fall mantle

time to take down halloween and put up the few fall decorations i have :: i hung up two pine garlands twisted together for my base :: then twisted some leaf garlands on top :: then the real hunt for autumn in the house begun :: i used the sticks from the halloween bird tree :: some faux phesant feathers and peacock feathers from the christmas tree last year :: i just tucked the stuff in ::

some real and fake pumpkins on the mantle too :: i lightly sprayed the faux pumpkins with a champagne metallic spray :: and some of the leaves that have randomly fallen off were tucked in here and there ::
and some upside baskets to give some of the pumpkins some height ::

then when it was just right a thought popped into my head "why didn't you put the christmas lights on it now and save yourself some work later, dummy" :: i told the voice to shut up but it won in the end ::

so off everything came :: and since i had it all off i decided to bulk up the pine garland base :: i added two more garlands::

much better :: then i tucked it all back in ::

and while i was at it i hit these old wreaths with the metallic paint too :: and tied on some fall-ish ribbons

costume creation commences

hopeully i will have something presentable by thursday!

i'm actually doing it ::

hanging art work in the craft-room:: orgainizing art materials ::

and hanging curtains (do they look kind of missoni-ish?) ::

crochet all day

we're still getting over our crappy sickness here, it's slow going and laying around all day is nice, too back hacking up a lung isn't more relaxing :: otherwise it would be like a vacation ::
i've been working on increasing my stack of crocheted cotton dishcloths for christmas :: they were well received by the couple of people i gave them to last year :: so i'm making a ton more (and starting earlier) this year ::

my grandmother taught me how to make a chain years ago and thats about as far as i ever went :: then i found this book and have moved from chain making to actual dishcloths ::

the instructions are clear and easy and i like that there are actual pictures of what the stitch is supposed to look like::

i even made some for a friend hosting a halloween party this weekend::

that bottom one is a bobble stitch called blackberry salad!

ribbon rack redux ::

changing the ribbon rack from this::

to this::

scary on the cheap ::

branches with birds in them, $6 get some free branches from your yard, you know the ones that have been blowing around since spring and you just haven't been able to get to them yet :: yeah, those ones! you were "saving" them for just this! pick up an armful of black crows at the dollar store, six in my case, then kick yourself in the butt for not getting more 'cause how cool would these branches look over-filled with glittered crows.... awesome! - oh well, next year..... some spray adhesive and black glitter (these are free because you already have them)

glitter the crows, they will love it.... and some occasions just call for fancy

then arrange the branches in a vase and add the birds!

done :: make sure to take alot of crappy pics because a storm is coming and your house is as dark as a cave!

halloweenified !

-so i haven't meant to take such an extended break from here :: a tidal wave of "life stuff" has just overwhelmed me... not anything bad, but sometimes it's feast or famine around here and right now my plate is really full :: thankfully though, this has not stopped me from getting out the box of halloween goodies and getting our home halloweenified! i don't decorate for holidays from january to september, but come october we are decorating fools around here ::

skulls from the dollar store ::

leftover spiderwebs cushion a pumpkin ::

plastic hands from the dollar store::

the kid had her bag of spider-web and wanted to put them everywhere :: so i let her - meh ::

room re-do

some water damage to my craft/sewing/art-room/studio made it necessary to remove everything, paint the walls, add some curtains, and re-organize and de-clutter :: unfortunately the smell still lingers and we may have to call the clean-up guys and have them re-do the dry wall :: that means removing everything that i've already put back :: i've been super slow about putting everything back because i've been thoroughly going through everything and making a few transformations along the way ::

a thrift store frame before and after::

a bulletin board during::

some curtains::

and come october it will be thanksgiving, christmas and new years before i know it ::

fabric flowers

i've seen these fabric flowers around for a while and think they are super cute :: i had figured out how to make them but didn't really but didn't really have the whole outfit/idea together until i saw this for my daughter :: now she's 9 and was thinking of neon pink thights and a pink scarf with peace signs on it to complete this sweater and dress :: this would be my back to 4th grade outfit ::

