Dibs and Dabs!

 Boy did I miscalculate! When last I posted I think I said that I was tied down with a hair appointment but, on the first day after that I was heading out to tackle a LOT in the yard that kind of got ahead of me during all of our rainy days. And, that was my plan! Until today dawned beautiful and I headed out only to be reminded that in a very short time, perspiration would be running off of my head. On normal days, I just pin it up and keep going...and maybe walk into the pool to cool down every now and then. But I couldn't do that today.

I too soon remembered that since my hair had just gotten colored less than a day ago, I wasn't supposed to wash it and I knew I couldn't cope with that feeling until tomorrow so...I did a bit of trimming and weeding in the front yard then came in to see what I could find to do-that I WANTED to do-inside. Once I figured that out, I have been going back and forth and getting little bits of lots of things done in both locations!

So the first thing I tackled is the yellow frame on the sunflower picture...you knew I would, didn't you? Here's the after and I like it so much better. I used my antique wax so it gave it more of a translucent finish and there is just a bit of the yellow peeking through. It actually looks so much like the brown on the picture that I thought I had dripped some and it was the bee's wing.

My next inside project is actually another easy one although I hope it ends up giving me some "bang for my buck". I think I may have shared that I bought a 4' X 5 1/2'' X 1/4" piece of craft wood at Lowes awhile back. I had been looking for an idea just to change things up a little bit. I didn't want a huge project-just a little one with an impact.

I have posted about the kitchen reno I did many, many years ago. It is one of my favorite projects of all time. It was also one of the most difficult and more than once, while in the middle with no turning back, I questioned my sanity on starting such a task. But, I persevered and I am so glad I did.

At the time, I added ball feet to give the cabinets more of a furniture feel and also a wood swirl accent on the wood valance over the sink. I think I was going for more of a French country feel...or whatever?! lol I also added some wood corbels over the stove. Then, I added more and more wood cutting boards and one day, not too long ago, I walked into the kitchen and decided it needed a change. I had already removed the ball feet because I was "over" them but this time I decided I needed to bring in just a bit more wood.

My two daughters (the designers) use wood as accents in a lot of the kitchens they do to warm up all of the cold feel of the stone that people are doing these days. Oh that I wish I had that problem...and the cold stone...but, I digress. Lol I decided I could easily bring in the warmth of the wood with a piece across the valance over the sink. Daughter #3 actually did just that when she redid her own kitchen a few years ago. You can see it in this picture although the picture is definitely not one really meant for sharing-haha...it's horrible and I will apologize right now to everyone in it but, it is the only one I can find since she added the wood. Can you see it running along the bottom of her very large range hood?

So, this is where I started.

I remember when I put those swirls up that I used wood glue which is so strong I swear you could build a house with it. I was pretty sure it would be easy to slip a putty knife under them to pry them off but I was also pretty sure they would break so there would really be no going back if I didn't like my plan. But, much to my surprise, they popped off easily and in one piece. There is just a bit of glue left that I can sand off and reapply these cuties if necessary.

On to cutting the wood. Normally I would do this in the garage but it was too hot so, with just one quick cut to do and knowing it wouldn't produce too much saw dust, in came my chop saw and I was good to go.

Since this is craft wood, it is finished rather nicely. It only required a light sanding on the surface and then a bit around the edges. I had 3 stains to choose from and knowing that I love dark wood that is the one I tried first but it looked almost black on this wood so I went to my second choice...which I was happy with until I wasn't. Right before I was ready to put it up, I looked at it and it was reading too orange for me. So, I went over the walnut stained wood with dark walnut stain and wiped it off right away until I got what I was happy with.

 The 1/4" thickness of this wood fit perfectly under the lip of the crown molding. I was going to have it the exact width of the valance that is there but when showing designer daughter #3 her mother's next hair brained scheme, she suggested that I bring it out over the cupboard edge about 1/2" so it didn't look like I was just gluing something on...and boy was she right! What a difference it made! I guess that's why designers get the big bucks! Lol

I taped it up real quickly to see if I was going to like it before applying the wood glue-any plenty of it at that!

I then used lots of tape to make sure there was contact in all areas...and now I wait. I will probably leave it like this for 24 hours before I mess with it.

But, even in this state, I can tell I'm going to like it! Now my eye flows effortlessly around the room bouncing from the shelf to the valance to the cutting boards to the carpenter's box, etc.

Of course, every time I do something it always leads me to something else. When taking pictures for this post, I took a close-up of the wood corbel to show you why I was wanting more wood...and this is what I got.

Somewhere along the way, I had gotten white paint on it and scratched a lot of paint off of the under side of the cabinet. I knew that was going to drive me crazy so then this had to happen-plus some stain over the paint. Now, in ten years when I next look under the cabinet again, I will be fine.

