... to do immeasurably more...

Organization on Command

2012-02-04T21:23:00.001-05:00

Is anyone else besides me in love with the Command Strips?

Take this mess for instance:

This cabinet and counter top corner is hit hard every day with keys, sunglasses, the dog's collars, winter warming packs, pocket change, mail - you name it!

After clearing it out, the magic started happening...

in the form of Command Strips and Hooks.

Here our main spare keys and extra ring of "membership cards" hang next to the bowl for the pooch collars. I don't know about your home, but a flashlight ready at hand is a recipe for less stress at this residence. Here they reside, ready to grab in a pinch. (I have found that keeping them in the garage tends to be hard on the batteries due to the fluctuation of temperature.)

I have since added a basket to the top shelf for the white board markers and eraser, now that I have that piece redone, hanging nearby and better utilized. I'll be sharing that little project soon!

Next up, the everyday items that must be ready to grab and go: keys and sunglasses. Just as importantly, they need to be able to be put back easily and smoothly.

More Command Strips to the rescue! Unable to locate the dowel rod that I know I have, I just used masking tape to smoothly join to thin watercolor markers together. (After trying a dozen of them looking for the driest ones!) The "rod" or "dowel" sits perfectly in the hooks.

This is my first time working with these particular Command Hooks that have the movable metal hook. Turns out they work great for some items and not so good for others. For this they are perfect! The slight movement allows the dowel to nudge away from the cabinet with just enough give to make pulling off or putting on the sunglasses a smooth process.

While I was on a roll - these Command Strips and Hooks are ADDICTING - I moved the aprons to the back of the chalkboard pantry door.

And then replaced the middle hook that had broken where I hang the potholders and oven mitt. Can you believe that I made one of these potholders when I was a kiddo - it's just a bit worn now, but my mom kept it for me!

See, here is where I found that the metal hooks that move are not always advantageous.

From this angle, when I pull the potholder up the metal hook wants to come up too. However, the other small hooks I already have hanging here do not have enough of a hook. So, the next replacement will have to be different hooks altogether.

And finally, one last cabinet was unable to escape my Command Strip Tirade.

Under the kitchen sink!

This hardworking area sure needs some love!

A quick assessment and re-organization revealed what I could hang up with my new hookie friends.

Dish cleaning brushes! On the lower part, I used two Command Hooks spaced appropriately to hang a Dollar Store organizing basket for the baby bottle brush.

Yup, Command Strips. I like how easily and firmly they adhere, and how simply and cleanly they are removed.

I wasn't solicited to brag about these guys today, but Command Strips are my HEROS!

I should buy stock in that company!

Partying here:

Between Naps on the Porch Impromptu Linky Party

for those household items we can't live without!

29 Day Organizational Challenge

2012-02-03T19:07:00.002-05:00

I'm biting the bullet. I'm taking the bull by the horns.

I'm saying "No more!" to one room in my home that stresses me out.

Choas.

Clutter.

Trip Hazard.

Critter Haven.

(not really, but my imagination takes over)

Here's a clue:

It is a bedroom.

Here's another clue:

It is my son's bedroom.

Here's the clincher:

He's 12.

So, I'm joining up with the Org Junkie and kicking this in the kaaabooty!

Homemade Love Buffet Display

2012-01-27T10:30:00.006-05:00

The house is in disarray, but I can't complain! Our master bath finally has a shower! { Who EVER came up with a powder room for the master bathroom in the 70's ranch era? }

I can't use the shower quite yet, and the entryway looks like this (we stole the entry closet for the shower):

Right now, I'm having a Mental Party I tell ya! Going crazy with dust, mess and unfinished business of renovation. All a part of the process, which has moved along nicely, yet {{sigh}}, I am ready to be done, ladies.

In the midst of all this, up pops Beth's Valentine's Day Mantel Party. If I ever needed a reason to pull something together that is pleasing to look at, it's now. Thanks to Beth, I was encouraged to do just that, right next to the not so done stuff.

I shopped the house, there's nothing new in this buffet display, and dusted the greetings of construction off everything.

A birdcage from Micheal's dollar section two years ago, perched on antique books about storefront window dressing.

A bird to remind me that Spring is coming - oh how I long to hear their delightful songs early in the morning.

Hand thrown pottery lovingly made and gifted by my mom. These are definitely unique pieces and I treasure them. Besides, they prove themselves useful around the house over and over again.

After home school lessons were done, I told HR that I wanted some hearts for decorating. He drew and cut out each one of these hearts, and then we added the red thread. I just love the pencil marks and quirky scissor cuts. The white frame is something my son and I built from scraps and crackle glazed years ago, before we realized just how hard hit we were with the decor bug. We had made it to frame the builder grade mirror in the rented townhouse, where it hung with screw eyes and ribbon.

The heating grate in the background is from the old farmhouse I grew up in. It was built in the 1800's by my great, great, great-something-or-other grandfather who homesteaded the farm. It is my dream to one day live there again and display the grate in the home it belongs. Dreams... it's a good rainy day for dreaming.

The grapevine wreath is a creation of one of my brothers. He hiked into the woods on the farm, pulled down vines from the trees - a not so easy task - and wove the wreaths. I snagged two for me and ordered several more for Christmas gifts that year.

Free, inviting, and heartwarming. Perfect, no. But, it is dusted and a reminder that this too shall pass and our home will return to a cleaner and more complete state. Thanks again, Beth, for inviting me to participate and share some mantel love. I sure needed the encouragement of my buffet mantel this week! And, even more so, the enjoyment of peaking at the other lovingly created mantels on display!

Visit Beth at Home Stories A to Z
for even more mantels to make your heart go thump!

And head on over to Flaunt it Friday
with Chic on a Shoestring Budget.

My Dog's Silver Platter

2012-01-22T19:58:00.004-05:00

You see, she's been living in high style for some time, eating off a silver platter. Literally.

However, the platter sits up just high enough that the cabinet doors cannot open without moving the tray every. single. time.

Enough already! Insert a 90 cent thrifted cookie sheet that I spray painted, put slider footsies on, and viola!

Not to mention some very well scrubbed doggie dishes.

What a simple fix! But, isn't it the simplest ones that pass me by? - I'm always thinking of the grander, more fun things to do. No more ~~kicking~~ sliding the dishes around to open the doors! And, it looks so much fresher too with a bit more white in this room!

Hhhhmmm, is it okay to spray paint dog dishes?
[Probably not, toxicity and all.]

And guess what?! HR then decided to tackle the tarnished and grimy silver platter project. That was not on my hit list for today, but I have learned to never stop cleaning-motivation-in-motion when it's a 12 year old boy. Well, lets just say that any project that involves combining kitchen ingredients with a bang or fizz - that's all the incentive needed! And, thankfully this was no bang and all fizz!

Baking soda, meet vinegar. And, a bit of elbow grease. For over an hour.

Ya know, that silver platter has seen a lot of use in this house...

(Read baby bottle holder post here -- from way back when)

Back to the subject at hand: after all the hard work, he then practiced setting the newly revived silver platter for serving someone special. When asked why, he explained it was "just for practice". Hhhmmm... during the cleaning he also asked me how far away Valentine's Day was, AND could I pull out my pancake recipe. I'm channeling breakfast in bed for mom, breakfast in bed for mom, breakfast in bed for mom....

Linking up to

Valentine's Day Link Party

2012-01-21T18:12:00.002-05:00

It's time for some Mantel Love. Join Beth over at Home Stories A to Z as she hosts this heartwarming party.

Decorate your mantel and link up Thursday, January 26th!

I'll see you there!

Little Word, Big Meaning

2012-01-16T13:32:00.014-05:00

It's a fun party for 2012 over at The Lettered Cottage!

The challenge: sum up the needs, goals, feelings, fears, hopes and possibilities of the year ahead with one word. Easy? Not so much. So many words begin popping into the picture.

I already have made my lengthy lists. I have even summarized the lists here. Organize, simplify, contain, edit, clean, de-clutter, create, streamline, systematize... all of these speak to me and reverberate with the feelings stirring inside myself.

So, maybe I need to step back and ask myself - how do I get there? How do I encompass all these ideas into one word? By getting back to basics. That's it. And, do so intentionally, deliberately.

Change what isn't working. Celebrate what is. And, do so with determination.

This year, I will do so

Check it out and be inspired over at the

The Lettered Cottage!

2012 Home Goals

2012-01-15T08:02:00.002-05:00

After a year of multiple projects accomplished, more not successfully completed, and even more still in the planning stages, I feel that this year I need to re-establish the basics. Don't get me wrong, I luuurrve me some projects, and enjoy most of them, but the basics can get away from me so easily when the lure of the latest redo, repaint, recover, or re-whatever comes along.

Yup, this house needs the care of what I'm going to call the

3 C's

So, carefully thought out, somewhat overwhelming, but entirely doable:

Cleaning - this is not a big house, but it is bigger than I can keep up with. Or, maybe it's just the kiddos, the hubbie, the dog and not the house? So, feeling that clean-everything-out desire so many of us get right after the Christmas decor is lovingly packed away, I decided to come up with a system to ~~allow~~ cause cleaning, clearing out(!) and organizing(!!) to occur with regularity. More on this later, but with some tweaking here and there, it's working so far!

Curtaining - it's like going to the ball without the jewelry. The rooms aren't quite dressed without fabric gracing the windows. Did I mention that I have an excuse? We had the windows replaced ...ughem... a year ago and I haven't had the ~~heart~~ ~~time~~ desire to rehang the drapes. Besides, now I think I may use the curtains in the master bedroom to hide the closet (see below). Which means sewing more curtains for the nine windows in this room! Still cheaper than wood blinds... but maybe?

Closeting - started, but not nearly completed in 2011. Instead, just enough is done to make me want it DONE! Our home has very little closet space in the tiny bedrooms. So last year I improvised and put an entire wall of the master bedroom to use by hanging a closet system. Yup, sireee, I hung it all by my selfie, I did.

That was work. And, I don't even have a finished picture to show for it - bah! But it has sure been worth it! Just four more to go: now for the other bedroom closets, the remaining actual master bedroom closet and the new guest room closet (this one will be special - just you wait and see!).

There you have it - the 3 C's that will hopefully skate me through the year with a focus. Let me tell you that there are many, many more projects on the list. I'll tackle them as I can, yet I've decided that this year that I will not be stressed by not having them done, and instead I will live in the thankful spirit of being in a nice home, with a wonderful family, fully loved by an awesome God.

