Projects

I received a phone call about my Santa poster from yesterday, so for those of you that asked (and are close by)...you can purchase your very own Santa poster (if there are any left) at:
Beaucoup
635 West Campbell Road, Suite 308,
Richardson, TX 75080
(972) 235-7906

And while you are there, be sure and eat at the Chocolate Angel and shop at Bradbury Lane, which is right next door.
Bradbury Lane
635 W Campbell Road, # 236
Richardson, TX 75080

Bradbury Lane also has a website if you can't get by the store.
http://www.bradburylane.com/

Projects

I know...it's been awhile. Projects, family, work...it seems there is hardly time in the day to complete all I want to do. However, I did get some time to create a "few" items before Christmas.

I purchased this poster (4 of them) on sale after Thanksgiving. The girls don't have a lot of Christmas decorations, so I thought we could work on these and create something larger-than-life to use for decorating. The first thing we did is affix the large sheets of paper to a stretched canvas. I used Mat Gel to glue it down and smooth it out. Once it was dry I used the Fragile crackle 2 step process to crackle the paper.

One that was dry I rubbed a dark brown and then an aqua color into the cracks to highlight the crackle process.

Then began the embelleshment using glitter, beads, and various decorations.

This is gold glitter added to the Christmas Tree.

Red glitter was used on top of the words...

and a dark black German glass was added to the belt and other areas.

I also used some small gold beads around the toys, colored bead on the drum and some "ready-made" snowflakes in the sky. I used Snow-Tex for the beard and hair. The girls are still in "various stages" of decorating their own...but they'll all be finished for next year!

Our major project this year was Lauren's doll bed. She has three 18-inch dolls and really wanted a bed for ALL of them. Peter came up with the plan and went to work designing the bed, building the frame, staining the beds.He even added the small railings so the "girls" would not fall out while they are sleeping.My job was to create the bedding: mattresses, pillows and blankets.Needless to say...Lauren was thrilled. She immediately put all her girls to bed and tested it out!

She was a very happy girl! Now...she wants a ladder!

Gingebread Houses

Does anyone remember The Olla Podrida? It was a great shopping venue in far North Dallas. I loved shopping there! Great artisans and crafters and a wonderful ambiance. I celebrated my 18th birthday at the Dinner Playhouse that was located in Olla Podrida. (Lucky for me...the football teams for the University of Texas and Notre Dame were also celebrating with a steak dinner before their big Cotton Bowl game that year! Does anyone remember Joe Theismann?) Alas, it has been torn down and replaced by new building structures.Who knew that some 40 years since my 18th birthday I would meet one of the artisans that was housed in The Olla Podrida. How she came to be in McKinney...well that's probably another story.

Miss Kyra lives a couple of houses down from Miss Janice and we've gotten to know her as a "great" neighbor! We've been down to her house for tea and she has visited with us at Miss Janice's on the front porch. Miss Kyra has baked some WONDERFUL items to tempt us and I've listened to her spin many beautiful stories of her childhood while sipping tea and visiting with her.

Miss Kyra grew up in England and South Africa. She told us of being nurtured by Welsh and Russian Jewish grandmothers and a German housekeeper. She also mentioned an Irish nanny and a cook who loved Italian food.

She immigrated to California as an adult and began teaching cooking classes to friends as a way to raise funds for a new synagogue. Eight years later, upon returning to England, she attended the Cordon Bleu.

In 1975, Miss Kyra opened the Cours de Cuisine Cooking School in Dallas. She and her husband also ran a retail store in The Olla Podrida! She has receive many awards over the years, has served as a food stylist and contributing writer for the "Food" section of The Dallas Morning news and has edited several cookbooks.

Miss Kyra continues to give countless volunteer hours to her community and continues her work with the Jewish Family Services and the National Council of Jewish Women in Dallas. PLUS...she also writes a column for our local McKinney newspaper. SHE IS A BUSY WOMAN! (I'm hoping I have most of my facts correct...I did not take notes while she was spinning her magic!)

Now that I have introduced you to Miss Kyra...let me introduce you to a whole lot of fun. This past weekend she asked several of us to come over and create Gingerbread house. I, personally, have never made one. I always thought I would like to...but just never followed through with all the work!

I found out in the course of the afternoon (from Miss Kyra's sister) that she has been "hosting" Gingerbread classes for more than 30 years!

When we arrived Miss Kyra had already prepared each of us a gingerbread house...

She also had the "Candy Table" ready for us to "shop" for appropriate housing parts.Miss Kyra gave us brief explanation of the process...then set us free! We were a small group, but that gave us space to spread out and intimate conversation as we worked.

Miss Betty was our "oldest" builder. She said repeatedly, "I don't think I can do this!"

Miss Kyra continually encourage and cajoled Miss Betty into completing her house.

Miss Betty's finished product was beyond belief! We hardly believed this was her first try.

One of the builders, Janice from California, broke her wall while building. She immediately went to Plan B: build a snowman stage inside the house and keep on decorating.

We loved her creativity and the fact she was not at all discourage that her house wall caved in while she was "gluing" candy onto the sides. Janice took the whole thing in stride and used it as an opportunity to be even more creative.

Now...Miss Janice on the other hand had her "Accountant Brain" on. BUT, that also did not seem to deter her on this day!

She got right to work on her roof and using all manner of candy to fill in the blank canvas of her house.

It wasn't long before she became a decorating fool! She was "WAY" outside her box, but I think her house turned out wonderful!

She was VERY creative with her chimney and the back wall of her house.

This is my house. I used tootsie rolls (cut, smashed and trimmed) for the roof.Miss Kyra had so many wonderful candies, pretzels, cereals and assorted items to choose from. Her only rule is that all items on the house be edible.

My completed project...with a garden and fencing around the house. My grand kids are going to LOVE eating this on Christmas morning.

Now to the MASTER builder of ALL Gingerbread Houses!

Emily REALLY got into the project...

We were long finished with our houses (and all the other ladies had gone home) before Emily completed her house!

Starburst for the chimney...

Fruit roll ups for the roof...

So much loveliness...I think she was the Teacher's Pet for the DAY!!!! Her house was outstanding.

A BIG HEART FELT THANK YOU to Miss Kyra...not only for opening her home to us, but also for baking the houses and preparing them for our coming. She and her sister gathered all the supplies we would need, and she prepared the "icing" we needed to glue our houses together.

Miss Kyra appears tireless! Not only did she supply us with Gingerbread houses she made, but she also prepared additional houses she will decorate herself. These houses will be given to sick children spending their Christmas holiday at Medical City Hospital.

Miss Kyra...you're the best. You have a heart as BIG as TEXAS...even if you did come via way of South Africa and California!!!

Sunday Thoughts

My choice is You, God, first and only.

And now I find I'm Your choice!

You set me up with a house and a yard.

And then You made me Your heir!

Psalm 16:5-6 (The Message)

Thanksgiving

"I will praise God's name in song and glorify Him with thanksgiving."

Psalm 69:30

Blessings to you on Thanksgiving.

debi

McKinney Texas Happenings

Great things are happening in McKinney during this Christmas Season...check out the activities below (and I've included links so you can get all the latest info on the "happenings!")


This weekend is the 29th Annual Dickens of a Christmas...Home for the Holidays!!!

This is an old fashioned festival with horse drawn carriages, strolling carolers, visits with Santa, the Christmas tree lighting and activities for all ages. This even is help for three (3) days November 27, 28 and 29.)

Friday, November 27 the festival will launch with an "Earlier than the Bird" shopping extravaganza followed by festive activities throughout the day.

Click HERE for more info!

Also coming up the first weekend in December in McKinney is the Holiday Tour of Homes, a Holiday tradition for 23 years! Check out the house (I've included a sneak peek and a link to purchase tickets if you are in the area!)

The 36th Annual Holiday Tour of Home

Saturday & Sunday December 5th & 6th

Six wonderful homes from the McKinney Historic District

You can Buy Tickets HERE

Here's a sneak peek of the homes on the tour this year.....

I'll be looking for you in McKinney!

Have a Great Thanksgiving,

debi

Sunday Thoughts

I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me;
I was found by those who did not seek me.
To a nation that did not call on my name,
I said, 'Here am I, here am I.'
~ Isaiah 65:1

Tattered Bliss Sale!

