GOTTA LOVE A FLEA MARKET

Visiting a small town in Arizona a few years ago I spotted a little side of the road flea market, so you know where I stopped.  While there I eyed this doll high chair

and again, for a couple of bucks it found it's way to Montana where it has been sitting in my back bedroom since.  Looking for "smalls" to work on in my room, this seemed like the perfect project. Up on the table it went a few days ago.  It required a little structural work, so with wood glue and clamps it set for a day.

After I deemed it was nice and sturdy, I gave the piece a light sanding and painted it adding a little decorative treatment.  Remember I was not born with any artistic skills, but with a little help from a stencil, even I can work some magic.  I like to finish furniture off with a wax treatment, but as this is a child's toy, I finished it with a light coat of poly instead.

Somewhere there is a doll out there just waiting for a little girl to feed her.

 

OH MY GOSH.................

It's not Osh Kosh, it's  Grannywear  !!!!!!

 

May have been one of my most challenging sewing projects ever.  I had to make my own pattern and I used some heavy weight denim and it's baby size.  Making baby clothes is always challenging for me because everything is so small, but I am so excited at the outcome, it was well worth all the broken needles.

  !!!!! A PAIR OF RAILROAD OVERHAULS !!!!!
 

 

A lot of work, but can't wait to see my new little guy in them.

NOT ANOTHER WINTER STORM....................

I'm beginning to sound like a broken record, I just can't wait for spring.  Spring and fall are by far my two favorite seasons and our springs here are heavenly.  Having really had the bug to get outdoors and paint something I made the decision a couple of days ago to bring my outdoor work indoors, so I covered the carpet and set up a table in my back room.  I still won't do any sanding in the house, but I have lots of smalls in my garage stash that can be worked on without much mess.  Yesterday I pulled out a chair and set out to make it beautiful. 


This is what I started with, kind of worn and beat up, but structurally sound, not needing any repairs.

I took the seat off and gave the wood a few coats of paint.

Took that worn ugly seat into my sewing room and removed the several layers of old fabric.  Was surprised that the foam was in good shape and could be reused.

Found the perfect piece of fabric and got out my staple gun recovering the seat

Waited overnight for my paint to dry and put the chair back together.

 

 

Now that ugly old chair is a gorgeous piece of furniture and would be perfect for a vanity or young ladies desk.

 

I find myself bored when I am waiting for paint to dry, so since I decided to paint in the back room I was able to take on a sewing project.  Not finished yet, but thought I would give a little sneak peek.

 

 

Also, went out and dug out a few more pieces to work on as I'm anticipating this new storm will keep me housebound for a few days.  Have not yet decided what they are going to look like, but they will speak to me and I'll get started.

 

 

I shared last fall that I hit the chair "lottery" at an auction.  I don't remember exactly how many chairs there were, but I do remember that I bought two lots and paid $5.00 for each lot.  It so excites me to take this old junk and make it new again.

 

HUCKELBERRY SHAKE OR CHALK PAINT ??

I like to work with chalk paint whenever I want to "age" something.  There are many manufacturers out there that make chalk paint, however I find it tends to be a little pricey and I don't like pricey.  I keep a supply of paint on hand, I pick up paint from the "oops" counters at Home Depot or Lowe's and take advantage of our local Ace Hardware annual quart sample give aways.  I don't always get the color I want or know what I am going to do with the paint when I bring it home, but when I get the urge to paint something I have the paint on hand. 

Since I like to keep my price points way down when working on something I make my own chalk paint, mixing colors of paint to achieve the color I'm looking for.  There are a number of recipes on Pinterest for making chalk paint and I have used this recipe in the past.  I mixed 1/2 cup plaster of paris with 1/2 cup warm water, stirring to get a very creamy consistency, I then add 1 1/2 to 2 cups of paint to my creamy mixture.  In this case I mixed a couple colors of paint to get the tint I was looking for.


 My husband sees this color and asks if I am making him a "Huckelberry Shake", ah, ah, ah.