Out of Touch With Blog Reality

2010-11-03T12:45:00.005-04:00

I'm back! Not that you all knew I was even gone, but my goodness, have I ever missed blogging!

A summer blog break turned into a fall season all but missed, and here it is almost winter. At least it feels like winter! 29 degrees on our back porch until the sun hit it. Bbbrrrrr!

Now that I am huddled at my computer while the morning waits to warm up, I realize that I am out of touch with the rest of the blog community I have enjoyed so much. Not sure why today is the day to get back out here in blogland, except to say that there was a death in the neighborhood this week, right across the street in fact. And while we knew her and spoke with her, I have to wonder, what if I had known her better? If I had been more sociable, more neighborly - could I have made a difference in her final decision in this life?

Don't get me wrong. I am not an unsociable person. I am not a hermit that rarely comes out (although in the winter I wish I could be one sometimes!). It's just that social conversation does not come easily to me. I have to make an effort, work at it. I struggle with fluency in the gap between acquaintances offering polite greetings and dear friends with whom I can share intimately.

My family is one of readers and writers. In fact, we Clarks can trace our lineage back through the Mayflower to those of us in England who were clerks. See, the name itself didn't fall far from the tree! While the pen strokes flow more fluently for others in my family better endowed with the talent, writing still comes so much easier for me than speaking.

So, maybe that is why I am back. Because I can connect here through writing. I can read and browse to my heart's content and be encouraged and inspired by all you wonderful bloggers. Here I can give of myself too - in a way that suits me better - through writing - with the those of you whom I know well, those with whom I am acquainted and hope to know better, and even with you whom I haven't had the pleasure of meeting yet. For me, blogging spans that gap where conversation can be difficult and allows me to step into a sweet world of blessed friends.

And, here on my street? My desire is to become more comfortable with walking across the street and knocking on a door. Who knows? That door may open to a great friendship down the road.

Oh, the play on words in that sentence! - which means I have ~~rambled~~ written on too long. :-)

Thank you, fellow bloggers for opening your doors, your worlds, your hearts to me, to all of us out here! I am so appreciative to be a part of such a friendly community.

Jen

Music to My Ears

2010-06-19T13:01:00.000-04:00

I'm in love.

It all started with an auction. Now, I am not one of those crazy people that engages in bidding wars. So often I see people bid on something until the bidded price is way above even what that item would go for new in a store! The last auction I went to, I spent a whopping ten cents and came away with something cool!

But, it happened to me.

Mr. G and I discussed the monetary limits, the cost of moving such a large item, the additional charges to fine tune it after it was in it's new home. He coached me - kinda of like role playing. Number up, number down. [Here it is arriving at my house.]

So, I was prepped, I was ready, I had a budget, and ...I blew right past it. Now, don't get me wrong here - I reminded myself that I was still covered by my savings. My savings? What was this madness? [Now, into my house.]

Also, I had done a lengthy amount of research during the past year so that when I saw the one, then I would know what was the right price to pay. Regardless, they cost money. Lots of money. [And into the Arizona room it goes.]

And, I don't have lots of money. No, instead I currently enjoy the priceless moments of being a stay at home mom.

But, I have dreamed for this moment. And while a smaller style would do, I had the perfect space for this style - this grand style.

Here she is, my new baby:

Come to find out, it is a very unique antique piano. Yet, the sound board (very important I have learned in my research) is in excellent condition. She plays beautifully! The legs are doubled for all three and hand carved. I have never seen anything like it before.

And another neat thing? Mr. G used to teach with, and knew well, the lady that owned this piano, from whose estate sale I purchased it. We know it was lovingly played and cared for. Not only that, I am certain that I payed a very fair amount for this beauty. Hopefully, it will last for a few more generations...

Mr. G has no complaints and loves to hear it played. He gave a very high compliment last night saying he could just kick back with a cold beer and listen. Hhhmmm... the beer may help my playing sound all that much better! Music to my ears. :-)

Where's Waldo? -- I mean, the china!

2010-06-03T20:47:00.001-04:00

Hello there! Thanks for joining me. I was over at The Tablescapery and decided to follow suit and bare my drawers ... er, I mean cupboard cabinets and drawers! Check out the Where Do You Keep It All? party over at her place.

I find that my china (and I use that term loosely) rotates in and out with the seasons, right alongside my decor.

My everyday dishes (from Ikea) are kept handy like so:

With silverware easy to take from kitchen to table or patio.

Last fall I swept up these plastic dishes on clearance for use this summer out on the pool patio. Wouldn't ya know, we use these all the time! And, with kiddos, it is just better to have these around the pool instead of glass. There is service for 20 here - perfect for backyard pool parties. Summer is when I can go bold with some color and these do it!

These Hall dishes were mainly inherited from my Grandma, who was gone before I was born. I believe she earned/purchased the set piece by piece through a program the Hall company had going, with a representative that came to her door on a periodic basis. My Aunt P. has picked up pieces at antiques stores over the years. Now I have a wonderful set perfect for the fall and winter months.

Here are the bulk of the wares; the plates have since been moved here too.

The larger bowls and platters are kept handy on display on top of the kitchen cubboards right now. I do use these fairly often, as they are too special to just store away. :-) Here they were this fall in the new dining area (a little sparse yet).

My Love, Mr. G has a wonderful mother who passed along some glass serveware to me this winter.

Here they were on display in January.

When the pieces are not being used, the ones that fit are stored in the drawers. While typing just now, I realize that I don't have a photo of the other cabinet storing the large pieces. You know, like every household should have a photo of their glassware storage on hand. Ah, gotta love blogging and the fun reasons to snap photos!

My Oma gave me this set currently on display in the hutch I repainted this fall. It has lovingly served many scrumptious German desserts. For you know, Germans have dessert with breakfast, lunch and dinner!

The most special serveware I have is in use throughout my house on any given day, performing a variety of tasks. You won't find most of these pieces stored anywhere because it is pottery hand thrown by my mom, and I love it! The greens, blues, grays and browns suit my taste perfectly and the slight imperfections make them just perfect. Below, this bowl catches keys and spare change as we enter the kitchen.

Pillow Recover

2010-05-19T22:29:00.003-04:00

They started out looking like this. Green with stripes and pink with stripes. Old, passed down and in need of a change.

Enter some leftover fabric from this stool makeover post. Nice and soft and comfy... Here I used the fabric's own bound edge for fringe. Then I added another layer by cutting fringe from another edge of the fabric and sewing together.

Before and after.

Here they are posed on the couch. This is the unrealistic perfectly poised moment before boys. dog. baby. life. joy. happens! The browns and tans match the rug perfectly, along with the tan flecks in the couch upholstery (that desperately needs a slipcover).

The striped pillows are two that I did last fall, but they didn't fit the inserted pillows as well as I wanted, so I just snugged them up a bit. Also, you can see here that I used the same fold-over pocket method for the pillow case closure on both pillows. On the brown pillow the opening is disguised in the front with the fringe. For the striped pillow, I turn the opening to the back. It is so easy to whip the covers off and throw them in the wash - no zippers, velcro, or buttons.

Now for the parting shots. I wanted to unrealisticly and perfectly pose the pillows here too, but the dog. part of life already beat me to the scene.

As you can see, I was getting the look and she wasn't about to budge! I suppose when you're a senior citizen in doggie years, you've earned having it your way once in a while!

I'm linking up to

Sew Much Ado's We Did It Wednesday

Somewhat Simple's Strut Your Stuff Thursday

Lamp Base Redo Debut

2010-05-18T15:50:00.001-04:00

The one I really wanted, I missed. Stepped away at the wrong time. And it was way cool too, for a lamp.

So, this one came home with me. For a whole dollar.

You can see why it was only a buck. A closer (blurry) look.

This has been sitting since a February auction fix of mine (I know, I need therapy for too many auctions!), but it was too durn cold for ~~spray paint~~ me to be in the garage painting. Then it got shoved aside amid a myriad of other things.

I just checked my medical record book (view that post here), and discovered the reason why I am feeling so behind. Through April and May, I have been in and out from under the weather for a total of 4 weeks with whatever the latest and greatest has been zooming around. I didn't get this sick when I worked in a "public" office space! Must be that nursery duty at church. The crawlers room had 7 kiddos last time, and every. single. one. of them had a snotty nose!

Anyway, I finally painted this oversized candlestick. First I considered an oil rubbed bronze look, but then opted for white.

Notice the new tan color going on in the wall in the garage? That's been an ongoing project too, which is finally seeing some progress. What's with this rainy weather anyway! :-)

Up close.

Now here's the question .... should I age it a bit?

I am so happy to have something nice and fresh and white that I am not certain I want to age it... yet... maybe that will be for when I feel the need to change it up again...

Now for a shade! And a pop of color. Don't have that yet! But, I do believe this lamp will look oh so cute in TA's bedroom.

I'm linking up here:

Toot Your Horn Tuesday at Silly Little Sparrow

Cacti Cupcakes

2010-05-05T13:08:00.001-04:00

You heard me y'all.

HR was hoping for a fiesta birthday party - kind of to bring home some of the southwestern flavor we miss so much after living in Arizona. Not sure how much of that cultural flair actually happened admist an 11 year old's party with 10 other kiddos, but it was a crazy fun fiesta that deserved a siesta!

Not having ~~much~~ any time to spare, I opted for cupcakes rather than a cool cactus cake that I didn't have a shaped cake pan for, or the time to bake, shape and create from scratch.

The first cupcake icing attempts weren't pretty. I wanted something fun and cactus-ey. No suerte here! But, I didn't mind eating the errors! :-)

See what I mean? This just wasn't happening. I found that trying to rim the edge in brown (for sand/dirt) did not work well at all.

So, I opted for a simple cactus "planted' in a hip urban container (the foil cupcake liners - not that the boys would even make that connection) with the cupcake color peeking out just a bit under the cactus to simulate the desert. Toothpicks made perfect cactus spines. Quick and easy!

Watch out for the needles! (As HR always used to call them.)

And, yes, we did make sure that all boys removed the toothpick cactus needles before eating the cupcakes!

Manuals, Registrations & Warranties ... Oh My!

2010-04-28T10:56:00.002-04:00

Those multi-shaped, cumbersome, rarely used, but must be kept papers, pamphlets and booklets that come with purchased items. What to DO with them all?

And wouldn't you know, when you need one, where is it?

For years, I have had them all stuffed in plastic zip lock bags. Well, some of them anyway. For the most part, they have hidden themselves in various piles and other files - never to be located quickly.

