I'm thirsty...stain me!

BEFORE                          AFTER      

Our beautiful outdoor, wicker dining set (which we got on Craigslist for a steal almost 4 yrs ago) has been crying out for a fresh stain for about a year now! I couldn't do it last summer cause I was post-partum. (Needless to say, I couldn't do much of anything then!) And those who know us, know my hubby is just not a DIYer. So I was gonna be the one to do it, and this was the time to do it.

Of course, all could not possibly go according to plan. That would be a miracle, so after the first chair, I accidently spilled almost the entire can of stain...GRrrr. But I managed to finish another last week, so I now have 2 chairs done, and 2 to go. I really hope I finish this project up this week, but with all the rain we're having, I'm not very optomistic.

What do you think of the results!?

My love affair with Bed Caddies!

So I had made a bed caddy/pocket organizer a few year back in a serious hurry...didn't even go out to buy fabric for it, opting instead to simply use an old bedsheet. But it was before I knew ANYthing about sewing and was even more impatient to see it DONE than done well!  Thus, I didn't take many measurements, and probably didn't backstitch or pin, etc. I'm still a "whip-it-up as fast as possible" type crafter, but that project backfired bigtime. It now has holes and ink stains from storing the pens upright instead of sideways, hangs a bit low to the floor, and is just plain worn out. No, I won't post a picture and make my sewing skills lose all their credibility! We'll just leave it by saying: "Many lessons learned!"

So I needed to make a new one. One that was more thought-through, and precisely measured and carefully sewn. I measure once, twice, and fit it before finally sewing it. I even had enough forethought to sew in dowels at the bottom to make them hang straight!  No, I still didn't pin much at all, because I simply HATE pinning. And I rarely steam press anything, but I did inventory exactly what I wanted in it, and designed the caddy around that. Thus, the "his" side differs a bit from the "hers" side! And I just happened to have the perfect heavy-weight backing fabric I needed, which also coordinated with our bedding. To be honest, with the amount of fabric accumulating in my sewing room, that phrase occurrence is becoming less of a coincidence!!!

So here's the result; what do ya think!?

 We  LOVE IT!

They're so easy to make AND functional -- my favorite :-)

Want to make one yourself!?  As a general rule, I don't put enough thought foresight into my projects to actually make tutorials, but you can find a very thorough tutorial HERE, if you're *sew* inclined to make one of these for yourself!  

Functional Sewing!!

Functional Sewing is the best kind, but is great when the pieces are decorative as well

#1 Problem: MAIL EVERYWHERE!! Solution: Pocket Organizer

We have had a mail problem ever since we were married; but, in this house, which has no dining room, our unsorted mail has taken over our kitchen table time and again. So I finally just took a couple hours while munchkin slept and hubby watched basketball (BORING...) and made a mail organizer once and for all! For the mail itself, I probably only needed 3-4 pockets, but now I have pockets for magazines, bills, coupons, items "to be filed," items that "belong out in my car," and misc junk. I had never used bias tape so that was quite exciting, and EASY!! It made the project look so "finished" and store bought. I used leftover fabric from my window treatmenst in the living room. And since it's on the back of the front door (and I didn't want to do anything permanent like drilling holes, heehee) I used velcro.

#2 Problem: TOYS EVERYWHERE!!!! Solution: Toy Totes

And these "beauties" were an idea from the frugal mama inside me. But they were a bit of a flop due to haste! They could've been quite nice, but I couldn't find a good tutorial online and didn't want to ducktape ALL the seams, so I only used packing tape on some of the sides, skippin the corners. And well, I'll admit they're a bit flimsy. Yes, they were inexpensive to make, but if the fabric wasn't a steal, and had I actually bought the few rolls of ducktape, these wouldn't have been cost-effective to make. Oh well. they're done, and most of his toys fit in them which is really all the matters. What baffles me is how the mail sorter is nicer in person than the pic shows, but these boxes appear much nicer in their pic than they actually are in real life! Haha! His books will be moved eventually (they're too heavy for these flimsy totes), into a bookshelf similar to THIS ONE or THIS ONE (made by me of course)! But we'll leave that project "on the shelf" for now ;P

**Update 5/16/2010 : just found this little tutorial online for anyone who wants to try to make these. It's pretty much how I did them except I sewed them. I would suggest taping the entire way up and over the corners though.

Search for the Perfect Table!!

For literally 4 years now I've wanted a new dining table and chairs, but have only been actually searching out a table for 2 1/2 years. That's still quite a long time. For those of you who know me well, I have a lot of patience, and was brought up appreciating a good deal (soft-speak for "I'm cheap!"). So even though we could easily afford to buy one new, I'm a believer in the Reuse, Reduce, Recycle philosophy, and so I refused to go out and buy a new table when I just knew that the perfect one was out there somewhere needing me to save it from a landfill! We were using an extra, casual set Mom and Kurt were given that was rectangular with low back chairs. Although it served its purpose, its stain was a bright, high gloss golden color; totally out of place in my white, black, red and stainless kitchen!

