Jo's Country Junction

Jo's Country Junction

What I'm Working On

String Challenge

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So the strings aren’t challenging me right now…life is!  It’s all good but there are just times when sadly, sewing doesn’t fit into life.  Around here being married to a farmer is both vacation and fall house work time.  He’ll be harvesting in a month or so and will have no extra time until about mid November if all goes well.  That means everything that I need extra help with around here needs to start getting done.  We’ve been married long enough to know that we’ll make it through harvest a little better if the house here is in order.

He also took a few days off so we tried to get away for a day…and then back to the house here.  For us the house is a labor of love so we’re perfectly fine not doing a big vacation.

So what have I been up to in the sewing department?

VERY LITTLE.

VERY-VERY LITTLE.

That’s okay though.  Mid September will be here before I know it.  Hubby will be in the field and I will need something to entertain myself.

I got the shirt orders out…this is the second box I got processed.  The first was already out in the truck by the time I stopped to take a picture.

I started moving a few things around in the sewing room after our day away thrifting in Rochester…The table in the front is going on a garage sale…Did I tell you we’re hosting a garage sale/vintage sale at my house next weekend?  Oh my…another iron in the fire!

When we went away for the day I did find a new to me ironing board which was needed…more on it later.

Oh…and this cabinet with goodies on it…more on it later too.

and I did this…. [Read more…] about String Challenge

Whatever Wednesday

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I’ve been on a roll getting things done in the garage….Remember that garage sale where I bought a ton of furniture pieces?  Well this is yet another piece that I bought there.  Before I bought it I did a lot of debating…a LOT!  It was marked at $75.  That’s more than I typically spend on a piece to re-do and sell.  A lot more.  I liked it…I liked it a lot but then the internal debate started…would someone else love it.  UGH!  Who knows?  I don’t want to be out $75.

Then another guy came to the garage sale.  He had his wife on the phone and was talking about the furniture.  He was driving a trailer and was picking some furniture pieces.  I quick grabbed the lady who was operating the sale and said-  “I want all of these things (and then pointed them out)…will you shoot me a deal?”  I could visibly see that the guy was angry as some of the pieces he was talking to his wife about were the pieces that I had taken.  I didn’t know what he wanted…  This the garage sale life.  He got a couple dressers I wanted so I think we were even.

The lady ended up giving me what was equal to $5 off the piece so I paid $70 for it.

As you might have noticed from the picture above you can see that were was some damage to this piece.  Here’s a close up picture of the top.  UGH.

I showed Hubby and he wasn’t thrilled with my purchase.  He wasn’t mad.  He definitely didn’t think it would be a money maker.  When buying it is my real goal was to try to learn from it and at least get out of it what I put into it.  But after his lack luster thoughts on the piece, I had all the motivation I needed to fix it right and actually turn a profit.

Hubby wasn’t much help on suggestions on renewing the top so I just did what instinct called for….sanding.  I sanded and sanded and sanded.  I used different sand paper weights and sanded until my arm vibrated.  I sanded for almost two hours.  Those water marks were deep.

I ended up giving up on completely removing the worst mark but it had GREATLY improved.  The dark marks were gone.  I didn’t think it needed to be perfect as it is a vintage piece.  If it was too nice on the top then the bottom might start to look bad.  There’s a fine balance and I thought I had found it….now what to do about staining the top?  Do I varnish it?  Hmmm.

I asked Hubby if he had any light stain around.  We don’t do light typically so we had none.  He said, “I do have that scratch (Old English Scratch Cover-light wood version) stuff you like in a light version”….Hmmm.  That was my only option so I decided to give it a try….

 

Here is how the cabinet looks now….

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Handkerchiefs

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I’ve been doing some things (very slowly) in my upstairs bathroom.  I found some pictures at the thrift store that I loved.  My pictures are terrible.  The pictures are actually really great.

Here’s a close up of one of them.  Each has a dried flower and then the flower description written.  They were at the thrift store but were brand new with tags still on them.  I paid $3 each.

Then my childcare mom who is an artist did my “K” for me in dried flowers.  This looks so awesome in person.  She does a great job on these.  She does these with choice of background color and choice of flowers or leaves to make the letter.  (If anyone wants her contact info, email me and I’ll hook you up).

I kind of have a floral these going on and am really happy with that.  The thing I need now is a new shower curtain.  When I figure out what I want, I need two as we have a claw foot tub.  I was looking on line and had thought I’d like something lace.  Then Kalissa saw this and was sure I needed it.  What do you think?
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String Challenge and What I’m Working On…

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I have no childcare for the next week….so, I’m playing as much as I possibly can, that is in between driving to appointments in Lacrosse for the prep for my thyroid cancer recheck.

So what did I do…

I started sewing my churn dash blocks together only to discover that I cut about a quarter of the alternate blocks at 5″ rather than at 5 1/2″.  UGH!


So in between some other things I was doing in the kitchen, I started cutting new blocks.  I was a little sad at first and then decided to “get over it”.  At least the 5″ blocks are a size I can use later down the road.  They’ll be perfect in a charm square quilt pattern….in fact, I’ll likely cut more and plan a project with them.


What else I’m doing on my play days….THIS!!!
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