Thursday, August 30, 2012

Britton's 3rd birthday quilt

Let me just warn you - this post is very picture-heavy!  I started Britton's third birthday quilt before she turned two years old, and it has taken me over a year to complete it.  I thought I could get it finished before her birthday, but the hotel room proved to be too tight a space to even pull out my sewing machine.  This week I vowed that the quilt would be finished.  As soon as I found the November block, which went missing!



I don't know where I got the idea for this quilt, because I haven't ever seen a calendar quilt before.  But I think it began when Memaw and I were browsing Jo-Anns one day, and remarked on the holiday-specific fabric.  As a rule, the holiday fabric tends to be over-the-top and gaudy, but I had an idea of making each block with holiday fabric related to that month.  I was also looking to try my hand at a sampler, where each block of the quilt is a different pattern.  Hence, Britton's calendar quilt!  And I started it with August, since that is her birthday month.


The backing fabric - just adorable.  Of course, it wasn't wide enough, so I tacked on some blue plaid I had found at an antiques mall.


This binding color was my third choice.  The first choice turned out to be too busy, the second was too dark, and then I remembered this orange flowered fabric I had picked up from Wal-Mart on clearance months ago for $3 per yard.  It just worked!


Now for the blocks!  Each block is a different pattern, but I have no idea what the name of any of the patterns is!  I just wanted each to be different, and of course it had to be a nine-patch pattern so I'd have the white middle square for the month name.  The months are just stitched on with cross-stitching embroidery floss, and admittedly I had no idea what I was doing so they are a little wonky and uneven. Adds to the charm!

August - Britton's birthday month
September - apples for school beginning again (even though Britton isn't in school yet!), and Mickey Mouse ears because our annual Disney trip is in September
October - Halloween!  My favorite holiday!
November - I'll admit it - it's hard to find cute Thanksgiving fabric.
December - my lighting is bad in this photo because the fabrics are cream, not yellow.  Love the vintage Santas and Christmas light strands!
January - snow flakes
February - both fabrics look like dots, but are actually tiny hearts
March - shamrocks for St. Patty's Day
April showers - the fabric with the little kids and umbrellas is one of my all-time favorite fabrics
Bring May flowers - the hardest, most time-consuming block of the lot.  I will never do this pattern again ever.
June - hard because there isn't a holiday, so I went with watermelon because Britton can eat her weight in watermelon
July 4th!  

I gave the quilt to Britton today, and she loved all the colors.  I think she was still on belated birthday overload from the playset, so I didn't push her to listen to me explain all the details.  She's three years old, so it's not like she's going to understand all the emotional significance yet.  Sadie has been plotting all day about stealing the quilt for herself!  It was a fun quilt to make, and shopping for fabrics each month was new to me.  Fabric stores never put out all holidays at once, so tackling this quilt meant that there wasn't a finish line to race to - it forced me to take my time.

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

birthday and anniversary gifts, belated

Our new neighborhood doesn't have a park.  There's one across the street from the neighborhood, but that would require us to get into the car every time we wanted to go, and after work in the few hours we have to play, we don't want to have to drive over there.  So we knew if we bought this house we'd have to get Britton a playset.  The hub and I went to two different places that carried the wooden ones, and narrowed it down to one.  Man, was that ever difficult.  

If you ever want to drive yourself crazy, go to one of these places and compare A-frame to up-and-down, monkey bars versus slide placement, tire swing versus play table versus sand box, even the color options of the roof.  It was serious option overload, and I just wanted someone to have a store called "The Best Playset Ever" and only carry one option!  



This beauty (which is actually the smallest of the units they carry, can you believe that?!) has three swings, a rock wall, a ladder and stairs, a rope ladder, a trapeze bar, a slide, a tire swing underneath, and a steering wheel and telescope on the deck.  We picked the Mountaineer color option for the roof, but stuck with green for the slide so it wouldn't show dirt.


When I picked up Britton from daycare today I told her that she had a surprise waiting for her.  We never told her that we ordered one, because we have finally learned our lesson about telling her things too early - she has no concept of time.  I told her it was her birthday present, and she took that to mean that she was getting another birthday today.  To which she promptly informed me that she wanted a Dora party.  I told her no, that this present was for the birthday that she just had, but that it wasn't delivered in time.  This is the moment when she finally saw it!




