Another flagstone path...

HERE I shared a flagstone patio I did at my last house. I loved that area. I am grateful I have a covered front porch in this house, but I didn’t at the Lankford house and this little “patio” really opened up the front of the house.

I also shared how to repair flagstone HERE.

HERE I shared how to set a grinding stone walk way.

These were just a few of my stone walk projects. The Lankford house had a good 10-15 tons of flagstone walks and gardens…I love it!

One thing I don’t love is small rock…unfortunately there is one area in our yard that I decided I have no choice.

It is on the south side of the house but it is completely shaded by trees and I think our neighbor’s garden pond leaches into the area keeping it damp.

When it rained or there was a snow melt, water would pool in this area.

No sun, constant damp = no grass.

Out of sight, out of mind. So I have done little here, other than attempt to seed and grow grass, to no avail.

I have two big dogs who like to run and play and always seem to gravitate to this area and inevitably their muddy paw prints end up all over my house! I HAD to so something.

I decided to do a rock pathway.

AGAIN, there are hundreds of great tutorials on how to lay rock pathways. Find one that works for you!

I started by scraping down the area about 1-2” and compacting it well with a garden tamper, paying close attention to the grade. I wanted to make sure there was a gradual fall from the back of the house to the front.

This is where a lot of tutorials suggest putting down “garden fabric.” I do not. I don’t like it and I am willing to spray a little roundup on any weeds that may pop through from time to time.

Some also suggest putting down a firmer base. In some areas you may definitely want to do that. I did not do that here because I didn’t feel like it need it.

The next thing I did was put down sand where the flagstones where going to be set.

This is a super important step in my opinion. First, you want the large stones (whether flagstone or paver stones) to sit on a “clean” base…no rocks or pebbles. If a rock were to work its way into underside of the stepping stone and you put pressure on it by stepping on it, it could break. Second, it gives you a soft “pliable” base…so when you set your rock, it is easy to make adjustments by adjusting the amount of sand…just pick up the stone and easily remove or add sand as needed.

I usually add about 1-2” of sand. After putting down the sand I wet it down well then I used a long 2x4 and dragged it over the sand several times to level it out, again paying close attention to the grade of the area…you DO NOT want to create low spots where rain water and snow melt won’t drain!

Since I was creating a “path” I “walked” the path to see where I wanted each stone to set. I wanted the stones to kind of match my stride.

I leveled each stone as I set it, starting from the lowest area by the front gate and working my way back to the highest point by the corner of the house. There is only about a 6” drop in this 22’ span so I had to be very careful and pay close attention to that grade.

This is where you want to make sure you are not doing anything to impeded the natural flow of any water shed.

For example on the other side of the front gate is the side yard of the front of the house. It is already has a good grade and I wanted to make sure that what I did was not “lower” than that grade, creating a dam.

I also wanted to make sure I wasn’t altering the grade so that water actually flowed toward the house…that could be a major issue! So each stone needed to either be perfectly level or slant slightly away from the house, never towards the house.

Once all the pavers were set and leveled, I hosed down the area so that the sand leached under the rocks, filling any voids that might have been created by all the movement.

Next up was the gravel. You may wonder where I got all this rock. At the rock store, of course…lol! I was talking to my daughter when I went to pick out my rock and mentioned I was going to the rock store…she laughed at the fact that there really is a “rock store.” I picked out my rock, determined how much I needed, then paid them to deliver it. I had hoped they could deliver it to my back yard, but their little machine couldn’t fit through the side gate so I had to wheel barrel four thousand pounds of rock around my back yard! Yes, I hurt like heck this week!!!!

I decided I wanted a “path look” to the rock…so I picked out two different rocks. A small brown rock and a larger multi colored.

I used a 6’ piece of garden edger between each rock to create a crisp line. Put it in place, lay rock on both sides, walk on the rock a bit to bed it down, then just pick up the piece of edging. I used the garden tamper as I went to bed the rock a bit more.

I think this looks super awesome…course the first things the dogs did were run back there and scatter rocks so I am not sure how long this “crisp” look will last.

So far so good…

We have had one light rain and of course it is spring so I am sure we will get some heavy rains in the next few weeks. I held back a few buckets of rock so if there is any settling or pooling I can add more if needed.

Eventually I may add some shade loving plantings…someday. Again, out of site out of mind.

While I was digging around and creating pathways I decided to tackle another area as well. This one will highlight the grindstones that were my grandfather’s. I shared those HERE when I made a path at my other house. It was one of the things I made sure did not convey in the sale…yep, we dug them up and moved them here. They have been sitting under potted plants for over a year but Brian had a wonderful suggestion for using them and I will run with it…when I can run again.

I will share that at another time…maybe when I get further along in the process. I rarely leave a project half finished but after days of digging and hauling I was just too pooped to finish up Sunday. Fortunately it is it has rained for a few days so I a good excuse to stay inside and work on my quilt project.

Until next week….

WHY DO I DO THIS TO MYSELF!!!

