If you do stuff, stuff gets done.......

If you do stuff, stuff gets done.......

Wednesday, June 28, 2017

New patio and bedroom makeover


We have wanted a bigger patio ever since we moved to to this home 15 years ago.
And now we finally have one 😄
It extends from our backdoor, under the pergola, all the way to the tornado shelter, my husband's shop and a good bit under the basketball goal.  
It's big enough for the picnic tables and chairs, and still plenty of room for the grandchildren to ride trikes or play.  



It needs prettied up still. The tables will get refinished and I want to add some planters with color.  My husband also needs to move back his grill and smoker.  We will add extras as we can but for now,  we are just thrilled to have the concrete patio.  
We like to do things ourselves but concrete on this scale is out of our ability range.  We hired a local man and he was so honest, skilled and hard working.  


In our bedroom, we wanted an adjustable bed.  My husband has bad knees and sleeps best when his knees are elevated.  I sleep best when my head is elevated a lot.  
So, we shopped on Amazon and picked out the motorized adjustable beds frames and compressed mattresses.  We learned through the reviews, that the bed frames are heavy.  So we thought we should replace the 17 year old white carpet before we put the heavy beds in.  We shopped at Lowes for some but there was a waiting list for installation.  So we decided to do the carpet ourselves with carpet tiles from Home Depot.
Before we pulled out the carpet, we moved out everything in this room.  While it was out, the walls were cleaned and paint touched up and the window blinds and window were cleaned.  
Doing all that made it feel like a brand new room.  


I ordered a king size bedspread but it was way too small as this bed is rather tall.  After shopping for 2 days for a big enough bedspread, I decided to order 2 king size fleece blankets and sew up one that would be big enough and still machine washable.  
My husband built the ladder to display quilts. 


I sewed the curtains and changed around the things on the walls.
We bought this vintage Ethan Allen vanity at our favorite thrift store a few months ago.  I didn't have it set up until we redid the whole room.
The lid lifts open with a mirror inside and cubbies for cosmetics and such.  I am really enjoying this vanity.


Actually, we are enjoying all of these improvements and are so thankful we could make them.

If anyone has questions about the bed or carpet brands,  I'll answer.

So after these two big expenses, can anyone guess what the theme at home will be for a good while?
Yep,  we are back in frugal mode and I plan to have quite a few frugal posts through July.  

Friday, June 23, 2017

Homemade - child craft and a meal



Hello everyone 🌞 It's summer and we're doing summer things. 
My grandchildren love to do crafts and when I saw this easy craft on Pinterest, I was pretty sure it would be a good one. 
The craft uses those glass pebbles sold in about every craft and floral department, clear glue and a base like a plastic lid from a yogurt carton. And something for a hanger like a piece of cording.  I first used a bent paper clip and was not crazy about it.  Cording works better.  

I made this one as a sample and test when no children were here. 


The grands made all the rest.  
Just squirt out a layer of the clear glue on the plastic lid and then put in a hanger and the glass pebbles in any design you like. 

The older grandchildren planned out their designs before using glue. The younger ones just had fun putting the pebbles into the glue with no plan.  
we used Elmers clear glue- bought at Walmart in the school supply section.  

The only drawback to this craft is the glue takes a long time for the glue to dry- close to a week.  
The children had to leave these here until they were dry and I kept them where I could check them often.  I put the glue on thick enough so I was confident the suncatchers would hold together and maybe our glue is thicker than needed to be.  
Once the glue is dry,  the sun catcher will just peel right out of the plastic lid.  
The lids can be reused for a second batch,  which is what we did.  

The ones hanging in the window were made a week ago.
The ones still drying on lids were made yesterday.  



here is a peek out one of our back windows.  Can any one guess what is going on in our backyard with a cement truck and a very hardworking contractor?  We just had a much bigger patio poured and I am so pleased and excited about it.  More on that later......


One of our favorite meals is grilled burgers and I decided at the last minute to cook them.  
I looked online and tried a yeast bun recipe that is ready in about 30 minutes.  They did mix up fast and easy.  And they were great in a pinch but I do prefer my old recipe over this one.  
The burger toppings were all grown in our backyard except for the pickles.
I cooked some fried potatoes and onions- both the potatoes and onions are also from our backyard garden.  
I call them "fried" as I cook them in a nonstick skillet with just about a teaspoon of oil.  But they are oil heavy like most deep fried potatoes  

my husband grilled the burgers in the backyard and they were so good!
this is his plate.
I hope all my readers in the northern hemisphere are having a nice summer too.

