Jamie Leigh

Followers

2013-10-16T12:21:00.000-04:00

Dear followers, this blog has reached its maximum of posts,
so I have started a new one.....Please stop by and follow the new one...

http://jamieleighssewingpaintingbaking.blogspot.com/

Come on over and check out what's new!!

Jamie Leigh

Mailbox Post Makeover

2012-09-20T17:44:00.000-04:00

I was in the middle of painting the back porch,

and I looked at the mailbox and decided it needed to have a face lift.

It has look basically the same since we have moved in 10 years ago.

The wood was looking a little faded and weathered.

I couldn't keep just driving past it pretending I didn't notice.....

Here was my mailbox,

until I got a hold of it ☺

Before

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

After

It may seem only slightly different but compared to the other faded mailboxes down the road it looks FANTASTIC!!!!!

I LOVE my new mailbox post!!!

I LOVE that it doesn't look like a brand new post,

I might would feel the need to replace the mailbox also,

but it works...

...it has charm ♥

And THIS is the reason I haven't been able to finish THIS yet!!!

If you look in the background you will get a sneak peek of it almost completed ☺

WHAT?!

Back Porch Painting

2012-09-13T22:36:00.001-04:00

Since we moved into our home 10 years ago, our back porch has always been this red stained unattractive porch. But it was a porch and we loved it!!!!!

There was even some stain splattered up onto the house, that was painted over about 5 years ago.

A month or so ago I finally found the PERFECT paint at Lowes' in the oops section for $5.00!!!!! It was a steal!!!

I slowly started painting and I have now completed the first coat...

tomorrow I will start on the second and final coat and it will be complete!!

I am so excited to enjoy my "new" porch...

along with our new pet and family member, Sunday,

she is a white German Shepherd/yellow lab mix,

she is a handful ♥

I will post after pictures when it is complete.

Enjoy the weather, it has been quite lovely here, I love the Fall ♥

Beach Sail

2012-08-06T09:18:00.001-04:00

Last year when my family and I went on a trip to West Palm Beach Florida. We purchased a screened in room that we "thought" would be perfect for the beach to keep out the bugs and the sun.

The beach had other ideas, it bent and folded under the pressure of the wind and we were constantly trying to stand it back up and fix it...it was quite an ordeal.

THEN, along came a man and his son with this AWESOME beach sail that he put together in like two minutes!!

I NEEDED one of those!!!

When I researched the sail online I found they were charging $170 for one...THAT'S CRAZY!!!

So, of course I said to my husband, "I am making one!!!"

I conveniently had enough fabric and just enough thread that the only thing I had to purchase were the PVC pipes and the Sand Anchor.

This year when we headed to the Outer Banks of North Carolina with family I had my new sails!!!

I also made bags for all of the pieces to fit in,

along with a new beach bag that is big enough to hold my 9 year old son!!

I decided to make two sails, one for my husband and I

and one for the kids ♥

The Sand Anchor,
found at any Ace hardware store, or online for about $15.

I LOVED IT!!!!!

Each sail has a "foot sock" that you fill with sand to hold it in place.

I was so happy that I made two,

the kids had so much fun being buried underneath it without getting sunburned or too hot!!!

Shading the Children

2012-07-21T08:04:00.003-04:00

I started working out at a new place this summer. I feel very blessed to be a part of such a fabulous group of women making their lives better by taking care of their bodies, minds and spirits ♥

There were only a few curtains in the children's area,
where they so graciously watch them while we sweat away.

I was recently given a HUGE bolt of fabric and I had no idea what I was going to do with it, until now!!!

Check out the before and after of the playroom!

When I arrived in the room there were about 10 little ones or so and they ALL had questions and wanted to "help"...

it was the first time I have worked under such "pressure" ☺

When I finally pulled up the new curtains,

the OOOOO's and aaaaahhhhh's were PRICELESS ♥

One little girl even proclaimed I want curtains in my room!!!

SO worth it!!!

After they were hung the owner requested that we have the door exposed for safety reasons.

It looks better too!!!

What do you think?!

