Before and After: Coastal Chic Dresser

I bought this hot mess at the thrift store with the plan of painting it and selling it to make a few bucks.  Note the plastic barn knobs.

When I was done, I couldn't part with it.

Now it has brass starfish knobs. Much better.

Before and After Drum Table

Here is a before and after of a drum table I found at the thrift store.

I painted it with Amy Howard chalk pain in Kembel, sanded the edges, rubbed it with stain and rubbed it with Annie Sloan furniture wax.  I painted a little gold in the grooves, too, but it's hard to see in the morning light.

Love it!

Baby Rag Strip Quilt

 I recently made this rag strip quilt for my niece.  It is flannel and soft and I love how it turned out.

 The embroidered label was an afterthought, so I stitched it on top, but in hindsight I would have pieced it into the quilt.  The handwriting on the label is my daughter's.  How much more special does that make the label?!

 This is the flat side of the quilt:

I had never done a quilt-as-you-go quilt or a rag quilt, and it was very easy.  I used the tutorial for this quilt at Do It Yourself Divas:

I used the Missouri Star Quilt Company tutorial for machine binding a quilt.  They have great tutorials and quilting fabric.

Crafting Baby Shower

I recently went to a baby shower for a baby boy.  Instead of playing games, we crafted.  I couldn't finish in time, so I took mine home to finish up.  

We each made a scrapbook page and painted a onesie.  Here is the scrapbook page I did.  It has the Bible verse "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Creator of the sun, moon and stars, who does not change like their shifting shadows." James 1:17

I used Paper Studio's Woodland Retreat paper, and I stuck the page in my sewing machine and sewed a border around the page and the frame.

 Then I drew this little hedgehog from the paper, and embroidered the design on the onesie (Because I don't paint!!).

I had to add a bow tie on the little guy.  I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

I Sewed an Apron

 I made this apron as a thank you gift for a friend.  She made a delicious meal for me after I had surgery.  I used this tutorial from the blog Stitches in Play (thank you!).

 I used some Heather Bailey floral fabric.  It was pretty easy, and I think it turned out great.

Also, the farm chair is a trash item that I painted with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.

Tiny Cherry Pies

Tonight I made these tiny cherry pies.

I used 1 pie crust recipe (see below). I rolled out the crust and cut 12 - 4.5" circles using a Tupperware lid. I pressed the circles into a muffin tin and filled them with cherry pie filling (I used one can for all 12 pies).  For the top crust I cut 2.75" circles with a cookie cutter, and cut little hearts out of the center with a miniature cookie cutter.  I didn't press the edges together and learned the hard way why the edges should be pressed together: so all the filling doesn't bubble out the sides.  Oh well.

Top with a scoop of ice cream if you like.

Pie Crust 

1.  Mix 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flower and 1 teaspoon each salt and sugar.  Cut 2 sticks chilled unsalted butter into pieces.  With a pastry blender, cut in butter, working until mixture is similar to course meal.

2.  Add 4 tablespoons ice water; work with hands until dough comes together.  If dough is still crumbly, add more ice water a tablespoon at a time (up to 4 more).  Do not overwork.

3.  Divide dough in half, and flatten halves into disks.  Wrap disks separately in plastic; refrigerate at least 1 hour.

4.  Roll dough out onto a floured surface.

My Other Favorite Breakfast

This is my other favorite breakfast (to see the first one, click here):

2 Scrambled eggs
1/4 cup red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped spinach
Fry in a little bit of coconut oil and sprinkle with Turmeric, 2 TB salsa, 1/8 c. shredded cheese, salt and pepper.
Top with 1/4 avocado, sliced

Turmeric is a spice that is extremely healthy.  Here is the one I use Simply Organic Turmeric. There is a long list of health benefits, which includes lowering inflammation, promoting healing, fighting alzheimer's disease and cancer, and it's good for your skin.  I also take these Turmeric Supplements.

Have a blessed day!

