Keeping Busy with a Redo

It seems like forever since I posted an Show Me Thursday post for Sassy Cheryls Blog. I just wanted  to make sure you all new I hadn't been lollygagging around.

For what seems like forever, but really has only been a little over two weeks in actual work(I started a couple of weeks before cleaning out the rooms and doing some wallpaper removal), I've been sprucing up the back half of my house. My DH couldn't understand why it needed to be done, but then I reminded him that the hall, bathroom and laundry room had the original wallpaper or paint that we put up or on when we built this house 31 years ago. And although the two bedrooms had had a refresh in that time frame, it's been over 15 years for either of them.

Keep in mind that where I live the ground shifts and although my house won't come apart it shifts and the walls needed to be patched and since the wallpaper in the hall and bathroom couldn't come down without taking the paper on the sheetrock with it, they also had to be prepped for painting. Needless to say I hired that done, and let them paint the four rooms while they were at it. Now it took them 1 day for the crew to patch and paint, so I figure whatever it cost I came out ahead in wear and tear on my body. Of course, my body wasn't completely unscathed since I also had to remove the wallpaper in the two bedrooms and then hang new wallpaper in the master bedroom. I detest painting, but really don't mind hanging wallpaper and this was the fastest I ever hung wallpaper, and with the exception of one tricky piece, I did it by myself(did I mention that my DH and I do not make a good team when hanging wallpaper). My BFF's DH and his worker cut, painted and hung crown molding in the two bedrooms and the hall which made a dramatic difference in the final outcome.

I also decided while I was having the work done, I'd put new floors down in the bathroom and laundry room, and oh what the heck, let's do the kitchen, breakfast room and office floor while we're at it(these three rooms aren't done yet). This is where my DH just about came unglued, but oh well, he'll get over it. I figure if I don't do major updates anymore often than the past, that I'll be 93 by the time some of it gets readdressed.LOL


So at any rate this weekend I was able to get all the rooms reassembled, and although I still need to hang pictures and add accessories, I can at least see the floor in the dining room and I got all the stuff out of the back bedroom(I redid it about 4 years ago).

So here are pictures of things reassembled, but keep in mind there is still much to be done.

Front Bedroom
The front bedroom  had a country heart print wallpaper and border, and it was way past time for it to be gone. I am quite the reader and don't like parting with books by my favorite authors, so this room is my library/front guest room.

Mr. Billy putting up the crown molding

I had to sand and paint the bed.

 Hall
This is the longest narrowest hall you've ever seen. The ceiling had cracked at every joining of sheetrock(every 4 feet), so my BFF's DH decided putting up flat strips was the best way to cover them up). We added crown molding and with the strips spaced every 4 feet, it looks like those wooden strips are meant to be there. This hall will change dramatically when I cover the walls with family pictures and birth announcements. I'll be showing you those in the future.

Painters doing there thing. They look happy, and I am happy that they're doing the work.

The lonnnnnnggggggg narrow hall

Laundry Room
The laundry room shelves had never been painted so along with getting the walls done, I painted the shelves and then organized my cleaning supplies into tubs. I still need to add vinyl labels, but I'm waiting on the brown vinyl before this room is finished. I also have a couple of ideas for some artwork in here.

Bathroom
This is the hall bath and the one I use. It had bright flowered wallpaper, and I started this project with finding the wisteria shower curtain. Walls are painted a pale Olivetint. The closet in the bathroom had never been painted, so one of my projects was to crawl in there and paint the inside along with the shelves. Now it looks quite nice all finished and with everything organized. Again, I still need to label my baskets.  I didn't want to put up standard fixtures, so decided to make my own hand towel holders. I bought a couple of wooden picture frames from Walmart and screwed on curtain  holdbacks(match the oiled bronze shower curtain rod).  We have a town just north of us that has the most gorgeous Wisteria arbors, and I had pictures that I had taken there to use in the picture frames. I love the way they turned out.

The bathroom closet that I got up into to paint.

