a fire and a flood

No photos today.  Although it is a bit dramatic, technically, there was both a fire and a flood in our apartment yesterday.

We decided to spring for a pizza for dinner last night.  Our kitchen was simply too messy to prepare dinner, and by the time we would have cleaned up enough to start cooking, either Mark or I would have already begun to gnaw off a hand or arm in hunger.  But we didn't want to spend $3.00 per topping to get a 'gourmet' pizza, so we ordered one topping and decided to dress the pizza a little more ourselves.  I laid out sliced sundried tomatoes and roasted whole garlic cloves on a baking sheet to warm under the broiler as we waited for our pie to be delivered (we also added proscuitto).  Only, I didn't want to add more mess by way of a dirty baking sheet, so I lined the sheet with foil and parchment paper.  Then I put the pan under the broiler?  The paper caught fire and flames leapt out of the oven!  I quickly shut the oven door until the fire died, but the sight of flames shooting up out of our oven was super scary.  I tossed the burnt mess and tried again, sans parchment.  It was a minor crisis, but the pie was delicious (thanks for asking).

Hours later (nearer to midnight, because that seems to be when I get the urge to clean), I had gathered enough momentum to do a few loads of dishes.  Load = 1 (tiny) dish drainer of dishes.  We have to wash a little, dry a little, put them away, repeat.  I was filling the (also tiny) sink with water to scrub up some silverware and Mark was just getting in on the fun, multitasking by pulling the trash to take to the dumpster while preparing to take Moses outside a last time before bed.  Pulling the trash bag, Mark cut the top of his foot on a broken piece of glass in the trash bag.  The cut was small but pretty deep.  It happened really quite fast, but I left my post in the kitchen to bring Mark some first aid supplies in the bathroom, and there was some business dragging a chair back and forth so Mark could elevate his foot and... I forgot the stopper was in the sink and the water was still running.  I dashed back to the kitchen only to find the floor absolutely flooded.  the carpet that meets the linoleum floor was saturated, the silverware drawer was full of water and everything in our cabinet under that was wet.  Of course I turned off the water, and frantically started to sop up the mess.  I used nearly every towel we own, including 3 'dog' (older) towels, 4 bath towels, 6 beach towels and a plethora of hand towels.  Plus a wad of paper towels.  And couldn't soak up all the water in the carpet... it was a long night.  Never did quite finish the dishes, but Mark's foot seems to be okay (thanks for asking).

I didn't get any complaints from our neighbors today, so it seems I lucked out and our flood did not affect the apartment below ours.  However, in my grabbing towels from the linen cabinet and rushing back to the kitchen I did manage to break the door to our linen cabinet.  I am so upset with myself.  I suppose there's a possibility of a wood glue repair, and I am lucky I did not break the glass door, but... what a disaster.  There's still a fan targeted towards the wet carpet, a full bag of wet towels; let's not forget the original dirty dishes/kitchen, and Mark and I are exhausted today from the lack of sleep.

Today, I began researching renter's insurance.  Not sure if these types of issues would even be covered, but my eyes are opened to the silly little stupid mistakes that can cause a lot of damage.

Well, I better hop to the laundry.  I've got a lot of towels to wash.  Thank goodness tomorrow is the weekend.

organized corners

I know I've mentioned that our apartment is (415sf) small.  Generally, we all fit inside of it, but when there's no extra room, there's no wiggle room.  It means, (if we're lucky), everything has a place, but just one place.  If it gets out of place, well, quite a lot else also gets out of place.  So when something really works for us, I really delight in it working.  When something stays organized for awhile, I really appreciate its organization, and work to keep it organized.

I snapped a group of photos of the organized corners of our home during my blogging hiatus, and thought it might be encouraging for me to post them here so I can look at them when things get out of hand again.  Because, of course, they probably will.

organized medicine drawer

An organized medicine drawer.  This works so much better for us than keeping medicines in our medicine cabinet.  I have asthma and have come to require a well-stocked first aid kit; Mark gets frequent headaches.  I was also a Girl Scout and like to be prepared.  We have regular pain relievers, allergy medications, herbal remedies, a plethora of Burt's Bees chapstick (chapped lips are a medical problem), anti-itch gels and sprays, a snakebite kit, etc.  This photo was taken when nothing was expired and you could more or less see everything in the drawer at once.  The drawer is also chest-high, which is the perfect height for either Mark or myself to look in without hunching and theoretically, only adults could get into the drawer.

Clothes hung on *gasp* hangers!

