Home is Where the Heart is

Monday, September 17, 2012

~ Re-Cyclying Shelving & Doors~

Happy Tuesday Everyone! We were away all last week traveling to Arizona to visit family. I can't wait to share a few highlights of our trip. Gary and I drove my Mom and Dad and my Brother and Sister n law followed behind us, it was a mini caravan. It was a trip for my Dad to re-visit his home Jerome Arizona. I have missed reading many of your posts last week and I am trying to catch up with you all. I so enjoy reading what you all have been up too.

So anyway I just have to tell you what happened last night while I was trying to prepare a post and upload photo's, I received a notice that I had run out of "free photo space in Google" and I had to buy more storage space, so I did but it wouldn't let me upload for 24 hours "drats" so anyway I had to wait until tonight to post. Darn google, I wish it had let me known sooner that I had used all the "free space". Has that happened to you?.

Any who back to what I wanted to share with you this week. While cleaning out the garage I found an oak shelve, brackets and a curtain rod that was just being stored. Being the thrifty girl that I am and always trying to find a way to re-purpose and reuse. I started to stared at the shelve for a while and then asked Gary if he could make a quilt shelve for me for our guest room, I told him I had an "idea" so we put our thinking caps on and a nifty and cool way to recycle an old oak shelve into a quilt rack was born.

I went to my paint cabinet and brought out the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old White. It took three coats, after drying I sanded until smooth and distressed. Gary brought out his handy dandy drill and made holes on either side of the brackets.

We slipped the curtain rod through the holes,the rod was the perfect shade of white and I love the finial design. We hung the new "quilt shelve" in our "in process guest room "

It hangs two quilts very nicely.

On the top of the shelve for now, I always say for now because you all know I love to change things around. I have my Guest Cottage sign made by Paul from Castle & Cottage and a crochet potholder wreath made by Judy from her ETSY shop 20NORTHORA. These two ladies are so talented and I enjoy having their creativity in our home.

The little chair was a free bee that I painted , added rosettes to and made the pleated seat cover. I posted about here way back in 2009.

Just moving things around and playing with the shelve.

Close up the fun and creative crochet potholder wreath. I really love this!

Also while cleaning the garage I ran across the doors that we have used in two of our homes. They have lived as shutters and were originally part of an old cupboard and now they are are headboard for our trundle bed in the guest room.

You all remember this quilt, pillow case and side pillows right. I made theses awhile back they are now on the guest bed. Gary and I enjoy filling a room with home made things and re-purposing. It just makes us feel good to now that nothing goes to waste or is through out without trying to fix it or give it new life.

A close up of the head board..

I hope you all enjoy your week, keep creating and re-purposing!

Joining in with the following Link parties;

Mary-Boogieboard Cottage Masterpiece Monday
Susan-Between Naps on the Porch metamorphosis Monday

Kathryn-The Dedicated House Make it Pretty Monday

Alderberry Hill Make the Scene Monday

Linda-Coastal Charm Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

Kim-Savvy Southern Style WOW us Wednesday
Honey-2805 A Potpourri Party every Friday

Courtney- French Country Cottage Feathered Nest Friday
Sherry-The Charm of Home Home Sweet Home Party Fridays

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Two Quilts

I missed wishing you all a Happy Monday, so Happy Tuesday instead.
This week I would like to share with you two Hawaiian inspired quilts that I just finished, using the fabric that was purchased while in Kauai in May.
For my Grandson Ty who is 7 1/2 in mind I choose these happy and colorful turtles swimming in every direction they are red, blue and green..
The quilt pattern I used is called the Disappearing 9 Patch that uses 10 different fabrics.
I took the photo outside hoping to capture all the bright colors, but I think there was to much glare.
(I'm not the best picture taker, but I try)

I had my quilter top stitch with swirls reflecting waves.

The Disappearing 9 Patch was really a joy to make, you can play with the squares and make any pattern you want with them.

For the back of the quilt I choose surf boards, Ty thought it was " so cool".

The second quilt was a parchel kit, it came with the pattern for "The Yellow Brick Road" quilt and six colors of hibiscus fabric. Again this is a pattern you can play with using any direction of placement of the squares. I prefer the Disappearing 9 Patch pattern because it gives more play and has
a better outcome. That's just me though, I like the Disappearing 9 Patch better.

