Refinished dresser for the kid’s room

For more details on this project, visit http://www.ourseoulmate.wordpress.com.

 

P.S. – I know I’ve been gone forever but there will be more posts soon! I’m working on a crocheted blanket, learning to cross stitch, and a quilt to come soon. The crafting bug is back!

Anywho. Started with this dresser, found off Craigslist for $25. It was solid, heavy, and the perfect height for a dresser/changing table. But it was black. Smelly. And missing some of the hardware.

I’m planning on painting our nursery gray, so I wanted a few pops of yellow. And what more of a pop can you ask for than a yellow dresser?

It’s topped with an easy to clean up oil cloth, and the dresser drawers are lined with it too.

I think it turned out pretty cute and cost less than $75. (Please forgive the iPhone photos :))

Kitchen illustrator art

I promise, I’m almost done with Illustrator art posts. 🙂

More illustrator art

I’m loving playing with Illustrator. Here are some more wall art pieces I’ve worked on – 3 more to go to replace all of the photos I have in mind. 🙂

New artwork for the walls

So the embroidery attempt is still a work in progress. Yay, Illustrator!

  

Must learn

So I’ve vowed I must learn how to embroider. I have sweet images filling my head of our future kids having framed art on the wall that’s been hand embroidered. I might be the only person alive thinking about these things.

 

But here’s what I’d love to embroider. Have any of you read Gilead by Marilynne Robinson? It’s one of my all-time favorite books and sheer poetry when talking about family.

“I’m writing this in part to tell you that if you ever wonder what you’ve done in your life, and everyone does wonder sooner or later, you have been God’s grace to me, a miracle, something more than a miracle. You may not remember me very well at all, and it may seem to you to be no great thing to have been the good child of an old man in a shabby little town you will no doubt leave behind. If only I had the words to tell you.”

I’m not even a mom yet and this part always makes me cry.

Or I picture this, with a sweet outline of a child in a yellow rain coat:

“Well, but you two are dancing around in your iridescent little downpour, whooping and stomping as sane people ought to do when they encounter a thing so miraculous as water.”

Or this:

“… but it’s your existence I love you for, mainly. Existence seems to me now the most remarkable thing that could ever be imagined.”

Or lastly, this, which also makes me cry. Truth be known, my husband and I have been trying to get pregnant for quite some time and it’s been a long, difficult road. So this quote also makes me a bit teary-eyed:

“You see how it is godlike to love the being of someone. Your existence is a delight to us. I hope you never have to long for a child as I did, but oh, what a splendid thing it has been that you came finally, and what a blessing to enjoy you now …”

OK, enough sap for today. But stay tuned for future embroidery projects, assuming my hands are able to pull this out. And dear readers, you should definitely read this book, if you are so inclined.

Christmas is just around the corner …

So if you read many craft blogs, you know that others have been preparing for Christmas since, say, July. I am not that kind of crafter.

Instead, I’ve been searching for Christmas ideas for easy crafts to make, with existing fabric. Times are tight in our house and I need something I can make for gifts for people, with my existing stash.

For others in the same situation, I’m including links of possible project ideas, so you can benefit, too!

I am really loving the idea of some homemade Christmas stockings. Here are some patterns/ideas I’ve found online:

Moda Bake shop pattern

Martha Stewart stocking

Easy pincushion for sewing friends

A rag rug

Adorable fabric house – I am super excited to try this

Cute mitten ornament

Sock reindeer stuffed animal

Lots of great softie inspiration

It was meant to be: Thrifting Thursdays (almost)

My love and I, we are united at last.

It's love

There was a minor cosmetic surgery when this moved in – the orange knobs were removed and replaced with these great knobs I found at Lowe’s that look like old ceramic, handpainted knobs. (Actually old would have been even better)

Please ignore the blurriness, my good camera was out of charge.

Filled with my fabric and sewing supplies. I need to organize the fabric and refold the messy pieces, but I wasn’t feeling nearly that organized tonight.

Oooh ... all the fabric in one place

Although I still need to work on the organization inside, I am trying to incorporate soem old containers to hold sewing supplies. My favorite is the antique ice bucket.

Also, not sure how old the cabinet is but it is lined with this amazing contact paper that looks like it’s straight out of the 60s – funky fruits and veggies in blue, lime green, and muted brown. It’s pretty awesome. A smart person would have remembered to take a photo before loading it with craft supplies.

Can you tell a lot of my sewing is for baby gifts? (Pink and blue thread :))

United and it feels so good.

(For more vintage fun, vist here)

It was love, and then it wasn’t, and then … it might be?

Browsing Craigslist is a dangerous thing. And I don’t mean because of the Craigslist killer, or the creepy personal ads …

I mean because of the furniture section, and how I easily fall in love with wood furniture and chairs. Ask Matt – I fall hard.

It always starts out innocently enough: “I’m just browsing because I’m bored. Clearly I won’t buy anything, our house doesn’t need more furniture. We don’t have any space. Well, surely, except, maybe if we sold this piece or gave away that piece. It would be nice to have a piece of furniture for all of my fabric, instead of just plastic bins. And wouldn’t it be nice if it was turquoise, like the rest of our house? With glass doors so you could see the beautiful folded fabric? And vintage and unique, and cheap? And oh, I don’t know, maybe JUST LIKE THIS:

http://kansascity.craigslist.org/fuo/1844183562.html

Heavenly (except for those orange knobs, but even I can change those!). Swoon-inducing. Twitterpating. Love.