And seemingly out of the blue, my mom found just the right table for me at a Goodwill, just days after I told her I was finally considering giving up my 2 1/2 year search!  She even knew it was the perfect one for me, buying it even before sending me a picture!  It was such a blessing, as I was growing annoyed of covering the other with a tablecloth every time people came over.  

In my mind, I had pictured a pedestal, clawfoot, and 48-50inch round table. One that ideally had a removable leaf.  My amazing mom found just that table for $25!! We (my sisters and I) learned our bargain hunting ways from a true bargain hunter! A few days later, she drove it to me, and within days I had that table sanded, primed, and painted with 2 coats!!   The supplies cost as much as the table! And the chairs (pictured below) were 4/$40 at a Goodwill in Pittsburgh, PA. My sister used them while the kids were young, but she was done with them.  And despite the kiddos rough ways, they're super sturdy and held up beautifully! They cleaned up nicely, (the seats just need repainted due to their booster seats).  And we all know that Black paint hides a multitude of messes! So, I thought I'd share the pics with you all!

It's the kind with the gears/wheels that keep it well-aligned!


And the top has beautiful grainwork that points toward the center.
I tried to preserve that in painting it!

And here it is, in place after all the work was completed.
I love it, LOVE IT!!!

Munchkin's Room!

I've finally finished his bedding to take pics of his room :)  

  Sorry it's taken me SOOO long!

I didn't want a typical pastel blue, etc room!  

This style and color palette fits in much better with the rest of our house!

If you can't tell from the pics, the colors are 

Black, Chocolate Brown, Slate Blues, Camels, and Creams.

Here's the main view of the room through the doorway!  

I was determined to have an uphostered rocker!  It's so comfy!!  

In fact, one day, I couldn't find hubby anywhere in the house, and he wasn't
outside hitting golf balls; he was here, napping in baby's room :)  

 The pics on the wall are of wild animals with their babies!! 

Here's his Crazy Quilt I made for him.

Well, it's just the top so far; I haven't assembled the batting, backing, nor quilted it yet.

I made his bedding all chocolate brown flannel so it would blend into the crib!  

And there's the mobile I made for him as well!   

Here's the close up of the fabric and animals on the mobile! 

Here's his changing area, clothes storage, diaper stash, 

and just about everything else I don't want to always have to see!  

That's the beautiful thing about having it all in the closet area...

NOW YOU SEE IT,...

NOW YOU DON'T!!!!

It took some serious reworking of the shelves to do it but it's worth it, I think.

Here's his stuffed animal collection so far.
We're just waiting for him to arrive to play with them!!

The hooks behind the door are so handy for all the "take-along" items we'll 

need when we go outside the house or on trips!  

His diaper bag will go on that rack as well, 

but it's presently in the car -- ready and waiting to go to the hospital!!!

I figured I'd need a few items within arms reach when 

I'm feeding him in the rocker, so I made these arm covers. 

They turned out even better than I expected!!  Quite sturdy and easy to complete. 

And to think they were simple pillow shams from Goodwill!

Here's the other side of the room--And why I used the closet for his changing area...haha!

I made the desk when we moved into the house so this room could be my office.

I figured I still needed a central area upstairs for paying bills, magazines, stationery, etc.

(I love the calendar on the right...It's all pictures of kids in cute animal costumes!!)

Well, there you go.  That's his room.  Hope you enjoyed seeing all that I've done! 

Now he only has to arrive, and start using it!!

New Sewing Area!!

I've finally taken the time to organize all my sewing JUNK
so I can get some actual projects DONE :)
You know, all the fabric, ribbons, patterns, tools,
cutters, thread, etc that you have to have in order to sew!
They've gotta go somewhere, but WHERE!?

And I was able to use old peanut containers (silver ones; from Sam's Club),
old cotton candy tubs (clear ones; from when Josh and hubby went to a baseball game together),
and the shelf brackets themselves to hold/hang things from!
It took me a whole evening to do, but I felt SO productive--
and hadn't even started an actual project! Ha Ha!

Well that's not ENTIRELY true...I have finished some projects,

but they're for my cousin Abby (who's having a girl) 

so I can't post them online till she receives them or the surprise will be ruined!

Our Humble Abode!!

Here's a few pics of our house that we bought in the

Carolinas in Jan 07 and some of the many changes we've made to it!!

Pic: before we bought it, probably in 02.

Pic: spring of 07 when we bought it...

I can't find a pic more recent, but I'll take one soon!
But, now the daffodils (the yellow flowers shown) have been split into 4 different locations, symmetrically placed of course!! The urns have purple & white, and pink snapdragons in them.
They're also closer to the walkway. The nandina bushes( the red bushes you see) are much more mature and healthy! I've also split the daylilies so they are on the far right and far left, and very healthy too!

Here's the master bedroom with the previous owners decor...

And here's it now!!
Dad--here's the headboard I made!


And here's the kitchen before...Ugh. The horror of this wallpaper....Yikes.

Pic: Halfway done with no knobs on the doors!

And here it is now (June 08).
Isn't it AMAZING what a little paint, well, a LOT of paint, can do!?