Chair Before & After

Hello folks!  We've been monkeying around this weekend.  Here's a picture of Doe Doe hanging the hardware for some window treatments.  As you can see, he's getting lots of help from the Monkey. 

I wanted to post some pictures of the computer chair I got back from being upholstered.  Here it is in its "before" state.  I found it at a thrift store for $10. 

And here it is with some fresh fabric.  As you can see, I didn't bother to pick up before I took this picture.  Toys, toys everywhere!

I slipcovered this ottoman a few weeks ago for the playroom and had lots of fabric left over to use for the computer chair.

This chair belongs in the desk area that juts off of the kitchen adjacent to the playroom. 

I added the number to the back of the chair to give it a graphic punch. 

Next project: finishing the drapes and roman blinds in the dining/living area.

Vintage Finds for Mc's Room

Today was a great day to visit the Habitat ReStore.  McCord and I came home with two matching chairs in a beautiful peacock blue for $85 each.  Here's a picture of McCord checking out one of them.  Both chairs are in great condition and appear as if they've never been used.  I love the piping and tufted back cushion.

 I debated on which room to put them in, but McCord seems to think they're his, so for now they are in his bedroom.  They match perfectly with the fabric I've picked out for his window treatments. 

His room is still a work in progress, but it's slowly coming together.  We also bought a couple of framed puzzles for Mc's room.  Both are replicas of vintage ads for the Barnum Bailey circus.  I forgot to photograph those pieces, so I'll have to post about them later. 

I found this vintage paint by numbers picture at a yard sale last weekend.  The frame is a little damaged, so I'll have to do something about that, but I love the image, and for $1, I couldn't pass it up.  Perfect for a little boy's room.  

I've been working on our kitchen/desk area.  It's kind of a mess.  If you've been over to visit you know what I mean.  It's a large space, but inefficiently planned.  A kitchen reno isn't in the budget with the loads of other items on the to-do list that are demanding attention right now, so instead I'm trying to divert attention away from the wonky kitchen with fabric.  Sounds desparate right?  That's about how we feel.  Anyway, here's a chair I purchased at a thrift store for $10 that we'll use in the desk area that juts off of the kitchen.  I just had it reupholstered and can't wait to show you the after picture.  Will try to post that later this weekend. 

For now we are busy sprucing up!  Doe Doe is coming to visit this weekend to help us fix stuff!

Master BR Inspiration

Right now we're in renovation-mode with our new house which means designing is far, far away.  Thank goodness for Pinterest.  I've been stockpiling inspiration photos so when the time is ripe, I'll be ready.  Here are a few things I love for our Master Bedroom. 

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 I've found a great tutorial for making an upholstered headboard, and I'm kind of in love with that look right now, so that project may be in my future with the help of my dad.  Here's some fabric I bought for the MB.  I can't wait to get my hands on it!

For now I'm making some fixed roman blinds for the den-area with coordinating drapes for the dining room.  Window treatments are not my fav to make, butI hope the end result is worth the trouble.  More on that to follow.

Monkey Spaghetti

Princess Cape

McCord's friend Ansley is turning 3 and her Mama has planned a fabulous Princess and Prince birthday party complete with bouncy house!  What better way to celebrate the big THREE than with a magical princess cape?!!! 

Here's my model tasting his delightful magical potion reserved only for royalty.

I've made several of these for nephews and other little guy friends, but never a girly version.  I had so much fun picking out a super-sparkly poly fabric for the underside of the cape.  I hope that Ansley feels especially magical when she wears it. 

NOTE:  A special thank you goes out to my trusty sewing buddy.  I am so thankful that he's only one and still allows me to dress him any which way he's confident enough in his manliness to wear a pink sparkly cape with a crown on it and not think twice about it.  You make pink look fierce, Baby.

A Few Things About High Cotton

Hi there.  Welcome to High Cotton. 

Things are new here. 

A new house, and a new blog, and our little family is settling into the "newness" of both.

Please pardon the off-center and fuzzy blog head at top.  And I do apologize that Life on Surrey Lane does not automatically redirect you to High Cotton.  I've learned a few things about Blogger.  When you change your address, you lose all of your "popular posts" links and your followers, so this feels a little bit like starting over.  Obviously I have a few quirks to work out.  Please bear with me.  And if you're still reading, THANK YOU!

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An Introduction
So, since this is a new address, I feel like I should start with a little introductory post about High Cotton.  If you're from the south, you're probably familiar with the phrase, "high cotton" meaning "the best of times" or "good fortune."  I did a little research and learned that the phrase borrows its jargon from the antebellum rural farming community.  Most cotton grew fairly low to the ground, and therefore required a great deal of effort to harvest, stooping low to pick the cotton.  Those who had more favorable (and expensive) crops grew cotton that didn't require you to lean down.  Instead, it grew tall and was therefore know as "high cotton."


A Little Dream: a sewing business called High Cotton
I've had a little dream for the past year or so of starting a sewing business.  I love creating something useful with my hands for others to enjoy.   When I sew, I like to think of the generations of women who sat at their sewing machines or with needle and thread making items to adorn their family and homes. Sewing provides me with a "back to basics" kind of satisfaction and a sense of providing for those I love. 

Right now, High Cotton Handmade is just a dream, but I'm slowing moving closer to "go."  The plan is to start out very small and just offer one or two items like the silhouette pillows I've shared before here and here. 

The goal is to create items that are unique, fresh, and meaningful.  Bo has known about this dream of mine from the start, and I am so thankful for my super supportive husband who knows more about business than I do and can offer me plenty of advice.  I also hope that you will offer advice on items you'd like to see offered.

 I'm quickly learning that this new endeavor will take a lot of courage! 

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We Have A Walker & Other Adventures in Motherhood

...and a few funny moments in motherhood lately:

1. McCord has figured out how to start the CD player that is attached to his crib (looks kind of like this one).  He takes the liberty to start his CD player when he's ready to get up in the morning or from a nap.  He doesn't do this all the time, but the majority of the mornings this past week, Bo and I've woken up to "Who built the ark? Noah! Noah! Who built the ark? Brother Noah built the ark!"  We look at the video monitor, and there's Monkey, hanging onto the railing of his crib, bouncing along to the lyrics. 

2. The other day, McCord woke up from a nap after being asleep for only 1 hour.  Instead of listening to his CD, he started fussing.  I looked at the monitor, and he was in his usual standing position, ready to be picked up.  I decided to let him cry it out for a while so he'd go back to sleep as is our usual practice when he wakes up early.  This proved unsecessful.  When I went in to have a serious conversation with a one-year-old about how much Mama needs you to take a nap, so she can shower, do the laundry, vaccume the upstairs  the benefits of sleep, I noticed that he'd taken off his pajama pants and thrown them overboard.  He also had taken off his diaper and it was laying abandoned in his crib.  Even though McCord isn't saying any words now, I'm pretty sure his look meant, he had a dirty diaper during his nap, and where was I when he needed me?!!!  Let's hope we don't make a habit out of this.