Great Giveaway!

I just wanted to let everyone about this great giveaway that I spotted on the web.  Please be sure and check it out.  You might be the lucky winner.

Today, Chena Designs is giving away a 2-3 Letter Custom Monogram, and 25 digital printed flat cards with your new monogram in any color imaginable. Her custom monograms are drawn completely by hand, and digitized for you to use anyway you can possibly dream up.

My Little Loaf of Bread

Hello to everyone!  I have been really busy with trying to get my Christmas sewing finished.  Just as soon as I think I'm finished I think of something else that I want to do.  This year everyone is getting a little more home made things than they have in past years.  I think everybody will be OK with that.
Just the other day while I was in my sewing room making a gown for a little girl that I used to babysit I noticed that one of my dogs, Scooter, was missing.  Well, not really missing, but not in my sight.  I didn't think much about it and later I heard an odd noise.  I looked around and found him scratching around in a basket that I had on the floor.  There was some interfacing and a quilt that I had folded up and laid in the basket.  He's never really been one for sleeping in anything except a bed.  But when I turned around I was pleasantly surprised.  He had found him a little out of the way place to catch a short nap.  I thought he looked kinda like a loaf of bread.  I thought maybe a lot of you would get a kick out of it too.

Whew!! Finally finished!

I can't believe I finished my television console.  I started out with a yard sale find and some Rustoleum spray
paint.



I love this stuff. 

I bought the primer and the glossy spray paint.  I didn't know if it would like it, but I do.  Yellow is one of my favorite colors though. It may not be everybody's cup of tea, but it matches my living room and brings out the gold in my new wall color.  The wall used to look green for some reason.  Anyway I like the room alot better now.  

For my first piece I learned alot about painting furniture.  I looked on the internet trying to get some ideas.  I've posted some of my favorite sites so that you can look at what they've done and maybe come up with some ideas of your own. 

I really liked http://www.censationalgirl.com/.  She does some really pretty pieces and they are so great looking.  Her last piece was a blue/grey and it gives it that french country look.  My style isn't french country at all. I call it "Debbie's style".  That way how can I go wrong?

The top of the console I painted black and I painted the handles black.  It really turned out pretty good. 

Well, with that said I hope my console gives you some different ideas about how you can fix your yard sale furniture.  Keep checking back for some more furniture redos.

My yard sale and thrift store finds!

While I've been out looking for items to fill my home I enjoy going to yard sales and thrift store. While involved on my makeover in my dining room I don't think I spent more than $10 for any one of my pieces.

The silver mirror was a yard sale find and it was a very yucky gold.  The mirror had pine straw stuck in the sides and I also bought an oval mirror along with it for a grand total of $10 for both. It was also gold. I painted it turquoise and draw brushed it with silver nickel paint.

The two decorator pieces on the side of the mirror I bought at a thrift store for $1.

The silver platter I purchased it at a thrift store for $1 and the green apples I did have to buy them at TJMaxx(one of my favorite stores).

The sand candle in the glass jar I received as a Christmas gift last year and really didn't have a good place to put it until now.

The buffet belonged to my grandmother and it's at least 100 yrs., old.  It wasn't in the best of conditions and we(my mom and dad) had to help me glue the top back on and paint it and the pulls.
This is what it looked like before we painted it.

I thought it turned out pretty good. Let me know what you think.

                              




Debbie

I'm a Picker

I know all of ya'll has been wondering where I've been.  I've been pickin'.  I have been buying stuff to repaint or rework.  I've bought picture frames, mirrors and candle holders to repaint for my sewing room and other parts of the house.  I had my sewing room painted and my living room, kitchen, hall and dining room.  I painted my sewing room a lime green and I'm gonna use red and black accents.  The rest of the house I painted a golden color and it just makes the house look brighter.  It's definitely cleaner looking.  

