Happy Shack

Laundry area re-vamp

2012-01-07T19:14:00.000-08:00

Our laundry area is right inside the back door. We had finished it with a small cabinet on one side.with granite top, and nice tall cabinets and wood trim. After walking by this area so many times, I decided I didn't like seeing the metal top of the washer and dryer..We had some leftover granite..but not enough to do the whole top, so we added some marble we also had leftover from the floors.. Now we have a full counter top to fold clothes on, with no fear of socks escaping behind the appliances.

Pretty in Pink

2011-12-13T10:21:00.000-08:00

I loved my pink tree from last Christmas, but this year I did the Breakfast at Tiffany's theme.. I missed my PINK. So we went to town to buy another white tree to decorate in pink, since the other white tree is now Tiffany themed.. got the 3 1/2 tree home.. and it was fiber optic multi color light.. OH NO..that won't do.. so took it back on the way to Fort Smith to the Michael's.. YES.they had a small white tree with clear light..so I put this precious tree in our master bedroom. I enjoy seeing it as I lay in bed at the end of the day to read myself to slumber land.. I also come up to the master room to read if foot ball is on.. some relax time. I can see the lake on the dreary winter day..and seeing water always cheers me up.. I used the white dominos that have pink crystals for dots..made them into ornaments.. some boa feathers tucked in the branches.. there;s even a PINK flamingo made from blown glass and pink feathers.. Pink polka dot bows.. tiny pink strings of pearls.. so girly.

Noahs Ark

2011-12-02T15:17:00.000-08:00

I bought this primitive Ark set from Sam's Club about 6 years ago. The animals entering the ark 2x2 always bring a smile to my face.

Tifany table setting

2011-12-02T15:07:00.000-08:00

I found plenty of bling for the tablescape at Hobby Lobby.. SPARKLE !!! The window garland I made with odd shaped sequins and fish line. I used more of the tiara and engagement ring napkin rings, to go with the other bling. The top and runner is all finished now. Time for the Holidays !! Hope you all are getting in the mood.

Mantle decorated for Christmas

2011-11-27T20:20:00.000-08:00

I don't decorate our house nearly as heavy as I used to for the holidays.. I keep it simple.. It is so time consuming, and I get claustrophobic with too much clutter... thanks to watching Hoarders.. Plus we get up and go sometimes for the winter months..and I don't want to come back a few months later to put it all away. Plus my mood and taste in decor tends to change a lot...so i go with what has my interest. This year I put my Jim Shore Collectibles on the mantle , and added some fresh pine boughs. Then I took OLD OLD ornaments that were on our tree when I was a child.. one thing I was so happy my late Mother gave to me years ago... These were my late Fathers favorites too. They are so old and fragile.. I know my favorite one is the red one with Silent night and a church on it in white. But the shapes are also unique to that era. As many times as we moved when I was growing up, and we really didn't have a lot of stuff we moved.. I really am amazed these survived. Maybe you recognize some of these too.

Tray with candles.. LOVE IT !!

2011-11-27T20:08:00.000-08:00

I got the tray done and on the table.. CANDLES.. ohhh the glow of candles. I love this blue and cream, and its in the Tiffany Box blue room. I out pearls on the tray, to go with the Christmas at Tiffanys theme in the room.

Christmas at Tiffanys... tree theme 2011

2011-11-26T19:46:00.000-08:00

I planned to have pink and blue ornaments this year. Only because I could not find enough small blue ornaments in the color I wanted.. I knew I could use some things to MAKE ornaments in blue..I started to decorate and knew I needed MORE things or I was going to have to use pink also,since I had them from last year. So I went to my studio and started poking around for more ornies.. then it hit me.. I grabbed tiara napkin rings, a full size tiara. some Tiffany boxes I had. Even had a piece of soft blue fabric for the tree skirt. I set the tree up in front of the blue framed mirror. I had bought a tri-colored blue plant poke, with beads and sequins on it..I cut it apart, put some for the topper, and tucked others in the branches. used a large "diamond ring" napkin ring for the Topper. I had bought some large blue sequins with the holes off set, knowing i would string them in garland, some see thru blue snoflakes and some larger ones in jewel box blue, and JOY letters also. I added my suede Tiffany jewelry bags, and some miniture tiara napkin rings, and strings of "pearl" beads.. it is dripping with Pearls !! Under the tree, the blue fabric, some Tiffany gift boxes, and bags, more pearls, a LARGE loose "diamond", alas, it is only glass, a tiara headband. It was amazing how many things I already had in my studio, since it is decorated "girly" I scavanged that room. I still have more decorating to do.. but loving the tree with my Tiffany Box blue walls. I love my PINK.. but this year I love this look !

Kindle Cover

2011-11-25T13:47:00.000-08:00

I wanted a cover for my Kindle that would protect it when I put it in my purse or over night bag,, or computer bag..or just carried it to the car or the beach, it tucks in my beach bag perfectly.. I didn't want a hard case..just something to keep it clean and semi-protected.. Love it..and it also fits my new Kindle Fire.. Amazing what a little fabric, and NEED to have can accomplish !

Baby Gift

2011-11-25T13:42:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to share this little pillow I painted and sewed for a friends new arrival. I have made this several times for different babies, and it always brings a smile to my face.. imagine how many mothers know how true the saying is... Motherhood is not for Wimps....

I so needed a tray !

2011-11-25T13:35:00.000-08:00

I needed a tray to put on top of a small table I had painted. I found this too GOLD tray at Hobby for 50%.. regular price $10.. perfect ! It has some style to it and I just wanted it to group a bunch of different size candles on. Robin from Candy Creek blog had sent me some very nice white chunky candles for my birthday MONTHS ago.. and now I want them all on a tray. SO got out my fav. blue and cream paint..now its antiqued and ready to go.. SO I plan to start my Christmas decorating in the next few days... This tray will be used and ohh so chic !

Ready to get with it !

2011-11-06T21:02:00.000-08:00

Finally back home. have been away most of the year it seems..Things in the art studio really looked a mess from all the hit and run home trips.. I think it became a dumping ground to unpack and repack and leave again. I spent 3 days cleaning every bon, drawer, cabinet, file , and It feels great.. Nothing like watching a few shows of Hoarders to get you motivated. NOW I am ready to get back to my list of projects. With so many new ideas in my brain.... I need to start..like yesterday. This year flew by, but I can hear thunder and rain is on the way.. that will send me to the studio to huddle up and get with it. Hope everyone else is feeling creative.. The Holidays are fast approaching , time to meet it headon !!!

MORE FUN stuff to come !

2011-10-15T06:33:00.000-07:00

It has been a crazy year.. We have had many trips to Colorado and Florida. We have been gone soo much..! I am missing my stuff..but right now I will soak up every last bit of beach days. I was so happy when my friend Robin from Candycreek.blogspot.com came to visit again this summer.. OHHH the fun we had.. We dished up bowls full of giggles and spoons full of smiles.. Hope you all have not gave up on my blog.. as I HAVE projects in my head..just to far from home to do them and blog much.. I hope to add some recipes this fall and winter.

