Work in Progress – Brick Wall

I’ve finally returned to my project of painting the brick wall. I thought I might be able to get it all done last week on my two days off, but it was a bit more work than that, plus I was utterly sore from those days of sitting on the floor and sponging on five different colors of paint. 
    
I’m thrilled with how well it’s coming along. Everytime I look at the side I completed I can’t get over how much more I love it than the white brick it used to be. Now that we have our financing together to finish the kitchen project, I’m starting to get back into the planning mode. Since the project has been delayed a year now, some of my material choices are no longer available, so I have to do some additional planning again. With working a job with a revolving schedule, it’s a bit of a task to find time to stay concentrated on the kitchen. I hope I get it organized soon so I can get a contractor hired and have the kitchen of our dreams.

Etsy Treasury, Hippie Days are Here Again

I created a new Etsy Treasury today, I've really been slacking off on my Etsy Shop & Blog since starting my part time job in January. But this morning I was inspired to through a treasury together, Hope you like it.

Using a Door for a Photo Gallery

My mother-in-law was a water color artist & my husband is a photographer. On top of all the numerous pieces of artwork they’ve produced we also collect works of other favorite artist. Needless to say, there is never enough wall space in our home to display all of our collections. I wanted to frame more of Bob’s photos and needed a place to display them.

We have a glass door in the house that had been painted over years ago for privacy purposes. The glass panels in the door are recessed, providing nice spaces for pictures. I decided that removing the paint would probably be too much work & I wasn’t sure the glass would come out clear enough. So I began looking for pre-made frames that would fit the spaces. Since they weren’t a standard frame size, the frugal side of me decided custom sized frames would be too costly. I was fortunate enough to find 8”x20” frames for around $6 per frame. They fit perfectly inside across the recessed areas. Now all I needed was to come up with a way of attaching them to the door. I was looking for something to bridge over the frame that I could screw into the wood frame of the door. On Ebay, I found some wood triangles that I thought would look interesting. I ordered a package of them & some small brass screws. I then had to stain them to match the color of the wood frames. I then attached them with 2 screws to the sides of the frame and one screw into the door. The most time consuming part of the project was choosing which photos (there are thousands to pick from) to put together in each frame and then cutting some mats to fit them. Now that they are up, I find myself constantly staring at the beautiful door gallery.

ODD DUCK BAZAAR NEXT WEEKEND

The Fabulous Odd Duck Bazaar is coming up next weekend, Saturday March 31, 2012. Although my new job prevents me from either vending or visiting the craft fair this year, I encourage all who have the time to stop by this incredible bazaar. This year the location has moved to Hollywood, Fl and more space is provided 80+ vendors. Some of South Florida's most talented Indie Artist and Crafters will be selling their wares. The venue provides both indoor and outdoor shopping areas, plus live music. Follow the link to preview the creative vendors you will find.

Featured on Saved By Love

A big Thank You goes out to Saved By Love Creations for featuring my Shag Pillow in their post on 50 Recycled T-shirt projects. It's really wonderful to be included with so many other incredible recycled projects. My favorite among them is the Pink Rosette Purse from Come Together Kids, but all of the projects are wonderful.This post has really upped my traffic, it's so wonderful that everyone is enjoying the pillow. Needless to say, they've been added to my blog roll, give them a visit.

New Clearance Section at Etsy Shop

I have a new CLEARANCE SALE section in my Etsy shop. Big savings on some cute handmade items. Stop by The ReFORMatory to see the bargains.

PJ’s for Little Cowboys from Vintage Flannel Fabric

A Happy New Year to everyone. I’m finally back to my neglected blog. Sorry to be away so long, the last month of the year is always a very hectic time for me.

Anyway here’s my post on one of my holiday projects:

Since both my mother and grandmother did so much home sewing we’ve always had piles of fabric around the house. Some pieces have been in the family as far back as I can remember. I had this favorite piece of flannel with a cowboy print that I’ve loved since I was a little tot myself. I figured someday I’d make something for a son, but I never had any kids.

Then I realized a few years ago, when my youngest nephew was turning four, that I’d better do something with the fabric before all the boys were too old to enjoy it. So I made him a cute pair of PJ’s. I guess I should have gotten my sis to send me a picture of him in them as I’m sure he’s outgrown them by now.

 

This year at Christmas my niece asked for PJ’s for her 19 month old son. I shopped around and wasn’t very thrilled with most of what I found in the stores. I did finally find one cute pair and thought I’d use them as a pattern for a second pair. Low and behold I came across that small remnant of the cowboy flannel (I save everything). There was enough for a pajama top if I pieced it together. I also had some knit fabrics in both blue and red, so I asked my husband if he were 2 years old which color he would like. He said the red. So I made the bottoms with the red knit and the top from the flannel. Originally I put a stripe of the red across the front of the shirt where I pieced 2 parts together, but we both agreed it looked too girly. So I did a quick google search on cowboy motifs for other ideas to cover the seam and saw the suede fringe. Also in my remnant piles were some pieces of ultrasuede (can we say hoarder). I cut a strip 1-1/4” wide and then cut 1/4” fringe along the edge and sewed it down over the seam. Way more cowboy now!