A Lost skill

When I was a little girl, I would sit with my grandmother and stitch.  I use to make "pot holders" some of the "saddest" things you have ever seen.  She would give me scrap balls of yarn and turn me loose.  I have very fond memories of her sitting in her chair stitching away.  My mother use to make broomstick lace afghans.  That is a very delicate stitch that snags easy.  Now that she is gone I wish I would have saved one from use.  I have two in a tote that are in sad shape, they are all I have left.  I wish I would have had my grandmother teach me a couple of her "signature" stitches(that and her German potato salad recipe), but I didn't and those are lost forever.  Sad how you take advantage of things and then miss those same things terribly when they are gone.

I can crochet and knit.  I will be honest I am more of a crocheter than a knitter.  Knitting takes way way to long for me, and my A.D.D. (or is it A.D.H.D.) ha.. kicks in and I start to go nuts and think I will never find the end of the knitting project.  I also tend to have four or five things going at one time so I like to have easy countable stitches so I can pick up where I left off.  You can do some really neat looks with very basic stitches. 

This is a wave stitch pattern.  SO simple the hardest part is all the color changes.  There is a row of single stitch in a multi color then a row of dark purple or light purple in groups of three.  The stitches are as follows 4- s(single), 2- hd(half double), 2- dc(double), 4- tr(treble which is a triple stitch why they don't just call it a triple who knows) I digress, the point is that all these are very simple stitches yet you get a great looking piece as you can see.

This is called a waffle stitch.  I made one of these for each of my granddaughters.  The waffle stitch is a sturdy durable stitch.  It is a simple standard double stitch then a front post stitch.  Then in the flip and passing rowing you do the front post stitch in top of the bar sticking forward (the backsides standard top double) and the standard in the backside front post.   Here is a great tutorial on the waffle stitch.

http://youtu.be/L3g5aSW6zQI



 Here is just double with a flip row of chain.  Then doubles over the chain. (A friend of ours son was expecting a boy)  So I started this one. (This is a stitch pattern that my grandmother taught me.)

Oops she is a girl.. So I am whipping this one out super fast.   This is a pattern my grandmother use to make all the time, so imagine my surprise when I found this in my you tube searches.. Great tutorial.

http://youtu.be/SsytamQnXWI

This is a basket weave pattern, made with double stitches just in front post counts of four and back post counts of four. Done in counts that make a square. The very beginning of the hat is counts of two then the top four rows are counts of three, then from the middle to the bottom is counts of four.  Really that simple.  And you decide on your square size.  (four posts wide is four rows of the same)

I made each of my granddaughters one of these crazy hats, my 20 year old wants one.. Too funny.  Where my grandmother's thing was blankets mine is hats.  I love to make hats. Not sure why.

The front of the basket weave hat.  Huge flower, Papa G hates it.. :-)

Things I have learned, ONE; do NOT use the cheap nasty worst weight yarn for anything that you want to put near your skin.  IT will NEVER stop being scratchy.  Soaking the item in a cheap hair conditioner over night then washing it will help.  The only thing that I think that yarn is good for is homemade rugs.  Here is a rug I have started.

This is the waffle stitch with red star worst weight yarn & twine from Hope Depot.  Makes a GREAT rug, honest.  And they are cheap.  About 10 bucks a rug.  I'll post all of them when I get them done.  (the lake house bedside rugs)

TWO;  always ASK the person that the item is for their color choice.  You are going to spend time making an item for them you want them to use it.  I prefer the Caron yarn it is not too pricey and it is soft, has a nice sheen, and holds a stitch nicely.  As with anything you do, find what you like and experiment.   I am teaching myself to Tunisian crochet.  I'll post my journey with that.

Happy stitching..

Build a frame

Okay, building a frame for your canvas is sooooo super easy.  Honest.  First pick the straightest lumber you can.  Don't be shy dig through the 1x2's until you get good boards.  They are only .98 cents each, but you can't use the bent nasty ones.

Now I am not sure how I ever did this without the Kreg jig, but I did... It was harder.  But I built many without this wonderful thing.

I drill the short sides, top and bottom.

Make sure that the boards line out and each corner is square. 

I check with the boards upright but I couldn't get a photo that way.  Then I hold the board and drill the screws pushing the board tight.   This gives me nice tight corners.

The little cross angles are necessary.  I did one without them then when I pulled the canvas the whole frame got tweaked, it shifted to one side.  I had to remove all the staples and redo it.  I don't leave the cross angles off.  I only add center supports on "really" large frames.  (like the beach painting)  But the center support does help keep the frame square.

