Showing posts with label Crafts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Crafts. Show all posts

Monday, March 14, 2011

Kitchen Table Redo

Written by Shannon Leigh

Two weeks ago, on a whim, I decided to repaint our kitchen table and chairs.

This particular table wasn't always ours (like ALL of our furniture).
It was my parents' table.
It was the table I ate on growing up.
It could tell many tales of homework fights and glasses of spilled milk.

My mom painted it white and black a few years ago (it was oak- I think).
When they bought a new table they gave us this one because it had leafs.
Our old one was just a small round table that wasn't expandable.

The multi colored chairs were my sister Morgan's from her first kitchen.
They were a garage sale find and she painted them white.
I painted them the lego colors (yeah, not my best move). IMG_9542
{before}

They were supposed to look Pottery Barn-esq.
They didn't.
However, they stayed that way for 3 1/2 years.
I painted them on the patio in our first apartment, leaving a giant colorful paint mark on the concrete.
Oops.
(Matt had an absolute fit if you can believe it).

I told Matt after the first coat of white paint went on the chairs "It's like we are painting over an era."
I'm slightly on the sentimental side.

We primed the table with oil based primer and then painted it with semi gloss latex.
We then polyurethaned the whole thing for a shine and protection.
It makes it look much more modern.
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{in progress- Matt and I decided the green on the chairs looked too country}

We decided to go with a more modern looking brown fabric on the chairs and I'm so glad we did.
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I am pleased with the overall result. We thought about just buying new chairs (these have been through the ringer) but we really want to save our money for more pressing projects, new chairs are expensive!

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Mother's Day

Written by Shannon Leigh


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I'm a little behind on posting but I wanted share a few Mother's day things...
This year I made both my mom and my mother-in-law silhouettes of little Ruby.
She looks a little funny since she really doesn't have a neck but I think they turned out pretty cute. I also made some of Keagan and Kellen for my mom (the gift was from both Brooke & I).
They were painted on canvas and put in oval frames.
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Speaking of mothers day, this is how I found my sweet little Ruby upon waking up. She even signed the card (and took me out to lunch). What a lucky mommy I am.
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Sunday, June 28, 2009

Baby Shower Gift

Written by Shannon Leigh




Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Antique Fabric Squares Strike Again (reprise)

Written by Shannon Leigh

Ok ok, I promise no more projects with the antique fabric squares!  I just can't help myself.   They work so well, I am constantly looking for more ways to use them! So maybe this isn't the last project that they will show up but it's the most recent.
I finally put up curtains in my laundry room.  I can't stand clutter (it's true Mom, I know you thought you'd never see the day) and these 2 little curtains made all of my clutter out of site-out of mind! YEY!  We are planning on putting up some more shelves back there as well.  That will give me even more organization (I need all of the help I can get)  I am pretty sure the entire project cost me about $8 and I still have a ton of fabric left over.  I love cheap design!:)

Monday, June 8, 2009

Antique Fabric Squares Strike Again

Written by Shannon Leigh

This time in a painting... 

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Somewhere to lay your head (part II)

Written by Shannon Leigh

I have a very large to do list. It's massive... 2, almost 3 pages long.
Whenever I think of something I'd like to accomplish (usually within the next few months) I write it down on my "master to do list" and when it's accomplished I get to scratch it off. Let's be honest, the scratching off part is really the fun part. I LIVE to scratch off the things on that list. Well that AND Jesus.
When Matt and I registered for our wedding we picked out these beautiful blue, silky pillows to go in our bedroom. They ended up not matching a thing in our bedroom (don't worry we got some in gold too) so we moved them to the living room. Everything was fine and dandy until little miss Izzy came into our lives about a year ago. Yes, Izzy is allowed on the couch and yes I am sure some of you out there are utterly appalled, but isn't that the great thing about being an adult? I get to make my own rules.
Those of you who are appalled by the dog being allowed on the couch you would be super offended by the condition of our once beautiful silky pillows. Let's just say a rawhide bone was not kind to the un-washable blue fabric. In fact they were disgusting. At the prompting of my husband and being super cheap myself, I decided to make some new pillows for our couches. This was on my to do list and now I can officially scratch it off.

I am loving the way they turned out.  They are a little bit vintage, a little bit rock n' roll.
The colored fabric squares were a fab find at an Antique store and I am SOO glad I came up with something for which I could use them. There are a lot more of those 2x2 inch squares... can't wait to use them for some other project.
They came in an old Brach's Chocolate Cherry box and the bottom of the box said... "Judy cut these when a little girl." That made me really happy. It made me think about who Judy is and how old she is. Judging by the fabrics, I would say she is in her mid- 50's.
I made them removable so they will be easily washed in case Izzy decided to chew her bone on them.
The little pillow was a total afterthought but I ended up liking it the best. It was made out of all of the scraps from the other pillows. Go figure I like that one the most.
Hopefully now when people come to visit they aren't totally disgusted by our "Izzified" pillows. 

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Give me organization

Written by Shannon Leigh

preferably in a cute vintage suitcase (which I happen to have).{photo via: DIY magazine}

Monday, May 18, 2009

No time to sew... writing from Chicago

Written by Shannon Leigh

Another grocery bag dispenser (this one was for my mother-in-law).
Maybe I should start an Etsy shop... only if I had the time.