If you have ever checked out my “About Me” page you may note the annual pictures of our family in our Christmas PJs. No pictures of the last two years because Brian and I had Covid in 2020 and then Sarah had it this past year…so no family Christmas celebration for two years in a row. I still got everyone matching PJs but no family picture…poooo!

Anywho, I have always wanted to make a quit out of all the different plaid PJs. I have put it off because, well, I hate sewing. Hate is not a word I use often, but I really hate sewing. I wasn’t really sure why. I’m pretty good at it. I love the end results…whether it be a decorative pillow, reupholstered chair, or a custom formal dress.

I just know that every time I sew, I find myself growling and gritting my teeth.

I finally realized why I hate it so much after two weeks of working on this latest project!

It hurts…my back hurts, my neck hurts, my teeth hurt, my head hurts. Most likely the result of my horrible posture and hours of sitting.

The latest project? A PJ quilt…or rather quiltS! As in, I am up to three quilts and two throws.

Why…well, we have a full and twin bed upstairs in the bunk room and I really want some cute Christmasy quilts. Then I decided if I was going to make two for upstairs, I need to make a queen size one for the guest room. And of course the grandsons had different PJs than the adults so I thought it would be neat to make throws for them out of their little PJs.

And then of course I need to make something for the daughter-in-laws…they both want throws…and Sarah wants pillows…

AND BEFORE I KNOW IT ONE TINY SEWING PROJECT HAS TURNED INTO A FRICKING NIGHTMARE!!!

So be it…like I always say, the best way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time. So every morning I take 4 ibuprofen and start chomping away.

As with any DIY project I first had to find my “inspiration.” I knew I wanted quilts, but I also know I don’t want to do a tedious piece mill quilt. When I was in college, I worked for a lady who made applique’ baby quilts…so I know how to do that.

So I went searching and found this….

…I love it and it is something I can do with my skill set…applique’ trees made out of the flannel PJ’s on flannel panels.

I am not going to go into a long tutorial on “how to make a quilt”…as I have said time and again, I am not good at tutorials and there are THOUSANDS of tutorials out there on how to make all kinds of different quilts. Find one that makes sense to YOU!!!! I’m just here to “inspire” you!

So my next step was to gather up all the PJs we have. I sent out a message to all the family to gather up their old PJs and send them to me….

These are just a handful!

We have had this tradition for over 20 years but most of the older ones are long gone. I was able to gather about 15 different plaids from years past. The little guys (my two grandsons) had to wear different PJs up until about 4 years ago and my daughter actually had some of their older PJs stored away….SCORE!!!

I decided (based on some complicated math and chintzy fabric widths) to make the panels 10 1/2” x 10 1/2”. For the little guy’s throws the panels are 9 1/2” x 9 1/2”.

Easy peasy, right?

OH MY GOSH!!!! WHAT HAVE I DONE TO MYSELF!

The queen size quilt requires 72 panels, the full size 56 and the twin 48. The two throws will take 24 each…and each panel has THREE trees! That is a total of 672 trees…so not only did I have to cut out 224 panels, but then I had to cut out 672 trees and 672 tree stumps…and then I had to applique’ three trees and stumps on each panel.

THIS product has been an absolute life saver for me!!!!

Back in the day you would have to iron on a fusible backing. With this stuff, I just cut out the trees on the webbing, peeled one side, stick it on the fabric, then cut it out. Then I peeled the other side, and stuck the tree onto the panel. This stuff allowed me to peel the tree off and reposition it if needed. Not easy to do with iron on fusible backing.

I did use an iron on fusible webbing on the back of each panel…flannel is “stretchy” and this made sewing the trees on a bit easier. It is a “tear away” webbing so when I am done I can just tear away the backing and have a nice soft panel!

Actually, I stuck all the little trunks on the panels, sewed those on with a satin stitch, then went back and added the trees.

Again, it is waaaay more complicated than I make it sound, but this is the end result….

A total of 176 big panels and 48 panels for the little guys.

It only took me two weeks and a big bottle of ibuprofen.

Soooo, now I wait for the flannel I ordered for the stripes that will go between each panel. I got the cute white flannel with little stars for the panels from a local craft store but I read reviews on their flannel and it didn’t score high marks. So I decided to buy a different brand from a different source for the stripes and backing. It was a bit more expensive, but if you are going to put in this kind of time and money, I say go with the best. I want these quilts to last a looooong time!!!!

I decided to go with plain ole’ red…very Christmasy. My plan is to connect each panel with 1 1/2” red stripes and back the quilt with red or maybe another plaid flannel…then bind it with a red and white striped fabric…kind of “candy canish.”

Truthfully, I am grateful for the time off while waiting on the flannel. I need the break!

I am very fortunate. My daughter’s boyfriend’s mother quilts and he knows how to do the top stitch quilting…so he has agreed to do that for me. That is an expensive part of this project so I am grateful he is willing to do it!

