Niesz Vintage Home...and fabric

Featured on Houzz

2012-01-26T18:34:00.000-08:00

Style Trick: Use Office Furniture Outside the Office

Houzz- Kitchen Remodel, Bathroom Remodel and More»

Browse Home Office Products on Houzz- For Example:

Bulletin Board · Cable Management · Desk Accessories · Desks · Filing Cabinets And Carts · Task Chairs ·

Do you know about Houzz?
Personally, I'm addicted to it. Its kind of like Pinterest for decorating, landscaping, and home design. Literally hundreds of thousands of gorgeous home pictures that you can browse randomly or by select rooms, then you can add your favorites to your Ideabook. You can also upload photos of your own home.
Anyway, I recently uploaded a few pictures of some of our renovations on the new house and was featured in one of the articles! The article is about using office furniture throughout the house. Our small guest room was shown as an example of using a file cabinet as an end table. You can view the slideshow above (if I've managed to upload it correctly).
And if you haven't been yet, you must head over to Houzz and check out all of the wonderful decorating inspiration. :-)

Tree Hearts

2012-01-09T06:14:00.000-08:00

How great is that!...Heart shaped tree logs. :-)

We had to have a very large ash tree taken down this weekend. It wasn't dead or diseased, but it was somewhat of a hazard. A few limbs had fallen during some recent windy weather, one of which went right through my car's windsheild. It also towers above the house almost 3-4 stories tall and is on a slope that has been satururated with water run-off for the better part of the year. The anxiety of it crashing into our bedroom during the next big storm was just getting too overwhelming, so for peace of mind, hubby agreed to have it taken down.

We have friends who can use the firewood and we'll keep some of the stumps to use as seating around the firepit. Hubby also had the tree guys keep one section longer so he could use the wood to make a rustic outdoor bench.

Anyway, just had to share the awesome naturally heart shaped tree pieces with you. Wouldn't they be pretty as side table tops? :-)

Blue Cut Velvet Boho Bag

2011-12-09T09:00:00.000-08:00

I apologize for yet another bag post. But honestly, its been so long since I've spent any quality time in the sewing room, I got a little carried away. :-)For this bag I used one of my favorite cut velvets. Its a gorgeous blue design on a shimmery beige ground. Although still an upholstery fabric, this one is a little more supple and probably dates a little older than some of the other cut velvets that I've been using. It, too, goes well with the corduroy and I've outfitted it with the same features (interior zip pocket, magnetic snap closure, and long cross-body strap). With the left over pieces, I made a small matching zip pouch. This bag is available on Etsy.

Lime Vintage Cut Velvet Boho Bag

2011-12-05T09:18:00.000-08:00

The next bag to come out of the sewing room is this boho gypsy style hip bag. It sports a vibrant lime green vintage cut velvet upholstery fabric paired with corduroy. A long strap can be worn across the body to hit comfortably at the hip or knotted to create a shorted shoulder strap. This design is slightly different that the previous champagne velvet with the addition of corduroy at the bottom of the bag. Although it was out of necessity, because of the size of the green remnant, I think I like it even better! :-)This one also has a magnetic snap closure and interior zipper pocket. I'm lovin the size of this bag and already picking out fabric to make one of my very own. :-)

This bag is available on Etsy.

Champagne Cut Velvet Bags

2011-12-02T10:43:00.000-08:00

I've been in the sewing room making some more bags. My focus this week was a lovely shimmery champagne colored vintage cut velvet. I've been wanting to make a larger shoulder bag and this upholstery fabric was perfect for it. I paired the velvet with a tan corduroy and added a long shoulder strap that can be worn across the body. A magnetic snap and interior zippered pocket will keep items secure.

I also had enough fabric left over to create a matching foldover clutch. I love the simple design and think it would be right at home with jeans as well as a fancier evening out. Both of these bags are available for a limited time on the website with free US shipping before being added to the Etsy Shop. I have a couple more of the larger bags almost completed and will share those soon.

Has cooler weather inspired more activity in your sewing room, too? :-)

Labradors and Mud Puddles

2011-11-28T09:52:00.000-08:00

This picture will be a very common site around here for the next few days. Lots of rain in Southern Ohio, and although Hunny isn't exactly fond of rainy days, she does love playing in the mud. :-)

She was also very excited to receive a fun gift from her doggy blog pal Abby. This cute Pooch Pouch for her treats and a Key Leash to take with us on our walks.

Abby's mom is the talented Stephanie of Loft Creations. Stephanie has generously posted tutorials for both of these items, plus lots of other fun projects, on her blog here. She also sells PDF patterns for her fabulous bags in her Etsy Shop.

Felt Burger, Berries, and a Fridge

2011-11-21T07:51:00.000-08:00

I'll be watching my niece again over her winter break, so I wanted to have a few new things for her to play with while she's here. In addition to a new FurrReal pet, I also made a couple more felt food items for her 'restaurant'.

A small basket of strawberries...

Oh my, don't look too closely at the uneven stitches, hand sewing is not my forte. lol

And I also made a hamburger with pickle slices.

I also turned a cardboard box into a refridgerator. True to my love for vintage, I went 'old school' with the design. :-) I'm on the hunt for another box to use for an oven.

A Fenced Yard for Hunny

2011-11-03T07:00:00.000-07:00

One of the main reasons we loved this new house was the large lot that it sat on. Its a little over an acre and would give our Hunny plenty of room to run. The only problem was that it was not fenced, and since our dog listens to very little we say, she would surely take off and terrorize the neighborhood children if let off her leash. So, in order to avoid the daily long walks in knee deep snow again this year, it became our goal to get the yard fenced in before winter rolled around. For the majority of the yard, we went with a wood fence style called Kentucky Board. It runs up the hill and ties into the existing farm fence at the back of the property.

At the sides of the house and across the driveway, we had a dark bronze aluminum fence and gates installed. It looks nice with the brown brick of the house and ties in with the porch railing that Hubby made.

Hunny LOVES it! Although she still won't go outside by herself (huh?), she loves to run through the yard chasing birds, and barking at Ava and Patty (the horse and cow that roam the farm land behind us. (Photo taken last winter, we don't have snow yet, thank goodness).

Iced Pumpkin Raisin Cookies

2011-10-29T11:57:00.000-07:00

Iced pumpkin raisin cookies. Yum! I used this recipe from Allrecipes.com as my base. I decreased the sugar by about 1/8-1/4cup and increased the pumpkin by 1/8cup. I also added a few raisins to the batter and pecans to the top. They have a moist cake or muffin texture and are not overly sweet. My new favorite (non-chocolate) cookie. :-)

I'm sharing this over at The Shabby Creek Cottage link party. Be sure to stop by to see all the creative things bloggers have accomplished this week.

A Dog's Life

2011-10-19T07:17:00.000-07:00

Our dog Hunny…I know I haven’t written much (or anything at all) about Hunny since we first got her nearly a year and a half ago. Honestly, I wasn’t sure how long we would have her. To say this dog has been a challenge would be an extreme understatement.
We were not unaware of the perils of adopting a Labrador puppy. She’s not our first. We fully expected irritatingly boundless energy, destroyed furniture, chewed shoes, food snatching, behavior problems, and many trips to the vet due to ingesting any number of potentially harmful substances.
But, what I didn’t expect was to be constantly bullied, bruised, attacked, and bitten (sometimes aggressively so) by my year old puppy!
We did basic command training early. She is extremely smart. We tried to establish our dominance from day one by letting her know that we control the food, by not letting her sleep in our bed (re:photo, She knows she's not suppose to be up there.LOL)and by making her wait until we enter or exit the door first. We provided plenty of exercise; lots of play time and 2-3 mile walks every day, rain, heat or snow. But the biting and dominant behavior didn’t stop. So we finally contacted a private trainer. He confirmed that, yes, we had a difficult case on our hands. She was probably the “alpha dog” of her pack and was very reluctant to give up that title to us. He also suspects that she was separated from her mother too early and never learned what “too rough” play was. Surprisingly, she is submissive to other dogs and is fairly good around kids. With some of the techniques that the trainer showed us, things are slowly getting better. The biting incidents are getting fewer and farther between. But she is still too rough for me to trust her unleashed around small children or the elderly. After seeing some of my horrendous bruises, friends have asked why we haven’t gotten rid of her. Don’t think we haven’t thought about it! But, we take our role as pet owners very seriously. We adopted this dog and it was our responsibility to make her a good, stable pet citizen. And we knew that with our personal circumstances,it was possible.
I have high hopes that as she gets older and past the stage of the wild energy bursts that seem to be the cause most of the problems, she will be a wonderful, intelligent, gentle, and loyal dog.
And I have to say, to this dog’s credit, she has not destroyed any furniture or possessions with the exception of a few shoes, has never gotten up to the counter to steal food, and doesn’t beg at the table. She rides in the car like a dream, loves to play with other dogs, is friendly (although rough) with people, and is very good on walks. And let’s face it, she is a beautiful dog!

So, that’s my tumultuous year with Hunny. Here’s hoping the next year will be less painful.

Oh, and in that last photo you can see a bit of the new fence we had installed. More on that in the next post.

Inspired By the Colors of Fall

2011-10-11T09:56:00.001-07:00

We have had the most beautiful fall weather the last couple of weeks! Sitting out on the deck, looking up at the trees, I was inspired by the gorgeous colors of the leaves against the vibrant blue sky.

I decided to look through my vintage velvet stash for similar colors. I discovered that many of the cut velvets were in autumn hues.

I also found this lovely printed floral velvet with royal blue flowers with touches of yellow, red, and green. I paired it with a vintage camel colored cordouroy for this wristlet.

Most of the items shown are available on my website or my Etsy shop.

What Fall inspired projects are you working on?

The Guest Room / Office

2011-09-25T19:18:00.000-07:00

We have family coming in from out of town, and since my sewing room is temporarily in the second bedroom, we changed a few things around in the office to make a guest room.

I know I've only shown a few "in-progress" photos of this room, so here's a little recap:

The Before photo (dark mauvey pink carpet, yellow walls and ceiling, and oak trim):

And how it looks now with Orla Kiely inspired wall painting, hardwood floors, Moda's Wonderland fabrics, Ikea furniture, and new crown moldings and trim:

We decided that we really didn't need a desk, since we both use laptops, so the desk was moved to the basement. We did need the file cabinet, though, and were able to find one at Ikea that could double nicely as a side table.

