The Apple Street Cottage

  I've recently discovered that oven skirts are a thing.    Have you seen them? If not, let me enlighten you.  They are basically a fabric apron or skirt that covers your plain oven door.  Attached to the handle with bows and finished at the bottom with a ruffle, they are the latest way to add a charming touch to your oven.   I just thought they were really sweet and decided to make one for my kitchen.   Let me show you how I did it: I pulled out some fabric (that's been sitting around for years) and Battenburg lace (found at an estate sale). I cut a piece of fabric large enough to cover the front of my oven - plus a little for a hem on all sides.   I'm not sharing dimensions since all ranges/ovens are a little different and I decided to make mine go all the way to the floor.  After hemming my skirt, I cut 6 pieces for the ties - 3 inches by 15 inches. They were folded - right sides together - in half lengthwise, pressed and st...

Well, my friends, it really has been FOREVER since I wrote a 'This & That' post.  I just looked and it's been almost a year.  What can I say?   In the interest of keeping this from being the longest post ever, let's just talk about 3 things:  My ear surgery (because I promised to explain in a past post), Keepin' it Real, and a couple of pics of life at the cottage.   This post may contain affiliate links. Ready?  Here we go..... The Ear Surgery In all honesty, this story starts in 2023.  That was the Estate Sale, Auntie B & 'Aunti-biotics post.   Oh, was I sick.  No ear infection, but lots of fluid.  After that, I couldn't go anywhere that was musty/moldy without my ears reacting, sometimes with an infection.   Finally, in the Fall of 2024, after 2 different ENT doctors and a case of Sudden Sensorineural Hearing (that's a story in and of itself - just Google it), I was given ventilation tubes in my ears to pr...

 It's June and that means Flag Day and Independence Day are just around the corner. So, it's time for a little flag decor to mark the occasions.   Since I'm always a fan of a good upcycle, let me present my summer top. I've always hand-washed it in cold water and no matter how I tried, the red bled into the white.  It doesn't show up that well in the picture, but if you look carefully in the upper right, you may see what I mean. The interesting thing was the bodice of the top didn't bleed - at least not a much!  Most of it was around the arms and neckline. Well, I couldn't wear that anymore, but the red and white stripes gave me an idea! This post may contain affiliate links. Out came my rotary cutter and cutting mat to cut some strips. One linen top deconstructed into about ten strips! This lovely (large) wooden knitting needle was in my stash just waiting to be used for something other than knitting. It's about 14 inches long. I started attaching the ...