Ideas In Progress....

For Christmas/my daughter's birthday, I want to get her an easel and a puppet theater. There are some really cool easels out there but most are ridiculously priced. The best one that I've found?
IKEA Mala Easel $14.99, There is a whiteboard on one side and a chalkboard on the other. One side has a shelf to hold paints, etc. and the other has a dowel to hold the paper roll.
ADD the Mala roll-o-paper $4.99
AND I'm going to add the Kusiner wall pockets, $3.99, under the paper roll/dowel for more storage.


 
I'm planning on buying this awesome paintbrush and cup set, $12.99, from Lakeshore Learning. These cups have specially designed lids to keep the paint from spilling even when the cups themselves are tipped.


I've also been looking into buying a puppet theater for my daughter. Unfortunately, the only theater that was in our price range was ridiculously ugly and I would have spent time and more money re-designing it. While I was at IKEA I came across this inexpensive item that I will be spending a ridiculously small amount of time and money to turn into a puppet theater.... Introducing Skylta Children's market stand, $14.99

It is all cardboard, hence the cheap-o price, but compared to the $100 + that the wood and fabric getups were charging, this is awesome! When I put it together, since IKEA conveniently packs things flat and allows you to put them together, I will not put in the shelves. I will be buying some red velvet fabric and making theater curtains that will then most likely be glued to the top and have tie-backs. The alternative is to see if I could mount a simple dowel which I will figure out once I put it together and ask my hubby's opinion. I'm thinking of not putting that little brown framed sign thing on the front and instead glueing on a piece of metal I have leftover from another project so that we can use magnets on the front. But we'll see. I may also get another Kusiner wall pocket and paste it to the back so there's storage for the hand and finger puppets we'll include with the theater.

I'm very excited about my projects. I will try to post the finished looks once I'm done. Since my last post I've been working on and finishing a wedding quilt for my sister-in-law and machine quilting a lap quilt. I'll try to make the time to post some pics.

Antique Sewing Tables- our new nightstands

Over the summer I worked on re-doing our master bedroom. My husband was deployed and I wanted us to have a nice "retreat" once he came home. I began looking for nightstands but with a budget of under $100 for two, I wasn't really getting anywhere. Anything that was in my price range was rickety or not the style I was looking for. One day I was driving by our local thrift store and decided on a whim to take a look at what they had. In their furniture section I found an antique sewing table very similar to one I already had that was my grandmothers. I was thrilled with this discovery but worried about the work needed to paint both tables to match. However, I knew that with my budget, I would not be able to get anything as sturdy as these old gals so I took the plunge. Care to see the results?


This sewing table I found at Deseret Industries thrift store for about $40. There's a little bit of damage to the wood but overall it is in good condition and really sturdy.

AFTER! My husband and I collaborated on the paint color. It is called, if I remember right, 'Harbor' by Behr paints. It comes across more bright in the photo than in real life. The new knobs are from Hobby Lobby.

This is the sewing machine in the cabinet I bought at the thrift store. It is gorgeous!
 

This is my grandmother's old sewing machine cabinet. It still has the sewing machine inside but it is plain Jane. I loved this table but hated the color since it really looks orange to me in real life. After beginning to sand and prep this table to paint I realized how damaged it was- more than the thrift store table. I'm glad I've given it a new life and am now able to enjoy using it daily in my home. Just a note: I did ask my dad if I could paint it before I went ahead. It had been his mother's and even though he had given it to me I still wanted to be sure he'd be okay with it.

AFTER!

Quilt Flashback

I am getting the urge to make quilts again. I tend to go in cycles and focus on a certain craft or project for a while, get burnt out, and move on to the next project. This summer I've worked on file folder games, raising a new brood of chicks, and heirloom gardening using some Native North American Indian techniques. Fun summer but I'm glad it is cooling down. I found a 2013 calendar at Costco that has inspired a new quilt idea. We will see how soon I can get to making it. But for now, here is a visit of the quilts I've pieced in the past...

Library Book anyone??

I purchased this book from the library for 1 dollar

To make the book look nicer, I took off the plastic dust cover

This one came off without leaving glue or tearing- Nice!

The only evidence left that it was a library book is in the back, with a stamp and a barcode.

Here is the "finished" book. Looks pretty nice

Here is the book, and the plastic cover- which I throw away

Another library book purchased for a buck. Love the Salt Lake County Library System!

Took the plastic cover off this one and it ripped- this is fairly typical.

So I take my handy paper trimmer and cut off the inside flap "info"

I use double sided sticky tape and paste the "info" bar (minus the plastic obviously) back over the tear.

Finished books!

I have bought tons of library books and re-worked them this way. It is AWESOME buying these originally $15.00 books for a buck each. Can't wait to start story times once my daughter is old enough to stop tearing and eating books.








 

Rocking Headbands!!!

If only I had a better camera.... My sister makes these- I can't claim them although I have in the past helped put together color combos- my only claim to fame. She sells these online and in local boutiques in Utah county. Go to her site here (http://www.etsy.com/shop/MyGenavie?ref=top_trail) for much bettter photos and to see all the things to makes by hand.
These headbands were also on the DAILY DISH.... See previous post with title "Fashion for you Olympic Parties" and check out toward the end when they show a couple of these great headbands.
Whenever I wear mine I always get compliments. I also got the comment from someone that they didn't think they could pull it off. Not true! I felt the same way but just play around with one until you like the way it looks, cowboy up with confidence and you will rock these babies!!!

Fashion For Your Olympic Parties

Fashion For Your Olympic Parties

The above is a link to a video segment of the Daily Dish that shows (towards the end) my sister's handmade headbands. Also has my favorite boutique- "Karma". The owner is so nice and friendly and she constantly has new styles and great ideas. She also likes to support local artists, like my sister, so there is a lot of handmade jewelry, belts, purses, and of course- headbands!

Karma Boutique on Main can be "liked" on facebook. They are located in Pleasant Grove Utah. They take orders over the phone and do a flat rate ship to anywhere in the country... not sure about out of the country- you'd have to ask:)

Deja Giraffe!

I make a lot of the burp cloths and blankets so this is not a "new" idea per se but I really like this new combo I used. I made a stack of ten burp cloths for my friend who is expecting a boy. Had to include a little stuffed giraffe of course!

A little update on my technique- I have found that I often use bulky weight yarn and that it works just fine although my crochet hook is a little bent from having to pull hard every so often. This fabric is from JoAnn's and is in their nursery section- it is a flannel. The back is a dark solid brown flannel. The yarn is also from JoAnn's and is the Sensations brand and is called "Beautiful".

I have laundered a burp cloth to see what happens to the yarn when washed and it mainly clumps together a bit more and remains soft. Meaning it launders well.