- practical project -

We have a bar in our kitchen, and it's where our kids eat 99% of the time. They destroyed a set of solid wood stools in under a year, so we replaced them with these metal stools. The tops are cushioned and swivel, but are upholstered in the ugliest fabric - which has been stained with yogurt, salsa, and who knows what. I made some pleated slipcovers, which looked great, but had to be washed constantly and didn't hold up long. Something drastic needed to be done!! I know this is a pretty basic project, but thought I'd share in case you want to tackle a project of your own.

I unscrewed the seats, removed them, and then stuck the stools in the sink for a good scrubbing. That's how bad they were. 

Then I used some taped-together sheets of wax paper to make a template for each cover.

I pulled the fabric taut on each side and stapled. 

Then went back around and stapled the excess fabric, makings sure to tuck it in so it looked nice from the top and sides. 

Then trimmed the excess fabric. 

And put the base back on! Super easy project - quick and so practical. 

Much more kid-friendly, and the color matches our kitchen perfectly. FYI, this is Heather Bailey laminated cotton, available here. The vinyl laminated surface wipes clean so easily, and feels great - so much less stiff than I imagined. If you've felt oilcloth before, this is not as "crispy" and has a great hand.

I love these three little bums. ;) 

- a happy table -

I've had the pleasure of working on a few spreads for WV Living Magazine since last fall, and this is what I came up with for the spring issue that's on sale right now. I actually remembered to take a few pictures before Katie (the assistant editor) came to my house to shoot it. Her pictures put mine to shame but I'll share anyway. ;) 

My mother-in-law lives right up the street from us and has the most incredible collection of....well, everything! She has teapots, china, glassware, serving pieces - in other words, if you're looking for it, chances are she has it. I asked her if I could "shop" her house and she was kind enough to give me free reign. This was shot in February and most of these pieces are still living at my house...shhh...I just can't let them go yet. 

I found the most beautiful tulips and greenery at Kroger, of all places, and fell in love with the teeny cabbages that are in the red pitcher. Of course they haven't had them since. 

Iced tea glasses are from our wedding china (I think there are only 5 left that haven't been broken!) and the green glasses are from my MIL. 

The feature in the magazine is to provide inspiration for a Mother's Day brunch (why did I not post this before Mother's Day?) so I made some little clay wineglass charms/tags that say things like "Mom" and "I love you". I wrote a tutorial that's in the issue - let me know if you're interested in it and I'll post it here. 

I found these beautiful soup bowls at Home Goods - they were the jumping-off point for the tablescape. It's a little hard to see, but the background of the plate is a linen texture with off-white polka dots. The white dishes are our wedding china - 10 years later I'm so glad we picked something simple that I'm not tired of looking at!

. For the napkin rings, I just cut a bit of burlap and various pieces of ribbon, wrapped them around the napkins, and then secured it with a clothespin that had been stamped with some special names. 

I got about 2 1/2 yards of burlap at the fabric store to use as a tablecloth, and then used one of these little Spouncers  (isn't that the worst word?!) and some off-white acrylic paint to mimic the design on the bowls. I love the table cloth and will probably use it in my booth for the next couple of art fairs I'm in. 

Sorry there are not any full-length shots - I had my fixed lens on and didn't have time to change it. You'll just have to grab the issue! Here is a list of the stores that carry it - you can find it all over the country! 

- full plate -

 I'm juggling an enormous amount of things right now (all good things!), and my dining room table looks like a sweatshop, but some fun things are coming out of the chaos. And it really is chaotic when you have to push aside stacks of fabric to eat dinner, and still end up eating on top of your cutting mat. I have the most patient husband EVER, God bless him.

I'm going to have a booth at this great art fair during FestivALL, which is a 10-day-long festival of concerts, exhibits, and performances. The Blues, Brews & BBQs and Wine & Jazz festival, special Mountain Stage concerts...it really is an incredibly fun week. 

I had some old boards, both barn wood and pallets, so I made some signs to sell. I had to do almost heaven...it's our motto. :) 

(the little flashcards in the top picture are from teachmama - one of my favorite sites for homeschool ideas.)

OH! And I won this incredibly generous giveaway, too! Tasha from A Little Sweetness sent me the best package, and I can't wait to make a sweet little doll quilt with the adorable fabric. 