I know...again I've been gone too long. Not going to believe it, but I took a "full" time job. Just a little clarity to that statement...I'm doing a consulting project for my city's IT Department. What can I say? The job just fell into my lap, so I'm going to give it a try. Since I'll be "dating" the city for awhile, I can decide if I want to "get married" once the hiring freeze is lifted. I'll just have to figure out when I'm going to sew and create. I'm sure I'll be able to make time, once I get into the swing of things.

A couple of weeks ago I went to the Tattered Bliss sale. I was not able to go on Friday (the day of the sale), but went on Saturday while they were putting things away. Miss Janice bought a chair, so I went with her to pick it up, and the ladies were gracious enough to let me take pictures...and shop while they packed.

The house was absolutely beautiful. I took many pictures and will just let you enjoy.

Entry way.

Dining Room...

Doorway to Kitchen...

Chandelier in Dining Room

I love that all the cabinets look like furniture.

Laundry room Bath off kitchen

KitchenI love that all the cabinets look like furniture.

The sink faces the eating area

This is the sink side. Too cute.

This TV hides away in this cabinet when not in use.

Eating area in Kitchen - leads to back yard.
There were so many wonderful items outside...

Many of the items came from Germany

Small guest bath off the living room

Cute curtain from a vintage dresser scarf. Living Room stairway. They had items placed on the stairs for sale...and laid out so they prevent anyone from going upstairs. I didn't get a close up, but there are some old German tree holders on the stairs...I was able to get one when I arrived on Saturday. Too cute! I have a close up of the tree holder and it will be at the end of the post.

Living Room Fire place

Master bedroom curtains and nook

There were so many lovely linens from Germany.
Master bath....

Again, it all looks like furniture.

Next year I hope to attend the sale the first day. I was able to buy a German embroidered table runner and some vintage red and white napkins.

And here's my small German tree holder.I'm going to be sure and get there early next year!

Big Finale, Open House Part Two

So...here is the front of the Project House. Guess I never realized I had not posted the full view of what we have been working on. It has such a welcoming porch - you can't help but want to stay awhile. We will head upstairs today and finish the open house...

As you head up stairs there is a landing and a small attic room behind the door.

Inside, there is a comfortable trundle bed for the guest that likes a really dark room for sleeping.

There is a small skylight in the roof, but it does not let a lot of light in, which makes this great for sleeping late!

It's very cozy! Behind the quilt against the back wall is a "huge hole" where Miss Janice stores all her Christmas decorations.

BUT, the biggest secret to this room is that it also doubles as a 'server' room. For you all geeks out there...this is heaven. At one time there were 7 servers humming happily in this room. Now, there are only two.

When Miss Janice sold her office building and brought her business home - along came all the servers, papers, desks, work related items. We have been busy purging a lot of these items, but there is more to do. Our goal is by the end of the year all of this will be gone and this will truly be a small guest room...without the droning hum of servers!

When you leave the attic room there is another short flight of stairs to the second floor. At the top of the stairs is the upstairs bathroom.

This room turned out to be a huge disappointment to us. We did not finish this one area. There is still pink floral wallpaper to stripe off. Very soon, though. The second disappointment was the floor. When we originally pulled back the carpet and peeked underneath, we saw wood floors. YEAH! We would just sand and stain them. However, once we pulled up the full piece of carpet, there was a piece of plywood in front of the shower. This meant we would either have to re-carpet the area, or paint the floor. Miss Janice had been hoping for a "painted" floor...so this was it!!

I decided to draw out a design to play up the plywood so it would actually look like a small mat. I created the design then transferred it to the floor to paint. It takes longer than stenciling, but the results were what I had hoped. The bathroom will eventually be black and white, and have pink accents.

Next door to this bathroom is the larger guest room.

This is a wonderful space for a guest to make themselves at home. Not only is the room large, but it is homey. This was originally painted green and we have left that color, but highlighted it with pink. This white dresser at the entrance of the room will eventually move into the craft room - but until some more purging happens in there, it will have to make it's home here. The mantel Miss Janice was using for her headboard in her bedroom has been painted white and affixed to the wall upstairs to create a cozy little sitting area. I had a wonderful pink and green piece of fabric we stabled to the back of the mantle to create a little interest.
Miss Janice had a lot of quilts and vintage linens put away, some of which were her mother's. I pulled out everything pink and used it in the room. The hanging quilts are hung from a ballet bar that was in her room as a girl.
Outside the guest room is a nice reading nook on the top landing of the stairs.

It's a comfortable place to curl up with a book or just sit and visit with a friend. As you leave this space you enter the last bedroom, which is now Miss Janice's office/craft room.

When Miss Janice first moved her office home she needed enough space for her and her assistant to have space to work. This was the perfect room! There are two large work areas and lots of storage.

Miss Janice has since closed her business, so half the room has now become a craft area. She has space to spread out and create to her heart's delight. There are still many files and "office" type things that need to be purged and shredded, but it will come!

It a fun place to work together on projects...each can have their own desk, yet sit right across from each other and talk. The best of both world's!

Thanks again for stopping by! Hope you enjoyed your visit and all the hard work that went into the makeover. Miss Janice is already talking about knocking out a back wall in the kitchen to create an eat in area....hopefully that will be next year!

I guess the completion of this project frees me up to sew some more...so I better get busy.

Till next time,

debi

Big Finale, Open House

I can't believe it's been a month since I last posted. Life seems to slip by.

My husband and I took a "real" vacation this month. We spent the first eleven days of October in Florida. We enjoyed a great, relaxing time, just the two of us. Not only did we have time to do nothing, but had time to re-connect with family and friends that live in Florida.

We were able to re-connect with friends we have not seen in 24 years! It was such a great time of catch up, pictures, and remembrances. They left Dallas (and Dallas Theological Seminary) in 1986 and we have not seen them since them. We were able to fill in all those years over dinner...almost as if we'd never been apart.

We also had the opportunity to visit some elderly "relatives" while we were there. We enjoyed a leisurely lunch time with them and laughed and caught up on times gone past. We also enjoyed dinner with their grandchildren and my girlfriend from college. Lots of new memories were made and MUCH laughter was shared.

However, once we returned to McKinney...we had the final push on Miss Janice's house to complete ALL projects and hold an open house to show off the new digs. There had been many items completed while we were gone, but all those little things that seem to hang on till the end needed to be tied up...and we had one week. (Hence my reasons for not posting!)

I just realized I don't have a good picture of the front of the house...I'll have one by tomorrow. I thought today I would take you through the downstairs and tomorrow we'd tour the upstairs.

Let's get started. Last Sunday was perfect weather for an open house. To begin we will start on the porch. This is our favorite place to spend Friday nights after a long week of work.

I finished sewing the new cushions the week I returned from Florida.

There's space to swing and enjoy dinner...or just relax.

Once you enter the front door...you're in the entry hall...To the right of this picture is the dining room and living room...which is where this whole project began about a year ago. This was originally the living room (and the dining room was in the larger area). We flipped the two rooms to create a more livable space for Miss Janice and to suit how she entertains.

In the dining room we pulled the carpet and sanded the heart pine floor. A design was laid down and we stained the floor two colors to create the pattern. The walls were also painted the two pink tones. (Actually pink and raspberry.)

The dark woodwork was original to the house.

From this room we can enter the living room, again painted a two tones of pink. You can see into the kitchen from this doorway.These floors were already finished, so only the paint was added to this room.
Across the hall from the dining room is the library. It was originally painted red by the last homeowners who totally brought the house from the brink of destruction. When they purchased this house in 1982 - it was condemned by the city. Miss Janice purchased this house in 2000 and has only had to do some cosmetic things to bring it to her liking. The original owner came to the open house and was very pleased with all the work that had been done on this great home.

Originally this room was carpeted. There was plywood underneath the carpet, so this pine floor was laid new, sanded and stained with the border around the edge.Miss Janice is able to show off all her Texas/Cowgirl memorabilia in this area.She has some great antiques...and some wonderful vintage Texas art!

