It Won't Be Long!

 I needed to get to the grocery store today and, even though I am trying not to be out and about in crowds again these days, I figured if I left the house early enough and ran quickly, I could sneak in and out of HL and grab a few things as well.

I have definitely felt the lack of new crafting ideas. It always happens in the summer but usually by the beginning of August, I have some ideas and can start my Halloween and Christmas gifts. This year...NOTHING! And, not for lack of looking. Nothing is standing out to me and I miss the opportunity to craft. And so, when my Grandin Road catalog arrived and I saw a simple autumn flower arrangement in a pumpkin, I had an idea.

I had just pulled a sunflowers arrangement out of the generic pumpkin container it came in to use in another way. I was actually going to throw the pumpkin away because it really wasn't pretty. Luckily, I hadn't done it just yet. I figured if I could find some pretty muted autumn colored flowers, I could pull this off...even though I really can't arrange flowers at all!!

I knew the flowers and colors I was looking for but HL didn't really have them. I wasn't about to go anywhere else, so I grabbed what I could along with a few extra goodies that I know I will need in my autumn decorating. I wanted muted orange, peach, burgundy and cream. I came close even though the cream azaleas are the last thing I wanted. They were literally the only medium sized cream flower in the entire store.

Here is the original pumpkin.

I didn't have the right color chalk paint...I didn't even have the right colors to mix the color I really wanted but I managed something and gave it a good coat of paint. This is why I love chalk paint...one coat and you are good to go!

A quick wipe on-wipe off of the antique wax and I was happy.

After this, all that was left was to put in the flowers. Lucky for me, this was an easy arrangement to do. I might add some curly twigs if I can find them but I think it is pretty. I like the muted colors. I think I will use this in the family room and, because I have some of the flowers left over, I might add the muted tones (with the eucalyptus and lamb's ear) to my mantle this year as well. We shall see...and, if the temps don't cool off soon, autumn will be out sooner rather than later in this house!

That's it for today. I'll be back. Stay safe and stay tuned.

It's Been Awhile!!

Boy, it seems as if it has been a very long time since I checked in. That usually means that I have been busy and that is just the case this time as well. My brother and sister-in-law, who are finally home from their very long road trip, came down to spend a few days and we had so much to catch up on. And, as usual, they offered some extra muscle on one project and some extra technology on another. It takes a village to raise me! Lol

I also got to spend a lovely afternoon with daughter #3 and her children. We ate at one of our favorite downtown restaurants and then headed back to their house to just visit. And there were visits from daughter #2 and her hubby, an old friend, and even grand daughter #2. There has been much going on in this house and I love it. 

I also did some more dog sitting and then something that hasn't happened in a very long time...cat sitting. I got to play a part in a birthday surprise for grand daughter #5. It is a very long story but, grand daughter #2 was giving a rescued kitten to grand daughter #5...but it was a birthday surprise so, the kitten spent the day with me until grand daughter #5 arrived back in town after spending some fun time with my brother and SIL. It was a complete surprise and something she had been wanting for so long. Her family has a dog (and, until recently losing one, they had two large dogs) but, after a feral cat had babies in their yard and she tried desperately to catch them-to no avail-she has done nothing but talk about adding a cat to the family. Mom and Dad finally gave in and I got to be a part of a very touching moment.

When I knew they were mere minutes away, I collected the kitten and put her in her travel crate. I set her on the ottoman right inside the family room door and the litter box and food bowls were on the floor close by. When she got here, I asked her about her week and then asked her if she would like to see the crazy project that I had accomplished in my family room while she was gone. Never really knowing what craziness to expect from her Nana, she quickly opened the door. She saw the stuff on the floor first and was confused but when she saw the crate...and what was inside...she burst out crying. She put her hand over her mouth and looked at me with a "is this really mine?" kind of look and I was then crying as well. My daughter was trying to capture it on video while she was falling apart. And then Dad and one of her brothers showed up and it all began again. 

Needless to say, I don't think there will be anything to top this birthday surprise for a long time!

