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Tomorrow, we're having craft night at my house. That means that I've spent the greater part of today organizing my fabric so that we can mess up the dining room table ... again. What, you think my dining room table is used for anything like eating?!?
Anyway, I was going through a lot of fabric today and came across this sweet little bag ... who doesn't love a honey bun every now and then?
I won this honey bun in a giveaway last year and figured I'd pass along the Mill House Inn goodness the same way I got it. So, the winner will receive this gallon size baggie of Mill House Inn honey bun strips. They're all there, I just managed to take apart the honey bun almost the second that I got it (I wanted to run my fingers through the strips and FEEL them). Yeah, I'm weird like that.
I giving you a few chances to win here, so pay close attention. For each entry, you'll need to leave a separate comment so that I can use a random number generator to pick the winner.
For 1 entry: Leave a comment in this post.
For 1 more entry: Become a follower of my blog (then leave a comment and tell me you're following me.
For yet 1 more entry: Blog about, twitter, or facebook about this giveaway (then leave me a comment with the link where you did it, just so I can see that the deed is done).
The winner will be chosen on Thursday, April 1st @ 5 p.m. EST. Ready ... set ... go!!
Apparently, ya'll are really liking my recovered stool. So much so, that a couple of you have asked for a tutorial. Well, I'm sorry to say that I don't have one, and I don't know if I could put one together for you either. HOWEVER, I did get my inspiration from this tutorial: Round Cushion Tutorial. That should help point you in the right direction. Obviously, you're not making a pillow, but it will show you how to do the piping, cutting, etc., etc. for the round shape, then you'll just cover your seat as normal with the staples underneath. No biggie.
You also asked about my fabric. I LOVE that fabric. It was made by Alexander Henry and it's called "Sew Now Sew Wow" ... here are the Google shopping results for you: Fabric. It looks like a few places still have it available and in a couple of different colorways. I still have about a yard and a half of it left myself, but I'm not quite sure what to do with it ... I've never made a sewing machine cover ... maybe?!? I don't know. I'll figure it out later.
I can't believe that I've gone so long without posting ... time flies!
We spent last weekend searching and buying tile for the studio. I settled on 20x20 neutral colored porcelain tiles. Two different tones, that will be set on a diagonal, checkerboard pattern. I can't wait to see it come together, it'll just be a while before it happens so we can save some $$$ to pay the guy to do it.
I have spent the last few days getting some things done for the studio. I found this ugly chair at a thrift store yesterday.
I paid $12.99 (plus tax). The stool was in excellent shape, heavy and sturdy, and the cushion was still bouncy yet firm. All it needed was some fabric to bring it to life. So, I worked on it this morning and came up with this:
I also worked on some artwork. Now, those of you that really KNOW me, know that I haven't picked up a paintbrush (for this purpose) in several years ... like 10 years to be exact. Shocking ... I know. I felt like I was overdue in the art department, so I grabbed my curtain material (thank you Heather Ross) and made this little guy:
The room is finally coming together. I can't wait.
A week or so ago I noticed that Little M was trying to escape out of the crib. I figured it was time for him to transition into his big boy bed. Since I didn't want to buy some "cheap" toddler bed that would barely get him through the toddler bed years, I decided to build one, using Ana's plans from Knock Off Wood. This is the Farmhouse bed, toddler sized, but of course to Little M - it's a big boy bed.
I used China Red stain from MinWax. I also distressed it a little bit by rubbing the edges with my trusty sanding block. All poplar, so it was a little more expensive than if I had used common boards, but I loved the grain in the poplar. Not to mention, I think this bed will last through quite a few toddlers - not just Little M.
And speaking of the little devil, I couldn't get him out of the bed long enough to take pictures. He seriously refused to budge. So, we put the sheets and stuff on it and let him veg out in the living room while we took apart the crib.
I think he likes it.
So, what's a girl to do while there's men working on fixing the studio and the craft bug bites? Why, change something of course!
Little M went down for his nap and I began searching the house for something that's been on the "to do" list, but never actually got done. Mission accomplished ...
I bought this clock at a thrift store AGES ago. Case in point, the baby picture. I put that picture in it when I bought it (it was a recent picture). That kid is now 12. Yeah ... time for an update.
First things first. I filled the nail holes with wood putty. I left some of the nicks and scrapes for "character". Gave it a light sanding, then wiped it clean (then vacuumed it clean with the crevice tool since the layer of dust on it was just about jurassic).
I removed the picture from the bottom, covered and taped the top clock portion, and went to play in the garage with the spray paint.
Since I couldn't leave the house (there were guys working in the studio and the baby was napping, remember), I had to use what I had on hand. Flat black will work. I also sprayed a thin layer of poly for good measure (satin, because I hate shiny).