From the Library we'll move next door to the master suite. Miss Janice's bedroom was also carpeted as was her bathroom. I might mention here that all the rooms downstairs (except the kitchen and the library were painted peach! There is no longer ANY peach in this home!)

Miss Janice loves PINK - as I'm sure you've guessed by now. Originally her room was filled with pink (and yes the walls were the peach color) She has gone with a very calming and serene blue and brown theme now.

We were able to create her sitting nook with a garage sale mantle we found. My husband and son-in-laws created the whole effect to look like she could cozy up to a real fire. There are still some tiles we want to adhere to the back of the fireplace...just one of the "small" things that was not completed before the open house.

She swapped out some antiques she had stored out of sight upstairs, and now they seem to have always been part of this room.

The bathroom was also completely redone. There was old linoleum under the carpet in this room. (As a bit of history, this 1917 house was a boarding house after WW1. Women stayed here to be close to their husbands who were in the VA hospital here in McKinney. This room was a kitchen during it's boarding house era.)

We laid the new tile floor, in keeping with the era of the house.
The floor just finishes off the whole area! Even Dorothy got a new dress for the open house. Of course, Miss Janice can't help herself when it comes to dressing things up with bling!
We also found this small cabinet to store towels in at the very last minute (the day before the open house!)
Next we'll travel down the hall to the downstairs guest bath. There was pink carpet and peach walls in this small space. We went with dark blue and refinished the floors. The design was added to create more interest in the small area. We brought in Miss Janice's bluebonnet pictures which go perfectly with the walls in this small bath.

Across the hall from this bath is the kitchen. No real "cosmetics" were done to this room, however the grout was routed out and re-done so that all the counters are now gleaming. My daughter also refinished the edge of the counters to match the floor color. I also made new curtains...but Miss Janice's dream is to knock out the wall behind the fridge and take in part of the porch for an eat in kitchen. I'm thinking that's another project for another year!

When you leave the kitchen you can head out back to the deck and potting shed.

I was able to finish all these cushions before I left for Florida. The area is so homey and inviting now...most everyone at the open house ended up out here just visiting and of course eating. We had all the food set up out back for the party.

New steps were added to the deck along with this small wall to prevent people from falling off. Miss Janice also got a new fan and a metal room on this area after a big storm blew off her shade cloth and ruined her old fan.

AND....finally....her is the potting shed. My husband originally built this a couple of years ago, but it's the center piece for the back yard.

Later this week I'll take you upstairs. There was not so much a re-do upstairs as a "purge and re-move." The upstairs guest bath had carpet that was removed...which now leaves only the attic room with carpeting. For now...that will stay. All the floors upstairs were already re-finished, so not sooooo much work like downstairs.

Thanks for coming to the open house. It's been a year long labor of love (even if it's not my house!) We've learned a lot in our journey and had fun along the way. I want to than Miss Janice for allowing us to "have our way" in her home! To my husband, Peter, my daughters Ashley, Emily and Stephanie and my two son-in-laws, Mike and BJ. Each made a contribution to the project and each played a part that was integral to the completion of my dream and vision for this house!

Till later...then we'll go upstairs!

debi

Outdoor Project

Still seems to be small projects that require attention to finish up the house. Ashley stained the thresholds with white stain. They'll be sealed and will look good going into the bathroom tile area.

There are two other small bathrooms that need to have the carpet pulled up and the floors refinished. We thought we'd have to tile this small half bath off the kitchen, but once the carpet came up there were hardwoods underneath.

We sealed Mike inside the bathroom while he was sanding so the dust didn't spread throughout the house. The floor will be stained to match the rest of the floors and we've already painted the peach walls blue. Once I can get in there to take pictures I'll share with you what it looks like now. (For some reason I didn't get good before pictures. I'll be sure to get before pics from the upstairs bath.)

Last Saturday the guys moved to the outside deck area. Miss Janice wants a step up from the yard onto the deck, a new ceiling fan was ordered and she has a light pole and lamp she wants hung up to give more light.

Here are the start of the new steps. The wooden piece to the right is going to be another place to place plants without taking up space on the deck.

Mike began placing the stones to create a path to the potting shed.

They guys got the lamp post installed and electrified.

The lamp post also had a handrail attached, so it was placed next to the new stairs.

Here is before of the deck area...the ceiling fan had to be replaced.

Another before....

Here is an after...I finally finished all the cushions for the back deck area!

The antique baby bed has it's new coat of paint (as does all the furniture.)

Several pillows were created from an old quilt.

There is a lot of seating for guest now.

The new tin roof over the one end of the deck creates shade (as do the pecan trees) for a late afternoon nap.

I also made cushions for the extra bench seating along the one side of the deck.

The bench also creates extra seating along one side of the table.

This is the large lantern Miss Janice bought at a garage sale...it's hanging on the side of the potting shed.

Of course, now that the back deck is complete...time to start on making new cushions for the front porch seating area. We found these cushions on sale last weekend. That fabric won't last long...

In fact...I've already started recovering these cushions!

We're all working now for the big open house in October...much to do to be ready.

Till next time,

debi

BIG Project - Completion

I thought today I'd look back over the BIG PROJECT and reminiscence about how it all began...and show some of the before and after pictures of the completed project.

This was the beginning of the Bathroom/Bedroom project. It all started with a "pinky-peach" color that had been painted throughout the downstairs of Miss Janice's house....long before she bought the house in 2000. This color was everywhere!

Miss Janice originally utilized her "pink" items to work with the color, but with the purchase of new bedding for the bedroom - she decided to head a whole new direction...brown and blue.

Before Bathroom

After painting blue.

Before flooring (actually carpet covered this floor in the bathroom.)

After we laid new tiles in the bathroom.

This is the before 0f the sink area (sorry I didn't take a picture of the mirror over the sink...but you can see it later over the mantel in the bedroom.)

After...What a difference! We found the new vanity at a warehouse sale and Miss Janice purchase the new fixtures - oil rubbed bronze. The two mirrors were bought when a local antique mall went out of business, and the new light fixture was a floor model at Home Depot (Miss Janice talked the guy into selling it for less!)

This is the before area of the tub and toilet area. She had a screen covering part of the area, since there is a window is directly across the room.

This is after. We purchased a new curtain rod that curves out to give the tub more room.

When deciding on the the floor molding we also measured to including enclosing the tub, making it look more finished. We used 3 different pieces of molding to build it up and make it look more expensive than it was!

In a prior picture you can see the chandelier that hung in the middle of the room - we swapped it out for a fan (taken from upstairs) and the chandelier went into the corner near this nook.

This nook was originally a "catch all" closet, but was turned into Miss Janice's vanity area.

Miss Janice originally had a white vanity in front of the window, but we opened the space up by moving this into the closet area and hanging shelves to accommodate all her things. We also used two old shutters hinged together to give more privacy to the window area, rather than trying to enclose the toilet area. She hangs her vintage handkerchiefs on the shutters to show off her collection.

Next came the bedroom.

This floor was also covered with carpet, but there was still an old pine floor hiding underneath...not pretty, but a little love....

and hard work can make anything new.

This floor was also finished dark (Jacobean) like the rest of the floors throughout the house.)

I decorated the corners of the room and the entrances with stenciling and sealed it when I sealed the floor.

Originally the bedroom was done in pink and white. There were lace curtains on the windows and pink toppers (created by her sister, Jennifer.)

This shot shows the bed area when she first bought her new comforter. There was still a lot of pink in the room (although I had already sewn new toppers and a new closet drape.) This is just a reminder of what the area looked like before the make over.

Here is that same area and window. Miss Janice found this mantle at a garage sale and we wanted to incorporate a mantle in the plan...loved this one better than her old headboard mantle. (The mirror over the mantle is the one that used to be in the bathroom. The pink lampshade will go...as soon as I can find a new one!)

This window now looks like this....

I made the toppers, but we found the curtains at Target. Here is a close up of the details. I think they are wonderful in the scheme of the room.

Here is the closet area before...

Here is the after of the closet!

Big Difference!

Close up of closet details.

The bedroom is pretty well complete. The boxes in this picture are to be filled with "stuff" that will go in the top of the closet. There are a few boxes to unpack, but the major work is done.