AGAIN….find a tutorial that makes sense to you for the type of quilt you want to make. My quilt is a tad more complicated because of the applique’ work, but you can do a simple patch work quilt if you have no other skill than the ability to sew a straight stitch! Don’t let the complicated and beautiful quilt projects intimidate you…they are amazing and I envy the women who have that ability, but you can make a simple keepsake without all the fuss!

I have seen keepsake quilts made out of baby cloths, old jeans and athletic tshirts. My neighbor saw this and decided it would be a great way to preserve a bunch of her father’s old flannel shirts she kept.

This is definitely a “labor of love.”

It is also a prime example of doing something I dislike because I know I will love the end result!

The "new" Drexel server....

I shared my plan for this wonderful vintage piece HERE….

I know purists cringe when people even talk about painting vintage pieces.

This is a prime example of “doing what you love.” If a piece will be more loved and treasured in a different state then go for it.

I painted the first one I found years ago and have had it in my dining/breakfast room…

…I recently swapped it out for the china hutch (featured HERE) and sold it.

Now this piece, a Drexel Accolade, has some value as is….if you do a little research you will find they sell for hundreds. But for me “hundreds” is not a value that will keep me from giving a piece a little makeover. If we were talking tens of thousands, yeah, no.

I also have a Drexel nightstand I refinished and shared HERE.

I planned to sell this piece after it’s makeover but I have moved it into my dining room and now I am kind of liking it…hum…guess we will see.

So…what did I do to give this thing a little more appeal?

First, I removed all the old hardware and brightened it up.

The hardware on these pieces are solid brass but after a few decades of neglect it is hard to tell. You can tell if something is solid brass with a magnet. A magnet WILL NOT stick to solid brass.

If the hardware is solid brass, the only way I have found to really brighten it up and get the decades of grime off is with Brasso and SOS pads.

Coat each piece with Brasso. I use a little chip brush to coat the pieces. After that sits for awhile, take an SOS pad and scrub away. You may need to repeat this process a time or two. I also use an old toothbrush to get in all the nooks and crannies.

After all the pieces are really clean, I scrub them with “Never Dull.” It seems to get the last layer of grunge off and gives them a little bit more “brightness.”

Not the easiest or fastest way to clean brass hardware but I just don’t think you can beat beautiful brass hardware.

Now, if the hardware is NOT brass and you want to spruce it up (without the cost of replacing) you can always give it a good scrubbing, prime it with metal primer and then paint it with spray paint. (TIP: put the screws back into the screw holes so that you don’t get paint in the threads.)

I shared another brass hardware restoration project HERE.

So, the hardware is done. If you find a Drexel piece and it is missing any of it’s original hardware, you can find replacements on Ebay…but be prepared to pay dearly for it! Each pull can range from $30 to $110 EACH!!!

I decided to strip and oil the drawer and door fronts. On the last Drexel makeovers (the bedside table and server) I painted the entire piece. This time I decided to shake things up a bit.

While I like wood grain, I am not a huge fan of oak. No biggy since, again, my original plan was to sell this piece. To highlight the pretty wood grain, I stripped the drawer fronts and doors using my trusty 1/2 and 1/2 mixture. 1/2 acetone, 1/2 lacquer thinner. HERE I posted a pretty lengthy tutorial on how to use this mixture to strip even the most stubborn finishes!

After stripping off the old finish I gave the drawers and doors a little mineral spirit wash, lightly sanded, wiped with tack cloth, then applied 3 coats of tung oil finish…my current favorite being Waterlox.

After that had dried and cured well, I taped and papered the doors and began prepping the cabinet for paint. (I removed the drawers to strip and oil them!)

I didn’t need to paint the inside of the cabinet so I taped that off, along with the black laminate under the flip top. I primed with Bullseye primer, then sanded smooth with 220 grit paper and wiped it all down with tack cloth.

I decided to paint the cabinet with high gloss black lacquer spray paint. I am obsessed with the high glass finish on these pieces. I just think it really makes a huge impact, especially with the bright brass hardware.

(You may notice I am all decked out for Easter…that is my new thing…decorating for each holiday/season. Next up will be Memorial Day/4th…patriotic stuff…then “summery”…then fall…then Christmas…then Valentine’s and back to Easter. See what happens when you “retire.”)

The trick to a flawless spray paint finish is LIGHT COATS…lightly spray, let it dry, spray again. It may take 3-4-5 coats but it dries quickly and in the end you will have a beautiful finish. If you go heavy handed you will have drips and runs and will be hugely disappointed!!!

Also pay attention to the temperatures and humidity. If it is too hot or too cold, or if the humidity is really high, you may have issues!

HERE you will find some additional tips on how to property paint furniture…very helpful!

After the paint had properly cured (gave it a good day or two) I replaced the hardware and OH. MY. GOSH!!! I seriously love this piece. Even though I am not a huge oak fan I am really loving it!!!

So the past few weeks I have been tackling a MAMMOTH project. Maybe next week I can share it. Hint, in entails A LOT of the thing I hate most….but man will it be worth it…I think…I hope….