A Finish and Other Projects

I've finally completed my first Catalicious block. Now I can get started on the second one :)



While at my mom's last week, I made a poncho for my sister. It's finished except for the embellishments. When I get those on, I'll post a picture.

Today I painted all the trim in my spare bathroom and tomorrow I'll paint the walls a pretty sage green - one of the colors in the model home I was "working" at for several weeks.

I also primed a side table in my kitchen and will paint it a pretty aqua tomorrow. If I like it when it's finished, I'll use this color as the accent color in my kitchen. We'll see how it turns out. More pics tomorrow!

Spring Blossoms and Cupboard Doors

Look at this crazy camellia. Somebody gave me a start of it several years ago and it has taken off! It used to be red/white varigated but has mutated into a multi color beauty.










Totally different subject now...I picked these cupboard doors up from different places - both free. I especially love the detail on the white one, which is the size of a standard cupboard door. It looks like it might have been on a hutch though. I'd like to do something really special with it but not sure what. How about some suggestions from all you creative bloggers out there!


Here is the small one - nothing really special about it. I can probably figure out several uses for it but again, wouldn't mind some suggestions.


I'm still pondering just what to do with my grandmother's chair and appreciate your suggestions. When I make a decision, I'll let you all know and do a show and tell :)_

My Grandmother's Chair Needs a Redo!

I brought home a real treasure with me yesterday...my grandmother's old chair from the very early 50's. It is quite unique and I've NEVER seen another one like it in my life. It must be the precursor to the LazyBoy recliner - ha ha. She bought it to sleep in after she had had a heart attack and needed to stay in a sitting position.








Isn't it cool?!? I've got lots of memories attached to this old thing. Boy did she used to get mad if any of us kids moved the back to a different notch. She was quite particular and precise in everything she did!!

The cushions have been recovered a couple of times; they're in really rough shape. I won't have a problem selecting fabric for them. My delima is whether to paint it or re-stain it. I've got it in my den currently and it looks nice in there (better than the folding lawn chair I've been using). I temporarily covered the cushions with some pretty green fabric (actually a sheet) to cover the gross burnt orange.

My den definitely leans toward country/traditional and I have some nice prim antiques, but I don't necessarily want to keep to any particular style and am open to paint. My sewing room, on the other hand, is quite different and I might eventually move the chair into that room. It's got blue walls and a lot of white furniture (sorry - didn't take pics of that room yet).

I apologize for the poor pictures; I had my camera on the wrong setting and didn't realize it, but you can see well enough to give me some suggestions.













So, if I do paint it, what color - black, white, dark brown? Or do I stick with stain? Thanks for your suggestions!

Friday Night Sew In

Here is a picture of the sweet little candle mat I made for my mom while staying with her last week. It's one of the many patterns I purchased while at the big quilt show a few weeks ago.



I've already started another one for my sister and will be making a third for a dear friend. Then maybe I can make one for myself :)

I went back up to stay with my mother for a couple of days. I told her I wanted to paint her living room for her. She decided she would rather have her bedroom painted, so that's what I did. I just got home a while ago and am ready to hit the sack. Traffic in northern Virginia is always so heavy and it takes hours just to get to Richmond. From then on, it's pretty smooth sailing.

Oh, while I was up there I actually saw a lump of snow/ice still left from all their accumulation! So funny!!

I'm so glad to be back home!!!!!

Road Trip

Hey everybody,

Did you wonder what happened to me? I've been away; went to visit my mom in MD and took the cape to her. She loved it :)

Mom was in the hospital a couple of weeks ago and needed a little help getting back into the swing of things and since I'm not actually working right now, had the time to go. She is doing great and just needs to get her strength built back up.

While I was there I did a few things for her like clean the deck and plant some pretty pansies. I reorganized her cupboards so the things she needs to use are easiest to reach - stuff like that.

My mom is still very active and has lots of friends. She gets more calls in one day than I do in two weeks!!

My daughter, Erin, brought baby Ginny for a visit so I got to see them Friday. That baby is growing like a weed and is talking and crawling all over the place!! It was so good to see them both :) I wish I didn't live quite so far away.


Look at that silly little girl :)


I have another busy week coming up with a very promising interview Tuesday. Then I'll be painting the living room...it's that time of year for spring clean up.

I hope you all have a good day tomorrow :)

A Cape for My Mom

I made a pretty poncho for myself a couple of years ago and was going to make one for my mom. Then I got to thinking it would be easier for her to put on and off if I slit the front and made it into a cape. So - that's what I did.

Here's the pattern I used - very simple to make.


Mom loves pink and wears a lot of it, so I thought she'd really like a pink cape made from anti-pill fleece. I just hand-stitched around the entire thing with black pearl cotton using the button stitch. I wanted a closure so chose a black frog. So it didn't look so ordinary, I created lapels and sewed on pretty decorative buttons. I'm thinking about embroidering a black branch and applique a bird onto the left side...or maybe embroider a couple of flowers and put a few beads on them. I'm really liking what I've done so far though.

What do you think?