Hubby outfitted the closet with shelves and outlets to hold the printer, cables, phone station, and wi-fi thingy.

The room is quite small, and since we rarely have over-night company, we went with a sofa bed. Again from Ikea, this one opens easily into a queen size bed. And with the addition of a pillowtop mattress pad it is really comfortable!

That's about it for this room. Still trying to get the living room into a workable arrangement. I'm not really happy with it, yet, but I did cozy it up a bit for fall. As soon as I can get some decent pictures, I'll share it with you. :-)

I'll be sharing this room make-over at Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday.

Vintage Floral Velvets for Fall

2011-09-09T05:20:00.000-07:00

Vintage printed velvets from the 1970's become new zip pouches. They are in pretty fall colors and have fun poppy and daisy floral designs. Available on Etsy and the website... more coming soon. :-)

Framing Fabric and Master Bed & Bath Photos

2011-08-17T08:08:00.000-07:00

The walls in the master bedroom and bath were still pretty bare, but I couldn't really find any wall art or pictures that I liked. I did, however, have numerous fabrics that looked fabulous with the wall color and originally thought I would be sewing lots and lots of throw pillows.

Instead, I decided to frame some of those pretty fabrics to use on the walls. A lot faster than sewing and it fills the empty space...a win-win!

But first, lets take a look at what this room looked like when we began...

And this is where its at now...(Ikea Pax closet, Olympic's Blue Shamrock paint on the walls) I purchased a couple of Ribba Frames from Ikea and taped squares of fabric to the matting. So easy! In here, I framed one of Amy Butler's fabrics above the chair.

I also picked up the new green lamp on the dresser up there at Pier 1.

I made the pillow on the bed using a lovely orange leaf fabric by Vicki Payne. While it was on sale, I bought several more yards to use elsewhere in the room...maybe for a new slipcover for the blue chair. Or possibly to edge the curtain panels.

And in the master bath, I framed a graphic yellow fabric by Premier Prints. I love this fabric and have it in several colorways!

And here is a Before picture of this room. Not a lot of changes in this room, yet. But a new vanity and flooring will happen eventually. For the wall color in the bath I mixed the same Blue Shamrock as the bedroom, with equal parts of white. The room is so small, I wanted something just a touch lighter.

Oh, and the little curtain in the bathroom is about the only thing I've had time to sew lately. I used a fun and colorful Sandi Henderson Meadowsweet print, orange grosgrain ribbon, and the white fabric left over from the bedroom curtains after I hemmed them.

I'm sharing this transformation over at Between Naps on the Porch.

Hope to be able to do more sewing projects soon. Have a great week, everyone!

Rustic Apple Tart and Blackberries

2011-08-02T04:43:00.000-07:00

I know I should probably be making something with the fabulous peaches that are now available at the local orchard, but I was craving an apple dessert. I decided to keep it simple and throw together a rustic Apple Tart.

I used one of my favorite go-to ingredients, puff pastry (I always have some in the freezer). It makes a wonderful flakey crust. Remember the Cherry Cream cheese Danish?

Well this one was just as easy.

1. I just thawed the pastry and rolled it out a bit, placing it on a parchment lined cookie sheet.

2.Peeled, cored, and sliced 2 grannysmith apples and layed them in a pretty pattern.

3.Rolled up the outer edges of dough.

4.Then sprinkled the apples with a 1/4 cup of sugar and dotted with a 1/3 stick of butter. Because I had some beautiful blackberries from the garden, I added a few to the center.

5. Baked in a preheated 400 degree oven for about 45-50 minutes.

6. In a small pan, I heated a couple of tablespoons of apricot preserves thinned with a little water, and brushed the top of the tart when it came out of the oven. (you could also use orange marmalade).

We had ours with vanilla ice cream. Yum!

And here are those gorgeous blackberries. They were on the property when we bought the new house. There are so many, we've been freezing some of them.

I'm sharing this recipe over at The Shabby Creek Cottage link party.

Tiny House Porch Addition

2011-07-28T05:02:00.000-07:00

There has been so much going on lately that I completely forgot to share pictures of the Tiny House's recent face lift. The project started last summer (before we purchased and even found the new house) and it was something I had wanted for a long time...a front porch!

This is what the front looked like before. Your typical 1960-70's brick ranch, complete with the obligatory yew hedge.

Just a small stoop and no overhang to protect guests from the elements.
The blacktop driveway had seen better days.

The first stage of the project was to have a new concrete driveway and porch slab poured. The front hedge came out and a we installed a jar bubbler fountain under the window.

Then the porch was built and we started laying out where we would lay the paver walkways. A local garden center drew up landscaping plans for us (many places offer this as a free service knowing you'll likely spend lots of money on the plants).
We love the craftman style and tried to incorporate a little of that into the design of the porch supports. We gave the drawings to our contractor and he did a wonderful job building the structure.

And here it is now. We finished up the painting ourselves to save on money and put in the rest of the landscaping.

I'd still like to get a few more plants in and a couple of chairs with pretty pillows on the porch, but its a definite improvement. I'm a little sad that I never got to enjoy it while I lived here but,we've still got a bit of work to do before it goes on the market and we're just a few minutes down the road, so I plan on sitting out on my new front porch every chance I get. :-)

I'm sharing this project over at the Shabby Creek Cottage link party. And at Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday.

Its HOT!

2011-07-20T11:59:00.000-07:00

It is crazy hot around here! 98 degrees with a heat index of 110. I'm not doing much out in the yard, but I did capture a few fun pictures.

This first one is of a large hawk that hangs out in our front tree from time to time. The robins and hummingbirds get so mad, that they gang up and chase him away before long.

I was also pleasantly surprised to discovered that the bush by the deck blooms! I think it might be Crepe Myrtle. If anyone recognizes it, let me know. :-)And the butterfly bush by the back door is a favorite hangout for both butterflies and the many hummingbirds we have in the area. I haven't been able to get a picture of the hummingbirds yet...they're fast!

I'm spending a lot of time right now at the tiny house filling nail holes, painting, and doing what I can to get it ready to sell. Most of the big projects are downstairs and require Hubby's construction skills, so they will have to wait until he has some free time. But, all of this work is seriously cutting into my blogging time. I hope to be able to catch up on all of the fun summer projects going on in blogland soon.

Stay cool, everyone and have a great week!

Feedsacks and Fabrics from the Flea Market

2011-07-01T07:17:00.000-07:00

It has been a whirlwind of activity around here this summer. Besides having two fairly large yards to keep maintained, we have also had a baby shower at the new house, a "Welcome to the Neighborhood" get-together thrown by our sweet new neighbors, a big yard sale, a trip to the antique flea market, and hubby has completely disassembled and sold via Craigslist our large 225 gallon saltwater aquarium that was built into the wall of the basement family room of the old house. Whew!

Anyway...back to the main subject of this post...I found some wonderful feedsacks and vintage fabrics at the flea market in Lawrenceburg a few weeks ago. A couple of fun calicos from the 1970's.

A cute red and white gingham and a kind of boho floral, also form the 60-70's.

And these gorgeous feedsacks!

This one is my favorite; pink daisies, red polka dots, and an aqua background...could it get any better? :-)

The fabrics can be found on the website here .

And the feedsacks are available on the website here.

I have several projects I want to share including a painted cabinet make-over, as soon as I get some pictures taken. I am also going to need some help figuring out what to do with this living room arrangement. I'm stumped and in need of some serious Candice Olson magic.

Have a great weekend!

Porch Railing Flower Boxes

2011-06-10T04:06:00.000-07:00

I thought the front porch needed a little color. So I planted some flower boxes.

I found the railing mount planters at Home Depot. They are designed to hold a plastic flower box, so I had to modify them to hold the moss. Using thin copper wire, I created a grid small enough to contain the moss and dirt. Then followed the same steps as when I plant my hanging baskets. (tutorial here)

I used purple New Guinea Impatiens, blue Lobelia (upright), Coleus, and Sweet potato vine.

I think it gives a nice pop of color to the front of the house. :-)

A Front Yard Tour

2011-05-17T06:31:00.000-07:00

I was finally able to take some pictures of the front yard. The previous owner was an avid gardener, so it has been a fun surprise this spring to see what is going to bloom next. :-)

Let's start the tour at the driveway.

See that bright orange near the house? Those are gorgeous poppies! Let's get a closer look.

In front of the steps there are also several peonies, rose bushes, different colors of columbine, and alot of things I haven't identified yet.

Near the porch, ferns, hosta, more roses, and another type of poppy fill the area.

Here is the view from the house. A nice line of trees partially hide the house from the street.

And lastly, ferns, columbine, hosta, and lily of the valley fill a shady walkway on the other side of the house.
Thanks for taking the tour with me! Hopefully I'll be able to get my annuals planted this week. Have a great week everyone.

New Yard Photos and a Rainbow

2011-05-05T05:07:00.000-07:00

We had a brief break in the seemingly endless storms, so I popped outside to snap a few pictures of the new back yard. As I stepped out the door, I saw one of the largest and brightest rainbows I had ever seen!

Let's walk up to the top of the hill to get a better view.

Wasn't it pretty? Ok, let's head back down the hill and I'll show you a closer view of some of the plantings in back.

This is the view from the deck and also out the french doors of the master bedroom.

There are a bunch of hostas and sweet Lily of the Valley around the tree. Small mounds of Forget-me-nots are also dotted around the yard.

And here's a couple of close-ups.

Bright orange poppies are just about to open in the front yard, so as soon as they do, I'll take a few pictures and show you that area. :-)

Have a great week everyone!

Master Bedroom and Hall Bath Photos

2011-04-27T11:12:00.000-07:00

It has been a very soggy month here in Ohio. Record rain fall has made this one of the wettest months in the past 150 years, so the yard pictures of all of the pretty spring flowers didn't happen. :( Work has been going on at both houses and waiting for a room that is completely finished before showing pictures is just getting ridiculous, so here are a few photos of two of our mostly finished rooms. The master bedroom closets now have their doors and handles. LOVE them! I was amazed at how much I was able to fit in them. I feel so organized!

A picture of what this corner of the room looked like when we bought the house is here in my Flickr.

I think I would like to eventually get white or mirrored nightstands, but these work for now.

The accent color for this room is a red-orange, which is in the art work and the pretty leaf print fabric that I'll be using as a border on the edges of the curtains. The small chair may get a new slipcover, as well.
The hall bath is small and nearly impossible to get decent photos.
The color on the walls is a fresh green called "Summer Field" by Valspar for Laura Ashley Home. The vanity is from Lowes and the shower curtain and pictures are from Kohl's.

