Feature Friday: The Thorsten Eckart Pillow

Good Morning Everyone!

We have been so busy with our 20% sale.  Just in case you aren't on our mailing list, right now all our stencils are 20% off now through Sunday.  Just use code: stockup20 when checking out on our website!

I wanted to show you guys this great pillow though, courtesy of FunkyShique.

FunkyShique makes these out of feedsack inspired fabric as they are bed pillows.  The fabric has a more soft feel, which I can appreciate.  I don't think I'd want to lay my weary head on a grainsack.

She sells these in her etsy shop as a single listing and a two pillow listing.

They look just perfect on that bed!


Thorsten Eckart is one of our German Feedsack stencils, I just love it.  You can check out it and it's other German brethren in our Feedsack category.  

Here's a link to the listing for this item in FunkyShique's Etsy shop.  You should totally check out her Etsy shop, it is filled with amazing stuff!

Etspiration Wednesday: Grains and Mills

First things first:  We had a little flub with our coupon promo code, but it's fixed now.  Use code july2012 on our website for 20% off your purchase, now through July 30th!


Our friend the mill.  Without mills, we wouldn't have grain.  Well we would, we'd just get it much, much slower.  Without grain, we wouldn't have grainsacks.  And where oh where would we be design-wise without grainsacks??   I can't bear to even think about it.

Compiling an estpiration based around anything to do with mills or grains is treacherous because the market is so, so saturated now.  Also, typing in moulin (that's French for mill, dontcha know) automatically gives you a bunch of results for Moulin Rouge and while I love the cabaret as much as the next person, that's not what we're aiming for here.  So I did a bit of creative etsy crawling to get some interesting stuff here.  Getting back to the heart of mills and grainsacks and I found some great stuff.  Check it out!

1A:  Authentic Windmill Vane Image Courtesy DancingBumblebeeCottage
1B:  Moulins De Provence Stencil Image Courtesy Maisondestencils
1C:  Rooster Windmill Weight Image Courtesy AtHomeInNapa

So that is a real Windmill Vane.  89 inches long!!  Complete with bullet holes! (hopefully a result of target practice.)  I absolutely love the faded type.  Just perfect.

2A:  Antique Green And Red Hemp Grainsack Image Courtesy AVintageObsession
2B:  French Grain Feedsack 12x24 Stencil Image Courtesy Maisondestencils
2C:  Elton's Stone Ground Tin Image Courtesy BluefieldVintage
2D:  Windmill Red And White Woven Ribbon Image Courtesy MarieLampette

I think this windmill ribbon is just darling.  MarieLampette has tons of great ribbon in her shop, including this adorable woodland ribbon I have to scoop up for my son's nursery.  You did see the growth chart Laura and I made for the nursery, right?

3A:  Ochre And White Grainsack Fabric Image Courtesy AlorasAdorables
3B:  Moulins De Bouvet Stencil Image Courtesy Maisondestencils
3C:  Primitive Wood and Galvanized Grain Scoop Image Courtesy PoppyHillFarm
3D:  Antique French Farm Printers Blocks Image Courtesy PushingButtons1

I have a printers block obsession.  One day I will have a letterpress.  I hope.  If my husband gives in.  But until then, I can dream and comb etsy for these amazing treasures.

4A:  Vintage French Farine Box Image Courtesy CatsInTheCradleSoap
4B:  Ets. C Bailly 2 Stencil Image Courtesy Maisondestencils
4C:  Bull Windmill Weight Image Courtesy KansasWheatField
4D:  Vintage French Mangle Cloth Image Courtesy AniseSprout

You absolutely need to check out a larger view of the flour box in 4A.  The type is just stellar!

Thanks to all our etsy sellers for use of their images.
We've got a great feature for you this Friday.

Don't forget about Etsy Craft Party 2012!  Astoria's is going to be amazing.  We've got a glassblower, a blacksmith, fiber arts, papercraft, kid crafts.  We're pretty much the least interesting thing there and we're fabulous!  So that's telling you something.

Feature Friday: The Lucas Moller Breadboard

Well one canceled plane ride later, I am back from a wonderful vacation in Lake Tahoe.  I can't think of a better way to come home from vacation than with a beautiful feature for our blog.


We've been featured on a marvelous blog called AntiqueChase in the past, and I just had to share with you guys this breadboard transformation. 

Here's the before shot.  Very rustic, very well used.  I love breadboards in general, my kitchen has butcher block countertops and I have a great fondness for the feel of wood in kitchens.  But this breadboard definitely needed a little something.

That "little something" turned out to be a little craft paint and our Lucas Moller stencil.

Here's a process picture so you can see that the entire stencil isn't used.  This breadboard is definitely on the small side.  But the center portion of the stencil is perfect for the size constraints.  Check out this finished product.

It looks SO good!  AntiqueChase took a few shots of the breadboard in different arrangements in her kitchen, they all look terrific.

I am also jealous of how amazing her kitchen looks!

Lucas Moller has been featured on our blog many times.  From the Galvanized Garden Bucket to The Burlap Throw to the Green Mountain BoHo Tea Towels it's the perfect stencil for giving a hint of European Old World style.  You can check it and our other Feedsack stencils out here in the Maisondestencils store.

Here's a link to the original breadboard post on AntiqueChase.  You can also like AntiqueChase on Facebook or follow on Pinterest.

Thanks so much to AntiqueChase for letting us run this feature.  If you've got something created with a Maisondestencils stencil you'd like featured on our blog, email us!

Thanks and have a fab weekend!

Feature Friday: The Feedsack Stripe Table

I have got the coolest feature for you guys today.  One of our readers, (and giveaway winners!)  Stephanie at Southern Charm Cottage, transformed an oval coffee table into a ridiculously cool feedsack inspired chalk paint work of art.  Here's a nice view of the top of the table so you can see the finished product.

She started out by using Annie Sloan Old Ochre for the base coat.  Then she added Annie Sloan Graphite for the stencil itself, and Annie Sloan Duck Egg Blue for the stripes.  She freehanded those stripes!  I know I would have been anal retentive about that with my blue painter's tape,  so props for that!

The antique look comes from the sanding and waxing, which was the next step.  I think this is where chalk paint gets really amazing.  Because the middle picture here looks good, right?  The stencil really pops against that blue stripe, the colors contrast well.  But then...

Instant antiquing!  The legs look just fab with all that wear on them.  I love chalk paint.  We seriously need to do an Etsy round up of great chalk paint works because they are everywhere.

Thanks much to Stephanie for letting us use her photos.  You can check out the blog posts about the table in her sneak peak and finished product posts.   You can also access her blog, Southern Charm Cottage here.  You can take a look at the Chateau de Cheverny stencil here in our Feedsack category. 

Have a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend everyone.  Are you grilling?  Going to the beach?  Here in Astoria, we get flooded with campers out on the coast for the long weekend and we hide indoors.  A 5 minute trip across town will take over an hour.  Laura told me we should drive to Portland since all the city-dwellers will be gone.  :) 

See you next week!