Antique bed is redone !!

2011-08-10T07:54:00.000-07:00

So I jumped in to get this bed done before Robin comes..I am happy happy how it turned out, and happy to have a bed back in the room again. I lightly sanded it, primed it with one coat of Killz, then used colonial cream, two coats, then two coats of freshwater blue.. next i lightly sanded some edges and flat areas for a "worn" look.. I mixed faux glaze medium, with acrylic craft paint color Asphaltum, 50/50.. and a little water.. I then brushed the mixture on , working quickly, and wiped off the excess.. the more u take off the less antique it looks.. You can always add some more glaze to make it darker..I then use the same antique mixture and a toothbrush dipped in it..and run the bristles across my finger to make it spatter onto the wood.. Always wear gloves for antique and spatter.. Once the spatter and antique is set up, you can add a clear coat of polycrylic . I normally brush it on..but it does come in spray cans. I had the chair in another room, I kinda get too many chairs.. I just like painting them too much.. then I had the little table in another room.. sometimes things need to be moved around a few times until they find "their spot". Soon robin will be here.. all new bedding, a mattress in a box from walmart,.. it actually has coils in it, was pretty comfy, but we added another comfort memory foam 2 " pad on top.. JUST for extra "ahhh" factor.. Robin and I like a cushy bed.
Another project marked off my list. We leave for the beach for 2 months this fall..One of our most favorite places to relax.

Antique spoon carved bed

2011-07-25T18:43:00.000-07:00

My neighbor just gave me an antique spoon carved headboard and foot board with side rails from the 1800's. I am so thrilled. We had gotten rid of a queen size bed and wanted a double to fit in the space we had . I think double..perfect.. we usually have one guest at a time.. rarely more.. so if its a couple.. this bed will be COZY. I ordered a new 10" memory foam mattress for it. reviews for that mattress sound divine ! Tomorrow I start sanding and getting it ready to paint.. YES.. u know me. I MUST paint.. I am not a stained wood kind of gal. I want this done and the room all ready by Aug. 16th when dear Robin comes to visit from TN. Last year her visit here was so wonderful.. this time..many more memories.. Hope she gets great sleep at night to have energy for daytime fun.. Check back soon,,, !

Shabby Chic door

2011-05-22T15:15:00.000-07:00

I have always loved the old doors and windows used in so many ways. I cam across this 10 window door, 24" wide, and actually passed it up 3 times at the junk store.. I had forgot I was wanting to do one.. NOW that's crazy,, I guess I have so many projects going I loose track. BUT for a $5 bill I drug this ratty thing home.. I didn't realize the rotted wood on one end.. It stayed in my garage for 3 months.. and I finally thought.. use this or get it out of the way..I had my husband run it thru the table saw to remove the rotted end.. I cleaned it up, scraped the windows, only two were missing.. Some white paint.. and I had some wood appliques a friend had given me..so they were paint blue and antiqued.. I put a little reproduction door knob on it.. and some keys hanging from the knob. This chicken was made a few years ago, and she really needed a perch ! The chicken sitting on the collumn, is actually made from cement, and I painted her white, she has roses painted on her fanny. I call her Rose Butt. This is all sitting at the top of the stairs, I am glad to get it done, and enjoy seeing it when I pass by to my studio to work on some new vision !

Living room makeover !

2011-02-20T20:26:00.000-08:00

The two room re-dos are almost done.. this living room that use to have the eating area in it is now just for living ! Love how it turned out. I just have to repaint the walls.. AND I can not tell you how many paint chips I have looked at.. and you can see some of the sample paint. WELL we got all the new furniture placed, and low and behold, we love the original soft green.. SO it is staying, and I just have to buy more for a fresh coat of the room..We need to find a large area rug for winter, and a new door way rug. Also on the hunt for a new lampshade. OTHER than that we love it all. The furniture we bought and had stored since the first of Dec. so we are happy to get to use it. Check out my older posts to see the before.. beige furniture, corner banquet..so glad we had the idea to make this a living room only ! Notice the end tables, yup the $15 bargains I painted and antiqued.. Sorry Robin, I think they will stay here..BUT I am on the look out for some to paint for YOU !! I better get to the Y junk store so I can get them done before our spring trip to see you !

The "Gathering" room

2011-02-20T20:05:00.000-08:00

If you look back to some of my older post you will see how this room used to look. It had a juke box, my pedal car collection, and the two chairs that face the lake for a great relaxing view. Well this room was not getting used to it's best potential. We do sit in the chairs mostly in spring, waiting for the weather to warm up so we can be out side.The windows were just too drafty in winter.. curse those old cheap windows..glad to have new warm ones, that are double hung and so easy to clean. NOW we moved the juke box to the living room, took out the corner banquet eating area in the living room.. we decided to have ONE larger living room, and by swapping things around it has worked out great. I love the "Tiffany box" blue paint in the room. The view from the new bench is awesome. Don built the back board and bench, and I painted it to match the chairs I had redone a few months ago. I added a mirror on the wall I painted a while back, and the new white mirror above the bench was a bargain for $16..it was just a gold frame, no mirror.. so I painted it and found a beveled mirror the perfect size. I covered the seat bench, made some pillows for the tan chairs, sewed the little tab top valance, painted the curtain rod in the blue and cream to match the bench. The rug under the chairs, I was so afraid it was not going to be the right color blue with the fabrics.. BUT everything has just fit together like a glove ! Some of my favorite things.. the spoons.. the single baby spoon on the top right, was Dons baby spoon, all his siblings used it his Mom said. The use of corbels next to the mirror and the blue flocked candle holders, my pink trike, the metal pigs with wings on my white cabinet. So many things I enjoy. I love being in this room..! Join me for a snack and enjoy the view!

New dining table

2011-02-20T19:05:00.000-08:00

Since we are changing the rooms around some , the eating area needed a new table. Don built me the base, 36 " x 52" I used stained glass I cut, nipped and tumbled (by shaking the glass in a plastic container with soap, water, and glass marbles.. shake shake shake, and all the sharp shards are gone..and ready to glue on the table. i then put Kilz on the wood, drew me a pattern, then started adding glass, finished it with grout and sealer. Don put the legs on and I added a fresh coat of paint..and we are enjoying meals off it. Total time spent 86 hours !

Tables finished

2011-02-20T18:47:00.000-08:00

Remember these to "ruff" tables. I got them finished, and I think they will be perfect with the new furniture. Remember I got them for $15 each. They had a musty smell in the drawers.. but I gave the insides of the drawers a coat of Kilz paint primer, and then a coat of paint too. NO smell at all. ALL clean and fresh. I just love the style of these old tables.