That's it for now. Hopefully it will start to dry out around here and I can start planting my annuals. I have lots of hanging baskets and containers to fill this year. :-)

I'm also sharing this on The Shabby Chic Cottage Blog's Transformation Thursday link event. Be sure to pop over to see all of the great projects this week.

Master Bedroom Ikea Closet

2011-04-06T09:26:00.000-07:00

Just a few minor details to finish up and we should be ready to move in! Yea!!!

I know rooms with furniture and accessories are much more fun to look at, but since I don't think I want to show the inside of my closet once its been packed full of clothes, I thought I better show you that now.

The room originally had just one double closet and about 2 feet on either side extended behind the wall, making it a bit awkward to access.

We decided to knock out the wall and install an Ikea Pax system closet.

We bought 3 of the 39" frames and off-set the center unit and trimmed it out with crown molding to give it a custom look.

They only had 2 doors in stock, so we're waiting on the others. I also need to get a few more organizer inserts. But I really like how they seem to make the room look bigger and the ceiling taller...always a plus in a smaller home. :-)

The two bathrooms are also just about finished and I'll show those next.

Have a great week everyone!

Progress at the New House ~ 2nd Bedroom

2011-03-01T07:05:00.000-08:00

Before I show you the 2nd bedroom, I want you to see the new cabinet that I got for the office (3rd bedroom). Its the Hemnes Linen Cabinet from Ikea! Its the perfect shade of red. Love it! It will hold our books, magazines, and basic office supplies.

Ok, now on to the bedroom...

Here's a small update on what we've been doing at the new house.

The hardwood floors are down in the 3 bedrooms and hallway; new interior doors have been hung; much of the crown molding, baseboard, and casings are done.

This is the 2nd bedroom. As you can see, the window casings still need to be finished and the hardware has to go on the door. Here is a Before picture (after the mauve-y pink carpet was removed). Purple walls and ceiling and the basic 70's ranch plywood doors. (nothing against purple, but, you have to really like that color to want it on every surface.)

The walls were painted a light neutral tan called Gray Beige by Olympic paints, and the trim is a white satin (the doors will be painted the same white, eventually). This room will be decorated basically the same as my master bedroom in the Tiny House. I Love the floors! They are a 5" wide plank of 3/4" hardwood in Brazilian Teak . Its not quite as dark as the hardwood floors we installed in the Tiny House. Although I really like the darker color, we now have a very light yellow lab who sheds, and the dog hair shows up in an instant on the dark floors, so I was hoping to find a color that was a touch lighter. The Brazilian Teak came in both a dark and light version, we choose the light. I'm very happy with the color! Please ignore the copious amounts of dust in the pictures. :-)
Well, that's all for now. Have a great week, everyone!

Manoil Toy People ~Treasures From Grandma's Attic

2011-02-23T05:46:00.000-08:00

Wow, I didn't realize it had been so long since I've done a Treasures From Grandms'a Attic post. Well, today's Attic Treasure is a fun group lead metal toy figures. Most of these were made by Manoil but I think one or two are by Barclay.

These were found in a large box carefully wrapped in tissue along with the other toys in the attic.

There are farm workers, brick layers, iron workers, and what look like shoe cobblers. Oh, and just one cow...I wish there were more animals, he's so cute!

Enjoy the photos! :-)

This collection is also part of the Vintage Love Market blog party over at Southern Lady's Vintage.

Vintage Fabric Note Cards

2011-02-07T10:02:00.000-08:00

This weekend I spent a little time making some pretty note cards with my vintage fabric scraps.

I like to include a couple of these with fabric orders, but I might put together a few packs of 4 or so to sell. Not sure yet, I'll need to look into pricing and shipping costs for something like this and if it would be worth it. They're blank inside and come with envelopes, so they are useful for any occassion...and just so pretty to look at. :-)

Have a great week everyone!

Having Fun with Felt Food

2011-01-22T10:53:00.000-08:00

I spent a little time this week making a few felt food items for my niece. She loves her felt and canvas cardtable playhouse that I made for her this past summer and since we like to play "restaurant", I wanted to add to the food she has in the garden.

Since I'm a total novice at felt food, I kept the items pretty simple.

I made some basic sandwich items...bread, lettuce, tomato, cheese, and bacon for a BLT, of course. :-)

The bacon also works for breakfast along with a fried egg, sunny-side up.

I also made a simple taco shell. She'll have fun filling that with different things.

And we have to have something for dessert, so I made a cupcake with pink icing and a cherry.

It was actually a lot of fun thinking up different food items to make. I'm sure I'll make a few more, I think we need a least one more dessert. :-)

And I wanted to thank everyone so much for all of the nice comments on the "Progress on the New House". Its still moving along at a snail's pace, but the flooring is going down now. Poor hubby is doing much of the work by himself, so it will be a bit longer before any new pictures.

Progress at the New House

2011-01-04T06:04:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures of the (slow) progress at the new house.

This is what the little 3rd bedroom looked like before; yellow walls, ceiling, trim.and closet along with dark mauvey pink carpet...

And this is where its at now...
This room will be an office. The carpet has been removed and will have hardwood installed, ceiling and closet have been painted white, walls are painted a light tan called "Natural" by Valspar. For this room I was inspired by the fun and colorful designs of Orla Kiely. Since my attempts to find this in fabric form have been unsuccessful, I decided to paint it on the wall. I still have the stems to do, but you get the picture.

I used the sample size paints from Lowes in 7 or 8 different colors and just sketched out where I wanted each color. At just $3.00 a piece, it was fairly economical and will be much easier to change out than wallpaper. I used a 1" inch foam brush for the edges and a 2"inch brush to fill in the center.

I have located her fabric print in a 2-toned version online, so I hope to make a lamp shade with it eventually.

The master bedroom used to look like this...Yes, that's purple on the walls, door trim, ceiling, closet, and carpet.

And this is where its at now... The color on the walls is called "Blue Shamrock" by Olympic paints. And the ceiling, closet, and french doors have a fresh coat of white satin. This room will also have crown molding and hardwood floors soon.

The bathrooms have been stripped of their dated wallpaper, but there's really not much to see in there, yet, so I'll wait until they have something exciting before I show you pictures.

Oh, and the Tiny house is getting a front porch as we speak...photos to come...

Have a great week everyone!

Kitchen Linen Gift Set

2010-12-15T05:34:00.000-08:00

I've been "scrap busting" again! This week I made another kitchen towel and pot holder gift set for a friend of mine. Its part of a belated anniversary/house warming gift.

I used several of my older Amy Butler fabrics along with linen. I don't know the colors of her kitchen, but I know she likes earth tones, so I'm hoping these will blend in. :-)

We've also been doing some demo work on the new house. We have removed all the carpet and trim moldings in the bedrooms and hallway, I have the master bedroom painted, wallpaper has been removed from the hall bath, and the hardwood flooring is acclimating in the house and waiting to be installed. I'll have a few very boring photos to share with you soon.

Stay warm, everyone! Its frigid here...brrrrrr

Vintage Alphabet ~ Velvet, Whitework, X-Stitch

2010-12-02T08:17:00.000-08:00

It's time again for the Vintage Alphabet link party. This month's letters are V, W, and X.

For V I'd love to show my collection of vintage vases, but they have already been packed and sent to the new house, so I have several vintage Velvet fabrics that I don't think I've posted about yet. The photo above shows a few cut or voided velvets.

I just love the yellow! Its from a vintage bedspread that had a bit of sun damage on one side...the perfect piece to cut for projects!And below is a trio of 70's nylon velvets in bright floral designs.

For W I have a small grouping of vintage Whitework embroidery.

And for X (wow, this one was hard!) I have a piece of vintage X-stitch and a vintage drapery fabric with a faux X-stitch design.

Be sure to stop by the Etsy Cottage Style blog to see more vintage Alphabet collections or add your own to the list!

A New House

2010-11-26T06:23:00.000-08:00

Wow! I can't believe I let an entire month go by without a single blog post! But, I have a good excuse...We bought a new house! You may remember way back in the New Industrial Singer post, I mentioned a crazy week and that I'd give more details about later. Well, the couple that had the yard sale where I bought my sewing machine, was also selling their home. They took us on a little tour, and 5 weeks later, the house was ours!

The pictures are not very good, but I wanted to give you a little tour before we start on the renovations.

As you can see from the first picture up there, its not a big house, just a 3 bedroom 70's ranch. But coming from the current tiny 2-bedroom, it feels like a mansion. LOL

Here's the back of the house with the sunroom and deck. It sits on a little over an acre and backs up to a small farm with one horse and one cow. :-)

It has a large eat in kitchen That opens up to both the sunroom and living room. We'd like to install granite or solid surface counter tops, eventually.

The L-shaped living/dining room has a large stone fireplace. I have a feeling that those two rooms will be a challenge as far as furniture placement, so I'm sure I'll be asking opinions on that soon. All three of the bedrooms are carpeted with a mauvey pinkish-purple. I can't live with that, so we're thinking hardwood. But the master has its own bath (something I've never had) and french doors that open onto the deck.
It also has a large finished basement. There is a small 12x12 room with 2 windows and lots of natural light, on the opposite side that will be my sewing room/studio/office. The plan is to move the wall and make it a bit larger (12x16 or so), remove the carpet and install laminate or hardwood, and have french doors that open into the main part of the basement. That project could take awhile, so I'll need to find an alternate work room until then.

We'll also be doing a few projects on the Tiny house, getting it ready to sell hopefully in the spring. I promise to be better about posting updates on all the home renovations. :-)

Have a great weekend, everyone!

A New Look for the Bedroom ~ Lovely Linen

2010-10-27T08:34:00.000-07:00

I recently updated the look of our bedroom. I actually loved the yellow, but it needed to be repainted and hated to waste the opportunity to change it up a bit. We'll also probably be putting the house on the market soon, so I wanted it to be more neutral.

I painted the walls with a color from Restoration Hardware called Mediterranean White.

I purchased one of the nightstands from Home Goods and painted one of my old ones black to match. The bedside lamps are from Meijer's.

The Mantle headboard was reupholstered with linen and I purchased tan linen curtains from Pottery Barn.

The vintage quilt at the foot of the bed is made with squares of all vintage linen floral fabrics in fabulous fall colors. I also made a new pillow out of a vintage linen from my stash.

