Friday, November 15, 2013

The New Country Crafting

I'm not going to lie: growing up I pretty much despised country style.  It was the 90's.  Country meant roosters or geese, ugly magenta and green plaids, wallpaper and/or tacky borders.  It wasn't my taste.  My mother also particularly disliked it, and I think we can't help but be influenced stylistically in our formative years by our parental units.

But I'm thrilled to see a resurgence of country style, because now it is so updated, so chic, so interesting.  When my ex and I were first married, we decorated in an uber modern style: IKEA, bold colors, clean lines, black leather.  It was very masculine and while I still love the same color schemes I always have, I like to soften things now with a rurally inspired touch.  Especially because small town life is so much a part of who I am, and who I am becoming.

Here are five potential DIY projects I have discovered on Pinterest to add a country touch to your home.  I hope you are inspired by these ideas too!

 
Toile China Mosaic Heart on Etsy
Anyone who flea markets or thrifts has noticed that there is an over-abundance of toile printed plates out there: in blue, in red, in pink.  It's all lovely, and it's pretty cheap, so I felt really inspired by the piece above on Etsy.  You can buy it from her shop, or you can use it to come up with an idea of your own.  I think a toile themed Christmas tree would be lovely.  You could make ornaments in any shape you wanted to, I suppose.

"Embroidered" Kitchen Canisters on Country Living
I love this for several reasons.  First of all, because kitchen canisters are super practical and very "in" right now.  They are utilitarian and beautiful, and there are so many ceramic, glass and even metal options out there.  Depending on what style, material, and color you choose, it helps to pull a kitchen design together.  Beauty is in the details.  And "embroidering" ingredient labels onto the canisters?  Genius.  And honestly I appreciate any nod to needlework, because I am a yarn loving geek.

This project on this amazing blog takes the concept of faking "needlework" even further: paint a picture or a mural in that style!  Yes.  Cross stitch baby.  It's a thing.

Eline Pellinkhof's Blog


Fabric Lined Built in Shelves
My best friend has a built-in cabinet just like this in the corner of her dining room.  She and I both mentally "paint" it whenever we look at it, but she hasn't quite figured out what she wants to do with it yet.  I can't wait to show this idea to her.  It's genius!  This particular blogger uses fabric and applies it with rubber cement, but wallpaper leftovers or tack paper would work well here too.  The color, pattern and texture possibilities are endless!

Pinterest Pin Link
 I could not find the original website for this one (I hate it when Pinterest pin links go "nowhere.")  But the concept looks simple enough.  Find a shabby chic, vintage frame OR take a new unfinished frame and paint/distress it to achieve this look. Use scrapbooking paper or wallpaper for the background and use vintage postcards or other notecards as the "artwork" to attach to the background.  Genius!  I love easy artwork ideas.  As much as I would love to purchase a household of original paintings for my home, I can't yet afford it.  Ideas like this really help me feel inspired to cover up my walls with DIY, inexpensive pieces. 




1 comment:

  1. I LOVE the built-in idea! that is awesome! and I too love canisters, those are so pretty and decorative but still serve a purpose without looking cluttered. Can you do those for me too? Kidding, kind of ;-P xo

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