Would you believe it took me 5 months to hem the curtains in the sun room? And I only got around to it then because I caught one of the cats "marking" their territory back there? Well, whatever the impetus, I finally hemmed them and tied them back. It made a HUGE difference! The room is lighter and bigger and much more open, and I remember why I so loved it when we first moved in.

The arrival of the curious (and tall) new puppy was all the motivation I needed to finish another project that had been languishing in my never ending queue of started-but-not-quite-completed projects.

Almost a year ago I started a project building a false front for our entertainment cabinet. Just something to cover up our mess of receivers and DVD's and games and remotes... etcetera. I built this prototype ( eh, I'm an engineer) and although I really liked it, that webbing was outrageously expensive. I waited ages for it to go on sale and it never did. I started thinking of some alternative solutions. I had some plywood leftover from these projects so I took it back to the hardware store and had it cut down to size.

I picked up some foam and a few knobs and dug out some gorgeous fabric I've been saving for... something. I was saving it for this I guess. A few staples later and I was finished. It makes me feel a little sheepish that it took me so long to just finish the darn project already.

My last two projects were rush jobs. We needed a couple new beds for the new dog and they are so expensive I wanted to make them myself. I made Murph's bed and it exactly fits our needs.

The first one I made out of a super soft leopard print throw I found on sale at Marshalls. I sewed a zipper in one side and then sewed the other three sides shut. I stuffed it with a comforter I picked up at a thrift store and voila! A super easy, washable crate pad that he can't tear apart.

The second one I made in the same style as Murphy's bed in a coordinating fabric. It's sewn like a pillow sham and stuffed with a thrifted blanket as well. These are really nice because they get so dirty (as you can see in the picture) and they're so easy to throw in the wash when we do laundry. Plus, I like that they cost me about $5, instead of the $75 I would have spent at a pet store and they are rather contemporary and totally devoid of "dog" designs (bones, paws, etc.).