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.

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.

Now for the Floors and Walls

Okay. The cabinets are in. The countertop has been templated. Next!

Painting and floors. The floors are the easier decision. Hardwood (engineered). New baseboards too. They will be the 1st baseboards actually since it is currently shoe molding. I love the look and hubby's allergies will love it too. Actually, they might get ticked that they won't be as busy, but hubs will be happy. As for color, we still need to look around somewhat. But I have a pretty good idea.

Paint. Ugh. For the most part I do not mind painting. But do you recall the wall color of the kitchen? Um, not gonna be fun to paint over that. But even worse, for me anyway, is all the window trimming. New windows were put in a few years back. I have yet to do the final touches on the trim. You know, all the wood fill, sanding, repainting. My hand just can't work in that position for very long. Heck, it barely makes it through a bathtub scrub down. So yes, we are paying someone else to do it. And all the other bits & specs that need fine tuning on the walls.

Color? I had fun with this one. I turned to my trusty computer photo software and played! I masked out the walls & floor to replace it with various color combos. It was a long, fun (for me anyway), process. Originally we were going to paint all the rooms the same color. Then just 2 colors with the kitchen being complementary. Then two tones of one color in each room with the back walls being the darker. Um, still not 100% sure which is the final. Probably the two tones throughout. Maybe. Probably.

These are the top winners so far...


I lean towards the bluer set while hubby leans towards the greener set. Although, they are very similar. And if your eyes or computer can't tell which is which...1st is blue, 2nd is green. Hmmm...if enough people can't tell the difference, I may just flip a coin :P

The last set, the browns ("tea chest"), did not make the cut for the kitchen due to the lack of color that it would leave in my kitchen. But it would be nice in the rest of the house. Especially for my pics for the shop - a nice neutral background is one thing I do not have anywhere right now.

So - opinions? comments? new suggestions? offers to come & watch my son & dog while it gets done?

Etsybloggers: 2010 is here - what's the plan?

This Etsybloggers blog carnival is hosted by Beadedtail. These were our choices:

1) Now that 2009 has come to a close, what will you remember most about last year? 2) Now that 2010 is here, what do you have planned/look forward to/hope
to accomplish this year?

I know I have done a post on what is to come in 2010, but I have some things to add/alter. Yes, it's only a couple weeks in & I am already rethinking a few things...not too much though.

I still plan to get to sewing projects other than bags & purses. And I still want to play with clay & paint again. Don't forget the embroidery. I think I will learn to frame them in hoops. It can be a very long process if I make each piece into a bag. Maybe some will transform into pillows since I want to add those to the list too. I have a few that still need something done with them...

Digital scrapbooking/digital illustration/blog backgrounds...etc. If it is doable on a photoshop, GIMP, Paint Net, Digital Scrapbook Artist Inkscape type program...I want to learn it - at least somewhat. I found sites for html and css tutorials and some sites for vector illustration - next up - schedule my own "lesson plans". I want to be able to make my own digital kits/embellishments/whatnot...takes away any wonder on how I can use the images. plus, it'd be fun.

Shop decisions. While I will be adding other items...eventually...they may only be to Etsy. I am thinking about downgrading my Artfire. Nothing against them. But I just don't sell much over there. I want to try some more push that way first though since I have the $7 account & not the $12. If it doesn't show much life in the next month, I will downgrade. the shop would still be there, just with fewer items.

The Etsy shops...the Tilt Too is destash now, and may stay that way. I originally thought it could be where I list non-bag items. But I think anything sewn will remain in the Tilt Creations. Perhaps if the clay & painting move along, they can go into the Too.

So - are you making any shop/job/creative changes this year?

Blogfire: What's up for 2010

Good question. I am still not 100% sure. I know I want to focus on making just a few bag designs and not keep trying new ones after just a few of one design. I even think I know which ones - woo hoo!

I do know I want to start creating other things, like quilts,


table runner, coasters,

fabric baskets, etc.

And don't forget painting again.

Plus, I have some clay I would like to play with...mostly buttons & pendant type things for my bags. It gets pricey to buy them elsewhere.
It is the how that I need to work on. I can go an entire week and not feel like I made anything. I talked about scheduling the other day...this is where I can find the how...which is more like a when. Within sewing time I will subdivide into bags -v- other. yippee?

Personally...my 2010? Me Me Me. Hubby tells me to spend more time for me, so I shall try. Going to the gym is by far the number 1 thing on the me list. I have lots of pounds to shed and moving more & scheduling (there's that word again) my meals will help. So will My Daily Plate. I've dabbled with lots of online diet trackers & even my own version on Excel, but so far this one is my fave. I am going to steer back towards a primarily veggie diet too. I felt so great physically back when I was a vegetarian. I veered when i was pregnant & just never got back to it. Although, there's not lots of meat anyway...not much of a beef fan. Wish me luck.

So what things are you going to change or try to keep on track with?

The Blue Cat

The Blue Cat is the blog of a great artist and fellow Creative Blogger. Her blog is full of great artisan features and lots of her wonderful works. If you are a lover of cats, you will love her paintings. You can find her all over the place...just check out all the links below. Below some of my fave Blue Cat works of art...

links:

• artfire
• ebay
• etsy
• gallery at Zazzle
• flickr
  

Newly found old art

I was looking through some old photos for a picture of me dressed as a blimp. (See 6 secrets post #5 to enable your own visual...silver evening dress) I could not find it...I am assuming I must have burned it. What I did find were some more photos of my old paintings. I found a few a while back and put them on my website (which is still not fully complete), but somehow overlooked these. I think they were in a different album.

I have a big 'ol stack of paintings in the basement that I have not looked at in years. Maybe I need to go through them. Who knows, maybe they'll inspire me to set up ye old easel again.

These were from 1995ish. I always loved to paint. I wasn't very good, but it made me happy, therefore it was just right. So - now you get suff...I mean enjoy them also :)

Did you like the flash in the middle of that one?

This is one I had actually found previously, but the other picture was at too much of an angle to really see it.

Also - keep in mind these photos were not well done & pre-digital. Is it a good enough excuse to make you think they are better than they look?