Windows & woodwork

2011-01-05T00:33:00.000-08:00

Windows will be finished tomorrow. We have had the trim off for several weeks waiting for windows. They got 1/2 the windows installed Friday.. ~~tomorrow~~ they will finish. Don got all the window sill and pretty trim back on.. of course the new windows are thicker so he had to re cut all the window sill wood. I caulked for 7 hours to make them pretty.. and need to slap a fresh coat of white on the trim to make them perfect. OH they are so pretty..and we can already tell the difference in no drafts. It has been a hassle but worth. I will bake some cookies while installers are here and we have a new microwave to mount on the wall.. so that will take the day up. I did buy some more fabric for my gathering room, and new glass nippers..so as soon as I get the rest of the windows caulked I get to work on the new room so we can get it done ! Time for sleep..long day ahead.

Projects started

2010-12-28T19:55:00.000-08:00

The new windows will be installed Friday. While I have been waiting for them, I repainted the "gathering room" formerly the den..now it's going to be the eating area with a sitting area..so "gathering room".
Paint is awesome.. called sea turtle but looks like Tiffany box blue. Re-caulked all the crown molding, wow what liars... that stuff only lasted 3 years.. BUT nice and tidy now. I started cutting the stained glass I need for my new dining table. And even got the design made to trace onto the table top.. Don got the new table top ready for me to start my mosaic. I need to buy some more stained glass to have enough colors. I am excited to get to it ! I will be holed up in my studio for days. The fabric for the seating etc, doesn't have as much blue in it as I hoped.. I bought a few more pieces ..NOT sure its going to match the rug I got..need to check that out..in case rug has be returned. Off to make my shopping list.. definitely need a new glass cutter wheel..I have cut so many sheets of glass with this one it is DONE . Check back.. cuz when the gathering room is done.. I think you will like it.

Repainted shutters

2010-12-20T20:34:00.000-08:00

Since we are getting all new windows, the shutters needed to come down while they install.. SO i scrubbed the shutters and gave them all a fresh coat of pink, blue , yellow , green slats.. and clear coat..so they will be nice and bight. GOOD as new. I started scrubbin them yesterday and got them all done this afternoon..so that chore wasn't too bad. Return to list of posts

My re-vamped chairs

2010-12-20T20:30:00.000-08:00

These chairs were originally cream, plain.. I added flowers to them in 2004. Last week I sanded all the flowers off, repainted with my favorite blue and cream, then antiqued them, then added small pink flowers, pale green leaves and vines. They will go in our new "gathering room" We are re arranging the dining room/living room combo, so that the living room is all living room, and the chairs will be part of the eating area, along with two comfy chairs that view the lake. I cant wait to get my paint on the walls, and get that project in full gear. BUT we are waiting for the new windows to be installed..so I am at a little standstill. However tomorrow I can go to Pryor and try to get me some more fabric to match the chair seats.. Tonight I stopped my projects so I could make some Christmas goodies.. ugghh I'm so not into them this year.. Made Don a batch of turtle candies and some chocolate spritz cookies with raspberry centers..

Great Grandparents chairs

2010-12-09T00:07:00.000-08:00

Dons Mom recently passed away... years ago she got two old chairs that originally had came woven seats..but the seats were long gone. She kept one chair and gave us the other. Dons father sanded hers down, we left ours in its old used glory.I got out my paints and did my best to make the wood look aged like ours. Ours is the larger brown and white covered seat and we have had this chair for probly 5 years ..For Moms chair I found the white and brown spotted hide. DOn cut us some simple wood seats, so I could pad and cover them. I chose to use fur on cowhide.. I love how rustic they turned out.. they are so little compared to furniture these days. His great grandparents and is grandparents used these for years,They look like they are whittled wood. They have found a sweet little spot in our house and our hearts. A treasured memory.

Robin's Chair

2010-12-08T23:56:00.000-08:00

I wanted to paint a chair for my dear friend that is so sweet and we just feel a sister bond. I know she needed on for her desk she repainted blue.. We will be going to see them in Tennessee in the spring..so we can carry the chair to here...and I plan to doll up her desk with this same technique..adding the vine and some antique stain. I got this precious Chippendale style chair for $8. I love the feet on it.. and the carving . SO here is the after.. found this fabric in my favorite fabric store in Pryor... Got enough of it and some other pieces for my room redo.. It will have the french country blues and creams.. and some tan. The walls are going to be painted the softest beachy blue.. and the living room will probably get a nice tan or khaki, since the new furniture is so bold.
BUT for now.. one project at a time...!

Back to blogger land !

2010-12-08T23:41:00.000-08:00

I have really been slacking off. After spending two months on the Gulf of Mexico..we got home and the weather at the lake has been so nice I just goofed off .. Fall cleanup for the yard, did some junking, found some great projects to work on. Good ol' trash to treasure coming up ! Love THAT.. Then Hubby and I decided to re-do our living, dining and den.. to make it more functional. SO we thru out some ideas..and wow I have a vision growing. However, we also have decided to replace all our windows. They should be installed in the next two weeks.. so there is a lot I can't start on till they are done. BUT Nice new energy efficient windows..double hung, and flip down so we can wash them from the inside. NO more ladder for Don to get to the windows..I can have them clean any time..BUT, while we wait for windows we did some shopping, and bought new furniture.. I was ready for something NOT BEIGE.. NOT leather..and unique... It will stay in storage till we are ready to do the final stage. It goes in the living room. The den is gettin some revamp, so we can enjoy the room.. it's just not used to the best of its space.. I have to jump on my projects in between windows.. have paint to get on walls.. and lots to do.. at least all the holiday decor is up.. so I have time to work on some fun stuff. Back SOON ! Sorry for being gone so long. I think all the beach air made me numb !

Beach time out !

2010-10-19T21:30:00.000-07:00

We are still living on BEACH TIME... as soon as we get home from our two months on the beach I will get back to the blog.. wanting to soak up all the last of summers sun and pretty water before we go home to fall and winter.. ughh winter.. Its not my favorite season..but this year I have a plan to make the best of winter.. ! It better work . Later !

Pink Schwinn

2010-09-15T08:52:00.000-07:00

I love seeing the coaster bikes on the beach. I always think if the last bike I had growing up. It wasn't pink, it was read. The past two years I have been seeing pink retro bikes..and even tho I have a nice mountain bike, I had to get me a pink bike to cruise around the lake. She is pink and white pearlescent paint. and awesome. WOW what a workout compared to my mountain bike that has gears ! I like being able to sit upright to ride.. it's much easier on my back.. but no gears, more work out on your legs.. ALL good. Her pink rims and white sidewalls, the nice roomy pink and white seat.. she makes me smile to look at her.. I hope u get a smile too !

"Pink Door" welcomes you !

2010-09-07T20:00:00.000-07:00

Yup.. the boring white back door..needed pink and white. With all the accents on the back door screen.. this needed to happen.. I love walking in that door..hope you do too !

