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Sew Darn Neat | Sewing Blog: Sew For Charity | Wrap Pyjama Fairies: Sew for Charity | Wrap Pyjama Fairies Sewing for charity or a good cause is a great way to help others and enjoy your hobby at the same ...

~PAINTING THE FIRE SURROUND~

So I finally got around to { revamping } the fire surround....
I made a wooden hearth from 3 old garden posts..measured ,cut to size,sanded then waxed~
i feel like i achieved the ''rustic'' look, although not very french country  : ( 

 

this was sooo simple to make..and i love how it looks with the new floor too : )

 

below is a picture of the finished hearth with the fire surround before i re-painted it ~

 

although i think this was a fantastic match with the rest of my room ,i couldn't help but try a lighter colour on it ,ive never been afraid of dark colours,and i love rooms that have that dramatic feel to them

so i tried a lighter colour ...i then had the idea of adding some fancy mouldings to the surround,glued into place by a handy glue gun,they turned out fantastic

 

Below is a short video on my favourite paint technique: dry brushing...

i cant be one of those people who just slaps paint on and hopes for the best ,to me a good base sets up the perfect outcome for any painting project.

although this technique does take a while its well worth all the layers of paint building up to finally show off the finished and desired look..

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mK1z1rgfgw

 

TOP TIP : when dry brushing ...DO NOT overload your brush ...use the brush until theres just no more paint there..then go over desired area while the paint is still wet{ NOT RELOADING YOUR BRUSH } ..it does take a lot longer using this technique but it you will find that you're patience pays off : )

 

i think { hope} you agree that the outcome is a good example of both time and effort~

ps: the paint im using in the video is called ''pale French grey'' by laura Ashley ,a very luxurious paint and worth every penny.

 

below: finally all is finished~ these pictures show the stages of the mouldings put into place ,before and after painting .

 

 

 

 

 

~FINISHED~

 

 

 

Today I found my way back to my sewing machine,ive not made anything for what seems to be forever.
I made this gorgeous cushion cover in a fabric called ''bacall' by laura Ashley ..
this is a size 20 x 20 inch cover~

I love the cover but I thought it was too big to be left plain,so I decided to stencil it .....

 

the stencil has seen better days if im honest as its been used on so many of my projects,,but for the parts that seem to be tricky { curved up letters } I used a pair of long handled craft tweezers..shown below...

 

the tweezers make things a lot easier by holding down the tricky parts while stippling around the rest of the letter...
you can use either masking tape or as I have ...pinned the stencil onto the fabric to avoid it moving around...

the cover looks lovely and will now be added to my endless collection of soft furnishings : )

25/04/15~ 11.35 am

ive just finished another cushion ,this time stencilled with ''paris'' ...really pleased with them both : )

 

This is the latest colour ive chosen for my living room, yes im decorating again ..I have a huge passion for decorating ,especially painting,although I do get it everwhere,and always on the skirting boards.
I find myself having to re-paint them everytime I change the colour ..
and getting it in my hair too,,never a good look .
I have more than enough decorating to do throughout the house..my eldest sons room is the only one that seems to have escaped me and my paintbrush..{il get him though,dont worry }

my youngest son who has severe autism and severe learning difficulties,will soon be in the biggest bedroom,which will be separated into 2 parts, sleeping and sensory .
in there I will be revamping a huge wardrobe which is gawd knows how old,
theres sooo many toys in the room hes in now its un-real.

my favourite styles of décor are ,French,victorian,heritage and rococo..
anything that's fancy really..
It also looks like il be getting a new bed / daybed pretty soon,as il be in the smallest bedroom,,then il have hardly any space for myself at all,but if that's what needs to be done then so be it

Sticking with the blue theme............today im finishing of the walls in my living room,
ive also revamped a couple of candlesticks and a lamp base to match .

I don't want to go all blue....as you can have too much of one colour I think .
the mirrors are back up ,and im now thinking of having a couple of shelves up somewhere,
I have a few pretty picture frames to display too.

                              
                                     1,  these are the candlesticks before I painted them

 

2, the lamp base was just cream ,to match the shade.

 

3, this picture shows both candlesticks and lamp base revamped...

gorgeous colour.

 4, Remembered to take a pic of this little cherub at the last minute,

as you can see,it was a green before,now its halfway to a beautiful blue.

 

 

recently painted my living room { again} and last night I did the bottom of the stairs to match....
the paint is called { powder blue } by crown....
I still have the skirting boards and coving to finish off..but im pleased with it so far ...

          The ceiling rose also needs to be finished off as I did run out of ...paint but now ''restocked''

 

 

 

 

 The last pic shows the radiator cover that I refreshed...the fretwork had seen better days..so I took it all off and covered it from the back with a staple gun ..really easy

 

 

 

 

 

 

hope these pictures gives you the inspiration to do your own homes...my big tip is to never be afraid of bold colours : ) xx