Yoga gets slippery

I've found myself in yoga class more lately. With things a little hairy around here I've needed some help staying centered. Anne a friend has recently completed her Yoga certification. She wanted to practice her teaching and was kind enough to as me to be one of the familiar faces in front of her.

It doesn't matter how cold or hot the room is when I am practicing the results are always the same. I sweat as if I am in Death Valley. I wish that I could blame it on the extra 15lbs that I have been caring around the past year but I have always been this way. Ever tried to stay in downward dog with sweaty palms and feet. I feel like I'm about to face plant.(not the four-limed staff style) I've tried to practice on a regular towel but it nor I stay in place. I decided to make-myself one out of micro fiber towel fabric. I added grip to the back so that it could hold on to my mat while I hold on to it. I also made this one for Anne as a thanks for getting me out of the house. I know I could have grabbed a plain one but why would I want to cover my mat with that.

Its HOT in here!

I know that vaulted ceilings are designed to let light in to the foyer but they also let in heat.
I've always felt like it is wasted space. I think that it would have been a better use of space to make the master bedroom larger. The level of heat that comes off the window is ridiculous. So I decided that it needed to be covered with black out shades. There were two problems with my solution.
The first is that it is very expensive to cover a 60 inch window and the other is that it has to be hung up and there is no easy access.

The solution that I found was to buy mini blinds and turned them into roman shades. I found some blinds on the clearance table at Lowe's for $15. They were two inches short. But I felt that I could compensate with fabric to close the space in the window.
Jo Ann's Fabric had black-out on sale for 40% off so I purchased a couple of yards. I had some Tan colored fabric at home that would be a good choice. Then I removed all the slats from the blinds, all but 10. I doubled them up for strength. and hand sewed around the slats spaced about 10 inches apart. This way I would have 5 folds. I think it came out pretty well and it does reduce the amount of heat that comes in.

Kit pulled the ladder from under the house and I held it as he cursed the heat and the drill as it was installed. The only downside is that I do have to get on a step ladder to adjust it.

Wanted: More Storage

Bags, Bags & more Bags.
They were all over our foyer. There's my purse, gym bag, work bag( when working) and then there's Kit's contribution. My solution was to get a credenza to fit it all. However that was not in my budget. This dresser from Ytina was, because it was free. (Thanks again Ytina)
In the photo below it's on its side because I started working on tearing it to pieces before I remembered to take a before photo and I didn't want to set it down again. I tossed out the 6 drawers that were in it. I also removed the curvy bottom.

I spent $20 on two packages of bead board to cover the sides and $10 on 1x4's for the top. I didn't want the cadenza to sit on the floor but I couldn't find any feet/legs in my budget. My solution was to buy 4 wood post at $14. (3.5 each) I had to remove the galvanized fastners from the post centers before I added them to the new base.

Once I removed the rails form the inside I added one newly craft papered shelf to each side. The shelf is made from scrap particle board that I had in the garage. I made the doors from the the left over bead board & trim. ($12)
The next thing I did was to practice anger management. I beat it up with hammer, screw driver and a a chain to give it some personality. I used sage green spray paint for the base.($8) The next day I went over every thing with a watered down brown paint that I had at home. I ragged off the excess before it dried. Then went over the entire thing with a matte glaze($3) so that it would look old but loved.

I thought it was best to use hardware that was not modern. These black ones are hammered and I think that it is a good match. ($8 Pulls, hinges,and catch magnets)

I'm happy that the bags are out of site. But I did get in the car this morning with out my purse.....out of site, out of mind.
Piece of mind $75( if I can add, and not the $300+ that I couldn't spend.

Wow

Things have been kind of crazy in the past month. Kit is training for Lake Placid so Porter and I are on our own. We did have to take time out to visit the parents in Minnesota. (My first time) Kit's grand Elenore was holding on on to him walking down the street.
I love this photo because he has to lean over for her to take his arm.

Before we left to go on the trip I was bitten by a tick. (another first) When we got back my blood work came back positive for Lyme. What are the odds on that.
The cakes below are what I was up to this weekend.
Its funny because no one was sure last week if they needed cake or not. Of course they all became certain the same week that my Grand goes in the hospital due to a mini stroke. She is back at home now. Thank god. And the three trips out of town this week to visit her did not slow down my baking......

Strawberry Shortcake

Dads gone fishing

High school is so over

Autobot
I have refinished a credenza and made roman shades. I plan to post but I have to add hinges to the credenza and the shades have to be hung but since they are going in the foyer over the door. I will have to wait and tackle kit in between his training because it is a two person job. Wish me luck!

Inspiration in odd places

I was looking in a monthly publication one day and I saw this flower in an advertisement.
I don't remember what they were selling but I liked that it was a simple illustration. I felt like it could say a lot of different things depending on how you looked at it. I cut it out because to me it said quilt. I dropped the words and the loose petals because that didn't say baby.

I wanted to keep it simple so I put it in front of a brick wall. (Click on photo for better detail) I made this one for Sophia's little Bella. Her original colors were Aqua and lavender but the nursery theme she planned was discontinued at the Big box baby store so...... She switched to pink and brown.

That is the reason for the color change on the back. I nixed the aqua and left in the lavender because I had already purchased the fabrics. ( I can use them on some other project,there's always something else to work on) This is the first time that I have tried to embroider a name by hand. Hope she likes it.

I wonder how often people look at a thing and see something completely different.

Sorry for the sucky photos but I had to use my cell camera because the PC has yet to be replaced and the software is not working......

Signs of Summer

I received a text from a friend that works in a big box store (like Linens and things use to be) She said she had a customer in the store that was looking for replacement cushions for her patio but was having no luck because of the unique size. A few weeks earlier helped her by adding some black out to her curtains. (her hours had changed and the daylight savings time was intruding on sleep) I told her to have Sandy(customer) give me a buzz. Sandy dropped by the next day to show me these.....

They look like they have seen better days. Going on advice from the Fabric store employee Sandy went with duck cloth because she couldn't find what she wanted in the regular outdoor fabric. I like the new color. I used Velcro in place of zippers to close the covers. Velcro is less expensive and it is easier to install & replace. There were a set of 3 but only one ottoman.

I used duck cloth on a slip covered chair in by bedroom. It works great but I would suggest that if you hate ironing then I would send the covers to the cleaners because it is the worst for pressing out wrinkles. If you use duck cloth for a project I would also use scotch guard to save yourself some cleaning headache.

White Lake and Stuff

First: White lake can look so lovely.... but you never know what you are going to get when you get there. One year when Kit went to race thre it was hot and muggy, about 95 out. And another year it was so cold and windy the water has white caps.

Today it was so foggy that you could not see past the docks. So the swim got nixed.

Overall it was a good day for # 2.

As for me I feel like I'm running behind. I had a bit of cake this week. Here is one. Click on the cake album for the rest.

Stuff: I have been working to replace a quilt that sold.( almost done) I would post a pic but its another Owl.
I managed another baby quilt for a friend that had her little one a few weeks early. (here's a peek, cant show the entire thing because I haven't given it to her yet)

I have also been giving a face lift to a dresser to re-purpose it into a credenza for my foyer. ( Will Post as soon as I am done.) We are being over run by bags/back packs & my large carry all.

And a complete stranger just asked me to slip cover her cushions to her patio set because they are odd shaped and she cannot find replacements.
Sure lady I have time.........