Good Day!

 
Well, today is Thursday and I'm not at all sure where the week went but, I am here never-the-less! My brother and sister-in-law came down early on Monday and helped me move forward a few steps with the printer and possibly being able to post some pictures from my "cloud". I haven't done it myself yet so we will see. Lol Then my brother was also able to get a new weatherproofing strip onto my door to the pool that was destroyed by a visiting cat-long story that I might share some day.

In any case, that was two more things off of the never ending list. Yay

In the afternoon we headed to daughter #3's house for a wonderful Memorial Day bar-b-que. Both she and her husband love to cook so the menu for the day was the summer bar-b-que that had just aired on "The Kitchen". All new recipes to them but all very delicious-not the same old bar-b-que fare. It was family plus a few old friends and turned out to be a lovely day. We ended it with the kids and dogs-including the newest addition to the friend's family-all in the pool and the rest of us lounging around the deck. Somehow, with the umbrellas open, we were all able to be comfortable and it was a fun day.

I awoke to this on Tuesday.

Don't know if you can tell but the rain is gushing down the rain chain...and I was a happy camper! That was all the encouragement that I needed to start my newest craft. Supplies were gathered and I started by seeing if the acetate ribbon would even accept any of the coffee stain. It wasn't staining as much as I wanted so I threw in my more coffee granules and then even added a bit of my Waverly antique stain and that did the trick. I have had that ribbon forever and could never find a way to use it so I am happy this worked.

While that was happening, I started on the box. I did the lid in blue, the box in red and then it all got a coating of the antique wax wiped on and then quickly off.

The measuring tape is there because this was one of "those" projects that required a bit of math. I don't think of myself as a particularly dumb person but, there are certain things that I just get so caught up on when it comes to math. My husband was a math major in college for 4 !1/2 years-until he switched to accounting-and he could do any math problem in his head usually before a calculator. I guess I relied on him too much because even simple things can throw me for a loop-it's at that point that I cross my fingers and "fudge" a bit. Lol

In any case, I wanted to put brads around the base so I could wrap the twine around them for the drum. But, I had to figure out how many so that the twine ended up together-I know it's simple but I honestly had to draw a picture-yikes-and then I needed to drill the holes. I used my trusty Dremel for this because it is so much lighter and easier to manage than the full sized drill

After that, to give my brain a rest, I pulled out my other old friend, the miter saw, and used it to cut up some old utility table legs to use for the fire crackers. Once I had them cut, I covered them with napkins using ModPodge and drilled holes to insert twine as the fuses.

While those were drying, I decided that I needed to add some stars to the drum. The inspiration had rusted metal stars-which I don't have so I headed to find a dull gold cardstock-which I know I have but couldn't find either-so I grabbed my trusty Martha Stewart gold paint, painted a piece of light brown cardstock, hit it with some distressing ink and cut out some stars.

Next came the twine. This is where a little of my "fudging" becomes obvious but, again, I'm going for primitive so I'm OK with the slight variations. I ended up taping the twine in place and then going back to add hot glue and then a tab of cardstock over it to make sure there was a strong bond.

I finished up by adding the stars, filling the box with some floral foam, adding the scrunched up grungy ribbon then a candle that I distressed with some ink, The fire crackers got placed around and then I added a few circles of red pip berries. And, somehow, it all worked out and I like it. I wasn't sure where it would go but I think I found the perfect spot.

Believe it or not, this project took the whole day. There were a lot of working parts but that made me all the happier...and we got a nice steady rain for a good bit of the day so the outside was as happy as the inside.

Yesterday I ran errands all day and then came home to wait for the tree guy to give me an estimate to clean out some of the HUGE oak that hangs over my house. I am still waiting for the estimate because they don't think they can clean it out without killing the tree so it looks like the whole thing might need to go-and I might need to sell some blood to pay for it. We shall se..

In any case, I'm back to catching up on some things today but I will be back. Stay safe and stay tuned.

Holy Cow!

