The Homestead

It's Time To Go

2012-01-29T10:01:00.003-05:00

I'll be shutting down the Homestead soon to concentrate on my new hobby of sewing and also to get back to my classes. Come fall I'll be carrying a full load on campus and won't have much time to do anything but keep my nose in the books. In the meantime just one class during summer semester. There are a few other things in the mix that I will be wrapped up in but will keep a big ole "shhhh" for now since it's not set in stone yet. It was fun while it lasted folks. Thank you for reading my posts.

Peace out.... :-)

Master Bedroom redo...kinda

2012-01-27T20:12:00.001-05:00

Welp...I cleaned out a lot of junk over the past week or so. It feels good to get rid of STUFF that's just laying around not serving any purpose. The bedroom is pretty much done the way it's going to stay for a while. We still need to build the wall unit shelving and work desk. This will happen next month. In the meantime, here's the bedroom all cleaned out. I built a headboard this evening as well. I thought it looked more stylish with cleaner lines than having a mantle type headboard. I made this one from extra plywood we had, some batting, and decor fabric.

Here's the rest of the room...

Have a great weekend everybody. Be productive and creative but most of all...have fun.

:-)

Dreaming of Spring

2012-01-22T18:50:00.002-05:00

It's that time of year to start thinking about what we'll be doing in the yard. Up to this point the majority of our time has been spent working on the inside of the house while the outside looks like it has been abandoned and unloved. Here are a few pics I found online of some ideas I have floating around in my head. Not sure yet of the layout or the order that things will get done but I have a feeling this will be a work in progress for a few years to come...

A potting table to work at out doors....

A cleaner and more discrete trash area...

A pergola to the seating area of the yard...

Some dragonflies made from ceiling fan blades and table legs that I've been dying to make...

A hanging bed to put under the pergola...possible even a hammock...

Really would like to do this on all of my walkways...will have to invest in a chainsaw...

Window boxes for about four of the windows...not sure what type of flowers will go in them yet...

Lattice type trellis' for climbing roses....

Closet Make Over

2012-01-22T10:49:00.000-05:00

We have spent the past 24 hours making over the closet. I so wish I had taken pics of it before it was emptied. We could barely step inside to get anything. It was filled to the brim with junk. Crafting junk, clothes junk, shoe junk...you name it...it was in there. Here it is when we finished taking everything out. I decided the walls needed to be painted and definitely the floor needed some lovin as well.

Here it is after we painted it a light yellow on the walls and a gray floor paint....

All of my bags are organized on the shelf and I now have a place to sit and put on my make up.

Industrial Rolling Storage Box

2012-01-21T10:44:00.001-05:00

We had some press board and angle irons laying around so Steve and I decided to build an industrial style rolling storage box to store the piggie and doggie food instead of having it sit on the floor of the pantry. This is very functional and it looks cool.

Our next project that involves angle irons will be a shelving / desk wall unit in the bedroom. I'm planning on that being 8' high and 8' wide with 12" to 18" shelves and desk. It's still in the planning stage so it will be a month or so before it's completed.

It's raining today so now that we are finished with the storage box, I think I'll ride out to Lowe's and price a few things for the next project, which will be a pantry makeover.

To be continued....

Drop Cloth Sofa Slipcover

2012-01-20T19:28:00.000-05:00

Ok faithful followers of my blog...it's complete...my drop cloth sofa slipcover. Not going to say much about it except that I wouldn't want to make these for a living. It was a challenge but all in all, I really think I did a fantastic job on it (if ya don't mind me saying so). This is the very first sofa slipcover I've made...

I also made a new laptop sleeve just for the heck of it. I found this beautiful fabric remnant on sale for 2.50 so I made that the outer cover and used remnants of drop cloth fabric for the liner. It has a velcro closure and quilted the inside just for a little extra detail for funzies.

Open Spaces

2012-01-19T21:19:00.000-05:00

When we decided to renovate this house before we moved in...the idea was to have it open, spacious, and uncluttered. What actually happened was that I got carried away with DIY projects. Let's face it, there are thousands of fantastic projects out there to do. I wanted to do them all. What I ended up with was a somewhat cluttered house. I'm starting to feel smothered. There is something on every wall and sitting in every corner. It's time....

