Copy Cat

Preface:  This blog is still here....just had to wipe some cobwebs off of it.  I last posted in December, before Christmas.  Then Christmas happened...

 

 

after eleven days of my kids, my grandbaby and lots and lots of eating and piles of torn gift wrapping paper later, we headed in to a new year.  We have since celebrated Cameron turning 26, Liam turning 1 and are now getting ready for 3 of our family members to ride in the MS150 this upcoming weekend.  And of course, there was that Monday through Friday stuff that flies by leaving us exhausted on Saturday and Sunday.  Life is now measured by how long until we see Liam again.  I am thankful for facetime and fb and instagram so I can keep up with my kids but I also see how much time it seems to capture...waste.  If you're here, wasting a little time, I thank you.

 

 

And today, as I sit here, still in my pajamas at 1:00 pm and almost finished with the laundry, I started cleaning out a basket full of cards...years of birthday, thank you and sympathy cards with a few scattered photos thrown in.  I decided to finally organize them...using a ring...an idea I copied from my friend Debbie, who received one as a gift. Which made me think that some of you out there might want to copy this idea. 

 

It's a ring of cards and photos.  (Excuse the photos to follow, I'm not even going to take the time to edit these for better quality.) Debbie's ring was a little different and was called a "blessing ring" and included a sweet card with a poem and pretty ribbon.  But the purpose is the same...a place to keep your cards, photos, notes...blessings and memories.

 

  I found my ring in the sewing department at Hobby Lobby and

it's original use is to put all your quilting measuring devices on it. 

But basically, you just need a ring with an opening and hanger on it.

My ring is much like a belt holder.

 

 

 

 Go through your cards, read each one (very important and time consuming part of this project), choose which ones just can't be parted with and hole punch a top corner.  Put through the ring and you're done.  Now mine will hang on a door knob or in my closet on a hook.  Someplace Harry can't get to it.  Debbie's hangs off the back of a chair in the sitting area of her master bedroom. 

 

 

 I enjoyed going through all the cards, rereading the sentiments

 and having a little visit (in my head) with the person who sent it.

 

 

 

Jordan has been so good about sending postcards this year

with pictures of her little family...this is the perfect place to keep them.

 

 

I added a little ribbon for flair and I'm done.

Copy Cat Project 1...with my own take on it. 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

And now for the second thing I have copied lately....putting some flair on a store-bought, on sale, pearl snap button western shirt. 

 

I got the idea from a customer who came in the store....whose mom copied it from a store-bought one they had seen....selling for a lot of $$.  I've since been to the annual Roundtop Antiques Show 2014 and saw lots and lots of western shirts that had been altered but none had this hem on them...which is what I think makes it so much cuter. 

 

The customer's shirt was plaid with a solid turquoise pleated hem....but I already had this black shirt with a screened pattern on it...bought last year on sale and never worn (like many other hanging things in my closet.) So I headed to the quilt store (yes, their fabric choices are a thousand times better than the craft stores) and found a bright floral print for my hem.

 

 Basically, a 4 - 6 inch pleated hem is added to the shirt and then the pockets/or in my case the screen printed design is embellished with fabric and embroidery stitching.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I googled Embroidery Stitches for ideas...but only used the simplest ones.  And tried to make it look like a child did it.  (Did you fall for that?)

 

 

I used the bonded backing on this fabric to embellish the pocket.  (The kind you iron on and it permanently adheres to the other fabric.) Then I top stitched with embroidery thread. 

 

 

I left the hem raw/cut with pinking shears because that's part of the look...very junk gypsy, I guess.  Again, I copied how the customer's shirt was made. (The customer was kind enough to let me study hers...and study, I did.)  They had copied how the very expensive store bought one was made. With a raw hem, each time I wash it, there will be a little trimming of the threads when I press it. 

 

 

And just because we are friends, I will show you the back side.  I am straight stitch challenged. But I wanted you to see that I wrapped the ends around and stitched them down inside the shirt. I made my hem 4" in finished length and about 1 1/2 to 2 times the width around the bottom.  I made the pleated piece first, then sewed it on to the shirt.  I did this before any of the embellishment, because if I ruined the shirt....and that was always a likely possibility... I didn't want to waste the time embroidering. But it turned out fine, so then I spent the next few evenings doing a little embroidering by the light of the fire the television.  It all felt very "Little House on the Prairie." 

