Weekend update.

January 30, 2012 by Ellen

Last weekend’s project? Find a table for the corner of my bedroom. It needed to be smallish.

And just the right height for a cup of coffee.

A creamy white finish.

Offset by my new favorite wall color of all time, Farrow and Ball’s light blue.

Thumbing through catalogs, searching Pinterest and zillions of design websites takes time. I’m impatient. I opted for the easy way out. You probably couldn’t guess where it turned up.

Unless you’ve been to IKEA lately.

Yup. I said IKEA. Who knew? $179 and some Annie Sloan chalk paint {no sanding necessary} and the gray Isala Side Table transforms a reading corner. Did you spot the EKTORP Jenny Lund slipcovered chairs? I had an extra set of pillow shams that fit the bottom cushions almost perfectly. The frame {below} was a find at an antique store. It has had various reincarnations over the years but stringing picture frame wire across the back and attaching clips to hold mementos may well be my favorite.

I still have draperies to design and complete. Another project for another weekend.

Posted in Annie Sloan paint, Bedroom, Home Decor, IKEA | Tagged annie sloan, ektorp, farrow and ball, isala, pillow shams, slipcovered chairs | 1 Comment »

Hiding in plain sight.

January 20, 2012 by Ellen

Winter got you down, Bunky? Need a fun project that serves two purposes: A) Keeps your gigantic stack-o-magazines under control, and B) Whittles down your scrap wood pile?

Start with Ana White’s clear and concise magazine file instructions here. She does all the math for you and everything!! Then, find a willing accomplice who doesn’t mind setting up shop outside {so the newly cleaned inside stays that way}.

Ask nicely and chances are you’ll end up with something that looks like this. All from wood scraps!

With a little glue, spackle and primer, they started taking shape. WAIT!!! Is that BEADBOARD on the front?!? Perfect!!! But what about those two with flat surfaces? What to do….what to do…???

Oh, I know. I’ll take a page from Martha’s book. I just happened to have the materials on hand.For the chalkboard paint, I mixed the grout with a sample pot I had on hand to come up with a soft grey color. The formula is 1 cup paint to 2 TBSP unsanded grout. Simple! And it really works! Instant chalkboard paint in the color of your choice!

For the amazing shade of aqua/blue-green, I tried the brand-new CeCe Caldwell’s Chalk & Clay paint so graciously provided to me to sample.

My friends at the ever-funky Bungalow 47 recently replaced Annie Sloan paint with this new line and, I have to say, it’s fantastic to work with! Check out this piece they did for the store!

Aren’t the colors great?! I have my eye on several projects and can’t wait to try some more colors.

Back to the magazine holders. The palm sander worked some magic and no, it didn’t change the paint color…. bad lighting.

I’m so happy with how they turned out. My magazines are still handy, just not overtaking the coffee table.

I’m linking:

Posted in Ana White, Bungalow 47, CeCe Caldwell Paint, Magazine Holders | Tagged chalkboard paint | 6 Comments »

Let the spinning wheel spin.

January 15, 2012 by Ellen

Ever spend time flipping through eBay and run across something that jogs your memory?

Something that takes you back to a simpler time. Back to when you spent hours on end TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THE HECK YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO DO WITH THE 12′ LONG WORM you created with your very first piece of crafting equipment. Today there would be a support group for little six year-old girls who received this for Christmas. Talk about frustrating! I imagined weaving my very own braided rug {Barbie size}. Instead I ended up with a limp excuse and was declared an embarrassment to my crafty Native American ancestors. {I made the ancestor thing up. All my “people” bought their rugs with coupons from whichever tepee had the cheapest prices.}

Anyway. You can get yourself a reminder of the trauma you experienced as a child if you were like me and just had to have the latest stereotypical gender-specific domestic chore “toy.” Check out eBay.

The spinning wheel wasn’t the only disappointing toy targeted to unsuspecting pre-tweens. Enter Tressy. To this day, I can’t figure out why, when I push my belly button, my hair doesn’t grow into a 24″ ponytail.

Posted in Other, Sewing | 3 Comments »

Cure for the common cold.

January 14, 2012 by Ellen

Whoa. I knew it had been a while since I’ve blogged, but over a month? Time flew because I’ve been having nothing but fun!

After three months, I think I have Adobe Illustrator almost figured out. I am indebted to my Yoda, Laura Coyle.

And pleased to say these are my new, spring-focused fabrics! I’ve learned to sketch {in a very limited, chicken-scratchy way} on my drawing tablet and then colorize and convert the sketches to images suitable for fabric printing. I like larger-scale prints. I’m thinking maybe for totebags? Speaking of, whenever I got a little frustrated with my progress with Illustrator, I’d take a break and go sew a totebag. I’ve made a gazillion totebags. Which I’ve been giving away almost as quickly as they’re made. And I always seem to forget to take a picture….here’s one I found from Christmas morning {the kitty-terrorizing granddog was guarding}.

Oh, and I’ve been designing logos for imaginary businesses….

