Shee Designs

New Years and Pleasant Home's Sew Scraps Along

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 23:13:00 +0000

My only New Year's Resolution is to make more of an effort.

To make more of an effort to be a better Wife, Mom and Friend.
To make more of an effort to better control my Manic and Depressive cycles.
To make more of an effort to hold onto my patience when faced with frustrations
To make more of an effort to actually sew fabric together to make pretty things.
To make more of an effort at building my blog
To make more of an effort at building my business
To make more of an effort to put the designs in my head onto paper.

With that in mind, I cannot wait to get my scrap on with Jodie over at Pleasant Home. She will be having an awesome giveaway, and sharing tutorials.

Until later!
Michelle

Last minute gifts that have a personal touch!

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 19:01:00 +0000

Need a quick, easy and inexpensive Christmas gift?
Walmart has some great holiday towels on sale for $.98.

With about 20 mins.,a little applikay wonder (or wonder under) some coordinating fabric and your zig zag stitch on your machine turns these towels into a personalized gift!

FOr these ones I cut out a poinsettia from some fabric..

And these were just some free hand trees..

Easy peasy, and cute as can be :)

Till Later!
Michelle

When time gets away from me,

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 15:43:00 +0000

It really gets away from me! My only excuse is that with the new shop and the changes that go along with being an outside the home business owner while still being Mom, Wife and designer, Something was bound to get neglected, and better the blog than the family, But I surely have missed it!!

So here's a quick run down of whats been happening here.
I've gotten back to couponing, and over the last half of Oct. and all of Nov. I was able to stock enough food stuffs, cleaning and personal hygiene products to not have to buy any groceries beside Milk, Bread and Eggs for the entire month of December...and maybe on into January! Which will enable us to have a credit free Christmas for the first time in too many years.

I trained my oldest boy, Billy how to cut fabric, run the register and process Credit cards so I can have him cover for me when I need him to.

As usual we had a great Thanksgiving at my MIL's house. But Black Friday I was on my own, so I only hit a couple of stores and then came back to the shop to relieve Billy.

My camera docking station went kaput, and I had to order a new one, it arrived, with the wrong cord...Which is apparently the part that went bad on my old one. The replacement cord is in the mail I'm told.

We had our Grand opening with a ribbon cutting Ceremony, Which was a bittersweet moment. I had expected more of our family to make an appearance but they didn't so it was Me, Bill, 2 of the boys, my Bestie Sarissa and the Chamber members. Ah well.

This past week I was not only on the radio to talk about my shop, I was called yesterday for an interview for a story in the Canal Winchester Times. It should be in next Thursday's edition.

This week also marked my first Make and Take at the shop, I got a couple of pictures, but they will need to wait until my Camera dock cord gets here before I can get them off the camera because some idjit (me) forgot to make sure the memory card was back in the camera before I took the pictures so they are on the internal memory and can't be accessed without the docking station. ANYhow, it was a blast! We all had fun and made the cutest applique'd shirts!

OF course there has been lots of sewing, creating and thrifting happening too, but without the camera, no piccies!
So I will leave you all with a (not so great phone) picture of my newest endeavor....and this one is mine and not for sale, but I will be making more..
My Tee Tote, featuring an upcycled Tee, and pillowcase.

And a sneak peek at what I will be working on today!

Until later...but not too much later!
Michelle

Haaaapy Birthday!!

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 22:41:00 +0000

No..It's not my birthday, nor is it my blog's birthday, but when I finished these cute ornaments I immediately thought of good Ole Frosty the Snowman, and the first words he utters when he comes to life.
I'm going to tell you how you can make your very own!

For those of you who don't know me, one of my favorite places, (besides Thrift Stores, Antique malls and craft stores lol) is the hardware store. Now normally, you'll find me shopping at Home Depot, BUT Here lately I've discovered that the Menards 20 minutes away actually has about 3 times the selection (*Gasp* I know, Right?) and is actually quite a bit cheaper (Sorry HD...I still love you though!!) So while Hubby and I were out for a rare date night (Endless Shrimp anyone?!?!) we popped into the Lancaster menards to look for smaller packs of peg board hooks (which they had..Menards 1 - HD 0) and some lazy susan hardware at a reasonable price (Menards 2 - HD 0) and while standing there looking at their unbelievable selection of hex nuts (once again, menards scores..3-0, menards' game) I was inspired. I just happened to see them in my head, Hardware snowmen! and you really can't beat the prices! I got enough hex nuts to make 6 snowmen and it was a whopping $4.42..including tax. Except the wire, I had that already, and it was purchased at Home Depot.

