The Girls' Room

It's almost done! Meg and I have been working on redecorating her girls' room for... a while. Meg has chosen adorable fabrics, curtains, paint colors and accessories and has arranged them all so creatively.

I offered to do the sewing and upholstery projects.
Several years ago I made a headboard for Meg and Ben that was a simple tailored rectangle covered in linen. When they gave it to the girls I cut it into a more feminine shape and slip covered it. The fabric is from only one pillow sham from Pottery Barn Kids, with all the seams opened it was large enough to cover the whole headboard! When Evie (5 years old) saw the quilted pillows with bows she said all the right things, she was thankful and complimentary, as usual. Then she asked me very diplomatically if I thought that they might need a little more "fashion". When I asked if little pillows made with the blue fabric and pink trim would add enough "fashion" she was satisfied because they would match her bed and "Relax Chair". Her "Relax Chair" was purchased many years before she was born at a yard sale for $5. A little paint and more PBK fabric made it just right for their room.

I made the lumbar pillow from a blouse that I bought for $1. It was no longer in style but, had beautiful embroidery, eyelet trim and shell buttons, so I knew it could have another life as a sweet little something.

All that is left for me to do is make the window valances (I think). I hope to show those to you soon! You can see their adorable, almost finished room on Megan's blog.
Annie added a little "fashion" of her own to the bed...

What I did on my Summer Vacation...

...and most of Fall.
I have been absent, but BUSY with several trips and many projects. (Of course I don't have pictures of most of these things, I'm bad at that.)
I've been to Montana, Mississippi, Louisiana, Pensacola, North Carolina & Georgia; all to spend time with precious family members.

I have installed a tile back splash, scraped hateful vinyl flooring, rewired and restored a vintage chandelier, painted a living and dining room, tailored 2 sets of curtains, made custom bedding for a nursery, recovered 2 chairs, altered a duvet cover, sewed at least a dozen pillows, and covered 10 patio cushions; all for other people. Then in October I made something for us.

Our empty kitchen corner bothered me, this magazine picture inspired me, that little blue tool (a Kreg Pocket-hole Jig) enabled me, and Lowes assisted me by making the rip cuts in the plywood."Before" - Almost "After" - Our new cozy kitchen corner.
We now have more pantry and dish space plus 2 additional drawers (we had only 4 small kitchen drawers before). The bench top lifts for more storage space.
This cabinet shelf slides out for easy access to the coffee maker.

The sconces, accessories and furniture are all estate and garage sale finds. The cushions are a Goodwill bargain that I recovered.

I did have help, Richard has been my sheet rocker, wiring guru, muscle, sounding board, financier and constant encourager. Thanx, Babe

http://www.kregjig.com/

Megan's Chair

My mother gave this sweet antique chair to my daughter, Megan, a few years ago. This old chair has had many different seat covers during its relatively short history in my family. Yesterday as I discovered 4 different fabric layers I relived family times, happy and sad, in several different homes where my mom has lived. It now has a new cover in a new home waiting for a new baby.

Megan chose a beautiful natural linen with an appliqued chocolate damask monogram.