Giveaway

 

giveaway1lg

In case you’ve been stopping by for my projects on Thursday and wondering where they are, I started a new website called Designs by KTGreen and am using it for my DIY.  I’m posting there on Tuesday and Thursday.  To get you to go check it out, I’ve been running a Giveaway with a series of tote tutorials.  

The end is near for the Giveaway.   You only have until Sunday, October 11th, at midnight to enter.  

If you want to enter, just go to this link, and make a comment about which bag you would like to win:  http://designsbyktgreen.com/the-perfect-market-bag/

The winner will be announced on Tuesday on Designs by KTGreen.

Here’s the choices.

Easy Peasy Tote

I’m giving both of these totes as one selection, Two for the price of one!

Easy Peasy Totes

The Handy Tote

handy tote with mermaid

Mermaid and book not included!

Boo Bag

Boo Bag!Skeleton is staying here!

Shopping Tote

Shopping ToteAnd this week’s selection,

The Perfect Market Bag

market bag

The Perfect Market Bag measures 12 3/4″ high, 12″ wide and 6″ deep.  I’ve double stitched all the seams to make it extra strong and the handle has two layers of fleece so it’s comfortable on the shoulder. Lots of pockets.

Pick a bag, any bag!  Just make a comment.

This little piggy picks this one!

And put all kinds of extras in it. Like a zippered pocket, water bottle holder, phone space, and even a clip for my keys!The Perfect Market Bag

 http://designsbyktgreen.com/the-perfect-market-bag/

A Few Projects from the Basement Renovation

coffee shelf

Oh, maybe more than a few…

kitchenette

Lauri picked up a large Formica countertop piece from a local online market for $50!  It looked like it might have been originally made for a kitchen penninsula.  Terry cut it down to make the countertop.  Lauri was picking out mosaics for the backsplash when she came up with the brilliant idea to reuse the two edges from the countertop that had been cut off.  Terry quickly made it so!

Storage and organization was a top priority.  We had a dresser plus a hall closet so our clothes weren’t a problem.  But there’s all that other stuff!  Like food, shoes and totes.

I found this cart at Target on sale.

kitchenette

It fit perfectly into that small space by the fridge.  I loved that we could just roll it out.  Very convenient. 

Target cart
Did you notice that Maggie’s crate has a tray on top? That was our temporary end table.  I want to get a small table with wheels that we can pull out for sewing, dining and office work next year.

 Unfortunately, Adley thought it was convenient, too.

Adley

Adley
No, she did not get to eat those bbq chips. I actually had pretzels on the cart plus yogurt and fruit in the fridge for the toddler!  The junk food was for Terry, Riley, Piper and me!

After putting up with a pile of shoes by the door for a few days, we figured out that under the bed was perfect hidden storage!

shoe storage

shoes
You can’t tell there’s shoes under there!

I like to hang my totes, hats, and Maggie’s leash by the door for convenience.  We checked out hook racks at Target, Lowe’s and Menard’s but none of them had the appropriate wood stain.  Finally I suggested we take some of the leftover door framing wood from last year and create our own.  We bought the oil-rubbed bronze hooks at Menards. 

hooks

A unique issue we had was how to hang the curtains.  Our son had protected the water hose that ran to the fridge’s icemaker by putting metal plates in the wall and we couldn’t put up rods. (Oh yes, we tried)  After a lot of research we found these at JCPenney’s.  And they looked great.

ceiling curtain rods

I only make drapes when I want a custom look.  They are difficult to make because there’s a lot of fabric which makes it cumbersome and if you don’t have a dedicated area to sew in, it’s not worth the effort. Plus you can get really nice options from places like Ikea and JCPenney’s that are cheaper then buying the fabric. Really. Sad to say but fabric for home decor tends to be expensive.  But, after buying the gray couch for our earth-color-based basement area, I knew I had to make the drapes to bring the colors together.

A Few Projects from the Basement Renovation

So I went to several fabric stores plus pored over all the Internet sites.  I found a gray and taupe indoor/outdoor piece at Jo-anne’s.  I used that for 4 1/2″ borders along the sides of the drape and a 17″ section on the bottom. The fabric felt like canvas, so I bought some 72″ wide canvas at Hancock Fabrics and used that for the center.  Didn’t even have to piece it since it was so wide.  I didn’t line the drapes so finished them with French seams.  I was really happy with how the drapes turned out.  The band along the sides will get more use as people pull the drapes to open them but that color shouldn’t show any dirt.  And if those little toddler hands are a little too grubby even for that color, they can just be thrown in the washer.  

drapes

drapes

drapes

We stumbled on this bed ensemble at JCPenney’s.  I had planned on making the bed skirt out of the same fabric as the drapes and then getting a quilt.  But this set was just too perfect–gray and taupe–even included all those pillows and the bed skirt.  It was little fancy schmancy for my taste but the colors were perfect.  (Of course it was on sale and we had a coupon so it was cheaper then making.)

bed ensemble

One more clever little addition was my little coffee shelf.

coffee shelf
Piper made me the rose and vase at daycare. So cute. Only been gone two weeks and miss her like CRAZY!

I was going through all of the lumbar discards from making the window casements.  After a few days of pondering what we could do with this nice lumbar, I said “Terry, I have a great idea”.

He already had made me two shelves for my office and one for the bathroom at our Florida home.  So he whipped this up for me.  I stained it.  He hung it.  There’s five hooks for coffee cups and keys.  

Perfect!