Our Home Transformation...

Again, it has been too long since my last post...many of you know our home has been being renovated for the past month. Normally, I keep my posts to creative endeavors; however, many of you were curious to see how our home remodel was taking shape - so today I thought I would do a quick post and show you why I have been a little scarce lately...but don't worry, I will keep it short and be back with my usual artistic posts soon...

I never knew how disruptive all the construction would be...sheesh, did it ever cause a commotion. We had decided to do a lot of work at one time, so it was a month of complete chaos, to say the least. I thought I had a bunch of "before" pictures, but I searched and searched and only found a few...so the before photo shown below was actually taken before we moved into the house (if you know me, then you know I am WAY too conservative to have a large wooden snowman in my front yard or what looks to be a cutesy reindeer on the door). We actually replaced the roof and skylights last fall, so those old bubble looking skylights are now beautiful new glass and much more modern and efficient...and the roof is now a rich Onyx Black - we also pulled out the (awful) hedges that were enclosed in a wooden bed and replaced them with a stone retaining wall bed, plus we added a new retaining wall in the backyard. From these pictures our house looks quite small, but in all actuality, we have three full levels (including a finished walkout basement). In the last month, we replaced all the windows and doors - and there are a lot - we have three sets of sliding doors on the back of our house...we totally rebuilt the deck (which is huge at 36' x 12')...we replaced all the siding with HardiePlank siding and all the trim with HardieTrim...we also replaced the outdoor lighting and all the gutters. I am very happy with our new front windows and door, along with the HardieShingle Siding (staggered edge) on the front of the garage - to me it looks like a completely different home....almost like a cottage. I am also thrilled with the colors I chose - I was worried the Iron Grey may be a bit dark...but with the Arctic White trim, I think it looks amazing (and luckily, so do our neighbors!). I can already tell a noticeable difference in temperature regulation - the house is now MUCH MORE energy efficient, which is wonderful! Everything is finally winding down and I am hoping to have a quiet house this week to catch up on the HUGE piles of work on my desk...and maybe, just maybe, I can find some time to do a little sewing (I can dream)...

"BEFORE" (remember, this was taken before we moved in!):

"AFTER" - my FABULOUS new home (much more "me"):

Catching-up and Equilateral Triangle Pincushions...

I apologize that is has been almost 2 weeks since my last post - I really appreciate you staying around and being patient with me! I do have a good excuse - we are having a bunch of construction/remodeling done on our home and it is nearly impossible to get anything accomplished while the workers are here - it has been eleven noise-filled days of little sleep...and most of the time I have been trying to keep Simba calm and happy. So far we have replaced the deck (no small job, as it 12' x 36') - we replaced all the siding and trim work - painted the foundation and garage door - replaced the gutters and all out-door lighting - and now we are having all new windows and doors put in...it has been insane. We have three sets of sliding doors on the back side of our house and two were replaced yesterday - we actually have a quiet weekend - then they will be back bright and early Monday morning to put in the 3rd sliding door, a new front door and storm door, and replace all of our windows...hopefully, within the next week, everything will be done and things will start to get back to "normal". With all the chaos, I have found it challenging to keep up with everything...and I have done very little stitching and/or sewing. I plan to work on a few things this weekend once my chores are done - we have to hang some new blinds, put up our new street numbers, do some major yard maintenance ( it really got destroyed during the siding application), and I have a long list of other things that need to be done before Monday.

Late last night, I did have a chance to add the buttons to these fun hexagon pincushions (I couldn't sleep - what's new?)....aren't they adorable?! There is a fabulous tutorial for making these Equilateral Triangle Pincushions over on the Feed Dog Designs blog. If you have an AccuQuilt GO! or GO! Baby fabric cutter, these are super simple to make and only require two dies: GO! Equilateral Triangles Die (55079) and GO! Hexagons Die – 2", 3", 5" (55011). I used some colorful pieces from my scrap box and then found some coordinating buttons (I love going through my button stash!)....then I added some decorative pins (you know my favorites are from Puntini Puntini - LOVE THEM!). I had actually sewn these before the home construction started, but never had a chance to finish them until last night. My next pincushion project? - my dear friend Kimber has a creative/unique pincushion tutorial (Sew Simple Star Pincushions) posted at the Moda Bake Shop that I am excited to work on in the coming weeks...

Again, thank you all for being patient with my posts - once the construction is finished up on our house, I will be back to posting more creative projects and ideas! For now, it is on to my chores and catching up on my work projects - I have class tutorials to prepare, some kits to build, and some new designs to get model stitched...

Fabulous Friday...

Who knew a month ago when I planned a road trip with friends, it would be so desperately needed! Yesterday I spent the day with my dear friends Mary and Merry...and what a true blessing it was...we had a wonderful time. We started out first thing in the morning and headed to the Amana Colonies to visit Heritage Designs Quilting and Needlework Shop...then had lunch at the Ox Yoke Inn and visited the General Store. We make the trip to the Amanas at least once a year...but this time, we cut our stay a bit short, as there were multiple buses in the area and most shops and restaurants were over-crowded and uncomfortable. We did find some fun stitching/quilting stash...and I picked up some fresh-baked cinnamon swirl bread (YUMMY) and some Blazin' Habanero Salsa (one of my favorites!).

