Stop staring and start sewing!

My "new" painted pink and gold hutch (50 bucks!)

I found this quaint, but plain, 2 piece hutch at a local antique store a few months ago. It was marked down to 50 dollars and I knew I could do something cute with it. And I did!

I was inspired by this gorgeous dresser on Perfectly Beautiful Things blog. I used Benjamin Moore's Orchid Pink color but the paint is Behr glossy. The trim is Craftsmart Bright Gold paint from Michaels. Did I mention I'm in love with this hutch?

When painting it I found I achieved the best results by laying it on the tarp so any dribbles would slide toward the back. I took my time and ended up using 4 thin-ish coats of paint. If I noticed any big dribbles I waited for them to dry and carefully "shaved" them off with a razor. For the delicate gold detail on top I used a small art brush so I could get into the crevices without being sloppy (I used a wider art brush for the feet). The whole process ended up taking about 3 days (and watching the whole latest season of Call The Midwife).

 

I just used a cheap dollar store sponge brush (comes in a large set for a buck!) to paint the handles, hinges, etc. This took a lot of coats but it dried so quickly I would just dab on a fresh coat about every 1/2 hour.

I really love the fancy, whimsical look of all the gold trim.

Part way through painting I realized I was not going to have enough pink paint if I kept going so I scrounged through my paint collection and grabbed this bright green for the inside color. I like it a lot more than I thought I would and it's a fun surprise when the doors open.

Such a sweet place to keep all of my little goodies. And decent storage for office supplies too since it's right next to my desk, which has no drawers.

A little money and a little time, and now I've got a beautiful keepsake treasure to enjoy for years to come!

The post in which I bribe you with lemons and share some cool stuff

The nutshell:

1. I've started a new business and I want you to "like" my facebook page.  

2. I'm having a drawing next week from all my facebook "likers" and the winner gets a big box of lemons fresh off my trees (I can only ship in the US, sorry).  The drawing will be within a week since the lemons NEED to be picked now.

3. All items in the new store are 20% off in February with the coupon code LEMON2015.

(Oh, and follow our store on instagram "homehaberdasher")

The whole store is below: 

I've taken a nice long break from blogging and it's been good.  I've been busy.  Very busy.  Things are changing and I'm trying to figure out how to adjust my blog in the process.  I started this blog in 2007 and life has changed, I've changed, my baby is a big old 3rd grader now...  I've had oodles of thoughts and ideas floating around in my head that past couple of years and they are finally starting to fall into an orderly-ish place in my mind.  This last year was so consumed with our daughter's (beautiful) wedding that we hardly had time to focus on anything else besides making it to that blessed date and then collapsing.

But here we are in a new year, and actually a new season of life, with a little more space on our plates for some new things.  So why not start a new business?  Check out Home Haberdasher!  It's just a little thing right now but I have so many great plans for it and hope it grows big enough to make a difference not just for us, but for other folks looking for a way to make money from home (think Pampered Chef type of thing).  I've already lured my newlywed daughter Peety away from her job at Target to her post here as Employee #1.  She's smart as a whip and is managing a lot of the graphic work already (yessss!), plus sewing, photography, cleaning (double yesssss!), and everything else that needs to be done.

Here she is overcoming her fear of my electric rotary cutter.  Every day is casual dress day here at Home Haberdasher (pajamas are acceptable attire as well).

I've used this new situation to "practice" with our new, glorious fabrics on my own home.  Here is our new sewing/fabric storage room in the process of being converted from my office.  Why not have a glamorous work space?  I call these curtains "glamorjack" since the the main print is so glamorous but the checkered trim adds a lumberjack touch to it.

With tie backs to let the Arizona glow in.

 

And here is my now splendid dining room after making new drapes (unlined to let the sun through).  My heart leaps every time I walk into this room.  Our new store is selling custom made drapes and they are soooo much more reasonably priced than Pottery Barn and other places that sell a quality product (these fabrics are far better than anything you'll find at a Target type of store which is why I can't get enough of them).

I love this little corner here....

Here is the evolution of this dining room in the past few years (after it was a grimy concrete floored tv room for a couple of years but that's a whole 'nother Oprah show...).

My work is done here.  Oh wait...I'm making slipcovers for all of my dining chairs....

Yeah, these are gorgeous.  I'm serious.  This fabric is amazing and I can't stop.  

Over time I will continue to add more of these great fabrics from the fine folks at Premier Prints, Inc. (it's all made in the USA!) and help people make pretty things with them.

So here's the plan:

1. Build up our new Home Haberdasher business to the point where it supports itself and then expand it to provide jobs and opportunities for more people.

