My life is to make everything around me beautiful.

Friday, September 28, 2012

The New Living Room Ottoman

I snagged this ottoman or footstool the last time we were back in California to visit with the kids. Daughter's getting stingier with giving me things! She'll inherit them one day. I tried to snag more things but she was adamant this time. LOL Maybe next time I'll get something I really want. But she is making me a mosaic wall clock so I can't complain. :-)


Anyhow, I have this piece of Paganelli Sis Boom fabric that I've loved for a long time. I used a bit of it and there just wasn't any way at all I could make the cover for the entire footstool out of it, so I had to be a bit creative.


See what I mean. There were cuts in it.


And while I do like this fabric I purchased recently for the living room curtains, I still wanted the Sis Boom fabric rose as a centerpiece,


I'd still have had to be creative with this fabric also, not enough to be the only fabric on it.


So using the Sis Boom rose fabric as a centerpiece, I very carefully cut it out. Then decided to incorporate the rose-strewn fabric as a border. Then I added a piece of a beautiful rosebud fabric around that. All of the fabrics are pink and yellow, varying shades, but they go together nicely. This photo can be enlarged to show it at 1200 pixels wide for you to see it better.


This photo can also be enlarged to 1200 pixels wide to show you the closeup and the tiny rosebud fabric much better.


I plan to put a ruffled bottom around it using this striped fabric. I've held it up to the little top covering and the stripe does go well with it.


The other project I've been doing along with the footstool is a cotton/polyester ruffled tablecloth. I want something other than vinyl, which stains mercilessly with any kind of red sauce—lasagne, spaghetti—and will NOT come out no matter what. I've tested a piece of this 54" fabric purchased from Joanns by snipping a piece about 4x4", smearing it with catsup and red Kool-Aid, blow drying it to set it in, washing it in the machine along with this big piece of fabric to pre-shrink it before adding the ruffles. It came out clean as a whistle and I was thrilled. So on to putting the bed skirt ruffles around it. This is the result.


This photo I edited to take out all the color. Nice contrast, but I really nice color the best.


Bigger view as I stepped back a bit to show you. I don't know why the ruffles look whiter than the top but it's much nearer white than it is off-white.
*

These blues are very pretty!


I could do this with my hanging potholder also. Why do I not think of these things? I don't put my pots on it as hubs is tall and I have to make sure he doesn't get konked on the head...unless I do it. ;-)


More lovely tapes in colors and roses.


A row of cottages along a pond. If you step out your door, you'd better be careful a car doesn't smash into you. The roads in England and Ireland are the narrowest I've ever seen. Our son was recently in Scotland and he said they drove rather crazily there, but seriously crazy on those small roads and he's from California! They don't get any crazier than the freeways there! ;-)


Some of you may have seen this lamp recently. I think I spotted it in a catalog but cannot remember where it was.
~*~
Linking up with Claudia's Favorite Things.

25 comments:

  1. I think your ottoman will be fantastic, I love the tiny rose fabric, so cute! Thanks for sharing all these pics with us, the village is particularly lovely, wish I lived there! :)

    Hugs,

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  2. I love the way you pieced those fabrics together to make that beautiful ottoman cover. Looking forward to see the finished cover with the ruffles. I also liked the ruffles on the tablecloth and the lamp.

    Have a great weekend!

    Cassandra from Renaissance Women

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  3. Connie you are so creative, what a snag that footstool was ! Love how you put the fabrics together. and the tablecloth, geeeeeesh woman you make me want to take a match to my house :)
    (())

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  4. I love the fabric choices for the ottoman. Pretty Pinks...........

    ~Emily
    The French Hutch

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  5. Love how you are doing your footstool! Adore the tablecloth!

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  6. Well I do think your ottoman will be fantastic......
    and do not miss......

    S
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    it is FUN :)
    last week 109 lovley blogs..
    WELCOME
    HÃ¥kan ( The Roseman)

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  7. You are something else. Nothing you cannot do. You have a very creative and active mind. You seem to find great use for it as well.

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  8. You are one very versatile lady. Great writer,photographer, makeovers,computer expert and so many more. You have a very creative and active mind.

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  9. My son is in school in Scotland this semester, and I know he is traveling around a bit, so I hope he doesn't encounter the crazy drivers! Your fabrics are gorgeous--I would be afraid to cut them. I'm looking forward to seeing the finished ottoman! Linda

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  10. Well Ditto on what LV said. Gosh that ottoman is going to be so pretty. Too pretty for anything but bare feet that are clean clean clean. Love the rose fabrics and that ruffle table cover....very creative and too pretty for spaghetti sauce. Happy Pink Saturday!!!

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  11. You are so creative! Visiting from Pink Saturday.

    My PINK
    Have a fun weekend!

    Rose

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  12. Ohh I love that lamp pic at the end of your post. Re: ruffled tablecloth, are you using a ruffler attachment for that, or the old fashioned way? I've been sewing since the 70s and I only just bought a ruffler attachment in the past month. It didn't come with directions, so I have been slowly learning how to use it. I have NOT had good luck with gauzy curtain type fabric so far. I am hoping cotton will work better. debbie

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  13. This is really pretty fabric and will make that ottoman amazing!

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  14. Very clever, Miss Connie! Using the 3 fabrics together for the ottoman is the perfect idea. I can't wait to see the addition of the ruffle. And the tablecloth is so pretty! I started to laugh when I read all you did to make sure the fabric wouldn't stain! It will pay off, though. You have a pretty, stain-free tablecloth!

    Thanks so much for joining in this week!

    xo
    Claudia

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  15. Hi! Those are very pretty blues!

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  16. WOW ! You are so creative! That ottoman is going to look GRAND! Have a lovely Pink Saturday.

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  17. Well you certainly have been a busy gal. I admire all that you have done, especially the tablecloth, no wait a minute the stool is so pretty, oh, I just love it all. Happy Pink Saturday, Lu

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  18. The ottoman fabrics are delightful. It will be wonderful when finished. I must say I always stop to read your comments at Claudia's. Visiting from her party, Olive

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  19. I love what you are doing with the ottoman and can't wait to see it finished. I hopped on over from Claudia's and so glad I did. Can't wait to get to know you better.

    Hugs,
    Laura

    PS. I have some stains I could send your way :)

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  20. *applauds* for the footstool - even I could do that project! I see what you've done, you've enticed us so we would follow you ... when do we see the finished footstool?

    Popped in from HSTS Pink Saturday.

    thriftshopcommando.blogspot.com

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  21. Connie everything is just beautiful! Love that main rose in the center of your ottoman cover! I also love ruffled tablecloths - glad you found some stain resistant fabric. I think the reason the ruffles look more white in the pictures is that we're seeing the table through the top giving the appearance of it being darker. It's just lovely though. Ahh to be in England and Scotland again. It's been too long. Thanks for taking me on a little journey there this morning.
    Hugs,
    Robin

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  22. The fabrics for the ottoman are really pretty. The tablecloth is so fun with the ruffles. I didn't know about the roads being so close to the house!

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  23. I love the way you did the fabric for the ottomen. And the ruffled tablecloth! I have a ruffler but have never figured out how to use it.

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  24. Happy Pink Saturday, dear Connie. You made me laugh about the ottoman. And, just look how pretty it is going to be. and, I love the tablecloth, too.

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  25. That footstool is going to be so pretty, Connie, and I can picture that lovely striped ruffle around it perfectly! I love your table cover, too. Such lovely projects!!

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Comments are so nice and I thank all of you that leave one for me.