This BIG Project really all began last fall. We originally started tearing up Miss Janice's place last October. Our first "re-do" began with pulling up the carpet in her living room/dining room. Originally Miss Janice's front room was her living room. It was a small, cramped room...while her dining room was large and open.

The living room area had carpeting, which we knew we wanted to tear out.

Who knew when we began ripping out this carpet and moving things around that this would become a year long process of continual disruptions for Miss Janice.


There was a wonderful pine floor under the carpet and after refinishing the floors and painting the walls...

We began our work in earnest on the floors.

My vision for this floor was a diamond design stained in the dark Jacobean and the light areas stained pecan.

I thought it turned out beautiful.

Originally we placed the table and chairs in a traditional manner, but ended up settling on a diagonal configuration.

Currently, the room has a couple of boxes left from all the moves that still need to be emptied, but it feels pretty well back to normal.

During this last re-do of the bedroom everything spilled out of closets and drawers into the living room and dining room.

I know Miss Janice felt things would NEVER be normal again. But, sometimes it takes a little disaster to bring back beauty (HA! I just made that up!)

This was the original dining room, which is now the living room. This room originally had refinished hardwoods, so we only had to paint this room to update it all.

The living room as of today...normal once again!

By last Christmas we had finished the living room/dining room project...but Miss Janice is a glutton for punishment - so very soon after the new year we began the library project.

The library is across the hall from the new dining room through those double french doors.


When Miss Janice bought the house this room was the previous owners media room.

She envisioned it more a library/cowgirl room.

Of course, this room had carpeting that had to be pulled up...unfortunately there was no nice, old pine floor hiding underneath...only particle board. The first order of business was to lay a "new" old pine floor and refinish it to match the rest of the house.

Since this was new flooring, it didn't take the stain as deeply as the other floors which were original to the house...but I think they turned out all right.

Next we updated the curtains and then...added details to the window shades.

This was accomplished with paint and iron on ribbon.

Currently this room is finished, but there are boxes (if you look closely inside the doors) that Miss Janice will put away very shortly, and life will return to normal....

But wait...there are still rooms to finish upstairs........................another day, another project! I think Miss Janice is hoping for a little less dust and a little order...if only for a little while!

Till next time,

debi

M.I.A.

I know. I know. I've been missing in action. We took time off over the long weekend and headed to Waco.

Emily has been traveling for Interstate Batteries and her last stop over for the week was in Waco. We decided we'd head down to spend Friday night with her and go to the Texas Ranger Museum on Saturday. Of course, my granddaughter heard "Texas Ranger" and began working her grandpa to "take her out of school early" so she could see the Ranger Museum. We all knew what her ulterior motive was...she thought she was going to be able to catch a glimpse of "Walker, Texas Ranger." (She loves that show...don't know why!)

So...with Mom's approval, we picked her up early on Friday and headed out to Waco.

Once we met up with Emily our fist big site was a catfish on top of this truck.

Next stop was for dinner on the Brazos. We have eaten at this same restaurant since the girls were little...it has changed names and menus many times over the years...but we go there for the turtles, ducks and catfish feeding!

Lauren met another little girl while we waiting for our food. They had a great time feeding day old bread to the creatures below.

The turtles are huge.

Can you see them all in the water? I don't think you can see the catfish right below the surface.

The restaurant is now called Buzzard Billies...food was OK, but we had a great time enjoying the breeze and the sunset, and Lauren loved throwing that bread overboard!

Next morning we headed over to the Texas Ranger Museum. The day was perfect!

Lauren got into the spirit of photography...

Checking her settings...

Taking the shot...

Better shoot it again.

Lauren also discovered the "dress up" clothes. She pulled her bandanna up to protect her face against the desert storm! (She didn't want to be a bandit!)

Of course, her whole goal was to see Walker. She asked me if she could go ask the man at the front desk if Walker, or any other Ranger would be stopping by the museum. I couldn't believe the first words out of the kids mouth were, "Well, Walker's not a real Ranger...." The look of shock and horror were all over Lauren's face. I gave him my best mother..."another word and you'll die" look. He swallowed and began again, "Since it's Saturday there are no Rangers around, and if they're working today, they would be working on a case." As soon as we walked away, she turned and asked, "What did he mean, Walker's not a real Ranger." I told her that Walker was now retired, so that seemed to satisfy her. REALLY...how many kids come there to see Walker? That guy obviously had no children!!!!

He did tell us that Walker had his own space in the back area, so we headed back to the back to check it out. Sure enough...Walker memorabilia filled the space.

She was VERY happy to have her picture taken with his "outfit"!!!

Her next favorite activity was to shop the souvenir shop...and it didn't take her long to find something to buy! A PINK Lady Kentuckian rifle (cap gun.)

The young lady in the gift shop put her in jail for a picture. She had a hard time not smiling.

She could hardly wait to get outside and shoot....

Right next to the Ranger museum is an old grave yard. There were a lot of really old headstones...

the problem was the whole place looked really neglected. It looked like a storm had blown through and knocked branches into some of the fences...but some of it just looked like neglect. It was sad!

When we left Waco we headed to Hillsboro for lunch.

Hillsboro Court House on the square.

We found a cute little soda shop on the square and had sandwiches and a drink.

The owner told us this would be the last time it looked "this way"...he's planning to renovate.

We had great service and Lauren enjoyed sitting at the counter, spinning her chair.

We found Ronald at a local antique shop.

We had a fun weekend...time away from home and from the "BIG PROJECT". We're back on track for this weekend. Miss Janice is away for the weekend, so we want to finish all those "little" things that are not checked on the master list. I hope to have pictures of the FINAL, FINAL completion of the project.

Till then,

debi

BIG Project - Winding Down

Well, I think we're in the home stretch for completing the BIG project. It appears it was much more fun to pull all the stuff out of the rooms and stack it everywhere!

It seems like only yesterday that we began by filling the dining room with stuff...

spilling closet contents into the living room and all about the furniture....

and then bringing in more boxes and "stuff" into the library!

We also had furniture lining the hallway and everywhere was just a general "mess" as stuff was scattered about the whole house. I know this is not at all how Miss Janice likes to live, but it seems a hugh mess must be created so that creativity can abound! HA!

This last week has also been about adding finishing touches to the furniture that will be returned to the room. Miss Janice purchased this white dresser to hold her linens. This dresser will replace the huge wardrobe she had in her room before we began.

The new dresser is not very big, so it won't take up the whole wall like the old piece did. It's just the right size to hang her tablecloths, hold her table linens and the extra sheets for the bedroom.

The girls gave it a good coat of paint - the same paint we used in the bedroom.

Once it was dry I added some small detail to each of the drawers. I used a very light blue color to paint the design and the knobs. I wanted the look to be very subtle.

I love this color blue. It's a "secret" paint recipe used by one of the local antique stores here in town. My daughter was able to obtain the "ingredients" after she purchased several items in this color from the store. This is the color we painted her dresser in a previous post.

I'll have to take a better picture for you to see the full effect. I added some more details along the blank edge at the bottom of the mirror and across the bottom of the dresser.

Saturday the guys were able to get the mantle fully "installed." I love the details on this new mantle and am soooo glad Miss Janice spotted it at a garage sale a couple of weeks ago.

The same wax we used to highlight the headboard was used to accent certain areas on the mantle. I didn't want to wax the whole mantle...just bring out the small details.

The board between the two colors was finally nailed up on Saturday. Mike needed a pencil, so Ashley made sure to give him the over sized one...for this over size job!

The guys also finished the hearth where the mantle will rest. Peter had an idea in his "head" of how he wanted to place the mantle, and wanted to be able to use Miss Janice's antique bricks. He "dry" stacked the bricks (placing silicon glue between them to hold them in place) and created his vision for the final placement of the mantle. He really wanted it to look and feel "real" and not just rest on the floor. We haven't made any final decisions about what we want to do with the back (perhaps some old tiles), but for now...it has a home and is affixed to the wall.

There is still a lot to bring into the room and put away...but we are well on our way to finishing.

Yesterday Ashley and I worked in the bathroom area finishing up some things (like cleaning the tub) hanging pictures, and touching up the last of the nail holes on the floor moldings added after the sink came in.

We brought back Miss Janice's collection of flower pictures she loves. She searches out floral paintings by Pierre-Joseph Redoute who was the official court painter for Queen Marie Antoinette.

