I promise some photo updates within the next day or two, and will let you know where things stand. Thanks for your patience!
Chickadee Workshop |
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Well, I've had a gentle reminder that I haven't updated this blog since I got my house! So sorry. We did finally go to settlement just a few weeks ago (3, I think) and have gotten off to a slow start. We had to pull out a ceiling, take out all the first floor carpets, replace the roof, along with some rotten rafters. The roof was just done today. I have been continuing to work slowly on furniture and I painted all the window sashes in the new house.
I promise some photo updates within the next day or two, and will let you know where things stand. Thanks for your patience!
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I'm going to post some pics to give you an idea of the condition of our house before any improvements are made. As I finish each project, I'll post before and afters, as well. These first photos are of the living room. Can't wait to pull up that ugly carpet and fix the stuccoed walls! Picture, instead, pale grey-blue-green walls, soft curtains and hardwood floors with a large, pastel area rug and a white sofa with two aqua swivel chairs for a start. This is the main hallway or hub of the downstairs and will be my formal dining room as well. Same wall color as the living room (which forms an "L" shape together with this room) and will also have white or pastel furniture. That room that opens straight ahead here is what I'd call a "bonus" room. It was probably used as an office or tiny den and has no door on that wide opening. It has acceptable grey carpet and I will paint the walls pale pink. This will be my art room and computer room. The room you can see behind that one will eventually be the utility room. It needs real work, due to rain damage from a leaky roof. Leaky roof will be replaced first. Master bedroom with dirty white carpet (again, hardwood underneath to be refinished), dingy painted paneled walls....but a whole wall of closets. I don't need that much for my clothing, so this will catch some of the overflow from my tiny sewing room for fabrics and other things. This room will be a slightly deeper tint of grey-blue-green and my furniture will be shiny white enamel. My tiny sewing room--I mean really small. I think the area, not counting a small entry way by the door, is about 9' x 9'. Yes, I did say it was small. More hardwood floors underneath this carpet. Walls to be painted very pale pink. BTW, ALL the window sashes need paint. That's right, they are unfinished wood on the inside :( Fortunately, though, they are double paned replacement windows, so we don't have to be replacing them! Truly ugly kitchen. I just hope the appliances work (there's even a dishwasher tucked between the fridge on the right and the counter). Sometime next spring we will move the washer/dryer out to the utility room where they should be and move the range to that wall where the washer currently is, so this kitchen can be used as it should be. There will be plenty of room for a large island or a small one and a small table. We will, of course, do new counter tops, paint cabinets and replace vinyl floor. I just have to live with it through this first winter and as long as it's functional, I'll be fine with that. When you come up the stairs, this is one end of the space, and it's all open, but the other side has a completely closed-in bedroom, with a door that shuts. It will be a perfect guest room. No picture yet, but the entire upper floor has this beige carpet.. The part you see here will just be for storage (mostly extra fabrics.) Back view. That small room on the left is the utility room. The little metal shed is padlocked and we are hoping (hah!) that when we obtain the keys we will open it up to find a lawn mower in there. Wouldn't that be nice? Since they didn't leave anything else loose in the house, except appliances, it's highly unlikely. The yard is partially divided by the fence, so I'm guessing they had a dog. The back side is a 6 foot high privacy fence, so that's nice, but the entire backyard space is shade for most of the day. It's great for a cool spot, but not real conducive to veggie gardening. I'll have to do some research to see what I can grow in mostly shade. This might also wind up being a space for chickens to free range...eventually. Once we get the keys on Aug. 10, I will get a few more photos for you. The bathroom needs NO work...it's all ceramic tile walls and fiberglass shower. It's mostly white, with a burgundy band of color, so pretty much a blank canvas for window curtains and shower curtains. I will also get photos of the utility room, the bonus room and the upstairs guest room. Here's a repeat photo of the front view....I'm thinking of painting that door something really pretty and different.....like turquoise or peacock :) ADDENDUM 8/10/16: : I forgot I had this photo of the bathroom. Those ceramic tiles go all the way up to the ceiling and all around the shower. I think only the base of the shower is fiberglass. Also, settlement has been delayed till Aug. 25. I really hope that date is concrete :(
The purpose of this blog has been mostly to keep a record of my DIY, Craft, Sewing and Fine Art projects. That's not going to change, but for a little while the focus will be on a specific, HUGE, long-term project.
