Feed Sack Chic

Don't you just love the look of feed sack upholstered furniture, but it can be quiet pricey. Recently, I bought an old chair, refinished it, recovered the seat cushion with burlap and stenciled it for a fraction of the cost. Maison de Stencils on Etsy has lots of authentic looking stencils. They are not cheap, but you can reuse them for several different projects. I also covered a bulletin board with burlap and stenciled it. I would recommend stenciling first - make sure you put something under the burlap before you begin to stencil. The paint can bleed through the backside. Also, I found that a dry, natural hair brush works the best. A dark gray instead of black looks more authentic and worn. I also stenciled a linen lampshade - a little tricky since it was already circular, but I think it came out pretty good. For those fabulous curtains, you can get very inexpensive natural linen curtains at Target (84" for $19.99) and stencil them with one of those large stencils from www.etsy.com/shop/maisondestencils. I think I am going to try to do these for my new atelier, creative studio. I'll post a picture once I'm done.

Jeanne d' Arc Living

I just got my new Jeanne d' Arc Living Magazine (February, 2010). I was like a kid getting my hands on the Sears Christmas Book! I couldn't wait to open it up. I thought this month's issue was even better than the last one. The pages are full of fresh ideas for Easter and springtime. . . . love the nests and eggs.