Let's Cut a Rug!

I first cut out an oval shape and did a 1/2" hem around the outside.
I laid out the fabrics so I could decide how I wanted them to look.
I first pinned the braided cord around the inner circle, and topstitched it in place. Then I attached the rectangle to the velvet by folding under a 1/2" around the edge and placing the gimp over the top. I secured it all with pins and machine stitched in place.
The outer fringe was the final touch. I pinned it in place and machine stitched it with a zigzag stitch. The whole thing went pretty smooth. The velvet is upholstery velvet, so it already has that backing on it which makes it great for a rug. Ozzy loves it! And I think it's perfect for my Red Room! So luxurious. And just about free for me! Scraps are a great thing!

Puffy Apple Oven Pancake

It's been my personal opinion, since I began baking at the tender age of 6, that Betty Crocker ROCKS! My mom had an old 1960's edition and that was my baking bible. In fact, they republished that version in the 90's and my mom gave me a copy in '97. I just checked and the edition I use all the time is from '96. Anyway, it's not super gourmet, but I can always take a basic recipe and run with it. With the advent of the internet, I often find myself using online cooking websites for recipes. But my BC cookbook is still the backbone of my culinary adventures.

This morning I was in the mood for a pancake. I don't have any pancake mix onhand, so I thought I'd see what Betty had to say on the subject. I found a yummy, big, fritter-looking recipe which I have passed over many times while perusing her book. I had some apples I needed to use, so I was excited to try this recipe out. It really turned out delicious. Except I baked it too long and have a little burnt aftertaste now. I also didn't realize it was for 2-4 people, so I tried to eat the whole thing. I'll just say I'm going to take a little break from this recipe before making it again. Next time I want to try it in my cast iron skillet.

Puffy Apple Oven Pancake oven 400 degrees. 2-4 servings

2 TB stick butter (or Blue Bonnet)

2 large eggs

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup milk

1/4 tsp salt

2 TB brown sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 medium baking apple

powdered sugar

1. Heat oven to 400°F. In 9-inch glass pie plate, melt butter in oven; brush butter over bottom and side of pie plate.

2. In medium bowl, beat eggs slightly with wire whisk or hand beater. Beat in flour, milk and salt just until mixed (do not overbeat).

3. Sprinkle bottom of pie plate with brown sugar and cinnamon. Arrange thinly sliced apple and pour batter into pie plate.

4. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until puffy and deep golden brown. Turn pancake over onto plate immediately. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. (I also drizzled it with syrup. Yummy!)

The Time Has Come

Yes, the time has come to remove the yucky carpet in my front room. I'm going to use this room as my studio, so it will be great to sew on hardwood. It's way easier to clean up. I knew the floor was ok underneath the carpet so I wasn't expecting any surprises. Let's just say, if anything, I was pleasantly surprised with how great it looks!

Tea Dye and I

I just tea dyed my Wal-mart curtains. I actually bought the curtains at a thrift store brand new and my friend told me they were from Wal-mart. They were stark white and I don't know why I thought they would be perfect in my front room, which has no white in it. But then I thought, "Hey, can't I just dye them with tea bags?" Well, I looked up how to do it online and was disappointed to find very elaborate instructions that were way over my head (or I just didn't have the patience for). Some of them involved overnight baths, that sort of thing. No thanks. So, as commonly happens with me, I threw caution to the wind and went for it---instructionless. It turns out it could not be simpler.

I boiled about 1.5 to 2 gallons of water in my biggest pot. Once the water was boiling, I popped in 6 bags of decaf tea. Just regular Lipton. No special flavor. I kept the water boiling the whole time, but I took the bags out after about 2 minutes. Then I just dunked one curtain at a time. These are cafe' curtains, so they aren't big. I kept each curtain in for about a minute, since I wanted them to be off-white, not tan, and certainly not brown. This turned out to be the perfect amount of time. Once I rinsed them out with cold water, I put them in the dryer. It was weird how wrinkly they came out since they were a poly/cotton blend, but mostly poly. Anyway, they turned out perfect and I am very happy with the results.

Disclaimer: If you are a pro at tea dying, sorry. I'm sure this process seems silly to you. I really enjoy reinventing the wheel.

An enCOUNTER with Mod Podge

I think I was flying over New Mexico when I had this idea. (That's not relevant to the idea. It was just where it happened.) My counters were part of a kitchen that was added in the 60's. I'm cool with the 60's, but not as much in a house that's 104. So, I decided to decoupage my countertops. I happened to have an extra vintage cookbook, so I was halfway done before I started, in my head. Here's a before pic from before I bought the house this summer:Sorry I don't have a closer shot of the golden marbleized Formica. Maybe if you squint hard, you can picture it in your mind's eye.
Here's one section done:
I added in scrapbook paper too and primed the cabinets and counter edges. Thing that took the longest was deciding which recipes to keep on top. Otherwise, things moved along pretty quickly. I don't have a lot of patience, so most of my projects provide "instant" gratification.

Here's the final product!

I painted two coats of water-based Polyurethane over it too.

Now that I've been using the counters for a few months, I would recommend a couple more coats of Polyurethane. Somehow, sitting water still tends to seep under all the layers of Mod Podge and sealant. It dries pretty quickly, so I never have water stains, but it's obviously not sealed completely. I love how it looks, though, so I don't mind. Form goes way before function in my book. Ha!

An introduction to my kingdom

This is my home. My research tells me she's a Queen Anne Victorian. The nice man down at the town museum tells me she was built in 1903. It's my opinion that owning an older home comes with some responsibility of preservation. However, being that we are in the 2000's, there are some changes that just have to be made. Budget-willing, I plan to make any changes with as artsy of a touch as possible.
In order to catch my new blog up to speed, I will be posting several projects in a row. I may not teach how to do certain things step by step, but my main goal is to inspire.
I also really enjoy taking pictures, so I may include samples from my photography expeditions from time to time.