Photo Challenge: Days 8-12

Day 8 - Close Up

A close up of the patchwork quilt I'm working on following my quilting class.  Full post to come!

Day 9 - Upside Down

We're currently painting the dining room which required the removal of the large hutch that my parents keep their glasses in.  The glasses are sitting on the dining table in another room and I thought this was an easy perfect upside down shot.

Day 10 - Favorite

My current favorite song, Bruno Mars Locked Out Of Heaven.  Listening to this even makes doing the dishes fun!

Day 11 - From Up High

After an afternoon walk and dinner you'll always find this one sun bathing.

Day 12 - Hands

That's my gamer!


Be sure to follow along with the other participants of the Our Wired Lives Photo Challenge!

Quilting 101: Basics

It's the birthday that keeps giving!  To go along with the sewing machine that Chris gave me for my birthday, my parents gifted me a beginners quilting class at Jo-Ann's. Last week I packed up my supplies and headed over to learn something new.

When they say beginners, they really do start with the basics.  We spent most of the time practicing the art of cutting pieces, pressing and sewing them together.  

I did pick up a couple of tips and terminology like chain sewing, selvages and dog ears.

Unfortunately we ran out of time to actually finish our 9 block, so I had to square off the corner pieces and sew it all together at home.

It's a little off, but I'm hoping with practice I'll get better at lining it up.  Plus, when I make enough to complete the quilt, I'm hoping the not exactly straight ones will just blend in thanks to the busy patterns.

My thoughts on the class?  I thought it was really helpful if you have never used a rotary cutter or simple stitch before.  Since I have practiced those skills with all of those pillow cases I've made, I wish I would have learned a little more on what happens after you piece the squares together - like how to combine the quilt top to batting and the backing.  I hope to finish enough squares to make a quilt (not sure how long that will take, cutting those pieces is time consuming!), and when I get to that point I'm sure Google or You Tube can help me out with the batting and backing part.

Have you ever taken a class for a hobby or interest?

Photo Challenge: Day 7 - From A Distance

Gypsy making a run for it. The second she hears the turn of the back door lock she right there ready to run around outside.

Be sure to follow along with the other participants of the Our Wired Lives Photo Challenge!

Photo Challenge: Day 6 - Animal

Gypsy' go to position when you lean down - ready for a belly rub!

Be sure to follow along with the other participants of the Our Wired Lives Photo Challenge!

Photo Challenge: Days 1-5

Yay - It's Photo Challenge Time!!  It's not too late to join in the Our Wired Lives Photo Challenge (details found here).

Just like last year, I'm going to share Monday-Friday photos on Friday and then do bonus Saturday and Sunday posts for those pictures.

Day 1 - Self Portrait

Opted to take it in our renovated half bath because our bathroom would have provided a boring white wall background.

Day 2 - Fashion

I pretty much lived in jeans and t-shirts in college and have reverted back to this type of fashion with my ability to work from home.

Day 3 - Home

These frames are the beginning of our gallery wall for our future home.  That little frame to the right of the family picture from our wedding is going to house the key to our first house.  We plan on having the locks changed when we buy a house, so Chris came up with the idea to keep the key we get at closing and frame it along side "1424" which was the apartment number of our first place together.

Day 4 - Love

Constant reminders of love that I wear everyday - the love of my husband and my love for my alma mater basking in the natural light.   Added bonus, they're sitting on top of a new found love for sewing.

Day 5 - Sunset

The best I could do after happy hour last night.

Be sure to follow along with the other participants of the Our Wired Lives Photo Challenge!

Is It Too Early?

To be thinking about Christmas??

Probably is, but I'm going to do it anyways!  I picked up some seasonal fabric and made quick work of some pillow cases to slip on our pillows during the holidays.

For the three larger pillows I opted to go with simple white cases for two reasons - 1. They can be used for any holiday as a nice background and will stand out on a dark couch and 2. My mom had a bunch of fabric left over from the Euro Shams I sewed for her, I'm cheap and love free!

As you might have guessed, the blue and green ornament fabric was the first one in my cart!  I spent quite some time looking over the others and determining which ones would go well together.  I'm tempted to make some Halloween cases next, just no candy corn prints.  Unlike my husband, I am not a fan of that stuff.

Do you get excited about the upcoming holidays?  Do you like candy corn?

Piecing It Together

When I first picked up the vessel sink for our half bath, I didn't think about the other pieces that would be needed for it to be functional.

I'm still in love with that sink

Thankfully after some reading up on the net, we're getting closer to having all of the pieces to the puzzle. We recently received our Amazon order for the new brushed nickel faucet and pop up drain. 

I learned all about the difference between a drain with overflow vs a drain without overflow.  And good thing I did because I originally saved a pop up drain with overflow into my Amazon cart before reading that was the wrong one for our vessel sink.  

I was worried about the height of the faucet, but seeing it in person and pretending to put my hands under the "running water" makes me feel much better!  Next up will be to order the mounting ring, similar to the one I saw in the lighting and decor store over the weekend.

Once we get into our house, we'll measure out the half bath and start the search for the perfect vanity to display our beauty.

 

What type of finish do you like for your fixtures? Chrome, Brushed Nickel, Oil Rubbed Bronze, something else original with your house?