Corners of my Home ~ Bathroom Part II

Thank you, each and everyone of you sweet ladies for your kind and encouraging comments to my last post. I do tend to be quite unsettled with 'change', but I know I will make the best of it ~ it's just a new 'season'. And you're right Jenny, I will continue to make our home a place of learning.

Here are the rest of the pictures from the bathroom that I posted last Thursday...

Kim asked how I had hung the metal tissue holder on the wall ~ it was actually made so that it could be hung, as it has two keyhole openings on the back.

This is an old window my husband picked up on the way home from work one day ~ someone had put it out to the road. I painted it and had mirrors cut and put them in place of the glass. It does help to make the small space seem a bit larger. The reproduction pedestal sink and faucet and the brass toilet paper holder were purchased from VanDykes Restorers. They have a great selection of reproduction supplies, including appliances... This is a little cabinet from Target, which I gave a coat of paint. The mirror is fashioned from an old standing picture frame that I painted...
This is my prized clawfoot tub, which my sweet husband wrestled down a flight of stairs of an old duplex we used to own...just for me. He has a lot of patience with some of my crazy ideas! At the time we didn't even have a place for it, but I knew someday I would... On the back wall is a peg rack he made for hanging towels...I found this wool hooked rug at Home Depot. It's a favorite, as our cocker spaniel, Zoe, is a similar black and white....
That's the ten cent tour!

blogging blahs....

I've been putting off posting recently because I was feeling kind of blah, and I didn't really stop to think of 'why?' until today. On Monday, my daughter started college and on this coming Tuesday my son will be going back to school for his junior year. I'm no longer a home schooling mom, and even though I will enjoy more time for my own pursuits, this leaves a big, sad void for me :(

It was a great journey and I sure will miss it!

Anyway, I have been keeping very busy...it's that time of year for canning and freezing. I've been canning quarts of tomatoes and am doing another batch today. The other day we bought some peaches at a local farm stand and I made a pie...still lots more to be frozen.

I also have lots of basil which I would love to make into pesto and freeze...reading this post reminded me of that task still to be done.

The other day I cut hydrangeas for drying....

I have managed to start another purse to add to the shop, even though I haven't yet finished the quilted one...still not sure what I'm doing with the straps on that one...

And for those who didn't see this at A Happy Miscellany, here are the goodies sent to Mrs Staggs for my 100th post giveaway. I wanted to show you the keychain because it's a snap to make and I really love it; another great tutorial from Creative Little Daisy!

I hope you are having a great week!

Here is the button for my blog from a request by Ivys from Brazil.

Also, I wanted to include a link to an incredible dress made by Uli Herzner, a contestant from Project Runway. The way she uses colors and prints is just amazing, isn't it? I've never seen anything like it. I'm hoping she makes it to the final 3 so we can see her fabric stash. It must be awesome.

We've had massive quantities of rain in NM and it is so beautifully green here with lots of flowers as you can see in the photos of our front and back yard.

I made a second Christmas mitten - can you see what I did wrong? In the top part of the left mitten I held the white yarn in my left hand (making it dominant) and in the right mitten I held the white yarn in my right hand. Quite the difference, eh?



Massive preparations are beginning for the party of the year. Yes, it is Peaches' 4th birthday on Labor Day. (I actually don't know her birth date since she was a rescue but I did some calculations and picked the nearest holiday.) Peaches says everyone is invited for carrot cake and fruit punch.

Work in Progress Friday

You've probably seen pictures of similar purses...I've been wanting to make one since I saw a picture posted from a Japanese craft book~I think it was Machine Made Patchwork. Then one day I stumbled across Creative Little Daisy, where Autum has posted a great tutorial on how to make these bags.

This is what I have so far...I've got it all quilted and the lining is all ready, just waiting to sew everything together. I used some Amy Butler fabrics and some vintage. I haven't decided yet what to do for the handles. This is another great way of using up what I thought were useless scraps.

I also got this ready and mailed out to a very special giveaway winner...

I'm off now to pick some tomatoes and get them canned.

Have a great weekend!

Corners of my Home~Main Bathrm Part I

Months ago I posted pictures during the remodel of one of the bathrooms, but I never posted the after pictures. I didn't want to do that until everything was finished...all I've been waiting on is to get the shades for the sconces finished. Well, after months, they are finally done.

This is our main bathroom...

It's not big; none of our bathrooms are. I really wanted an old farmhouse, but we built a new home instead, so I try to at least make it look old. The walls are painted cornhusk (Martha's Everyday Colors) and the beaded board is painted butter white. I have always wanted beaded board in here~I love it!~so my husband put it up himself.

The sconces below were bought at a yard sale for a dollar~not a dollar a piece, but a dollar for both of them...I grabbed them as quick as I could. You can't see the detail in my photo, but they have a beautiful beaded detail on them, which matches the beaded detail on the mirror. I covered the shades and added some fringe...hard to see!

Another flea market cabinet with a little glass knob...

This little metal hydrangea towel hook is one of my favorite things...

...as is this old metal tole painted tissue box...