Monday, May 11, 2009

Simplifying

Written by Shannon Leigh
I would never describe myself as simple. In fact I am incredibly complicated. My feelings are complicated, my wardrobe is complicated, my ideas/dreams are complicated, my LIFE is complicated. Most of the time I am a hot flaming mess.
I long to be simple.
I've been traveling a lot over the last few months and I have learned the importance of simple. I pack simple, I have a simple unpacking system, a simple shopping list every other week, simple expectations about time, etc. By being simple I have saved a lot of time and energy.
Most of my house is organized pretty simply. Everything has a place, even stray pencils and pens. There is one room, however, that is anything but simple...

my craft room.
It is stuffed to the brim with sewing things, scrapbooking utensils, old photography equipment, and all other things crafty. I have lots of hobbies... sue me.
For my birthday I ordered a slide scanner (I have a slight obsession with old family slides). That is one of the things I have missed the most from my photography school days. We had access to some of the most incredible equipment.
That, however, is really beside the point. When I got home from my parents yesterday I was TOTALLY overwhelmed with all of the crap in my craft room.
In college I would spend an exuberant amount of time cleaning my room and desk before I could start studying. When my room was cluttered, my mind was cluttered. I was so much more productive after my room was simple and organized.
That being said, I KNEW that I would never be able to start the scanning process until my room was nice and tidy. So last night my darling hubby helped me organize and reorganize our craft room to utter bliss. Simple Bliss.
Thanks Matty, now I get to simply create in my simple craft room.

Floating shelves from Menard's.
Bed roll, lamp, rug, and curtains from Urban Outfitters.
Jars from Hobby Lobby or thrifted.
Funny Bones Game thrifted.
I'm sure there will be me more updates soon, I'm still waiting for my chandelier, stupid ceiling fan. But for now, bring on the slides!

Monday, April 20, 2009

Since it's raining in Chicago

I decided to work on some of Matt and I's "First Year" scrapbook, among many other digital projects. 

It makes me feel close to him, even though we are so far apart. 
Maybe some day I'll finish it and print it and think fondly of our first year.  I hope so.


Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Easter Goodies.

The Easter bunny came in the form of a mod-podged statue this year.  He jumped around a lot before finding a permanent spot on our plant shelf (which I still don't know what to do with, ughh).   Anyway, it was a really easy way to spruce up an old bunny statue (there are some really ugly ones out there, trust me).

I loved my Easter flowers too:)




Thursday, April 9, 2009

Tonight was Dessert Thursday

And we went to Marble Slab Creamery.

No, it's not local, but Matty had a hankerin for their Double Dark Chocolate with Almonds. 
I had a banana split with strawberry, mocha, and birthday cake ice cream covered in fresh strawberries, marshmallows, and hot fudge. Best banana split I've had in years.  Come to think of it, it's the only banana split I've had in years.  Thanks for the suggestion Matty, my satisfied belly is indebted to you.  


I finished my Easter banner tonight too... Sorry for the poor lighting.  Maybe I'll take a few shots in the morning.  
Tomorrow's Friday and Matt and I have lots of family coming in to town.  We are having a big pasta party for all of the marathon runners.  Hope my brothers-in-law do well!!

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

I've been working...

on something that looks like this.

Maybe I'll finish it and show it to you sometime.

Friday, April 3, 2009

No, I'm not retiring

Sorry for the confusion that my husband may have caused with his blog hijacking last night. Don't worry, I'm not retiring! We can all breath a sigh of relief. Hehe.

I took this afternoon off of work today. I am headed home to get me some nephew lovin. I CAN'T WAIT to see those sweet little boys and my sisters. It's been far too long since we've all been together. I made the littlest "K" another onsie. I hope he's not too chubby for it now!



I'm sure I'll have lots of photos from the weekend to share.

In a totally unrelated topic...
For the last few years SNL has been lacking, but I feel like it's starting to pick up again. Once in awhile Matt and I will catch an episode and Kristen Wiig is one of my all time faves.  
I will leave you with one of her best... Judy Grimes. Be careful, you might pee a little.

What are some of YOUR favorite SNL skits?  I would love to see them.  Post a link in my comments!  Otherwise have a fabulous weekend, I know I will.  

Monday, March 30, 2009

Created: A Bag with Pleats


Last Friday night my grandparents came to visit!  I love those two so much, they are are two of the coolest people I know.  They took Matt and I out to The Ribeye in Champaign (sorry Dad, you weren't invited).  I have been beyond blessed by the relationship I have with them.  They have taught me more than they will ever know.  Thanks Grandma & Grandad!

I spent some time sewing this weekend.  I made some fabric Easter eggs that, according to Matt, looked like wonky hacky sacks.  (Thanks hunny I love you too).  That's one of the most frustrating things about sewing.  There have been many projects that were utter failures.  I have learned to be o.k. with that.
I did start & finish this pleated bag on Sunday.  I got the pattern from Bend the Rules.  Despite the snow that blanketed our yard that morning, I appliqued the little birdie. hoping it would look a little like spring.  I was going to post a tutorial but it ended up being a lot more complicated than I expected.
 Anyway, you can see more examples of Bend the Rules projects HERE.  Hope your Tuesday is great and happy browsing!
Oh and this is just because Izzy is cute (and hilarious). 
 

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Painting Smock

Thanks to everyone for the encouraging words about my last post.  It is so great to know that no matter the struggle, God is bigger.  I have real community here (even if I don't see you face to face).  So here is a great big cyber hug (is that creepy??)  Oh well....

I haven't had much time to sew this week (we've been busy at work with lots of training to prepare for).  Last week I sewed up this painting smock for my nephew Kellen.  It was pretty simple to make (I got the pattern out of Bend the Rules Sewing).  It was the first time I had used a zigzag stitch.  I kind of liked the way it looked.  One more technique to add to my sewing belt.    
I made this cute little softie too (out of Bend the Rules again).  He was a little rough around the edges but I'm betting a 2 year old doesn't mind.  
Also, please pray for my nephew Keagan.  You can read the full story here.
Good night my lovelies.