Juicy Bits

200: holidays

Phew!  Nice little "blog breather" there.  Wish I had something more monumental to share on this, my 200th post, but alas, just a bit of catch-up.

In my usual delayed fashion I haven't really talked about the holidays.  Of course they were busy, busy, busy over here.  I made a bunch of gifts, but I'll have to share most of them at a later date.

But to start with, this is an awesome project I did for my sister.  She just moved into her very very own city apartment and of course I had to help with the decor.

This is a large canvas that I painted and then mod podged on some fabric.  The inspiration is actually from a bedding set, but it was totally different colors, in a different scale, and had no print fabric.  So it's not a copy at all.

But I did make it to coordinate with this bedding set I got her.  I'm not going to put a link because I'm sure by the time anyone cares, it will be long gone, but it was from Macy's.  

It was fun to do.  I normally sew stuff so painting was a departure.  Actually if I could have found a background fabric that coordinated well, I probably would have sew this too, and then stretched it on canvas, but time was limited.  Painting is always a bit more difficult than I think it will be, but I'm quite pleased with how it came out.

Our holidays were mostly spent at home.  I enjoyed my newly converted wood burning fireplace and spent lots of time just hanging out with the kids.  I've even completed an entire quilt since the new year! (More on that later).

Here are a few of the basic holiday holiday portraits.  Aurora chose her own dress this year which she was just dying for, so I went with it.

Hope you had great holidays and that your new year is shaping up to be a good one.

JT

148: roller coaster in my mind

Let's take a little trip in the mind of Jessica, shall we? Often it's a whirlwind ride, so you may want to hold on.

I guess I should preface this by telling you my mind races from subject to subject a lot of the time.  When I bring up a seemingly unrelated subject to my husband he'll sometimes ask "how did you get there?"  So I tell him.  It's usually about a dozen steps that I hopped through in about 10 seconds. 

Am I the only one like this?  I do wish I could shut it off sometimes...it makes falling asleep at night much more difficult.

Anyway, back to our little trip.  This one wasn't so fast, but rather a bit obsessive.

It all started with this photo:

I saw this lovely gypsy caravan inspiration over at an adorable blog, li'l magoolie. And I'm in love.  Seriously.  Madly.  Deeply.

I feel I NEED one of these in my backyard.  So I promptly started designing a playhouse for Aurora and Theo (OK, fine, for me really) based on these gorgeous bright colors.  I started figuring out how I was going to get my dad to help me build it.  I couldn't wait to have the fun of painting it all those colors and sewing curtains and cushions etc.

You'll see that Miko Design had the same inspiration for a great recycled version for her daughter's playhouse.

The plan was definitely to have one with a full size bed in the back so we could have sleepovers in it.  Sure, Aurora could do that with her friends into her teen years, but I also just dream of sleeping in such a place.  I guess camping out in your own back yard seems strange, but...cool, no?

Anyway, I obsessed over all these pictures and the idea.  Then I moved on to playhouse plans.  None are really quite right but I was thinking of what I could adapt.  Then I started looking at shed plans because maybe those would be more flexible.

Then I spoke with my dad about it and we thought maybe it really would be cool to have it on wheels so we could bring it camping.  This led to the idea of refurbishing an RV of some kind.  I start looking around, and who doesn't want one of these cool vintage Airstreams?

But I don't actually need a bathroom in it.  And, yes, they're WAY too expensive.  But what about a regular RV?  Let's check out craig's list shall we?  I see some real options for older ones people want to get rid of.  That would be kinda fun to redo.

Right about now I realized that I can't actually build such a structure in my yard or park an RV without out approval from the stupid, f***ing, homeowners association board.  I can't even put out a statue without their say so.  I hate it!  So I pull out the by-laws to see what I can and can't do.  Definitely a no go.  Grrr...

So now what?  How about moving?  I start looking at what's for sale in our immediate area.  In the end I like the idea of piece of property still in range of the same elementary school, that is plenty big enough to build our dream house with pool etc.  And of course a gypsy caravan.  That was the whole point right?

So, tommorrow I'm going out with the real estate agent to look at a few places.  Will anything actually come of it?  I don't know, but I'm so mad at being limited right now, that it actually makes me want to move.

And my husband is sort of in a dazed shock, like "um, what just happened?  You see one picture you like and suddenly we're building a new house?"  Poor guy.

