Laundry Sign

Last weekend, the local news stations started predicting a pretty substantial snowstorm with possible power outages.  I planned ahead with some craft projects to keep me busy even if we did lose power.   In other words, something that didn't require a sewing machine.  So, I decided to finally make a sign to hang over my Laundry Room door. 

My sign measures approximately 22.5" x 5.5".  Here is a PDF of it in case anyone wants to make their own.  The word Laundry measures 15.5" x 3.5" and Wash, Dry, Fold measures 15" x 2.5".  I also included the word Room in the file in case anyone wanted to add that to their sign.  ENJOY!

                                      

I was lucky enough to find a nice rough piece of wood in the scrap bin at Home Depot last week for a grand total of 51 cents.  It was about 4 ft long so I had them cut it for me.  I was happy to find out that they will even cut scrap bin pieces for free, not just full price ones.

I used a hammer and wrench to beat the wood up for a nice distressed look.  Actually, I let the girls take out some frustration on it.  They loved it!

Then, I painted it with a coat of light blue since I was running short on white paint and wasn't sure how much the wood would (giggle) soak up.

Abby was REALLY wanting to paint, and since I was going for a distressed look anyway, I let her paint the coat of white paint on for me.  While painting, she asked me, "Mommy, is painting fun?"  Almost like she wasn't sure if she was allowed to have fun while I was letting her work on one of my "real" projects.

I like how some of the blue is showing through from the first coat of paint.  I think it adds a nice touch to the distressed look I was going for.

I printed out the words in a couple of different sizes of a font that I liked.  I originally planned for it to say Laundry Room, but liked this arrangement better once I got it all laid out.

I colored on the back of the printed words with a pencil, then taped it to my board, and traced over the letters on the right side to transfer the image.  Wish I had thought to pick up some transfer paper to make the job a lot faster and easier.

All that was left to do was to paint the letters in.  While this was not quite as elaborate as some of the things I have painted before, I really like it and think it looks great against the red wall of my kitchen.

How Did I Do Meeting Last Years Goals?

1) Organize my craft and sewing supplies.
This one still needs a ton of work.  I have moved and re-organized lots of things, but it is a never ending process.
2) Organize my work stuff- no more cardboard boxes everywhere.
Doing better on this one.
3) Finish at least 1 quilt.
Yup, finished 2 actually. 1 for myself and 1 for my Mama.
4) Spend more time actually playing with the girls and let them sew more too.
We definately did more sewing during the spring and summer.
5) Get more exercise. (the new Wii the girls got for Christmas should help)
Did great in the spring then I had a much harder semester of school and just didn't have time to go to the gym like I did before.  Studying was more important.
6) Manage my time better. (an absolute must since I'm going back to school)
Definately accomplished this goal!
7) Cook from scratch more and do a better job of menu planning so we eat healthier.
Not so much, need to keep working on this one.
8) Last but not least, find a church to go to. Especially for the girls to be in Sunday School. We have just been lazy about going and finding a church we like since we moved here 2 1/2 years ago. (Angel, we would love to visit yours sometime.)
The girls and I have been going to Pendleton United Methodist Church whenever the girls are in town, not visiting their Grandparents.  We really like it there.  It is small and it feels a lot like the church I grew up in, Olivet Presbyterian Church.

Mama's Whirlygig Quilt

 

First I have to say it was VERY hard for me to not let Mama know I was working on this quilt.  I usually keep her updated every step along the way from the inspirational design, choosing the fabric, how many blocks I have finished, making the sandwich and doing the quilting, then finally making and sewing on the binding.  I only almost told her I was working on a new quilt once and thankfully she wasn't paying too close of attention and didn't comprehend what I said.

I even had this quilt finished before Thanksgiving and kept myself from giving it to her early.  Needless to say, she was VERY suprised when she opened it.  It is a lap size quilt measuring approximately 51" x 59".  I forgot to measure it once it was all finished, but that was the last measurement I took when I had the top completely finished. 

The print fabrics are from a couple of fat quarter bundles of Donna Dewberry fabric I picked up at a craft show a few years ago.  The cream is leftover fabric from when I made quilts for my 2 girls.

I think I found my original inspiration from Quilting on Turtle Hill, but there are lots of free tutorials out ther if you just google whirlygig quilt.