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Polka-Dots

My friend's nine-year-old daughter got the chance to have a say in the re-decoration of her bedroom. The theme:

Polka-Dots!!

And, since she's a very good friend, I got my chance to help!

Her very talented husband was tasked with creating a daybed with a round back board. I got to help with upholstering the headboard, and covering it with dots. First he cut three different sizes of circles from some 1/4" board. He has lots of handy tools to do things like that (and yes, I'm jealous). The tool leaves two tiny holes in the middle of each circle, and we used those like buttonholes, stringing wire through each set.

Next we cut a circle of batting the size of the wood, and then a circle of fabric a couple of inches larger.

Using a handy-dandy staple gun, we then stapled the fabric to the back of the wood circle.

It helps to staple North/South/East/West first, and then fill in the rest.


Ta-da! A cute little padded dot.


Oooh, look! LOTS of cute padded dots!

>
We laid the dots out on the headboard to get an idea of placement. Then we drilled holes in the headboard for each dot. The headboard was then covered with thick batting and white duck cloth.

Next we had to string all those wires from the dots through the front of the headboard, finding the holes in order to get out the other side! That step was lots of fun.

Here's what it looks like with all the wires sticking out the back side. Notice the neat and even pleating of the headboard fabric all the way around. We're very proud of that :-).


We use pliers to pull the wires straight, then bent them to the side and stapled them in.
Bent the wires in another direction, and stapled them one more time.
They ain't movin', baby!


C. (that's the daughter) got to help by pounding in the staples and any loose wire ends.


Naturally we had to get an idea of what it looked like half-way through...


But then, here it is, all completed! C. looks pleased!


Obviously we chose to use lots of different fabrics, incorporating C.'s chosen colors of pink, purple, with a little green and turquoise thrown in. Plus it helped us use up our respective stashes (but not by much).

It was several weeks later when the bed was completed and assembled, but....here it is!

See the cute polka-dot panels on the ends?

The ends of the bed are actually bookshelves (they face out), and the panels are the back side of the bookshelves, padded and polka-dotted like the headboard.

Yes, I know the bed's not made. If you have a nine-year-old in your house, you should understand!

I also helped with the painting. Two walls and the ceiling are purple. Reeaaallly purple. The other two walls are pink. Reaallly pink!

I covered the shades on the ceiling fan in some polka-dot material...


...and I painted two garage-sale lamps pink and covered the shades for those as well. Hmm... they're supposed to have multi-colored yo-yos on them too! I made them...I'll have to ask my friend what happened to them...


Fun room, don't you think? And I'm not really complaining about the color. You should see my daughter's room...it's NEON green, also with polka dots!





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Short Trip to PA

When planning my trip to Pennsylvania it had such steam and then quickly the air seemed to go out of it.

Between the ride out and then standing all the next day (Monday ) for the Cash & Carry Show my body said STOP!!! So we spent Tuesday wrapping up loose ends and headed home.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

But let me start at the beginning….As we got closer to Lancaster, we got off I-76 and came into Lancaster from Gettysburg but first we stopped at the Dobbin House for late lunch/early dinner and went into a couple shops.

Dobbin House 3 

Karen Doug Dobbin House

All the years going to PA we never have walked the streets of gorgeous Gettysburg. So this time we did – one shop was the Gallery of American Crafts full of Family Heirloom Weavers products (it’s their  retail store under a different name) this beautiful shop makes you want one of everything!
 
Gallery Klien

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Monday was the day of the Cash & Carry – we got a few things for the business and some things customers wanted us to look for.
We left there around 11:30 and stopped at a few shops on the way back to Lancaster and tied up loose ends on Tuesday.

Oh…for those of you who said the Candle Barn is full of wonderful products…RIGHT YOU ARE! Again, another shop we always avoided – guess we thought it was full of candles and touristy things.

Here’s just a few of the items we bought here and there in our meager 2 days in Lancaster.

