Friday, June 10, 2011

I'm back in Florida for some R&R and Beach exploring

Flew down to the Gulf Coast today with part of my crew.
I am really hoping to do 4 things that I've not done yet.
1. Go to Sanibel Island and hunt for seashells.


 Hope to find something great like the last time we went to Boca Grande


2....I want to go to the Hot Springs that are down here. ... Has anyone ever been to them?  I just heard about them, it sounds delightful.
Doesn't this arial view below look cool?

And the illustration below showing that it is 230 feet deep!! 87 degrees year round 



The Springs is the only warm mineral spring in Florida. It's water has the highest mineral content of any warm springs in the world, even more than the famous spas in Vichy and Aix les Bains in France.
Some say The Springs was the spot Ponce de Leon searched for, fought for and died for, believing that here, indeed, was the Fountain of Youth.

Something else on my list this week.

3.... have some Bahama Mammas which I can't seem to get up north. ( a delicious rum drink that really feels "island style")

While I was back home in New Jersey, i did manage to get all my slipcovers for the dining chairs down here finished. My sis was a sweatheart and helped me get them all done.

4... Iron them, slip them on and write words on them in fabric paint


.. so I squeezed the slipcovers all in a suitcase, because we flew this time, and they went as my luggage.
I'm sure I will have to sacrifice some Rest and Recreation time to iron them all, but I am so glad to have them all sewed up and can't wait to see the final result.... well ...all 7 chairs cause one is still back in New Jersey. ...An excuse to drive down again next fall. :)
I will post the "final reveal" when I get them all ironed and slipped on, and painted on.

What happened was last time I was down here, After doing a overhaul of my Dining sideboard/ hutch thingy and Dining table..( posted about here and here...
 I started the slipcovers but never had enough time to finish them. I also ran into a small glitch that I should have taken into consideration but stupidly overlooked. That glitch was that I had not washed the drop cloth before I started sewing, and you really have to prewash, because it will shrink the first time you wash it. After that the cloth is fine. So I needed to start over after making 3, uggghh...because that is when I read the advise of prewashing, somewhere on someone's blog.
So learn from my mistake and wash your dropcloth first.
 ( I know I am behind the curve on this one, most of you will already know that)
But I was able to load one of the chairs into my SUV and bring it north with me to use as a fitter for the rest of the ones I needed.

I am going to try to find time to write  beachy words on the tops of the chairs with fabric paints, for a little added flare. It doesn't wash out, I already tested it. I am really liking the additional texture that it adds. Don't you?
I did it on a few throw pillows that I made.


One side is a novelty boat fabric with splashes of aqua color, the other side is a dropcloth fabric with the seaside words written in white fabric paint.

 Each one of my 8 dining chairs will need to get a different beachy word.
 What 8 beachy words can you think of for  this project?

Thanks for stopping by!

I'll keep you posted.

Join in on the party fun: I am going to try to get to them all...(I'm just a party animal)



4 comments:

  1. OI EILEEN!!!
    AMEI ESTAS DECORAÇÕES COM CONCHAS. TENHO MUITAS AQUI EM CASA, VOU ME INSPIRAR EM SEUS POSTS E FAZER ALGUMA COISA COM ELAS.

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  2. Cute ideas! Hope you find some fantastic shells for your collection.

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  3. WOW! I have never made chair covers...they are fabulous. I love the beach! Have a great time in Florida. Hope you get to do all you want.
    Blessings My Friend,

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  4. Love the pillows - I am about to slipcover some chairs - yours turned out marvelous! Hope you find all the shells to your heart's content! There's a place in Georgia called Warm Springs -I went by there a few years back, they weren't opened - President Roosevelt used to go there for some R & R- I hope you're able to go to the springs and to share your experiences with us!
    Kathy

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