In the midst of organzing some other piled filing, I decided that these needed to be attended to - for my sanity!

The latest pile of rounded up manuals and receipts:

Has now been organized into an old unused three ring binder. I used stiff cardstock (pink) inside the sheet protectors to make turning the pages easier, and to help separate the info into categories.

These are separated by kitchen, main house - such as furniture, heating and a/c, fans, garage and outdoor items, baby, and electronics - like computers, remotes, speakers, telephones.

I often write specific details on the item, such as the purchase date, store, or who the gift was from. If it was installed by a professional I will also note who installed it. I do try to keep receipts with the user guides when I have them.

And then, this binder is stored neatly on the office shelf, all nice and pretty. Who would suspect the contents?

I find that this organization is also helpful should an item be sold at a yard sale or on craig's list. I feel it increases the value of the purchase for the next owner.

This is my method of organizing these, for now anyway... How do you skip down the yellow brick road, making sense of all these items in your home? File folders? Shoebox? Digital? What works the best for you?

I'm linking up at this fabulous blog party over at Someday Crafts where it is Whatever Goes Wednesday!

Onesie Re-Fashion

2010-04-15T13:39:00.000-04:00

The onesies I picked up at yardsales last summer (size 24 months) don't snap close comfortably due to TA's length and the well padded cloth diapers. What to do? Why, re-fashion of course!

A few snips and stitches later and she now has four onesie tops ... and the cutie obligingly modeled so you could see how much fun I had. [Click on photos for a larger view.]

This one was my first. I decided to try reverse applique for the very first time! After trying to embroider on the onesie, this was the best way to go. I really like how the stitching has a freehand and worn/grunge feel to it.

Her initials made it onto this next one. They were drawn by hand, cut out, pressed with a tiny foldover and stitched on. I am not proficient with anything but the basic straight stitch and wanted to try the zig zag for the letters and hemming, for a serger style result on the hems.

It worked! I did it! Not perfect mind you, but she'll be in these for such a short time anyway - who needs perfect? The way the stitches make the hem flirty is so fun! The purple pants are from a local thrift shop and match perfectly - down to the flirty hem style!

The other two shirts are hemmed in the same way with a discreet white thread, but I decided to leave them plain to go with more of her clothes. A little ruffle on the sleeves and bottom hem from the stitching adds the perfect touch to the tops.

I must add that using onesies provides the benefit of a loose neckline for easy dressing and undressing, since some tops are just so tight to get over the head!

April Showers

2010-04-08T20:54:00.003-04:00

... bring May flowers.

Or, for me, a screen door. My new addition to the front entry: a screen in the storm door. It's been in the basement all along and never used. My goodness! Love it! Perfect for catching the fresh scent of our first warm spring rainstorm this evening.

There is just something about raindrops with sunlight caught in their fall. Sparkling and fresh. (Click on any photo to enlarge.)

April showers bring rainbows too. This one is a perfect double, yet the second one is so faint in the photo. A reminder of the promise; a sign of hope.

Aye there, I believe there should be a pot of gold in my back yard!

Joyous Easter & Auctions!

2010-04-04T21:18:00.000-04:00

Happy Easter!

Oh what a lovely weekend it has been! My mom came down for the weekend and we went AUCTIONEERING - is that a word? What great fun! Will fill you in on the loot soon!

And then a Sunday to honor my Lord and Saviour and enjoy crock pot ham and pineapple. Yum! Follow all that up with an egg hunt with puzzle pieces, and then time putting the puzzle together. I just love it when my mom joins us here. PRECIOUS moments!

We still have Easter vacation into tomorrow and tons of pics, so I'll be posting soon - with auction PROJECTS to do!

Blessings be upon you and yours, dear family and friends!

Health Books

2010-03-30T10:28:00.007-04:00

A March DIY project review courtesy of Beneath My Heart!!

And it's a Toot Your Horn Tuesday at Silly Little Sparrow.

Although I had more fun and creative projects completed this month which would meet my "Favorite or Best of the Month" criteria, some I haven't even blogged yet (!!!) and this one has already proved so helpful to my family to have completed - no matter how boring it may be.

To recap this post Special Journals and Medical Record Books, all it takes is a mess like this:

along with new three ring binders, a hole punch, and a few forms or hand written notes like these:

to organize the craziness of medical info and insurance records into this:

I decided to label them "Health" so they didn't sound so dreadful and negative. A good choice - seeing the "Health" notebooks on the shelf gives a positive feeling.

Bliss... well, almost.

Then in my quest to clean out and organize my kitchen cubboards, I found this:

Yup, my medicine cabinet. Times three - that's only one shelf pictured. It was baaaddd. The whole thing would and did crash when one item was removed. More. Than. Once.

All the expired items were tossed into a pile (lots of those):

to be recorded onto loose leaf paper for the (you guessed it) Health notebooks:

I also wrote notes as to what the meds were used for, how well they worked, and if there were any side effects. Some were as old as 2006! Since those were empty, I must have just wanted to keep that info now for a long time, but what a bulky and messy way to keep it!

Then, I blacked out the names and addresses and recycled them:

Until HR saw them (in the recycle bin) and decided to recycle them his own way for whatever various collections he could use them for. Oh, the wonderful ideas of ten year old boys! The bottles are now soaking in water and dish soap as I insisted the labels then be removed.

The new medicine cabinet area is now looking like this:

The area is now higher - out of easy reach. My mom sensors usually start beeping if said ten year old is on the counter trying to find something, so I do feel better about this. And, cleaning out the cubboard afforded one of those important reminder discussions of how not to get or take any medications without parental help.

And the Health books are doing their job well. I had to create a Dental page fast when I had a crown pop off the other day. Bad news: the tooth needs reshaped, and a new crown. Fun!

I haven't yet tried to put documents on a blog for free taking, so if you would like to try these forms and cover/spine templates, please let me know and I can email them to you. All imperfections and adaptations are included! Ha! But, they work and that is what matters!

Easter in Pink

2010-03-25T22:11:00.002-04:00

Those who know me understand how I struggled with the fear of excess pink if I had a baby girl. One girlfriend assured me expectantly that I would fall in love with pink of all shades upon the arrival of my little one. I much prefer natural, neutral colors, and pink ... well... really just isn't my favorite color.
Decorating for Easter has always been a struggle as I invariably have pink in the decor and just don't know how to use it well; and it has always been a bit fun too since in a household of boys, for this time of celebration I had reason to infuse a bit of an unlikely color (for us).

Then, my little one arrived 8 months ago and guess what - I had a girl! And the value of pink as I knew it changed forever. Decorating for Easter was much more fun this year. My decor is minimal and simple, but for the first time I feel comfortable with pink. Added in small doses against the backdrop of this lovingly used blue and white German tea set from my Oma, accenting the antique silver tea spoons from another grandmother whom I was never able to meet, and draped with flare in a delicately pink flowery table topper (also made in Germany) - pink in these soft, subtle shades makes my heart flutter happily!

A few other quiet colors to compliment spring are here as well, such as the yellow birdhouse HR and I made together years ago, an antique butter mold my sister gave me this Christmas, and the green chest I handpainted in what seems like another time. The little books are finds from my mom and are antique handbooks for window trimmers and advertisers - offering insight into how fancy windows like those in the big old department stores used to be and probably still are brought to life.

Pink. I have made it's acquaintance all over again this year, and I am at peace with the lovely color it can be. Bright and bold? Maybe not yet, but soft and in small special touches it is very pretty and femine. The ladies of the house are reclaiming what was predominately male territory! Go Pink!

Memo: Board

2010-03-22T18:59:00.003-04:00

Memo: To Household

From: The Boss Lady
Re: This mess needs to be organized
Date: Metamorphosis Monday

So here's the solution: Dollar Store cork boards -

With scrap paper inserted for protection - they are so cheap that a piece of paper can be eased in -

Primed (just because I have the photo here it is to see, for no really good reason!) -

(We also did the big board too, with lots of scrap paper covering both sections) -

And then spray painted black by HR -

Two nails were poked through the top corners of the small memo boards and they are nailed directly to the drywall - nothing is more annoying than a bulletin board that wiggles all the time -

Then upholstery tacks were poked through each corner to cover the nails -

The bonus? I used them in the lower corners too for a cohesive look, and they are just long enough to be able to tap the points into the wall for a completely secure memo board (which earned the look from Mr. G, aka drywall patcher) -

Yes, I'll need to touch up the black on the frames - I couldn't hit the broadside of a barn with a hammer!

But, all together now, here it is -

A bit of organizing and it is beginning to look better -

Now all four of us have our own space!

Next, I'll be adding something above, and a shelf with hanging hooks below for all the bags that are currently on the floor. Am also on the lookout for an old hanging mail organizer at my favorite thrift shops.

Happy Monday! I am linking up with Between Naps on the Front Porch:

Frugal Friday Night Out Fun

2010-03-17T21:00:00.003-04:00

I stalk a certain website. It's known as AuctionZip.com. Oh yes!

Every so often I get the itch to score some cheap stuff that has potential. So, several Fridays ago, I gave in and went auctioning at an indoor auction house. What a way to feed the habit during mid-winter! Ha!

I try sooo hard to make sure ~~all~~ ~~most~~ some previous auction project finds are complete before scrounging again, but it just doesn't always work out thata ways, now does it?

Nonetheless, the latest finds...

Luggage Rack - like new and already being used in the guest room. This one is more compact in stature than many I've seen in hotel rooms, and for that reason it really fits perfectly. This was the most expensive item I bought.

Garden Hose Reel - nobody wanted it. So, I picked it up for 50 cents, not knowing if the hose was any good. And, it really isn't, but the reel works fine and it's already being used, old hose and all for the moment - with a leak somewhere! Last fall I had found one of these on clearance at Home Depot for $40 and just couldn't bring myself to buy it.

Lamp - yeah, I'm not sure about this one either and the pics are terrible. I think it was only a dollar, but it wasn't the one I really wanted. I had just stepped out and missed the sale of the one I reeaaally wanted. It was way cool. So, maybe this lamp will be fine if changed to an oil rubbed bronze color and a new shade. Or not. Maybe it will be the continual reminder of the one that
got away. :-)

Last, but not least. The whole reason I went to the auction in the first place (besides the lamp I didn't get). I decided that $40 bucks was tops what I would spend on this old wooden library desk chair. And the way everyone was checking it out, I knew I'd have to be fierce - and willing to stop bidding. Ha! By the way, I had priced these in some of those inspiration mags we ladies drool over and found them to be upwards of $300 plus extra shipping. No way!