Devine Cross & Papers Table Square (from Family Heirloom Weavers)Devine Cross & Papers Table Square

Anna’s Beauty Table Square (from Family Heirloom Weavers)
I have this same one with red in place of the black also
Annas Beauty Table Square

I think this tree pillow is going to be for a gift
Tree Pillow

These two items are made like the floor cloths
A mini tree skirt and checkerboard w/checkers in the box.
(The reds are darker than they show here)
Link to their site:
http://blackhorsefloorcloths.com/home.html

Tree Skirt (floor cloth)
Checkerboard (floorcloth style)

Got these 3 plates at CDM Wholesale.
Donna White the designer of these plates was there signing all purchases of her products.
This plate is about 15 inches long and hangs with a leather tie
Tree Plate

Oval plate is about 13 inches tall

 Flock of sheep plate 

 This little plate is about 6 inches – thought it would make a nice holiday soap dish
Sheep plate

4 fabric stockings

4 Stockings

Wool felt hat from Homestead Furnishings
Hat Hanging 

Got a few of these Holly bunches at Homestead too
Holly picks 

ARE YOU STILL WITH ME???? Only a few more to go!

These bags are so cute – they are waxed fabric with the design printed on them and you put a cluster of mini lights in them or a stubby battery candle and it shines through.

Light bag 1

Light bag

This is possibly a gift as well – 8 inch tall candle in paper bag.
Cranberry scented and dusted with Cinnamon

Candle in bag

Fire starter bunches for the Christmas Tree
Firestarters

8 Inch tall Paper Mache Santa – doesn’t he have a stern look on his face????
Mache Santa

Christmas at Williamsburg Bowl filler – smells so like Christmas
Potpourie

Finally found the tall Battery Candles I have been looking for
Tall Battery Candles

And last – the bolster pillow covers for our bed – got them at Family Heirloom Weavers.
And I decided today that I wanted the red stripe spread in there instead of the brown stripe so I changed it out this morning…I bought a new lamp shade as well but it’s not showing. It’s the black and gold Lovers Knot pattern.
 Bolsters

Sideview bed

Bedroom 1

There are a few more items that I didn’t take pictures of – stubby battery candles, more Tobacco Cloth panels for the upstairs bedrooms, and a few other misc. things I can’t think of right now.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

On the way home we headed over to Littlestown to Lori’s (theblackcrow) to deliver something she ordered from me. Lori and I were supposed to spend all of Thursday shopping but I had to cancel on her (sorry Lori!).

On our way to her house we went to HOMESTEAD FURNISHINGS (right off the highway we were on)…Homestead used to be in Mt. Joy now they are in a refurbished and beautiful old barn and re-opened last Saturday the 23rd. What a magnificent place. You must go there if you can.

I took photos with the flash off so not to be rude so they aren’t very clear.
Homestead 1

(CLICK ON PHOTO BELOW TO SEE ALL)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

On our way back home we had time to stop off at friends of ours in Ellwood City – Linda and Joe Moczan. I had an order to deliver there as well – we had a wonderful 2 hour visit during which time they treated us to a delicious meal of wonderful Italian Subs and homemade Apple Crisp!

Karen Linda 2

So there you have our very quick trip out and back in 3 short days!

I’m now resting for several days – told to use the heating pad on my lower back to help the medicine so that shouldn’t be a problem being I had two orders come in while I was away so that will keep me planted!

I also have a new item I’m working on – Cookies for Santa – so be looking for them soon.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A couple weeks ago a customer sent me a picture of the special order Piano Runner she had ordered. I loved how it turned out and it really looks nice on her piano.
This is the runner in full view before I shipped it to her.

She had e-mailed me a picture of the border paper in the room – she wanted something with these elements on it.
2010-08-05_22.07.06

This is what I came up with - It measures 46 inches long x 24 inches wide
Piano Runner 

And here it is on her Piano
 
Piano Runner 2

Hope you all had a wonderful week and now it’s Halloween already…enjoy your Trick or Treats – then it will be Thanksgiving…where has this past year gone? Way too fast for me!

Karen

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