Easy Dormer Window Treatment, Spelled Out in Black & White

So my love affair with Black&White continues. And this time, it's that project I told you I was working on in Lola's room. One day soon I think I'll do a post about Black& White and how much I love it & how I never get sick of it in my house.

But for now, I want you to see my latest project. Honestly, I'm unashamedly in love with it. And yes, I am fully aware that sometimes I'm my own biggest fan & I'm fine with that. In fact, I believe everyone should be a big fan of their own work. After all, that's what makes it their own work. Right? Have I confused you yet?

So here it is, an awning window treatment in (what else?) Black&White stripes...

I was going for the look of a Parisian cafe awning & had envisioned this for this dormer window for months. So, finally I decided to order the fabric & get it done. The fabric I found was perfect for the project. Click here to get some for yourself. The only other things I used were drapery lining, 2 tension rods, & a little grosgrain ribbon.

The total time for this awning was only 2 hours from start to finish. Super easy! Here's what I did:

I cut the fabric & drapery lining to the width & length I needed for the dormer window, adding allowances for seams & a rod pocket at the top.

Next, I made a pattern for the scalloped edge & cut them out...

Then, I just sewed it up, flipped it inside out, pressed it, & made a rod pocket at the top for a tension rod to slip thru.

Then, I measured how far I wanted it to drop at the scalloped edge, & sewed on a few loops made of grosgrain ribbon onto the back to slip the second tension rod in place.

Here are a few more shots of it...

Look how well it matches her Scenes of Paris art...

And here's a view from the inside...

Do you love it? Lola does...

And of course, so do I. Stay tuned for the next big project I have planned for her room. And I'll give you a hint: it's Black&White!

To see more of Lola's room, click here.

Sharing my latest fave with some of these people.

American Flag Bunting Bliss

Only a few more days until the Fourth of July and all the fireworks, cook-outs, & flag-wavin'. But that's still plenty of time to get busy decking your halls with the red, white, & blue if you haven't already. I just finished making a little bunting that's been on my mental Pinterest board since I made my little flag art for my summer shelves. Click here if you missed that, but here's the latest:

For some reason, I can't get enough of buntings and pennants around here lately. They seem to make everything a little happier and they're so easy to make!

If you want an American Flag bunting like mine, here's what to do:

Determine your desired number of pennants (depending on how long you want your bunting) & cut them out of canvas (of course I used left-over drop cloth canvas). My pennants are approximately 6" wide by 8" long and my total cord length is about 6 ft from end to end.

Next, cut your flag pieces out of scraps of red & blue fabrics.

Then lay the pieces out carefully on the pennant to form your flag & sew them on with a simple straight stitch.

Repeat this for all of your pennants, then attach it to your cord or jute by folding over the top of the pennant about a half inch & sewing. This will form a casing for the pennants to slide back & forth on & allow for adjusting later. If you find that your pennants curl up, starch & press them from the back to crisp them up a little.

And if you really don't want to sew, use some fabric glue to put it all together.

That's it, y'all! Just hang it up, invite your friends & family, & throw the burgers on the grill. And what's great about a bunting is that it's so easy to take with you if you take your picnic on the road!

These little flags can be sewn onto everything from kids' t-shirts to napkins & tablecloths. What could you use them for?

I'm spreading this little piece of American bliss with a few of these people. Check them out!

Summer Scrapbook

Summer Scrapbook, page 2

Have I mentioned I'm loving summer? Hope you are, too!

Sharing this post with The Starfish Blog.

Julie Moody & Her Not Bummer Week of Summer

SO, it's been a crazy week here. And I will admit I've had my ups & downs and maybe even could've been described as being a little (dare I say?) moody at times. You see, we've had extreme weather in our area, like so many people across the U.S., and because of this, we lost power on Tuesday night for around 10 hours. This was not a huge deal besides losing some food in the fridge, but the real toughie was losing our internet, cable, & home phone for 4 days after that. And hell hath no fury like a woman stuck at home with the kids in rainy weather with no cable or internet.

Do I want to go through all that again anytime soon? No. But the truth is in the end, I realize it wasn't quite all that bad. We read books & did puzzles & a little crafting. And when the sun came out, we got out & had some fun. And then Dad took us all out for a date one night. We saw Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer (your younger kids will love this). If you haven't seen it, it's about a girl who competes with her friends to see which of them can have the best summer by accumulating the most "thrill points".

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Not a bad idea. Why not come up with ways to get thrill points with the whole family this summer? The more exciting & out of the ordinary the event, the more thrill points you receive.

How about 50 thrill points for attempting the high dive at the pool or learning to water ski or finding a 4-leaf clover? Or spotting a great deal online on something you've been wanting? Okay--no. That one doesn't count. No internet or cable TV necessary.

Got any ideas yet? Let me know what yours are. I've got to get off of here & get busy with some on our list! See ya soon!

Graphic Flag Tees for Your All-American Guy

If you stop by here much, you know I love a good knock-off challenge. Most of the time it has to do with home decor, but sometimes I branch out. When I saw some cute graphic tees a couple of weeks ago at Land's End Canvas, I came real close to ordering one for my husband.

See this guy?

He's sayin' "Yeah, for only $24.50, you can buy this for your husband & he can be cool like me."

And then I said: "Buddy, my husband is cooler than you anyday and & I can make that shirt with my eyes closed."

And then he said, ...well---you can see from his expression he had nothing to say after that!

{And now all your suspicions about me being crazy are confirmed. And yes, I really do talk to catalog people from time to time.}

But, now on to the shirt...

I started with a couple of quality plain cotton t-shirts. I found mine on sale at Target for less than $4. Love that.

Next, with a few small cuts of some navy & white twill fabric, I pinned together what would become a pennant flag.

Then I got my little workers together & got busy. But before anyone tries reporting me to the authorities for running a t-shirt sweat shop in my basement, I should tell you these were Father's Day gifts. But, now that I think about it, these would bring a good profit should I find myself needing some cash anytime soon...

Anyway, Abby was in charge of sewing & she assembled the flag & sewed it in place using red thread for contrast...

Next, Lily did the painting. Using good ol' white craft paint she painted on the rims of a Chik-fil-A cup, we made a "stamp" to resemble a post mark or whatever kind of mark it was supposed to be.

Then, we used some large & small letter stencils to add random letters. We decided on W.B.D. (which stands for "World's Best Dad") and his initials.

Lola was in charge of cleaning up the stencils for us & she did a great job at it, too.

And here's the finished product!

Here's the design we made for Papa as well...

These would be great for guys of all ages. And with the Fourth of July coming up, you can customize them & wear them to the family picnic.

And don't forget, this version costs less than $5 each. So there ya go, Land's End Canvas guy. What do you say to that?

Still speechless? That's what I thought.

Sharing this tutorial with some of these crafty sites. Check them out!