Kitchen Curtains, Sprinklers

Well, the vacation house in the mountains improved a bit more during my last week of summer vacation. I finished the valance for the kitchen window over the sink. It turned out nicely, I think. It wasn't that wide so I didn't applique pine trees on it like I did on the curtains for the larger kitchen window. We also got to dig trenches and bury new sprinkler lines in the flower beds in the side yard. The previous owners had the sprinklers just sitting on top of the ground which was a major trip hazard in addition to being very unsightly. I also transplanted some bushes from the backyard into the side yard. I hope that they took and are still alive because two weeks will have passed before I can water them again. Hopefully, they have had some summer rain up in Big Bear or at least cool weather.

Bear Curtains and Fish Curtains

     I'm really happy to get these curtains, which are appliqued with bears, up in my kitchen in Big Bear. I got the pattern for the appliques from Eleanor Burns' quilting book, Bears in the Woods. I had taken down the previous owners' faded plaid curtains and taped a Hefty bag over the window for a few weeks while I designed and made these. The covered window made the kitchen really dark so I felt pressured to get these up quickly. I love a room filled with sunlight. I love the branches on the fabric and it matches the peanut butter colored walls perfectly. Since we are next to a lake and my son likes fishing I decided to decorate my son's room with a fishing theme. When I found this adorable fabric covered with fish, rods, fishing bobbers, and creel baskets, I had to snatch it up. It makes really cute cafe curtains.

Curtains, Pillow Shams, and Quilts

I'm currently decorating a house we've had in Big Bear since last spring. I'm working on a quilt for my daughter's bedroom that's made of pine tree, bear paw, and log cabin squares. It's a full-sized quilt and I hand-quilted it which took forever. I'm almost finished. I only have to sew on the binding. I was hoping to have the quilts for both my son's and daughter's rooms done before it starts to get cold this fall. This pillow sham and curtain valance are made out of fabric left over from the quilt. I'm getting another yard of the background fabric because I've decided to make cafe curtains instead of just having a valance on the window.