A little bit better

Wow! I want to thank everyone out there for all the positive feedback on the "winging it" quilt. I had to deflate my head a little this weekend or it wouldn't have fit through the door...

Have you ever looked at something around your house and wondered "What was I thinking?". The foyer has been bothering me for about a year but I just don't quite have a solution yet.
The monkey, elephant and palm tree HAD to go however.

Gavin takes beautiful photos and my current plan is to frame three of them in black frames and hang them above the chair. I just haven't found the right three yet.
In the mean time, this is the temporary solution. The positioning is a little off since I just used pre-cut mats in the frame and the golden frame is not quite "it" either, but I think it's a little better.

And look at the beautiful flowers I got on Saturday. I wish they could last forever.

(The photos on the wall are this one and this one.)

Fall in the Hall

Actually, in the family room, but hall rhymed better.

Josh made the little soccer penguin in seventh grade.


It's early, dark, and raining, hence the furry photos.

Before and After

From this...

to this...

in less than a day.

(I bought the quilt - sacrilege!)

One out of two ain't bad

There were supposed to be two of these, but I'm all out of time.

Look, mitered borders! (I know the stripes don't line up - maybe next time...)

My mother is flying in today for a l-o-o-o-n-g visit. A little background: We don't have a guest room. We used to have a guest room, but since we don't have a bonus room and the guest room was sitting there just looking pretty 11 months of the year, we decided to let Josh have it as a "play room". The deal was that, when we get visitors, he will sleep in the play room and I will give his bedroom to the guests.

As you can imagine, this room is a teenager's bedroom. Posters on the wall, junk spread everywhere, etc...

The last couple of days I've been franticly trying to transform it into a guest room without breaking the bank or repainting the black and white walls. The pillow(s) are for the bed. The center fabric is what I cut off when I shortened the Ikea curtains.

As soon as the light is better I will try to take before and after shots of the room.

I may be a little scarce the next couple of weeks. If you don't hear from me, I'm probably banging my head against the wall spending quality time with my mother.

Actual Wisdom

It's been a while since I've brought you a bit of wisdom from the 1961 version of the "Better Homes & Gardens Decorating Book". Some of you may remember Chapter 1 - "It's your home, what kind do you want?", and Chapter 2 - "facts about color".

Up to now I've been making fun of the concepts in this book. Today I realized that, though very dated, some (I repeat: some) areas of this book hold a little truth. That is definitely the case with Chapter 3.
(As always, clicking on the picture will provide you with something more legible.)



Well, maybe not wallpaper...
...but an inspirational fabric sounds like a good idea.


I think, if updated a little, this could be a stunning room.

This chapter is just full of cool stuff, so I'll have to spread it over more than one post.
Tomorrow, however, I will have some craft to show. I promise. Please don't leave...

Two sheets

The duvet cover on our comforter was horrible and faded so I ripped it off and dumped it last spring. With winter around the corner I figured a new one was in order.
My bedroom is, however, in shambles right now since I'm getting ready to replace the carpet and redo the whole thing. I have no idea what I'm going to do in there, so it was important for the new cover to be 1. cheap and 2. neutral.

Here's what I came up with:

2 king size flat sheets (unfortunately I got the wrinkly kind, but oh well.)

This wonderful snap tape from Joanns. No buttonholes. Woohoo!

Ribbons on the inside of the cover and corners of the duvet, a la Martha
(Did you see her new stuff at Macy's!?!?!)

Not bad.

The only problem now is that the cover is really light and I have two really dark cats. I'm probably going to have to make a little blankie to cover this with and keep hair off the duvet because they're cats and guaranteed to find the softest spot in the house to shed on.

Corner of my Home

While I'm binding off the last little piece of "the sweater", I have nothing else to share, so I thought I'd post a couple of photos of the last "redo" we did.

The powder room cabinets were light oak (as are my kitchen cabinets and they're next) and the backsplash and edge of the countertop were oak strips.
I painted the cabinets and distressed them a little by sanding off bits around the edges and rubbing some thinned down wall paint into the cracks.
I tiled the backsplash and mosaic, removed the big old "stuck to the wall" mirror and replaced in with a framed one.
Gavin helped me replace the faucets, light fixture, towel and toilet roll holder, and door knobs.
I repainted the walls.
All in all the little redo cost less than $500. I wish I had a "before" photo because I'm quite amazed at the transformation.

More wisdom from BHG

Today I bring you the second installment of wisdom from the 1961 version of the "Better Homes & Gardens Decorating Book". Some of you may remember Chapter 1 - "It's your home, what kind do you want?"
Today we're looking at color.
(If you click on the pictures, the full size versions will provide more detail.)


"Would you wear a check blouse with a plaid skirt? Would you choose a red dress to make you look smaller? It's easy to use the color facts you already know in decorating your home."


