Flip Flops for Summer

Hi everybody.  Happy Sunday to you!  As you can see from the picture, my kitchen is still moving right along.  My husband is doing a wonderful job and I can tell how it is going to look now and I am excited.  My new cupboards(being added to my existing ones) are being delivered Tuesday and the counter top people are coming a week from Wednesday to make their templates for the cut-outs. I am keeping fingers crossed for a finished kitchen by mid June.

I refashioned a cheap pair of flip flops into something really cute from a tutorial on make it love it.  Nothing says summer like flip flops and I thought it was a good time to start feeling the change in the season.  I am such a nut for toile I couldn't resist going that route with the fabric.  They were easy to make and are really comfortable.  There are another cute pair on Ashley's blog with braided knit strips.  Those will be coming soon!

I thought I would include a picture of the hutch my husband made for his sister.  Here it is assembled and completed in her kitchen.  The last pictures I included of it were on his workbench unassembled and with a few touches left to do.  It turned out so beautiful.  She loves it and now has it filled with dishes my mother in law gave her that have been in my husband's family for a long time.  I love those memories and traditions and how cool that those dishes sit in a piece of furniture her brother made! 

Lastly, I had to share a special find of mine from ebay.  You know how obsessed I am with cats-especially cats in clothes!  Well, I found this fabric and had to get it.  I got a yard and I have no idea what I will make with it but I get a chuckle every time I look at it.  It's the little things isn't it?

I hope everyone has a wonderful week.  I am hoping to get some gardening done this week.  I purchased some flowers I have to get into pots.  I am tired of watering them in the garage!  Take care.         Nancy                                                                                                                     

Friday Night Sew In

I hope everyone is enjoying a beautiful Saturday wherever you live.  It is sunny and not too hot here.  I probably won't get outside today to work on my flower gardens but I have time to do it.  We are in complete demolition mode here as we prepare for our new kitchen.  We have redone most of our house in the 22 years we have lived here, but this is the first kitchen renovation we have done(other than a new floor).  I think having the kitchen torn up has been the hardest for me.  I have to plan meals now mostly using the wall oven and microwave.  We are fortunate to have a grill with a side burner but it is a little inconvenient to run out to the garage all the time.  What few counter tops left in my kitchen are full with the toaster, coffee maker, bread box, and other essentials so I have to use my dining room table for prep work.  Above is a picture right after more cabinets were removed along with my expensive cooktop that was on the island.  My husband was afraid something would get dropped on it and break it.  Please don't judge how messy the counter tops are.  I feel like we are camping! I will fill you in on how dramatically this kitchen will change in my next post. 

 On to my Friday Night Sew In last night.  I decided to make a tea bag wallet.  I have wanted to make myself one forever.  I don't drink coffee at all.  I am a tea lover from way back.  I used to carry tea bags in a zip lock baggie in my purse.  This is way nicer!  I got the idea from a tutorial from Christy from Is It Naptime Yet?.  The directions were super easy to follow and it was just my kind of project-fast, easy and practical.  I think my favorite part is picking coordination fabric.  I am going to whip up several as gifts. 

It would be nice to include some exotic teas to try and a nice tea cup.  How fun!

Well, today I am cleaning my craft room.  I want to go through my fat quarter/fabric scrap bins and neatly organize them.  I have a real problem not buying fat quarters every time I go to the fabric store.  I think I need an intervention!  Have a wonderful week and take care. Nancy

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all of the Moms out there! My youngest son bought me pizza for dinner last night because he had to work tonight.  My oldest son gave me a Joann Fabric gift card and my hubby bought me breakfast from Cracker Barrel this morning and bought me a beautiful Peacock scarf.  I was able to spend some time in my craft room today so I have had a fantastic Mother's Day.  I feel very blessed. 

I made an easy budget book cover today from embossed felt.  I had to sew 4 sheets together to fit my book.  I started out with a very plain and slightly ugly composition book that I budget in every two weeks when we get paid.  I have been keeping a budget since I had my first apartment at the tender age of eighteen!  Now it will be a little prettier to look at!  I had to remember how to make book covers like I did in high school.  Only those were out of brown grocery bags-this one is much more sophisticated.  It was good to work with the felt because I didn't have to hem it.  The embossed felt is very sturdy to work with.  Just make sure to use a pressing cloth.  I didn't at first and almost made a mess of my iron.  I used my pinking shears to make a strip to cover the seam in the middle.  I used tacky glue to secure the felt strip and glued two ribbons under the edge to tie the book closed.  I was pretty happy with the finished product.  That embossed felt is way richer looking than ordinary felt. 

I also made a kitty glasses case for a pair of my sunglasses.  I have many more cases to make.  I am a girl who has alot of reading glasses and sunglasses(and shoes and purses and watches...)!  This was easy to whip up.  I just cut out two squares of 8x8inch fabric-one the outer print and one really soft lining.  I used minky for the lining but man that fabric drives me crazy to work with.  It scoots all over when I go to sew it.  I love it but I have to figure out how to deal with it-maybe my walking foot.   I will give it a try and let you know.  Anyhow, I just sew the two pieces together face to face leaving a little opening to turn. Iron the turned square and fold it together minky to minky(or lining to lining).  Sew the bottom and three-quarters of the way up the side rounding the corner.  I just tack the little cuff down on the front and back.  Easy Peasy! 

My husband has been working on this beautiful hutch his sister commissioned him to make.  He is almost done.  He just has to fix the little door on the bottom and router the edges on it.  Then he has to stack them up and screw them together.  I still marvel at how talented he is.  He has been doing all this as we wait for our cabinets and counter top to be ready for our new kitchen.  It is driving me a little crazy to be in the position of having a kitchen with half a floor and minus some cabinets.  I keep telling myself that I am lucky I have a home.  There are people who have lost way more than I am dealing with.  By the way, thank you for all your kind comments and emails about my problems.  I had a good grump fest and then got on with it!  No more pity party-remind me that I said that when the cabinets come and demolition starts!  I am going to take some before and after pictures so that should be exciting! 

I am so looking forward to FNSI this week.  I am picking projects to work on.  I have a four day work week coming so that will be awesome.  I hope you all have a great week doing something fun for yourself.  Take care.   Nancy