Forgot two things......

Forgot to show my new baskets. The red striped linen is the only cohesive theme in the nursery. Unfortunatley, I only have a precious little bit of it. We are going for a French brocante look. I designed the baskets myself and am very happy that they turned out. I have about 4 more in varying sizes to make. They are pretty time consuming. But, it's what I wanted!

Fabric arrived in the mail today. It is from Ikea, but there is no way to order it from them. I found it on Ebay from a lady in Canada. It really makes me mad- I know she goes to Ikea and hoards it all so that others can't get to it. I never found the fabrics I wanted (from the catalogues) at the Ikeas in Paris. Always sold out there too.
I'm glad to have it so that my poor Mom can get started on little boy's quilt. Sorry it has taken so long to make up my mind!

Weekly project round-up

1. Crib skirt made 2. Fabric baskets begun 3. Knobs for cabinet doors 4.Continue working in Margot's room
Ok, so I am nowhere near disciplined enough to blog everyday. I have been very busy this week and some of the projects have been completed. Unfortunately, there have been lots of nights when I just retired to the sofa...... Here is a quick photo round-up of some of the things I've been working on:
The crib skirt is done! You can't tell in this photo, but there is a cute little pleat in the center. Pattern from Amy Butler's Little Stitches for Little Ones.

This is the dresser/ changing table for the baby. The door isn't painted because it will have a decorative paper inset as soon as I find the perfect paper. I've been searching everywhere with no luck for knobs. I found some on Ebay, but didn't want to spend $60 on them. This is my copycat version of the. They are kinda fun and funky!

Back to working on Margot's room. We got this awesome art caddy for her desk (pictures forthcoming- we still have wetish paint). I love organization!

This is the completed tuffet. It looks really good with her desk. And, best of all, she loves it. I need to get more photos of her room posted. We are so close to being finished with it.

I'll be back sometime next week with hopefully lots more to show! I am trying to get the hang of this Blogger program, but I have the worst time getting the pictures where I want them UGH!!

Day 1: Mission Accomplished!

Task: Finish a slipcover for a tuffet in Margot's room
Although I did begin this project last night, and it took up more of today than I care to admit, this task is finished. Pretty happy with the results too. I decided to do this project for 2 reasons. First, the chair that came with her new desk couldn't be pushed all the way under. That bugged me- her room is too small already to have a chair floating in the room. Second, with the re-arrangement of the living room furniture, the two tuffets we have needed new homes.
Process:
To make the slipcover, I first traced the circumference of the tuffet onto newsprint. I added an inch for seam allowance/ proper fit. I then divided the circle into random (as random as my un-random brain will allow) triangles and cut. I cut the fabric from scraps leftover from Margot's quilt. Most of the fabric is from Moda's Wonderland collection. I left a quarter inch seam allowance on each triangle and hoped my geometry would work out.
Once the piecing was done, I added a layer of batting and did some simple machine quilting over the top. I wasn't quite sure how to finish the center, so I just appliqued a circle in the center. Overall, the project came together quite nice for an impromptu idea. I need to find knobs for the desk and hang her memo board, then her room should be close to complete! Will post the finish product in coming days!

Let my blog begin.....

It seemed like a good day to begin this blog since the projects began today too. And I am too tired to do much else after a looooong day of shoveling and raking. I'll introduce myself and let you know a bit more about us and the motivations behind this endeavor later on. But let's jump in with today!
Thank goodness for Denver and 60 degree days in January. Thank goodness for Craigslist. Yesterday Andy dropped off ten 100 gallon bags of leaves otherwise destined for the landfill. And today sweet Monika (from Switzerland) and her husband dropped of a 12x6x4 foot trailer of horse manure. Just the recipe I needed to make a giant Lasagna style bed in the front yard. Our plan is to plant squash, pumpkins, corn and sunflower in it this summer. Later, I might like to enlarge it and add some perennials, fruiting shrubs and ornamental grasses to extend the seasonal interest. But, for now, I am looking forward to a bumper crop of summer and fall produce. Getting a head start in January is great for us.

We will be in France during part of April and May, so everything was to be prepped and ready to go . I imagine stepping of the plane the first week of June and heading straight to Paulinos to pick up veggies. Seriously, I have missed gardening so much during the past 4 years. The 6 weeks we are gone will be well spent. We plan to cover the beds with 2 mil clear plastic using a technique called Solarization. When we return, all of the organic material should be fully composted and all of the weed seeds, insects and potential pathogens should be long gone. And the soil will be toasty warm for planting legumes du soleil.

We feel quite accomplished with the days work. Half the poop has already been processed. Now mother nature just has to do her part.