The House, Lately

Hall before



Hall in progress



Entry before



Entry in progress



Family Room before (sorry about the small picture--it's from the listing and I forgot to take any others before I started painting)



Family Room in progress



I should be farther along in my painting, but I keep getting distracted and doing things like this



and like this



and like this



P.S. If the bag happens to be your birthday present, pretend you didn't see it here first. :)

Project #1,973

I've been wanting a cuckoo clock for the kids' room, but haven't been able to find the right combination of features in a clock I could afford.


When I saw this embroidered clock from the preview of Meg McElwee's new book, "Sew Liberated", I decided an embroidered cuckoo clock might be even better than what I've been looking for. Unfortunately, I've just renewed my vow to not start another project until I've finished all the projects I've already started or purchased supplies for.

At least I have a few years to learn how to embroider.

P.S. I just bought this pattern to make a Christmas dress for Winnie.

Hooray for Ebay, Part 2

I am on a roll--I haven't lost an Ebay auction all year and I've gotten everything I've bid on at a lower price than I was willing to pay. (Ignore the fact that this might mean I'm willing to pay too much.)

I just bought this set of coasters that I've been trying to find for months. Aren't they cute? Can you believe someone else didn't snatch them up right away? This set is missing one coaster, but the price was right. Of course, I'll need the full set at some point, but for now this will take care of my family's coaster needs. Any bets on how long it will be before little hands break off one of the people?

Another plus is that buying from Ebay really builds self esteem. Every time I buy something I must get three emails telling me that I'm a winner! Much nicer than all the snarky complaint emails I usually get at work.