"Wrought Iron" Wall Art

 

Isn't this a lovely piece of wrought iron wall art?

I think so too.

What would you say if I told you it wasn't made of iron at all?

What would you say if I told you it was actually rubber?

Yep, I said rubber...a rubber door mat from a discount store!

They come in several different designs, depending where you shop.
I think this one set me back about $7.00.

I actually saw the idea on Pinterest (of course)...

 ... they had painted theirs a lovely shade of turquoise and let the paint crackle.

It was so pretty but it did not fit into the decor of my room...

...maybe someday I'll do another one...it was gorgeous!

I have other decor items in an oil-rubbed bronze finish and that was what I was going for.

It was oh-so-simple since the mat was already black.

All I needed was some copper craft paint and a sponge.

I just lightly dabbed the raised areas of the design and wiped off the excess.

What was left was a coppery sheen around the detail of the design, really setting it off.

Now, how do I hang this puppy up so it doesn't droop? (remember, it's a soft-ish rubber)

I decided the best way was to use several very small tacks...I think I used about 10-12.

I placed them within the design, throughout the area of the mat. Remember, they were tiny.

Can you see them? I didn't think so :)

Then I added these plates and plate racks. I got them at Goodwill :)

Notice the fleur de lis theme?

I love how it looks together.

I do have to admit that the smell of the rubber was a little strong for a while.

I'm pretty sure if you decide to paint the entire thing, this won't be an issue.

Remember, I only added a light sheen to mine.
Just so you know, it doesn't stink anymore :)

Maybe one day, in a different room (or different house) I will have the opportunity to make that pretty turquoise one...
...or maybe a white chippy one...you could even hang several in a grouping.

The possibilities are endless!

Have a fantastic week!

Sharing this at:

http://rootedinthyme.blogspot.com/2013/07/fairy-picnic-basket-and-simple-sweet.html
http://www.create-with-joy.com/2013/08/friendship-friday-summer-fun.html
http://romantichome.blogspot.com/2013/08/dish-addiction-show-and-tell-friday.html
http://www.itsoverflowing.com/2013/08/share-your-creativity-89/
http://www.dwellings-theheartofyourhome.com/2013/08/amaze-me-monday-18.html

http://thededicatedhouse.blogspot.com/2013/08/make-it-pretty-monday-week-61.html
http://www.create-with-joy.com/2013/08/inspire-me-monday-week-83.html
http://www.astrollthrulife.net/2013/08/176th-inspire-me-tuesday-300-birthday.html
http://www.cozylittlehouse.com/2013/08/tweak-it-tuesday-50.html

http://sundayview.blogspot.com/2013/08/inspired-sunday-blog-party.html
http://www.adelightsomelife.com/2013/08/a-return-to-loveliness-34.html
http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/2013/08/wow-us-wednesdays-130.html
http://www.adornedfromabove.com/2013/08/wednesdays-adorned-from-aboves-link.html
http://www.adelightsomelife.com/2013/08/home-and-garden-thursday-41.html
http://rootedinthyme.blogspot.com/2013/08/garden-plates-and-simple-sweet-fridays.html

Repurpsosed $1 Store Linens

Today I'm sharing this post from way back at Stephanie's Roses of Inspiration.
My blog doesn't have a Pinterest button but these little aprons have been pinned many times!
I made these little aprons as door prizes for a Mother-Daughter Banquet almost two years ago...
...just love these bright, cheery colors!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Looking for a cute idea for a gift for the little girls in your life? 

These cute little aprons couldn't be any simpler to make.

I made them from $1 Store pot holders and coordinating hand towels!
They were...you guessed it...a dollar a piece!

Each apron consists of one pot holder, half of one towel and wide grosgrain ribbon!

That's it!

Very little sewing is required. Sorry, there is not good quality tutorial...I wasn't blogging when I made these a couple of months ago, therefore I didn't take pics of the steps but I will try to explain the directions the best way I can! You can also double-click on the photos to enlarge them for a better view.