I really enjoy hunting for stuff.  I'm gonna have to get where I enjoy redoing stuff too.  Every time my husband comes home on the weekend I know he's not surprised to see something else piled in the basement.  Jennifer, a good friend, and myself do yard sales almost every Saturday.  Sometimes I do Fridays too.  I was in Nashville, TN, this weekend and couldn't wait to go yard saleing(I know that's not a word), but it rained.  Talk about being pissed.  I was.  I did stop at a couple in the rain and bought a lamp shade and a pillow.

I only paid $2 for this one and

I paid $1 for this pillow at the same yard sale.  I think I did pretty good.

The pillow I'm gonna put on my bed.  It's brown and blue.  I thought it would be pretty and add some lighter colors to the bed.  The lamp shade I'm gonna put on my $2.50 lamp. I'm painting it and it's not completely finished.  I will be sure and let you see the lamp when I get finished.  

I have also been looking at some great websites and I will put them up and let you see them and tell me what you think about their decorating techniques.  I'll assure you it will be better than mine, but I'm getting better.  If you stay up with my blog I hope you can see me "mature" in my designs.

Picture Frame Redo

I have recently repainted my living room, dining room, hall, and my sewing room.  I was getting so tired of yucky gray walls.  My painter also spruced up my trim with some new paint, too. I got on the internet and searched for some inexpensive ways to decorate my walls without it costing too much money.  Well, I came up with a pretty good idea.  I found a few sites like Centsationalgirl.com had several photos of how she repainted picture frames the same color of the walls and put her pictures in the frames and it looks like the pictures are floating on the wall.  Addicted 2 Decorating had several gallery frame walls that I really liked alot.
This is my attempt at finding, buying and painting some picture frames.  I hope they turn out ok.

Debbie

Not a Good Day

It's been a hectic few weeks and I don't see any end in sight.  My husband had to take a job in Nashville, TN, and he lives up there while I'm in Alabama.  We try to make the best of it.  We are able to go out from time to time and experience to restaurants and a lot of music.

I actually bought a new car just so that I could transport my 3 dogs back and forth.  I had a hard time in my Nissan Cube.  I bought my pug, Scooter, a car seat.  I think he really likes it.  I know I do.  The last time we came home from Nashville he threw up in my front seat.  He's never done that before and that is the reason for buying the car seat.  I feel like everybody thinks I'm kinda stupid for buying the car seat, but it really does make him safer.  The two big dogs, Daisy and Shug, ride pretty well, but they are like to little kids and they get tired of riding.

It really hasn't been a great time back in Alabama either.  On Sunday when I got back home I had to take my Mom to the ER.  Ya'll pray for her.  Nobody seems to know what's wrong. I just hope it's something that maybe surgery can fix.

On a better note I've been getting a lot of free stuff in the mail.  It's really fun getting mail everyday and it's something besides bills.  I've  been getting some really good coupons too.  I'm keeping up with my coupons and have put them all together in a neat little binder.

I hope today and the next few days goes a whole lot better.

Debbie

Sorry for not posting

I'm sorry that I've not been posting anything in a while.  However, I  would like to tell you that lately I have been couponing like mad.  I've found alot of great websites that are wonderful.  One of my favs is http://theqtippingmom.com/.  You need to go and check her out.  I went to a class where she tells you the ins and outs of couponing.  I hope you find it helpful too.

Be sure and enter her giveaway for a $100 gift card to your favorite grocery or drug store.

I hope I win!!!! That would be great.

Knitting Up a Storm

Hey ya'll. I've got to tell all of you that I'm sorry for not blogging lately.  Don't get me wrong I love to blog, but I think my new passion is knittng.  I've always wanted to learn how and I've tried several times before.  For some reason it just never clicked.  I found this great store and this great teacher in Tuscumbia, AL.  It's actually just a hop, skip and a jump from where I live.  To look at the outside of the store it's not your average knitting shop. 

In the south her shop is called  a variety store.  They sell a little bit of everything and the owner is a great knitter.  When you walk in the door about half of the store is filled with this beautiful yarn and lots finished projects.