Somethings Fishy

2010-09-07T19:49:00.000-07:00

I decided my faded lure mailbox needed some beach flair. It was originally very green with some shimmer for scales. That quickly faded and started to peel..so time for a makeover. There is no doubt whose house this goes too ! I added the bling and some glimmer to the patio paints I used. I used some plastic pastel lacing from the kids craft dept. to make the lure stringers at the back. I hope I don't catch any "Bill-fish" with this lure !

Sand pails & shovels.

2010-09-07T19:35:00.000-07:00

I love sand pails and shovels.... I started finding shovels on the beach..so decided to "Collect & display" some.. Seems like I mostly find yellow shovels. I did buy some new shovels to help start the display. I had a pretty card from my sweet friend Teresa in McKinney,TX I have saved it for years, finally framed it and added it to my display. I hung them at the top of the stairs, opposite of the mermaid outfit.. just a little whimsy..brings out the kid in me every time I see them....and wouldn't you know it.. we have been at the beach one week and I already found a shovel..and yes..it's yellow ! I hope to find another pink one! YOU never know.. we will be here two months !

New beach accent

2010-08-29T20:31:00.000-07:00

Loved how the life preservers I got for free cleaned up and painted so nicely.. So beachy !

Great Freebies !

2010-07-27T21:41:00.000-07:00

There was a lake house around the corner cleaning their garage.. A new friend hurried over to tell me about these FREE goodies laying by the road. Oh now Cathy is dear one to notice in a short time that I love trash to treasure. I have wanted one of these for the lake house..but new they run $40 or so. these are 2 ft. across.. well they had been stored some where wet..there was wet dirty, mildew gunk on them. But I tossed them on the golf cart and knew if they didn't clean up I wasn't out any thing..and to get 6..well surely one will be decent cleaned up.. too grungy to tell, and it was pouring rain. Few days later I got some bleachy water..a green scrubby..soaked one for 15 minutes.. and ta daaaaa the gunk came off so easy..I used the neighbors little plastic pool his dog uses..now thats clean too! In a snap they were all clean. I got out my paints and went to it.. I can't wait till Don gets home to help me attach them to the house and garage. I just love a great find..and a NEW friend for finding them..Thanks Cathy.. hope we meet again! Stop by for iced coffee anytime !

SuzSeas Spa

2010-07-27T21:21:00.000-07:00

I needed a sign to hang with the mermaid outfit. SO an old window.yesssss I finally used them ALL up in projects. No more garage clutter of them. I slapped some aqua paint on the glass.. thought of some Spa treatments a mermaid might indulge in..and added a bit of decoupage and shells. I like it ! The Free Emerald coast oil treatment was a jab at BP for messing up the ocean with their nasty spill.

Mermaid Wall

2010-07-12T11:15:00.000-07:00

I wanted to sew a mermaid suit. I hung it over a really old oar, and hung it on the stairwell. I made my own pattern and then added lots of shells,pearls, some bling, and the scales on the front of the mermaid skirt I cut out one at a time, and sewed on one at a time..all 189 of them. I used some crinkly sheer fabric and gathered it tight to sew for the fin.I had a "coconut" bra that I had for years, it was a gag gift..so I covered it in fabric and shells and bling. I want it to look like some mermaid did her "wash" and hung it out to dry. I do have some other art things I want to hang up there with a mermaid theme.

You've got mail !

2010-06-28T20:39:00.000-07:00

I had to repaint my mail box.. it was a green fish lure.. boring man green. I had to give it my signature touch. DONE ! mark that off my to do list ! There is no doubt which house it belongs to.

Bed Crown

2010-06-20T23:22:00.000-07:00

I wanted a bed crown..Nothing too big.. but boy are they expensive.. SO I found a french county wire planter at hobby lobby, painted and antiqued it to match my bed I painted , and added some tulle netting. Then I took 2 decorative coat hooks and painted them..hung them horizontal to hold the tulle back. I have been working on about 20 projects, lots of painting decks, walkways, cement drive..even our electric pole. I am finally getting some of t hem finished.. Rained on my fresh paint more than once.. I was just spinning my wheels on projects..but they are coming together now.

kitchen cabinet redo

2010-06-11T21:19:00.000-07:00

The house was built with a window over the sink.Then we had a garage added...and all we saw out the window was the side of the garage..we totally blocked it of, and added a cabinet over the sink for more storage....then kitchen was too dark, so we opened the lower part of the window.. then later..after I saw the awesome Chandelier.. we decided to open the window all the way up.. cut the back out of the glass door cabinet..and added some awesome Waterford cut look crystal film, that makes nice prisms of color sparkle thru. LOVE it. SO here are the pictures of while the house was being built..to during all the changes..and NOW.

Mini Chandelier

2010-06-08T05:06:00.000-07:00

OH I saw this beauty with all the sparkle..and knew it would be the icing on the cake in my kitchen.. And believe me.. cooking, baking & cleaning are way more fun with sparkly "mood" light above your head. THE only problem, when I got the light..it gave me the idea to revamp the kitchen..again ! I will show you that project NEXT>> BUT for now here is the mini chandie.. I sewed it a chain cozy to hide ugly chain..and now she sparkles like diamonds above me while I bake or work!

My "To DO" list

2010-06-03T06:44:00.000-07:00

Yes I have one... always have one.. I can't live with out a list.. I enjoy completing a job so I can mark it OFF..sometimes I do a chore.. and write it ON the list after I do it..so I can mark it off.. Here it is June..and due to so much travel back and forth to Utah do to family health issues.. my list is growing and I can't mark stuff off.. Don is going to have to go back to Utah soon to be with his dear Mom and family, I am going to take a break and stay home the next trip..and work on my LIST.. I have some interesting and fun projects I want to do. Repaint my mailbox, sew a mermaid "costume" to display over an old oar.. for the stair well. Oh her fin is going to be most awesome.. Need to paint some new shutters, since we reopened the kitchen window this week..we totally closed it in several years ago when we had the garage added..We didn't want to look at a garage from the kitchen sink..it was right there in our face.. BUT we opened the lower part of the window back up, and added some awesome Waterford crystal look window film to distort the shape of the garage,,and let prisms of light in.. NICE.. so we had added a glass door cabinet over the sink.when we closed that window up.. This week we opened the entire window.. cut the back out of the glass front cabinet and now light comes all the way in the window thru the glass doors.. I am waiting for UPS to bring the waterford crystal film I need to help distort the garage again..lol.. The mini chandelier got hung in the kitchen..I have to hang all the pretty sparkles on it today..and I can post a pix of it.. SO come back often the next few weeks.. I will be posting my projects !! I have missed my BLOG.. but I am BACK with a fire in me..ready to get stuff done..

Birthday gifts galore !

