Archive | March 2014

B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L Day!

Yesterday’s storm has passed, but it certainly managed to leave its mark! Amazingly, today the weather was absolutely beautiful. Fortunately, it was Saturday because it would have unbearable to work inside all day. When I went outside to assess any damage, this is what I found!

My Iris are Blooming!

Spring is finally here! I did spend the day mowing, raking, and trimming some hedges. Despite feeling sore from using muscles that have been hibernating since last summer, it feels so good to be able to look across a freshly manicured front yard. I love watching the new growth on the trees that have been dormant for what seems like forever!

I would like to share another new project with you. My husband brought home two, old dressers. They are unusually small and narrow; so initially, I wasn’t really sure what I was going to do with them.

See what I mean – they are short, narrow……oh, and I forgot to mention, FILTHY!

After a bit of planning, I scrubbed them down and painted them with the leftover black onyx paint that I had…..I just love that color! It is like the little, black dress that you can accessorize with ANY COLOR YOU WANT!

Ooh, Lah, Lah!

I love the way that they turned out! I got the new drawer pulls from Hobby Lobby at 50% off. So the total cost of this project was $20.00! How cool is that? Plus, the drawers are not spacious, but they do provide a bit of extra storage space and one can never have enough storage space!

There you go – a beautiful Saturday and a money saving project all in one!

With Love,

“In Like a Lion…..Out Like a Lamb”

Mar28

March is almost over!! WH-A-T, surely not! I am very concerned that at 48 years of age, I have become like an adolescent child on summer vacation – the days between the beginning and the end have all become a blur! Actually, I realized today, that while everyone else is transitioning into the month of April I am still transitioning into the year 2014! Okay, okay, so lately I guess that I have not been too quick on my feet. Jeepers! Where does the time go? I would really love to say that I have been super productive this month and therefore I have lost track of time (mmmmmhmmm. that’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it), but really, it all boils down to that famous quote:

The road that is covered with huge boulders or obstacles was truly paved with good intentions!

(I may have done a bit of altering to the wording above to fit my own experiences and age)

The month did come in like a lion…. but, if you live in central Texas, it is not going out like a lamb. We are expecting severe weather throughout the remainder of the week. In years past, at this point, I had already planted my garden, pulled weeds, and replaced mulch by now! I had even sanded pieces of furniture that were in desperate need of a seasonal makeover. I had refinished the deck so that we could do most of our evening meals outside. ALAS……this year- dad.gum.it, No Such Luck!!! In other words, this weather is not in alliance with my Obsessive Compulsive Personality.

♥Gracie has been waiting patiently to dig in the garden!♥

(by the way, she loves relaxing on my drop cloth pillows –

and, I love the fact that she thinks that they were made just for her)

I want to share a project that I did! Actually, other than the cost of paint, this project was FREE! I just love it when all of the stars are aligned in my favor and I find a real treasure sitting out by someone’s trash dumpster. This table had really been through the ringer, but it had soooooo much potential!

After sanding it down, I painted the base with Valspar’s Black Onyx (paint and primer in one) I couldn’t bring myself to paint the top because the wood grain looked so pretty after the years of wear and tear had been sanded away. So I stained it with Minwax’ Dark Walnut. Before sealing it with Polycrylic, I mixed up just a bit of the black paint with some antiquing gel and rubbed it across the top! I am very happy with the way that it turned out. Also, did I mention that it was FREE??

I made a burlap runner to go across the top – throw on a white pitcher with some flowers and it is enough to make a person stand back, admire it, and feel pretty proud! I wish that my pictures had turned out a bit better. I was so pleased with how this one turned out that I made another one for my son and his wife (one of my favorite couples I might add.)

Aren’t they precious?

With Love,

March Madness

Mar19

Yep! It is here – the MADNESS!!! Basketball lovers everywhere anxiously await the end of football season, knowing that madness is just around the next corner. Scientists may officially list the seasons as winter, spring, summer, and fall – but sports’ fanatics include football, basketball, soccer, and baseball into the seasonal list as well. Native Texans include hunting season and, of course, all Texans have the unspoken understanding that sports’ seasons will overlap some.

Teachers, ohhhh teachers – bless them! March Madness means something totally different for them. Immediately following winter break, the symptoms of the madness begin to rear their ugly heads. Adrenaline courses through teachers’ veins and they begin to wake up in the middle of the night, haunted by recurring nightmares. Their sleep-deprived bodies will then toss and turn restlessly until dawn. Tension hangs heavily in the air throughout the halls of academic buildings. Alas, March Madness is what happens to educators as state standardized testing dates rapidly approach.

Seeking out moments of reprieve from the madness, is the only thing that keeps many teachers from going over the edge. I, too, am an educator. My escape is to start several craft or decorating projects.

Above is my muslin rag wreath with grapevine ribbon placed on an old window frame that was repainted and distressed.

