Saturday, May 30, 2009

Burlap Napkin Rings How-To


These cute little napkin rings were so easy to make. And the possibilities to make them unique are endless....You could add ribbon, a monogram, a silk flower, a buckle, some bling....


You need some burlap (and it comes in many colors) and buttons- Burlap is loosely woven and ravels easily. I used 1/4 inch seams and over edged them. When I cut them out I used the selvage on the end that I left open -so I would not have to over edge it.


Cut each rectangle 4 X 8 inches.


Fold and sew down the non-salvage end and the 8 inch side. Over edge.



One end is open to turn. Be careful when you pull the corners to a point-if you try to poke them out with a knitting needle (like I did)- you will poke a hole in the corners (like I did)...just be gentle and use the eraser end of a pencil. Burlap is forgiving and the corners don't have to be perfect. I did not clip the corners for fear of them unraveling.
Turn and iron.
I used assorted vintage buttons to attach the end. I overlapped the closed end about 1 inch on top of the open end and hand sewed the button. The End-


The placemats were an after thought......
For the place mats I cut rectangles 13 X 18 inches.


I pulled off 5 stands on each side to fringe them. If I was not lazy I would stay stitch around the edge....maybe I'll go back and do that to keep them from fraying more!

I was in a hurry to slap them on the table so we could eat dinner!

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

A Thrifty Burlap Tablescape

The universe aligned today for me to be able to combine 3 of my loves into one post that fits into 3 parties! First is Crazy for Burlap hosted by Rhoda at Southern Hospitality!Next we have Tablescape Thursday hosted by Susan at Between Naps on the Porch!
And last but not least is Thrifty Thursday hosted by Leigh of Bloggeritaville!

Go by these fabulous blogs today for more great inspiration!!

Crazy for Burlap came along just as I had finished some projects for the porch. I love the texture of burlap and the price! I've lusted after table runners with a monogram so with a yard of burlap ($3.99) and a denim remnant I made all of these projects today. The table runner came first...

Followed by the pillow....

I can flip the runner over to get a different look!
And I made 6 napkin rings and 2 place mats before I ran out of fabric!
So on to the tablescape, which is all done with thrifty finds! The most expensive things on the table are the Target birds!
Dinner on the porch for Hubby and me!

Thriftiness:
Tablecloth- thrift store $2
Burlap place mats and napkin rings- @$1
Green Fiesta Plates -Old Time Pottery -$2.99 each
Daisy plates -Salvation Army -$1.50 for 5
Coke glasses -Dollar Tree
Michelangelo by Oneida flatware - thrift shop -$.25 each!! And my heart
was pounding like crazy because that is my pattern!!
Soup tureen -Salvation Army- $2.00
Jadeite bowl- Goodwill- $1.50 (another heart pounder)
Cracker loaf dish(behind bowl) -Walgreens Dollar aisle


And if that isn't enough fun...since it has rained for a week...no yard sales on Saturday for us....so we went to Mike's Merchandise and I found these for $.99 each!!!!
Huge burlap coffee bean bags! Some still had beans in them!



They had tons of them! I just pulled four different ones off the top....may go back when the pile is smaller to see what different patterns are further down! So I need some more creative ideas for burlap!!! Thanks for stopping by the Swamp today, come back in a couple of days to see the "How-to" directions for the napkin rings!

Wordless Wednesday




Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Thrifty Thursday

Thrifty Thursday is hosted weekly by Leigh of Bloggeritaville. I have joined in for the last 3 weeks to share my thrifty finds. This week I am showing a different kind of "find"!!! A new store has opened in my neck of the woods (East Alabama) -in the same shopping center as a well known place- Angel's Antiques!

Resurrect is full of all kinds of treasure -mostly old and some new! Beware-I took A LOT of pictures. So sit back and come with me on a virtual shopping trip!










































What did I buy? Nothing.... What did I want? Everything!!!! That was the problem- I saw so many things that would fit in my house- I couldn't decide! The good thing is that I just live 4 minutes away so I can go back tomorrow! If you want more information go here

Or just come visit and bring your truck!