  One of the nice things about chalk paint is the no-need for sanding.  This rule, of course, will only apply if you are working on something that doesn't have a hard poly or veneer finish.  This little plant stand had the perfect finish for a chalk paint treatment.  I scrubbed it good several days ago and let it sit to ensure that it was dry then I began by putting a few coats of color on it.

 

I let my paint job sit overnight then I "aged" it with a warm damp cloth, again saving myself the clean up mess from sanding.  Once I had the look I was happy with I waxed the entire object.  I use BriWax for waxing, it is a product that stains, waxes and seals all in one application.  When working with chalk paint you must seal the paint, the paint will feel gritty before being sealed, but nice and smooth after the wax has dried.

 

Now I just need a plant  !!!!!

 

 

PAPER DOLL SHARING

I completed my little paper doll canvases.  I chose to do three, each a different "doll", all from the same piece of fabric and hung them together as I like grouping items in sets of three. 

YELLOW TOILET ????

What do you do when your home has odd or outdated colors for appliances, toilets, flooring or countertops ?  Well you have several options and I chose to embrace a yellow toilet.  I could have replaced the toilet, which would have involved a lot of mess and some construction work, nothing I wanted to do, so I took the yellow center stage,  replaced some outdated wallpaper, painted the walls, and things were looking pretty good.

I replaced the large bathroom mirror with a smaller one that I had picked up at an auction for $2.00 and of course painted it yellow adding a few other matching pieces.

 

 

Knowing I wanted to take things one step further, I removed the shower curtain

and took it to my sewing room.  Found a piece of fabric and cut some strips.

 

I then cut the shower curtain right down the middle and added the fabric strips to each side. 

 

I still have the yellow toilet but it is no longer taking center stage. 

 

So with a little bit of imagination and a little work you can turn any "ugly duckling" into a beloved space without much expense.

 

My husband often accuses me of never being happy with things and until I get it right I have to agree with him.  This room now makes me happy so I know I have finally gotten it right !!!

NEVER TOO OLD FOR PAPER DOLLS

I'm always pondering my next project, sometimes I have an idea in mind, other times inspiration comes from unexpected places.  Going through some fabric scraps the other day I had an inspiration "a grown up paper doll".

I pulled out this small scrap of fabric, ironed interfacing to the backside to give it a little weight and proceeded to cut out some "paper dolls"

Once I had her cut out I played around with some crystals and rhinestones pondering what I would do with her and thought she would make a great piece of artwork.

  I then painted a canvas,  decoupaged my "doll" to it, gluing down the crystals and rhinestones.

I  let it sit untouched for several hours until the decoupage was completely dry and knew I wanted to take it one step further, so I mixed up some resin and covered the entire canvas with it.

 

It will now sit overnight to allow the resin to set up.

When dry, the canvas, crystals and fabric will all be under a hard shiny coat of resin and ready for me to share the completed project.

WHY I STOCKPILE !!!!!

As I was planning my Sunday I thought of all the things I needed to do, laundry, vacuuming and all the other household chores, then it dawned on me that I am seeing my hairdresser in a few days and she is also expecting a new baby boy in a couple of months and I may not see her again before her maternity leave and so want to take a gift for the little one.  Forgetting all those chores, I hit up my stockpile and fabric stash with another new baby on my mind.

I got busy and came up with the perfect gift for any new mom.

What new mom can't use diapers and wipes, bibs, blankets and burp clothes.

 

After completing my "baby bundle", I packaged for giving

 

and hit up my stockpile of gift bags, finding the perfect one,  I now have the "perfect" gift.

 

I have shared in previous posts about my obsession with "couponing" and hoarding of fabric and supplies.  It is times like this that all my efforts pay off.

MAKEOVER THURSDAY !!!!!

Watching Kathie Lee and Hoda yesterday and their makeover Thursdays, it dawned on me that my sewing machines have once again been getting a good work out, so I decided to let them rest a few days.  I put my sewing things away and dug out in my garage "stash".  I won't get too involved with sanding and painting in the house because of the mess, but I have so been longing to paint something and I did come up with a couple of small items that were begging to come in and get a makeover. 