A new shaggy 8x10 rug (also from Home Goods) was a steal at only $150.00 and is nice and soft under foot. :-)

On the other side of the room still sits the deacon's bench and on top of the dresser, Hubby gets a new place to stash his guy stuff...a wonderful old wooden box from Gram's attic. I also framed a vintage sheet music cover, with a lovely art nouveau design, in an old frame.

Well, that's it for a tour of the bedroom. I have the shop and website on vacation mode for a few days, but I'll be listing new items on Monday November 1st.

Have a great week, everyone!

Vintage Alphabet ~ Sheet Music and Tins

2010-10-19T08:44:00.001-07:00

Its time for the Vintage Alphabet Collections link party again! This month's letters are S, T, and U.

For the letter S I chose my collection of vintage Sheet Music. The covers are so pretty, like works of art! I even framed one of them and have it in my bedroom.

For the letter T I'm showing a collection of Tins. First, an assortment of colorful ones including a striped lard bucket and couple of sweet bird food tins.
I also have a few fun coffee tins.

Also for T I have a small grouping of vintage thermometers. Sorry, I couldn't come up with one for U. I have an old umbrella, but just one doesn't seem like a collection. :-)

Be sure to stop by the Etsy Cottage Style Blog to see more alphabet collections starting with the letters S, T, and U, or add your own to the link party!

A new (Old) Sewing Machine

2010-09-29T05:37:00.001-07:00

I bought myself a new sewing machine over the weekend. A nearby yard sale advertised an industrial Singer for sale, so I had to go check it out.

I had read up a little on different industrial machines and knew that one good thing about them is that you can always find parts, even for the older models.

This is a Singer zig zag machine, although it also does a straight stitch. Its about 25-30 years old. The woman I bought it from used it mainly for home decorating projects... drapes, slipcovers, etc. She was also an avid quilter. It came with the manual, a bunch of bobbins, and several foot attachments including a ruffler, all purpose, zipper, and feet for making 2 different size rolled hems. There are a couple others too, but I forget what they're for.
This machine is FAST even through several layers of heavy fabric and maneuvers beautifully around corners (ha, sounds like a sports car). I haven't had a chance to play around with it much, yet as its been a pretty crazy week (more details on that later), but I'm excited to try out the satin stitch for applique.

I still have one blank wall in the bedroom I'd like to get filled, but then I'll be back with pictures of the finished room.

Have a great week everyone and happy sewing!

Vintage Alphabet P, Q, R ~ Quilts

2010-09-21T05:00:00.001-07:00

Its time for another Vintage Alphabet Party! This month the letters are P, Q, and R.

P is for Pottery. And since I missed Last month's letters of N and O, lets call these Ohio Pottery and cover that letter as well. :-).

A Roseville wall pocket...

And a Rookwood vase. Both are from Gram's attic and have an Arts and Crafts feel to them.

Q is for Quilts. These first two are from my grandma's attic. They were made by her Aunt Mary. First a Double Wedding Ring with mostly 1940's fabrics.

Look at this cute bunny print!
And the other is a simple 9 Patch with a pretty pink border.

The next is a tied BowTie quilt. Soooo many gorgeous 1930's prints! I could spend all day just showing all the different fabrics in this one. Here's a few...

But there is a little surprise inside this one. It was filled with another quilt! From the few fabric squares I can see it looks to be from the 1880-1900's. I saw indigo and cadet blues, madder browns, and some novelty prints like this clover and horse head.

The last quilt is a little different. It is also a tied quilt, but is made out of what looks to be fabric sample squares... Several different colorways of the same design. One side is made with all vintage linen fabrics, which actully goes really well with my newly reworked bedroom (I'll show you in the next post).

The other side is equally pretty with colorful cotton floral bouquet fabrics. Its hard to pick a favorite .

And R is for Rhinestones. (and again, since I missed last month's N, this also doubles as my Necklace post :-) )

Some of these pieces were given to me by my mother and others were found at estate sales. I just love a little sparkle!

Be sure to stop by the Etsy Cottage Style Blog to see more Alphabet collections starting with the letters P Q and R, or add your own to the link party.

New Vintage Velvets for Fall

2010-09-19T06:54:00.000-07:00

I was thrilled to be able to buy more of these wonderful vintage cut velvet or sculpted velvet upholstery fabrics a couple of weeks ago. They are from the same local estate that the others came from. A talented woman, who did freelance upholstery work for years, had acquired many, many lovely fabrics. Her daughter has been working to clear the house and fabrics and was so sweet to contact me again. Some are large pieces cut from bolts, and others are swatch size pieces, which are great for wristlets and pouches, and many have multiple colorways.

There are cut velvets ( or raised velvets, sculpted chenilles, not sure of the correct term)...

printed velvets...

And my favorite, the multi colored floral velvets! Here are just a few...

I have 2-3 large bins filled with these types velvets as well as other damasks, brocades, and

matelasse. Needless to say, I've been busy sorting and hand washing these beautiful textiles and creating new wristlet and bag designs for the fall and winter seasons.

Have a great week and happy sewing, everyone!

Vintage Chenille Patterns

2010-08-31T12:13:00.000-07:00

This week's Daily Swatch theme over on the True Up blog is Vintage Chenille. It prompted me to pull out my stash of pretty chenille pieces.

I love the patterns of the old bedspreads, and have purchased and used several on my bed over the years. I've also bought some that were cutters to use for projects.

Vintage Fashion ~ Dresses

2010-08-22T05:35:00.000-07:00

Today I'm showing the dresses in my personal vintage fashion collection. I've mentioned before that I've been wearing vintage pieces since I was in high school. I have always loved the dress styles of the fifties with the full skirts and tiny waists. And the lovely little details like covered buttons, matching belts, beautiful pleats, and of course the wonderful FABRICS!

This cheery blue floral is my favorite. I'm in love with the print and it has a cute fabric belt. So sweet!

The tag reads "Gay Gibson".

This next one isn't a dress, but rather a vintage sequined sweater. It makes such a pretty outfit when paired with my white full skirt.

Its a gorgeous sky blue and has white floral beading around the neck and bottom.
It zips up the back to a drop V.

The next is a pretty pink dress sporting an asymetrical look with a cute bow over one shoulder.

This last one is a vintage "remake". About 20+ years ago, I was going to a formal dinner with a friend of mine and I needed a dress. Even back then, I was in love with vintage, so my mom and I searched all the thrifts in the area to find a pretty dress. Well, what we found was a dress with a pretty skirt, but the top was a discolored mauve pink velvet. So my talented mother deconstructed the dress and made a new top for it. We picked a simple cream satin and changed the style a bit to a drop waist so the skirt sits right at the hip. It looked beautiful on. (I can't believe my waist was ever that small!)

The skirt is such a pretty floral tapestry, and it has enough weight to hold its shape without a lot of crinoline.

The back is cut in a similar style as the sequin sweater. Mom really out did herself with this one!

Well, that's about it for my collection of vintage dresses...hopefully, one day soon I'll be able to fit into them again. ;-)

Oh, and I'm sorry for the unexpected blogging break. Hubby and I were both down sick for over a week and then, just as we were feeling better, the puppy got sick. :-(

She tries to eats just about everthing she comes in contact with out in the yard... tomatoes, peaches, locusts, ants, sticks, etc...We usually catch her before she has a chance to swallow said object, but appearantly something got past us.

She couldn't keep food down and was wimpering under the dresser all morning yesterday. Fortunately the vet was able to see her right away and took xrays and blood work and gave her something to calm her stomach. Happy to report, she's feeling much better today!

Vintage Fabric Mini Wristlets

2010-08-06T07:55:00.000-07:00

These are the newest little wristlets to come out of the sewing room. I used vintage 60's fabrics featuring poppies and daisies for these two, and made the handle with a lobster claw clasp for versatility. I was also able to use the rivots that I like so much. :-)Measuring just 7.5 inches by 4 inches, they are a handy size for a cell phone, keys, and a couple other essentials.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Pretty Dog Bowl Mat

2010-07-28T05:04:00.000-07:00

I made Hunny a new mat for her food and water bowls. I used the Amy Butler Laminated fabric, a different print for each side.
I found the fabric very easy to work with. Although you can't press directly on the laminated side, I was able to iron the seams somewhat flat using a pressing cloth. I laid the two pieces right sides together, sewed, then turned right side out and topstitched. After topsitching, I applied seam sealant to the stitch holes, because I read that water could get in through the holes.

Hunny likes her new mat, but wishes there was food in that bowl. LOL

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

2010-07-24T11:18:00.000-07:00

...Especially when they are active puppies. ;-)

Hunny plays hard and can fall asleep pretty much anywhere. Such a sweetie!

I also just made her a new dog bowl mat out of Amy Butler laminate fabric. I'll get some pictures taken and show you that in the next post.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Vintage Locks, Magazines, and Matchbooks

2010-07-21T07:44:00.000-07:00

This is another "Treasures From Grandma's Attic" post, as well as part of the Vintage Alphabet collections link party. This months letters are L and M, so I'll be showing vintage Locks, Magazines, and Matchbooks all found in my Grandmother's attic.

Let's start with the locks... First we have two old Eagle spring locks.

And here is a box of cute mini locks in different colors. Most are still wrapped in paper with their keys.

Now on to the "M"s...Matchbooks.

This pretty one is dated 1955.

And last but certainly not least, the vintage Magazines. A stack of LIFE Magazines mostly from the late 40's to the 60's.

I may need to do a whole post on this Fall Fashions issue from 1946. :-)

And there's a fun group of Saturday Evening POST , also from the 1940-1960's.

Be sure to stop by the Etsy Cottage Style Blog to see what other fun L and M collections are being shown.

The PlayHouse is Done! Finally. :-)

2010-07-16T06:24:00.001-07:00

You may remember that a couple of months ago, I casually mentioned how I was making my little niece a playhouse. We had been using a sheet over a card table, as that was pretty much what
I did as a kid. Although, I do also remember having a Beatles Yellow Submarine card table cover, which was pretty cool. Anyway, since Aunt Kim doesn't have a lot of toys here to play with, I set out to make something a little more interactive.

The front has a cottage door, carriage light, removeable/changeable sign, mailbox, and doggy bowl. Lady and the Tramp is her favorite movie.