Just a hunch, but I think she likes it!  The structure has a fifteen year warranty and has to be sealed once a year, but other than that it should outlast her desire to play on it.  We knew going in that we only wanted to have to buy a playset once, so it had to last.


And because the hub and I are at the point where our everyday expenses now double as an anniversary gift to each other, we treated ourselves to new garage doors.  Iron is the traditional sixth wedding anniversary gift, so the doors count.  Kind of.

The old ones were original to the house, ugly as all get out, and had no insulation.  There was also only one garage door opener, and it sounded like a freight train when it was struggling to open the door.  The frames were also missing any safety cables.  Our new doors now each have an opener, and they are so ridiculously quiet.  With our basement on the same floor as the garage, we wanted the doors to be insulated and these are.  Plus, they are pretty!

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

bookcase redo

We have a wall in our house that was just screaming for a built-in bookcase.  The wall is between the hallway from the foyer and the entrance to the dining room, and is right off the breakfast nook.  This is the before (including my painting from Missy that I put there so I'd remember to take it for framing!):


I had it in my head to do the knock-off DIY built-in bookcases using the Billy bookcases from IKEA.  But I quickly figured out that it would mean cutting off the chair rail and baseboard, and a lot of other work I wasn't inclined to do.  I may be instant gratification, but I'm also admittedly lazy!  So when I went to Jessica's house, I saw her white bookcases and asked where she got them.  Target, as it turns out, and while they are each twice the price of the Billy bookcases, they do have additional molding that gives them a finished look.  Cinderella stopped by to help the hub assemble...

The hub also screwed them together so that they looked like one unit.  I tried painting the backing blue, but because the backing had some plastic coating on it, the paint refused to stick.  Now I finally have a good display place for pictures and all my cookbooks!


Once I FINALLY finish unpacking the garage, the rest of the shelves will be filled with books and pictures.  And there's also a peak of the flowers the hub had delivered for our anniversary!

Friday, August 24, 2012

before and after photos: the living room and second floor


One room left on the first floor to share - the formal living room.  This room has been on the back burner because frankly, we have nothing to put into it.  The couple who sold the house offered to sell us their living room furniture, but we weren't in the market for hunter green couches and mauve wing chairs, so we politely declined.  One day, this room will house a baby grand piano, but until then it's holding the stuff we're donating.

The paneling/wainscoting is real wood.  And stained dark.  I had my dad's voice in the back of my mind saying, "Never paint over real wood," but I ignored it and went to town.  Two coats of primer took 5 hours.  Ugh.


I discovered in the process that the room was once painted maroon.  Can you imagine how dark it was with that dark wood?  The wall color is "Heaven on Earth" and the paneling is "Decorator White," both by Benjamin Moore.


I picked up this clock at Kirkland's with my sister, and these curtains were trouble to track down!  Both my mom and Memaw found them for me, each of their Pier 1's carrying only two panels each. 


On to the upstairs...Britton's bathroom.  Everything is the same as our old house, and one day soon we hope to rip out the vanity, flooring, toilet, and tub, since all are original and lacking any style.  Suffice it to say, I'm not doing much on this bathroom until we get it remodeled.  But it's twice the size of her old bathroom, so I'll take it!


The office - not much going on here.  We didn't paint it because my painting hand is crippled into a claw, and I refuse to put work into a room we don't use daily.  The curtains were a great find!  My sister had given me these beautiful crewel curtains ages ago, probably ten years or more ago.  I lost them along the way, but rediscovered them in unpacking!  


Master bedroom.  All the furniture is the same, but the curtains are new.  They look black in the picture, but they are actually a calming navy.  The ceiling fan is gold (that sound you hear is me gagging), but I don't know anything about electrical work so it's staying for now.  Here's the kicker - I did paint this room.  It's "Wheeling Neutral" by Benjamin Moore.  As I was painting, I noticed it wasn't much different than the beige already on the walls.  I figured it would darken as it dried.  It didn't.  I spent three hours painting the master bedroom a half shade darker than it was when we moved in!  And please ignore that the pictures above the bed (blow-ups of our wedding invitation) are too close together because they are hiding the 500 holes I put in the wall to get them level with each other.  Once that was accomplished, I was over it and left them as is.


Britton's room.  I wanted to paint it lavender, but she requested pink walls and purple curtains.  The paint is "Pink Ribbon" by Benjamin Moore.  Our original color, "Pink Peony," was just too light.  I worried the color would be too bright, but once furniture was moved in the paint color was softened.  The curtains are purple gingham by Tadpoles - only $24 per pair!


