The table that's eating my crafty time...

I've been working daily on this table (during Kenzie's afternoon nap) - & - It's looking really good! It's been completely sanded to bare wood and as of today -- Mrs. Ants-in-her-pants (me) restained several parts of the table in a dark walnutty color. I think I'm gonna love it. It should be completely finished in the next day or two given another good Kenzie nap (or three).

Photos follow of each step:
1. Untouched, dry, yellow - as purchased at the garage sale


2. Sanded to bare wood


3. The glorious new finish:


Sigh. It looks so much better, but I think a great many days will pass before I get the motivation to tackle the chairs.

And with a dramatic bow....

...my career in log-cabin(ish) pillows was over. I made another in brown tones to match a bedroom. I've learned a few things.

a). Just because I'm using wacky mismatched materials...it will not equate to a Bird In the Hand's type pillow. I might try it again in the event that I have a collection of fabulous materials that she has on hand. My material stash is just too boring. I need more color, more prints, and some great number fabric that I keep seeing everywhere but in my fabric selection.

b). I'm not country. These, as finished projects, just feel "country."


Game over. I must stop wasting my time making pillows that will only inhabit my linen closet. I've got a table and chairs to refinish now... an accidental find at a garage sale. Yes, I already have a table and chair set, but my mother-in-law convinced me that the table was too good to pass up. And, she keeps delivering more chairs to go with it. I'm gonna go with a whimsical Sundance Catalog approach to sprucing it up (different chairs in different colors, settled around a wood stained table). We'll see how that goes...and how many times I change my mind amidst the process.

A pillow for my linen closet

My husband attended a concert last night, so rather than sitting on my bum watching the TV with him - I invested my evening in making some pillows. I chuckle at the notion of the "s" at the end of that former sentence. I made ONE. It took much longer than I anticipated. The Bird in the Hand's log cabin pillows are always gorgeous and I had visions of creating pillows as darling as hers. Hmnnnn.... that didn't so much happen.

I had a space in mind on a bench in my entry way, which connects to a red room, and a green room. I also have some giant red pottery in the entry way, that was the inspiration color. I thought I'd use colors to tie that all together. Don't know what happened but it doesn't work. at all. The red is too red, and the pillow is just too country.




I have another bench at the top of my staircase, which already has some brown tone pillows upon it. Doesn't work there either. The brown ones are a better solution.



Guess it will join the linen closet stash.

I have another project to add to my unachievable list, however. More pillows in a more suitable shade, of course. My daughter is 26 months old now and soon she will graduate to a "big girl room." I'm enthusiastic about decorating her room, but not so much about giving up the convenience of the cage (crib). I picked up a really cute head and footboard at a Church garage sale the other day. It'll be painted white to match the other bedroom furniture. I have been envisioning bedding options and suddenly remembered that I have this quilt topper in really fun colors. The primary color is a terra cotta color, and then every other color in the rainbow makes an appearance as well.



It was gifted to me by a relative, and is unfinished with no backing. I believe I will tackle backing it with a cotton fabric and machine quilting it in red stitching. The wall color possibilities are endless, but I think I might go with a red or a blue, which will darken the room and make it very sleepy and comfy indeed. It's a complicated quilt, and has been stitched by hand. It's quite amazing in quality and precision. I tend to get a little impatient with projects that require a timely investment, so I hope I can do it justice in turning it into a finished piece. I picture it folded at the foot of Kenzie's big girl bed, a top a solid color bedspread.

I got a case of the Smiggles

Andi, of Superminx (see link at the right as I'm horrible at posting links within Posts...and it's late & I'm lazy) sent me some sweet goodies. She'd gotten this great apple packing tape, which I commented on...and immediately checked the store (Smiggle) to see if I could get some.

It appears that this very cool store is only in Australia, so I mentioned that to her -- and off she goes to buy me some! A cute little package of tapes, erasers, magnets, and a really cool "Hide & Seek pen" arrived today and gave me a good case of the smiggle giggles. I just love it!!

Thanks Andi - I've got a package building as a "thanks" to you...

I must have been delusional

As previously stated, I've become an at-home parent. Before it ocurred, I had notions of grandeur thinking of all the crafting and creative time I'd have. Now, being a bit more realistic - I can admit that's not really happening. I'm enjoying being home with Kenzie, most days. Those would be the days when she's adorable and agreeable. Fortunately, those are the most of them...

That being said - Most of my day is spent at her whim, coloring, walking, riding bikes, playing in the cottage or on the swings...maybe hunting bugs. When she goes down for her mid-day nap, I'm immediately overwhelmed by all the things I wish to do. Read, paint some walls, make pillows, dresses, (or the rest of my to-do list below). It's usually a short nap..and I've found that it takes a great few days to accomplish any single project.

This here light fixture is in our entryway. It was brass. Sorry, world, but I hate brass. We've been converting all of our brass fixtures to wrought iron colored ones, and this one was a mind-bender. The entry way is SO tall. My dear husband exclaimed more than once that there was no way to remove the fixture without hiring someone to do it. So, I painted the damn thing. Added some little shades, and Voila! It counts as my most recent crafting accomplishment. There's still a brass chain that will be camoflauged with a black scrunchy creation as soon as I obtain some suitable fabric. Hard to believe that this thing took three days of nap-times to complete (priming, and two coats of black).

As part of my delusions of grandeur, I had pictured making a lot of clothes for the girl, myself, and some household decorating pieces. I have a stack of projects just gathering dust at this point...and I'd also thought of creating a "shop" to sell some pieces. I just don't know where the time will magically appear! But, it will... and I must wait a bit more patiently I guess. My blogs have been taking a beating with seldom posts, but I do manage to read my bloglines list everyday. I enjoy watching what others are up to, but some days I wonder how. in. the. heck. they. do. it. all.
Kids, housework, AND crafting?
These women are my superheroes.

If anyone has words of wisdom about how to enjoy your family AND simultaneously make free time appear out of no where -- please do share.

Artsy-Crafty Baby

Beki of Artsy-Crafty Babe birthed a darling little girl--Ava. I've enjoyed Beki's blog, and even some assistance on craft projects in the past so I sent a little handmade gift.

I'm never terribly practical so I made a little bib and burp cloth, embellished to the hilt. Maybe she'll have a fine-dining outing that requires such a concoction...?
The bib:

The burp cloth:


It was the sneak peak shown below, of course....