 It is HOT out there. I have so many outdoor chores to do but it is so hot that I can hardly breathe so, I've been doing small things as the day has progressed and I am not going back out any more! Whatever isn't done-and there's a lot-will just have to wait!

And so, I found myself looking around for something to do and I remembered that I had the small bandbox left over from the ones I bought the other day. And then I just happened upon this picture. I have no idea where it came from so I can't give credit but it is not my idea.

I think I like that. I don't have all of the same supplies that were used for this one but I found an old spool of very large ribbon that I bought many years ago and never found a way to use. I think I might be able to make it work. It will make a cute centerpiece.

Since I last posted, my plans for the week have started to gel. Daughter #3 and her family are hosting a Memorial Day cook-out tomorrow and before I head over, my brother and sister-in-law are going to come by here and see if they can figure out the printer issue. Hopefully I'll be back to printing soon. Have a safe holiday weekend and stay tuned.

Getting a Little Closer...

 Getting a little closer although it is taking three times as long...but, at least I can do a bit of editing. My grand daughter still thinks she has a much better solution for me but I will just have to wait until the next time she is here. I still can't print pictures nor can I add old photos to my blog but, I'm sure we will get there eventually. At least now you might be able to see the photos a bit better-fingers crossed.

Let's try to head into the kitchen and see if it works before I get too excited.

Well, the editing seems to have worked. I know for a fact that many of those pictures were darker so I'm happy that I was able to lighten them up. I did discover that once I have edited them I have to download them to send them to my folder and in doing so, they do not stay in their correct order nor do they keep their jpeg number. It definitely makes it more difficult to find the pictures in the correct order but, I'll take it.

Looks like I didn't have much to say but, honestly, I don't think much has changed in the kitchen since last year. I'm just happy to have it journaled in for posterity. Lol 

Not sure when I'll be back. I HAVE to work in the yard tomorrow-no more putting it off-unless it were to rain. Do you think the little rain dance I've been doing has any chance of working? Lol

Then, on Monday daughter #3 is hosting a bar-b-que at their house. Weather looks to be dry but HOT!

I haven't actually looked any further into the week but I know I'll find my way back here soon. Until then, stay safe and stay tuned.

Quick Update

So, it is definitely not for lack of trying! Yesterday, grand daughter #3 called me with a video chat and in just a flash, she was able to walk me through getting my Pinterest button back. Yay!! That is a really big thing for me because that lets me "pin" pictures from my blog and gets them out there for the "world" to see...not that the world really cares, but...Lol

Then we tried to tackle the editing issue and getting pictures that are now "in the cloud" on to my blog. And that is where the story ends! Everything she had me try ended in something she said she has never seen before. Welcome to my world. Every idea she had led us to screen that stopped us in our tracks! I guess I will just have to be patient and let things ride because it seems as if the solution is easy but needs to be done in person and honestly, I have no idea when the next visit I will get from someone who can help might be.

I did play around with the printer and managed to print one picture-honestly I have no idea how I did that because I kept getting a message that some software still needed to be added and the printer would not function correctly...and, the printer was smarter than I because the next two times I tried, the printer did not function correctly. And so, that is still on hold as well. sob

I am still going to post my blog even though I know the pictures are rough but I guess I won't be posting anything to FB or my favorite crafting site for awhile. Morgs tells me there is a simple solution and once I get it I should be good to go so, until then-whenever that may be...I will just have to let go.

In any case, since I have already pretty much lost the correct sun today to take the next set of pictures to try to help with the lighting a bit, I will wait on that but just show you a silly little thing I did the other day.

You already know that I love cutting boards-especially seasonal ones. I haven't actually happened upon any shaped boards for the 4th yet but I did see this little cutie the other day at HL in their 4th of July section.

I thought it might need a little "zhuzh" so I got out my paint pens and here she is now.

I'm not sire why something so small can make me so happy, but it does.

That's all I have. Hopefully I will catch some sun tomorrow and be back with our next stop on our tour. Stay safe and stay tuned.

Sorry!