Another side has an apple tree (with pick-able apples) and a birdbath for the gold finch and bluebird to splash around in. :-)

I used a painter's canvas drop cloth for the base and started adding things little by little. Once I Googled "playhouse" for ideas, I found the most creative felt houses! This one by Homemade by Jill even provided a few templates. There is also an etsy seller ,Missprettypretty making these in different themes. Too cute! And let me tell you...they are worth every penny! This one took me hours and hours to make.

On this side we have a window with gingham curtains and a pot of flowers.

And my favorite is the vegetable garden. The carrots fit into little pockets and the cabbage leaves and pea pods have velcro so they are removeable, too. My niece loves to gather the fruits and vegetables in her little basket. :-)

It was a major pain trying to move that big thing around in the sewing machine, so if you ever make one of these, make it in sections and sew the sections together at the very end.

I'm just going to make her a few little food items next, so she can use them when we play restaurant. :-)

A New Addition to the Family

2010-07-09T07:45:00.001-07:00

I'd like you all to meet our new little puppy, Honey. She's an 8 week old yellow lab with a very sweet disposition. We drove down to a farm in Kentucky to see her and her mom and dad yesterday after work and brought her home that evening.

I wanted to name her Daisy, but hubby seemed to settle on Honey and was going to be calling her that no matter what I named her, so I finally gave in. I think I may have to insist on spelling it with a "U" and double "N", though. Hunny just looks cuter. :-)

More Vintage Fabrics From Indiana

2010-07-06T07:02:00.001-07:00

I've had lots of fun finding fabrics lately! A "girl's" trip with Mom to Central Indiana
as well as another weekend at the Lawrenceburg flea market turned up many cute prints.

Here's a few from the Brown County Bloomington area...

Love this cool Midcentury barkcloth!

And here are the fabrics I found at the Flea market. Boy, was it HOT this weekend!

These first two (the red print and cherries), are my favorites.

Most of these are on the website, or will be soon. :-)

Have a great week everyone! And stay cool.

Eyeglass Case and Coin Purse Sets

2010-06-27T06:57:00.000-07:00

My vintage scrap fabric bin was getting a little too full again, so I had to sew up a few small accessories. For these sets I used a few of my 1960's fabrics. I thought they would be fun for summer. I think this green and blue is my favorite of the bunch. I made an extra sunglasses case for myself. :-)
These are available on the website, but if you have some pretty scraps you need to use up, why not make yourself a new set to take to the pool. :-)

Vintage Alphabet ~ Irons, Jewelry, Kitchenalia & Keys

2010-06-22T06:33:00.000-07:00

Time for another Vintage Alphabet party! This month's letters are I, J, and K and I had a hard time deciding what collections to feature...so, I'm showing several. :-)

Let's start with the letter I.

"I" is for irons: This is a trio of old irons that make me very grateful for my Rowenta. I think the one in the back is the oldest of the bunch and has a wooden handle and its own trivet."J" is for jewelry. Here's a grouping of some of my favorite vintage pieces. And "K" is for Kitchenalia (you know, all those fun old kitchen gadgets).

And one more "K" collection, Keys! My grandpa had a ton of old keys. I just love all of the different shapes.

Well, that's it for my alphabet collection. Be sure to stop over at the Etsy Cottage Style Blog and see what other collections are being shown or share some of your own.

Flea Market Fabric Finds

2010-06-10T06:37:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Mom and I headed out to shop the Antique flea market in Lawerceburg, In. It stormed in the morning, so we weren't sure how many dealers would be there. It was definitely not as crowded as it would normally be, but a decent turnout given the downpour.

I was able to find several fabric goodies!

Two from the 1950's... This cool leaf print on gray, mid-weight cotton. And my favorite of the bunch, an awesome barkcloth with trees and leaves (or maybe they're figs?).I also bought a funky orange and yellow printed linen from the same dealer. I think this one dates to the 1960-70's.
And then just before leaving, I spotted two more cute fabrics at another booth. A 1970's poly/cotton red, white and blue mushroom floral.

And a tiny red strawberry print.It was a fun afternoon. Probably not near as fun as going to the Farm Chicks show, though. I've been reading all the blog posts about it and Wow! I have got to make plans for a road trip to the next one! :-)

Climbing Roses and More Patio Photos

2010-05-23T05:59:00.000-07:00

We had a nice surprise this year with the addition of red roses to the already pink rose covered shed. Evidently, this red rose was the stock used as a graft for my Joseph's Coat rose, which died two years ago. This base rose took off last year and is now blooming very well. Oh, and a little bunny came out to have his pictured taken, too. :-) I went with a mostly red and pink theme this year for the annuals. The hanging baskets are planted with multi-colored flowers, though.
To see a tutorial on how I plant my moss lined baskets you can go to this post from last year. And to see what they look like by mid-summer, click here.
We're going to have an early taste of summer this week here in Ohio. Its supposed to be in the mid to upper 80's all week! Nice! :-)

Treasures From Grandma's Attic ~ Graniteware

2010-05-18T09:23:00.000-07:00

For this episode of "Treasures from Grandma's Attic" I'll be sharing the many pieces of graniteware that Gram had saved. This is also part of the Etsy Cottage Style Blog's Vintage Alphabet Link party since this month the letters are G and H.

Let's start with this pretty pewter and graniteware coffee or tea set...Next we have a large group of utilitarian pieces, including pie plates, cups and saucers, bowls, a frying pan, and even a funnel.Here's a fabulous a large dark blue speckled bucket with handle, a small gray pot with lid, and I remember Gram telling me that the other container was for milk.
And last we have my favorite pieces. I just love the pretty blue swirl designs on these handled pots and spoons!
Be sure to stop be the Etsy Cottage Style blog for more vintage collections beginning with the letters G and H. :-)

Garden Bloomers ~ Pond and Patio

2010-05-12T11:51:00.001-07:00

I have been busy for the past week or so with organizing and decluttering the house, neither of which lend themselves to interesting photos or blog posts. So, although we've had several days of rain, I ventured outside to share a few photos of the patio pond and garden. Dark reddish pink blooms fill our weigela bush at the entrance to the patio. Tall yellow iris had to be staked to with stand the rain and wind. A very soggy peony. And pretty yellow water iris appear to be taking over the pond.That's ok, the fish don't mind...they like swimming through the roots. :-)

And hubby got the veggies planted this weekend. Basically, we have a salsa garden...tomatoes, onions, and a variety of peppers. But we also have a couple of rhubarb plants and raspberry bushes surround the garden.
I'm also working on a canvas playhouse for my little niece. Hopefully I'll have that to share with you shortly. Have a great week everyone!

My 1950's Chair ~ A Makeover Story

2010-04-28T04:52:00.001-07:00

The cool little chair that sat in my Gram's bedroom for decades, finally got a makeover! This is the Before picture...
I agonized for several days about which fabric to reupholster her in...a fun vintage 50's barkcloth?...a pretty 1940's floral?...a tropical?...a patchwork of vintage cutter tablecloths?...or maybe the awesome Anna Maria Horner fabric I just got? You see my dilemma. So, I decided it would be best to use a plain unbleached canvas for the upholstery and make slipcover's to suit my current whim. :-)
Let me just say, that the upholstery part went MUCH faster than the slipcover part! It went something like this...First the old dry rotted fabric came off and the individual pieces were labeled with a sharpie.
Then I traced each piece onto muslin, and cut out enough to mark a 5/8 inch seam allowance.
After I had all my pattern pieces cut out and marked, I turned my attention to the base of my chair and added a bit to the existing padding by covering with several layers of cotton batting. Once I had finished fiddling with the pattern pieces and tested the fit, I was ready to cut out my canvas and staple it to the frame.

And then finished it off with the arm caps.

Altering the pattern pieces into a slip cover proved to be quite a challenge. There was a lot of wimpering and a near fatal incident with my evil serger that almost made me scrap the entire project. But I muddled through, and I have to say, I think she looks very sassy in her new dress. For the first slipcover I decided to use a bold teal and blue dress fabric from the 1950-60's and trim it out with piping made from a Garden Party fabric by Anna Maria Horner.
The back closes with simple ties.All in all it was a fun project. :-)
This DIY is also part of the link party over on A soft Place to Land.
And a big Thank You! to LuAnn for sharing this project on her Back Home Again blog! :-)

Vintage Ephemera and Feedsacks

2010-04-19T09:05:00.000-07:00

Its time for another Vintage Alphabet Party! This month's letters are E and F, so I'm showing my collection of Ephemera and Feedsacks. (I know Fabric seems like an obvious choice for me, but it was too overwhelming so I narrowed it down to just feedsacks.)

First the Ephemera... the picture above is a group of advertisement cards. I also have a fun Cincinnati Reds Baseball schedule from 1956, a trio of items from The Fabulous Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas circa 1950, and a ticket to the Kennedy Inaugural Parade in 1961.

I also love this beautifully written letter on Dry Goods stationary dated 1882.Now for the Feedsacks. Here's a few from my current collection...
Be sure to stop by the Etsy Cottage Style Blog to see the other collections beginning with E and F.

I also wanted to share a quick photo of the chair re-upholstering project. Because I couldn't make up my mind about what fabric to upholster it with, I decided to cover it in a natural canvas and then make slipcovers in different prints. I'll show the process in my next post.

My excuse is Spring

2010-04-14T07:32:00.000-07:00

Yes, I'm using Spring as my excuse for being absent. It has been so pretty outside and of course, there was some major spring cleaning. I also started an upholstery project.
First, I'll show you a few pictures of what's blooming in the yard...

And here is the cool 1950's chair that I'm re-upholstering...

I have the old fabric removed, and today I'll be making patterns with it for the new fabric. If all goes smoothly (ha) I'll be back within a week to show the make-over.

Now, get outside and enjoy the pretty weather!

Fabric Folder Portfolio Tutorial

2010-03-28T06:16:00.000-07:00

This week I made a couple more fabric portfolio folders, and so as promised, I'm here to show you how I made them. I decided not to use the iron-on vinyl with these, but I'm not totally giving up on the laminated cover idea, yet. ;-)
Let's get started...

1.) First you'll need 3 pieces of fabric all cut to 13"x10". (you can customize the size to your specific needs). And 2 pocket pieces 6.5"x5.5".2.) Iron a fusible interfacing to the 2 fabrics that will be your outer and lining fabrics and cut the third piece in half so you have 2 pieces 6.5"x10".

3.) Next, hem the top of the pocket pieces and baste them onto the fabric that you just cut in half. I also added a small strip of fabric to hold a writing pad.

