619 miles

handmade holidays 2011: the rest of the goodies

The last two projects are completely unrelated, but I wanted to wrap up the handmade holiday posts. My Mom is always hot and my step-dad has to life with the air down pretty low in the house. So I made him a small throw blanket with some left over jersey knit and then some quilting cotton fabric. I used some leftover fleece to cut out his initials and monogram the blanket.

I don't have a whole lot of "boy/man" fabrics, but I know he likes blue, so I wen with that. I made the throw pillow case style.

For this last project I took inspiration for the ridiculously cute angry birds that Kerry stitched up. I used the exact same patterns that Kerry used, only I was being cheap and bought 34cent sheets of craft felt.

These angry birds are sooo fun! Like I said, I used felt instead of fleece like in the tutorial, but I think it was just as easy and they are holding up just fine so far. Tossing of the angry birds in Reese's precence is not advised. Lesson learned.

I am a fan

{Michelle Armas via Oh Joy!}

I can't believe that it is only the second week of school and I already feel bogged down and behind! I'm working a bunch still, so that does not help matters. September should be a little easier as I venture off to warmer (though hurricane prone) climates to catch up on sun, sleep, and homework.

Lack of time is also having an impact on my blog reading, however these recent posts definately caught my eye. 

I am a fan of

• this swoon worthy quilt block by Eileen Josephine
• the way Lisa Occhipinti re-purposes books. This has been floating around the blogs for a while, but if you check it out on SF Girl by Bay, there is a fun free pdf tutorial download.
• Michelle Armas' art, featured on Oh Joy!
• scrapbook pages that look like art, by Kelly Purkey (and these too).
• this rug. I'd like that color scheme for a living room I think.

Life is a bunch of craziness right now and I'm not the most patient gal in the world, so I'm trying each day to remember this.

What are you a fan of these days? Anything around the web catching your eye?

 

week in the life - thursday

Well, I'm still chugging along with this documentation journey. It's been fun taking photos of all kinds of random things throughout the days. Today was a pretty boring day compared to the past three. I had to work, but no flying. I felt exhausted ALL day. I took initiative on a newsletter project for work and accomplished a bit of administrative stuff. I made it home a little after 5 and spent the rest of the evening shopping and then packing for my WV camping trip this weekend. I had to get everything ready to go tonight since I'm going to work in the morning (get to fly) and then swing by and pick up Reese and be off as soon as we can. We have no set plans other than a general idea of where we want to camp... we are just going to wing it. I'll be taking plenty of photos and have a recap on the fun come sunday night. 

• 7am wakeup
• 8 arrive at work
• 1200 lunchtime thrifting
• 1215 grab lunch to go from Shiraz - kabab yummy
• 1-4:25 more working, give Amy her needles that I picked up at thrift store in Charleston. We chat about her remodeling project and catch up... get ideas for newsletter and pitch idea to boss (he liked it)
• 425 finally leave work (a little later than planned)
• 5-530 stop at target, realize I left my list at home, go home get list, back to target
• 630 cereal for dinner
• 7-1030 pack, organize, play with Reese
• 1030 write this post
• bed asap!

I hope you all enjoy your weekend!!! Any fun plans? It's still pretty hot in this neck of the wood, so it will be a toasty camping trip! 

saturday sewing and spray painting

After finally getting motivated to start my day Saturday I think I got quite a bit accomplished. I hit up several yard sales, but it was late in the game so I didn't get much. I picked up a woven storage chest and a side table (for Andrea) for $10! I stopped by Home Depot and grabbed some white & teal spray paint for the chest and headed home. I thought I might get to the project after getting back from my work trip, but I deceided what the heck, and I just jumped right in.

Here is the chest before. Nothing too special, but it was in decent shape and had storage, which is great when you live in a small space!

Here is the chest after a couple coats of white spray paint. I couldn't decide between the white and teal, but I thought it would be safe to go with white first and then easier to cover if I decided to switch to the teal. I think it may need a couple more coats, especially on the inside of the lid, but I ran out of paint. It looks pretty good against the blue walls in my bedroom.

In between coats of the spray paint I started on another "Pinterest project" that I will post tomorrow. It was SUPER easy and it has created a flurry of other ideas! After that project I decided it was time to finally sew the curtains for my kitchen. I bought the fabric at least a year ago and I don't know what took me so long, it came together super quick. Super quick after I had to take out my seams 3 times! Note to self: when sewing curtains with a pocket for a rod, sew that part LAST!!!

Here are my cute kitchen curtains:

I wasn't the only one at the sewing machine yesterday. Kerry decided that instead of taking her clothes to the goodwill, she would re-purpose them into some fashionable hand bags! Taking her inspiration from Made By Hank (who makes some ridiculously awesome bags and pouches), Kerry came up with some really cute items from clothes that were headed to the donate pile!

Here is Kerry's version of upcycling. She turned these items:

into this:

How cute is that?!?!? I mean really... I think she did an amazing job! Here are some more clothes destined for the Goodwill racks:

turned into this:

I love how that sheer patterned fabric looks when it's ruffled up. This might be my favorite one of the bunch! And even though chevron patterns have been popping up on everything lately, I still can't get enough of it. Here is Kerry's take on a cute cheveron, with a pop of color on the inside of the pouch:

I love a productive Saturday, especially when such cute things get made! Awesome job Kerry :)

now I know my ABCs

Kerry,

OMG.. you have to check out this ABC crewel smapler kit by Alicia Paulson. I discovered it today on the blog Making it Lovely (which is a fave blog of mine). I want to buy this ASAP. 

images via posie rosy little things 

What do you think?!?! It would look great in the craft/gun room.... HAHAHA ;) I also love this quote that was included on the Making it Lovely blog, it is so true, don't you agree?!?!

