Thankful

As I have been going over events that have happened to me this past year and looking at where I am today, I have much to be thankful for.  Psalm 37:5 reads "God has a reason for allowing things to happen.  We may  never understand his wisdom, but we simply have to trust his will."   A year ago I left a relationship that I thought I would spend the rest of my life in.  I left many material items behind when I chose to leave.  However, because of this event in my life, I have learned that I am able to do many things that I would not have attempted to do had it not been for the situation I found myself in.  With the help of some very dear friends and family, I have been able to rebuild and learn more about who I am.  I have learned that I have additional talents and abilities I never knew I had. 

Several months ago I shared on this blog pictures of a home that I have rented and spent numerous hours over the past few months cleaning up.  I didn't have much to start with but a vision, and that vision has paid off.  My son, Austin, shared in my enthusiasm and spent the last few days redoing my kitchen countertops. 

This is what the kitchen looked like before ....

And this is what it looks like now ...

The color scheme or "theme" came from this fabric line by Cosmo Cricket with red, gold, green, cream and black which my dear friend Marci gave me as a gift.  I made the quilt which hangs over my kitchen door on display.  This theme is carrying into the back porch where I refinished a hutch (I will share more on it later). 

Back to my thankful story ... all of this came as a result of much of the furniture I had left was damaged  from moving or being in storage.  As I have tried to rebuild and make a "home" I have picked up various items at garage sales over the past few months, such as an entertainment center for $10.00, a bar stool or chair for a couple of dollars, or a dresser for $10.00.  I have learned through trial and error how to refinish these items and make them work for me.  I have a place that a landlord has allowed me to enhance as I see fit.  Thank you for all those who have shared my enthusiasm over my little finds and the ideas that are constantly churning through my head.  I hope to have more items finished and be able to share soon. 

I am thankful for the talents that I have and the new talents that I have found.  I love my family and appreciate all that you do for me.  Happy Thanksgiving! 

Windows ...

I am always trying to think of different ways to display quilts in my house.  I was looking at a couple of old windows I had and the idea came to me to make a quilt hanger.  The windows were washed up goo, the paint colors are the original paint.  I left the yellow and green because this one matches my room.  Although the glass is broken out of this particular window, I may still put a vinyl saying on the wall to make it appear as though there is glass or just an added touch of something.  I am quite fond of it. 

 The second window is a 3-pane window with glass intact.  A dear friend has it hanging in her home.  I am personally seeing photos displayed behind the glass! 

Refurbishing

The past few months I have been playing with some smaller items of furniture (pictures were previously posted) ... but I just finished a larger item.  Unfortunately, I didn't take a "before" picture.  However, I have a companion piece to this furniture so you can see how dark the wood and varnish is.  Hopefully this little hutch will get finished soon for my house (and I will post pictures when it is done) ....

BEFORE:

AFTER...  The dresser was painted in white, some of the old stain showed through in places, and I used a tea dyed glaze over the white.  The old hardware was broken so I found like replacements.

 and I made a little dresser quilt for the top out of some scraps.

I grew quite fond of it, but a family member of a family member is enjoying it now. 

Will I have withdrawals?

The past few days I have let several quilts go to new homes.  I know I can't keep them all, and I need to do this, but dang I love them.  The good side is they will be used and loved rather than just being put away where they aren't seen.  These two have a common theme -- fall!  Everyone must be loving this time of year and wanting something to decorate with or warm to wrap up in.  

Oak Leaves N Reel

I believe this fabric is a Sandy Gervais print "Trick or Treat"
I pieced it years ago and just got the quilting done, cottons and flannels

Look at those cute pumpkins and leaves

I will share pictures of some others in a separate post. 

The winner is ....

Jasmine Walker is the winner of the give away!  Congratulations Jasmine.  You can contact me and we will discuss what size and determine the exact colors.  Thank you for following our blog and participating.

Step Stool

With lots of little ones in our family I needed something small children could stand on to help in the kitchen, whether it's dishes (NOT) or making cookies (much more likely).  I thought this little stool would be just the right height.  It is sturdy, and just needed some scrubbing and a little paint ...

Although I have been painting with a lot of black I opted to paint the legs a dark brown with a red undercoat on the top and a mustard color over the top.  I LOVE the way it turned out.  It isn't in the way when it's in the kitchen, its' also perfect for a small seat for a little one. 

Rhonda

High Chair

I found this darling wood high chair at a local thrift shop.  It was in pretty good condition, the tray had a good size crack in it but I knew that could be fixed -- so it found itself a new home (in my garage that is for 3 or more months). ;o)

Now it has a new do so to speak -- some red peeking through under the black and now my grand daughter, or nieces and nephews have a place to eat when they come to visit.  It makes me wonder who had this chair in their home previously -- and how old it is.  It will be in my home now until the little ones are gone, but we are hoping for some more in our family.

Rhonda