Laundry Room Makeover

 

 I finally finished my laundry room!  Here is the before picture.  There were no cabinets, just a taupe wall color, plus all the previous shelving hardware still in the wall.  It wasn't a real pleasant looking room, especially since laundry isn't my favorite chore, it really needed some attention.  I was first thinking of doing an apple green color on the walls, but decided to go with more of a fresh feeling color and a little Cath Kidston look.

 

It's hard to see in the picture, but I painted the walls and ceiling Spring Mint by Benjamin Moore.  It is a light blue-green, a clean, refreshing color.  I bought the STAT cabinets from IKEA, I used a open shelving unit in the middle.  Then I starched fabric to the walls and on the back of the open shelving.  Yes, that is fabric on the wall, not wallpaper.  I think it's a great way to get the wallpaper look without the commitment.  All I did is mixed cornstarch with water, brushed it onto the wall then applied the fabric, then brushed more starch on top.  Now when I'm ready for a change all I have to do is peel it off and wash the wall, plus I will still be able to use the fabric. 

 

The fabric I used is called Flower Sugar White Medium Floral by Lecien, I bought it at the Quilted Castle.

I added pink glass knobs to the doors.  I had these on hand from a previous project, so it worked out perfectly.

Now I have laundry to do, I'm so excited (not really), but at least I like my laundry room now! 

Bad Luck Pants

My running pants are now officially unlucky.  First, last Friday I was out on my morning run when I turned the corner and a man was walking his two little yappy dogs.  We all kind of startled each other and the dogs were going crazy, so I went for the street to go around them when one of his dogs bit me in the leg, the leash was too long.  You can see the hole in my pants (above) and the bite (below).  The man felt awful and used a few swear words, I'm sure he was thinking, "I'm going to get sued".  But I told him I would be okay and kept running.



Then Tuesday morning I was getting ready for my morning run, pulled my pants out of the dryer and thought, "I can still wear these, the hole isn't very big."  I met my friend on the corner and we started to run.  We ran for only one block and started to cross the first street when the next thing I knew I was on the ground.  I had stepped off the curb wrong, twisted my ankle and landed on the other knee and my hand to catch myself.  So now I have a swollen ankle, cut up knee, and a dog bite.  These pants are just bad luck!!!  I'm suppose to run a 10k next Saturday.  Now if my ankle is better by then, I'll be out of shape.  I hope I will be able to run again soon, but if not, I guess I'll just have to sign up for another race.   

Almost Everything

I hope you all had a wonderful summer now that it's almost over.  When the sun finally decided to warm us up in July, I started to have fun, which is why I haven't been posting on my poor neglected blog.  Here are some of the things we did this summer.

We played in the water.

We actually got some tans.

We ate watermelon (actually I didn't, not a fan).

 We had a picnic at the Portland Rose Garden, absolutely beautiful.

 I couldn't stop taking pictures of the roses.

I learned how to crochet flowers (can you tell I LOVE flowers).

Checked out this book from my local library to help me along.

 My kids started school.  Yes, ALL my kids.  Never thought this day would come.

 Preston is in Kindergarten half day, so it's a good way for both of us to get used to him being gone.

I had the most perfect birthday!  I went to the beach with my amazing husband and our wonderful four boys.  The weather was beautiful.

There even was a car show, which was fun to see.

So that is our summer in a nutshell!  I really enjoyed it this year, I'm not ready for cooler weather, but I have to admit with school in session, my house stays cleaner.  Time to get ready for Fall now.

New Wave Quilt Top

My most recent project I've been working on is a New Wave Quilt.  You can find the free pattern at Oh Fransson!.  I've had this Meadowsweet fabric for a while and it's my current favorite fabric, which makes it hard for me to cut into.  But when I saw this pattern, I knew it was the one.  I love how it displays each of the fabrics so well.  Oh, and notice my Hydrangea plant (not the weed) that has finally found a home after being in a pot for over three years (thanks Tawyna for my favorite plant). 

Here are my boys growing up.  Spencer just turned 12, I can hardly believe it.  We feel blessed that he is here with us.  When I was pregnant, we didn't know if he would even live.  After many heart surgeries and other procedures, he is a happy and healthy young man. 

I love ALL my boys!!!  Aren't they handsome?!!

I love this picture by Hyacinth Quilts of her New Wave Quilt.

Playhouse

We told our kids that the next house we move into we would build a tree fort for them.  Here we are in our new home and there really wasn't a good tree to build a tree house.  So this is what we came up with and it has worked out really great. 

This is what it looked like before.  We have a long sloped area in our backyard that is really unusable.  A playhouse tucked away off to the side was the perfect place to put one.

Here are some pictures of the building process:

It's a nice size, 8' x 8', and ceiling peak over 8' high.  I wanted it big enough for them to sleep in, even when they're teenagers.

So there it is!  We have more to do like put on trim, windows, and paint it.  We also need to dig out some steps up to it, so it's easier to get to.  Now we can kick the kids out of the house this summer and into their new house.

We picked up these windows at a recycled building center for only $12 for the three windows.  I'll post more pictures when it is completely finished, hopefully it won't be too long before that happens.  As you saw from the rest of the slope, we have a lot more work ahead of us.

Jelly Rolls and Layer Cakes

There's new delicious fabric in my shop!  You'll find Jelly Rolls and Layer Cakes in a few of the lastest collections.  Check out Fabrically Delicious!!!

Circa 1934 by Cosmo Cricket

Ruby by Bonnie & Camille

Strawberry Fields by Fig Tree & Co.

A Sweet Apron

I made four aprons for some graduating seniors girls from church.  Since this would probably be the first apron they'd own, I wanted it to be cute enough they would want to wear it.  I used Meadowsweet fabric by Sandi Henderson and added a ruffle and a gathered pocket.  I used some binding to trim the pocket.   I came up with my own pattern to get just what I wanted.  I'm happy with how they turned out.

I had to make the pocket puff out a little so a hand could fit into it.  I think it gives it extra charm. 

Now if I could only teach the boys in the house (including hubby who took this one) how to take a picture without cutting off a head or something else.

By the way we have this shrub/tree plant that has these pretty flowers, does anyone know what the plant is called?