And virtually living in my pjs in my virtual, online world. Perfect since it’s mid-winter here in Michigan, not that I’m complaining. My cousin posted on Facebook last week that he and twelve others played golf over the weekend. In mid-January. But to make you snow-birds feel better about maintaining two residences, we did finally get our second winter blast two days ago.

On another note, I’ve been forced to create a “To Do” list for the DH or risk the sofa permanently affixing itself to his backside. Project Number One? Wood magazine files. Stay tuned.

Posted in Fabric, Other | 1 Comment »

Fragments

December 12, 2011 by Ellen

You know how you accumulate a pile of pictures of things you meant to blog about but didn’t? I’ve got a ton of them. Let’s start with this.

I realized if you doubled up rick-rack you could have some of that really cool, W-I-D-E rick-rack. Food for thought. And how about this?

I literally unearthed (well, via Etsy) one of the first patterns I ever sewed! Mine was a couple of sizes smaller than this one. Those were the days. Anyway, the outfit was AWESOME! I remember it like it was yesterday. I didn’t go the knee-sock route, but that center view was practically me in 1969. The pattern will live out its golden years framed and hung in my studio. I may remove the tissue lesson chart on “How to make a Perfect Fitting Pantdress {pantdress} just for grins. Thanks to Sad Patterns for reuniting me with my 14 year-old self.

Need to make some looks-pretty-fancy-but-actually-pretty-easy dessert for the holidays? These were simple but don’t they look impressive? Always a big hit! Maybe because I use shot glasses people think there’s alcohol in them? Who knows but they disappear and nobody needs a designated driver.

Below left is dark chocolate, raspberry cheesecake (made with purchased Philadelphia Cheesecake Filing), the center is coconut cream pie filling topped with toasted coconut and a pie crust triangle, and on the right key lime pie with chunks of graham cracker crust on the top and bottom. They were exquisite!

And then there’s this. The cherpumple. An apple pie, a cherry pie and a pumpkin pie all baked inside a cake with approximately 1″ of frosting surrounding it all. I posted the picture on my Facebook page and someone asked if I could bring it to Thanksgiving dinner. Someone also asked how you could just have just a small slice. Excellent question. And no, I will not be making one. Ever.

Photo via Neatorama

This magazine cover is from 2007. I absolutely LOVE the fabric on the window treatments. I’ve coveted it for years but it is pricey {Brunschwig & Fils} and I tried to put it out of my mind. It didn’t work and I finally got up the nerve to order a memo. You know how you build something up for so long in your mind it likely will never measure up? When I got the memo I gasped! I think it’s one of the ugliest fabrics I’ve ever set eyes on and that’s saying a lot. Goes to show that photo stylists work miracles.

My 12 year-old great-niece has completed her first two sewing classes. This was project number one. I think she did a fantastic job! Wish I could say the same for the photo I took!

Have you seen this? Seriously the best new tool out there when it comes to painting! LOVE it! Wooster Shortcut, available at a home improvement store near you.

The brush was used to cut in the master bedroom walls in the most gorgeous color. It’s Farrow & Ball’s Light Blue No. 22. The color is perfect for a room that is bathed in sunlight {or in our case, periodically a ray or two is caught between the clouds}. If you’ve been looking for the perfect bedroom blue, this has to be it. It can look green, but trust me, it’s blue and it’s luscious!

That’s all my blogging time for today. Back to the books. I’m learning Adobe Illustrator and I’m head over heels in love if it’s even possible to love software. Check this out! My first project! Night all!

Posted in Other, Tips & Tricks | Tagged easy dessert | 5 Comments »

Tote-ally awesome tote {and inside pocket tutorial}!

December 7, 2011 by Ellen

Don’t you just love it when you happen upon a pattern for something practical? And even better, something that would make a terrific practical gift! I am so over clutter and useless gifts and excess, but show me something I can put together quickly, with what I already have on-hand and I’m sold. May I present, Ladies and Gentl….well, probably just Ladies,

The awesome Jane tote.

The pattern is available here as an immediate download for a mere $6! (Heck, I’d pay like $60 for not having to do the math to create a nice tote like this!) I’ve written about Alicia Paulson’s patterns before. I like ‘em. I like ‘em a lot. This one is easy to follow, the math works and it serves as a great jumping off point to let your creativity go wild, not to mention will aid in quickly reducing your fabric stash.

Since I have no doubt you’ll all run over and buy this wonderful pattern based solely on my recommendation {or the fact that it’s adorable and, PS I have no affiliation with Alicia or her shop; Posie, Rosy Little Things} I decided to put together a few tips for you.

First, I highly recommend home dec weight fabrics, outdoor fabrics and oilcloth or laminated cotton. Heck use all of them! The mixier and matchier the better. The pattern suggests quilting cotton but I love the durability and structure heavier fabric gives to the bag {plus I have a ton of the afore mentioned fabrics that I couldn’t possibly use up in two lifetimes}. ……ahem.

Second, use top-stitching thread for the top-stitching on the tote. There’s a lot of it and it looks so much more professional with the heavier thread. Here’s the difference:

Yuck...puny top-stitching!

: Terrible picture but trust me. The top-stitching is perfect!

