Just a tease...

Well folks, I once again have gone blog-MIA for over a week.  This time, I blame it on the fact that I keep thinking I'm allllmooost ready to post about my latest project....and then things take 10 times longer than planned.  My perfectionist self wants to wait until it's all ready, because I think this one is going to be a pretty good before and after!

I'll give you a little hint about the project:

Stay tuned!  :)

A day well spent

Three cheers for parents who teach their kids that the best type of day is one spent working really hard and getting dirty.  And an additional three cheers for parents who inspire you to change this:

into this:

(and no, I don't just mean the presto-chango addition of a Honda Civic!)

So yes, if you're counting, my parents get 6 cheers for doing both.  And, really, they deserve an extra 100 cheers for everything else they did during their great weekend visit (and, not to mention, raising me....which I think they did pretty well, if I say so myself!)

But let's get back to the garden changes they inspired this weekend.  It's no secret that while we've worked really hard all winter on the interior of the house, the exterior leaves a lot to be desired.  And while we certainly can't tackle everything at once, my landscape consultant/mother helped me realize that this area by the front porch was a good place to start.

One of the bushes in the hedge row had died, leaving an awkward space.  And, the one lonely bush close to the porch does not have a parallel on the other side of the sidewalk.  So it made sense to take out that bush and create a walkway.  This not only looks better, but saves us from taking the groceries and other things out and around the front sidewalk.

So after digging out the extra bush, I pulled a bunch of weeds and evened out the soil.  Then I created the pathway using stones Justin had previously dug out of the back yard (it was a path to nowhere).  I planted a bleeding heart bush and some pansies, then mulched it over with the free mulch available to Ithaca city residents.

Enjoy the following picture, courtesy of my husband (for both telling me I needed to climb the mulch pile, as well as snapping the shot).

My front yard work wasn't the only gardening this weekend!  Justin and my dad dug the vegetable garden on Saturday.

I particularly enjoyed my dad's island strategy as he dug:

Although they're wearing shorts, we'll probably be back to winter coats before we're actually able to plant in the garden.  Our seeds are cozy inside for the time being

And even if it's not permanently gardening-weather yet, it sure was nice to get to spend a day outside getting dirty!  Anyone else with dirt under their fingernails tonight?

Sewing room progress

Tonight, I spent a fabulous evening in my cozy sewing room.  While hubby did this:

I made this:

Having a cozy chair like Lilly ended up being a great idea.  Even if it did mean I was listening to a sniper movie while I crafted, it was awfully nice just to have Justin close by (can you tell I'm still getting over two long years of a long-distance relationship?!)

Anyway, I have been wanting to make a wreath like this for a while.  I wrapped a straw wreath with yarn, and made some felt flowers

With the ideas from a few tutorials like this and this and this, the flowers were actually very easy - and lots and lots of fun.  I enjoy projects that can be completed in one sitting.  Come to think of it, given our recent renovations, I enjoy projects that can be done sitting down, period!  And these little flowers sure make me smile!

I hung the wreath on the door to the closet here in the sewing room.  It's one more little step towards having the room decorated.

Notice also my fabulous new night stand, which I found at TJ Maxx:

Yes, the book on the night stand is "Everything I Know I Learned from Home Improvement: The Do-It-Yourselfer's Guide to Life."  The drawings are super sweet, as are the sentiments.

With this week's updates, the guest room side of the guest room/sewing room is starting to take shape:

I'm going to work on making an upholstered headboard for the bed, adding a dust ruffle, figuring out a way to disguise that ugly brown lamp cord, and making some pretty pillows. 

So although that corner of the room is taking shape, obviously there's a little more work to be done here:

Right now, this is the dumping ground/storage area for everything craft-related and otherwise homeless items.  I dream of a long dresser something like this:

Image from Pottery Barn Teen

But since I do not dream of that price tag, I'm waiting for something similar to pop up on craigslist.  I found a nice brown one today, and I'm hoping to hear back from the seller that it's still available.  Although I'd probably paint it, the $50 price tag sure beats the $899 (plus shipping) price of the one above!

I am also scheming about how I can decorate the corner that my sewing machine calls home:

I'm thinking some shelves (for decorative storage of things like thread, buttons, etc), as well as a bulletin board.  Also, some obvious clutter control!

I'm debating whether to use this fabric my sister helped me choose for curtains (as intended) or for the cover to the bulletin board. 

I'm leaning towards a bulletin board cover, because I have a few other thoughts in mind for curtains...

so stay tuned for that decision and more!  And, in the meantime, please schedule some time to come stay in our guest room!  We love having company :)