Finding the Time to Unwind

We just hit 50 posts with the previous post!  Woohoo!!  This has got to be some sort of landmark.  Other bloggers start giveaways and whatnot, but I think we'll wait until around 100.  That will actually give us some time to make something to give away and not just spend all of our time on house stuff.

Before we began to do house renovations, we actually worked on other projects.  Over the course of limited free time in the past week/end, I found some things I had made before and finished others that were new projects.

Earrings that are not made out of broken electronic pieces (OHMen Jewelry on etsy):

I know it isn't recycled, repurposed, saving the world, but every now and then, I like to make things that are a more "traditional" pretty.  Plus, the bee earrings are great for pretty much all the women in my family since they are all beekeepers. 

Now onto my beautiful new jewelry display board that was a boring old cork board...but an excellent $1 garage sale find.  It needed a little spice.

As for the fabric projects...

Buying sheets from Goodwills and thrift stores is the best way to get inexpensive fabric.  Several yards for under $5, typically.  As you may be able to see, there is a mix of some vintage sheets along with some more modern cutesy stuff to make skirts and dresses out of. 

Don't discount the fitted sheets, pillowcases, bed skirts, curtains, tablecloths or anything else you can find at a secondhand store, especially if you love the print.  Just get a simple stitch ripper or a pair of scissors and you have a few yards of fabric.  Voila!  Speaking of vintage sheets, if you are interested in other projects to create with them, check out Jen at The Vintage Sheet Blog.  She has a ton of ideas, tutorials and advice on all things vintage sheets. 

My pile of pillowcases and shams to disassemble.  Though sometimes tedious, if I just turn on a movie (actually, it is typically "The Office" or "How I Met Your Mother") and shut my brain off for a bit, I can whip through several of these babies.  Some will go to quilts, potholders, bags/clutches while others to dresses and skirts...of mostly my size and style.

What I can't use for bigger pieces, I use for making rosettes.  When the little 4"x4" square can't even fit on the fabric, I know it's time to cut the leftovers into strips and make some rosettes.  This is my first REAL batch of them.  Last time I made them, they were so incredibly tightly twisted and instead of adhering them with a glue gun, I decided it would be fun to put myself through the torture of sewing them together.  Never again.  Anyway, here is just a scrap rosette that is about a total of 3"x1.5".  The plan is to make this into part of a necklace.  With all the weddings coming up (the season continues!), I figure there will be at least one occasion to wear a cute necklace. 

In conclusion, I don't JUST demo and build and refinish.  Here comes the confession: I'm also a girly crafter too. *sigh*  My secret is out. 

Anyway, I'll pester Tom into posting something soon to break up all of this non-construction talk.

Jessie 

Currently Listening to "Day After Day" by Badfinger 

Working on Some Night Moves.

 A lot happened today:

1. The compost bin I've been promising to finish for weeks has gotten to a sufficient enough point to actually be used.  Since we moved in, I have been collecting scrap wood to use to build the frame, waited for a decent color of exterior paint to go on the "oops" shelf at Home Depot and have been patiently (I swear!) waiting for pallets to use for the sides of the bin.  So far: I built the frame, painted it, cleared the ground where I planned to put the bin, put down chicken wire, placed the frame down and FINALLY TODAY, I stapled the chicken wire from the bottom to the frame as well as stapling chicken wire completely around the outside.  This is what I mean by sufficient.

Note to self: Pallets are not as easy to take apart as originally anticipated.

Another note: When somebody says they are bringing a truckload of pallets to you, they mean a trailer full.  Explanatory pictures to follow when I get them from Tom.

Tutorial on building our particular compost bin to come.  Again, not the fanciest, but it works and it keeps the critters out (or it will eventually).

Here are the beginnings of our sexy, sexy compost bin (I built that!)  What a hot color, right?

                                                

....and after an hour outside, the mosquitos made me look not so sexy.  Gross. 

2.  I tried to mow the lawn.  We have a reel mower.  Yes, the ones out of the 1950's.  Being gone the past two weekends, the grass took over.  Reel mowers do not take kindly to anything over 5" or so.  Attempted and failed.  Looks like we're going to have to get the weed whacker out again.

3. Beeeeeeeeezzzzzzz.  So we may have originally wrote about how docile our bees are.  WRONG.  Apparently they got that out of their system.  Quick overview of beekeeping: the big boxes about 12" are brood boxes, which have the main purpose of being the place the eggs are laid so the baby honeybees can keep popping out.  We started out with 2 brood boxes.  They are both incredibly full that I could not even lift one little frame out of the hive.  Then, I accidentally dropped the frame because it was too heavy.  Let's just say there was a bit of a swarm.  That was a few days ago.  Fast forward to today: I added a mid box on that is about 8" high to give the bees more room to move and build onto the frames. Since I was the only one in the suit (Tom was about 30' away taking pictures and "cheering me on"), I have no pictures.  Therefore, I will be bothering him this weekend to update you on the status of our bee endeavors and my adventures into looking like a trendy military astronaut (it's a strange look). 

Here is when our bees were happy and calm.  This is also when I was comfortable leaning on the boxes. Not at ALL anymore.  They are hungry and thirsty and cranky and needy right now.  Apparently Carolina has their pollination season early.  We have been feeding them sugar water for weeks and they are not satisfied with their diet.  Also, this is my mom's bee suit.  Mine is not nearly as professional. 

                                                

4. More storage.  Tom has been begging me to just fill the ugly pieces of furniture with stuff and then go back to them later and fix them up.  Those pleas have fallen on deaf ears....until today.  I finally caved and did a REALLY quick paint job on a dresser to make it mildly acceptable.  Until later, I can leave it in this condition and we can store clothes in it. 

                              

Not bad, right?  WRONG.  It looks ok from a distance, but up close, it looks like a kid took a Sharpie to it.  However, a cheap CL find that is solid wood, so I'm happy. 

                                    

                                              

As you can see, there were about 6 layers of paint.  When they repainted the piece, they just repainted the ENTIRE thing, including the knobs which are now practically glued on.  It'll take a bit to get those removed, which is why there is no paint surrounding that area.  Eventually, it will have beautiful glass knobs on it...when I can scrape those existing ones off.  

                                        

Brown?  Boring!  Yeah, I know.  However, our house is so colorful that the dark brown accent pieces seem to do well in my opinion. 

There was more, but I forgot to photo document it all.  My phone does need to update sometimes. 

Jessie

Currently Listening to "From Where I'm Standing" by Schuyler Fisk from the movie I'm Reed Fish.  Yes, Schuyler Fisk played Kristy in The Babysitters Club movie....and she was in Orange County...and some other stuff...and she can sing.  Just saw the movie.  Love it.  Love her singing. 

Speaking of singing heroes, ahhh, Jenny (Lewis), you sit there next to my desk to motivate me.  (She was also a child actor in Troop Beverly Hills).

                                          

Now Currently Listening to "Riot Radio" by The Dead 60's. 

5. Ok, I swear I'm done for tonight.  More time this weekend for updates.