Making the house a Home

Finally had some time to have some fun and decorating around here. Thought you might like to see a few of the things I did. I wrapped a rose vine around the light in the dining room. I wish this were a beautiful chandelier but renters can't be have what they want!! LOL I took this tall glass container that I got at HL half price a couple of Christmases ago. I filled it with pink beads, then pink net, addes some pink and white roses and topped it with cream antique lace and a cute pink bird. It will go back on top of the china cabinet. This is the top of the kitchen cabinets. The first picture is a tall old light yellow container with a picture (hard to see I know) and ivy spilling out of it. The two old flour sifters were the plain one was mine and the white and red one my Grandma Ella's. Under the two coffee grinders is the picnic basket we used when I was a child, I am sure that makes it an antique!!This upper cabinet has some of my copper collection in it. Hubby and I love copper and had alot more of it in AZ, can't always move everything and I don't have it all out yet. I added some greenery and a pink bottle to the mix. Here is the boss, you have seen him before but I just had to snap this picture of him as he watches me run around the house, up and down the step stool doing my thing!! Guess he figured it was better to be some where that I couldn't step on him instead of under my feet which is where is always is when I am in the kitchen!!

Finally, the top of the china cabinet. My favorite dishes, which of course are no longer made. Darn, I wish I could find more. Beautiful set in my opinion.

Thanks for stopping by, have to get back to stitching down those doilies to the velvet pillow cover.
Have a lovely blessed week.

Using Doilies~~~~~

kari posted this cool idea for using doilies in framed artwork. In reading this I ended up finding other things made of doilies and since I had just had mine all out and washed them they were on my mind. I decide why not. I would rather use them and see them then have them stored away.

I started out with a 14" X 14" pillow form. I cut pale pink velvet into a piece large enough to cover the pillow form, so about 15" X 15". I sewed up three sides of it and then I began to place crochet doilies on it in a pleasing to me manner!! I am using the Coats Button and Carpet thread in a cream color to lightly stitch the doilies to the velvet. I am planning to cover the entire front of the pillow, the back is still up in the air. I had alittle trouble with getting my pictures where I wanted them so please look below for the other picture of the pillow top.

Then I started a table runner of doilies. The picture at the bottom is where I was laying it out on the bar. I wanted to make it for on the bar rather than on the table. Dark countertops that need lightened up!!

I used the same thread and slightly overlapped the edges of the doilies and lightly sewed them together. I can easily take them back apart in the future if I want to and I didn't have to cut any of the doilies either.

I really love the way the runner turned out. I might add one or two more doilies to make it alittle longer and cover the whole length of the bar. Had some fun today decorating the space above the kitchen cabinets and the top of the china cabinet. I will share those pictures with you tomorrow.

Had a wonderful day with hubby today celebrating our anniversary!

Have a wonderful week.

What I am working on~~~~~~

A new shelving unit in the sewing room has given me more space to store things on and things are beginning to look better. See in the next picture you can see some carpet. (UGH hate carpet, miss my hard wood floors.)

Here is the Hoosier that I mentioned yesterday. It is so beautiful, wish I had room for it in my kitchen where it belongs. Below are some (!) of the linens that are being washed to go back into it. There is a pile of crocheted, lace work pieces, a pile of emboirdered pieces and then there are the table clothes, napkins and kitchen towels. I also have a small pile of wearables: aprons, collers, etc.

I included a picture of a vintage embroidery that was 3/4 of the way done so I finished it so it could be washed and used in the future. Kind of hard to tell what I added, don't ya think??

On CQI we have been talking about using rick rack on projects and while I was cleaning out the cool things I collect I find this piece with two kinds of rickrack woven together and then crocheted into a piece that was originally an edging on a pillowcase. Isn't it a cute idea?? Oh to be able to crochet...I think that should be my next thing to learn. Since I have yarn, I should be able to get away with only buying a crochet hook to learn........................ Not a bad cost to learn something new!!!

Have a SWEET week!!

Our New Home

Today I wanted to share with you the outside of our new home! The inside still needs alot of work although I did get curtains hung in the master today. Here is our patio, kind of messy still, tomato plant there in the corner and in the back against the house is the wood from my dad's barn door that I hope to use as a headboard to my bed. It is gonna take some muscle and we are short on that around here. LOL Then you will see the shot of the whole apartment building. Our front door, looking kind nice and homey. Finally roses!!! Yes we have roses in bloom already and lots of them planted around the complex which makes me very happy. I need to get out and take some more pictures of the grounds around the apartment. There is a lovely pool which I have not had time to try out (also not real sure that the water is warm enough for these old bones) We also have a pond which a walking track is planned  to be put in around !! Sometime soon the doggy park will be completed and then Braxton and I can check that out when he is staying with us. We do doggy daycare for the granddog!! LOL

I went to church this AM, I need to find one where I am happy and comfortable and this maybe the one. I plan to go back next week and see if I feel the same. Beautiful church with a laid back atmosphere just right for my taste.
I have worked on dusting the antique hoosier and washing the antique linens today, who is this crazy lady that collects all of them??? She is for sure crazy but most of them I love love love!! I want them all washed, sorted and put back in the hoosier so I can move onto another project. I did unpack the sewing machine yesterday and can actually get to it if the time arises!! Looking forward to a minute when I think I can play and not unpack boxes or clean (UGH!!)

Hope you have a blessed and creative week!!

It's a Flower Pot???

In between appointments for DH today we stopped at a "salvage" store in Columbia. I found two things I needed. One is an adorable rose print glass teacup/saucer that is really a flower pot and huge!! I have seen these before for twice the price of this one and not nearly as cute as this one. So it was amust have!!

The other must have was a corkboard with a pretty white frame. Love it. I need another inspiration board for the new sewing room. I also picked up the other day dyes for Easter eggs at 75% off, great for dying lace or fabric. I got a package of cookie cutters and paper plates and a dark brown basket. I wanted the cookie cutters to use the shapes on fabric for either an outline for embroidery or as a stencil on fabric for a cutout.

I am thinking that the flower pot will be perfect for the beautiful Rosemary plant hanging out on my patio. Can't wait to get it moved in it's new home.

Hope your Monday was a great day!!

Sewing Room

For those of you with perfect neat and tidy sewing rooms/studios here is the PIG PEN!! I have made a lot of progress in the past day and a half in here. Obviously it does not show yet. The closet is 100 %  better than it was when I started yesterday!! The worst part is I want to work in there all the time and not get the rest of the apartment straightened out. Imagine that?? LOL The first picture is the closet. The next two are from the door of the room. It has alot of good light and will have a hanging daylight light soon.Love these old glass doorknobs! They came out of one of the boxes this afternoon. I wish I could remember the idea I had for them when they were in storage and I couldn't get to them to use them. It was something I saw on the internet so if any of you have any great ideas for their use let me know ok??

Hope you are having a splendid week. Blessings!!!!