sweaters, shorts, and belated Valentine's Day gifts

Life has been busy (isn't it always?). Midterms took over both of us for awhile, MQ is busy at the NICU and I'm working on a big statistics project that is leading to undo amounts of stress and panic.

Nevertheless, many a craft has been happening in the Quinn home lately. . . . so much so, that my blogging can't even keep up. Sewing machine makeovers, monogrammed sweaters, shorts inspired by swimsuit dying extravaganzas, month-late Valentine's gifts, and an impromptu weekend trip that involved a new bathroom cabinet made from salvaged barn wood. . . . . it's very exciting stuff, my friends.

Here's the very brief rundown:

1. So, several months ago, I encountered some major issues with my sewing machine. Michael and his dad were able to remove it from the machine in hopes we could get her fixed up somewhere. (full disclosure: I was pretty certain his dad would be able to fix it himself. I mean, cars aren't all that different from sewing machines, right? apparently not.). Turns out, it's much more expensive to fix a motor from the 1960's than just buy a new one. A special thanks to my father-in-law who found and purchased a beautiful new motor for us that is not only super quiet, but it now has adjustable speeds making my sewing life much easier.  

 

Isn't she beautiful? It runs perfectly and is my most prized possession these days.

 

2. Monogrammed sweater. Love it. want all my sweaters to have a felt monogrammed K's on them. Michael says one is enough.

3. After my swimsuit dye job turned out so swimmingly, Michael was inspired to use the remaining dye to turn a pair of thrift store khaki pants into bright teal shorts. A knock-off version of what's selling for about $60 at the GAP these days that will most certainly be out of style by next summer; completed for about $3.

They're cute. Bright, but cute.

4. That same week (he saves up all his crafting for his spring break, I guess), I finally received my Valentine's Day gift (never mind it's tardiness. . . . better late than never, right?).

Those are our silhouettes, cut out of book pages, and adhered to a piece of wood. He watered-down some gray paint to give the wood a nice gray tint but keep the wood grain visible.

 I love it. It will be a perfect piece of art for my desk at school. Can never have too many book crafts at one desk, right? 

5. Saturday we decided to take a very last-minute trip to Scandinavia, WI to visit Michael's brother and his wife. . . . . and to steal wood from their barn and turn it into a new bathroom cabinet. It's so close to being done - but it needs a good stain/polyurethane coat or two. I'll fill you in on that entire project soon.

We used power tools, my friends. This is a huge step in our crafting careers.