It's time to unclutter. Time to separate things into two piles..."love" and "like" and get rid of the "like" pile. It will be an ugly chore but it has to be done. I will be taking a little time to do this...one room at a time. When I'm finished and feel like I can breathe again, I'll post the results. Don't worry...nothing valuable or antique will be flung out the door. :-)

Starting the New Year Off With Burlap....

2012-01-01T11:06:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful time ringing in the New Year. I did. Spent it with good friends and family. Don't get any better than that folks.

I've been on a burlap and canvas kick for the past week. Seems everything I've made is burlap or canvas. I started out making a few throw pillows for our 8 foot sofa. This thing is about 4 feet wide so, in my opinion, it's very comfortable to sit on without a lot of smaller pillows to throw behind your back. On the other hand...it's fabulous to sleep on...OMG. My favorite pillow cover to make now is the envelope pillow. Super easy and it can be taken off and washed...love it. In a few weeks I'm going to try my hand at making a canvas drop cloth slipcover for this monster of a sofa.

Next I took one of the coffee bags that I had left over after recovering the dining room chairs and made a runner for the hallway. It matches the one I did for the kitchen a while back except this one has been sewn down the side and then frayed the edges....

I found this super pretty burlap table runner on Pinterest and immediately began making one of my own. I'm surprised at how well it turned it out since I started working on it at 1a.m. All of my lines are straight and the measurements were perfect. Maybe I should be a midnight sewster from now on....

After the runner, I found another beautiful burlap table cover that I thought would be great for the bedroom night tables. As they were, they didn't match and it seemed to bother me somewhat...so, around 2ish a.m. I began construction of those bad boys and surprisingly they turned out fabulously as well...

Well folks, that's it for right now. In the process of thinking of what other stuff I sew together....this post is to be continued......

Stay Calm and Sew On..............

2011-12-27T22:25:00.000-05:00

I've been a sewing nut since Christmas. I got my first sewing machine and since then, I haven't been able to do anything but sew sew sew. I love it. Here are a few things I made this evening. I love the burlap basket so much...I plan on making a few more to place around the house to put whatnots in like yarn, scarves, and the like. The purse still needs a button for the closure. I found a super pretty rhinestone one that I'm seriously thinking about getting for it. So what do think? Not bad for only having a three day sewing experience under my belt....right?

Anthropologie Shower Curtain

2011-12-26T10:44:00.000-05:00

OMG if I had known sewing was this easy I would have started it decades ago. Yesterday was my first day ever using a sewing machine and lookie at what I did already....

YES...I am tooting my own horn today. This is pretty freakin amazing. I even made the Anthropologie shower curtain I've been in love with forever but won't pay the outrageously high price for it....

So there are my first two sewing projects completed on my Christmas present. (rubbing hands together...) huuummm, let's see, what else can I sew today...........

Gabriel Ricks Art

2011-12-25T11:32:00.000-05:00

Gabriel Ricks is a friend of mine that just so happens to do amazing art. I love everything he done so far. He has recently had exhibits at the Hotel Indigo and will be presenting another one at the Flicker Bar downtown Athens next month. He recently informed me that he is going to do a piece for me. Oh you have no idea how excited I was to hear that. I did supply the canvas which really isn't a canvas at all. It's a pallet board that I made. I thought it would be amazing with his designs on it to put in my entryway for all to see as they enter my home. It should be completed sometime in February. There will definitely be a post of the finished product. I will also get contact information for him for the public in the event any of you would like to get in touch with Gabriel to purchase your own art.

Christmas Cookies

2011-12-25T10:42:00.002-05:00

Merry Christmas!!!! Today I'm making Christmas cookies for the family when they arrive home today from visiting with the In-laws in south Georgia. These ingredients make the best cookies....

I was suppose to use chocolate chips but since it's Christmas day...everything is closed except the gas stations so I improvised and used Hershey's bars. I used two bars for each batch. I just chopped them up into little bits and added like regular chips. Here's the recipe....

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/flourless-chocolate-chip-cookies-50400000108779/

Happy baking.

Bathroom Sink makeover

2011-12-24T16:11:00.000-05:00

Last post of the day folks....I promise. My morning project for today was to give the kids bathroom vanity a face lift. I painted the counter top and the cabinets. Not much else to talk about except that it looks a 100 times better. Now, if I can only get the kids to keep it clean.

Here's before and after shots.

My Handsome Son

2011-12-24T14:40:00.001-05:00

Coty Alexander. Born August 6, 1990; 9lbs 5oz in Walnut Creek, Cali. What a painful day that was. 18 hours in labor, lots of screaming, lots of pain, and lots of hurt feelings because I was not in the mood for anyone telling me everything was going to be ok. I just wanted that thing out and like super fast. After all that drama it turned out to be a pretty good day. I had a handsome little boy. Typical looking Italian baby boy. He was gorgeous. Came pretty close to naming him Giovanni but in the end he was named Coty instead. I just liked that name Coty for some reason. It seemed to be everywhere at the time so I ran with it.

Coty was an energetic little boy. Always moving and always inquisitive. As he got older, he had to take everything apart to find out how it worked. Never put any of it back together tho. When he was around 5, 6, or 7ish...his favorite things were wearing a suit, a big watch, and carrying a briefcase. He wanted to be a business man. Can't say too much has changed. He's still business minded.

Throughout the years, Coty has been involved in all types of sports...soccer, softball, mountain bike racing, and skateboarding. Although is was the best at skateboarding, his most favorite thing to do in the world is learn computer software languages and all those other computer geek things that I don't understand. He has a great future ahead of him. He has always said for as long as I can remember that he was going to be rich when he grew up and I believe him. He is business minded, up to date on current events, big on keeping up with politics, and has a natural talent for anything having to do with computers. My boy has a bright future ahead of him. One of the things that I love the most about him is that he is not obsessed with girls. He loves girls, don't get me wrong, but his priorities are in order. He's concentrating on college, his career, and getting himself and his goals in check before he gets involved with a girl on a regular basis. As a matter of fact, he doesn't even date, not even as friends. I'm very proud of him in that he has been able to get his priorities figured out at such a young age. I'm excited to see how far ahead of his goals he actually gets in his lifetime.

Yup...that's my boy. My beautiful baby boy....all grown up.

Here's a pic of his dad. Coty is hoping to have muscles like this when he's forty. Hehehe.

My Beautiful Daughter

2011-12-24T13:25:00.001-05:00

Molly LeAnn. Born September 16, 1996; 8lbs 6oz. in Athens, GA. One of the happiest days of my life. I had a beautiful baby girl. As a baby and small child, Molly was nothing but sunshine. Giggling at everything all the time. She was never seen without a smile or hint of a grin on her face.

She is 15 now and has become a young woman that I admire. She is independent, strong, able to think for herself, smart, kind-hearted, and has goals for her future. She is what I wish I was at her age. Molly has not had the greatest of childhoods due to her father and I being divorced only months before she was born. She has always had to deal with the visitations, alternating holidays, and on occasion, the bickering between her dad and myself. This is not a childhood I wish for any child but I do believe it has made Molly a stronger person. It has also opened her heart to develop empathy others and has allowed her to understand that no matter what the outward appearance is, everyone has a skeleton in the closet or some type of issue that they are dealing with in their private lives. Molly has become the defender of the weak, always sticking up for the little guy or girl that gets picked on in school.

Even under the bad circumstances of our life when she was born, she is one of the greatest adventures to ever happen to me.

I love you Molly LeAnn. Never stop being you....you're perfect.

However, she doesn't like her picture taken so the only way I can get a recent pic is if she takes one on the webcam that is built in to her laptop...that way she can make certain she looks right before the shot is taken, I guess. I think it's a teenager thing now-a-days.

Country Kitchen redo

2011-12-23T14:04:00.001-05:00

Finally got the kitchen cabinets finished. I left a few of the doors off and painted the inside because I love the look of white dishes arranged in the cabinets. I may go back and put in some type of design on the back panel of the cabinet but for now we're leaving them as is to be certain we really want a design on the inside or not. Please excuse the "Pork Ass" written on the menu board. Steve slow cooked a rump roast yesterday so we were trying to be funny.

I also made a small ladder to lean against the wall to hang all of the clean dish towels. I just love the look of it. It also holds the aprons and the bucket holds the chalk and eraser for the shopping list board.

I moved the grommet top burlap curtains I made a while ago from the living room into the kitchen. I thought the burlap was more of a kitcheny fabric. I also want to do the drop cloth curtains in the living because I'm totally in love with the way the bedroom ones turned out.

I also have to show off my flowers. I love love love bulb flowers. The Christmas Catus' came from clippings my mother-in-law gave me.

I want to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas. Enjoy the time you have with your loved ones and stay safe in your travels.