As you can see super easy.. This is how we get custom size canvas paintings, keeping the cost low.

Happy building.

LHB shades

Okay I decided to fix the shades rather than purchase additional fabric.

See how my stripes matched my paint color perfect.  So glad I decided to do this.

It was not hard at all.

I took the shade apart then I cut it down to a rectangle.

Flat you can see it is tapered. (laying flat on my Houston home floor)  You have to cut from all four sides.  I cut one top then mad that my reference point and cut the side.  Making the top corner square.  Using my fabric ruler I just cut the rest of the shade down.

Here they are just waiting for the hops.  (just clipped so you can see that they are now perfect)  I just used the spray adhesive to attach the fabric.  LOVE that stuff.

Holding the hop in place as the glue dries. I didn't want to glue them until I got them to the lake house.  Easier to transport flat.

These are going into a basement bedroom.  They turned out great.

Happy Transforming.

LHB couple kissing

Okay so here is the link that gave me this idea.  Art is simpler than everyone thinks.  Again it is art, so make it the way you want it.  But I do want to thank her for the idea.  This is a Great tutorial as well.

http://youtu.be/vaDtY1WZybY

Kelsey and I paint flat. 

Since I was painting this I took the idea and wanted a mid-night (blues & blacks) kiss.  I found this couple on the net and Kelsey hand drew the outline and painted them on for me.  She is the one with skills, I can just do the blend work.

I make all the frames from simple 1 x 2 -s I promise I will do a post on the next one.  But they are just screwed together.  Start with the straightest lumber you can get your hands on.

Quick check to make sure I am the correct size.

I usually stretch the canvases in the house but Gary is on a conference call so I am in the garage.  I put a piece of cardboard down then an old sheet to protect the painting.

Start stapling from one of the longest sides centers.  Again, I live in Houston we have a Harbor freight tools (LOVE that place) cheap pneumatic stapler less than $20, one of the best things I have purchased.  I hated fighting the electric one.  I would have to hammer the staples the rest of the way in one at a time.  And that thing was more expensive than this one.  GO figure.

Another HF find  my (Gary's) little compressor was less than $30.  I use it way more than he does.

First staple.  Just pick a long side.  Then go to the opposite side and pull as tight as you can, add a staple.

Go all the way around the frame, pulling the canvas as tight as you can get it.  Always add staples across from each other.  I add one on each side of the center stable then move across to the other side. Top, bottom, side to side.  I refuse to buy the nice stretching pliers, they are $60+.  However don't bother to buy the cheap ones, they broke on the first canvas.  The company took them back so I didn't loose any money, but they were junk!  There doesn't seem to be any middle ground $20, the jumps to $60 still with bad reviews, to over $100.  I don't stretch enough paintings to justify that.  And I don't sell anything so when the paintings are a little loose .. OH well.

Now the corners.

I fold the top & bottom down into the sides.  Then you can't see the seam when you stand beside it.  No wrong way to do this.  I just make sure that the fold line is straight along the outside edge.

Stretched and now ready for rain.

Picked these up at the dollar store.  Only $1

I decided that I didn't want just white rain, that rain at night looked like there was some blue.  I am doing another one of these and I will not use any white at all on that one.  I used a lot of watered down glaze.  That is all the "shadow" looking rain.  Honestly that is the look I like the best.  Very pleased with "our" kissing couple.  Now to let them dry and find them some wall space.

   The cost break down is as follows, the canvas was $6 (duck cloth), I used four 1x2's $4,  and these are the same blues from the other two paintings so that was free, I had the black paint as well, I did have to get a new red paint. $1.  Grand total or $11.  Sorry I didn't measure this one.  But it is big that is a kitchen chair holding it up.

Happy Painting.

LHB sidewalk

We poured the sidewalk this week.  I will file this firmly under the "bite off more than I can chew" category.  I would NEVER do this again.  Not only did we mix concrete. (renting that mixer from home depot $60 a day) Then the tree hugger in me wanted to  use the leftover brick.  Have you ever seen the look of old brick that was had a thin layer of concrete over it, then the concrete breaks away and the brick peaks through? (often in old town square streets)  That is the look I was going for. 