Friday Night Sew In

Meet Mini and Millie - they can see and smell now. Sewing 6 tiny seed beads onto them was all the stitching I got to do last night. I should get a lot more done today while sitting in the model home.

Aren't they the cutest little things?


I hope your weather is as beautiful as mine today. Go outside and enjoy spring!

A Busy Week

It's been an eventful week for me. I've had two more interviews - one by phone today. I'm very excited about this new opportunity; they'll make a decision by the end of this month. In the mean time, I'm still waiting to hear about the position I interviewed for last Friday - should hear by next week sometime.

On the craft scene, I've been making a pretty cape for my mother and will post pictures as soon as it's completed. I'm also still working on my Brutus block. I got totally sidetracked and made two little mice from this tutorial. They can't see or smell yet, but I'll sew on their little eyes and noses tonight. I wanted to post at least one picture in this tonight. :)

I'm going to make a bunch of these little guys!

The Things Some People Throw Away!

I could also have called this post several other things:

One man's trash is another woman's treasure
Why don't people donate their stuff?
Lazy people
I hit the jackpot
Free treasures...and on and on

Anyway, I HAVE hit the jackpot while taking my trash to the recycle center. Saturday somebody had left a box of dishes and an adorable little spice rack in the furniture bin. I snatched them all up for other uses. Some of the mismatched plates are now the beginning of a cute border around one of my flower beds. I took the rest of the dishes (a complete set!) to the thrift shop today.

The little spice rack is adorable, but was an ugly blue. All the bottles were in tact and at first I was going to leave them but remembered somebody posting about using old spice bottles to keep their beads in, so have kept all of them. A little black spray paint and soap and water has given me a new place for some of my beads.

Now today when I was taking more trash down the road, a man had just left several pieces of furniture. It drives me crazy that people are too lazy to donate these perfectly good items to the thrift shops. There was a sofa - not even dirty - but there was no way I could take that to the thrift shop in my little CRV. He also left a brand new looking plastic child's rocking chair, which I took to the thrift shop as well. I mean really people - there are lots of needy people around here who would love these things!! These are all "before" pictures; I'll post the "after" pictures another time.


But I did take a perfectly good wicker night stand, which matches my daughter's bedroom dresser perfectly!! It was barely even dirty, but I wiped it down with bleach water and gave it another coat of white spray paint. I'll put some nice liner in the drawers to cover up some stains that I couldn't get cleaned.

Along with the wicker nightstand was one of those arched shelving units without the shelves. I thought, what the heck - I can use it for a trellis this summer for a lightweight, annual vine. It will hold up for a year anyway. It's a little narrow to use as an arbor but that's what I'm using it for now; I might move it though. My poor makeshift walk - a project I've been wanting to redo for years. Every year I say I'm going to make a proper walkway, and I haven't managed to get it done yet.


He had also thrown away a five tiered corner shelf unit. It's kind of cheap but once again some bleach water and a can of spray paint gave me a new little area to keep some of my stuff in. It fits perfectly in the only empty corner of my computer/craft room. I'm very pleased with it.

So not only did I take things to the thrift shop for other people to buy and got some nice treasures for myself, I spared the landfills from more stuff that shouldn't even be put in there in the first place!!!!!

It was such a beautiful day that I stayed out all day cleaning chicken feeders and waterers, filling the geese's pools with fresh water and doing some general yard clean up and transplanting. My goodness, the birds are all staking out their trees to build nests in and singing up a storm. It won't be long now before they have their little nests built with eggs layed in them.

I'm pooped (so out of shape) and am going to take my shower and then work on a sewing project for a while before going to bed. I hope everybody had a nice day today. I sure did!

Sew In Progress and Signs

I made some progress on my first Catalicious block this week, but not much. I should have him completed this weekend.


Look! Spring is beginning to spring!




I had a pretty good interview yesterday for a challenging position. I hope I get it and will know by the end of next week what the outcome was. Keeping my fingers crossed for this one!

Have a nice day. After cleaning Gail's house I'll be outside for a little while enjoying the beautiful sunshine we're having this weekend!

I Was Wrong...

What is outside this morning...


Here is my first mini folder based on Diane's tutorial and beautiful folders she's been making. I didn't add a lot b/c I just made it and couldn't spend a lot of time, but I think it's very cute anyway. It's just the right size to put a gift card in :)



Enjoy your day, whatever you're doing.

More Pictures from the Quilt Show

Hello everybody,

I wanted to post a picture of the most amazing quilt I've ever seen - bar none! I think it was called "Communication" and the write-up spoke to how we don't enjoy leisure conversations anymore. I think a little paint was used here and there, but it was mostly fabrics. I remember that toile was used in the wine glasses to give depth.





Look at the lipstick on her napkin!!




There were so many more amazing quilts, but this one just topped them all as far as I was concerned.

I get to stay in tonight and listen to the rain. There is snow all around me, but I don't think it will hit here. I love being in my home...all cozy with my critters that drive me nuts most of the time. They're all settled and now I can work on some needlework.