We got a lot of them hung...but not all!

The tub was cleaned (the guys stored the toilet in the tub while they did the floor...nasty!) It was also full of sawdust and dirt from the floor project. Miss Janice purchased this new curved rod for her brand new shower curtain. I need to be sure and post a picture of the molding the guys put around the bottom of the tub. It really finishes off this area!

The vanity is finally in place and the plumber got the sinks hooked up (going from a single sink to a double.) The guys got the new faucets installed on Saturday and hung the new light fixture. At the beginning of the project Miss Janice purchased these two antique mirrors from a local antique store going out of business. They were just enough alike...but different...to make the area interesting. She also has one of her favorite floral prints in a frame that was similar to the mirrors.

I placed a screen made from two old shutters in front of the window to give Miss Janice some added privacy. Miss Janice can also display her favorite linens and handkerchiefs...just one more layer of privacy!

We moved her vanity from the bedroom into the closet area of the bathroom. She didn't use this area as a real closet...it was just a place for junk to gather and hide. Now that she's purged so much "old" stuff...Miss Janice has room to move her vanity into this nook. We hung her mis-matched white shelves in the closet to give her extra storage. Our "future" plan is to paint her jewelry box white.

These are not the greatest pictures of the area...but there is still so much stuff on the floors and around everything that needs to be put away. Thresholds need to be made and nailed in place.

Miss Janice's task list this week is to move her stuff back downstairs into the bedroom and bathroom. She's already made her bed up and is sleeping downstairs, and now that the tub is cleaned out, she can use the new bathroom area. There is still a dresser upstairs that needs to come down for clothes storage, but one step at a time.

Slowly Miss Janice is gaining access to her other rooms and they are returning to normal. There were many boxes that had been stacked in her bedroom since her father's death last fall...and we made it through ALL those boxes on Saturday. It was not an easy task...but we stayed focused and all the boxes were emptied. Books have been unpacked and placed on shelves, many family items are now displayed, and old photos and papers have found a new home. I can see the burden of "clutter" is lifting from Miss Janice and there is light at the end of the tunnel! I know this will take a few more "concentrated" days of focused work...but her BIG open house is on the horizon and she is looking forward to putting her feet up, watching HGTV and doing NOTHING! (Aren't we all?)

Till next time,

debi

BIG Project - Continuing Saga

Aside from the long drive home (12+ hours)...it's been hard to get back into the re-do groove. Time away was a very relaxing time with my sister. On the way home we stopped off in New Orleans and had beignets and coffee Au Lait (Au Lait means that it is mixed half and half with hot milk. Beignets are square French -style doughnuts, lavishly covered with powdered sugar.)

I took a picture of the floor of the place...it's pretty well covered with powered sugar.

Oh well...I don't have to clean that floor!

While I was gone "my crew" (HA! Love the sound of that!) got the quarter round put down. We used a regular size quarter round for the bedroom, but built up a more substantial one in the bath room to give "weight" to the tile and create more "drama". I think it turned out great.

The guys also brought in the new vanity...it weighs a TON! I think once it's all in place, it will look wonderful. I found this at one of the local "warehouse/antique" sales in our area...so Miss Janice came for a look/see and bought it on the spot. We're still waiting on the plumber to come and hook it all up, so a little bit of a stand still in the bathroom.

However, we've been moving ever forward in the bedroom. Miss Janice's brother-in-law created this headboard from an old 5 panel door. Her nephew drove up from Houston a few weeks ago to deliver it so we'd have it when we were ready to put the bedroom together.

First, it needed a white coat of paint. The girls got it covered in no time...but still something was lacking.

Next came a coat of wax tinted with a mahogany stain. We rubbed it on then polished it up to give it just a hint of color and distress.

We still felt it needed a little bit more, so we added some metal architectural elements.

We added just enough to dress up the headboard.

Next we brought in the bed pieces and made the bed. The headboard is slightly large, but when Miss Janice finally upgrades to a queen size bed it will be a perfect size.

We also got the closet put back together and the new curtains hung. I made these from some of my fabric stash that my friend gave me. I don't usually has such large pieces, but I had several complimentary pieces in the brown and blue pallet. A pretty trim was added between the two and instant closet door. (Almost.) I made the curtains before we began this project and they were the deciding factor on the colors we went with in the two rooms.

The top curtains on the bedroom windows are of the same complimentary fabric as the closet fabrics, however the drapery panels were purchased at Target. I think they look great together. We only found two panels at the Target we were at, so we need to look for another one to fill out the larger window. I'll try to take a close up of the curtains tomorrow so you can see the detail on the panels.

We brought in some of Miss Janice's other furniture today. We still have the mantel to finish and place on the wall between the bathroom and bedroom.

As promised here's a picture of the new mantel I will use with the insert I've had FOREVER!

There are still many, many boxes to empty and more furniture to bring in, and the bathroom to complete, but we are on target to finish by the end of the month! Miss Janice is planning a large open house to show off her new digs (minus all the carpet in the 4 rooms we've completed!) Look for more pictures to come.

Till next time....

debi

Vacation

I am on vacation this week in Pensacola, Fl. My sister and I are having a lovely, relaxing time doing almost nothing!

We do have Plan B for rainy days. Thanks to Tropical Storm Claudette we've had rain in the afternoons. Not bad...we spend time at the beach in the mornings then by afternoon we are on the hunt for antique stores.

We found this little place, plus about 6 others in the Pensacola area. Never fear...we also have Plan C...which is to check out other nearby cities for antique stores if it continues to rain in the afternoons. I've found some very strange things for sale in this city...things I don't think belong in Florida, and an idea for all those shells you'll find on the beach.

First...Our favorite find of the day was this "P and Go". I'm not really sure what it should say, but we opted NOT to use the facilities here.

Now, for all those shells you've picked up on the beach. No mirror project for you! No gluing them onto a candle of some small trinket box....NO! Not good enough. This is the perfect project to make YOUR house stand out! I mean WOW...who took the time to do this? Would sure be a conversation piece. Miss Janice...you need this?

OK...I expected to see some strange things for sale, but really...a sled? Maybe they used it on some of the larger sand dunes? Maybe someone packed the garage and just didn't realize it got brought along when they moved to Florida? I was shocked that in one day of shopping here in Pensacola I saw 3 sleds!

OK...seriously. This didn't sell in your garage sale before you left the North? You thought you "might" need it in Florida? You thought you could make a fashion statement with this coat because no one else in Pensacola would have one? What were you thinking? (And this wasn't the only mink coat we saw! This troubles me!)

And last, but not least...a muff with a head AND a tail! OK, I MIGHT put my hand in by his little neck...but I AM NOT putting my hand in the other end. There is just something SO WRONG about this! Where in ALL of Florida are you going to use this? Did your uncle shoot it for you? Please...I just don't think this is a "vintage" item anyone wants!

We have laughed at some pretty funny items. Makes for very interesting shopping. Vacation is half way over...so next week look for the big push to finish Miss Janice's bedroom/bathroom makeover! Till then...my sister and i wish you the best!

BIG Project - Weekend

Another weekend has past, and a lot was accomplished! Saturday morning began with a call from Miss Janice to "come see" what she'd found at a garage sale. When I arrived she was negotiating on a coffee table and a mantel. (Her old coffee table was one of the items sent to consignment.) The mantle, however, was more what we envisioned for the fireplace in the bedroom, so she bought it. (I'll have to post a picture when I get one.)

The mantel she currently owns will be used in another (future) project. Nothing like changing midstream...but what fun is it unless you're open to new and different possibilities! We both really like the new mantle and once I saw it I knew I owned the "PERFECT" insert to complete the look for the bedroom! (I have owned this piece for many, many years and knew there would eventually be the ideal place to showcase it!) I'll have to get some pictures to show you.

I applied the first coat of sealer to the bedroom floor on Thursday and gave it a full day to dry. This was combined with the bathroom floor being grouted and letting it set up in preparation for sealing the grout.

Saturday we were ready to begin the tedious work of sealing the grout. Once that was completed I could lay down a second coat of sealer on the bedroom floor and both floors will need 72 hours to cure. (Another couple of days Miss Janice has to do without her washer and dryer!)

