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Friday, February 19, 2016

Dressed for the weather.

Up north, we girls don't brave the outdoors for a winter walk without donning
 our cold weather gear.  Cuddl Duds, Mukluks, and layers of warm mittens,
a scarf and a hat are essential to keep us warm.  You've got to strategically time your walk,
 because unfortunately you'll be afflicted with hat hair for the rest of the day.

When you live in a drafty old house, it gets mighty cold indoors between blasts
of steam heat, so even the furniture begs for an extra layer or two.



Our long dark winters are the perfect time to knit a wooly afghan to cover an outdated chair.
It took about 3 weeks of knitting in the evenings while watching TV,
 plus a few hours in the car to finish the afghan.  Yes, you read that right. 
Finished.  Ends woven in and blocked.  Completely finished!


Free lap blanket pattern from Petals to Picots.


I finally got around to painting the base of my old drum table, and the birdhouse
got a dose of white paint, too.  I even bought a  real live plant to bask in the sun!

I beefed-up the window cornices with my version of crown molding.
A hand saw and miter box are all I needed to cut mitered corners
and layer the stock pine for a fancy schmancy look.



Before.




After.

I actually finished them before Christmas, but I just got around to painting over the primer.
My excuse is that the ladder was out in the garage.  In the cold.

On the other side of the room.
I finished the cable knit pillow, but it's too small for my liking,
 so I won't be knitting another.  Perhaps I'll throw it in the wash on the hot setting.
Me thinks it could possibly shrink enough to be a mini pillow for the dollhouse....
that we're still working on.  Shame on us!

Our excuse?  The dollhouse is in the basement.  In the cold.



My Pottery Barn plants are the only plants that will thrive
next to a north facing window, but they bring some life to this corner.



I'm still tossing around ideas to update the fireplace.

We even went so far as to drag the dining room fireplace in front of the brick
to see how a light painted surface would look in the room.  Ehhhhhh.
It didn't inspire me to get moving on a new fiasco project.
More Pinning....er research to be done.


I don't want fire hazards cluttering up the hearth,
but these wood shoes were the perfect Etsy find
 to fill in the empty spot left by my red Christmas clogs.


So that's a little of what I've been up to during this long cold winter.


It's nice to be home during the day when the sun is warming up the house........



....and at night when I've got the fireplace remote by my side.  :o)
( PDF link for Nola's slipper pattern here.  Super warm and comfy! )

Thanks for visiting and stay warm!
Vickie

I'm joining the parties at:
The Wicker House Create - Share - Inspire
Cozy Little House Tweak it Tuesday

30 comments:

  1. Vickie, the knit blanket you made is beautiful and the perfect pick me up for your wingback. All though I think those are back in! My mother in law knits throw blankets for us and I love them. They definitely make the winter cold more tolerable! I love your sweet little table. I'm working on painting a side table here too. It's taking me forever. Happy Friday!! Xo

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  2. The Windows look great and I love your afghan!

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  3. Such a cozy post! I've learned to wear ear muffs when I walk to avoid the hat hair problem :-)

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  4. Oh gosh, you've gotten some great things accomplished! I usually resort to paperwork (my go-to), but I would much rather enjoy your projects, Vickie. The throw is just PERFECT (me? I had to resort to PB's offerings). You're so right about the timing and gear for winter walking (much past 2:30 pm puts us in sun descending mode - cold!). I've been sporting a lot of hat hair lately. And laundry is prompted when the Therlos ski knee socks are depleted. Spring, come soon!

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  5. HI Vickie! Oh, everything looks so pretty and comfy cozy. What a lovely spot with your blue chair and that pillow! Love that pillow. And...the vignette on your drum table is lovely! Now you settle down! :)
    Be a sweetie,
    Shelia ;)

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  6. You are amazingly talented!! I love each and every one of those projects! My favorite is the throw - gorgeous!

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  7. Deb is right! Is there nothing you can't do? Love the molding and I can't believe you did it all by your lonesome.

    Keep warm!

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  8. Vickie,
    well, haven't you been busy! Your blanket is perfect on the chair, looks great. What a good job you did on your window cornice. You are one handy lady!
    Rebecca
    PS. I'm am a "slipper" girl, so of course I love yours!

