Sunday, May 22, 2011

Adventures in Spray Paint and Upholstery

So.... I've been a very busy girl this weekend.  Saturday I took a bunch of junk to Peterson Air Force Base for their base-wide yard sale and set up with a new friend from a playgroup I just started attending.  I wanted to do more than just sell some junk though, I was shopping!  I keep a list in my phone of all the things I "need" for the house that I would like to pick up at bargain rates.   Well, I managed to buy a full patio set (four chairs and a table) for $20, a wicker chest for $1 and 20 items clothing for Darcy for $10.  Oh, and a ginormous mirror for $10 too. 

I'm not sure what I'm doing with the mirror right now, but it was the perfect size, color, and style to go on top of Darcy's dresser when it stops being a changing table and needs to be a vanity.  That thing weighs a ton, so I'm not hauling it upstairs until I know where it's going. It stands on it's own, so I'm thinking I may just put it on the floor in her room so she can admire herself when she had floor play time.

But...more to the point I've been tackling the wicker and patio projects.  I've been wanting a blanket chest for our living room for ages.  Right now our fleece blankets end up on the floor because Carson pulls them off and likes to snuggle in them. As a result, all of our blankets are embedded with dog hair- blech.  But if we had a place to toss them out of his reach, I'm hoping they would have a chance to de-hair after a dozen or so spins through the laundry.  So here's my before and after of the chest (I've spent about an hour on it so far, but I have to reattach the hinges and hardware still.
Before- $1

After- with $4 spray paint and $10 batting and fabric (before second coat of paint)
I"m pretty darn pleased.  Just ignore the photography though- it's not my strong suit.  The next project coming down the pike is to paint the patio furniture and recover the cushions.  Here's the before and a sneak peek of what's coming.  Yes, the table top is FILTHY. Apparently $20 doesn't cover windex.



I'm adding color to the front porch baby!  Hopefully I'll get this wrapped up this week, along with assembling my raised bed (boards in the background) because we'll be in Greeley next week and then Boulder as I run my first 10K!

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Quilt Story

I did it!  Having begun this quilt in early 2004, I finally completed it over last weekend.  Man, this thing has been with me in six different houses/apartments and has fabric in it from at least 3 different quilt shops.

When I first started it, I thought I would make it for my MIL-to-be, Michelle.  But, then I realized it wasn't really her colors, so I made her a different small quilt which now hangs in her guest room.  So then I decided it would be for Michelle's mother, my dear Grandma Gayle.  At this point, I had pieced the back (something I did in one day and a few hours of hanging out with my own grandmother), but hadn't gotten any further.

After Jason and I were married in June 2005, we moved to the East Coast.  On our way to NoVA, we stopped in Maryland and I saw GG's house for the first time.  Well, it is impeccably decorated and I confess to thinking within a few minutes of entering that I would have to find another recipient for this quilt. I knew if I gave it to her, she'd feel obliged to hang it somewhere, and it didn't fit her color scheme either.  At this point, I had at least cut the fabric for the applique, though not a single flower or vine appeared on the quilt.

Well, when GG's mother (aka Brambie) moved out to live with her, I knew my quilt had found it's perfect recipient. Brambie likes ALL colors, and the brighter the better.  Brambie just celebrated her 90th birthday, and though this was not completed in time, I hope it will brighten the rest of her year.