So here's your Shopping list:

24 gauge wire
E600
snowman body:
5/8 hex nuts
1/2 hex nuts
3/8 hex nuts
Hat
1/4 flat washer
2 1/4 hex nut OR 1 1/4 hex and 1/4 hex cap

Extra 1/4 hex nuts or beads/bells

1: set a 5/8 hex nut on your working surface.

2: spread some E600 on one side of the 1/2 hex, place it, glue side down, onto the 5/8 hex.

3. repeat for the 3/8 hex.

4. on wrong side of the flat washer put some E600, place it onto the 3/8 hex

5. repeat for 1/4 hex

6. repeat for second 1/4 hex or hex cap.

7. set aside to dry

8. While snomen are drying, cut your wire into 5-6" pieces. Bend in half

9. half way down from the loop you formed in step 8, tie the wire into a loose knot. this can be done, it just takes a minute to work it into the right shape.

10. Slide your hex/bead/bell on 1 strand of wire. twist both strands together locking the bead onto the wire.

11. wrap extra wire up and around the top of the bead, this will be hidden between the snowman's hat and the bead.

12: thread the flattened loop throught the hex nuts and out the top of the snowman's hat. spread wire loop for hanging. and Voila! A hex nut snowman!

If you make one, please let me know, I would love to see them!

Birdfeeder? Planter? OR, maybe a candle chandy tutorial

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 02:31:00 +0000

We've all seen them, those cast off glass shades in various shapes, colors and styles. Sitting dejected and rejected on the shelves at the local thrift, or in a box of junk at the yard sale or flea market. I always look at them, and think I should do something with them, but end up leaving them behind...Until last week.

This glass shade beckoned to me from 2 aisles away, the color, the shape..it has this romantic Victorian, art deco, glam Hollywood vibe happening and I immediately thought..Ooh! I can use this to make a bird feeder for our ~~weed-bed~~ flowerbed next to the porch, and hey, I should post a tute so that more of these can be saved and given new life.

So, ready?

We're going to start by gathering our supplies.

1. hanging light shade (mine was $2.92)
2. 24 gauge wire (Home depot) $5.50 ish
3. Jewels- I got mine at wally world, in the floral section For $3.00
4. Crystal beads- I used Darice brand from Joanns. $4 ish

Start by measuring out and cutting about 3 (or more/less depending on your shade) lengths of wire about 28" long.

Choose your crystal dangles and thread them on to the halfway point and bring the ends together so that the crystal is dangling.
Repeat for each wire strand and crystal dangle.

From this point on we will be threading both ends through each bead. There are no real instructions for this part, just 1 "rule" repeat the beading order on each of your wire strands. On mine I used 4 additional beads.

Thread the wire through one of the holes in your shade, continue beading, I used about 15 or so. Repeat for the other wire strands. At this point, you are going to bring all of your strands together. this is where buying the jewels comes in double handy, the round beads that come with the dangles have very large eyes, 6 strand of wire was fed through with no trouble at all.

I used 6 of the larger beads for this part. To finish the beading off, twist the strands together, then bend a loop over and wrap the ends around the twisted strands right at the top of the top bead, making sure to not leave any stray ends poking out. Hang and enjoy!

Isn't it pretty? Of course once I finished it I got to thinking, it's really too pretty to put away for the winter, how could I use it inside? And I am now flip flopping between a plant hanger and a LED candle holder..

What do you all think?

No sewing

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 15:12:00 +0000

For me right now, my back is out of order again :( Which really bites as I have 3 of my new clutches, 2 shoulder bags, a quilt and a slip cover waiting to be finished at the shop. My doc gave me some scrips though so hopefully I will be able to get back at it before too much longer :) In the mean-time I am just taking things easy and trying not to aggravate the situation ;)

I do have some new stuff to share though, before my back started screaming I had gotten a few new designs whipped up and in the shop, and also a couple of other items finished and gifted.

These key chains are collaborations with my Mom, she crochets the fronts and backs, then I sew them together, stuff them and bead them. They are in the shop, and will be on etsy soon!

Cute little patchwork baby blanket, 32" x 32", no batting, but has a fleece backing. lightweight, but still snuggly warm.

