My little French Bread Basket is alive and well.  I said I was going to make it in one of my past blogs and I finally did (with a little help).

My Bread Basket

I thought my little basket was going to be hard, but it was easier than I thought.  Of course, I did not pull it off without a few mistakes and a few ideas about how to make a better basket.  Even so, I am extremely pleased with the outcome.

The best part was that I was able to pick out my own material.  The second best part was our in-house  sewing expert, Laurie, helped me figure out what needed to be done.

I took a lot of pictures and wrote a How-To guide so you can create one too.  You can find it here.

The basket before ties

One of the things I think I will try when I make my next basket will be to cut out a 10″ x 10″ square piece of plastic and insert it into the bottom of my basket before I sew on the ties.  This will make the bottom more stable.  If I get really creative, I might be able to devise a way to insert and remove the plastic so I can easily wash the basket.  Perhaps I could use  Hook & Loop tape to close it?  Hmmmmmm. . . the possibilities.

I  would like to make a few smaller ones too.  This won’t be hard, just a little math, right?  If I get started now, perhaps I can make pretty sets of three (different sizes) for Christmas gifts?  Some would say it is too early to think about Christmas when it is still 98 degrees outside; but knowing me, I should have started months ago.

Don’t forget, you can see step-by-step instructions how to sew the bread basket and all the supplies I used right here on RowleyDIY.com

See ya,

Karen

I have family coming in from out of town, so I want to update my guest room.  The first thing I did was go online to spark some creative ideas.  Wow, I found a ton of great ideas.  However, the problem I ran into was identifying all the wonderful colors used to create the room.  Some were so subtle; it was hard to pick them out.  It sure is lucky we live in the 21^st century because there is an app to help me with the colors.  It is called Chip It by Sherman Williams (and it is free).  http://letschipit.com/

This is how it works.  You drag the icon to your toolbar (just like the Pinterest pin button).  Then, when you see a picture on the Internet, just hit the Chip It button.  It thinks for a second, and then gives you the matching color chips used in the room.

I found this picture online, and I loved the color combination.  Chip It picked up 5 colors to make up a pallet.  I noticed that it did not pick up some of the brighter yellow, so it doesn’t pick up everything, but it did give me a great starting point.

OK, now I am like a kid with new toy.  I am chipping just about every pretty room I find.  This room has such earthy colors; I wanted to capture it.   The one drawback of Chip It! for me is that it only gives me five colors. In this room, the darker green has been left out.

In this green room, the most dominant light green is missing.

So while this is a great tool and extremely helpful, it isn’t perfect.  You may still need to add a chip or two of your own into the mix.

Happy Chipping!

I was glancing over my last blog and sorting through my pictures from my High Point Market trip because I remembered seeing a little French basket I fell in love with.

From: The Royal Standard

Isn’t it wonderful? I immediately thought of dozens of uses for something like this. Of course, it would be great in a kitchen for breads, crackers, or even utensils. But, what about other areas in the house? I could use one in the guest bath for extra washcloths, or on my makeup table to hold brushes, or even in my office for notes, photos, and other items.

From: The Royal Standard

I have to give credit where credit is due. You can actually buy a pre-made basket from The Royal Standard on their retail site. However, you don’t get to choose the fabric, so that is why I want to see if I can make this little craft myself.

After conducting a search on the Internet, I found out a few things. The French basket is also called a Panadiere (pronounced ‘pan-a-deer’). I also found a free pattern on Coats.com. However, it isn’t exactly like this basket, which has a few more decorative aspects; but it is a start. I think I will enlist the help of my sewing mentor to help me create a new pattern for my Panadiere. I wonder what would be better for the stiffener,Skirtex or buckram? Hmmmmm. If it works out, I will definitely share it with all of you.

Until next time,

Karen

I don’t know what it is about upholstery nails that makes them so appealing to me; I just love them. Needless to say, I was not disappointed with what I saw on my first trip to High Point Market. I fell in love with this ottoman. The lower part of the base sports a leather band held in place by upholstery nails. This tall ottoman combined with the leather and nails makes this piece almost irresistible.

Peninsula Home Collection Company

All I can say about this chair (below) is that it rocks!. Well it really doesn’t rock back and forth, but it is just simply stylish. The large nails are spaced perfectly around the upholstered areas. It just pops, doesn’t it?

Peninsula Home Collection Company

This headboard completely captivated my attention. It is so simple, just nails and fabric, yet it speaks volumes. The nails create such a smooth line for the eye to follow. The thing I like most about it is you can change out your fabrics and pillows for different looks and the headboard still reigns supreme to the eye.

Callisto Home

OK, so now I feel the need to do something with upholstery nails. Being a beginner DIY’er, it is pretty intimidating, but you never learn until you try. I think I will try to make a small upholstered stool. I will take pictures every step of the way so you can see my progress and maybe laugh a little along the way.

Oh, before I forget, you should see what Stacey found.  Be sure to check it out.

Karen