 

I started with this little mirror, gave it a quick sanding, didn't want to take off too much color, just enough to dull the finish.

Then I mixed some paint to get the color I wanted and gave it a couple of  quick coats.  While waiting for the paint to dry I pondered what I wanted for the final outcome.

So I mixed up some plaster and got out some molds, making my own medallions.

 

After letting the paint and plaster sit overnight, I gave the mirror another light sanding and waxing, painted the plaster piece, and attached it to the finished piece.

I really like the simplicity of the piece and I think it has found a new home.

 

The other piece I have brought in is a little plant stand that is going to require a little structural work before the transformation begins.

Both of these items were from garage sales and auctions and once again I only have a few bucks in them.  It always makes me happy to see another's throw aways get a fresh makeover and new life.

 

IS IT SPRING YET ?????

Waking up this morning to another 22 below temperature on my thermometer, I was watching the neighbor kids go to school and listening to the news talking about the numerous school closings in other states.  I had heard someone say that here in Montana we are "hearty" people.  That may be true for these little ones that were born and raised here, but for this California girl, going out in these temperatures, well, it's just not going to happen.  So as I began my day, longing for the beautiful springs we can have up here, I spied a piece of fabric that reminded me that we are not far from the snow melting and temperatures turning warm.

As I have shared I love sewing for my grandkids and recently have been doing a lot of sewing for the tiny ones, but wanted to do something for the older ones, so with fabric in hand, the search for the perfect pattern completed I set out to make a spring outfit for a 10 year old.

 

The completed project gives me big hopes that spring is just around the corner.

WHAT'S FOR DINNER ?????

My husband asks me that question every morning, usually within 30 minutes of being out of bed, long before he has even eaten his breakfast.  The town we live in doesn't offer much choices for dining out and fast food has not even been heard of here.  Driving 20 plus miles in the snow just to eat out, well, you know me, it just isn't going to happen, so I have been trying to mix it up a little for dinner, I have mastered a lot of Oriental, Italian and Mexican dishes, but continue to try to enhance my culinary skills.

I live with a "meat and potatoes" kind of guy, and am trying to get him to eat a little lighter these days.  Without telling him, I add things to his dishes "he doesn't like", cook more with Canola and Olive oils and he doesn't even like Canola and Olive oils, but there are some secrets I think are okay to keep. 

As I was planning my day I too, was thinking "what's for dinner".  I perused the Food Network and Pinterest, my freezer and cupboards and decided to try some egg rolls.  I marinated and cooked some chicken tenders and chopped some broccoli slaw

After chopping the chicken and mixing all the ingredients together, I set out to make the rolls

Once I had all the rolls rolled, I cooked them in a little vegetable oil until a light golden brown

I let them drain well, then plated them with a little mandarin dipping sauce I had on hand. 

Hubby must have enjoyed them as he went back for seconds, let's just not tell him about the cabbage.

 

I am beginning to feel the "I want spring" itch, so cooking a little lighter is my way of snubbing winter, knowing spring is just a few short months away.

REMEMBERING A LITTLE BLONDE AND A LITTLE BRUNETTE

Had a strange dream last night, I was much younger and there were two little girls in that dream, a blonde and a brunette.  These two little girls had grown up together since birth, as their mothers were long time friends.  These two went to school together, spent holidays and vacations together, practically lived at each others houses.  As I was pondering what to do with my day I remembered this dream and with this in mind I headed into my "special" room to find a project to get myself into.  These two little girls each have daughters, a blonde and a brunette, and I'm certain if these two second generation daughters had some matching outfits, maybe their grandmothers would get some cute pictures.

As I was digging through my fabric stash, I came up with a piece of fabric I had purchased long before these two were ever born, but they seemed so appropriate for a blonde and brunette after all their grandmothers do believe they are "Little Dolls".

 

I gathered my supplies

 

Set out putting together these little dresses

The front view

The back view

 

I'm sure these little Barbie panels were made for use as pillows, but I think they made the cutest dresses and I can't wait to see my little blonde and brunette in them.