A little hosing (with my new hose reel), some oil in the sqeeky spots and ta-da! Come to find out that nobody wanted that chair after all except for me. It probably helped that it was almost the end of the auction... $2. Yup, $2. No kidding. And my HR has been begging for a rolling desk chair. How to keep it hidden until his birthday? ... I'll have to redo his desk now too (secretly)...

Total bill for a frugal Friday night out - $10.44. Yup, I'm a cheap date. In fact, Mr. G doesn't even have to take me out! Even among the crowd and the auctioneering babble, I couldn't have been happier with a few hours all to myself!

Special Journals & Medical Record Books

2010-03-15T16:36:00.002-04:00

My dear friend Louise D. gave me two pieces of advice when my little one was being expected last spring. She, in all the wonderful wisdom of a mother, explained how she keeps record of two important areas for her family.

The first is a journal (she journals on the computer) containing funny, heart touching, insane and awesome moments she wants to remember concerning her daughter. This includes thoughts, prayers, dreams and hopes as well. What a treasure that will be for her daughter someday. I have begun this too, doing so for both my kiddos in cute little journal books I found at the Dollar Store.

The second wise thing Louise does is keep a medical record book for each member of the family. This details the sicknesses and appointments, and helps keep track of the insurance insanity (they are self employed). So, with a new member in my family I decided to do the same.

So, I took this mess and sorted the medical (including dental and vision) info for each person. Does the black and white photo help to reveal the dreary, looming mess that it was?

Then I purchased 3-ring binders with clear front pockets.

Next I added the notes (yes, the pediatrician writes (legible) notes for us during our visit - we love him!) and documents in chronological order with the oldest towards the back.

Then I had fun. I loooove to create documents and forms ... call me crazy! So, I designed these sheets to document the seasonal colds and tummy upsets along with doctor appointments.

Next, I am going to add sheets to keep the details at hand for any special procedures or therapy sessions. Hoping there are none to document! Also, I will be documenting in detail the health history of our families. This is one thing I can never correctly recall and would like to have a sheet that can be copied and simply handed to the doctor instead of trying to cram it onto 5 tiny lines on their form.

Finally, I designed the front cover and spine, keeping it simple. I specifically chose to keep the names very small, so as not to be easily read by other patients in a doctor's office.

Now all those office visit papers, telephone calls to the doc about the bug of the season and insurance receipts have a home. It is very easy to take a few moments and update the sheets with thoughts and results from a sickness or appointment, and if Mr. G has to take one of the kiddos to the doctor for any reason, this makes it so easy.

Fresh Soil & Sun

2010-03-11T14:13:00.011-05:00

This is how it begins, and I relish every moment. Spring is here!

One garden bed now has freshly turned soil. I enjoyed the back breaking work of handling the old garden tools just to breathe in the alive scent of soil being awoken after winter's rest.

The above daffodils remain welcome intruders in my vegetable garden, until they bloom this spring and are moved elsewhere. Previous homeowners planted hundreds and hundreds of daffodils. Glorious! I do nothing and they transform my yards all on their own.

The bark mulch needs to be fluffed and weed fabric tucked in at spots, but isn't the green growth promising and exciting?

There is nothing that speaks sun and sweet smelling spring to me more than clothes on the line.

Welcome back, Spring! You've been missed.

Habit the Habitat (for Humanity)

2010-03-06T10:13:00.001-05:00

This is way cool.

I was over at Our Suburban Cottage and decided that by golly, there must be one of these fab Re-Stores near enough for me to get to. So local yocals, we are in luck! There is! Yeah! In fact, there are two - York (click here) and Lancaster (click here). I haven't checked it out yet, but will do so as soon as possible.

All proceeds go to Habitat for Humanity. The even neater thing is that not only can I shop and support this incredible program, but my church just announced plans to build an H for H house this summer. I am on board with that!

Everyone else, check out this link to find your own fab Habitat for Humanity store and all the goodies it contains.

One more great way to re-purpose, re-fashion, and re-new. Gotta love it!

Cuboard Cleanout #2

2010-03-05T20:30:00.000-05:00

This is what I did today... these babies got wiped down.

The ones under my kitchen sink were especially scary. I now see the purpose for those under the sink curtains (other than really cute) - they go in the wash so nicely!

Ok.

Dust gone - check.
Fingerprints lifted - check.
Germs obliberated - check.
Dried on stuff attacked - check.
Splashed something on top of upper cabinet scrubbed - check.

How does all this stuff manage to get on my cabinets? Way up high? Way down low?

Onesie Hat

2010-02-26T17:04:00.000-05:00

Simple and sweet. TA all adorable in her new onesie hat.

To fashion, I used one of her old onesies, laid it flat and cut out a half circle and sewed the edges together (leaving the bottom open). After folding and sewing the bottom hem, I laid the hat flat again, this time with the two side hems laying on top of each other in the center. Then I sewed two darts from the top of the hat down towards the bottom.

Next, to make it work, put hat on the cutest baby ever and snap photos! :-)

Rugs Make Or Break A Room

2010-02-25T14:44:00.001-05:00

Never more than today have I realized just how crucial a rug choice is for a room.

It is my personal struggle that a rug either must make a large statement as a focal point or piece of art, or that a rug should be a supporting cast. Anywhere in between and the rug just doesn't know what to do, nor I what to do with it.

Another belief that I have is that paint and pillows are my best friends, along with throws, slipcovers and homemade art. A room can be dramatically changed with those inexpensive items. On the other hand, drapes, rugs, and quality furniture are items that must be chosen with care, for they are not so easy or cheap to change.

My decorating style has no simple definition. I can more readily know what I don't like, or what doesn't seem right to me, rather than be able to state what my particular style is. For me, it is mostly about how it feels, first, and secondly, how it works.

The trouble is - large ticket items can "feel" really good - almost perfect in fact. When out in the thick of it, shopping for those necessities that make the wallet cringe, that's when it is tricky to stick with the plan - you know, that flexible picture of what I want the end result to be. The stores have it all staged so beautifully, and I think "wow, that might work!". Yet, despite the best vibes, my thrifting mindset of being able to make something work gets me in trouble, and sometimes the item just doesn't work when it gets home.

I made that mistake this week. Okay, I made several mistakes. I knew exactly what I wanted and did not stick to the plan. I have done the research; waited weeks and weeks to be sure; found a good deal; and then, I said okay to a rug that my Love found. And we bought it. In less than two hours! What happened to me?

He loves it! I don't. Well, I do like it, and very much or I wouldn't have agreed. I thought that it just might work and do so beautifully! But, it soooo does not work for the room that I was hoping to achieve. Is it a bad rug? No. In fact, it is of great quality and was an even better price. So, why am I unhappy? Because it is a middle of the road rug in this room. Neither an art statement, or sutble enough to support the furniture pieces; and I do not know how to make it work.

Alright, take a peek. I have no before photo of the room all together since it is in progress:

My well used 2x3 inspiration piece for a larger basketweave seagrass rug:

Then, enter ~~mistake purchase~~ rug:

How quickly it takes the room to a Southwestern atmosphere! Not exactly what I had in mind, no matter how much I miss Arizona these days while we remain covered in snow... The fleur-de-lis cushions I just made do not go. The table legs will have to be painted black - and they match the cushions perfectly. [whine]

I am recovering. Was I just overreacting? As I look at these pics, I realize that with some tweaking this could all work together just fine. The issue is - I.did.not.want.southwest.decor.in.this.room. Just so no one gets offended here, I am a BIG fan of contemporary s.w. decor, having lived in it several years back.

The cactus, my grandmother's trunk, the natural fiber drawer pulls .... the rug. It now screams at me. And no, we cannot take the rug back. It was a Final Purchase sale, which is why we now have a one of a kind, hand made, 8x10, wool rug for very good price. I'm talking a better price than Overstock, better than TJ Max, or Tuesday Morning.

So, what's a girl to do? We are thrifty, are we not?! We are creative! The colors are very natrual and neutral, so they are workable. The chairs are temporary sit ins, so I'll choose my next ones carefully. If I relocate the cactus and old trunk, and mix my mom's handmade pottery in with the glassware; and add some contemporary art and drapes with a hint of sophistication - then, maybe then I'll be able to pull the room together.

I'm up to the challenge! Back to my inspiration catalouges like PB and Ballards for some hints on how to bring this rug up to speed with the decor. Back to the basics of using the little things to make it cohesive and a bit more my style.

Have A Seat - Chairs & Cushions

2010-02-22T11:24:00.003-05:00

A long time ago, in a land far, far away... lived these old chairs in our tiny townhouse. They were offered to us by some neighbors who were moving away. We moved them with us to use in the garage entryway area. But, now the dining room furniture is making a comeback and we need chairs - until I hit on some at auction that are what I reeaaallly want, these will have to do.

They were hunter green in color with beat up, light colored seats, and a very few number of loose screws holding them together. A closer look:

Enter that wonderful B Moore paint I love, in Black. With some help from that kiddo above with the painting, they look great.

Yet, the seat is just tooooo black, too sterile and harsh. So, with all the imperfections really not hidden anyway, why not rough them up a bit? A sandpaper block does the trick and provides a distressed look.

I felt like sewing the other day and needed instant gratification - a project I could start and finish in one day. Those are so rare, and they do wonders for the soul! :-) This $1/yard fabric

was sewn into seat cushions with ties

and turned out like this:

Cute! [Even if a bit lumpy!]

When paired up, the result is a set of 4 dining chairs for my almost finished dining table. The hutch is done, and I posted about that project here.

Now for some comfy end chairs - maybe something stuffed and more serious like a wingback chair - just to mix it up?

I am linking up with these fabulous parties: [Join me there!]

Between Naps on the Front Porch

Twice Remembered

The Girl Creative

Making the World Cuter

Cottage Instincts

Persimmon Perch

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hutch Makeover

2010-02-19T10:48:00.000-05:00

We purchased it with the house - along with the matching table and buffet. It is the last piece I have started, and the first one I have finished. I haven't blogged the other two yet because I am doing them over.

Yup. Wrong paint. My first post about attempting this project was here. It hadn't gone so well until now. Just-a-Girl recommends Benjamin Moore in this post and I am finally going to listen. Sometimes trying to save money and use what I have just kicks me in the bum. But wouldn't you know, this Mr. Moore isn't so easy to come by. I search high and low, call every store in the area, and beg my Love to drive 50 miles for it before the BIG snow hit. Well! I did want to paint that weekend! The white flaky stuff hit while he was out, but it was well worth it, and he did manage to get the paint (and himself) home safely.

