Fun Finds

Good Morning All!

I only have one item to share with you this week but it's a so adorably cute how could one be upset about it?

Earlier in the week, my sister and I took a trip to Menards to pick up a few things to finish up some projects we've been working on.  On our way past the seasonal items I thought a quick look through they new spring stuff was in order.

In the third aisle I spied these . . . 

There may or may not have been a gasp loud enough for the WHOLE store to hear!

(thankfully it was late at night and not too many people about- - the embarrassment!)

I swiped a set off the shelf as quick as possible and started reading the package . . . 

-battery operated - cool

-LED lights - neat!

-timed - double cool!

Aren't they the coolest thing ever!

I love them, 

My photos don't do them justice this dreary, gloomy day but I can just image the fun places I can use them this summer.  Camping perhaps? On my patio? The options are limitless!

bye now, 

Robin

Hand Embroidered Kitchen Towels

Have you ever had a project in mind for ages and ages before setting about to get it done?

Well, today's project is one of those things I've put off for who knows how long and boy let me tell you it's an amazing feeling to finally have it completed.

Nothing grand or overly difficult, mind you . . . 

One can't get more simple than a flour sack tea towel.

Add a ruffle and a little embroidery and you've got yourself a quick spruce-up for the kitchen.

Flour sack towels in the kitchen have long been my favorites,  

For one, they leave no lint behind when you hand dry your dishes,

they air dry very fast,

and they seem to get softer each time you use them,

plus they are prefect for tossing over a bowl of raising dough just like grandma use to do back in the day! 

 I use them alot over the Christmas holiday to quickly cover something that needed to set up in the fridge for a while.

I wish I could tell you for sure where I purchased these from since the fabric is  thick and the size is very generous even with having trimmed one side off to make the ruffle.  I'm pretty sure it was Fleet Farm, which I think is a Wisconsin/ Minnesota store. 

I'm pretty sure I'll be making some more of these in the very near future!

Have a great day.

Robin

A Hankering For . . . A New Set Of Dinnerware

I'm in desperate need of a new set of everyday dinnerware!

So I've been doing a bit of online window shopping and now I have a decision to make.

Do I stick to my normal choice of crisp, white dinnerware . . . 

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Or do I mix it up a little and go with a bold, happy red . . . 

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Mmmm, can't decide . . . 

Which would you pick?

Robin

How to Make Your Own Rustic Crate

A while back, I finished a project that I've never shared with you.

Just a simple project to use up some scrap wood and solve a throw blanket problem in the living room.

I needed something tall, since the coffee table is taller than most, and I thought a simple crate would be the perfect solution.

I think it turned out well and it was surprisingly easy to build.

To build the crate I used random pieces of wood I gathered from my stash in the garage.

For the sides and base I used 1X10 cut to the size I wanted - - two side sections and one bottom section. 

For the side rails I used 1X2" cut to length - - eight sections total.

I started by pre-drilling holes through one side section and into the bottom section.  Then simply attached the two together with wood screws.

It looked like this.

Then I attached the other side section in the same way.

Next it was time to add the side rails.

Starting at the top I simply nailed the rails onto the base using finishing nails.

I then placed the bottom rail next, and then spaced the remaining two rails evenly between the first two.

Flip the whole thing over, and then repeated the same method on the other side.

And that my friends is all there is to it!

See what I mean - - so easy.

Of course some painted was in order next to give it all a unified look.

I used a base coat of black and then dry brushed on a white top coat.

Before the top coat was dry completely, I used a paint scraper to take off some of the top coat paint to give it a more rustic look.

For fun I added some stenciling to the side rails to give it a little more character.

The end result is not too shabby for a pile a scrap wood.

I'm liking it so much, I may build a few more to use to organize some the the kid stuff in the garage and family room. 

Bye now, 

Robin

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Fun Finds

I haven't done a "Fun Finds" post for a while, mostly because I haven't had much luck of late.

I did manage to find a few items that made me smile in the past couple weeks so lets get started.

First off, two vintage tins.  

I've been on the lookout for pretty tins every since I saw a photo of some used as planting pots a while back.  These two will fit nicely with my decor come summer I think.

This next find gave me quite the thrill.

A souvenir pack of black and white vintage photos of the Canadian Rockies.

So cool!

This little package has about twenty photos in all, some of which are very cool.  

Can't wait to frame some of these and get them on my walls somewhere.

And here's a sweet little set of playing cards.

I love their tiny size and the cute puppies.

Not sure what I will do with them, but they were too cute to pass up.

And last but not least, I found two pairs of vintage scissors.  

Not sure why I love them so much, but vintage office supplies fascinate me.

There is just nothing like a hefty set of scissors when it's craft time.

I am sure these two will get quite the workout at my house.

Hope your all having a wonderful day.

What have you found lately to get you excited?

Robin

Ikea Haul

Morning!

Remember earlier in the week when I talked about going to Ikea with my sister?

Well...we had a fabulous time, spent over three hours shopping and spent way more money than we probably should have but it was all worth.  Ikea's always a fun place to shop but with my sister it's even better.

A few of you express interest in what I was going to pick up so I thought a quick haul post was in order.

My sister had a list of things to look for and pick up, I on the other hand was along for the ride and just hoping I would find something to bring home with me.

The first item I decided on was this small, white garbage can to be used to hold doggie food.  Let me tell you this is a big improvement over it's replacement...a ice cream bucket!

I'd say this is much more stylish and charming to have tucked into the corner of the kitchen.