The day I walked in I was met with a big "HI! How are you''?  Pat and her husband are the owners and  Pat is a wonderful knitter.  She has beautiful sweaters, scarves and hats decorating the store.  When I touched the yarn it felt like butter.  I'm a sewer and a quilter and I love to touch fabrics.  I'm a visual person too.

You can see why I fell in love with her shop.  You can just see and feel every skein of yarn. 

Once I told Pat that I was interested in learning to knit she immediately asked if I could stay and start on a project.  I didn't start that day, but I did make an appt. and came back the next week.  With Pat's help and help from other knitters that come to her shop I have knitted several scarves and I am now working on a purse.

This is one of the scarves that I've finished.  It's called the Potato Chip Scarf.  You will need 200-250 yards of medium or worsted weight yarn  and size 9 or 10 needles.  I used size 8 though.

Here are the directions:

Cast on 20 stitches
Knit 1 row

Work following pattern for the length of the scarf:

Row 1: Knit 8, turn

Row 2: Knit 8, to beg of row

Row 3: Knit 6, turn

Row 4: Knit 6, to beg of row

Row 5: Knit 4, turn

Row 6: Knit 4, to beg of row

Row 7: Knit 20

As soon as I get my purse finished I will post some more pictures.

If you are able to visit the store you must stop in and say hi.  Be sure and let Pat know that you found her shop on my blog.  She'll really appreciate it.

Catch this blog!

I just wanted to make a small post about this great website I found about losing weight.  She is doing WW and I thought you would like to read about her journey.  You  may want to join WW's and will find this blog helpful.  She has alot of great recipes and she prepares stuff that everybody will eat.  I'm gonna try some and see how I like them.  I'll let ya'll  know how they are.

 http://www.blogher.com/frame.php?url=http://onprogram.blogspot.com

She is also giving away some free WW stuff. 

 I also posted a picture of one of her recipes.  It's PIZZA!!!!!!

Doesn't it look Good? 

Well, Good Luck!  Hope this gets you on your way.  I think it may have jump started me.

Camera 101

I've been really busy the last few days trying to learn how to use my new camera.  It's a Canon Power Shot XS30IS.

 It's a whole lot better than the one I had.  My old one was about 5 yrs. old and you really couldn't do anything but point and shoot.  I've been practicing taking pictures of alot of different stuff.  I really wanted the camera so that when the grandkids started coming along I'd have a really good camera.  I also wanted one to take better pictures for my Etsy shop (http://www.etsy.com/shop/Deedeesew?ref=pr_shop_more) and for stuff I sell on Ebay.  I've taken some pictures that really suck.  Take a look at the pictures I've posted and you'll see.



See, I told you they sucked.  Believe it or not I think I actually put these on my Etsy site.  I really have sold some necklaces with the sucky pictures. 

I started looking for some instuctions on taking better pictures.  I found this one it's a really good link for learning about photography(http://www.digital-photography-school.com/11-tips-for-better-candid-photography). If you want to take more good pictures this may be the site for you too. I know that I've learned alot about using my camera.  Hopefully, I will be able to show you some good pictures later on.

While surfing the internet I decided that I need a camera bag, tripod and a light box,.  The tripod is gonna come in handy for shooting photos of my family and our dogs and stuff like that. I found this one on Amazon for about $20.

 The camera bag is so that I don't get my camera scratched up.  They're kinda expensive, but I want one anyway.  I found a bunch of sites for really cute bags and I found this one on Etsy. I thought it was really cute.  I'm about cute. I like bling too, but I couldn't find one with any bling.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/gypsyrosehandbags

 

The light box is something that you use so that you don't get alot of shadows and you get brighter pictures.  I've made one before and it worked o.k.  They have them for sale on line.  I found this one on Amazon and it's only $35.

I'm gonna look around and see what I can find before I buy these on line.

I've learned alot about using my camera and I know that this could be a great hobby for me.  I'm gonna keep learning things and I'll pass them along. 

Happy picture taking!!