This quilt will be put away for a future baby girl, I thought it would be fun to make a few quilts (just planning ahead) and I really wanted to use the fabric, I love the colors of all the hibiscus fabric.

To brake up all the print I decided to sew white rick-a-rack into the binding. I really like it and I think it brings a bit of sweetness for a baby girl.

For the back I used white cotton and pieced a strip of all the colors used.

I went to my stash of fabric and found the perfect red for the binding.

I had my quilter top stitch in hibiscus's, I used the hibiscus also for the "Hawaiian Post Card Quilt". I really love this pattern and will probably be using it a lot :) for top stitching.

Next quilt up on the sewing table I will be using the rest of all the Hawaiian fabric that I purchased in Kauai. I can't wait to get started.

(Busy Hands are Happy Hands) so keep creating..

What have you been working on?

Sharing with the following Linky Parties:

Mary-Boogieboard Cottage Masterpiece Monday
Susan-Between Naps on the Porch metamorphosis Monday

Kathryn-The Dedicated House Make it Pretty Monday

Alderberry Hill Make the Scene Monday

Linda-Costal Charm Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

Kim-Savvy Southern Style WOW us Wednesday

Bunny Jean -Bunny Jean Decor and More Bunny Hob Wednesday

Honey-2805 A Potpourri Party every Friday

Courtney- French Country Cottage Feathered Nest Friday

Sherry-The Charm of Home Home Sweet Home Party Fridays

Sunday, August 26, 2012

~Back Yard Patio~

Happy Monday, can you believe August is almost over and our weather has finely cooled down a bit. Enough that I can go out and enjoy the patio that is right off our living room.Our patio furniture is rattan and belonged to my Mom and Dad, they gifted us the furniture last year for the patio. The cushions needed new covers (I forgot to take a before photo).
So any who.... a few weeks ago Gary and I went to the fabric store looking for outdoor fabric and found this very colorful and bright material with sailboats. The sails were so pretty and stripey and full of whimsy. It had all the colors we love, then we eyed a pretty red and white polka-dot fabric and thought why not use both to brake up some of the sailboat pattern.
I had never made cushions covers with zippers before and I was a bit scared, since its been years since I'd sewn a zipper and I didn't have a pattern. I was going to have to wing it so with my heart beating fast and measuring about a million times before I cut, I sat down with my trusty sewing machine and had at it.

I just noticed that the cushion on the left is upside down...silly old me...just pretend its flipped over and the sailboats are facing you like the other two. See the white polka-dots peeking out between the seats, aren't they cute...

Oh darn there's that upside down cushion again.

Going around the patio is a swing that Gary bought for me from Pier One. I enjoy curling up in it and just swinging. It even has a place to slip your magazine's in and a place to hold your cup I love the big yellow daisy flower so 60's Peace Baby!!
I made the two side pillows a while ago and
used the left over red and white polka-dot fabric to make a quick cover for the pillow I was using for the seat.

The cabinet you see in the back we use for extra pool towel and the side lamp table my Uncle made.

The top of the swing.

The rattan love seat

See the polka-dots in the sailboat fabric it mimics the polka-dots in the red and white
polka dot material.

I made a simple envelope slip cover for the back cushions and used zippers for closers on the cushion bottoms.

I made the covers a little bit looser, for wear and shrinkage while washing

Our outdoor curtains hanging in blue and white stripes,
were purchased at Lowe's. We get a lot of sun in this patio so the curtains do there job helping to keep the room cool and the hot sun off the fabric. Even though I used outdoor fabric I still worry about fading so keeping the sun off is important to me.

The chase received a new pillow cover too.

Behind the curtains is white lattices.

The curtains are easily pushed from one side to the other since they are on rings. Our daughter's boyfriends helped installed the extra long rod that was build out of piping. Next summers projects will be either installing brick, slate or resurfacing the cement floor on the patio. But for now I am very happy just to be able to enjoy one of our outdoor spaces. I can't wait for fall to curl up under the patio and light the outdoor chiminea
Enjoy your week everyone, I will be joining in with the following blog parties.

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