Today's post is from my inner geekness !

Wow!  Overnight I have new friends (followers)!  Thank You.
Many thanks to Debbie-doo's party for all of us new bloggers.

I was distraught over not being able to keep up with the comments.  What a nice problem to have.  My problem was that I wanted to comment back to everyone but how do you do that with blogger?  There is no reply to comment.  So I did what I tell my son to do....Go ask Google.

image source

I think the pillow needs a ruffle.

I found this great "How-To"  http://www.spiceupyourblog.com/2010/03/reply-button-option-blogger-comments.html and now I have a reply comment on my blog!

Next up ... create a pretty signature for my blog posts.

Loving the weather

Worked outside today cleaning up my flower beds of all the dead fall foliage. So nice to be out and chat with the neighbors.   Everyone was outside on their bikes chasing little ones who have just learned to ride those bikes.  Love Spring but I think we probably have more winter weather to come....Sigh.

I have finished my sewing projects so I can have my dining room back to being a dining room.

Here are some pics of my finished skirted table and chair slipcover with a ruffle.
My cute table now is perfect to try out a vignette.

Slip-covered dining room chair for our office.  

Some left over material and ruffles for another pillow.

And some yummies I made yesterday.  

Thank you for all your sweet comments.  I love reading your blogs for inspiration and knowing I am not alone.  My husband thinks I am crazy that I move stuff around all the time.

Off to put away the sewing machine.

Joined the party (sorry adding this after the fact) debbie-debbiedoos

Angie

Bake Sale

I have to make 2 dozen home baked baked goodies for a a school bake sale next week.

I think I might give chocolate covered pretzels with sprinkles and chocolate covered marshmallows.


http://www.makeandtakes.com/chocolate-dipped-cupid-hearts-youll-fall-in-love-with

Can't wait to try these Marshmallow lollipops.

Angie

Sewing, thrift shopping and trying to finish some projects.

What have I been up to?

After reading about using drop cloths for slipcovers I decided to give it a go.

The first project was covering a dining room chair that I use at our desk so it looked more like a desk chair. (will post pic later)

I also wanted some cute shabby 'chicish' looking chair pads for my kitchen chairs.  Something to add that softness look.  So I used some leftover drop cloth and some fabric I already had to make the ruffle.   I had an old duvet cover in the closet that I stole the stuffing from to fill the chair pad

Have been on sewing spree making pillows and trying out making rosettes.

Finally had time to check out the local Goodwill and scored some deals on plates.

Found these little crocks.  Have been looking for something to make individual pot pies in.  I had these little glass "globes" (not sure what you call them)  they had been for some hanging candles that I did not use.  I think I will use them at Easter with some cute little Easter Eggs.

Went out today after all the snow and look what I saw popping up around my mailbox!!!!  Daffodils...

Have a great weekend!

Angie

The bench / coffee table

The bench and I are having a love/hate relationship.

I had this inspiration

This bench would serve two purposes for me.  I needed a coffee table and hadn't been happy with anything I had found but I love this bench.

That ... of course I could build it myself.... so I went out to blog land looking for a tutorial.

http://ana-white.com/2010/01/plans-7-steps-to-distressed-bench-from.html

I built it...no problem in that department.

now I had to paint it...this is the love/hate part.

So started with the white worn look.

Ummm...came out looking sort of pink with the mocha glaze. 

I don't think faux painting is for me.  I don't think I am patient enough.  So my next inspiration is plain old paint in a cute color.

So while at Lowe's today to pick up some spray paint for another project I had to stop and go thru the paint chips and came away with this little test can.

Tried to paint it with a mix of white...came out looking sort of beach looking.  Cute but not what I was going for.  I want to slipcover my furniture in white so just wanted a pop of color.

 Linking to Metamorphosis Monday  

http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com

Boring to Better
http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/

Furniture Feature Friday

Angie

P52 Week 2

I have not been good this week with the camera.  Weather has been rainy and I haven't been out looking for some good photo opportunities.

Went looking around the house and came up with this.

I use Picasa and trying to figure out how to do a pretty watermark.
I have Photoshop but not quite that advanced yet.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Linking to P52 project at http://my3boybarians.com/
 

Ruffle addiction

I think I am addicted to ruffles.....

http://www.crayoncastles.com/catalog/item/1268393/745180.htm

 http://sewing.craftgossip.com/tutorial-ruffled-pillow/2009/07/07/

 http://www.pier1.com/Catalog/HomeTextiles/tabid/514/List/0/CategoryID/144/level/a/ProductID/4903/ProductName/Rust-Ruffles-Pillow/tab/Home%20Textiles/Default.aspx

http://littlefrenchgardenhouse.blogspot.com/2010/05/garden-party.html

A tutorial http://ohsocrafty.blogspot.com/2010/07/finished-project-its.html

Ok....maybe next project.  The dryer just finished with my dropcloth and I am going to try my first slipcover for a dining chair.  Stay tuned...will post if it turns out presentable.

Giddy Quilts finished !

They are done and fresh from the dryer.  I love the way they feel when they come out of the dryer.

I used - 1 Giddy charm pack.  Charm packs make quilting so much easier.  I am too impatient if I had to cut out everything.  My grandmother used to use old clothes to make her quilts with and do the quilting by hand.

I have some squares left over and am looking all over for some inspiration on how to make a cute baby pillow to go with the quilts.  If you have any ideas let me know.  Would love to use my ruffler attachment to put a ruffle on a pillow. :)

Show and Tell Friday

Since 5 inches of snow in my part of the world pretty much shuts everything down I have been in the mood to sew.  I have two baby showers coming up so needed to put together a couple of baby quilts quickly.

I used some of the scrap material to work on my ruffle technique and jazz up a couple of towels I use for decoration in the kitchen.

See what you think.
Added ruffles to some cute kitchen towels.

Quilts - I used 1 charm pack "Giddy" and some wide ric rac.  The quilting was done on the machine to create the stipple affect.  My favorite part is washing them and pulling them out of the dryer.  I love the way they feel.

Linking over to Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home.

Angie

P52 Week 1

First post for P52 project at http://my3boybarians.com/

 

Comfort food for a snowy day

 Taco Soup

Pour all together and cook in soup pot or crock pot

2-3 cans Rotel tomatos
2 cans beans (I used pintos)
1 can corn kernels (drained)
1 lb hamburger (browned before using)
1 pack taco seasoning
2 packs ranch dress seasoning (the dry stuff)
Serve with shredded cheese
dollop of sour cream
tortilla chips

Homemade Corn bread

Combine
2 cups self rising corn meal
1/3 cup veg oil
1/2 to 1 cup milk (I add until consistency of pancake batter)
Cook in black cast iron skillet in oven (this is the key)
350 degrees until brown

It's Snowing

It's snowing here and all the kids are in the cul-de-sac sledding!

Right now the snow is pretty and fluffy but tonight it is supposed to be ice.  So that means get the snow off the cars before it turns to ice.  My cars have never made it in the garage.  That needs to be a New Year's resolution for me. 

 

Front steps railing.

  

This area is ugly now but in the Spring I love it.  My perennials live here.

 

Can you see the river thru the trees?  Palm trees by the pool?  I wonder who decided to plant palm trees in this area of the country?  They sort of are out of place with the snow.

 

Sam loves watching the kids playing.

Technology, Blogging, and Photography challenges

Trying to make blog pretty and having to teach myself some new technology.

I teach technology but when I want to do something I want to do it now...no patience.
So my blog is not pretty yet....

Thank goodness for all the bloggers out there who share what they have learned.
Some blogs that I have found that I like are:
http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/design-resources
http://www.tracithorsonphotography.com/blog/?p=3393
http://www.bloggingbasics101.com/


I am trying to learn enough about Photo Shop to be dangerous.  I need to create a banner and a button from my blog.


I also can't get good pictures with my camera.  I need a lens so I don't have to stand in a corner or the other side of the house to get a good picture.  I have resorted to using my fancy phone camera.  The pics are not the greatest but loading the pics without hooking the phone to my computer is wonderful.  I just share them to the web folder I have setup.  Someone come up with that feature for DLSR / SLR cameras.  (Maybe they have and I haven't noticed?)

To paint or not to paint

Alot of the pieces I have inherited and they are looking a bit tired.  The finishes are really starting to look bad and after looking at http://www.centsationalgirl.com/ I am really tempted to paint.