How many projects can I cram into 10 days?

Ed and I (+ Tasi), will soon be heading east to our Montana cabin - but that doesn't mean I'm putting down the staple gun and paintbrush.  There's a laundry list of projects I want to get done in 10 7 days, in order to get the place ready for the house guests we have coming over for Labor Day weekend.

On that list:

(1) chalk board headboard (x2) (my finished project here!)

inspiration via Apartment Therapy

(2) upholstered headboard (finished project here!)

inspiration via Young House Love

(3) curtains (trimmed and/or stenciled)

inspiration via Our Fifth House

inspiration via Pinterest

(4) paint bathroom (and spray painted hardware)

inspiration via Hi Sugarplum

(5) refinish cane chair #2 (finished chairs here!)

caned chair #1 (by yours truly)

...and I will be sewing many, many throw pillow covers.

Wish me luck.

Zucchini, Cherry Tomato, and Fresh Ricotta Pasta

My version of this dish, Zucchini, Cherry Tomato, and Fresh Ricotta Pasta, did not use fresh ricotta - because I'm a lazy cheater (and because we had some leftover ricotta in the fridge).

It also only took me about 20 minutes to prepare from start to finish, thanks to my mad knife skills (and the fact there wasn't much chopping involved, or ingredients).

Not too shabby for a yummy and healthy weeknight dinner.  See Ed, I can pull my own weight in the kitchen.

Refurbished caned chair

Tada! ("before" pic here)

After stripping off the old fabric, I gave the chair a light sanding, followed by a couple coats of Rust-Oleum's paint + primer in gloss white.  I finished off the paint job with a clear protective coating.  Note: this was the first and last time I'll use a paint+primer - it offered zero stain blocking, and there was a LOT of over-spray.  On a positive note, the paint really had a glossy finish.

Although I purchased upholstery buttons, I ended up re-using the original buttons because they had brads on the back - which meant zero sewing (yay!).  I simply cut out tiny circles of fabric, and then glued the fabric onto each button.

I was a bit leery about making double welt cord (tutorial here), but it wasn't so bad once I got the hang of it, and it sure gave the chair a finished appearance.  Note: you use double welt cord to cover visible staples

Another shot of my lovely refurbished cane chair from a slightly different angle:

My newest project: caned chair makeover

Last night I decided to tackle my newest project, this being refurbishing the caned chair pictured above (I actually bought a matching pair off Craigslist).  Step 1: removing the upholstery.  Tools: a screw driver, needle nose pliers, and brute strength.

I took a lot of pictures so I can remember how to put the chair back together, and saved as much of old upholstery as I could to use as patterns.

Almost finished....

A couple inspirational photos:

via Apartment Therapy

via ChairBlossoms on Etsy

Stuffed Peppers with Thai Curry Rice and Mushrooms

This dish, Stuffed Peppers with Thai Curry Rice and Mushrooms, is another one of those meals I loved consuming but never would have the patience to make (too many ingredients and 1+ hrs of cook/prep time - thank goodness I have a husband who knows his way around the kitchen). 

The flavor of the stuffing, most notably a blend of ginger, red-curry, and coconut milk, was savory and complex.  The oyster mushrooms provided a nice crunch, which went well with the soft rice and sweet bell-pepper.

Ed insisted that the leftover pepper wouldn't pack well for lunch - but I managed to smush it into a small container for transport.  It didn't look very pretty, but it sure tasted good.

Creamy Peach Tart with Smoky Almond Crust

Ed has returned from his business trip to Australia, which means I'm no longer eating toast and pizza for dinner (yipee!).

It also means I get to indulge in delicious concoctions such as the Creamy Peach Tart with Smoky Almond Crust pictured above.  The dessert was a perfect combination of salty (crust/cream cheese filling), smoky (almonds), and sweet (peaches).

Heaven.

P.S.  The tart also makes a great breakfast

The joys of fabric

clockwise from upper l: premier prints zig zag, kravet bansuri slate ikat,

waverly cross section charcoal, waverly ellis turquoise

I think the best part of any sewing project is picking out the fabric.

A couple days ago I purchased two vintage caned chairs, with the intention of refurbishing them (inspiration here).  They'll eventually go into the den in our cabin, which has gray walls, off-white carpeting, and a taupe chaise (the ikat fabric pictured above is for an accent pillow for the chaise).  I decided to cover one chair in the cross-section fabric, and the other in the zig-zag.  The turquoise fabric will become a floor pillow or upholstery for a footstool.

Waverly's modern essential fabric in luminary/indigo (above right) may soon be covering lumbar pillows on the two chairs I just slip-covered (fabric on the left) - although I may end up using a simple-solid fabric if the pattern/color mix looks too crazy in person.

And finally, I want to sew a couple euro shams to coordinate with the striped duvet pictured above.  I like Dwell's vintage blossom fabric in jade and citrine, or maybe another gold patterned fabric like Dwell's  fretscene canary - but I really can't decide.  Any ideas?  The wall color in the bedroom is gray.  I'm open to any color combination at this point.

I also have fabric I want to purchase for two twin headboards, trim on curtain panels, and a billion accent pillows.  I really have no idea how I'm going to finish all these projects...