Tag Archive | Michael’s

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

 

 

Red, White, and Blue – I Found Something New!

May28

Happy belated Memorial Day! It was great to have a three day weekend and I managed to get some things done due to the rain that we have had. Last week, was a hectic week for cake orders – two baby showers and a baseball banquet!IMG_0872cupcakesphoto

Yee-Haw!!!! 

I had to coach myself to clean up the kitchen on Saturday before I could do any ‘fun stuff’! Buttercream icing has a tendency to get EVERYWHERE – so cleaning up the kitchen involved a lot more than a quick swipe of the sponge and mop.Cleaning up in preparation of making another mess is very discouraging to me; so,  I really had to talk my way through it….

My personal reward for getting it done was a trip to Michael’s and, as always, it was a time of discovery for me! I found this chalk paint from Americana Decor. Note, this paint is not to be confused with chalkboard paint.  They happened to have it in a variety of colors, but I chose this soft blue color for the armoire in my guest room. You might be wondering, what is so special about this paint? Well, let me just tell you that all prep work is eliminated – no sanding, no priming, no waiting a long period of time in between coats! I never knew painting could be so painless! I always thought that was why the word ‘pain’ was in ‘painting’!

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Another ‘aha’ moment that I had was that it only took two of these containers to cover the entire piece of furniture with two complete coats. A little bit of paint went a very long way and the container has a top which screws on so it is easy, peasy to work with.  Initially, I was concerned about how much money I was going to have to spend on redoing one piece of furniture.

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I was even able to paint the hinges at the top because I didn’t want them to stand out. My next step was to sand the edges just a bit to distress it and then add a coat of dark wax

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I am really leery about using any product that has a high sheen to it, so the final step was to apply this soft touch varnish. I am very pleased with the way that it turned out! I will post pictures of the final masterpiece next time!

With Love,

sunflower

A Sunday Shower

May18

Today was the day, and what a beautiful day it was! It was the day of the big bridal shower! The bride-to-be has chosen the colors coral and gray.  I found this transparent spray paint at Michael’s and I was very eager to experiment with it on some mason jars.

IMG_0867I give it five out of five stars! Previously, when I had tinted mason jars, I used food coloring and Mod Podge. The residue around the lip was a bit thick and gummy. Also, I had to put the color inside the jar, so using it as a flower vase was a bit tricky. But this heaven in a can, is sprayed on the outside of the vase and it goes on perfectly. Not only that, it dries within five minutes! See for yourselves!

IMG_0870 Look how perfect they turned out! IMG_0868

Several people at the shower even asked where I found the jars in that color! I was able to color six pint size jars and six quart size jars (with a half can left to spare) for $7. 50….

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Stay tuned for more pictures from the shower!

With Love,

sunflower