i started with 100% polyester gray material :: i'm not sure what it is because it was a remnant but i think any manmade fabrics should work :: you want the fabric to melt :: i cut out a bunch of circles for each flower :: each circle was just a little bigger than the last ::

then hold the circle close to a candle flame :: you don't want it close enough to burn, just to melt :: i turned the circle as the edge melted so the edges of the circle were melted :: i did this to each circle ::

the circles just curve slightly from the melting ::

make a bunch of circles :: melt the edges :: and then stack them ontop of each other :: i was going for a ranunculus :: then i just added a bunch of beads to the center ::

i'm thinking some poppies might be easy to make ::

crafty drought

hmmm, we went through a crafty drought for a few weeks :: then the preparations for the new school year swept us away - for a few weeks anyhow ;) :: this year my daughter and i both started school on the same day and i always have insomnia and crazy dreams during this time so this year i am extra tired :: boo- hoo
since i am usually busy around this time (and who isn't really?) i try to start a few projects that can easily be stopped or started and worked on when time permits and that there is no hurry to complete :: here are some of my upcoming projects ::

painting my bathroom :: i meant to do this this summer :: the inspiration for the room is from this peacock feather piece that a friend of mine gave me :: i love it... now just which grey to choose? ::

i will spray paint this mirror white to hang above the bathtub ::

and i want to remove the gaudy gold light fixture between the shower and the tub and have had this chandelier for - like -ever and thought i would finally use it :: i've since covered all of the little crystals with tape in preparation for spraying it white too ::

and finally i want all of the hollow core builder basic white doors in our home to have more oomphf :: i've been researching, testing, and think that i have finally figured out a strategy to make the doors look like dark, real wood :: this was my test strip and think that it's pretty successful ::

a little squinting and a lot of visualization and you should just be able to picture it ::

i used a coat of oak stain first, painted on with one of those super cheap brushes :: i applied the stain a little thick so that the brush left marks on the wood :: this made the 'grain' :: when that dried i painted on a coat of walnut and used the wood graining tool to paint the grain :: let that dry and then added another thin coat of oak again for depth :: i'll add a couple of thin coats of polyurethane when doing the real thing ::

and i figure when the doors are off i might as well take the hinges off and spray them an oiled bronze color and want to do the same with the door handles :: i am not sure if the spray paint can handle the wear and tear on the door handles though ::

up close of the test strip ::

not too bad huh?

another way to use up those vintage sheets ::

it took two day full of constant interruptions to make an cute big tote :: i love the candy colors :: i made it for my daughter as a summer sleepover bag (of course summer is almost over now that it's done) but now i want it :: i think i might have to make another -- stat! ::

thrifty monday

i like playing along with rhoda who hosts todays thrifty treasures :: its fun to see everyones "treasures"! almost as fun as peeking at the homes of strangers...

my weekend finds ::

this cute little owl is a bead :: four of them came off of an orange macrame plant holder :: the holder was hideous, but these were super cute :: a cute waltah clarke dress :: it has a pocket on only one side :: for your cabana key i'm guessing :: it's a bit small, but i had to have it anyhow :: aren't those flower sick?

i'm not lookin' to get married - already taken :: but this game promises to be fascinating, i couldn't argue for 25 cents

another globe to add to the collection

the kid is at her last camp of the summer so i am going to enjoy it! can't believe school starts in a couple of weeks - for both of us!

when is she going to shut up about those sheets already?