We wash laundry on a regular basis.  We even fold laundry on a regular basis.  Unfortunately, we somehow don't hang up clothing on a regular basis.  Look at this!  No empty hangers and the majority of my clothing hanging in the closet.  Mark's wardrobe at this point of his graduate degree consists primarily of T-shirts, sweaters and a handful of short-sleeved button-up shirts.  He's also a boy, which explains (hopefully?) why the majority of the clothing in this photo is mine.  And yes, that is pretty much our whole closet.

A shoe rack that actually works.

Mark's got two rows of shoes on the rack and I've got two rows of shoes on the rack.  We have some other pairs of shoes not pictured (rain boots, cowboy boots, sandals, Mark's two additional pair of tennis shoes).  I have an unfortunate habit of buying low-quality shoes that don't fit me well, which has led to only a few wears before 'retiring' a pair of shoes to the bottom of the pile in the closet in the past.  I wear a 10.5 in women's shoes, which is a surprisingly difficult shoe size to find.  This shoe rack is a real accomplishment whether it looks like it or not!

the T-shirt drawer.

I have to be fair and confess that any T-shirts I wear also go in this drawer.  But when you have as many T-shirts as the Masdin household does, you absolutely have to fold them this way to get them to fit in your drawer.  Amazingly, there are weeks when we get to washing day and this drawer is empty (maybe those are weeks we didn't finish all our laundry the week before).  But folding T-shirts this way allows them all to fit, and you can see immediately which shirt is which as soon as you open the drawer.  T-shirt Victory!

Oh, the sheets.

So important I had to include two photos of them.

My love for vintage sheets is well documented and not to be taken lightly.  When I am not on top of my collection (for instance, when I'm pulling things off this shelf to mix and match and cut and not re-folding and re-shelving as I go), our household is in a heap of trouble (or sheets).  Which Moses really appreciates, but which is really pretty unhealthy for Mark and me, and our laundry pile.  Sheets tend to end up back in the washing pile if they don't get re-shelved.  Also, if they are not here, and ordered mostly by color, how will I be able to consider using them for sewing projects?  When the shelf looks like this, all is right with the world.

Oh the books!

Lest anyone believes that my household is drowning in the accoutrements of my hobbies alone, let's talk about Mark's books.  I have mentioned, he is a student?  He's also a student who truly strives to complete all his assigned reading (it's a miracle... or an impossibility).  Books are almost never stacked neatly like this.  Honestly, how can they be if they are being read?  This is definitely an organized corner to be proud of.

Eggs, organized neatly.

Spices, labeled neatly.

Spices and grain jars, organized neatly and BEAUTIFUL!

Lastly, let us consider these images from my kitchen.  All. Organized. Neatly.  Not much of our 415sf is devoted to the kitchen.  Every surface (including the floor, and the top of the toaster oven, which is stacked on the microwave, which is stacked on the refrigerator) is prime real estate and home to something.  I cannot express my gratitude and appreciate for this beautiful oak (I think) shelf that my father-in-law Dave built for me.  It fits right up against our refrigerator and is home to four rows of spice jars (all identified with labels printed on waterproof bumper sticker paper and perfectly cut out by a craft circle punch) and another two rows of pint-sized mason jars and another two rows of quart sized mason jars and an extra row of whatever's left.  Mason jars are full of healthy whole grains, nuts, and seeds and closed with plastic caps.  Those jars are labeled with chalkboard vinyl labels my sister cut out for me in perfect circles with her cricut machine.  I label and re-label those bad boys with washable chalkboard marker.  Works like a charm.

We struggled for months with my large spice collection in an organization system which didn't work.  This shelf has been a godsend.  It is so easy to make granola (which deserves its own post) when I can just pull a jar, measure into the bowl, replace the jar, pull the next jar, measure, replace, etc.  And now the spices are also alphabetized, so there's no hunt for the right spice, either.  While my jars do not block light, this shelf moves them around the corner from our stove, essentially protecting them from heat.  And the shelf is only 4" deep!  The footprint is infinitesimal, which is so so important in a space as small as ours.

I know our space won't stay this way, and in fact, I can tell you already it hasn't.  But in the moments when we can get our organizational act together and things are working... well it feels like such a feat, such a major accomplishment.  I hope the memory of that will be enough motivation the next time things are out of whack to put them back to rights again!

paper pieced pillow

...say that three times fast!

So... awhile ago, I wanted to try paper piecing and I made this:

the Lone Starburst

Although it was a little difficult to get the hang of the paper piecing, I loved it.  Absolutely necessary to have the Add a Quarter Ruler, which I do, thanks to my sister and brother in law (thanks, Ash! thanks, Josh!) who gave me a whole set for Christmas!