Pleated shoulder bag, Also in the shop, and will be available on etsy later in the week.

The butterfly bag in the picture was a narket bag I made to wrap This special young couple's housewarming gifts. The apron I made is actually for Alyssa, but Todd is a good sport and let her try it on him LOL!.

A better picture of the apron.

This is a quilt for my Doctor, she is expecting her second baby boy. I am using the no triangle zig zag pattern by AmandaJean of Crazy Mom quilts.

My newest bag design. I made this clutch to match the outfit I wore to the housewarming party, I've 3 more almost ready, they will hopefully be in the shop soon!

wow, a month since my last post!

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 16:26:00 +0000

my only excuse is just that, an excuse. We've been extremely busy getting my quilt shop up and going. and while there is still bolt shelving to build, and fabrics to moved in to place, the rest of it has come along nicely!

The piece I'm most proud of so far has to be my sales counter.
Here's the before (the one with the new wood added):
My antique General store counters!!

Sorry for the bad picture, Had hubby not reminded me I wouldn't have even this picture to show for the before!! This is after the base was cut down by about 4 inches. These had been sitting in a basement for years and had some extensive water rot all along the bottom. The new wood being added is for an open shelf all along the bottom for some vintage knock off wood crates we are going to build. The second piece on the other side of the picture is an identical unit, it just needed more work and isn't completely finished yet.

the back is real tongue and groove beadboard with the pretty side facing in, and the dilemma of restoring versus painting was resolved by the time factor. I couldn't decide what color to paint it, So after much debate I decided I was going to white wash it. Unfortunately, it made it just look dirty

But then I thought, what if I added some color and went with a beachy look? It worked!!

and here's my sales counter now:

as you can see, I need to touch up the white washing inside the shelves, but I love it. On the top I used my Silhouette to cut stencils in different fonts for all words crafty in nature, Fabric, quilt, craft, sew, thread etc., but I don't have a close up picture of it right now.

I can't wait to share more of the pictures of the shop with you all, we did open last weekend, but the "Grand" opening isn't until October 1, and I will be sure to take a lot of pictures of everything being finished!

I'm linking up to Miss Mustard Seed's Furniture Friday

The BEST mashed potatoes EVER!

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 04:05:00 +0000

As promised on facebook ~~yesterday~~ ~~today~~ yesterday, here is my recipe for what we have decided is the best mashed potatoes I've ever made!
Let me preface this with a quick note. This batch was HUGE. The first time I made them I used locally grown baby reds, I wasn't so lucky this time, and got carried away and cut the whole 5lb bag! On the bright side, Hubby makes a mean potato cake and now we have plenty left over for him to work his magic with ;)

I started with these ingredients:

Red potatoes (baby reds are best!) with skins left on, washed and quartered.
Garlic powder
1 pouch of real bacon pieces
butter
splash of milk
salt and pepper

Instructions:

In a large pan, cover your potatoes with water, bring to a boil and boil uncovered until tender, drain. Transfer potatoes to large mixing bowl.

add butter, garlic powder and a splash of milk and using a masher (these are definitely not mixer potatoes due to the skins.) mash potatoes until still mostly lumpy.

add salt and pepper to taste.

Finish mashing potatoes until lumps are gone (or as close as possible)

open pouch of bacon pieces and remove freshness packet. empty the pouch into the potatoes and mix well.

Serve warm.

They were the perfect compliment to the ribeye and sweet corn. The best part? even with the bacon and butter used, without the gravy (traditional mashed potatoes) or sour cream (baked potato) we were able to cut out a bit of fat, which is always a good thing.

I'm thinking of using greek yogurt in place of the butter next time, baby steps!

Quick Tutorial

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 16:57:00 +0000

While doing some blog reading a week or 2 ago I was reminded of a small inexpensive little doodad I had been meaning to order and found it at LaurieAnna's. The price was certainly right ($5.95) so I popped it in my cart and started to pay for it only to be disappointed..There is a $30 minimum to order online :(

So I did a bit of searching, and found it on another website for $8.95, but with $6.00 shipping..um no. and found it again on eBay with a whopping $18.99 (free ship)price tag. Now, normally I would consider the $14.95 including shipping not bad, but after having been going to get it for half that price at LaurieAnna's if I'd had enough in my cart I just wan't going to go there. So, I made my own, and now I'm going to show you how I did it!