or how i cut a sheet into fat quarters ::
when i first started cutting these things up i was trying to use the rotary cutter for all of the cuts so that i would have nicely cut sides :: i quickly realized that i would either need a larger cutting mat or i would have to fold the fabric to cut those pesky long pieces :: not wanting to invest in a bigger mat i decided to fold the fabric - which came with a whole new set of problems :: when i folded the fabric it was hard to get things to line up straight :: i ended up with wonky edges everytime :: and no matter how hard i tried or carefully i folded one side was longer or wider than the other :: i then decided to rip the fabric instead of cutting :: ripping the fabric usually gives me straight lines :: i have been cutting the fat quarters at 19 x 23 :: i thought that i would take pictures of my process :: i use scissors, a fabric ruler, a mat and some old sheets :: i use the rotary cutter when i make smaller cuts for fitted sheets i pull off those nasty elastic pieces

then i square up the sheet by ripping off that top piece and bottom piece of the sheet (the part where your head or feet would go)then there are the long edges :: i make a cut and rip the sides off :: i end up with a fairly square piece of fabric :: save those piece you ripped off earlier to make 6 x 6 squares

ahh, that's better now i unfold the thing, measure it and decide if i can get more pieces by cutting the 23" side or the 19" side :: the 19" side will give me more pieces with this sheetthen i lined the edge up with the ruler guide on the mat and made a small cut with the rotary cutter :: and the rrrrriiiiiiippppp then i turned the whole thing and made a small cut at 23" and then ripped :: this gives me pretty much a perfectly cut quarter ::and then i cut all of those odd shaped pieces that don't make it as fat quarters into 6 x 6 inch squares

i thought i'd share this because i'm hoping that someone will tell me that i am doing it wrong and that there is a much easier way (this is a bit time consuming) ::

finished vintage quilt ::

well, kind of :: this is more of a crib sized quilt :: which i don't have any need for but made to practice free motion quilting on something small first :: i used new organic cotton batting and for the backing i used some white minky dot fabric :: which makes this thing cuddly soft :: i did try to hand-stitch the binding on but i stabbed myself twice with the backside of the needle three stitches in :: i think it might be that the minky is really hard to push a needle through :: or i should have tried a smaller needle :: i ended up machine stiching the whole thing on :: not perfect but i love it anyhow ::
that free motion quilting was not a joy either and i'm now wondering if it had something to do with that minky fabric :: i think i'll try a bit larger quilt next and use some cotton for the backing :: i think it might be more 'slippery' than the minky ::

so i ended up with a small crib quilt :: we'll probably use it in the car on road trips :: someone is always colder than everyone else - problem solved :: and now i have about 40 fun vintage sheets that i have been obsessive about colleting lately :: i think i might cut them into fat quarters and list them on etsy or give them away or something :: i love them, but just don't need a giant piece of each (but i really need a little piece of each - i'm sure you sewers understand ;) :: i also found a fun pink gingham vintage sheet to make the binding with too :: just another picture because it's really fun ::

crazy sheet lady ::

fat quarters from the swap showed up yesterday (thanks jen!) :: they are lovely :: i can't wait for another swap :: i've been hunting lately - these babies don't find themselves ::

and one new in the package flat sheet, one cool brown pillowcase and flat sheet, and one crisp yellow pillow case found :: that brown one kills me :: i've seen it in pink, blue and yellow colorways, but not brown ::

trying out some quilt stippling for the first time :: it is kind of hard to control :: hopefully i will get better at it ::

and some yardage of vintage fabric was found too ::

some dowels for an upcoming project

i dont even have an excuse ::

except that summer is off and on here :: three days of every week seem to be thunderstorms and rainshowers :: throw the windows open! let the smell of rain in! :: the other days are spent taking the kid to the pool, thrifting, and just visitin' with friends :: we went on a float down the Green River too :: it was beautiful for the first hour, then it rained, thundered, lightning, and then the wind came :: we had to pull off to the side of the river and find some shelter under a rock for about a half an hour :: did you know that river is almost crystal clear :: when throwing a fly to a fish, you can actually see the fish... in the water! :: c.r.a.z.y. ::

some globes added to the collection ::

found this chair for $7 :: it says made in sweden on the underside and has this mark on it :: anyone have any ideas about it?some bedroom re-arranging ::

and the only picture i took of the green river before the thunder came ::have a happy 4th!!

tuesday...

