When my husband and I were first married almost ten years ago, my Grammy made me a bunch of lovely crochet doilies. There have been some pretty tutorials lately for doily table runners, doily lamps, and doily buntings, but I'm not sure I have quite enough to complete a project like that. Instead, I thought I would take a couple of my doilies that haven't been used yet and display them in embroidery hoops with a bit of colored fabric for contrast.
For this project all you need is a doily (or two or three), an embroidery hoop, enough fabric to stretch in the hoop, a needle and some thread, and scissors. I purchased these vintage metal hoops on Etsy, and I had just enough green fabric on hand to fit in the hoops. To create your own doily wall art, simply stretch the fabric in the hoop, tack down the doily with matching thread, and secure the piece in the hoop.
I wanted to finish the back of the hoops in such a way that I could remove the fabric for cleaning. My friend Sasha from What. No mints? shared a tutorial with me for gathering or cinching the fabric in the back. Keep in mind that this fabric was a scrap, so there wasn't much fabric to gather in some spots but I made it work. It certainly isn't pretty on the back side though!
I think the hoops add a sweet touch to our tiny living room, and the pop of color on the wall is perfect. They are definitely making me smile. Now we just need to get that second coat of paint up on the wall to get rid of that wonky color look!
There are a couple of spots around the house that are making me smile lately. I'm in the process of seriously decorating on a strict budget (finally, after we've been in this house for 5 years), so things are still being switched up. There is a bookcase on the way from Target next week that will help to get things more settled and organized in our small living space (we have this particular bookcase in the 5 shelf already and we are really pleased with them). We're also hoping to get a hand-me-down day bed from my parent's this Spring that is destined for the girls' room.
Did you ever have a suitcase like this when you were little? My mom dug this out of the attic for me; it was one of my favorite things when I was growing up. Right now it is sitting on top of a wee dresser my mom was getting rid of. The dresser needs a bit of work, but it's clean and functional for now.
The suitcase stays open and stores the girls' play jewelry and dress up crowns. I always smile when I see it.
The other spot that I'm loving is the new-ish shelf above my desk. The driftwood photo hanger probably won't be staying there permanently, as it is too high above eye level. Red Riding Hood and the Wolf are about to go in storage while they wait for their new home, but I've enjoyed their company for a couple of weeks. See that snow globe? That's the only thing I have ever purchased form Sax Fifth Avenue.
What spots in your home make you smile?
For quite some time now, I've wanted to find a place to display our kids' artwork. With our previous (and lousy) wall space usage there just wasn't a good spot, but now that we're totally redoing our walls I'm so excited to have these frames up! I lucked out big time when I stopped at Michael's to buy these frames; they're pretty cheap to begin with, but they happened to be on sale for $5 a piece. Score! I opted for white frames so that the colors would really pop. This wall makes me smile. A lot.
I also snagged this small storage box at Walmart to store the rest of their doodles and paintings. It was under $5, and it fits construction paper perfectly.
How do you display your kiddo artwork?
I think I'm in love with 3M hooks. They're so versatile, and I just discovered today that they come in faux nickel finishes and even in metal! Score! Now I can use them everywhere and don't have to worry about them looking tacky. They are so much easier to move around, as opposed to nails- no filling holes and repainting. I purchased a couple of plain white ones today for hanging the girls' tutus on their bedroom wall. The purple one belongs to my nineteen-month-old. She hardly wears hers. My three-year-old, however, wears hers often. Or should I say, she puts it on and rolls around the floor in it. While I'm tickled pink that she loves it so much, I think that the next time I endeavor to make a tutu, I won't be so careful and meticulous in its construction. It may be mangled, but at least it is staying together!