This literally took longer to gather the supplies into 1 spot than it did to make it!

What you will need:

1.A drill and drill bits (I used a 5/16 for the scissors hole, but would have used a larger one if we had it!)

2. a dowel rod (I bought 3/4" dowels, but discovered a scrap end of a 1" dowel from a previous project I ended up using..didn't have to cut the dowel down that way LOL)
3. Screw driver
4. Long screw (mine was a 2")
5. sand paper
6. saw to cut the dowel.
7. Unfinished wood plaque. I got mine at Hobby Lobby for $0.50 regular price.

Steps:

1. Cut your dowel to 4.25"
2. Sand off the sharp edges of one end, creating a slightly rounded effect. This will be the top.
3. Drill your hole for the scissors. Find the center of your dowel and drill straight down. I just used my scissors to gauge when to stop.

4. Drill pilot holes. You will want to drill straight through the plaque, and about a half inch through the bottom of the dowel.

5. assemble. From the bottom of the plaque, screw your screw through until the top 1/4" is showing on the top of the plaque. Twist your dowel onto this tip so that the screw grabs hold. Holding the dowel piece firmly finish screwing the 2 pieces together.

Place a spool of twine on the holder and insert your scissors in the hole and that's it, a nice little caddy that keeps your twine and scissors together neatly.

An evening with Jan

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 17:11:00 +0000

After having had such a long week with painting down at the shop and then a trip south for a birthday party on Saturday, I decided I deserved some play time with my Janome last night.

Armed with some great images mostly from The Graphics Fairy , vintage ticking (freecycle Baby!) and other fabrics, various vintage laces and trims I whipped up 4 slouchy bags last night!

I'm linking up to:

Some thrifty finds and Shop updates

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 15:51:00 +0000

Well it's been a non stop whirlwind here lately! The boys and I have been working on getting the shop and some vintage furniture (they will be fixtures) painted. I'm both nervous and excited about opening up, and really expect to awaken any moment to find it's all been a dream.

There is still a lot of work to be done, but we are making progress :)

This is what the dresser looked like before, bronze nail polish and all..

And here it is with a coat of a beautiful soft french blue...It's actually a color place color called Cloud formation.

I also managed to fit a bit of thrifting and a yardsale in whilst on my weekly grocery trip, I know, BIG shock right?

My favorites from this week are the pink footed bowl for 75 cents and this hand embroidered Ballerina Runner for $1. At some point someone spilled what looks like it might be red pop or koolaid on it, but when asked, the owner told me she had never laundered the (2)pieces because her MIL had starched them so well and she hadn't wanted to have to restarch them, so I am hopeful that I can get the stains out. If not I will repurpose both ends as the stain is in the center that is not embroidered.

Here's a bit of sewing for the week!

I am working on this cradle set for a new Mom to be and it's going so well! I just love her color choices!

I hope to finish it in a day or 2 :)

well, that's all from me for now, I'm off to get some more painting done down at the shop!

Later,

Michelle

Linking up with:

Some vintage finds and the week in review

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 21:44:00 +0000

Warning, this is a picture heavy post, even more so than usual!

This has been a strange week, I feel like I've not accomplished much of anything. Probably due to the holding pattern I've been in waiting for the key to the shop, which has me stymied on getting other project done.

For the 4th, we drove down to my MIL's to hang out for awhile, then joined her and my SIL and family over at Nelsonville's Thunder in the Valley. The fireworks were ok, although it is paling in comparison to previous years. Still, we had fun, the boys enjoyed the show and the company, and that is all that matters.

I did manage to get one long overdue project completed with a bit of help from my hubby.

While it wasn't anything that I needed help with, We actually Enjoy working on these projects together. Maybe I will start an "I made it WITH my hubby" club? There are many times that Bill has helped spread paint, sand, staple and build to fit the visions in my head. And I'm lucky in that if it is something that I just really want to do myself, he doesn't get all touchy and offended about it.

Anyhow, this was finally completed after over a month of just needing the base upholstered and the legs painted. (Please Don't mind the stained cutter quilt in the background..I've been working on repurposing it 1 little bit at a time)

<--Ooops I still need to cover the staples..

This was a freecycle gem, and was in not so great shape when I got it. I used a very light pearl grey vinyl for the upholstery, and the inside got a good cleaning and a fresh coat of Krylon Jade. The legs also got the Krylon treatment, in Smoke grey.