Here is where her bedroom gets real.  No Pottery Barn Kids photo spread or HGTV makeover - she refuses her beautiful quilt for her Dora blanket.  Oh well.  I was going to put her name letters above her bed, but in the unpacking I accidentally threw them away.  We have over 30 bags of trash downstairs waiting to be collected by the trash company, and there is no way I can tear each open to look for them.


Guest room - no painting the walls, and everything stayed the same.  Eventually I will update the bedding (it's a french ticking by Pottery Barn) but for now it works.


I won't show you our master bathroom, unless you really want to see the ivy stencil work over the bathtub.  I only wish I was joking!  It's white floors, white vanity, all white and sterile and not our style at all,  I see a claw foot tub in my future!

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

jason's quilt


I started on Jessica's baby quilt back when we were living in Texas.  I was inspired by copied a quilt I had seen on a quilting blog (Bleu is Blue) and wanted to try my hand at triangles.  I was also intrigued by doing a quilt of solids only, and used all solids except for one white from Memaw's stash with tiny flowers.  Once I found the adorable Michael Miller pennant backing fabric, the colors were picked for me.  


I put off doing the back since I didn't know if Jessica was set on her name choice.  People tend to change  their minds later on in the pregnancy, and Jessica was no exception!  When I started the quilt she was decided on "Aiden," and later decided on "Jason."  I asked her if she was positive she was using Jason, and she assured me she was!


Other than Britton's boat dress, I don't have experience in appliqué.  I was intimidated, so I read a ton of quilting blogs on how to do it with a quilt.  I like how the name turned out!  I may use this technique on future baby quilts, because I think it just adds a nice touch. 


I straight-line quilted 1/4 inch on either side of the seam, using a pale blue thread.  The bobbin thread was white, so that the backing fabric didn't have blue running through it. 


Michael Miller "Mini Mikes Bunting Scallop Retro" fabric.  So cute, so perfect for a baby.


I finished the quilt off in a brown and white polka dot binding.  Because ya'll know I love my polka dot bindings!  The quilt now has a home hanging on Jason's crib, and I've instructed Jessica that I expect this quilt to be used!  I'd much rather Jason drag it behind him, refuse to let it ever get washed because he sleeps with it, and use it as a cuddle buddy, than fold it up and stick it in a closet. 

For Jason, Made with Love by Aunt Kiwi

Monday, August 20, 2012

baby shower for jason

So I bailed on unpacking the basement, and went to visit my sister Jessica and her clan!  We had planned her shower for Sunday, but I went on Thursday so I could see everyone for more than just a weekend.  I haven't visited with Jessica and her family since Christmas, and now that I can drive there we will definitely be doing it more often.  Bonus - I got to see Jessica's new house!

Emily is super-excited about that camera

My mom came up too, so it was a downright family reunion.  Emily put Cammy to work rolling out play dough.  She's a firecracker and hard for my tired self to keep up with, but she just got such a kick out of having two people there who looked like her mommy! 


We went with a whale/nautical/boy theme for the shower, and Saturday night Jessica and I put these water bottle labels together.  That's Jason's ultrasound picture!



Us and our Jen - we figured out that Jen has been to all four of Jessica's baby showers!  She's the friend I've stayed in touch with the longest, and we've all known each other before the husbands and babies.  When the three of us get together, the conversation never stops.  And I love that.



Garrett and Caroline attended the shower too.  Later that night Caroline and I hunted down every "Sweet Valley Twin" book we could find on Amazon.  I got her a couple of the books for Christmas, and she's hooked.  


I got this set for Jessica before I knew she was having a boy.  But since Tim crabs, I figured it was worth the gamble to guarantee Carter's wouldn't discontinue it!  Jessica loved it.


Ahhhh, the baby quilt!  I finished this quilt the day before I left for my visit.  More to come on the specifics.  But suffice it to say, I absolutely loved how the quilt turned out - colors, design, fabrics - they all came together better than I could plan.  


Jessica got great baby gifts!  There were a lot of clothes, but she's really starting from scratch since her last son is now 12 years old.  I also gave her a video monitor, because anyone who will listen to me about must-have baby items knows I still use my video monitor to this day.  Cammy got her a Fisher Price Rock and Play, and she also received an activity seat.  Every present was perfect, and this baby is all set for his arrival now!