Linens and Laurel

Little Pink Floral Pillow

This small pillow is ring bearer size, 8.5 x 8.5 inches. My friend pointed out that her mother had a little pillow she hung from a ribbon and kept her brooches on. Great idea. The materials are listed below the picture.

Materials:

• 8 1/2 inch pillow form, ring bearer size
• One fat quarter Cohama/Riverdale vintage new “Celia” fabric
• One yard of 3 inch ribbon loop chalk white fringe inserted and sewn in place.
• 9 inches each of chalk white 3 inch ribbon loop fringe and 2 inch rose petal ribbon loop fringe wound to make a rosette and slip stitched securely in place.
• Vintage pearl and crystal pin on the top.
• Rosette could be snipped off to wear as a pin or hair clip by adding either of those backings. (Wonderful way to remember your wedding day!)
• The back has a slip pocket finish so the cover comes off easily.

What would I do with this little precious?

• Add a side to side coordinating ribbon on top to hang from a wall hanger or hook or door handle. Add more vintage pins to show off a collection.
• Add a ribbon in the center by winding it around the rosette to hold a ring.
• If it was used in my wedding, I would remove the rosette and add a hair clip or pin back, and wear it as a reminder of my special day.
• Or, just set it in a cherished spot to admire!

Pink Saturday is hosted by How Sweet the Sound.

(If you are interested, the pillow is $40 with shipping or I can make one kit minus the vintage pin for $25. Also, if you have an etsy shop, I am going to do a treasury of Pink Saturday participants if I get enough people to leave a comment that they have an etsy shop. Of course, my items will not be in that treasury. Just thought it would be fun.)

Child’s Weaving Loom Potholders

These are still my favorite type of pot holder to use. I love the soft cotton that protects you from the heat, but is still a tactile joy to hold. They wash well and we use them daily.

 

 

 

 

 

As a child,  one of the seven children seemed to get a loom and loops for Christmas each year. Now I associate making potholders with winter, an upstate New York snow day, cold outside, but cozy inside working with loops. The recent weather news and blogland moaning about the unusual snow in the Northeast made me think of it.

 

 

 

My favorite loom now is the Harrisville Designs Potholder Loom. Of course, if I happen upon a vintage one, I wouldn’t be able to resist.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love their cotton loops, too, like this packet, Harrisville Designs a-Lotta Loops.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Isn’t this pink and orange so mid-century modern.?

 

Maybe I will get a booth down on Niles Street for my potholders. Have you heard of Niles in Fremont, CA? Charlie Chaplin filmed his early movies there.

 

I’ll keep you posted on the booth and Niles history.

 

Pink Saturday is hosted by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.

 

Take a few minutes to visit around today and let them know you stopped in to say hi.

 

I am using this site for crafting and my usual PS blog for décor and home redo items. Visit me here, too. I posted a great recipe today.

Rag Rug Update

This is my TV watching project. There isn’t anything that holds my attention to the point that I cannot be working on something else. (oops, just thought of one, Mad Men.) In particular, my husband watches the beginning of Idol, and me just the top ten. In order to spend time with him, I sit and work on what has become “My Idol Rug”. Here’s my progress using the “toothbrush” method to construct it. I have links with directions in a previous post.

There is lots of work left to do!

I just finished redecorating this bathroom and posted the results on my other blog. Check my Simple Master Bath Redecorate to see the entire room. I think the rug will add some much needed soft texture among all the wood, tile, glass and metal.

This post is linking to Second Chance Tuesday because I am using old  sheets to make this rug!

Ribbon Loop Trim Color Chart

We are making a ribbon loop order soon. Since so many have asked for it, here is a color chart. To receive wholesale pricing with a minimum order of $15.00, make sure you “Like” Linens and Laurel (local business) on Facebook. Look in the upper right corner on this page for a link.

If you have a certain color you would like stocked, please leave a comment here or on Facebook. Make sure to indicate whether you would like it in a 1, 2 or 3 inch drop.

Quantity be taken into consideration, too, so post that info.

Flowers and brooches:

One yard will make 4 double layers flowers.

Chalk White	Metal	Mimi Brown
Mimosa	Ice Lime	Grapewine
Mango	Trophy	Argentina
Paradise Aqua	Champagne	Tropic Wine
Sunrose	Basque Red	NuRust
Summerose	Venetian Red	Burnt Rust
Active Red	Brique	Taffee
Dusty Olive	Serbian	Oatmeal
Black	Muted Blue	Croquette Beige
Vivid Pink	TT Muted Blue	Havana
Rosepetal	Sistine Blue	Camel
Moss	Redwood	Suntan

How to repurpose paper bags into stars

This may seem a bit over the top, but natural decorations were speaking loudly to me this year, and well, brown paper bags fit the bill. I know the holidays are over, but there is nothing like getting a big head start for next year and now is when I came up with the idea so wanted to try it out immediately.

Materials:

Paper bag to repurpose

String, (I used a natural hemp)

Procedure:

A beautiful Trader Joe’s bag from our Christmas shopping for treats is shown.

I just love it, but we will not keep many of these around so let’s save it by making stars!

 

 

 

 

Carefully measure 1/2 inch wide strips across the width of the bag and cut. Cut the length in half. 

The German star pattern is all about math, just like quilting, so the more precise your strips, the easier it will be to put them together.

My bag yielded 46 strips for 11 stars, with 2 extras just in case some tore.

The instructions for making the stars are located here:  3-D Stars – Free Instructions.

When finished, just a bit of the print shows up. A hint of color.

If you add a string, these are ready to hang on a tree.

One last idea, what does a brown paper star look like if dipped in wax? I’ll be checking as soon as I uncover it in the unpacking process.

 

I gathered mine and displayed them in a vintage hand blown glass bowl from the Steuben (glass) area of New York. How is that for contrast?

I'm joining Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Met Monday to share my humble paper bag metamorphosis to stellar ornamentation!