Bathroom Cabinet Redo

2012-07-20T14:16:00.004-04:00

We have lived in our home for 10 years now and we have always wanted to do something different with our bathroom cabinets.

Needless to say it was at the bottom of the list...
and as we all know the list is long when owning a home.

I FINALLY got around to seeing how a dark stain would take on one of the pieces of wood,

it looked AWFUL, as you can see pictured below ☺

My husband and I decided we would go with a color called Dark Granite, from Lowes,

It was dark, not quite black, PERFECT!!!

Here is the first coat on the backs of the doors...

AND here are the completed cabinets, I LOVE how it turned out!!!!!

New hinges to match the handles we had recycled from an old dresser long ago discarded...

I LOVE my new bathroom!!!!!

I hope I have inspired you to paint something that you have been putting off for too long.....happy painting ☺

Pip in the Smith-Gilbert Gardens

2012-06-04T08:43:00.002-04:00

I grew up in Kennesaw, Georgia and like most kids, played all over the neighborhood all day until the sun went down.

I knew every inch of the land in my neighborhood and even the creeks :)

Behind our house, in the woods, there was a mansion on a lot of land.

We used to sneak over to it and get as close as we could
to see if we could see anything cool.

There were many huge art sculptures
and lots of neat trees and plants.
We found ourselves always wanting to venture over and sneak a peak.

I think especially because we were not supposed to...

just the curiosity of what could be there and what was going on is what intrigued us.

This past weekend I was finally, after all these years, invited to visit.

My cousin Pip had a fundraising concert,

it was so nice to walk through the gardens hearing his beautiful voice fill the air.

The gardens, known as the Smith-Gilbert Gardens are absolutely beautiful!!!!!

Here are some of the amazing sculptures featured in the gardens,

I highly recommend that you go if you live in the Atlanta area, it is beautiful!!!

We could see this colorful one from our backyard and always wondered what it was!

I have soooo many memories of this tree.

This is the view of my childhood home through the woods.

The children's garden.

Waterfall

Bird Bath

Then I had the pleasure of going into the house!!!

Looking out the window into the gardens.

The walls in the hallway were painted so pretty,

I love how they took the time to make it original.

View from the porch looking out into the gardens.

Mr. Chin Again

2012-05-27T08:06:00.000-04:00

When I was a little girl my two sisters and I used to paint little faces on our chins,

we called it Mr. Chin Again.

I have been meaning to pass this fun tradition along to my kids, but I had yet to do it...

So, we were on our way to a friends house the other day and I told the kids along the way that we would paint their chins into Mr. Chin Again when we got there.

When we arrived my friend had pictures of the day before and how they had created their own Chin Again's...she however did not call it Mr. Chin Again

and was very amused with our name.

How ironic that she had just done it the day before.

Did you ever create Mr. Chin Again when you were young?

Here are our people!!!

My friend had a lovely wig that we placed on my daughters chin...hilarious!!!!!

I hope that you are now inspired to turn your kids upside down and paint faces on their chins!!!

Have fun laughing!!!!!

My First Artist Sale

2012-05-02T08:32:00.000-04:00

I did my first artist sale this weekend and I was surprised at how much FUN it was.

I met so many new people and had so many interesting and different conversations.

It was hot outside, but we had beautiful 150 year old trees above us for shade.

Here are the items I had for sale, blankets, aprons, handbags, Jewelry, windows...

oh and that ladder pictured above made by my creative husband ♥

I sold these two windows!!! It was my first sale of the day!!

Here is my sister Christine's pottery,

available for sale at the Beehive Coop in Atlanta

Somebody liked my blankets so much that they just had to lay down and get cozy ♥

My sweet little niece!!!

My sister had the great idea to make some sweater pillows...

they were so soft and cozy :)

Here is my other niece...

THAT FACE ♥♥♥ oh my goodness...

Earring Holder Creation

2012-04-24T13:22:00.003-04:00

I have this frame that I love, but then the glass broke. So I decided to make it into something useful for the sale I am attending Saturday.
I needed something to hang my earrings on and I couldn't think of a thing, until I remembered this frame.