 We've had a change of plans at my house. The grand dog that I was going to keep for a few weeks while daughter #2 and her hubby were in Hawaii will not be coming. It seems as if she developed some "things" on her feet and mouth that appear to be caused by bacterial and yeast infections and she is on antibiotics and steroids as well as needing attention to the things on her feet and mouth-especially the ones on her feet as she is wanting to bite at them-which is probably how the infection spread to her mouth. In any case, my daughter said they didn't want me to have to deal with all of that so she will be staying closer to her vet with my grand daughter. And, that also means that any computer help my son-in-law could have given me won't be happening for at least three more weeks. I still can't edit my pictures so what I take is what you get...and I can't use my new printer. I didn't realize how much I used my printer until I have been without it. It seems like every craft I happen upon needs an image so, at least for now, that won't be happening.

And, that is exactly what drove me to Uncle Sam in the first place. As you have probably picked up, he isn't my favorite project but, I did think if I could get ahold of some paper mache boxes I could zhuzh them up and I might like him better.

My initial plan had been to do 3 boxes but when I found them at Hobby Lobby I realized that they would be much too high...not to mention too large around for what I wanted. I was just wishing that I could buy the boxes individually (they came as a set of 3) when I saw two loose ones on the shelf- a medium box with the small inside-it was missing the largest box which I had by now decided that I didn't want. Of course, there were no prices on them as I'm guessing someone made off with the largest and just put these back on the shelf!?! I asked a lady working nearby and she sent me to the manager who said he would sell them to me for 2/3 the price of the set. Sold.  I was fine with that because that is what I wanted to begin with...serendipity!

And so, I was then ready to go...but I truly didn't know where. As I was looking at everything, I decided that I probably just wanted the medium sized box...and, I wasn't in the mood for complications so I went the simple way.

I painted the top red and the bottom blue-real imaginative I know. Lol

Then I just randomly added some white stars. This is about when I realized that my heart wasn't really in this project either because normally I would be spacing the stars perfectly and symmetrically but nope, I just went for it.

Of course, since Uncle Sam is primitive I decided that the box needed a layer of antiquing wax-wipe on, wipe off.

And this is where he landed. I'm still not excited. I'm not sure if maybe I'm just upset that I can't get any good pictures for you or if this is just one of my craft fails. In any case, he is here for the long haul-we'll see if he makes the cut next year. Lol

I have so many "little" chores hanging over my head-you know, the kind that only you know happened after they're done but, they need to be addressed never-the-less so I am off. Stay safe and stay tuned.

I just heard from grand daughter #3 who is going to help me get my Pinterest button back and she said she is going to do some research and see if there might be a way to get my Picassa editing back...oh my, music to my ears. I am not getting my hopes up-oh heck, yes I am. You'll be the first to know!

It's Been a Journey...

It has definitely been a journey...but I am not any closer to my destination as I was a few weeks ago. Every part of my new computer works exactly as it used to-and I LOVE it-except my blog. Actually, my blog works exactly the same it is just trying to find a way to edit pictures, add a Pinterest button, etc. that I still can not do. My grandson came over the other night to help me install-well, let's be honest here-to actually DO the installing-and we can get it to print regular things and copy. Scanning will come later. But, the one thing I need so desperately is to be able to print pictures. I want to send some to an old childhood friend and, for whatever reason, we can't make it work. This is a busy time of year and any of the family who could help are all doing and going and not able to sit next to me for a bit to just see if what I know-which isn't much but at least I know how to navigate my blog-and what they know might come together for a solution. It makes me so sad that I can't figure this out but, for now, I want to start my 4th of July tour. I have everything out but spring isn't totally put away because I finally had to get out and run some errands yesterday and today I've been in the yard a bit. We haven't had a lot of rain but what we have had has apparently been making the flowers very happy and the yard-with the exception of the grass-is looking good

With apologies again for unedited pictures let's start our tour.

