Tuesday, January 29, 2013
It is Truly a Flu Season
Seriously... I guess people don’t say "flu season" for no reason.
I am going to head to bed and sleep. Hopefully I will get better soon and start working on more projects.
One funny thing is, right now I am craving chocolate cake. Though, that is my homemade cake, and I am too sick to make it so I won't have it until I get better. :( Maybe that is a good thing hahaha.
I will see you at the next post. :)
Sachiko
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Chair Makeover Reveal
Here is the before photo...
I painted the chair with "Reflecting Pool" from BEHR. It might look like white at first glance, but it is actually, blue-ish gray. I wanted to do something different than my normal white. To re-upholster the cushion and to create the new pillow for the back, I basically pieced my favorite fabrics from Amy Butler’s collections and hand quilted them.
I decided to pay attention to detail by adding piping and fabric covered buttons.
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Just Checking in...
This is Mr. TRH. Sachiko has been busy working on her projects. She has some that she is getting ready to show soon, however, she has come down with the flu. I told her that I would just let you guys know what's going on and why she is late with today's post.
She is getting plenty of rest and fluids. Hopefully she'll be back on her feet in a day or two. This seems to be going around, one of our sons' had it last week, Sachiko got it last night, and our daughter just got it this morning. Next time, it will either be Sachiko with a new post, or I with another update.
Later,
Mr. TRH
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Happy Feet and Busy Hands
The color combinations and style are not really what I would normally choose, but out of desperation I decided to just get it. But as I am wearing it every day it grew on me, I actually LOVE it! It not only keeps my feet warm, I like that fact that I tried something new and different and liked it. I feel like it is, in a way, a small adventure in everyday life.
Have you done anything new to get out of your comfort zone recently? For example, ordering new food at a restaurant instead of the usual? Or picked out a new color of clothing that you thought wouldn’t look good on you but actually does? Or you said "hi" first instead of hoping that someone would say it you at the party?
I think small adventures like that are so fun and rejuvenating. I can discover the new potential in me. If you had moments like that please do tell! I would love to hear it. :)
Also, let me tell you about my busy hands a little, but not whole a lot...
I have been working on several projects that I can't share for a while and also trying to refinish this chair I found at a thrift store. I really don't care for the color of the chair, and the old upholstery must go... here is the before photo.
It’s cold outside, but it is the perfect time to stay in and organize my house and work on projects. Having warm happy feet and being busy with my hands really puts me in a great mood.
Monday, January 14, 2013
Tutorial ~ Mini Spool Necklace
DMC floss of your choice (I used 322, 597, 598, 775)
Leather string
5 beads (3 big, 2 small)
Multi Media Glue
*How to
1. Put glue on the spool. I spread the glue over the entire mid-section with the tip of the glue gun. Start wrapping the spool with DMC floss and do 2 layers. Put a dub of glue close to the edge of the spool, and glue the end of the floss.
Friday, January 11, 2013
Ruby Jean's Closet PDF Pattern Giveaway Winners!
Are you all ready?
The winners are....
Congratulations you two! Please contact me with your favorite 5 sewing patterns from her shop and your email address. If I don't hear from you within 72 hours, I am going to pick different winners, so other people can have chance too. :)
Note: One of the winners didn't contact me in time, and I feel really bad doing this, but I want to give a chance for other people to win the fabulous patterns from Ruby's Closet, so I am going to pick a new winner...she is...
Congratulations! Please let me know your email and the five patterns of your choice. :)
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Guest Post ~ Wall Decorating
How New Walls Can Give Your Home a New Look
Whether we live in a rented place, our own newly bought home or a house we’ve lived in since childhood, we want that space to feel like home: comforting, warm and stylish. We also want it to bear witness to our decorative skills.
Sometimes, though, our budget or some other obstacle does not allow us to completely remodel our home the way we want it. But we still need some change and acquiring new walls is exactly what can solve the problem of low budget and wanting to give our apartment a new look.
It seems that the biggest problem of getting new walls is choosing what they’ll be. You have an option of:
- Painting your walls any colour you want
- Putting up wallpaper
- Decorating your walls with graphics, stickers or posters
- Decorating your walls with modern looking patterned designs, mirrors, etc
- Using walls as canvas to paint your own drawings
If you decide to paint your house, you can either pay a professional to do it, or save that money and have fun with your partner painting the walls yourself. A lot of people choose the second option, because painting walls is not such a difficult task. All you need is the right tools, quality brushes and a paint colour you’ll be happy with.