So I took it apart, discarded the matte paper...

and measured and cut a piece of batting to fit the back of the frame.

Then I used some adhesive spray for security, make sure you have proper ventilation.

Spray a nice good layer then attach your batting by pressing down firmly.

I then found a nice piece of burlap with holes perfect for earrings.

I ironed it then measured it to size.

Ironing is so important when it comes to doing a project with fabric,

and it looks so nice and smooth when it's finished.

Using a glue gun, I attached it to all sides almost like wrapping a present.

I trimmed off the excess fabric to reveal the hook for hanging,

and so that it will fit back into the frame.

When I first tried to put the back, back into the frame, it did not want to cooperate. SO I had to use a hammer, when I finally got it back into the frame, it tried to bow out the back, so I had to use two nails to keep it in place. I think it turned out AWESOME!!

Here it is with the earrings that I will be selling at The Little Red Barn Sale.

Hope to see you there!!!

Blankets

2012-04-24T10:49:00.002-04:00

Some of you may remember when I made this blanket a few weeks ago out of two fancy dresses.

I had so much fun cutting the dresses knowing I was going to make something useful out of them.

They would no longer be hanging in an over filled closet full of memories,

along with other no longer worn items.

Ahhh a new life for the dresses ♥

I decided to put a white flannel back onto it for comfort and for cozy naps ♥

I love the way it turned out :)

I still had another skirt suit that I wanted to do something with...

isn't it quite lovely, I asked my friend why she didn't take it with her on her cruise ship job for greeting people, she laughed, haha!!!

I especially enjoyed cutting into this one!

I paired it with a white flannel, and a cozy green flannel on the back ☺

With some of the leftover green flannel,

I was able to make this one using some fabric I already had,

the flower fabric is actually corduroy.

This one might be my favorite, the satin tie die is so luxurious.

ALL of these blankets will be on sale at The Little Red Barn Sale.

Please come out and see my sisters and I as we bring our artistic talents together for the first time ♥

Hope to see you there!!!

Bracelets of Glass

2012-03-20T12:28:00.003-04:00

I woke up in the middle of the night with all of these bracelet ideas running through my mind.

My first thought was, "Should I get up and make them so I don't forget?"

Then I realized that I had envisioned it, so I would definitely remember in the morning. I love having a photographic memory...

I did have trouble sleeping the rest of the night. I was just so excited to wake up and get to work making my vision come to life!!

When I awoke in the morning, I poured my cup of coffee and got to work!!!

I even had to remind myself to drink the coffee, before it got cold, because I was so inspired!!!

This one is the first vision I got...

Then came this one, it's my FAVORITE!!!

This one is made with Sodalite Stones

This one is for a little girl ♥

My first Necklace, I love it!!

I will be selling these items at The Little Red Barn Sale April 28th-29th.

If you are interested in purchasing any of my jewelry,

please send me a message.

Jamieleigh5@yahoo.com

Each bracelet is $25
Earrings $15

Bracelet & Earring set is $40
Necklace $50

Bridesmaid Dress into a Luxurious Baby Blanket

2012-03-16T14:06:00.004-04:00

A world traveling girlfriend of mine departed again to travel the west coast, working on a cruise line...so exciting!!

As she was packing to leave she found her old bridesmaid dresses

and a few other items that she wouldn't be taking with her.

She had kept them because they had meant something to her, but she knew she wouldn't be wearing them on the ship either...hahahahaha!!

She also didn't want to just give them away...

and she then she thought of me ♥

She KNEW I could do something with some of them

and whatever I couldn't use I would just donate myself...

or make into something.

At first, I wasn't sure what I would do with any of the dresses,
so they sat on a shelf in the bag for two months.

Until, I was invited to join in the little red barn sale in Norcross April 28th & 29th,

by my sister.

I wanted to have items that represented me and my talents.

I am MOST passionate about special requests,

and especially making baby blankets.

Just knowing that a sweet little baby will have their first moments pushing themselves up on top of the blanket,

or cozying up and going to sleep beneath it, is so priceless ♥

So, I decided to make the most luxurious baby blanket I have ever made out of these two dresses...