- flowers come up -

I am full of earth
You are heaven’s worth
I am stained with dirt, prone to depravity
You are everything that is bright and clean
The antonym of me
You are divinity

But a certain sign of grace is this
From a broken earth flowers come up
Pushing through the dirt

You are holy, holy, holy
All heaven cries, “Holy, holy God”
You are holy, holy, holy
I wanna be holy like You are

- lovely flower pictures from my wonderful Erica and song from the fantastic David Crowder Band. Listen here - 

- you are so loved -

As usual, I'm behind on showing you a Christmas gift. This one was for my sister-in-law, who lives in DC (about 6 hours away from us). We miss her so much, so I thought a little memory board/shadowbox thing would be a great gift for her - I included some bits of lace, ribbon, and push pins for her to add photos of the kids and family that she doesn't get to see often. The box has a hinged glass lid, as you can see in the photo above, and is so nice and sturdy. I have another that I'm hoarding for myself. ;) 

I got the print here - and I also ordered this one for Delaney's room. I have had them favorited on Etsy forever, so when she had a buy one, get one sale before Christmas I couldn't resist. 

I did some messy stitching with my (then) new Sulky Blendables, and added in a few little felted balls. 

A free-motion stitched heart, and a piece of an old folding carpenter's ruler, just because I liked it. :) 

Now she has something to remind her of all of us even though she's hours (and lifestyles) away in the big city. 

Chickpeas, please

I've yet to meet a chickpea that I don't like, and this is one of my favorite ways to make them. Super easy, tasty, quick, and they are so good it seems like they should be really bad for you, but they're not!! No guilt with these little beans. :) 

You can buy these canned, but since I'm cheap (and freaked out by the goo in canned beans) I buy them dry and soak them. Dry chickpeas look exactly like little rocks, and they're also called garbanzo beans. Soak them overnight, then cook on low for a couple of hours and drain. 

After you've drained them, pat off the excess water with a towel - the drier they are the crispier they'll get in the oven. 

Stick the chickpeas in a bowl (I use about 1 1/2 - 2 cups) and drizzle a few teaspoons of olive oil over them. Then season with whatever you're in the mood for - I used lemon pepper and sea salt today, but I also really like curry mixtures, Tony Chachere's, or sometimes Mrs.Dash. 

Mix it around good to coat, then spread everything out on a baking sheet.  

I use my 10-year-old Pampered Chef baking stone. I have nightmares about the day this thing gets broken - it is truly one of the treasures of my life....loved, blackened, and seasoned to perfection. I especially love using the stone for these because I preheat the stone in the oven, which makes the chickpeas nice and crispy. 

 

Bake for about 25 minutes at 425*. Only make what you'll eat in the next few hours because they don't keep well, but I doubt you'll have a problem finishing them. ;) 

On another (but equally tasty) note, I bought myself a Valentine's Day gift. It arrived this week and I am now clothed in the glory of the Avett Brothers. ;) 

I also bought some laminated Nicey Jane cotton and recovered our bar stools. They were a health hazard with who knows what caked on them, but after a reupholstery job and a good scrubbing are good as new. Pictures forthcoming.  

Back in the saddle

Hi friends! I hope you've all had a productive January....because I certainly haven't! It has been so nice to relax and step back from the manic creating that happened in December - it was getting to the point of being a chore to sew, and that's never a good thing. I took a weekend and made myself a tiny quilted wall hanging (it's about 18x18) and it was just what I needed to ease back into things. 

(I can't bear to take down my measuring tape stars so I'm decorating around them.) I'm starting work this week on the Spring issue of WV Living magazine, and having a lot of fun coming up with ideas for it - it's the Mother's Day/Home Decor/Spring issue so there are a ton of possibilities. 

This Sweetwater "Make Life" fabric is one of my favorites and I treasure every last scrap of it. The arrow and  "make life simple" were so serendipitous - I was almost finished with the little quilt and saw my new mantra right there - and knew that it had to be highlighted. The arrow is pretty subtle, huh? ;) 

I did a ton of hand-stitching on this, which is one of my favorite things about it. Embroidery is seriously one of my favorite things in the whole wide world. I can tell you what was going on with every leaf I stitched - the blanket-stitch was done during an episode of our favorite Bones, the French knots were done while hanging out with the kiddos watching it snow. It's almost like a smell or a song - you know how things trigger memories? That's how embroidery is for me. 

I threw a few of my rapidly-dwindling stash of vintage buttons in there, too - I have a plan in place to scour the antique shops for more this weekend. We hopped back into the estate sale saddle this past weekend and it was so nice. ;) 

Thanks for stopping by here - although I am the most erratic blogger on earth, I SO appreciate your comments and emails...they truly make my day. :) :) :)