Dog Silhouette Pillow

Our oldest daughter is in medical school.  We are very proud of her.  She has worked awfully hard to get where she is, 
weathering hundred hour days, sleepless nights, really gross anatomy and a 6-year-old study partner.  

And even though she has let none of this get the best of her, 
this just might...

Meet Jack.  Fifteen pounds of completely adorable, 
totally out-of-control dog flesh.  

Of course, she's in denial, and thinks it's going to work out.  I, on the other hand, have the job of pessimist -- what are mothers for?  But, I can still hear her, at 12 years old, telling me, "You're responsible for that dog if you bring it in this house!"

We'll see.  I won't mind one bit being proven wrong on this one though.

In the meantime, I've made my grandson (study partner extraordinaire) a pet of the tamer kind for his bed -- a "Jack" dog silhouette pillow similar to those I've seen in decorating magazines.

It was much easier to find a dog silhouette by googling "dog silhouette pictures"  than to get Jack to sit for a picture.  I enlarged the view and used a little cheat I've done before.  I taped my drop cloth fabric 
over my laptop screen and very lightly traced the image with a fine tip marker.  

I'm not recommending this...I'm just telling you how I do it...
it's your laptop... 

I traced and filled everything in with black markers -- how easy was that?  I like the "drawn on" look, myself.

Back at the computer, I typed "Jack" into a document, enlarged it to fit and cheated again by tracing directly from the screen.

This all works best in a dark-ish room.

I drew the border with a marker around the edge.  

There you have it -- 

***

I'll be linking up here:


*Under the Table and Dreaming

*Show and Tell Friday - My Romantic Home
*Frugal Friday - The Shabby Nest
The Friday Flair - Whipper Berry
Remodelaholic Friday - Remodelaholic
Feathered Nest Friday - French Country Cottage
Feature Yourself Friday - Fingerprints on the Fridge
Flaunt It Friday - Chic on a Shoestring Decorating

A Little Knick Knack 

*Saturday Nite Special - Funky Junk Interiors

*Weekend Wrap Up Party - Tatertots and Jello

Saturday Spotlight - Craft Envy
 Be Different Act Normal
A Little Lovely
Along for the Ride
 Passion for Paint

If you enjoyed this post (and, gosh, I hope you did) please BECOME A FOLLOWER!

Shopping Your House

 Sometimes you're just (more than) ready for a change.  It doesn't happen to me that often but when it hits me -- it hits me hard.  

Lately I've been in that kind of mood but because I've been working on projects for clients, I haven't had time to "discover" 
new accessories for myself.  

The solution?   

Shop my house.  

I worked on the mantle and a spot or two in the kitchen myself.  Then my Mom (whose timing is always perfect) came for a visit and she shopped my house for me.  

By moving around some of the accessories already on the armoire in the master bedroom and adding things she found around the house she put 

together a new look for me. 

 The prints had been stacked next to the armoire for months, waiting impatiently to be hung...

I still love the vintage book planter so, of course, it had to stay...

And the sweet little picture of Mr. Lindy had to stay as well...

 

What a handsome little man.  

He still sticks his hands in his pockets just like that.

And believe it or not -- I knew him at this age! 

This birdcage was a Christmas gift. The potted ivy seems to show up all over my house -- I think I could use a dozen of them.

Sometimes a little tweaking is all you need.  

A Mother's touch doesn't hurt either...

I'll be parting at

*Blue Cricket Design
*Be Inspired - Room to Inspire

*Power of Paint Party - Domestically Speaking

Savvy Southern Style 
 *Tea Rose Home
*Someday Crafts
Restore Interiors 

Sew Much Ado

Primitive & Proper

My Backyard Eden
A Beach Cottage

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

Please *click here* and take a look around
my Etsy Store...

If you enjoyed this post (and, gosh, I hope you did) please BECOME A FOLLOWER!

Master Bedroom Redo

After four solid days of stitching up this brand new look for a client, I am "bug eyed and not so bushy tailed".  I'm pooped.  Worn out.  Beat.  I may never sew again...

Not really.  'Cuz, I've been sewing all my life.  

My first sewing machine, a pink Sew Big, was a child sized machine that you cranked by hand.  That was the third grade.  By the fourth grade I had graduated to a "real" secondhand Kenmore.  By the sixth, I had given up on teaching my mom to sew (she'd have to wake me up in the middle of the night to thread the machine for her) and was making my own clothes.  Whenever I wasn't painting, I was sewing.  I was flying high...I was born to sew. 

 So when a client needed a master makeover and I needed a project for the CWTS finale, I jumped at the chance.  

After shopping for fabric and accessories, it was time to get down to business.  My local quilt and fabric shop, the fabulous Lasting Creations, quilted the silk coverlet for me in a rush.  I can't thank them enough.  It's gorgeous -- pictures do not do it justice.

  I wanted to cover the round table in the unexpected and I think I got my wish.  It's big, and stands up nicely to the canopy.  

That's a down foot warmer at the foot of the bed.  Cool, huh?

Lovin' the little details... 

So, after four looooooong days (and nights) I'm happy to say I'm pleased with the results and so is my client. 

I've got more to do in this room so stay tuned...

Linking up @

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

Please *click here* and take a look around
my Etsy Store...

If you enjoyed this post (and, gosh, I hope you did) please BECOME A FOLLOWER!

DIY Sewing Cabinet

  The transformation of this antique french armoire into a sewing cabinet has been months and months in the making but I think it's the best dang (math) project  I've ever done.

Not that I'm mathematically challenged.  I just don't challenge myself mathematically -- that's all.  But for this one, I had to rip out the old count-u-la-tor and a few extra brain cells to get what I wanted. 

The "fit" had to be exact and I'm not sure how, but I got it on the first try -- but just barely.  The problem was I needed the table to be as large as possible but still fit inside the cabinet.  Oh, and I wanted the doors to close, too.  Pesky doors. 

I wish I had some really great tutorial to add here but everyone's armoire and measurements would be different so that won't really work.  I can post a boat load of pictures so you can see just how it works.  Here you go...

Little Miss Plain Jane...

 I used just one sheet of birch plywood, three piano hinges and drop leaf table hardware I found on the internet.

I had to lift up the back end so the height was right.

I added a yardstick to the front edge for convenience.

 And then I added a few bells and whistles.

Hooks on the back wall hold templates.

I wanted hanging storage on the doors but the doors wouldn't close with it hanging there so...

I stitched them onto child sized hangers.  I flip the hangers to the back when they're hanging on the doors....

Then I hang them in the cabinet when I need to close the doors.

My sewing machine slips right into place...

The table folds up...

And my sweet little grandtwin's guest room is back in business...

I'm linking up here

and with sweet Amy @

****************

*To see the PARTIES I link to and to join in the fun,
CLICK HERE
or check out my sweet hostesses on my sidebar!

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

Please *click here* and take a look around
my Etsy Store...

If you enjoyed this post (and, gosh, I hope you did) please BECOME A FOLLOWER!