Flirty Pillowcase Apron

The other day while I was shopping at the fabric store, a book caught my eye. Now, I can't remember the title... but it was all about repurposing pillowcases. As I flipped through the pages, an apron similar to this grabbed my attention.

I went to my stash of vintage pillowcases, put a few together that complimented eachother and voila' - a cute and flirty apron!
Only material from 3 pillowcases was used to construct the entire apron, nothing else. I love that! Oh, and the hand embroidered kittens, love 'em!

Thanks for stopping by. Hope you all are having a great week!

Spooky Black Cat Treat Buckets

I just finished a few black cat treat buckets to add to my Halloween display.

The buckets were a lot of fun to make. I started with a 4 1/4" flower pot (similar to a peat pot) and cut off the rim leaving two ears for the cat.
Next I covered the entire pot with fast mache' and let it dry in the oven for an hour or so. When the outside was dry, I covered the inside, again with fast mache', and let it dry too.

When both in and out side of the pot were dry, I drilled holes for a handle, and then covered the entire piece with orange paint.

Once the orange paint had dried, I painted over it with black, leaving some of the orange showing through for an aged look. The fun part of painting the cat faces came next!

To finish, I used chenille pipe cleaner for a handle and filled 'em with crinkled paper.

They're now ready to fill with treats!

Originally From Grandpa

When something gets broken around here, I don't let it get to me. I have kids, things break. Although, more then a few months ago, something from my childhood was broken to smithereens, it really bummed me out. One day, the girls came to me crying. They knew mommy was going to be upset. Apparently, while throwing a stuffed animal back and forth to each other in their room they caused an accident. All it took was one uncontrolled toss and my music box fell off their dresser smashing to the floor into a million pieces.

You see, the music box was a special gift to me from my Grandpa L. 3 weeks after I was born, he experienced a severe seizure at church. It was discovered then that he had a horrific brain tumor. He went home to heaven 8 months later, when I was 9 months old. I didn't get to know Grandpa, but I've always been told how much he enjoyed holding me when I was a baby. I treasured this gift immensely since it was the only thing I ever received from him. Growing up, I kept the music box on a shelf above my bed. Many times I would wind it up and listen to it play "Silent Night" over and over til it would slowly unwind to a stop. My music box definitely showed signs of being loved much - although, nothing super glue couldn't fix over the years. The final fall, did it in. I couldn't repair it, believe me, I tried.

Fast forward to last Thursday. While I was browsing the shelves at a local Goodwill, spotted out of the corner of my eye was my music box! I spun around swooped in and snatched it up so quickly, those in the isle didn't even know who/what went by.

Even though my music box has now been replaced, It still looks and feels just like the original from my Grandpa. I couldn't be happier!

Needlepoint Pillow Turned...

I adore needlepoint, always have - especially the beautiful pieces my grandma had. Oh, and if only her dining room chairs were still around... hmm be still my heart.

At an estate sale this summer, I picked up a few needlepoint pieces; a pillow, seat cover, and some framed pictures. Wow! Was that pillow dusty, I'm sneezing again, just thinking about it! Anyways, I took it apart, hand washed the needlepoint, and used it to make this tray.

Back in August, Cindy hosted a Tray you Made. I didn't participate at that time, but was inspired to make one for myself at some point. I finally took the time and put one together. I had all the pieces laying around - an old frame, glass knobs, paint, and handles which were upcycled from my recent bathroom cabinet redo.
I like to think about the lady whose hands created the beautiful needlepoint. I sure hope she'd approve of its reuse.

Today, hubby and I are celebrating 19 years of wedded bliss. Although so many years have passed, really, it just seems like yesterday that we said our vows before God and so many witnesses.

We are having another heat wave here in Seattle, and it sure feels hot like it did on our wedding day. Seattle set a record temperature of 92 degrees the day of our wedding - and whoa, was it hot! Not exactly the best temperature for long sleeve velvet dresses... aye yi yi

Le Bain

Recently, I crossed another "to do" off my list. I finally painted the cabinet in our main bathroom. Ridding the cabinet of its very 90's shiny brass hardware and painting the golden oak wood was long overdue.

Once the paint dried, it was time to re-accessorize the room. A few weeks ago, I found this cute shelf at an estate sale. Once I scrubbed off all the oil and grime, I discovered it was already painted the most perfect color for our main bath. I added the back piece to make it more of a cabinet since it sits on the countertop.

Here are a few close-ups around the room. Instead of purchasing all new brushed nickel accessories, I bought a can of spray paint and updated the towel bar, switchplates, etc... for only $3.00.
I love the metal locker room hanging basket my daddy found last summer at a garage sale, it makes a fun addition to the room. The cute little pink and white cabinet was found at a thrift store - perfect storage for all the girls hair accessories!

Summer Squash

LeAnn, who lives next door to us at the beach, puts out a basket near the road each summer, and keeps it filled with the abundance of summer squash that she has grown in her garden. Many people who live along the beach partake - me included!
Zucchini is one of my most favorite vegetable. The the way I love to eat it - sauteed with onion in a little butter and salt and pepper to taste - the way my mom has always made it. Mmmm
Usually I make zucchini bread, but this year I decided to make brownies instead. They sure turned out yummy! The recipe I used, didn't include eggs.... here's what I used 2 cups grated zucchini, 1/2 oil, 1 1/2 c sugar, 2 tsp vanilla, 2 cups flour, 1/2 cup cocoa, and 1 1/2 tsp baking soda. Oh, they are so moist and delicious!

Perfect after school snack for this first graders first day, wouldn't you say?