4.14.12 - Create

I bought this old chair a couple of years ago at the local thrift store. I think I paid around $20. It was perfect for the boys' TV/Game room. Comfortable, cheap, and easy to clean. You can tell from the picture it was well-used.

I brought it upstairs and decided to make a slipcover. It sat with an old duvet thrown across it for most of the winter. Such a classy look...

I finally found enough motivation to attempt another slipcover. I repurposed the old duvet. I barely had enough to finish the piece. It was a close call.

It needs a few adjustments, but I think it will work.

Paint it Red

This past winter we tackled a few projects. Bob's main project was the "barn"/camper shed/new woodworking shop. He enclosed one side of the barn for his shop. Then he was ready to paint.

The safe choice was to match the house. But...

I happened to be on Pinterest and came across several pictures of red barns and snow....a dangerous combination.

I suggested he paint the new building red.

He liked my suggestion and we could not be more pleased with the results.

Yes....we are Hillbillies :)

Clay and a group of friends playing with a camera attached to his motorcycle helmet.

My Priceless Art Collection

I have a priceless art collection. Each piece was eagerly carried home in a backpack. A few never survived the trip. Those that managed to arrive safely were greeted with appreciation and safely tucked away.

Until last week...

when I decided it was time to display my priceless collection.

This corner of my home brings a smile to my face every time I pass by.

The Front Porch

My front porch... a place for family treasures, hand-me-downs, and thrift store bargains.

The rocking chairs were given to me as a college graduation gift. Bob bought one and our landlord bought the other one. The table is a hand-me-down from my mom. The cushions were a Goodwill find and then later covered with a thrifted fabric. I saw the bolt of fabric and left the store without it. Later that evening I regretted not buying the fabric. I gave my mom a call and she went back to the store for me. I think the entire bolt was $5.

The ladder is all that is left of a bunk bed Bob made for the boys. The gray birdhouse was made by Bob's Uncle Wayne. It has a Kansas car tag for a roof.

My mother-in-law made this mosaic ball. She used glass tiles to cover a bowling ball. It is gorgeous.

My $2.50 thrifted side table. It was in sad shape but a coat of apple green spray paint was all it needed.

The purple petunia was a Mother's Day gift from Adam.

This year I used flowers for my hanging baskets. I usually buy ferns. Ferns are much easier to grow. While I like the flowers, I do not like the baskets I used. I'm a lazy gardener and I need something that can handle not being watered every day. I'm going to have to rethink the flowers next year.

Now if the mosquitoes would just go away... I might be able to sit outside and enjoy the porch :)

Summer Projects #2 & 3-Wagon Chairs & Pillows

Several years ago, I brought home two old chairs from my grandmother's garage. They belonged to my Great-grandmother and we think they were made by my Great-grandfather. I remember them sitting on her front porch. The chairs have short legs and the chair seats were made of some type of fabric strips that had rotted. I cut off the strips and stored the chairs in Bob's workshop.

I kinda forgot about them.....

Then a few summers ago, I took the boys to our local historical museum. Sitting in one of the rooms was a chair very similar to mine. The chair was called a Wagon Chair because the shorter legs would not tip over as easily in the back of horse-drawn wagon. I came home, dusted off the chairs and thought about refinishing them.

And then I kinda forgot about them....again....

Finally, I brought the chairs into the house, painted them black, and sat them by the piano. I wasn't sure what to do with the chair seats. So for the past year or so, I've had two Wagon Chairs sitting in my living room without any seat bottoms...

...and yes, more than one visitor to my house has given me a strange look as a result..

But I could not figure out what to do with the seat bottoms. I've tried and tried to find someone to cane the chairs for me. It seems that very few people are willing or know how to cane a chair anymore. I did find a gentleman in Kentucky who offered to re-do the chairs, but he's in Kentucky and I don't exactly visit Kentucky on a regular basis.

So the chairs sat neglected and forgotten...

A few weeks ago, I was in the fabric store and I happened to notice a roll of twill tape. Light bulbs went off (which is a very rare event these days), and I remembered my chairs.

I was tired of the black, so I repainted , dug around on the Internet for weaving tutorials, and finished the first chair. Summer project #2 is almost finished...the other chair is still waiting for me to paint it.

I also found some cute summer fabric for pillows. Summer project #3 was a piece of cake....compared to Summer project #1 :)

I think they turned out pretty well and I'm enjoying another piece of my family's history.

