George Washington Slipcover

Hello Everyone, if there is still anyone out there reading this!  It has been quite a while since I not only felt inspired to blog but that I felt I had anything "blog worthy" to post.  I often wonder, and I have mentioned this in previous posts, why do I blog?  I know that I like to showoff things that I have accomplished that I am amazed that I have done.  But what is the real purpose, especially when I enter link parties, there is no prize, just an acknowledgement from whomever voted me "best of show" - as of yet I haven't been!!! Hahahaha that doesn't say too much about my posts and accomplishments, or does it?  We are all taught from a very early age not to look to the outside for acceptance and importance.  God has gifted all of us with special talents, I would like to think mine is in my hands cause I know it isn't in academics!!  Beauty is only skin deep, although I do strive to look my best by putting my face on everyday along with perfume.  I do that  for me - I feel better when I do that.  It doesn't matter what kind of car we drive, our address, the size home we live in, the amount of stuff we have., etc., etc.   God made each of us special and He gave us the gift of life and special talents to go along with it, it is up to us to figure out what these gifts are.  After doing so, what we do with these gifts is our gift back to God.   So even though I have never "won" any link party's, I know whatever I have entered I have done to the best of my ability and most times taught myself (including the whole computer thing).  What really matters is how I feel about myself and what I have accomplished.  Being a mother of 6 kids is not easy - especially when I've been home for the past 24 years.  I need to always remember to praise and thank God for all the gifts He has given me cause I will always pick my life over someone else's, always.   So, I praise and thank God for the courage to attempt this and the ability to just do it out of my head.   So on to the show:

I trash picked this chair from my neighbor's bulk pick up a few years ago, you can see it Here

I didn't think it looked so ugly until it was in the living room and I have begun to slowly transform the room, once again.   My mother, back in the day, made all the slipcovers for our living room.  She just winged it and they looked beautiful - I took that gumption and belief that if she could do it on a whim then so could I.  I have made custom cushion covers for my kitchen furniture and for my patio furniture so I thought I could do this too!  I picked up a twin sized George Washington bedspread at the local thrift store for $4.  My intention was to walk you step by step thru this learning process but the battery in my camera needs to be replaced..........so instead you have the end result.

 I am very proud of myself and cannot believe how well it turned out (not to sound full of myself, just proud that I was able to use God's gifts wisely!!)

I have not sewn on the bottom fringe because after I got it on to do the final adjustments and pinning of the fringe, I needed to move on to Shannon's prom dress hemming - For some reason I along with my kids think I can do anything and everything !  Thanks God!!

I remember my mom telling me when I did my first set of custom cushions to work inside out, so that is what I did - I did have to piece the underneath the cushion part as well as the bottom of the actual cushion cover and band around the cushion.  I used jute twine for the cording because that is what I had and didn't feel like going out.    The ironic part of all this is I did the bulk of it on the anniversary of my mom's death and know that she was helping me in the thinking process and I know she thinks I did a good job too!!  She always was my biggest cheerleader!!

Yesterday I was out to visit my dad and sister and took pictures of her (Louise's) place - I really do believe it should be in a magazine - my photography will not do the place justice....AT ALL!   So stay tuned for the log cabin................that is all for now............

Thanks so much for reading my post as I am once again on my soapbox!!

Trisha

I'm gonna keep on trying to "win" at these link parties:

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Luck of the Irish

Well Top of the Mornin to Ya!

It has been almost one whole month since my last post!!  I took an unintentional vacation from blogging and actually lived in the real world for practically a whole month!!  I have been thrifting and having buyers remorse, hahahah!  I need to find a place in my area that I can "rent space".  If anyone is reading this and you live in the Delaware/Chester county areas and know of a place that I could put my treasures to sell, please let me know!!  I along with my husband would greatly appreciate it!!  In honor of St. Patrick's Day this Monday, I thought I would give a wonderfully easy and delicious recipe that was given to me about 25 years ago for Irish Soda Bread; and a quick update on my window boxes.

Recipe for soda bread by Ann O'Dowd (I have never met her!)