2010-05-02T18:25:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the sweetest gifts I got this year. The ruffled apron, brown and pink fabric with tiny sparkly flecks in it.. Bernie sent it to me, made by her sister Michelle..and the hot pink "pearl" necklace... She knows how to accessorize ! I whipped up some cookies and it was fun to be all frilly in the retro apron. I love the little OOH LA LA plate on the counter next to the PINK floral mixer..NOW that's cooking ! I also was standing next to the picture of me in my Easter dress from when I was a kid..and above it u can see the PINK glittery sign with a mini tiara that says THE QUEEN REIGNS HERE.. YES she does.. and OHHH sista chic Deb from New Jersey sent me the bling bling Birthday Girl Goblet..yes.. I do drink my fizzy Dr. Pepper out of it. And sista chic Robin from Tennessee sent me the sweetest scrap book album/journal that's too pretty for me to scrawl my chicken scratch writing in.... among some other sweet gifts.. Thank u all for thinking of me... Love u !

Life IS a bed of Roses !

2010-04-30T17:20:00.000-07:00

Yes.. a my bed is roses.. and precious in pink. I found this old head board/ foot board for $26 years ago.. It was rusty as heck...but some paint and some beautiful roses.. Sis Robin sent me a gift card to purchase these last year when I lost my dear Mother. SO now that they have taken hold and grown, I get to enjoy them and think of Sis Robin and my Mother..who so loved roses. And the dogwood and Red bud trees we planted in her memory from a gift card sent from my Big Brother friends at the same time did so well and bloomed recently.. Thanks to you all for all your kindness during a hard time for me last year. Time does heal all wounds. BUT you all have a special memory in my heart forever.

Beach winter ends, home for spring !

2010-04-16T06:20:00.000-07:00

After spending Jan-March at the beach in Florida, we arrived home..and within 10 minutes of stepping thru our door we had news we needed to get to Utah to be with Dons Mom who was in the hospital.. Thankfully she was able to go back home within a week, and she's continuing her chemo. She is one tuff cookie, bless her heart. We got snowed on while we were there for 2 weeks..and just got home this past Sunday.. things sure got green and started to bloom while we were gone. I missed some of the bulbs blooming in my rose bed, but the roses are setting on buds. The neighbors wisteria is in bloom, OHHH so awesome..thought I needed one, until I saw the HUGE bees it attracts..I will admire it from a distance. The redbuds and dogwoods are blooming now too. Sure is looking pretty here. Hope it's looking like spring where you are !

Sunshine & Beach time

2010-03-21T20:41:00.000-07:00

A great day on the beach yesterday. Did some reading on the beach and also took a walk on the beach. Tomorrow is shopping day.. it's going to be cloudy..I hear the mall calling me.. Bed, bath and beyond, etc. looks like 70's hit on Tues. yea.... Time to go home soon.. April 1st will be here soon. BUT after 3 months of the beach it will be good to get back to a routine. Good to be at the beach today.. I saw the lake house got 10 inches of snow today.. white sandy beach beats that any day !

Old White table..

2010-03-18T18:54:00.000-07:00

I have had this little white table for 35 years..it was originally stained cherry. Then I painted it shabby chic.. well I recently added the blue & pink and antiqued over it. I plan to mosaic the top some rainy day...when & if I get caught up on my list of projects. We only have two more weeks here at the beach..then back home to work on my list. I am soooo looking forward to diggin in and seeing how much I can get done. I am a list maker... I take satisfaction in seeing things marked off a list.

Little Miss Ugly Makeover

2010-03-15T13:34:00.000-07:00

This $6 chair had some great potential... I love the trash to treasure finds !

Last project before heading Back to the Beach

2010-03-15T13:23:00.000-07:00

Here are the after pic... I knew she had good bones.. She is now in my art studio. When we get back home from the beach I can start some sewing.. Too many projects, too much running back and forth to the beach this winter. Trying to follow the sun... Not so easy during El Nino !

A Little beach time

2010-03-14T09:22:00.000-07:00

With this crazy winter we got in a few beach days. here is the wall we walk past that is filled with shells..as the sand gets blown off or washes off with a wave, shells are exposed.. free for the picking ...after a few nice days on the beach it turned off cold so we drove back to the lake to try to find some nice weather there..it was pretty for a couple days and then turned of cool.. GRR.. Where ever we go..the weather hates us this year. Like a friend said .."You are going to wear out a car trying to figure out where u want to be this winter. We will head back to the beach Tues. for our last 2 weeks.. Then we head home April 1.. We are looking forward to spring at the lake...IF it arrives. Once we are home again I just want to dig back into all my projects. So crossing our fingers for two weeks at the beach in SUN !

Projects for April

2010-02-27T18:39:00.000-08:00

When we leave the beach in April I will dive right in when we get home to do some new stuff in the craft room. I never cared for the fabric in there, but it was all I could find last spring, so I made do. Since then, a new vision, and found a new fabric outlet. While we were home last week I went up to Pryor to the Fabri-cut outlet. I couldn't decide on which fabric for my table skirt and curtain valances, so I got both. One for summer and one for winter. My plan is to be able to swap them all out very easily, by using some knobs in an interesting way. YOU will have to wait for that vision too. But by doing both my chairs in there in neutral cream brocade fabric that will make it all the better to swap out for seasons. Here's a peek at my fabrics and those are the pink enamel draw knobs I am going to use, fingers crossed the vision works. We know they don't always. But that's not a problem. Where there's a will, there's a way! Remeber, my walls are pink, with a crisp white paneling on the lower walls. I think it will be easy to pull off using the teal fabric in summer and the french country blue stripe in winter. I have already used those blues in the room with the pink. I can see it ! CAN YOU ?

Detour

2010-02-27T18:22:00.000-08:00

The weather at the beach thru us a curve, and we got stir crazy, so headed to the lake house for a little Detour. We must be part gypsy..cuz we can sit still inside to long with out the need for a road trip..hey..it was only 15 hour drive,cranked up the tunes,hit the road. The positive is we got to sleep in our own bed for a week, drop off the shopping I had accumulated, and left the truck there and brought the bug back to the beach.. Today I did my rain dance here at the beach. I went out on the balcony with sunscreen streaked on my face like war-paint and did a SUN Dance, not to be confused with my Rain Dance that always works at the lake. SO let the sun and heat hit us ! While we were home I got this cute table from our neighbor Tuffy.. I heard it call me..so I snapped it up and painted it. I think it will be perfect on the covered porch to my round lounger this summer. Oh to be layin in the heat and humidity reading a book and a fizzy DR. Pepper at my side. SO the beach better get to cooking soon. I know everyone has had a long hard winter..and just our luck to rent the condo for 3 months in winter and have a record cold one! Oh well , we know when we get here for Sept. & Oct. it will be warm, well it always has been! This is our first time as snowbirds here.. we think we may need to go further south next winter.

At least while we were home for a few days this table got re-finished.. and I ran across an old chair for my craft room too. It's refinished too and waiting for me to re-cover the seat, and add some foo-foo flowers to it. BUT you won't see that till April !

