Guest Post From Simple Home Life

Hello Blue Velvet Chair readers! I'm Jacqueline from Simple Home Life 

I'm really excited to guest post for Blue Velvet Chair and to share my painted rug with you guys but first here is a little info on me.

I'm a stay at home mom and revamp pieces of furniture to sell or a piece for my home. I enjoy being creative and building furniture as well. I love thrift shopping, using pallets, and free stuff. I also enjoy sewing slipcovers and pillows.

Now on To my favorite creation 

My Painted Rug

I picked up a simple cotton rug from Ikea for $5.00

Then printed out a stencil and cut it out and then traced it on to a piece of cardboard, then I cut that out. I copied it onto the cardboard instead of using cardstock. 

I used pen, I tried pencil and a marker but the pen worked the best. I started in the center and traced around the stencil. 

Then I used a small brush to trace the pen lines with Stonington gray by Benjamin Moore

You have to dab it in to make sure it soaks up the paint

 

 

Then I took a thicker brush and dab over the lines to make it thicker and keep it the lines the same size

It takes a little bit of time to paint over the lines but its worth it. Then I used polyurethane over the painted lines and applied 2 coast of that. 

Then you let it dry for 24 hours

You can read more about my painted rug here

I hope you enjoyed reading my guest post, and maybe you will want to paint a rug.

Thanks for reading and Thanks to Blue Velvet Chair!

Clever Easter Crafts

Holidays always seem to sneak up on me. I'll think of them well in advance - but then the time flies and next thing I know I'm frantically tossing out decorations 'the week of' so that my kids will have some sense of holiday spirit. That's why I'm taking the time now to honor those that have their act together. Here is a showcase of some of the most clever and inspirational Easter decorations that I've stumbled upon this year.

Cute as a Fox Creations created this gorgeous Rice Krispie Treats topiary and gets my vote for the best edible Easter decoration this year. Wow!




Heather over at The Coterie Blog wins the most effective decoration at low/no cost for her paint chip Easter egg garland. This is the kind of thing that really makes me happy just looking at it.

Even though Lucy over at Lucy Designs might not have made this guy specifically as an Easter decoration, he does get my vote for most versatile decoration and can ruffle his feathers at Easter or any other time of the year. A Leopard spotted rooster...brilliant!

Best decorated Easter eggs goes to Wunderweib in Germany for their unique mosaic and decoupage blue eggs.

I'm just a sucker for curling ribbon, so I can't help but adore this most colorful Easter wreath that Christy made for herself over at Embellished Bayou. And it can even be modified for other events like birthday parties!

Look at these super cute crocheted eggs over at Lady Crochet. The colors! The cuteness! They get my most tactile Easter decoration award.

Until next time...

Mike

Blog Tip: Craftgawker

If you haven't heard of Craftgawker.com yet, now is the time to check it out! You can't help but be inspired and energized as you scan across the gorgeous photographs of arts and crafts. You can submit your own work, or the work of others and link it back to their site. But be aware! They don't accept every submission - only the most clear, well-staged photos. So make those cameras work for you! You can also check out their sister sites:  Weddinggawker, Foodgawker, and Dwellinggawker.

 Om du inte har hört talas om Craftgawker.com ännu, nu är det dags att kolla! Bli inspirerad och få energi när du skannar över den vackra fotografier av konst och hantverk. Man kan skicka in ditt eget arbete, eller andras arbete och länka tillbaka till deras webbsidan. Men var medveten om att De accepterar inte varje inlämning - bara de bästa bilder. Kolla in deras systerwebbplatser: Weddinggawker, Foodgawker och Dwellinggawker.

Until next time...
Tills nästa gång...
M

p.s.  If you enjoyed this post, I hope you'll become a follower of my blog and a fan on FB.

Swedish Spotlight on 10

Language

(Lang-gwij)

-noun

a body of words and the system for their use common to a people who are of the same community or nation.

Today I want to share with you 10 gorgeous blogs from Sweden that you might miss in your usual rounds simply due to language gaps. Have a look - you might not understand the text, but you will definitely understand thanks to the beautiful pictures and crafts featured.

