dresser redo

i got this cute chippy dresser at junktagious way back in october.  i loved how chippy it was, it was solid & steady, the drawers all pulled nice.  and the wood handles, with the pant warped.  most likely from kitchen grease. the caster wheels were cool, but i didnt think i would keep them on.  i wanted to put a coat of poly on the base to keep the chippy feel & paint the top.

 

the original plan was to make it into a night stand for z.  he wanted the other dresser with the zinc top for his room.  guess that will teach me to start working on a project BEFORE i ask.  or next time i                                                                  wont ask, and i'll just do.                                                                                                                                     

 the original top that i started to paint blue to match z's room... 

this was what was under the original top. not very pretty so i went to the hardware store/lumber yard and got a nice piece of oak to cut down and use. i wanted a dark top to contrast with the chippy white.  (glad my hubby was able to help me out with the top or it woudnt be this pretty)  there was some funky wall paper stuff on the inside that i pulled and scrapped out most of.  you can still see some of it in the finished pictures.   

here is the finished project.  i love how it turned out   i took the bottom drawer out and it is now my laundry hamper. its not perfect, but its perfect for me. 

something for me!

for those who know me.  i can be kinda weird with my fashion.  i don't like when people touch my hair (its the dang curls getting frizzy), my jeans have to cover my socks when i sit, i don't like my jeans skin tight, i cant stand turtle necks or high necks, i cant mix blacks/grays with browns/tans, and black and navy reminds me of ffa so i don't do that one either.  the hardest one for me though is having my sleeves hit my knuckles.  really i have to have my sleeves that long.  maybe its cause i have cold hands.  and boy was i a happy camper when i found out about thumb holes in shirts and coats!!!  

i had been looking for a casual cardigan that i could wear with t-shirts that would still be warm enough for me.  (did i mention that i am always cold)  i wasn't having any luck til i ran across this pattern from mouse house creations it was just what i was looking for!  so i ordered it, printed and ran with it.  i did the double hem for the collar, but so that it wasn't so big and bulky with all that warm fleece i used a knit on the inside.  you can see on the collar it is just a tad darker.  

for the sleeves, i made them just a bit longer and tapered them a bit more than the pattern (though it does say to do so if you want)  i ended up cutting out the cuffs for sleeves 3 times.  i had to get the right size and get the thumb hole just right!  i am SO happy with how my cardigan turned out.  I love it.  the sleeves are long enough, i made thumb holes and its warm. 

swaddle wrap

a mom friend came to me with a request.  she had bought a sleep sack that had an attachable swaddle wrap.  the wrap was great, but she wanted to be able to use the wrap past the size of the sleep sack.  she had another lady make a different wrap, but the inside band was a bit small.  she also liked how the sleep sack swaddler had loop fabric not just strips.  

the hardest part was finding the loop fabric.  while i did find some it wasn't quite what i had in mind.  its stiffer than the original, but i just haven't had any luck finding that is nice and soft and drapey.  but mom thought it would be okay.  

i think that i made this one just the right size.  small enough for a  1/2 month old, but big enough for a 6/7 month old baby.  just wrap the inside band around baby's chest.

tuck arms in and wrap the outside around securing with the velcro.  i made mine with a layer of flannel and cotton.  its not meant to be super warm.  its meant to keep baby wrapped up tight so they don't startle themselves awake and sleep better.  but it would be easy to make it warmer.

i am looking for input and feed back.  should i make these a permanent item for sale?  what should i change?  the 1st two moms to contact me will get a swaddler for $20 in exchange for honest feedback.  i don't have a baby anymore to test it out on (hence the doll in the photo)  

christmas chef set

for my siblings kids and ours, we draw names for christmas. this year i got my brothers little girl.  when i asked what i could get 'e' for christmas, her mommy said that e was getting a kitchen.  and maybe i could make her an apron.  but i couldn't stop with just an apron.  i had to make pot holders and oven mitts too!  this was a fun gift to make and pretty quick.  