"Bold colors advance, pale colors retreat"
"Closely blended colors conceal"
"If you want to conceal...bulky lines...blend it to the background with matching or similar color." (This may be good fashion advice too.)


"One bold pattern is usually enough"
"You probably won't go out dressed like the golfer at the right..."
"Some colors are cool, some are warm"


"Unequal areas are more pleasing"
and my personal favorite from this chapter:
"Color is affected by its neighbors"
"If you have a red sofa that stands out against a blue rug, and a red bookshelf against white walls, slipcover the sofa to match the rug." (Oh my gosh!!!)

No sewing machine - Day 2

A couple of years ago I stumbled upon the 1961 version of the "Better Homes & Gardens Decorating Book". It is a binder filled with "over 300 full color illustrations" and wise tips for decorating your home. I thought I'd share with you some snippets from Chapter 1. (If you click on the pictures, the full size versions will provide more detail.)



"If you're a bit sentimental - plan a cozy room"
"The color scheme stems from the flowered pattern of the draperies and quilted upholstery..."
and "Look to Contemporary"
"Airy drapery fabric runs unbroken from wall to wall, ceiling to floor, makes ceilings look higher..."


"Traditional Dignity"
"Brown tones range from soft beige to the honey of wall paneling, vibrant red-brown of tables and chair frames..."
"Colonial charm mirrors informal living"
"Furniture is cozily arranged..."


"Are you a busy clubwoman - with an active family?"
"...paneled walls and woven blinds need only occasional dusting..."
"Or are you a homebody - with a fondness for snug comfort?"
"A brown and white print, accented by pink, inspires the room's handsome color scheme..."


...and my personal favorite
"Sparkling color defines a gay, informal spirit"
"Vibrant carpet makes the brilliant floral sofa pattern in rose-red and shades of pink, accented with splashes of yellow, more vivid..." (how much more vivid can you get???)

Loot!

I decided to drive by a couple of yard sales this morning. Isn't it funny how they now start on Fridays? I generally don't haggle over prices at yard sales because I know how it feels when someone tries to get away with 25c for something that's already marked really, really low.

Here's what I scored:

A wonderful pink polka dot vase just begging for some peonies - $1...


The perfect pink and green container for scraps of fabric - 75c...


Cute, cute, cute red and white prints - 25c...


I also found a wonderful photographic quality light table (I've always wanted a light table) for $5, a microwave for Gavin's office for $10, and two light stands and an umbrella for his photographic adventures for $5.

Quite a successful morning, if you ask me.

Celebrate Spring!

We had a little spring celebration with wonderful friends in our home last night. It was cold and rainy outside, but I tried to bring a little bit of spring inside with a bright table setting.




A great time was had by all.

Nautical Nuances

Since I'm still in full avoidance mode on working away the thread tails on the log cabin quilt, and busy working on a little tutorial for an Easter card, I thought I'd share a little corner of my home. This is Josh's bathroom, which was one of the very first projects I tackled when we moved into this house almost 4 years ago. The walls were covered in a very bad sponging effort and I just could not stand to look at them one more day.

The photos were taken on a visit to Jackson Hole, Wyoming a couple of years ago. It was Josh's first river rafting experience and he had a blast! He's the little figure in the front of the boat. A brave soul, that little man.


I bought three little sailors during a visit to Kuaui in 1997 and knew that some day I'd be able to use them somewhere...

No special story here - just a lucky find at Ross or Marshall's - can't remember which.

A solution

I cut the borders for my little log cabin quilt last night and thought the little pile of scraps on the coffee table looked kind of cute. They're now in my new header. A little grainy, but, I think, better than the standard text header.

Today I have a solution to a problem some of you might have in your decorating efforts: the ugly laundry room sink.

I love my house, but the laundry room is not the best part of it. Linoleum floors, stock white laminate cabinets, and, worst of all, the plastic, beige, UGLY sink!

So, here's what I did:



1. Measure the width, as well as height from the floor on both the front and sides of the sink.
2. Purchase both self-stick and sew-on hook and loop fastener (Velcro) to run wall to wall around the front and sides of the sink.
3. Make a panel for each of the two sides, as well as the front according to your measurements, i.e. 3 panels.
4. Also make two panels, 7" wide by the height of the sink for the corners. These are the floral ones in the photos.
5. Lay the 3 big panels face down on the floor side by side, touching each other.

6. Lay the 2 smaller panels on top, face down as well.

7. Pin the soft layer of the sew-on Velcro across the top of this and sew it on. REMEMBER: this is all on the "wrong" side of the fabric.

8. Stick the hard part of the self-stick Velcro to the top of the sink, along the rim.
9. Affix your fabric panel to the sink, and Voila!, the sink is covered, looks much better, and, bonus!, you can store stuff under it unseen.