Foyer Bench from Twin Headboard

Remember when my husband built me a pantry?  He set the bar pretty high on that project, but this particular project may have even raised the standard.

I saw an idea on Pinterest, and tried to re-create it, and failed miserably.

I came home from the Habitat for Humanity ReStore with these two chairs ($5 each!) with hopes that my sweetie could make them into an amazing bench.  He got to work, and I went to JoAnn's to buy foam.

After the initial sticker shock of this high-density foam, I came home to a husband who had tried his best to make two horrible chairs sturdy again.  He really did give it his best shot, but in the end, the chairs won the battle and were awarded a spot right beside our trash cans, which are currently at the curb.  :(

I was so disappointed, not only that my $10 chairs didn't work, but that I had also spent $40 on a piece of foam that I couldn't return.

Enter husband to the rescue!

He measured the foam and the board (which was actually a board that my father had cut years ago for our dining room table) and a huge light bulb went off!  Our seat cushion was the exact width of a twin size headboard.

So, back to the Habitat for Humanity ReStore we went, and although it wasn't $10 (more like $30), we found this beauty!

I loved the sports theme painted on, but it didn't fit with my living room/foyer decor, so sadly, it was gone.

I fell in love with the curvature of the headboard and knew it would look amazing in the space.

The love of my life sanded, primed and painted this headboard and then attached two legs to make an amazing piece of furniture for me.

At this point I left to go to work.

I came home and found this in my foyer.

I was so excited I squealed with joy, which is really a bad idea because I get home around midnight and my kiddos are asleep, and sometimes my husband is too (although this particular night, he waited on me to see the finished product).

I love how it looks!!!!

I love the openness of the tile floor, the colors, the curves on the headboard and the legs, I love it all!

With a closer look, you can see how he used 1x3 boards to make the bench secure and sturdy.  It really is solid, folks.  He and I both sat on it and there wasn't a wobble or wiggle in the room.

He also used some L-brackets to secure the 1x3 to the bottom of the seat, which makes it even more solid.

I did a quick interview with him prior to this post and asked for any advice he'd share.  His only words were, "Find out what your wife wants, and make it work.".

Job well done, Sweetie.  I love the new bench.  And I love you.

These fun ruffle and tie-front pillows emerged from my sewing room within the next day or so.  I really didn't have a tutorial for them; I just found a few images that inspired me and tried to re-create the style.

It was such a fun project that ended completely different than I originally planned, but I love the finished product!  It adds seating to my formal living room, which is where we often host Growth Group through our church, so we can always use an extra space.  It also gives a pop of color to my bland foyer and adds architectural interest to the small space.

by the way, the fabric is Alexander Henry's Mocca.

How have you dressed up your space this summer?

Chicken Muffins (AKA Individual Chicken Pot Pies)

I tweaked one of our family's favorite recipes last week.  It was a huge hit with my kids, who called this dish "Chicken Muffins."

Our long-time recipe for Chicken Pot Pie just got easier, with the help of a muffin tin and Bisquick.  What's even better- it's freezer friendly!  This is the ultimate comfort food, people.

Chicken Muffins

1 3 lb bag of boneless skinless chicken (can be breasts, tenderloin, whatever)
2 cans Cream of Chicken Soup
2 16 oz bags frozen mixed vegetables
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 jar Shake & Pour Bisquick (the yellow bottle you use when camping- just add water)

Cook and shred the chicken.  (See this post for the world's easiest way to shred chicken.)  Stir in mixed veggies, cream of chicken soups, salt and pepper.

Mix the water with the Bisquick as directed on the bottle.

Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray and pour a small amount of Bisquick in each section.  Pour just enough to cover the bottom.

Put one or two heaped spoonfuls of the chicken-veggie mixture on top of the Bisquick.

Pour Bisquick on top of each muffin, just enough to make a small circle, and let it run to the sides.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350 F for 25 minutes.  (Oven times may vary.)

Yield:  24 muffins

Tip:  Let the muffins cool for about 10 minutes before attempting to remove from pan.  This will help them keep a muffin shape and not run all over your plate.  :)

If freezing, let cool completely.  Wrap each muffin in plastic wrap or foil and place in freezer.  To reheat, place in toaster oven or microwave until warm.

