It's all about the little things

Dedication

When I came home yesterday, I heard tonnes of noise but couldn't figure out where Stoph was. Because we have the rest of the house taped off from the main floor reno, I couldn't get a good look in but I didn't think he was on that floor. Then I went upstairs and checked his closet where you can access the attic but it was closed. I could still here him making noise but couldn't figure it out.

I then tried the garage even though I had walked past it when I got home. He wasn't there either.

After about 20 minutes, I went into the living room to take a better look and noticed a hole in the ceiling. And this is what I saw once I crawled up.

For the last three hours, Stoph had been up in the attic, moving around that horrible old insulation, and drilling holes for the new pot lights for the living room. Now that is dedication to the cause:)

Thank goodness for him. Because I can't tell you right now I wouldn't have lasted up in that hot, sweaty room for more than a minute:)

Reno update #3 - The after shots

They started at 7pm on Friday night, and I took the photos below at 9am Sunday morning. 

Unbelievable!

I know they say the demolition is the easy part but I had no idea it would go this fast.

And lucky for us, there haven't been any big surprises:) I am not uncrossing my fingers yet though.

Thank you to our amazing friends who pitched in for the demolition. We owe you big time!

Reno update #2 - The before shots

D day is only 3 days away. We will no longer have a dishwasher to clean our dishes, or a stove to bake in. Lets hope we survive!

I thought I would post a few before images so that in 3 months we can marvel at what an amazing job Stoph did.

Hopefully you can follow along. The first image above is what our house looks like when you walk in the front door. Our living room is to the right and the last image is of our front bay window and a tiny bit of the front door again.

Next up is our actual kitchen. The first image is shot while walking from the front door. I then went to the back of the kitchen and shot from the right to the left. As you can see there are many, many walls that we will be tearing down this weekend.

And last but not least is our dining room. The first shot is taken while standing in the kitchen. You can see the small little openings from each room. The bottom shot is a great one of Stoph's table that he made from an old bowling alley and then the last shot is taken from just inside our sliding door and back into the kitchen.

Hopefully you got all of that becuase in 3 days time this baby is going to be blown open.

Wish us luck!

Next up . . .

I love this quilt!! 

I didn't follow a pattern, I just kept the center squares the same size and alternated the position of them within the larger squares. 

The quilting is quite simple with two lines running on each side of the squares. I think it works perfectly with the overall design. And below is what the backing looks like.

The colourway is a great one as well. Turquoise and green is getting to be quite popular these days.

Thanks for stopping by.

This baby is in its very infant stage. The strips are cut, and a few are sewn together, but it has a long was to go. I am actually hoping to make a baby and a big version of this guy. I have never actually finished a quilt larger than a baby or very small lap size. I am thinking I am going to try it out with this one. It would look great at the bottom of our spare bed. 

I know people who complete large quilts all of the time but because my sewing machine only has a small space from the needle to the arm, I can only fit so much fabric in there when quilting.

Anyway, enough excuses, I am going to attempt it. Wish me luck.

The Help

Yesterday afternoon, Stoph wouldn't get off the couch (he was nursing a hang over from our dinner party the night before) so I decided to see what was playing at our local theater.

The Help was starting in 10 mins. I hopped in my car and was off.

Set in 1961, The Help follows the story of recent Old Miss graduated Skeeter Phelan, played perfectly by an understated Emma Stone, who returns home to Jackson, Mississippi to find that while her world has remain unchanged, her ideals have not. Skeeter’s maid Constantine has quit, leaving Skeeter alone to defend herself against her mother’s constant barrage of criticism and her unrelenting questions about the way in which she and her white friends live among their black help.

It was an amazing movie. Interesting, distrubing, heartfelt, and very well acted. 

Go see it.

Heather Ross Fabric

I love it but it is hard to come by. I was thrilled when Karyn posted that she was getting some into at the workroom.

I was actually going to be downtown picking up pillow inserts for B's room so it was perfect timing. Below were the fabrics I indulged in.

Fabric images by Karyn

I can't wait to get sewing.

Garden roses

My favourite kind of roses. I just love the amount of layers each one has.

So pretty.

Pink leather clutch

This is what I made out of these:

I love it. I made it a slightly odd size. Approximately 16 x 10 so that when I carry it around I can fold it in half like in the first image. I actually made the pockets out of a Liberty of London print that I purchased from Purl Soho back in May. I measured my blackberry, sunglasses and lip gloss and made the pockets to fit these items.

I had a few troubles with the top corners by the zippers because of the weight of the leather but all in all, I am really happy with the final product. 

Lyndsay's quilt

You saw it here. And here.

Now you can see it in all of its glory.

Remember to click the image to see it larger.

And now for a image of the back.

A detailed shot of the quilting:

And one more of the front:

I am so glad this is out the door and on the bed of its rightful owner. Now onto one for her little brother.