Here is the floor after the first coat of sealer. It already looks wonderful...but there were spots that still appeared dry. There were areas on the floor that seemed to drink in more stain than others, but the second coat will even it all out.

Peter and I worked a good portion of Saturday on sealing the bathroom floor. YES, we went around each of those tiles! (At least we didn't have to do one of those two step applications! Once was enough!) We used bits of blue tape to mark where we had been and where we were going. This is at the very end...he's working his way out of the bathroom door. His method was to lie flat on the floor and use his knee pads for his elbow.

Peter also got the molding cut for the bathroom and bedroom to finish off the baseboards. Ashley will paint them this week so we can get them nailed down. Miss Janice decided on some "chunky" moldings for the bathroom. Once they are in place I'll post a picture for you to see.

I got the last coat of sealer on the floor...then sealed up the room! Miss Janice thinks we're trying to asphyxiate her with all the smells...so I tried to contain it just in that room!

Lots of little projects to work on this week...but I've left my crew and am in Pensacola with my sister for the week...I'm sure the list will be finished when I return home! (LOL)

As soon as I receive the pictures of the mantel I'll post them for you to see....
till then,
debi

BIG Project - Getting Close to finish?

I may as well confess...I'm a lazy painter. My paint trays are Teflon (very easy clean up...Lauren peels the paint off the next day...her favorite job!) As for brushes and rollers...bag them and place them in the icebox. (Fridge to some of you!)

I'm sure Miss Janice loves us storing all our painting supplies on top of her food...but there is a price for beauty (as she's discovered with the smell created by the floor stain!)

The floor is looking good. It just needed one more day to make sure it was totally dry before beginning the next step. I also cannot put the sealer on the floor until the guys get the bathroom floor grouted. We have to time things now for drying time and access to each of the rooms. The laundry room is accessed through the bathroom, and of course, the bathroom is accessed through the bedroom. Miss Janice has had to carefully plan her laundry times between floors being laid, sanded, drying...we give her windows of laundry times! She puts up with a lot, but on completion I think she'll be pleased.

While waiting for the floor to finish drying (YAWN!) We decided to paint the back hallway. It's one of the last areas in the house that has the peach color on the walls. There are still two more painted doors that have peach on them, but when we touch up all the trim (after the shoe molding is laid) we'll paint those doors and be rid of all vintage (HA! 1980's) peach! I'm sure it was a lovely color, at one time, but really...they painted EVERYTHING peach!

We used the same white we used in the bedroom for this hallway. It really brightened up this back entry. It's a pretty dark hallway and just the coats of white lightened it up.

OK...Painting interlude complete...back to the bedroom floor.

When we first began this BIG project Miss Janice was considering a painted wood floor for the bedroom. She thought she would like it to be white, but hadn't decided if she wanted a light white wash or a fully painted white floor. We were all positive the floor underneath was going to look bad, which it did, but, once the floor was sanded and cleaned it looked wonderful! I could see she was hesitant to paint the floor after seeing how beautiful it looked. She loves her dark floors throughout the house and wanted to stay true to the look and feel of a 1917 Victorian.



My suggestion was to stain the floor dark like the other floors in the house, but paint a design on top before we seal the floor. I knew she was a little skeptical, so we looked at a lot of magazines and Internet sites, but never really found anything that would give her a visual of my idea as to how it would look. BUT, she's learned to jump wholeheartedly out of her little accountant box and take that creative leap faith...sometimes a huge leap for her!



To help her with my vision, I drew out some scroll designs on the brown paper we'd laid on top of the floor to protect it until staining was complete. She liked the idea, so I began searching for a design she would like. We ended up looking at stencils on Jan Dressler's site. She found two she really liked so we ordered them.



We decided on a large "corner" stencil.

I stenciled the first corner. I used very little paint so the wood grain would show and it would look worn...like it had been original to the house.

I stenciled each of the corners in the room.

The area near the corner window she wanted a little more.

This is the entry into the room.

I reversed the stencil for the entry to the bathroom. There wasn't a "real corner" near the closet and the bathroom entry, so I used it as an accent for the area. There will be a threshold to connect the two floors once the floors are complete.

This is under the window on the long wall.

Last night we got the gout on the floor. It had to dry a couple of hours, so we enjoyed some porch time while waiting...then at 10:00 pm we did the last wipe down of all the tiles. The grout must dry for 16 hours, so I'll seal the wood floor this morning.

Well...time to run. I have to wipe the bathroom floor down one more time and put the first coat of sealer on the floor. This will give ample drying time for Miss Janice to have her "window of opportunity" for laundry on Friday night before we seal the grout on Saturday and put the final coat of sealer on the wood floor.

We are now entering the point in the project when things seem to be at a crawl. A lot of hurry up and wait. The waiting on the floors to cure moves us past the weekend, but next week the plumber will have to come to install the new vanity and toilet. Shoe mold has to be installed on both floors and the mantel needs a final coat of paint and finish out before it's installed on the wall in the room. My "crew" (my husband will love that!) will attend to these items while I'm gone...yes, I said gone! My sister and I will be driving to Pensacola for a much needed "sista" time together!

Never fear....I'll keep you posted!

BIG Project - Weekend

We got the top rail put up and painted. The walls then got their last coat of paint, including all the boards and top railing.

I really like how it turned out...vision accomplished!

Saturday began with the guys working in the bathroom laying tile. Over all I think it went fairly quickly and without much fuss.

The biggest complaint I heard all day concerned the knee pads and the fact they offered no comfort.

I think the guys did a GREAT job! I know Miss Janice is thrilled the bathroom is finished...sorta! Now it has to dry for 48 hours before we grout it...then finished?

So...since it's 48 hours for the bathroom floor to dry - I felt we really needed to get a coat of stain on the newly sanded bedroom floor. My helpers left earlier and were "napping" when I put out my call for help...they didn't want to come back to the house, so Mike offered to help me stain the floor (even after spending the whole day on the floor in the bathroom.)

Miss Janice and I rolled up the brown paper (we tried to save it in case we need to put it back down on the floor later) and swept the floor really well. Mike got the vacuum and cleaned up the very last of the dust in the crevices of the floor.

Then, the process began. We both had our knee pads and we quickly moved back and forth across the room.

It's not hard work, we just had to make sure the stain went on evenly.

We thought we had enough stain to complete the whole room, but at the very end Miss Janice had to make a Home Depot run to get more stain. We're using Jacobean - which is the same color as the floors throughout the rest of the house.

Didn't take her too long to return with more stain and we completed the room pretty quickly.

I think overall we're all very happy with the results and with the work we were able to accomplish today!

Next week will be a very full week - because next Sunday I'll leave on vacation with my sister! Really looking forward to that. As for tomorrow...day of rest with an afternoon spent by the pool.

Till next week....debi

BIG Project - Day Whatever....

Big day with many workers coming to the house to accomplish some things that need to happen for the project to move on.

The first worker to arrive was the electrician. He had to snake his way through the entry hall to get to the bedroom.

I was able to get paper down on the newly sanded wood floor before he arrived.

He's working in the bedroom, but the ultimate goal is an outlet in the closet in the bathroom. (The closet will be turned into a small makeup area...so lighting is a must! More on that later...)

This project has caused Miss Janice to turn her life upside down and caused her to reconsider some of the furniture she owns.. Some of the pieces don't fit the overall look and feel of the house anymore so she sending some of these items to a local consignment shop. Three men from the consignment shop were the next to arrive. I'm so glad I had my camera handy...it was like an old 3 stooges movie.

I had to ask the electrician to move his truck back so these guys could have the "primo" spot out front. Instead of just backing the truck up into the spot...one of the men drove the truck around the block and parked right in front so the back door of the truck was at the sidewalk. (Miss Janice lives on a one way street, so to get back to the front of her house you have to go around the block.)

The guys took the entertainment center apart and took the two pieces outside and loaded them into the truck. No problem...I'm thinking, "This will go smoothly." NOT!

The next piece going out to the truck is this huge armoire! I informed the guys that the piece could be taken apart, but no problem...there's 3 of them. As I watched them slide it out onto the porch and head down the stairs, the top began to sway. It's very top heavy and I'm not sure they realized the full weight until they started inching it off the porch. (Keep your eye on their truck!)

