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)