NumberNineteen

Artwork Update -- Prints on Linen

I've been feeling the urge to lighten up my living/kitchen area.  It's a pretty large space that flows along the back of the house.  The base of it is light -- creamy walls and white cabinets, but there is a lot of red including a red sofa, and dark counters.  I'm not able to replace the sofa at the moment and the counters are here to stay for the foreseeable future.  So, accents are the way that I'm going to change things up.  

I've had these old prints up since right after we moved in. I mounted them on fabric, which I really like for the extra interest and texture. However, the dark colors feel so heavy to me now. And, I'm done with that rooster.

I made a quick and easy change by re-mounting the prints on ivory linen and switching the rooster out for a bird print.

It's just a little thing, but I feel like it updates that space above the hall opening.  

I really like this sweet bird print.  

If you'd like to do a project like this, it only takes 1/4-1/3 yard of fabric and there are so many wonderful sources for prints online.  

Stone Patio Inspiration

On the top of my to dos this week is to have some companies come out to our house for quotations for the addition of a patio to our backyard.  Of course my mind is swirling with ideas for what I want it to look like.  I've had enough time to think about it -- we've had doors to nowhere off our kitchen since we moved in almost 6 years ago!  Grad school loans are now paid off and the time has come to move forward with finishing our outdoor space.

I've looked (and looked) all over Pinterest and Google and I think that I've narrowed it down to either flagstone or bluestone as my top choices.

Flagstone was my original choice, mostly because I'm more familiar with it.  I found some stunning examples of flagstone work done in my area:

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Bluestone is choice that I discovered while searching for ideas.  I love the subtle variations in color and smoothness of the stone.

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Another option is slate. I couldn't find too many pictures of slate patios, but I love this covered one:

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I'm really leaning towards natural stone, but we have to see where the estimates come in.  I've found one example of stamped concrete that may work, if done right.

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The main two features that we are looking for are a round stone firepit and a stone wall, to give us some privacy.  We are going to go with a woodburning firepit.  We really love the crackle and smell of a real wood fire.

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I'm so excited to finally be moving forward with this project.  I'm going to schedule the estimates this week, but I don't know if anyone will actually be able to come out, because they are forecasting snow for the first time this winter!  I'll keep you all updated with our plans as we move forward!

Back to School, Back to Books

Hi there!  I've been gone from the blog for approximately 3 1/2 weeks, the timing of which is not a coincidence.  Back to school I went in mid August and I finally have this lovely breather that is Labor Day weekend.  I don't normally post much about my life in the library here because I like to keep this as my get-away space.  However, I'm really excited about the work that I've put into our library this year.  There was sort of a magical moment this year when my work brain and my crafty/creative brain merged together.

We put these canvasses on top of the longest bookcases on either side of the library.  The smaller ones are images of popular book covers that were blown up on a poster machine and then Mod Podged onto canvases from Michaels.  On the larger ones, I stenciled quotes about libraries using my Cricut machine, vinyl and spray paint on a large canvas.

We have large display cases in the main hallway, just outside of the library. I try to change them out every month or so, to align with either a project going on in the library or a seasonal theme.  This month, the theme is "Back to School, Back to Books":

I don't know if you can see all of the details, but I went crazy with school supplies -- piles of erasers, jars of pencils and rulers, garlands made from paper clips, paper airplanes from notebook paper, a globe, a backpack and more.  And, of course, favorite books.

I have a new co-librarian this year and we are really excited to move forward with a year focused entirely on books and getting kids to read (you laugh -- "isn't that what libraries are always supposed to do?" -- believe it or not, modern school libraries get pulled in a lot of directions these days...!).  Keeping that in mind, we are all about creating eye-catching, book centered displays that make kids want to pick up books and start reading. I usually get my ideas for displays from a piece of something I see on Pinterest or in a store, but I try to adapt it to something that works in our space and for our purposes.  

I got the idea for this display from an Emoji bullentin board that I spied on Pinterest.  I expanded on the theme by identifying books with appropriate emoji.  Kids can just grab the book from the display and check it out. Super bright and taps into the language that kids "speak". In the first week of school, we've already had to refill the display several times!

Here is another one that taps into a popular theme -- comic book superheroes.  I found the "POW!" and "WOW!" bubbles through a Google search, printed & laminated them and stuck them on paint stirrers (for those non-school librarian types --- paint stirrers are a cheap library supply staple!).  We are running out of superhero books for this display!

I'm really proud of what we have done so far and I have loads of ideas for the coming months.  If you are here for family and decorating updates, I'll be back to those soon ;)  If you are a librarian or educator, I hope that you may have found a few ideas that inspire you!

Easy Elastic Waist Skirts

I'm excited to share with you a sewing project that I completed this summer -- make that 3 projects in 1!  I've been loving cute skirts that I've seen both in online stores or on bloggers, but I either haven't been able to find anything like them or they were too expensive.  Being me, I thought "I'll just make what I want!".  Those words always get me in trouble.... Honestly, though, these skirts were so easy.  I love being able to pick out any fabric I want and customize the length.