Shelves back in and everything organized.

my hand towel holder

Master Bedroom
My DH was adamant about re-wallpapering the master bedroom. Thankfully about 15 years ago I bought some wallpaper intending to re-wallpaper the hall.  Because the cracks never got fixed, the wallpaper never got done, so at least I didn't have to purchase any wallpaper. I moved one bookcase out of the room, and then moved my rocker recliner from the den back there. Now I can go back there and sit and read or watch TV with my feet up.  I also moved the chiffarobe to where the bookcase had been, and the whole room opened up. I'm still looking for the perfect bed treatment, to make the room pop, and of course there are pictures to be hung.

I'm still working on a couple of projects for the bathroom, so there will be an update on it in the very near future.

I can't wait to show you my new kitchen floor when it gets installed. Now I'm off to put another coat of primer on my bathroom project.

A Thank You Happy for a Friend

A friend, neighbor and sometimes walking buddy was generous enough to open her pool for our use this summer with MM was here visiting. I had a tote that I had picked up on clearance at WalMart to put her monogram or name on(she's forever more making things and taking them to people). Well I hadn't gotten around to deciding what to do exactly, when this week's Sassy Cheryl's Challenge Blog theme was Anything But a Card. I was going to make a box envelope for stationery, but I wasn't feeling it. When looking through my Sassy Cheryl images, I came across a pre-colored image I had purchased called Birdhouses on a Hill. Inspiration struck and I knew exactly what I was going to do.

I had a package of the Silhouette Heat Transfer Material for Dark Colored Fabrics. It was just a matter of creating my scalloped oval, adding an oval within it with my image pulled in, and adding Robin's name. Filling in background colors and then doing a print and cut. With this material, you have to pull your cut image off the paper and then lay it on your fabric. Also, it says to cover with a thick material like a dish towel, before pressing(this is REALLY important, ask me how I know), and pressing. Now I just need to add some goodies to the tote before I deliver it. Have I told you how much I love my Silhouette Cameo?

I love the way it turned out,  and wish now I had a ton more of those pre-colored Sassy Cheryl Images for some little girl t-shirts.

What's Been Going on In My World This Past Week

It's time for a second posting of for the Show Me Thursday  Challenge on the Sassy Cheryl Blog. Just for showing a picture or in my case several pictures of what you've got going on in your life, you're entered for a chance to win a free Sassy Cheryls image. Oh and along with that you get a chance to nosey around in other crafters lives.

I've been fairly busy this past week making cards and playing with vinyl. I also spent some valuable time reorganizing my plain card stock.

First off I'll share the cards I've made for OWH.

Now these are the t-shirts I make for 5 of my neighbor's grandchildren.

These shirts are just done with plain gloss heat transfer vinyl.

There's a second Princess shirt. The crown and the ladybug are done in rhinestones. The names are in glitter heat transfer vinyl.

And finally, my card stock shelf after spending some time reorganizing and straightening up.

Can't leave you without posting a couple of pictures of my great niece and nephews. My niece, the mother of Coleman and Lucy Ann, who was keeping her nephew, Corbin along with her two at my house on Saturday. The fathers of the children were helping my DH burn some fields off for some food plots for the deer.

It looks like Lucy Ann thumped Coleman upside his head and made him cry. Not so!

Doesn't she look smug as a bug in this picture?

An OWH SMT

It's time again to get my first of two posts in for the two week Show Me Thursday  Post on the Sassy Cheryl Blog. Just come join the rest of us nosey parkers, post what you've got going on for a chance to win a Sassy Cheryl image and to have some fun nosing around and finding out what others have going on in their lives.

For the past week besides the wallpaper removal(which one room is done by the way), I've been working on OWH cards for the troops to write home to their family. So here are the cards I've made in this last week.

This card was inspired by a card I saw on Pinterest. The cards were made using cardstock and my Cameo.

This is another card that was inspired by a card I saw on Pinterest. I created the flower with my Silhouette Cameo. The papers are from a digital paper kit called

This card was also inspired from a card I saw on Pinterest, but I made it my own changing the round buttons to hearts and adding the Pot of gold along with  the cloud sentiment.