We then headed to Pella (via a CRAZY detour that gave us a VERY scenic look at rural Iowa)...a small Iowa city with amazing Dutch heritage (founded in 1847 by 800 Dutch immigrants)...although Pella is home to several large manufacturing companies, it has the look and feel of a small town - adorned with tulips, windmills, and an adorable town square with fabulous small shops and Dutch specialities. Of course we went to Vande Lune Fabrics (a great quilt shop)...then we were off to the Jaarsma Bakery - where I picked up the most delicious cinnamon coffee cake and of course, a box of Dutch Letters. After the bakery, we walked some of the square and visited several small shops...and even stopped at Smokey Row for a few beverages (I had a yummy raspberry smoothie)...

I also have to share this fabulous gift basket my friend Merry brought me...filled with her special homemade jellies and spreads! Oh my goodness - she REALLY outdid herself (as you can see by the photo below)...and she packaged it all in a cute patriotic basket with a red, white, and blue kitchen towel...I am still blown away. I've mentioned to you before that she is a marvelous cook and I am sure each of these jellies is going to be a special treat...especially the Jalapeno Jelly (because I love spicy). Wait until you hear the list of spreads included...(bottom row L to R) Raspberry Soft Fruit Spread, Jalapeno Jelly, Orchard Tea Jelly...(middle row) Oregano Blossom Jelly and Lemon Thyme Moscato Wine Jelly...(top row) Thai Basil Jelly and Chamomille Tea Jelly....how incredibly amazing is that list?! Also included in the basket were recipe cards, a refrigerator magnet, and an adorable package of Swankie Hankies! Thank you Merry, from the bottom of my heart - I am overwhelmed by your kindness! If you would like to read more about Merry and all her kitchen and sewing adventures, be sure to visit her blog "A Farm In My Heart", where she shares her latest endeavors and even some of her recipes!

And finally, an update on the house...the bathroom is 2/3 remodeled and most of the new tile is in place...it has been a dirty and dusty job and I can't wait for it to be finished early next week...I took some "before" photos and I will share them with you when the work is complete....the good news is, it really is looking GREAT! Today, the mini skid loader is currently in action and dirt is being moved, along with the retaining wall being built....and I thought the bathroom job was messy....sheesh...our driveway is completely covered with 60 retaining wall blocks, 60 retaining wall caps, 3 tons of river rock, and 1 ton of road gravel for this project...my husband and his landscaping friend started at 7:00 AM and it will be an all day job - they are hoping to finish up today, as rain is in the forecast again tomorrow. Looks like I will be visiting the local nursery for bags of grass seed and mulch to repair my lawn. Photos will be forthcoming of this landscaping project, as well. I would be a total "basket case" at this moment, but my trip with friends yesterday really helped calm me. Now, if I can just stay focused with all the commotion and get my work done this weekend...as usual, I have a LONG to-do list...

A happy weekend to all...I hope you make time to do something you love...

The Saga Continues...

Although I was able to get out for the evening on the 4th of July, the drama continues in our household...what a crazy couple weeks it has been...and there are no signs of "calm" in the near future. Over the weekend, we finalized most of our home remodel with the contractors and the majority of the decisions have now been made...and most measurements have been taken. The stump removal company came and removed the hedges in the front of our house (just before an entire day of rain), leaving a messy mud pit in their place. While all of these things are going on, my husband decided it was the perfect time to do a friend a favor and watch their dog (a young female Boxer) for the weekend - that was interesting (for me overwhelming), especially since Simba is still recovering from his surgery and not supposed to get too excited...and although he was a quarter of her size, he did show her who was boss. After the weekend, I thought the uproar might be over for a few days...but no...one more major thing had to happen...our master bathroom had a slight leak in the shower faucet and my husband, who means well - but who is definitely not a plumber, tried to take matters into his own hands...wow, was that ever an EXPENSIVE/labor intensive mistake. A small fix, made unfixable (if that is a word) by my husband (who must be a close relative of Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor) has turned into the entire shower/tub being pulled out, the pipes being repaired, and a new tiled shower put in to replace the old shower/tub combo. So, starting tomorrow, the master bathroom is going to be gutted and more commotion will be going on for the next week. Ugh, ugh, and ugh. Even more scary - this weekend, my husband and a friend of his (who is a landscaper), will be using a small skid loader (destroying more of my lawn) to move dirt in our backyard, build a retaining wall, and put down rock before adding/building a shed...I think I need to find a quiet place to go for the day or I might have a complete breakdown. Whew...enough venting...

Let's move off the "craziness" topic and on to something a little more creative. As most of you know, about a month ago, I was teaching in Enfield, NH at the first ever New England Stitcher's Retreat....and if you have been reading my blog, you know it was held at the Enfield Shaker Museum/Great Stone Dwelling. Last fall, the event coordinators had asked me to design a Shaker-style piece for the event...so, I had immediately gone to the library and started doing research to help me design something special. Now, I am thrilled to share with you, I have been asked to return in October 2011 to teach a new class with another very special Shaker project. Again, I have been doing more research and reading...and looking for more information to inspire my design process....and I happened upon the most wonderful table book. It is called "Gather Up The Fragments: The Andrews Shaker Collection", authored by Mario S. De Pillis and Christian Goodville, with photography by Michael Fredericks...oh my goodness, this is a BEAUTIFUL book with exquisite photography...it is full of history...and is an excellent catalog featuring fabulous images all sorts of Shaker artifacts - including furniture, tools, clothing, boxes, baskets, and linens. I was so excited to add this amazing reference book to my research library....and can't wait to make time to savor each and every page!

I am now off to do more model stitching and charting...and taking more aspirin to help with my on-going headache. Hopefully I will be back in a few days with a glowing report, a new outlook, and a repaired/remodeled bathroom....