SWEET TEA N' SALTY AIR

Friday, October 24, 2014

IT'S LOVELY WEATHER FOR A SLED RIDE TOGETHER WITH YOU!

Welcome to Sweet Tea N' Salty air, I guess you can see I have Christmas on my mind...... Well come on hop on the sled.........As I mentioned in a previous post we are gutting the guest bathroom and that means some scrap wood for me, well at least I hope it was a piece of scrap wood. Well it all started like this I was thumbing through my favorite Country Door catalogue and I saw these set of 2 sleds for decorating so I called Mr. S in and had to show him ......now when I call him in that usually means I need his approval ~~not really~~ for making the purchase. Well I sat and thought about it for a while and actually I want everything Christmas in the book so seeing that I could take some scrap wood I have paints my own jigsaw I thought I would give my sled making a whirl. I studied vintage sleds for a while on the internet. And this would be the perfect opportunity to use some metal scrolled pieces I had been saving from a wall shelf that I took apart.

3/4 inch plywood

I used sheets of newspaper for a pattern so all would be even.

Here he is straight from the vintage SNO Sled co. wink wink!

After cutting out my 2 pieces of wood I gave them a total black lick of paint. Then using a paint scraper I made the wood panel lines. Don't have many Christmas things so I used some potato flakes for some snow!

Next I gave it a wash of red paint wiping a bit with a cloth. Then I made a Co sign.

Lots of sanding...........

COMFY STOOLS MADE FROM HEAVY DUTY PLASTIC MILK CRATES!

Hi there, welcome! Hope you are enjoying your Fall season. The Fall season brings much more cooking and crafting here at Sweet Tea N' Salty Air such as doe made from scratch and soap making. I have had some requests from locals here that want to get in on soap making and such so I need extra comfy stools without spending a bundle. I had a stash of old milk crates in my shed so I cleaned them up and brought them in.

First step was I tie strapped them together. Don't ever underestimate the power of a tie strap, I think I use them more than anything else.

This is a common old thing that many of us have around. I think that they can hold at least 300 lbs. "Sew", I got my sewing machine going .

I used four different pieces of material , one for the seat, one for the base of all sides and two for the ruffles. I used some older thrown pillows under the seat material so they are actually pretty comfortable. . They are perfect height with my work table. I decided to make the dining room a craft/sewing/food prep such as a butlers pantry all in one and even fold a load or two of clothes when I don't want to stay in the laundry room. The living area has become the open concept area with the dining table/china cabinet and breakfront on one end, the room is large enough to combine them.

So far I have been enjoying having this multi purpose area, No school on Friday so Natalie and I will be cooking something up in here.

I left enough wiggle room in the top part to accommodate a fluffier pillow for those that are seeking the ultimate comfortable stool.

The best part about these stools is that when they are dirty they are one piece and I just pull them off and throw them in the wash.

The material was large scraps I already had.

This may not be a beginner sewing project but if you make a simple "cube" fitting without the ruffle it would be easier. Any questions on sewing feel free to email me, I am not a pro just a self taught experimenter! Happy Weekend to you!

Come join me at these fun linky parties!

Sunday, October 12, 2014

SOME THRIFT STORE FINDS COLABORATED INTO A PRETTY KITCHEN TOUCH

Happy Sunday to you! Hope you are having a better one than me, my home is in array today, we had a leak under the guest bathtub and it. I got to do some thrifting we had to go get wood etc. even a new soaker tub when we took the tub out it had some rust on the under arm . The water damage went onto the kitchen sub floor a tad so we have to replace that as well.

Enough about all that.....I will show the bathroom makeover soon. As I was thrifting I found a whole bag of wooden handle cookie cutters at Dels Thrift warehouse the very place to go here. She has a bit of this and a bit of that. Then at Good-will a framed piece with tiny chicken wire along with some flour sack dish towels, I was thinking a way to combine all 3 things and this is what I came up with.

I crafted a rag wreath out of the flour sack and attached the cutters to the wreath then hung them on the framed chicken wire. I decided to just lean it on the stove hood I use that non slip rubber lining from Rubber made to keep it in place . I use that stuff allot for keeping dishes etc. from slipping.

I rarely use the cabinets up above the hood.

Three of my favorite items all together....rag wreaths, cookie cutters and chicken wire.

Why not make the area that you spend most of the time in as cute as can be?

