~handmade beachy summer pillows~

hello friends,

Well the little warm spell we had up north this past week sure put me in the mood for summer!! 

Today is cool and wet, but at least we know what we have to look forward to.

Anyways, all that sunshine really made me think about the beach and the ocean, and I thought I would show you some of the beachy and coastal inspired pillows I’ve been working on recently.

This is my “beach” pillow, I love the simplicity of it. Here it is in white.

 I’m also making this in the prettiest aqua, 

and another ~surprise~ colour {wink}.

The starfish is one of my favourites!!

I love the white on the natural background.

They look great together too!

I also pulled out some of my blue grainsack style pillows. 

Although I originally designed these with french country cottage chic in mind, I love how well they fit with a beachy themed decor too. 

I think the side ties are a nice touch. {I also make these in red and charcoal stripes}.

All of these pillows are made on a durable natural canvas with envelope closure at the back {except for the side ties}, and are listed in my raggygirletsy store.

And here’s a pretty shell just because….

happy dreaming of summer days!

linking up to Amaze Me Monday
Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays
Inspire Me Monday at Sand and Sisal
Share Your Stuff Tuesday

Tracey

xox

~home : a place of retreat and comfort~

Well I promised I’d show you my favorite pillow yet, and here it is!

I love the dictionary definition, and the typewriter font. 

Many of us work hard to make our dwellings a place of retreat and comfort.

~a place that feels safe to come home to even when the world is tough~

~a place where we are loved and accepted unconditionally~

~a place where we are cheered on no matter what~

~a place where we can sing out loud and put our feet up on the sofa!~

~a place where we find rest and refreshment~

You might find it strange that for all the pillows I sew I actually don’t keep that many of them in my own home. Silly really!! But this one is a keeper. I want it in my home as a tangible reminder to our family. I love being home. Plus it’s super comfy when those feet are up on the sofa!

Linking up with Courtney at Feathered Nest Friday 
and Becca's Home and Family Friday

Tracey

~blue and red ticking love~

~don't forget to check out my giveaway here~

Hi there! Let's talk about ticking shall we?

There is something so timeless and classic about ticking fabric. I love how it fits with so many decor styles. It comes in a variety of colors nowadays, but I like to sew with the blue or red.

These are large 20x20” pillows I sewed up in blue ticking for a customer. 

They look so good with the white pillows.

This is a smaller version with .…. a ruffle of course! 

A wide raw-edged shabby ruffle, why not! Great for tucking in with a bunch of pillows, or propping on a chair.

I’ll leave you with my red ticking pillow on my old rocker outside on the porch!

How about you, do you decorate with ticking?

linking up to Feathered Nest Friday
Home and Family Friday 
Frugal Friday
Air your Laundry Friday 
Show off your cottage Monday 
Take-a-look Tuesday
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday 
Creative Things Thursday 

Tracey

~fieldstone : fabulous, fun, freezing....~

Well peeps, I would have had this post up earlier if my fingers weren't frozen...

Just kidding, kinda:-) It has seriously taken me several days to thaw out!

Fieldstone Christmas market was great, you have to really admire us northern gals who set up an outdoor market in close to freezing temperatures!

But then I especially admire the wonderful shoppers who came out to shop the market, a big thanks to each of you who stopped by to say hi.

We had a great cross section of vintage and handmade vendors, I'll post the link once the "official" photos are up. For now, here's a few shots of my wares.

Good sellers this time round were vintage kiddie skates, burlap garland,

small chalkboard frames

vintage sheet music ornaments

my stencilled glass dome servers

as well as my vintage style white trees, they were so much work they deserve a post of their own soon!

Have you ever made white trees? I'd love to know!

Tracey

~old wooden drawers transformed~

i've been wanting to work with some old wooden drawers for a while

but you know how it is when you're actually looking for something!

~it took a while~

i found this one at an antique mall, very ugly but i love how deep it is

{the pull was even uglier, believe me you don't want to see it}

painted it up with Annie Sloan chalk paint (ASCP)

"provence" on the outside, "paris gray" on the inside

buffed it up with clear wax

love the yellow of the sunflower against the blue...

added a sweet sparkly knob

old drawers are a practical (lots of space) and pretty way of storing or displaying things

~yup, i have a thing for blue canning jars~

wouldn't a drawer be great at a wedding filled with wedding favors or mason jars full of lemonade...

before...

and after

this one was a curbside find, also very ugly

{by the way, i gave them a good scrubbing before painting started}

~i'm a bit picky that way~

anyway, this one i left with the decorative pull, sans the pull part

i think it adds a classy and interesting detail on the front of the drawer

this drawer is super wide and got the "old white" touch

repurposed drawers are great in a studio for storage, to display your linens, used to showcase goods for sale

~yup, i have a thing for vintage crystal doorknobs too~

and vintage linens...

 so before...

and after

i'd love to hear if any of you have transformed ugly old drawers

i'm still on the look out for old sewing machine drawers, they are the perfect size for desktop storage in a studio or workroom...

linking up to Take-a-look Tuesday
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Tuesday's Treasures

Tracey

PS. These repurposed drawers will be coming with me to Fieldstone Vintage Market next week Saturday

~chandelier love~

well we finally got to hang one of my new chandeliers

that being the royal "we" in our home, when I need help with a project:-)

the chain is a little short, but hey, i'll take it for now

i love how cosy and sparkly it looks

it hangs right over our kitchen table

~ the hub of our home~

i heart this simple sign i have up overlooking the table

"give thanks" ~ a good daily reminder

now i can't wait to finish up my white queen anne chairs for this table

i showed you a peek here - they've been one of those forever projects

the royal "we" just have to finish up the upholstery - burlap and i'm loving it

i'll show, i promise!!

and then once "we" hang my antique brass chandelier over the dining room table

i promise to show that too

do you ever feel like there are so many unfinished projects and you're just so impatient to get there!!

linking up with Kathleen's White Wednesday

Tracey

~little brown bottle~

do you ever buy things just for the container?

that's how it was with this beauty

love at first sight i tell ya!

i don't even particularly LIKE brown

but i love how vintagey this brown glass bottle looks

and i know i'll continue to use it when it's done

wouldn't it make an awesome vase

the soap smells pretty good too - papaya and ginseng

now in my fantasy this sits in the guest bathroom with sunlight gleaming through...

in reality it is streaked with soap and fingerprints...

but here, here it has it's own moment

(how do you like my little sheep, you didn't know i used to be a primitive gal, now did ya)

don't you just love the variety of soaps we can get nowadays

i do like bath and body works, but we're taking a break from the anti-bacterials for a while

just as little too harsh on the skin during our cold winter

and it's kinda fun to search out these one of a kinds

(do you US gals have ANY idea how we Canadian gals support your economy!!)

anyway, back to reality, gotta put the soap back where it belongs!!

Tracey