2. Re-build Fabritopia (it's starting already) filling it with gorgeous fabrics from Premier Prints, Inc.  

3. Create video tutorials to help folks with all sorts of sewing projects. This will be fun!

4. Get my stores off Etsy (the fees are killing me!) on back onto an independent website.

5. Hand my Hipster Haberdasher store over to one of my kids (it's been such a blessing but I'm tired!).

 

So here's where the lemons come in!  Last year I had a drawing for a big box of lemons and the response was amazing (the lemons were amazing).  This year I'm doing it again but I'm drawing from all the folks that like my new Home Haberdasher facebook page.  We will be having regular sales and give aways and hope you will check us out and stick with me as I begin this new venture.

Right now (through February) you can buy anything at the store and get 20% off our already lower-than-the-competition prices with the coupon code LEMON2015.  Seriously!  Get new drapes, pillows, table runners, etc.... at a killer price!

Lot's more coming up!  Keep on sewing!!  XOXO

 

She said yes to my dress

We've had an incredibly busy season here in our family.  Last month we had a wedding!  Our pretty little Peety grew up and found the man of her dreams.  He asked.  We said yes.

She wanted to wear my vintage (already vintage?) Laura Ashley wedding gown that I wore in 1986 and I was more than happy to oblige her (with a few alterations).

It was a crazy, rainy, stormy day.  Very unusual for the Phoenix area this time of year but it made it a little more special (in spite of the "I'm not sure why I bothered with my hair" comments from many of us ladies).

Peety met one of her best friends (and bridesmaids) at baking school so it was a treat to have Danielle make the cupcakes and cake.  They were just as delicious as they look.

We had a few breaks between downpours for some great pictures.

Dreamy.

Cue Karen Carpenter singing "We've Only Just Begun".....

Back soon with more details (especially the sewing, crafting stuff!).

Pucker up Valentine! I'm sending some sunshine!

I know most of the United States are covered with snow and ice right now so I thought, on behalf of it being Valentine's Day and all, that I would box up some fresh sunshine and send it to some lucky (albeit cold) winner.

I was worried we wouldn't have a good crop of lemons this year due to a cold snap last spring when my tree was starting to bud, but it turns out I worried for nothing.  This is a view of the underside of the tree.  Dang!  I'm going to have to send my kids under there because it's a tight fit (and spiky too!).

This years crop is especially juicy too!  I made some delicious lemon bars last week and I'm planning a big batch of lemon curd this weekend.  So delicious!  These are Meyer Lemons so they are a bit sweeter than regular lemons and have a hint of mandarin orange taste (but still tart!).  My current guilty pleasure is a shot (or two) of Jack Daniels, some tonic water, and the fresh juice from one large lemon.  Yum.

Anyhoo, I'm loading up a medium priority shipping box of freshly picked Meyer Lemons from Arizona to some lucky winner (only in the US, sorry).  I will draw a random person (using random.org) on Monday.  I'll pick them and ship them on the same day so they are nice and fresh when they arrive.  Just leave a comment telling me your current weather conditions in the comment box.

And look at this!  I picked a rose bud from my back yard the other day and it bloomed open into a heart today!  On Valentine's Day!  It's a sign!

Have a beautiful weekend and a lovely Valentines Day!

 

Out with the old, right?

I know I've been sparse this December but that's because I was having fun.  I put my little shop on vacation and set up sewing down by the Christmas tree.  I made a sweet set of red and white striped linen napkins (luxurious, but fun).  I've been wanting to make linen napkins forever so this was so rewarding and I'm going to use them all year long (not just at Christmas time).

 

 

When I wasn't ironing and sewing I was over at the oven baking oodles and oodles of cookies.  My crusty old Martha Stewart's Christmas book has served me well over the years and the gingerbread and pecan shortbread cookies were a treat.

 

 

I really nailed it in the toffee department this year.  Last year it took a lot of (expensive!) trial and error but this year I was ready to go.  This recipe is wonderful but I really hit it out of the ball park when I finally gave in and bought a fancy candy thermometer and heat the mixture up to 300 before taking it off the stove (it gave it more crunch and less chew).

 

And more cookies (Hazelnut Anise Biscotti for the win!).

 

And more candy!  Homemade caramels, dang.  This recipe was a winner but I had the best results when I stopped at around 247 degrees instead of 250 (I know, but those 3 degrees really make a softer chew).

 

Time to decorate my new old hutch.  I'm didn't go overboard this year, next year I think I'll go a little crazier with the decorating.

 

Hung the stockings (with care).  I used twigs from my tree clippings for my green vase and they make me strangely happy (up-cycling and all that).

 

I didn't bake this gingerbread house.  And I didn't feel guilty about giving the boys a store bought kit because they truly don't care either way.  And it's going in the trash because Skate had a cold and coughed all over it.

