Home and Craft Projects

I thought I'd share several projects that I've completed over the past several months.  I never took photos of "the process" nor did I write instructions for these projects.  Most of the projects I'm about to show were inspired by very creative people on Pinterest so there are many well-written tutorials out there!  I just want to share with you some of my home and crafting projects that have been keeping me busy so...here we go!

First up...a couple of wood signs I made...

 

 

Something to fill in the space at my front door entryway.  

 

An extra-large version of "Let's Stay Home" which I love!  The next picture will show you how big it actually is...my sectional in the tv room is 12 feet across the back.

 

So, in this photo is another favourite project and that would be the coffee table!  Built with pine laminate for the top, 1 x 3's for the frame and all put together with glue and a Kreg Jig.   I painted the bottom with my favourite cream coloured paint and stained the top first with a weathered grey stain and then blended a dark walnut stain on top of that which gave it a driftwood colour.  I then applied a water based satin varnish.

 

 Next...

My entryway table...again, another favourite!

 

I finished it identical to my coffee table in the tv room.

 

I refinished my round coffee table in the living room to match the entryway table and square coffee table...again, love it.

 

Several posts ago, I share this table with you and the process involved when I turned it from an oak kitchen table to a coffee table.  At that time, I painted the base black and stained the tabletop a dark walnut.  I'm loving the new look much better!

Now,  a few textile projects...

 

As you can see from the picture, I knit this quilt in December.  It was knit using size 50 US knitting needles and it took a couple of nights to do.  Very easy and fun to make.

 

I made this pillow using a rug punch tool and scrap yarn I had from previous projects.  I drew the design and "punched away".  I made it for my daughter as an accent pillow in her livingroom as her decorating style is more contemporary with her black leather sectional.  

 

And my last and most recent project...a blanket for my 2 year old granddaughter, Aubree.  It was a Valentines gift for her and I thought she'd enjoy snuggling in it.  

 

It is a crochet patter from MJ's Off the Hook and its the hooded owl pattern that's everywhere right now!  However, I am not a fan of owls and my granddaughter loves cats SO, I created my own version of the blanket using MJ's pattern but creating my own cat face for the hood.  It took some figuring because this is my very first crochet project.  I watched a lot of you tube videos!  MJ also does a wonderful tutorial on how to crochet her shell pattern so thanks to her I was able to make the blanket!!  What's really cute about it is that it folds up into a pillow!!

 

A "purrfect" cuddle blanket for Aubree.  

Well, that's what I've been up too when I'm not at work!  Thanks for stopping by!  

Lesa 

My Wintery Livingroom

Just a few pictures to share with you of my livingroom.  I wanted to keep the living room somewhat neutral as most of our time is spent in our family room which is decorated with "the spirit of Christmas" in mind!

 

With the exception of the Christmas ornaments hanging in the birch trees and a few tucked away in the garland, I might be able to keep the decorations up throughout the month of January.  However, by the end of the holidays I may be ready for a clean slate.  

Thank you for stopping by.   

Lesa

Giant Snowflakes

I'd like to share with you my version of two large wooden snowflakes.   

I built them using a scrap piece of plywood so it cost me nothing to build them. 

The large snowflake measures 36" ...

and the smaller version measures 24"...

They were very simple to do...first I cut my piece of plywood into 3" wide strips using the table saw.  You need three pieces 3" x 36" (for the large) and three pieces 3" x 24" (for the small).  The ends of the snowflakes were cut on a mitre saw at a 37 degree angle.  Each end piece was cut to a length of

4 1/2" and you will need 12 pieces for each snowflake.  The rectangular pieces at the ends were cut from the leftover scraps at a length of approximately 4".  

My husband helped me assemble each snowflake and he likes things precise so he did some mathematical calculations to find centre and then divided the circle circumference by six to get the degrees between each end...bla bla bla.  I was going to just "eyeball" it!  Anyway, it's nice and evenly spaced.  We just used an air nailer to secure everything in place.  

I stained everything with Espresso Minwax stain and let it dry overnight.  I the dry brushed on a coat of cream colored paint and then went over that layer with a color called Peppery by Behr.  It's a dark grey color.  That's it.  

My idea is to use these snowflakes outside on my front porch but I kinda like the my entryway as well!  I hope I've inspired you to try building a few of your own.  

Thanks for stopping by...

Lesa

Painting Roses

Just stopping in, quickly, to share my painted roses.  My husband and I spend a lot of time at our seasonal lot during the summer so I decided to take a few paints and brushes with me and to introduce myself to painting flowers again.  I still need a lot of practice but it's fun and very relaxing.  Here are a few attempts at rose painting...

And, here is the spot where I paint...

Hopefully, the next time I share,  my skills will improve.  I hope you are enjoying you summer and thanks for stopping by.

Lesa

Knit 4...Purl 4

I just finished this afghan last night and I wanted to share it with you.  I've knit several different afghans but always ended up giving them away as gifts, but this one is mine!  Love the color and it's very cozy.

There was no pattern...just a simple ribbing stitch.  I used Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick yarn  and a pair of #15 knitting needles.  

I cast on 92 stitches and simply knit 4, purled 4 to the end of the row and then repeated those stitches creating a ribbing pattern.  Just remember you need to knit the knit stitches and purl the purled stitches.

I decided to make pompoms for the edging instead of fringe...24 pompoms to be exact.  The pompoms took approximately 2 skeins of yarn.  I used 8 skeins for the afghan, but you can use as many as you prefer to get the size of afghan you desire.

It was quick and easy to knit and it was a great project to do while watching tv or a movie.  No rows or pattern to count.

I hope this inspires you to knit one for yourself!  Thank you for stopping by!

Lesa

Barn Quilt

I love quilts.  I don't sew quilts but I have a lot of quilting books...love the pictures!  However, I came across a site about barn quilts and their history AND they are made from wood!  So, I thought I would do my own version of a barn quilt and incorporate the colors from my living room.  My kitchen, eating area and living room are all one space and the area is quite small so all the colors have to work together.  I have very neutral colors...cream, black and tan.  I wanted to use those colors in my quilt together with a dark walnut stained frame as I thought it would "pop" on my cream colored planked wall.  Here is my finished barn quilt...

And, here it is in the entire space...

The total measurement of the quilt is 24 5/8" x 24 5/8".  Much smaller than a true barn quilt!  I first found a quilt block pattern that I could convert into wood.   I used 1 x 8 pine which is actually 7 1/4" wide.  Following the pattern, I cut nine squares 7 1/4" x 7 1/4".  I then used my mitre saw to cut four of the squares into triangles.  I could have painted the pattern onto one solid piece of plywood but I wanted it to look like it had been pieced together...similar to what you would do with fabric.

Hopefully, the above picture shows that each triangle is individual.  

Once my pieces were cut, I marked each one with the color I was going to paint it and then started the painting process.   After the pieces dried I cut a piece of MDF 1/4" in thickness to the finished size of the quilt which included the frame as well.  I made the frame from 2x2 strapping which I glued and used screws to secure.  I then stained it with Minwax dark walnut stain.  I then secured it to my MDF board with more wood glue.  I used wood screws to secure it from the back.  

The next step was basically like putting a jigsaw puzzle together...more glue to secure the wood quilt pieces to the MDF.  I let it dry overnight, attached a hanger to the back and hung it on the wall.  Easy and fun to do!  

I actually made two quilts but one was enough for this tiny space.  The other quilt I hung as you open the door to go into my unfinished basement...here it is...

Here are some pictures of the whole space so you can see what I mean about keeping all the colors similar...

Thank you for stopping by!  Have a great week.

Lesa

Just Asking and hoping for Feedback

I have gone from 798 followers down to 724 followers in less than one week.  I've lost over 70 followers in 5 days.  Can you give me some feedback as to why I've lost soooo many in such a short amount of time?  Have I done something wrong?  I hope to get your thoughts...

Lesa