 And just as I was finishing that up, another thought came to me. The pass through in the kitchen allows the valance to be seen from the dining room. More often than not, no one is looking in there but, if one were to decide to take a peek, this is what they would now see.

If I had thought about it earlier, I wouldn't have done the stain samples there...but, I didn't. And, if I wanted to be really accurate, I could make a template and cut a piece to fit perfectly in there and paint it white. But, believe me, it doesn't bother me quite that much so, when I take down all of the tape, I think I will just get in there and paint it out with white chalk paint. It might take an extra coat or two to cover the stain but it will be fine for me!

And then, out I went to do a bit more in the yard and while I was there I realized that I never shared my latest garden toy. I had purchased a very large garden bowl to use at the base of a very large bubbler fountain many years ago. I could never get it leveled and balanced correctly and I just kind of gave up on the idea. I am still using the bubbler as the world's most expensive plant stand but the bowl has just been upside down in an inconspicuous spot in the yard...until the "new eyes" spied it and I decided that it was silly to just leave it like that. Long story short, I went from using it as another fountain with just a pump to seeing this cute little birdbath fountain bubbler on Amazon...and, just like that, it was here and my brother and sister-in-law helped me put it together. It was only $15 so I'm like really expecting a long life but for now I love it. It brings some interest to the terraced garden and keeps the water moving to discourage the pesky mosquitoes! And, it's solar powered so I didn't have to mess with electricity allowing me to put it anywhere I wanted.

And now I'm debating whether I should get back out there to water the 4th of July plants I got in the ground or hold off and see if the thunder I am hearing brings more rain. Gotta love summer in Florida!

So that's it for today. I'll be back to show you the kitchen when it's all put back together. Until then, stay safe and stay tuned.

 

Summertime!!

 So, just when you think you are in the middle of a never ending drought, Mother Nature does a 180 and you are now in the middle of never ending rains. I think I like the rains a little better as everything does look green and lush again but that means the weeds do as well! And, of course, with the rains falling, there isn't a huge opportunity to get out there and control said weeds...until today which shows a bit of a dryer promise...except that I have a much needed, postponed hair appointment in the middle of the day so not really enough time to tackle everything I want beforehand nor enough time after the fact. And so, after getting the potted plants watered, I find myself here...and so, why don't we head into the kitchen?

There are a few things added this year but mostly I'm using what I had last year. The kitchen is one of the rooms where I have the most chance to use my Mediterranean and citrus colored decor. I seem to have a bit of an obsession with large urns and olive jars and this is when I can bring a lot of them out for display.

I decided I like the basket hanging on that bar so, instead of the usual 2 towels, I hung one newer one and left the basket with a single flower added.

 

In this picture you can see where the painted Mason jar found a home. I like it there because it hides the unsightly electric outlet.

And this is where the smaller brown bottle ended up. My plan had been to use the 2 bottles together but you know what they say about best laid plans! Lol

These are the painted Kraft paper sunflowers that I made last year. I'm not the biggest fan of just making things from paper because if I am going to invest my time-and these cuties did take some time-into a project, I want something that is going to last. But, I trusted the blogger who showed this craft and she was right. With the painting, crumbling and waxing of the Kraft paper, it truly does take on a different texture than just the rough paper you begin with-it's hard to describe but maybe a bit more "fabric-y" or "plastic-y"? In any case, they didn't get any special treatment in the year they have been packed away-they actually may have gotten a bit rougher treatment then most because they were in one of the faux flower Rubbermaids that gets lots of flowers pulled out and pushed in through the year-and they are fine. The few petals that were bent were easily straightened out and they look like I just made them. In this picture it looks like I might have missed a few bent petals- I'll get right on that. lol

I'm actually surprised that I don't have a set of sunflowers dishes but, at this stage of my life, I'm good with the dishes that I have that read a bit Mediterranean to me...and the colors are perfect.

Since I hang so many seasonal/holiday things on the wall in this area, I had so many nails holes and used to just keep moving the nails where needed. Then one day my "new eyes" looked at it-probably in a picture just like this-and saw how awful it looked. And so, I promptly filled in the holes and repainted and am now pretty much "stuck" with 2 nails-one over the other a few inches apart. Those nails hold probably 90% of what I hang here so when they don't, I need to get creative. This is what I came up with for my Tuscan mountain pictures. Not ideal but you get the idea. Lol And, this offers me one more spot to use my citrus fruits to emphasis the color scheme.

So that is the kitchen for this year. Time to grab a shower and get ready to head out but I will be back. Stay safe and stay tuned.

