Get a Life

 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.

Yay Me!

 Those of you who know me know that I am not very good at "prep" work. I will admit it! To me it almost seems like a waste of time because I almost always know how I want to do something and just want to get going. And, those same people know that many times that mindset does get me in some hot water!

And so, the other day when I decided to get going on some Christmas ornaments, for what ever reason I surprised even myself when I decided to make a prototype first. I thought I knew what I was going to do but there was a bit of a question so I got going on just one.

I actually didn't take any pictures because I was pretty sure I would be coming back doing the same thing 12 more times-but, I was wrong.

When I did the first one I painted both sides of my wood piece with ivory colored chalk paint. It was EXACTLY the same color as the wood but I still thought the wood needed a finish of some type. After I ended up doing it the way I ended up doing it, there was actually no wood left showing and so the painting step was no longer necessary-yay me! One extra step averted. I just ModPodged the images I had downloaded and printed on to the wood.

Next came covering the edges with a silver champagne fine glitter that I already had. I like this color because it just reads as a bit more vintage to me than a harsh gold or silver.

Another change in plan-my original idea had been to use my Dremel and drill holes at the top and the bottom-one for the hanger and one for the crystals. But, the crystals had to be strung on fishing line to dangle correctly and I didn't think I would like the look of the knot that would be necessary. And then, I found some of my antique silk ribbon that I wanted to use as hangers and couldn't use a hole in the wood large enough to accommodate that. So, this is when I decided to use my Gorilla clear grip adhesive and glue the crystals and then the hangers to the back of the ornament. I needed to be sure to keep them relatively flat because now the back would need to be covered with decorative card stock. While the glitter was drying, I strung the beads and ironed the ribbon.

Then I glued on the beads and hangers.

 And then put on the backing paper.

And that was looking a little boring to me so I went back and glittered the edges of the back as well. And, let me tell you that not only will my home, but my body as well, probably "wear" this glitter for a long time to come. I have found that even scrubbing may not always get rid of all of the remnants of fine glitter!

Lastly, for now, I glued on the poinsettia. This is where I start to question whether I really like this ornament. I will live with it for awhile-I DO have 3 months to decide so, no hurry-lol...and we shall see.

Now that I'm looking at the holly on the two with red hangers-because I didn't quite have enough green ribbon-I'm thinking I need to find some darker leaves. I didn't like the red poinsettia against the red ribbon either so, we shall see.

Ask and ye shall receive-lol. I just gave them a quick coat of paint. Definitely not perfect but it will do for now just in case I can't find anything better. I also added a small gold pine cone-it just seemed to add a finishing touch.

 And on that note, I will sign off. Not sure where the week will take me but I will be back. Stay safe and stay tuned.

What a Wonderful Family Filled Weekend!

 It has been a whirlwind weekend full of family, fun and football! Friday night was our high school homecoming game. Although the Celtics didn't get the win, our family certainly did as we watched grand daughter #5 crowned as freshman princess.

My phone doesn't always take the best pictures but if they're on my phone, at least I have them and don't need to "nag" someone else to forward them to me...sorry. Lol

And then we were on to Saturday. We started with another win for the Academy. It was a really good game-kind of a nail biter but the Bears ended up taking the win in the end. Sure wish I knew what he was thinking.

And then came homecoming dance preparations. My grand daughter had two friends come over early so they could get done together. It was truly like "old times" watching three girls primp and help each other get "beautiful".

 My grandson had a date-albeit just a "friend" date so he got ready and headed out to meet her. They were off to the World Equestrian Center for their pictures while the girls chose to have theirs taken at our downtown square. Sure a difference from the one or two quick shots I was "allowed" to take in my living room or at the door as my girls and their dates headed off. Lol

 

And, of course, my favorite of the night. We had "gently" asked if they could do a "together" picture at some time during the night but, of course, weren't sure they would. Absolutely so thrilled when this picture came in to us!!

Once again, my family makes my life so full. I am truly blessed to still be able to take part in these very special moments. Now I'm back to reality. Going to work on my Christmas ornaments next so I will be back with that soon. Until then, stay safe and stay tuned.

I'm Still Here!

 I guess after receiving the Halloween gifts that I have and then beginning to do some Halloween crafting, my mind is starting to go to my next decor swap-and, of course, that will be Halloween. I usually get started on that swap out near the beginning of the third week in September. I am always so sad to say good-bye to the autumn decor but, I do love Halloween. In fact, I think I have more Halloween decor than any any holiday or season. Even though I can keep most of the orange candles, the rest of this swap out is pretty large and probably takes me longer than any other.

And so, my mind has started to think about this year. Most of the decor that I am using now has been around for a long time. I have gone through lots of different vignettes over the years but the ones that I have held on to are my favorites and even though I would like to change up some things, I really don't want to get rid of any of the things that I am using now. And so, the only real way to have any kind of change is to move some things around or change things up a bit in the vignettes that I already have.

As I was perusing some older pictures I remembered a chandelier that I used to hang in the living room. I stopped using it a few years ago in one of my efforts to simplify but, I never actually took the hook out of the LR ceiling. It is actually kind of embarrassing to admit but, it is in there with a toggle bolt and I was just never completely sure that I wouldn't want to use it again. Every now and then someone will ask why I have a hook in my LR ceiling-gulp. Lol

So, while I was perusing, I looked back at past Halloweens to see when the chandelier first appeared. I remembered that I had some of my grand daughters make it for me on one of our "Halloween at Nana and Papa's" weekends but I truly never remembered that it was way back in 2011!

I just stripped an old chandelier of everything electrical and then had the girls rip lots and lots of strands of cheese cloth and tie it on the arms of the light. Then I put in white candles and the obligatory ravens and hung it over the coffee table. And actually, this is how I displayed it for many years until I decided a change was in order and left it out.