This is a burlap canvas with a painted wooden monogram place on it. I also embellished it with one of my drop-cloth flowers! When my grandmother passed away, I found this old fan in her basement. It doesn’t work but it still has the cloth electrical cord attached to it. It was pretty rusted out, so I took it apart and repainted it. I love the way that it turned out!

I had two old metal bar stools that had ugly, ugly seat covers. I repainted them a sage green then went over the paint with an antique gel. After recovering the seats with drop cloth (I know, I know I seem to have an obsession with that stuff), I stenciled on the back of each stool. The small burlap pillow was made from some leftover fabric that I had purchased for another project.

My sewing machine will remain on my dining room table and my paintbrushes and paint cans will sit on my kitchen countertop until the madness is over!

This post is dedicated to all of my teacher friends!!!!! Good night, and please try to sleep tight!

With Love and MADNESS,

MASTERS’ REVEAL – Not Golf… Bedroom

Mar16

My husband is a golf junkie…actually, he is a sports’ junkie. I am a craft/decorating junkie!!!!! So, when he and I carry on a conversation about the master – we could be talking about two totally different topics. I am envisioning a master bedroom redo and he is thinking about working on his golf swing (After all, he might just be invited to play in a tournament with Phil Mickelson any day now). Sometimes meeting in the middle is a bit of a challenge. Luckily, we have more than one television and compromise is the magic key! When a big game/tournament is on, I can go into another room and get my fix of DIY television (Martha Stewart is also waiting for my creative advice)!

Let me get to the point! The furniture in our master bedroom is from the 1980’s. It has been in serious need of an update. Now don’t get me wrong,to me the 80’s were not that long ago and I don’t feel a day older than I did in the 80’s. But……….all good things must come to an end! My 80’s hairstyles and fashionable clothing had to be updated and though the ‘structure’ of my 80’s furniture is good, the surface has been calling out for help!

I wish this picture of my headboard was better. I had actually started sanding it before I thought about taking a picture.This headboard was so top heavy it made the room seem off balance. Golf Analogy – The Perfect Swing Requires Balance!

We removed the entire top portion and painted the bottom in black onyx eggshell/satin. I really like Glidden High Endurance Paint and Primer+One from Walmart. Now, I haven’t had a lot of experience with different paint brands, but I have had a great deal of experience with living on a budget. I like ‘high endurance’ and I like ‘paint and primer in one’. I did the top in Minwax Weathered Oak. After two coats, I wanted it a bit darker to blend better with the bottom so I mixed some of my black paint with antiquing gel and did a single coat across the surface. Happiness!

Golf Analogy – It’s a funny thing, the more I practice the luckier I get.
– Arnold Palmer

The headboard is now more streamlined – gone is the big 80’s hair!!!!! Ooops! I mean woodwork (isn’t it interesting how hairstyles and clothing styles follow furniture styles – or visa versa). Oh, by the way, I put things in place for a photo shoot last night at 10:00, so my decorating was quick and simple. Major accessorizing will come later.

I used the same black onyx on my cedar chest…

IMG_0662-001

and on the dresser

Okay – I couldn’t resist – even on the dog’s bowls!

The only piece left is the chest of drawers that the television sits on! Yikes – I am still contemplating the meaning of compromise as I develop a strategy so my husband can watch his sports when the T.V. is on the floor! Sleeping bags were really popular back in the ’80s right????

Golf Analogy: Golf is not, and never has been, a fair game.
– Jack Nicklaus

With love,

Spring Has Sprung (inside…..)

Mar15

Alas, my spring break is coming to an end. My seemingly endless to do list will be left incomplete for a couple of reasons:

The weather just refuses to cooperate with my plans.
Last Friday, when my vacation began, it seemed like I had plenty of time; so I didn’t really start my vacation with sense of urgency…..after all, a list is a list, and what isn’t done today will always be there tomorrow.

I did get my headboard redone and it looks AWESOME!!! I will publish pictures in my next post! There is something satisfying about morphing a piece of furniture that is over twenty years old into something that is functional and stylish.

Today, I want to share a celebration with you! One of my favorite little first graders is turning SEVEN YEARS OLD!!!!!

Happy Birthday, Haylee!

I wish that this picture had turned out just a bit better….. Anyway, her theme is Lego Friends! Yep, now Legos come in pink, purple, teal, and yellow! I am getting ready to deliver her cake – along with a couple of little Lego sets to set up around it.

Boys and Girls, raise your hands if you wish that your parents or grandparents had bought stock in the Lego Company when it first started!

IMG_0681-001

With Love,

Spring Break – To Clean or Not to Clean, That is the Question

Mar12

Day One of Spring Break for Teachers: SLEEP!

Day Two of Spring Break for Teachers: Rest, while watching mindless romance movies on Lifetime Television.

Day Three of Spring Break for Teachers: Dust off the list that was made, during the last bad weather day, of projects to complete during Spring Break.