They get it to the end of the sidewalk and down one more step. I didn't know what they were discussing at this point, but.....

One of the guys gets in the truck and drives away!

Around the block again and he pulls forward only a little bit more. I'm totally confused...does the truck not back up? Can the guy find reverse? Not really sure what's happening....but they decide it needs to go on it's side on the furniture dolly.

OK...safely on it's side, but the guy in the truck pulls away again...one more time around the block!

He's back...seems to me to be the original parking place, or is it the second parking place? Who knows? Maybe they'll finally put the piece in the truck (they still have 3 other pieces to take out!)

Hey! Where's the guy going with the truck now??? Now he's pulling to the end of the driveway and they begin wheel the armoire down to where he's parked.

Final proof...they eventually got it into the truck! My daughter and I stood on the porch the whole time watching all the happenings....it was toooooo funny! Not really sure what the deal was with the truck, but at least those huge pieces of furniture are gone (and I don't have to move them again!) Great entertainment though! Not sure how cost effective it is to send these men for pick ups?

Last night my husband and I returned to the house to put the top rail onto the walls. They already have a couple of coats of paint on them, but we'll now paint out the whole bottom part of the walls in the bedroom one last coat. All painting will be complete in both rooms...not just waiting for the bathroom floor to be laid so I can stain the bedroom floor.

Since yesterday was a non-painting day...I used the day to sew. I'm also working on recovering Miss Janice's chair cushions for her back deck. (There is activity also happening in the back yard...but I'll let you know the rest of that later!) Here is what the cushions looked like before.

Of course, keeping with her patriotic theme of red, white and blue outside...here is the fabric she chose for the chair cushions. We had to wait on some of the fabric for the back cushions to arrive by mail.

Here is an "after" of the recovered cushions. Each seat cushion is reversible with two different fabrics. The gusset was created with the back cushion fabric. I had enough of the back to "eek" out a ruffle for the top of the back. I think it set it off nicely!

There's a button on the front, just decoration, since Miss Janice loves buttons!

It was dark and rainy last night when I took all the cushions over to show her. Here is how it looks in the chair. (There are four but I gave her the one I had already completed earlier in the week .)

Well, full day today to finish the last of the walls...then tomorrow is another sewing day. We'll start the bathroom floor tomorrow night and hopefully I'll have pictures to show of the floor by Saturday.

Till then....debi

Sunday Thoughts

“You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word.”- Psalm 119:114

BIG Project - Weekend

We're still working on Miss Janice's bedroom and bathroom. The last couple of days we've pulled the carpet and padding out to reveal a floor in pretty bad shape.

Today was the big day to rent the sander from Home Depot and get it all cleaned up.

On Thursday we got the second coat of paint on the walls and the first coat of paint on the trim work in the bedroom.

We wanted to allow one full day for it to dry before we began with the sanding...and all the dust it makes!

The guys arrived with the sander and moved the large piece of furniture out of the room we'd been working around. Miss Janice finally found a consignment store that would take it to sell for her. They won't be able to pick it up until Tuesday, so it's been pushed into the hallway.

Here's one last look at the unfinished floor.

Here is it after a full morning (and into the afternoon) of sanding.

We are all thrilled with how well it cleaned up! Of course, the dust was EVERYWHERE!

But...the floor is beautiful. A few deep scratches, but once the color is laid down no one will notice.

There is also a mantel "project" to complete on this one wall...and of course the bathroom tile yet to be laid....but it will all come together shortly!

A great deal was accomplished today...clean up of the major dust happened before we all left, but we will wipe down the walls, trim and windows before we paint the baseboards next week!

Now...Miss Janice has to decide on the color for the floor. I think she's leaning toward Jacobean...which is the same color of all the other floors in her house. I think some decorative painting is in order! Maybe we can decided on a compromise!

Till next week...more to come.

BIG Project - Day 6

We're still working in the bathroom. I wanted to be sure you noted the peachy color that was EVERYWHERE in this area! Someone really liked this color, but that person no longer lives in this house, so it is happily going away.

Here is the before of this area in all it's peach glory! We do have one coat of white on the upper wall already, but have not painted the bead board.

Here is the finished color! Clean and fresh. You can sort of see the closet here in this shot.

Here's a better picture of the closet. Miss Janice used it as storage...but will be "re-purposed" in this new room for a new use! (Secret for now!)


Finished closet!

More to come! Running off right now to pull up the last of the carpet and under padding to see what the rest of the floor looks like...hopefully nice enough to sand! (More pictures tomorrow.)

Till later...

BIG Project - Day 5

Busy day on Saturday...the guys were able to get in and get a lot done while I was at a seminar all day. Ashley and Emily also worked all day moving stuff out and caulking and painting. A WHOLE lot was accomplished.

As promised here is what was under the carpet in the bathroom. Not a pretty sight!

Once all the carpet and padding was pulled out, the guys laid 1/2" hardiebacker board and prepped it in anticipation of laying the tile.

The girls cleaned the bathroom closet out so that the bathroom would have new tile flooring throughout. We didn't want any of the old carpet left (even in the closets.) Fresh start for ALL.

Not only did they work in the bathroom, there was also activity in the bedroom. The guys got the strips cut for the walls. They ended up having to pull the quarter round off the top of the baseboards, nailing the strips down, then cutting the quarter round to fit between the strips and nailing it back down. A lot more work, but I think the finished product will look a lot better once it's all painted!



The area we were most anxious to see was under the carpet in the bedroom. We did not know if there would be old hardwoods or plywood. The guys were prepared to lay new pine floors, but luckily...there was hardwood.

The floor is not pretty...but a good sanding and it will be as good as new! Miss Janice wants a painted (decorated) floor for this room...so now to pick the color! (It's already "almost" white!)


While the guys finished up inside Ashley and Emily painted the top rail, yet to be nailed to the wall. Peter still has to do some work on them, but they thought it'd be good to get one coat of paint on before they are nailed up on the wall.

Still lots to do. The tile in the bathroom has to be laid (which means the toilet has to be re-set) and the plumbing re-done for the new DOUBLE sink. I'll save the picture of the vanity until we bring it in...it's beautiful!

Until tomorrow!
debi

Sunday Thoughts

Psalm 40:5 Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders you have done. The things you planned for us no one can recount to you; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare.

The BIG Project - Day 2

Day two begins with finishing the wood work. We completed the ceiling and the first coat of the woodwork on Day one...so today we started with all the woodwork and the doors. The doors were my greatest pleasure to paint. They were cream with a peach inset...they are now ALL off white. Clean and neat. We began the upper wall with blue, then came back with the first coat of the white on the bottom.

Tomorrow we'll do a second coat of the blue and a third coat of white on the doors. We won't finish painting the baseboard until the carpet been pulled out so we can paint the whole piece. (Can hardly wait for the carpet to be gone. ) A new pine floor will be laid and finished to complete the room.

I really like how fresh and new the paint makes the room look. There is more "work" to be done on the lower portion before we can move forward with more paint. I think the guys are going to work on Saturday pulling the carpet, installing the board and batten and putting in the sink in the bathroom. Hopefully by Monday we can move into the bathroom area.

My daughter has finished the painting of the outdoor furniture. It looks really good...so I guess we can test out the new cushions!

I have more pillows I'm working on, but with all the painting, that will have to wait. I also have the cushions for the chairs to complete...

More sewing to come...after painting!

Well, that's it for today...see ya' tomorrow!

debi

The BIG Project Begins

Well, no time like the present to begin the "big" bedroom/bathroom project at Miss Janice's house.

I tried to take some before pictures so you'll get a feel for the two rooms. The current plan is to paint, remove the carpets, lay flooring and finish. Sounds simple enough!

Here is the bedroom looking into the bathroom area. Miss Janice has settled on the darker of the two blues...so decision one down. The current color is a pale peach color...so this will be a drastic change. This same peach color carries into the bathroom and we'll be coordinating the two rooms together with the blue and white theme.

We also had to decide on the height of the board and batten area and settled on 54.5 inches from the baseboards. Easy enough...

