A Not So Hard Seat

We bought our house about four and a half years ago, and with the house came this great dining booth.  We had tables made just for the booth and the previous owners left boards that fit the booth for cushions.  I have looked for fabric since we have moved in, but being the cheapskate that I am I just could not fork out the dough for heavy duty fabric.  One day at work I took a little stroll to deliver a package and on my way back to the office I stopped by the thrift store.   I headed back to the fabric section and I found a roll of cream and black striped fabric.  One of the volunteers offered to help me figure out the yardage...which totalled 8 yards.  I asked how much and she said $6.  Sold.  I am always in awe of those who steal find steals at thrift stores.  And now I am one.

Over the weekend I tackled these suckers.  17+ feet of boards, foam, batting and fabric.  I think it took about 2.5 hours to do all of the cushions.  And I used the wrong side of the fabric because I was not thinking about what I was doing.  It is a subtle change but it warms up the spot nicely.

I need to add some pillows to make it cozy and add some interest to the table.  It is boring, I know.  Please ignore that ugly chandelier.  We need a new one.

Any home decor projects going on in your home?

Leslie 

Things I Like For Christmas

I am FINALLY done with exams.  Now I get to play the waiting game...10 to 12 weeks until the results are sent.  Thankfully November and December tend to be extremely busy months, so it should go by quickly.

One of my best Christmas memories is the Christmas morning I found out that Santa was not real.  I was six or seven and I had a hunch about Santa.  That year I made sure that Santa could not get into our house.  I went around to all of the doors and double checked the locks.  Also, we had a fireplace insert so there was no way his fat butt was coming down the chimney...plus the fire was still lit.  Early Christmas morning I heard something down the hall from my bedroom...and of course I was scared to death...I thought someone was in our house.  I look down the hall and staring back at me next to the Christmas tree was this white butt...otherwise known as my Dad in his tighty whities bent over putting presents under the tree.  No more Santa...I am pretty sure I ruined it for my sister that morning too.

The last couple of years I have not decorated much for Christmas.  We have either been out of town or I was being a Grinch.  The Grinch attitude happens every other year or so, and judging by my want to decorate, I think this may be my non-Grinch year.  Here is how I would like to decorate:

1.  A white Christmas tree with lots of color.

Source Not Found

2.  Stockings.  In almost 14 years of marriage I still have not made Hubby and I stockings.  Gotta get on this.  Denyse Schmidts Quilts stocking Pattern could really help me.

3.  If I don't put our names on the stockings, I think these little embroidery hoops by Lilac Saloon would be fun to make as stocking tags.

4.  Bottle Brush Trees.  I like how Nest Pretty Things styled the different colored trees.

5.  Yarn ball ornaments in the Holiday Guide by Emily Henderson and map ornaments by Mary Janes & Galoshes.

6.   This easy Tree Skirt by Design Sponge.

Are you thinking about Christmas yet?  What do you want to make?

~Leslie

I Gave In

I told myself "No, I will not join Pinterest.  It looks like fun, but No...Just say No."  I don't have a facebook account any longer because it was a time sucker and I just couldn't take it any more.  So, I have been holding off on signing up for Pinterest because of the same thing.  But...I gave in.  And it was because of this:

A present from a friend.

A little inspiration posted on one wall really helps me pick through different options.  I normally collect inspiration in my email, but that is getting a bit tedious and unorganized.  I know the chair needs a little help, but it will be a fun piece in my house.

Here are a few ideas:

Love The Color Combination.

Again, Love The Color Combo.

I Can't Say That I Love The Color Combo Enough.

Just a warning, Pinterest can be addicting.  I look in moderation because otherwise I would not be able to control myself.  Here is my Pinterest if you want to look.  And, if you want an invite to feed your own addiction collect your own inpiration, then just let me know.


~Leslie

My Flowers

I kill flowers.  That is just how it is.  I wish it was different, but it isn't.  Since I don't have any flowers in my yard, I made my own.  Well...they are really just leaves on sticks, but they are colorful and they will not die.  Perfect.

I am considering this a Restyle project because I found sticks in my yard and used scraps of fabric for the leaves.  It is probably a stretch, but since this is my blog I guess I make the rules. 

What do you think?

