No sew poncho and Autumn

We are still having beautiful sunny days with highs in the 70's.

But our evenings are cool to cold.  Last night it dipped into the 40's.

We need in between clothing.  So with that in mind I made a little poncho for my almost 3 year old grand-daughter.

And it's just as easy as can be too.

There is no sewing, just cutting and the price is right too.

Getting her off the swing-set is no easy task.

She is a real outdoorsy girl and she loves her swings.

The material to use is fleece and i bought mine on sale for $5.50/yard.

A yard will make 2 for this size which is like a 3-4.

One is also going to my little grand-daughter Calista who lives in AZ. however she probably won't need it until Dec. or so.

Addison likes her little poncho.  It's a little snugly blanket she can throw

on and throw off quickly.

The blogosphere is full of tutorials for them.

Just try typing in no sew poncho in your search engine.

I have just started my Autumn decorating and I need to get on the ball.

I set this table a few years ago and I am sharing it because I love the pumpkin centerpiece.

I used a real pumpkin for mine but I have seen several now that use a foam one and that works well too.

Is it fall like yet where you are?

Time for me to head out and enjoy our beautiful Autumn weather while it lasts.

But first I want to thank everyone who left comments on our kitchen cabinet post.

My husband Dan was so appreciative.

Have a wonderful week!

Cindy

Our kitchen cupboards transformed.

This is not a fancy kitchen re-do with all the bells and whistles.

But it is a pretty neat transformation of our kitchen cupboards.

And it's about the time and care that my talented husband put into making them into just exactly what I wanted.

Looking back.

A long before shot of our kitchen.

We moved into our cottage 6 years ago.

The previous owners had replaced the flooring, counter-tops and appliances the previous year.

We had added new knobs and pulls to the doors.  We replaced light fixtures, added a new back splash, kitchen faucet and painted. 

However the cathedral style doors didn't really fit with our cottage style kitchen.

And in spite of all the windows,it could still be dark in here.

A view of our kitchen today.

I still smile when I go in there because it's so bright and cheery now.  

Another before.

My husband Dan removed every cupboard door and drawer this summer.

He used his planer to smooth out the cupboard door raised cathedral design.

For some of the larger doors he used his sander.

Then he built a new frame around each cupboard door and then he added the wainscoting.

We purchased two sheets of the wainscoting for a total of about $48.00.

He was able to precisely cut out a piece and then attach it inside the new door frame he had built.  Right over the old cupboard doors, same cupboard doors, brand new look.

Then he primed, painted and added several coats of polyurethane to each door and drawer.

He spray painted the existing hinges black and we added new hardware that we purchased online at a much better deal than we could find elsewhere.

I made a new curtain for above the sink.

I wanted white ball and fringe curtains like those sold at Country Curtains.

However, I could make it for a lot less and it was very simple.

I found the ball and fringe on sale and the material is extra wide cotton curtain material.

Cost at Country Curtains: about $60 .

My cost about $12 and a half hour or so of my time.

  Another close-up view.

The color of the paint is vanilla custard and is from Sherman Williams.

We bought the best quality they had.  Skimping on paint is just not worth it.

 A different angle.  

It's not the easiest kitchen to take pictures in.

He also painted the paneling in here.  

Another before view.

And after.

Dan worked endless hours on these cupboards, they truly are a labor of love.

And for the total cost:

For the paint, wainscoting, new hardware etc. only about $150.

The biggest savings was to search hard for a deal on the hardware.

In the store our drawer pulls alone were about $7 each.

We found them online for $2.75 each.

It really does pay to shop around.

Thanks for coming by and letting me share my kitchen cupboard transformation with you.

Cindy

Joining:

Tips and Tutorials @ Stone Gable

Be Inspired Friday @ Common Ground

Furniture Feature Friday @ Miss Mustard Seed

Met. Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Inspire Me Tuesday @ A Stroll Thru Life

Tweak it Tuesday @ Cozy Little House

The Scoop @ Confessions of a Plate Addict

Our neck of the woods

We live in the area known as the driftless part of Wisconsin.

An area which the glaciers did not touch.  We are blessed with rolling hills, bluffs, the Mississippi river and areas of great natural beauty.  On Sunday we headed over to the picturesque little town of Alma, Wisconsin.  Alma is situated right along the Great River Road and is a hopping little town especially during the warmer months.

They have a great little Art and Music festival once a year during Labor day weekend.

One of the highlights of the day was a presentation by a trainer from the National Eagle Center just up the road a bit in Wabasha, Minnesota.

My little niece Chloe and grand-daughter Addison sure enjoyed getting up close and personal with this majestic bird.

She brought with her one of their smaller Eagles.  This one only weighed about 7lbs. and was a Florida Eagle.  The eagles around us get up to 18 lbs..I think she may have wanted a lighter load this day.

The bluffs are truly magnificent!  If you want a great autumn drive well let me tell you, the Great River Road is just one of the best.

Besides music, food, art and other fun things the little girls enjoyed just strolling along the beach.

The husband/grandpa too. 

They had a great time dancing and entertained a lot of the senior folks in the audience.

A real treat was seeing the American Queen pass through the lock and dam in the little town of Alma.

A crowd came out to greet them.

It was one of those days I wish I could bottle up and do over.

So what's up in your neck of the woods?

Cindy