What I love about paper piecing is that you can utilize scraps really well while paper piecing small sections, such as with the Lone Starburst pattern (free for download, too).  I underestimated the size scraps I would need many times while adding a piece, but I think with practice I could get better about estimating scrap size.

I didn't want to commit to piecing additional blocks for a quilt (plus, I have several quilts in progress right now and do not need another one), so I turned my single block into a pillow cover.

pillow cover!

I got "creative" with my quilting.  This creativity might backfire after several washes... I did backstitch a few stitches each time I began and stopped, but I think I still risk the quilting coming out over time.

the stitches make it look more interesting!

I continued that creativity to the back of the pillow, where I quilted line approximately 1" apart in a diagonal grid pattern.  I used my hera marker and ruler to mark my lines and quilted with my walking foot.  I love the effect!

imperfectly quilted grid.

close up. I used white thread, because I wanted to see the stitching.

Then I installed a regular zipper and called it a day.  Although I have installed invisible zips on pillow cases before, I discovered Robe Zippers last time I was at JoAnn's.  They are cheaper than invisible zips or extra long zips, and longer too.  I shortened mine before installation.

I used a 'robe zipper'.

I love that the pillow case opens all the way, to make putting the pillow insert in or taking it out for washing easier.  And, I think this is my most attractive pillow case (made OR bought) yet!

Project: Accomplished!

More Napkins

The collection grows.

I've blogged about possibly my favorite thing to sew before, but last October, after I stopped blogging, I was charged with planning a baby shower!  I've never even helped plan a baby shower before (and sadly, somehow, I took no photos of the actual event), but I was very excited to make more. cloth. napkins.

All different vintage sheets.

I love vintage sheets so much.  This is the easiest project to showcase their beauty without dramatic alteration, that still allows for reinvention of something that has typically exhausted life in their first round.  Even a bed sheet with rips or stains can be resurrected as a set of napkins.

Tidy stitches.

And because they are so simple to sew-- really the iron does all the work here-- I can really crank them out.  I think I made 40+ napkins for this baby shower, and I used additional vintage sheets as table cloths.  I'm really kicking myself for not photographing the event.  I was positively giddy to be able to put my stash and favorite go-to project to use.  We also used the vintage sheet buntings that hung at my wedding.

Combinations.

My favorite combinations of fabrics are florals and geometrics.  Usually one side is busier than the other.  In my house, we know to wipe greasy hands on the busier side so any potential stains are more difficult to detect.  But a wash in warm water with Oxyclean has taken care of any lingering food marks these puppies have encountered so far.  We don't eat many meals where we're really messy (buffalo wings?  If only), but those would be the meals we would break out the stash of take-out napkins.

I'm glad to have a big set of these for future events.  Dare I say, I'd be eager to host another event if it meant I could use them?  And this is another item that I'd love to receive an Etsy request for at any time.  If you find yourself interested in switching to cloth napkins, or would just love a set of vintage sheet napkins, find me on Etsy and we can work out the details of your order.  These napkins finish up at 17" square, with turned edges and topstitching, but they could be made in any size or combination of fabric.

Did I mention they are also good for the environment?  They are zero-waste napkins!  In addition to preventing disposable napkins from being sent to the landfills, vintage sheet napkins also reinvent vintage sheets, almost all of which either are orphaned items (no fitted sheet or no pillowcases), or are salvaged (can no longer be bed sheets at all).  And, they are just darn pretty.

my anthro-inspired ottoman

I mentioned in my back-from-my-six-month-hiatus post that I had re-upholstered an ottoman while I was away.  It's no exaggeration to say that it took me almost that entire time to actually complete the project.  Not because the project itself was really time consuming, but because there were parts I needed help with that had to wait until Mark and I were at home for Christmas.

But I'm finally done!  And I LOVE the finished project!  Without further ado... the before:

before!

 ... and the after!

after!

I don't know about you, but this is the sort of project I'd probably see and dismiss because it looks so simple.  A little paint, a little fabric, some staples, voila!  But in actuality, the bottom shelf of the ottoman had to be completely re-fabricated.

Since it's my blog and I want to remember, let's walk through it.

I picked this baby up for 25% off $3.99 (plus tax).  It was a steal!

$3.99... plus 25% off!

As you can see, it was a little rough around the edges, but I had a feeling it would end up a (cheap) diamond in the rough.

A little rough, but a solid piece.

That's Moses' beloved Goat in the background!