'e's appron,  i did a velcro neck so that it was somewhat adjustable as she grows.  and she can use it to help mommy & dad in the kitchen.  

the oven mitts.  these were the most work, but the funnest!  i had found a template online and when i was trying to hem the cuffs, 't' could barely get her little hand in there.  so i had to make more quilted fabric (these were supposed to be the same as the pot holders) and modify the template i had found.  i also changed how i did the binding since these are pretty little and hard to work on with a big sewing machine.  but i am really happy with how they turned out.  

and the pot holders.  i had fun making this set.  maybe 't' needs one...

christmas-ne hat & keychain

i made these ne hats for my big girl and my two 'adopted daughters'.  they all live in jersey.  but they loved their summer visit.  who wouldn't?? fireworks are legal here, a little, sand, water & sun.  and our crazy family. so i wanted to give them all something that would remind them each of their ne family.    

i have new appreciation for anyone who sews on hats.  

this heart key chain probably had the most meaning for me as a given gift.  two years ago for my birthday, a gave me the bracelet in the picture.  on the front it says mom.  on the back is 'every princess needs her queen'.   i have twice had to fix the band.  i don't often take it off, it means that much to me.    

so i gave her this saying 'my princess gives more meaning to being a queen'.

christmas-ornaments!

as a kid i liked the big nelsen family christmas.  its not that we added that many more people, or saw family that lived far way at this one event, or got the best gifts.  but we did get an ornament.  each year my great aunt would make us each an ornament.  i think i could probably name most of them to this day.   even after not seeing some of them for years, with all the ornaments that my kids have.  but i love them.  and she continues to make ornaments each year, only i don't get them, my kids do.  

i too will carry on this tradition.  this year i had to make 25, plus a baby's 1st.  

this years ornament was a popsicle stick sled.  

and for my new niece, a stamped washer with snow flake charm.  

i can't wait to pick out the ornament for next year.  there are too many to choose from!

candy canes

unfortunately, i again didn't make the junk jaunt.  lucky for me my wonderful mom loves to go. one of the things i wanted her to look for was old canes. i saw these & knew they would be a perfect addition to the greenery that i put in my wash tub.  greenery is about all the outdoor decorating i can do with the lovely ne winds. 

the canes were pretty easy to turn into candy canes.  burlap ribbon, red ribbon, & lots of hot glue.  when i was done, i had glue gun strings and burlap fuzz all over me.  

an early christmas gift

its been just as crazy this fall.  football that went RIGHT into basketball, dance, girl scouts...

this year we decided to brave the almost 14 hour car drive with 4 kids under 10 and go visit my sister in law for thanksgiving... in montana!  while i don't recommend the drive in the fall (i saw 38 live deer, 10 dead deer, 2 horse and 2 shooting stars on the way out alone) it was a great trip.  i went on a  local hike once we got there, enjoyed tons of good company, fellowship and food.  i was sad when we had to leave.  and since i knew that i wouldn't see the family again at christmas, i tried to get all my christmas gifts done to bring out there so that i didn't have to mail them.  TRIED is the key word.  i forgot to account for being gone for the week before we left.  but i did get half of them done.  that saved me a good chunk of postage.  especially this guy right here.  

when i was making my x's and hearts for valentines last year, inspiration struck that r would love a barn wood 'w'.  because i wanted to see her expression, i made her open it while we were out in mt.  she cant wait to get their basement finished so she can hang it up.  

look at that beautiful weathered wood detail!

back to the basement for me.  this elf needs to keep her butt in gear or the rest of the gifts wont get finished.

remember..... summer doesnt last forever

isn't summer supposed to be the nice slow life?  where you get to sit & just chill? not so for this momma.  we started the end of may with baseball & softball games on four nights a week.  the middle of may brought k here & softball games for her 2 nights a week, putting our normal games a week count at five, sometimes up to up to nine if we had a double header or a tournament.  i put a LOT of miles on.  & thank God that i have a super awesome husband and mom who helped get everyone where they needed to be.  one night we had activities in albion, spalding & pierce at pretty much the same time.  

