A G Rated Dirty Story

 Do you think that "other people's dirt" is dirtier than your "own dirt"?

Interesting question.....

The Sweetwater Son and Girlfriend moved into their wonderful new house last Friday!

Yippee for them!




Yippee for us because that meant that all the furniture they were buying on Craig's List and storing in our garage left us for it's new home..





Now all that is left are the Sweetwater Daughter's Law Office furniture which is leaving tomorrow!




Are you ready for the "dirty story"?

Chapter One!

Well....moving day was also MY BIRTHDAY!  

And....what would any good mother do on her birthday if  her offspring's new house had a lot of "other people's dirt"?

Yup .....get DOWN and DIRTY....and get rid of that dirt!
We actually had fun scrubbing and polishing and wiping away the remains of the previous owner's leftover dirt!  It wasn't filthy.....but it was "other people's dirt" ....so it needed to be wiped away!

We ended the evening standing around in the kitchen scarfing down some really great take-out food and toasting the new homeowners as they surveyed their new digs....

Best Birthday ever...to see your kids settling in to a great new home....and having them want you to be a part of it!

Chapter Two! 

For the next few days, everywhere I looked in OUR house, I saw OUR dirt!

I kept thinking: "What if someone came to Sweetwater and looked around?  Would they be horrified by the dirt they saw?"  

Most Probably!!!

And Then.....on Tuesday the new energy efficient refrigerator we bought for the basement was being delivered and I really looked at the area it would go in.  This spot is what some of my friends call "Mary's Store" because it houses all the party supplies, matting supplies, flower arranging stuff and a bunch of other goodies....

OOOHHH!!!  

It was disgustingly dirty and this was NOT "other people's dirt"....it was all OURS!

Luckily the delivery wasn't until the afternoon.....so.....I spent the morning cleaning the bug droppings, cobwebs, dried up gunk...etc. etc. etc.....

My reward....a shiny organized space....and no embarrassing moments when the delivery men pulled out the old refrigerator!!!!

The new refrigerator in place.....with a clean floor all around!

I crawled behind all the frames and ribbon box.....now this floor is clean too!

 I reorganized and cleaned under all this stuff.....

too much stuff....but it always comes in handy!

I found mat board I didn't even know I had...!

Chapter Three!

Some of the other little dirty secrets at Sweetwater!  I am only showing you these things because I know some of you secretly enjoy looking at dirty pictures.  You know who you are!!!

Look at the lovely view through the cobwebs on the screens.......maybe someday!

This lovely spot is the drain in the furnace room.

 No, this isn't a preview from "Hoarders"!  It is the closet that stores all the holiday decorations....

I really need to get in there before December to have access to all that stuff when I need it!

Look at the great pile of dirt I found when I was dragging the kitten out from behind the washing machine....oh my!
















With a little more time, I could probably find you more.....
I guess you could  call this "House Pornography" if this wasn't a family friendly blog! 

Epilogue!

Some people believe that.......

 




But only To A POINT!!!!

I would like to believe that I can remember one of the guiding principles of Sweetwater Style.... 

"Don't Wait for Perfect" 

My excuse for all those dirty little secrets around here is that I have been busy....NOT CLEANING!

Here is a great quote I found that expresses exactly how I feel about this topic!

Our house is clean enough to be healthy, and dirty enough to be happy.  

~Author Unknown

Have a Great Day.....

If you take the time to read the comments below you will notice the suggestion from Janet that this quote is another very appropriate sentiment!!! I totally agree....don't you!

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Almost NO SEW WIndow Treatment

 Your vocabulary lesson for today...

Is this gorgeous window topper a  Pelmet or a Cornice Board?

http://www.bettahomefurn.com.au/pelmets.php

Wikipedia to the rescue:
A pelmet (also called a "cornice board") is a framework placed above a window, used to conceal curtain fixtures. These can be used decoratively (to hide the curtain rod) and also help insulate the window by preventing convection currents. It is similar in appearance to a valance, which performs the same function but is made of fabric. A pelmet can be made of plywood and may be painted, or fabric covered.

So now you know....

but whatever you call it....this simple treatment is an elegant way to finish off a window. 

And Lord knows that everyone wants to prevent convection currents....whatever they are!

The curtains in our Master Bedroom have been the same for a long time....not Sweetwater Style!  It was time for an update!

This pin from Heather from At the Picket Fence has been on my Pinterest Blog Party Idea Board  for almost a year.! 

