Friday, February 25, 2011

Friday... Friday.... Friday!

I have been very busy the last couple of days!   Our leather love seat was delivered on Monday.... and I have been pondering how to arrange the "Study"  we have an awesomely warm fireplace in this room!  The front of the house is like one long room, but we have made half of it the dining room and the other half "the study"...  So yesterday when I went to town, I stopped by Sofa Mart and checked the back wall for dings and scratch items!  I was looking for an end table and a chair, and was looking for something cheap!  I hit the jackpot!  The end table had some scratches on it and was marked $78. and I got him down to $50. for it and the chair was down to $178. and I got him down to $160.!!!! So I scored both for $210. plus taxes!  So this morning I made a slipcover out of "Osenburg" fabric, (Thank you Aaron) kind of a mix between a linen and muslin and burlap....  I then made a  couple of ruffled pillows and then I had this huge frame I spray painted black, and a huge letter "B" from Joann's... that I did a painting technique on and made some shabby flowers out of some left over material!  I now have what I think is an awsome look going on in my new room!!!!  We had dinner guests last night who got to see our new furniture and I think they approved!  I fixed Beef Stew, (in my new cast iron dutch oven) and salad, cheddar cheese/garlic biscuits and a low cal dessert of angel food cake with lime jello and a hint of sour cream... with fat free cool whip!  Hope you enjoyed the evening Robert and Michelle as much as we enjoyed having you out!

So now it is time for me to bore you with some pictures!

Wishing you a fabulous weekend full of God's Blessings!

Nancy

My awsome bargain.... with a little ding I will fix!

you can hardly see it! I will fix it!

and the chair!

looking from end of dining room into the "study"

My new look!

It is getting there!

I love it!

My crazy ruffled pillow that I had no idea of what I was doing!

another ruffled pillow!

my new looking ottoman!

What do you think???

The ottoman before the slipcover!

A picture tutorial of the slipcover making!  I laid the material over the ottoman then took pins and pinned the corners that are draped...

see the pins?


I cut off the excess material and stiched it up!

I then tried it on my ottoman inside out.....

I took my acrylic measure board (whatever it is) and trimmed it all to the same heigth....

I then cut an appropriate length piece of material for the ruffle and hemmed it up before it was ruffled!

Ta Daaaaaa!


My huge frame which was free it was a bright gold so out came the black spray paint.... and the B that I distressed!

My favorite flowers to make .......

I just linked up to....
Chic on a Shoestring Decorating

and
freckled laundry
and




http://www.wildflowersandwhimsy.blogspot.com/
















Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Cool Rainy Days!

GUESS WHAT?  The Love Seat has arrived!!! YAY!  Now I have to work on furniture arrangements and some wall decorating before I take some room pictures!

 And this is what being retired is all about!  I stayed in my jammies today and knitted till noon!!  I got the baby hammock done (pictured below) I have NEVER knitted on such big honkin needles before!  Size 35!  I know you are asking WHY I knitted a baby hammock?  My daughter the photographer had me knit it for her for photo props for newborn babies!  Maybe she will share a picture with me?!

And then  go to riduculously small as in below, I am knitting socks two at time from the toe up!  If I get these done I will frame them!  I wouldn't dare give them as gifts.... (if I ever saw or heard of them being put in a yard sale.... hmmmm I would croak!)  I may never finish them!  The needles are size 2!  Yikes hard on this gals eyes!

And moving on to something much more enjoyable!!!!!  The sock monkey hats!  Won't these look adorable on a set of twins!!!!  I have to do one for big sister first then they will be off in the mail!
Hope you had an awesome Wednesday and found some joy in your day!




I am linking the monkey hats up to....

Show and Tell Green










Saturday, February 19, 2011

Table Runner

It was a busy but fun Friday..... When I got up I got some bread going and put some potatoes in the oven to bake because we had company coming!  What was the menu for the night?  Rib Eye Steak (raised by my son in law the farmer!  Which is the best meat you ever tasted!) Twice Baked Potatoes, Salad, and home made Banana Cream Pudding!   So if that wasn't enough to keep this gal busy for the day.... I had been eyeing the quilted table runners over at Diary of a Quilter and decided I had plenty of time to make one to grace the supper table!  I had already picked up some Fat Quarters (not sure why they call them that they are little squares of fabric for a ridiculous price)... years ago I would of had so many scraps from all of my sewing that I would not of had to buy the material!  I still have to put my edging on the table runner but I am pretty pleased with how it turned out!  So what are you waiting for?  She has an awesome step by step tutorial and it is realllllyyyy easy!






The food was good, and we had a nice visit with our guests!

Hope you have an awesome weekend!  Be Blessed

I am linking up to the following parties......


and

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Happenings around This Old House...

It has been a busy week here!  Our anniversary was Monday, and yesterday was my Birthday!  Mark took off 3 days this week and we had a great time getting some odd and end things done around the house.... namely the kitchen countertop!  We actually started the project on Sunday night and got the primer painted on the countertops.  (Remember when we were working on the kitchen and I said I had a technique I was going to do on the countertops? Well finally we have gotten to that!)  Anyhow it was a several day project although it could easily be a weekend project!

The week has not been all work and no play, on Monday we went to the Cities for supper and yesterday my sweet husband took me up the river to an awesome knitting shop in Muscatine and paid for my purchases!  I should of really loaded the counter up!   I actually did get way too much!  Thank you Mark!!!!  I now am the proud owner of a set of Addi Cliks interchangable needles and we had an awesome meal at the Button Factory which overlooks the Mississippi River!
Addi Cliks Interchangeable Needle Set!!!!!!! :)
 So onto the countertops.... the granite kit was from Giani the same as the stainless paint I used for my backsplash! Yes, we could have put new countertops in, but then again we could of put new cabinets in also! I was trying to not break the bank on all that we have been doing to the house! I am satisfied with the look we have achieved and NO I am not stupid I know that they don't look completely like granite but it is new looking and fresh and I can live with it! Down the road we can put new countertops in if and when we decide and we will see how this holds up! The company has great reviews so I am hoping we have the same here! They sure have a wonderful sheen to them!

**** I have had questions about my backsplash so I will send you to another post about that... I used stainless steel paint from Giani to paint the old tiles!  Here is the link  Kitchen redo!
AND if you want to see what we did to the floor you can go to this link  Kitchen Floor!




Here is the Link Giani Granite Countertop Kit  the cost was $ 54.95 plus Shipping!

BEFORE

The countertops imperfections!

Countertops with just the primer on!

Another view of counters with just the primer!


TADA



My "I am hoping for Spring decorations"


I am linking up to Chic on a Shoestring Decorating
AND Frugal Fridays @
The Shabby Nest

And









and


and  http://makingtheworldcuter.blogspot.com/
Making

and