I followed a tutorial that I found A Small Snippet.  It is super easy to follow and requires 3 items (aside from a sewing machine): fabric, elastic and thread.  I made a few changes to the original directions that I think made it even easier & makes the skirts look better on me.  They are:

-I didn't include pockets, but it looks like it would be easy to include them.

-I didn't line my skirts, though I will probably will the next time I make them.  Again, it doesn't look hard at all.

-I made one adjustment to the directions and I think that it really important: She suggests that if you are making the short version of the skirt that you should cut out two pieces of fabric, each equal to your waist measurement, minus 3-4 inches.  I originally followed this and ended up with WAY too much fabric.  If you want a really full skirt, then go with the original instructions.  If you are like me and a really full elastic waist skirt is not flattering, cut out two pieces of fabric that are your waist measurement minus 6-8 inches. 

I realized this after I'd sewn them and I ended up pulling out the seams, cutting 2 inches off of each piece of fabric and re-sewing them.  The skirts in the pictures are from pieces measuring my waist measurement minus 6 inches. 

Here are my skirts -- I finished all three of them (not counting the day that I re-sewed them) in 1 day!

A close up of the anchors because they are so darned cute!

Seersucker for the win!

You can't go wrong with navy blue and polka dots.

I purchased all of the fabric, thread and elastic at Joann's for around $30 (most of it was on sale).  $30ish for 3 skirts!!!  I love how they turned out so much that I am planning on making more eventually.

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Summer So Far

We've been having dinner on the porch, picking berries, going to the pool, and doing little projects. Lots of sewing projects.  Well....lots of sewing projects that I'm planning. I have the idea and the fabric...soooooo, I just need to actually sew.  Here is a sneak peek at one of the projects: 

 Painting.  Painting, painting, painting.  You know how you start with "I'm just going to touch up the trim" and then you notice how awful the walls look and then you notice how bad the trim in the entire house looks and the next thing you know, you've painted three rooms and hundreds of yards of trim???  Yeah, that is me.

Remember this little shelf from my flea market trip in April?

I loved it's jadite green color but it isn't Hope's favorite and it was purchased for her room.  So, I  painted it powder blue at her request (sigh) and it now holds her treasured art projects.

Reading.....lots of reading.  When you are a school librarian, your summer homework is to read as much as possible.  Not a bad deal, in my opinion :)

It's been a good summer so far, with a lot going on, but not too much.  I went thrifting yesterday and found a few treasures that I'll do a quick post on in the next few days.

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Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day Everyone!  I would have loved to share a beautiful picture of me with my family today at the top of this post, but I forgot to take one!  We had a wonderful day, which started with brunch and continued to antiquing at Lucketts.  Yes, the same that we did last year on Mother's Day, but it was so fun that I wanted to do it again!  I found some treasures, which I will share in my next post. 

First, I want to share what I made for my mom & sister.  I wanted to share as soon as I made them, but I couldn't ruin their surprises. :)

 

This one, of course, was for my mother.  I used my Cricut for the "Mother" cut out and lots and lots of other goodies from my craft stash for the rest.  I personally love to do lots of layers but Hope thought that it was too much....tweens have strong opinions :)

This one was for my sister.  A little more simple, using a 1920s image that I knew that she would love, a vintage button, gorgeous ribbon that I got at MJ in NYC and just a touch of glitter.  I do love my glitter :)  This one got the tween's seal of approval.

For their gifts, I had the Family Recipe Towel that I mentioned in my Mother's Day gift post made for each of them. The towels were printed with a handwritten recipe that my maternal grandmother wrote out for my mother years ago.  It is the one that I have framed in my kitchen and I wanted to share it with them in a special way.

I'd love to share my Mother's Day gifts, ie. my Luckett's Finds, but it is Sunday evening and Monday morning is coming too quickly!  I hope that you had a great Mother's Day at your house!

Guest Room Decorating Plans

There are two we've-just-got-to-get-it-done-already projects in our house this year -- our bedroom and the guest room.  The bedroom just needs the finishing touches, as I mentioned here.  The guest room, however, is a blank state, a true "before", if you will.  The guest room now:

Old bedding, no window coverings, white walls, mis-matched furniture.  I feel badly for our guests (mostly my parents) who have had to stay in this blah room for so long. 

