This was happening at my house and the temperature must have gone down 20 degrees in here! Lol
Decorating with Dodi
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
Ahhhh!
Sunday, June 29, 2025
Here We Go Again
Why can't things be easy? I'm having another one of those days where I have a plan to tackle a bunch of "simple" things on the list until the storms arrive yet again. And, as happens so often, the simple is anything but!!
Let's start with a new mailbox. One of the screws holding in the door of my beautiful mailbox rusted and the door no longer worked as it should. I knew it wouldn't be long before the mail carrier left a note telling me to do something so I was confident I could just find an appropriate size screw/bolt and get it replaced rather easily. Nope! I won't go into the logistics of it all but that was not going to be possible so, when daughter #2 was here yesterday, she and I made a quick trip to Lowes.
Of course, they no longer have my rubbed bronze/copper mailbox so I found one as close as I could. It is rubbed bronze but nowhere near as large as my previous box...or as "pretty". In any case, we brought it home, storms came up and I sent her on her way before she had to drive through all of that and assured her that I had installed my previous box so this would be no trouble for me.
Fast forward to today and I actually read the instructions and saw where it said "hardware" included with your mailbox...except, I missed the small print..."hardware included with your mailbox POST". Now, I do have a nice post but, it has been there for a number of years. It is nowhere near needing to be replaced BUT, I did remember that when I put on my last mailbox it didn't fit with the hardware included because it was so large and I DID have to jerry-rig it. Of course, that meant that said hardware could now be anywhere. Believe me, I looked but no luck. So back to the next jerry-rigging I went. This mailbox does have holes that match up with holes on the side of the post plate but, it says to use a certain size bolt. Well, I feel like Goldilocks. The one that I have is too small and just slides in and the next size up-that I swear is not more than a 32th of an inch larger-is too LARGE! I must have tried 100 bolts just "hoping" but, in the end, the storm clouds started rolling in so I did what I do best-I shoved the too small bolts into the holes and loaded them up with E-6000. I'm pretty sure that will serve my purpose for a day or so until I can get back to Lowes and see what I need.
And, before the rains came, I grabbed my new toy-the reciprocating saw-and headed out to cut up more of the 2x4s. I swear no matter how many I cut, the pile just didn't seem to be getting any smaller but, I persevered and "got 'er done"! Lol I will say that each time I use that saw I am more comfortable with it but it definitely does a number on your shoulder! I have found a way to balance the wood so it doesn't shimmy as much and that has definitely helped as well. Now all I need to do is put a bit in the garbage each week until it is gone!
So now it is VERY dark outside-kind of ominous feeling and I am once again thinking ahead to my next swap...and then the next after that. Am I the only one already ready for autumn? I think my blood pressure dropped 20 points when this arrived yesterday.
So that's all I've got for today. It is still pouring down rain out there but the lightning seems to have tapered off a bit for now and, we didn't lose power so I think I'll go look for a movie and enjoy a cozy afternoon before we start a new week-which, by all accounts, looks to be even more wet than this last one. Oh goodie! Lol Stay safe and stay tuned.
Friday, June 27, 2025
Thinking Ahead!
I woke up to a dreary day with the possibility of rain so I just wasn't in a hurry to work outside. Of course, I wasn't in a hurry to do anything on my inside to-do list either so I had to scramble. I have been thinking of my next decor swap which will take us to my late summer decor-mostly sunflowers and citrus. I knew that I didn't have anything for the "new" shelf in the living room and my mind went to the peat pots that I have been doing. I knew I didn't want to do a vintage one with ephemera (like I did for St. Patrick's Day and the 4th) because the sunflowers just don't lend themselves to that. But, I could go the route I took for Easter and spring:
Wednesday, June 25, 2025
And That's a Wrap!
I must admit that I went back and forth on the frame for the Christmas hanger. I found the perfect round Santa image and got it to fit perfectly in the round frame but, in the end, I went with my gut feeling that the round frame just wouldn't have enough "oomph" on the stand. And I went with my last square frame.
Monday, June 23, 2025
Hippity Hop
Easter was up next so I found a vintage image I liked and sized it and printed it out. I found a pretty soft green and got the frame painted and then, as usual, I distressed the edges.
Sunday, June 22, 2025
Faith and Begorrah!
I guess I was on a roll and just couldn't stop. I actually found a St. Pat's image that was square, had shamrocks and said "St. Patrick's Day" which is just about everything I look for when I'm using these frames so I resized it and got to work.
Saturday, June 21, 2025
Heart Day
I almost called this "My Heart Wasn't In It". Lol When I am crafting, I can almost always tell if I am doing something I am going to like or not. I like Valentine's Day but it is definitely not my favorite. That being said, I enjoy using vintage images for this day and really thought I wouldn't have trouble finding ones I loved.
Since I have done many Valentine crafts in recent years, I guess I have already used the images I like the most. Also, when looking for images for these frames, it is just easier to find ones already square. I know I can resize and cut any image but so many of them lose their meaning, borders, or whatever when that is done. I also wanted something a little romantic so, in the end, I went with this.
I filled in the opening on the back of the frame I chose to use with a piece of thick corrugated cardboard and the one on the front with a thinner piece. Then I had a burgundy kind of red paint so I painted the frame with that and ModPodged on the image before adding my usual walnut distress ink.
Next came the embellishing and, I will confess, this thing went through many iterations. I don't have a picture of the first but I made a "many looped" bow with my cream silk ribbon as well as a ribbon hanger and then added some flowers. No matter how I tried, I couldn't get that thing to hang straight so I cut the loops down and had a "messy" bow-which I use often.