Quilt of Valor and a Sign

The last week has been a busy one finishing up a project for a group in which I volunteer.

Our local DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) chapter has been working on completing a Quilt of Valor for a local veteran. Last summer, I pieced this Dutch Pinwheel top and this past fall and winter, several other ladies have been busy quilting it. I just finished binding it today and it's ready to be presented.

The Quilt of Valor Foundation was started in 2003 as of way of honoring veterans.  Its mission is to cover service members and veterans touched by war with comforting and healing Quilts of Valor.  There are specific requirements but they are easy to follow, if you do a little quilting.  You can find out more about this program HERE.

After looking at lots of patriotic quilts on Pinterest, I happened upon this Dutch Pinwheel and thought it looked interesting and easy to put together. The blocks are made of up half square triangles arranged in such a way to create the pattern. Sashing between the blocks helps set them off nicely. The ladies quilted the interior of each triangle and used a simple rope pattern in the sashing and border.

We used a dark blue fabric for the backing so the quilt is pretty on the front and the back.  The fabric in the binding is the same pattern as the back but in white.

We hope our honored veteran enjoys using this special gift!

Friday, Precious Daughter took me to a fun painting party.  I made the plaque displayed on the shelf above the chair!  It's made using a stencil and was so easy, even I could do it!  

Some of the other participants framed their signs so they could be hung on a wall or used as a coffee table tray.  The lady who hosted the party does all of the wood working and stencil cutting herself.  She's actually a trained nurse who has four children under 6 and wanted to stay home.  Now she teaches these classes and has an etsy shop.  You can find her HERE.  

 I hope you are finding something creative to do!  It sure helps the long cold winter days go by faster.  

Have a wonderful week!!

                                                                         Zenda

Friday Favorites

We've had lots of people over to our new home this past year and most all ask what are the things we love the most and what is something we would have done differently.  To be truthful, we could not be happier with our decisions and choices, and for that we are VERY thankful!  I feel so blessed to live in a home designed just for us but all of the decisions were based on lots of input from family, friends, Pinterest and the many decorating blogs I read.

I thought I'd dedicate a post every couple of weeks to the things we like best in our new home and why they work for us.

I would say my favorite room is our kitchen/dining room.  When we first sat down with our architect, he asked how we wanted to feel in each space.  My vision for the kitchen/dining room was to be light and airy. I also wanted the two rooms combined.  We would use our old dining room furniture so he worked their size into the design.

The nine foot ceilings and transom windows help to make this a bright, cheery space.  The cabinet color also helps to keep the space light.  Our cabinet maker used a commercial grade paint and it didn't have a name, just a color number.  When compared to the white trim used elsewhere in the house, it has a little bit of grey in it.  I didn't want a bright white for the cabinets, just something softer.  I am also pleased with how they look with the wood floors and our existing dining room furniture.

 

We've had lots of discussions about the counter tops.  We chose quartz and I've been so pleased with the two different colors.  Several family members have granite and others have solid surface and each love their choices. This was a hard one.  There are many different options and in the end, you have to decide how you cook and what will be the best for that. I'm pretty messy and wanted a surface that was low-maintenance and durable.  We set our budget and did a lot of looking around but I am so happy with my Silestone! It's easy to clean and has held up well with multiple spills and messes. I cook a lot and can veggies from the garden so the island size and built-in deep sink have come in handy.

Another thing I love about our kitchen that I'll share this time are the pull-out drawers.  Whoever thought of these should be a billionaire!  (I know it's tacky to show the inside of your drawers but... this is truly how they look EVERYDAY!  In our old house, my 'tupperware' space was a lower corner cabinet.  It was large and my stuff got lost in there!  Many times, I would be on my hands and knees looking for a lid to an orphaned container.  NO MORE!  Here they all are!  And I'm not crawling around after dinner looking for anything!!

 The wide space allows me to keep everything where they can easily be found.

 The little cut-out in the drawer below accommodates the gas fixture for the stove.

Several heavy pots and pans are stored here and in another pullout shelf in the island.

Don't judge me!  I LOVE these Ware Ever pots!  The skillets are newer but I just couldn't part with my old friends!!

Thanks for stopping by.  I'll be sharing our "favorites" every couple of weeks.  My hope is these posts will be helpful to anyone remodeling or building a new home.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

                                                                                      Zenda





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