Let it dry outside since it's the perfect day for it - windy as all get out - brought it in after about an hour, popped a new picture in, which is only two years old, set the correct time and presto-chango! New clock!
Not bad for about two hours worth of work and supplies that I had on hand, and I'm linking back to the Shabby Nest to share ...
I can almost remember every detail of the day that I gave birth to little M. It was a day, just like today ... a little cloudy, a little cold, but beautiful just the same. He came (finally) in the morning, after 16 hours of labor and a little bit of pushing.
Little M was loved instantly. And here it is, 2 years later, and you still make us smile and make our hearts swell when we see that sweet little face. And boy, what a personality you're getting!
Right now, your favorite show is Yo Gabba Gabba. You jump up and down (as best as you can) when it comes on. You even sing along to the opening theme song.
You are a bookworm. You can't read yet, but you could sure look at books for days and days and days. Your favorite spot to "read" them, is tucked inside one of Mommy's Longaberger baskets.
You can count to 10, and have been for about 2 months now.
Your favorite letters are X, S, and W, because you push those letters constantly on your talking fridge phonics Leapfrog thingy. Constantly.
You are all about Mommy, until the second that Daddy walks in the door.
You can tear up a room faster than anyone I know.
You yell at your big brother when he comes around for hugs and kisses, but he makes you laugh harder than anyone else can. It's magic.
You're the best thing that ever happened to our little family of 3, and I'm so glad that you are the one that rounded us out to 4. We love you Little M!
For months, I have been working on this quilt. Granted, I worked on it in spurts ... moments of time here and there when the moment was right and all was quiet around here. You see, my great-great-Grandmother and my great-Grandmother were both quilters. Not like me, they did everything by hand. And it was how they made their livings, and they were good at it. In fact, my great-Grandmother was still quilting until she died at the age of 99. Could you imagine?
Anyway, my grandmother never took up quilting. Sure, she could sew (I'm sure she was taught, although I never saw her do it). Her "thing" was crocheting and raising kids - she had 4 (3 of them were boys - so I KNOW that was work).
I used to live with my Grandma, briefly, in 1995 when I was transitioning from being a kid and growing into an adult. I hadn't found my niche in life, and it was a great time for her and I to be together. We had a lot of fun that year ... we went so far as to decorate everything in purple for Christmas. We were a couple of crazy girls, I tell ya.
Last August, when I started sewing and quilting, I thought it would be wonderful to make a quilt for my Grandma. She was worried that the art of quilting would be lost in our family, since no one else had made an effort to learn. I surprised her last fall with a letter and a picture of the quilt that I was working on for her ... I promised it for Christmas ... then time got away from me.
Luckily, her birthday is April Fool's Day. How funny, right? So, now that her quilt is finished, it's turned into a VERY late Christmas / birthday present. She doesn't mind, and I'm sure she'll love her quilt as it's very cold up there in Ohio right now.
So, Grandma - enjoy your little quilt from me and remember that while I was stitching this, I thought of nothing else but our time together.
Even though I didn't manage to get Jen's block finished, and I didn't get to finish the side cabinets for the entertainment center, I still managed to get a lot done. Grandma's quilt is completely finished. That alone is a HUGE weight off of my shoulders. I will blog about it tomorrow when I take better pictures of it ...
I also managed to get the "drapes" finished today. Say hello to the new look:
We used to have valances covering the top of the sliding glass door. It was okay, but still lacked in design and "oomph". I went to Target and bought a nice double drapery rod and hooks (with clips), bought 5 sheer panels for $5 each, and spent $20 on 2 drop cloths which were washed, ironed, hemmed and hung. So, all together I spent $132 for the new window treatments. The rings with clips and the drapery rod were expensive (the rod was $40 because it's a longer rod). However, what it's done for the room is beyond putting a price tag on it!
This is a nice shot too because you can see my new loveseat, there's a matching couch too - thanks Craigslist! You can also see how well everything goes with the new end tables I built. And of course I bought new lamps ... we call these the "bowling pin lamps" ... gee, I wonder why?
I could really use some inspiration to decorate the huge empty hole above the sliders. I was thinking a vinyl wall quote, maybe some big barn stars ... I am open to suggestions here!
Oh, and there's Mocha, doing what she does best! LOVE her!!
I managed to get Grandma's quilt, quilted and the binding attached. I still have to hand sew the back of the binding. I hate that part. My fingers always hurt, and the thimbles never fit.
I also managed to finish the two blocks that I needed to get finished for the pinwheel quilt along (button located on the right side bar for those interested in following along). I think they came out nice ... see ...
AND, I also started Natalie's quilt. It went from cut fabric squares this morning to a 70% finished quilt top tonight. No pictures until it's finished, because it is a gift and I want to keep some element of surprise. ;o)
So, I'm knocking out a lot of the things on my to do list for this week ... and now back to the hand sewing ...
