Project 4: Lazy Susan

This is a small, quick project. I wasn't going to share this one because I had a much bigger one I've been working on and I thought it would be done by today. But life is what happens when you're busy making other plans right? My life today consists of disinfecting the house and picking up a sick little boy from school. We are a family that catches every bug. But not the boy...until today. Like his usual self though, it's not keeping him from playing video games or watching Legends of Chima.

But, on to project number 4. This was my mother's lazy susan. It's just a cheap Ikea-ish thing. Now that we have a round table is has become an intricate part of our dinner routine. Most condiments and small sides are placed on it and everyone can serve themselves. This has become the best part of our new dining room set up. I can eat. Usually I'm interrupted 10 times during dinner having to serve someone more helpings, pass a dish or just hand the salt. Now I get to eat my own food during dinner. It's luxurious. Like being able to pee by yourself. Ahhh the joys of small children. :)

I liked the lazy susan but knew I was going to end up painting it. I'm trying not to paint EVERYTHING aqua blue so the next best thing was Jadeite green. A while back our local paint store sent a coupon for a free color matched quart of paint. The guy was a little perplexed about matching a glass bowl but I think he got it pretty spot on. These little jadeite restaurant ware dishes from the 1940's are possibly the most used dish in my kitchen. Perfect for microwaving one egg or holding anything small....like a bunch of hardware while you're painting, as they are doing here. I made the jadeite paint color into a batch of homemade chalk paint. The basic recipe is one part plaster of paris to three parts paint. Add enough water to the plaster of paris to make it smooth and creamy and then mix in the paint. After painting I wax over the paint with Paste Wax. I ran out of the Annie Sloan clear wax long ago. I still have a full can of the dark wax I don't think I'll ever finish with.

I like how it turned out but the color is grating on me. It's so bright....I'll probably just paint it aqua anyway. Oh well. I tried.

Project 3: Banquette seating slipcover

I knew I wanted a slipcover on the banquette but I didn't think I'd have to do it this soon. My dog loves this bench, she might think it is her dog bed. I went shopping at Joann's for a fabric but didn't find anything I loved. I'm very picky when it comes to prints. So many times I feel like I'm looking at one of those magic eye puzzles. I rarely wear prints as well. I did find a print I liked in my hall closet. An old shower curtain! Not the plastic kind though, the fabric decorative ones. I knew the colors would work because I always pick the same colors. Brown, tan, cream and my signature color, aqua. My friends don't even call it anything but "your color". The funny thing is my oldest sister has a very similar color, turquoise, just a bit brighter. Maybe I take after her more than my other sisters ;)


I cut off the top portion of the shower curtain that you would normally hang the rings through.

 Next I started pinning the pieces directly on the banquette, wrong side up of course.

 I then market the contours of the sofa so when I sewed it on the machine I would have the lines exact. I used one of my kids washable markers so it will disappear the first time I wash the slipcover.

Next I used a flat iron to shape a rolled shirt hem into the edges.

Then I took the slipcover to my machine a sewed.

It was mostly a box shape so it was a pretty easy project for my first ever slipcover.

Project 2: Crock Pot Greek Yogurt

So it's not a big project but, it helps me remind myself of all the little things I do that make up a day. I've made my own yogurt and soft cheese in the past but I've never tried to make greek yogurt. It's a little bit between yogurt and cheese in the making process. I thought this specific recipe was interesting because it used the crock pot and I've always used the stove before.

I poured a 1/2 gallon of milk into the crock pot, set it on high and waited for the milk to come to 185 degrees. I don't know how long it took because I went grocery shopping. So far, I like this crock pot method. Then I turned it off and offset the lid a little and waited for it to cool to 110 degrees. I then added 2 tbsp of yogurt from the fridge. I wrapped the crock pot in a towel and a blanket and went to sleep for the evening.

The next morning there was a large amount of whey floating on top. I used a ladle and skimmed it off, letting it reform and then repeated the process a few times.

This makes the yogurt thicker since you are removing some of the liquid.

Then I packaged it into containers and served it with honey drizzled on the top for the kids. Total price: 89 cents for 8 servings of yogurt.

Project 1. Banquette Seating

Recently we've realized that we spend more time entertaining in our dining room than we do any other room in our house. We're game players and appetizer makers. We don't have too many formal dinners unless it's a holiday. If friends are over we set out a buffet of finger foods on the island and get out the Settlers of Catan. The only problem was our dining room is a little cramped and the seating is uncomfortable if you're sitting there for 3-4 hours. It was worse than a church pew (according to my Catholic raised wife).

I've had a dining room Pinterest board for a while trying to capture the essence of what I wanted in the dining room. I love Pinterest. I have a degree in Interior Design and it's like collecting a huge presentation for a client without getting up and rummaging through a materials library. One thing kept coming up over and over again in my photos of dining rooms I liked: Banquettes.

After looking online and in stores I finally decided on this one at World Market, I found out it wasn't in stock. I didn't like the arms anyway. It would make it harder to get into and out of. Then I came across a "mini futon" at a local discount store. It looks just like many of the banquettes I was looking at but was just too low to the ground. Hmmmm, maybe I could change that!

I had to cut the leg down a little shorter and then finished it with paint. 

I then made a stronger back frame. It sits up against a wall so the back legs aren't seen. 

Here it is in place. One of my favorite things about it is that it looks perfect yet the price tag was 1/4 of the original one I almost bought. I plan on sewing a slipcover for it. Not because I hate the zebra, because I don't, but because both the cat and the dog love it. I don't think the cat has slept anywhere else since it came in the house. Project 1. Check. 

New Year 50 projects

It's a new year and I'm ready to get in gear. I'm one of those people who like New Year's resolutions even if I don't keep them. I like the idea of picking a point in time, calling it a fresh slate, forgiving myself and starting over. Something about beginning anew motivates me. I've set a goal for this upcoming year.

50 projects. Accomplishments. Documented success.

As a mom, most of my time is spent getting things done. Laundry, dishes, finding socks, letting the dog in and out, helping with homework and cleaning out closets. I was at New Year's Day party (isn't that better than New Year's Eve? Seeing your friends and still collapsing into bed at 10:30. Sleep. Beautiful sleep.) and someone asked me what I did. You know, for like a living? "I'm just a stay at home mom." I must have sounded pretty dejected because just about everyone in the room chimed in with everything I do. Canning, creating, sewing, painting and all the other mom stuff I mentioned before. It was nice to know my friends appreciate the work I do and didn't let me forget how important it is. One of my friends recently sent me this article about why being a mom is enough, because she thought of me. So I want to remind myself of all the things I do actually get done. So 50 projects. Here we go.