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Sunday, July 15, 2012

Sizzlin' Summer


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Hi everybody! It has been an exceptionally hot summer so far with very little rain! My lawn has brown patches everywhere, and the annuals and perennial are suffering under this scorching heat. 
I love planting snapdragons in containers. However, this summer has been so unusual as they are withering away and dying. I have kept them in a shaded area thinking maybe heat is causing the withering and kept them well watered, but nothing seems to work. The impatiens  and rose buds in my garden have become a favorite snack for the deer this year! I had no idea that deer favors impatiens! So far, they seem to leave the geraniums alone, but I'm wary of what they will be feasting on next!


I have been working on a couple of projects around the house. I love the vibrant outdoor fabric available in fabric stores and have been meaning to make some outdoor pillows but never got around to it until recently.
Loving the beautiful summer colors of these outdoor canvas:



This wooden box is covered with a map using mod podge:
I cut around one side of the box after placing it on the map. Leave about half an inch extra all around 
 for overlap.
 There should be four cutouts like the one below for the four sides of the box:
The finished product:
I am loving how it turned out and the multitude of ways it can used. Makes a wonderful planter for the fern:
Another side:


Lazy days of summer:
Soaking in the sunshine:
I found this cute twig tray at our local Salvation Army for $2:
I like the rustic look of the tray, and it's perfect for serving summer beverages:

A slice of summer:
Chilled glasses of flavored water:

Melting cherry ice cube:
This rusty tin pail used to look like this:
A couple of coats of aqua paint transforms it beautifully:

The pink geraniums and and dianthus seem to like the bucket as well:
I love the contrast between the pink and aqua, so summery :)
Summer breeze makes me feel fine:

I'm so glad you stopped by to share a slice of summer with me. I enjoyed the pleasure of your company. Thanks for your visit and hope you have a wonderful week ahead!
Also my heartfelt thanks to these gracious hostesses for featuring my decoupaged French pots in their wonderful weekly linky parties:
Honey at 2805
Kathyrn @ The Dedicated House
Christina @ I Gotta Create
Kathy @ A Delightsome Life
The lovely sisters, Heather and Vanessa @ The Picket Fence
 Thank you ladies! Your encouragement inspires my creativity and I appreciate it!  
Hugs, Poppy
This week partying at:


Home is where the heart is. - Link it up! - Wednesdays - HomesteadSimple.com

Adorned from Above
Stone Gable: Tutorial Tips and Tidbits
No Minimalist Here: Open House Party
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Sunday, June 24, 2012

Decoupaged French Pots

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Using decoupage as a transfer medium is all over blog-land, and I've been inspired by so many creative bloggers! I wanted to try this method of transferring images onto pottery ever since I saw the beautiful pots done by Laurie @ Heaven's Walk. She has a wonderful tutorial on it that is so easy to follow, and I had so much fun trying this method.
This small clay pot from the Dollar Tree had this yucky green color and I wanted to transform it into something more pleasant to look at:)
I gave it a couple of coats of burnt sienna craft paint:
Then, I applied a coat of white gesso. Rosemary @ Villabarnes  has a beautiful blog that will inspire you to use gesso to transform simple, everyday objects into amazingly beautiful things. I just love her work!
After applying a coat of gesso, I simply dabbed on some grey paint using a paper towel.
I had so much fun transforming the clay pot that I raided my garden shed for more terracotta planters to transform. I used the same method on the garden pot below. I flipped the French script on a photo editing site after downloading it from Karen's lovely site @ The Graphics Fairy. Then I applied a coat of mod podge on the graphic side,centered it on the pot and rubbed it on smooth with my fingers to remove all air bubbles. I let it dry overnight (5-6 hours, just like Laurie said). This was the hardest part because I was so tempted to take a peek. 
 Next morning, I misted the mod-podge graphic with water, let the water soak in for couple of minutes, then slowly rubbed off the paper using my thumb. I had to spray water couple of times to keep the graphic moist as I gently rubbed the paper off.
Close-up on the graphic after misting it with water:
The finished product:
I'm loving the decoupage method of image transfer; it works like a charm and looks amazing:

The paper backing is hardly visible. That's the best part of this method of image transfer and the image is so clear:
The French typography looks absolutely wonderful and I'm loving it. Thank you so much, Karen!
I'm quite happy with these decoupaged pots and am having fun playing with them. 


I planted thyme in this one and love how it looks in the pot:
I've kept these pots outdoors for now and will bring them inside once winter sets in:

In the flickering flame of candle light at dusk, they look beautiful:

I hope you enjoyed your visit here today. I'm so glad you stopped by. 
And my thanks to Kathryn @ the Dedicated House and the lovely sisters Paula and Patti @ Ivy and Elephants for featuring my Garden Party HERE and HERE. Thank you, ladies! You are so sweet, you make me smile:) Drop by and say hello to them or participate in their weekly parties and share your creativity with others.

Thanks to these wonderful hostesses for the Linky parties:
Stone Gable: Tutorial Tips and Tidbits
The Graphics Fairy: Brag Monday
No Minimalist Here: Open House Party




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