It is available for pre-order with a mid-June expected shipping date. That should give me enough time to finish up the totes for Corinne & Taylor!      --jenn

 

spring time

I'm heading out of town AGAIN.. this time for work. I was picking up some necessities from Target when I saw this bright watch on clearance for a mere $7.00. I decided it was the perfect spring color and it needed to come home with me. 

Since I won't be able to work on any projects for the next two weeks I had Kerry send me photos of her most recent DIY endeavors. When I was there visiting I got to see all the super cool projects she's completed. She is one creative and talented gal!!! We also did some thrift store shopping and you won't believe the deal she scored! I'll be sharing a bunch of her stuff in the next week. Hope you have an awesome weekend... I'll be on a plane tomorrow :)

thrift store finds

As I mentioned yesterday, prior to the great score on my new dresser I picked up some smaller items at the Bargain Center earlier in the week.

I found a pretty blue glass dish to hold my pins for sewing and some pretty cool wallpaper. I picked this up for Andrea's kitchen, it will be awesome in there.... as soon as we figure out what to do with it!

I picked up this pair of wall candle sconces. I'm going to remove the taper holders (they are just screwed on) and paint them. I also swung by Hobby Lobby and got these more modern glass candle holders to put on the sconces.

And finally I found this 1970s era blue typewriter!! for $10. It's a Royal brand and comes in it's own case. The best part was when I brought it home and Andrea asked Cam and his friend if they had ever seen a typewriter!! EEEkk... that make me feel a little old.

Minus the Hobby Lobby candle holders it all cost under $15. I can now add the candle sconces to the makeover list that is steadily growing. 

these are a few of my favorite things: online magazines

I, like all other interior design fans, enthusiasts, & professionals, was saddened the day I found out that Domino was to be no more. While I still get a couple of printed magazines, I am enjoying several on-line magazines as much as the real-deal-hold-in-your-hands ones. One of the coolest things about the on-line magazines is that you can click on items and are linked instantly on where to buy!

Numero uno on that list is Lonny, I [heart] this one! If you devour design blogs like I do then you already know about this one. It's awesome and their website is always expanding with photos neatly categorized for searching out inspiration. Here is the cover of the Oct/Nov 2010 issue:

I can't remember exactly how I found out about Southern Flouirsh, but I do remember thinking it was pretty cool to find out that the editor in chief lives in my hometown, Louisville, KY. I discovered their premier issue this spring and I have to say that I enjoy seeing features from places that are near me... from places I've actually visited and could visit again. It just seems so much more of a "local magazine" to me, I think that is why I like it so much. I don't remember needing a subscription to look at the first issue, but now it's $10 to subscribe. Not too bad of a price. You can flip through the on-line version or download your own copy to your desktop. For a limited time you can get a discount by checking out this blog, Thompson Family- Life, which is one of my daily reads. The Holiday 2010 cover:

I found out about Sweet Paul Magazine on decor8 fairly recently and I already have saved the mashed potatoes with crispy Parmesan recipe onto my desktop. I can't wait to get home to cook, and especially to try that one out. The magazine is full of gorgeous photos of food and recipes you can save to your desktop with the click of a mouse. There are also articles about entertaining, crafts and shopping. I think the Holiday 2010 cover is super cute, but not in a cheesy way.

Due to the slow internet connection I'm dealing with, I haven't had a chance to look at this next one all the way through. However, from what I have seen, It's worth the wait for the pages to load up. And, not to mention, it is very timely with the holidays approaching. I'm not going to be home to celebrate on the actual holidays, but I will have Christmas in January presents to shop for and Gifted Magazine is full of great ideas. Their latest cover:

I know there is another interior design one, that I thought I had bookmarked but I just can't find. Do you know of any good online magazines?

refreshing color

If you saw my previous post, you may notice that my sights have not been filled with much color. It is mostly brown around here. Having already gotten used to the plywood color scheme and brownish landscapes, my eyes were nearly overloaded with the latest Anthropologie email to land in my inbox. I clicked, clicked again, and then I was staring at the "in the kitchen" page, full of all kinds of crazy colors and patterns... it made me smile. And it made me want to buy EVERYTHING I saw. Instead of spending my all of my hard earned cash, I decided to just share some of my favorite items with you. Oh... and Kerry: you have to check out the dish towels... some ridiculously cool ones.

What I saw when I checked my inbox:

get the bowls

kremlin trivet

dear kitchen towel

farmer's egg crate

la boheme butter dish

All this color has me inspired to start a new craft project. Time to stitch up some color!

gotta go to Kmart

Ummmm.. did you know that you can get Eames style chairs at Kmart?!?! Seriously, I'm not kidding. I was checking out one of my fave interior design blogs, Little Green Notebook, and Jenny featured these chairs from Kmart. I went straight to their site to confirm what I saw. It's confirmed. You can get them for $190 for two! Or maybe you would prefer a rocker? They have that rocker in blue too!

I know some would scoff at buying these reproductions versus the real deal. What's you're take on this?