4.) Now, fold back the inside edge of these two pieces about a half an inch. Press and stitch down.
5.) Position pocket pieces onto your lining fabric. (I left a 1" gap between the two sides.) And sew around all four sides.

6.) Next, with right sides together, pin your outer fabric to your lining and pocket fabric. Sew around all four sides leaving a small opening in the bottom.

7.) Clip corners and turn right side out through the opening.

8.) Press and top stitch around the sides being sure to close up the opening in the bottom.

9.) Then sew several rows of stitching down the center in that 1" gap area. 10.) Cut cardboard to size and slip between the pocket and lining.11.) Slip in a 5x8 writing pad and you're done! If anything isn't clear, just yell.

If you're not ready to try this project on your own, I'll have a few of these in pretty vintage fabrics on the website or in the Etsy shop this week.

Happy sewing!

This project is also part of The Twice Remembered Cottage "Make Your Monday" link event. Click the link above to see all the fun things bloggers are making this week.

Vintage Cards ~ Treasures From Grandma's Attic and Vintage Alphabet

2010-03-22T14:27:00.000-07:00

Welcome to another "Treasures from Grandma's Attic" post! In this installment I'll be sharing some of the prettiest vintage greeting cards that Gram had saved for that special occasion.

This also fits perfectly with the Vintage Alphabet link party held by Melody and the Etsy Cottage Style Blog...This month its the letters C and D.

Let's start with a few Anniversary cards...Roses, a pretty 3-D garden gate, and Marie Antoinette.

Some lovely Get Well wishes...

How sweet is that little bluebird?! And here's another bluebird card sending a hearty Congratulations...
And now my favorites, the cards welcoming a new baby...These are just as cute on the inside.This one comes with a little booklet inside to record all of Baby's "firsts"...Thanks for letting me share one of my collections with you. Be sure to stop by the Vintage Alphabet Party for more fun collections starting with the letters C or D. :-)

Mini Fabric Folder or Portfolio

2010-03-15T06:38:00.000-07:00

I made myself a small fabric folder this weekend. I needed something to hold my pattern file cards since having them scattered throughout the sewing room wasn't working for me.

When I create a new design or pattern, I write down measurements along with small diagrams on basic file cards. I found that, for me, these were easier to keep track of than muslin or plasic templates.

To provide structure, I inserted pieces of cardboard behind the pocket sleeves...

I also used an iron on vinyl to laminate the outer fabric. While I like that it will be easy to wipe off and a bit more durable, I wasn't thrilled with the creasing that occured when it was time to turn the pieces right side out. You can kind of see what I mean in the photo below...

I'll have to play around with the vinyl and construction or maybe use the matte finish one that I have the next time. But, all in all, I like how it turned out and think it will be very useful. I didn't have time to put together a tutorial, but when I make my next one, I'll show you how I did it. :-)This project is also part of The Twice Remembered Cottage "Make Your Monday" link event. Click the link above to see all the fun things bloggers are making this week.

What I've Been Sewing~ Clutch Handbags

2010-03-08T06:42:00.001-08:00

Just a quick post about what I've been making in the sewing room. Its sunny and headed to 56 degrees here in Ohio, so I need to get outside for awhile. :-)

As winter is drawing to a close (yea!), I wanted to design one last grouping of bags out of the pretty vintage cut velvet chenille upholstery fabrics in my stash.

I thought a simple clutch design would be nice for day or evening. And the bright colors and touches of linen should make these work even into spring.

Love the bit of pink and aqua that's in this green fabric.A magnetic snap closure and interior zippered pocket in this design keeps items secure. My favorite cerulean blue makes an appearance again.

Now that these are finished, I can start on some ideas I have for fun and very colorful spring and summer bags! :-)

Happy sewing!

Buttons, Beads, & Buckles ~ Vintage Alphabet Collections

2010-02-24T05:25:00.000-08:00

Melody from Brown Gingham Creations has put together a fun Vintage Alphabet link party. Beginning in January with the letter A, each month we feature one of our collections starting with the next letter in the alphabet. This month is the letter B and so I'm showing some of the buttons, beads and buckles in my collection.

Love these large coat buttons!
Pretty carded buttons...These are sort of a cross between a button and a buckle...so cute! Some fun buckles...

And gorgeous vintage glass beads...
If you have a favorite "B" collection, stop by the Etsy Cottage Style Blog to post your link and check out the other fun collections.

Have a great week everyone!

Let's Sew a Zippered Pouch ~ A Tutorial

2010-02-21T04:08:00.000-08:00

After hearing several comments from readers that they had never sewn in a zipper before or were intimidated by the thought of installing a zipper, I decided to put together a little tutorial.
I should preface this 'How-to" by saying that it may not be the only way or even the best way to do it. I'm mostly a self-taught, learn by trial and error, kind of sewist, so precede at your own risk. LOL

Go and gather up your materials (list below) and we'll do a fun project together. Go on...I'll wait...

What you'll need:
*2 pieces of outer fabric fused with interfacing and 2 pieces lining fabric all cut to the same size. (I think mine are 9.5" x 6.5", but this method will work with any size, even a small change purse.)
*A zipper (with nylon? teeth, not metal). (As you can see in the pictures, my zipper is longer than my fabric, which is not a problem. But, ideally you want the full length of the zipper, including the tails, to be at least as wide as your fabric.) Helpful tip: A zipper is sized by the length of the teeth, so figure that a 7"zipper is really 8-8.5"L including the tails. A 9" zipper is 10-10.5"L including the tails, and so on.
*Pins
*A zipper foot and regular foot for your machine

Ok, is everyone ready? Start by layering your first side: a piece of lining face up, zipper face up, and outer fabric face down. Line up top edges and pin.

Using your zipper foot, sew across the top. When you near the end before the zipper pull, stop with your needle down in the fabric. Lift the presser foot and open the zipper so the pull is out of your way. Lower the foot and continue sewing to the end.
Now, fold back the fabrics and press. Next, layer the second side. Lining fabric face up, zipper face up, outer fabric face down.Line up top edges and pin. This time the zipper pull will be in your way right off the bat, so go ahead and open it up a bit before you start sewing.Again, when you get to the pull, stop with the needle down in the fabric, close it back up and continue sewing to the end. Fold back and press. This is what your piece should look like.At this point put the regular foot back on your machine and decide if you want to add a loop tab or label or if you want to top stitch. Usually if I'm using quilt weight fabrics I don't top stitch, but with heavier barkcloth or decorator fabric I will.

Optional top stitching, loop, and label: To top stitch, sew through the top and lining fabrics. With heavier or bulky fabrics this helps to keep them out of the way of the zipper.If you add loop tab or label, be sure to sew them to the outer fabric only.

Now, very important step...open the zipper to an inch or so from the edge of the fabric.

Pin the 2 outer fabrics right sides together and the 2 lining fabrics right sides together. The teeth of the zipper will be pointing toward the lining.
Sew around all 4 edges, leaving a small opening in the bottom of the lining. I also backstitch over the zipper on each side for added strength.Now you can clip the corners and trim off any excess zipper if yours was longer, like mine.
Reach inside the lining opening and turn right side out. Sew up the opening in the lining. Press and TaDa!...you've made a zippered pouch. :-)See, wasn't that easy?

This project is also part of The Twice Remembered Cottage "Make Your Monday" link event. Click the link above to see all the fun things bloggers are making this week.

Brownies on a Snowy Day

2010-02-15T11:28:00.001-08:00

We're in the middle of yet another snow storm! So, I made brownies. :-)

What? You want to know my recipe?

Ok, first you go to the grocery store and buy a box of Ghirardelli brownie mix, follow the directions on the back of the box, and enjoy. LOL

And here are a couple of pictures of our back yard covered in snow. Our little shed has snow half way up the door. And our small bistro table with a flower planter still on top, has created a rather large snow dounut.

Stay warm everyone!

Tailored Boho Chic Bag

2010-02-08T04:30:00.000-08:00

This is the newest Boho Chic bag to come out of the sewing room. You may remember from this post the thought process that went into designing this bag. I wanted to incorporate the best of two worlds...Bohemian chic, with its generous size, richly textured vintage fabrics and saturated colors and Tailored Classic, highlighted by my love of linen and a more structured, clean line construction.
I've also included an interior zippered pocket on this one.
And a pretty velvet rose to accent the front.

This project is also part of The Twice Remembered Cottage "Make Your Monday" link event. Click the link above to see all the fun things bloggers are making this week.

I also wanted to pass along to the fans of Anna Maria Horner fabrics (gorgeous!) that Fabric.com has her Drawing Room line on sale right now for a great price! (Update- It looks like its all sold now. I hope you were able to get a yard or two.) Even though I already have a cupboard full of her fabric, I couldn't resist getting a few more yards. :-)

Happy Vintage 60's Fabrics

2010-02-05T07:14:00.000-08:00

I believe that it is physically impossible NOT to smile when you look at these fabrics. :-)
They are just Happy Fun prints! They all date to the 1960's -70's and sport cute daisies and flowers of all kinds.
Bright pinks and greens seem to dominate, but a pretty aqua blue makes a showing, as well.

I hope they brightened your day as much as they did mine. :-)

More Vintage Cut Velvet Chenille ~ Clutches

2010-01-25T08:40:00.000-08:00

Yes, my obsession with this vintage cut velvet, sculpted chenille type upholstery fabric continues. :-)

After purchasing a piece of fabric earlier this month, the seller graciously included these fabric pieces. I immediately set out with my new purchased fabric and these fun freebies to find coordinating prints to use as linings.Mission accomplished! I found these two Japanese floral prints; the blue is from Joann's Kimono Collection and the orange is from a local quilt shop (didn't get the maker). They both have gold accents which help to tie in with the slight shimmer of the upholstery fabric.
I turned the lovely cerulean blue into a fold over clutch with magnetic snap closure.
And the orange became a small zippered hand clutch with a hidden back strap.

I have a couple of small home projects planned for later this week, so hopefully I'll be able to share them with you soon.

This project is part of The Twice Remembered Cottage "Make Your Monday" link event. Kim has a fun project oriented link event! Pop over to see all the fun things bloggers are making this week.

