Upcycling Fun!

I found a striking red top and skirt in the thrift store last weekend that I bought. When I got it home, the skirt was a size smaller than the top and I couldn't wear it. I wish I had taken a picture of it, but didn't. It had a red print shell with a solid red linen skirt. The skirt had embroidery across the front bottom hemline.

I decided to make a little sun dress for my niece, who is about to turn 5. 

Although I had a couple of patterns, I didn't have enough fabric to make them. I decided to just come up with a design of my own.

I used the embroidered front to make a little "sewn in" apron. The top became the bodice and sash, and the solid linen became the rest of the dress.

 It cost me $3. 

My niece's favorite part is the apron!

 My husband and I married our Junior year in college (university to my British and European friends). We were "dirt poor", to say the least, paying for schooling and trying to manage on our own.

Several times I went to a thrift store and bought dresses that I could take apart and use as fabric. It gave me a chance to sew and have something new on a pauper's budget!

So....next time you start to throw out that beautiful piece of clothing that no longer fits or is no longer in style, rethink it as fabric! 

 

Getting Plastered!

Here is our kitchen as it looked when we bought the house. 

In the planning and construction  stages ...

 

 

...and this week with the vent cover plastered. (Oh, did you think I meant myself? NO! NEVER!!)

I may add another layer, but I got this done Friday. I stained the rounded wood trim. We still have crown molding to put up and baseboards, but I'm liking the look so far.

The Hill Country House in August, 2015

It's hard getting a photo in a small space! This room is about 12' x 7'. This is the pantry space we have been working on for the last few weeks. We have several names for it:

Prep Kitchen

Butler's Kitchen

Dirty Kitchen (I think we've nixxed this one!)

My husband has been calling it the Prep Kitchen, I have just called it the Pantry. 

It is designed for the prep work, the "dirty" work of cooking. This type of room has come about because of the openness of new homes.

I've divided it into areas:

This is the baking area. I have emptied all bags into air tight containers and labeled them. The drawers and cabinets under the counter hold measuring cups, measuring spoons, bowls, etc. The vintage cannisters on the top shelf hold my collection of cookie cutters. They were stored at my parent's house and survived the fire! Each cannister is labeled to hold different types: Holiday, Animals and People, Shapes, Molds, etc.

This is the coffee/tea center. The k-cups for our Kuerig are in the drawer. (I didn't get a photo, phooey! I have divided the drawer into sections for different types of coffee.)

The coffee pot conveniently rolls out for use and when not in use....

...the door can be closed!

Beside this you can see the toaster oven. Above that on the shelves are coffee cups, breakfast cereals, and other breakfast foods.

 

My spice jars (8 oz. canning jars labeled) are on stair step risers that my dad made for me according to my specifications. Actually, it is one piece that fits exactly between the shelf supports and is a lot like stadium seating!

You can see in the panoramic picture that I have interspersed cookbooks and baskets (for things like chips). We use fresh vegetables as much as possible, but cans are beside the spices so far.

I'm sure I will make changes when I start doing more cooking in this area. 

I have my bread machine out in the picture. I prefer baking bread in the oven, but it was wonderful smelling baking bread as we worked! 

We have a wooden screen door on order that will be installed between the pantry and the main kitchen. 

We picked up a couple of trays for our coffee table when we were at Home Goods last week. I'm sure the display will change, but for now I have some succulents (not real but they look real!), antique books, and a pair of my husband's great granddaddy's glasses sitting on the books.

I found a large Mexican blanket at an estate sale and I threw it over the dining room table for that elusive "you know it when you see it"  Texas hill country look.

 

We also bought a few antique
"milk of magnesia" bottles that I have soaking. $1 each! 

These predate the Phillips brand of my childhood.

Things are coming along! We have tons of little finishing details to do, but I am having so much fun cooking in my new kitchen now.

 There is still a LOT going on behind the scenes right now. My life will calm down some day, I'm sure! Nothing bad, only busy!

Until next time.....