni silk fabric. 
 Next was to draw the design for the nail heads onto tissue paper,
 and then transfer the design onto the cornice.
Each nail headed was then pounded in individually.
This took some time, but was well worth the effort. 


I ordered the Fleur-De-Lis wood appliqué from
 Van Dykes Restores.

It comes unfinished.
 It was painted to match the finish of the nail heads.
This appliqué was 9" tall. 
It comes in various sizes which you can view Here.



Here is a close up of the deatil.
It was a sunny day so the photos are not top quality.



The kitchen is attached to the great room,
so the window over the sink
 needed to have a bit of WOW factor also.

I chose two coordinating fabrics
 that worked well with the solid fabric in the great room.

The window treatment had some extra "Bells and Whistles".
The jabots was made out of an embroidered silk fabric.
Each jabot was attached to the arched cornice
 with wooden medallions.
 Pretty tassels hung from the end of each of the jabots.

The cornices arched shaped helped to frame the windows
 beautiful view of the lake.


I loved the challenge
and the client LOVED her new window treatments!

I'll be linking up to.....

at 9 comments:

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Designing a Window Treatment....

Thought I would share with you a drapery job,
that I recently completed for a client.
Here's the naked windows that were in need of some draperies.
My client's house is decorated with an Asian flair.



I came up with the perfect window treatment design
to compliment her design style.
Take a look....


The asymmetrical design  framed the fireplace.
I choose two neutral tone fabrics for the window treatments.
One of the fabrics was a solid, with a crinkle texture. 
The other fabric had  tone on a tone leaf design.   


The jabot had a handmade tassel that I designed and made. 
It was the PERFECT accessory to dress up this window treatment.
To make the tassel I first cut a square from a piece of wood.

I have learned to use many "MANLY TOOLS"
 over the years of constructing window treatments. 
After the square was cut,
 I painted it with the same color as the fabrics,
 and  then wrapped it with some  decorative black thread. 
 I added a tassel that I made from some speciality yarns. 

What do you think?
I even surprised myself at how it come out!!!


It's always exciting to see the transformation take place.
My client was thrilled and I couldn't have been happier.

Next time you are dressing a NAKED window in your home,
take a look around your room.

 Think about how you can dress your window
 with a style that compliments your rooms decor.

I'll be linking up to...

at 17 comments: