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Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Decorating my Kitchen

I spend almost the entirety of every day in my kitchen. Not only do I feed 6 hungry people from there, but it's homeschool central and the room with the most natural light. When we bought this house the large-ish kitchen was a major selling point. I do lots of entertaining. It's not uncommon for us to have 30-60 people over, and we all know that no matter how comfy the chairs are in the rest of the house, the kitchen is where everyone ends up hanging out! 

Since I'm in this one room so much, it was time it became the room I loved. I want it to be a fun and energetic place that will be a joy for my kids and friends to visit. I've slowly collected some fun vintage pieces - the farm table that my in-laws used as their first dining table, a schoolhouse pendant light that my parents found in an antique shop in northern MI, an old bench that's perfectly weathered. There are a few things in the kitchen I do not love: 1980's era wallpaper, mismatched shades of dark wood trim, aging oak cabinets, and a poorly laid faux-wood vinyl floor. Replacing flooring and painting cabinets are intimidating jobs; I'm not sure how much I can tackle at once and keep the family running. They're on my "eventually" list. 

Using what we already have (red walls, table, light) as a springboard, I pulled together a collage to get an idea of where I'm going with this design. A hint of retro kitsch with a love of vintage linens thrown in. I can't wait to start making this room come to life! 


Friday, October 12, 2012

A New Wreath to Welcome You

Autumn feels to be slow in coming in our parts - but I guess even if it doesn't feel like fall, I can at least decorate for it! A few supplies from Michaels, plus acrylic paints and my trusty glue gun....a festive fall wreath that will carry us through Thanksgiving.

I wanted white gourds but couldn't find any - so I painted some! They're not perfect, but I think it's still beautiful. Yeah, you can see some fingerprints in the paint. Now you know it's homemade, which adds to the charm, right???? I was thrilled to find a black over-the-door wreath hanger for $5 at Target - mixed in with all the creepy Halloween decor! You can't even see it against our door.

My favorite part of fall decorating is all the great textures - crispy leaves, twisty branches, striped feathers, smooth pumpkins. Add in a soft flannel shirt and wool sweater and I'm a happy gal!

What's your favorite fall texture?

Monday, October 1, 2012

Kids Clothing Week Challenge

As if I didn't have enough to do already - but you know a deadline is great for getting things accomplished! I'm signing up once again for the Kids Clothing Week Challenge (KCWC) over at Elsie Marley. One week of focused sewing, just for the kids' closets!

easy to join the fun - visit elsimarley.com and just leave a comment!
 
To prepare, I'm starting to make lists and gather inspiration of what I want to sew for my daughter and 3 sons. They're growing in leaps and bounds, so all the cute toddler patterns out there definitely don't work. It's a challenge finding size 7-14 kids' patterns, but I think a little ingenuity will carry us through.

I started pulling together some of my ideas and inspiration:

PJ pants, similar to these
long sleeve blouse, inspired by Rae's Pierrot Tunic
ruffled petticoat skirt
transform one of dad's shirts into a tunic/dress