Mardi Gras On the Beach

2010-02-27T17:22:00.000-08:00

We enjoyed Navarre Beach's' MArdi Gras parade.. it was pretty good for such a small little island. I assumed only New Orleans and Mobile celebrated Mardi Gras..But there have been Mardi Gras Balls and Parades for weeks all around here. We caught over 115 strings of beads.. 9 moon pies, YES they throw moon pies.. and we caught a t-shirt that was shot out of a cannon to the crowd, some dubloons,toys & cups ( also called dishes... due to the fact theres a lot of drinking, and they only need a cup for a dish!) Very fun..and that day the weather was sunny and no wind.. We rode our bikes up to the parade route. . YEA it was fun ! Miles, our monkey that goes where we go.. enjoyed all the LOOT !

Chic Chick

2010-02-12T18:10:00.000-08:00

While I'm waiting for weather to improve here at the NOT so sunny beach in Fla. I decided I would blog. I made this French Country chicken, and added lots of Fu-fu to dress her up. I used organza around the neck and feet to simulate feathers, like the shine it has...pearls and a cut up batten burg napkin for an apron. The feet are sculpted from muslin and the entire thing is painted & spattered. I named her Josie' , after my sweet friend at the lake. Hope she lays a golden egg while I'm at the beach ! P. S.I hate winter !

Towels for the girls

2010-01-30T22:33:00.000-08:00

I had to make these towels for my "sole sisters" .. Little Maddie and Dani will be the first to want to swim in spring..and they always forget a towel.. and that spring lake water is so cold they are about blue when they get out. I took bright colored large bath towels..((I folded these so you can see the top and the bottom trim))) I used a wide strip of coordinating fabric at the top, cut out their initials from another fabric, and then used my applique stitch on my sewing machine to sew the initials on. I added some fabric glitter to the dragonfly wings for a little "sparkle". I also added a smaller strip of fabric to the lower part of the towel. The girls loved them and now they can keep their towels on their golf carts and zip on down to the waters edge for a dip in the lake.. I can see them now... swim, jump on the golf cart and zip up to our place to have quick rinse off in the hot outdoor shower... lots of giggles and looking for a sweet treat to finish the fun...11 year old girls say the silliest things. they keep me young !

CAKE... carrier

2010-01-30T22:09:00.000-08:00

Might as well blog as we wait for the weather to clear up here at the beach. Jan. weather here in Florida has not been as warm as I wanted..BUT I am used to it being in the 90's with 90% humidity when we are here in Sept. & Oct. so anything less than 55 is cold to me! We have been able to get in quite a few walks on the paved path...50 miles worth ( we measured our walk route by car ) In the 1960's my Mom had a cake carrier just like this..only hers was avocado green...well this one was too, until I painted it. It actually has 3 separate compartments. The top one you could put a pie or cookies in, the center section that I painted black with pink roses is for 3 to 4 layer cake, and the lowest section u can put a pie or cupcakes. You can load all three sections, stack it up, and use the clamp and handle to carry it off to a block party. I have fond memories of my Moms German chocolate cake being stored in her carrier. And holidays... pies, and goodies galore were ready and waiting. I look forward to this springs "Lake Opener" cook-out to fill mine up and let the neighbors find homemade treats. The cook out that signals the summer lake houses are open, and neighbors are ready for swimming, bar-b-Q's ,watching the sun set over the lake with a cold drink in hand, bar-b-Q's and sitting around open fires til late into the night. Yes Wendy, we are ready to host the party at the Happy Shack again this spring..see you there! Wait till you see the new party lites for the pergola !

These boots are made for walkin.....

2010-01-21T18:36:00.000-08:00

Yes.. they ARE made for walkin.. These just arrived at the beach today.. my dear friend from CandyCreek and I did a little Instant Message shopping the other day.. Well the weather here was yukky..so we shopped... Good thing the weather has changed for the better.. SO the boots I choose to "puddle jump" in are navy blue.. with multi colored dots and blue trim. YES there is some pink on them...The most fun rain boots ever !

I actually went outside the condo and walked in the big old puddle in the parking lot.. Had to make sure they don't leak. We had some big rain the past two days...and major fog...BUT warm.. near 70 degrees..so we are able to get out and walk.. and have started some walk/jogging to speed up the metabolism.. So foggy you can't see how big the waves were today. We have been around shopping when we get cabin fever while we waited for the unseasonable cold to pass.. Hit the outlet stores in Foley,Alabama..I needed to visit the CROC outlet.. looking for some great "beach" themed items for the lake house.. and also had to buy another mermaid statue.. she's here to chase away the cold and bring the southern breezes back.. her name is Gracie Pearl..and shes working on the better weather for us.. last fall we bought a mermaid and named her Belle, she kept the hurricanes away from us. THEY truly are good luck ! We have been able to walk the beach and hunt for shells.. got in the water to our shins.. a tad brisk.. but with the sun we are able to sit on the beach in our chairs and read.. there's a nice paved path across from us on the "sound" side near the bay..so we walk there...and got the bikes out and rode yesterday. A great way to get some fresh air. When we went on our second walk today ..it was so foggy our hair was WET.

Spring is on the way I think!

Beach Winter

2010-01-08T10:36:00.000-08:00

We decided to try the beach in the winter.. well of course it's been an unseasonable cold winter for them.. We got here Jan. 1 and will stay till April 1. I am sure you have read about it being so cold in southern Florida that iguanas were dropping out of trees...from going into a hibernation mode to stay alive, and forgetting to hold on to trees, and fall "thump" to the ground..also the Miami Zoo has been giving the Apes hot chocolate to stay warm.. We are hoping after this weekend it starts back to normal temps here.. It was nice enough the past two days to go out on the beach and shell.. took a 3 1/2 mile walk and shelled both days.. Yesterday it was actually 61! Woo hoo..sure beat the cold deep freeze our lake house is having right now. We brought our bikes to ride, books to read, and even all our old photos to go thru and thin out and organize. and brought our wiifit plus to try to keep winter fat off.

When it warms up we are going to go south to Treasure Island , Weeki Watchee Springs area to check out some rentals further south..were its usually mid 70's and 80's in winter.. we saw several on the internet..but want to see them in real life first. But this winter we are here, and will be back here again for Sept. /Oct. it is so nice here then.. So as you can see its empty beach in winter..no crowds..and even the locals stay away on chilly days like today..North wind..look at the flag flying straight out.. On our trip here we were in southern Arkansas and past a small town pond & picnic area.. we saw this rather odd geese..looked like they were pretty ratty from the distance..But up close they had curly feathers..We googled and found out they are Sebastapol geese.. but they cannot fly..so they would be easy prey to dogs and coyotes . Fun to see tho. Hope to have some interesting beach pictures later on. Peek back.. Stay warm

Footboard and finished pix

2009-12-23T12:49:00.000-08:00

The foot board is done and here is a look at the final product.. to totally prep and paint 2 night stands, a tall dresser, and headboard and foot board I spent 47 hours...and right in the middle of holiday baking time..BUT I got it all done.