that is the majority of why i haven't posted anything for such a long time.  & don't get me wrong.  i may complain a bit about all that running, but i wouldn't  trade it for the world.  after ball, we got in a few fun things (like a trip to the zoo, drive in movie & of course some camping) before it was time for k to go back to az & to think about school. 

it has been good having k with us for a month the past few summers.  she got to experience what its like to be the big sister instead of the baby.  the other kids have someone else to pester & give them advice.  i am really happy that she got to play softball here this summer. she made some friends & had a great time.  

since i am not there all the time to offer motherly advice i made her a book of quotes & words that i wanted her to remember & think about.  k can read thru it anytime she is down or upset.  or when she feels that her struggle will drown her.  

we both love winne the pooh

it was fun & trying to come up with different page layouts.  i think i had 50 quotes that i used.

i especially wanted k to know how loved she is. 

 i hope she loves it & thinks of her nebraska family when she reads it.

dresser redo's and a bed

 z didnt really have a good bed set.  when he moved down stairs, we got my a bed set from my sister.  it served its purpose, but i wanted something that he could eventually take with him....  some LONG distant day down the road.  i got a pretty good deal on these 2 dressers.  the top on 1 was a bit rough, but i thought i could maybe fix or paint it.  best part is they are real wood and pretty solid and sturdy. 

 apparently i didnt get very many before pictures.  but this is what the tall dresser looked like with a few drawers sanded and original.  there were some wood decals on the front of the smaller middle drawers that werent complete.  i ended taking them off (with a little muscle and a putty knife) so i had to sand all the drawer fronts.  at this point i wasnt sure if i wanted to try to fix the tops or paint them.  

but i liked the color that came out when i sanded, so paint the tops it was (i know i DONT paint wood.  this was a once in a handful of times it will probably ever happen to furniture) 

had i known how hard it can be to strip off veneer, i may have decided to fix the tops.  it was NOT fun.  took LOTS of muscle, a few different putty knives and a warm wet towel.  once i finally got all the veneer off, i did like the wood.  but i only stripped 1 top and i wasnt about to to the other, no matter how neat the wood underneath was.  

here are the drawers after i got them washed up.  beautiful color!!!

and the finished result!  i like the 2 tone wood from sanding the drawer fronts and just resealing the sides.  i did use a chalk paint fro the tops, but wanted a more rustic feel to them, so i used my palm sander to remove some of it.  

now you must be thinking i said i wanted z to have a bed set to take with him someday. but you have only mentioned dressers.... i had to have a headboard, foot board and frame made.  blake did an awesome job taking my ideas from pinterest and making it come true.  i love how the boards are all different widths.  and its very sturdy.  

guest room

don't get me wrong, i love my guest room.  but i REALLY miss little a:( 

she is awesome.  my 1st big girl.  everyone thought i was nuts when i said she was moving here.  but i knew in my mommy heart it was going to be fine.  and it was.  we both gained so much.  

me-a daughter & friend.  

her-knowledge, courage & faith in herself.  

but when she moved out, i knew it was time to repaint her room. 

(sorry little a-dad-maybe all of us-were tired of the pink) 

my talented father in law painted us this far off barn sunset picture.  it was the starting point for the room, drawing colors and a theme.  

 for christmas my uncle had given us all a photo of mom & papa's big red barn.  it was taken from up on a dirt road behind our house.  we used to play in there for hours when we were kids.  unfortunately mom had to burn it down, it just wasnt safe anymore.  but she did take some pictures as it was burning. 

i had gotten this cool old window a while ago.  but didn't have it when we were hanging stuff in the main living areas.  and i didn't know how to hang it when i was working on our room and i may have forgotten about it.  but i knew the perfect new home for it. 

the mirror came from one of the dressers in this room, but i never could figure out how it was supposed to attach.  then little a broke the frame.  so it hung out in the storage room for a while.  i had my father in law make a barn wood frame for it.  the table came from grandma bert's.  if any of you knew her, she is probably where i get my love for antiques from.  i had painted it (i know how could i???) but i stripped it back to it's original beauty.