Lauren's Headboard from a cast off door

Lauren has been wanting to make a headboard for her new bed since they moved out to the farm.

She stayed the week with us so she could attend camp and in the evening she got her grandfather "n board" to work on the headboard in the evenings.

Lauren had laid claim to the old door in my garage several months ago.  Her mother tried to "steal" it for the Chicken Coop, but NOPE!  Lauren already said she needed it for her special project.

Lauren and Peter took the first trip to Lowe's to pick up the trim items they would need.

Lauren specifically wanted the rope trim and had a detailed "vision" of how she wanted the bed to look.

She explained that she needed a shelf across the top to store some items.

And she wanted her shelf to be trimmed out with the rope detail.

Lauren also wanted lights to be attached to the headboard. (She likes to read in bed!)  That requred multiple trips to "various" Big Box stores to find "just the right lights"! 

Here is a shot of the finished edge with the light. 

Next step was to take the headboard to her house to paint. 

Ashley, Lauren and I made a quick trip to Bonham to pick out her paint color.  I think that was a harder decision than all the building decisions.  Too many shades of Turquoise to choose from!  (She also has a very specific vision for how she wants her room to look!)

Once she decided on  her color and got the headboard painted, she also wanted to add some detail work.  With some left over metal stars from another project, she nailed them to the headboard to create a half moon affect. (She didn't want them too random!)

Here is her final "vision" brought to life.

I think for a 10 year old she has a lot of style!

Great job!

Till tomorrow,

debi

Farm Work

This Spring has been a busy time at work.  So many of our projects and activities take place on the weekend, and a week of camp when school is out keeps all of us busy.

To add to that busyness is "Farm Work."

Since my daughter and her family moved to their 10.5 acres, it seems my weekends vanish!

Since mid-April until last weekend, we have been caught up in one of "her" big projects.

The first big thing Ashley wanted to have completed was a chicken coop.  She wanted to be able to buy her chickens and have a home for them before Spring was over.  She didn't have a set of plans...noooo...the whole idea of the coop was "in her head". (Just like her father!)

Of course, she called her dad and checked some of her measurements for her idea, then she headed to the lumber yard to make her initial purchase of lumber.

She even hitched up the trailer to bring her lumber, tin roof, and additional materials for the coop.

She started out digging her own holes even.

And she made some pretty good progress, but before long they borrowed the neighbors hole digger!

Once the holes were dug and the posts were up the real work begins.

After the walls went up, the roof was put on.

Next, the siding.

It's always good to have extra help!

Ashley envisioned each step in the building process.

She wanted three windows so the chickens could have fresh air.

She and her dad worked hard.  They made a good team as they talked through each step, making sure he understood just what her vision was!

The windows I picked up at various yard sales.  I usually paint on them, but she took the ones she thought worked best for the coop.

Add hardware....

More skilled help.

 

Ashley's dad, Peter, made the handles for her.

 

Before we could get out the next weekend, Ashley had the whole coop painted!

Work began inside with chicken wire on the windows.  The windows are hinged so they can be opened from the outside without entering the coop.

Peter and Ashely worked out the nesting boxes.  (They read on the Internet that the roofs should be sloped so the chickens can't get on top of them and poop...let's just say they are more sure footed and like to get up to see out the window.

They also made the roosting bars where they will sleep at night.

Next BIG step is to drive all the T-posts in preparation of putting up the fence.

The ground was pretty hard and some spots had to be watered to soften the ground.

The gate had to be built and installed.

Task...complete!

Now...the fence!

the last of the fencing is up and the chicks can be set free at last!

They were a little timid at first, but they eventually all made it out of the coop.

Ashley dotes on her chicks like they are children.

Austin thinks they're playmates.

This was a two month project (from start to finish) with the bulk of the work happening on Saturday's.  Ashley and Peter put in a lot of hard hours, with the rest of us jumping in and helping whenever there was a need.

I must say...I'm impressed.  Ashley had a vision and saw it through to completion.

I'm proud of her and her tenacity.

(Now she wants to knock a wall out inside the house!)

We have been clearing a lot of cedars from "our" side in prep for building a house...but that's for another day!

Till tomorrow...

debi

Happy Father's Day

“Sing praises to God and to his name! Sing loud praises to him who rides the clouds. His name is the LORD— rejoice in his presence! Father to the fatherless, defender of widows— this is God, whose dwelling is holy.” Psalm 68:4-5 NLT

Happy Flag Day

Your flag and my flag,
And how it flies today
In your land and my land
And half a world away!
Rose-red and blood-red
The stripes forever gleam;
Snow-white and soul-white -
The good forefathers' dream;
Sky-blue and true-blue, with stars to gleam aright -
The gloried guidon of the day, a shelter through the night.

~Wilbur D. Nesbit, Your Flag and My Flag

We take the stars from heaven, the red from our mother country, separating it by white stripes, thus showing that we have separated from her, and the white stripes shall go down to posterity, representing our liberty. ~George Washington, attributed


The red and white and starry blue
Is freedom's shield and hope.
~John Philip Sousa

The flag of the United States has not been created by rhetorical sentences in declarations of independence and in bills of rights. It has been created by the experience of a great people, and nothing is written upon it that has not been written by their life. It is the embodiment, not of a sentiment, but of a history. ~Woodrow Wilson

Baby Sewing

It's been such a long time since I've done any baby sewing. I loved to sew for my girls when they were little!  I believe this is the first "baby" pattern I bought when I was pregnant with my first girl in 1979!!  What a long time ago.

I think this is still my favorite bib pattern.  I'd show you the bib I made then, but I believe it is at my daughter's house. Still looks brand new.

What brings all this on?  We're expecting a new grand baby in September!  We're all excited here, and I think it's time to create something new for our little one.

Since Emily LOVES vintage fabrics as much as I do I decided to start with my favorite remnant...a red geranium vintage table cloth.  There are only the edges left of this, the middle has a huge hole in it and was not usable.

I really want to make this bib reversible, so I rummaged until I found this pretty embroidered dresser scarf.  I love the little embroidered heart! 

The pattern is a quick and easy sew, the whole project took less than 2 hours.

Here is side one.

Another close up of the pretty embroidered heart.  I still have the other end of the scarf...maybe I can make some other baby "object" with it?

Here is the reverse side from the geranium tablecloth.

This side I added the little pocket along the bottom edge.

I also added buttons on the edge.  They don't work...just embellishments!

Having completed one, I felt inspired to make another one.

Again, I'll go with reversible.

 A little trim...

And maybe an embroidered name?

Yes...it's a girl.  Emily and Jared are going to call her Olivia Anne.  I love her name, and am so excited to be welcoming another girl into our family!

Side two I completed with rick rack and buttons.

I think it turned out sweet.

Just the right gift for a little girl.

(Hopefully Emily is at work and NOT reading blogs!)

Till tomorrow,

debi