Almost Done

 Happy Monday! As usual on Mondays I am trying to get my week lined out. I was supposed to have my grand dog, Rory, here this week while daughter #2 and her family headed off to the mountains for a winter vacation. I was looking forward to it because Rory is a chocolate lab-and labs are near and dear to my heart after having our Mandy for so many years-but, the kids asked if Rory couldn't tag along. I guess they've seen and heard stories about how much labs love the snow and since they are staying in a house that allows pets, they decided to give it a try. And so, my week now seems to be pretty free.

It looks like daughter #3 and her family will be coming over on Sunday to help me get those VERY HEAVY things hung. I want my daughter's help in narrowing down where I think I want them and the guys' muscles to hold them up in all of the places we are considering so we can get a better idea. I have three places in mind for the "shelf" but my gut keeps taking me back to the end of the dining room so we shall see. I do think if it goes there it might need to be cut down a bit so that may come into play on its placement as well.

There's just something about that old chippy color that cries out wanting to be near this cutie-also "inherited" from the same daughter.

Don't they look like they were made for each other? Funny thing-hanging OVER this piece was not one of my options. I was considering it over the loveseat.

But, now that I'm thinking about it-hmmmmm. Good thing both my son-in-law and grandson are strong because it looks like they might be hauling that thing around a bit more than I initially thought. I'm getting very excited about FINALLY having these things-the shelf and the sconces (which can't be hung until I know where the shelf lands) up so I can begin planning on how I will decorate them.

So, that still leaves me lots of time this week to catch up on more of my "little things". And now that I actually have time to think about these things, I am realizing that some of the things I have done in the past I was never actually totally happy with. For me, the crafting part is more important than the finished product. But, that being said, I really don't like to make things if they are not something I want to use. Of course, you don't always know what you will get until you try. That was the case with this "shelf leaner" that I made a few years ago. Ever since, it has just been propped somewhere but really never to my liking.

Somehow this year it ended up propped against the fire place doors...until I wanted to have a fire and then I just moved them out of the way and decided that I liked it better without it here. It wasn't until a day or two later that it hit me...why not hang it and see how it looked.

Soooo much better and all I had to do was hot glue on a piece of wire so I could wrap it around the arch.

So, with ALL of that behind us, let's peek into the bathrooms.

These little soaps are still one of my favorite gifts that granddaughter #5 and I made for family and friends one year. The soaps just involved melting down the soap blocks from HL, coloring and scenting  them and pouring that into the sweetheart candy molds. Once they were solid, we unmolded them and arranged them onto a plate that she made by decoupaging a napkin onto a clear glass dish and wrapping it all up in cellophane for gifting.

And, again, just a nod to the holiday in the primary.

I will probably get the rest of the tour posted this week and that still gives me over two weeks until Valentine's Day finally gets here. I am SO getting itching to be rid of the RED! Red is not a favorite color for me although I am such a traditionalist that I have to have it here for this holiday. As much as I wish I could go neutral, I just can't. But, that being said, I don't have to like it. LOL I think my habit of stacking new treasures in my office right next to where I am typing this for you somehow always pushes me to see the next decor and when the colors of the next decor are my favorites, I get all the more antsy. This is what I am currently looking at. It does strike me as interesting that there is NOT one new craft here. I am really having trouble finding new things to make that I have either not made before or that I actually like. That makes me sad because I love crafting but I will just have to come up with some other new projects to keep me busy until craft motivation strikes again. Sigh!

I swear those colors and "feels" bring my blood pressure down 20 points just by being there. My next swap out will be to St. Patrick's Day so, of course, LOTS of green-which...no secret...is my favorite color! I actually have at least three new framed pictures ready for this year and they are all more of the muted colors and images of quiet spots that "might" be nestled somewhere in Ireland-but probably not. Lol I don't care-it is the color and mood I am going for.

My next "little" fix that has been on the back burner for two years...yes, you saw that right...is restringing a Valentine bracelet. I got the bracelet a number of years ago from Chicos and I love it...and it was not inexpensive. It broke two years ago and I saved all of the parts except that after all of this time, I am now missing two small red beads and one crystal cut bead. I think I probably have reasonable facsimiles in my stash but I know I am going to have some trouble with this because of the way it was constructed-hence the reason I put it off so long. But, I am delighting in getting these kinds of things off of my list so I will let you know how it goes. I also need to get back outside and cover-once again-everything that needs some babying and haul in the poinsettias again also. Yesterday it was 83 degrees and tonight we are plunging into the freezing numbers and it looks like we'll be there for awhile. Mother Nature definitely has a warped sense of humor this year!

Stay safe and stay tuned.