i swapped the white curtains that were in here for this orla kiely tablecloth :: love it though it's a little small all around :: i don't mind :: i also bought this light that i have wanted forever from ikea :: i think i like it here ::

more fabric folding ::

these are fat quarters following this folding method :: i can root around for them and they won't come unfolded!
and of course more sheets for the swap ::

moving along

we celebrated a 9th birthday last week :: the kids loved this cake :: next time we will add fruit flavors to each color :: we're already calling this the 'fruit loop cake' ::

moving along on the vintage bed sheet quilt top ::

one more pic :: i'm loving the colors ::

yesterday my sister sent me a photo of some earrings on etsy that she loved asking me if they were worth the money :: i told her i could make them for her for a couple of bucks :: i love etsy, but sometimes the stuff is ridiculously overpriced or can be easily made at home ::

she loved them :: and i am still working on cleaning up the sewing room :: i had to clear a path to the fabric before i could even start re-folding it :: i'm using this method with a 6in ruler ::

two down :: two hundred to go!

teacher gifts::

this is what we came up with for teacher gifts this year :: actually we are very lucky that we have only one teacher all year so we have only one gift to make :: i made these personalized note cards :: they're just pictures that i took and cleaned up in photoshop, added some text, and printed onto cardstock :: the butterfly/moth thing was clip art i found online :: and the nest is from the baby shower invitations ::

i printed four to a sheet of paper :: then cut them into fourths ::

and then rounded the edges ::and put them all in this little note holder i found at HomeGoods :: ---> and the typewriter pictured is a gift for my daughter who turns 9 this weekend :: she's going to a week-long summer camp for young writers :: i hope she loves the typewriter, i know i do -- i've been playing with it all week ::

squares cut...

i found a few more vintage sheets during this weekends garage sale thrifting trip and thought i would play along with rhodas link party again this week :: i've been thrifting for the past few weeks with bed linens specifically in mind :: most of them are used :: i found that hot pink one in the middle at a garage sale this weekend, brand new :: i thought i might save it to use for the backside of the quilt ::with this weekends haul i'm finally on my way to my own vintage sheet quilt... i cut millions - ok, not millions~~hundreds - of 6 inch x 6 inch squares of vintage sheets and pillowcases yesterday while watching the harry potter-a-thon on tv :: i first cut the sheets into manageable pieces, then into strips 6 inches long, then each strip into 6 inch pieces :: i used this handy see through quilting ruler that is 24 inches long and 6 inches wide :: it made cutting the squares a breeze ::

hundreds of squares ::

and a ton of scraps ::i also bought this walking foot for quilting the thing once i have it sandwiched together :: wish me luck, did i mention that this is my first attempt at a real quilt? :)

i did it again...

i didn't mean to disappear for so long again :: last weeks of school have been busy :: and i need a computer :: the one we have takes forever to move from page to page :: it's a slow thinker ::

lately what i have been dreaming about is this and this and this and this :: so for the past few days while i've had a chance to get away i've hit the thrift stores ::

these are what i have found so far ::

and these too :: i'm having trouble finding any really bright blues or pinks :: and it seems that i missed a fat quarter swap of vintage sheets :: this is the pool of pictures :: if anyone is interested in swapping some quarters leave me a comment hopefully i have some stuff you don't :: otherwise i might have to break into the stash and add some vintagey looking stuff ::

and then i read this on posygetscozy :: i'm going to wait a few days before i cut into the sheets, don't want to mess anything up :: i'm eagerly waiting for her instructions! ::

thrifty

i love being thrifty - - thrift store shopping, garage sales, estate sales -- whatever!! i love it... so what could be as much fun as thrifty shopping? checking out what others found being thrifty this past weekend :: so i'll just get to it ::
found this bottle brush tree, it's 24" tall... i have an idea for next christmas and need to find trees :: (aren't you thinking about christmas now too?)
i found these vintage numbers and letters for $5 :: a bit pricey, but the lady i bought them from said they were from the 40's ::

vintage tinsel... not quite silver, not quite gold, just perfectly tarnished ::