Språk  [språ:k]   -substantiv
Ord och systemet för deras användning som är gemensamma för ett folk som är av samma samhälle eller land.

Idag vill jag dela med mig av 10 underbara bloggare från Sverige, som du kanske saknar när du surfar helt enkelt på grund av språkliga brister. Ta en titt - du kanske inte pratar svenska, men du kommer definitivt att förstå tack vare de vackra bilderna och hantverket som visas.

1.  Weronica at En Mammas Dag (A mother's day) has a love for decorating, design, fashion, and all things beautiful. She has some beautiful Swedish designs for Easter that you won't want to miss.

Weronica med En Mammas Dag har en kärlek för att dekorera, design, mode, och allt vackert. Hon har gjort några vackra påskarrangemang som du inte vill missa.

2. Kitchenbloom is Lina's blog. She's made her first Rhubarb pie of the season, which makes me long for the day that ours grow large enough in the garden to harvest. My son likes to take the stalks and eat them straight from the garden. Kitchenbloom är Linas blogg. Hon gjorde sitt första rabarberpaj av säsongen, vilket gör att jag längtar efter den dag som vår rabarber växa sig stora nog i trädgården för att skörda. Min son gillar att ta stjälkar och äta dem direkt från trädgården. 3. Clara's blog, UnderbaraClara (wonderful Clara), is quite popular in Sweden. She's also getting ready for Easter with a traditional smorgasbord spread on the table with lots of small dishes. Klaras blogg UnderbaraClara är populär i Sverige. Hon är också redo för påsk med en traditionell smörgåsbord med massor av små rätter.









4. Annika's blog (her own name) features the most adorable 'audio book' that she made with a 2nd hand find.

Annika Bäckströms blogg har den super "ljudbok" som hon gjorde med en 2:a hand fynd.










5. Minna strives to find beauty in everyday life at Blomsterverkstad (Flower workshop). She has recycled and reloved some pedestals that now support the most adorable Easter vignettes. Love the punch of color!

Minna vill finna skönhet i vardagen på Blomsterverkstad. Hon har återvunnit och 'reloved' några piedestaler med en söt påskdesign. Älskar den gröna färg!









6.  Fyra Årstider (Four Seasons) by Lotta has been featured in a national magazine, and she recently showed us their fabulous treehouse painted Falu red to match their house nearby.

Fyra Årstider av Lotta har varit med i en nationell tidning, och hon nyligen visade sina fantastiska Treehouse i Falu röd som matchar deras hus i närheten.









7.  Retro is a huge trend in Sweden right now and Isa's Ljuvligt Hemma (Sweet Home) is testimony to that. Look at the super sweet children's stove that she featured recently...with design wallpaper!

Retro är en stor trend i Sverige just nu och Isa's Ljuvligt Hemma är bevis om detta. Titta på detta super söta lekspis!










8.  I got a kick out of these boxed kid crafts that Jenny with Dos Family (The Family) showed us last month. This is on my 'must try' list!

Titta på dessa 'barn på låda' hantverk som Jenny med Dos Family visade oss förra månaden. Detta är på min "måste göra" lista!









9. Emelie at Emalajo's shows us the yummiest jewelry I've seen! Look at these goodies...they look real enough to eat! And she's made a licorice line just in time for a Licorice Festival here in Sweden.

Emelie på Emalajos visar oss smaskig smycken! Titta på dessa godsaker ... de ser verklig nog att äta! Och hon har gjort en lakrits linje precis i tid för en lakritsfestival här i Sverige.









10.  Madde with Design Madde shows us that a little creativity goes a long way! Look at this super stylish but ultra clean project with a vase, twigs, and some green curling ribbon. Fabulous!

Madde med Design Madde visar oss att en lite kreativitet räcker långt! Titta på den här super snygga men ren-stil projekt med en vas, kvistar, och gröna presentsnöret. Fabulous!









So there you have it. My first ever Swedish Showcase. I'm thinking about making this a regular feature so leave a comment and let me know if this is something you'd be interested in checking out. Weekly? Monthly?