I'll forgive him for not bringing home fresh chocolates on his trip to Hershey to get the prized paint... we got two feet of this stuff instead! Fun! [But, if we see one more snowflake, so help me... :-)]

Alright -- I LOVE this paint!!!

Can't tell you enough just how much I love that it goes on and dries perfectly! Just-a-Girl is welcome to a big old "I-Told-You-So!"

The details: Benjamin Moore: IronClad Low Lustre Latex Metal & Wood Enamel. I used Black 363 80. Did lightly sand the parts that I hadn't already primed or painted with the other stuff, and only because it was a very glossy and slick glaze. Then I wiped it down with Charlie's Soap, which is an awesome natural household cleanser that I highly recommend. I didn't want to have to do this again! But, it is a self priming paint and sticks soooo well. Cleans up like a charm too with warm and soapy water. Not only that, I didn't even notice any of the stink normally associated with enamel. Love it!!

The hutch is now room worthy. Even my Love agrees, it is a keeper. He then said he may have to start using Mr. Moore - that is high praise coming from a professional painter who has his tried and true favorites!

See those handles? I have the ones that were on it, but several parts were missing. Unfortunately, after much research, the size and type of handle for this Bassett piece is ~~a hard thing~~ impossible to find. I have not had much luck with both size or style, or finding the same style in the different size that I need for the matching buffet. So I braided some natural fibers and used the original bail pull handle parts that I had:

A couple round knobs for the doors at 26 cents apiece from Surplus City:

Before and after:

On to the buffet and table!

I am linking up to

See you there!

Cuboard Cleanout #1

2010-02-13T11:55:00.001-05:00

Among a zillion other things, this is what I have been up too..

I'm letting you see my drawers here folks... very personal. Ha!

Starting with these - a BIG selling factor for the house when we bought it - love the cupboards and cabinets and rolling shelves. But, clutter can diminish the quality of use, and the "gotta organize something" bug hit, so here they are.

I cleaned out these:

Updated with some new and clean of this:

And got this (squares must be sorted from rounds):

Feeling a little better!

Now for these babies --

Neater and with a spot for the spare keys and some decor:

The handthrown bowl (made by my mom) is where we toss the everday keys and cellphones.

I'm on a roll now!

These messes before:

(Don't knives drive you crazy how they always slide under dividers? - me too!)

After. All sorted. Transporting the silverware is so easy for dining room affairs.

Ahhhh... now the baby, packed lunch, and dog food mixing utensils are all sorted (and not touching). Clothespins are great cereal and snack bag closures.

It's zen.

Sooo much better! And many more shelves and drawers to go... I enjoy having fun with the outside of my furniture pieces - you know, the visible areas. But, it is almost, almost, fun (okay, not really) to "decorate" the inside as well by cleaning, sorting and arranging. It is no less a puzzle to solve just how to put something, where to place this and that to make it fit, and to make it user friendly - just like the truly fun, readily seen decorating that we do.

The Hopeful Fireplace Mantel

2010-02-05T12:22:00.000-05:00

This is the party of the day! Come on and check out the gorgeous mantels!

Before (when we bought the house - mandatory renovation due to July 09 flooding). Notice ugly, dirty, gross wobbly black mantel.

During.

Making Progress.

Right Now.

It still needs finishing, caulking, and trimwork. Who would've guessed the fireplace stone isn't level? There is a 1/2 inch gap on one end so the mantel could be level!

And now what? I think it must be painted white. I also wish we had made it more substantial. The reason we didn't is because we were envisioning built in bookcases around the fireplace, and trimming this to fit. But, insurance renovation monies were not enough to cover that extra cost. So now I just need it to be done for the time being.

My neighbor Stacey suggested placing a heavier mantelpiece on top of the one there now, effectively using that as a base. I like that idea! I can assure you that the current piece is never coming down - and will hold anything I contrive to set or hang on it.

How about some wooden brackets underneath to "hold" it up? How about small moulding framing the fireplace edges, including under the mantel?

What do you think? Paint it white to match all the other moulding? Or leave it as is - a truly gorgeous piece of maple? Or paint it the color of the wall? Somehow, I can't picture that... It is a statement piece - the first thing seen as the room is entered from all entryways. My husband does prefer a contemporary feel, and I think this may actually suit him left as is so I can't go overboard.

Maybe if I paint the fireplace door frames all black, or with a brushed silver finish? That would update the look. I think I'll wait until spring for that - when I can haul it outside to work on.

Hhmm, maybe I should change the stone itself... paint, resurface... ohh boy. I need to stop. The mantel. Just finish the mantel and it will all look better. :-)

Stylish Stool Makeover

2010-01-27T21:19:00.002-05:00

Four bucks. Yup, that's what it cost me when it found me at a yardsale two summers ago. It was clean and sturdy, and a perfect size. And it's served us just fine I suppose...

Until now. I am feeling the neutrals kicking in, and besides, the stool is looking a little worse for the wear. So, thanks to some $2/yard fabric that also called my name, it is time for an extreme makeover! Let the staple pulling, digging, and prying commence...

My first time ever sewing piping, and I cheated. I let HR sew it. Well, I did start it and then let him finish ... does that count at all? He wanted to sew reeeeaalllly badly, so why not? He couldn't do any worse than me, since I had never done it either. :-)

A bit of black spray paint on the feet. Turns out that I didn't spray them thoroughly in the garage, and I didn't even see it until after they were clear coated and I brought them inside. But, I rather like it - gives the black-brown look with the original wood color slightly peeking through.

Some stapling, and more stapling. But, it's a beaut!

Before and after:

Not bad for less than six bucks and a ~~few~~ lot of hated staples!

I'm linking up with Transformation Thursday at

See ya there!

My Moment

2010-01-21T15:06:00.003-05:00

This morning, I was at MOMents, a wonderful group for moms of kids of all ages that meets at CLA. There was a brief time spent for sharing a special moment that this past week managed to touch our hearts or our funny bone, or both. :-)

Well, I didn't share mine with the gals today, but I was just downloading some pics, and there it was. That moment.

Isn't that the sweetest? Yes. Big brother asked to put little sister to bed for a nap for the first time (on Monday when he had off school). I tell you the truth: not a moment before this pic, he also had a book in one hand reading to her, and the bottle in the other. Now, look closer... does that little girl even remotely look comfortable? No, I tell ya!

It was all I could do to keep from going back to check and make sure he still had her on his lap!

Here he is with swords in hand. Amazing how those things can be swung with such finesse that my living room escapes destruction from this fine cavalier, and yet that baby must do circus-act contortions to keep from falling off his lap?

(If only that huge, cavernous, thing of a tv would accidentally get hit!)

Here he is again, putting her to bed the other night - 2nd try. A bit better positioning for TA - I don't think she's as near to falling off, but maybe the blanket makes it look better than it is! :-) Do you know - he sings - sings - to her. Silent Night. Over and over.... sweet!

Yup, my Love, I want to homeschool this guy. Having HR home with more time to develop a relationship with sister TA is so worth it.

The Cutest Bum!

2010-01-15T15:27:00.003-05:00

Alright ... so much for my Mantel Party post. My mantel is literally being installed tomorrow morning. But I say go check out Beth's Party and the tons of fun going on over there! It's okay, you can go without me... sob, sniffle...

Or stay here and see how I transformed a chinese prefold diaper into an instant yank-it-out-and-diaper-her-up sort of diaper. Or an "AIO" as the lingo goes in the cloth diapering world - yup, an All-In-One diaper. It's soft and absorbent on the inside, and waterproof on the outside (the best part).

Really, the bestest part is that for a small outlay of cash, I am cloth diapering my baby girl until she uses the potty faithfully. An average of $3,000.00 is what a parent will spend on disposable diapers. Yikes! I've spent less than $500.00, and I need not spend anymore. Of course, the only issue is that we (and I mean daddy too) ~~like~~ LOVE the cloth diapers so much that I can't ever get enough because there are soooooooooo many different ones out there. Seriously. Just Google it sometime. You'll see.

Anyway. Enter chinese prefold and some $2/yard waterproof fabric from my fav store Surplus City. Throw in some elastic and velcro and a whopping dash of sewing inexperience and let's see what we get!

Here I drew around one of the diapers that has a simplicity and shape that I like.

Broke the scissors that I've had since... well, at least since Home Ec class in junior high ... I don't think that class even exists anymore... dating myself here, aren't I?

Used extra prefold diaper to extend tabs.

Used new diaper template to cut out waterproof fabric. Mine has an inside white layer that is definitely pooh proof, but the fabric is still soft and flexible.

Sewed on elastic. This part needs some work, as the final diaper did not turn out to be very elastic or fitted at all. may need a wider elastic, or two bands of it? Not sure and will have to improve on this.

Sewed on velcro for tabs (not the front yet - do that after diaper sewn to the outer layer). Be sure to note the proper side of the prefold for this.

Now, sew the diaper right sides together along the leg openings, from the top of the tabs all the way down to the top of the front of the diaper. Turn diaper right side out, and then fold in the top edges of the front and back and sew.

Okay, time for the velcro on the front. Next time I will do this differently too, by fitting to baby and splitting the velcro in half and moving further over to each side.

Now for the reveal:

Like I mentioned before, not enough gather at the legs. Also, it could be a slight bit trimmer in between the legs. Personally, I don't think the elastic is needed up top on the back. And, the front velcro will be split into two pieces. Will let you know how round two goes!

Re-Fashioned Onesie With Plaid Skirt & Hat

2010-01-09T18:45:00.000-05:00

I have ~~really~~ REALLY been feeling the need for an auction adventure, and an easy sewing project. Well, time constraints, budget, my Love hard at work and well, quite frankly - the cold weather and a baby simply determined that it was to be a sewing project today.

After browsing the how-to-sew this and thats of the blog world, I was inspired by the bucketloads of creative ladies out there. So, I decided there must be something I could whip up this afternoon with what I had on hand, but with ~~a few~~ lots parameters:

Time to try my first re-fashion
I must use what I had on hand
Time to create a wearable something
No elastic required (I briefly thought I could resort to my old VSecret underwear waistbands - nah!)
No button holes since I still have never done one with a sewing machine (L-A-Z-Y)
Must be easily doable with NO pattern
Something for my little girl

Phew!