 

It was a good year for us (holding our breath until midnight hits in 6 hours).  I haven't been able to say that in ages.  Sigh of relief.  On the other hand we've seen people we love travel through their darkest hours and it's been sobering and humbling.  My mom says she doesn't like odd numbered years so that means, starting tomorrow, things will begin to look up for everyone.  Happy New Year my friends.  May God bless you in every way imaginable and may your trials and victories make you stronger, wiser, and even more loving than before.

Love hurts, and so does sewing

Maybe that's why I love sewing?  A few days ago we were sitting around having a regular Norman Rockwell type of family evening with me sewing (finally trying to finish these quilts 2 years later!) and the menfolk tying flies for some up-coming fishing day.  Everything was great.

Asher's expression kills me (smile, Mr. Crankypants.  You're on candid camera).

 

The guys had left the room for something when this happened.  So fast.  And loud.  And kind of crunchy sounding.  I had just been reading this harrowing account of a needle accident a few days prior and was sure that it had been a warning to me to be extra careful.  I didn't listing apparently.  But it could have been so much worse.

 

The needle went in right next to my nail (whew) and through my finger meat, where it broke off and the broken part came out the other side.  So my finger was neatly threaded .  I grabbed my finger and didn't even look at it and began yelling "Joey, I need you!  I need you!  Now!  Right at this moment.  Joey, now."  I turned my head and let him look.  My first thought was "I should have him take a picture to post online!" but my second thought, "OUCH!", was louder.  So he pulled the thread the rest of the way through and rushed me off to the bathroom.  Lot's of blood later we got it cleaned and bandaged and it really wasn't all that bad.  I'm fine now.

 

Here's what happen when the needles doesn't come out.  Peety was 3 (she's turning 20 in 2 days!) when she stepped on a needle that was stuck in the carpet.  She was crying and wouldn't even let us get a good look at her foot.  So we did our best to comfort her and get it bandaged up.  It seemed to heal fine but there was a hard lump in there which I convinced myself was scar tissue or something.  I took her to the pediatrician for something entirely different but asked him to take a look at it.  I wish I had a picture of the x-ray because there it was.  

She had to go under general anesthesia to have it removed (more traumatic for me than anyone else I think).  It was already encrusted with calcium (or something) and 1/2 long.  So it's a part of her baby book.  She's fine now, but complerely left handed which probably has nothing to do with the needle.

Be careful out there but keep on sewing!

With a Hutch like this who needs Starsky?

Last week Joey and I were on our way back from the local farmer's market when we saw a little garage sale and decided to stop and check it out.  The home owners were in the process of decorating their yard for Halloween and the lawn had some gravestones going up and zombies starting to come out of the ground so we figured maybe they were interesting and had interesting stuff.  They had some 70's knick knacks and a row of dog costumes on a line and I was just about to head back to the car when I saw this china hutch at the back of the driveway.  It had no price tag and I was afraid to ask since it's always been my theory that they just wait until they see that you want it and then come at you with a crazy price.  But I was curious.  I asked the lady what the price was and she said "Hold on. Let me go check." and I thought "Oh great. Here we go".  She came back and said....wait for it.....wait for it.....drumroll please.....$20.00!!  Can you believe it?!  I know, right??!

Once I got it home I set it against the wall and waited for the weekend.  It had already been stripped so on Friday I just cleaned it up and taped off the glass and got to work.

I had plenty of supplies left over from when I painted my sideboard so I just used those (I did treat myself to a new brush and roll of blue tape though).  Glidden Gripper primer and Behr Swiss Coffee (with some Floetrol added for a smoother finish).  2 coats of each and everything was fresh and beautiful (I already loved the hardware on it so I was set there).  That Swiss Coffee paint is quickly becoming my favorite.  It's such a beautiful shade of white it makes everything look high quality.

For the back of the hutch I had Joey pop it out (after I had already squeezed my upper body in there to paint the primer on, duh) and slathered it with a slurry made from 1/2 Elmer's glue and 1/2 water all over it (and for those who have been curious you can see how my grey hair is growing out in this picture).

And wouldn't you know it, the board was 45" wide.  This was meant to be.  I had ironed all the creases out of my fabric (Taza by Dena Fishbein), and gave it a quick shot of spray starch and I was ready to go.  I slowly smoothed it out on the board while my 13 year old son Asher held one side up for me.  Together we got everything in place nice and even.  It didn't take long to dry.

I nailed it back in place and Bam!  Isn't it lovely?  I'm over the moon with happiness.  $20.00!!!

Here are the before and after pictures, side by side.  What a difference a little paint, fabric, and time makes.

Now I'm busy sprucing it.  I finally have a place for all of my sweet little teacup sets.

So when you're at a garage sale, don't be a chicken.  Ask!  :)

And speaking of Starsky and Hutch, here is a picture of my pretty mom with David Soul taken at my uncle's studio back in the day.  Cool, huh?