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  9. Hi Vickie, your home is dressed for winter beautifully. Love the afghan you knitted and that awesome design. Love how you added to the window cornices. What a difference it makes. There was a episode on Fixer Upper a few weeks ago where they did a schmear technique on brick. It looked fabulous. Not sure I spelled that right as it might be a fairly new term for the process. I would love to do this to our whole house, but hubby is not on board for it. LOL
    You have been busy putting your incredible talents to use. Thank you for sharing and inspiring. Have a great weekend. xo

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  10. Vickie, I am always amazed by your talent! That is the prettiest.afghan.ever.
    and I LOVE the slippers, too! And the window is so beautiful trimmed out that way. You are so creative! Hope you are getting some of the warmth there. It was downpouring here this morning, with nowhere for it to go.

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  11. Hi Vickie. The cornice you made is so perfect for the beautiful window. You have such a great eye for detail. I love your afghan. . .cable knit, right? It looks so cozy and warm. Your home looks so wonderful. You've accomplished a lot. Whatever you come up with for the fireplace will be stunning, I'm sure. Happy weekend (almost). Nancy

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  12. You truly astound me with all your beautiful handiwork...you are so talented! Between the knitting and woodworking and painting - wow.
    With painting your drum table, what kind of paint do you use? Do you sand and prime the piece first?
    As far as your fireplace, are you willing to paint the brick? I see on HGTV all the time where they do that.
    Have a great weekend!

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  13. Vickie, I love the new afghan and slippers. I don't think I would do well in that cold weather!

    xo Dianne

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  14. While you were knitting slippers and afghans I was sitting on the couch watching old episodes of Sex In The City. I knew there was a better way to spend my time :)

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  15. I don't envy your cold, but I do envy your slippers and your excuse... I had to mow today! Your window framing looks amazing.

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  16. Always fun to visit, Vickie! Your wonderful humor always puts a smile on my face! And your home looks so cozy for this time of year...love your completed knitting projects.
    Mary Alice

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  17. Your house is so cozy and inviting! I just love it.
    Brenda

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  18. Vickie, everything looks so cozy. Love the blanket that you knitted-I'm jealous, cuz I son't know how. The window looks fantastic and the drum table is really pretty. The whole vignette is wonderful. You are so industrious. I guess I need some cold weather down here in Texas so I can get going on some projects.Love how it's come together!

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  19. I look at your cozy home and think about your cold weather and pretend I am there...sigh. So warm here. Still no winter. Your house is always so cheerful and I love what you did to the window. Stay cozy and enjoy your Sunday!
    xo, T.

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  20. I love the blanket that you knitted. You did such a great job. I love your home it's so pretty.

    Kathy

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  21. I'm impressed by not only your knitting skill, but also your miter cutting.... wow! Knitting looks like too much work and I have a fear of blades LOL

    Everything looks amazing, my friend :)

    xo,
    rue

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  22. You are so talented! I'm impressed with your ability to miter corners!
    Love your booties! Stay warm and soak up that sun when you can. It has been
    beautiful here in California. Planted flowers yesterday.

    xo

    Becky

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  23. The window cornices look really nice. The Charmer was built without insulation and the northernly winds come right through and its never really warm, just keeping the chills away. The knitted throw looks great on the chair. I love to knit too and winter is the time I knit the most things. thanks for the pattern for the slippers, can never have too many pairs.

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  24. I love how your window looks now, Vickie - that's a great idea, and I'm lovin' those cozy looking slippers! I'm pinning that window so I remember where to find it!

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  25. What a lovely difference the window treatment makes and congratulations on the afghan's beautiful finish...Those slippers look amazingly warm and comfortable!

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  26. Your home looks very cozy for the season. I love the throw that you made! I think the pillow that you made is sweet too. Too bad it's too small for your liking. You crack me up with the "fireplace remote"! I guess we're primitive since we still burn real wood in ours. But every now and then we'll pop in a Duraflame log. Those are actually my favorite. Ha!

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  27. Love all of your projects! The afghan is gorgeous and love what you did t the windows. Anxiously awaiting for spring!
    hugs,
    Jann

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  28. I always like it when you invite us into your home, Vickie. So pretty and the new afghan is lovely. I wonder if I should take mine off the furniture, it is quite hot here now :-)
    Amalia
    xo

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  29. I like how you dress, and when you vent too.

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  30. Vicki I wouldn't know it's so cold outside by looking at your room, it's so darn pretty and there's a lightness about it with all the blue and white. But those slippers. Those are so ME!
    BTW-would you hate me if I told you it's a sunny 75 degree outside? You gotta visit us :)
    xo
    Leslie

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Your comments make it all worthwhile. Thanks for visiting today!

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