Disclaimer:  I realize this is super un-healthy.  I make no claims that it is otherwise.  If you'd like a healthier option, I'd recommend making your own Bisquick with whole-wheat flour and/or making your own Cream of Chicken soup.  These are both things that I hope to do in coming weeks but wanted to go ahead and post the "un-healthy" version first.  If you've tried it with these adaptations, please let me know!

Tips for Dyeing Onesies

Back in May, I had a freezer cooking day and dyed some onesies at the same time.  It was all in preparation for my sister's baby shower, where we decorated the onesies and gave her baby boy a new wardrobe.

So, this post is long overdue, but better late than never.  I wanted to record some of my experience dyeing the onesies so that I could remember for future use, and to share with anyone else who may want to try this fun technique.

Dyeing fabric really is easy, and doesn't have to be messy or ruin your washing machine.

I bought Rit Dye- I could not find this anywhere but Wal-Mart.  Target and grocery stores do not seem to carry it regularly.  A Target employee told me that they do have is on a "seasonal basis"- can someone please let me know when "dyeing season" is?  :)

I also used the Denim Blue dye, but didn't get any photos of that session- but just so you know, the Denim Blue is a really nice shade of blue for baby boys, too!

I poured the entire bottle of the dye into a large stainless steel stock pot. We received a set of stock pots as a wedding gift over seven years ago.  I'm sure the person who gave them to us imagined us cooking a large part of gumbo in them (we lived in New Orleans when we first got married), but leave it to me to use it for crafting, right?  Make sure your pot is stainless steel or aluminum- not plastic as the dye will stain plastic.

I also used a wooden spoon for stirring (which is now stained) and a pair of stainless steel salad tongs in this process.

   

Back to the pot- Pour the entire bottle of Rit Dye in.  Fill with the hottest tap water that will come from your sink.  Stir VERY well.  This is crucial to evenly dyeing.  

Set your pot on the counter, stovetop, wherever you want to dye.  You do NOT have to put it on a warm stove.  I never turned the stove on.

Wet your onesies with the same warm-hot tap water from your sink.  Wring them out so that they are damp and add them to your pot one by one. Stir the onesies really well and set your kitchen timer for ten minutes.

You will need to stir this pot every ten minutes.  That's why this was such a perfect project for freezer cooking day- I was already in the kitchen working and just reached over to stir the pot as the timer beeped.  After about 90 minutes, I did decrease the frequency to 15 minutes.  

The salad tongs were really helpful during this process as it enabled me to actually pick up each onesie and roll it around in the pot.  I could also make sure the onesies on the bottom were getting turned and dyed evenly, too.

It is much more difficult with a dark color dye- basically anything except yellow - because you can't see the onesies in the pot. So, if you're starting out, I'd recommend yellow first.  

One onesies, the polyester thread will not take the dye.  I like this effect, but keep it in mind while dyeing.

I continued to stir every 10-15 minutes for 5 hours.  I wanted bright, vibrant colors that wouldn't fade after washing, so I let them sit for a lllllooooonnnnnggggg time.  It was worth it!

When your five hours (or however long you let them dye) is done, rinse the onesies in cold tap water and then throw them in the dryer on high.  Once dry, wash as usual without any other colors at least two times (maybe three- depending on the color saturation).  Dry on high in the dryer.

Curious about how we painted the onesies?  See this post.  

Mustache Etched Glasses for Father's Day

This week I pulled out my glass etching cream and made a fun Father's Day gift.  Inspired by Red Currant Designs, this craft is quick, easy and fairly frugal.

I bought my glasses at the Dollar Tree, for $1 each, obviously.  The mustache templates found at LisaWelge.com were the easiest to trace and cut out, and were the cutest, in my opinion.  I think it'd be fun to do a set of eight glasses- each with a different type of mustache from her PDF template.