Background that you need to know for this to make sense is that, after a 45 year marriage, I am going to be moving to my own house...alone. I have chosen this path and, while my husband is not happy about it, he loves me enough to not only let me go without fighting, but has been an active supporter in every step. We are not divorcing and will be in frequent contact to support each other in this change. That is all anyone really needs to know about that. The next piece of information that is important is that, rather than renting and throwing away my hard earned 401K money, we decided to put our savings together and buy me another house. We are not separating our income and expenses. All of it, as it has always been, is OURS. The house I've chosen is a 1947 Cape Cod with lots of potential....that word, of course, translates into "work." Projects. Lots of them. I've been collecting used furniture, mostly from thrift shops, some from my own home, and I am in the process of refinishing them for a new life. Most of them are going to be lightly sanded (some not) and painted. Some will have chalk paint, some regular latex paint. My style is a modified shabby chic, but with some sophisticated leanings. I love the look of a mostly white and pastel palette, the painted, slightly distressed woods and the respect for reusing and upcycling of good, quality pieces. I generally don't care for all-white, lots of ruffles and/or lace, too much pink and/or flowers and worn, bare wood or paint that is so chipped there is more bare wood than paint showing. I'm going to be careful about not putting too much "stuff" on shelves and tables...I will be carefully editing to use things as decor that are also utilitarian. My version of shabby chic gets a little "bling." I like to see that soft pastel palette and painted wood punctuated by some shiny metallic lamps, some glittery chandeliers (if I can swing it....no pun intended) and some mirrors and other glass decor. We will settle on the new house on August 10, and in the meantime, I have lots of furniture to paint and boxes to pack. After we have the keys, I will be painting the interior of the house. We have roofers coming to replace the roof and there are some other interior repairs to make before I can move in. Once in, I will finish up any painting of rooms and/or furniture that didn't get accomplished ahead of time and then settle into sewing curtains for EVERY SINGLE WINDOW. I've been collecting various fabrics over a number of months for this purpose. I have linen, sheets, tablecloths, actual curtain panels and even painter's drop cloths greedily hoarded, just waiting for me to get creative. I'm going to be documenting the processes right here! Next post I will start off with some photos of the house and shortly thereafter, I will begin posting before and afters of my paint projects. Hang with me.....we're going for a RIDE!! I have a few pairs of jeans that are comfortable and still have life, but they are worn thin on the upper leg area, so I decided to give "extreme mending" a go. This is where you make very obvious patches and use embroidery or darning techniques to strengthen and decorate the area. I think mine may have slid into the area of "altered couture" but that's okay. It was great fun and quite relaxing to do while watching t.v. The only downside is that every time I look at them, I think of the old song, "Cover of the Rolling Stone"......."I gotta freaky old lady name of "Cocaine Katy" who embroiders all my jeans. I got my poor ol' grey-haired daddy drivin' my limousine."
I seem to be doing this blog action in fits and starts. Since I began this mainly for myself, so I could keep a log of my many projects, it isn't necessary for anyone else to read it in order for it to still be important for me to keep it up. So with that said, on to what I've been doing. Since the last post, I did make several linen gauze skirts, and three tops. The tops have all been altered from things that already existed. When I get a chance, I will come back and edit this to include photos. I'm so far behind! I was busy from July right up to Dec.23 making jams, candied nuts and other goodies for Christmas gifting. This list included peach jam, peach salsa, caramelized onion relish, cantaloupe jam, sugared pecans, sweet and salty pecans, peanut butter granola and walnut topping. I've sent these as far away as Texas and Florida to my daughters, and also given much to my son and DIL here in town, and my brother and sis-in-law. Everyone seemed totally pleased with their gifts, so it was worth it, but it WAS a lot of work and certainly expensive to ship. The local ones also received homemade vanilla extract, which was SO easy and delightful. There were only two crafted or sewn items done for gifts this year. I found a method for making baskets on the sewing machine using cotton clothesline and they turned out really nicely. I used turmeric for a natural dye done in a variegated fashion and so I got a lovely design of yellow and white. Next time I'd like to try some with fabric or acrylic paint done before the sewing and then maybe some with some fabric bits incorporated. There are several tutorials available online for this, but I used the technique demonstrated in my current favorite magazine, "Taproot" in their Folk issue. I will also try to come back with photos of this. Another project completed since my last post was my daughter's Halloween costume. She wanted to be "Disgust" from Disney's "Inside Out" movie, so I found a simple A line dress pattern and made it in a green poly satin on which I embroidered stylized flowers in a straight stitch. I only went to this trouble because 1) we couldn't find any fabric with a similar design, and 2) I tried several methods of fabric painting and nothing worked well on the nasty satin. This is way more effort than I'd usually spend on a costume, but I just sewed while I watched t.v., so it was okay. I made a pink sparkly scarf and a blinged up stretchy belt with a D on it. I took a little artistic license with the belt, but most people would not know the difference. Anyhow, she enjoyed wearing it. Here she is! I think that about does it for catching up.....I have continued with my art work, though not as much, since I was so busy with other things. I spent a lot of time working in a coloring book in late summer while we were at the campground. It was SO relaxing and since it mimics the kind of art I do anyway, it just took away the ink part of my projects and left me with the coloring details. It was just what I needed at the time. Added 2/18/2016: I still have not photo'd the skirts and tops, but I'm going to let this post go and move on. Got new things to talk about.
