Patch: Etsyblogger's Blogger of the Month!

I can't believe August is just about over! And that I almost missed this post! Patch has been a very active member of the Bloggers this past year or so - and a busy one too! She has 3, yes THREE! - shops. A supply shop, a vintage shop (which has a large sale going on now!!!) and of course her handmade jewelry shop.

Gotta love this piece...

Look at the detail on this top...so beautiful...


I just love these paper flowers she creates...these are from lottery tickets...too cool!!


I know from experience that her pieces are fantastic! I have a set of rings I gave to my niece, she just adores them! Perfect for her girly tomboy self. Yup, you read that right too. She's a perfect mix of both worlds. Isn't the ring awesome...and the packaging rocks too!!

Speaking of blend of worlds...Patch is from Thailand and blends in with our largely US group just wonderfully. It's been neat reading her posts & forum threads since she joined. She is starting to use our slang even :) You can read her posts on one of her, um, yup, I believe it is another three...blogs. She has one that is great for all things bridal. Another for the knitting world. And yet another for, well, her jewelry & everything else.

This is her newest doll on her Crochet & Knit blog - sounds like there will be more on the way :)



So read on, browse her shops, and just enjoy! I think I got them all :P

Wordless Wednesday

Kitchen Finally Too...

..this is the big aaaahhhhh...as I relax and slump into my "my home is mine again" puddle on the couch. Of course now I have to put everything back, but it's done. Unless you count the dishwasher. Ugh - that one has been nightmareish'ish. First The Home Depot blew it. I had to cancel that order after they called to confirm delivery one night for the next morning, only to call 15 minutes after the time slot to say they never got it in the first place. Um, then why call to confirm you'll be delivering a dishwasher you never even had in the first place?!? Grrrr. Then Lowe's...so far, not so bad. But still waiting for the installer to return my call to set up the install date. So just imagine a dishwasher in the empty space there below the countertop just to the right of the sink.

So, with no further fluff....the before and afters...

Finally...

...the before and afters...

Keep in mind, not everything is put back in its place yet. And much of it won't be brought back. Actually, these before's are more like "just after the original before's". They were taken after I cleared out lots of the big stuff (like the couch) and took down the draperies. Plus, the second set for the front room has the "before" when the walls were primed...they were originally blue like the first pic. And the boy's rooms were taken after the carpet was ripped out. But you can still get the idea....

The yellow couch is new to us. It was my sis-in-laws, but they just got a new leather couch. And she knew I always loved the style of her yellow one. Now to find the fabric to cover it with...should be a fun project once the little guy is in school :)

Little guy wanted a reg rug and I had an extra area rug that I put down underneath his wire cubical shelf thingy. I figure he'll be the hardest on the new floors, so the more protection the better :)

And below you can see the small fluffy rug the big guy wanted for his floor. I have to admit, it is nice and soft and will feel great during the winter when the floors are chilly.

The kitchen pics will come tomorrow - see you then :)

Green Me Baby!!!

I just love my new green walls. The darker wall is the "back" wall opposite the large window. It is 2 tones darker than the other 3 walls. I love the depth it gives the rooms.

And this is the large window. It was early in the day and it's an east facing wall, so the bright factor is a tad high. But you can get the idea of just how much light comes in early on. So that back darker wall can look much brighter in the morning.

Oh...and don't mind the kitchen table in the front room. It's the easiest place to put it while the work is being done. The kitchen to dining/sewing room/area is standard door width, which makes it more of a pain to move the table through repeatedly.

This room also has the back wall darker. It looks so nice with the crisp white cove ceiling & window casing. The bases are also going to be white.

The kitchen is all around one tone. I figured it'd be best this way since there is so much more going on in here than the other rooms. This green is the tone between those in the other rooms. It's pretty neat as the day moves on since the lighting almost makes it look like even more tones.

Hello Countertops!!!!

The color looks more white in the first few pics than it does in real life. It is more of a creamy beige, with specks. And props to my little helper for presenting the countertops so enthusiastically :)

The wonderful integrated sink...no more places for gook to collect & grow!

And this corner is where a seam was. It's amazing how they fused the 2 pieces together. Not only can you not see where the seam was, but you can't feel it either.

These last couple of pics that show the non-red, newly primed, walls show the countertops more true to color.

Wordless Wednesday

Primed and Ready

...my walls that is. Gone are the blue and yellow. Gone - almost - is the 2 toned brick red...which looked purple once the new cabinets went in. The walls are now smooth, hole free and white. Actually, more of a tint since the primer doesn't totally obliterate the color underneath. It looks so fresh and new - can't wait for the greens!!!




And as you can see...my usual helper was around for photos :)


Okay...some of the kitchen is still there. But the kitchen, well, it's a lot more work than anticipated. Much has to be done to the floors. Even after those 7 layers, there is still a hump in the middle to contend with. Some time with a saw & prybar should take care of that.