Whew!!

 I don't know if it's just that I'm getting older or that this year's heat is extreme...or maybe a little of both-lol...but, this swap almost did me in! It is one of the "big" ones because everything that has been red, white or blue must now be changed to citrus colors and sunflowers! Nothing is safe from change. But, I persevered and am now done except for one little bit of packing up. With that being said, how about we start the tour!

The porch is simple and I was happy to be able to find the buttercups so I could fill the pots with the summer color.

I managed to change a few things along the way this year but as I think I've said before, "there is only so much one can do with sunflowers...or only so many sunflowers one house can hold"! And, I may be coming perilously close to those limits! Lol

Here's the picture that I got the other day on a really good sale. That being said, I am just not a "yellow" person and that bright frame is getting to me. I think it might just be a candidate for a make-over very soon.

So that is the living room for this year. I think everyone who knows me knows just how happy this swap makes me feel. I know it is still a million degrees outside but, once the sunflowers hit my house, the temperature inside seems to drop...mostly probably because I know that the next swap will take me to autumn leaves and pumpkins...and it will still probably be a million degrees outside but at least the end will be near! In case you haven't guessed by now, I am NOT a summer person. I love the beach and the pool and the flowers and all of that but I am not a fan of heat. I'll survive-I always do-but this year has been brutal and I find myself wishing my life away. Lol

That's it for now. I'm off to get the rest of the 4th of July stuff packed up but I'll be back. Stay safe and stay tuned.

I'm Back!

 I got back to town on Wednesday afternoon and then on Thursday, grand daughters #1and 5 and I headed downtown for lunch and then a walk around the area as grand daughter #1 hadn't been there for awhile and she wanted to see some of the things she remembers from her childhood when she would visit and we would take her around as well as some of the new things to hit the square that she has only heard of. It was such a lovely way to spend the day after such a wonderful almost week away and gave me a chance to postpone the inevitable...back to reality. Today was that day but it has been fun because I HAD to get to the grocery store so I figured while I was out, I would hit a few other places as well. Of course, Hobby Lobby was my first stop. I haven't been there in forever so this was my first chance to see the autumn things out and that always makes my heart happy.

I bought the dark bottles because I thought they could be out for late summer sunflower decor as well as autumn and Thanksgiving. I bought the long flowers to put in them...maybe. They're not arranged yet in these photos-I just had to see what they looked like. Then, I got the sunflower sign for 66% off so it came home with me too. I grabbed the mini sunflowers for the Mason jar I just painted.

Since there was such a good sale going on, I also grabbed some fiber-fill to make the witch stockings, a few canvases and my favorite paint brushes. The brushes were on clearance...usually $7.99 for $1.99! They only had 2 so I grabbed them quickly. Oh...look at that pumpkin cutting board. I think I may have one that I got at the Target $Spot last year but this one is really pretty and, in my house, one can never have too many cutting boards! Lol

I know this is going to be hard to believe but I hardly took any pictures while we were down in St. Pete at daughter #1's house. We did go out for a nice dinner one night but the rest of the time we mostly hung in or around her new pool and newly landscaped backyard. It is not quite done but we got to experience most of it and it was wonderful...so wonderful that we never really got picture worthy. Everyone stayed super casual and that was how we wanted it.

My brother did run a race on the morning of the 4th, we played some games and we had a lovely outdoor dinner one night as well as the typical 4th of July bar-b-que on Tuesday. And then that night, we lounged around the pool to watch whatever fireworks we could over the trees and homes in the neighborhood. We were all in a very much needed "relax" mode because it was hot and the heat just really takes a lot out of you. Of course, the kids had enough energy to head to the beach for a bit on the 4th while the rest of us stayed home and didn't move much more that required. Lol

Pictures are random and most are borrowed from my sister-in-law. The "unknown" face in the pool is a new boyfriend that we just met.

We were watching that moon every night.

My daughter has the perfect set-up...her house is to the right in this picture which you can't see-the French doors on the left lead to her office and the upstairs of that building is her carriage house apartment which has been rented from the minute she finished renovating it.

Caitlin made us a special dessert.

I did manage to persuade these two to do a picture or two after our lunch and shopping.

 

So now it is Friday afternoon and for some reason, I think I am going to head into the kitchen and do some cooking before calling it a day. Plans for tomorrow include starting the swap to late summer decor...and you know I can't wait because once the sunflowers appear, can autumn leaves and pumpkins be far behind? Stay safe and stay tuned.

P.S. Very soon after I finished my post, I went out to my mailbox and look what was waiting for me! Be still my heart!!! Maybe there IS an end in sight...somewhere...way down the road...but, there never-the-less! Lol