Memorial Day, 4th of July and Summer Pillows

I made some outdoor pillows for the benches at the front of my house to celebrate Memorial Day, 4th of July, and the glory of summer!

I was feeling so good about having planted my flowers already... until the frost warning happened last week.

All these flower containers had to be carried  into the garage, and I was running around covering plants in the ground with sheets.

It just seems that the dates of the season changes

 are not the same anymore.  Next year I'll wait a little longer. 

My granddaughter surprised me with a display of her own.

I think she was having a little fun with me... and it worked. 

It brought smiles to my face and the thought, 

"Ain't life wonderful!" 

Smiles,

Deborah

Aunt Laurie's "Home From the Beach" Fairy House

Aunt Laurie lives in North Carolina.

She loves the ocean and the beach.

So when she sent my granddaughters these beachy fairy furniture pieces, we decided to create a 

"Home From the Beach" Fairy House

and dedicate it to her and all the Aunts that 

send thoughtful gifts to their nieces and nephews. 

(and Grand-Nieces too.)

This fairy doesn't sleep in an ordinary Midwest twig bed.....

Her house isn't created to keep out the Midwest snow, but to let in the summer breezes and show off beautiful 

starfish and shells.

Starfish on 3 sides of the house.  Each one is different.

This fairy loves the water and needs a pool and fountain to remind her about the wonderful ocean.

I plan to glue the shiny blue beads into the shell fountain.

Beach glass pebbles form her patio.

Solar powered lights light up the house at night for 

nighttime fairy parties.

( Yes, we know that our Aunt Laurie is quite the hostess and everyone wants to go to her parties!)

Adding solar powered lights to the wooden birdhouse.

Night-time photo, with the lights outlining the fairy house.

We think these Dragon Wing Begonias will be spectacular as 

they grow into beautiful, flowery plants. 
 

So, thanks Aunt Laurie, for sending us a bit of the beach

here in the Midwest.

You are so kind and this fairy house is dedicated to 

YOU.

Smiles,

Deborah and the Girls 

Fairy Book House

Creating my Fairy Garden was so much fun.

First, I started with this wooden storage container that looks like 4 books standing together.

I purchased it at a garage sale for three dollars. 

 It also had a book drawer under the four books, but I separated them into two pieces.

Next, I used contractors glue and glued the container shut.

Before gluing it though, I did cut a hole out of the side of one of the books and glued in a window.

Where did I get the window?  

I bought this Fisher Price toy castle and pulled apart the windows and the WORKING  drawbridge!

I love how the drawbridge cranks up and down, but I didn't like the bright blue color. So I painted it.

I roughed up the plastic surface, but I don't know if the paint will flake later.  If it flakes, I plan to buy outdoor paint and repaint it.

Notice how I painted a black rectangle to simulate 

the "dark opening."

I cranked the drawbridge closed.

  My granddaughters love this feature.

 Here is the finished Fairy Book House, 

with the little twig chair I made. 

 Personally, I think the fairy that decided to live in this house,  likes to read her fairy tales outside while sitting in that chair.

Smiles,

Deborah

Fairy Garden Chair with Acorn Top Armrest

I made a little twig chair for my fairy garden. 

I like the acorn top armrests.

Smiles,

Deborah

Fairy Garden: The Fairy and Her Jewelry Furnishings

I just finished making a fairy garden. 

 It features a sleeping fairy in a tiny little purse.

A beaded walkway with flower beads leads up to the sleeping fairy. The walkway is lined with silk boxwood plants. The bed is shaded by an inverted silk daisy.

The table and chairs are made from a pin and a pair of earrings.

The legs are made from pussywillow branches. The lantern is an earring. and the patio is tiny glass tiles.

It makes me smile.

Deborah 

Bow Hairdoo

Check out this darling hairdo that my granddaughter, who is in Kindergarten, wore to school today.

Yep, that is all her hair! 

Smiles,

Deborah

 

Men's Shirt into Long Multi-Layered Dress

Recently I blogged as a guest blogger at Project Run and Play. 
My post was about different ways that I've used specific parts 
of a men's shirt when creating re-purposed outfits.

So, I had this wild idea to push my creativity even more and create a multi-layered long dress using a man's shirt.

I started by shopping for a nice men's shirt in my husbands' area of the closet. When I found a nice yellow and white mini-checked one with a laundry ticket from 2013... I knew I had found the perfect beginning for my new design. Next, I cut up the shirt for maximum yardage, and began creating my pattern.

Source: Sarah Clemens Clothing

My finished 2 piece long  dress.

My inspiration for this dress came from this photo that I found on  Etsy,  
that I found quite interesting 
and had pinned for my Pinterest board.

For modesty sake, I wanted a built-in bra in the top instead of layering a t-shirt under it. I thought the finished product would look more feminine in keeping with my design. Four vertical tucks down the front of the top also add to that soft feminine look.

The built-in bra is a separate layer in a solid knit fabric.

 Again, I shopped for fabric in my recycle bin, and found 
the perfect light yellow t-shirt (it was Fate!).  

The front of the dress utilizes the buttonhole tab from the front of the men's shirt.  

I also made the back the the dress in a racer-back design, which makes the design more current and everyday. I was trying to create a comfortable everyday dress that could be worn to church or informal situations.

To save more time, I used the original hem on the shirt on the top layer dress. Next, the flowers were created at the bottom of the top.

The long under-skirt has an elastic waistband, and a deep gathered ruffle that has 2 rows of tucks near the bottom of the skirt.

I love how this long dress turned out as it is different from any

 re-purpose men's shirt outfit that I've ever created before.

Smiles,

Deborah