Linen Scarf

2010-01-18T07:02:00.000-08:00

The grey skies and dreary weather have me spending more time at the sewing machine. This weekend I decided to make myself a scarf. I love linen and the bags I carry are usually made with linen, so it seemed like a good choice. I think it will also be useable in early spring and fall.
I made it double-sided. A natural linen on one side and a chartreuse-olive linen/rayon blend on the other. I played around with scrunchy ruffles and originally thought I might just leave the edges raw and frayed, but in the end decided on a slightly more finished application. And for some color, I added little posies made from gorgeous Patricia Bravo fabric (of Art Gallery Quilts).For my first scarf, I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out. :-)

This is also part of The Twice Remembered Cottage "Make Your Monday" link event. Kim
has started up her fun project oriented link event again! Click the link above to see all the fun things bloggers are making this week.

Eye Glass Case and Change Purse ~ Sew Fun

2010-01-11T08:09:00.000-08:00

This is just a fun and quick little set I put together for one of my website customers. A small zippy change purse and matching sunglass/eyeglass case. For this set I used a fun vintage fabric from the 1960-70's. A small 4" zipper in my stash was the perfect size for the coin pouch, and a fusible fleece scrap was all that was needed to provide the padding for the eyeglass case.
This is also part of The Twice Remembered Cottage "Make Your Monday" link event. Kim

has started up her fun project oriented link event again! Click the link above to see all the fun things bloggers are making this week.

Have a great week everyone and happy sewing!

What I've Been Sewing ~ Cosmetic Bags

2010-01-02T08:58:00.000-08:00

I needed a cosmetic bag. I have a drawer full of make-up, but use the same 6 or so items everyday, so I wanted a small bag to hold these few daily essentials.
Something pretty that I could grab quickly and throw in my purse if I was going to be gone all day. Oh, and a little loop would be handy if I wanted to hang it conveniently near my magnifying mirror, so I added a small loop of rick rack. After I made one for myself, I was on a roll and the rest just sort of happened. LOL

The first ones I made were out of some of my Sisboom fabrics by Jennifer Paganelli (love, love that pink and aqua toile from one of her earlier lines) and a cheery sunflower print from Heather Bailey.
I also found some pretty Amy Butler Lotus fabric in my stash. I think this was my favorite print of that line and had it in just about every colorway. The extras will be in the Etsy shop. Or if you want to make one of your own, it is a very easy project and I'm sure there are many tutorials just a google search away. Never sewn in a zipper before?...This is the perfect project to practice that skill, as well.
Enjoy the weekend, everyone and Happy sewing!

From Vintage Barkcloth Samples to Wristlets

2009-12-19T09:57:00.000-08:00

My lastest sewing project has centered around a group of vintage barkcloth fabric samples. I acquired these about 4 years ago, and although I didn't know at the time what I would do with them, they were just too pretty to pass up. There was a variety of different textures, colorways, and prints, but all featured the romantic florals so popular during the 1940's.
The floral and scroll print below is my favorite. There's a deep blue colorway, too.

The average size of the samples is around 7"x11", which turned out to be a perfect size for making wristlets! I've paired the barkcloth with natural linen and made some of them with zippered tops....
And others have a front zipper style... So, the next time you come across small or odd shaped vintage fabric pieces and think, "I don't know what I would ever use them for", get them anyway! Inspiration will come eventually. :-)
Happy sewing everyone!

A Day at the (Vintage) Salon

2009-12-08T12:25:00.001-08:00

I just wanted to share photos of some fun vintage Beauty Shop items. I was a hair designer for 25 years, so I enjoy finding these old salon collectibles. Gram also kept some of them for me.

Here's a small group of curling and crimping irons.

And I LOVE these two business cards! The top one advertises $5.00 permanents and was perfume scented to encourage ladies to keep for their purse. (Brilliant marketing!) And the bottom one plays off the Mae West quote, "come up and see me sometime". I think both of these are from the early 1930's.

Hair pins were a must in the 1940's.
I hope you enjoyed this little peek at vintage Beauty Culture. We've come a long way, baby. LOL

Treasures from Grandma's Attic~ Around the House

2009-11-26T09:03:00.000-08:00

For this , the fifth, installment of "Treasures from Grandma's Attic", I'm showing some of the wonderful items I see and use on a regular basis around the house. I feel very fortunate to have these daily reminders of my grandmother and her interesting life.

The most prominent item is no doubt the large armoire in the living room. Although Gram did have a couple of furniture pieces that may have been considered "nice antiques", it was the more rustic/shabby/cottage/quirky items that lived in the attic that I was drawn to.

This particular piece was in a corner of the attic with a broken door and painted three different colors...but I could see it fitting right in at my house. :-) It did eventually receive some additional crown moldings and a coat of cottage white paint.On the inside of the door are scribbles made by my dad and his brother when they were youngsters, this just made it all the more special.

On to the dining room... In here I have a fun old kitchen cabinet that houses my cookbooks, wine glasses and serving pieces. Extreme care is needed when moving this piece as the top and bottom appear to be attached by only a thick coat of paint. LOL

And in the bedroom...

Atop the vintage dresser sits a lovely baby picture of Gram tinted the most beautiful robin's egg blue. And in front, an antique bisque baby doll. Gram had quite an impressive antique doll collection. Although I'm not really a "doll person" (even as a kid, their fragile nature made me nervous), I do like this sweet little girl. Thankfully, the majority of that collection is being curated by other family members.

I also have a fun trio of vintage alarm clocks on the mantel headboard.I'm not sure if Gram kept these because she knew of their potential collectibility or if in her frugal nature she thought someone might fix them to use. Either way, I'm glad she did! :-)

Thanks for sharing another walk down memory lane with me!

Vintage Fabric Gift Tags ~ Put Scraps to Work

2009-11-20T15:17:00.000-08:00

I know I've mentioned before about my inability to throw away even the smallest pieces of vintage fabric. Because of this, I'm always looking for ways to use these little scraps in projects.
Recently I've started using my tiny pieces for gift tags. With just a pack of blank tags or a few sheets of card stock, a hole punch, and some fabric glue, they are super easy to make! First I pinked the edges of a variety of fabrics. Then used a small paint brush to spread a bit of fabric glue on the back, focusing on the edges.

Then just center the fabrics on the cards and tags. I punched a hole in the top of the folded cards and added string. I chose to keep mine simple and just let those pretty fabrics shine. :-)
I've also been using these as little "extras" to slip into fabric orders .

Vintage Inspiration ~ Sewing Patterns

2009-11-10T06:46:00.001-08:00

I definitely spend more time sewing in the winter months. Once the gardening work is over for the season and inclement weather forces me inside, I start looking through my vintage goodies for project inspiration.Today I'm showing my collection of vintage sewing patterns. Although most of mine are skirts and dresses, I glean wonderful ideas for other smaller projects from the decorative details.

Like this stunning Vogue pattern with an asymmetrical neckline...

Or the pretty rick rack and ribbon trim used on these Butterick skirts...
And I'm trying to find a way to translate this sheer over solid window effect into an evening bag....

This one is so sweet as a toddler dress, but it might also inspire an idea for a frilly lamp shade cover...
And of course, some are just wonderful vintage eye-candy. :-)

Looking for vintage sewing patterns to add to your collection? Be sure to check out these websites...

Mom's Patterns

Fuzzy Lizzie

So Vintage Patterns

Also, take a look at the selection on Etsy. Here are just a few of the sellers that I found ...

New and Vintage Fabric Destash Sale

2009-11-06T09:21:00.000-08:00

Help! My shelves are over-flowing with fabric. I'm trying hard to reduce inventory before the end of the year. Lots of newer quilting and decorator weight fabrics are being listed in my Etsy shop this month. Also look for many vintage fabrics to be listed in the Sale Items and Clearance sections of the website.

Kitchen Towel & Potholder Gift sets

2009-10-31T09:29:00.001-07:00

This project proved to be the perfect way to repurpose a hopelessly stained and faded vintage tablecloth. My sweet neighbor offered me a cloth that belonged to her mother. It was obviously too far gone to be used for its original purpose, but she thought I might like it for one of my projects. After cleaning, I could see that only one of the side borders escaped the damaging stains and holes, so I had to find some way to use these pretty tulips. When I found a multi-pak of these wonderful plain white huck towels at Bed Bath and Beyond, I knew that a kitchen set would be perfect. I used the longest piece of the salvaged border for the towel, and the smaller section for the hot pad. I hope it will be a sweet reminder of her mother as she's working in the kitchen. I also had enough left to make a small make-up bag for her sister. I was so pleased with how these turned out, I decided to take a cue from SewMamaSew's Scrap Buster month and make some more using up some of my small scrap pieces. These are on their way to one of my dearest friends. I think I need to stop by the store to pick up another pak of towels and make myself a pretty kitchen set, too. :-)

Oh! I almost forgot...I want to give a big THANK YOU to Rachel at Craftzine for featuring my Cherry Cream Cheese Danish post on their blog. Thanks Rachel!

The Colors of Autumn

2009-10-24T11:08:00.001-07:00

The fall colors as seen in our yard...

Cherry Cream Cheese Danish ~ Yum!

2009-10-19T10:04:00.000-07:00

Hubby and I were craving something sweet the other morning and I threw together these fast and easy cherry cream cheese danishettes.

Since I was just kind of winging it, I don't have any exact measurements, but its mostly to taste anyway. Makes 9, but we already ate 3 before I took the pictures. :-)
Ingredients:

Ready made Puff Pastry (1 sheet)
Cherry pie filling (or fruit of choice)

Cream cheese mixture:
Half block of cream cheese (4oz)
1 Tbs sugar
vanilla extract (few drops)
lemon juice (just a splash)
Soften the cream cheese in the microwave for 10 seconds and mix in the sugar, vanilla, and lemon. The amounts are really just to taste.

Drizzle icing:
1 cup of powdered sugar
2-3 tsp orange juice or until you get the right consistency.

I cut the sheet of thawed pastry into 9 squares. Then spread the cream cheese mixture on a diagonal.

Added a few cherries...

And pulled the opposite corners up and pinched them together. Brushed with a bit of egg wash and baked at 400-425 until golden brown, about 15 minutes in my oven.
Let them cool slightly before drizzling with the icing.Pour a cup of coffee and enjoy. These would be great for a brunch table, too!

Vintage Cut Velvet Fabrics and Pouches

2009-10-13T09:25:00.000-07:00

As cooler weather approaches, I start thinking about "winter" textiles...Corduroy, wool, velvet, cable knit, even Tartan plaids. One of my favorites is a vintage upholstery type fabric referred to as cut velvet or voided velvet.
It has a fabulous texture. Definition from the Textile Glossary: "Velvet with a cutout pattern or pile effect. Often seen with brilliant designs and patterns. Made on a Jacquard loom from a variety of fibers."
I'm not sure of the fiber content of mine, but they all washed up beautifully.