So, I took a gray boys onesie that no longer fit her and cut the bottom off.

Using some plaid $2/yard clearance fabric from Joann's, I cut a swath of it, whatever length or width it happened to be (couldn't tell you) - so that it looked like it would end up the right length.

Then I hemmed, hand gathered and somehow managed to attach the plaid to the gray. Since it needed something more, enter hand cut and not so greatly outlined flowers (from the bottom of the onesie) and Viola!

Have I told you that I love hats? It's a new thing. Started when TA entered my life. It's just sooo cute. That is - her sweet face and soft head in a hat is too adorable. Here's my "pattern". The hem ended up on the outside. I forget to turn the hat inside out. Duh!

Another flower, a few gathers under the flower to fit the hat perfectly, and now I'm done. (I figure the few threads for the gather can be snipped if the hat gets too snug before the outfit does.)

Okay, really, now I'm done. Hours later... (in the monotone narrative voice from the Sponge Bob cartoon).

Never mind that the skirt seam doesn't quite line up with the shirt seam on one side. Or that I have three different threads happening on the inside because I ran out of black.

Of course, tomorrow for church isn't soon enough, so here she is:

Drool and all ...

This was fun! Buttonholes, here I come. Add that to my 2010 to try list, along with the piping. JAC

Rocking Chair Reveal

2010-01-04T08:55:00.000-05:00

Well ... I can officially say that I didn't get this chair done until the next year! I am linking up to Metamorphis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch and the Before and After party at Thrifty Decor Chic.

This rocking roost came from my auction finds this past fall, and is just now taking a place in my baby girl's room. When I found it, the poor thing looked like this, but I only paid a quarter for it!!

So, the TLC treatments began with the help of HR.

Lots of sanding... and then more sanding... LOVE power tools! Then I just rubbed in several layers of Tung Oil.

The chair was the easy part... I enjoy sewing, but am I ever in need of some sewing skills! The cushion was the toughest! I got the high density foam at Surplus City, but wouldn't you know, the edge just seems so harsh, square - not quite what I was looking for. ... oh yeah, using a very sharp and scary looking knife is the absolute only way to cut that stuff ... sometimes I just scare myself!

With all fingers intact, I found material at JoAnn's at 40% off. Well, even at reduced cost, that was a mistake - but I didn't yet know that my favoritist store with the best fabric prices and selection had just opened in a town nearby. [Surplus City: Carlisle, PA] Then, there's the other dilemma: what is the right side of the material? Feeling a bit dumb here, but I really wasn't sure!

I picked this one as the right side - it was the side facing up on the bolt at the store - so I am sure it is. I just liked the other side so much too!

The cushion - it took several steps. Did I do it the proper way? No! But, I have not yet attempted making my own piping and putting that all together... a 2010 resolution: sew and use my own piping in a project.

Now, because the seat I installed using plywood did not sit in as properly as I would have liked, and due to the remaining edges from the previous seating arrangement, something was needed. After seeing some inspiring box pleats on a chair here in the blog world somewhere [sorry, don't remeber where, but if I do stumble on that post again, I will edit and credt that lovely lady here!], I decided to try my own.

Here's how I made them using the last scraps of the material - wanting to get every penny's worth... after some super scientific, mathematical, tricky calculations for length...

After some pinning and hand stitching ... tada!!

Okay, so the box pleats really look more like ruffles. Since the chair is in a girl's room, that's okay. :-) Next time I'll make some adjustments when sewing box pleats.

I have fond memories of the rocking chair that my mom always had in our home growing up. There is something so comforting about rocking my sweet little girl to sleep in such a pretty chair.

White Christmas

2009-12-26T23:01:00.000-05:00

This year my son got his wish and we had this for Christmas. We got over 10 inches of the fluffy white stuff.

HR pointed out that this is only the 2nd white Christmas he's had. Ever. I'm kind of partial to the decorating the cactus needles out front sort of Christmas, but some of this falling softly All. Day. Long. does have a peaceful quality to it though.

But, that's the day I knew for sure, without a doubt that I was sick. I'd been fighting it. But this was crawl up in a hole, chicken noodle soup, can't get off the couch sick. For me, anything to do with Christmas was done.

My poor Love. He got ski thermals under the tree and socks in his stocking. Seriously! [At least I had picked that up for him while doing all the other shopping early on!] And yet, as I moaned and groaned (when I could), he managed to watch the baby, take care of our son [Can an active 10 year old be more to handle than a baby? You bet ya! That snow was the best thing!], do the laundry, wrap the last gifts, make the meals, wash the dishes, clean the kitchen, put the kiddos to bed, get them up, have presents under the tree for Christmas morning ... and essentially make Christmas happen for all of us.

Never mind that he forgot the shirt for TA, or rolled her pants to her knees...

Man, do I luurrrrrrve that man!

And you know what I was forced to do? Sit back and do nothing. Not the best and most comfortable way for a mom to do Christmas. You know what I mean! But, really, it simply just cut away all the fluff - the last minute scrambling, the perfecting of this and that - and let us focus as a family on just being that - a family that had time for dominos - both the game and the German candy kind. Nice. Yummy. And as perfect as it needed to be this year.

[hhhmmm ... yes, that is the baby bouncer seat, HR.]

Tomorrow we'll be catching up some of the week before Christmas stuff: We're building our gingerbread house! I'll be able to get my Love his gifts. And we'll be continuing Christmas with more family up north. I'll catch up with you when we return after the New Year.

So, to all of You, a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! May our Lord keep you and bless you.

Blah Blah Boxes

2009-12-21T16:14:00.001-05:00

Really! I can't be the only person out there wrapping who deals with this every year!

Yup. This:

Okay - take another peak:

Now do ya get what I'm talking about? It's those corners. Those #$t@^!8 (rated PG) corners. They won't stay put and the box just collapses on itself. Like it's just run a marathon or something. That hasn't happened yet... if it looks like this Christmas morning, then fine. I understand that. Truly I do.

But, now?

So, here's one of my fixes:

If that doesn't do it, then I get out this:

You bet ya.

Now I'm not knocking the free boxes that I get when I shop at certain stores. There are appreciated, never wasted, and often recycled (duct tape is usually required the 2nd year around).What we won't do to have a package look like so pretty! Just to sit under the tree for a few hours.

Aaahh.... but it is blissful and well worth it.

Chalkboard Pantry Door

2009-12-18T13:36:00.002-05:00

With the basement renovations going on, we have had to choose new doors for the new space. Which has led my husband to wanting new doors for upstairs to replace the honey colored hollow 70's standard interior door.

I have had a hankering for a chalkboard something or other in my house, preferably a real slate one, but not having found one at auction yet, I'll settle for painting a chalkboard surface somewhere. Then, it clicked. If my hubby wants to write off those old doors sometime anyway, then why not paint one until then?

So here's the pantry door (ignore the pantry please - but maybe the door is actually worse!):

Now less the knob and with primer:

Now looking oh so much better:

And, yes ... the door handle is now on too - thanks to HR! These boys are so good at figuring things out. He has already done several works of art and I just love having him in the kitchen, drawing, telling me not to look until its perfect... a bit tricky when I need to get something from the pantry!

There are two things I wish I had done differently. One, NOT follow the directions on the can and cover the whole entire thing in chalk and then rub it off. I guess that is for the real chalkboard look, but it brought memories from waaaayyy back. Does anyone else remember having to wash the chalkboards in their elementary classroom? I'll never forget the water running from the sponge all the way down my arm as I reached up so high (I ~~was~~ am definitely not tall).

Secondly, I should have put a layer or two of magnetic paint underneath the chalkboard paint for little TA's alphabet letters.

For now, it stays. And grocery lists, weekly plans and notes, prayer lists - all have a fun home!

Revamped Lamps

2009-12-16T13:16:00.004-05:00

Edited to show that I am linking this to Transformation Thursdays over at The Shabby Chic Cottage. The finished product is on my buffet with my newly recieved Christmas gifts, so that should count as a holiday transformation!

I've never been afraid to change something up - paint or re-purpose something to suit the moment or decor. But, I must admit to never having used a specialty type of spray paint before - like a satin nickel. So, yesterday was it. New territory.

The problem: our large Arizona room needs lighting since it's renovation. It was mentioned recently by my Better Half several times.

Well, I got the hint, Honey.

Solution? Here are the lamp bases before: my Love converted them for painting purposes. Hunter green with gold and white. Eeewww.

Taped off with painter's tape. I thought I would put a black on the top portion. And, here with one coat of spray primer.

Now with two coats of primer.

I've opted to do the entire sticks the same for ease and speed. Baby could wake up anytime! So, more primer and satin nickel.

And here is the awesomest news yet! There is now a Surplus City close by - right here in Carlisle, PA! You bet your buttons - and boy do they ever have buttons! And material - by the bolt, by the stack, by the $1.00/yard. And then the hardware section - full of fun stuff. Not to mention spray paint - where I picked up the primer for 98 cents. [Cheaper then my professional painting Love can get it with his contractor discount, mind you.] Gotta go check it out! That's where I got the lamp shades for less than $3.00 apiece.

Okay, back to the project at hand. My mind is spinning from all the ideas the aisles and aisles of inspiration left me with...

These are the lamps now redone.

Here they are on the buffet that is still awaiting hardware. [Surplus City has hardware too by the way - most for 50 cents a handle! (Sadly, none fit what I am learning is my furniture's odd handle size.) But some were definitely ones that I had seen on websites and in the large stores.]

Ignore the buffet-scape ... just needed to put my newly acquired servingware someplace last night - the ones I wrote about that I got this Christmas - love them! Love the lamps! And so did my Love when he came home!

Hhhmmm.... no more painting lights. Good thing Christmas is here...

Look What I Got For Christmas!

2009-12-15T19:46:00.001-05:00

I know, I know. The idea is to give rather than recieve. But, I have been gifted with a gift that I didn't even have on the list! Yes, I have a small list tacked to the inside of a kitchen cubboard door for my Love to refer to. It is ongoing as I just jot the occasional ideas down as I move through my days. It is a great thing! Saves him from asking and me from trying to forget what I suggested and having to act surprised!

Anyway, we had my Love's family Christmas this past weekend, and his mom brought down some hand-me-on's that turned out to be a gift to me.

Sure, they are used. Perfect!

And, they may not be exactly my style - whatever my style is anyway. Lovely!

Who cares that some were his mom's, some were her mom's, and some are from who knows where - and nobody knows which. More reason to enjoy them all!