Day Four of Spring Break for Teachers: Time to start deep cleaning so that you can attend to the list that was made, during the last bad weather day……

Day Five of Spring Break for Teachers: Time to PANIC, because the week has gone by (where did the time go) and all you can do is check off the first two items on the list that was made, during the last bad weather day!

Why Can’t I Leave Well Enough Alone?

Mar12

I am sure that there were meant to be some additional commandments. One of them being “Thou Shalt Leave Well Enough Alone” – those of us that break that commandment are stricken with an incurable disease known as ‘The What Ifs ’.

The symptoms of ‘The What Ifs’ wake unsuspecting victims in the middle of the night —-

What if I were to stencil numbers on my card table chairs?

The symptoms will also cause its victims to repaint a perfectly good piece of furniture——–

I can envision this piece in brown, black, or maybe even a teal blue?

The spouse will mutter incessantly under his breath, because your ‘What Ifs’ are about to push him over the edge!

“Honey, I think that it is time to redo the furniture in the bedroom – also, I have some ideas for the master bathroom!”

Fortunately, he takes that whole, ‘in sickness and in health thing’ seriously!

It is just a horrible burden to bear for those of us that can’t leave well enough alone! And, God Bless those that stand by and support us through the symptoms of ‘The What Ifs’.

My Soap Box

Mar6

Gifts, treasures, presents……GOTTA LOVE ‘EM! Last Monday, I was pleasantly surprised by a gift I received. It wasn’t my birthday or anniversary! As a matter of fact, I can’t think of anything exceptionally special about that day. It was icy – but lately that has become such a common occurrence I can’t even say that freezing weather in Texas is a special event.

The present? It was a box. Most commonly used as a container to keep a gift secure. Sometimes, we forget to view the box itself as the treasure.

“One Man’s Trash is Another Woman’s Treasure”

Okay – I failed to mention that it was a ‘soap box’! But notice, I am not standing on my ‘soap box’ nor do I plan to stand on it (I try really hard to keep all of my personal opinions to myself).

As of right now, I am leaving my ‘soap box’ at the front door.

Caution – don’t make take a stand and get up on my ‘soap box’!

Here are some additional ‘box treasures’ I have received:

Beautiful Life

Old Bottles and Greenery

Maybe someday I will transform my ‘soap box’ like I have to the treasures pictured above, but for right now I think it is perfect just the way it is…..

What are you thoughts?

Car Key Mishap – The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men Often Go Astray!

Mar2

There is something to be said for the 30 minute sitcoms! We love them because all problems are solved in a short period of time with humor. Well, let me just tell you – in case you have been misled by the appearance of reality in the sitcom – no problem is solved in 30 minutes. Also, no matter how lighthearted you try to explain your ‘mishap’ to your family, they don’t seem to address it with the same humor as the characters on “Modern Family“.

exhibit A

So, here is how yesterday all played out for me (in more than 30 minutes)!!! I awoke at approximately 4:30 am to work on a baby shower cake that was to be delivered at 10:30 am. I was rolling along, feeling pretty good about my finished product and I even had time to take pictures of the finished product before leaving the house (exhibit A). I delivered the cake, right on time, and left the location with visions “of cleaning up the house, so I could grant myself permission to craft” dancing in my head!

This is where things get a bit fuzzy – maybe it was time for a commercial break which would shorten the 30 minute, happy ending sitcom to an actual 20 minutes. Anyway, I pulled the car into the garage upon arriving home and shut the garage door. Then – I know, let’s not argue over minor details – I fully intended to walk into the kitchen to start cleaning up, but I decided to get my computer out of the back of the car to update my blog (remember, I was feeling good about the cake I had been up decorating since 4:30 am and I wanted to share my success).

Exhibit A – Looking good, right! Well … let this be a lesson to you!

Don’t share the things you take pride in, until you complete your housekeeping tasks.I am pretty sure that some great historical leader of our country shared this with us previously and we should all know by now that ‘those who ignore history are destined to repeat it’.

The door to my car swung shut with my keys inside and, trust me, the events that followed when my hubby came home do not fall into the 30 minute sitcom guidelines. For some reason, unbeknownst to me, he did not see the humor in the situation!

Exhibit B

Pop-A-Lock and $40.00 later – still no sitcom humor in site – my car door was unlocked.

Exhibit B and lesson learned – Sitcoms are not real life along with that whole ‘the best laid plans of mice and men……….’ quote.

KEEP CALM AND PRAY ON!

Creatively Blue

Happily Creating My Way Through The Stresses of Life

Archive | March 2014

B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L Day!

“In Like a Lion…..Out Like a Lamb”

March Madness

MASTERS’ REVEAL – Not Golf… Bedroom

Spring Has Sprung (inside…..)

Spring Break – To Clean or Not to Clean, That is the Question

Why Can’t I Leave Well Enough Alone?

My Soap Box

Car Key Mishap – The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men Often Go Astray!

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this: