Thank you to all that listened for a bit….

I am retiring this blog to move on to other things…watch for www.polishedboots.com

www.polishedboots.com

So exciting…..watch for us on May 1…will do our best to provide you with amazing finds!

Spring!

Spring is finally here today though the grass is not green yet and still covered with a lot of snow!

I love to plant pots of grass for the spring and Easter season to decorate my home.

It is so easy, all you need is a a potting container,  seed starting potting soil and grass seed.
Target had this "grassology" grass seed right up front in the dollar area!

Just sprinkle some grass seed on top of your soil, add just a little more soil to cover the seed and water.

Sun for part of the day will help the grass grow.  

I started this pot just about 10 days ago and have been enjoying just this little bit of spring in my office.

Cotton…perfect for our apparel and home decor….

cot·ton

ˈkätn/

noun

noun: cotton; plural noun: cottons; noun: cotton plant; plural noun: cotton plants

1. 
a soft white fibrous substance that surrounds the seeds of a tropical and subtropical plant and is used as textile fiber and thread for sewing.

I love cotton, add it to twigs for a touch of the south…we can't grow it here in Minnesota!

New Year's Resolution

Each year I make a resolution to not buy any more new fabric until I finish up using what I have.  This usually lasts until approximately January 2!  (Plus there is no way I could ever use up all of my stash, it will be out of style before that happens.)

However, this week I did put to use some fun wool flowers I created last year.  Wool and wool felt are some of my favorite fabrics to work with.

These wool candle wraps were created from Faribault Woolen Mill  remnants.  Just cut the fabric in the width you want and length to wrap around the glass candle holder (add an inch or so for your seam allowance).  Then, it is up to you how to finish.  Stitching on the top and bottom is not necessary but I did add a blanket stitch with wool floss to these.

I then added my wool flowers and stitched up the end seams to create the wrap.

Here is a quick tutorial on the flowers:

Draw a circular pattern like these:

(the actual circle sizes are 4", 3" and 2.5")

Cut your wool felt the circle shape and then cut along the lines so you have a spiral.  Starting with the center wrap around the fabric around until you have created the flower shape.  Stitch or glue to fasten the flower and add a bead to the center.  

Light your candle to cozy up your home!

There is too much snow to get to certain projects….

Ok, I am feeling a but frustrated as of late.  It is too cold and there is way too much snow to get to the building that holds all of my DIY furniture/home decor projects so here is something I did awhile ago.

Once upon a time, I bought an old cupboard door that had a picture decoupaged in the middle.  Over time the look just didn't match my decor so it was time to change.  This is super easy:)

I was lucky enough to be part of a fabulous event called The Creative Connection in Minneapolis in 2010.  Posters were created by two artists, Leigh of Curly Girl Design and Cori Dantini for the event and I cropped down one created by Cori for this project.

All it takes is your favorite decoupage medium to apply your favorite art and you are done with a new refurbished piece for your home or office.
The office that I have is a little nook in my old farmhouse….that will be another blog post when it is organized and glittered!

Warm thoughts on these extremely cold days…...

Chevron once again…so many memories!

They always say if it was in style once in your life you should not wear it again but that doesn't mean you can't decorate with it again!

Oh, how many of our grandma's loved to crochet those chevron blankets.  My grandma made me a bright yellow one before she died when I was only 7.  Over the years I forgot about the one that she made that adorned her couch at the farmhouse.

Just this past week, my uncle, my dad's only brother passed away and we found among his possessions that blanket!  It was like finding gold.   I am a believer in fate and as it turns out just a few weeks prior I had all of our old family slides turned into photos for my parents for Christmas….and among those pictures was the chevron blanket.

Here is the blanket on the couch with Grandma and Grandpa Thoen and my brother Lance

&

 our dog Bridget.

Bless all of their souls.

The blanket in my home with a "new" pillow 

(by the looks of the previous photo we know where my pillow obsession came from!)

No matter how old we get the comfort we get from the love of our parents and grandparents never goes away.  This blanket gives me much love and warmth on these cold winter days.

Thanks Grandma……love you!

Merry Christmas!

A White Treat Christmas

Love, love my sweets this time of the year and thought it would be fun to put together a plate of White Christmas treats.  White candy cane chocolate bark and sugar cookies cut with snowflake cutters and white frosting are good standards to start out with.

Next I started with an Easter bark that I just love and made a couple of changes for Christmas.

This is the link to the recipe:

http://www.butterwithasideofbread.com/2013/02/easter-marshmallow-bark.html

Follow as written,  however I substituted all white mini marshmallows instead of the pastels and sprinkled with white sparkling sugar.  I cut them into small bars and they looked just like mounds of fresh snow in the sunshine!

Enjoy!

Mason Jar Christmas Gift

Mason jars are back! 

 There are so many creative uses for these ever lasting jars.  For a little home decor or a great gift you can embellish any size jar you have at home.  (Don't have any? craft stores or thrift stores are a good place to look.)

For these I cut a burlap band and  a strip of velvet and hot glued them in the back.  An inexpensive rhinestone brooch added the bling!  Just clip off the pin and glue it to the velvet.  You can also use burlap or velvet on the top of the lid to finish it off.  A battery operated tea light adds a little shimmer.

The possibilities are endless with different fabrics and ribbons.

Finishing up the bathroom…..Yeah!

We started on a bathroom remodel a couple of months ago and felt no rush to finish until the holiday season was upon us!  All we kept original was the whirlpool tub, and if we did keep other items they received a do-over.

One of those projects was a wall hanging.  The original was a vintage piece of wallpaper (still attached to the wall it came from!) that was placed in a new wood frame from Michaels.

 The color scheme was being transformed so the wall piece had to change as well.

First, I downloaded a graphic from Etsy:

 https://www.etsy.com/shop/AntiqueGraphique

 and printed it out on fabric.

To print on my fabric I ironed on a piece of lightweight fusible(I used Heat-n-Bond Lite) web to muslin, cut it to 8.5x11 and printed directly on the fabric side.

Since I used a lightweight fusible web I just removed the backing and ironed on the printed fabric to black burlap.  The frame received a quick coat of paint, a little distressing was done and I added glass to protect the fabric.

Here is a quick peek at the home made finished vanity, so happy how it all turned out.

Thankful for My Own Farmhouse

What a nice Thanksgiving we had with our old farmhouse filled with family and friends.

The turkey and fixings have settled and now it is time to start dreaming of 

A White Christmas and all of the loveliness that entails!

An early Thanksgiving

We celebrated today with my parents.  Once again my mom prepared a delicious and beautiful feast.  The meal started with the antique turkey plates.  They bring such joyous memories to us all.  I remember when my kids were little and I was scared to have them anywhere near the table!

The meal was completed with a homemade apple pie (and pumpkin cheesecake)!  A wonderful finish for a blessed Thanksgiving meal.  We are so lucky to have family to share with.

Etsy….finally

It took some time but I finally got some "Farmhouse" goods up on Etsy.  I am working on many more items to post soon.  In  the meantime take a look:

Click on the Etsy link to the right "E" to see my Etsy shop.

Styling with Realia by Jen

I love jewelry but don't make it so I enjoy working with Jen at her sales and helping out here and there. Today we set up for a boutique segment on the Fox 9 Morning Show.

Check out the segment:  

 http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/story/23959251/dont-miss-this-twin-cities-holiday-boutique

Getting ready for Halloween

This has been a quiet year for Halloween decorating at our house.  However, I wanted a little "happy" Halloween so put together this quick tablescape.

Just visit your favorite pumpkin patch...

Gather your supplies, I carved a small pumpkin, picked up some bright mums and used a small canning jar with my handmade "frog flower" lid to hold the flowers in place.

Put the jar with water in the pumpkin, fill with flowers, add some assorted gourds on the side and use a piece of black burlap for the table runner.  Quick, easy and festive (not scary!)

A greeting from The Glittered Farmhouse to you.....

Vintage Camp Stool Re-Make

VINTAGE CAMP STOOL - AFTER

I have had several vintage camp stools over the years.  

Many were still adorned with the original cloth and in good shape......this one was not so lucky!

BEFORE

This is a quick and easy way to turn an old camp stool into a fun piece for your home.

#1-Remove the old canvas and measure the dimensions for your new seat.

#2-You can stain or paint the wooden base.

I used Cottage Paint Antique Wax.

#3-Cut your canvas twill (adding extra for side and end hems) the size of the old base fabric.

Fold under and sew a basic hem on all 4 sides.

#4-The Fun Part!-Stencil the design of your choice on the fabric with acrylic craft paint.

(This is a large houndstooth design from The Stencil Closet on Etsy.)

Let your first section dry and continue to stencil until you have the fabric painted as desired.

#5-Using a staple gun attach the canvas to each end.  I also used small tacks for the ends

 since I made the canvas larger than the leg openings.

The variations on this project are endless...go out and create!

Love this graphic.....

Thanks to alwayssewlove.blogspot.com

Alyssa with a Great Bag by Spring Finn

Alyssa, my daughter, was out and about in Minneapolis when the creator of this bag spotted her.  Check out www.springfinnandco.com .....Alyssa takes this bag everywhere and loves it!!!!