I LOOOVVVE PINK !!!

These three little words have been stuck in my head for the last month.  Visiting my almost 3 year old granddaughter last month I wore a pink shirt one day and she just couldn't stop touching it and telling me that she loved pink.  It was with her words in mind that I decided to hit up my fabric stash for some pink fabric to make her some summer things.  I started with searching for some pink thread, well that turned into a few hours of cleaning up my thread box.  I should have taken a picture before I cleaned it out, but I didn't.

 

There are over 250 spools of thread in this box and could I find the "pink" thread I was looking for.  No, but did find some that could work.  I was once asked how many spools of thread I have and I would have told you a couple hundred, but this box only represents part of my thread stash, doesn't take into account all my serger thread or coveted and hoarded wooden spools.  I can't help buying sewing/crafting items at yard sales or auctions and that is where the majority of this has come from.  But now that I know I need pink thread, I guess I will have to make another trip to the fabric store !!

 

After my search for thread and fabric I found some patterns and got to work.

 

 

Now I know she will have some "pink" options for warm summer days.

BLOOD, SWEAT AND PIN PRICKS....OUCH !!!!

A few of these little bloody spots along with a lot of love have been stitched into a lifetime of memories.  I have finally completed my mission and finished the t-shirt quilt.  It was a challenge for me and my sewing machine, but after much research and thought, machine quilting is the way I decided to finish.

 

My hope is a young lady will keep warm on cold nights and will be able to share all her accomplishments with her grandchildren someday and if my wishes come true I know all my blood, sweat and pin pricks have been worth it.

 

 

 

SCHOOL'S OUT ?????

Well, it's almost time for school to be out for the summer and soon I will be able to plant some flowers in the yard, but until then I have been working on the many, many projects I have indoors. 

I purchased these old school chairs last fall at an auction

 

They are elementary aged chairs for smaller children, therefore I wanted them to appeal to the little ones once I had them finished.

 

 

I wanted to add a little detail to them and as I have said before I was not gifted with any artistic ability, therefore I dug through some of my stash and came up with a stencil and some rub on appliques, then finished the chairs off with a light coat of poly.

 

 

They turned out real cute and I think they can now be someone's room inspiration or a child's special chair for summer reading.

HOBBY LOBBY INSPIRATION

On my last road trip I visited a Hobby Lobby and always pull a ton of inspiration from their stores, however I purchased very little, but after an hour of perusing the store I did bring home some drawer knobs for a little desk that I had.

 

I paid $20 for this little desk at an auction last summer, a little pricey for me but I really liked it.  It has gone from my garage stash to my computer desk to my sell on craigslist pile and now back in the house.  I knew I could sell it just as it was and make a tidy profit but just couldn't bring myself to do it and thanks to Hobby Lobby it has a new look and a permanent place in my home.  When I brought this piece in I knew I needed a chair and looked for another one of my auction finds in the garage.  After I settled on a place for these items it was time to take my inspiration and get to work.

 

The desk had a great paint job on it and I wanted to keep the color, so I simply hit it with the sander and applied some wax to it as well as to the new knobs I had purchased.

 

 

The chair got a good cleaning and a new seat.

 

 

Now that these pieces have a new look maybe they will give me the inspiration to write letters while I enjoy a cocktail !!!!

 

 

 

A FINISHED ROOM.....well almost

I have been working on the styling of my back bedroom for awhile and other than hanging some shadowboxes, which aren't done yet, I have finally finished and this room no longer gives me anxiety.  We all have those rooms that need to serve a multitude of purposes and this is the room for me.  When I started I really didn't have any budget for re-doing things in this room, but with a little "garage and fabric stash" digging and some paint I am very happy with the results.

I have shown in previous posts the shades I made for the windows and the auction furniture I brought in.

 

Last year was my first attempt working with chalk paint.  I had been given a little dresser, one of those unfinished pine pieces that were so popular many years ago.  This one had been burnt in spots then many, many layers of shellac covered it.  I took my sander to it and brought it back to the bare wood, then painted it with chalk paint and finished it with wax.  It needed a little repair and some new knobs, but after the work it turned out really nice.

 

 

With this piece in mind I set out to match the desk and little side tables I had brought in, this time opting to not do any prep work on the pieces.  That's right, no sanding at all.  I just mixed up a batch of chalk paint and put two layers on each piece, then finished them off with a coat of wax.

 

I mixed a tangerine paint with plaster of paris and water and gave each piece two coats of paint, then waxed the pieces, which stained and sealed them.  I am so excited about the no sanding thing and know I will use this technique in the future.  So much fun to learn something new especially when the new knowledge saves me work.

I gave the two little dressers the same knobs as the larger and not wanting to spend any money on my re-do I painted the drawer pulls on the desk. 

I found a piece of Styrofoam to hold the drawer pulls and a box to put them, then outside I went with a can of metal primer, giving them a good coat, once dry I followed up with two coats of a glossy white spray paint.

Once I had my furniture painted and completed, it was time to find a chair for my desk.  Again, digging in the garage I came up with a chair that was the correct height for the desk.  I have had this chair for several years and it only needed repairs to the seat, so I took it apart and started the refurbishing process.



 

The Before and After

 

The larger dresser in this room was a freebie for me, the desk was purchased at auction for $2.00, the little side dressers were part of a three piece set I had purchased at auction for $5.00, the chair was another $2.00 auction buy, the knobs I used were some saved ones from a kitchen re-do in another house many years ago.  The fabric came from my fabric stash and the paint used was in my stash of paint.  I purchased nothing new during this makeover and this room now makes me very happy.

 

 

A fresh room to hang my shadowboxes, do computer work and a fresh clean place for guests.  This room now serves all the purposes I had hoped for.