The legs and feet were wood but the shelves were compressed particle board with vinyl edges.  Not eligible for painting.  It didn't matter with the top shelf, because I already knew I wanted to upholster it and the edges and surface would all be covered.

View from the top.  Thanks for those orange socks, Diana!

So, that's what I did.  The table came apart really easily.  The feet unscrewed and then the legs did, too.

Removing the feet.

The table completely disassembled.

At this point, I did upholster the top shelf and paint the legs and feet.  I used paint I had on hand-- first paint and paintbrush and then a final coat of spray paint to smooth things out.

I bought high density foam (3" green padding) from Joann during a 50% off sale.  I used spray adhesive to stick the foam to the shelf, then I used fabric from my stash (first a fleece I knew I wouldn't use and then another piece of fabric to cover up the fleece print) to cover the foam.  I stapled the fabric in place, making sure everything was tight as I could get it and saving the corners for last.  Then I did the exterior fabric.  Because this ottoman is not getting a lot of use (some feet, books, computers- more of a nice upholstered table than additional seating), I didn't think twice about using this fabric, even though it's not an upholstery fabric.  If I knew we would be sitting on this ottoman a lot, I would probably have used another fabric.  The rubs (from your behind!) would eventually create pills and either look horrendous or require reupholstering.

I finished the bottom with a black mat board I bought from Hobby Lobby with a 40% off coupon.  I didn't use the entire sheet, so I have some of that leftover for future projects.  Again, since I was pretty sure how this would be used, I didn't sweat over using what is basically paper on a reupholstery project.  There are no drinks allowed on this ottoman, so I don't have to worry about spills.

Not exactly professional, but cheap and looks good to me.

I was pretty much done at that point except for the bottom shelf.  As I previously mentioned, it couldn't be painted (at least not with a nice finish), so I ignored the brown shelf for a few months until Christmas.  

Then, with my father-in-law's help, I re-fabricated the bottom shelf!  I bought a piece of quality plywood from Lowe's, and we cut it to the right size in his shop.  We rounded the corners on the bandsaw and drilled the holes for the legs.  After a coat of paint (several weeks after Christmas, 'cause sometimes that's how projects get done), the ottoman was completely done.

beautifully rounded corners!

And that's it!  We use it, we love it.  I don't get tired of looking at it.  It's busy, but not that much of the rest of our furniture is (intentionally.  Have I mentioned my desire to reupholster our couch?) busy so it doesn't overwhelm us.  It's great when we actually watch our TV and want to put up our feet, or more often when we watch a show on our laptop and use it for that.

See Ana White's "Handbuilt Home" there?  A MILLION projects I'd love to do.

I keep magazines and library books underneath.

I love this piece from every angle!

The ladies at Joann gave me crazy looks when I told them I was using this fabric for upholstery.

They might still think I was crazy, but I think I'm genius!  Don't you think it looks a little Anthro-inspired?

I don't know the total price tag on this project since I didn't save receipts, I used my materials for other projects besides this one and I completed it over several months, but as far as custom-ottomans go, it was cheap :).  Not to mention the perfect size for our space!  Check that one off the list: a totally functional project completed!

eating around these parts

buying just one avocado is really hard for me!

Mark and I have been making a concerted effort of late to cook more at home and eat out less.  It's always something we feel we should do but we definitely adhere to the idea more at certain times than others.  These last few weeks we have been good!  We've also been working on not over-buying at the grocery store (which is something I didn't even realize we were doing).

I was really impressed with Skinnytaste's Quick Black Beans.  I know we'll be making these again- they are vegan, too!

This week, we've made several things at home that I've been proud of.  We've been using our crock pot a lot as a way to get a hot dinner without heating up the apartment-- and in temperatures like these, it's not just ideal, it's absolutely necessary!

 

 

This half crock pot, half stove top chicken ropa vieja utilized chicken from our freezer and canned tomato sauce from our pantry.

Last night I managed to snap some photos before we sat down to eat.  It was a complete skinnytaste meal, all around!  At lunch, I started the crockpot so that the Chicken Ropa Vieja would be ready for me to complete when I got home from work, and it smelled fantastic when I walked in the door.  I made Gina's Quick Black Beans and used her recipe for Cilantro Lime Rice as a basis for making red quinoa with lime.  We topped our bowls with a little 2% shredded cheese, avocado and pickled jalapenos for a fully satisfying meal.  I'm kicking myself for not photographing the quinoa, but it was the last dish of the meal to finish cooking and when it was done, we just had to eat!

