Sunday, December 30, 2012

Busy Sewing!

I got my ultimate best gift ever for Christmas!  A new sewing machine!  Specifically a professional machine that will sew through all of those layers of fabric.

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Even euro shams like these were nearly impossible with the little light weight machine that I had. 

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No more fabric slipping and sliding all over the place making it almost impossible to finish a pretty project for a customer.

The project above was for a 13 year olds room.  For you local girls, the floral fabric came from Fabrics Unlimited.  The other fabrics came from Voos.

Heather and I are trying to create a cute boys line of painted furniture and sewn accessories.  Any suggestions??  We could use some help here for sure!   Our little guys deserve an attractive bedroom too!

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I just finished this pillow.  It isn’t stuffed yet.  I took the pockets off of an old pair of khaki pants.  I’m also doing some pillows with dog silhouettes to coordinate and then some light blue pillows with chevron stripes.  Boys are so difficult to decorate for! 

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Kind of a different twist with the more traditional fabrics.  I added turquoise velvet to the one underneath. 

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I LOVE this pillow.  That ruffled knit was supposed to be for scarves, but we all know how that goes……I’m planning on sewing and sewing and then stuffing or adding forms closer to the show so they don’t take up so much room right now.  Oh…..what show?  The girls have talked me into doing The Affair of The Heart in February!  Apparently the three of us have officially lost our minds! 

Miss Molly has been tons of help (ha-ha) during this cold weather we’re having.  She’s designated herself official cat wrangler.  She is so funny.  She actually worries about Jack the cat if she thinks he’s been outside in the cold too long and whines and begs until I let her out and then tries to herd him back in the house.  She’s a mess!

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Molly after a hard day of work.  See how the stuffing is coming out of that bottom pillow?  She paws and rearranges things to suit herself.   

I’ll let you know where we will be located at the show in February as soon as I receive that information.

Please leave a comment and let us know about any suggestions you might have for boys.  What are your little guys asking for?

Happy New Year!

Denise

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Just chillin’

It’s cold outside!  So the perfect time to start putting away that Christmas and do a little cleaning.

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That bed stayed pretty and made for a couple of hours.  Then after the bedroom was nice and clean, Molly and I crawled on it and watched movies all day. 

We hope you are having a wonderful Holiday week.

Denise

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Merry Christmas!

We’re having a white Christmas here!  It is so beautiful but windy and cold today.  Fortunately, we haven’t had to leave the house and are inside staying warm and cozy. 

Thought I might share this amazing recipe with you. 

The best French toast EVER!!  It’s a Christmas morning classic with us.

Caution…..this stuff is addicting and definitely NOT healthy.  Which is what makes it soooooo yummy!  A great breakfast if you have guests this Holiday week.

So here you go……

Bacon, fried.  Do NOT drain your bacon grease from your griddle.

2-3 eggs per every four pieces of toast.  Beat WELL until frothy.

1 loaf French bread.  Slice your pieces about 1/2” thick.

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Box of 1-step pancake mix.  We used Hungry Jack.

Powdered sugar.

Cinnamon

After beating your eggs, throw in about a Tbs. or so of pancake mix, dry.  Do not mix in.

Dip your bread in this mixture.  Turning over several times.  You should have egg mixture plus lumpy pancake mix stuck to your bread.

Fry in your left over bacon grease.

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See the pancake batter on top?  If the batter isn’t thick enough, just throw a little more on your bread, while it’s cooking.  We sprinkle a little cinnamon on top while it’s cooking.

After your toast is well browned on both sides, remove from griddle and drain on paper towels.  Surprisingly enough, this French toast is not the least bit greasy.

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See all of that crusty goodness around the edges.  Yuuuummy……

Ohhh……almost forgot!

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Don’t forget to sprinkle with powdered sugar!  Now serve along with all that bacon you fried!   Your family/guests will LOVE this French toast, so be sure and make plenty.

Merry Christmas!  And be sure and work in some exercise this week.  You’ll need it after a meal like this.

Denise

Saturday, December 22, 2012

Setting My Christmas Table

Thought I’d show you a glimpse of Heather’s pretty porch all decked out for Christmas!

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Vintage bench and sled.  Deer silhouette pillow by ME.  The photo was so cute, I just had to add a little text above her bench.

Now on to reality……..

This is what’s going on at my house…….

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Now I know you’re jealous.  Don’t you wish this was your Christmas table?  Oh….what….?  Why yes, that’s a bowl of dry cat food in the back ground.  You know, just in case you would like a little snack before dinner.

We’ve even decorated the FLOOR!

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Tool belts and saws!  This is the longest mini remodel in HISTORY!  Part due to the fact that our friendly neighborhood termites decided the entire back of our house looked pretty tasty.  The rest due to the fact that it’s hubby and his nephews doing the work.  I do think we have a reality show in the making around here though. 