Wow, I can't believe it's been 3 months since my last post, but I have been busy, with both art and sewing. I'm going to go in reverse a bit and show my latest one first because she was so much fun! My sis-in-law gave me a doll she picked up in the thrift store just because she wanted to see if I would draw it....so I did. She is "Fancy Nancy," a cloth Madame Alexander doll. I did her in ink and colored pencil in about an 8 x 11 size. Isn't she just lovable, crazy fun? Next up...mushrooms! Just some pretty tangled flowers. A new little girl is coming into our extended family soon and I've been busy making gifts for her. The first is a bunch of burp cloths made from prefold diapers and flannel prints. These are very practical, absorbent and nice looking. Easy, easy project. These sweet little kimono-style jackets were made from fleece and cotton. I made the white one in 0-3 mos. sized for this fall, and the grey one is 9-12 mos., hopefully for next spring. These were easy and fun to make. I also made a few simple receiving blankets large enough for swaddling. Yesterday I completed a pair of "pocket pants" for a three-year-old boy. When we find out if these are the right fit, I've got a couple more ready to cut and sew for him. These should be great fun for him to wear, as that age child loves to collect small objects and keep them in their pockets. Mom and his nana will just have to be vigilant about checking them before doing the laundry, LOL! I have also made several decorative pillows for my daughter's sofa, but haven't been on the ball enough to get photos of any of them.
I've done lots of other art work, as well, but not planning to show all of it here. I've also been getting into sewing with linen, lately, and I am really enjoying that process. The fabric is a joy to work with and I'm working on a wardrobe of Mori-style clothes. I'm not strict in the sense of it all having to be dark, or all-natural fabrics, though I do prefer that. I'm making some crinkle gauze, batiked print skirts and now I'm working on recycling an old men's shirt into something feminine and lovely to go with them. I also had to make a linen half slip to wear under the crinkle gauze skirts for some more opacity, but still keeping the breezy cool feel. I wasn't able to find the right size half slip locally and I didn't really want nylon for summer anyway. The linen is perfect for this! I have learned how to "hemstitch" and have done 7 lovely linen handkerchiefs using this heirloom technique. I haven't photo'd any of these linen projects yet, but will get to that soon and do a separate post for them. BTW, I get almost all of my linen from www.fabric-store.com. I have been totally pleased with the consistent quality of their fabrics. They have something on sale nearly every day and I signed up for emails, so when what I like is on sale, that's when I buy. Occasionally I can find some 100% linen or a nice linen-cotton mix at my local Hancocks and that has been a good buy, also. I do not buy the linen/acrylic blend; it just isn't appropriate for what I'm doing at this time. 'Bye for now....keep enjoying the summer! As promised, this post is about my latest obsession---drawings of the Russian nesting dolls. These lovely dolls usually come in sets of five or more, each doll gradually smaller than the one before, till you get down to the smallest, solid one. They all fit inside the larger one. Traditionally, these are usually a mother with her children, but also may include a father. They can, however, be anything else you can possibly think of, including sets of animals. Imagination is the only limitation and the shapes also vary somewhat. I've even seen plain eggs. The painted exterior is normally hand done, though I'm certain there are some really cheaply done factory-mades, too. The designs tend to be brightly colored, using Russian traditional designs and flowers. For my drawings, I found that this shape lends itself to Zentangle type designs, and so I incorporated some of those, along with some flowers. I decided that, even when doing a drawing of a "set," my designs and faces could be all different, rather than smaller versions of the larger one. It's just so much more fun! So I have blondes, brunettes and even an Asian little girl in one set. I don't have to be traditional! Here is my very first one: This little blonde is based an a girl I knew back in elementary school (the 1950's!) who had coloring and hair just like this! She was (as is my doll) rather sad and very, very shy. I don't know where she is today, but I still think of her when I see a little girl with blonde hair, freckles and those pale eyelashes you almost can't see. The next one is a whole set, and I just let my imagination go crazy! Not much to say about this one--young mother with baby "painted" in her arms. Here I decided to just give a hint of what's inside the girl with the bump-out Zentangle designs alongside of her. I guess they are suggestions about her "potential children." I definitely think too much, LOL!
