Chevron Cafe Curtains...

We have lived in our current home for over a year and I have yet to hang kitchen curtains! I finally decided on colors and fabric, so I headed to Hobby Lobby and decided to commit to a fabric to purchase. I opted for a cream and aqua chevron canvas fabric.

The curtain has been sewn, but I picked up the wrong size curtain rod and have to get the right one soon. Before I can hang them, I need to remove the screen, unstick the paint from the "painted shut" windows, install new screens, paint the window trim and install the new rod. I guess I had better get busy!

I still have to sew the panel for the back kitchen door, but aside from applying some fresh paint to the door, and installing the rod hardware, it doesn't seem as involved as the other window will be. (I eventually need to replace the knob because the key likes to stick in the lock.)

Here's a peek at the finished curtain panel.

nothing creative lately...

thanks to still not having my craft table fixed and set up, and life getting crazy with a new job and schedule/routine. i made some super cute skirts for the maid costumes for our school's performance of Annie Jr. but i didn't get pictures of them. they turned out really good. next up on my project list is an appliqued "owl" apron for a friend at my old school. i would like to start something there where a portion of my profit goes toward "relay for life", but we'll see how things go.

i'd like to do a few knitting and sewing projects before the holidays, but not sure what to do or how to squeeze it in. i need to think about things i can do. i have been looking for fabrics for my daughter's room, which she shares with her little brother. i want it to be something that she loves, but something that can coordinate with what i am doing with his stuff (which is still dr. seuss).

been awhile...

life has gotten in the way of my creative side, but i'm working on it...

we have recently moved and i still need to set up my sewing/craft area. cooking is definitely been my creative outlet lately...i'll update and put up some stuff soon...

lots to do...wowza!

so here is my short list of things to do:
1. sew cushion and arm covers for loveseat and sofa ("pleather" is wearing out and ripping...had to tape rips because repair epoxy no longer works)
2. make 4 oblong pillows for above furniture
3. re-cover kitchen chairs
4. embellish 3 aprons with "owl" motifs
5. make "owl" throw for e's teacher (new year's gift)

other projects on my "do soon" list:
1. make stacking cans and beanbags for toddler
2. knit 2 throws for family room (one each for sofa and loveseat)
3. make juice can stilts
4. re-cover rocker/glider cushions
5. repair/paint cedar chest and country bench chest
6. organize sewing area now that it is finally set up in the front room

my crafty goals for the coming year are to begin sewing clothing items for the fam, begin making gifts for next christmas, knit and crochet more, and enjoy it!

a few of my favorite things...

elisa's christmas skirt



peanut butter fudge x6 (batches, that is)



mince meat pie...one of several in our "pie of the week" series

this holiday season has gone by so very fast, i didn't get a chance to finish much of what i started, but we did manage to accomplish a lot too.

beginning at thanksgiving, i made pies...pecan and pumpkin (fresh, not canned, thankyouverymuch) were first, then came the above pictured mince pie. i also made a strawberry-rhubarb pie and another mince pie. there is still an apple pie, and maybe another pecan pie still to make before we are finished.

i made peanut butter fudge...and boy did i make a lot! thanks to a misunderstanding of my daughter's interpretation of "1/2 c." i mistakenly assumed she meant "1 1/2 cups". in order to salvage my fudge, we ended up making the recipe X6, instead of X2. it made 7 pans full, lasted several weeks, and was given away as much as possible.

i was determined to sew elisa a skirt, which i did the night before it was needed, and proudly finished it at 2 a.m. before getting a few hours of sleep before the children's christas program! didn't it turn out cute? that fab fabric came from the clearance shelves at joann last year, super cheap too!

i also found an amazing recipe for lefse. i found glogg at ikea, which complimented our christmas eve dinner of lefse, potatoes and smoked norwegian salmon very nicely. this was the best batch of lefse ever! i am ready to make some more.

and last, but most definitely not least, i made cookies and the family favorites are my grandma corky's peppernuts. i have several rolls of them still in the freezer ready to bake, and then i believe i will need to make more of these too!

