Welcome 2012

I am happy to be starting in a new year. For me it is a time to regroup, renew and reorganize. 2011 was a very busy year for our family and I felt like I didn’t have the time I wanted to spend on my blog. I began scripting a blog post many times and then scrapped for another time. This year with all the baggage that goes with finishing grad school out of the way, new grand magnificent safely here (and doing spectacularly),  I have no excuses.

In the last post I mentioned a few projects were completed but because they were gifts, I had to wait until after the holidays to share. This is one of those projects. If you have ever re-upholstered furniture, you know where I’m going with this; reupholstery can take quite a bit of time. 

The client did not want the wood repainted and after it was complete the color was perfect with her chosen fabric.

Before photos



Isn’t the detail of the woodwork lovely?

When I removed the double welting, I found hundreds (maybe thousands, I didn’t count) of upholstery tacks. This chair had 9 separate sections, each carefully tacked every 1/4 inch.
After I was about three quarters of the way finished removing the tacks, I learned of a very handy tool. For less than $5 I could have saved so much time and agony to my hands. Oh how I wish I’d had one in the beginning but, I have one for the next project for sure.

A few of the after photos.

The client was very, very happy with the finished project and I was as well. I learned a great many lessons with this project which will come in handy the next time.  A few words of advice before saying yes to a job, ask to take a look under the hood (or in this case, under the top layer). You will have a much better idea of the time required. Double welt cord requires a lot of time to sew, so be sure to figure extra time if your project requires this type of cording.

Linking up to these parties:





Stay tuned.....

Project updates

I’ve been crazy busy catching up on all the projects that have been on hold the last year. It’s been fun digging in and I’m making some serious head way.

This little crib was first on my list. It is from a family member but needed some updating. After a good sanding and scrub,  I used ASCP Louis Blue on the head and foot board and then gave the entire crib another two coats of ASCP Old White followed by a coat of clear wax to protect it. Since it is only used for infants, there is no concern of “chewing” on the rails.

The before shots

The original mattress was feather and while it was cute,  I decided a new piece of dense foam was in order. I made a fitted sheet from a softly worn, cozy Egyptian Cotton top sheet. A bed skirt was fashioned from a bolt of blue cotton that I had purchased some time ago and just new I’d find a use for it. I tried my hand at tie-dying on a light weight cotton cover. It’s been a long time since I did any tie dying but it brought back some great memories.

This is a very small crib. I laid a yardstick inside for some reference to the size. I’m very happy with the results and hope lots of grand magnificents get to nap in it over the years.

More updates on the way stay tuned…..

Time flys by

And the days seem to meld into each other. I can’t believe it’s been over 2 months since I posted here. I apologize for the serious slacking but I promise I have tons of things to share with you.

For now here is a sneak peak of where my time has gone.

Here

And here

And most importantly here

I forgot how quickly babes grow and change.

Be back soon with final updates and pics.

Stay tuned…..

Favorite summer quick salad

I have fresh basil galore right now so I’m cutting and drying most. What I don’t dry I use in our all time quick summer salad. It is simple, quick and goes with just about anything. (Disclaimer; cooking is not something I enjoy and I don’t think I’m all that good at it).
I do enjoy cooking  when I know all our kids and the grand magnificents  will be at the table than I really do enjoy the labor of it all. Other than that, cooking is just one of those things I do to keep us alive. On to the recipe.
3 main ingredients:
fresh tomatoes (garden raised are the best) thanks Daddy-O,  sweet onion, and fresh basil.

I slice the tomatoes and dice the onions,

Wash, stack and slice the fresh basil…..yum.

Chop the basil (this is probably a culinary faux-pax)

Add a kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, garlic powder, balsamic vinegar and olive oil (didn’t make the photo shoot, oops)

Toss and savor the summer flavors!

One of the few things I’ll miss about the summer.

Stay tuned…..

A blessing for our family

After a day like this……….

We cut our strings…….


After the arrival of our grandson ……..

Wyatt James
We are so very blessed