Old Friends

My sewing machine and I have been getting reacquainted. Besides all the things I have to do there was one thing I really WANTED to do. One of my dear friends is having a little boy in May and her shower was this weekend.  I wanted to make her something special for baby P when he gets here. So I thought I would make a quilt. Anyone who knows me I get total ADD when I try to focus on an intensive project like that. So, to procrastinate making the quilt I made some burp cloths.

Then I started the quilt and was doing ok until I couldn't find the quilt batting I KNOW moved with us but has since disappeared. So I decided to work on some bibs for little baby P since the sewing machine was out and I had to wait until I could get to the store for batting to go any further. Here are the fronts:

And the backs:

I thought they turned out pretty good- even if I do say so myself !  I was able to get the quilt completed and it looked a little something like this.

It was a great shower and baby P is set for when he decides to make his entrance. It is a wonderful thing to see your friends amazingly happy like I did yesterday. Starts the waterworks for me a little bit. I can't wait to hold that baby!!

The quilt and the burp cloths were made out of upcycled sheets. I have been able to find some really cute sheets and other scrap fabrics and am tossing around the idea of opening an etsy shop selling baby items. It's a possibility that I am seriously considering. I would really have to get some stock made so I could do that which is one of the main things holding me back. Right now my sewing projects take over the dining room when I am working. The kids can get into stuff and it gets frustrating. There is a solution but it is a little ways down the project list for this little house of ours. There is a crazy porch/sunroom off of the upstairs bathroom. The windows need to be replaced and electric would need to be run to it so I could plug in the sewing machine but it is the Perfect size for a sewing room. It would get all of my stuff out of the dining room (we could have company!!) and it is not kid accesible. Someday. We'll get there. I even found the perfect sewing table.

It is going to have to remain at the store since the sewing room isn't ready(and I don't think I could talk the hubby into letting it sit in the basement until it is) but I love the details on this old library table- the drawer pulls and the carved legs. I totally fell in love. AND it's only $95. PERFECT. (Can you tell they even staged it with a vintage sewing machine on top?) Fingers crossed I can find one like this when it is actually time to buy one!

Next on the list will be curtains for the kitchen. The fabric doesn't go with our current big blue cabinets but someday when we get our act together they WILL go with our lovely white cabinets. I still have to attempt the slip covers for the chairs and I also found a great deal on a deacon bench for the dining room that needs a little love.

Thanks for dropping by!
~Rosemary

The Power in a Beautiful Day

For 2 days in a row we have had glorious weather. Yesterday it got up into the 60's and today it was at least 70. It is great to be able to take the kids for a walk in WARM weather! Even better I did 5 loads of laundry between yesterday and today and was able to hang them out to dry. When we bought the house they were nice enough to leave the washer and dryer. However most times things have to be run through the dryer twice to get them dry. I am hoping to see a decrease in our electric bill before it goes up does to overly hot temperatures. Yay for nice weather!!

Keeping The Progress Moving

So I was able to finish the dresser for the guest room. The one I talked about before?

Only problem is that I forgot to take pictures of it before it went into the current "blackout" room and so I guess we will have to wait for the after pictures until we can get some natural light in there. Finishing that dresser kicked a different piece of furniture out of that room. I was so excited to show you the before and after because, believe me, they are pretty dramatic. But the before pictures seem to have gone missing. Grrr. I found it on Craigslist before we moved for $15. It sat in the garage for a few months until we moved. I guess you will have imagine it with peeling varnish, cracked wood and stickers and thumbtack holes all over it. Now I am proud to say that it looks like this.

It's new home is in the foyer replacing the drysink from my grandparents house that had been there. Here is another view.

I wanted to try the 2 tone finish and the top went much easier than the painting. It also made it take a little longer because you have to stain and coat the top before you paint which means waiting for everything to dry between coats. I can't stress enough how important it is to read labels for drying times! I also thought I would try my hand at distressing the painted portion. I mean let's be honest my kids are going to beat on anything we own. I might as well beat them to the punch and that way it won't matter when it happens by accident! Overall I was pretty pleased with the way it turned out. I was also able to give the dry sink a  new home in the dining room.

It is going to be my plant table which will ensure they get some sun and don't get dried out from sitting on top of the radiator. It is the perfect height to fit in the window. I was pretty excited and Matthew even thought it looked nice!

Now that all the furniture painting and refinishing is complete, I can get out the sewing machine. I didn't want to be getting it it out and putting it away a whole bunch. Now I can get it out and leave it out because I have a whole lot of sewing projects waiting in the wings. The chairs still need to be slip covered, I have curtains to make for the kitchen, pillow covers to make for the living and some other secret projects I will post about later. Never a dull moment, hmm?

Hopefully we'll talk soon!!
~Rosemary

Aleena is 3!

It's hard to believe that our baby girl turned 3 this weekend! I feel like this might have been just last week:

But she is looking quite grown up these days.

We took her to Red Robin for her big day. Not only did she get TWO balloons but they also sang to her(total deer in headlights look through the whole song) and gave her a free sundae. She ate the WHOLE thing. We had her birthday dinner with Grandma and  Grandpa. Grandma got her a super cute (and yummy!!) Clifford cake from Distelfink Bakery in Lansdale.

I do wish we could just bring that bakery with us wherever we live because it is just that good. So we had a fun birthday weekend and here is to celebrating another year with out baby girl!