The plan for the guest room is really inspired by our stay in Cape Cod last year. The cottage that we stayed in had a collected and classic feel, but with a clean, seaside vibe.  I want simple and fresh but old fashioned at the same time.  How is that for a decorating oxymoron?  Here is my inspiration:

sources, clockwise from top left: Country Curtains, Rare and Beautiful Treasures, Valspar Paint, Great Windsor Chairs, 1st Dibs, The Retired Quilt, Pottery Barn

We are going to put board and batten on the walls to about 2/3 of the way to the ceiling.  Above that will be a fresh light yellow paint.  The furniture (which I have already found) will be black painted wood, including the cannonball style headboard that is already there.  I found a great pair of alabaster lamps in a charity shop last summer, which are going to perfect.  I'm going to get a fresh white quilt and shams and those adorable dotted swiss curtains from Country Curtains. 

The final, and most beautiful, piece is a cathedral window quilt that Glenn's grandmother hand made, which will be placed at the foot of the bed.  Grandma Fleming was a prolific quilter and the cathedral window was her crowing achievement.  I am so glad to finally have a spot to display her work.

I'm really excited to get started on the room, as well as the master bedroom.  The only hold up, to be quite honest, is that my husband works for a government contracting company and is currently between contracts.  Once that whole pesky thing is settled, we can get back to our house projects.

 

 

Valentine's Day Touches

Here in Northern Virginia we are still off school in the wake of our mammoth blizzard (Ok, so today is Sunday, so that doesn't count, but you see what I mean).  I'll be returning to work tomorrow but I've had a blast over the past few weeks doing home stuff.  Just before the snow hit, I told my co-librarian that I needed a good long stretch at home to do some serious crafting.  Ask & ye shall receive! 

I don't normally do a lot of Valentine's Day decorations around the house, but with all of this extra time at home and inspiration from Instagram and Pinterest, I went for it.

A little snack station, with plates, cute napkins (found at dollar tree!) wrapped in bakers twine, paper straws and a bowl of red hots (just 'cause they are cute).

A close up because the straws and napkins are just so cute.

Conversation hearts in heart shaped dish.  'Cause you've got to have conversation hearts.

We had so much fun with this dish of goodies.  We made the pretzels by dipping them in red candy melts, drizzling in chocolate and sprinkling with fun Valentine's sprinkles.

I'm working on a few small treats for actual Valentine's Day that I'll share later!

 

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I Got a New Toy! Cricut Explore

I hope that all of my fellow east coasters are doing well during this storm that we are experiencing.  I'm currently looking out our front window at snow falling & falling, creating a winter wonderland.  I could stare at it all day long.  We are cozy inside, watching Mansfield Park, with plans for french onion soup for dinner. 

My occupation at the moment is playing with my new toy -- a Cricut die cut machine!  I've been thinking about purchasing one for years and just couldn't pull the trigger.  But, I saw a wonderful deal at Joanns and found out that the new Cricut has so much more to offer than any of the older models.  So, I took the plunge!

The deal is no longer available at Joanns, but I see that I similar deal is available at Walmart at the moment. 

I have had so much fun with it in the few short days that have passed since it arrived on our doorstep.  Scrapbook pages, adorable bookmarks, and more.

One of the bookmarks that I made is pictured in the inspiration photo above.  I love the silhouettes being used on their own as well.

I have found so much inspiration out there.

Look at these cutie patootie personalized buckets for Easter from The Celebration Shoppe.  This would be adorable for Halloween or Christmas as well.

This calendar by Damask Love is just so stunning and inspirational.

I love these gift boxes, particularly the candy boxes by SVG Cuts.

And, monograms!  The possibilities are endless!  I love both of these examples above from Shes Kinda Crafty.

I'm also thinking about all of the etched glass projects that I can make (this pitcher from The Polar Bear Nook on Etsy).  Glasses, Christmas ornaments and more.

OK, I've spent all day either playing with the Cricut or writing about it!  I should probably do something else...:)

 

 

3-Day Halloween Weekend

Hello again, from the other side of a glorious 3-day Halloween weekend!  In addition to Halloween, Monday was an in-service day and thus, technically a work day for me. When I realized that there wasn't any mandatory training planned, I decided that I would take the day off.  A 3 day weekend coupled with the one day a year in which we get an extra hour!  Is that heaven or what?

Hope was a lovely Elsa from Frozen Fever for Halloween:

In case you think that she has suddenly become an elegant young lady, I present the outtakes:

I seized on my extra time to do some crafting.  Last weekend I stitched up 2 plaid flannel cowls for myself, so this weekend I made one as a gift. Here's a picture of one of the two that I made for myself:

 I also started a project that I've been thinking about for 2 years, ever since Jennifer at The Cottage Nest made one at one of her holiday crafting fetes -- glitter Christmas houses,  Just the name screams out "KIM!" If you would like to see my inspiration photos, check out this post on Jennifer's blog.  

My work in progress. I was showing it to Glenn & told him my plans: "I'm going to put this here, that there and then I'm going to glitter the heck out of it!" I think that he may have taken a step back at the last part.  I'm going to work on it again tonight, if I have a moment between going to Target and the PTO meeting.  I'll post the results as soon as I'm done.