Kreative Blogger Award

Hey all!
I just got this award from Jane @ Blondie's Journal. She is being oh so kind and giving little ol' me this award. Pay her a visit and you'll see why I like her and her blog so much. She's the greatest! THANKS JANE!!!

Per her instructions I'm supposed to list seven things that I love. Since the love of my family is obvious, I'm not going to put that down :0)


1. Rainy Days
2. Watching dogs play
3. Vintage tablecloths
4. Old houses
5. The way my hubby smells
6. quiet mornings
7. a good ghost story

Now you know a little more about me and I'll bet it's not to suprising :0). Please, feel free to take this award and wear it with pride. If you post the seven things you love, please let me know as I'd love to read about it!

Blue Monday 4/27

Hip Hooray! It's time for BLUE MONDAY! Smiling Sally is our ever gracious hostess with the mostest. Be sure to pay her a visit and see who else is bopping in blue today.

Happiness is a favorite blue toy...

Thanks for stopping by.

Daisy and I
hope your day is
GREAT !!!

Happiness is...

Being there...The added excitment? Hmm, feeling two out of three earthquakes that happened to hit at

8:30PM. Magnitude 3.9 & 4.0. Not "big" but enough to feel the jolt.
I remember feeling the "side to side" shake and asking dear hubby if he felt it. Of course he dismissed it by saying it was just the vibration from all the people running up and down the steps. I said "No Way!" It wasn't the up & down movement you feel when the people go up and down the steps, it was a side to side "shake"and It actually made me feel dizzy!
No worries, aside from frazzled nerves, all is well :0)

Happiness is

Vintage Thingies Thursday 4/23

Happy Thursday! It's time for Vintage Thingies Thursday which is so graciously hosted by Suzanne over at Colorado Lady. Be sure to pay her a visit and see who else rolls "vintage"

Old Canning Jars...
I love the way they "shine"
with the sunlight
filtering through them...

Just one way
I like to use
my jars...
Original light fixture
circa 1954
located in my laundry room

Thanks for stopping by
and spending some time.
May the rest of your day be
GREAT!!!

Mr Summer is paying us a visit...

Please allow me whine a bit.
It's just too darned hot! I actually had to turn on the central A/C and cool off the house yesterday.
Yesterday was 97 degrees. Today's projected high is 98 (which means it will probably go over 100 here) and we aren't to see a "cool down" until Wednesday (high 80s). Bah!
So today I'll be doing my best to keep cool and be dreaming of my favorite place...Where today it will be a breezy 82 degrees...sigh*I'm just going to walk down the steps and sit right here....feel those cool sea breezes? Ahhhh...my favorite tide pools are just down below...
You all have a fantastic day!

So, I discovered "Heirloom White"...

I'll bet lots of us have these little step stools or have found them at thrift stores. As my home is rather small, er umm COZY, most things I have serve a dual purpose. This baby is not only a step stool, it's a decorative element AND it houses my "45's". Yes, my 45's.

While functional, it was rather an eye sore
and much to drab and
"heavy looking"
for my taste...

Old dress that
I've kept
simply because
I really loved
the print...

Well, as I mentioned. I discovered "Heirloom White" spray paint. Honestly, I really like the shade as it's not to "stark" and it seems to have a nice "creamy and vintage" look to it.

After...
I totally dig it

For those who've asked. The name of the paint is "Painter's Touch" in Heirloom White by Rustoleum. I found this brand at Home Depot. I hope you all have a great day!

A rag wreath of hope...

Remember rag wreaths? LOL! This is the very first rag wreath I ever made. We had just become a "family" and moved into the first home we shared as a blended family. My youngest girls room was a blank slate and it needed some serious "girl-y-fying". I remember asking her to choose her colors and she chose "blue, pink, and yellow". Above is the first thing that went on her wall. She was six years old when I made this. She's now a senior in high school getting ready to graduate.
How is it that time speeds by so quickly?
I remember bending the hanger, cutting the strips of fabric and tying them on, one by one by one by one...Each strip filled with love and serious "hopes". The hopes I had as a new wife, as a mother praying that my girls and new hubby would come to love each other, hoping/praying that the choices I made were really the best ones for all of us. Not just for me, but for my little girls too. The hopes that were tied into this wreath were deep.
Our family did blend and we've made a good life for all of us. We are blessed. It's been an adventure, to say the least. The "hope" wreath had stayed on my youngest daughter's wall up until today. Today, we took it down, dusted it off and it now hangs just outside the front door, on our stoop. It will welcome all who enter and always remind me how the hopes I had, turned into truth and how the love I prayed for, multiplied.