I text the owner something along the lines of: OMG I am in love with your cabinet please tell me it’s for sale please please please. OK, maybe a little less creepy than that.

She texts back: Sorry, someone is already interested. They are coming by on Monday. I text back: I can come today (Saturday). I will pay full price. I LOVE it. I don’t want to paint it. It belongs HERE. I promise I will treat it well.

She texts back: Sorry, they get first dibs. I will let you know if they don’t show.

Devastation.

And then. Oh and then. As I am ready to leave for work today, a text: If you are still interested in the cabinet, it is still available. Let me know.

O.M.G.

Yes, yes, of course I am still interested! But then she wants it to be picked up during the day, and one minor detail – I work 2 hours drive away during the day. Frantic text messaging. I will come on the weekend. I will come at night. I will come during the day on Wednesday and take time off.

So far, no response. The stink of desperation exudes from my texts.

Love, it’s a b*tch.

Things that make me happy (future home edition)

You know those weeks where nothing goes right? Where several pieces of bad news hit you all at once? Yeah, it’s been one of those. Things could be a lot worse but by Thursday I was thinking about the children’s book about the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

But of course, things could always be worse. And I need to refocus energy on happier things. Frivolous things. One of those things is imagining little details of my dream home someday in the future.

Detail one:

A greenhouse. Small enough to be cozy, big enough to be useful, and also needs to include a place to sit and lounge and smell the flowers and soak up the sun.

Some good examples:

Found here: http://www.re-nest.com/uimages/re-nest/01greenhouse111609_rect540.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.re-nest.com/re-nest/crosspost/greenhouse-retreats--101569&usg=__31H6FJJJDYZ4QMbdEdhTYVRCYfI=&h=400&w=540&sz=89&hl=en&start=1&sig2=bgQ_GS_AoGElNfvw_qKkPA&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=GZD0wewX-c75iM:&tbnh=98&tbnw=132&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dgreenhouse%2Bretreats%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den%26tbs%3Disch:1&ei=_jo_TOOIKOqynAf0h_HmBA

http://img4.myhomeideas.com/i/legacy/designassistant/0107sunset_greenhouse_l.jpg&imgrefurl=http://room-galleries.myhomeideas.com/pictures/yards-and-gardens/gardening-tools-and-equipment/index.html%3FNo%3D0%26N%3D775%2B796%26view%3Dgallery%26sp%3DtopRated&usg=__2nz53kUaUgpfrvLQwFVg5xgmFC4=&h=450&w=600&sz=85&hl=en&start=9&sig2=HF_HAO-ToJJx1oMpKT9X3A&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=2dpZoQZxe6v8oM:&tbnh=101&tbnw=135&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcottage%2Bgreenhouse%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den%26tbs%3Disch:1&ei=GDw_TNOwDNSNnQfayuHVBA

Yes, a beautiful greenhouse, to go in a beautiful, 1/4 – 1/2 acre garden.

Oh yes, my next garden. There are grand plans. Similar to the choices for the garden at this house, there will be a lot of local plants, heirloom vegetables, and perennials that attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. A larger emphasis on good cutting flowers. Ideally an arrangement of several squares of different gardens, with a big fountain in the center. I also want two little nooks in the garden – one with a patio table large enough to throw a party at, with a firepit. And another much more intimate nook with a small table and a comfortable chair for reading, lounging, waking up in the morning. Doesn’t that sound heavenly?

While we are dreaming about future home design, I must say one of the reasons I knew my husband was the man for me is that we both agree a library is a must in our future. Neither one of us believes in getting rid of books, no matter if we will ever read them again. We both dream of a room dedicated to books, with tall bookcases complete with ladders in beautiful dark wood, with light-colored upholstered overstuffed chairs and ottomans to fall into and while away a rainy afternoon in a good book. Trying to find inspiration pictures was impossible. Most libraries are too modern or too stuffy. I want a library that’s a mix of cottage style and an old lawyer’s library, if that makes any sense. Swoon.

Lastly, I’d wish for a craft room filled with vintage cupboards filled with all of my fabric, and beautiful quilts hanging on the wall, and solid wood huge tables that can withstand years of abuse.

What about you? What details would be in your dream house?

Love and longing on Lover’s Lane

Long time readers of my blog might remember my post that featured my favorite house in all of St. Joe. Driving to the farmer’s market the other day, I literally gasped as I drove past my favorite house and discovered: It’s for sale.

Visions of selling our little bitty house and bidding on this house started dancing through my head until I looked it up online and saw the price. For readers not from this area who don’t have an idea for pricing, our (albeit much smaller house) cost just a fraction of this price. But. It’s. So. Beautiful.

So if any multimillionaires happen to be reading this, and feel sorry for a girl in love with a house, I am accepting donations and will gladly cook some yummy local food every Sunday for you in return. 🙂