JT

P.S. I know I owe you giveaway details, but that should be coming soon.  It might be over at a different site, but I'll let you know...

138: under the sea nursery

Hey, that rhymes!  I'm a poet and I didn't even know it.

This is Theo's room before the "big boy bed".  It was really designed as a nursery in the true sense of the word.  He slept in our room for over a year, but I loved to sit in the rocker and nurse him.

 

 

This before shot is how the previous owners had the room.  

 

Of course I made lots of things in the room.  I've shown you the quilt and numbers collage before, but here are a few more:  

Pillows, roman blinds, a turtle and two fish, covered lampshade, and, of course, the border mural. 

Instructions and all the supplies you might need for blinds can be found here.  There's a bit of math involved, but they're really not that difficult.  The turtle and fish are from patterns by Rumpled Quiltskins.

The border was another of my past-the-edge-of-sanity projects.  

Truly.  

It's painted from a stencil, but instead of using one color for the waves and one for the background, I felt the need to make it more like actual tiles by painting each square individually with a range of blue hues.  And no, one coat wasn't enough.  They all needed 2-3 coats.  Do you have any kind of idea the kind of time that takes?  Well, I do, and it's no picnic.  100s of hours.  

And this is how I spent the nesting energy of my second pregnancy.  About 1/2 way through I wanted to quit, but I can be plenty stubborn when preggo.

Here's hoping Theo develops a love for fish.  Right now it's all trucks, race cars, and trains.  I really don't want to have to change this any time soon.

JT

134: one, two, three....under the sea

2010 is here.  

I'm not in a very introspective mood right now.  I've been reading lots of lovely posts about what people have accomplished over the last year, and sort of feel that's what I'm "supposed to" write about.  But I'm just not there.  

It's true, my life has changed A LOT in the last year, and almost all for the better, but I think looking forward to all I need to start on this new year is getting in the way.  So pardon me if I don't reminisce with the rest of you folks, and just simply move on to new things...

 

Anyway, this is a little preview of a room I've been meaning to show you.  It's Theo's nursery/bedroom, and it, as you can guess, has an under-the-sea theme.  

This is my favorite project from the room.  A counting collage.  Each number has a corresponding sea animal, and you'll note I didn't forget the often neglected 0.

   

Here's how I made it:

 First I figured out which animals I wanted to use.  Of course you could do it with any theme you'd like, from flowers or fruit to trucks or zoo animals.  Really just about anything works.

Then I researched pictures and drawings of the intended subjects.  The internet is so wonderful for those of us not too confident in our illustrating capabilities.  I wanted to trace the images so they could be recreated in only 1 or 2 colors.

 Then I took the outline drawings and traced them onto Steam-a-Seam2.  Remember you have to do the reverse of what you want in the end.  Then I stuck the outlines on the fabric and cut out the shapes.  Little things like the crab legs I did in separate little pieces instead of trying to cut out one big complicated thing.

I printed out the numbers and traced them on the Steam-a-Seam2 the same way.

 
 

 I had pre-planned the layout and the sizes of each piece I wanted.  They are made from regular wood canvas stretchers you can get at art supply stores (mine were ordered online to get all the different sizes).  

 Using the "frames" as a guide I laid out each number with it's animals onto a larger piece of batik fabric.  When I was satisfied with the composition I ironed them in place according to the instructions.

Since they're going to hang on a wall and not really get "used" didn't feel I had to stitch the edges or anything for stability.  But I did do a satin stitch around the numbers for an outline.

 
Then I "stretched" each one over the stretchers.  All I did was use a staple gun to staple it smooth over an around to the back of the stretchers.  You want to start in the middle of each side and work you way out to prevent wrinkles.

 And then hang them all up on the wall in a pleasing layout.  

I want to type: "That's it!" here, but who am I kidding?  It was a lot of work....

But so worth it.

JT

73: buzzing in the garden

I've been pretty swamped lately with very un-glamorous stuff, so I thought I'd show you an older project.

This is Aurora's "baby" quilt.  I'm pleased to say I did complete it before she was one year old.  Actually I had the top done before she was born and then quilted it after.  

As you can see, it's not pink but also not all that gender neutral, and I didn't know I was having a girl.  But I was undeterred.  I even painted her dresser pink.  I figured what would a baby boy care, the nursery was really for me to enjoy.