One of my errands yesterday was to get to Lowes where they once again had the red, white and blue baskets. Then I did another in just the Blue Daze as it can hang out on the porch for at least the next decor and then it will move to the backyard where I am not as fussy with my colors. Lol

 The entry remains pretty much the same. I was hoping to change out what is in the "scale", but for now, Uncle Sam remains-it is still only May so maybe a brainstorm will hit before the fourth of July. Lol I did back the Declaration of Independence with red paper. I know it's not authentic but, as my grandson told me when he was VERY young, the Declaration wasn't typed so a little poetic license is allowed and it just pops a bit more now.

This Uncle Sam-and his counterpart in my family room-was made from a spindle from Lowes and the picture next to him is simply a small flag with the Pledge of Allegiance written on the white lines. The hardest part of the whole thing was making sure my hand writing was the right size to fit the whole thing onto the flag without running out of room. Lol

 

That flag holder is one of my all time favorite crafts. I saw the idea in the Martha Stewart Magazine and knew I wanted to give it a try. She used antique ball feet for hers but I didn't think I would have a way to find as many as I needed because I was making these for gifts and needed a lot so I headed to Lowes. They indeed carry ball feet but they were not inexpensive so at that point, I thought I might have to come up with a new idea. Then...serendipity! Daughter #3 and our youngest grand daughter invited my husband and me to the "Fancy Flea Antique Show". I don't remember where it was but it was a bit of a haul. In any case, the show filled the streets of the town and it was wonderful. And, there, right in the middle of one of my favorite booths was a big basket of antique ball feet. I don't really remember but I think they were somewhere around $3 each-SOLD! All I had to do then was cut a 4X4 and two small pieces of wood and assemble, paint and distress.

Those of you who visit regularly know the story behind this banner. I am a lover of Bethany Lowe holiday decor but it is also quite costly and not always east to find. And so, one day when I spied this banner for sale on a site somewhere and saw the cost, I decided to try to duplicate with one of my own. The diamonds were printed with words from the Constitution and backed with red, the letters were cut and glittered, small stars were cut, glittered and hung from the diamonds and then it was all hung from some sparkly blue trim. It was actually a doozey to make but so happy that I did. I hung it proudly and would have been entirely unaware of my faux pas except that not long after I made a trip to my favorite home decor shop in Micanopy-who happens to carry some Bethany Lowe-and was totally surprised to see her banner strung from a tabletop tree. I guess I failed to look at the measurements. Lol Of course, the size of that banner made the price even more ridiculous, but it was pretty. And, I'm glad I didn't see the size or I might not have ever tried it.

I know it is almost impossible to see but here is my new brick mold with its lid. I filled it with the red, white and blue books and then some of the boxes of sparklers that I made last year.

I absolutely LOVE my new sign. This is not where I had initially intended to hang it when I ordered it but I think it is the proper finish for this vignette. Of course that meant finding a new home for the "faux dummy board" wreath that I made last year but I did...and it found a place that really needed a pop. You'll see it soon. 

So that is the living room for this year. Again, I am so sorry that I am asking you to squint in order to maybe even get a glimpse but I am so out of my element here. I feel as if I have walked into an operating room and someone hands me a scalpel and says "go ahead, transplant the heart" Well, maybe I'm being a bit dramatic but I feel as if there is something missing on this new system...but I have no clue what. My son-in-law is bringing their dog down to me either today or tomorrow so, depending on when that happens, I might get a chance to pick his brain again. Grand daughter #3 says she thinks she may be able to "talk" me through getting back my Pinterest key so as soon as she has some free time, we are going to give that a try. Right now I can't "pin" anything from my blog-but then, with these horrible pictures, I'm not sure I want to anyway! Lol

And so, with all of that said, I need to go get some things ready before Rory gets here. She is a beautiful chocolate Lab. For some reason-I guess daughter #2 and her hubby aren't usually traveling for quite as long as they are this time-someone closer to home takes care of her and I have never had her with me for this long. I'm looking forward to her company and we'll see if she turns out to be as big a bed hoarder as Bruno. I'll be back. Stay safe and stay tuned.