it's been a crazy holiday season, but it was great, and i was able to find time to do things with the kids and let them help with the baking. it was so much fun.

oh yes, and i found the best recipe for using up leftover ham...ham apple pie!!! it sounds crazy and i looked it up due to my facetiousness, but it was a hit with the whole family and will definitely be something we have again!

hope your holidays were great too, now to work on revamping my blog-dom...

christmas countdown...

i haven't had a lot of time to do crafty stuff, but i plan to get creative for the next few weeks for the holiday season.

here are a few things on my list:
*decorate the house for christmas
*stacking/knock-down toy for thad (cover cans with felt and embellish)
*neck pillows for the older two (planned for last year, but never done)
*advent calendar (need to get on that one asap)
*elisa's christmas skirt (or dress? haven't decided yet)
*owl aprons for my co-workers
*bean bags for a co-worker, and some for thad
*finish hot pepper apron for a friend
*mail knitted scarves to the grandmas
*knit super-soft throw for thad
*knit diaper covers for photog friend
*photo shoot of kids for christmas cards
*photo shoot friend's kids for her christmas cards
*make said christmas cards and send off to be printed
*lots of baking, candy making, etc.
*paint/repair cedar chest and dresser freebies i acquired
*make jammies for thad, nick and elisabeth...maybe jerry and i too!

there are oh-so-many things i want to do, i need to be more focused and make more time to do it! time to get off the computer so i can get to work...maybe i'll actually accomplish some things to photograph so i can post about them!

dr. seuss armoire

it took long enough, but i did the nursery armoire and finally got to put it to use. it looks pretty good i think!

list progress...

below is the list i posted awhile back, and I'll note my progress on each item...

1. paint all of the walls in the interior of our house not finished
2. paint the armoire for the nursery not finished
3. paint the dresser for the master bedroom finished
4. paint the papasan for the teen's room scratched off list, teen didn't want papasan any longer
5. sew papasan cushion for painted papasan see above
6. sew cushion covers for the glider and ottoman in nursery not finished
7. sew dust ruffle for crib scratched off list, baby will be in toddler bed pretty soon i'm afraid!
8. sew neck pillows for teen and tweener not finished
9. knit diaper covers for my photographer not finished
10. knit wool diaper covers for baby's bum debating on this one
11. sew diapers for baby's bum debating this too
12. sew fleece diaper covers for baby's bum and debating this also
13. sew quilt and shams for teen's bed (redecorating for b'day) he's still deciding what he wants, not finished
14. make french memo boards for my workspace, tweener's room, office and sewing area not finished
15. finish knitting throw for tweener's room not finished
16. knit throw for teen's room see #13
17. knit two throws for family room not finished
18. knit throw for master bedroom not finished

so yeah, not much progress in this area done at all. i did get the bookshelf finished, to match the dresser, but haven't taken pictures and didn't put it on the list. my next projects are the armoire for baby's room, small dresser painted for bathroom, and painting all of the interior walls of the house. i really want to so some sewing too, but with school and the kids home for the summer, time seems very fleeting. those diaper covers for my photographer friend need to get finished too!

dresser finished...

finally!!!

Below you can see the work in progress...the finish was a reddish cherry color, and the knobs and handles were pretty hideous because they were this gold/brass color, but didn't match each other in style, and they were plastic with the metallic paint peeling off.

I spray painted the dresser black and replaced the knobs/handles with nickel colored hardware from Target. I love how it looks now (bottom picture), and now that I have clothes put away in it, I can start working on what to put on the top of it for decor. I'm sure more pictures will come later on!

necessity is the mother of invention...

thad fell off the bed the other morning and fractured his left humerus, it's not bad enough to need a cast so we are supposed to keep it wrapped up and against his body so he can't move his arm...with a 9 month-old, yeah right! so i decided to make something for him that would work and the above picture is what i came up with. i'm thinking of how i can make it better and plan to look into a patent for it! i just need a cool name for it...