Pillow Therapy

Sometimes, there's nothing to beat a bad day like making a pillow, right?  (I know, I'm crazy.  I'm OK with that.)

 Doesn't it look happy on my favorite chair?

 I made it with scraps of the sheets that I made my ruffled shower curtain with (I'll blog about it soon, I've got to get it hung) and the scraps from the sheets I lined my curtains with, along with my favorite jute twine.

 Yes, pillows and flowers are excellent therapy!

CSI Top 10 - *blush*

I just love all of the inspiration that goes on over at CSI.  I've only periodically linked up projects (all of them from Yarnnation, this is the first one from AHR.)  Well, what do you know. . . someone else found my Fresh Eggs sign a little inspiring too.

A Natural Solution

We are still working away at getting our guest bathroom to the spa like state that we want to offer our guests, and like the rest of the house, there are a lot of things that we would choose to change if we owned this house, but can't because we don't.  The ugly 1970's light fixture feel flat into this category.  It's all good, though, because it gets our creative juices flowing and forces us to be inventive instead of just buying something new.

 I spray painted several apple tree branches a creamy white (The branches are from last years new growth that had been recently pruned off.)  Then I bundled them together into two bunches, hot glued them to a scrap piece of 1x3, tied them up with some twine, then hot glued each bundle to the existing light fixture (using the flat part of the 1x3.)

There are CFL bulbs in the fixture, since they do not get very hot, I don't have to worry about the hot glue heating up and releasing its hold.  However, when I want to take them off, I will be able to use my hair dryer to heat the hot glue and remove the bundles.

We were also worried about blocking any light in this bathroom, as it is a rather dark room.  This address that concern nicely.

I'm excited about how this room is coming together.  Just a few more things to do and we will have one room done- even if it is the smallest room in the house, it will still feel good to say that something is finally finished.

Down with the Door

Let me apologize right off the bat for the less than stellar pictures. There is no natural light in this hallway at all.

I finished up my solution to our weird linen closet.  In this fairly narrow hallway the door on the right leads to the boys' room, the door on the left leads to the guest room.  Some crazy person decided that the linen closet which sits between the two should also have a door on it.  Not a bi-fold door, a regular old bedroom type door.
The contractor had taken it down to install the tile and when they came to put it back up I told them not to bother, I had a better idea.  I had an old twin duvet cover.  It was the perfect length (with a little pooling, which I love.)  I just stapled it right to the molding, again, using inverted pleats because i *heart* them.

To finish it off I made a "fresh linens" sign and nailed it right over the top of the pleats, again, straight to the molding.

Hopefully, one day soon, i will be able to talk our land lord into letting me paint that scary paneling.  We also still need to get the ceiling textured and painted where Link fell through it while prepping the attic for insulation and get the trim back up, but for now, the the fresh curtain and the fresh sign lighten the space and function better than a door blocking another door.

A Simple Skirt

I love this old potting bench.  Lincoln thought I was 100% out of my mind when I begged a very good friend to drive 40 min. to pick it up for me.  They both thought I needed to be committed when I said it was going in our house, not in our yard.  It's just one of those pieces that sings to me.

It's a polarizing piece.  Most women LOVE it, most men dislike it.  Thankfully, Lincoln is pretty indulgent when it comes to decorating.  This lovely girl sits in our dinning room.  Yes, she is a girl, and I decided that she needed a new skirt (and I needed some more discrete storage.)

It's everyone's favorite, the drop cloth.  I had a 4'x15' cloth and after I washed and dried it, I simply held it up to the bench to get the right length, then ripped down the entire length of the fabric.  I used the entire length, all 15 feet of it, because I wanted the skirt to be very full.   A few minutes with my staple gun later, and my girl had a lovely new skirt.  I gave her inverted pleats because I love how they look.

 I'm still working on what to display on her.  I'm not in love with the arrangement I have up there now.  I do, however, love these antique pharmacy pots.  And look at that beautiful old chippy finish on my girl.  Isn't she lovely. 

I also like this set of serving spoons.  They aren't old, they were a wedding gift, but I have never polished them (or used them for that matter.)  I LOVE the patina of unpolished sliver.

Spring

Taken in February of last year in Seattle

I saw a little bit of new green grass peeking up in my front yard today.  There is hope.  It can't come soon enough for me.

Sometime Small Things

can just make your day.  You know, like having a toilet paper holder again after not having one for a month.

The bathroom makeover is coming together.  I am just working on the details now.  This is the fun part!  These were the existing builder grade bathroom accessories.  I primed them, painted them and distressed them.  They look fantastic if I do say so myself!