Pass the Mustard, Please

Little did I know that yesterday would be all about mustard?  Let me explain.  I'd cleaned out the refrig on Wednesday and (being a little lazy) left an expired bottle of mustard in the sink to clean and recycle.  The next morning, wrinkled nose and pursed lips, I held back the gag reflex as I was washed it out.  Fast forward to later in the day as I was perusing the isles at JoAnn's to find a fabric to cover the seats of my newly purchased bar stools.  Nothing seemed to jump out at me right away.  But, just as I was about to give up and call it a day, something caught my eye.  Maybe it was the smell of mustard lingering in my nose from the morning, I don't know, but oddly enough I was drawn to this yellowy, mustardy colored fabric:

 Not being a huge mustard lover, I was surprised that I gave this a second look.  I was even trying to talk myself out of it...but for some reason I just plain liked it!  Even more, I liked the price: $5.59 a yard.  So, for a mere $11.18 I scored myself some great fabric for my next project.  I think the yellow will give my gray kitchen a great little pop of color. Stay tuned for the before and after pics!   

An Early Mother's Day Present

I had mentioned in an earlier post that I was looking to find bar stools for my kitchen breakfast bar.  I've literally been on a hunt to find some good 'ol fixer-uppers ever since.  It's not that I couldn't find any.  No, they are (what seems to be) everywhere.  I've just been unable to find any for what I want to pay for them: no more than $10 a chair.  I know - unrealistic, if not crazy thinking, right?  Well, maybe not.  This morning, as I was doing my daily craigslist search, I stumbled upon a hopeful post: 4 Bar Stools, good condition, $25.  My initial thought was, this is too good to be true - they have to mean $25 per stool, right?  Nope - lucky for me this lady is giving me the deal of the century- $25 for 4 stools.  Here's the picture that she provided on craigslist: 

I think, with a little paint and some new fabric, I can bring some new life to these babies.  I am to pick them up tomorrow around noon.  Stay tuned for some before and after shots! 

Oh, you may be wondering, what ever happened to the settee and sunroom makeovers?  Not to worry, I'm still plugging away at them.  The big reveal still to come! 

And the winner is...

Symphony Blue, by Benjamin Moore.  I was originally thinking a lighter blue for the walls, but was unimpressed by the two samples I'd brought home last week.  When my mother-in-law suggested navy to me I was instantly intrigued.  So, off to google images I ran for some inspiration.  Here are a few pictures that really won me over: 

I brought along a swatch of the navy Toile to the paint store, and this is what I came home with:

 So I taped it to the wall to see how it measured up against the other colors:

I love it...I think it will look sharp against the wood paneling I plan to paint bright white. Stay tuned for before and after pics!

Picking Paint Part II...and other projects

Not quite satisfied with the way the Lindner blue is looking in the sunroom, and definitely not ready to settle.  So, the hunt continues.  Here's a snapshot of it along with a lighter shade, Moon Sail, in the sunroom.  Neither one has me won over. 

I'm not giving up - stay tuned for another round of colors.  In the mean time, I FINALLY got my sewing machine working.  (I received it a few Christmases ago and it has been patiently waiting for some love) You may need to sit down for this...my husband got it working for me...yes, you read me right, and I'm a lucky lady.  I too was shocked...my football-coach-sports-addicted-husband knew how to thread my sewing machine, and its all thanks to his mother.  (Thanks Deb!)  So I decided to test it out by making a few new pillow covers with some fabric I had laying around.  Here's a snapshot of one of the pillows before the makeover:

And here they are after:

And here is a snapshot of the "karate chop" look:

If you'd like to give this a try, here's how I did it: 
1. Fold fabric in half.
2. Take your existing pillow, and lie it on your new fabric.

3. Place pins around your pillow onto the fabric to create a pattern.
4. Cut fabric.
5. Sew three sides and half of the last side of the pillow. (Sew fabric with the outside facing in)
6. Turn fabric inside out (or rather, right side out) and stuff the "old" pillow (or stuffing if you're starting from scratch) into the fabric.
7. Hand sew with needle and thread the last half of the fabric to close and complete the pillow.
8. Enjoy!