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This is what the back is looking like.  I know I’ll love it when it’s finished.  So…..if you’d like a side of saw dust with your Christmas dinner….come on over!  We have plenty.

Merry Christmas!

Denise

Friday, December 21, 2012

Oh Christmas Tree…

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My favorite hand made angels

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Tiny glittered houses

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Silver reindeer and crystals

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Crocheted snow flakes and snow cones

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A tree topper of music print ribbon

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And a really wimpy tree skirt!  Yep…..it needs work.

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And funny Miss Molly

 

Merry Christmas!

Denise

Monday, December 17, 2012

Beautiful Lights

We went last night to see the amazing Christmas lights at Chesapeake Energy.  They take my breath away every year.

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This is just a small section.  Every branch of every tree……covered in beauty.

Trying to get some Christmas shopping done here.

Denise

Sunday, December 16, 2012

A mother’s blog post that you MUST read!

This is a link to the most amazing blog post that I have ever read.  Hands down.

HERE....... 

I’ve never said this here before, but I have a grandson with the following diagnosis……

ADHD, Autism, mildly mentally retarded, oppositional defiant disorder (ODD).  This beautiful little red headed boy has amazing parents!  They have spent years and much money that they didn’t have finally coming up with this complex diagnosis.  Before then, every doctor that they took him to only wanted to medicate him to the point where he was practically non-functioning.  The complex testing that finally resulted in this diagnosis cost over $3000.00.  The report was 36 ( THIRTY SIX!) pages long.  It was both a great relief to know what was wrong and also very sad. 

Don’t get me wrong……my grandson does not fall into the category of children that you are about to read about.  He is  now doing much better in a school more suited to his needs.  He is happy and loving.  Always ready to give you a hug and tell you he loves you!   My point is this………

Our society today is sorely lacking when it comes to understanding (or even wanting to understand) mental health.  We push these children and their problems under the rug and then when something horrific  happens all we do is call for gun control.  Because that’s easy.  That’s like putting a bandage over the problem and just forgetting about the underlying problem.  It’s time we ALL stepped up to the plate.  The mother in this article and all others like her deserve all the help that they can get whether it’s affordable or not.  Because we know what horrible things can happen. 

So now I’ll step down off of my soap box.  Read the post in the link above.  I bet  you’ll be crying too.

Denise

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Christmas In The (sewing) Studio

My poor sewing machine has been moved around more times than I can count in my attempt to create the perfect sewing…….room, corner, whatever.  It finally became clear that it had to…. #1. be at home and  #2. have its own room so that I could just close the door on my messes.

So……I finally admitted defeat with all of my previous plans and away went the guest bedroom.  Bed….SOLD…..gone forever.  In its place…..

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This awesome old table that I picked up at our first barn sale.  LOVE it!  There are two drawers on either side to store goodies.

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An old dresser that Heather and I glued vintage buttons on in a swirled pattern.  Each drawer has a different purpose.  Organized!

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Although I am fortunate to have a nice walk in closet to store most of my fabric, my tea cart has been requisitioned for current projects.  Heather gave me the slipcovered chair, it’s from Ikea.

And the rest of the room…….just all of that fun stuff that you see when you’re out junking and really don’t have a place for.  Yep, it all goes in this room. 

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Dress form, vintage hats, flowers I’m working on.

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Vintage red and green Christmas.

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Much of this collection came from my Mother and Grandmother so it’s very special.

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These little Christmas mice are probably my favorites!

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I saw this idea on Pinterest.  The top of my dispenser has a light in it.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t work.  Wouldn’t it be fun if I could just pull the lever and dispense buttons when I needed them!

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My sewing chair.  I reupholstered the cushion in red.  Looks like I have a possible color scheme going here!

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Love LOVE the little table that Heather painted for me.  It sits right beside me when I sew and has a shelf underneath for my note books.

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Where most of my trims and ribbon live.  Works great because I can see what’s inside from all sides.

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Mostly pastel Christmas on this shelf.

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I made this lighted rag garland for our booth at the last barn sale.  It’s found a permanent home here.

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And Jack demonstrates how to relax on a sunny winter day.  I had other plans for this laundry basket but oh well…….

Yes, there’s a LOT of stuff in this room.  I  know that this much clutter is not for everyone ,  but it inspires me and has  become one of my favorite rooms in the house.

Merry Christmas from my sewing room!

Denise

JOINING THESE FUN PARTIES…….

Fridays Unfold at Stuff and Nonsense

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

Friday at The Charm of Home

Inspiration Friday at The Picket Fence

Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground

Find all of the direct links to these fun parties on my bottom left side bar.

Also joining!

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