BUT I STILL LOVE IT...

Back in 2010 I shut down my business.  For 12+ years I had spent almost every waking moment in this room, running a business that I loved. But things change and life goes on. 

For Christmas that year my Dear Hubby and J emptied out my old office furniture to turn my "beloved office" into my "beloved sewing room".  My first purchase for the sewing room was this wonderful table.  I found it on Craigslist... for a mere $60!  I was thrilled.  On the prescribed evening J and I drove to the owner's home to pick up my purchase.  Oh My Goodness, what an ordeal!!!  The owner lived on an OLD, tiny, one-way street with virtually NO parking.  When I DID find a parking space, I had to parallel park...something I haven't done since 1979 when I moved out of the city!  The entrance to her home was up a set of four really STEEP steps leading through a teeny, tiny front door!  AND...it was POURING!!!  Not a fast drizzle, but a downpour that turned the gutter into a raging torrent of water.  After a good amount of slipping, sliding, splashing and cursing (from me when I dropped my end and dented the perfect piece I had just purchased...okay I think I have a "thing" for alliteration, LOL) we managed to heft this rather bulky  piece of furniture into my Highlander.  I was THRILLED!  I couldn't WAIT for Dear Hubby and J to carry it up to my sewing room.  However, my room still needed some sort of "desk".  I needed a place where I could peruse the internet, handle the household phone calls/paperwork and while away the day if I wasn't sewing. 

Dear Hubby found a PERFECT desk unit for me, with a matching lateral file and 4 section cubby!  The furniture was a darn close match to my sewing table, felt very sturdily built, provided just the right amount of storage for my "home" office and was on sale!!!  Combined with coupons and rewards cash it was a deal too good to be true!  I came home one afternoon from a full morning of medical testing to find that J had spent HOURS assembling my furniture.  This mama's heart melted...

While the furniture is VERY sturdily built and has held up WONDERFULLY to daily use over the past five years...the FINISH is absolute JUNK!  Apparently, the wood grain is simply a photo glued in place.  Now don't get me wrong...I knew this wasn't wood from day one and knew all about this type of finish!  My old office furniture was the original "flat pack" furniture brought out in the 1980's.  It had survived daily use from 1988 to 2010 and the finish was still in perfect condition when Dear Hubby and J carried it out of my room.  I was even able to sell all five bookcases on Craigslist because they were in such wonderful shape! 

But this finish is coming off if I accidentally allow tape or Post-It's to touch the desk! 

That worn away spot on my pull out tray is where I use my mouse!!!

So...what to do?  I could disregard my goals for 2015 and go out and buy another set of furniture, but that would mean spending money to replace something that still has YEARS of life remaining!  I could do that.  Yes.  I could get rid of this furniture.  BUT...I STILL LOVE IT !!!!!

So I am giving SERIOUS thought to using ModPodge to decoupage the entire desk top.  If it looks good, I could even do the same technique on the top of the file cabinet and 4 section cubby!

Last night I spent HOURS searching the web for "free" scrapbook papers that I could cut into "hexies" to cover my desk top.  Then I found a blog that had everything I could possibly want, right at my fingertips.  The blog is http://melstampz.blogspot.com/.  My only question now is..."Do I cut hexies from all of these papers to have a wide variety of patterns?"...OR..."Do I simply print out tons of the first paper that is hexies already and ModPodge sheets that are close to 8.5" x 11" instead of individual 1" hexagons?"

I'm looking for opinions.  What do YOU think?

Toodles...

STARTING SOMETHING NEW...

I have wanted to make charity quilts for quite a while now.  However, I've been so busy making quilts for my immediate family that starting another quilt has just been out of the question.  Not any more.   Even though I am still nowhere near done the quilt for J, I have decided to begin piecing some scrappy tumblers for a Project Linus quilt.   