Her room had/has a garden and bugs theme.  After she was born I added some fairies.  No, I didn't go THAT far before finding out her sex - oooh...now I've written "sex" on my blog!  :)

The butterfly design in the quilt is from a pattern, but I made up my paper-piecing pattern for the ladybugs/beetles, dragonflies, and bees.  If you look closely you'll see that they are intentionally not perfectly symmetrical, as the design was more "casual" and "sloppy" than that.  The fabrics are 1930s reproductions that are much cuter up close.

I quilted it with an all-over loopy meander in the background of the blocks.  It was pretty tiny....hence the reason it took me a whole year to complete.

And the border I quilted with free-hand butterflies.  I don't know how well you can see it in the picture.

The only thing it's missing is a label because I'm still holding out to embroider one...

Someday....

JT

70: frank lloyd did it wright

(photo: norjam8)

I have a passion for all things Mission, Prairie, and Arts and Crafts style.  I think it’s all about the angles.  I love straight lines and perfect right angles.    I can’t help it, it’s the engineer in me. 

(photo: philip.sour)

So naturally I love Frank Lloyd Wright as a designer.  He was just brilliant.  Sadly I’ve never actually visited any of his houses, but it’s on my “to do” list.  Or better yet, I’d love to own one.  :)

(photo: yoshie231)

In reality, though, I like a more modern take on that style.  Sometimes I feel it can be too dark and heavy.  So the improvements I’ve done in my own home are a mix of modern and mission.  Well, it’s also got a ton of basic traditional stuff, because that’s how it was when I got it.

Anyway, when we bought the house we knew the kitchen was going to be completely overhauled.  I was just not OK with the pinkish pickled oak cabinets and purple (yes, you read that right) countertops.  It was very 80s even thought the house was built in the early 90s.  So we redid the kitchen before we even moved in.  Someday soon (4 years later) it will be done.  I swear.  And then I’ll show it all to you cause it rocks.

But there are two FLW projects I wanted to share.  The first are my new stained glass cabinet doors.  There were floral glass doors there before which weren’t terrible, just not my style.  It’s been an adventure to get these made.  They’re a total knock-off of a window in FLW's Ennis House.  I figured it was semi-OK to rip him off because I just did them for myself and didn’t profit in any way from them.  

I’ve had trouble getting the “artisit” who made them deliver an acceptable job.  I always end up in that “if you want something done right, do it yourself” spot.  But I just couldn’t bear the idea of leaning another time-consuming art to make these.  So I paid someone.  Way too much in my opinion.  But they do look pretty gorgeous. 

One thing I did actually make myself is the backsplash in my kitchen…particularly this inset above the stove.  Also a FLW window design (I can't remember which one).  I actually cut all those little pieces of tile on my very own wet saw.  Not the most fun I’ve ever had, but I totally love the outcome.

If you happen to be curious about my kitchen cabinets, they’re custom.  My favorite wood is maple so we did a natural maple cabinet in a shaker style.  My uncle made all the door fronts and veneered over the older cabinets to match.

I’ve always wanted to make a FLW quilt.  I actually have a book with patterns for them.  But so far it hasn’t happened.  Someday it will look great over my fireplace, I think.

JT

64: seeing red (and orange)

My sister requested red and orange pillows for her new apartment.  Those were the only parameters, so lots of freedom!

I was really only going to make her two, but I couldn't help myself.  They were quick and fun to make.

Of course I found my stash was seriously lacking in the red department so it was another reason to fabric shop...

I didn't make the crazy all red shag pillow.  Its from Crate and Barrel (now only $12.95!).  I kinda want to buy her the matching rug.  It's very cool.

Now her living room should be very cheerful..

Oh, and I shot these pictures (with virtually no light) with my brand spanking new tripod!  My most amazing Christmas present.  It's crazy how much difference a good tool can make.  I was using this really crappy tripod that came free with a lens or something that did not work at all.  It got stuck and slid all over the place and generally sucked.  The new one rocks!  I didn't even do a ton of research as usual (I left it up to my husband and he did great!).  If anyone cares it's a Sunpak 757B...

JT

61: they were hung with great care

Christmas is over and now we're deep in the aftermath.  In my house that means hanging around and playing with new toys, tripping over all the opened gifts, and eating way too much bread and cookies.  

