Old Shutters- New Uses

One of the top trends of interior design at the moment is to rethink, renew and recycle! Repurposed shutters in the home are definatley on the "trend hot list" and a key ingredient for a shabby-chic home. I picked up two shutters while antiquing in Parys recently. Actually, if I'm honest- they're not really shutters, they're more like two western-tavern doors - haha (close enough)!

The intention was to use the "tavern doors" to give my plain-jane windows a new look. The job was easy! All I did was sand down and re-paint the old shutters in an off-white shade (I made sure I used a weather-proof paint as the shutters were going to be outdoors) and finally scratched and weathered them using a 180 grit sandpaper to give them a Shabby-Chic look. The hardest part was deciding which window would have the honour of wearing the new accessory. After much deliberation with my friends and family- the perfect spot was found just outside my kitchen window- as a focal point above my herb table. Check out the finished product below and also take a look at some other 

beautiful ideas and uses for old shutters. I'm already on the hunt for my next pair. 

Be inspired!

Celebrating Silverware

One of the most popular collected items amongst women is silverware and even if you are not a collector, most women have an antique silver heirloom tucked away in a dark cupboard somewhere. We always say we are going to use it for a special occasion but then no occasion ever seems "special enough". I love silverware and have decided to use it whenever and wherever I can. After all, life is too short to wait for the perfect moment.

So if you want to display your silverware, but you don't quite know how then this post is for you. Below is a little project I did for my mom. She has tons of silverware- tea pots, sugar bowls, gravy boats- you name it- she has it. Sadly though, the items were collecting dust and not being showed off as they should. So we decided to create a "silverware mobile" that would hang directly above her coffee and tea station. We just screwed some hooks into the roof, hung the silverware with some ribbon and it really was as easy as that! I also decided to use the sugar bowls and milk jugs as mini-vases by putting some water and some pretty roses in them. The best part is that if my mom ever needs to use the items- she can just slip them off the ribbon! Check out the pics below to see the finished product.

I've also shared some more inspiration and ideas from Pinterest of how you can Flaunt the Silver that Yo Momma Gave You! Enjoy...

The Silverware Project...

Love & Blessings
Abz

Homemade with Mom

 Everyone...meet Mom. Remember that day I told you I sucked at sewing (find the post here)? Well, I really don't know how that happened considering how talented my mom is with the needle. She is a quilting fanatic, embroidery extraordinaire and is totally blessed with a knack for fabrics.
"Homemade with Mom" is a series of posts that will exhibit my mom's projects and show you exactly how she made them. Just because I can't sew doesn't mean you should be deprived of the opportunity to see beautiful sewing crafts on the Just Darling Blog right? So here we go...

DIY: SUMMER GARDENING APRON 

I like gardening on Sundays- summer Sundays. For me its the best way to end the week. But, after time and time again of getting my church clothes dirty-  I asked my mom to make me a gardening apron. It's so cute! Who says you can't look cute while pulling weeds? It's also practical - this little apron has pretty pockets to keep all your tools close at hand.  My mom says that anyone who can sew a stitch can make this little apron - so if you feel like making one for yourself or alternatively making it as a thoughtful Christmas gift for one of your green-fingered friends then keep reading...

Materials:

• Basic sewing notions such as: scissors, rulers, measuring tape, thread, needles, pins, etc.
• Embroidery threads should you be doing any embroidery.
• Scraps of floral cotton fabric should you wish to appliqué flowers.
• 1 m Calico or Poly-cotton fabric (120cm wide)
• 1/4 m floral fabric for binding and waist-band.
• Should you not be doing appliqué or embroidery replace fabric for pocket with a floral fabric instead of the calico.

Cutting:

• 1x 38cm x 60cm (Apron)
• 1x 20cm x 60cm (Pocket)
• 1x 10 cm x 172cm (Waist-band) (you may need to join two pieces to get the length).
• 5x 5cm wide strips (Binding -these measurements should be the same width and length of apron and pocket). Eg, 2 strips for top and bottom of pocket, 1 strip for bottom of apron & 2 strips for sides of apron

Pocket:

Fold material in half (lengthwise 60cm) and press.  The fold is the top of the pocket.

At this point embroidery or appliqué should be done on front of pocket. Should you not be doing any of the above the calico measurements for pocket should be replaced with the floral fabric of choice. Once designs have been completed you can start the pocket binding.

Pocket Binding

* Note- These instructions will be the same for the apron.

• Take the 5cm strips previously cut for pocket binding. There should be 2.
• Pin raw edge of binding to fold line edge (top of pocket) and stitch (1/4 inch seam allowance).
• Pin raw edge of next strip to raw wedge of bottom of pocket and stitch.

* For both apron & pocket bindings continue as follows:

• Press and turn binding over to back of pocket (wrong sides of pocket).
• Press 1cm of raw edge over to form a seam.
• Fold over again and pin to back of pocket.
• Top stitch binding to pocket. 3mm from open edge of binding.

Apron:

Fold material in half (along the 60cm length).
Fold line being the top of the apron.(waist-band edge).

Apron Binding

* Repeat as for pocket on bottom of apron only.  Sides to be done only after waistband attached.

• Position pocket on apron as desired. (I recommend +-9 cm from top (fold) or 4cm from bottom raw edge).
• Draw  a line 4cm up from  the bottom on apron. Place bottom of pocket on this line. Stitch pocket to apron on this line 
• Divide the pocket into three - optional sizes of pockets.  I recommend a bigger pocket in the middle and two small ones on either side.  Draw lines from top to bottom of pocket with a water soluble pen and stitch divisions on these lines working from bottom of pocket to top (opening end of pocket).
• Strengthen the tops by reverse stitching.

* Once pocket has been stitched you can continue with side bindings as per previous binding instructions. Remember to turn in the edges (1cm) before stitching.

The Waist-Band:

• Take 10cm strip fold in half (right sides together). Turn in 1cm of ends (wrong sides together) and stitch raw edges together.
• Turn band inside out....this can be quite a challenge but persevere :-)
• Once right sides show ...press. 
• Fold strip in half (lengthwise) and mark the middle.
• Fold apron in half along top edge and mark.
• Position these marks together placing waistband 1 cm down from top of top edge of apron (this would be the fold line) pin and stitch waistband to top of apron. I recommend two rows of stitches  a few mm apart to secure waistband and ...voila!