The before pictures:

Yeah definitely much better now :) This will be going to the store to hold some toys, books and coloring books/crayons to keep little ones occupied while Mom, G'ma etc shop.

The next project lined up for the shop is this vintage stool I found in Athens Oh. for $12.00. It was higher than I would normally spent on something that looked this rough. But it is solid..It's all cosmetic!

Last Friday when I went grocerying, I stopped at a yard sale, and then one of my favorite thrift stores was having a 50% off everything sale. I cleaned up my friends!!!

My finds:

The deer planter..the dog I had from a previous flea market trip, I've already turned them into pincushions for the shop.

sweet vintage ribbon!

Wood candle stick and a holiday cheese n cracker or cake plate.

Old snooker table top ($1!!)

40 vintage harlequins, 5 cents a piece!

These vintage suitcases were a real steal at $0.50 each! They both still have their keys, and as you can see, the top one has most of the bottles and the original mirror!

I couldn't pass up the vintage bicentennial bottle and the 2 cup percolator for $0.50 each.

most of my favorite vintage items are kitchenware. these will all find homes in my kitchen, although I may take the carafe and coffee filter holder to the shop.

a few odds and ends to craft with. the owl will become another pincushion probably, the curtain tie back will become part of a wreath stand, and the candle sticks? who knows?

So there you have it, really it was a very good week!

Hutch and chair before and after

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 00:03:00 +0000

There's still a lot happening around here, projects in the works, lined up and even some that are still only floating around in my mind as yet. I wish I could say I was getting them done as fast as they are piling up, but You can only do so much before waiting for paint to dry, and I still haven't figured out a way to blog, build, paint, sew, cook and read all at the same time.

I am getting things done though, Remember this Hutch I posted about on sunday?

Or this chair from ealier in the month?

Well I am happy to say that they are finished and I LOVE how they turned out!

First the chair, I'm thinking not too shabby for my first curvy upholstery job eh?

The pillow was just a little something I whipped up the weekend before and was actually the inspiration for the striped fabric.

The hutch though, it's by far one of my favorite furniture projects! I LOVE the color, the lines, everything!

I replaced the knobs and drawer pulls with some vintage lace. And I used my Silhouette to cut out some stencils, as well as a few faux embossed embellishments.

Also on the finished list, a tote, another pillow, and several beaded scissor fobs (not pictured)

The tote is listed in my etsy shop, the pillow is a sample (inspired by this pinwheel wall art) and isn't for sale. I'll be releasing the pattern after I adjust a few things though, so be on the look out!

Well, that's it from me for now,

Later!

Michelle

I am Linking up to:

Yardsale Love

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 23:37:00 +0000

I love going to yard sales, almost as much as I love thrift stores, antique stores and flea markets! Well Saturday on my way home from meeting to sign my lease I happened to glance over and see a community yard sale sign. I wasn't planning to go to any, but the very first house on the street had something that drew me in like a moth to a flame!

This little beauty was just waiting for me to come along, and boy was she a bargain...$7.00!!!!

I looked her over really well and while she is showing her age in spots, she moves just as nicely as she would have when she was first brought home. I am her second owner, and you can tell she was well cared for and used.

Everything is here..And I mean everything!

original foot assortment.

All of the Cams

The Mongrammer and even the Owner's Manual!!

We plugged her in and I gave a quick whirl..I'm going to really enjoy using this machine, and she will be available for use at the shop when we open!

Freecycle love

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 23:35:00 +0000

I'm back after another long unintentional blog break! I am tired, but in a good way. It's been a busy, busy weekend, after an even busier couple of weeks!

I can't wait to share what Hubby and I made for (Hubby's) Mom for her birthday. I'll take pictures after we are able to hang it :)

And for those of you who aren't in the know, Yesterday I was *finally* able to sign a lease on some store space! We had to get things added/ changed a few times, but it's now set and ready to go!

I've been swamped with trying to get things ready, and the normal every day life plus personal projects, but it does feel good to be accomplishing so much. I've also been squeezing in a bit of thrifting and yard saling when possible, and have found a few scores via freecycle as well!

Today I'm going to share my Freecycle goodies, and will share my FAB yardsale and thrift store scores tomorrow :)

Yesterday I was able to go clothes shopping at Kohl's. I don't normally shop there because while I LOVE a lot of their items, I have a hard time paying the prices they want for things, but MIL had some expiring Kohl's cash that she wasn't going to be able to use so she passed it on .

