Walls. It's Nice to Have Them.

Hallelujah, it's starting to look like a room again!  This week, the drywall went up, was mudded and sanded, and brought my house into an absolute state of FILTH.  Even with the tarps up, that drywall dust just seeps its way through every nook and cranny.  I'm pretty sure it's alive and has figured out a way to permeate plastic like some sort of intergalactic plasma goo.  I can even feel the dust in between my toes, with socks AND shoes on.  Yuck.

Oh kitchen, how I cannot wait to walk through your doorway again.

The new doorway studs into the living room have been closed up, and the walls and ceiling have gotten a coat of primer.  Things are moving in the right direction!!

Is heaven on the other side of the plastic?
That glowing blu orb sure looks like it.

The outlets are finally at even heights!
I can sleep easy tonight.

My window wall into the dining room has been temporarily closed up to help tame the dust.
What's taped up there, you ask?
Only my cabinet layout...it's finally time!!

The floors are also going in- I bought salvaged hardwood from the Architectural Salvage Warehouse of Detroit - hooray for less environmental waste!  Everyone is jumping on the "salvaged goods" bandwagon - check out this great article from the Huffington Post to see what some of the incredibly talented people in Detroit are doing with salvaged materials from the city!!

Guitars from Detroit wood?  Check.

Because the floors were removed from someone's else's house, they aren't in perfect shape, and the boards are shorter than most brand new board lengths would be.  Once installed, they'll be sanded down and refinished to match (as closely as we can get it anyway) the existing hardwoods that they will butt up against.  I'm excited about all of this- because they aren't "brand new", I have zero worries about dropping a knife or splashing bacon grease on them.  They'll already be worn in, so I can enjoy them to the fullest! And let's just hope that when I DO drop a knife, it stabs into the hardwood, and not into my foot.  I have squeamish nightmares that this will happen one day.

It's been moved from the basement to the kitchen floor...baby steps!

The appliances also were delivered this week, so now I've got my full new kitchen sitting in my garage.  We unpacked the cabinets from the boxes, with only one fatality- one cabinet door was scuffed up.  Lowe's has promised to deliver a new door within 5-7 business days, and the scuff won't delay installation at all- thank goodness for small favors!

They're crying to be brought inside.
And I'm crying for that white stove to be sold.  Come on, Craigslist!!

Things are moving along! Hopefully we'll see some great progress within the next week- removing and rebuilding the guts of the kitchen is over...on to the pretty stuff!!!

Quilt Hugs

Well, it's been a good long while since I've written, but there's a reason for that.  I worked my tail off through October, November, and December working to finish Christmas presents (as any good DIY'er did!!).  I couldn't share any details of my work before now, so as not to spoil the surprise, but I'm finally finished, presents have been delivered, hugs have been given, and all is well with the world.  I've been taking a crafting/DIY break in January- sometimes you can DIY just a wee bit too much.

Here's what I've been working on for the past 3 months:

Quilts...SIX of 'em.

Pause.  Grab some tissues, it's about to get real up in here.


Since my daddio passed away a few years ago, it's been difficult to decide what to do with some of his belongings.   Thankfully, my mom was strong enough to know that something positive needed to be done with his things, and the quilt idea was born.  I pinned this picture earlier in the year, not really with the intent of doing anything specific with it, but just because I liked the quilts, and wanted some inspiration should I choose to make another.  See my first attempt at quilt making here.


My mom saw the picture, and something about it kept nagging at her.  She was set to visit me in October, and as we like to be crafty together, her wheels were turning.  "What if we use Dad's shirts to make that circle quilt?" she asked.  And an idea was born.

So, over wine and tears, she bravely packed up his shirts, and brought them to me.  Over more wine and tears, we took a deep breath and began the slow process of creating beauty and love out of heartache. 

All of the quilt backings were made with different flannel patterns.
You only get to see mine :)

I did not take pictures of the process, as making these quilts wasn't about a blog post, or providing a tutorial to readers.  I'm only sharing my quilts now so that my faraway friends and family can see them!!  If you want to make your own circle quilt, feel free to message me, and I'll be more than happy to walk you through the process.  It's not a quick process, but it is a beautiful one. 

When you can no longer hug your loved ones, hugging a piece of them is the next best thing, isn't it?

Dad's favorite red flannel shirt.

End note and shameless plug:  I, and many others, loved my daddio something fierce, and will be walking/running in his honor in March at the annual Run for Dennis 5k.  Check out our website- join us in person or virtually for an amazing cause!