Mint to Be Crown'd

~ Ikea Frame #2 ~

Howdy! and welcome.  I truly believe that when you are doing anything creative: paper crafting, sewing, crocheting, baking, or any other art form, that when you are in your groove, tapped into your mojo, that you keep going.  Because once you stop, that rhythm will stop.  {frown}  And that is why, I kept going with my frames.  I had the time, and I wanted them to 'match', so I let that creative juices keep flowing through me.  (my first frame was posted yesterday, HERE.)

For todays post, I want to share what I did with my 5" x 7" white, oval, Ikea frame.  I purchased some incredibly gorgeous shabby chic fabric from the Rachel Ashwell collection, while I was in Phoenix, last month.  I washed and dried the fabric, once I arrived home.  I didn't iron the fabric, because I really wanted it to show the 'worn' beauty of the print.

here is what I did:

Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic Heirloom White Pink Cotton Poplin

I layered two pieces of quilting batting inside the frame.  Then I added my shabby chic fabric on top. I tied a double loop bow with this beautifully sheer, mint, lace trim, by Stampin' Up!. {smile}  I just love this color!  I added this lace because it matched the mint blossoms on the fabric.  [It also matches the crochet doily in the other Ikea frame.]  The sheerness of the lace, with the scallop edge, and the swiss dots adds another level of femininity to the whole look.  {smile}

a direct 'view'

I didn't want to add another door knob to this frame.  But, I wanted them to look like they are a 'pair'. So, I repeated some of the same elements: 

1) shabby chic Rachel Ashwell fabric with mint design elements (leaves in frame #1, and blossoms in frame #2)

2) mint embellishment (crochet doily, and sheer lace) to accent the mint elements in the fabrics

3) white resin piece (bird in frame #1, and crown in frame #2)

4) some bling (rhinestone chain wrapped around bow in frame #1, and rhinestone broach in frame #2)

5) and finally the tails of the bows hang past the edge of the frames.

If you visited me yesterday, you read that I'm a hoarder collector of various items.  The Ikea frames I've had for 3 years, and the resin pieces I have had for a bit longer.  And that beautiful vintage inspired broach?  I've had that almost as long, as well.  A very dear, close friend had used the rhinestone broaches, as an embellishment on wedding announcements when her first daughter got married.  [She has 4 daughters]  I kept the ribbon the broach was pinned to also, because it is this beautifully bright pink color. And you never know when you will need a bright pink bow!

I adhered the bow first, using hot glue.  I used the bow as my 'anchor' for this simple, shabby chic piece.  I kept the tails of the bow too long, so that they would go past the edge of the frame.  I adhered the rhinestone broach just above the bow.  It purposefully looks as if it is secured to the bow.  But it is not.  I then tucked the resin crown in towards the top of the rhinestone broach.  The center of the crown is in line with the center of the frame, and the top decorative piece on the broach overlaps the bottom of the crown, on purpose.  I wanted this to look like one piece, and not three pieces clustered together.  And yeah, the dangle of the broach swings.  {smile}  

I am super happy with how beautiful these framed inserts came out.  Now, all I have to do is hang them.  {smile}  Thank you for stopping by.  I hope I have inspired you to create something you have been waiting to make, or to simply use something from your stash.  It is always a great feeling, creating something from what you have on-hand.  That way, you don't have to change out of your pjs {smile}.

Primrose Birdie Framed Pretty

Howdy!  I got to spend some time crafting yesterday, and well, it was very good for my soul! {smile}  Crafting, sewing, baking, and pretty packaging - all make my soul happy!  I'm not quite sure why, but the whole process of 'creating' is what makes me shine.  {smile}   I hope that you know what truly makes you 'happy' and what fuels your inner peace.  And I know I am blessed to have the time, opportunity, and 'vision' to do these things.  

I picked up two white plastic frames from Ikea, about three years ago.  Both frames are 5" x 7".  One frame is rectangular and the other one is oval.  I knew that I loved the design, but wanted to 'do' something with them.  So they sat in my stash for a  l o n g  time.  At first, I thought that they needed some paint.  Ok, spray, chalk, what?  And do I do a distress technique, or faux metal, or dry brushing, or ????  The thoughts in my head swirled at all the possibilities.  Too many ideas, it made me nauseous.  So, I focused my attention on what to put in them.  And the possibilities were endless.  I tucked the frames away in a cabinet, and moved on.  

While in Phoenix, last month, I picked up some beautiful, and I do mean beautiful fabric.  Ridiculously priced.  But drop dead gorgeous!  I picked up three different materials from the Rachel Ashwell collection.  Three different textures, and weights, and three different prints.  

here is what I did with the rectangle photo frame:

Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic Primrose Poplin Fabric

Recipe:  I added two pieces of blanket batting, and then one 6" x 8" piece of this beautiful shabby chic fabric!  (I washed and dried the fabric as soon as I got it home, from Phoenix.)  I didn't iron, or adhere the layers of fabric.  I wanted them to have that wrinkled, worn look to them.  

I added the only pale mint crochet doily I had in my stash.  [thank goodness, it is one of the larger ones I had.]  I tried rhinestone pendants, vintage brooches, and antique ribbon sliced.  Nothing looked 'right'.  So, I dung around in my Melissa Frances resin stash.  [I have too many pieces in this stash, as well.]  

At first I tried the bird cage, the nest, a door knocker, and then, I reached for the bird.  But it felt as though it was missing something under the branch.  I tried buttons, vintage brooches, rhinestone buttons, and then it occurred to me!  Add a door knob!  I tied 4 different ones, until I found this one! [and yes, I have a stash of door knobs - don't judge me {smile}]  *To keep the door knob from falling forward, I added two pieces of chip board to the back of this framed insert.  The screw goes through the chip board, batting, fabric and doily.  I did add some diamond glaze to the threads of the screw to help secure the door knob to the piece.  But the door knob was 'missing' something.   

I got it!  ribbon.  More specifically seam binding!  and I purchased a whole roll [yes, 125 yards, of this beautifully soft, pale, pink seam binding] while in Phoenix.  So, I made a triple bow.  I purposefully left the tails of the bow long.   I wanted them to hang over the photo space.  I wanted some bling.  I cut a 2" length from my rhinestone chain stash [I have a lot of stashes] and hot glued the rhinestones to the center of the bow.  And viola!

I am super happy with how this little project turned out.  Now, I need to start the oval frame.  {smile}

Thank you for stopping by.  I hope that I have inspired you to look at some ordinary items around your home with a 'new' eye.  Jazz-up some of those ordinary items, and make them work in your space.  This frame [along with it's other part of the pair] are to be hung in the hall bathroom.  I have decorated that space shabby chic, and very feminine.  As, I am the one who mostly uses it.  I wanted a pretty space.  {smile}