Open Call Tuesday #19

Welcome to Open Call!  Hope you all have been enjoying these final few weeks of summer.  I didn't get up to much last week as was busy packing and preparing for our vacation to Portugal!  We arrived this past weekend and are looking forward to heading to the beach for a few days.  I'm excited for our little guy to see the beach now that he is a little older!

This open call will remain open for two weeks until I return home.  Features and such will all be displayed then.  I look forward to seeing all of your link ups when I get back!

Open Call Tuesday #18 + eShakti Giveaway!

Hello again!  Has it been a week already?  Last week I refinished our bedroom furniture using the same homemade chalk paint that I used for my jewelry display.  Love it!  I also did up a pretty layered fabric flower brooch tutorial.  Besides that, we've just been enjoying the summer days!

Boy do I have an awesome giveaway for you!  Have you heard of eShakti?  If not, consider this your introduction!  eShakti offers custom women's clothing in sizes 0-36W.  That's right, I said custom!

Layered Felt & Fabric Flower Brooch

It seems another fabric flower tutorial was well overdue.  This one uses felt, fabric and lace, making it a super sweet flower brooch.  Don't be frightened non sewers..... it's an easy no sew project and the perfect addition to a jacket, necklace, hairband, hat or purse!

This project is great for using up scrap fabrics or upcycling old worn garments into something new.  Come along and I'll show you how it's done!

Refinished Dressers with DIY Chalkpaint

You may have seen my recent post of the jewelry display I made.  I painted it with homemade chalkpaint instead of buying the pricey version.  I was extremely happy with the results, so I decided to follow through with doing some furniture.

Open Call Tuesday #17 + MyMemories Giveaway!

Welcome!  It's been rain, rain, rain here for the past few days.  A little dreary... but I'm trying not to complain... we really need the rain!

A little recap of last week... I dried some of the pretty purple basil from the garden in the oven.  It smelled sooo good in the house!  Also, something I have been wanting to do for a long time.... I made a jewelry display from vintage knobs and drawer pulls, painted with homemade chalkpaint.  It's really easy and way cheaper then purchasing brand name chalkpaint for furniture!

I also have a treat for you this week.  A super fun giveaway from MyMemories.com!

MyMemories Suite ~ Review & Giveaway!

I could not wait until tonight's link party to tell you about My Memories Suite.  If you haven't realized by now, I usually have my camera in hand, or at least within reaching distance.  How many of my photos do you think I have printed or in an album...?... *hangs head*.   I have not even started the 'Foster's Adventures' book that I keep telling myself I'm going to do.  Don't even ask me about our wedding photos...eek!

Enter MyMemories Suite, digital scrapbooking software!

Making Chalk Paint & A Jewelry Display

I have wanted to try Annie Sloan Chalkpaint soo badly to paint some furniture I have and top coat it with some of the clear soft wax.  Here in Ontario, Canada, it's proving quite difficult to get my hands on the stuff!  The shipping costs to order it online isn't worth it on top of the high price of the product itself.  Gah.

I don't know what the formulation of their chalk paint is, nor the wax, but I have made chalkboard paint before and furniture wax is available at the hardware store.  After some research, I have seen that many people have made their own knock off version which is pretty similar to the chalkboard paint.  Most using non-sanded tile grout, some using plaster of paris.  Well..... the test was underway.

Oven Dried Basil

I planted purple basil this spring.  I've never had much luck in the past with growing herbs, other then mint that is, but the purple basil intrigued me as I had never seen it before.  I put four established seedlings in the garden... three met their demise thanks to some bunnies or some other critter... but one survived! We've used it on some awesome homemade pizza, in refreshing salads, chicken dishes, soups and pasta sauces.  Fresh basil is a must for my garden from now on!

Open Call Tuesday #16

Welcome to Open Call!  I spent this past weekend in Montreal at the Osheaga music festival!  I had never been before and was not disappointed.  So many great bands to see!  But I admit, I'm pooped!

You may recall my trial run at transferring a printed image onto wood.  While, I went full scale!  Check it out!  I love it :)  And if you missed it... you really should see the super duper easy shirt pillow I made.

Not Just a Stuffed Shirt

Ok, maybe it is just a stuffed shirt, but it's surely a great way to upcycle an old garment.  Even better when it's free!  This of course, isn't a new idea, but it's one worth revisiting when you want to give your decor a boost.

Image to Wood Transfer. Full Scale.

If you are a regular reader of SaltTree, you may recall a recent trial project I did involving transferring a laser jet print onto wood.  It was a good thing I did that trial... it taught me a few things.  I decided to go full scale with it... eek!