Even if they aren't a recognized brand name. Even if they don't "go" with anything else... these will look beautiful in our home. Besides, I find myself more and more often drawn to the clear glass and crystal objects since they are so easily altered with any color to suit any occasion and decor.

Thanks, mom, for these wonderful additions to our home!

Merry Christmas Tour!

2009-12-14T15:21:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas! So glad to have you stop by!

Out here on the porch I always seem to use greenery saved from the Scout Tree Sales Toss Bin. When I clean out my planters in the fall, I leave the old soil and larger roots right in and poke the branches into it. The old roots act as a frog does in flower arranging. In the spring I clean it all out, scrub the pots and start over. For now, add lights, pinecones, and even weather saavy ornaments for a welcoming look.

Come on in!

My decorating happens depending on what I think I can make work with what I have. Now that's a tongue twister! This is my first real decorating for Christmas in our home - being way too pregnant (sick) last year to pull too much together!

I do believe in themes, as long as it isn't an obvious-over-done-straight-off-the-store-shelf-result. Luckily (I think), I have such a mish-mash of old stuff that there are a number of "themes" I can come up with - with no fear of being too new, propped or posed looking.

Color plays an important role in tying the decor to the room and to the mood. Here various non-matching reds came into play - a color I don't know how to use very well, but by adding in lots of free natural elements from outside, it all came together. And the twigs gave this hand-me-down tree another life in this post about how to decorate a really ugly ~~fake~~ artificial tree.

The reason for the season is you - He came to earth for you! How incredible is that?

The kitchen garland has been in here since last Christmas, when I hoisted my pregnant self on the counter to clean the cabinet tops (yuck!) and put it up. About August (post-partum) and sleeping again, I was going to take it down and then decided why bother? So, it has metamorphised from greenery to fall-ery, to Christmas-y with fruit, leaves, twigs, and now white twiggie thingies and ornaments.

One way I dress up ornaments is to slip a bit of ribbon through the holder on top. Looks lovely in a bowl, or here stuck into the garland. I have even hung them on the tree like this and it dresses up those older beat up bulbs that I still use.

The main living area (as seen from the kitchen) is still receiving some updates that I haven't posted about yet: some of the window treatments have been sewn and are being hung, you may notice - and never mind that they aren't all hung the same way yet! I ran out of drapery hooks and had to use the rod pocket for a few days. The boys HAD to have the TV hooked up and ran the cords themselves... I haven't found a way to hide them yet. What is it about a Christmas tree that calms the soul, the house and even the world outside? I say, who needs the TV in here?! I love the peace and quiet at this time of year!

With baby and the weather, I sent the boys to get the Christmas tree On.Their.Own. And from HR's Boy Scout tree sale nonetheless. Yup. That was a risk! And by golly if they did not come back with the most gorgeous tree I have ever had in my home. In fact it is so perfect for a real tree that I had it in the middle of our large room with various seating areas around it, but with no rug purchased yet, I had no way to run the cords. Sigh... maybe next year.

My son hung most the ornaments and did pretty well I'd say!

Christmas is so wonderful!

Thank you for stopping by! Merry Christmas to you!

Square Holly Wreath Tutorial

2009-12-11T12:46:00.000-05:00

There is this weed in my courtyard near the pool that just grows and grows - like weeds do. Wouldn't ya know? - it's a holly bush. Try as I may, and I have, I cannot subdue the bugger. So, I have decided that for another year, its fate is to remain and serve as the provider of Christmas greenery.

If I remember correctly, holly leaves remain green and look fresh and bright for quite some time. On a porch or indoors, I would expect this wreath to last the winter, if desired. Now, here's to hoping I have remembered correctly!

This wreath is simple to make with holly trimmings. This serves another purpose as well: the holly bush is now trimmed for spring (for a few weeks anyway!), which needed to be done before before the thaw arrives - here's to hopeful thinking for a short winter!

Supplies:

Holly Trimmings
Pruning Shears
Floral Foam
Ribbon
Paper Clip

I had on hand a square floral foam block and cut it into thirds like so:

Then I trimmed the holly bush, gathering various branches and bunches. The longest I cut was probably 10 inches. I'd say I used one really stuffed full plastic grocery bag of trimmings. Hard to say, since I made sveral trips outdoors to trim and I didn't ever fill the bag or cram them in...

Originally, I poked two holes through the foam for hanging but decided the effort to feed the ribbon through the holes was too much. So I pulled open the small end from the large end of a paperclip (into a sort of "V" and inserted it with one side of the "V" going up into the foam. This is such so the weight of the wreath hanging will hold it in place.

I began by filling in the sides of the foam with branches (the frame), paying attention to the four corners. I also began poking the tiny trimmings and extras into the middle to make it thick. Fill in the sides and the front edges, bringing to mix with the extras in the middle. Then pole a few taller pieces into the main front area/middle to create more dimension.

Tie a knot in the end of the ribbon and slide it onto the paperclip hanger. Adjust to hang straight and level if necessary.

There you have it! My only suggestion at this point would be to then actually hang it level for photos. Ha! I failed that one miserably. But, love the wreath hanging from what used to be a headboard found in our heifer barn - one of my brothers and and his wife made it for my Love and I as a wedding gift!

When my brand new heart-throb arrived (sewing machine) not too long ago, HR (who I have taught to sew since his toddler years) just HAD to use it. It wasn't long and he presented his baby sister TA with her first Christmas stocking. I know, I know ...aaaaahhhh. It's all of three inches and will hold her first mini candy cane this year. One more pic - a little straighter:

This wreath is a gift; now I have to make one for me! (Poor holly bush!)

Snowflake Tutorial

2009-12-10T10:53:00.001-05:00

There is something magical about snowflakes dancing in the crisp air. We are avid skiers and the forcast of snow has us pulling out the snowpants and gloves! And I love to incorporate snow into our seasonal festivities - inside, where it is warm and cozy after a day of pure clean fun.

How to make a paper snowflake.

Now class... get out your paper and scissors... (I feel like my 2nd grade teacher must have!)

Fold into a triangle so that the two open side are even.

Slice off any excess paper, if you didn't begin with a perfect square piece of paper.

Fold again into a smaller triangle. Ignore the tabletop reflections.

From the top center point of the triangle, fold in each side point towards the center and down.

Turn over and snip off thee bottom pieces to once again make a simple triangle.

Fold the triangle in half - I find it is easier to fold so that the open edges are not tucked into the inside. It should resemble a sort of paper airplane at this point.

Snip shapes into triangle. For a hole in the center, cut off triangle tip. Always be sure to leave some part of both of the long triangle sides intact.

Unfold snowflake.

Snowflakes are fun hung in windows, from the ceiling, on walls, and used as name tags for packages. I used floral ribbon and double sided tape to hang the snowflakes:

And here I wrote Merry Christmas and the name around the center circle before attaching to a present:

I would have hung these or displayed them more delightfully for you, but they are already packed in a box ready to head to my brother stationed overseas. They were fun and oh so easy to make - HR had a good time snipping away too. The best part is the unfolding of the snowflake and the surprise of just how the little snips turned into a neat pattern!

Happy St. Nikolas Day! [A few days late]

2009-12-08T09:57:00.002-05:00

All you Germans out there - you'll know just what this means! What did you find in your shoes on Dec 6th? Coal? Or fruit and sweets?

Okay, so I must admit we just put our shoes under the tree last night and (somehow) St. Nikolas (Oma & me) found them, even though late. Then it hit me: has it really been so crazy that we celebrated two days after the fact?

I just realized yesterday that in the last two weeks or so I have been home about three days. Not to mention that I hadn't even blogged in awhile. Well, know that I figured out just how little I have actually been home puts it into perspective - and it is a bit of a relief! Personally, I think we should put another week or two between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Besides, we could then enjoy our decorations longer!

But, here it is - that wonderful, peaceful, lovely moment when all is still, quiet and well with my soul:

Yummy! We got the treats (and NO coal of course!) Never mind that they are sitting in my boys stinky shoes. (That's right - mine don't stink.... All that non-biodegradable packaging IS worth something!) These are cookies and chocolates from Germany. Marzipan, Pfeffernusse, Dominos, Contessa, Schokoladen Kranze, Gingerbread Cookies...

Even the foil wrapped kiddie coin chocolate is delicious - unlike the cheap stuff one gets here. Besides, it even comes in five and ten dollar pieces! What's not to love? Our Oma (the German term of affection for grandmother) sends St. Nikolas packages to all her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren every year. It is such a neat tradition that keeps our heritage alive through the generations.

Thankfully, our tree was decorated last week. And, she looks lovely! I'll put up a post on that story later ... there is ALWAYS a story with our trees. And this year, well, the story is that there really is no story - at least not like prior years. Phew... nice to actually get the tree home and keep it this time...

Faux Tree Fix

2009-11-24T23:06:00.003-05:00

Artificial trees leave me with the feeling that something is lacking. Maybe because I've grown up with real trees for Christmas. In fact, every year ours would be dragged right off the hill behind the house with the John Deere, and then nailed to a homemade stand of 2x4's and propped up. Okay, I'll admit that they often looked worse for the wear, but for us they were perfect. Lights, sentimental ornaments, Christmas carols playing ... perfect through the rose colored lenses of childhood. Well... until a few weeks later when all the needles were gone. Literally. By the time we dragged it out of the house, not a needle was left! Oh the memories...

So, back to today and the boxed artificial tree that was left with the house when we bought it. Ugly. Really ugly. It just doesn't fill me with the same nostalgia. (But then I won't have the needle problem either.)

I have found that decorating a real tree versus an artficial one really does call for different tactics, at least for the sparse stick of a tree that I inherited.

Sparse indeed. (But St. Nicolas Day treats are always welcome!)

Alright, so how to squeak some magic out of this poor thing? I'll give you my ~~trial and errors~~ [Top Ten Tactics] as I set up my first tree this year and officially begin my Christmas decorating (didn't the tissue box really count?).

Well, first of all I must determine where the tree will be displayed as that will help to decide which decor the tree will wear this year. The downstairs construction zone is out. The big Arizona room will have it's own real tree this year. The dog dishes are in the one available corner of the kitchen. So that leaves the porch or the front living room. Both good candidates - since I believe that being able to ~~tuck in~~ conceal a third of a fake tree with a corner is a good thing [Tactic #1].