Although the glasses make a statement in and of themselves, I think I'll fill them with candy, nuts or some other kind of treat.  These particular glasses are for my husband, father-in-law, and brother-in-law.  I wanted to do one for my dad too, but couldn't ship it to him without fear of it breaking, so I'll give it to him in person when I see him in August.

I gave my husband his glass a little early because I needed his modeling skills!  Isn't he a great model?  :)

Happy Father's Day to all the amazing men in my life!  Love to you all.

Helpful Related Links:
My original glass etching post
Glass Etching Cream
Inspiration post from Red Currant Designs
Mustache Template

Cereal Box Pattern Templates

Quick!  Run to your recycling bins and pull out your cereal boxes, pasta boxes and frozen pizza boxes.

These boxes make outstanding patterns and templates for your most frequently sewn items.  I have cereal box templates for bibs, burp cloths, eye masks, dishtowels, and fabric boxes.

If I am cutting three or more of one design, I will raid our recycle bin for the thin cardboard that can be found on food boxes.  It's easier to cut than cardboard from boxes, sturdy enough for tracing over and over again, and basically free (well not really free, but you've already paid for and eaten the food, so why not use the box too?).

This is just one way to extend the life of your patterns and make sure you are tracing your image accurately onto your fabric.  You can also use the cardboard back to make notes such as elastic length (as in this photo for my vintage eye masks).

Anyone else have a favorite craft tip to share?

Deborah's Car Seat Canopy

It is always a joy to celebrate with friends who are expecting a baby, but even more joyous when it is their first.  Everything seems so new, so fresh, a little scary, yet so exciting.

My friend Deborah is expecting her first baby- a girl- in just a few weeks.  Deborah is full of life, and you'll hardly ever see her without a smile on her face.  Back in January, I went to a women's retreat at our church.  I remember talking with Deborah and answering her candid questions about pregnancy and motherhood.  Her joyous embrace of all the pregnancy symptoms encouraged my spirit.  Her blog post announcing her pregnancy is one I can hardly read without tears welling up in my eyes, followed by a full heart of gratitude to our great God.  I encourage you to grab a tissue and click here.

I made a car seat canopy for baby girl.  The fabric is from JoAnn's.  It is lined with a deep purple solid that is soft and will help to keep out the sun, too.

Learn more about my car seat canopies here and here.

I added one of my fabric labels to the strap.  Learn how to make them here. 

I also added a postcard which includes and explanation of its use and washing instructions.  I ordered these from Vistaprint.

Here's to hoping sweet baby girl sleeps soundly in her car seat, stays away from germs and rain, and enjoys the view of the pretty purple lining!

Church Nursery Sewing Project

This week I've been working hard on bedding items for our church nursery.  You see, we've been meeting for years in another location and have longed for the day when we have a building to call our own.  It's been a long process, but God has been so very faithful.

Today, our church met in its own building for the very first time.  It was amazing.

And I'm humbled to be able to contribute a small piece of my talents and abilities to this incredible work of God.  After all, everything I have is His anyways.

So, I made five crib sheets, which are actually large pillowcase-type sheets.  This was at the request of the nursery workers- they like to be able to flip over the mattress in the crib if it gets soiled or "germed" by another baby.  If you ask me, that's much easier than changing the crib sheet!  Genius.

To coordinate with the sheets, I made blankets.  They are double sided- one side with a colored background with white polka dots and the other side with a white background and colored polka dots.  I make these blankets 45"x45", which is the perfect size for a newborn or infant.  My grandmothers made many blankets for my own children this size and I loved them- they seem to be so much better than the thin rectangular shaped store-bought blankets.  I also love that they are double, and although both fabrics are cotton, it will keep babies just warm enough in hot and sunny Florida.  :)

I chose to experiment with the decorative stitching on my sewing machine for this project.  It's subtle, but I like the extra handmade touch it adds to the edging of the blankets.

I used the leftover fabric to make a handful of bibs, too.  Just in case a mom forgets to throw one in the diaper bag, or a baby goes through a drooling fit in the nursery, or for those first bites of peas.  I'll share more this week about how I got the images for the bibs and a link to the pattern I used.

Curious about my church and our new building?  See the links below.

Church Website and Blog
Two Ways To Live