Nu har du sett min första någonsin Swediswh Showcase. Jag funderar på att göra detta till en återkommande inläggså lämna en kommentar och låt mig veta om detta är något du skulle vara intresserad av att kolla in. En gång i veckan? Varje månad?

Until next time...
Tills nästa gång...
Michael

p.s.  If you enjoyed this post, I hope you'll become a follower of my blog and a fan on FB.



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DIY Sneak Peek

Jackpot! I am super excited about finding THE chandelier that I've been looking for to hang in our dining room area - I can barely contain myself! This will definitely make my project list for the week. I bought it 2nd hand from Blocket (one of Sweden's Ebay-esque sites) and the seller, who was decked out in leather and black, plocked it from his little storage garage full of instruments and band equipment (a real 'garage band', I joked). He said it had been in his grandma's house. Thanks, Gran! I'm going to see what I can do with a bit of clean-up, paint, and dye for the little silk lampshades that followed along in a little paper bag.

Jackpot! Jag är så jätteglad att jag hittade takkronan som jag har letat efter för vår matsal - Jag kan knappt hålla mig! Detta kommer definitivt att ligger på min projektlista för veckan. Jag hittade den på Blocket och säljaren, som var klädd i svart och läder, tog ur den från sitt lilla föråd som var full med instrument och bandutrustning. En riktiga 'garage band' skojade jag. Han sa att lampan kommer från hans mormors hus. Tack mormor! Jag ska göra en lite rengöring, måla och färga de fem lampskärmarna i siden som följde med i en liten papperspåse.


Those gorgeous glass baubles are solid...and they are heavy!

Dessa underbara glaskulor är tunga!

Another weekend find resulted from a random stop by a junk pile in an abandoned parking lot - and Score! Look at these rustic boards with Falu red paint on them (a trademark house color in Sweden that goes way back). They must be pretty old because they are cut with the natural tree form on the sides - not squared off. Very excited to make some rustic signs with them! The hubcaps came from the side of the road...they are everywhere now that all the snow has melted. I think it's time for me to make some hubcap flowers for an outside wall. And the electric wire will probably become hair on the junk sculpture, 'Rusty', that my son and I have been working on now and then.

Ett annat fynd under helgen blev när jag av en slump körde förbi en skräphög på en övergiven parkeringsplats - succe! Titta på dessa rustika brädor med Falu rödfärg. De måste vara gamla eftersom de är kapade med trädets naturliga form på sidorna - inte fyrkantiga. Dem blir perfekta för några rustika skyltar. Navkapslarna kom från sidan av vägen ... de finns överallt nu när snön har smält. Det är dags för mig att göra några navkapselblommor till en yttervägg hemma. Och sladdarna kommer antagligen att bli hår till skräpskulpturen, "Rusty", som min son och jag arbetar med då och då.

Even with all of this inspiration for my week(s) ahead, I had to get outside and do some heavy labor in our front yard. More on that later because right now it's a total pit which requires our devoted love and attention this spring/summer. I'll include it in future posts to show the remodel-in-process. The hard work paid off when my daughter Mia brought me flowers she'd found in the yard...a true miracle considering it's a mud pile. But oh, aren't they gorgeous?!

Även med all den inspiration för dem kommande veckorna var jag tvungen att komma ut och göra lite tungt arbete i vår trädgård eftersom kaoset på framsidan kräver våra hängivna kärlek och uppmärksamhet. Jag skriver mer om det senare och visar framstegen. Det hårda arbetet lönade sig när min dotter Mia gav mig blommor hon hittat i trädgården ... ett sant mirakel med tanke på att det är ett lerhål. Men åh, är de inte snygga?!

I hope your weekend was filled with as much inspiration as mine! Can't wait to see what you create and send out into the world.

Jag hoppas att din helg var fylld med så mycket inspiration som min! Kan inte vänta att se vad du skapa och skicka ut i världen.

Until next time...
Tills nästa gång...
M

p.s.  If you enjoyed this post, I hope you'll become a follower of my blog and a fan on FB.