And so, I started thinking about it again but thinking maybe I would do it a bit differently...and so, off to Pinterest I went and happened upon this.

I think I like the use of the "creepy cloth" draped over the arms of the light more than the way we had them originally tied on. And so, very soon I will be climbing up to the garage rafters to see if I can pull that old neglected chandelier out of the cobwebs and get it back into fighting shape.

So, that got me thinking about the "creepy cloth". A lot of bloggers are using the stuff for crafts and have been saying that it is hard to find this year. I have a fair amount but I use it in other places so I decided it was time to hit some spots and see what I could find. And that led to this.

I found the creepy cloth and went ahead and bought enough for the chandelier with some to spare just in case. And then I started to pick up some Halloween goodies to make the "remaining two" grands each a goodie bag. I have a ways to go but was excited when I found a few things that are a little different than the norm for starters. No one trick-or-treats any more but we will probably have a little gathering and then take the golf cart out to see all of the fun!

Along the Halloween lines, I picked up a little bit of crocheted black lace. I am thinking of "zhuzhing" up the witch shoes I made a few years ago and thought a pretty lace cuff might just do the trick. And, I also grabbed the plates and napkins when I saw them. I really don't need any more but for whatever reason, I love this pattern-maybe it's the raven on there.

And while I was out-and HL actually has all of their Christmas on a better sale than their autumn-I grabbed some pine and lamb's ear picks for the stocking I made a bit ago. I'm thinking once I get all of my Christmas out, I will probably add a gingerbread man and a candy cane that I made in the past and call it a day. I didn't want to buy anything else as I definitely have more than enough Christmas decor already so we shall see.

And, I found some wood blanks and crystals that may be giving me the start on this year's ornament-and, some others for a birthday surprise that I'm working on for my brother. And, I grabbed the small poinsettias just in case. 

I know it looks like I was a bit all over the place with my purchases but, if I'm going to get things done in time for me to have time to enjoy the different holidays, I have to get going. And, since we are still really having the "dog days of summer", I am more than happy to have some projects to get to work on-indoors! And, honestly, if I hadn't grabbed this stuff, the last thing to-do on my to-do list is paint the sunroom ceiling-and I will find any excuse I can to push that back another day-or week-or so! Lol

So that's where I am right now. I had a fun weekend last week. I spent it with daughter #3 and her family. We got to watch grandson #1 play at his first home game at the US Coast Guard Academy. It was so exciting to see him put in and they took a huge win-93-24-so that didn't hurt the excitement. It was an Academy record so he was thrilled to be a part of that...and we got to share in his excitement when he called right after the game. Then, we got to painting grand daughter #5's bedroom. She wanted her room redone as a birthday present so we got started with the part we dislike the most. Hopefully all of the embellishments will get delivered this week and I will get to see the finished project when I head over again on this Friday. It is her high school's homecoming and she has been selected as the freshman princess so I am excited for that as well. And, it will be fun to be back in some Friday night light even if neither of my grandsons will be on the field. You know I will have lots of pictures to share so I will be back for that. Stay safe and stay tuned.

Desperate Times...

As they say, desperate times call for desperate measures! If you follow this blog, you know that my plans had been to be in Connecticut right now spending time with grandson #1 and two of my daughters. But, hurricane Idalia changed those plans for me and I have to admit that I am in a bit of a sad mood. And so, instead of continuing to feel sorry for myself, I am trying to stay busy...but, I am having a difficult time doing so. I just don't feel like really "working" so of course I look to crafts to see what I can find. Unfortunately, ideas are just NOT spilling out of my mind right now but I was in $Tree the other day and I remembered seeing a vintage jack-o-lantern post made with funnels. And so, I grabbed a set when I saw them. I will tell you now that even though this is vintage Halloween-usually my favorite-this one took a bit of convincing but, it served its purpose and kept me busy for a bit.

I wasn't sure if acrylic paint would stick to the shiny surface so I gave all of the funnels a quick coat of ModPodge-I think I heard somewhere that that would do the trick?

Then I put on one coat of "pumpkin" chalk paint. Chalk paint also helps to give shiny surfaces a bit of "tooth". I wanted three different colors of orange so the other two funnels got coats of acrylic-although in the end, two of them look pretty much the same color.

Then I drew on jack-o-lantern faces with a Sharpie and filled them in with black chalk paint. This was a little difficult for me because I guess my favorite is always the traditional jack face and I had trouble drawing other ones-I'm nothing if not a traditionalist. Lol Seems like I'm saying that all of the time.

Then it was time to embellish. The ones I had seen all had bows but once I got the bow on the middle pumpkin, I knew it wasn't a favorite and once again had to go a bit more traditional. I wanted them to each be a bit different so this is what I came up with.

So that is that. I truly have no idea where these might end up but, since I usually decorate all of the bedrooms for Halloween also, I figure I can probably find somewhere to use them. Lol 

And so my new Halloween decor grows a bit more. Up until now, I had only made the witch stocking and the book but I got a few hostess gifts at our back-to-school dinner so the stash is growing.

And, I did decide to give the "welcome" sign just a little update. I chose to only do the leaves that were solid colors. The multi-colored ones seemed to fall behind lots of details and I had no intention of trying to reproduce this whole thing. There might be a few more leaves that could use some more color but for now, it is what it is. I did want to touch up the leaves but I love that green and I just couldn't seem to mix anything close to it. And, I'm OK with the colors of the leaves being what stand out. You can see in the first picture just how much the petals on the sunflower had faded. It may not be perfect but I think it is a bit better.

So, that is it for this morning. Now, what to do to stay busy all afternoon? Guess I'll just have to check the much neglected "to-do" list. Lol Stay safe and stay tuned.