Kitchen Complete...and some other good stuff

Hi everyone and happy Sunday.  I am so excited to share some pictures of a now completed kitchen that has made me very happy.  I have more cupboards to store more of my stuff-and boy oh boy do I ever have STUFF!  I also am thrilled with my new counter top.  It was worth the wait. 

Another feature I am loving is the extra sink.  It is handy right near the cook top.  I can wash my fruits and veggies I am cooking with and not drip water all over the floor. 

Probably my most favorite part is the small table and chairs.  I have wanted an "eat in kitchen" for a while.  Now that both the boys are working during the dinner hour many nights, my husband and I eat a cozy dinner right there in the kitchen.  I ended up doing much of the back splash myself and I am very happy with how it has turned out.  It wasn't quite as hard as we anticipated.       Now this Winter,  I can bake all day Sunday in my new kitchen and not have to listen to football.  When the kitchen was open, I had to watch what my husband was watching in the living room.  Aah it's the little things! 

  

Now back on the creating path.  I don't know if you remember(it has been a while), but I made one very wonky coaster with some leftover fabric from a giveaway.  I was just obsessed with the fact that it wasn't perfect.  It really bugged me.  I finally decided to come to terms with it and love it for what it is: a useful coaster made from great fabric that has character!   As you can see from the picture above, I made it some friends.  The friends are equally wonky and I wouldn't have them any other way!  It was fun to just sew with abandon and not get hung up on the details.  They are useful and I love the fabric.  I also got to play with some decorative stitches on my machine. 

I mentioned that we were about to have a graduation party for my youngest son.  It was a success.  I had way too much food(better than not enough) so I had to get creative with the extras.  After giving a boat load of macaroni and potato salad away and freezing alot of cold meat, I froze some of the sandwich rolls and decided to make some bread pudding with what was left.  Yum!  It turned out great.  My recipe is really easy and you can customize it a little with your own ideas. 
Break up 6 slices of bread(I used 4 sandwich rolls) and put the pieces in a 8 inch square baking pan.  Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of melted butter.  I sprinkled a handful of frozen blueberries over the bread and butter but you could use raisins or dried cherries or craisins-whatever you would like.  In a big bowl, whisk together:4 eggs, 1 cup milk, 1 cup half and half, 3/4 cup sugar(white or brown) and a healthy splash of vanilla.  Pour over the bread and make sure all the bread is dunked in the custard mixture.  Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes.  My husband ate his with vanilla ice cream.  Sometimes I like whipped cream on mine.  Sometimes I go really crazy and eat it for breakfast like French Toast.  Enjoy!

I have several projects I am going to make and I am excited to have more time to spend in my craft room.  I am getting a start on my Christmas crafting-an early record for me.  This week I will get a chance to visit my favorite quilt shop.  I am really excited for that.  Have a great week and take care.  Nancy   

Some Serious Catching Up

Hi everybody and how is it going?  I have to say it: Long time no see!  I have immersed myself in all the going-ons lately and I went longer than a month without posting.  I missed you! 

First off, I want to share a giveaway that I won that is near and dear to my heart.  You know how I am always raving about the Friday night Sew In?  Well I participated in May and Heidi picked my name to give the above prize to.  I felt honored because that concept has just been such a thrill to me and to be lucky enough to win a prize by one of the sponsors was very special and I am hoping the binding tool will help me with one of my puzzles of sewing-the binding!  How did Heidi know?!  Thank you again Heidi. 

I mentioned last we spoke that I wanted to organize my HUGE collection of fat quarters and scraps because they were a mess.  Do you agree they were a mess?

Well, they aren't a mess anymore!  I put a movie on and tried to sort them by color group and I was pretty happy with what I accomplished

I just wish I could bring myself to toss more.  I have issues with that!  Now that I am off from school for the Summer, I am hoping to organize several "problem areas" in my home.  I am really optimistic that my two sons will participate in totally overhauling their rooms.  I can hope can't I? 

Now to give you a peek at how my kitchen is coming. 

First, my husband put in my new cabinet section when they were delivered.  He was on vacation but I think that poor guy never sat down let alone relaxed!  At this point, I could see a light at the end of the tunnel.  Then he put the floor down which made a huge difference.

My Corian counter top is being delivered and installed Tuesday, so it is my husband's plan to work on the back splash this coming weekend.  Where you see the red plastic on the cupboard, there will be a bar sink and the double sink will be in the same place as my existing one under the window.  We chose to get the molded sinks in the counter top and I am excited.  Next week, I will hopefully have some "pretty much completed" kitchen pictures to post.  It has been a long haul since April 13, but it is finally coming together. 

