Shellacking Floors (Again!)

This weekend we were so busy, I am tuckered out! I was so excited about the extra day off I kept adding projects to the list. Ha! At the top of the list was re-shellacking the floors! I posted about the floors Here and Here previously.

Before - with all the furniture moved to one end.

The floors didn't fair very well this winter, especially in front of the door where snow and salt was tracked in. After mulling it over while waiting for the weather to warm; I came to the conclusion I made a few mistakes.

Mandy and I hard at work.

 (Mistake #1) When shellac is old it doesn't dry properly. Thus it is very important to get a good can of shellac, unfortunately it also has a very short shelf life. If the can is bulging or looking like it might explode in any way, pass it by! Shellac should also look like coffee with plenty of milk in it and not separated looking. (Mistake #2) On the back of the can it states, do not thin. I completely ignored this statement and thinned it out with denatured alcohol according to advice I read on the internet. (This was suppose to help it go on smoother.) Not good at all. Even though we did three or four coats the first time around, it wasn't even as thick as one non-thinned coat! There was such a world of difference this time. 

First coat on one side.

I must point out we love our wood floors, but didn't expect them to come out perfect. The floors are 90 years old and had paint splatters, pet stains, thousands of staple holes and discoloring from the sun. But we love them the way they are! And are happy to coexist with them. 

After- and so glossy!

One of the wonderful things about shellac is, unlike other finishes, you can add another coat at any time. When you apply another coat is softens the layer beneath and melds together. This is very good news for scratches and scuffs as applying a coat over them makes them disappear! (The very deep scratches didn't disappear completely, but they do look much better.) It also enabled us to do one side of the room at a time and one can't tell where we stopped or started!

After- second side.

  We used a gallon and a half of shellac on the living room and dining and it took us two days. The living room and front hall the first day and the dinning room and hallway the second day. About every hour and a half to two hours we would apply another coat. Then we let is dry overnight before shuffling the furniture to the other side. We are so excited to have it done! It is heavenly on bare feet! Though we have noticed if the humidity is high it gets a bit sticky, but it should harden completely in a week. (In a perfect world we probably shouldn't have moved the furniture in for a week, but ah well!)

After- through the front door.

Life is just a bowl of Cherries!

 I always associate the month of July with Cherries. Probably because that is when they are in season and because one of my favorite July 4th memories involve cherries. 

One July 4th on our way home from up north, we happened to drive through downtown Milwaukee at the perfect time. We could see along the shoreline about five different locations lighting off fireworks.  I remember oh-ing and ah-ing over the fireworks while munching on cherries. The best way to see fireworks, no noise and the perfect view!

 For my birthday this year Mandy bought me a cherry pitter.  (For more info and where to buy.) I was so anxious to try it out! I have been waiting months and months for cherry season to arrive. Finally it is here!

The pitter has prongs that push through the cherry and pop the pit out the other side. It is very easy to use and though it splatters a bit, it is a lot cleaner then doing it with a knife. So far we have been eating them as fast as we pit them. But eventually I am sure I will get around to making a cherry something. 

 (I got a little carried away with pictures as I discovered the sequence setting, my new favorite!)

We have discovered that pitted cherries get eaten twice as fast un-pitted cherries!

Do you have a favorite memory involving cherries?

Sisters- Marie and Meg

My inspiration behind the Meg and Marie aprons were my Great-great-Grandmother and her sister. These are my favorite photos of them, taken around the time Marie graduated. I have always thought of them as the country and city mice. Meg was two years older and moved to California. Marie lived her whole life in Minnesota. 

 We have a family album from around 1910(judging from the clothes worn). Many of the photographs are of family and friends on outings and picnics. I love looking at the pictures, wondering what the stories are behind them.

 Marie in a jaunty hat.

Meg sitting on a hill.

 Marie on the left, with possibly her best friend Minnie. Love her skirt!

 Marie and a beau?

The sisters.

Marie with her second husband. This picture was the one that inspired me to create the "Marie Apron".

May and June Apron of the Month- Free Pattern

Announcing 

May and June Apron of the Month!!

 Marie and Meg

I am so excited about these aprons I don't know where to start! These two cuties are "sister" aprons, if you look closely they are both the same pattern except for the shape (pointed or scalloped) and the finishing (ric-rac or bias tape). They are named after real sisters, my great-great Grandmother Marie and her sister Meg! It is always so interesting to see how siblings can be different, yet so alike.

Does one of the aprons looking familiar? I loved the Brown Striped Apron so much, I took the pattern from it!

I have three separate files for the patterns;
 Meg Apron skirt, Marie Apron skirt, and Pocket, Ties and Waistband.

Say Hello to Meg!

She is the bolder, more adventuresome one of the duo. A statement is shouted out with her dramatic points and eye catching ric-rac. But at heart she is still a pretty simple girl. The Meg Apron is so easy to put together! You can whip one up in about an hour. With three panels of the same piece, waistband and ties it is a piece of cake!

Don't you love this fabric? I total agreed with several comments that I needed to make an apron to match my kitchen curtains! (I thought I had posted about them, but apparently not, Opps!) I am now contemplating putting red ric-rac on the curtains! 

And say Hello to Marie!

Marie is a little bit more demur and ladylike with her scalloped hem and traditional contrasting binding. Just as easy to put together and just as easy to love! (It is a good thing I don't have to decide which is my favorite!) She is constructed just like her sister, a three panel skirt, waistband and ties.

Marie Apron was very much inspired by an apron my Great-great-Grandmother is wearing in a photo. It has been on my list for a long time to make. I love how it turned out, just like I imagined!

The fabric is an old vintage feed sack I have been saving, I don't even remember where it came from. But the minute I came across it in my stash I knew it had to be a Marie apron.

I hope you have a lovely summer weekend! We are suppose it get some sun, finally!

Vintage Find: Spring Form Pan

 Do you remember my post about Timeless Spring Form Pans? How I was in love with idea of a pan with interchangeable bottoms, how I wondered if they still made them? I actually did do a search online to see if I could find one. No luck.  

Then Saturday on a whim we stopped at an estate sale and there in a kitchen cabinet was a Spring Form pan with interchangeable bottoms!! 

 I must admit it took me a few minutes to realize what I was looking at. The pan with the flat bottom was on one shelve and the tube bottom was on another shelve. I almost started dancing when I figured out I had found a treasure!

 With a little scouring, it is almost like new!

 A very ingenious design. This little clip holds it all together. Just hold the ends together and slide the clip down. 

Wa-la! Now I have an angel food cake pan! I love that now I don't have to have a huge pan I only use once a year wasting space in the cupboard.

I was so excited I had to try it out! Cherry Tea Cake. Yum!

Summer

Happy First Day of Summer!!