It's the perfect height too!  Shelby is just slightly too short to be able to stick her nose in there and steal food.

For this next find let me just say I don't know where I've been all these years. 

 In past trips to Ikea I've always skipped over the pillow section for some reason, not realizing the gems they have!

I picked up two 20X20 inserts and two covers.

All four items together where just under $18!

I'm still in shock I think.  

Have any of you bought Ikea pillows before?

I'm curious about how they will hold up . . . did I just find the best place ever to purchase throw pillows or will they turn out to be ho-hum?

I stood in the pillow section for a very long time trying to figure out which slipcover to pick up.  In the end I just couldn't walk away from this cute flower print.  

For now I have them adding a little softness to my metal chairs in the kitchen. 

 Soon I'm sure reality will set in and I'll move them somewhere else in the house where they won't end up on the floor quite so much.

For today, I'm loving the softness they add to the eating nook.

And then of course there are the curtains.

I picked up a new set of semi-sheers for the living room.  They have a nice cotton feel to them and I love the way they diffuse the light with a soft glow even on a cloudy, gloomy days like today.

They have a pretty raised stitched design on them that make them a little more interesting than a simple panel.

I love them.

I picked up another set of curtains just for the fun of it.  

As you can see I haven't opened them yet since I really have no idea where I'm going to use them right now.  

These are simple lace panels with a scalloped edge.  Truthfully, I have never in my life owned a pair of lace curtains so I'm sort of stepping out of the box with this one but for some reason I was drawn to them.  They may end up in some sort of project instead of in their traditional role - - we'll see.

And last but not least, I fell for another set of pillows.

I saw these during our walk through the idea's area.  They're what prompted me to search out the pillow section to begin with.

A little more spendy at $32 for both covers and inserts but still a pretty good price I think.

 I love the linen like fabric they are made from.  The pretty detailing in the middle and the sweet ruffles along the sides make them easier to love also.  LOL

So there you go . . . my Ikea haul.

Not that exciting I guess if your not into curtains and pillows.  

Being that I'm on a big pillow kick right now you can imagine I'm one happy lady!

Have a great day now,

Robin

Tabletop Ironing Board

Good Morning!

Hope you all are having a fabulous Monday morning.  I woke up this morning bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, ready to take on the day.

And what a day it's going to be.  

My sister and I decided a trip to Ikea was in order after our beloved Green Bay Packers were unable to win their playoff game yesterday - - a devastating defeat for us.

So this morning, off we'll go to Ikea for a little retail therapy.  LOL.

Before we head out I thought I'd show you a quick project I finished this past weekend for my studio space.

I have big plans for lots of sewing projects coming up so I thought it was time to make myself a tabletop ironing board - - digging out my full sized version is always a pain and no matter where I set it up it always seems in the way.

Here's how it turned out - - don't you just love it!

When I'm not using it I plan to simply lean it up against my workstation and it can double as a decorative piece to make the space more "me".

I made it nice and big so as to have plenty of space iron on.

Look how perfect it works . . . wish I would have done this years ago.

Very simple to make,

 I took a big piece of plywood cut to the size I thought looked good.  Two layers of quilt batting, and then my decorative sugar sack for the top fabric.

Starting with my top fabric, I laid it on the floor -  right side down, layered the quilt batting on top and then layered the piece of plywood on top.

Using my trusty staple gun I then pulled all the fabric to the back side of the plywood and stapled the fabric in place.

The last step was to add some rubber feet to help protect my work surface. 

I thought about maybe covering up the staples with some sort of trim but once I had the feet on it I didn't think it was necessary.

I love how it turned out and can't wait to use it on my next quilting project.

Bye now,

Robin

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Homemade Decorative Faux Window

Good Morning All!

Hope you had a nice relaxing, cozy weekend at home.

Slowly but surely I'm getting myself back into a groove of working of project to share with you after taking a couple weeks off to recover from the flu.

To get things started, I'd like to share a project I made way back in November but haven't highlighted because Christmas decorations were so much more fun to talk about.

The large wall behind my dinning room table has always been a hard area for me to decorate.  For a while now I've had a shelf centered on the wall and it's worked out nicely but I've always thought it could use something hanging on either side of it to give the whole arrangement a finished look.

After perusing the stores with no luck I figured it was time for a DIY project.

Deciding to try to mimic the look of a salvaged window, I ended up with two of these. . . 

I love how it turned out and the chippy paint job I gave it helps the whole project look old just like I had hoped.

This project took very little time and was easy to accomplish with the help of my trusty Jigsaw.

I'll walk you through the process in just in case you're thinking you'd like to give it a try - - which of course I recommend because it's so easy.

First you'll need a template of some kind.  

I drew out the shape I wanted and then transferred it onto a piece of half inch plywood.  

Below you can see my template, I drew only half of it out which is the best way I know of to make sure both sides are equal.  Once your template it cut out simple trace one side, flip, match the middle, and trace the other side.

The next thing I did was take my Jigsaw and cut along the whole outside of the frame.

Then to begin cutting out the inside sections of the frame I first drilled a pilot hole into each of the three frame sections.  

Once that was done, the Jigsaw blade could be placed inside the area to be cut out.  

Simply following the template I ran the Jigsaw along the frame in each section cutting out the middle pieces.

After all three sections were cut out, the window looked like this.

The final step was to take an electric sander and make sure the whole thing was nice and smooth.

Then it was time to paint and add the chicken wire to the back to add a little more interest.

All in all, a pretty simple project that has a great finished look  I think.

Thanks so much for stopping by today.

Talk to you soon,

Robin

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