Just Right for a Memorial Day Weekend

I finished the soldier quilt today. It didn't dawn on me until yesterday that this was just the right quilt project for Memorial Day weekend. Here is the front-

And here is the back-

There was nothing on the calendar this weekend so we did a lot of puttering around the house. I also finished painting and waxing this wardrobe/dresser.

I used Annie Sloan chalk paint in Versailles.

Here is the before-

Not that bad, but I wanted something big to work on that I didn't feel I could mess up. I use this to store my batting and quilting accessories. Nice to have a change.

This is a little card catalog I found at a yard sale a while back. The woman told me it came out of The Pentagon when it was being renovated just before 9/11. I'm not so sure she has her facts right. Based on the tape and labels on it, it looked to me like it had been used as a workshop cabinet for quite some time. Also, the date on the keyhole hardware says "PAT'D May 7, 1901". The Pentagon was built in the early 1940's. Would a Pentagon worker have kept something in use there for sixty years? Fun to wonder. Here is the before-

A few closeups-

Perfect for storing threads.

I came across this photo of Len. Notice he is hooked up to a stake in the ground. We like to spend time on our porch. Penny and Duke are pretty good about staying close by. They also listen to me if I call them. Well, actually, Penny is so old she doesn't hear me, but she doesn't stray far anymore either. Beagles are known for being stubborn and Len is no exception. I saw this stake and chain thing in Target one day and bought it on a whim thinking I was probably wasting my money. He loves it! He goes right to it when I let him out. Good boy, Len!

It was a hot and humid weekend. I finally got all my porch plants in and my husband built a stone wall around the bed in front of the porch. Here are some photos of the porch and I'll show the front bed later in the summer when/if the flowers fill in.

I painted the porch bench in the background of the photo above with Annie Sloan chalk paint in Paris Grey.

 I got this garden shelf at the Elizabeth and Co. tag sale.

My mom gave me this very beat up little ladder and I painted it with a thin coat of Annie Sloan chalk paint in Emile.

 My herbs-

 alyssum-

 impatiens-

I wish you could come sit with me on my porch. All we would need is a tall glass of iced tea and something to stitch on. The furniture rocks or glides and birds would serenade us. Nothing better!