This is the bathroom area which is adjacent to the bedroom. This picture shows the mirror and pictures already removed. The carpet in this area will be torn out and the small black and white tile (you can see them in the picture) will be laid. There is a beadboard on the bottom and a board and batten treatment on the top. In this room we'll have white on top and the blue on bottom.

Miss Janice has purchased a new vanity that will go in where the current one is located. It's wider and a lot prettier (she picked it up at a warehouse sale for almost 70% off what they are selling for in local stores!) I can't wait for you to see it...it's beautiful! It will really set the tone for a whole new look in this room.

SO....out came the vanity (and not without a LOT of elbow grease). We were hoping to see nice hardwoods underneath the carpet, but not to be. This area of the house was once a kitchen. (After WWII the house was used as a boarding house, so it was split up into several apartments.) I'll try to take a close up of the old linoleum that's under the carpet. It's "real" pretty. HA!

(The door you see here leads to the laundry room at the back of the house.)

This morning began our work in earnest. We cleaned all the woodwork real good before we began painting. We patched the holes and cracks yesterday so we'd be ready to begin painting today.

We decided to start from the top down...so ceiling first. Miss Janice picked an off white for all the wood work, and we went with the same color for the ceiling. It's just a shade darker than what the ceiling was before.

Our helpers enjoyed lunch while we worked....

They were happy for a break from all the hard work (HA!)

Ashley and I decided on wonderful head wear so as not to have a new "color job" for our hair.

However, when we began clean up...our crew decided to try them on for size!

So...stay tuned...we'll finish the rest of the woodwork tomorrow and begin the upper color (which is the blue.) I'll see if I can't find my other pictures of the room filled with furniture.

Till tomorrow.... debi

Aprons and Backyard sewing

Thank you Mr. Jon! I just picked up another "load" of fabric from my friend who is a fabric rep. (He cleaned out his storage unit.) I've spent some time today organizing it into stacks of samples, yardage, linens, upholstery weight, etc. Now I have to incorporate it into my shelves in the sewing room (which means I may have to get rid of some "extra's.")

I've also been busy sewing. I have a new apron pattern and wanted to try it out on some of my "free" fabric before I cut up a vintage tablecloth. I like the little ruffle at the bottom.

I liked the final result, so I used one of the tablecloths that I actually purchased in two pieces. (It actually looked like someone had torn the tablecloth in two.) I was able to fit the two main pieces on the two halves, and the waistband, but had to piece the tie for it to be long enough. I liked the final result from the tablecloth also. I plan to post both of them on my etsy site in the next day or two. I have another apron cut out, but haven't had time to complete it, as yet.

I've also been working on some backyard furniture recovery for Miss Janice. My daughter and I are ready to start the makeover of her bedroom and bathroom - starting next week.

A few months ago Miss Janice purchased an expensive "custom made" shower curtain from a garage sale. (The seller was a local decorator.) She got the curtain for a "song" and knew she wanted to use the fabric in her backyard cabana area. My husband and son in law recently covered her patio area with a tin roof, so the area is now protected from the weather.

She has a vintage baby bed she wants to use as extra seating...so she purchased some marine foam (it doesn't hold water if it gets wet) to use for the mattress.

I laid out the shower curtain so I could utilize the blue and the red area. She liked the idea of it being half red and half blue on each side. She also purchased 2 queen size bed pillows on sale with the idea that I would cover them.

I used as many different pieces of "scrapes" left over from other projects that matched. The bed pillows also had a small gusset, so each pillow has different fabric for the gusset and various similar fabrics for the piece work.

Miss Janice loves birds, so I cut the small birds from another piece of "stash" to use as the center piece of the pillows.

There was enough of the bird fabric to create two other pillows for the couch...

and you might remember the small Texas luncheon napkins I purchased awhile back? I used one as a centerpiece for one last pillow for the couch.

My daughter currently has the couch (baby bed) apart and is painting the pieces. Once she returns it to the cabana area I'll post a picture of the completed couch with all the pillows.

Miss Janice has 4 chairs that we re-covered several years ago...the fabric really didn't hold up well. The chairs weren't under cover and I think all the mess from the pecan trees falling on the fabric just ruined them. She has promised to put the cushions away...so I'll be recovering them next.

We've decided on this fabric for the chairs cushions, but we are still looking for some embossed denim fabric for the chair backs. The hunt is on....

And, last but not least (Miss Janice may be lurking and looking) I used the rest of the shower curtain to make her a gardening apron to match her red, white and blue back yard!

Still more sewing to come....but for now...we will begin the bedroom/bathroom redo. I'll have before and after pictures next week.

Completed Quilt Project

My parents celebrated their 50th anniversary! They were actually married in June of 1959...but we couldn't find a good day to celebrate in June...so we held the party on Sunday at Bella Restaurant in Dallas, Tx.

My youngest brother is a wine rep, so he arranged for the location, food and wine. I think he did a great job. The place was very nice...and we didn't have to set up or clean up, (which if we'd done it at my parent's church we would have all felt obligated to work.) We for sure didn't want them to work, so we all voted for the restaurant venue.

There were a lot of memories to relive with many old friends and family...I'm sure there were also nay-sayers present that had originally thought, "This will never last!"

But...it has. Not too many couples make that transition from marriage, to honeymoon, to reality...3 children within 3 months of marriage. My dad got custody of my brother, sister and I only three months into their new marriage. I know it was hard on my dad and his new wife...but I remember how hard it was for the three of us...before we moved in with them. This transition was difficult for all involved, and it was not an "instant" family, but with time came trust and love.

The Lord is faithful and not only have my parents lasted 50 years together, they have been an example to many others because of their faithfulness and commitment to us and their own family. We are all one family together. We've added spouses, children, grandchildren...we're not perfect, but we love each other and we know we can count on each other...we are Family!

Now to the quilt project. I completed it on Friday. I put new binding and we presented it to Mom and Dad...big surprise.

This is what I started with...an old (circa 1930's) cutter quilt bought at an Antique store for next to nothing.

It was not in great condition, but there was enough good that I knew I could incorporate it into some kind of project. I began by cutting away the rows of blocks along the side edges. There were several rows that were in very bad shape along the edge. Any block that was salvageable was saved and the applique was removed from badly worn blocks. I used two of the better blocks to replace two within the quilt. I removed the appliqued circles from the white blocks within the quilt so I could use this area for my project. (Most of the white fabric had not held up well over the years.)

I replaced this worn block and the one next to it (with the hole) got a new applique over the top.

I printed pictures onto the photo fabric (I used the Blumenthal PhotoFabric - following all directions.) I printed two pictures per page, which helped save paper and the size was more in line with the size of the white blocks.

I began with a picture from my parents wedding, and this became the center of the quilt. In the top left corner and bottom right corner I placed pictures of our grandparents. Working in family groups, I printed a wedding picture from each of the siblings, then pictures of our children/grandchildren. I made sure each picture was large enough to cover any imperfections on the white squares they were stitched onto.

From there I added more pictures of my parents when they were younger, and pictures of them with their parents. I printed enough pictures to cover most of the white blocks were covered.

I left the bottom and top rows blank (not knowing how Mom will want to display this quilt...and knowing that other pictures can be added.) I added new binding along the edge to finish it off.

Each picture was autographed and dated.

We presented the quilt to Mom and Dad...big surprise!

It was a project completed in love.

The old quilt represents what every marriage begins with...a patchwork of two lives that represent the individual beauty of each person. But there are weak spots we try to hide. There are torn and battered parts that make up who we are...imperfect people who come together to build a new life with each other.

On top of that is added the layers of our lives. Children, people, and memories are added as families grow. This begins to build on top of the original layers...adding strength and character to our individual selves and our lives as families.

The quilt now becomes a beautiful covering of prayer, offered up as our Thanksgiving to the Lord for our family. For the individual beauty each person brings to the family, and to the strength we are as one family. The Lord has blessed us and we praise Him!

Isaiah 61:10 I am overwhelmed with joy in the Lord my God! For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation and draped me in a robe of righteousness. I am like a bridegroom in his wedding suit or a bride with her jewels.

Sunday Thoughts

Jeremiah 32:17 (New Living Translation)
17 “O Sovereign Lord! You made the heavens and earth by your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you!