Repainted bedroom furniture !

2009-12-23T12:41:00.000-08:00

I took our bedroom set and gave it a make-over ! It was originally done in white washed pine. I went for a french-country, cream and blue, with antique glaze over the dainty pink flowers I painted on. Here is the Dresser and headboard..scroll back to the past "master bedroom" post to see the before.

The den

2009-12-03T19:38:00.000-08:00

Here is the room we use to sit and enjoy the lake view all seasons. We wanted wood floors to go with the wood on the Juke box. It was a 25th wedding anniversary gift we gave ourselves. Holds 100 cds, and also we went to the beach for a month. Awesome anniversary...11 years ago ! We picked out hardwood cherry floor and couldn't decide on a color..we went with cherry and cinnamon, and layed it in a stripe pattern.. It was so easy to lay. We call it the Bowling alley look. The shelves are for our Hallmark Kiddie Car collection.. we also have a few real full sized pedal cars, and a reproduction pink trike. The chairs we placed looking out the bay windows.. We can see the geese, ducks, seagulls, and even white pelicans when they migrate through.. There's always something to look at.. from wildlife to people putting in boats at the ramp.. We are so glad we opened up the stairwell, to have a open feel...being able to see into the living room helps open the space. The little chair in the corner was Dons grandpas original dining chair. It is so tiny, and looks hand whittled. The seat was missing so Don cut a new seat and I covered it with a cowhide. I think it's cute.

2009-11-24T12:14:00.000-08:00

Just a few more decorations to start the Season. Keeping it simple so I can get it all put away I put out my Jim Shore collection on the mantel and love eating out of the snowman and woman dishes.. I don't mind hand washing them after every meal... it's only for a few weeks. The make a bowl of homemade chili and a plate of cornbread even tastier !I like how the bowls stack on top of plates and you can still see the face design. I'm ready to make some rolled out sugar cookies and frost and eat ! Ahh the Holidays are here !

Happy Holidays

2009-11-24T10:51:00.000-08:00

I wasn't going to decorate this year.. last year we sold our big tree, the stand that spins it around..and we didn't decorate. Took a break. Then Robin over at Candy creek showed me her tall white tree with robins egg blue decorations..IT is so fabulous..check it out ! It made me think, maybe I would do a small tree..so I got a 3 1/2 foot white,pre-lit and went all pink decorations. Some pink pearls, peace, joy, believe, noel in white tin with pink glitter.. the crown sprayed pink and pink glitter too. The white dominoes with pink rhinestones.. they were to hard to play dominoes with..they tipped over..so I added some hangers to them..and added them to the tree. I took a pink feather boa, cut it up and tucked it in the branches. Had some pink and white polka dot ribbon, and the pink and white polka dot satin for the tree skirt I had.. so I threw the tree together on the cheap with so many things I was able to spray pink and add glitter to.. I had got this tray table for $3 last may.. scroll back on past posts and u will see it in black and gold.. I wanted it pink and white for the tree to sit on..but later I plan to paint flowers on it and antique it too. I have an idea for next years tree theme already. Thanks to Deb & Robin motivating me to get in the spirit ! I even decorated extra early, since we had planned to go to Utah for Thanksgiving...but due to my cold we couldn't risk my Mom-in -law getting sick , since she is still in chemo for her cancer..and has no immune system...and we leave here Jan.1 for 3 months at the beach in Florida... time marches on !

Small Shack, Big Happy !

2009-11-15T20:49:00.000-08:00

We don't need a lot of space.. we never have wanted formal dining rooms. Just a cozy for when the cousin come for bar b Q's and boating, a spot to have a few friends for dinner, fry up some fresh caught fish ((Thanks Hazel & Chuck - YUMM))) a game of cards or dominoes.. SO Don built a banquet style eating area, some great storage, I covered it with comfy cushion and easy care fabric, sewed pillow cases to cover regular pillows, so I can change the up when the mood hits. So there is a window behind the mural..but we blocked that up when the garage went up, we may re-open the area one day and use decorative film so we don't have to see the garage, but still get light in. We used leftover marble and granite from the floors and counters to tie it all together. The stairwell was suppose to be closed, but we chose to add wood turnings to be able to have an open concept look into the den. I am to blame for the huge t.v. I would have a drive-in theater if I could. Hubby could care less the size.. The next post I will have to show you what the banquet started from.. Bit's and pieces. Tonight was the first fall weather..some rain brought some chill..so we had the first fire in the wood stove of the season !

Back from the beach

2009-11-04T22:34:00.000-08:00

Oh two months on the beach was heavenly ! It is always good to get home.. we will be home for 8 weeks..well maybe.. we will probably go to Utah / Colorado to see friends and relatives for Turkey time.. then back to the lake for a bit..and then back to the beach for all of JAN/Feb/March. We want to see what its like in Jan/Feb.. we usually go in March and camp for two weeks..but this time will stay in the condo again. It's an experiment to see how we like being snowbirds! But look at the cute mermaid we made from sand...what a hoot. I'm going to spend my time at home on some fun projects. Repainting my bedroom furniture in the french country and cream..like the mosaic dresser I did.. I bought the paint today.. (No , I am not unpacked yet)... almost.. had to go buy food today. Fridge was empty ! Will have to dig out some fall clothes to get us thru till we repack for the beach. The next 8 weeks are gonna fly by. Check back soon.. I want to blog some more interior house pictures ! Enjoy fall..it's beautiful here at the lake..and we get to go play in the snow for Turkey time.. then leave that cold stuff behind!

Kitchen closeups

2009-10-24T16:27:00.000-07:00

Just some details about changes, and re-use / re-cycle. I love to take stuff and use it in ODD ways... So here goes. I had to have my GE Artica fridge. But it was so large, it needed "hidden". Instead of building a wall, this old headboard did the job. Thanks Shellie for giving it to me..it now has a new life ! I had Don add some dental molding trim to one edge, and some turned spindles for "feet". He used brackets to attach it to the wall.. it's good and stable.I Painted the head board an off white called "sugar blossom" , a color I use all the time. I used a "grass green" for the rest. after I antiqued it, the grass green looked more teal green. I spattered it with the same antique glaze. Then used brush on chalkboard paint. Every kitchen needs a chalk board ! It is one of my favorite things in the kitchen.The cheapest thing.. yet one I love.

The bake center...well the stove was suppose to be there according to the original plans..BUT since we were doing it our self..we could change it up.. moving that washer dryer wall gave us the room to put the stove on the other side of the room. Leaving this spot for a bake center, and more counter. Don got the bake center done, then realized there was no head room.. SO a few months later he remade it.. Brought the cabinet out away from the wall... added more counter top.Perfect.. He has re-modeled so many things in the house before we ever finished the house. But he's so patient , and he does great work ! My hero !

