outdoor dining {One Room Challenge} week four

It seems like a recurrent theme, but man, time flies by and not much stuff gets down on the week end! This week end was especially true as it rained a good part of Saturday, and I went to watch Brick Master (my high schooler) participate in the greater DC regional robotic competition. He and his team won 2nd place and are going to the international event this summer, which means I am going to Florida too! Alright, back to the actual part you came to check out: progress on the One Room Challenge.

We have a table (with a still loose top), we have chairs and we have a bench, now I feel like we are getting somewhere!

I protected the bench, after some much needed sanding, with some teak oil, it is waterproofing and give it a nice color and patina. It is the same thing I used on the couch.

I built this bench for 2 reasons: 1-to have extra seating at the table and 2- to use it a coffee table for the couch area. It will be prefect place to put drinks and feet! Mon Cheri installed the new outdoor light, and it is perfect, so much prettier than the previous one.

I also started painting the lower panels on the house, it might not be permanent as the house might get repainted in the next couple of years. But it should look more polished and clean. The new chairs are quite comfortable, but the bench is well.... a bench, so it feels like it needs some softening. I am going to make some little flat cushions, I have to sew something! So far here is the color scheme:

as it is relatively close to the "seating room" of the patio, I would like the color to go well together. I have this really cute lavender print   (brought back from Provence by my Mom),

Of course there are still quite a few things that I need to work on:

like adding some string lights,

oh and finishing that table top,

and a few other things!

The week end is just a few days away...

I will leave you with this cool pic of Brick Master in his glory:

3rd place seeding, 3rd place double elimination, 2nd place overall.

(the power of a good presentation!)

calendar kids quilt: the summer season

Now that we have the first three seasons (Fall, Winter and Spring)

and buildings, the last thing remaining is Summer:

For June, our boy doll enjoys a hot dog on his picnic.

For July, I went a little rogue and made the doll hold a French flag,

it is supposed to be an American flag,

but it is really hard to make it accurate...

and I am French after all!

For August, it is shopping time for back to school outfits!

It is one of my favorite block.

Now that the top is completed, I need to quilt it all,

which might take a while, 

all the ironed on dolls and clothes need to be stitched down,

and all the details need to be added....

Happy sewing!

upcycle outdonor dining table for Earth Day

Happy Earth Day! My latest upcycle project feels very appropriate (to me) for this day: from the bench of an old deck came this beautiful table!

I just finished rough sanding it, it needs a little touch up with softer sand papers.

But I would like it to keep some of the old character and color difference

after all there are a lot of holes in the boards.

I will have to apply some kind of stain to protect the wood.

Obviously the top boards are not yet attached to the base,

I ran out of screws, and they will not be delivered for a few more days.

I am using a mix of boards: 2x6, 2x4 and 2x8.

I think it makes it more interesting, and also that is what I could get out of the benches!

I know, it is not quite finished, but it has great promising bones! Our old table did not go to waste, we gave it to one of our neighbor who was in need of one.

Now anybody interested in an old (but still good) trampoline? I am ready to "let it go", but not Miss C.  She still bounces on it from time to time but nothing like before. And now that we cleaned a lot of the yard, it still remains a little bite of a eye sore....

outdoor dining {One Room Challenge} week three

Wow, this One Room Challenge is keeping me pretty busy! Luckily this week end, the weather was perfect, and quite a lot of work was done. Last week I only made a little table, this week I made a bench

and the beginning of a table.

I wish I was further along but considering  all that was required to get it started, it is not bad at all! See 2 years ago, we tiered down our old deck, and instead of throwing away all that wood, we kept the non rotten wood. With that wood we built some firewood storage and a bike shed for the kids. We also built a outdoor couch, a potting bench and a huge flower bed on the side of the house. Now most of that wood is gone, the neighbors are happy about that, it was not pretty  and a few creatures found it the right place to hang out,  I am talking about you, little snake, the bunnies are welcome to stay... What we had left were these 2 benches: old pictures from the alleged backyard... When we took everything apart, we just cut off the bench at the base of the deck and they have been waiting for us to play with their wood, and play we did! It required a crow bar and a hammer, and a fair amount of sweat, but we got all the wood we needed for the bench and table. Of course the wood is old, and has quite a few holes, but it is done warping and it is still very sturdy. I followed this plan from Ana White for the bench, and this one for the table. They are the same design, which is why I started with the bench, mistakes are easier to fix on small scale.... On my first try, I cut the board at a 10 degree angle, and not a bevel 10 degree angle! I did not even know I could tilt the saw that way, big aha moment... Anyway if the weather hold, I am planning on finishing the table this week end, well the assembling part, before there is still a fair amount of sanding to do before  anybody feels like eating at that table...

We found a cool light for the outdoor, so hopefully Mon Cheri will have time to install it, I am good at wood and fabric, not so with electricity or plumbing, it is OK we are a team, right?!

I am so glad I went to the store to chose it,

otherwise I would have probably chosen the smaller one,

and I think it would have been to small for the wall.

It should arrive later this week, may be on time for the week end....

Oh yeah, there is also painting to take care of...

dirt and drainage to address, the grass that needs to grow....

the list goes on!

There are a few more weeks!

calendar kids quilt: houses and school

I have been having a lot of fun sewing and gluing

the scenes of Fall, Winter and Spring of this new calendar kids quilt.

But to really make those seasons shine,

it was interesting to add some houses and of course a school,

we all know how important it is in the life of children (and dolls!)

The houses are sewed as traditional patchwork blocks,

simple rectangles, squares and triangles.

To make them more fun, I fussy cut a print for the window

so a child would be seen playing inside the house.

The houses are all the same, facing one way or another,

have more or less grass, and more or less sky.

The school is larger, I used the same print for the windows

that children would be seen "working" at school,

OK may be preschool with those blocks!

It is still a simple structure to sew, with an applique bell,

a quaint school!

Next Summer, finally!

Happy sewing!