Yesterday I pulled out my box of "crumbs".  It is overflowing with lots and lots of bright happy colors!  First I ripped out a few sheets of telephone book paper and cut them to a 6" x 6" square.  I pulled out the fabric pieces that I thought may be long enough to cover the paper foundation and began the diagonal piecing.  Oh what FUN!  I gave myself no rules at all except that I would make an even number of tumblers, half going one direction and half the other.  I also decided that if I had enough of the fabric pieces used in one tumbler, I would try to combine the same fabrics on a tumbler of the other direction.  These tumblers will probably not end up anywhere near each other on the final quilt, but knowing that there are two tumblers that sorta "match" eases my perfectionist anxiety over a truly "scrappy" quilt, LOL. 

Since this is going to be a very "long-term" project, I left the papers attached and even did a line of stitching within the 1/4" seam allowance.  I don't want any jostling around to cause fraying of edges! 

Once I have run out of "useable" crumbs, I will pull out my scrap drawers and continue the process.  If those empty too quickly I have some started fat quarters that can be used too. 

I'm going to put a shout out on Freecycle to see if I can get a brand new, in the package, sheet in either white or black to use for the alternating solid tumbler. I know I have enough pieces of batting that I can "heat and seal" together to make one large piece adequate for this quilt.  Then I will just have to find another new sheet for the backing.  SUCH FUN and for a good cause, too!

Toodles...

THRIFT STORE SCORE...

Today I had an appointment around the corner from my favorite thrift shop.  Sooo...I absolutely HAD to stop in there.  Right?  I was saving gas and wear and tear on my car by stopping while I was in the neighborhood.  Right? 

Besides the fun I had combing through my favorite haunt, I managed to check three things off of my master "To Buy" list...at thrift store prices rather than retail prices!  SCORE!  In addition I picked up a few other crafty goodies that were just calling my name, lol.

First thing on my list was a small CD case.  I had read about a fellow quilter who used such a case to keep her small rulers organized.  What a GREAT idea!  This pretty blue one was only $2.99  Second thing on my list was a pack or two of ring binder index dividers to organize some household files.  I found two packs of 10 dividers each for $.49 a pack with an additional 50% off.  My kind of pricing!  The third thing on my list was some type of folders/page protectors/binder indexes to organize my quilting and sewing patterns.  I found 7 packages that each contained 5 "tabbed" binder folders for $.99 each with an additional 50% off.  The folders should work well to hold any templates that go along with the patterns.

I shudder to think what all of these items would have cost in a retail store!  Hopefully my deal on indexes will help me get my glut of paperwork (both household and crafting) organized...once and for all!!  Sigh.  I've been saying that for years...

When I had finished looking for "needs" I wandered over to the craft/fabric section.  I found 1.25 yards of cotton fabric for $3.75.  I have drawn up a design for a wall hanging that has been in my mind for a while.  I will definitely need some brown fabric to complete the project.  Then I dug into the button box.  I found 5 "cards" of buttons for $.99 each, with 50% off and 3 "cards" of buttons for $.49 each, with 50% off.  When I think of the amount of money I have saved simply by keeping a good "stash" of buttons I'm amazed.  Recently, I needed a button to mend a pair of pants and didn't have the right size in my stash.  I went to JoAnn's to buy a replacement.  Oh. My. Goodness.  Buttons have gotten ridiculously expensive!!!  So I add to my supply whenever I can.  I would have liked to have a dig through the "single button" box to look for something really unusual, but I didn't want to spend any more money.  I was determined to go home with money still in my pocket.  Next time for sure!!!

On the way home I stopped at Chick-Fil-A and bought myself lunch with my free gift card and got a free drink with my "calendar" card.  All in all it was a GREAT day!

Toodles...

A THANKFUL EASTER...

This accident happened in front of my house yesterday (mine is the gray house with the open garage).  The parked car that was hit belongs to my neighbor who was out of town for the holiday.  He asked me to take photos so he could report the accident to his employer...it's a company car.  Thank God the passenger suffered only minor cuts and bruises.  We take so much for granted in our lives, including our family.  Take a moment to hug your loved ones a little tighter. 

It was truly an Easter to be THANKFUL!