Easter Throw Back

We've talked about our previous takes on "style" before...

This photo seems more than appropriate for "Throw Back Thursday" (#TBT) on social media so I figured I'd post it here as well. (P.S. are you following us on Facebook and Twitter?)

My mom made that bunny. She also made Uncle Sam, witches and santas. One for every season, you know.



In all seriousness, I hope you all have a wonderful Easter. Remember that the reason for the holiday is not candy and bunnies...it's the fact that we're all saved. What a blessing we've been given with every day of life.

Happy Easter!
Karli

Kindred Style Duo Hosts a Tea Table

I promised I would report on the tea table that Karli and I hosted at her Church this last weekend. So this is me "making good" on all my promises!

Here we are all ready to go to the Tea.

Karli's yard wasn't "blooming" yet, but it was a beautiful day!

The Tea was a lovely afternoon event with delicious food, wonderful entertainment, and more than 120 ladies in attendance. Each of the tables was decorated in a creative way. Karli and I had fun making ours a little "organic" with the use of all the burlap.



A few shots of our table

We had a white cloth covering the large round table. To that we added a square topper of burlap, with a cream vintage linen cutwork cloth in the very center. We used a large ironstone pitcher from the late 1800's filled with fresh white hydrangeas as our centerpiece. We then scattered several of the burlap flowers I had made. To see how these are made, check out the earlier post.


A close up of the burlap flowers

We used Karl's white dishes, cup and saucers, and white teapots. We added three small pots of green herbs. This touch of green tied in nicely with the green leaves of the hydrangeas. These tiny nests added even more "natural spring" flavor to our table.

The precious little nests with birds and eggs--very spring-like!

Everyone loved the bow details we added to the folding chairs.

 

We tied "recycled" laced (from an old curtain panel) and burlap bows

Even the napkin holders were burlap flowers glued onto burlap ribbon.

The napkins were paper, doily like.

Our table was #7 so I had painted a small frame white, distressed it and covered the inside with what else....burlap. I glued on a small black paper clip to hold our number.


The frame can hold a picture or special postcard later

Karli and I had such a good time planning and hosting our tea table, I am sure we would love to do it again next year. 

Right now I am making plans to "reuse" all those burlap flowers.

Happy Spring,
Kandy (and Karli too) 

Getting Crafty with Burlap Flowers

Karli and I are going to decorate/host a tea table for a function her church is having. We brainstormed how we wanted our table to look (color, texture, theme, etc.) and we loved the idea of using burlap and getting crafty. It seems only fitting that our Spring Tea Table should include flowers. 

So, we bought several yards of the natural color burlap and then I checked out different blogs and sites for flower making advice. I found some wonderful ideas and instructions, but after trying several methods, I ended up doing my own thing! 

Let's get started making "Kandy's Burlap Flowers":
Here is what you will need:  burlap, scissors, sewing machine, glue gun, cardboard circles (cut 2" diameter for small or 2 3/4" diameter for large), an old magazine (for gluing on top of...tear off page when gets messy), the lid of a spray paint can (works well to glue on, turns easily), clothespin (and anything else you see in the photos that I failed to mention). 

Here are the steps:
1. Cut fabric into strips 2" wide 44" long (the width of the fabric). 
Tip:   Pull a thread just beyond 2", then cut along this line. This helps your fabric stay square and straight.

          

2. Cut this strip in half (22") for a small flower or leave the full 44" length for a large flower.

3. Fold the strip in half lengthwise and sew along the two edges.

              

4. Fold one end over and use the glue gun to glue it in place. 

Tip:  Use a clothespin to hold it in place while it dries. This end will become the center of your flower

 

5. Pull one thread (from the other end) and start gathering or ruffling up the fabric. 
Tip:  Pick a thread above your line of stitching. Don't pull it completely out. Your clothespin and glued end should hold it.

 

6. While keeping tension on that thread and keeping your fabric ruffled up, fold the remaining end under and glue it. 
Tip:  This is going to become the bottom of your flower.

7. Now glue that edge onto the outside edge of your cardboard circle. Your cardboard circle should be sitting on your spray paint can lid. You can take the clothespin off of the other end. It should be secure by now.

