Tag Archive | burlap

The Days that Time Worked in my Favor

Jun18

At the beginning of any extended vacation time  from work, there is a spring in my step, an unrealistic to-do list of Pinterest projects to try, and a feeling that the world is at my feet because time is on my side. I can easily organize the responsibilities of laundry, cooking, and cleaning with a lighthearted attitude.  I am so sorry  for those that  have not been able to feel that luxury of ‘time’ every once in a while because the opportunity to refresh is so important for one’s health.FullSizeRender (3)

This weekend, my husband surprised me with a road-trip for my birthday and our anniversary. Our definition of road-trip is: get in the car and drive to some undetermined destination.

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We spent two days driving to small towns, roaming around, talking, and laughing. Letting go is good and we both know that we have got to take these mini-vacations more often. We have decided however, that Siri will always travel with us in case we need assistance with gas station locations, hotel choices, and restaurant recommendations (that is a whole other story and one that we will laugh about together for years to come).

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With Love,

Penny

 

 

Boo, Boop-De-Dooo! Chelsea’s About To Say, “I DO!” ♥

May14

Throwing a bridal shower can be a lot of fun, but it can also be overwhelming. If you are anything like me (for your sake, I hope not) you can get reigned in to the worlds of Pinterest and Bloglovin’ – and fall in love with every single idea that has ever been posted – and then get all worked up about how you are going to pull it all together in the amount of time you have left before the event. Whew, I tell you, being obsessive compulsive is really a curse! I have found that I have to even limit the amount of time that I can spend at Michael’s and Hobby Lobby. How many of you feel your heart begin to race in excitement when you get the opportunity to visit either of those two stores? What’s worse, I get giddy if I know I have a bit of extra spending money with me when I go! Self-control – I need to work on self-control!!!

IMG_0841I went ahead and zipped over to Walmart yesterday just to look around and found these treasures for the upcoming bridal shower.  I will be using the mini chalkboards to label the hors d’oeuvres. The jelly jars are going to be filled with home made, lemon scented, hand scrub. They will be used as a thank you gift for those in attendance.

IMG_0842I decided to frame the invitation to the shower so that Chelsea could have it as a keepsake. I will probably set it up on the gift table for an added decoration. I am not finished with it yet, so stay tuned for additional pictures.

 

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Look at this burlap runner that I found! It already has the lace attached to it…..what a great look for the center of each table!

 

Try not to focus on the nastiness of my scissors in the photo below. I do run them through the dishwasher from time to time but I guess I am about due for a new pair. I am amazed at how simple these rosettes are to make with just a little bit of wide ribbon, a needle and thread, and a decorative button. I will be making a bunch of these to decorate the centerpieces!

IMG_0848  I really like the way they turn out and they can be made in all different sizes depending on the width of the ribbon or fabric.

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I have used them (made with different colors of ribbon) as lampshade jewelry, put them on pillows, and decorated mason jars as well as picture frames with them….BEAUTIMOUS!!!!!

I will be working on more projects this evening  so stay tuned for my next post!

 

With Love,

sunflower

 

 

 

“In Like a Lion…..Out Like a Lamb”

Mar28

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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.

 IMG_0700♥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!

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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??

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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.)

Taylor and Kori's Wedding Pictures 056Aren’t they precious?

With Love,                       

sunflower