:-)
Here's a before shot of the kitchen before we started renovations and moved in....

2nd Wedding Anniversary

2011-12-22T16:55:00.003-05:00

We're coming up on our two year wedding anniversary in three weeks. Totally looking forward to it. We haven't made any plans yet but if I have it my way, we're doing something spectacular. What am I talking about,..just going out to dinner is a big deal to me these days. Hehehe. It's been a fantastic past two years. My husband and his family have taken me and my kids in and made us feel loved and a part of something that is out-of-this-world. I'm excited about experiencing the next thirty or forty years with Steve. He just keeps getting better and better with every passing year as it is. LOVE LOVE LOVE him.

Smoochies to you Steve Arnold.

Here are a few pics of our wedding day. Actually we have two wedding anniversaries. We went to the courthouse in January and had a small unannounced ceremony and then the following April we had a "wedding" in Las Vegas for the family to attend. Here are the pics of the Vegas wedding. There's one pic in here that is of me and my sister hugging. This is the first time we had seen each other in 18 years.

Sunday Pre-Lunch Project...The Kitchen Island Redo

2011-12-18T11:37:00.000-05:00

Got up this morning and decided to redo the kitchen island that I made out an old dresser that was stuck in the back of my closet. We'll be painting the cabinets black in a few weeks so I thought it would look better if the island was also black. I did the top in an ebony wood stain which I believe turned out beautifully. Also added a towel holder to the back along with a chair for a quick eating area instead of having to drag everything into the dining room everytime you want a sandwich or a bowl of cereal.

Next weekend I'll be heading back to the Habitat Restore to pick up a piece of plywood to cut, paint, and attach to the bottom of the island for extra shelving space. When that is complete, I'll be putting wheels on the bottom as well.

Saturday Afternoon

2011-12-17T20:12:00.003-05:00

It's been a beautiful day. Feels more like early spring then the middle of winter. Today was spent doing little projects here and there and tidying up the crafting supplies that were laying all over the house. Now that I have a crafting area, they now have a home so I have no excuse for not picking them up. I like being in any room of the house and not seeing cans of paint, power tools, or pieces of cut wood sitting in the corners.

I stopped by the Habitat for Humanity Restore first thing this morning and found this awesome little window that was selling for 2.50...at that price, It was most definately coming home with me. I hung it in the opening between the kitchen and the living/entry way. I think I'm going to do a small bulb garden underneath it so the flowers grow upwards towards the window.

When I painted the bathroom cabinets, I had it in my mind that I wanted to do some type of design on the inside so I left it unpainted. Found this paper that coordinated well and a couple of tiny baskets at the Dollar Tree for storage. I did a decoupdge on the inside of the doors and hung the baskets. I might just do the whole inside, sides and bottom of the cabinet as well...but not today.

I also built a frame for the bathroom mirror this afternoon. It was fairly easy for a first timer on that type of project.

While I was at the Restore I found an old and very ugly lamp shade for 1.00...so I bought it. I took the old and very ugly plastic like fabric off of it and recovered the metal frame with burlap. This is go on the lamp in the bedroom.

I spent 4.50 today and got several projects crossed off of my list...Today was a good day!!!!
:-)

Refinished Kitchen Counter Tops

2011-12-16T19:21:00.001-05:00

Another project I finished today...the kitchen counter tops. I refinished them with a rustoleum hammered steel paint. Keep in mind that you can't just start painting your counter tops like you would a wall. First you have to clean clean clean them with TPS to get ALL of the grim and grease off of them. Here is a pic of the materials I used for the whole project, not including the clear sealant that I put on last. I did three coats of that. It was a water-based gloss sealer and protectant. I used the same thing on my bathroom counters about four or five months ago and let me tell you...that stuff is awesome. My counter tops are as durable as a laminate.

You can see the original ugly green counters in this photo......

The cool thing about using a hammered paint is that when you have to use a brush instead of a roller for those tight areas like around the faucet, the brush strokes do not show. When the paint dries, it all dries the same, with a hammered metal look. AWESOME...Here is a close up. It looks bumpy but it's not because of all the sealant. It's actually very slick and smooth....

Now for the finished product. We'll be painting the cabinets black in a few weeks with a clear coat sealant on that as well for easy cleaning.

