One Little Corner

Back in August I said I was working on a project with my sister that I would blog about. Well this project actually started about a year ago. I had a side entry to my home that needed a little more umph! So one day when my husband had come home from a business trip he found this...a closet that I had started to demo. The plan? Give us a little more elbow room in this cramped entry space, add a little storage & have fun in the process.

Now, I can't even believe I didn't take photos of the next several things that happened, but I didn't. There was some drywall repair that had to be done and since I was doing it I decided to remodel the half bath that you see in the picture above. I took off one of those big wall mirrors that had been adhered right to the wall and so...more drywall repair.

 

I painted the vanity black, bought a granite counter top and sink off Craig's List, bought tile off the clearance rack at Lowe's for the backsplash, dug out the faucet I had bought and stored away, picked up the mirror at Home Goods, painted the walls a new color & it was all tied into the old valance.  But I'm getting side tracked.

Being the thrifty person I am I found some 2 x 4's and began to construct a box in my new little corner of the world. This will be a bench for sitting and storage. I sided the bench with some of the tongue in groove paneling I had removed from the family room when we remodeled that.

I purchased a piece of pine and called on a good friend that has a table saw. (A table saw is at the top of my wish list for Christmas.) After he helped me cut the wood to my specifics I was back home in my basement. I painted the lid black with the same paint I used on the vanity. As you can see I used a satin finish in Kettle Black.

To help it flow better when painting furniture I used Floetrol. It is a product I bought at Lowe's that you mix with the paint. It works wonderfully. As you can see I also used a sponge roller. If I had this to do again I would put a coat of polyuerathane over the black paint. The seat will take alot of abuse & the extra protection would help. I could add it now and may, if time allows.

I screwed the long strip to the bench at the back and the short strip to the bench on the side. Attach a piano hinge and covered the screw heads with wood putty and touched up the paint. It turned out great! Now comes that weekend I spent with my sister. We started our antique door knob coat rack! We're frugal sisters so we used lumber we had hanging around and this is what we did......

I had originally stained a piece and didn't like how rough it was so I found another scrap that the edge was already routered and stained it.

This is crown molding I purchased and you guessed it, I painted it black with the same paint with the Floetrol in it.

You'll notice I wrap my brushes & rollers in plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator. I do this in between coats of paint. It saves me time to have to clean a roller or brush between each coat.

And I want to share one of my favorite things. This Mineral Spirits for cleaning up brushes. I was so tired of throwing out brushes because I couldn't get stain or paint out of them. This stuff cleans them up so well they are soft and smooth ready for the next project. And it's eco friendly!

 

Ok, so now the trip to see my sister, Brenda. This is us, having coffee before we begin our project. This is a great coffee shop, archetechural salvage place. I came home with salvage that I will turn around and earn a little money from but that will be another blog at a later date.

 These are her pieces of wood she found around her place for her coat racks. She's making 2 of them. They will be a little shorter than mine and only have 3 door knobs on each. Mine will use 5 door knobs. We drilled through the back side of the base wood where each door knob will be placed.

 

 

 Screws up through the back ready for door knobs. Place construction adhesive into the knob and place over screw.

I love this knob. The raised detail is beautiful.

 

Now we're ready for the crown molding. Study up on how to cut mitered corners before you tackle this. It's not for the weak. I enlisted my husband to help with this part.

But first back to my sister to check out her progress. Here she is being helped by her son, Thomas. They have taken scraps of molding from their basement remodel and are adding character and interest to the top of her coat racks. She plans to paint the entire piece.  And there they are... ready to be painted and touched up and hung on the wall!

 

Here is my finished coat rack. And to the right with the storage bench! And of course here is my favorite twin sister with her finished coat rack.

Projects always go better, are much more fun and add loving memories to our days when spent with family or friends. Thanks for checking in on me. I'll be busy dreaming of my next project so I hope you leave me some notes in the mean time to let me know what you think!   Linda

 

Team Apparel T-Shirt Refashion

I love a challenge. I was to travel with my husband on business. One night was a tailgating theme. We were to wear our favorite Team Apparel. I had t-shirts and could wear it with jeans but how boring is that? I wanted something cute. So I sent a text to a couple of my K-State friends and sent out a plea for t-shirts to refashion. Thanks to Tim & Dianna for their donation! This is what I started with. It's a 2XL. The bigger the better in the refashioning world. You never know what you could do with all the extra fabric!

First cut the sleeves off. Set the sleeves aside for later.

I looked in my closest to get ideas of how I might want the final product to look like. I liked the neckline in the pink top. The navy and red paisley had the elastic waste and length I wanted. As you can see the clock on the oven says 7:27pm. I leave for the airport the following morning at 10 am. :)

Now cut the neckline to your liking. I cut half, fold it over to cut the other half so the neckline is even.