"Wood" you believe it?

So we've been out and about looking at new flooring and trying to decide what we'd like to put down in the kitchen. I want to put down a laminate of some kind and have the look of "wood" since "one day" we'll be ripping out the Gawd Awful carpeting in the living/dining rooms and refinishing the wonderful 55 year old original oak floors. I want to try and aim for flooring that "looks" the same. The biggest argument dear hubby wubby and I have is over the flooring that will be put down in the kitchen. He wants to put down tile, I don't! He suggested another linoleum, and I don't want that either. He's trying to think of what will last and withstand water and spills. I want something that will do all that and look good too. In all honesty this argument is one of the major reasons we haven't updated the flooring in the house. We just cannot seem to agree or even find a compromise....That is, until today.

Look-y what I found!!! I am sooo inspired! (this is my inspiration photo)

Isn't it wonderful? I love the warmth and beauty of wood floors~ the richness...sigh* BUT WAIT! Guess what!

It's VINYL !!! That's right! VINYL !!! Oh, the Gods of faux flooring be praised. A floor that will not only appease hubby wubby but satisfy my need for the richness, the warmth, and the look of wood.

It's vinyl plank flooring and is super easy to install. You just lay it down over your old laminate and it "floats". It has an adhesive on the back and you just stagger the "planks" to give it some interest and texture. We'll be taking measurements soon and I see an installation in the near future.

Yes, I'm doing some major happy dancing over here!

To paint or not to paint? That is the question

Here is my old corner china cabinet. I love this piece and how I'm the third generation to own this beauty. It's got dings, it's got scratches and it's not in the best of condition, but it has been well loved and has withstood many changes and quakes. It still has it's original paper label that shows the furniture company who made her as well as what "number". My dilemma is in whether or not I should paint the old girl, give her a make over and gussy her up a bit. I had considered re-finishing her, but with as big a clan as I have here I'd be worried and stressed that she'd be mauled again, yet in her current state she just seems to yell out for some love and attention. I've thought that with paint it wouldn't matter if she was handled, dinged again or scratched as that would just add to her all ready amazing character and maybe one day, when the young un's are older, she will get refinished but for now? "If" I do decide to use paint, I'm thinking something like a colonial red (like the red in my pantry plaid which is really crimson) or a nice vintage or antique white....sigh*
So, does she get some make up or do I leave her as is? Your thoughts?

Happy Easter...

Wishing you and yours a very Happy Easter...

Laundry room-Functional Accessories

So yesterday I shared my desire to find something to hold my laundry detergent that was not just functional but "nice". I think I found my solution.

I shopped the house and found this pretzel container in my bedroom that I'd stored away last year. I vaguely remember darling hubby saying he wanted to keep it so he could fill it up with change. Too bad! I got it first! (lol!)

Before...

Soaked it in some warm water so
I could easily remove the labels.
I Washed it up, let it dry and...

Got my trusty letters...

How's this?
I'm still not sure if I like the letters or not.
For now, I'll live with it and
if I decide I don't want them,
they are very easy
to remove.

Now I'm on the look out

for an old tin measuring cup.

This is what I call Functional Accessories. Looks great and adds character to the "room" and actually has a purpose aside from looking "good".

Useable accessories

I've really been concentrating on my laundry room and making it as welcoming as I can without losing any of it's functionality. I've been giving it a mini makeover this season. I began with the de-cluttering and organizing and am now on the accessorizing. I love that accessories bring life into a room and share the homeowners personality as well. As of late I've been obsessed with containers in which to store the powder detergent and the Clorox 2. I don't like, and I mean I REALLY DON'T LIKE the containers the aforementioned items come in. They clash with my colors. Yes, little things like that irk the heck out of me. Plus the fact that I have to buy in bulk/large sizes is just a fact of life around here. The laundry room space is small and leaving the detergent container "out" makes it feel cluttered and ugly :0(. Right now I've got my detergent in one of the old canisters...the largest one and yet that is to small and I'm refilling the darn thing every few days. sigh*. Then I got on line to find some inspiration and found these...

I love how the "soap" is in an old seltzer bottle.
I could sooo do this with my Clorox 2
or Fabric Softener...

Love the glass containers on the counter to the left
and really dig this idea
but can I find something large enough?

Now this is just too stinking cute!
Would be great for that "OxyClean"
powder...

Really love this look
but they just aren't big enough...

I know I've got something around here. It's time to shop the house/garage/patio and storage areas...

To Be Continued...

