Lounge Chair Redo

I saw this chair on Craigslist and finally convinced Scott to get it, it was also my birthday.  I liked that it was made of aluminum and had the retro look.

And this is what I turned it into -

Pin It

Gem Show Finds

I love the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show. I try to keep to my list, but it's often too hard.  Here is a picture of some of my finds.  My favorites are the skull bracelets (50¢ each) and the scarf ($3).  But at least I kept my purchases to a similar color palette.

Pin It

A couple of cute accessories

Here are two quick things I made to add some details to Zoe's apartment.

This first one I made by finding a mesquite driftwood looking piece in the desert.  I then soaked it in water w/ a bit of bleach to kill off any critters inside of it for a couple of hours.  Then I scrub it to remove any dirt and loose bark.  I let it thoroughly dry for 2-3 days.  I then put three coats of polyurethane with a sponge brush.  And then let it dry. That's it.

They second thing I made is just a little air plant (bought on etsy), that I put inside a little candle holder and rocks (both from Michaels).  Air plants are easy to take care of, especially in humid areas. In drier areas you need to lift it from the container, dip the roots in water a bit, then let the roots dry and return it to it's container.  In humid areas, you don't need to "water" it as frequently.

Pin It

My bad...

With the busy holidays I have been remiss in keeping my blog updated, but as an excuse, a lot of my projects were gifts, so I had to keep them on the down low. I will try to catch up though.  Here is a quick fun project that can go in any decor.

Custom Fabric Tray

Materials:
Unfinished wooden tray (Michaels, Joanns, Hobby Lobby, etc.)
Acrylic craft paint in your choice of color
Coordinating fabric that fits inside the tray
Trim to go around the perimeter of the inside of the tray
Mod Podge

Tools:
Fabric scissors
Iron
Glue gun & glue stick

1 - Paint the tray, you don't need to paint where the fabric goes.

2 - Measure the inside of the tray and add an inch to both the length and the width. Cut your fabric that dimension.

3 - Fold the fabric a 1/2 inch all the way around and press with the iron. You can trim the corners to make the fold lay flat.

4 - Spread thinly some mod podge on the base of the tray.  Alternatively, you can spray the fabric with spray mount glue.

5 - It is possible for the fabric to shrink and not fit exactly along the edge.  If it works out, then you might not have to use the trim around the perimeter.  Some recommendations say to trim the fabric with an exacto knife, but when I tried, the fabric just frayed.  That's why I folded it, to make a neat edge, but I still had some gaps, so then I glued on the trim, with a glue gun.

6 - I then applied 2-3 layers of mod podge to seal the fabric.  That's it!

Pin It

My Refried Beans Recipe

I only have a couple of recipes I am known for: apple pie (my mom's recipe), clam chowder (Scott's mom's recipe), French onion soup, and refried beans.  After a recent party, where we had a tostada bar, I had several requests for the recipe, so here it is:

Ingredients:
2 cups of mayocoba beans (one pound bag) pinto can be substituted, but mayocoba beans are coming more and more available.  We even saw them at a Walmart in Arkansas. I heard that 1/2 of each kind of bean is also good, I haven't tried it yet.
2 quarts of cold water
1 head of garlic, cloves separated and peeled
one can of evaporated milk
1/4-1/2 pound of shredded Mexican cheese (anything you can find, I even have used a "Mexican mix" of jack, cheddar, and longhorn)
salt and pepper

Dump the beans into a colander and pick over them and wash them.  Put them in a heavy bottom large pot with the water. Add garlic and bring to the boil. Immediately reduce heat and cook slowly, undisturbed, until beans are very tender, at least three hours. Make sure water just covers the beans, you can add more hot water to cover them. Salt lightly. I have also put them in a crock pot on high for about the same time and it worked just as well if not better. Note: Stirring the beans clouds the broth. This is not bad, but not necessary. Drain the beans reserving the liquid. Heat the lard, fat, or oil in a skillet, add the warm or cool beans and garlic in batches and mash them, you can use a bit of the cooking water to get them to your desired texture (I use an immersion blender to mash them). Mix well, and once they are hot, stir in the evaporated milk and then the cheese.  Add salt to taste and a lot of fresh ground pepper. Cook over very low heat, stirring frequently until everything is heated through.

Note: Beans sour if covered and refrigerated while they are still hot. If you made a big patch, cool them before storing by spreading them in a roasting pan.

Garlic and beans under water

Simmering beans

Melting bacon fat

After mashing them with potato masher

Creamy goodness with the immersion blender

Pin It

Permanent Papel Picado Banner

I am working on spiffing up my art show display table for the Tucson Open Studio Tour on November 10 & 11.  So I made a table cover and it was missing something.  Well being that it is the time of year for Dia de Los Muertos, I was inspired by the tissue paper cut-out banners. I wanted the same festive look, but a little more enduring.  Here is what I came up with:

Supplies & tools:

Cotton fabric & thread

Sew in interfacing

Paper (I used just printing paper, but water soluble water would have been better)

Cord (I used clothesline rope)

Sewing machine

1 - I drew out a pattern on the paper, remember it's supposed to look like a cut-out so you need to think of shapes that wouldn't fall out if cut out. Also, they tend to be symmetrical as if they were cut out of folds.

2 - I then sandwiched four layers: the bottom/back layer, the interfacing, the "hole" layer, then the top fabric layer and finally the pattern.

3 - I cut around the paper, leaving a flap from the top fabric layer, that would fold over to create the tube to run the cord through.

I folder this over to the back before I stitched all the way around.

4 - I then sewed around the whole paper about 1/4 of an inch inside.

Sewing along the paper, with the top fabric layer folded under to create the tube.

5 - Next I sewed on the pattern, following my lines as best I could.  I sometimes needed to use free stitching, by dropping the feed dogs and removing the sewing foot. This takes some practice, but I have done it enough when quilting, though I am not a pro.

6 - Remove as much of the paper as possible by soaking it in the sink.

7 -  I then washed it in the washing machine to try to remove all the paper.  Not all of the paper came off, it's especially noticable on the darker fabric.  Water-soluble paper would work better.

8 - Then I carefully cut out the top layer (the yellow in this case), inside all the sewing shapes.

Here is the finished banner:

Pin It

Art Show Table Covering

I have been invited to have a table at the Tucson Open Studio Tour November 10 & 11. I did it last Spring, pretty spontaneously, but this year I decided to step up my game and make my display a bit more spiffy, starting with a table cover.  Based on my experience last year, I decided to add some pockets and loops.  Here is the process:

1 - I chose fabrics I already had in my stash. You can easily spend more on your display then you can making during the show.  I cut the black fabric one inch wider all away around the folding table.

2 - I made some tabs and pinned them at the both front corners and the middle.  These loops will make it easier to hang signs down the front.

3 - I then made four pockets to hold things like pens, phone, money, scissors, business cards, etc. These things needs to be accessible, but not cluttering the table.

4 - I then pinned the muslin around the edge.  I had the muslin overlap at the back to provide access to storage under the table.

5 - Here is what it looked like so far.

6 - I added a ruffle along the bottom.

7 - Here is the final - though it needs some fancying up.  And I have an idea - stay tuned.

Pin It