Cross Stitch Gate

I've seen something similar to this done on a wall. It was so cute I filed it away...
Then I spied this gate at my mother-in-law's house, and here we go!
I'll stick it behind a flower bed as soon as we get around to making some...

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter!

Dining room progress

Been a busy few weeks! I managed to get some projects done in the midst of everyone but me being sick. Here's one.
My Mema gave this china cabinet to us when we got married 11 years ago. I switched the metal handles for glass ones and painted the whole thing white...then painted the shelves lime green...then yellow...then pink...I think that's all. Really not that bad for me.
It was time for a big change though. I love this color. I think it's called Smoked Salmon. I asked the guy at Lowe's for high gloss in the cheapest paint, so I ended up spending about $22 on a gallon. I have about half a gallon left for another project.
The dining room is almost complete now. I'd still like a rug and wallpaper for the nook. It seems like the room is getting awfully dark and needs some lightening up and texture.

Table to Plate Rack

I'm having a somewhat productive day. Nick took the kids to get haircuts (well, not Nora - he isn't ready for her to have a haircut yet), so I had some time alone with the house and all its projects. I planned on getting more work done on the bathroom walls, but I got stuck, so they'll get finished later this week. Since I already had the nail gun out, I finished this project.
I have been collecting state plates for a few years now. In our old house, I used plate hangers to hang them on the wall. I really wanted a plate rack though. So when my in-laws found a broken table in their new house, I saw my plate rack!
I separated the legs from the apron (the tabletop was already removed). Then I added the greenish shelf across the middle and the back pieces on the top and bottom (scrap wood). I had to add those so it would sit flat against the wall.
I'm really pleased with how it turned out, and I don't think I'll paint it for now. I have several more state plates, so I'll still have some hanging on the walls too. All that took longer than the boys' haircuts, but it was okay. The kids got into very little mischief: Nora only climbed the ladder once and briefly played in the dog's water bowl, and Jack spilled an entire glass of chocolate milk (but I got to use my new floor steamer again, so that wasn't so bad!).

I owe some people big time!

This past week Nora went to my mom's so I could get some big projects done. We painted her ceiling, the boys' ceiling, her windows, molding, and closet doors, the dining room, and the doors going into the dining room. I hung a chandelier in her room and a new light fixture in the boys' room. I put new knobs on her closet doors too. I made curtains for her windows, hated them, took them down, and hung sheers for now.
The bathroom project began as well. It's not finished, but I included some pictures anyway.
I'll have to do posts for each individual room when they are finished, but here is a look at the progress so far.
This week was fun and productive, but I was exhausted by the end of it and missed Nora terribly! I'm just grateful that I have an awesome mom who stopped everything to watch her! I'm also a lucky girl to have a mother-in-law who will paint trim and friends who will help me build and cut and paint and never laugh at me (maybe with me but never at me) when I do stupid things!

You put your fabric and yarn in there.

If you are a stasher like I am, you know what happiness this FREE dresser means! It was missing all its drawers (easier to see my stash!) so it was a giveaway. I painted it with a high gloss paint called...sunset something? It's a pinky red anyway. Maybe with some orange in there. Looks awesome in my dining room (where the crafting happens).
Anyway, it took about three rolled on coats and four coats on the edges. It was a nighttime/nap time project, and Nick never complained about the mess once. (That may have something to do with my refrain, "This is going to make our life so much more organized!" and a big smile. He's a sucker for organization.).
Today I put all of my fabric and yarn stash in it. Deciding on a grouping system was hard. I ended up going with whites, tiny florals, pinks/vintage style, brights, classics, and dark neutrals. It might not make sense to anyone but me, but oh well.
Another thing about my fabric stash: about a quarter of it is clothing that doesn't fit anyone in my family anymore but is too awesome to get rid of. If you love something, but it doesn't love you back, make it into something that works: baby dresses, dollhouse linens, aprons, napkins, dishtowels, etc. Dad's shirts can become mom's or kid's shirts with a little tailoring. No shame in letting cool be cool.