Preheat oven to 350 and grease cake pan.
(325 for dark pan)

2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup reg sugar
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
a pinch of salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
a handful of raisins
1 cup buttermilk (if you don't have this you can add 2 T white vinegar and then add milk to measure 1 cup.  Let it sit a few minutes so it can curdle)

Mix dry ingredients til well blended then add milk - stir til moist then turn into a greased cake pan - bake 1 hour - let cool slightly then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.  TaDa!  Yum Yum! Served best with butter on each piece.  

This is what is should look like when finished

And this is the St. Patrick's day window box


Springfield has a wonderful St. Patrick's day parade complete with the Philadelphia Mummers!!  It is truly a fantastic parade and if you aren't in it you are watching!!  I hope everyone enjoys their weekend of being Irish (responsibly!)

That is all for now.....until next time,

Trisha

Part 3 of the doll house!

So we meet again, thanks for clicking on my post!!  Today I am going to be featuring another room in the doll house.  If you missed the others you can find them here and here.  

 Here you can see that she installed a plank roof using tongue depressors, then painting it cottage white. 

 Gumballs in the bathroom!! That will get the kids to take a bath!!

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 Above  you can see she printed her own wall paper and then hung it!  Just imagine, you could make your own paper and hang your whole house in one day!!!!  Wouldn't that be sensational?!?

I am so proud of how well she has been renovating this house - there are still many more rooms to show - I just have to schedule another photo shoot cause the pictures I have are blurry, even when I picmonkey them.  I haven't shown my favorite room yet, I'm going to keep you hanging!!

Until next time.....................Trisha

I will be joining these parties:

Part 2: the Living Room!

Well hello!  Yes, it snowed again yesterday, but we were the lucky ones on the street cause we didn't loose electricity.  Some of my neighbors still don't have it since last weeks storm.  It's a lesson in being Amish!!  Everyone wanted to be Amish after that movie with Harrison Ford back in the 80's - now, not so much!!

Last time I showed my sisters' doll house and you saw the dining room - if you missed it you can view it here.  Now on to the living room - the first picture I took had the home owners knitting and reading in the living room - because we were trying to pretend it was her real house, we laughed and said they couldn't be in the picture and had to go out for coffee or something.  So they took a drive and enjoyed the beautiful country side.  

Meanwhile, here is the shot of them:  

 Louise laid the hardwood floors and painted.  I'm not sure if she made the wall hangings or not.  She also sewed the pillows, these folks are really in style, BURLAP PILLOWS!   Look, can you see?,  there are many family memories in all those scuffs on the floors!  To refinish them would be devastating.  We remember fondly the way Trent and Jack drove their  tractors over those floors.  Ahh where has the time gone?

I think one of the grand kids needs to come dust GranmaLou's fireplace!  Ah, the songs they used to play on that phonograph.  They just don't make sound systems like that anymore!

Well, I hope you enjoyed today's visit in the living room!  Please stay tuned for upcoming posts of the .............................., it's sure to be beautiful!!

Until next time.....................Trisha

I'll be joining these parties

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Doll House Show and Tell #1

Welcome to my sister Louises' doll house part 1 !!!   I was going to pass this off as her farm house and at the end tell you that it was a dollhouse but my photography needs major improvement!!  

She was inspired a long time ago when she was a little girl shopping with our mom.  While my mom was paying for her purchase Louise was drooling at the doll house way up high - ever since that day about 50 years ago, she has always pined for her own.  She started out as many of us did in the 80's with a printers drawer - it was full of the neatest miniatures.  As time progressed, the printers drawers went out of style but she held on to all the miniatures and has been collecting ever since - She has a bag of stuff that doesn't go well in this house and will be used in another.  Louise bought this dollhouse at a yard sale and it needed   EVERYTHING!  She did a major overhaul - She has been working on this house like most of us work on our "real" homes!   It is the coolest thing ever and I always look forward to seeing what's new. 

  I am trying to get her to start a blog but in the meantime I am going to use her creativity to my advantage!!  

So here we have the dining room!!

Don't you just wonder who left their coffee on the dining room table!?  Just like real life!!

Notice the lit up chandelier!  When I was taking the pictures she said, "wait!,  I have to turn on the chandelier!"  It really does make a difference!

What is in that jelly cabinet?  Whoever was in there last forgot to close it!  

Just like these drawers!  See, even dolls are not always neat!!

I hope you enjoyed the first edition of Louise doll house show and tell!  Please tune in next time for .............

Until then...........Trisha

joining these parties: