A Monogrammed Mirror

I spent a lovely Memorial Day in East Hampton and while I was in town, I passed by a cute little monogram shop with a variety of monogrammed items. In the window I noticed a monogrammed mirror that I knew I could replicate when I got home. I figured that my glass etching technique would work on a mirrored surface as well. I got to work right away after arriving back to the city. I cut out my initials using sticky vinyl and my Cricut paper cutter which is amazing by the way. After carefully applying the letter cut outs to a basic mirror, I generously applied etching solvent in the negative space. You can purchase paper cutters and etching solvent at any craft store. After waiting about 15 minutes for the solvent to set, I rinsed it off and cleaned the mirror really well. Yay, I did it! I was able to make the mirror I saw in that East Hampton shop! My one of a kind monogrammed mirror is now hanging in my entryway and I am so excited for myself!

I decided to place my monogram in the middle of the mirror because the etching is faint so it doesn't prevent the mirror from still serving its purpose. How pretty!!

 

Just A Note

Sew Easy!

Happy Mother's Day to all of the wonderful moms out there. This weekend I traveled home to spend time with my mother. Whenever I come home, I walk around our house and see if I notice any changes. I always find something new. This weekend, I decided to make my own changes to the house by sewing, yes sewing my mom some simple valances for the breakfast nook. We headed over to the fabric store and found a beautiful Waverly toile pattern that matched the french country kitchen decor. Measure twice and sew once! These simple pole pocket valances took me only a few hours to pin and hand stitch and they are so pretty aren't they? We hung each valance on two simple tension rods (I did two windows) and even dad exclaimed how nice they look. The fabric cost $24 because it was on sale and the tension rods cost about $12 because we each had a coupon. The whole project was less than $40! What a steal for a Mother's Day gift!

 

Even if you don't sew like me, making a curtain valance is a project you can try. The beauty of sewing curtains is that they aren't going to be worn or washed so the stitching just has to hold the fabric in place, not be incredibly durable. When choosing a fabric keep in mind how large the print will be, stand back a see how the fabric looks from the distance they will be hung. If you are making a smaller valance like mine (84 inches by 12 inches) make sure the pattern has room to repeat itself within the curtain. I wanted the valance to ruffle so I made it twice the width of the window. Remember that all you need is a simple needle, some matching thread, a little patience and some creativity and you will be on your way to making beautiful and inexpensive curtains. Happy Mother's Day mom, love you!