8. Continue gluing that ruffle onto the circle, turning as you go, working your way inside your flower. (Be careful not to burn yourself.) You can cut off the end of the thread that you gathered with. You may also need to trim some threads as you work...burlap frays out easily.

 

9. Continue gluing, forming the center of the flower with the very end of the fabric. This should look somewhat like a flower by now.

10. Carefully hold the very center for a while till the glue has all set up.

If all went well, you should have a flower that looks like this or similar!

If this hasn't been enough steps for you, we can keep going.....

You can cut a circle of burlap, the same size as your cardboard and cover the underneath side of your flower (just so it looks nice on the bottom).

You can also glue on a magnet or whatever else your little heart desires (like a clothespin or brooch pin or hairclip), depending on what you plan to do with "your" flower.

Karli and I are using our flowers on napkin rings and for table decor. We'll be sure to take pictures and make a post about our tea table.  I bet you can hardly wait to see it!!!

Later, Kandy  

I Did It: Drip Art Canvas

You ever have one of those spaces in a room, where you can imagine what you want, but it doesn't seem to exist? Our front room was one of those spaces. After some time spent arranging furniture (and giving that red loveseat that Brent didn't like a slip cover), I had an empty wall just begging for a statement piece.

I had an arrangement with several smaller frames and black and white photos on an adjacent wall, so I knew I wanted one single piece on this wall. On another wall in the room I had a colorful abstract floral. So I knew this single piece shouldn't compete with all the colors there. I also didn't really want it to be "anything." Meaning I didn't want a flower or a street or a photo. I wanted ART.


A glimpse of the artwork I'm referencing.

After searching and looking for months, I decided it was up to me to paint this thing in my head. While Mom and Dad were here for Thanksgiving, we headed off to Michael's for a stretched canvas. Lucky me, the day I went it was 50% off.

I first painted the entire canvas white. Might seem silly since the canvas is already "white." But I needed a nice even surface that wouldn't soak up too much paint during the next step.

Here's where it got fun.

I stood the canvas up and painted a really wide stripe of SW Sassy Green (leftover from the dining room). And then I did something that seemed so wrong. I sprayed the green I'd just painted with water. I sprayed and sprayed until it started to drip. Then I sprayed more so I got lots of long drips going. I wanted them to go all the way to the bottom of the canvas. Once I was happy with the amount, I let that dry.


Here come the drips!

But I wasn't done. I turned the dried canvas upside down, so the part I'd just painted was on the bottom and the drips looked like they were running up. I repeated the process in a slightly narrower stripe on that side.

Basically, you just spray to your heart's content, until your eye is happy with the result.

I'm thrilled with it.I love how simple it is. I love how you can't tell which direction the drips are running and they all just blend in with one another.


Love this!



Don't forget to paint the edges too!



And the view of it's new home. You can also see the new closet door. Read about that project here and here.


What do you think? I think this was easy enough for anyone to do. Pick your colors and have fun!

~Karli

Style Will Never Go Out Of Style

Webster defines style as:

1. a particular kind, sort, or type, as with reference to form, appearance, or character

2. a mode of living, as with respect to expense or display.

3. a mode of fashion, as in dress, especially good or approved fashion; elegance; smartness.

Our name, Kindred Style, is all about style. Your personal style develops over time as ours did. For our very first post we decided to take a look back, reflecting on how our style developed and changed through the years.

This was Kandy's birthday in 1986. Believe it or not, we were quite in style at the time. Check out the big hair, country decor and our dog, Reagan.

Speaking of country decor, during this time Mom created country crafts...by the hundreds. She traveled throughout the state selling her crafts at shows. "Country" was in style back then.  

During the same time period, Karli had early aspirations of culinary excellence. She was developing her own style for creativity in the kitchen.

Warning: style gone wrong! This is Karli's first attempt at decorating her own room as a teenager. She sponge painted the walls herself, picked out her own bedding and decor...much to Mom's chagrin. Eventually it drove Karli crazy and the room was redone again.

These photos provide insight into early Kindred Style. We are happy to leave the past in the past (and really enjoyed finding these old photo gems). Now we move foward with new projects, plans and designs.

Happy New Year!

~Kandy and Karli