The vintage stuff is quite elusive, becoming harder and harder to find. And the new cut velvet upholstery fabrics are very expensive.
However, this summer I was thrilled to find several pieces; one at a flea market (the burgundy piece) and two at auction (2-toned blues). The green leaf above is one that I found several years ago.
I love the look of this elegant fabric used in a casual everyday item, so I've decided to use some of it to make zip pouches.
And even though its not one of the velvets, I made this pouch below from a vintage 60's fabric and just love it!!!
These will be listed on etsy or the website.

My computer is giving me fits lately and its taking me forever to load and edit photos. The monitor went out on me last week, so I've replaced that, but I think I may need to get a new computer as well. On the bright side, though, since I haven't been able to do much on the computer, I've gotten a lot of sewing done. :-)

Treasures From Grandma's Attic ~ Vintage Pharmacy

2009-10-05T15:42:00.000-07:00

Here's another installment in our "Treasure's From Grandma's Attic" series.

My grandma saved absolutely EVERYTHING! This made for quite a job when it was time to clean out and sell her house, but, we did find some wonderful treasures. :-)

Today I'm showing just a small collection of vintage drug store items.

Toothpick anyone?

hmmm...not sure what ailment sodium grain capsules were used for?

Have a great week, everyone!

Last Weekend's Flea Market Finds

2009-09-27T16:36:00.000-07:00

Sorry for such a late post on these newest vintage fabric finds, but I was having a devil of a time with uploading pictures to blogger. I finally figured out the problem after a few days of searching help threads. :-)

Anyway...Last weekend Mom and I headed to Springfield, Ohio for the big Springfield Antique Show and FleaMarket Extravaganza. A big turn out of dealers and great weather for Friday and Saturday (Sunday was a bit rainy for them, I think). There were some great prices on furniture pieces, but sadly, my house is too full as it is, so I had to walk away from the lovely tables and cabinets.

I, of course, focused my attention on the fabrics. This cute 50's pink and grey leaf print was the first purchase of the day.Then, I spotted this awesome orange leaf feedsack. HAD to have this one!A couple of fun 35" width geo-floral prints from the 1950's...these always remind me of snowflakes.

I don't buy linens as often because I have so many already, but I couldn't pass up this pretty pink dogwood linen towel.A couple more 36" width fabrics; I think these both date to around the 1960-70's. One with with pink roses and the other shows off brown and tan leaves and apples. What a perfect fabric for fall projects!
And then this last piece was just too cute!Its a happy turtle border print and looks to be from the 1970's, but since one selvage is missing and there are so many retro prints in this same style, I can't say for sure.
Some of these are on the website and others may make their way on to Etsy in the coming week.

I hope everyone is enjoying the begining of fall!

Our New Hardwood Floors

2009-09-15T12:08:00.000-07:00

Yea! The floors are finally finished! There's still a bit of caulking and painting of the trim to do, but the major back-breaking work is done.
We went with a 5/16 solid hardwood "Tiete Chestnut". With this type of flooring you can either glue it down or just glue the joints and make it a floating floor. We decided to glue it down. I'm really pleased with the color. Its a nice medium to dark wood, but there is a lot of variation of lights and darks throughout the planks, so I think that will help transition it between whatever furniture I decide to purchase in the future. We installed the hardwood throughout the entire first floor with the exception of the bathroom. That's my sewing room you see at the end of the hall. As soon as I get the walls painted in there, I'll take you on a little tour. :-)
I still need to decide on area rugs. I'm thinking of a room size, cream-colored berber for the bedroom and something a little smaller for the living room. Have you seen the new Amy Butler rugs? They are large renditions of many of her fabric motifs and simply GORGEOUS! I would love to get one of those. A little pricey for our budget, but definitely splurge-worthy.

This project is also part of the "Make Your Monday" link event on Kim's Twice Remembered blog. Click here for other Make Your Monday participants.

Why I Haven't Had Time to Sew...or Blog...or Cook...or

2009-09-01T20:40:00.000-07:00

We're installing hardwood floors throughout the house. This could take a while. LOL
Shuffling furniture in a small space and stopping every ten minutes to remove splinters really slows down the process.
We're also installing new baseboards, door casings and vent covers as we go.

So far, we've got the living room, dining room, kitchen, and half of the hallway done. The two bedrooms are next and then its time to shop for area rugs. :)

I love the look, so far! I'll be back soon to share pictures of the end result.

Red and Pink Vintage Fabric Color Combo

2009-08-21T05:10:00.000-07:00

Today, as a follow-up to the Pink and Orange post, I'm showing some of my vintage fabrics in one of my favorite color combos...Red and PINK.

Naturally with these colors, we're bound to see a lot of florals...and I have plenty of them! Let's start there with some large bouquets and columns of roses and hollyhocks.

The smaller prints are cute, too.
Next, on top we have a gorgeous 1930-40's fabric, predominantly red with pink roses. And on the bottom, a fun mod floral from a vintage 60's bedspread. You might recognize this one from the living room makeover photos. This next group shows the last of the florals along with a cute geometric print and two fruit related designs.
A funky midcentury modern barkcloth depicting trees and buildings is perfect in this red/pink colorway!

And now we come to the kitchen linens and prints. The first two are pairs of kitchen curtains from my grandma's house. They look homemade, but never used (yep, that was just like gram).

Check out the adorable diamond oven mit in the bottom fabric. :)

And these are kitchen towels. Perfect for a retro vintage-themed kitchen.

Well, I think that just about does it for the RED and PINK tour. Some of these are available on the website (click on the pics) or will be by the end of the weekend.

Oops, I just found one more. Here's a cute little border print...

Ok, now I think that's it. LOL Have a great weekend, everyone!

Yard and Getaway Photos

2009-08-07T17:57:00.000-07:00

Another busy weekend around here. But I thought I would share some pictures of the patio flower baskets (click here to see how I made them) and a few from our getaway last weekend.
The flowers are doing surprisingly well for this late in the summer. Usually they start to get straggly and faded out from the summer heat, but thanks to the coolest July on record and a very comfortable start to August, they look pretty good. :-)

The peaches are almost ripe on our small tree.

And as I mentioned in the last post, hubby and I spent a couple of days at Salt Fork State Park.
Its the largest state park in Ohio and has a huge lake, a golf course, a couple marinas, a beautiful lodge with two pools, campgrounds, and cabins. Now normally, I'm a lodge girl all the way, but it was a very last minute trip and everything was booked except for one cabin. So, we took it. It was a very nice cabin right on the lake. We were even able to do some fishing. Although it was just the two of us, the cabin could have slept up to 6 people. There was a jacuzzi on the enclosed porch and a place to cook out and have a bonfire down by the lake.

Here we are in front of the lodge.

A very peaceful getaway.

Vintage Fabrics, Feedsacks, and a Little Getaway

2009-08-03T08:30:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the unplanned blogging break. Hubby had some time off work, so we were busy with a few projects around the house and even managed a little getaway to Salt Fork Lake State park.

Of course, a little fabric hunting was also included. :)

I found the two adorable feedsacks pictured above. The red and yellow one features flowers and butterflies and the pink (my favorite!) has flowers, clover, lily of the valley, and tiny mushrooms. Too cute! I'll get these inspected, photographed, and on the website in the next few days.

I also came across some nice vintage 35" width fabric yardage. And a cutie pie Dutch girl fabric. Its a Puritan Print design called "HILDA". So sweet!
Well, I've got fabrics to clean and hang on the line. Have a great week, everyone.

Vintage Fabric Photo Matting Tutorial

2009-07-14T11:24:00.000-07:00

I love the sepia toned photos in the living room, but with just plain white mattings they looked a little dull. I decided to add some interest with pretty vintage fabrics that coordinated with the room. Here's how I did it...
Step 1- I purchased several photo mattings, (on sale at Hobby Lobby) and then chose my fabrics.
Step 2- I cut the fabric to the same height and width as the matting. On the interior, I cut out the center leaving about an inch of fabric on all sides.
Step 3- Cut a diagonal line to each corner.

Step 4- On the right side of the matting, I placed a line of glue near the outside edge (basic glue stick) and positioned the fabric lining up the edges.

Step 5- Flip the matting over and fold and secure the inside edges.

Step 6- Center your picture and place in the frame. That's it! A pretty easy way to brighten up a picture wall.

This project is also part of the "Make Your Monday" link event on Kim's Twice Remembered blog. Click here for other Make Your Monday participants.

Mini Living Room Make-Over

2009-07-01T12:02:00.001-07:00

I felt the need for a little change in the living room. Something a bit brighter and more fun for the summer months. With just a few yards of fabric and a couple of pictures I was able to do it for very little money.
The major elements of the room remain the same...neutral green walls and white and dark wood furniture pieces. The pillows all got new covers in bright bold prints from Anna Maria Horner's Drawing Room line and a vintage 1960's bedspread. A linen barrel lampshade from Target (24.99) was embellished with fabric flowers cut from another 60's bedspread.
Over the chair, a new picture from Kohl's (50% off) is hung alongside two sepia-toned photos with vintage fabric matting. I'll share an easy tutorial for that project in the next post. :)
The only change in the dining room is a new table runner.
So there it is, for around $80.00 I have a fresh look for the living room. :-)

Pink & Orange Vintage Fabric Color Combo

2009-06-23T12:01:00.000-07:00

There are several vintage fabric color combos that just make me swoon...Chartreuse & Grey, Red & Pink, Aqua & Yellow, and PINK & ORANGE. That's the one I'm showing today.

Judging from the prints in my collection, I think this combo was popular during the 1960's to early 70's.

Love this grouping below of stripes, paisley, and organic circle shapes! They also incorporate a yellowy-green into the mix.

Next is a trio of brighter tones including daisies and little hearts on green stems, a polka dot pique, and a gorgeous bright pink, orange and green print. And how perfect are these two mod daisy prints together?! Love them! Two of the pink and orange fabrics are recent additions to my collection thanks to a wonderfully fun vintage fabric swap with Jenny of Blempgorf. Thanks Jenny! She has an awesome array of fabrics and uses them in the most creative quilts and sewing projects. Here's a photo of all the lovelies she sent me...Aren't they awesome! I can't wait to use them. If you're looking for some PINK & ORANGE of your own, several of these are available on the website. Sorry, but you can't have my new ones. :-) (photos are also clickable)