1. wash, dry and press each piece before hand
2. cut each hand towel in half (use the other half for another)
3. zig-zag stitch raw edge of cut towel and make a few soft pleats or gathers
4. you can finish off edges with fold-over binding if you want (optional)
5. cut length of ribbon long enough for waistband and ties (one piece)
6. center apron skirt to ribbon and sew two lines of stitches about 1/4" apart (see arrows)
7. center bottom edge of potholder waistband and make two rows of stitching (see arrows) 

8.  Next you will need to measure and cut a piece of ribbon for the neck loop. You can eyeball this or measure the little girl's size...of course it will need to be large enough to go over her head :) Turn under raw edges and sew two lines of stitching as you did before. I actually sewed a little rectangle (see arrow below).  Of course, don't forget to back stitch at the ends so it doesn't pull out.

Again, I apologize for not having a good tutorial with closer pics of the stitching, etc. but
I just know that you great crafters can figure it out! They really were so easy!

Have fun!
And let me know how they turned out!

Sharing this at:

http://sunnysimplelife.blogspot.com/2013/07/from-farm-blog-hop_26.html

http://www.impartinggrace.com/2013/07/grace-at-home-no-67.html

http://romantichome.blogspot.com/2013/07/collage-maker-show-and-tell-friday.html

http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/2013/07/wow-us-wednesdays-128.html

http://rootedinthyme.blogspot.com/2013/07/new-dahlia-and-sweet-simple-fridays-73.html

http://www.itsoverflowing.com/2013/07/share-your-creativity-88/

http://www.dwellings-theheartofyourhome.com/2013/07/amaze-me-monday-17.html

http://sundayview.blogspot.com/2013/07/inspired-sunday-and-topanga-vintage.html

http://www.astrollthrulife.net/2013/07/175th-inspire-me-tuesday.html

http://thededicatedhouse.blogspot.com/2013/07/make-it-pretty-monday-week-60.html

http://www.create-with-joy.com/2013/07/inspire-me-monday-week-82.html

http://www.diybydesign.blogspot.com/2013/07/sizzle-into-summer-its-party-128.html

http://www.tillysnest.com/2013/07/down-home-blog-hopnumber-48-make.html

http://www.mostlyhomemademom.com/2013/07/show-share-wednesday-48.html

http://www.deeprootsathome.com/encourage-one-another-wednesday-link-up-97/

http://www.adelightsomelife.com/2013/07/home-and-garden-thursday-40.html

Repurposed Linens = Cute Aprons!

A few months ago at my church we had a Mother/Daughter Brunch with an apron theme. I wanted to have aprons to give away as door prizes but they were so expensive to buy already made so I got a bright idea one day as I was rummaging through our local Goodwill store. There were so many adorable things over in the linens aisle....bed dust ruffles, pillow cases and shams, napkins, tables cloths, etc. I realized that I could make the aprons I wanted out of some of these linens that I found...very inexpensively too! Each of the items I found ranged from about $1.00 to $3.00! All I needed was my imagination and a little bit of time.

This apron started out as a pillow sham. The front was the printed side and the back was solid black. I basically just cut the bib part out and had plenty left for the gathered skirt and used the contrasting black for the ruffled trim, added the wide pink polka dot grosgrain ribbon and there you have it! This one was the first one that I made and actually gave this to our pastor's daughter for a wedding shower gift. She loved it.

This one was actually almost made for me. It started out as a little girl's bed ruffle...brand new, I might add. The contrasting prints were already a part of the ruffle so I did not have sew it! I sewed two lengths of the ruffle together for the skirt and constructed the bib from another piece, just turning it so the contrasting part was at the top, adding the extra pink fabric for the neck loop, pockets and waistband.

The sweet lady who won this apron as a door prize that day just loved it, in fact she had it on this past weekend as she worked in the kitchen at church during a fellowship meal. I made several more that I may share in another post but I thought these might be a good way to get in on Pink Saturday too! I am now linking this post to Cindy's Amaze Me Monday!

Have a blessed week!

http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/2013/07/pink-saturday-july-20.html

http://www.impartinggrace.com/2013/07/grace-at-home-no-66.html

http://www.dwellings-theheartofyourhome.com/2013/07/amaze-me-monday-16.html