Happy Blog Award

Over a month ago I was honored and surprised to receive the Happy Blog Award from PineTreeHome. Thank you for my first blog award!

The first part of receiving this award is telling ten things that you like. Here is my list:

My family – They are my biggest supporters and my closest friends. I am blessed to have each one of them in my life.

Running – I began running in sixth grade and have been running ever since. Running is my daily therapy. It has taken me places and allowed me to do things I never would have done had it not been for my involvement in this wonderful sport.

Water – Except for a very occasional cup of hot chocolate or a milkshake (not sure if this counts), I drink nothing else. No coffee, tea, milk, wine, soda, juice or any other liquids for me.

Chocolate – I eat chocolate every day. I must confess, sometimes I eat it twice a day.

Decorating magazines – I love to read them, study them and can’t quite ever have enough of them.

Sewing – This one is probably obvious. I am self taught and so enjoy the creative process of making something out of fabric.

Fresh flowers – If I had to splurge on one thing it would be to always have fresh flowers in my house.

Being outside – There is nothing better than fresh air.

Decorating my house – My poor husband never knows what he is going to see when he comes home. I am constantly changing and moving things around.

Thrift/Antique stores– I am much more comfortable shopping for house things than for clothes. I love old things with a history – white ironstone, vintage grain sacks, silver, architectural elements, etc.

The second part of the Happy Blog Award involves passing it along to other deserving bloggers. As there are so many wonderful blogs I follow, I found this part harder than coming up with ten things about myself. Here is my list of five:

Room Remix
Creative Home Expressions
Get Your Martha On
Pure Style Home
For the Love of a House

Yes – This is My Sewing Machine!

Some of the most frequently asked questions I receive in reference to my tutorials are about my sewing machine. Is that really your sewing machine? Is that your only sewing machine? Did you really use that sewing machine to make ….? The answer is yes, yes and yes!

I inherited my Singer Featherweight 221 many years ago. It belonged to my Aunt. Although I have looked at (and drooled over) other bigger and fancier machines, I have yet to purchase a new sewing machine.

After some research, I discovered these machines were made from the mid 1930’s to the early 1960’s. They are decorated differently depending on the time period in whch they were made. Featherweights sew only straight stitches (forward and backward) and are made with all-metal parts. Weighing in at around 11 lbs they are still a favorite among quilters today because of their portability. Here are some of the ads Singer used when these machines first appeared on the market.

My mother also owns and still uses the Singer Featherweight she received when graduating from high school. My sewing machine was made in Elizabethport, New Jersey while her machine (shown below) was made in Canada.

By looking at the serial number, I was able to determine my sewing machine was manufactured around April 22, 1954. Unfortunately, there is no data for machines built in Canada.

I was fortunate that my machine came with the original books, a buttonholer, automatic zigzagger, and a variety of other accessories including an edge stitcher, ruffler, binderfoot, zipper foot, hemmer foot and more.

I am embarrassed to say, in all the years I have owned my sewing machine I have not yet tried one of these attachments or most of the accessories. I will have to change this!

Thanks to everyone who asked these and other questions relating to my sewing machine. It gave me (and hopefully you) the opportunity to learn something new. If you ever come across one of these machines, I highly recommend purchasing it. I have used it countless hours and never once have I had a problem. These machines are so well made. I plan on passing my Featherweight down to my daughter.

 For additional information about Singer Featherweight sewing machines visit singer-featherweight.com

Thanks for the Mention!

This week I feel honored to have been mentioned on two different and equally wonderful blogs.  The first mention came early in the week from Trish at The Old Post Road and featured my recently published pictures in BH&G's 100 Decorating Ideas Under $100.  (Here) Trish creates beautiful inspirational art on canvas and also has an Etsy shop. I have been a happy follower of The Old Post Road blog for some time now.

The second mention came today from Roeshel at The DIY Showoff where I shared some additional pictures of my Sassy Stool Cover. (Pattern available in my Etsy Shop Here) 

Roeshel's blog is "a collection of creative and inspiring DIY features" and is a must see for anyone who enjoys sharing and seeing an impressive array of DIY projects. I just became a follower, have loved what I have seen so far and am looking forward to seeing more.

Please try to visit each of these women's blogs and leave a comment letting them know you stopped by.

Master Bath Remodel

So happy to share this wonderful master bath remodeling project done by Elizabeth Tanny of etanny design. If you are not familiar with Elizabeth, she uses a collaborative design style which is classic, simple and elegant.

Elizabeth said after completing a renovation of their kitchen and family room, her clients decided to tackle their master bath. The issues which needed to be addressed included bringing the overall feel of the room up to date with a bright and clean cottage look, adding an additional sink, increasing the size of the shower, and providing more storage space. Here is the bathroom before:

And here is the completed masterbath:

The first step in achieving the goals of this project was to remove a wall to incorporate the space of an existing closet. Once the wall came down, enough room became available to include a large 5 foot x 4 foot tiled shower as well as floor to ceiling open shelving (not shown), a double vanity with more storage space and additional lighting completed the room.

I will be posting more of Elizabeth’s remodeling projects soon. To see more of Elizabeth’s work now click HERE.