Perhaps the most important news to share is that my youngest son graduated high school June 22nd.  It was wonderful and I couldn't be more proud of him.  I don't share alot of personal information about my family on here but I just want to tell you he has Aspergers and a learning disability and I was just choked up with pride when I thought about how hard he has worked and what he has accomplished.  He is going to attend our local community college in the fall with the hopes of becoming a Vet Tech.  I have no doubt he can do it.  He is amazing. 

Well, have a great week.  I have some projects I want to work on for my new kitchen.  I have to sneak in my craft room and find the time.  We are having a big graduation party for our son in a couple of weeks, so things are hectic.  Take care.   Nancy

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   

Mayhem and a Little FNSI Fun

Hi everyone.  Things have been a little bit crazy around here.  Our dishwasher's pump blew a seal and flooded our kitchen and what started out to be a small thing we could fix ourselves has evolved into absolute mayhem!  I am living out of plastic bins in the kitchen as half the floor and cabinets have been ripped out.  Our insurance company is trying to get away with paying us as little as possible to replace our cabinets so that is an ongoing battle we have to win before things can get back to normal.  And not to bore you further, but the insurance adjuster said we were lucky we have paid the high premiums of  the deluxe policy!  What would have happened if we had the mediocre policy?!   Also our 12 year old chocolate lab has been having accidents all over our house when we leave to go someplace for a few hours.  Frankly, I have been afraid to come home from work on many occasions lately.  We have her on medication and have changed her food per the vet's instructions.  Let's hope that is it.  We would be heartsick to have to put her down.  Also, my husband's truck broke down and I got slightly injured at work.  So, enough of that. It depresses me just to keep talking about it! 

As you see in the above picture, I sewed a bright flannel pillowcase for kids with cancer as part of my FNSI.  It was fun to make it and I hope it can be a small way to comfort a kid going through such a harrowing and scary ordeal. 

 I also finished up this cute drawstring bag from Pretty Little Purses and Pouches.  I love that series of books!  This was a fun bag and not too difficult to put together.  It was smaller than I thought it would be but it would be great for when you don't want to drag half of your stuff around.  A lip gloss, cell phone, credit card, ID and a little cash would fit in there nicely. 

I would love to gab, but I have dishes to wash(a new-found chore to add to the list) and a pooch to medicate as well as a son to pick up from his job. I wanted to include a picture of my sleeping angel.  I had just changed the sheets this morning and fluffed my feather bed topper.  She loves to sink down in it after I do that.  She looks like she is laying on marshmallows!  I hope you all have a great week.  Take care.  Nancy

The Cutest Little Purse

Happy Easter everyone!  I hope you are having a wonderful family-filled holiday.  I am sad my Spring Break from school is coming to a close.  It is going to be a long haul from now to the end of June! 

I have been having fun in my craft room this week.  I made this cute little purse from the Pretty Little Purses and Pouches book.  I have had my eye on that pattern for a while and I finally made one.  It was fairly quick to make and the instructions were pretty good.  It turned out a little smaller than I thought it would but it is really different with that cool handle.  I bought a pair of beaded handles in my craft store because I couldn't find what the instructions called for locally and didn't want to order one.  I kind of "reinvented" the instructions for the handle straps and was sorry I did.  It almost didn't work-note to self, don't change directions on your first time makings something.  Maybe they are that way for a reason!  Anyway, I don't dress up and go out often, but I have the perfect outfit for this purse right in my closet if I do get a chance. 

I tend to go back to make successful and quick projects over and over again.  Anyone else do the same?  I loved these puzzle bags and they have received such raves, I have been making them frequently.  Here are two more I made.   They are fun.  I have some people on my Christmas list that will be getting one. 

I also had made this key fob to match the tote and glasses case I made for a charity raffle.  I think my D ring was a little big, but I just used what I had on hand.  I am an absolute nut for things that match. 

The last thing I want to share with you is a rare event for me these days.  I went out of my comfort zone and tried a radically new nail polish for this last week. 

It is called Illusion from Avon.  It is like a pearly opal with green tones.  It is chameleon like in nature.  It looks grey when you are holding something grey or blue when it is next to blue.  At first, I hated it but it grew on me.  Please ignore my cuticles in the above picture.  It is time for a touch up.  I may take this color off and go back to my French manicure I am so comfie with now that school is back in session. 

I hope everyone has a great week.  The weather here is chilly but sunny-kind of typical for Spring.  I changed all my bedding and my curtains in my bedroom.  Everything is lighter and brighter in there now-a sure sign of Spring.  Take care.  Nancy