Emma Can Sew!

These are our oh-so-sweet grand-daughters Emma 8 and Gracie 4. As it always is, my sewing machine was out on the dining room table when they came to visit and Emma wanted to "sew something". So this morning we were going to make her a little bag before they went to the circus, then she saw my stack of aprons and wanted to sew an apron instead.

She is so smart and really wanted to do it herself - so she pretty much did it all!

I cut the pattern out for her but she pressed the hems and did all the sewing herself. The only thing she couldn't do was round the corners and turn the ties right-side out after she sewed them up. I was really impressed! We took a video so she could show how she really did make it herself.  Nice job Emma!

Backyard Guest Retreats

I've had a thing for tiny houses since I was a kid I guess. Until recently I thought everyone grew up drawing floor plans of their 'someday' house. My sisters always got mad because I would help them set up their barbie doll houses making dish-towel bedspreads to cover cereal box beds etc, but I always quit "just when we got everything ready" they would say.
Anyway.... I'm so glad it's becoming popular to use little cabins, portable buildings, even shipping containers - as backyard art studios and guest retreats.
I'm in the country now and think it would be fun to put a couple of these little "cabins" in the back facing the woods. There's lots of berry bushes and trees back there we could tuck them into. We've already built a barn (we used fence pickets from the hurricane clean-up on the exterior so it looks old) and are just finishing a guest apt in the loft above it. I'd like to turn the bottom of the barn into a kinda 'backyard retreat' or 'man-cave' as my husband calls it, for parties and overnight guests.

This is my barn.

 

Guest apt in the barn's loft. I made these mock-ups at autodesk to visualize the apt.

Building the barn and yes I painted it green...

We're doing it ourselves too. I'm still working on the floors, counter-tops (which I plan to tile), and paint. I think it be fun to put a couple more little buildings close-by that could double as extra sleeping spaces!

Tiny Rustic Cabins and Portable Buildings

 

A Little Less Rustic

  

Make It Feminine and Sweet

 

Rustic and Campy

 

Modern