This next card was created using papers and elements from a digital paper kit called Just Beachy from Just So Scrappy 2. I used the trace function to trace the banners and then print and cut them. 

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I saw this card on the Papercraft Planet site on Pinterest. I simply filled several cat tail files from the Silhouette store with color and printed it and the sentiment on card stock. After printing and cutting, I used the wax water color crayons for the shading.

I have a great nephew that loves Thomas(most little boys do), so I found a kit from ReviDevi called Choo Choo Train Parade. I took the kit, put the train tracks to create a frame, then added the train, and added Coleman's name. Print and cut them with my Cameo, and created these great cards for Coleman. Hitting two and going to Pre-school this fall, he'll be attending birthday party. These cards will be just the thing to put in the presents he gives.

I took the sketch from last week's Tuesday Morning Sketches and the Choo Choo Train parade to create this card. The papers are from the digital kit Choo Choo from Crazy 4 Monograms at Just So Scrappy 2's store. I created the train and then printed and cut it in one piece. I'm telling you, I love that Cameo.

Throw in cleaning the refrigerator, and that's what I've been doing this week.

Best Friends

This week the challenge over on the Sassy Cheryls Challenge Blog was set by the delightfully sassy Miss Ann, and it was BBF - Best Friends Forever.

When I was sorting through my Sassy images trying to come up with some ideas, I came across this image called Thick as Thieves. It reminded me of my cousin's daughter and her dog, Charlie. Unfortunately she is off at college, and so Charlie is now my cousin's new BFF. I've colored the image with PrismaColor and Faber-Castell pencils.

The papers and sentiment are from a digital paper kit called Lipstick Jungle by Crazy 4 Monograms, purchased from Just So Scrappy 2. I created the rhinestone flourish using my Cameo. The sketch is the Tuesday Morning Sketches challenge blog.

It's not too late to enter the challenge. You have until 5 p.m. EST for a chance to win not one, but TWO Sassy Cheryl images.

Vinyl and Wallpaper for SMT

Hey it's only Tuesday, and I'm getting my SMT post done for week two for the Sassy Cheryls' Blog.

I got my house cleaned, but that's no fun to show. That left me the weekend to play.

On Sunday afternoon my niece came out with Coleman and Lucy Ann. Coleman is going to pre-school this fall, and she needed me to put his monogram on his backpack. This is just the outdoor vinyl cut with my Silhouette Cameo. I also did an heat transfer vinyl monogram on an outfit for Lucy Ann.

On Monday, I spent the morning emptying everything everything out of the front bedroom in my house getting ready to redo it starting with stripping the wallpaper and painting. Now my dining room and foyer are packed to the gills with the bedroom stuff. This afternoon we had rain all afternoon, so instead of going out to TM and play as I'd planned, I started the process of stripping wallpaper. I got over 1/2 the room done. Hopefully I'll get it finished in the morning.

So that's what I've been doing this week, how about you?

Let's Have Some Outdoor Fun

It's almost the end of time to post a challenge card for the Sassy Cheryl's Challenge Blog, but at least I'm not the absolute last minute getting my challenge card made. The DT did an absolutely an amazing job with creating projects with Outdoor Fun & Games as a theme. They set a very high bar.

For my challenge card, I went with creating a scene. I, however, chose to use an image from the old store called Indiana Jo. Back in my youth, I would have thought this might be lots of fun, but with age come wisdom or maybe fear. Those cattails look like a good place for an alligator or a snake to hang out, so no thank you. The image is colored with PrismaColor and Faber Castell Pencils.

The tree and the cattails are all from the Silhouette America Online store. I used Judy and Dawn's cloud stencil method to create the sky. Everything is raised with pop-up tape to give dimension.

Now I'm off to bed. I've got fantastic plans for tomorrow, that include getting a bedroom emptied in preparation of stripping wallpaper and maybe cleaning out a refrigerator. If you'd like to join me, I can play Tom Sawyer with the best of them.