I have to also show off my rolling pin. It's my first one. I tried to make an apple pie a few months ago and totally messed it up just because I didn't have a rolling pin to roll out the crust. My sweet husband still eat it and complimented me on how wonderful it was (I knew he was lying but I love him for not hurting my feelings). I found this one at a yard sale for 2.00...there again...AWESOME.

Angle Irons Turn Into Hanging Pot Rack

2011-12-16T13:03:00.001-05:00

The second project I completed today is the hanging pot rack in the kitchen. I'm in the process of refinishing the kitchen counter tops so while I wait for that to do it's thing, I went ahead and made my pot rack. Originally, I was going to use plumbing pipe to make my rack but I happened to go into the closet and noticed we had three long pieces of angle iron that had no use what-so-ever. So me being the type that likes to repurpose stuff...I cut them down with the jig saw, screwed them into the studs, and hung my pots on it. I actually love it. It has an industrial yet farmhouse look to it...modern but country.

My goal is to get stainless steel pots and pans to hang up there.

:-)

Living For the Weekend

2011-12-02T20:51:00.000-05:00

I've been dealing with an abscessed tooth for the past few weeks. Do you have any idea how hard it is to stay friendly and smile while that's going on???? uuuggg (sorry, I just had to vent for a minute there)......anyway, now that I'm working regular, I look forward to the weekends again. I'll be painting the bedroom and working on a few minor projects such as some lamps and wall art and such. Painting the bathroom will be next weekends projects and then after that will be building the mantle headboard, frame for the mirror, making drop cloth curtains, and getting the loft area set up. Painting the bedroom alone is a huge project which is why it gets a whole weekend all to itself. The ceiling are about 14' high and the room is about 15' x 20' not including the nook that the bed is in or the bathroom.

I will probably get started on this project tonight so off to put on a pot of coffee I go......I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and be careful when you're Christmas shopping. So many crazy drivers on the road this time of year. Oh, and, if you can swing it....remember to smile when you shop. I was looking around at people while I was in the stores today and noticed that NOBODY was smiling. Everybody either looked tired, stressed, or anxious. Smiling is contagious so please give some to as many people as you can this season.

:-) :-) :-)

The Past 12 Hours

2011-11-27T11:35:00.000-05:00

I've been busy the past 12 hours working on this and that. Put an antique walnut stain on my wooden ironing boards. I'll use one of them as a sofa table and the other in the dining room just for funzies.

Been working on a few more sock snowmen....

My mother-in-law also gave me a carousel horse which I plan on painting white and putting somewhere in my house...right now it looks a little weird to have sitting in my home but it's only temporary.

One of the biggest projects so far this weekend has been organizing the bedroom. Totally rearranged everything. I'll start making repairs next weekend....like patching holes and repainting. I also plan on making canvas drop cloth curtains for all the windows as soon as I get my sewing machine, which I've been told is going to be a Christmas gift this year. We arranged the room so there is a larger, more comfortable seating area to relax and watch t.v. Although the room is not finished, not even close to being finished, here are a few pics. We're in the market for a flat panel t.v. to mount on the wall as well. It's kind of a bedroom, recreation, sewing, computer room all wrap up in one. I'll post more pics as I make progress in this room. Like I said, we have a lot to do in here.

So there it is...what I've been up to the past 12 hours or so. I hope all of you have a great day and I'll chat at ya later. :-)

Sock Snowman

2011-11-26T17:36:00.000-05:00

Here's a cute project to do with the family. Super easy and super fun. I made my sock snowman in about five minutes and plan on making a whole bunch more as soon I get more supplies.

Have fun...........

Here's my snowman.

Here's the instructions:

http://thenshemade.blogspot.com/2011/01/sock-snowmen.html

The Results Are In.........

2011-11-26T14:31:00.001-05:00

So, I'm finished rearranging the living room, dining room, and kitchen. I'm actually making room for some antique folding chairs and two wooden ironing boards that my mother-in-law gave me over the Thanksgiving holiday. Here are the chairs...the ironing boards will be here later this evening.

Of course they need a little TLC. I plan on keeping them as close to original as possible. Will probably do some sort of cushion seat and repair the back.

And here are a few pics of stuff I moved around and rearranged. I did get rid of a lot of stuff, had a "curb alert" posted on Craigslist and, of course, it was all gone within a few hours.

Anyhoo...there they are. Just wanted to post a little something so ya guys didn't think I was just sitting around like a lady of leisure...haha.

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I know I did with my fabulous husband and family. Looking forward to Christmas.