This is my first time doing the concrete.  I have seen it done a million times.  (okay several thousand, I was a New Home Sales Realtor for years)  Well all I can say is that it is WAY way WAY harder than the pros make it look.  I will never- "never ever" be doing this again.  *Lesson- if you are doing to do your own concrete then float the concrete the first time right after you screed it.  The more you float it the smoother it will be.  (This thing took us 8 hours to do.   So the beginning looks way better than the end.)  Why float?  The pebble will sink and give you a smooth look, the more you float the smoother it will be.  Wait to broom the concrete until the water after floating it has evaporated.  There are several YouTube videos posted that are great reference videos.  I did a lot of research.

We are happy with this, but I will be honest it looks better at the beginning than at the end.  And again I would NEVER do this again.

I say that ,but we are now getting ready to load all that rock on the left and build a fire pit.  I don't seem to learn from my mistakes, when it comes to "what I can't do" ha.

Happy pouring. 

LHB ballast

Sometimes you just have to work with what you can get your hands on.  I wanted bullrock (round large brown multi-color river rock)  I did not however want to have two thousand dollars in landscaping rock at a lake house.  This is called ballast in my area.  It is granite rock. (left over gravel from when they blast out granite)  It is very dirty at the road, so it looks white.    

Here is the gravel in place on one side.  It is washed once and dried here.

Here you can see it dirty and washed.

Here is the rock wet. (2nd washing)  I am going to Thompson weatherproof it to keep this look.  I am also going to paint that strip of "white" concrete gray.. It sicks out like a sore thumb.

Remember think easy and maintenance free, this is a weekend home when doing landscaping.  I'll post the before and after front photos soon.

Happy pilling.

Oh baby

We became grandparents for the first time in March. As part our gift Papa G was getting the baby a dresser. My wonderful Daughter in law wanted a purple dresser she was going to turn the top into a changing table. They had limited room, so the dresser had to be a certain size, and we both had a style in mind. I found this gem on Craigslist, my part was to transform the dresser into her purple vision.

One drawer was chipped, I wood putted it and learned that I could not keep the very tip from "re" breaking as I sanded.

Top needed a good sanding.

Her color was Valspar Poetic Purple. Well, you can't get it in Sherwin Williams enamel. I remained calm and primed my piece.

This is tinted primer from another job, but the color is a DEEP color so it won't hurt anything. *Tip- when you take all the drawers out label the bottoms with a permanent marker, often they will only fit in one opening with old dressers.  Also when you are sanding, sand the top edge of each drawer down a good 1/8 of an inch, primer and paint are thicker than stain. You'll need to sand the top of the underneath cross bar for each drawer as well. When painting the dresser paint the "inside" sides a good 1/2 of an inch. (The middle bar and the sides for all the drawer openings) Or when the drawer is closed you'll see the construction wood. Not as noticeable when it is stained. It will scream out at you when the unit is painted. Just tape off the inside walls leaving the 1/2 inch and you'll get clean paint lines. Sorry I didn't take a photo of that.

Close up of chipped drawer after putted. Looks way better, but again I could not keep the very tip from breaking off again.  Yes that is SW primer.  FYI you can tint primer to match the paint. (well, in the same color family, it will never be exact.)

Long long story short, the lesson learned goes as follows. If you don't like the texture of the first coat do NOT do the 2nd. STOP right here. It will NOT "smooth" out in the 2nd coat. ***If you spend all the time to sand it down, do NOT use the same paint and expect a different outcome. (Isn't that Einstein's theory of insanity? - doing the same thing and over and over again expecting a different outcome. Well, take me to the funny farm. I didn't just do that one time I did it several..) Do NOT add extra *flood (flood is an additive that you can add to paint to slow down the drying time and level out the brush marks, great stuff -sold at Home Depot)  and think that will solve the problem. It JUST makes drying next to impossible. The paint takes on a gummy feel and never got a hard shell.  I ended up stripping the unit ALL the way down and starting over. NIGHTMARE. (If you have never stripped anything, spring for the color change stripper. Makes your life way easier.) After it was all done I painted this thing 8 complete times. If you count the fact that you prime, then paint two coats of color. I will never use Valspar again. That is on my NO list along with Glidden. In a pinch I will use Behr premium plus ultra.

I can only take credit for the dresser. Paula has made this room adorable. (Yes, my dil and I have the same first name)

Tell me Princess Charlotte isn't worth every bit of all this hard work.  I can't believe she is a month already. 

Happy Painting.

LHB ... IKEA

Living in Houston we have everything..... And I love it.. The lake house was originally purchased with the idea that we would retire here.  BUT that is a NO go.. After working on this house every weekend for the last six months we know this life style is not for us.  We both do not want to live in the country.  We may have thought for a brief moment that we did. But we just bumped our heads.  We LIKE city conveniences, stores, restaurants, all of it, and we'll deal with the people to get those things.

IKEA!!! no explanation needed.  If you don't have one close to you, sorry.  Actually super sorry.  I am like a kid in a candy store at Ikea.. love love love that place.  I have several Ikea hacks I'll post.  And they sell the swedish meatballs by the bag frozen better than homemade (honest).  I make my grandmother's gravy recipe, fresh mashed potatoes (I haven't found a cheat that is as good as fresh yet) and wah lah homemade meatballs with 1/4 of the work and cook time.

Gary knows that I am only good for so many hours of "real" work before I have to do something fun and cute.  This took me about 20 mins to get up.  I took my level and placed a strip of masking tape down the wide flat side (top or bottom doesn't matter)  Then I took the template for the mirror and marked the mirror size with a pencil on the tape.  I decided how far I wanted the mirrors apart and marked the next mirror.  I marked and labled all the mirror on the level.  I then set the level against the wall and transferred the marks. (make sure the level bubble shows you that you are holding the level straight)  I used the other side of the level to mark across the wall for the first mark for the other side brackets.  I tape my level ALL the time for hanging projects.

All of the lines are too faint to see. But here is one set.

You can see tape on both sides.  One was for the marks for the other set of brackets,  there (across the mirror) were no studs on either side of this mirror.  The mirrors don't weight much so I just used 1 inch sheetrock screws to hold the brackets.  It's a trick I do all the time on light weight items, I do use the anchor toggles on the heavy items.  *Quick note- if you remove the tape after the job is done you won't get the tape sticky mess.



Think big, on big walls.  I love mirrors, the bigger the better.  They reflect light, make a narrow hallway open up, make a room brighter.  Place them slightly higher than you would for viewing purposes.  Think of them as art not as a mirror. 

2 pack of mirrors $14.99 each, so for two 2-packs (four mirrors total) $30, I have a HUGE wall of wave mirrors.. 67x 37 Waves = water, is what I was thinking when I saw them.  I feel that keeping it down to just the four and not the whole wall keeps it from going all 1980.  I am going to do a table under the mirrors to make this walk area look even more like a hallway.  I may add a "picture" frame around them.. I am not sure.  I will mess with that at a later date.  My to do list seems to grow, for every item I take off I seem to add another.

Big Art-  Here it the Ocean painting.  (Gary didn't think my vertical stripes were very beachy & I wasn't happy with the size on this wall.  So I knew I wanted to move them)  Again abstact art is your friend, don't be afraid to paint.  you can't mess it up.  Honest!  I did run into one snag.  I got a plastic canvas material, I didn't know this until I tried to ironed it and it melted.  Grr.. It felt like cloth, it was just really stiff.  I thought that the wrinkles would stretch out or settle out.. NOPE!! I am going to wedge stretching corners in the corners in the attempt to pull the wrinkles out.. IF that does not work, then I am not worring about them until I get way way more things done on my to do list.  I will have to come back to this at a later date.

This bad boy was way way longer than my level.  SO I took a piece of twine and hooked it to one nail, placed that nail in one of the eyelet hanging hooks attached to the back and stretched it across the back to the other hook.  I cut the string to that length.  I nailed the nail in place (I took the measurement of the sofa height, how far above the sofa and the distance of the hook from the bottom of the painting totalled those and that became my nail placement) on one side stretched the string across to the other side.  Gary was holding the level, flat and level against the wall.  I then moved the open end of the string up against the level and marked the end for the other side nail.  Yes I was on a ladder to move this string into place. (hope that makes sense) 

Here is the cost breakdown-  This thing is HUGE. 87x49 The canvas cost $15.00, this took 5- 1x2's $1 each for $5.  I got acrylic paint at walmart for a $1 each.  I got four colors of blue for the sky, five different colors for the ocean and four color for the sand, two small white (they were cheaper than one big one, look bulk is not always the best buy)  that is $15.  I used the ooks frame hooks- one on each side.  Those work out to be $.35 each so add another buck.  For a grand total of $43 I have an 87x49 painting.  Again I paint flat then stretch.  Here is one time I wish I would have stretched first.  Oh, well.  I learn things all the time.

Happy painting.