How long does it take you to clean up after Christmas?  I'd estimate that here the last of it is picked up on average by the end of June.  We always have that one box of little things that have no real home yet, that lives in a corner of our living room for a LONG time.  We keep the tree up until at least the new year and I'm proud to say we've yet to miss the recycling deadline.  :)

So this is the hearth in my home.  I LOVE it.  Especially with the wreath at the Christmastime.  When we bought the house it was simple white mantle with a green marble surround.  We tore it out and added the "stone".  My uncle did the work, but we helped.  It was much easier than I would have thought.  Basically like a big puzzle.  Now I just love to look at it.

In retrospect I should have lit a fire for the pictures!

I did make the two stockings for the kids.  I went for the homespun look.  Aurora's was made a few years ago, but Theo's is new this year...

JT

49: basement bliss

I have a ridiculous affinity for alliterations in titles.  I can't help myself.  Sorry, you'll have to deal.  

Well, here it is, the big reveal:

Yes, that's right, the basement playroom I've been working on for over a year is finally done.  woo hoo!

I hope you're not sick of hearing about it by now.  But, even if you are, these before/afters should impress.  I mean check out that ceiling.  Talk about a mess.

 

So here's the lowdown:

It was a mostly finished basement (minus the very low and very messy ceilings) that wasn't being used for much other than storage.  My husband's brother wanted a cool place for his 3 daughters to call their own.  (They're so lucky).  He and his wife pretty much gave me free reign over the design after an initial consultation and went along with whatever I said.  Though I did most of the design, I didn't do the actual construction and painting myself (yes, I've been known to do that).  They hired people.  Thank God.  I couldn't even imagine tackling that ceiling and it looks great.  But I did do pretty much all the sewing and crafty stuff.  

The idea was for it to be a fun and somewhat girly space, that would grow with them.  Their current ages are 8, 6, and 4.  So I wanted it to be a cool "tween" hangout.  And with the awesome TV, amazing arts and crafts desk, and even mini-fridge, it should fit the bill.  Heck, I want to have a slumber party down there!

It wasn't a huge space, so there were challenges fitting it all in, but I think they got everything they wanted.  We took out a wall that separated the art room from the rest and that really helped open things up.  And, if you look, nestled under the stairs is a two-level "book nook".  It's not really a playhouse per se, but they do love climbing around in there. 

For your reference, some of the sources are as follows:

the big tree print - Art of andrew Daniel

the leaf chair - Home Decorators Collection

the rug - Pottery Barn Teen

the couch - IKEA

solid color bins - Land of Nod

patterned bins - Pottery Barn Teen

rolling "train" table with bins - Land of Nod

tree lamp and mini fridge - Pottery Barn Teen

most of the fabrics - Tumbleweed Quilts

So, before any of you start gushing that you don't know how I do it all and have 2 kids, I would like you to note two things: 1. The amount of time this took me  2. The complete lack of even a single picture hanging in my own kids playroom which we've been in almost 4 years.  (yeah, now I'm feeling guilty about that one...)

JT

47: pillows a-plenty

These cheerful pillows are some of the last details to the aforementioned playroom for my nieces. 

Since I had some nice big prints, I really planned on making a bunch of the very simple 2-squares-of-fabric pillows. But you can see how that worked out.  I always want to add cording, or stripes, or ric rac or something that makes it take twice as long.  

Well, they're done, so no worries.

And, don't fret, little doll friends were not left out.  Aurora wanted to help make a teeny tiny one of her own so she could help fill it with "cotton".  I love 10 minute projects!

JT

39: home sweet tree

I feel like by the time I get around to showing you the whole playroom, you'll already have seen just about everything in it.  Hopefully this won't diminish the impact too much...

This is the tree mural I painted at the bottom of the stairs.  (Sorry for the picture quality...as you can imagine the lighting isn't ideal, so this space is going to be a challenge to photograph...I might have to actually bust out my tripod.)

As you can see, it's tucked into a little corner with the usual basement distractions, but I think it's a nice welcome into the space...

I also painted a couple of chairs.  Well, I personally didn't paint the actual chairs, but I picked the colors and then did the decorating part.

They're thrift store finds, and while there are actually 3 of them, I didn't decorate the spare one.

They've finally made their way to their new home and hopefully the girls are enjoying them at their awesome new art desk!

Of course my little imp had to get in on the action.  She was there when I bought them and insisted on helping with the painting, which she did a fine job of...

JT