Re~painting Is More Fun Than Painting!

Right before Thanksgiving we got into a mode of finishing things around the house. One thing I have been putting off is re-painting our family room. We re did the rest of the house about six months ago. I did not do the family room b/c I knew I would have to move all the furniture and cover the carpet etc...Too much work. But for some reason we went ahead and did it last month. I am happy with how it looks. The room seems bigger and cleaner. And it brightened up too.
Jeff also finally put up the outside porch light and finished the grout in the bathroom.

New UFO And An Explanation

I delcared and finished another UFO in the last 24 hours. I picked a quick, easy one b/c the previous one I was not sure would "count" as a UFO. I explained to the lady keeping track that I finished the top of the quilt (which was all I ever intended for that project), but that I wanted it to be machine quilted at some point but right now I can't afford that. I have the finishing touches ready to go whenever I decide to get it quilted but its not completely finished as of yet. I am not sure if you click on the pics of the fall leaf quilts but you will see that they are all just the tops. I might work on the backs to the table runner and the wallhanging today but we'll see.
I am waiting to hear if they will allow it or not. I am okay with whatever they decide b/c I have really wanted to work on that project for a while and I am glad I didn't put it off any more. Here's the next UFO I finished this morning...I made this quilt (wallhanging) about five years ago or maybe more. I had made a few quilts and given them to this lady I know who owns a long arm quilting machine for her to quilt them for me. She did all of them except this one b/c she said that I could do this one myself on my regular machine...I was disappointed and also in denial. I put it in a box and it has only come out a few times since. I thought about it recently and decided that I would give it a go on the regular machine and finish it as a UFO. I am not thrilled with the results but it is finished and I can hang it on my wall come spring. Yay!

FINALLY....done!

I finally finished this quilt. I am happy that it turned out and I decided to make a wallhanging with some extra pieces. I actually made a table runner using these same fabrics as well. I need to take a picture of that and put it up here too. Hope you like it. I really do!

Here's the wallhanging...

and here's the table runner...

Another Project!

I saw somthing that looked like this on the internet and decided to copy it for our house. If the pictures look a little crooked, don't say anything b/c I spent a good hour after putting the whole darn thing up trying to make them look less crooked. I am happy with it~without the use of "meds!"

The only thing I might try is putting some red scrapbook paper behind the black letters instead of the wall. I am not sure if I would like this or not and I don't want it to be too dark to see the letters...what do you think?

Blue Ribbon Quilt

I promise I will not post another thing about this quilt. Ever! I decided that I wanted to enter this Christmas tree/Jack-o-lantern quilt in the fair this year. I had actually made a New Year's resolution to put a quilt in the fair this year but this quilt was not the one I had in mind when I resolved to do that. I decided that any quilt still counted and since this one was finished that would probably be best.I was actually a little disappointed to see it when we got there b/c I really wanted the Jack-o-lantern side to be displayed much more than the Christmas tree side. I was so much more happy with the other side, but I guess unless you spell things out for people they do whatever they want. It was grouped with a few other Christmas items anyway. But the other thing that was disappointing (sounds like getting a blue ribbon is disappointing to me but, no. That part was exciting. The best part is that I will get a check in the mail for a whopping $3! Woohoo! Now I can get that quilting machine I have been wanting.) anyway, the other disappointing part was that the blue ribbon was turned around and the tag with my name on the display was nowhere to be seen. Hopefully when I go to pick it up on Sunday they will let me have it.
I crawled up the blocks to turn around the blue ribbon and stood there for a picture. If there weren't just a few people constantly walking by I would have probably taken the liberty to turn the whole quilt around to show the pumpkin, but I was not that brazen. As you can see I added some embellishment to the tree to make it more attractive. Don't love it but don't hate it either. It was right after this that we lost Bronson.

On To The UFOs!

I like how it looks with the red walls.

Well, I finished this shelf today...It took more hours than I thought were left on it but just a bunch of elbow grease stuff here and there. I am not very satisfied with it. The picture won't show the mistakes, scuff marks etc. But let me assure you there are alot!

It used to be a light colored wood veneer. It was getting a little ratty looking so I thought before I got rid of it and got a new shelf (which we can't afford right now) I would attempt a make-over. I have a book that shows how to do that kind of thing and I followed the instructions and this is how it turned out. The total cost might have been around $30 since I bought a new board for the backing and the trim. I already had the paint and hardware. Plus since we were given this shelf for free a few years ago it was really an inexpensive project. I used a very light gray paint on the inside and white paint on the trim and outside. All the trim is new. It did not have any before. I was happy with the process, but the end result was less than I thought. I really wanted it to look like I bought it this way. I am not sure I will do something like this again.

Done!

I finished these this weekend. It was pretty easy to streamline these so I made three...then I decided I wanted a different color scheme for one and I made another one real quick on Monday. I do need to go get a cinnamon colored button for the nose on the different one, but I am still calling these DONE! Woohoo for me.
What I was thinking yesterday as I was working on another project~not quilting related was that for every quilt UFO I finish, I should finish another project that I have going on. With the last UFO I did finish something which I was happy to get done although I can't remember what it was now. And for this one I am working on re-finishing a book shelf. It's so close to being done that I think I might put off the quilts for a few days. I will post pics of it when its done too! No "before" shots though b/c I forgot.

My First UFO

Well, this is the quilt that I declared for my first UFO (Unfinished Project~yeah, I know the acronym doesn't fit). I posted about this quilt a few months ago. I had started it in the spring of 2007. Then I had put it away b/c we were moving. Then I got it out and did a little more on it not long ago. Then I declared it and finished it.What was holding me up was that I had used my mom's scraps to make it and didn't have any of the same fabrics left to do the backing or binding. I took it to the quilt guild meeting and a lady told me to do another theme for the backing. Genius! I loved the idea and went home and made a Christmas tree for the back out of more scraps. Then I used a good green to bind it since it matches both sides. For both sides, I used a fusible web to piece the squares. When ironed on they stay in place and perfect corners can be achieved. Essentially both sides have 6 squares across and down even though some squares are made up of triangles and rectangles. I quilted both before I put them together so that both the pumpkin and the tree would pop. I might add some buttons or something as embellishment for the tree to look like ornaments hanging. We'll see.
This is my next declared UFO. I made some of these last year for Christmas gifts but did not make one for myself. They are so easy. I am going to make several again.