So now my house is quiet once again and I am catching up on many little things that I have let slide. I figured this would be the perfect time to check in with you and, since this is such a long post already, let's just hit the sunroom and baths. The sunroom doesn't have much at all this year but I am OK with that.

And while we're still thinking of surprises...I got one myself when I heard the doorbell ring. Before I could get there, I saw the UPS truck drive away and this was on my doorstep.

It is always fun to find a box on your doorstep but this one made me extra happy! I wasted no time tearing into it.

And what to my wondering eyes should appear?

The NANA is actually the brightest gold and I just love it so much! It is from grand daughter #2. She said as soon as she saw it, she thought of me and knew she had to get it. I love that they think of me at random times...how lucky am I?

Stay safe and stay tuned.

 

Busy Days!

Have you ever had a day...or week...that goes by so quickly you can't believe it is already over and yet you can't really say what you did or accomplished? That is how my week has gone. Except for a hair appointment, I haven't really left the house yet I have been busy almost every moment. I sure wish I could show you a lot of pictures of what I have accomplished but it has been mostly the little things that have been on a to-do list forever but, even though now done, no one but me would recognize the difference!

Most of these have been really little things...like tightening screws, spot cleaning, etc. but, there is one that ended up being larger than expected. Remember my kitchen dilemma...repaint cabinets with another paint or another color or just retouch? Well, it kind of turned into a "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" kind of project. First, 2 of the cans of paint that I had were not usable, the one that was was so thick it could hardly spread, there were way more "touch-up" spots than I thought, and on and on! I watered down the paint-almost too much so there was lots of drippage- and started. The problem was that the touch-up was in places that haven't been touched before so the once white paint looked gray next to the new white paint. That meant more painting including the entire face of every door and drawer. I won't bore you with the rest of the details but, suffice it to say, I am no longer even considering redoing everything. I did the best I could and, if any inconsistency of paint is noticeable to anyone, I will blame the shadows. It took me ALL day and I was exhausted but, for the moment, they look nice again. 

And so, I thought you might be ready to move on with the summer decor tour. Let's head into the dining room. Once again, citrus colors and lots of pottery abound... not to mention sunflowers!

If you remember, I made these sunflowers last year. I saw the idea on "The Crafty Decorator" and just had to give them a try. I think I was honest when I said, for the amount of work-and there were MANY steps-and the time they took, I'm not sure I would do them again or, for that matter, even use them again. But, then this year is here and I still had that big spot to fill. I thought more purchased flowers would just not fill the bill and so, I relented and put them back out. They were a bit easier to arrange this year and, for whatever reason, I like them a bit better. Not enough to make more though. Lol

So, that is it for the dining room. I have been watching every blog I can in the hopes of seeing more sunflower crafts, but, so far, none that I want to do. With the way that I'm feeling about this summer, this might all be coming down sooner rather than later anyhow and I might just be on to autumn. At least I can have my favorite season IN my house when Mother Nature is lagging way behind! Stay safe and stay tuned.

Today Is the Day!

 I know you know that I love projects...but, some more than others! I like projects that give me something new...not so much projects that just maintain and don't really look all that different after they're done. But, unfortunately, if you want to keep your house in order, there are just some projects that are like that! And today is one of those!!

I have put this off for as long as I could and, today my "new eyes" got a glimpse and there was no turning back! If you have been following me for a long time, you might remember that I did a post a good while back about re-doing my kitchen. I re-did the kitchen before I had this blog and well before I documented everything with photos. And so, it was a task to even find some old pictures for the "before" pictures. 

In any case, we bought our house new in 1973. Back then avocado green was the trend and I loved our kitchen. It had avocado green formica counters, avocado green appliances and sink, an avocado green hanging light (that my very tall husband kept bumping into) and formica "oak" cabinets with an avocado green design etched into them. Boy I loved that kitchen...until I didn't. Green went out and I could not think of anything I wanted more than to re-do that room. The problem was that we had three children who were all about to enter college and my husband had just left his secure job to open his own C.P.A. practice. There really was not a lot of disposable income at that point.