I also decided to give Nutmeg Nanny's Cinnamon Buttermlk pie a go, since I had leftover buttermilk from making biscuits.  I haven't tasted it yet, but it sure looks pretty!

 

I'm in love with these plates.  Sadly, you can't buy them in the store anymore.

Mark and I have concert tickets tonight, and I've made up some of the pie (which features a graham cracker crust) in individual ramekins.  We're going to pack a picnic and enjoy it during the concert.  Can't wait til dessert!
 

cinnamon buttermilk pie: tonight's dessert!

I installed an invisible zipper!

lovely vintage sheet

Well, I finally got around to sewing more than napkins.  Mark and I have had two uncovered pillow cushions on our couch since January and they have been crying for covers since day one.  My sewing mojo returned when I found a new-to-me fantastic vintage sheet at the thrift store last week, and suddenly I had an idea for what I wanted to do.

pillow front

pillow back

The cover includes two different sides. The front is a solid square of the vintage sheet with a layer of warm & natural batting underneath.  The other side is also a vintage sheet in solid mustard yellow with blue grid quilting.  I used spray baste to adhere the sheet to the batting, then I used my hera marker and my acrylic ruler to mark 1" lines.  I quilted along the marks and then repeated the process in the other direction.  I love that the lines are all straight (more or less), but that they aren't exactly 1" apart.  Handmade quirky!  Great reassurance that I am not a machine.

I installed an invisible zipper using my invisible zipper foot so that the cushion cover can be washed (frequently).  When I was living by myself, I think I did a lot less washing-- of rugs, pillow covers, kitchen towels, etc.  Now that I am married and there are two of us using these things (plus Moses!), it seems like we do three times as much laundry.  That's okay, though: laundry and vacuuming tend to be my favorite types of housework.  Instant gratification-- nice, neat vacuuming lines and clean, folded laundry.  Putting the laundry away is a different story...

I have plans for zipper covers for the remaining pillows on our couch as well-- working towards being a washable household!  And of course, I have to make a mate for this cover.  I've even been thinking, in lieu of completely re-upholstering our loveseat (or maybe leading up to it), I could sew quilted cushion covers for the seats on our couch.  It would take a lot more time, fabric and energy (not to mention piping!), but is an interesting challenge and our loveseat isn't worth much, so what have I got to lose?  Can you imagine an entire couch redone in quilted vintage sheets?  I vacillate between being in love with the idea and thinking it's highly impractical.

I'm just glad to have something to show for all the thinking I've been doing about sewing lately.  Oh, and just in case you were wondering, Moses approves (Mark likes it, too).

good 'ole standbys

that on top is actually a burp cloth. I'm testing out patterns and burp cloths are actually very much like sewing napkins.

I've been in a little bit of a sewing rut lately, not wanting to finish up projects but wanting to sew.  I have more than my fair share of WIPs (works in progress) but nothing inspiring lately.  I don't feel like I'm in a place where I can work through any pattern directions or trouble shoot something that doesn't turn out exactly how I want it to.  Thank goodness for my good 'ole standbys... cloth napkins.

I like matching florals and geometric prints for my napkins.

I know that cloth napkins are nothing special, and they are so easy to make, it's kind of ridiculous to blog them, but hey. I do what I can.  Lately, that's been the rather routinized comfort of cutting 17 1/2" squares and sewing them together. Clipping corners. Turning with the bone turner.  Ironing with homemade spray starch.  Top stitching shut. Neatly folding and stacking. Seeing progress pile up. 

Love nice corners and even top stitching.

Some days I can only handle one task a night.  Some days, I can handle twenty.  Some days- none at all.  Lately it's been about one task a night, with a visit to the garden. Napkin making has been good.  And these napkins are a good sampling of some of my vintage sheet stash.  I love the idea of having a set so large I'd never buy cloth napkins again (even inexpensive ones, or those for special occasions).  A big set of mixed vintage prints would look lovely, as well as a table of matching floral/gingham prints.  Or, a mix-and-match assortment of only yellow prints, like we did for our wedding.

I've made four of each color way so far.

Didn't realize there were so many ginghams!  All vintage or thrifted sheets.

Anyway, I'm looking to sewing up more intricate projects than napkins soon.  I've got a quilted pillowcase with an invisible zipper on the docket-- just as soon as I feel like I can tackle it.  A wonderful looking pattern to try out from elegantitus.  Some very belated sewn gifts for friends.  And I can't forget my quest for the perfect summer blouse (evidenced here, here and here).  Summer feels like it's ticking away, but I'm just taking it one day at a time.