Wishing For Pine Needles

The Easiest Table Runner Ever: A How-To

Tablecloths.  Hmmm.  I've never been quite sure how I feel about them.  On one hand, finding a beautiful,vintagey floral one while thrifting is just the best!  I can always picture it on our patio table blowing gently in a summer breeze with a big bouquet of hydrangeas right smack dab in the middle.  Pretty dreamy, huh?

But on the other hand, I love the look of a wood table and how easily they wipe down after a meal.  And sometimes, honestly, I see a tablecloth as nothing but a big, giant article that will be added to my laundry pile.  After each meal.  No thank you! 

All of this being said, over the Christmas holiday I discovered how much I enjoyed our holiday table runner.  It created a perfect mid-table space for the napkins, salt and pepper, trivets, and dishes.  It added a warmth to the meal as most linens do.  And because it sits in the middle of the table and not directly under our plates, we managed to keep it mostly clean and therefore out of my laundry!

Soon after the Christmas decor was boxed up, I realized how I missed that table runner.  So right then and there, I decided to make a new one.  I raided my fabric stash and found a piece leftover from a botched attempt at a baby sling.  It fit nicely and who doesn't want llamas in the center of their table?

Table Runner How-To:

1.  Choose a piece of cotton fabric that fits nicely in the center of your table. Cut it to any size - just how you like it best.  The heavier the cotton, the straighter and flatter it will lay.  Make it fun - it's so easy you can make one for every day of the week!

2.  Press the fabric and then press under 1/2 inch to the wrong side of fabric.  Once fabric is pressed under 1/2 inch all the way around, turn and press under another 1/2 inch around. 

3.  Stitch 1/8 inch from the edge all the way around and you're done.  Wasn't that wonderfully easy?

Now arrange your new runner on your table for some added loveliness!

Linking up with Crunchy Catholic Momma on Thursday, January 12th for her stash bash!

It's Christmas!

Are your halls decked yet???

(Happy Merry-Making to You!)

Maggie's Halls....now officially Decked!

The bottom shelf of my cat-loving daughter's bookcase has become the new favorite resting spot of Maggie the cat.

Because of the enormous and unconditional love my girl has for this cat,  I should'nt have been a bit surprised to find this spot so carefully decorated and festive! 

 

Happy Weekend to You!

Flour Sack Friday - How We Decorate

Decorating.  A word that excites me and makes me cringe all at the same time.  On one hand I am  completely enthralled when I walk into homes of those who clearly have a decorating eye more keen than my own.  It amazes me what people think of.  How on earth does someone think to put a bunch of big sticks into a large vase which is then placed in the corner of the living room?  And how does it look fantastic?   Then I am inspired.  After all, wouldn't sticks look good in my living room  too? And then I am  intimidated.  And I think way too much about what to put where.  And then I end up doing nothing at all.

For one, it's expensive to decorate.  I am  a lover of quirky things, handmade things, fine art and local art,  all of which aren't currently in the budget.  Yes, I could run to Micahel's and raid the framed art department with a 40% off coupon, but it's just not my thing.  

You see, what is on my walls has to mean something to me.  I need to look at something and have it remind me of someone or someplace special.  "Our friend painted that and gave it to us for a wedding gift."  "My sister brought that back for me from her trip to Africa."  "Rylen drew that in first grade."  "I got these notecards for my birthday from my best friend and put them in frames."  "I bought that at Ground Zero."  "We got that cross stich as a gift from Dan's mom."  These are what make me smile. 

And the other part of this is that I am a minimalist.  At least when it comes to things in my home.  I don't like a lot of clutter around.  I don't like trinkets.  I don't like things around just for the sake of having things around.  If  it's taking up precious space in our home, then it needs to earn its keep and have some sort of purpose, by golly!

One of our most recent additions to our wallspace is nothing more than this charming, weathered serving tray.  I bought this years ago at a charity rummage sale in Chicago, and since then we have been waiting patiently, this tray and I, for the perfect opportunity to display its vintage cuteness.

 

I'm pleased to say we've finally found that place!

It's a narrow little wall, right above the phone.  Just right for those little reminder notes, favorite pictures, and answering machine messages.

 

After racking my brain (to no avail) to figure out a way to hang it without adding strong adhesive or drilling holes, leave it to my clever, logically-minded husband to think of a solution just like that.  What better way to hang a light, metal tray than to stick it to a huge magnet?

 

I feel good about this old, metal tray.  I remember the morning we shopped for it at the Swedish Covenant Hospital rummage sale.  Rylen was born at this neighborhood hospital that was walking distance from our home.  I remember falling in love with this tray and buying it, even though at the time I had no idea what I was ever going to do with it. 

But here, states away, it has made its new home in this  kitchen of mine.  It adds some color.   It holds photos of people we love.  It was in our budget.  It is simple.  It is useful.  It is unique.

 

It is so completely us.

 

Back On-line....(again)

Welcome to the last leg of our journey...a journey that ultimately brought us right back to where we started!

Home.

Ahhh....it feels good to be home! 

And I am, again, back on-line.  We completed the bulk of the move last weekend, but were told that it would take close to a full week before our local phone company could flip the switch to re-activate our internet.  And what a long week it has been!   One thing I have learned during this topsy-turvy couple of months is that there are many things I can do without.  The internet is not one of them. 

As we've unpacked, rearranged, and settled back in, we have been intentional about coming up with new uses for the various spaces in our home.  The rooms have been put back together slightly differently than they were before...more practical for the stages we are at right now.   One of our favorite makeovers is the master bedroom.  In the past, it has never been a place where we have spent a lot of time.  In fact, I must admit that it was often a place where baskets of laundry and an occasional un-made bed would disappear by the magical act of closing the door.  