I will be heading to JoAnn Fabrics to get some flannel for the back and batting for the inside...

I am thinking a white flannel will be perfect!!!

Please let me know if you are interested in having your old bridesmaid dresses

or prom dresses made into something special for you

or for someone special to you ♥

Aunt Anne's Lemon Squares

2012-03-12T12:18:00.003-04:00

Aunt Anne's Lemon Squares

Preheat oven to 350

Crust

2 Sticks of cold butter (unsalted)

1/2 Cup Sugar

2 Cups Flour (all purpose)

Pastry Knife

Parchment paper

Baking Sheet 13x9

Blend above ingredients with pastry knife until it resembles small crumbs.

Line baking sheet with parchment paper,

pour then press mixture evenly into pan with your hands.

Bake 15 minutes or until edges are brown.

Lemon Layer

2 Cups Sugar

1/4 Cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

5 eggs

8 Tablespoons lemon zest*

6 Tablespoons Lemon Juice

You will need about 7 or 8 Lemons

Confectioners Sugar for dusting over the top after cooling.

*To Zest a Lemon

(wash the lemon, dry with paper towel, using the fine/small holes on the cheese grater,

grate the outside of the lemons BEFORE you juice them, makes it a lot easier)

Combine the Lemon Layer ingredients with a whisk and pour evenly over the baked crust.

Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes, when edges have begun to brown.

Cool in pan 5 minutes, remove from pan by picking up the parchment paper edges.

Using a sifter, dust the confectioners sugar over the top covering all the lemon, not too much though...

Cut into squares using a pizza cutter ☺

These lemon squares are so special to me.

While my family was mourning the loss of my Grandfather, in 2009,

we were visiting at my aunts home after the funeral...

then we found out our uncle had passed away suddenly at the age of 54, the night before.

We were DEVASTATED to say the least...

My aunt Anne and I couldn't process,

we HAD to bake,

so we went to the store and got 8 lemons

and the ingredients for a few other things.

We went back to my aunts home and made these ♥

Every year at Christmas Aunt Anne sends these,

along with MANY other cookies to us and many others...it is so special.

Do you have a special story that goes along with anything you make?!

Fabric Possibilities Part 3 ~ Complete

2012-02-28T13:02:00.002-05:00

After a busy weekend of painting at my sisters
and spending time with my sweet family.

I finally finished both sides of the blanket
that I have been working on for my sister.

After I posted the two sides complete,
she also requested some fancy stitching on it,

like I have done on some of my other items ☺

I love all of the different fabrics and stitches.

I look forward to hearing how she likes it...

Since posting this I have gotten 5 new sewing requests!!!!!

Hallelujah!!!

Kitchen Painting Trade

2012-02-26T07:50:00.001-05:00

As I said yesterday, I painted at my sisters house all day long.

We traded our services to help each other out.

She has decided to paint her kitchen cabinets and ALL the brown trim and paneling.

Basically ANYTHING that is brown, will now be white.

When I got there I wasn't even sure what I was going to be painting...

then I found out it was these windows, and paneling...

I was the PERFECT person for the job!!!

I love the concept of taping and then removing it,

soooo much less clean up, and such perfect lines ☺

Here is what I was able to accomplish for her...

First I painted it with a primer,

then two coats of a creamy white.

My sweet niece,

she kept me company when I took my breaks ♥

Fabric Possibilities Part 2

2012-02-24T20:04:00.002-05:00

Remember yesterdays Post?!

This was the fabric from the blanket my sister wanted to save

and have me make into a new blanket.

These are the fabrics I chose from the pile to put together for this side of the blanket.

She also gave me this inspiration that she had gotten from a catalog.

So I came up with a design that worked

and measured it all out on paper,

marking each piece as I cut

and then sewed it all together.

There was a particular scarf that she had also wondered if I could add it to the center.

There was a rip along on corner so I had to take it in 2 inches on each side.

The green trim was nice, but it was going to have to go in order to save it!

As you can see she had already tried to save it by sewing it to a piece of plain white cloth.

