Table Runners Add Pizazz

Table runners can add so much personality to

a table for (depending on your fabric choice)

a very reasonable cost.

Here are a few examples from Pinterest:

 Jesi Hack Design on Design Sponge

Proper Pillow on Etsy

Wedding Linens

Recently, I helped a friend of mine decorate the tables

at her daughter's wedding reception.  To get a pop of color

for not too much money, I made table runners out of

material similar to the color of the bridesmaid dresses.

So that we could possibly use them again for other parties,

I made them 108" long...that would even work on

an 8 foot long table in the future.  Since the fabric the

bride and her mother chose was 54" wide, when it was

cut into three sections, the resulting width was 18" wide.

Not that you would have to but we did add a point

to the end of the runner.  I was too lazy to measure

but just pulled the two corners together until

there was a straight line, hand pressed a

crease along the fold and then cut along the crease.

Then I ironed in and sewed a hem along all. 27. of. them.

(If you don't sew, you could use a product like

Stitch Witchery to turn under a hem or don't

hem them at all!)

It was a lot of work, but I think the end result

was worth it.  The bride's family rented cream colored

cloths to cover the reception tables then we

placed the runners on top of those.

There were 7 tables on the other side of the room also.

The food table was actually three tables pushed

together to make one long run of tables.

In keeping with the idea of making the runners to

be used again, we just used 3 of the 108" runners butted

 up against each other instead of making one long one .

When all the food was on the table, it

was not noticable that there were actually three runners.

Here is one of the runners on the guest book table:

There were several generations of family wedding photos on this table.

We ended up with a couple extra runners so we

criss crossed them on the bride and groom cake tables.

I was surpised how creased the table cloths were from the rental company but I didn't say

 anything...what could you do at that point a few hours before the wedding?

Also trying to keep the table centerpieces at a reasonable

cost, we hunted around for inexpensive elements to

mimick a look the bride had seen on Pinterest.

The mom found dark brown framed mirrors for less

than $10 each. We had had a "paint party" to prime the

frames white then dry brush them with two other shades

of off white paint colors.  Then they were sanded down

to make them have a time-worn look.

In the months leading up to the wedding, we kept our

eyes open for clear glass vases to place on the mirrors.

Most of them were around $1 and came from Old Time

Pottery, Dollar Tree, WalMart, and Target.  We put

seven vases (all different on each mirror) on each table.

I also kept on alert for vintage-y looking elements on

sale in the jewelry section of craft stores to add to

the tallest vase in each arrangement with a navy ribbon.

Just in case you are interested, here is a

breakdown of the table top costs:

Runner... $8 

(material $8/yard...bought 3 yards for each 3 runners)

Mirror... $10

7 Vases...$7

7 stems of flowers...$7

4 votive candles w/holder...$4

Jewelry Charm w/ribbon...$2

Everything (with the exception of the flowers) can be re-used/repurposed.

You don't have to save the idea of colorful

table runners for a party!  Use them at your house

too for a fun, seasonal change of pace. 
You can make them the length and width you need.
 They can be made from lots of different

types of materials but if the runner will possibly

get spills on it, choose a washable fabric. 

From Art Print to "Painting"

An art print in the clearance bin for $5 at Michael's

made me want to change out my living room

accessories from Spring-y to French-y.

It is a print of a painting done by Lorraine Christie

entitled "Paris Remembered".  I liked that it had a

very brush stroke look.  I have enjoyed the print of

birch trunks that I made to look like a painting that  

has been above the mantle since January but I'm

ready for a change (now that I know how easy

and inexpensive it is to change out the artwork).

Although it could look a little winter-y, I like the pops of

orange and am going to use the orange in other areas of

the room.  I'm telling myself it is a May rain in Paris.

Here is the real weather forcast for Paris for the next few days:

"Open frames" (no glass) are easy to find at thrift stores,

yard sales, etc. Most arts and craft stores also carry

them and they are regularly on sale.

Art prints are also at the same stores or if you don't see what

you want there, the internet is a wonderful source.

When matching up the frame to the art print, make sure

that you will be able to cut off any writing on the bottom

of the print and the print still fill the opening of the frame.

For this print, I also had to cut off a couple of inches from the side too.

Although it is more money to spend than just

using the cardboard that comes with the print,

it is worth it to purchase foam core to mount

your print.  Mine was $6 at Hobby Lobby full

price (don't you hate to forget your 40% off coupon?)

Measure your foam core to the size of your 

print (which is the size that will fit your frame).

Mark and cut.  It is easy to cut with a

steak knife (or an exacto knife if you are 

an exacting person).  

This time I am springing for the proper

mounting spray instead of just adhesive spray.

This is from Michael's...$8 full price...bring your coupon.