Have A Great Monday!  ~Leslie

Hope Chest Pillow Case Designs of Grace and Charm

Vogart Transfer Patterns

Aunt Martha's Butterflies For Linens

The day I went to breakfast for my Grandma's birthday (this sounds familiar hugh?), my mom handed me a bag and said, "I thought you might like these."  Ok, thanks.  I did not have a chance to look at anything in the bag until a little later...a few hours later after a Target run and a fabric store run.  I finally arrived home, let the chickens out (chickens don't like being cooped up until 11:15am...oops) and then went back into the house to look at my shopping goodies and what my mom had given me.  She gave me eight embroidery patterns, crochet hooks and a book on how to make an afghan.  Awesome.  I have been wanting to try all of these.  I can crochet some, but I normally prefer to knit.  I inspected the embroidery packages a little more and noticed there were price tags of $0.15 and $0.19.  I called my mom and asked about the patterns.  I guess the patterns were my Grandma's (my mom's mom...the birthday breakfast was for my dad's mom) and she gave them to my mom a long time ago.  I did a little bit of research and found that the Vogart patterns were produced in the 40's and 50's, but I could not find much about Aunt Martha's.  I may have to ask my Grandma about them some day.  I am excited about using the patterns...well, copying them and then using them.  I will keep the main pattern in tact.  Here are some of the patterns with their given titles (I did not make these up):

Beautiful Designs For Towels Or Pillow Cases

Graceful Motifs For Your Best Pillow Cases

A Handsome "Petit Point" Pattern

Vogart Hope Chest Designs

The titles of each package are very prim and proper.  My favorite patterns out of the group are the cat and parrot and the butterflies.  That cat and parrot pattern is a little quirky and would look fun on tea towels.  Did you notice the title "Hope Chest Pillow Case Designs of Grace and Charm?"  I think it is goofy and great at the same time.  

This clock (well, not this exact clock) will be my first embroidery project.  Have you seen the book Sew Liberated by Meg McElwee?  I really have enjoyed looking through this book and there are quite a few projects in the book that I want to make.  One in particular is the "Creatively Passing The Time Wall Clock."  I love the details of the owl, the bird, the flowers, the tree, the leaves...all of it actually.  The moment I saw the picture, I knew that I was going to make this clock.  Now that I have my vintage embroidery patterns, I am definitely going to incorporate the butterflies or the cat and the parrot into the clock pattern.

What about you all?  Do you embroider?  Do you embroider from a pattern or freehand?  Any advice on what I should or should not do?

Cousin Pillows

My sofas need new pillows.  My current pillows have drool rings on them.  I will not tell on the person who drooled all over my pillows...(it might be me)...because that would be mean and embarrassing.  Besides the drool, the colors of the pillows are no longer working in my living room.  This past weekend I painted the living room and hung curtains.  (Do you see those curtains in the background?  I will save those for another post.)  With the new changes, the pillows are lookin' a little sad.  One night before Christmas, Hubby and I went to dinner at my BIL and my new SIL's place.  They live in a studio apartment on a beautiful farm.  They are newlyweds so this place is their first home, and my SIL has decorated it so cute and cozy for the two of them.  I noticed that my SIL made a pillow out of a particular yellow fabric...the exact fabric that I bought at the thrift store about a month prior.  Turns out that she bought a panel of the same fabric...from what we can tell they must have been a pair of curtains.  I tried to fashion the panel into a shower curtain and a coverlet, but neither option worked.  Guess what...the fabric became a pillow.  You saw that coming, didn't you?  And I have enough of the fabric to make a few more of these suckers.  I am not sure how my SIL made her pillow, but I decided to make a simple envelope pillow cover for mine.  I guess our pillows are cousins. 

I made the pillow cover into an envelope so that when I drool on the new pillow cover while I am taking a nap when I want to change out the bright yellow it will be easy to switch covers.  

The envelope was simple to make, but the fabric was not that simple to maneuver.  It has a bit too much stretch, and the upper envelope flap is gaping open a little.  But you of course cannot tell because I am not going to show you that picture.  I probably should not have told on myself.

I thought about embellishing the pillow, but after seeing the pictures, I think it has enough razzle dazzle. 

The jury is still out on the size of the pillow.  It's a biggin' at 19 inches square.  I personally think this size is a bit large for my sofa.  Plus, the pillow is down...I am not a fan of down pillows.  I have a few smaller pillows that might work better than the "Hello, pick me, pick me," pillow.  Pillow drama... 

To be continued...

What have you all done to embellish pillows?  Yo yo's, applique, embroider around a drool ring?