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Month: September 2018

Daisy Goes to Church

Neal and I attend Chapel in the Pines during the summer. It is on Logan Martin Lake in Pell City, Alabama. It is organized by Pell City First United Methodist Church. Each Sunday a different pastor from a local church preaches. We have thoroughly enjoyed being inspired by several pastors and worshipping with other believers in the woods by the lake.

Today was the last day of Church in the Pines for the season. They planned a service (mostly singing) for participants to bring their furry friends to be blessed.
All this to say…Daisy went to church! (Buddy our cat stayed home.)We sat by Gracie who is a sweet black lab. Continue reading “Daisy Goes to Church”

Vintage Bench Makeover

This was one of my favorite projects for many reasons:

    • it was a treasure from my father’s house;
    • it is old;
    • I was able to trace its history (the furniture manufacturer);
    • I was able to combine two of my favorite things (chalk paint and using fabric); and
    • It was also a quick transformation!

Continue reading “Vintage Bench Makeover”

A Tearful Goodbye to Ladybug

This afternoon, we said goodbye to our sweet Ladybug. Santa brought her to daughter Emmy when she was in third grade. This was also the first Christmas that our son Ryan was no longer a “believer”. Ryan helped me bathe Ladybug at my office on Christmas Eve day. It was special moment between Ryan, Ladybug and me. Emmy dressed Ladybug in sweaters and she would not move (because she did not like clothing). Emmy called these “magic sweaters” because it would make a playful puppy turn calm and still.

Continue reading “A Tearful Goodbye to Ladybug”

How We Built Our Porch Columns

We originally had old cedar columns on our porch. As part of our porch renovation project, we decided to add an apron to frame the porch ceiling and then we wrapped the cedar columns with Hardie boards. Below is a glimpse of one of the columns. Here is a before picture (also before the outdoor fireplace and old barn wood ceiling. Notice in the picture below the old columns on the far left and that there is no apron around the edge of the ceiling.

Continue reading “How We Built Our Porch Columns”

How We Installed Barn Wood on Our Porch Ceiling

This is a picture of the porch ceiling before we added the old barn wood.

Below is an after picture of the barn wood ceiling (also after we added the rock on the face of the house, built the fireplace, and wrapped the columns). The floor is our next project!

Continue reading “How We Installed Barn Wood on Our Porch Ceiling”

Making a Sewing Machine Table

We found this Singer sewing machine base at an antique mall in Vestavia, Alabama several years ago. We love old things. We used it on our patio porch for several years. We used a rough (not polished) piece of granite as its countertop.

Because Neal and I have moved around so much for my career, I was finally thankful to actually have a craft room/closet to leave my sewing machine out and used it as needed without having to unpack/pack up each time. I also have more time now that I am semi-retired.

Below are two before pictures of the sewing machine base. Notice that it is very rusty.

Continue reading “Making a Sewing Machine Table”

Chalk Painting Our Front Porch Bench

I really enjoy the transformational process that occurs when I chalk paint furniture. We purchased this bench from Grandinroad. It is the perfect size for our porch; however, we changed our minds about the color (black) and decided to chalk paint it so it blended better with our porch.

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How to Sew Pillow Slipcovers

I had two faded pillows that I made a few years ago for our front porch. I used outdoor fabric; however, they faded over time. I decided to make spring/summer slipcovers for them. (I am eventually going to make slipcovers for every season. So far, I just have Christmas slipcovers and these floral slipcovers.)

The first step was to measure the existing pillows. I flattened them the best I could to get an accurate measurement. I determined that the slipcovers needed to be 16.5 inches and I wanted a 1/2 inch seam, so this equated to 17.5 x 17.5 inches total.

Once I determined the size, I needed to square my fabric, so I would have two perfect squares. I used a triangular ruler and a yardstick.

Continue reading “How to Sew Pillow Slipcovers”

Chandelier Makeover

“They” say you are suppose to discard items you have not used in the last year, but not me! I just love this light fixture and hung on to it for several years. We bought it on clearance many years ago and used it in our daughter Emmy’s bedroom when she was a child. At the time, it was gold. When Neal helped me create my craft room, I dug this out of the attic and decided to use it. I bought a can of pink spray paint (spray paint transform junk to jewels) and VOILA! Don’t you just love how it turned out!

Continue reading “Chandelier Makeover”

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