Stack 'N Whack

At the encouragement of my BQB Jan, I tried the Stack 'n Whack method of cutting fabric to make a kaleidoscope effect. But instead of layering 8  pieces, I only layered 4 and just cut squares. It was a good way to get my feet wet and besides, I don't have one of those fancy long triangular rulers anyway.

This is the result.

I was determined to use only what I had on hand in my stash, and had to do a lot of digging when I ran out of some of it. I think I did ok though and I even have backing and batting to use, so I'm a happy girl.
This is the fabric I started with.

And here are some of the blocks before sashing.

The whole block only ended up being 5" but with this fabric I decided the smaller blocks looked more dramatic. Here is a larger block.

See how you really can't see any cool kaleidoscope pattern?

Much cooler.
I didn't intend to get this far on it, but once I started, I just kept going and decided this would be a NICU quilt.

It was nice to sit down and just sew for a while. I never realized how much it relaxes me. :)

Befores and Afters

I thought I'd let you all see the before and afters all together in one place. 

Before

 After

After

Before 

 After

 Before

 After

 Before

 After

Sorry, no before. It was just the solid black color and I added the harlequins.

 The before can be seen in other photos here. I forgot to take a dedicated before pic.

 Before

 After

Before

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I had one happy little boy on my hands with this. It went right beside his bed and he immediately began putting his stuffed animals on top of it. :)

Before

 After

So, you see how busy I've been. More in the works!

Progress and Success

I've painted several items for our new little enterprise.  And thankfully, we've sold a couple of items this week. This chair is the latest finish, but I have two more things almost ready to put up for sale.

You can see the irises in bloom behind the chair. I transplanted them from my mother's place last year...I think. (Could have been the year before that.) They are really blooming this year, so they must like where I put them.

We've decided on a name for our business. It took many many days of thinking and rethinking. I prayed about it several times, and we wanted something different than the norm. Finally God gave it to me. Yes, I DO give Him the credit. Ready?

Time Change: Springing Vintage Furniture Forward

Do you like it? We do.
I've been really busy with the painting and sewing and keeping the boy child, etc. I'm busy from "get up to go down" every day. And you know what? I love it!

I made these little goodies this week for some friends coming babies.

I also finished two baby quilts for a friend. Now, all my commissions are finished and I have to say that I'm kind of glad about that.

That's my update dear friends. Time to call it a night and "go down" for my beauty sleep. Thanks for reading!

Weekend Work

After getting a dress made for my little Klaire (forgot to take a pic) I was finally able to sit down and do the April block for the In The Garden quilt along.

I really enjoyed being able to sit at the machine and do this. I love each block and the sections come together as smoothly as butter.

Along with that, I finished a table for sale.

It's been really good to get back to my first love. (Aside from Jesus) I'm at a point now where I can alternate the sewing and painting and that is a good thing for me. I loved transferring the typography on the top and painting it out. I used transfer paper, and a very small liner brush. It took a while, but I loved every second of it.

I have a chair almost finished and as soon as I can get to the store to purchase a sealer I need, I will have it done and can post it. So far no sales, but we are just beginning so we will be patient....or try to anyway.

Coming Along

 I've been working in my yard and even though it's a little on the cool side, it's coming along.  First let me show you the results of using chalk paint on a resin flower container.

This is the before:

Weathered, faded and one little crack, but otherwise usable.
This is the after:

I accidentally skipped a step, but it turned out well anyway. I like the way it looks old. Now, with the chalk paints, you aren't supposed to have to prime or sand anything. And I mean anything....but in my experience, that is not the case if you want it to be durable enough to not scratch easily. I didn't prime this pot, or use a plastic spray. It will scratch, but it shouldn't get too much handling, so it will be fine. If I was going to sell it, I would have to do more work to it.

My next issue will be repainting the porch floor. It's a bit worn.

Now, my front yard.

You see this plant stand? Well, it's an old lamp stand I found in a shed at my grandmother's house years ago. I've tried for years to get it rewired, but no one I knew had the know how to do it. Enter Pinterest!! I found where someone had used one to hold a hanging basket and EUREKA! I found a use for it and am so glad I didn't give up and throw it out.

I had to bend the lamp parts out a little to accommodate the pot, but it's snug as a bug in a rug. I'm a happy girl.

This is another idea I found on Pinterest.

Well honestly, I actually saw it on a blog I used to follow. I found it again recently on Pinterest. I've been wanting to do it for over a year, and finally was able to. Do you like my little "mushrooms" that are out of inexpensive glassware? I started with this:

I wish they were a little more colorful, but I'm happy to have them done and out. I have some "flowers" made of plates and bowls in the works.
So, here is my front yard in all it's impending glory. I love the new color of my front door.

It's not Better Homes and Gardens, but it's the best I could do with my limited budget and resources, and I'm pleased with it. When the bushes fill back out and the flowers grow a bit, I know I'll love it.

A Quick Pillow

I've had making a pillow for my bed on my to-do list for months. I finally got one done yesterday. Woo Hoo!!

It turned out better than I really expected it to. I had a totally different vision in my head, but things didn't work out, and this is what I did instead.

I will probably wind up making two more a little larger to go between this one and the shams. But that is not a priority at this time. My bed did need a little something though, and the seahorses work just fine!

AND
I'm in the process of painting this pot.

I've read several times that chalk paint will adhere to resin without any type of bonding agent or primer. We'll see....

A New Road

Life is changing around here. And it's all good.

My little desk redo sparked something in my life and I have begun traveling down a new road. My BQB  (Best Quilting Buddy) Jan and I are going to try our hand at renovating furniture and selling it. Oh, I know there are countless folks out there doing this, after all, there's nothing new under the sun. But we're going to give it a try anyway. And we agreed to a low stress, no pressure, enjoy ourselves type of outfit.

We started with these two pieces.

We attended a chalk paint demonstration the same day we found these two, and decided to try that type of paint first. It is marvelous to work with and gives everything a very smooth satiny finish. You aren't supposed to have to sand or prime but....we found out the hard way that we may need to do light sanding anyway.
This is the table after.

It turned out lovely in our opinion. The thing is, if I try I can scratch the paint off. And we just can't sell something that easily scratched. So guess who gets a lovely new green table? That would be ME!! Yay!!!

I went a different route with the bench, and used a spray paint+primer. I bought a gorgeous fabric to go with it and recovered and re-stuffed the cushion.

This one we will try to sell. And to do more research, I painted the bottom part of my entertainment cabinet. I haven't decided how to do the top yet, but at first thought about creating a stained effect. Now, I'm torn between that and just solid black.

After visiting flea markets and yard sales, I have a garage full of furniture to get to work on. This is something I've wanted to do for years, and finally God has allowed me to actually see if I can make it work. I'm very thankful!!

This does NOT mean I will no longer be quilting and sewing! I spent this afternoon finishing up the quilting on a tee shirt quilt and tomorrow I will bind it. I have several tops that need quilting, and little sewing projects I want to do, so I will work on them in the evenings and other odd times.

So, wish us luck my friends!! And as soon as we can figure out a name for our little business, we'll let you know. (Suggestions are welcome)