Quilting…Am I Nuts?!

I have joined Randi at I Have To Say… for her On The Road To Spring Quilt-A-Long!  Finally, my fabric arrived from Fabric.com last night.  Just some advice, before you ever purchase something online, search for a coupon code for that particular store.  You can usually get a code for at least free shipping.  I found one for 30% to Fabric.com!  Woo-Hoo!

Please keep in mind, I’ve NEVER quilted before, EVER.  So, if you are curious about quilting, but afraid to try, please join me.  You’ll be in good company!

I have washed and ironed my fabric, getting it ready for cutting.  If no one has ever told you, fabric frays BADLY when you wash it.  It took me about an hour to cut all the strings and knots off all 13 pieces of fabric while I watched The Bachelor.  After I had cut all the strings off, I read some helpful tips (too little, too late).  Some more experienced people cut the edges with pinking shears before washing, others serge the edges.

The quilt-a-long is a six week tutorial, written by Randi.  We are only on week two, so you are not behind!  Even better, if you do get behind, she is leaving the tutorial up for awhile so people can catch up.  Thanks, Randi!

Baby Legs

My MOPS group hosts an auction each year to raise money for a crisis pregnancy center in our town.  All the items are made or donated by our MOPS mothers.  I am always amazed at the creativity of these mothers of preschoolers!

I am typically not crafty…I stick to baked goods or jelly.  But this year I read Calico’s Baby Leg tutorial and had to try!  Her tutorial is wonderful, so I suggest you check out her page before you begin.

Following Calico’s instructions, I cut off the feet from a pair of adult knee socks.

I then sewed a zig-zag stitch all around the cut edge.  You have to stitch right on the edge or it just rolls up (see the adorable polka-dot mistake…too bad…).

Sorry for the sideways picture, but you can see how I packaged the baby legs.  I couldn’t find my cardstock, so I cut the back off an old Christmas card and pinned the baby legs to the card.   Use what you have!

Use What I Have…Plus One Item

When we were married in 2003, our decor was very much Americana…I still love it (and our great nation), but we are moving in a different decorating direction.  This flag was purchased at An Affair of The Heart and loved for years.

 

Our color scheme is changing.  I primed the board, then painted it Summer Sorbet, from Lowe’s.  I had it left over from painting the laundry room.

It was a little bright, so I purchased Valspar Color Glaze in Mocha.

This stuff is great!  I had never used it before…it is super easy to apply.  I just brushed it on with a cheap sponge brush and then wiped it off with an old sock…both of which went straight into the trash.

Here is the edge with the glaze…it just “dirtied” it up a bit. 

 

Of course, I forgot to take pictures of the part of which I am most proud.  I tried stenciling..and succeeded!  Very easy. 

On my computer, Microsoft Word, I typed out every single letter in the alphabet our last name, chose a font I liked, then printed it out on plain ol’ printer paper.  I did change the printer preferences to print in draft mode and in black and white.  The letters didn’t need to look great…I cut them out anyway!

To cut them out, I used the blade from my Coluzzle  and just cut around each letter.

Next up was the tricky part (not really, but I like to be overly dramatic).  I laid the stencil out on my board, and using a stencil brush and acrylic paint, I dabbed the paint up and down.  UP and DOWN…not sideways, diagonal, backwards, forwards…just UP and DOWN!  I couldn’t find my stencil adhesive, so I just held the stencil down with my fingers.

Here is the finished product!  I {heart} it!

Dining Room---Stage Two

My hubby has returned from a year long military deployment and is ready to make our home look like our home…does that make sense?

Our dining room looked like this when we moved in…and for eternity the next 16 months.

We didn’t like the blinds.We didn’t like the wallpaper.We didn’t like the flat vanilla paint.

 

Soooo……

We (you know, “we”…someone had to watch!) pulled the wallpaper, removed the blinds (of course, now the whole neighborhood can see into our house..ugh), textured the walls, and painted them Pewter, semi-gloss!

 

Next up, is switching the light fixture, adding curtains or shutters (hubby hasn’t decided it), and moving the furniture back in…I can’t wait!  Updates to come!

Caromal Colors…Do You Know These????

Kimba has posted about Caromal Colors.  To the best of my knowledge, Caromal Colors is a painting/distressing/antiquing product that works on any surface without sanding or priming!  I think it sounds like a miracle product!

 

Anyhow, Kimba is offering a giveaway.  She has links for amazing Caromal Colors transformations…I am ready to try this miracle product!

Go to A Soft Place To Land to see Kimba’s dresser transformation…so pretty!

If you have tried this product, please, please send me a link to your project!  I would love to see it!  What about a Caromal Colors Party…doesn’t that sound like fun!  It will after you see this awesome product!

Marie at Emma Calls Me Mama is hosting a Heirloom Party...head over to check out all wonderful heirlooms!

I posted the following post on my other blog and think it fits in great with Marie's Heirloom Party. Please click HERE to see the kitchen "island"...I love it! Thank you, Pampaw, for coming up with this great idea!


When you finish, come back here to read about my other projects!

~Tana

My New Barstools

 Pottery Barn, $129

I {heart} these barstools!  I love how they are two tone.  I love the black.  I love the dark stained seats even more.  And…I have two at my house that are shaped just the same way!  WooHoo!!!

Unfortunately, they look like this.  But, with a little Antique Walnut PolyShades stain and black satin spray paint, I’ll have my “new” barstools for much less than $129 apiece!

My first step is to sand the barstools to remove the shiny coat.  I then used a cheap foam brush to brush on the stain, followed by wiping it off with an old sock (my 3 year old daughter scolded me for getting the socks dirty!).

I stained the legs, too, on the first barstool.  My plan was to stain  them black, instead of paint, so the wood would show through.  However, my homemade stain didn’t work, looked tacky, and did NOT turn out how I wanted it to!  So, out came the spray paint to save the day!

I added several coats of the PolyShades to the seat until it was as dark as I liked it.  I think I added 4-5 coats.  One definitely wasn’t dark enough.

Here are my two barstools, before and after.

Here is my barstool compared to the Pottery Barn stools…not too shabby!  Looking at this picture, I see I need to add some more black spray paint……………………….

(Pottery Barn)

PolyShades is a wonderful product I found at Lowe’s.  It is stain and poly all in one step!  You can’t beat that!  I must admit, this was my first experience with staining…it wasn’t too hard.  I will definitely not be afraid to try this again.  I encourage you to give it a go!

~Tana