I was so excited on Thursday when my new colored pencils arrived. After a lot of research, spending much time reading reviews on art supply websites, etc., I decided I needed the Faber-Castell line and my birthday present is this lovely full set! I know it probably seems to a non-artsy person that this is way more choice than a person would ever need, but trust me, it's not! I love having a lot of choices in the blues, greens, reds and pinks, but where it really is helpful to me is all the warm fleshy tones and the array of browns. These are so wonderful for doing faces and hair, which is something I totally enjoy! The thing that put me over the edge in choosing this brand over Prismacolor is that they are oil, rather than wax, which means you do not get that "bloom" that happens when you put it on heavily. Also, this brand supposedly breaks less while sharpening, as they are glued all the way through. I already broke one on my 3rd day, but I think the problem was a jam in my manual sharpener. Time will tell, I suppose, but in the meantime, I'm loving how smoothly they color and the richness of the colors. Hubby asked me to do something for Easter "with eggs...and bunnies" so I did this "slightly tangled" one for him. Then my niece said, "Oh, well if you're taking requests, I like frogs and turtles." Hmmm....Okay. I decided to do a little drawing of my own Asian "Jinny" doll and I think she turned out nicely, though I had an unfortunate incident with my blender pen that I still don't fully understand. This is ink and Copic marker. Sometime soon I will dig out my other Jinny doll and give that one a try. She is dressed for tea :) I didn't leave purely tangled designs behind at all. Here is just one of my recent ones. I decided not to color this one, as it already had so much depth just with the shading. I do love the structural quality I can get with just shaded hearts. Oh, I almost forgot that I did this this little one in ink and colored pencil. She's based on a 1950's paperdoll of the Jinny doll. I seem to have a new obsession this week and I will be back soon with photos of my work, but I took a short detour into canning walnuts in syrup tonight. We are planning a banana split party next Saturday and I'm getting together all sorts of toppings, trying to do as many homemades as I can. Wet nuts is a favorite of ours and they are terribly expensive to buy in those teensy jars, so I'm giving this a go. I made 10 pints tonight and will get to taste them tomorrow. The syrup tasted good, but I want to give the nuts a chance to sit and soak up the flavor and get softened by the syrup before I open one of the jars up. The process was every bit as much work as any other canning project, except there was no chopping and peeling involved. Yeah. Anyhow, these will make nice gifts. I don't dare keep all of them, or we'll be eating ice cream every night till their gone and neither of us needs those calories!
Over the next few days I plan to also make up a batch of caramel sauce and some hot fudge sauce. I've made these before and they make smaller batches, which I do NOT plan to can. We'll probably eat it all up on Saturday :) I may, if I have time, make some strawberry topping, as well. I haven't done that before, but it looks simple and will certainly beat the heck out of anything you could buy in the store. Yay, ice cream party! I was so pleased to be asked to be a pattern tester for CA Design Bum, (etsy seller, Natalie Jones) and the project was a lovely tote bag. After making the bag I made a few small suggestions and I think her pattern is going to be a high-quality entry on her etsy site.
My photos are not very good on this one, I'm afraid, but here we go: I've been busy creating more art, mostly sticking with the flowers, but occasionally a little foray into something different. Here's a sampling:
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