But, Lowes had become my new best friend and I would roam those aisles just trying to come up with a solution. And then one day I asked my husband what he thought about us re-doing the kitchen and, his answer was always the same (usually as a joke I think but I was never quite sure -Lol) "you can do anything you want as long as it doesn't cost a lot". And those were my challenge words. I was going to do it or die trying.

I discovered a brand new product that would adhere to formica (there are now lots of them available) without sanding and that was all it took. I loaded up on paint and then had to come to a solution for covering the ugly etchings in the doors. Wood trim was the solution but, this was also all before my miter saw days so I knew mitered corners were out. And, so was fancy molding wood-it was way too expensive. I ended up going with furring strips which were about $2 per 8' board and could be easily cut with my saber saw.

So that is what I did...along with new hardware, new appliances, stainless sink, crown moldings around the top (which I did have done professionally), a new pantry added, etc. And so that is how the kitchen has stayed for a long time. And it would be great except that the molding that I added is not only not a nice hard wood but, because of the way I did it, there is about a 1/4" face all the way around that catches any spills, drips, dust, etc, and so requires a fair amount of cleaning. And, with the cleaning comes the eventual peeling and chipping of the paint...so that requires the many touch-ups...which, I do whenever I can't take it any longer. And that day is today!

And so, this is what things look like right now.

I have finished washing everything with PineSol so it smells good but the touch up areas are way more than I had thought...not to mention that it is way past time to replace all of the shelf lining paper and possibly give the inside of the cabinets a new coat of paint.

And here is my dilemma. I have thought seriously about repainting everything with a chalk paint and maybe even changing the color. But, I really can't decide. I love painting with chalk paint but I just realized that not only would all of the doors and drawers need painting but so would all of the cabinet boxes. And, as much as I hate to admit it, I do have a fair amount of cabinetry...and that will be a HUGE job. I know I did it once, but I was a lot younger then. And so, I wait for this to dry.

All those places that look dirty are really just chipped paint. Maybe by the time it dries I will have decided what I will do. I'm off to eat some lunch and ponder. You'll be the first to know when I decide. Lol Stay safe and stay tuned. At least there's some "pretty" at the other end of the bar!

Merry Christmas in July!

Today was like Christmas...in July. I think I posted that daughter #1 and daughter #3 (both decorators) were up in Atlanta this week at the Home Market. They go several times a year and always have fun although it is a very busy week. There are so many vendors to see, new accounts to be established, etc. Usually there is no cash and carry but this year they were at a vendor who had a show special...and it was these fabulous dough bowls.

Daughter #3 has actually used the dough bowl candles in her own home for awhile so, when they had the opportunity to purchase some to take with them, they both grabbed up a lot. They are planning to use them as they style their clients homes and then maybe present them to the client as a small gift.

 Daughter #1 knows her mom so well...and as she was showing me her loot, she told me I could take whatever I wanted. She is also the one who gifted me my beautiful vintage dough bowl that I love so much! Not wanting to be greedy, I chose the candles that would leave me with dough bowls in sizes that I can use after the candle is burned down and also the two small ones that can be used in so many ways!

And, as if that wasn't enough of a surprise, the mailman brought the primitive, timer taper candles that I had ordered that weren't supposed to be delivered until next week. Yay! I love getting gifts! There are really so many places that I can use these bowls but here is where I put them for now. This one in the living room is called "Relax" and scents the entire room with the most beautiful fragrance.

I put the second one in the family room because I think it complements the white washed candle holders.

The two smaller ones are in the kitchen but I know as I do more decorating, they will find their way into many more vignettes.

And, doesn't this guy look so much cuter with the correct sized candle...not to mention that he is on a timer so he will pop on with all of my other candles every night. It's funny how little things like this can make me absolutely giddy!

So I think that is the end of my surprises for the day. Kris has made it home safely and Jen is catching up with her family and preparing for re-entry back to the demands of being a busy decorator while I am just going to sit back, enjoy my new goodies and maybe hit the pool. Stay safe and stay tuned.