Go outside (and away from the cars sez Tom Kat) to spray the adhesive

onto the foam core.  Try hard as you can to lay the

art print onto the foam core straight...if you don't

get it even, you can pull it up and try again if

you do it immediately.  Press the print with your

hands to try to get out any air bubbles and

adhere the print to the foam core all over.

After that dries, spray the print (now attached to

the foam core) with a clear acrylic sealer. 

 Let the sealer dry at least an hour.

The fun part is putting the gel medium onto

the print.  For the first coat, get an artsy layer of

the medium on the whole print.  You can use brushes

or palette knives or both.

Don't worry...the gel medium dries clear.

The artist gel medium comes in gloss and matte.  The gloss

gives you a more shiny and obvious looking brush stroke.

The matte version has no shine but takes more layers

to build up the brush stroke look.  Each has its own merits.

For my final coat, I actually mixed the two together in

equal parts and the "painting" has just a little shine. 

Just to save you "sticker shock" each of these jars was $13 at Hobby Lobby.  This product is not usually

 on sale so you could use a coupon to purchase it.   There are other brands of this same product.

There are other artist products that look similar on the shelf.  Just be sure you don't buy "gesso" or "modeling

paste" as those are NOT transparent.  I have not tried it but some people also use Mod Podge to achieve

a similar brush stroke look.  My stores do not carry any but there are products out there specifically

made for creating this look and have the words "brush stroke" in the title.

After the initial coat of gel medium dries, you can

add another layer of the gel, this time trying

to mimick the brush strokes on the original print.

How many layers of the gel medium you want to

add is up to you to build up the brush stroke look.

It helps in the illusion of making the print look

like a painting if you start with a print that

has obvious brush strokes.

Yikes! I did have some bubbling...I probably did not press

the print down all over enough when I adding it to

the foam core.  I pressed the bubbles down with a brush

that had gel medium on it and they went away

enough for them to not be noticeable. 

(If you are a perfectionist, this might not be a project that you would enjoy.)

After you have the look you want on the

print/painting, put it in the frame.  I used the

redneck technique of doing it with duct tape.

And as the French say, "La vous l'avez".

I tried to get photos of how the brush strokes look but they are hard to capture. 

This certainly looks and even feels like a painting up close and from a distance.

Here are some photos of Paris in/after the rain:

I am going add other elements to the living room

to French-i-fy it in the next few days. 

Magnolias and Mint Juleps

Today the Kentucky Derby will be run in Louisville.

I have never had the opportunity to actually go to the

"Run For The Roses" or, as it is also called,

"The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports"

but I do like to mix up a mint julep drink to watch the

horse race on TV.

The mint julep drink is THE drink associated with 

The Kentucky Derby and is also enjoyed by many

Southerners while we have fresh mint in our yards.

A few years ago when I decided to have a mint julep

while watching the race, I looked up the "recipe" .

It did not sound good to me so I "doctored it up" 

to my liking.  I have served my recipe to lots of

folks since and nobody complains or tells me it's not

a "real" mint julep.  In case you would like a mint julep

while you are watching the race today, here is my version:

Miss Kitty's Mint Julep

-2 ouncesof Southern Comfort or Bourbon

-2 ounces of water

-1 tablespoon Rose's Sweetened Lime Juice

-1 tablespoon  Simple Syrup

(you can make your own simple syrup with 1 part sugar/1 part water dissolved)

-Mint leaves

"Muddle" (crush) some of the mint leaves in a glass

Add shaved or crushed ice, then all remaining

 ingredients and stir well.

(The crushed mint leaves don't look so great in a clear glass but I can't find my silver

mint julep cup right now.  Maybe they use the silver cup to cover up the messy leaves.)

Stick a long enough sprig of fresh mint into the glass

so that when you take a sip, you will smell the mint

We served mint juleps at the cocktail portion of

my daughter's wedding.  Here are some photos from that:

Wedding Photos by Emily Kicklighter Photography

Another Southern "event" going on now is

that the magnolia trees are in bloom.  Magnolia trees are

native to the United States from North Carolina down to

Florida and as far west as Texas.   They are transplated

in planting zones 6 - 10 now as landscape plants. 

The blooms are magnificent but they only last a few days

and then they are gone until next May.  Here are some

photos of the "life" of a magnolia bloom.

After the male upcurving stamens release their pollen to fertilize the female stamens

they drop off of the pineapple-like structure.  Many times they collect in the large

 cup-shaped white petals.

It has been almost 90 degrees many days of the magnolia bloom time. 

The flowers are so delicate that some of them are turning brown

in the heat even before they open up completely.

Differing type of magnolia trees have different-looking gynociums (the pineapple-looking thing).

After the bloom's petals fall off, the seed pod is left.

Reproduction is the primary function of the beautiful, short-lived magnolia flower. 

 This resulting pod will produce bright red seeds in the Fall which will mostly be

food for birds but some seeds will go on to be more magnolia trees for us to enjoy.