If you are a first time reader of this blog you are probably asking yourself "what in the world is this lady doing having a blog?". Well, I sometimes ask myself that same question - lol - but, I usually have way more compelling things to share - like decorating, crafting and just family happenings. But, this week has been kind of quiet. I did have a hair appointment but, that was about as exciting as it got - except for my two phone conversations. My grandson surprised me with a call from the Coast Guard Academy and it was wonderful to hear his voice and get to chat with him like "the old days". And then my brother called me from Utah to fill me in on his adventures. But, other than that, things have been quiet.
But, don't interpret that as meaning that I wasn't busy. You know I am a keeper of lists. Every time I see something - no matter how small - that could possibly use a tweak or update, I add it to my list. These are things that won't really make the world's largest difference but things I would like to get done none-the-less.
And so, this was the week. I had initially planned to start my Halloween decorating this week but, plans have changed. Daughter #1 is coming next week and we are heading to daughter #2 for a few days. Since the Halloween swap is such a BIGGIE, I decided to wait on it until I returned and so, this week became "tackle the list" week. I won't even bother you with most of the silly things I accomplished-mostly things that NO ONE but me would even notice but somehow that doesn't diminish my enjoyment of my accomplishments!
I think I showed you the small piece of black lace I bought when last I was out and about.
Do you see it there right below the spool of black ribbon? So that is one of the things I did this week and I really wouldn't even be sharing this except that there is a bit of serendipity coming into play soon...and you know how much I love my serendipity!
In any case, I got it in my head that I had to add a lace cuff to the witch shoes I had made a year or so ago. Of course, I didn't know where I had stored them but since I was considering decorating, I started to pull out Rubbermaids-and I tell you this for a reason. I didn't find the shoes until Rubbermaid #5. It was a simple matter of just running a straight stitch through the edge of the lace and gathering it up to fit and tacking it on to the shoes. Here is the before:
And the after - isn't my witch just so "fauncy" now?
Of course, going with my ever-so-predictable "if you give a mouse" routine, as I was opening the Rubbermaids, I happened upon my favorite witch and was amazed to see that what were once her orange leather shoes, were no longer. Apparently her boots were "bonded" leather and I found out the hard way - by way of 6 dining room chairs - that bonded leather doesn't stay bonded forever. But, I actually never thought that would happen to something that never got any wear and tear-apparently I was wrong!
The thin layer of leather had peeled off but there was the original boot there that actually feels like suede. The only problem was that they weren't orange any more - and I like the orange.
And so I carried her into my desk and mixed up some paint and did a fair job on repainting the boots without getting paint everywhere else! And that brings me to the serendipity. As I was sitting here once again admiring every square inch of this witch...let's break for a quick recap.... I bought her a number of years ago in a sweet little shop in Alachua-a small town that at that time really was full of lovely little decor shops, antique stores, restaurants, etc. I would pick my grand daughters up once a week from their early dismissal day and we would often head up there for lunch and browsing. This town was-and still is-small and embraced all of the holidays with decorations inside and out.
The girls and I had a favorite shop. I loved it because of the home decor and holiday items they carried and the girls loved it because of the beautiful dog who was always there and loved any attention he could get-win/win!
I can vividly remember the day I bought this beauty. She was WAY TOO EXPENSIVE and I never should have bought her but, as they say, she spoke to me and I knew the minute I saw her that she was coming home with me!
As she sits here and watches me, I have had another chance to look closely at her and I always forget how many fabulous details she has. She has autumn leaves, rusty bells, beautiful hanging glass beads, a sparkly spider, a metal buckle, lots of ribbons and braids, pumpkins, interesting fabrics and LACE! She has lace cuffs around her wrists and, do you see it? Lace cuffs around the top of her boots!! Serendipity!!! I am nothing if not consistent! Who would think that after all of these years, something on my favorite witch would still be a priority for me on a pair of witch shoes I made? LOL
And I won't bore you with the rest of my "important" chores that filled my week but I'll give you a hint where I'm heading next...and then the next two places after that.
Could someone please tell me how, after repainting these cabinets about two years ago, I have walked through this dining room thousands of times and never noticed this.
I truly don't remember why I painted just one hinge. Maybe I was going to see if I liked it and take it off if I didn't but, it is too late for that now. And, I picked those colonial looking hinges back in my country days-probably wouldn't choose them now but, they work and I really don't have any desire to replace them so I'm off to repaint them all. Looks like it will take about 3 coats but shouldn't take long.
And, as I was thinking about my Halloween decor I decided that I want to redo my mantle yet again. I remembered that a long time ago I used a lot of dead branches painted black and loved the bang for the buck-free branches. Lol But, of course, after storing them for years and years, I finally took the leap and threw those branches away...and, of course, I just got rid of 8 garbage cans full of branches that had come down during our recent storms. But, as luck would have it-thanks to all of my huge oak trees-I found a branch this morning that might serve my purposes.
I'm going to let it dry out and then give it a coat of black...and we shall see.
And then, I am working on some things for my brother's upcoming birthday party. He's a runner so we're making medals" with his pictures over the years on them. Right now I'm working on the first one to decide which way we're going-and then I'll only have 49 more to make. Lol It's actually fun and kind of meditative once I get in my groove.
And then, of course I have my grandson's football game to watch followed by the Gators so it's looking like it is turning into a busy day. I know you're all just on the edge of your chairs to see how these things turn out so I will be back. Stay safe and stay tuned.
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