When staging our house to sell, we knew that the master bedroom needed a transformation.  We did not go to any extravagant expense to make this happen, but simply cleared out furniture and items that were no longer practical, rearranged the hodge-podge collection of furniture that was left, added a few vintage linens from my collection along with the gorgeous pair of antique lamps that my grandmother gave me, replaced our ten-year-old bedding, and changed some of the artwork on the walls. 

And the best part is that now we get to enjoy it!

Part of our goal upon returning home was to make our bedroom feel like more of a place of retreat.  It is the one place in our home that is, well, ours.  While the kiddos are always welcome and love a good morning snuggle as much as ever, they also know that the special things that we have in here are mostly off-limits to them.  (Or, at the very least, the girls have learned that asking permission before going through my jewelry box and nail polish is a wise thing to do.)

The biggest addition to this room is our computer and work station.  In attempt to minimize the amount of furniture downstairs along with the distraction that the computer brings, we felt that our new "retreat" would be the perfect place to tuck it away.

Now, when we're homeschooling or cleaning or cooking or crafting, I am no longer tempted to swing by the computer to 'check' something.  And walking up a whole flight of stairs for those quick 'checks' of the e-mail or a favorite blog just won't do!

So tonight I write my "first" post from home, and also from our cozy little space that feels practically brand new on one hand and yet so completely familiar on the other.

There is truly no place like home!

Last Camp-Out

We recently celebrated our final camp-out of 2009.  I suppose, for accuracy's sake, I should really call it a "camp-in" because we were all here inside, snug as bugs in rugs and as warm and toasty as we could be!

This event was the culmination of a very wonderful and relaxing Thanksgiving weekend.  We spent most of the weekend here at home, enjoying the quiet, savoring the peace, knowing full well that the flurry of holiday activities would soon be upon us.  As part of this "gearing up" we hauled out the Christmas lights and ornaments, loaded up the kiddos, and drove north to the Christmas tree farm.

We picked out our tree, drank hot chocolate and made merry with a duo of reindeer.  We stopped for dinner at a local diner and then headed home complete with happy, jingle-belling kids and a fir tree strapped to the roof of the van!

And because we were all simultaneously getting into the spirit, Dan and I decided to surprise the girls with a "first-annual family camp-out by the newly-lit tree." 

Soon we were well equipped with jammies, slippers, lots of blankets and pillows, and two giggly little girls having the time of their lives.  (All except for a baby brother who was happily dreaming away up in his bed.  Maybe next year, sweet Hansey!)

I drifted off to sleep that night while listening to the cackling, popping sounds of the fire and the deep, rhythmic, breathing of my husband and children.  The gratitude I felt in that moment was immeasurable. 

May you have your own special moments this Christmas season!

Finally....some sewing!

You may have noticed that it has been quite some time since I have posted a sewing project.  (And even if you haven't noticed.....I sure have!)

Our homeschooling days are speeding by so quickly and leaving me so tuckered at the end of the days that my poor sewing machine is beginning to collect a thin layer of dust.

It just so happens that my sewing corner is in the very same room that we spend a good portion of our school days in.  I have mostly managed keep it from distracting me.  But every now and again I longingly walk over to it, shuffle through a few patterns, fold some fabric, and uh, that's about all. 

The funny thing about it all is that just before we commenced our homeschooling, I completely re-did my "sewing station."  I happened upon the most perfect desk-turned-sewing-table on Freecycle and was fortunate enough to be the recipient.  I had a blast arranging my machine, fabric, thread, and notions. Ah well.  I suppose if it has not been getting use, at least it's more aesthetically pleasing.

This weekend, however,  I had a sudden urge to make something!  I think maybe the chilly weather, the apple cider in the fridge, the button-up sweaters, and the football game on the t.v. had something to do with it.  It feels so fall-like, which, in my mind, is the perfect time to be crafty!

This is what I came up with.  I love this tote bag pattern.  It's quick and easy to make - just the project I needed to catapult me out of my sewing dry-spell.  It's fun to pick the contrasting fabrics because it really does not matter if they match or not.   This one just happens to.  I also (as a rule) now line the inside of this tote bag, although the pattern does not call for it.  It just makes it a bit sturdier and a bit more interesting.

And the best part is that it has been put to immediate use.  I needed something fun in which to carry my lessons to and from our homeschool co-op, and also to a wonderful new Bible study I'm doing through BSF.  (The other best part is that I made it just for me which is something I so rarely ever do!)

(Here's the bag again, but I really posted this picture to show you our new red chairs!  They are part of an on-going, minor remodeling and redecorating project going on here.  Although they are still not situated in their final destination in our home, we have all taken a liking to the bright and cozy new additions!)

I hope your Falls are just as bright and cozy!!!

A Well Used Room

:Dining room, Craft room, Sewing room, and now Home School room

 

:China cabinet, Wedding gift storage area, now Textbook shelf

:Very ugly chandelier that has been here way too long and will be replaced SOON

We are ready to plunge into week 2 of home schooling.  I hope your weeks are off to a great start!

Finally.......Kitchen Curtains

Remember this fabric?  Well, it finally became my new kitchen window curtains!

 

 

We're on a bit of a sprucing up kick around here.  Dan surprised me by having the downstairs walls painted.  He knows by now that no birthday surprise would make me happier than a fresh coat of paint!

We're going with a vintage/Swedish theme in the kitchen.  I think these curtains (and the Dala horses hanging above) just might work.

We also got some new curtains for our glass door.  And what better place than IKEA to find Swedish-inspired decor?

Up close, these are cross-stitched letters written in Swedish.  (Does it matter that I have no idea what it says?)  Ah well, I like them anyway!

(The next step will be convincing my dear husband that the cabinetry needs to be painted...stay tuned!)