Country Living

I have made my reservations and ordered my tickets!
I am offically going to the Country Living Fair at Stone Mountain!!
This will be so much fun, I can't wait to see all the antiques and crafts.
I know there will be lots of people there but am hoping that I might meet some decor bloggers.

Woo Hoo!!!!

I Won

I am the proud winner of a roll of Frog Tape from the talented Miss Mustardseed.

I know that that might not be reason for most people to post on their blog but...I have never won anything before so I am extatic!! I am so looking forward to using it on a project. Now I just have to decide what project I will do first.

When I get my tape and do my project I Promise I will post here. This will be what keeps me accountable. Now I have to because I said I would. LOL (we'll see how that works)

I am still here

Update required.

I am still at home. My employeer let me go, I still can't drive, I have occasional headaches that are dibilitating, I get dizzy, my gait is still unsteady and short term memory still gives me problems.

But, my family is the best! Hubby takes care of me and handles the household, my Mama calls everyday to check on me and encourages me, son & daughter-in-law have me to lunch at least once a month and visit on weekends, my sister calls and runs errands when I need her to, and brother-in-law and sister-in-law stay in touch with hubby and send me silly jokes through e-mail to keep me laughing. I have days that are tough but overall I am doing good.

I had hoped that I would be able to fill a blog with lots of creative and crafty things I am doing but that is harder than I thought. Doing the blog and doing the crafts, but I have lots of ideas and will keep trying.

Fall is my favorite time of year so hopefully that will give we inspiration and incentive to accomplish more of my plans. Slow and steady wins the race, so as long as I am doing something each day I am getting further along.

Just my ramblings and hoping that posting something will get me in gear.
Now on to enjoy my week. I will keep updating with me and my projects.

Can I Sew?

I got a great sewing machine.

I've been checking out all the great blogland posts about Home Decor.I can do this, surely, it's just a small curtain. This will be a snap.

Here's the window, cafe rods already installed:





















Ok, now I am second guessing myself. What if I mess up my pretty new material. I love it and it will look so good when the laundry room is done. I can see it now

~ pretty light sunshine walls, new white cabinets over the washer & dryer, a riser for the washer & dryer, home built bench, turquoise accents ~

Allright I'll do a test curtain, just to be certain. I have some saved material that will work:
















Sewing, I am a little nervous.

Ok it is done, I am likeing it. It's not perfect but I wasn't looking for perfect.
Just pretty.





























So what do you guys think??

My Ugly Sofa

Today at Pink and Polka Dot she is having an ugliest sofa contest.

I think I've got this one!

Let me give you a little background.

She is approximately 43 years old. My parents bought her for their formal living room about 1967. So this "beautiful" green and gold fabric was very much in style at that time. I think she is dressed in a "modern style" because I have never seen another like her.

She is 78" long (that's over 7 ft!I had to pull out my tape measure), the seat cushion is attached, and each of the back cushions is an individual. The cushions along her back have loops that slip over the finial posts along her to hold them in place. Kinda confusing so here is a close up:

Some of her loops have long since bitten the dust.

And as you can see, her makeup has faded in places.

Now don't get me wrong, she has been a part of our family for a very long time and has stood the test of two (me & my sister) little girls growing up, and my sisters family when they were starting out and now is with me. She was probably tested most in my household, 4 boys can really test an ageing maidens sensibilities! But she has stood strong.

I believe she deserves a Makeover, what do you think?

Ugly, yes. But can she be made into a beauty again??

Vote for her,she needs the love!!!

Michelle

PS ~~ Now cross your fingers that I can figure out how to join the party

My Craft Room

Next up. Get a craft room. Well we don't use our dining room, more casual fare for us, so it is elected to become the craft room! Yea! Now it has been being used as the collection site for all items leaving other rooms, so this is what I had to start with...

Luckily my wonderful hubby is helping to clear out and put desks and such where I want them.

Otherwise this would have taken a lot longer for me to do.

Do you see my newest toy on the desk in the right picture? Let me show you a close up.

Isn't she just beautiful! I can't wait to put her to the test. I am so excited, I see pillows & curtains & reupholstering in my future. And whatever the hubby adds to the list. Now where did I put that instruction manual??