It's fun placing the unexpected in a place that you would never imagine . If décor doesn't look well in one place try the unexpected! Thank you so much for stopping

Saturday, October 11, 2014

A STRIP QUILT AND MATCHING RAG GARLAND IN ABOUT A DAY

Welcome to Sweet Tea N' Salty Air! Happy Saturday to you. I decided to sew up a pretty strip quilt for a new little girl. The process is easy it's just first picking two pretty pieces of material and cutting equal amounts of blocks , even if you are not a pro sewer and just a beginner you could craft this quilt. You will need a pattern to run by simple enough some cardboard measured out and then its just tracing until you have your desired amount which would depend on the size this one is 3x4 ft. which is ideal for a newborn.

So after you lay out your quilt squares exactly how it will be, you will take the rows and make separate piles. Start to sew the rows together making sure you have the right sides together and the colors are alternating. This will be quick. Then you will just sew all the rows together. For me sewing on the machine is such a relaxing thing. You may think the same. What ? You don't have a sewing machine well you best put that on the top of your list. I do see machines at thrift stores but you may need to do some maintenance on it.

There you have it , all sewn together, don't worry if they don't match up completely that is the joy of a hand done quilt non perfection! After it is all sewn together time to cut a piece of lining quilt lining is sold at Walmart craft/sewing section or any material store. Now cut a piece of material about 5 inches bigger than the sewn quilt itself because you will be making an edge with it.

Sew the big cut of material and quilt lining together with the back side down and leave enough opening so you can turn it right side out. You will have to use common pins to do the edge and for the whole project if it makes it easier. The edge will be the overlap of the big piece of material so you just pin around the edge of the material tucking the raw edge up underneath and just sew the complete perimeter . You can take some colored embroidery thread and make some knots here and there for that vintage look.

I put together a rag type garland to match. I thought it would be nice to attach the first rattle etc. to it.

This would make a cute baby gift ! I know that the direction may not be exact but feel free to email me for further directions. Quilts are always a welcome gift and lend a great deal of warmth but many times they are just used for some pretty décor. Thanks so much for visiting today!

Thursday, October 9, 2014

PUMPKINS...DON'T YOU JUST LOVE THEM? All PUMPKINS ARE MY FAVORITE BUT.......

Hi there! happy you could stop in, so really what's your very favorite pumpkin? . My all time favorite is the Tiger pumpkin. They can be found at Wal-Mart along with the tiny white Baby Boo's. Just a hint of orange markings and lots of white. One of my fondest childhood memories includes a trip to the Pumpkin patch and of course a sample of homemade Apple Cider. Unfortunately here in the southern part of the US Apples simply do not grow here, it's a matter of fact Oranges and all citrus will be ready for picking in November. But for Apples and cider we have some wonderful farm markets here stocked with all the Northern treasures.

so for about 3.00 for 3 in a net sack you can take these cuties to your home. Many other varieties are also available such as Pink, Blue, Green and White Pumpkins. And of course the big Jack-O-Lanterns for carving fun. In the plant world Pumpkins technical name is Cucurbita which also includes Squash, melons and cucumbers . Funny enough they are all in the same plant family. They even have seedless pumpkins.... now what fun would that be if we couldn't cook and eat the seeds? Thanks for stopping in and have a wonderful day!

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

WELCOME TO OUR FALL STOOP FEATURING THRIFT STORE WOODEN PUMPKINS!

Hi there! Enjoying Fall? The weather has even changed some here in Southwest Florida....cooler mornings and evenings. My favorite time for baking yummy Fall favorites as well as warm the heart and soul kind of dinners. Today I have decorated the front stoop, I have included my 2 wooden pumpkins that I found at our local thrift store.

These solid wooden guys are just crying for some love and attention and @ .99 each they for sure came home with me. I mixed up some homemade chalk paint using a bit of baking soda in my paint and gave them a blanket of white.

After the pumpkins were dry I gave them a good sanding then a pretty bow. They are the stars of our front stoop this year.

A few marigolds , mint and basil from my garden sit in a mason jar surrounded by my favorite natural décor , pinecones.

This vintage ladder back chair belonged to a very dear friend that passed away, so every time I look at it brings back memories of our many chats he experienced in the olden days.

Someone took great care crafting these pumpkins the center has a dowel for the stem.

The wrought iron railing is covered with a fall leave garland attached to some orange rope lighting. Those of you that know me know that I love to use different kinds of lighting in décor , to me it adds some festive flavor.