We Interrupt Summer...

 We interrupt summer...to give you a glimpse of the future! You all know that summer is not my favorite season and I do tend to wish it away...but, I am not the only one! Almost every craft blog that I follow is already on to autumn and Halloween. They say that it is because, if you are going to be crafting to sell in shows, you need to get started now. I like that story...and I'm sticking with it! And so, I gave a pumpkin candle holder that I saw on "The Crafty Decorator" a try. He is supposed to be very primitive so I went with it but he could also be made with a brighter orange felt and more traditional face if wanted.

Here is what I came home with after a quick trip to HL for the supplies.

I totally broke my HL rules this trip. Normally, I don't buy anything if it is not on sale. Since they have done away with their coupon, shopping is even more difficult in there. Since this was my only idea of late, I paid full price for everything except the least expensive items-the felt. I probably could have tried some other places as well. but I wasn't in the mood. I'm OK with it until I probably see it all on sale next week! Lol

I followed the directions for this guy exactly yet I had to make some changes along the way. The first step is to cut a bit off of the styrofoam ball so it sits flat. I think this is where the differences were. I probably didn't cut off enough so the circumference of the ball was larger. But, I didn't want it any smaller than this so I found a way to make it work.

Next came cutting a circle the size of a quarter. The blogger used a large drill bit but I don't have the correct size bit and that seemed like a bit of over kill so I just used my apple corer and old time veggie peeler to scoop the hole out. Then I stuck in an old candle to make sure it was deep enough.

Next, I cut the felt square into 1 1/4" wide strips. It was supposed to take 7 strips and each one was supposed to go totally around the pumpkin stretching from the opening down across the bottom and back to the opening. This may be where the size discrepancy came in because my strips were way too short to do this. I just cut each one in half and stretched it a bit and then went from the opening to just around the bottom edge. I think this may have actually served me well as the blogger had to put a wood disc on the bottom of hers to get it to stand and mine is nice and sturdy as is!

I went ahead and cut a primitive jack-o-lantern face out of black felt and used Fabri-Tac to adhere the pieces and then I cut the shank off of small semi-circular black buttons and hot glued them on. I actually have enough supplies to make another and I might do that one with a more traditional face...we shall see. I ordered 4" black timer tapers but until they get here the wax candle will have to do.

It felt so good to finally get back to crafting. My problem these days seems to be finding things I want to do that I haven't already done...it's tough getting old. Lol

Since I really haven't been just out and about shopping a lot of late, I was excited to find a sunflower section at HL and broke my rule once again. These items are in their fall section...which is not on sale yet...but, since I didn't have either a sunflower mug or spoon holder, I gave myself permission to splurge...and, I'm glad I did!

I don't know why coffee tastes so much better in a mug that matches my decor but it always seems to. Stay safe and stay tuned.

P.S. I forgot to tell you that those cute little "mini cupcake stands" that I found as well are now being used as candle holders but I can see them as risers for all sorts of things over the next few months.

Still Smiling!

My sunflowers are still making me happy! Now if only the outdoor temperatures would co-operate...it is hot. But, nowhere near as hot as the north west seems to be these days...and, after all, it is summer...so I guess I will stop complaining and embrace the season...as long as I have my sunflowers inside to come home to! Lol

Let's head into the kitchen and take a peek. The kitchen decor includes sunflowers but it also gives me the largest chance I have to "go" Mediterranean. This and the dining room have the majority of the olives jars, urns, etc. along with the touches of citrus fruit. If you wish real hard, you might just think you are sitting in a villa in Tuscany! Lol

Here is where the little wood sunflower tag that I made ended up.

So that is the kitchen for this year. It actually looks like we may not get any rain today so I think I am going to head out to spray the never ending weeds that pop up through all of the brick walks and patios and then, if I'm lucky, I might just make it into the pool today!  I'll be back soon. Stay safe and stay tuned.