Be sure to reduce your sewing machine tension and use a longer stitch length when sewing with heavier thread.

Third. Use thread nippers to be sure you clip your thread ends as close as possible. There’s nothing more irritating than one of those thread-eyelash thingies flapping around!

Next, this pattern calls for a folded hem on the top of the outer pockets. It says to fold and press 1” then fold and press another 1”. This is called a double 1” hem. DON”T DO IT THAT WAY! Making a hem in this manner always takes up more fabric than it should due to the way it’s folded. Instead, do it the way the pros do.

And last, even though there are two generous outer pockets, I like an interior zipper-pocket in my totes. Since there weren’t instructions included with the pattern, I decided to do a quick tutorial on adding one.

{Add the pocket to the tote lining before you assemble the lining.}

Here we go:

Step 1

I don’t want to hear any moaning and groaning about sewing in a zipper! The way we do it here is as easy as it gets! If you haven’t sewn a zipper before, there’s a first time for everything. Just remember to pin securely and straight and sew slowly.

Step 2

Step 3

Leaving a small space between the fabric and the zipper means a zipper foot usually isn’t necessary.

Now get the pocket front bottom piece (8″ x 7″ rectangle). Press the hem on the 7″ side of the rectangle.

Step 4

Step 5

Pin the pocket bottom to the zipper and stitch the same as you did the top.

Step 6

Step 7.

Time to stitch the pocket front to the pocket back (9 1/2″ x 7″ rectangle).

Step 8

Step 9

Step 10

Step 11

Step 12

Step 13

Step 14

Step 15

Now assemble the rest of your tote and load it up!

Posted in Sewing, Tutorials, Zipped Pocket Tutorial | 3 Comments »

Baby Talk

December 5, 2011 by Ellen

I’ve been a little preoccupied lately with, as I told a friend, the third most important thing to happen in my life.

I won’t be dyeing my hair blue anytime soon.

And I won’t be wearing funky perfume.

No socks rolled down to the ankles or house dresses.

But, I will be cranking up the sewing machine and whipping up frilly little dresses OR cute boy stuff (gosh, are there cute things to sew for boys?). A new rocking chair may be involved. Oh, and there will be cookies. Lots of cookies.

I have until June to get busy. And to figure out a way to travel daily from Michigan to Washington D.C. We’re thinking with the bad economy maybe someone might be having a sale on private jets.

Only 192 days to go!

Posted in Grandparent, Other | 13 Comments »

A holiday gift collection to tickle your funny bone.

November 23, 2011 by Ellen

I’ve put together my monthly Guest Picks Ideabook for Houzz. It’s a bit non-traditional but go take a look anyway. I’ve included some handy tips and descriptions with my captions that should assist you in your shopping pursuits.

You'll no longer need to gently remind hubby it's time to hit the treadmill. Just set this butter dish in front of him and silently gaze back and forth between the dish and him. He'll get the message.

My turkey coma awaits!

Posted in Houzz | 1 Comment »

Sad Patterns: A Study in Simplicity (and Butterick, et. al.)

November 21, 2011 by Ellen

I had a fantastic post all written up and ready to go yesterday. It’s taken me a good twelve hours to almost get over the fact that the post was eaten alive by either WordPress or Cybergoblins or both. It was all about a fun new site I happened upon that I thought you might enjoy if you’re anything like me and love a good what-we-used-to-think-was-SO-cool laugh. Anyhoo, go check out Sad Patterns. His hilarious captions bring the “pattern people” to life.

Sadly, you’ll probably find a couple you may have actually owned back in the day, and possibly, like me tried to forget about. Here are a couple I have personal experience with.

Why yes, that is a thirty year old man in a bee costume. Modified from a child’s size XS to an adult XL, I was so proud. Of course toddler son didn’t find the humor and to this day blames the costume for his chronic Apiphobia. He’s suing.

And here’s another gem.

The only thing I can think of to add to this photo is that there may or may not have been copious amounts of alcoholic beverages consumed to get over the sheer horror.

I looked far and wide and didn’t see my all time favorite on Sad Patterns, the Granny Gown! Obviously only the coolest among us remember that classic ensemble. I mean what well-adjusted, developmentally normal ten year old girl didn’t want to dress like her grandmother? We wore these out in public and totally rocked the Granny! Since fads generally come back every few years I’m still waiting.

Posted in Patterns, Sewing | 2 Comments »

Anthro Inspiro

November 14, 2011 by Ellen

Lately I’ve been a bit preoccupied with my current obsession…Spoonflower. I’ve created dozens of new fabric patterns and every time I get back a batch of samples I see ways to improve, recolor or redesign my work. Not being an artist per se, I feel as though I have a long way to go to come up with a perfect fabric for my new master bedroom draperies, but my goal is to get the fabric designed and the draperies made by the end of the year. I’ll keep you posted.

In the meantime, I snapped some quick picks at Anthropologie the other day. Don’t these fancy towels give you tons of ideas?

Pick up a package of dish towels at Home Goods or Target, or start with towels that have seen better days, and start layering.