There are lots of posts out there about DYI Cornice boards....but this one is simple and easy to follow....

so I DON'T HAVE to write a tutorial for my post!  Thanks Heather!

So off to HomeDepot to get the Polystyrene....can you believe how cheap it is?

I only needed 2 of the 6 panels.....so more projects will come I am sure!

Our old drapes were attached with a 1 x 4 board attached with simple L brackets.

I had Mr. S. take them down....and I just reused the board as the base for the cornice. 

I like the solid base of the board....

First I tried using construction glue that I had....but it actually melted the polystyrene...who knew!

So....

I did what any good crafter would do...

I got out the glue gun!!!

It worked perfectly!

 

I glued the pieces to the board along the front and the return.

The board is actually running about 2 inches below the top of the foam to allow the board to sit on the existing brackets...


Now if you think I got it straight the first time...think again....


Oh well....it is straight NOW!




I used quilt batting to cover the whole thing.  I just stuck straight pins in to attach this....

The pins need to go in at a diagonal or else they stick through and you end up poking yourself....(I speak from experience here)!

Now I was ready for the fabric....
The Sweetwater Daughter donated a yard of fabric she had in her fabric stash that was just perfect.
It needed a seam in the center....(So that is the Almost part of the NO SEW deal).
I am sure you could use fusible web to attach it and make it TOTALLY NO SEW!

I was going to do more straight pins....


Then I tried thumb tacks....


Then I realized that the glue gun was already warmed up....

That process let me pull and adjust the fabric and gave it a good strong bond....

Gotta love that glue gun!

I put the finished valance up on the L Brackets and here it is.....

It looked OKAY....but I didn't LOVE it!

The fabric was perfect....but the proportions were off because of the extensions on the side.

HMMMM....I did want the width to make the window look bigger....HMMMM!

The moral here is that I didn't HAVE to settle...

AND

I didn't have to do anything  for a few days...

SO....here is the rest of the story!

I was at the fabric store and scored 2 and a half yards of some lovely blue fabric for $5 a yard.  

I cut the fabric in half lengthwise....and hemmed the sides and the bottom. (I used the machine but again you could use fusible hem tape.)

I was very glad that I had not screwed the L Bracket to board yet....the cornice just lifted off.

I just pinned the curtain panels to the inside of the cornice....

The proportion is right now....and like the lighter fresher color. 

Then I decided to get really "fancy"....

However...there is sewing involved!!!

I decided to make some welting out of the last of the cornice fabric.

I used the glue gun to attach it to the top and the bottom of the cornice.

Now...I am satisfied!

Just for a giggle look at these screen shots from websites where you can enter your window dimensions and order a custom cornice!

 Yep....only $1294 for a cornice for my window....but hey if I bought one this week I could get another for free!!!!

At this site I would "only" have to pay $24 a foot...that would be $250 at this site!!!

By Using Heather's Great Tutorial...

a little problem solving....

 some trial and error.....

I got the same look for around $20!

Well I might be impressed....

And hey....you might be impressed...

But Marvin is LESS than impressed!

Have a great day!

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Floral Arranging 101

The Sweetwater Daughter brought me roses the other day....she got them on sale for $6 (thrifty, thoughtful daughter!!!)
....I think she read the blog post about all the projects we are doing and felt guilty!!! LOL...she shouldn't feel guilty because I love doing projects with her!

She suggested that I use them with some of the stuff that is blooming in the Sweetwater Garden.....SO....To the Garden I went!

This is what is blooming in the Sweetwater Garden right now!

 Hydrangeas....I told you there were about 7 total blooms....but hey 7 is something!

Lantana...there is orangey pink and yellow....

Dahlia....of the 6 that I planted only 2 of the plants are consistently blooming...go figure!

Gazania...these blooms look great....but that is because I took the picture before the bunnies ate them!

Mexican Sunflowers...wow...this is a new plant for me...I planted them from seeds I got as a gift....tall bushy plant with these great orange flowers.

Zinnias....I LOVE Zinnias....and mine are finally blooming....they last a long time in arrangements...

Begonia....such happy little blooms....

The new coral rose is finally blooming again.....I thought it was a goner....then I babied it along....success!

Bottom line....not many of these flowers would work in the rose arrangement....so I had to do some creative "picking"!

What did I find?

Artemesia....the white bushy stuff on the left in the photo....

One precious Sunflower from the 5 that the deer didn't munch on....

Hosta leaves....

A few Phlox....

Some Snapdragons that needed deadheading anyway...

A couple of branches of white mums....

