Monday, March 31, 2008

Opinions, Please!

I have a deep love of the blog Making It Lovely. I pretty much want Nicole's house and everything in it. Seeing how Matt and I have decided to stay at our current place for another year, I am starting what I call The Great Redecorate of 2008. So, like Nicole, I present our plans for your consideration:

The background color is our paint choice. We are painting the little media alcove (which now houses our television and media equipment) and the wall behind the sofa.

1. This is our current dining room table, which is staying. The blue square behind it is the color of our new curtains (actually, I'm just dying old curtains) for the patio door.

2. These are our cheap-o IKEA dining room chairs (only $14.99 each!) which, in the interest of saving cash, will also stay. However, I want a color change. I will either paint them or sew fabric covers. Any recommendations?

3. This is our old television cabinet. It will now be placed in the far dining room wall in between two bookcases. We are covering the frosted glass doors with this funky paper from Paper Source. The paper is the inspiration for the color scheme.

4. Our two overflowing bookcases will be moved from the office into the dining room.

5. This Amy Butler fabric will be used for a new table runner and a little skirt on the bottom of the media alcove to hide all the cords.

6. Matt's birthday gift, this Keep Calm print, will be framed and matted (in white, as shown) and hung above #3 in between the bookcases. (I purchased my print from sfgirlbybay's etsy shop. I highly recommend her and her delightful blog.)

If I decide to sew covers for the chairs, I'll do it in a coordinating fabric from Amy Butler's new collection, possibly this one. Any suggestions about the overall design? My ears (and email inbox) are now open.

A New Bag for Spring?

(Image courtesy of www.jcarolinecreative.com)

Spring has sprung, sort of, around these parts. How about whipping yourself up a new hobo bag from this pattern? My favorite part? The pattern prints on six 8.5" x 11" sheets that are then taped together. So, no trips to the copy shop!

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Quilt Pictures

These aren't the best pictures; I snapped them rather hurriedly this afternoon, while one of the apartment maintenance guys was walking by, likely thinking "Why is that crazy chick snapping pictures of some old fabric?" I think the color combinations on this are quite zany. I'm searching for a pic of my great-grandmother, Polly, to upload here so we can have sort of a portrait of the artist.
The block above is my favorite.


Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Legacy

While visiting my parents for Easter this past weekend, my mom gave me two quilt tops pieced by my great grandmother. If I had to venture a guess, these quilts are at least 30 years old. My great-grandmother passed away in the early '90s. I have no recollection of her ever sewing when I knew her, but she did. She gave my mom the quilt tops, knowing that she sewed and hoping she could finish them. My mother, who doesn't sew much anymore, passed them onto me. When we arrived home, I sort of laid the quilts out and stared at them in awe. There is so much history there.

Sometimes, in between work and school and house stuff, I begin to wonder why I even try to squeeze out a moment here and a moment there to attempt my creative projects. But, when I see these quilts, I am reminded that I am a part of a larger craft legacy. One that includes talented women and men who take out time from their schedules to sand wood or sew purses or string beads. On a smaller scale, I am a part of a lineage of talented ladies in my own family. Women who raised children and cooked meals and hoarded scraps of fabrics and sewed quilts. Some out of necessity, I'm sure, and some because it was just a small, simple way of keeping their creative minds sharp.

And tomorrow I will photograph those amazing quilt tops and post pictures here. I've never tried making bias binding before, but I am going to make my own binding, and finish off the little works of art that my great-grandmother began so many years ago.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Getting Things Done

I thought this might be a good fit for all of the workers/etsy-ians/parents/other things out there who have a lot on their plates. I have just started working from home in the past few months, and I am having a hard time organizing my time. (Not to mention trying to start that Etsy shop that has remained empty since it was created!) Hope these principals help others out. I will certainly be implementing them myself in the coming weeks!

Sunday, March 9, 2008

Penelope

I put a lot of faith in movie reviews, perhaps too much. This is why Penelope was such a charming surprise, because the reviews were just ho hum. However, I had the pleasure of seeing this today and I loved it. In fact, I loved it so much I just might go see it again. I think one of the reasons I loved it so much was the delightful sets and costuming. Visually, the movie was charming and reminded me quite a bit of another fave, Amelie. (Did anyone else get that impression?) All of this to say, go see the movie, and I think you'll fall under its spell as well.

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Fierce.

Okay, so I totally wanted Jillian to win, and I thought Rami's collection was the best. BUT, Christian totally endeared himself to me on the finale. He was human and cute and totally dear. And, I totally doubt that he was as excited about that Saturn as he pretended to be. And did you see that Elizabeth "Showgirls" Berkley is hosting a new show on Bravo? I don't think television needs yet another dance competition, but maybe I'm wrong.