Summer Project #1-Slipcovers

Last fall I bought a new (new to me) sewing machine off Craigslist. It is an older model Phaff. I did a little research on the Internet and after reading the positive reviews, took the plunge and made my first Craigslist purchase. I brought it home, tried a few stitches, and sat it aside for the rest of the school year.

Because......

.......Day job + Night job + kiddos + a million other things = no time for sewing

We also brought this little "princess" home last fall and decided we were ready for a house dog. It quickly became apparent that I needed something on my sofa that could be easily cleaned.

A little browsing on the Internet and I came across the idea of making slipcovers from painter's drop cloths.

Many hours later, the project is complete. Not exactly a perfect slipcover but it will work. I have miles and miles of thread in this thing. This was a sewing project of EPIC proportions.

I still have a few odds and ends to take care of and I want to reinforce the seams on the cushions because.....if this thing falls apart in the wash, please forward my mail to the local mental hospital.

I'm not sure I could handle the disappointment :)

Vintage Sheets

How many times have I walked past these beauties in the thrift store and not realized their potential?

In fact, I am mentally kicking myself for donating a sweet set of twin sheets that I used as a girl. They were very similar to the pillowcase below. Oh, what was I thinking?!
This pillowcase was 75 cents. I love the sweet little roses and the hem is hand sewn.

Gorgeous pinks and yellows. This one was $3. I felt like doing a cartwheel in the middle of the store after finding this one.
I brought them home, gave them a good washing, and then hung them out on the clothesline.

I have project in mind. Here's a peek at what I have planned for these beauties...

Check this one out, and this one.

Here's another one.

and last one....I promise.

I just need to collect a few more pieces and I'll have enough. I'm sending my mom out on a mission to find more sheets. She is the thrift store queen. If there is a treasure to be found, she will find it.

Still here...

March was...long, cold, and exhausting. I wasn't even inspired to pick up my camera. The pictures below are from last spring.

But spring has arrived and the longer days have stirred the creative juices in my brain. I'm thinking about vegetable gardens, flowers, paint, fabric, yarn......and a full-blown attack on the clutter.

We're on spring break this week. I visited my sister this weekend and shopped at my all time favorite fabric store. This store is amazing and perfect for the thrifty shopper. Imagine the thrill of watching a gorgeous piece of silk fabric placed on a scale and hearing the sales lady say...."This piece is $1.97."

*Squeal*

Can you make me a green one?

She sweetly asked....

How could I say no?

I had given my sister a scarf for her birthday and Avery asked me to make her one...a green one.

I began a search for the "perfect" green yarn. I couldn't find one.

Then I found this yarn. It was the perfect shade of green with a little blue and purple thrown in.

I hope she likes it.

Snow Sweater 2011

No mistakes, a fairly decent fit, and I even altered the directions for the sleeves... just a tiny bit.

9 Days and Counting

That's how many snow days we've had this year. Last week we were out for the entire week. We huddled down and kept a fire going in the wood stove. I knitted all week and went to work today with a new sweater to wear.

Pictures of the Snow Sweater 2011 coming soon.....

One Word Prayer

I like this idea.....http://lysaterkeurst.com/2011/01/one-word-prayers/

My word for Clay: Revelation

• A thirst for God and a reliance on Him for guidance, wisdom, and discernment.
• A true understanding of the verse, "I can do all things through Christ."
• God's perfect plan for the future.

My word for Zach: Acceptance

• Focus on the amazing plan God has in store for him and give him the confidence to step through the doors that God opens...while accepting the doors He closes.
• To see others as Christ sees them.

My word for Adam: Confidence

• Refuse to let others define who you are. Be bold, be faithful, and trust God.
• Follow through on the God given love for music and use it to honor Him.

Since my feeble brain is prone to distraction and forgetfulness, I decided to create a daily reminder. I printed each word and placed it in a simple frame for the shelf in my bathroom. Every morning I will have a visual reminder of my pledge.

My First Sweater...that fits

Zach took the photo. He held up the camera, and quickly snapped...hence the wonky angle.

Ta-da....it fits.

It is somewhat presentable (if you don't look too closely) and a huge improvement over my first sweater...which will never see the light of day. Let's just say that project taught me a stitch gauge is your friend and not something to be ignored. It also taught me that binding off and weaving in the ends will not improve the end result.... despite how much you try to pretend and convince yourself the fit "really isn't all that bad."

I'm encouraged that maybe, just maybe, I can someday be considered a bona fide knitter. There's hope for me yet.

Thanks to Spud and Chloe for this step-by-step pattern.