A quick fix

We bought our dining room set before our son was born. I can remember people commenting about the light color of the chair upholstery and the fact that we were expecting a child. We were told more than once that the two did not mix.

Of course, we found that to be very true. The cushions didn't hide much of anything in the way of spills or stains.

A few years ago, I found a great deal on a set of IKEA slipcovers and thought I could use them for the dining room chairs. I cut them up and stapled away.

But again, the fabric was light. It started out as a nice beige and over time, became a not so pretty grayish color.

I've been thinking about recovering these chairs again for quite a while. And the occasion of my mother-in-law coming to visit was just the push I needed to get the job done.

Our dining room chairs have been transformed......

from ewwww.....

to ooooohhh!

Before and After

Amazing what you can do with a screwdriver, a staple gun, and some pretty fabric. I love how they came out and can't believe I waited so long to do something that was so easy.

Zipping along

I thought I'd share a few zippered pouches that I've made and received in the last few months.

Way back in February, I wanted to make a quick little project and found the kit for this zippered pouch in a drawer. It was a little gift from the Strawberry Patches during the Heart of the Valley Shop Hop last May.

I liked that first pouch so much, I decided to make a slightly larger one to carry all my essentials when traveling to QuiltCon. The gray fabric on top matched the tote I carried around at the show.

This lovely pouch is the one I received in our guild swap. One of our newer members, Sharon made it. Isn't it great?!?

And this is the pouch I made for our swap.It's the medium sized Open Wide Pouch from Noodlehead. My friend Jane got this one. Everyone brought their finished pouches in plain paper bags and we chose without knowing what kind of pouch was in the bag or who made it. I was thrilled when Jane chose my plain brown bag because I made this pouch with her in mind!

A Not So Welcome Visitor

Oh the joys of living in a rural area! My husband found this guy lounging on our front porch a few nights ago.

Don't worry, it's only a gopher snake. He actually wasn't as big as he looks in the photo. Probably less than two feet long and no bigger around than my thumb. And it was cold, so he wasn't moving very fast.

I scooped him into a container and we took him for a little ride to a nearby orchard. I hope he lives a long, happy life there!

Critter Count:
1 pheasant
1 rabbit
1 skunk
3 snakes
2 adult possums
1 young possum
3 baby possums