Think about whether you want to have different coloured rooms (for example: blue for the bedroom, green for the study, yellow for kitchen, etc.), or you want to go with one colour throughout the house. You can also have different coloured walls in the same room, but don’t get carried away, because you’ll be living in that house – don’t go with anything that will eventually give you a headache.
Modern vs. traditionalDon’t mix styles. If your furniture is classic, it might look strange to have extravagant looking walls, like this, for example:
You might want to go with stylish wallpaper or peaceful paint tones that are a perfect background for serious paintings. More modern apartments will liven up again with a new, surprising and fun decoration:
You don’t have to try too hard, or to burden your walls with a lot of stuff. You can leave your walls plain white, and have only one unique decoration that will surely be the center of everyone’s attention:
Get wild in your children’s play room:Your kids’ room is the best place to get creative. You can use posters, wall stickers or just wall paint to let your kids express themselves through drawings.
Your children’s drawings would look very stylish if you framed them just as they are, painted on walls. Another cool idea is to spread a piece of string across the wall and put interesting photos or smaller drawings up, attached to the string with clothespins.
Children’s room is usually a place of the liveliest colours. Paint the walls yellow, bright green, sky blue and feel how your energy refills simply by being in such a vibrant looking space.
When you’re done decorating and you are happy with how the new walls look, you’ll feel like you moved into a completely new, yet same old warm and cozy home.
This is a guest post written by Stacy Watts. She loves to write about home styling, family and children and she frequently writes on these subjects. She thinks that writing is the most enjoyable activity out there. Don’t forget to stop by her website.
Monday, January 7, 2013
Ruby Jean's Closet PDF Patterns Giveaway!
Today, I have the perfect giveaway for you!
Mary from Ruby Jean’s Closet is giving away 5 PDF patterns ($29.50 value) each to 2 lucky winners! The great thing is that you can pick and choose the ones that you desire; isn't that so awesome?
Her designs use modern sewing methods but have a vintage appeal. They are beginner friendly and come with very thorough instructions including tons of detailed pictures. I love her vintage inspired design and how she pays attention to detail. Here are a couple of my favorite patterns:
Sweet Cheeks - peasant top pattern
Here are the rules for the giveaway;
1. Head over to her etsy shop. Come back here and let me know which one is your favorite pattern by leaving a comment. (1st entry)
2. Blog or tweet about the giveaway and give me the link to the comment section. (2nd entry)
I will pick 2 winners on the 11th. Contact me with your favorite 5 sewing patterns from her shop and your email address. If I don't hear from you within 72 hours, I will pick a different winner. :) Good luck everyone!
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Shirt Makeover
I found the shirt at a thrift store for $5. The pretty floral print caught my eye; it reminded me of Liberty of London’s style. A while ago, JCrew had a shirt that Liberty of London designed just for them. I loooved the shirt but it had a pretty hefty price tag of $150.00... I have absolutely no plans to pay $150.00 for a shirt in the near future (or never). This will be the closest I can get to a Liberty of London-ish shirt. :)
The shirt was sized XL. I usually wear XS or S, depends on the brand or style of the clothes. I have done alterations from Medium to Small, or Small to X-small, but never from XL to Small. I hesitated a little, because I didn't want to make a mess and waste the shirt, but I decided to give it a try.
This shirt was from Nautica, it had a collar and was a button down shirt. There were pleats below and above the bust line.
1. I cut off the collar; I always wanted a pretty floral shirt with an open round neck. I added bias tape, and put elastic.
2. I created an additional button hole and sewed on a button.
3. I sewed both sides of the shirt and sleeves to make it smaller.
4. I then cut off the wide cuff, and created thin bias. Then, I gathered the fabric and added the bias tape.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Jewelry Affaire and More
To be honest with you, I have been lacking a drive to create lately. It's not that I don't have any ideas (trust me, I have tons of ideas in my head and a secret black notebook...), it's just that self-doubt appears from nowhere and tells me things like "why do you keep creating?", "It's not going to take you anywhere, you are wasting your time" or "you are not talented enough, just stop the whole thing".
I know those types of thoughts are silly. I create because I love it. I love to come up with ideas, design, and I also enjoy the whole process of bringing my ideas to life. I am never gonna stop.
The magazine I received today not only made my day, it sort of help me to shake the mean "self-doubts" off of me. So thank you Beth and Christine for all the hard work you did!