 

No, really...I thought a lot about women of earlier days who had no television to watch, no Ipad to play Solitaire on, no wine in the refrigerator....they just sat and stitched by candlelight.

And you know what I think? 

 I think they had it just as easy in some ways

 and just as hard in other ways as we do today. 

Embrace your decades here on Earth.

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

And because it's almost Easter and Liam is coming to town this weekend...I put a little Easter out. 

 

 

 

 I bought this Easter card (along with a few other holiday ones) and the wooden holder in Warrenton.

 

 

 

The guy who makes these said he leaves a little room on the front for a few "littles" to create a vignette.  (His words...I copied.)  The holder is just a piece of molding with a groove cut in to it to hold the card...or a plate. (Get out there and copy this!)  I love creative people. 

 

 

I found this orange painted old desk drawer at Roundtop last fall.  It's the perfect prop to lift up things to a higher level...away from Harry's reach. (I'm not kidding, Harry is 6ft tall if he's standing on his back legs!)  The books and bunny are waiting for Liam.  The teacup and saucers are all the way from England via Cameron.

 

 

 

My very small collection of very small Easter Bunnies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This precious gift of life turned one in March!   It may have been the fastest year of my life.  many, Many, many nights of this last year were spent facetiming with this boy...watching him eat, watching him crawl, watching him take a bath... and I loved every second of it. 

 

Life is full and fast and can be very, very hard.  We can look back and see God's work in our lives.  We must stay in the present as God works through us in the present.

 

 If something makes you happy, copy it.

 

 

 

And how about a little Harry?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas....

...emphasis on the "little."

 

(I played around with Sharpies and fabric)

Empty nest.  Too pooped to really decorate for Christmas like I used to.  The big, pre-lit Christmas tree of yesteryear died and got thrown out at the end of December last year.   I've got years of holiday decorations from the primitive felt ornaments to the shiny glass, the traditional red and green to the more modern purples and lime greens. Rubbermaid tubs full of 30 years of memories that send me in to a slump rather than greet me with "hello there!"  I went through the tubs and pulled a little from each one and scattered them around the house.

 I found a little lit tree at Big Lots (yes, I love that place). It's about 71/2 feet tall, including the urn that it came in.  The urn was a badly fauxed gold color so I spray painted it with a hammered black (old spray paint can found in the garage because I couldn't wait until the next day to go buy Oil Rubbed Bronze). It's not much, but it's decorated. 

A few of the little Santas made their way out of the Rubbermaid tub.

 

I know it's really not about the decorating.  The older I get, the more I realize that. 

I guess we decorate to really engage in the holiday.  To remind us every time we walk in a room, a store, an office that it's Christmas time. 

 

While what we should immediately be reminded of is that little baby who was born...

who was sent to us from God to save us.  The fulfillment of God's promise. 

 

I've worked in retail the last 3 Christmas' and from what I gather, most people aren't really focused on that little detail about this time of year.  Actually, that HUGE detail.  Oh, I'm not pointing fingers... I'm guilty, too,  of the list making, the gift buying, the accumulating of wrapping paper and pretty ribbon, the frenzy that comes from all of that.

 

But it's about that baby. 

That little baby.

 

I'm working on that focus myself. 

 

 

 

Heading in to this next week, I am grateful for another December in my life. 

 

And I'm grateful ...

 

 

 

that all of my children will be home for at least 5 days together...

I will make the most of that little bit of time together...

 

 

 

that I was given the gift of a grandchild this year...this little boy has stolen my heart...

 

 

 

that Chuck and I celebrated 30 years of marriage this year...no little fete at all...

 

 

 

that it really is the little things that make us the happiest...

 

that God sent a savior in an unexpected way, in a little baby...

The greatest gift of all...HUGE. 

But in a little package.

 

Have yourself a merry little Christmas.

Stay in the moment.  Remember the reason.

 

 

Now breathe.

 

 

 

 

 

If We Only Had a Door

The bathroom remodel is basically done...just waiting on the shower door.  It's been measured for and now in the production stage which is about 2 weeks.  So close to done...yet not.

If you check in here now and then, you may remember I called "TIME OUT" on the marble on the walls and floor because they clashed with the slabs.  We had to run out and pick a new marble...which of course, no one had enough in stock, had to find a new decorative tile for the shower and days and days went by with no activity going on in the bathroom...Project STALL. 

During this period of "nothing going on in the bathroom" time, I went to Scottsdale with the middle daughter for the oldest daughter's baby shower...and found out 30 minutes before the baby shower through a phone call that that my mother had passed away.  So I am still in a weird, processing frame of mind.  Literally, nothing is in order around here and everything is covered with 2 inches of dust.  But I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and I think it's going to be so worth it.

Sneak Peek:

The blue tape marks where the shower door will go. 

We went with Crema Marfil on the walls and floor

 and it is a very creamy, soothing color. 

 

I rarely wait for the paint to dry before hanging pictures and arranging decorative items.   I have to start seeing it come together even if I won't be in here for awhile.  I found this art at Cost Plus World Market and it ties all the shades of marble and paint together with just enough pop of color.  I saw this online and drove to the nearest store to see it in person...loved it and bought it on sale!  If you haven't been to World Market lately, you should go...it's full of goodies at great prices.

 

 

The past month has included this remodel, a visit to Scottsdale for the baby shower, the passing and funeral of my mother, and the losing of my brand new eyeglasses.  I'm ready for a little boredom.

Project Snag

We just finished with the second week of the Master Bathroom Remodel.  So much has been done and things have been going almost too smoothly.  There have been a few minor problems....like the plumbing in the shower put in at an upward tilt.  Or the electrical sockets for the vanity lights not set in the right place.  But everything is fixable even if back tracking for the workers.

 

We have moved upstairs to sleep and shower and are trying to keep a handle on the dust. I'm thinking this is going very well.


 But then, the wall tile started going up.


The wall tile, which is Emperador Light marble, was going up in the shower and on the opposite wall.  I was not extremely happy with it because it was not the color I thought I was getting.  But I would go in there in the evening and try to convince myself it was okay. 

For example: 

 

We put Emperador Light marble in our Powder Room last spring.  I love it!  It's a great "color" and it makes me happy. 

 

But this is what was going up on the shower wall.  The tile on the inside of the framed out part is much more like the Powder Room and what I thought I was getting but I came home to all of this done and set in concrete. A lot of variation in hue.  Okay.  I am stressing but trying to like it.  I love the creamy tiles inside the frame...but the others?  Brown with a few lighter ones here and there.  Not what I thought I picked out.

We make a call to the tile people.  Everyone tells me it's "natural stone"....and they think it's beautiful....and look at me like "what is wrong with you?"

 

I call this taupe.  What would you call it?

 

And then the slabs were brought in on Tuesday.  SNAG.  They're taupe in color.  And the floor tiles which haven't been put in yet are very, very golden.  So I have cream, brown, taupe and golden tones of the same marble.  And call me a perfectionist (several did) but it was agitating me every time I went in there. 



So after much discussion and everyone (all men) telling me it was "natural stone" and basically get over it, I had an awakening.  Nope.  Not getting over it.  Because at the end of the day, this is the room I will come in to and at the beginning of each day, this is the room I will go in to.  And it has to work for us.  (Chuck is not seeing a problem with the tile....but begins to see I have a huge problem with it so he is willing to "fix it")

 

 

 

So we are taking down the wall tile  (about 40 have been put on so far) and starting over.  The slabs are the major expense and I like them...not that they are what I thought I was getting...but they are a very soothing taupe color.  So we started over, basically, on Thursday and went back to reselect a new marble for the floors and walls. 

This is definitely one of those First World Problems...and I have it put it in perspective. But it's a lot of money and if the color was bugging me now, it was only going to get worse in time and I would forever wish I had done something about it.  So take it from me, You Can Say Nope, Not Getting Over It.

We are going with Crema Marfil (there's a sample tile above the sink) which is, oddly enough, the first one I picked out and wanted but then chose Emperador Light because I loved it so much in our Powder Room.  Ugh.  Crema Marfil is creamy with white and some taupe and gray feathering so hoping it will compliment the slabs. 

On a positive note, the slabs are in, plumbing is in, new canned lighting is in and the vanity lights are wired for but not installed yet, walls are repaired and textured.  Cabinetry is almost finished and getting primed and painted.  Hopefully, the new marble will be delivered early in the week and we can pick up where we left off. 