The last of the daisies...

Some sedum that is just in the budding stage....

Now on to the promised Flower Arranging 101!!!

I know you should condition those flowers before you arrange them....

But that takes patience....I got no patience!!!

But you might want to do what I say and not what I do and use the link below to do it right!

 

Here is a link to a list of how to condition just about any flower out there to make them last longer!

I almost always use fresh floral foam as a base for an arrangement.

I buy it at Michaels in blocks of 4 for 5 bucks!

You gotta get some of this stuff!








 The roses came with a packet of preservative....I dumped that in...


Somebody once told me you could use aspirin...but I have never tried it...

I also add just a couple of splashes of household bleach. 

This keeps the bacteria from growing...seriously it works!

The Hosta leaves form a "frame" around the base of the container...



Then be sure to make a sharp diagonal cut in every stem....not just the roses....EVERY stem...


This gives a good fresh open bottom on the stem so the water can be absorbed.

I started by arranging the roses....all but a couple that I save to fill in any empty spots at the end!

Actually I could have stopped here....but you know me...NOT!

That Sunflower really takes a starring roll....Hope the roses don't feel overshadowed!

I finished it off with some artemesia and some eucalyptus that was in a container I got at Bonne Volonté last week...

Nice! Not bad for 6 bucks worth of roses....

The moral of this post....get yourself out there and pick some flowers...

It will make you happy!

PS....I wanted to show you this little arrangement!

WHY...you might ask?

Everything in there is something that needed deadheading....

The greens are peony leaves...

Some mums that needed pinching back so they keep blooming through the fall...

Snapdragons that are almost done...

Artemesia that is falling over because it is too leggy...

I bet you have some almost dead heads that you could use!

Have A Wonderful Day!

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All Projects Great And Small!

It certainly has been busy around here:

Some of it has been BIG stuff....

I have been "counseling" at our "Tech Camp for Teachers" for 4 days these last two weeks!
If any of your kids ever wonder what teachers do in the summer....tell them that they keep on learning!!!!  We had a great time discovering new stuff about iPads and iMovie....


The Sweetwater Daughter and I are redoing furniture for the move to her new law office in a week....BIG projects....here is a sneak peek!

Yup....these two sectional pieces are getting a makeover....from casual red corduroy to elegant purple sharkskin.

 

This great print will go on the reception chairs....she scored those Craig's List...You Go Girl!

Stay tuned for posts about both these BIG projects!!

The Sweetwater Son is working with Mr. S. to construct a stand for his new Ceramic Cooker... This dynamic duo would not allow photos with "people", but I took a few showing the work out that MY tools were getting!

I am very impressed with the way this is turning out...can't wait to have the Sweetwater Son cook for ME!

With all these big unfinished projects happening....it doesn't feel like anything is FINISHED...and that always makes me a little antsy....

The garage is filled with furniture waiting to go to the new house or office....

The dining room is stuffed with sectional pieces waiting to be finished....

Sometimes I just need to focus on the little stuff....some projects...some successes....

So Here Goes....

A Celebration of SMALL completed Victories!

SMALL VICTORY ONE!

Remember the post about Artichokes?

Remember how I asked if anyone knew where to find artichoke plates?

Remember Bonne Volonté?

SCORE!  Seriously, I could not believe it when I saw these 4 artichoke plates on the shelf...

THEN...when I turned one over and saw 99 cents.....I did a little happy dance right then and there!

Would you believe I was just getting ready to buy 4 of these on ebay for $44...

Bonne Volonté to the rescue once again!

SMALL VICTORY TWO

Remember the new kitten Marvin?

Remember how he is my computer buddy?

Well....he started driving me crazy by raising havoc with all the computer cords!!!!

I hate a snarl of computer cords anyway, so it was time to solve that problem!

I had some foam squares that Mr. S brought home from the office....

I think they were some sort of packing material!

I took a sharp knife....

(Don't tell Mr. S....he hates when I use our knives for projects!!!!)

I made deep slits one inch apart all the way across....


Aren't you proud that I actually used a ruler?










The slits make perfect cord corrals!

It is easy to just slide the cords in and the foam is forgiving enough to accommodate whatever size cord necessary!

It looks a lot tidier under there....

and believe me....there are LOTS of cords tucked in to that one square of foam!

Ha Ha Marvin!!!  Foiled YOU!

I hope you can find some of your own small victories to celebrate!
And...
I promise to keep you posted on my bigger projects when they ARE victories!

Have a Great Day!

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