Sewing With Salt Air Fabrics
A Not-So Springy Quilt
It’s Spring cleaning time and I’m thinking about rotating my seasonal decor. Quilts are my favorite things to change out. I usually leave a big basket filled with almost all of my quilts in my family room, in case of a chilly night on the deck when we have company over. In addition, I have one or two draped over the back of a chair or hanging off the side of the couch. I rotate those, seasonally, along with my floor pillow covers. This is one of my Winter quilts. There’s really no reason that I call it a Winter quilt. The colors are pretty neutral and the fabrics are not season-specific. For some reason, it just says Winter to me.

This quilt was my first jellyroll project. I fell in love with the colors of this jellyroll, the minute I saw it. I had no idea what I would make, but I just loved this fabric.

What do you think? Is this a Winter quilt, or can it stay out a bit longer?
Slipcovers For The Ottomans – A Fabric Review For Organic Cotton Plus
If you missed my post on my happy mail day, here is the rundown on my fabric:
The New Family Room Couch
The Wood Burning Fireplace
When we moved to our house, 10 years ago, I was thrilled that we had a wood burning fireplace. I’ve always loved the crackling sound of a roaring fire and I know the trend is to rip those out and replace them with gas. I understand that gas is convenient and that it’s much easier to flip a switch for warmth than it is to play Boy Scout and build the perfect fire, but there’s just something about a real fire that I love.
Two years ago, when we were having our chimney cleaned, the chimney service let us know that there was some damage that needed to be fixed. We have a broken cap and some of the wood is rotting. At $1,500 for repairs, we didn’t jump on the idea of having those repairs done right away. This year, when we had our chimney cleaned (by a different company) they told us the same thing and the suggested fee for repair was about the same as well. That news got us thinking that maybe we should just look into swapping out for a gas insert. Then, the repairs at the top of the chimney wouldn’t matter because it would vent in a completely different way.
My friend, Diane, is in the middle of a big flooring, fireplace, and fireplace tile remodel so she asked if I wanted to go shopping with her over the weekend. We found some very pretty gas inserts, but with my particular situation, the glass (viewing area for the actual fire) would need to be pretty small. That was the first strike against this new plan. Then came the really bad news. We went to three different places and found that it would cost between $3,000 and $4,000. Sheesh! We don’t mind a DIY project now and then, but DIY of fire and gas lines does not sound like something we will be tackling any time soon, so there would be no chance of cutting the cost. That was the second strike. I had pretty much made up my mind that this would not be happening, so I tossed the brochures and built myself a cozy fire last night. Third strike, Friends. I just really, really, like a wood burning fireplace. I know, I know… a gas fireplace would increase the value of my home and it’s much more convenient but I also know that it’s 3 strikes and you’re out. The wood burning fireplace will be staying.
A New Shelf
A few months ago my son tossed a kitchen towel toward the couch and inadvertently broke a table in the family room. For the record, the table was on its last leg anyway… literally. I bought the little table for $8.00 at Goodwill and used it as an outdoor table. When the weather turned rainy, I brought it into the house but didn’t really know where to put it. My daughter liked the way the table top spun and played with it a bit too much, leading to cracking. I propped it in the corner and tried to make it pretty, while telling the kids to not put anything on the table because I had it balanced just right.
Onto the story about how a kitchen towel broke the table:
We had laundry waiting to be folded on the couch, including a few kitchen towels. My son tossed a towel over to the couch and it hit the little lamp on the coffee table. When the lamp moved, the table became off balanced causing it to fall, which then pulled the cords for the other lamps nearby and knocked those lamps off our taller shelves too.
Now that you know the story of How a Kitchen Towel Broke My Table, I can show you my pretty new shelf in the corner of my family room.
I looked all over the place for a medium sized table that had additional storage. I was really looking for things like industrial carts that had a rustic feel, but all of those were too expensive. A couple nights ago, we were at TJMaxx, killing a little time before a movie, and I spotted this little shelf. It was just what I was looking for. I wanted something a little taller, so I’d get better lighting from my lamp in the corner. I also wanted something wood-toned but not matchy-matchy pieces.
I really wanted a place to store more “stuff” in my family room. This shelf has room for a basket and blanket at the bottom, books and pretty jars, a few picture albums, a picture, and my new lamp that I bought with my birthday money.
I’m liking my pretty new corner in the family room! It looks like it belongs there.
Happy decorating!
Summer Beach Mantle
Super Simple Floor Pillows
A Little Family Room Love