this is what the tinsel was wrapped around $.75 :: we're almost the same age

more shiny brites .50 to $1 a box :: i'm going to need a lot of these for next christmas if i am going to make ornament trees ::

so those are the "treasures" i found last weekend ::

because i don't already have enough pictures on this post, i thought i would show you other "treasures" around my house ::

this is one of three from a nesting set $3

a vintage desk from an estate sale a couple of years ago $20... i thought about painting it hot pink for my daughters room but then changed my mind :: it's going to be white soon

a crane my mother found :: i tell other "thrifters" i know what i like the most and they keep an eye out for those items and i know some of the must haves they are looking for too :: a collection of w's from here and there ::

these three paintings were hideous drawings of cups of coffee $.50 each :: mid 90's decor i think, but they were wood and i knew i could just mod podge some scrapbook paper or something on top :: they sat for a while in the closet, then a while in a pile in the craft room and then one day i just pulled out the paint and swirled it on until it looked ok ::

vintage cameras :: these were less than $5 each :: a friend bought me one for my birthday this year ::

a cute little basket with a turtle on it :: someone has been hiding candy in it ::

these belonged to my mother :: she collected them for years and then got tired of them :: i've always loved them :: what are they? we have no idea, but aren't they pretty :: actually they are molds of some kind, they weigh nothing and have numbers on the sides ::

up close ::

a wardrobe that will someday be white too :: i'm still looking for replacement hardware ::

and a cute frame :: ok my friend and i had a yardsale :: this was hers :: she took half of my junk, i took half of hers and we sold the rest ::

and i love this basket thing $5. even thought it is falling apart i know there is something i can do to it to make it better! (someday i will figure out what that is exactly.)

rhoda is hosting a link party, it's been great fun, thanks ::

hooked on ::

pretty dresses :: i saw this cute dress a couple of days ago and wanted it for my girl :: it looks so cute on her little one that i need it right away for my cute baby :: the picture linked to her blog which said that she used a portobello pixie pattern :: well it's a very cute pattern but sadly it's one that i don't own and i was to anxious to order it and wait :: after looking at that cute dress for a while it began to look a little familiar (!) :: it looks like a that cute simplicity (4206) top from a few summers ago :: i gathered together some freezer paper, pencil, yardstick and a few minutes and i changed that top into a dress pattern :: (ok there were a few bumps along the way once i started sewing) the long tie is there because of necessity :: i didn't have any elastic on hand to finish the neck :: so i made a long tie instead :: (yes, i am very impatient;) )

she wore it the rest of the day :: i loved it so much i have one more cut out and fabric for one more in the washer :: these pictures remaind me that she can be clean and nice :: check out what others are hooked on! thanks julia!

ribbon rack full ....

i've been wanting to organize my sewing room but have found so many other things to do that i haven't really gotten to the organizing yet :: i like to read we are that family (a phrase that we utter around here often) and she is having a link party about organization :: since this is the most organized thing in my sewing room, i thought i would join in ::

i made this thing last year and it's finally full..... ok it's overflowing... i added these baskets to the top to hold ribbon scraps :: these are the step-by-step pictures i took about how i made this thing :: next time i'll think bigger!

twirly ruffle skirt....

friday i made a ruffle skirt for my daughter :: i think it came out pretty cute :: its basically a straight skirt that i added four ruffles to :: the hardest part was ironing and hemming each ruffle :: i need to get one of those roll hem feet for my sewing machine :: i bought and used the ruffle foot and it worked great once i figured it out :: making ruffles on my own is just as easy though :: i didn't need it to make this skirt :: there really wasn't much measuring to this skirt either, i'm not big on measuring and pinning... i like to just wing it ::

isn't that rick-rack on the bottom sweet? no hemming on that ruffle either.... next time rick-rack all around!

green thumb....