Since I was heading over that way anyhow, I spoke up for some Canning Jars that was posted on freecycle. There were a lot of cool jars, but my faves were the 3(!!) blue jars 2 of which had zinc lids, a couple of cool embossed ones and an old Jumbo Brand Peanut Butter jar out of Cincinatti Ohio.

I've actually managed to amass quite the collection of jars..I'm going to have to weed some out soon!

I also took a trip out to pick up this diamond in the rough yesterday..

Can you believe it? FREE People! It's going to look so divine in my shop..I can envision all of the yummy Moda precuts gracing the display shelves..the drawers pulled open to display sewing smalls, maybe a snippet of vintage lace here and there...<3!!

And the last of my photographed freecycle items is this beast..

yep, I was able to find an overhead projector! My plan? to use this in transferring quilting lines! Print out what you would like the quilting to look like (cause they have printable transparencies!), hang your quilt top, fine tune the projection to fit your quilt then trace your lines!

I also picked up some turned wood spindles, a small wooden cabinet and a smaller projector for the kids to use, but I don't have pictures of them :) So, that's my Freecyle haul..Do you freecycle? I'd love to hear about your favorite freebie!!

Buzy bee!

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 23:47:00 +0000

I have been buzzing here and about for a couple of weeks now, getting ready to reveal my secret :)

How about a sneak peek?

Can you guess what my news is?

Soon, I promise!!!

Timeout Thursday 2, and why it isn't 3.

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Fri, 27 May 2011 02:25:00 +0000

I am so sorry..I missed last Thursday's Timeout post.

What can I say. Life happens and I'm still trying to establish the blogging habit. I *love* blogging. I am constantly thinking about what I should blog about, or I will try something new and think "I need to write a post about that!", or mean to share a before and after project and completely forget to take the before and during shots.

The problem comes from my long standing, bad habit of procrastination. And by long standing I mean one of my most vivid childhood memories is of my Grandmother telling me that I needed to not procrastinate so much. I was young, probably 1st or 2nd grade and when I asked what the word meant I was sent to the dictionary to look it up and it became my very first word of the week. I don't remember a lot of those..and there were many, but that first one has always stood out in my mind.

Now, while the word, definition, and spelling stuck with me, unfortunately so did the act of putting things off.
I'm working on it, but sometimes it's hit and miss. So now that the boring part is over, lets move on to the fun shall we?

Oh my goodness, look how sweet these cupcake stands from Nothing but country are!!

And this seahorse from Make the best of what's around? LOVE!!! I seriously need to find a similar one for my bath!

This bow pillow from see Kate sew is too sweet, and will be a perfect fit for my loft library seating!

And I just had to include this fun project, Messy mimi's Monopoly money bucket is just too caaaute!

So that's it for this week's timeout Thursday, I hope to be back over the next couple of days with a project or 2 of my own!
Later,
M

Sunday afternoon musings

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Sun, 15 May 2011 20:38:00 +0000

Today I'm cleaning and organizing my current craft room, and I have to say that I'm feeling very overwehelmed. There is so much to organize, and this room is just too small (one of the many reasons for the planned move to a larger basement area) I've got fabric and crafts for personal use, the remnants of Shee Designs customs fabrics, and the stock for With Needle n Thread (that needs checked in, added to inventory and taken over to my mini shop in the White House). Side notes- I really need to get the WNNT stuff done, but to be honest I'm feeling very discouraged in that department. Thanks to a dishonest "anonymous" person, my accounts aren't getting approved or are being help up, and I'm really tired of jumping through hoops only to be disappointed again and again, not to mention the loss of revenue. If said person spent as much time promoting her business as she does trying to ruin other businesses she'd probably be doing too well to have time to try to crush others' dreams.

So, I'm stumped, I wanted to sew some today, but the mess was driving me nuts. now not being able to finish is lol. So I think I will go down and see what I can do to get started in what will be my new space. It may be that it is enough to get my revved up again!

Saturday Samplings

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Sat, 14 May 2011 21:25:00 +0000

Today has been a gorgeous day so far, with only a minimum of the scattered showers and none of the t-storms that were predicted. All of which suited me just fine because I got to go do a bit of yard sale shopping today!