My son, HR, voted for porch and purple, but I leaned towards the reds thinking I could maybe squeeze in some glamorous and mod purple decor for the very fun downstairs should the construction finish up only shortly off schedule. Besides, my front living has richer colors and textures while my other rooms are more contemporary - so, that cinched it - rich reds and the front room. Sorry, HR! But, you are such a great help!

Now for the basics: stand it straight [Tactic #2] - not always so easy! Apply lots and lots and lots of lights. Add more lights even if it is pre-lit. Trust me. [Tactic #3].

Choose your theme [Tactic #4]. A fun or interesting theme attracts the attention, directing it away from the question of the tree itself. Themes don't have to be fancy, storebought, or even too "themey". Here I brought the outdoors in with clippings from my bushes (that will all too quickly recover when spring arrives). If I find some on sale, I may insert some birds into this decor theme, maybe even a few tiny birdhouses...

Get into the dressing. Some trees look good with fewer embellishments, especially if the the Charlie Brown look is desired. But most scrawny fake trees can't even make a decent C.B. tree.

So, load the goodies on in varying textures, shades and shapes [Tactic #5]. Personally, I could probably use some more ornaments on this tree - will have to find a bargain somewhere... I stuffed the twig clippings all over - they were free and will reduce my pre-spring trimming. In fact, after this rain goes away, I am going to get more clippings and stuff, stuff, stuff my tree. Fill all those empty spaces inside the tree [Tactic #6].

Skip the traditional tree skirt and opt for something to enhance the theme, to cover the stand and to hide the box on which it ~~teeters~~ perches [Tactic #7]. And that is [Tactic #8]: give the short and spindly fake tree some height. A tree in high heels is like a woman in high heels - sexy. By the way, my husband strongly feels that tree size is important and somehow it directly relates to his status as a man (if you get my drift). Really, its humorous since he is the most non-ego driven man I have ever met. But, when it comes to the tree... Has anyone else encountered this trait in their hubby when out searching for the perfect tree? It's very peculiar and so laughable - but does make for nice getting warm and toasty afterwards when the tree is home and the kids are in bed... :-)

Give the tree a supporting cast [Tactic #9]. Enhance the theme here and there throughout the room or space and the tree will feel connected and complete. I did this here with the twig clippings and the reds.

Ambience [Tactic #10]. Dim the room lights and let the tree be the star of the show. It is amazing what happens with the right lighting - don't we know that one, ladies?! Not a good picture here to show ambience, as there is daylight pouring in through the window in this shot...

So is this tree perfect? No. But, it did get me feeling all Christmasy inside. And, even though our Thanksgiving will be celebrated in full, it seems so nice to have one room that gives me the feeling of childhood wonder as my heart prepares to celebrate our Lord's birth.

A Step Up The Stool Reveal

2009-11-18T08:35:00.003-05:00

I was concerned this might happen. If only my real staircase was actually closer to being done. I am waiting for the walls to be finished by the contractors, but I think the old carpet tack strips have finally been removed! No more prying my shoe off each step as I go down:

Amidst my zillion other projects there has been this little guy that has stood strong and served well holding sandpaper, brushes, tung oil, rags and my bum on occasion. Surely it is worthy and capable of more! Yet, once again, it shall serve in a pinch - today is it's lucky day!

Remember the auction that found me on my backside, sinking into inches of mud like a drowned rat? One of the items that successfully made it home with me had definitely seen better days too...

Let the transformation begin for the From A to Z Stare At My Staircase Party!

Now sanded, and then in it's prime - hah - so funny!

Aaahhh... black spraypaint. It's like that perfect little black dress ...for a stool.

Footsie thingies - the floors love 'em:

And embellishments with these from the scrapbooking and craft supply stash:

And done... almost...

So, I have decided to give these dressed up steps away. That auction was for the grandparents of long ago neighbors. Those neighbors are moving back to the area to become neighbors once again! They just moved into their new home this past weekend. What a neat way to welcome them to their new nest - with the jazzed up step stool from their grandparent's home!!

This is the house for the gift tag made from odd scrapbook paper pieces:

A twist of ribbon for the season and it's definitely a step up for the stool!

Now for the reveal, and the oh-so-satisfying before and afters:

This will be darling left on their porch with a little potted holly on top - Welcome Home!

Now, go check out Beth's beautiful steps here! Thanks for hosting the Stare at my Staircase Party!

The Baby Bottles of Time

2009-11-16T21:42:00.001-05:00

This time is passing too quickly already. Our baby is now four months old. She is sooooooo cute!

And eating like a horse, mind you!

So, enough of this already...

Well, really it looks more like this, unless all the bottles are dirty:

And on to something better. Who says baby bottles can't done up fancy? I've decided. If they must be on my counter within immediate reach (she gets hungry ... and often), then why can't it look a bit more presentable?

A wave of the wand that I borrowed for the day...

Okay, so it took me all afternoon, between feedings and those resulting diaper changes. Did I mention those? They happen a lot too...

The baking dish is turned into a silver tray that I found underneath the buffet we purchased when we bought the house and moved in. I like to think the wonderful old southern belle who lived here tucked it away there just for me - with her daughters, that was the only way she could give it to me I'm sure!

My hospital water jug (full of bad labor memories and counting ounces choked down each hour) no longer holds enough boiled water for our hungry girl, so in comes the Pampered Chef pitcher (minus stir stick plunger thingy).

A matching glass three tray set from a thrift store somewhere finally gets put to good use. A small baking dish with mismatched lid is for the formula and another spouted glass piece with stopper that I inherited from my mom holds the cereal. The doily is one I have had since my childhood.

There you have it. Meals served on a silver platter.

She is daddy's princess after all...

Paint Gone Wrong

2009-11-12T09:53:00.000-05:00

Yup. You heard me. Seriously wrong. And though it's been awhile, I just need to get it off my chest. Confess. Let me lay back on the leather couch and unload my 25 by 25 foot, 15 window, psycho paneling painting project ...

When we found the house, the room was used with wicker:

Then we bought the house and the wicker was gone, and the carpet stains and horrible blinds were all of a sudden visible. Yet we recognized the possibilities of the large space.

So, in an effort to immediately infuse color and personality into it, we did this:

No, it doesn't look to bad here. But check it out now:

And here:

Yes, it is Sherwin Williams Mannered Gold. Funny thing is, I have a color a few steps lighter - from the same color chip!!! - painted in the front living. Blonde. And love it! But, lesson learned: Mannered Gold does not do well with a light drenched room.

Front living (a while ago). See, not bad a color at all when a few shades lighter:

Back to why I'm here on this couch, in a therapy session.
The volcano ceiling just wasn't our thing and was cracking and coming down.

The paneling - not us either - but there is a bonus - the room is insulated behind it!

A lovely door, but it only half opens. Patio style I guess. And, yes, that is still bonding primer:

Our furniture is old and well used, but we just bought a house - no moola for furniture so that has to stay.

(Did I mention that I worked many, many hours every week with no time to be creative and crafty?)

I feel better now! Thanks for listening... you aren't going to bill me are you? What? What happened after this paint bomb exploded?

My husband had enough as well. And then we were further blessed and I was making more dollars so in time we could afford to update, renovate, and appreciate. But we were on a strict budget which means we do some of the work. But, I had to pay my little guy for each and every staple pulled...

Gone are the volcanoes, paneling stripes and carpet stains. Gone are 6 of the 15 windows! Arrived is the drywall, base molding, crown molding (oh yeah!), maple hardwood floor, heat, new back door (with enclosed blinds), and a new entryway from the kitchen!

And best of all - the new paint! I borrowed on the color scheme from my kitchen, hallway and front living and filled the walls with Sherwin Williams Stone Lion (purchased from MAB).

Aaaahh... Perfect room. Perfect paint color.... well, for now. But isn't it lovely?

Okay... so we still need to replace the windows, trim them out, and even get the faceplates on the switches and outlets. I was too excited to wait before taking a picture of the calm before the storm. That storm being, well, life - life with all of us making an untidy room of it. A pleasant whirlwind of a storm.

But now, I must, MUST, decorate and infuse warmth and softness into this room. And for me, that is the challenging part. Yet, one important lesson has been learned: just because one color on the paint chip is awesome, that does not make the other ones such. Each color must earn its loved spot in my home.

Falling Leaves

2009-11-09T19:07:00.002-05:00

An old classic reborn here for the purpose of sending Fall around the world. One of my brothers is an F-16 pilot just recently stationed in South Korea and I wanted to give him a reminder of home. Another brother is in boot camp and I plan on tucking one leaf into a letter - hoping he won't get extra push-ups!

So, out comes the old classroom leaf project. Instead of wax paper, crayon shavings and a hot iron, these beauties are forever encased in sturdy, sticky contact paper.

Here are the details...

Collect leaves that are not yet quite dry and press for a day under a heavy book:

Roll out contact paper and place something on edge to hold it down. Cut to desired width, no more than 12" wide makes it easier to work with:

Peel contact paper backing half way back and hold down backing out of the way:

Arrange leaves on sticky side of contact paper being sure to leave enough space between leaves and around edges to create a good seal:

Fold contact paper over:

Smooth contact paper from center out towards edges:

Trim around leaves:

Add magnets to the back with strong adhesive (I used a promotional magnet that arrived attached to the latest phone book and applied with scrapbooking photo tape):

Clear and scrub fridge and display (until my package is ready):

Bonus: you have a clean fridge! Enjoy! I'm going to send some to my Oma in Arizona too - just with no salamander stuck in the box of leaves this time...

Holidays are Here!

2009-11-05T17:23:00.004-05:00

Holiday is in the house! See my first official Christmas decoration ...

Never mind that it is a tissue box. Or that it came from the dollar store. Actually, it combines both Thanksgiving and Christmas - apples with holly leaves and red roses. The basket is Ikea; part of a four piece nesting set. Okay, so it needs a ribbon around the basket ... I'll have to do that when moving from fall to true Christmas.

So, I did it. Officially began the holiday decorations. Get to make the most of Thanksgiving and get a head start on Christmas so the decor for both can be enjoyed as long as possible.

When I am truly ready for all Christmas decor, then I will pull out the fall stuff, re-arrange and voila!

Like here, my kitchen greenery is currently filled with fresh apples, pears, our tree's leaves, and the neighbor's pinecones:

Need to add twigs with no leaves, pull out the leaves, make applesauce with the apples and add Christmas balls, feathers, ect. Move it from early fall to late fall to Christmas to simple elegant winter .... since when did seasons get divided into even more sections? But, what fun!