Heriloom Art

This circa 1920's block was from a quilt made by hubby's great grandmother (who shares the same name as my younger sister).

She also gathered and carded the wool, and made it into the batting.
Hubby's aunt remembers her grandmother made many great quilts, and wished she had one of them. While serving a service mission, she became acquainted with a cousin that mentioned she may have one of her grandmother's quilts. Hubby's aunt ended up with this quilt, she had it cleaned, and distributed the blocks among different family members. I recently inherited one of the 11 salvageable blocks. It is in rough shape, but still beautifully crafted.

I found the perfect $3 thrifty frame for it.
Cut out the back, removed the staples, and of course, painted it. At first it was going to be white with an antique glaze, but you know how I tend to change my mind . . .
So classy black, it is.Even though the block is in rough shape, I like the fact that you can see the batting, since she did make it. It now hangs in my family room, near the Monet, and Van Gogh prints.This may not have been made by a world renouned artist. However, it's a true art piece, full of family history, and to top it off, I own the real thing.

Simple Beauty

On my most recent thrift stop, I encountered this little hall table. Its simplicity, yet daring personality caught my eye. The $8 price tag sealed its fate. Originally, I was thinking, maybe it would become heirloom white, (a color, probably all too familiar, even to the few that wander through my blog) and end up in my bedroom. I replaced the previous $3 entry table, I refinished not that long ago, and put the red one in its place. I was liking this look . . .

So I repainted it a slightly darker, more muted hue of red.Glazed it with the antiquing syrup.

This was probably one of the quickest make-overs yet. A quick spray, to freshen it up, a quick glaze to make it weathered, and back in the entry way it goes!

If you're wondering what became of the previous entry table . . . well, it ended up in my bedroom. All it needed was some different accessories, since it's already heirloom white!

Hidden Treasure Part II

Another thrifty $1 find.
The details on this box caught my attention. I opened it to see what type of surgery would be needed,
and underneath the little tray. . .. . .was this little surprise! I turned the key to see if it worked, and a sweet melody started playing. It worked perfectly! So after minor cosmetic surgery, the box would now have a new home . . .
Mine!

Retro Sonance

Ever since June, I seem to have the B-52's tunes in the back of my head. It's crazy how certain songs just take you back to an exact location from your past. I had a B-52's tape (that used to be my brother's) in the car, Senior Year of High School. I remember driving home from school at the end of those late May, and early June days, excited that summer was fast approaching, looking forward to a new stage in life, listening to this summer fun sounding, good mood setting group. This might explain the retro sonance lurking about my brain since June. There's one song in particular . . . It's called "Dry County" . . . A bit of it goes like this: "It's one of those lazy days". . . "Just sit on the porch and swing" . . . "Those Lazy days of Summer are here..." I seem to have taken these words to heart. Which could maybe explain why we're not far away from Fall, and while doodling, and being lazy on the couch, I came up with this little design.

I sprayed painted this thrifty, previously green frame: black.

A quick project, a little stitching here and there, while yes, being lazy, relaxing, and ignoring the dirty kitchen floor, laundry, and well everything else for that matter. (Except the kids, which is most likely what took my time in between the here's and there's.) I haven't hand stitched anything since probably winter. It's one of those things that I just find relaxing.

With Autumn season fast approaching, and those lazy summer days coming to an end, maybe my head will play a different tune.

Hidden Treasure

I found this cute little jewelry box at a thrift store. Structurally it was in perfect condition, but it needed a couple of cosmetic repairs.

When I was little I used to love the OPERATION game. I guess you could say my surgical skills came into play as I performed minor "Endoectomy", "Endoplasty", and "Exoplasty" on this little box. Box: $1

White Spray paint, Satin nickel spray paint: I already had (from previous larger scale projects, such as 2 rooms full of girly furniture).
Cute paper: 20 cents, and already in my stash (not for scrap booking, as I've never attempted this addiction).
Joyous look on 7 year old daughter's face when she learned the box was hers:

Priceless.

Bon Appetit!

You may have realized that Italian food is probably one of my favorites. However, to prove that I don't have anything against another country's cuisine; today, I made cream puffs for the first time. It's the same recipe for eclairs. What is there not to like about them? I'm by no means an expert in these matters, but if you've never made eclairs or cream puffs, there's absolutely nothing intimidating about them. Such an easy treat to make. I used the Better Homes and Garden's Cookbook recipe. Instead of piping the mixture like you do to make eclairs, I used a small cookie scoop (one of the best presents ever, thanks big sis). I think it's the teaspoon size. Scooped the mixture onto the silicone sheet pads (another great present, thanks hubby). Baked according to directions.
For the filling, I could have made custard from scratch . . .
But I took the easy route instead. One small package of instant vanilla pudding, and about half of a whipped topping container. Perfect amount for the 28 puffy treats! Dust with powder sugar, and VOILA! C'est magnifique!
Friday I made french bread. I'm on a roll! I placed the dough inside the van to rise. It worked! I guess this hot weather is good for something! Sorry no pictures of it, it was eaten fast!

Sitting Pretty

I wanted a little bookcase for my bedroom. I found this little cabinet (yes, through the online classifieds) probably a couple of months ago. I think we can all agree it was in dire need of a make over. It was $10. Perfect price for a redo. It's been sitting in my garage waiting for me to make up my mind on which color to use. Either an heirloom white, like the accent table I just did, or something different than any other piece of furniture I have. I finally made up my mind, and thought I better just tackle this project before I had a chance to change my plans.

First things first.As soon as I brought this cabinet home, the back applique had to go.

A couple of appliques for the doors (I'm not sweet on the cut out hearts!), and a couple of squigglies on the back. A coat of primer. A coat of a light seafoam hue, and antiquing glaze over the whole piece, was all it needed. I was going to change the hardware, but decided to leave it for now.

I think the $10 gardener's nightmare turned out pretty darn cute! I can fit quite a few books in there too!

The chairs, (these were originally going to be in my craft room, refer to OCD post) although some might like the before better. . .

. . . the turquoise color, and the vinyl flower cover does not quite fit my color scheme.

I used heirloom white paint (are we starting to see a pattern here?). I purchased three different fabrics. I used one for the chairs, and the rest for some throw pillows on my bed. I also made some straps for the curtains.

I love how the fabric on the chairs matches the little appliques of the cabinet door, and the iron wall hanging (I'll admit, I do look for dumb little details like that . . .)

. . . Details such as this bell, and ball (they were under $1.50 on clearance) that reminded me of the painting I have in my room. I repainted the ball and antiqued it with two different glazes.


These cute little plates were .50 cents at a thrift store, perfect for keys and such.And these square plates, one on each nightstand great as a coaster. They weren't on sale, but were the perfect color, with the perfect design.

It's like the chairs and table were destined for each other. Perfect combination for the little sitting area I envisioned in my bedroom.

Now, we're sitting pretty.