Now, thanks to the Hubsters warning of last week that if I brought home one more stick of furniture before we got some projects finished he was going to start carting stuff to the curb I passed on a real cutie of a stand..which I'm regretting a little but I'll get over it lol. But I did manage to find a few real good deals.

I hit 8 yard sales today, at the first one these fabrics were marked $2.00 for each print, there are at least 2 yards of each, and the oranges are more like 4 yds!

At a different yard sale I picked up a Picture (for the frame of course) for $1.00, and 6 sweet little gavanized planters for some herbs for $1.50.

At a third, a vintage quilt book for $1.00

The 4th and 5th were busts, 1 was all baby stuff and the other was way over priced.

The 6th was a doozy

See those cones? That's sewing thread, 6,000 yards of coats, brand new still in their sealed plastic...$.25 each!! I picked up 2 of each color and plan to share the wealth with my sisters in law. I also picked that picture up there for another whopping $.25 making my grand total at that yard sale $3.25.

at the 7th stop I picked up 6 locker drawer fronts like these:

from the PBTeens locker bed in orange and green for $.50 each. I'm going to make some rolling under bed storage and I have an idea for Minion 3's reading nook for a couple as well.

The last yardsale didn't have much, it started to rain and I was hungry and just about to the end of my $20 budget, so I headed home and unloaded.

Just as I was about to grab a quick sammich and write this up, Hubby poked his head in my office and invited me out to lunch and a quick stop in at the local half price books. I, of course, jumped right back up and we had a wonderful outing with just the 2 of us, and now I have Nora Roberts' The Search to read tomorrow!

Wow, time sure flies! I need to get get dinner started! Fortunately I had planned ahead and have had some steak cubed and in some bourbon street marinade with some mushrooms and onions since yesterday. I'll toss those in a skillet, add some baked potato and a salad and call it dinner ;)

Later!

Dinette before and after

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Fri, 13 May 2011 19:06:00 +0000

About a month and a half ago I was on a mission. I wanted a 2 seater table for my kitchen. At first my vision had a more retro country feel with one of those little rectangle farmhouse drop leaf tables, and while $100-$150 isn't a bad price for one, it was more than I wanted to pay. so I kept looking, knowing that eventually the perfect table would eventually be found.

Well one morning while on my way to take Minion 2 to an estate sale--Longer story, I will fill you in on that at a later date.--we stopped by a moving sale, and the clouds parted and a golden beam of light shone down upon this diamond in the rough!.

Ok, it didn't really happen like that, but this set was on their porch so I asked if they might be going to sell it too. They said sure, we'd take $25 for it, and just like that it was mine!
I just love the mid century mod lines and it was actually in pretty darn good condition already.

It's taken me this long to get it finished, due to weather and illness, but today I finally felt well enough to get the chair seats covered and here she is now!

The paint is Krylon Cherry Red, The fabric is DSQuilts (found in Joann Fabrics) I love it!
Oh..and less than a week after I bought this I found a vintage oval drop leaf set for $25..Did I get it anyway? Oh you bet I did! LOL

Ok, it's time to go get some groceries, a week on the couch has meant a lot of meal rearranging, Hubby has been wonderful, and I wish I hadn't been so sick so I could have enjoyed the weeks worth of someone else cooking dinner!

new weekly feature: Timeout Thursdays

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Thu, 12 May 2011 17:59:00 +0000

So here I am, riding the couch. no sewing, no crafting, no cleaning, no anything. I awoke Sunday morning (Happy Mom's day to me right?) with a headache, sore throat, fever and feeling like I'd smoked about 5 packs of cigarettes...and I've been tobacco free for 2 years. Anyhow long story short, I went to my docs and I have bronchitis.

Today marks the 3rd day of antibiotics, which is another way to say that I feel almost 100%, as long as my rear is parked on the couch not doing anything.

The bright side is that I'm getting caught up on my blog reading, the down side is that I have to restrain myself from getting up and doing any of the items on my oh so long to do list, and because I'm getting caught up on my blog reading I'm adding more and more projects to that same list!

This got me thinking, Why not institute a feature day?

Thus Timeout Thursdays is born!

This will give the the chance to stay current with my fave blogs, and introduce my readers to blogs and projects they may have been missing out on, Like this one from Flamingo Toes;

Love, love, love the chicken wire!