for now :: yesterday i planted some of the containers i have around the house :: started with a bunch of flowers:: and a dwarf alberta spruce that i think might want me to try to make it a spiral shape :: some empty urns picked up at a yard sale two saturdays ago for 5 bucks each :: fed the watering sprinkler through a drain hole in the bottom ::

planted! :: that creeping jenny will be pretty hanging off of the sides ::

i changed out the dead boxwood for a little cedar, some hostas and a viola... one planter on each side of the door ::

this area gets only a couple hours of sun in the morning and then shade all day :: i hope these make it ::

i added my favorite little iron heart and a fern from inside that was in dire need of some sun ::

vintage dishes into cake plates...

i didn't mean to disappear for a week and a half :: last week was finals and my sister also decided to paint her kitchen walls and cabinets and enlisted me to help :: we did the walls a butter yellow, the cabinets black, changed the hinges and pulls, and a few other things :: i'm going over there today to correct a mistake i made in the curtains :: i have before pictures and will take the afters today :: these are a couple of before pics - of course i forgot to take the pics when the doors were on, but you get the idea of the sad state of affairs that this kitchen was in :: these are after we sanded the cabinets and drawers, they were a grey-brown color ::

these are vintage dishes i've started collecting :: i first grabbed the cute vintage pieces to make these cake plates :: they are just different sized saucers and dinner plates :: did old china come with 'salad plates'? :: i haven't found any yet if they did ::

in between i glued candle holders and small handleless cups :: they turned out really cute ::i found a glass dome (probably from one of those wooden cheese plates) and added it to the top of this one ::

the patio ::

the weather has been in the 70's this week :: we've walked to and from school every day loving all of the smells of spring :: which got me excited about cleaning the studio/ craft room and the back porch off of it :: i've ignored this small patio for the last couple of years because we just didn't spend much time down here :: now that the studio/craft room is being used daily we can no longer stand to look and the patio covered in 3 inches of yuck :: i shoveled, swept, scrubbed and sprayed it clean :: i was imagining sewing a small canopy to attach to the railings to keep us cool, but then remembered that i had an extra patio umbrella :: not as pretty as a canopy but it covers almost the entire thing ::

we do have to figure out how to deal with the umbrella pole right in the middle ::

i have some ideas about how to decorate this area without spending any money :: i have two of these pillow covers that i bought a while ago and haven't done anything with ::and i bought these lanterns right after christmas for a buck each at the dollar store :: when i pulled them out and they matched the pillow covers i was sold on the color scheme ::

i promptly dropped one of them on the ground and it got a small tear in it :: i wonder what will happen if i cover it in mod podge :: hmmmm we'll find out tomorrow :: it's already drying in the sun ::and a better picture of the headband from yesterday ::

for the vintage camera strap lovers

i found this vintage camera strap tapestry fabric and luuuurve it :: first thing to make from it is this fun headband :: i tried to make it look like a vintage camera strap :: i was thinking of making more of this and trying that etsy thing :: think anyone would be interested? hmmm are you thinking why didn't she brush her hair before taking that photo? :: i am! - really would it have been that hard? really? :: i'll take one of the kid wearing it when she's home from school and post it ::
school for me is out next week :: first up, tackling this mess :: stay tuned for the transformation !!

reuseable sandwich wraps done ::

i really wanted to pink the edges but my pinking shears are dull and so the edges ended up looking chewed instead of cute :: i'll have to get them sharpened - i think they can be sharpened, can't they? :: i just traced around a dinner plate for both the oilcloth (inside) and regular cotton fabric (outside) :: i cut a little bigger than the line because i wanted to sew on the line, and then cut with the pinking shears close to the stiches :: then drew a circle on the right side of the fabric with a disappearing ink pen :: straight stiched along the line with wrong sides together :: then a velcro dot on opposite ends and sides :: they fold up nicely and should wash well too -and hopefully the disappearing ink will really disappear :: found these cute bags and bought all three :: these will be for my daughter for her birthday :: she's going to be nine! - i didn't think about it until just now but it will be her last year as a single digit :: she's really not a baby anymore :: some fun anna maria fabric i found this week, i wanted the birdie sling pattern but they were out at the fabric store :: i need to look online ::