I was asked to pick out paint early last week.  I did something I never do....pick from the tiny swatch in the fan deck of paint colors.  Normally, I buy samples and paint them on the wall, but I was feeling rushed.  So they put one coat on the walls and I asked them to wait until all the tile is in so I can decided if it works or not.  Right now, it doesn't look like it works.  So we'll call this the primer coat.  We are going with a "white" on the walls and a "creamy"  color on the ceiling.  Should be easy but there are a million whites and creams to choose from.  As you can see in the above picture, the walls are looking a little yellow but blue at night (?) and there is a peachy look to the ceiling.   So add this painting dilemna to the tile dilemna and I was somewhat a little freaked out.  Not stressed.  Not anxious.  Not worried.  Just freaked out.  The difference is it is a fixable problem.


Three things that I want to pass on to you...

1.  It's not a personal hit on anyone.  It's not the workers or their workmanship I'm unhappy with.  It's the color variation of all the marble going in to one very small area.  My vision is for a very serene look and it was not serene. We hit a snag, but that's all it is.  Do not be afraid to stop mid project and regroup.  Much of design is planned on paper and while shopping in stores and online. But when everything is finally coming together, there may be something that is just off.  It's okay to stop and rethink.  I definitely think if you're going with natural stone to ask to see all the variations.  Wish I had done this.  But ultimately, we had to be happy no matter how many people told us it looked good.


2.  Men see differently than women.  Every woman that saw my pictures agreed that it was off but all the men said, "naahhhh, it's natural stone....that's the look."  Well, yes, it's natural stone, but there is a process called culling.  Culling is where you pull from the boxes those tiles that look most alike in hue.  You may have to buy 10 boxes to get 3 boxes worth of tile that is the same hue.  Not done here...and I wish I could go back to last Monday and do this...but too late.   Most companies take back the unused tile with maybe a slight restocking fee.  Always ask.


3.  Do not choose paint colors under duress. I like to pick 2 or 3 paint colors and buy them in the smallest quantity possible.  Sure, it costs something, but not as much as buying the gallon then hating it and having to buy more of another color.  I usually buy a white poster, cut it in to fourths and paint on the matte side...leaving no white exposed because that fools the eye. Then I can move the painted poster to different areas of the room to see if it changes much with the lighting.  But under duress, I quickly picked 2 colors from the 1 x 2 sample and yikes!



So Project Snag should be back on track this coming week. 

 

 

In the meantime, Chuck and I are stopped up, sneezing and coughing. Could be a cold, seasonal allergies or just plain old dust.

Eating Dust Week One

Our bathroom remodeling project started last Monday.  I'm changing the name from Project No Control to Eating Dust. One week later there has been quite a bit of progress.  If I had to sum it up in one word it would be dust. My eyes are full of dust, my sinuses are full of dust and there is grit in my teeth. The bathroom is downstairs and down a short hall...but dust is in and on everything in the entire house. Upstairs, in closets with doors shut and even on the dogs.   I'd have you over for coffee, but you wouldn't like the grit in your mouth.

 

 

 

Before

 

 Demo Day 1/7/13

(I had done a little demo on the wallpaper

and we had a shutter installed prior to Demo Day)

 

 

End of Week One 1/14/13

 

 

 

 

Some more pictures from this last week...

 

 

 

 

This is where the old tub was.  When they pulled the tub out,

there was a mound of dirt underneath it. 

 That mound of dirt was an old ant bed. 

 Welcome to Texas.

 

And hello old NAVY BLUE wallpaper. 

This is the paper that was on the walls when

we bought the house in 1999.  This room was dark, dark, dark

....except for the shiny brass. 

 

 

 A moment of silence for the ants. 

 

 The guy in this picture is the hardest working guy ever. 

 But he says nothing.  Nothing.  I talk to him...he says nothing.

  I ask "do you speak English?"  He looks at me....nothing.

  So I guess that's a no.  Which is "no" in English and Spanish.

  But he says nothing. 

Not even a change in expression. 

 

 

 

Okay...carry on.

 

 

 

 

Gutted.

 

 

 

 

 New tub set in concrete.

 

 

 

 

New tub and surrounding frame with a step up to the tub.

  The tub will be under mounted in a marble slab

and the left edge will now be a bench in the shower.

 

 

There have already been a couple of bumps in the road (like they made the step up to the tub 10" and I had to ask them to lower it to 7") and I expect there will be a few more,

 but already I can tell this remodeling is going to be worth it. 

However, I'm not sure we will ever get all of the dust dusted.