Here are the pieces added one by one...

Lots of ironing.....

Whoops, with the beauty of the blanket,

comes the pain of hitting your arm on the iron...

YEEOUCH, that's gonna leave a mark...

but I did get a new ironing board cover, it's so beautiful and purple ☺

HERE is the other side of the blanket that I started here...

I think it looks GREAT!!!

She is gonna love it,

now I have to put it together.

That will have to wait,

I will be helping my sister paint in her kitchen tomorrow!!!

Stay Tuned for the finished product!!

Fabric Possibilities

2012-02-23T14:51:00.005-05:00

The most challenging thing I have done thus far

is creating something beautiful and useful out of various treasured fabrics.

Like 80's Prom Dresses, for example.

My sister asked if I would make her a blanket out of some these random fabrics.

She had one blanket that was one of her FAVORITES,

but it had acquired many holes, tears and rips,

she was sad to not be able to use it anymore.

Then she thought of me and KNEW I could make something lovely for her out of the remaining fabric...

Along with the pile of other fabrics!!!

I was quite unsure as to what I was going to do,

or how I was going to piece them together.

Normally I would not have picked any of these fabrics,

but as you know

I didn't pick MOST of the other fabrics that make up most of my sewn items.

I always do my BEST to make sure it is thought out,drawn out and measured...

I LOVE it and I don't because it can be soooo tedious,

but the end result is ALWAYS worth it!!!

I chose to piece together these fabrics, based on what I had and what looked good together.

It was quite a challenge working with thin, thick,

upholstery cotton and silky fabrics and sewing them all together.

Here is how one side of the blanket has turned out so far,

I LOVE it!!!!!

The flowered piece was once a roman shade curtain that she had made,

I love that you can still see her red stitch lines beside my golden stitches...

I had so much fun putting this side of the blanket together,

I look forward to sewing the other side tomorrow.....

STAY TUNED!!!!

In return for making this for my sister she is making me some beautiful pottery.

I already have a collection of pieces that she has given me throughout the years

as gifts for birthdays or Christmas,

or maybe something I admired and

she was thinking it was imperfect.....

I understand as an artist,

we see the flaws in something we have created,

but someone enjoying the piece

sees a Work of Art,

a masterpiece if you will,

they see flaw at all.

Here is some of her work...

...let me know if you see anything you like,

she will be opening up an etsy store VERY soon...

New Window Painting

2012-02-03T09:13:00.003-05:00

This past weekend my husband and I were very inspired to paint some windows.

It was so nice to paint alongside each other in silence

as the kids were playing outside ☼

I am never exactly sure what I am going to paint, I usually just let it come to me.

I started out with a beautiful smoky shade of purple

and then a cayenne pepper, paprika~ish color.

Then I got to work with the dots around the edges

and created centerpieces for each window pane.

I am always looking for different objects around the house to stamp and paint with.

This time I found these two objects in my sons lego box ☺

It took me all week to finish this painting,

as I had to let each row of dots dry,

or else I would smear and smudge it with my hand while painting.

I LOVE how it turned out!!!!! It's one of my favorites!!!

AND here is what my man painted, can you guess what's on his mind?!!

Stained Mirror

2012-01-30T09:58:00.001-05:00

When My Grandfather passed away about 3 years ago,

I received his dresser and an old mirror.

The dresser is in the boys room

and will probably get stained next because the mirror ended up looking so good!!!

I had wanted to stain this since I received it,

but life always gets in the way, until this past weekend that is...

I love the simple touches on the corners...

It looked good after one coat,

but I went ahead and did two coats to make sure it was thoroughly stained.

I then had to let it dry for 48 hours.

Taking the tape off, as always, is my FAVORITE part,

because it reveals the final product and the beautiful clean edge!!!

Oil Bottle Creation

2012-01-30T09:35:00.000-05:00

I recently bought some Olive Oil and I really liked the bottle that it came in.

So, when the oil was gone,

I soaked it in warm soapy water until the label came off with ease.

Then, I purchased a bottle top pouring insert for like $4 at the grocery store.