My Favorite Breakfast

This is my favorite breakfast:

Cold quinoa

Sugar Free Vanilla Coconut Milk

Raw Almonds

Sliced strawberries (or other fruit such as blackberries or raspberries)

I have never been a big fan of almond milk, because it just seems thicker and not as refreshing as milk.  I love coconut milk and find it to be a great substitute for milk.

Why I Love Outdoor Rugs for Inside ...

Vintage Beach Chic

I have always loved Andrea Singarella's jewelry.  I was recently drooling on her blog and saw that she is doing a Vintage Trinket Jewelry e-course where she actually shows you how she makes her gorgeous jewelry, and it's only $10.00. Seriously. So I signed up, and it was totally awesome!

This is my first necklace.  Even though I live in Virginia, I am a transplant from California, so I made a vintagy necklace with a beachy theme.  It has some shell beads, a starfish charm, and a By The Sea tag, which had a blue patina until I varnished it.  Grrrr.

Here is a smaller necklace I made to wear together with the bigger necklace.  It has a little turquoise starfish bead.

And here is a necklace I made as a gift for someone as part of the Facebook Pay it Forward challenge I did.

It says "Be The Change", short for "Be the change you want to see in the world." This is supposedly a quote by Gandhi, or an inspiration thought inspired by Gandhi, but I'm not certain of its authenticity beyond being a favorite Internet quote.

Regardless of who said it, it's still a good thing to say.

Game Card Bag

I recently sewed a gift for a good friend.  We taught her family how to play Nertz, so I made a drawstring bag to hold game cards.  (If you want to learn how to play Nertz, click here.)

I sewed an applique to the front with the quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson, "It is a happy talent to know how to play."  The floral fabric is by Amy Butler.

The bag is completely reversible and this is what it looks like on the inside.

Cherry Kuchen Recipe

I saw the recipe for Cherry Kuchen on Pinterest yesterday, and I made some for our church's small group that meets at our house.  It was pretty amazing, and I'm really bummed I didn't take a better photo.  But 20 people walked in my house right when it finished, so this is the best I could do.  Served warm with a little vanilla ice cream ... pure heaven.

There are lots of beautiful photos on the blog where I found the recipe, Dear Crissy.

My Favorite Plumbing Tool

Forget baking soda and vinegar: when your drain is clogged, most of the time it is filled up with a hair ball and other miscellany. Ewww. You need to get that junk out BEFORE you clean the drain with baking soda and vinegar.  I bought the Cobra Zip-It Drain Cleaning Tool, and I have used it for years on my sink and shower drains.

You just stick it down the drain, and the little nubs pull the hair back up. THEN you clean with baking soda and vinegar.  I will spare you photos of me cleaning out my drain because I think you get the idea.  If you need to see the filth or a demonstration, you can go to the Zip-It website and see what other people pull out of their drains.

This little guy rocks.

Organizing Fabric

I saw this fabric organizing idea on Pinterest.  You cut hanging file folders in half and use them to "file" the fabric in a filing cabinet or box.  I gave it a try, and I like the results.  Not only is it all neatly stored, but you can easily see how fabrics look next to each other.

Here is the original tutorial from Karen at Sew Many Ways.  The only thing that is bothering me is that my fabric isn't all folded at the same width like Karen's.  It will eat away at me until I refold it all.

Tissue Holder

I got tired of seeing this in my purse:

So when I saw Notes From the Patch's tutorial for a tissue holder, I made some with some Amy Butler fabric scraps I had. It was very easy and turned out great. It would make a nice little gift for someone. 

 Front

Back

Expensive Candles Are Worth the Money

You know how expensive candle companies always say their candles are healthier to breathe? Well, I've always kinda believed that, but now I really do after changing the air filters in our house. 

This is what cheap candles did. The black soot turned the filters black. I'm thinking the extra money is totally worth it.

Altoid Tins

I love Altoid Tins for so many reasons, including organizing ...

Fabric Birds

I co-hosted a baby shower yesterday, and made fabric birds for decor. I updated my Christmas wreath with a bird and a fabric-wrapped perch to welcome guests. I'll post more photos of the shower soon.

Blessings!