So, like I was saying....

Sorry.  I seriously just got tired and dumped all of my Quilt Market pics into flickr (see them here).

I've been sewing a lot and the fun part is that lot's of it has been fun sewing (as opposed to business sewing which is tedious but having money is fun so there's that....).  Last month we got to escape the Arizona heat by driving to California for the wedding of the middle son of our best friends ever.  I was so happy to make the bow ties for the groom and his guys and a necktie for the grooms dad (who officiated the wedding and was the best man at our wedding nearly 27 years ago).  Don't they look great?  I used my bow tie pattern and this tutoral designed by Georgia Solorzano at Puking Pastilles.  It a great pattern and I highly recommend it.  The fabric is a poly/taffeta type and it was great to sew with and I loved the finished look.  I'm so used to working with quilting cottons that I wasn't sure how this fabric would work.  It worked great it turns out!

 

The beautiful bride wanted a tulle garter which I'd never even heard of (kids these days!).  The one she really liked was 92.00 (yeah really) so I went to work trying to recreate the look and it was truly fun.  I searched high and low for the lace embellishment and found something sort of similar.  I dyed it with a combination of tea and grey dye from Dharma Trading Co. and got this great taupe color.  Then I trimmed it down to a reasonable size and added some little beads for a touch of bling.

After a little practice here's the finished garter.  That was fun!  I gave her the practice one for tossing.

And here I am with my honey and his own snappy bow tie.  Life is good folks!

Doohickeys and thingamajigs, etc.

Who knew shopping for industrial sewing supplies could be so much fun?  I've been getting little accessories to go with my new/old Juki and it's really been nice.  The one thing I really needed (that isn't part of this particular machine) is a built in thread cutter.  When I've got my little assembly line going it's kind of pesky to have to stop and pick up my scissors and cut the thread by hand (sounds like a small thing but I'm all about efficiency here baby). 

I found this nifty little item on eBay and it really does the trick.  It attaches to the side of the foot (using the same screw you use to secure the foot) and has coils to hold the thread while the razor cuts them.  The razor lays flat on the coils so it's not a slicing danger for my fingers.  The coils also keep the thread secure while you start on your next stitch (so no more pulling out a length of thread to avoid having it pulled back through the needle).  Fun!

 

And then I found this little goody.  A magnetic seam guide.  You just move it to wherever you need your seam and it holds tight.  Nifty!  You can get them from any place that carries Dritz notions and they run around 5.00.  Well worth it.

 

Here's an idea of what it looks like in action.  If you're not ready to invest in a 1/4" foot then this is the way to go.

 

And here's some eye candy.  Daffodils in bloom!  Joey bought that cute little milk jug for me from a local crafter (he saw me swooning over it at the local Art Walk and snapped it up for me, nice man) and it's the perfect place for my flowers.

 

And I got a chicken (it's ceramic but whatever)!  We're not allowed to have chickens in our housing development (it grates on my nerves that we pay the mortgage and they can tell us what we can't do with our backyard but that's a whole 'nother episode....) so this little cutie will have to suffice.

Anyway, we're just enjoying the Spring and taking a break from school this week.  The Arizona weather is lovely so I may just go outside and see what's going on.

A quick post about a quick project

I was all set to do some amazing baking with my amazing new Kitchen Aid (which I kindly treated myself too because I'm nice like that) last month when I realized I had one stinking oven mitt in the whole house.  Like the complete ADHD type that I am I ran upstairs to remedy that situation immediately.

 

I'd received a bag of goodies from the folks at C&T/Stash Books when I started writing my book last year and there was a package of Insul-Bright in that bag.  You can use it for hot stuff (oven mitts, casserole dish holders, etc) or cold stuff like lunch bags.  I sandwiched one layer (9" x 9") between my fabrics (Red Rose Farm by Elizabeth Schlarb and Peacock Lane by Violet Craft) and grabbed some binding (check out my bias tape tutorial if you want to build up a decent stockpile of bias binding).  Since I was in a hurry (remember, my butter was softening downstairs) I spray basted the layers together first.  Smart move that.

 

I stitched a one inch grid pattern in no time (see my new industrial Juki?!!!  More on that later....).

 

I quickly trimmed and bound the edges (butter....softening...) and was ready to roll (roll dough that is).  I know my binding looks sloppy (I really really prefer sewing it on by hand but the butter...) but I really like these!  It turns out I should've included a thin layer of cotton batting but I'm surprised at how well that flimsy-feeling layer of Insul-Bright works.  They're perfect if I'm pulling something from the oven to set on the stove.  If I need to carry it further, like over to the counter, then I just fold them over so I have doubled insulation.  Thumbs up for Insul-Bright!