Ten Snaps: A Little of This, and a Little of That

My focus lately has been all over the place.  A little of this and a little of that with a bunch of sewing mixed in.  So, with that in mind I thought it would be fun to dump ten snaps from my camera to see what I've been doing. 

A little puppy watching.  She did have her eyes closed... but somehow she always knows when I'm stalking her with the camera.

I have to laugh at my clean desk photo because it sure doesn't look like this today.

We have been soaking in as much outdoor time and sunshine as possible.  And Sammy is still trying to eat every stick in the yard.

On a walk I saw this little bit of moss and rocks and it makes me think this is the perfect quilt background for the mushroom scene I have brewing in my head.

Walks and hikes with the dogs have just been glorious!

The lake melts all my stresses away.  And it's so funny to see it this time of year with no ice. 

We woke up last week to this... winter appearing from no where.  And honestly... we loved it! 

Snow isn't always fun to drive in, but it sure makes for a pretty drive... doesn't it?

Spring fever is nibbling at me in a serious way.  With the warmer than normal weather I am just dying to get my hands in some dirt.  Little plants and flowers are doing their best to do to hold me over a bit longer as I just have to remember that gardening is just around the corner!

And this is Sammy again.  Looking at all these photos I remember that she really has been the primary focus of my attention of late.  You see, she is in the rebellious phase of things which is fine, but I forgot how much work it is. 

And yes there are days where I feel like a broken record... no bite, give me that shoe, no jumping, leave it, slow down, stop barking, don't pull on Katie's collar, enough water, you have to pee... again?  My little white squishy dog.  She is really shaping up to be a fantastic pup, but she is sure testing me along the way!

Hope you are off to a brilliant start to the week!

A Weekend Ramble

Oh Monday... I sat down to share a few words with you and have ended up writing tomrrow and Wednesday's stories.  Sigh.  But what to do about today's blank canvas?  Perhaps a little ramble about the weekend?

Our weekend followed a slow, quiet, easy pace that seemed to be so needed. 

There was lots of sunlight pouring through the windows and I admit that I have a hard time resisting my sewing area while there are streams of light to soak in!

The ground froze again, leaving lots of doggy evidence captured in frozen mud to be checked out.  Both Sammy and Katie took turns sniffing their own prints as I snapped a few pictures. 

That's Sammy's nose, ear, and paw sneaking in this snap.

Here's the print without a nosey dog in the shot.  Have I told you I'm a sucker for tracks?  They are a great reminder of how we are all connected through the same shared spaces. 

This particular track is from Katie.  Shown here with her serious face. 

I laughed a million and one times due to the antics of one nine month old white puppy.  She's fearless, always learning, and getting so big these days! 

And thankfully, she is still thinking of herself as a lap dog.  I'm not sure if I will find that cute as she grows beyond 60lbs, but I do relish the fact that she wants to snuggle in my arms!!

And this sums up the rest.  When we weren't outside in the sun, hiking or sewing, we were resting. 

Hope you feel refreshed and sparky as we head into a new week!!

I blinked and the week went by. Whoa!

And I sure haven't taken many pictures lately with the whole getting dark early thing, but one thing I have been enjoying are the spectacular colors through the tree silhouettes in the mornings.

Tonight you will find me here at my sewing machine, because it's a Friday Night Sew-In!!  You can read more about what they are over at Heidi's blog.  So happy to have the kick in the pants to dig deep, put my book down and get some sewing time in.

My plans for tonight you might ask?  Well, no solid game plan, but I'm hoping to finish hand sewing the binding on NY-NY if Sammy is done inspecting the quilt.  And we will see what else I get to.  I might want to start with a little tidying of my desk or cut fabric for my Solids Only Tote Challenge.

Want to wish you a wonderful night of sewing and I'll be back tomorrow with what I get done!!

The door-desk

Mr. Happy and I have been (happily) busy with all things house. 

One of those tasks is continuing to set up rooms.  (also know as, get rid of the boxes and get the stuff off the floor)

This is a snap of my craft/office room on Sunday morning.  It's cluttered and there is clearly not enough work surface to take on any substancial projects. 

So, I had this idea.  (A lot of our projects start with me having a wild idea that Mr. Happy (the engineer) has to shape into workable plans that we can actually do.)

I had seen a show or read somewhere about making a desk out of a door.  I love the challenge of upcycling something that may otherwise be thrown out.  I also love the factor that I am saving us tons of money by not buying something.  Lastly, I like that I get a lot of control in how the final product comes out -- that means I get almost exactly what my little 'ole brain dreams up.

I asked Mr. Happy if I can have one of our doors to set my plan in motion and he says... "we have a door that was replaced that is available."  Perfect!

Now, all I needed were a few legs and nails and voila, I would have a nice big desk to put that excellent finishing touch on what will become command central for me!

This is the door.  It used to go between the garage and the basement.  That said, it's a special door that is wood on one side (the side showing here) and the other side is metal.  See that metal detail put a twist on my plan.  Originally, I was thinking of cutting the door to make the desk shorter. 

Well, cutting metal is harder to do and would leave unfinished edges.

This is what the metal side looks like.  It has a pretty neat pattern on it -- lots of character!  With the plan to shorten the door out, we measured, and I paced, and I tried to visualize what a full size door-desk would look like in that space. 

And... well I determined it would fit.  Horray!


Now that we had what seemed like a plan, the next step was to visit the Home Depot (hardware store).  We went with a list to get table legs (4), screws (3 inch), and Mr. Happy needed a tool or something. 

We didn't find pre-made table legs.  Boo!  But, we did find pressure treated wooden fence posts (big ones) that could be cut to the correct 28 inch desk height.  Close enough for me.  So, about $50 later, we had the makings of what would become the door-desk!

We spent Sunday morning prepping all the parts.  The metal door had to be cleaned up and sanded. 

The wooden legs had to be sanded.  Don't I look like I am having a blast sanding that leg?  I really get a crazy good enjoyment out of working with my hands and creating things!! 
(you can also see shop dog (Katie) laying in the sunshine taking in a nice nap)

Here is a closer look at on of the legs I was working on.  See that dip.  I had to be sure to sand that part by hand because the palm sander couldn't quite get in that crevasse.  (Don't I sound awesome naming tools!!)

I also like how the grain looked on these legs.  Very pretty!

I guess we woke princess up with all the noise and tools and such.  She's a good shop dog!  (Even when she steals my sandpaper and wants to play mid work)

When the legs were sanded and the desk top prepared... we got to attached the legs.  I don't remember if they are attached at this point or if they are just sitting on top of the legs, but I learned a lot about jigs (patterns to put the screws on the same for each leg), measuring (all the legs had to be put in the same spot), and patience (I have none).

Looks cool doesn't it?

Once assembled, Mr. Happy encouraged me to stain the legs a deep saturated mahogany color.  I resisted a bit, but just look how pretty they are with that color!!  OMGoodness!!

And here is the finished project in the craft/office room!

We had to wait for the stain to dry.  Unassemble the desk, carry the parts up from the woodshop, move a bunch of stuff and boxes out of the way to move my carpet and then reassemble the desk.

Then sit back it utter amazement!  It's everything I wanted!

And a bonus.  It also looks like a medieval torture table!

Another amazing project and result from Mr. Happy's woodshop!! 

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I couldn't resist another blooming picture for you too.  It looks so much more beautiful each day and there are still two flowers at the top that have yet to open!  I'll keep you posted on them!

Hope your Tuesday is happy!