I decided where I wanted the elastic waste to go. In this case it will be more of an empire waste. I also decided how full around I wanted it to be. Pin and try on, pin and try on. Don't go crazy and jump in and cut too much off. I have done this and ended up throwing away two Royals T-shirts this summer. I rushed to have a new refashion for the game and ended up wearing a pink top instead of my powder blue on Royals game day. Anyway. Be cautious and certain before cutting off fabric for side seam. All my seams are 1/2". It just makes it easier when doing the math for where to sew. Cut excess fabric off and sew down side seams. You'll notice I left the original hem on the T-shirt as it was a length I liked.

I'm frugal and strapped for time. Using this satin ribbon for a casing is soft & flexible and fits the bill! Pin in place and sew to garment. As I said mine is more empire waste. Be sure to leave an opening to insert the elastic. Measure elastic to fit comfortably and thread into the casing. Sew ends of elastic together. I used 1/4" wide elastic.





Grab those sleeves you set aside. Cut off the seam so it is not bulky when you reattach it to the garment at the sleeve. Trim down the circumference of the sleeve to fit. I wanted elastic around the sleeves so next I cut elastic and stretched it as I sewed it on. This automatically draws it together like you've gathered and then sewed but my way is easier and saves time. Sew sleeve with right sides together, pin sleeve into arm hole and sew it on. You may want to remove more fabric so the seam sits at the edge of your shoulder. I left the original hem on the sleeves...a big time saver.

I dug out another old t-shirt to make a ruffle for around the neckline. Cut 1" strips twice the length around the neckline. Sew stips together to make one long stip.

Baste down center of strip and gather. Fit to desired look, pin to neckline and sew right over the basting.

And the finished product. We had a great time at our event! And our team won! Now you know how to refashion your favorite T into team apparel you"ll be proud to wear.

Tip for Zucchini Cake all year around.

Wow, I have been busy and it hasn't been blogging. I'm pretty sad about that but I am happy to be working a temp job.  Anyone can work a job for a short period of time right? Plus this job has been a blessing. I have met new people and learned new skills. The people are great and it is such a pleasant atmosphere to work in.
I do hope to blog soon about that project I worked on the weekend of my birthday. In the mean time a tip for the Zucchini Cake. I had a huge zuchinni and wasn't able to use all of it in the cake AND didn't want it to go to waste. So I shredded it in 2 cup portions and put it in freezer baggies for use later. I made another cake just last week and took it to the office. The girls said it was delicious!
Have a super week and thanks for checking in on me.
Linda

Ruffle Cardigan T-Shirt Refashion

I had a little time this weekend to play a little with the sewing machine. I had these 2 long sleeve t-shirts that were old and boxy fitting. I took the solid one and trimmed it down, cut up the front and added a ruffle using the arm sections from the striped t-shirt. I'm saving the body of the striped t-shirt for another project I hope to work on this week. Have fun in your sewing room this week and I'll check back in soon!

Linda

Summer almost Over?

Wow, it is August already. The summer is coming to an end fast. The heat is still on and fall allergies have started already. But I'm not letting that slow me down. Get out there and enjoy life. I'm excited to think of the fun months ahead. A weekend trip to visit family will produce my next blog. My twin sister and I will be constructing antique door knob coat racks!

I hope to share how our girls train ride to Hermann, MO went. And cooking smores over a fire will be even better when sitting next to the pergola we are planning to construct in our back yard.

I'd like to thank Beth at http://chicenvelopements.wordpress.com/ , Amber at http://rufflesandrosescrafts.blogspot.com/  and Tamara at http://etcetorize.blogspot.com/  for all the inspirational ideas for refashioning clothing. So when the weather turns cold I'll be sewing even more!

Hope you will check in on me. It's going to be a fun fall so come along for the ride! Linda

Salsa by Lindaloo

I keep this recipe pretty close to me but so many have been asking for this for so long. If you aren't into canning, don't have the tomatoes or don't want to go to the trouble. I will always have a jar for you in the pantry. Remember to bring back the empty jar for a refill!

What you"ll need: Ingredients (this recipe makes 9 pints)

• 24 medium beef steak or 48 roma tomatoes or a mixture of both
• 2 cups chopped jalapeno's
• 2 cups chopped green bell peppers (2-3)
• 2 cups chopped onion (2-3)
• 14 cloves garlic minced or I use minced garlic from the jar.
• 1 tsp crushed oregano fresh
• 2 tbsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 cup white vinegar
• 6 oz can tomato paste

What you'll need: Supplies

• water bath canner
• large kettle/stock pot
• pint jars, lids & rings to fit. I use regular mouth jars.
• jar tongs
• measuring utensils
• knives for dicing, vegetable chopper
• cutting board with cookie sheet under it catches juices
• spoons
• cooling rack
• paper towels
• jar funnel

Blanch the tomatoes.
Dip them into boiling water in a large kettle for 30 seconds. Remove from boiling water and immediately dip tomatoes into cold water. I fill my sink with water and add ice cubes.