New Life, New Use, NEW ARTWORK

Anything can be re-used, re-cycled and re-purposed. It just takes a bit of time, effort, thought and a dash of creativity. A few months ago while watching one of my favorite HGTV programs (Design on a Dime) they were re-doing a kitchen and this is what one of the designers did. I loved the idea because it meant that old silverware didn't have to be kept tucked away in a drawer or closet somewhere. I gathered my supplies and went to work. I was going to save this post for next week/Thursday but I thought "why wait?". Then as I was surfing through blogs, I came upon a blog called "Nesting Place" and what a wonderful place it is. Well guess what? She had done something similar as well ! That was just affirmation that this really is a good idea, lol! Ms Nester has got to be one of the most creative people in blogland. I only wish I would have found her sooner. What a talent!
So, I was saying...
Make the project work for you and just imagine how you can dress it and shake it up with different papers, ribbons, etc. The possibilities are endless! I coordinated the colors to work in my kitchen. I think this would be great in a dining room too!

Before
A tired oak frame and an Angel print...

After:
Painted the frame black, removed the glass,
cut leftover scrapbook paper to "fit",
hot glued silverware to paper,
and added a bit of wire ribbon
for good measure...

So? What do you think? I know it may not be for everyone, but I'm really happy with the way it came out, plus it really helps to "tie in" the "spoon pulls" my dear hubby was so good to make for me and don't you just love that the silverware is a bit tarnished? L-l-l-love it!

P.S. I've been strolling through bloggerville and have seen so many who've followed Ms Nester's idea. It's so, so fun!

I won a Give-A-Way...

Have you met Heidi Pocketbook @ Bargain Hunting in the Corn?If not, allow me to introduce you.....People this is Heidi
I think you will find her to be as warm, witty, and welcoming as I do, and I hope you enjoy your visit to her blog just as much & more.

A few weeks ago I was the lucky winner of Heidi Pocketbook's give-a-way! Yahoo!
The prize was a $20 gift card to Amazon.com. Yahoo! Yahoo! It was tough to decide what to get and honestly it took me a long time to make a decision, but finally---FINALLY I decided to get something I knew dear hubby and I could enjoy.

TA DA !!!

For me-
Return to Ravenhearst
This is a PC game that is part "seek and find" and part "puzzle". It's a fun game and requires some "sleuthing" skills which is something that can keep me occupied for a long while. I literally set a timer on my cell phone so I will get off the computer or else I would stay glued to it all day trying to solve the whole case, lol! It's set in an old Victorian mansion and is a "ghost" story of sorts. I love me a good ghost story, always have.
For dear hubby
No explanation needed, lol!

They're PC games and while I've had lots of fun enjoying mine, I had to return the golf game because it didn't work :0(. We'll get him another one, don't worry. Dear hubby loves golf and gets out on the "green" as often as he can.

Thanks Heidi for being a great bloggerina friend and for my "gift".

Getting better and back to my Spring Cleaning, Refreshing and "Look what I made!"

Well this bug is still with me and this makes it officially two weeks old. Seriously! I'm feeling better but still not at 100%. I rest when I can, but quite honestly I can't stay down to long even when I'm sick. I guess it's a rule that mom's do not get sick days (LOL!) and quite honestly I get bored and restless knowing that there is so much to be done. So I get myself up and start moving. This would probably explain why it takes me so long to get "well" and why I feel so horrible at the end of a day at times. I know! I know!

As you know I was in the middle of my Spring cleaning, organizing and refreshing when the bug attacked. Now that I'm feeling better I've started up again, although I am moving much slower then I normally would and I'm still a bit "foggy".

Anyway, I had been working on the laundry room/service porch and my goal is to make it as bright & happy as possible because I spend so much of my time in that area of the house. With a family as large as ours it's not a good idea to go more then a day without doing laundry.

While browsing blogs I saw how Shelia @ Note Songs created some artwork for her laundry room which she used to hide a fuse box. I really liked her idea, was inspired, ran with it and made it work for me.

Scrapbooking paper, vinyl letters, and a box frame

I laid the frame flat against the paper,
took my craft knife and just cut around the perimeter...
Then I measured, centered
and affixed the needed letters. Once that was done,
I just placed them into the frames...

Measured to the half way mark from the top of the dryer to the ceiling and marked.
Then I centered my first frame and worked out
centering the last two, from that point.
Basic math skills were needed :0)

Frames $3.00,

Paper (2 12x12 sheets @ .69ea) $1.38,
letters $3.99
Total was approximately $9 (including tax)