One Thing Just Led to Another...

Sometimes when I purchase something I have no idea what it will lead me into...  Last Saturday the girls and I went to IKEA-the same trip where we I purchased the now infamous "Puppy."  My purchases were mostly storage oriented.  I needed to get some of the stuff off of my cutting table, and thought more drawer space would help.  So I bought two Antonius metal frames and wire basket drawers.  Each 4 drawer unit was only $19.99.
Putting them together myself proved to be a harder task than I originally thought: I shattering the block of wood that my husband gave me to hammer against.  All the weight lifting I've been doing came in handy, as I wrangled the tight pieces together. 

After bringing them to my sewing room, I put them in their planned spot under my cutting table.  (Notice the black block risers under the legs of the table, they were my daughter's from her dorm room to lift the bed.  The blocks make the cutting table counter height, which means no stooping over. This makes my back happy, and creates more space for drawers underneath.) 

The new Antonius Drawer System.

I stood back and analyzed the space: the new drawers were great, but what I really needed were shelves above  so I could get the stuff off the cutting surface. I stood for a few minutes pondering the set up and then realized: there are shelves on the other wall! 

The shelving on the "other" wall, before the big swap.

  I went to work and began a big overhaul of my space,  I planned to just swap the two tables, but one thing led to another and I cleaned out the closet, sorted through some old quilting patterns and basically "spring cleaned" the whole space. Here's a look at the before and after, not a "total" makeover, but a few little changes that make the space much more workable. 

The Cutting Table "before.

The cutting table after (moved to the other side of the room).

The "new" spot for my serger.

The shelving in the corner.

Some details: a letter filing system from staples works well for rulers and cutting implements.

And finally a project from a few years ago that graces my wall.

What does your space look like?  

Cindy

Shower Decor Highlights

As promised, here are a few more photos of the bridal shower decor: 

The mantle 

The favors.

There are the "shower pillows" in position.

 Here's our buffet. After all those yummy soups were cleared and we set out the dessert: chocolate lava cakes and cream puffs. Yum!

Chunky yarn, pine cones, sparkly silver ball, white and cream linens = the perfect winter decor.

--Sarah

Pillows for my Sister

We had my little sister's bridal shower this weekend. Her only input into the shower came in one request: "I don't want a brunch. I want a cozy evening, that glows with candles and a fire in the fireplace." 

So her best friend and I went about planning a cozy evening. Part of that cozy evening was the menu: mulled wine, homemade soups (Cheddar Broccoli, Butternut Squash, Chili, Potato Bacon and Pasta Sausage...oh so yummy!) and homemade bread. And the other part was the decor. I wanted to pay homage to her wedding colors (ivory and charcoal) and settled on using ivory and variations of cream and white. 

With this in mind I did my best to transform my parent's living room into a cozy, creamy backdrop for the evening. The best way to do that was with pillows and throws. So I spent all last week making pillow covers from scraps that I happened to have, and this is what I cam up with: 

The cable knit throw and pillow covers also doubled as my shower gift to her: perfect start for a newlywed home. 

For this pillow I used the Holister sweater I chopped up to make Sophia's Sweet Dress.

And you may recognize this tan fabric from the wedding I did in October. It was on underneath the cocktail table toppers.

This one, with the pleats and "signature" fabric was Alissa's favorite. 

Along with the pillows we had LOTS of candles (thanks mom and Rachel!) a few pine cones and chunky yarn for a rustic hint and lots of silver accents to really make things glow! Here's a little peak at the rest of the decor, more to come later!

--Sarah

Craft Fair Display

 So the craft fair on Saturday was a bit of a bust (we only sold two items:[ ) but we did get to interact with some really great people and were told by two passers-by that they had seen our stuff before! Very cool. We Had a lot of fun with the display, here are a few looks:

I got this high chair at a yard sale earlier this fall for $8.00! Perfect for showing off our things!

Another look at our display (the baseball fabric in the back is NOT ours, just the lady next to us who was selling flannel pajama pants).

 

The vendor next to us let us borrow this little spindle rack, we ended up liking it so much we bought it off her for $2.00! 

 Here's a look at the table (above) and a grouping of clothing we had pinned to a laundry drying rack (below).

And some of our wallets:

Hopefully we'll do better at our next craft fair on November 21st in Greenland, NH!

--Sarah