Tag Archive | painting

I’ve Gone Mad … Mad for Plaid

December 13, 2016 – Is it really possible that we are already half way through the month of December and just twelve days shy of Christmas day? The year 2017 is peeking around the corner!

Confession time: I have not been as devoted to writing on my blog as I would have liked this past year. A series of other priorities managed to finagle a way into my life and consume my thoughts. Funny thing about writing, when you’re consumed by thoughts one of two things can happen; it can all come flowing out of you without any hesitation or it can stay bottled up inside you like a surge of water searching for an escape route around a dam. Unfortunately, the latter has become my struggle.

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Recently, following a great deal of reflection, I have come to the realization that writing has always been a really significant part of my life. It is a validation of my own thoughts and beliefs, no matter how crazy they may be. So, as the year 2017 sneaks in at an alarmingly rapid pace, I am making my first resolution. I will to be more dedicated to posting on my blog consistently. Here’s to resolutions and making them last!

I have not let everything that I enjoy doing in my free time slip by the wayside. I still enjoy ‘crafting’. And, as the month of November rolled into December, I discovered that I have a growing obsession with PLAID….. not just any plaid, but flannel plaid. Oh my goodness, I have made plaid curtains, plaid table runners, plaid pillows, and plaid tote bags. I have appliqued plaid deer and vintage trucks on drop cloth and denim. I ordered most of my precious, flannel prints from fabric.com but when I couldn’t find the necessary buffalo check, I began purchasing twin flannel sheet sets to satisfy my addiction. Living in Texas, where you can pretty much wear flip-flops twelve months out of the year, it is refreshing to surround myself with a fabric that is representative of an actual season – winter!

So, today as I make my way through this frigid 66 degree weather in Texas, I will proudly strut around in my plaid scarf, carrying my plaid tote bag, while sporting a new pair of flip-flops.

With Love,

sunflower

I Can’t Adult Today

Jun29

At 51 years old, I guess it is about time that I start figuring out what its like to be an adult! I can remember so vividly being a child and wishing that I were a grown-up. It seemed as if I would have to wait an eternity to gain the ‘freedom’ of adulthood. It didn’t register to me that with freedom comes responsibilities. Now, at my age, I am still waiting to feel like a grown-up, even though I look like one in the mirror, and I would really like to share the burden of responsibilities with someone else.

This week, I worked with a friend’s daughter painting a dining room table. I remember her as a six-year old and now she has just purchased her first home. I just don’t understand how that happened – in the blink of an eye. And yet, I am still waiting to feel like a grown-up!

I think that she was pleased with how the table turned out even though we ran into a few glitches. It got so hot in the garage that I had to move to Plan B and put everything inside. Thank goodness my husband is a patient man and can deal with a bit of disorder (a.k.a. absolute chaos).

I don’t know, would an adult think it was acceptable to function like this in the living room for over a week?

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I would have to say that it was all worth it – maybe tomorrow I can be an adult!

With Love,

sunflower

—-Praying for JWR—-

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

On the First Day of Vacation, My True Love Said to Me….

Jun14

“I really need you to come down and help me with a food drive that we are having at work from 10:00-2:00” Grrr! Those were the words that my husband said to me on the morning of my first official vacation day. He is such a romantic….literally, my heart just fluttered at his request. So…. in 97 degree heat, we trudged downtown, bagged canned goods, loaded them into vehicles, and delivered them to the local food pantry.

Honestly, it was a great experience, and I enjoyed working alongside with the people that he works with day in and day out. They all gave up their Saturday to participate in this gift of service, which says a lot about their sense of community and loyalty to their employer. I was especially impressed by two high school students that were working at the food pantry . They brought shopping carts out to us and helped us load and unload all of our bagged items. Both of them were so willing to help and truly shared their sense of service with us. In a world where the media portrays the negatives of our society as ‘the norm’, it was so refreshing to see ‘norm’al teenagers working for a cause.

With Love,

sunflower

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!

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’!

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.

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

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,

Life’s Ladders

Apr5

Why do I rush to “get it all done”

When much of the process is most of the fun!

I DREAM of the weekend, each day of the week.

Those two days for me, when I’m at my peak!

But what of the multiple days in between…….

When unscheduled challenges take on the lead.

Upon setting a goal, I know that each time

I must start at once, with the end in my mind.

“End“, for me, is a powerful word,

Yet rushing to get there is totally absurd.

My journey through life makes me who I am!

The good times and hard times are ALL part of God’s plan.

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Have I grown to learn – or just learned to grow?

This mystery, it seems, is all part of life’s show….

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What a week its been! As a result, I have done a great deal of reflecting this morning. My husband has really found it quite humorous that I have taken to painting and decorating ladders. Not to mention, I have been using them in unconventional ways! Hmmmm, the things that I have to do to keep him laughing!

My analogy for the post today: Ladders consist of steps/rungs (as does life)! Now, I am going to go and try to ‘enjoy’ the process of cleaning my house!

With Love,

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

Mar29

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…

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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,

Creatively Blue

Happily Creating My Way Through The Stresses of Life

Tag Archive | painting

I’ve Gone Mad … Mad for Plaid