Monday, June 19, 2017

New wreath and this week's to do list

Now that my craft room is organized,  I knew what I had and decided to make a wreath for our front door.  People have been making these fluffy wreaths for years.  You just need a wreath form  and fabric squares.


Actually, you will need lots and lots fabric squares.
More than in this photo, I had to cut more.  Mine are 4 inch squares.  They do not have to be perfect and if some are really crooked or too small, they will still work.





I used an old foam wreath. 
You also need a "poker" I used a plastic paint brush end but knitting needles or a screwdriver would work too. 







Put the fabric square around the poker and dip into a little glue,  then poke the fabric in the form, about a 1/4 inch deep.
The glue is optional.  But I live in windy Oklahoma, so I wanted to add a little support.






Then just fill in the wreath, front and sides with  fabric squares.  




 Close up and I did put fabric on the back of mine as our front door has a window.  I didn't want to look at the bare back of the styrofoam wreath.
And here is my new to do list for this week and my press on nail manicure.  Impress is my favorite brand. 

Have a good week everyone ❤️

Monday, June 12, 2017

organized craft room

It's not a cute craft room yet, and its not Pinterest worthy,   but it is clean and organized.  And I am so happy I had time to get this job done.  Decorating will come later. 
This is my Necchi sewing machine and this desk that belonged to my husband's grandparents suits me just fine to sew on.  The drawers are nice storage and the desktop is enough sewing area for most things I sew. 
Rubber stamps on the wall,  a work table for paper crafts and the bookshelf has baskets of glitter, markers, ink pads, craft scissors, etc:
On the top shelf is a Cricut machine for paper cutting. 
This cubby was in the closet but it was hard to see in so I moved it out and added sorted fabric in each cubby.  On the top is fabric that I have projects in mind to make first.
Roll wrap is in the crock and the container on the right is full of old white towels that I plan to cut up and hem for rags. 
these shelves all got sorted.  Fabric is on 4 shelves. 
Perler beads are on one shelf,  Beads and jewelry making things have a shelf
One shelf holds 2 baskets of glues, tapes and all adhesives
Also sewing notions,  plastic canvas and yarn,  supplies for kid crafting,  more quilt scraps, batting, ribbon and some patterns-


Before- the closet was a disaster but not anymore! 

I hung up the ironing supplies in their rack on one door. 
Scrapbook paper and such is on one big shelf.
On the floor is a box of fall craft supplies and a box full of gift bags and tissue paper.
That red basket is empty
The tubs on the floor- one is gifts, one is unfinished quilt tops and squares my mom made or my dad found at yard sales,  one tub is solid colored fabrics and 2 tubs are small fabric scraps.
The folded clothes and clothes on hangers need ironed. 
The storage cubes on the middle shelf hold vintage sheets,  plaid fabric, etc:


And this is the desk that holds the PC, printer, routers, shredder and tall that kind of stuff. 

So, that's my craft/sewing room.  I still want to label the containers, shampoo the carpet and do a little decorating and that will happen soon. 
For now,  I am thrilled this room is useable again. 

I've been thinking about how to fix this room for months and have browsed both online and in stores for more containers and shelving units.  But as I got to working in here today,  I discovered I already had more that enough things on hand to organize this room. 
Doing it all for free is a happy bonus. 

Yes,  I know I have a lot of "stuff" 
But I truly bought very little of at retail price. 
Some is from yard sales and thrift stores. 
Some is from my daughter and the majority of it is from my parents when they downsized to move to their retirement home.  

Thanks for visiting

Sunday, June 11, 2017

Jumping back in........

Hello everyone,  the last few weeks have been anything but routine with the end of school year busyness, family things and such.
I'm hoping to get back to a pace I like.
So, I'll be starting this new week with a new to do list.  There is not much cleaning on it as I did several of the weekly tasks this evening.
I've been working on a number of sprucing up, refreshing and deep cleaning projects around our home for a couple weeks.  When they all are done to my liking,  I'll show those. 
For now,  my biggest job will be reorganizing and cleaning my craft room.  It is so messy and full,  it's almost impossible to actually craft or sew in there.  
These photos were taken Sunday evening.  
I plan on working in there Monday until it's done.  





Eeeeeek!  I know! 
Come back Monday night as  I plan on it looking 100% better