Anyway, back to the craft room.

Sunday hubby had the day off so we got up had coffee ate a little something and decided what to tackle first. He has plans for moving office furniture into the youngest sons vacated room to give himself a place of his own and turning the soon to be vacant small room off the Master bedroom into a huge walk-in closet. I have no problems with this plan! ;0)

First though he helped to empty all the boxes from my soon to be craft room and move the desks and hutch where I wanted them. I didn't think I had very many crafty supplies so this would give me plenty of room for what I wanted. A table for sewing, a table for crafting (paint, hot glue, and such) and the hutch for storing accessories. OK, here are the (at this point) after pictures:

What a difference! Wow so much room. I should be able to do anything I want to do.

Now about not having craft supplies. See that teal bin, full of sewing notions and some fabric.

The hutch...well let me just show you:

I have PLENTY of crafting supplies.

I better get busy or Dear Hubby will wonder why he did all that work!

Tomorrow I plan to join the linky party(if I can figure out how too) over at Pink and Polka Dot. Lets see if I am right and I have the ugliest sofa there is!

See you there!

Michelle

Some of the Stuff

My family would tell you I am hardware challenged. Kitchen tools, bring them on I love to cook; but hammers, saws and all not so much.

I love to "shop" the wonderful places like Pottery Barn, Renovation Hardware...you know the spots. They have such beautiful pieces and rooms that just look awesome but the prices...not in my budget! Enter http://www.knock-offwood.com/. What an amazing blog

Somehow, don't ask 'cause I just don't know, I found Knock-Off-Wood. Love It!! Picked out a few Projects and started talking to hubby. He was not real enthusiactic, we are NOT carpenters. But I kept working on him, talking it up and started showing him some plans.

So I want to make THIS, THIS and THIS. Just need tools.

Mothers Day - If you could have only seen the look on my youngest sons face as I just freaked out when he handed me this:

I squealed like a girl when I opened it and saw

Then hubby broke out the big guns

Am I the luckiest Mama or what?! They love me, they love me, they really love me. Now...

This will be my first project. Got to get wood, stain or paint (I'm not sure which), sandpaper, screws, nails, wood glue, wood putty... This might take a while. Especially since hubby says I have to have "adult" supervision when using all sharp tools. He is such a worry-wart.

Wish me luck and Have A Great Day

Michelle

Pantry Organization

This is my first Project - I really am an organized person, normally. Even though my pantry does not show it, I let it become a dumping ground it seems but no more!



Looking at some of the awesome blogs on here has motivated me to whip it in shape



Before: Everything is just tossed in, Dig for what you want, Not much rhyme or reason

After: Much Better! Now I should be able to not only see what I have but also what I need to get

I am planning to move my spices in here also, that's what the board is for - they should not fall over but sit level this way

On to the next project, hmmmm wonder what that will be...

Michelle

Inspiration

There are so many talented ladies on the net. I can't wait to try some of the wonderful projects and crafts I have seen

I have never considered myself crafty, and I don't have what I would call a creative streak. My Mom sewed all of mine and my sisters clothes until I was in the 4th grade and started having to wear a uniform. Why I never asked her to teach me I don't know. But now I am going to learn. She also is artistic, I am not sure that I can do anything about the fact that I can't even draw a decent stick person. But I am good at tracing :0)

Now that it is just me and the hubby we have more rooms to use and I can decorate without having to remember that I have a "house full" of boys. I've been outnumbered for 16-years. We have been in this house for 9 almost 10 years and I think and I have not really put stamp on it. So now is the time.

I plan to use this blog to post my plans & lists. I'm really good a lists. LOL
Then when I do something post before and after pictures and maybe join some parties

Wish me luck. All help and comments are appreciated.

Michelle

New Venture

Hello Blogland

I am new and just learning, be patient

I am stuck at home on STD and going stir crazy soooo I am going to try blogging

This will be about Family, Crafting, Decorating, Organizing, Travel, Life's Ups and Downs, and New Stuff we try. Or in short, the Deal Family Experience

Enjoy

Michelle