On the roma tomatoes I cut the stem end off and pinch off the skin. The tomato should slide right out. For other tomatoes cut out the core and peel. I blanch a pot full then ice them and then peel. Continue doing this till all tomatoes are peeled.

Now is a good time to fill canning kettle 3/4 full of water and start to bring it to a boil. It will be important to keep water boiling once jars are in the canner. With at least an inch of water over the top of the lids.

Chop your tomatoes. I like chunky salsa so I don't cut them too small.



Core other veggies, chop getting rid of seeds. Again, I like chunky salsa. You can place them in a blender or food processer for a smoother mixure. Place canning jars and rings in dishwasher and wash. I find the chopping more enjoyable if shared with my furry friends.

Add all ingredients to the large kettle. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occassionally. By now the dishwasher should be done. It's time to pack hot salsa into hot jars. Don't burn your fingers. Leave a 1/2 inch head space. That is the area from the top of the jar to the salsa.

Wipe the rim of the jar with a paper towel. Be sure the rim and outside of jar are clean. Rinse and completely dry lids. Make sure rings are dry as well. Place them on the jar. And place jar into canner using your tongs. My canner holds 7 jars. Place lid on canner.  Bring to a rolling boil and time for 20 minutes.Make sure water is at least 1 inch over the top of the jars. Take jars out of canner and place on cooling rack. Do not set them where there is a breeze and do not handle for 24 hours. Check to make sure your jars have sealed after the 24 hours by pressing on the lids. If there is give your jar has not sealed. Not to worry. The salsa is still good. You just need to eat it right away. Share it with your friends and family. Be sure to label your salsa with the date. I use a Sharpie marker right on the lid.

And that's it. As you know my veggie garden is recipe specific. I don't always get the bell pepper I need and have to run to the store and the salsa tastes just as good. If you like your salsa with a little more kick add the seeds from the jalapeno's. And watch the tears flow.  Happy Canning! Linda

Maxi Skirt Refashion

I have been super busy crafting, baking & sewing but I needed to take time out to perform my civic duty. For the 3rd week in a row I am working at our local election office. There are important issues out there so don't forget to get out and vote August 7th! That leads me to this new blog. I have met some wonderful ladies and I promised I would blog about this maxi skirt I wore into the office one day. This is for a budding sewer. It will be easy and fun to wear to school this year. I apologize I did not take photos while making it originally so what you see is the finished product. And like I said I have been busy so it came out of the dryer wrinkled and I have not taken an iron to it. Busy Mom's/Wives Unite!! HA HA anyway, onto the tutorial.

This is what you'll need:

• I used 3 adult men's polo shirts. They are thicker than a t-shirt most of the time. If you are taller than 5'3" you'll need more shirts, if shorter, then less shirts. I also choose medium because it fit around my hips comfortably. Pick your size accordingly.
• thread
• sewing machine
• scissors or rotary cutter and mat
• enough elastic to go around your waste

The original polo shirts I started with were similar to this. Lay them flat on a table one at a time. Cut off the lower part of the shirt at the armpit. I like using the rotary cutter and mat for this as the ruler gives me a nice straight line. However this is just as easy if you draw a line with a pen and cut with scissors. Do this to all shirts. You now have 3 fabric tubes. Decide what order you want your shirts to be in. I chose from top to bottom; brown, brown stripe & blue. From my 3 shirts bottoms I then cut them in half. So now I had 6 pieces (tubes). Cut off the hem of all shirts except for the piece that will be the hem of the skirt. With right sides together pin & sew your pieces together, ending with the hemmed piece at the bottom. Press seams open as you go.

Now we'll make the casing for the elastic waste. I used 3/4" wide elastic with an inch for the casing and 1/2" seam. This is how I did that. Judge what length you want your skirt. My skirts' finished length is 36 1/2" long. I added 1" for the casing and 1/2" for the seam. Then I cut the remaining fabric off. So now I have a skirt that is 37 1/2" in length. Turn the top under to the inside 1/2" and press. Fold down this area 1". Pin in place. Sew the the casing, making sure you leave an area open to insert the elastic. Measure and cut the elastic to a comfortable length. Insert it into the casing. Before loosing it all inside the casing leave the ends out so you can sew them together. This automatically gathers your wasteband of the skirt. Sew the opening to the casing closed.

 What I would reccommend you do now is open up a side seam at the bottom of the skirt to allow for easier walking. Just up to the knee should be far enough. Turn edges under and hem for a finished look. My short legs tend to take long strides and I did not do this. Ooops! It is on my to do list.

Enjoy your maxi skirt! If you make one send me a picture. I would love to see it!