Next week, I'll show you the rest...

More on the yo yo's...

I did work on yo yo's while on vacation...in fact, I was wishing I had cut out and brought more fabric circles because they sew up quick and easy.

Here's a look at what I got done. I made two different sizes by starting with circles of fabric 4 inches in diameter and 5 1/2 inches. As Heather mentions in her tutorial, a longer stitch creates a smaller opening; a shorter stitch ~ a larger opening. I used a longer stitch and had a yo yo made in no time. I love being able to use up scraps of fabric!

Now I'm looking for creative ways to use these. I spent a little time searching for ideas, and here are some things I came up with:

~ Yo Yo Angels

~ Yo Yo placemat

~ Yo Yo ornament

~ Yo Yo tree ornament

If you try these, I would love to see what you make!!! Have fun.

100th post zippered pouch giveaway...

Hooray, the pictures loaded!

Yesterday was a gloomy, rainy sort of day so I spent the afternoon working on two zippered pouches for the giveaway. I thought it would be nice to offer a choice to the winner, so here's the first one in a Denyse Schmidt print and lined with the fabric you see in the background. It has some vintage rick rack and a sunglasses zipper pull...

The second bag is a small floral print and lined with the pink polka dot fabric. It also has some vintage rick rack trim and a silky tassel for a zipper pull...

Everyone's name who commented on the giveaway post was written on a slip of paper for the drawing... And so, without further ado, the winner is...





I'm so happy!!!!! Congratulations, Mrs Staggs. Please e-mail me at dadesign@localnet.com with your choice of pouch and your address, and I will send it right out to you.

more Blogger issues...

Sorry everyone...I'm back, but Blogger is not cooperating today and will not load my pictures. I really want to have the pictures when I announce the winner of the giveaway...can you hang in there a little longer?

My vacation was nice and relaxing ~ long walks, reading, margaritas, campfires & s'mores, and a bunch of yo yo's completed...I'll post those too when I'm able.

Hope you all had a good week!

Yo Yo's & Vacation

Thank you all for the comments you left on the last post. It's been so nice to 'meet many new faces'.

Thank you so much for voicing your opinion regarding the gold mirror! ~ What was I thinking...painting it?! :) I do trust your opinions as you all have great style and taste. It's nice to know now that I can come to you all with my decorating dilemmas.

I am going to leave some extra time open to sign up for the zippered pouch giveaway. Tomorrow I am leaving on vacation, so when I return I will draw a name and announce it on Monday 8/21. It's just been a bit hectic getting ready, so I will have to keep you in suspense until then.

It's going to be a quiet, relaxing sort of vacation at the lake. I hope to do lots of reading, walking, and some sewing. I found a great tutorial at HellomynameisHeather for yo yo's and thought they would be the perfect take-along project. If you visit Heather's website, also check out the Perfect Pear pincushion ~ it's perfect!

Have a great week everyone!

Christmas Booklet

I found some batteries so here is another photo of the knitted Christmas lights and a bulb up close. The top is reverse stockinette stitch but it is hard to see. If I had it to do over again, I'd make sure and measure between the bulbs to space them perfectly and use a dark green for the I-cord. Oh and I'd secure the bulbs better since one of the gold ones fell off before I took the photo.






My next goal is to see if I can knit a poinsettia.

Here are the knitted Christmas lights all smooshed up in the scanner. They're really easy to do. I guess you could wear them as a scarf but I'm including them in the holiday pattern booklet as a decoration. I'm on track to finish by the end of August - I have one more hat to do and possibly a pair of socks.

Corners of my Home

Thank you for the comments on my last post...it's so nice to have someone to share these things with! Thank you Elizabeth, Mrs Scott, and Mrs Staggs for pointing me in the right direction to find a tube turning tool...the next time I get to Joann's I will be sure to check it out.

Today's corner is in the master bath. It's kind of hard to tell because of the lighting, but it's painted Deep Linen G22, one of Martha's Everyday Colors. Most everything else is white except the vintage mirror frame, which I think I am going to paint white. To the right of the sink are some tag sale finds used to hold soap...

I found this little wall cabinet at a flea market in Ohio...it even had the cute little glass knob...

the little bowl on top holds soap...a star fish from Florida...

...this old ironstone pitcher holds toothbrushes and toothpaste...

...and this old commode is handy for hiding unmentionables...

As I went to start this post I noticed it is my 100th post, aaaand as I'm always looking for a good excuse for a give-away, I can't let the opportunity pass by. Anyone who leaves a comment to this post will automatically be entered in a drawing for a little zippered pouch, similar to the one I sent Clarice, here. This pouch is yet unmade so I'm not sure what the fabric will be ~ a pleasant surprise I hope!

busy Tuesday...

I was just getting ready to do some sewing when I got the call...lots of sweet corn ready for freezing. My dad plants plenty for us kids; when I got over there it was all picked and waiting in a bushel basket. After an hour of husking, here it is waiting to be blanched, cut off the cobs, bagged, and frozen...