After letting the bottle dry I refilled it and added the pouring insert.

During a visit from family we enjoyed a nice bottle of wine,

on the bottle was this little stick around the neck,

I saved it as a lovely memory ☺

I love reusing beautiful bottles...

Chili ~ Jamie Leigh Style

2012-01-28T15:58:00.001-05:00

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

2 Cloves of Garlic Minced

1 Large Onion Diced

1 Cup Minced Carrots

(I used my handy dandy chopper)

1 Red New Potato Diced

Sautee all in Olive Oil for 4 minutes.

Then add:

2 cans Petite Diced Tomatoes

1 15 oz. can Tomato Sauce

2 Tablespoons Chili Powder
1 can of water

1 Teaspoon Basil

1/4 tsp Pepper

AND THEN, LOTS OF BEANS!!!

Dark Red Kidney, Light Red Kidney,

Canellini, Black & Tri Color Beans and Corn.

Rinse and drain beans in colander in the sink,
before adding to the pot.

Combine all and stir,

turn heat to extremely low and let simmer for as long as you can.

After it has been simmering for at least 2 hours,

get a potato masher and mash around in the chili for a minute,

mushing up the tomatoes and the beans a little to help the sauce thicken,

mmmmm. Enjoy!!!

I will be making a green chili cornbread to go with our Chili, what do you eat with yours?!

Starting Something New: Cleaning, something that was overlooked...

2012-01-17T13:59:00.003-05:00

Ok, most of you that know me, know that I clean all the time :)

I LOVE the feeling of knowing that everything is tidy, in order and in it's place.

It helps me to relax knowing I don't have something to clean up, fold or put away.

So, as my husband says, when my feet hit the floor I am moving 90 miles a minute...

Straightening up the kitchen and living room, making sure the kids have done their chores and made their beds, laundry...you know the drill.

As I was saying this one is about cleaning, during the day to day busy~ness that is life with three kids...

SOME things get overlooked, like the kitchen sink handles.....

This is the lid...

and this is the handle.

...and this is the underneath and inside of the handle.

I had to make the pics small, because they were THAT GROSS!!!

YIKES!!!!! Really?!!, How did I let it get that bad?!!!?

Honestly, I can't believe I am blogging about this,
but again most of you that know me,
know that I would just want to help you out ☺

Some major cleaning was in order...so I got to work.

Here it is after I cleaned it, FINALLY!!!!!

I will NEVER wait this long again!!!

It just makes me wonder what else I am overlooking in my day to day cleaning routine,

I looked under the fridge...OH DEAR!!!!!

What have you overlooked?!

Lemon Meringue Pie

2012-01-13T09:34:00.000-05:00

My sweet little girl turned 7 yesterday and for her birthday

asked for a Lemon Meringue Pie.

She had never had it before and wanted to try it.

My mother and I used to bake it together for my dads birthday sometimes.

As I was making it I remembered back through the years when we would make it perfectly

or when we forgot to put the cornstarch in and ended up with Lemon soup pie :)

It's all the mistakes and successes in life that help us in the long run...

we learned from this Pie experience that she likes the lemon part,

but isn't a fan of the meringue.

My middle child,

who is normally the picky one,

LOVED it all and asked for more ☺

New Short Aprons with Ruffles

2012-01-10T10:41:00.003-05:00

I love to see what I am able to create with leftover fabrics from other projects I have done or fabrics from something that was once something else.

For example a friend of mine moved to Colorado and gave me her shower curtain,

I loved it and thought it was beautiful,

but it didn't go with the decor of my guest bathroom,

so I decided not to put it in the closet, and let it collect fold marks.

I made some aprons out of it.

No Longer Available

Then I sent one to her as a memory of her home here in Georgia ♥

She said that she didn't have an apron

and LOVED receiving one that was so special!!

I had some leftover camo fabric from a previous project...

Camo Short Apron w/ Ruffles ~ $25

My sister had me make her baby's crib skirt and bumper,

then she gave me the leftover fabric, here is another one ☺

No Longer Available

Please let me know if you are interested in any of these aprons.