Painting and Glazing a Wood Shelf

This was another *FREE* project! This shelf was in the old house we tore down to build this one. I spray painted it and then glazed it to put in our kids’ bathroom. (My hubby, who so wonderfully hung the shelf, placed the pictures on it. I haven’t yet decided how to decorate it, but I’m pretty sure they’ll be moving off of it!)

Here’s an up-close picture so you can see the glazing and antiquing.

Here’s what I started with. I had to strip the old paint and finish (no photos for this stage).

After I spray painted it a dark blue color, I thought it was just too flat. It lacked depth, so I glazed it. To glaze, you just apply a color of paint and wipe it off before it dries. Easy.

This is the paint I used! Inexpensive.

I used a foam brush to apply it and then a rag to wipe it off.

Please note: It is important to let the spray paint dry COMPLETELY before glazing. You will end up wiping into the spray paint coat if you attempt to glaze before the under coat is dry.

After I glazed it, I took sandpaper and rubbed the edges to make it look a little worn. It looks pretty good for a free shelf.

It’s tough to get good pictures in a bathroom!

Improvements to the Zipper Pouch Tutorial

I wasn’t completely happy with my zipper pouch. I made some more, with a few improvements.

Improvement #1: Attaching the fabric one piece at a time to the zipper. I attached the outer fabric first.

Then I attached the lining fabric. This ensures you won’t miss either fabric and leave a hole.

Improvement #2: Press both fabrics after sewing them onto the zipper.

Improvement #3: Open the zipper before sewing the side seams. This makes it much easier to turn!

Improvement #4: Add gussets. This makes the pouch stand up. Here is one with 1” gussets.

This one has 2” gussets. That made the bottom denim stripe stay on the bottom of the bag.

Hope these minor improvements help you enjoy your zipper pouches even more!

Want to Make: Window Coverings

I’ve been thinking about window treatments for our house. The only rooms with curtains now are our boys’ rooms, and that’s just to help keep out the sun!

Love these grommet curtains!

I have no window coverings of any sort in my kitchen yet. I like this idea!

These Roman Shades are cute.

I really wish I could wear…

Pink Coat

When I was little, I did have a skirt attached to leggings! I loved it!

Other skirt/leggings combo.

Super cute ruffle cardigan.

I just think these girly items are super cute! But they won’t look right on a 20-something mom of two!

Makin' Applesauce

The great Autumn weather in our area this past weekend put my husband and I in the mood to make a bushel apples into of applesauce! He suggested I share how we did that.

First of all, we bought a bushel of Golden Delicious apples. We purchased seconds; they are the bruised versions that the orchard can’t sell for eating. We got them for a discounted price! Don’t be afraid of buying ‘seconds’! Ours weren’t in bad condition; both our toddler and I ate one on the way home and thought they were fine!

(Expect to pay around $16 for a bushel of seconds.)

We started by cutting the apples into quarters. We have a food strainer, so we did not remove the seeds or skins.

Next, we put the apples into a big pot. Since we made a bushel of apples, we ended up doing about six pots’ worth of cooking. Add about an inch of water to the apples to prevent burning.

Cook the apples down until they’re soft and the skins are starting to fall off. The total volume of apples in the pot will shrink.

This is what the food mill looks like:

To use the food mill,

[after your husband figures out how to assemble it for you!]

you just push the apples through the top bowl. The mill seperates the skins from the good stuff. The applesauce comes out looking like this:

My husband likes it extra smooth, so we put it through our blender.

This is the finished product:

A bushel of apples made a ton of sauce! For $16 and about 2 hours of work, this was our quantity of sauce:

It freezes well. I don’t know how to can food, but someday I would like to learn! This would be great to can.