So, it wasn't til after dinner that I was able to return to my sewing projects. After a near 'nervous breakdown' trying to make the 1/4" spaghetti straps, I ended up with 1/2" straps instead ~ and that was not easy either!

Here it is, all ready to pair with some sleep pants for bedtime...

If anyone has any suggestions or knows of a miracle tool for turning thin tubes of fabric, pleeeease let me know. I found several tutorials on-line and tried everything....using a needle & thread tied on the end, sewing a piece of string on to the end, using a safety pin, and I even tried turning it with a wooden skewer....nothing worked! One tutorial mentioned 'patience' under its material list ~ I think I was a bit lacking in that.

After all that, finishing up this bag was a piece of cake...

Here's a peek inside, where I added a floral pocket and a magnetic closure...

And here is the list I promised Tracy at Seaside Enchantment:

1. Five things in my freezer: Death by Chocolate ice cream, blueberries, sour cherries, homegrown chicken, Luigi's Lemon Ice
2. Five things in my closet: photo boxes, hat boxes of cards & notes from my kids, a wicker basket of handbags and totes, hot rollers, cowboy boots
3. Five things in my car: tissues, maps, ibuprofen, Armour All wipes, quarters
4. Five things in my purse: Joann Fabrics sale flyer, paint swatches, fabric swatches, dress pattern envelope New Look 6557, tiny metal vintage tape measure
5. Five things in my wallet: Feel Rite Fresh Markets frequent shoppers club card, Blockbuster membership card, checks, knitting needles tracker card, Red Cross blood donor card

I had heard that Nicky Epstein was doing a book on knitted flowers a year ago and was terribly excited. She has incredible technical skills and I imagined perfect elaborate reproductions of lilies and orchids and sunflowers. Maybe I'm too picky but do these even look like flowers to you?

The flowers in the first photo are done by winding a thin strip of garter stitch into a ball. Ironically there is a comment on Amazon that the flowers in the book are too hard to knit. My favorite flowers in the book aren't really knit - they're made from knitted felt that is cut into flower shapes.

Still, in the Nicky Epstein vein, I'm going to play with I-cord today to see if I can knit some Christmas lights. Yes, you heard right.

Weekend Happenings

I hope you all had a great weekend. On Saturday morning we headed to our county fair, where Mike was participating in a 5K run...I went along to cheer him on and had a look around at the fair exhibits and animals.

In the afternoon, we cheered Stephanie and Sparky on at their competition...we were happy for them when they received a 1st place blue ribbon in their division...

Sunday, we took a trip to the Sterling Renaissance Festival and had loads of fun watching the stage and street performances such as Daniel, Duke of Danger and his balancing acts...

We loved the full-armoured joust and swordplay performance...one of the horses below waiting in costume...

...comedy and juggling by The London Broil Show was our favorite...

We also saw the pirate show, Johnny Fox the sword swallower, a knife throwing show, and a presentation of Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew. There were dozens of artisans there demonstrating their craft and wonderful foods, including huge turkey legs! Great fun!

Yesterday I started on a camisole...I'm using the fabric from two vintage pillowcases...

...and I am just about finished with the bag I've been working on...maybe some pictures tomorrow.

Have a great day!

DH and I went to the other side of the mountain to check out neighborhoods this weekend and it was a bit stressful. We both are so used to living in the middle of nowhere doing our own thing being free spirits so suburban life may prove a bit tricky. The move makes sense on many levels - we'd probably save several hundred dollars a month just on gas and DH would save 2 hours of city driving per day - but we both need some serious attitude adjustments. I did finally figure out why so many of the neighborhoods had a "Stepford" like feel - they all have homeowner's associations who maintain all the xeriscaped front yards so everything looks similar. Hmmm - this home search may take longer than I initially thought.

I just ordered Nicky Epstein's new book on knitted flowers and am looking forward to testing it out upon arrival. I'm still doing boring things like typing up patterns and configuring color charts so nothing to show today.

Today's rabbit photo is Rusty, the one who got away. I had heard about his availability for adoption and his incredible rescue from a feed store where he was near death. I had also heard about Peaches and decided to adopt her instead because I wasn't up to any rabbits with health issues at that time. I met Rusty a few weeks later at an adoptathon (yes he was adopted by a great couple) and he was a total love muffin. So on those frequent occasions when Peaches is giving me some attitude (we call it the royal bunny butt) I do occasionally think about sweetie pie Rusty, the one who got away.

Vintage Button Swap & WIP

My vintage button swap package from Melissa~all buttoned up~arrived today...

pink tissue paper wrapping with a twill tape bow and a beautiful fabric & button pin.

Inside, cards of vintage buttons were paired with these lovely fabrics...also a great Amy Karol card...

Aren't these buttons wonderful? and what clever packaging!

Thanks Melissa!!!

This is todays work in progress ~ two lampshades I'm covering with this floral fabric. I still need some kind of trim for them also...

they're headed to the kid's bathroom to be used on the vintage sconces we put up recently...

Have a great weekend everyone. We are headed to Stephanie's horse show tomorrow and maybe the Renaissance Fair on Sunday.