Or this beauty from Dreamingincolor

so sweet!

and this Vintage sheet turned dress from The Cottage Home just makes me wish I had a little girl to sew for:

and her bowl covers are so cute and perfect for every pot luck gathering!

Hopefully I will be back soon with projects of my own to share in the meantime I will just continue to drool over everyone else's!

Jumping on the band wagon!

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 22:04:00 +0000

So I am totally in love with these star quilts that are cropping up all over blogland..and now AmandaJean of Crazy Mom Quilts is also working on one and I figure it's perfect for when my back just isn't up to sitting at the sewing machine. So after a quick stop at Joann's today to get some template plastic I'm going to get some prepping done in time to start sewing tonight while we watch our DVRed DWTS and Glee. Can't wait to snap some pictures of my own!

A sewing weekend!

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 19:29:00 +0000

It feels like it has been years since Jan Ome (janome..get it? yeah I'm THAT dork! LOL!) and I have been able spend any time together, but we've been making up for it this weekend!

It feels so good to be getting some projects ticked off my list! Michael (AKA Minion 3) got a TV in his room for his 13th birthday (yes, we are those parents..all of our boys had to wait until they were teens to have their own personal tv) But after putting so much work into refinishing his vintage dresser, Hubby didn't want to put the table straight onto that painted surface. Sadly, that means that Michael's TV has been sitting on his bedroom floor since Feburary 6th waiting to be set up.

Now, I don't feel too awful about it, he pretty much uses the tv in the living room constantly since that is where the Xbox and Wii are, but in keeping with my quest to end the procrastinating and getting our house in order It's time to get his room Finished! At least as much as possible for now, the major construction of the reading nook won't be happening until the decluttering and downsizing is complete.

So today I took an hour to whip him up a simple quilted table/tv pad (Runner) He picked the fabrics (kid has a good eye!) and it will fit right in in his room! My only wish is that I'd used smaller strips of white and used them between each fabric. But he loves it and that is what matters!

Last Night I also whipped up some Mug rugs, they are just waiting for the bindings to be sewn down and then they will be winging their way to Ireland :)

I've got more news and some great thrifty finds for you, but I'll save those for later in the week!

Have a great Sunday!
M

Fantastic Giveaways all month at Rusty Rooster Vintage blog!

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 22:38:00 +0000

Let me tell you, even if you don't enter the contest, you will definitely want to NOT miss a single post!

Please show my new bloggy friend, Vicki, some love and check out her blog!

Getting the house dressed for spring!

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 03:48:00 +0000

So last night was one of my insomnia nights..I couldn't even get sleepy, let alone actually fall asleep. So I did a a couple of quiet chores and then got some more work done on some projects, and started and finished a couple of others.

One of the started and finished projects was this Rabbit. I knew I wanted a Rabbit to center my easter/spring display on my kitchen buffet around and I had an picture in my mind of what I wanted. I didn't have a lot of luck until I walked into Walmart last week to grab some masking tape.

There he was, the bunny I had been looking for! The only drawback was that he was grey, and I wanted white. I bought him anyway and with a little help from my Favorite shade of Americana paint (bleached sand) I have a white rabbit for my kitchen!

Now, my kitchen buffet has been taking a beating here lately, Have you ever noticed how whenever you are working on a major project or if you are feeling down that the hot spots in your home go completely crazy and out of control?
Exhibit A.

Really?

I wish I could blame it all on the guys..but I'm just as bad about it, especially when I am in one of those funks. This is just an example of pure laziness on all of our parts, it took me all of 10 minutes to gather everything up and..GASP...Put it away!!!

Ahh..Now isn't that better? Clean and tidy with a new White Rabbit center stage!

All that is missing are my stuffed eggs that I haven't made yet...and I think the rabbit needs some glaze.. I will have to think on that one!

hehe the little chick was a dollar store buy for the fun of it, Nefferkitty isn't real sure of it when it is hopping around, but CleoKatra doesn't even spare it a glance. She's such a Diva.

The little blue birds are actually salt and pepper shakers that I scored at Loot last week, and the plate they are sitting on was the goodwill buy I posted about last post.

And don't the vintage Milk bottles look great with the fresh daisy stems?!

Once I am able to uncover more flat surfaces in the house (it's been a several week funk..At least I was awake and fairly even tempered!), I'll probably do some shifting around, try to get away from the symetrical feel it's got going on, but this works for now ;)

What about you? Are you ready for spring yet?