Here is a close up of the window film. It is laser cut and comes from http://www.decorativefilm.com/ It's awesome stuff. A tad pricey, but worth it. Easy to put on, has an adhesive, peel and stick back.

Bloggin ' at the Beach

2009-10-15T08:38:00.001-07:00

Here we are at Navarre Beach, Fla. Spending two months..time is flying by, the weather is hot and humid, perfect for layin' on the beach under the pink umbrella and reading, nice ocean breeze makes you feel so good, long walks on the beach, shelling in the sugar white sand. We have seen dolphins, large loggerhead turtles. Navarre beach is on Santa Rosa Island, east of Pensacola, very quiet and laid back..just like we like it..beaches are empty this time of year. At night we like to walk the paved bike path. As we were walking after dark last night we saw a huge crowd at a public parking lot..we said" WOW large beach party"..but a local , who writes for the paper said "Turtle hatching tonight".. so we followed him over the dunes to the turtle nest..The turtle ladies..who check for nests each spring and keep tabs on them all summer were there, heads to the sand, listening for scratching sounds. they could be heard. The turtle ladies used red lenses over flashlights, turtles can't see red, so it would not bother them when they hatched, yet we would be able to see the turtles. This nest had been laid too close to the surf in spring, the nest was dug up and moved, 110 eggs) to the dune area. all Last night there were still 30 people there, some had left early thinking it was not going to happen, as we did, and finished our walk. stopped back by,still making scratching noise, no hatching yet..so we left for home.. before we got very far, John the newspaper writer drove up to us in his car and said, we have turtle head showing..he gave us a ride back to the site. Once they turtles started crawling out covered in sand,it looked like boiling water so much movement. they were picked up, counted and placed in an empty cooler.. 20 minutes later there were 80 babies.. They carried the cooler down close to the water,we all scrubbed any scent off our hands using damp beach sand, each of us got a hatching out of the cooler, and were told to place it on the sand a few feet from the surf so it could imprint on the sand..hopefully in 25 years when the females are mature to lay eggs some will come back. The tiny turtles, 1/2 the size of my palm were set on the sand..they quickly headed towards the surf..we were there to keep crabs and any birds looking for a late night snack away..we were all lined along the surf and told not to move, as the surf would push the turtles back towards shore, and we were there to make sure they were not pushed ashore, and NOT step on them. Don and I got to release 2 loggerhead hatch lings each. As we released them into the surf, we noticed glowing spots on the surf and sand.. It was fluorescent plankton. So cool.. tiny sparks coming and going, like stars on the water. There are still 30 eggs in the nest..and they placed a screen over it and will check it before daylight , and release any other turtles this morning.. BUT just in case..we will walk back down tonight to see if we can witness this again.. It was getting late, so we carried our walking shoes, and headed down the beach, walking in the surf (once the turtles were safely gone..)and all the way back to our condo, we saw glowing plankton. Stars were out, but no moon..soft sand and warm gulf water on our feet.nice way to end the perfect day.. Thanks John and Sue for letting us into the inner "turtle "circle ! I look forward to next weeks "beach" article in the paper !

Gotta Bake !

2009-10-10T12:04:00.000-07:00

The kitchen is a galley style..I was hoping after it was done it wouldn't be too small or narrow. We moved a wall between the laundry to give us 2 extra feet ..and in counter space that was so worth it ! We used natural maple finish and then dressed them out in a Bombay mahogany stain. We put a fireplace mantel over one door way to display the cobalt blue collections. Saved $$ by laying the marble floor tiles ourselves, and Dons idea to lay in on the diagonal made the room look bigger.We also laid black granite tile for counter tops and back splash, big savings over solid granite. This has nice flecks of gold in it. Trimmed it out in stained wood moldings,and 2 coats of clear varnish to protect the stain. There was full window over the sink, but we closed it up when we had a stand alone garage built.didn't want to look at the back of a garage. Once garage was up, we decided to open part of the window back up, cuz no window...very dark in there. So uncover part of window, hung the glass front cabinet, and used a special window film that looks like Waterford crystal. It actually looks like tiny prisms when the light comes thru.. another place to show the cobalt blue. Next I will show you the details of WHY there is a headboard tipped on its side and painted as a chalk board standing next to the fridge..and the story of the Chicken pantry door..and how the bake center cabinet came to be. I actually painted the kitchen 5 times before I got it the color I wanted..good thing I love to paint..and the room was bare ..so easy to roll it on..! Back again soon !

2009-10-10T12:00:00.000-07:00

Bedroom Details

2009-10-08T21:22:00.000-07:00

Here are a few close ups in Master bedroom. The Tiffany boxes were sent to me from a friend in New York That worked at Tiffany's...so I had to make a "Tiffany clock" ..cut out an opening that would show my digital clock numbers..that's as close to a Tiffany clock as I will ever get ! I ordered a bunch of galvanized cleats, and I gave them a patina finish, to use as tie backs for all the shades in the house. Notice the fossil ed leaf imprints on the wall too. More on that technique later... I found some decorative birdhouses at Samsclub one year, and knew that dear Hubby could adapt them into lites in the "new house"..and he did.. on dimmers...mood lighting.. I got the sconces at Ross.. I had a blast finding odds and ends to put to good use in the house. One night soaking in my Jacuzzi tub..listening to t.v in the bedroom I came up with the shell mirror.I figured if I hung a mirror on the door just right.. the t.v would be reflected..and I could watch from the hot bubble bath I love to soak in. Just and inexpensive mirror.and glued shells all over it.. and done ! I took a metal plane, and painted a banner of " Always Kiss me Goodnight" ..I painted a full moon face on the plane..and it says "Donnie's full moon flights" perfect ! Next time your out shopping, think of another way to use something.. Think outside the box ! Tiffany, or otherwise !

Cozy Retreat

2009-09-24T20:20:00.000-07:00

Our master bedroom is so comfy cozy..when we get home from a road trip..we know we can fall into the most comfy bed ! And wake up to a view of the lake without lifting our heads off the pillow. We sleep with the windows open as many nights as possible..love to hear the ducks and geese "talking" on the lake during the night.. tree frogs, the hoot owl, and coyotes yip yipping. Always fun to travel..but so great to go home. I taught myself to texture walls..and in the bedroom I also did a faux fossil effect. The things I learned.. I never thought we would actually do this all our self..but I'm so glad we did..I would do it all over again tomorrow !

Did you know ??

2009-09-22T22:58:00.000-07:00

Just in case you didn't know this.. you can double click on my pictures and they instantly enlarge.. I love that when I go to other sites and want a closer peek!
Get clickin.. gotta love Blogland !

recycled window

2009-09-22T22:39:00.000-07:00

A few years ago I bought 10 old windows at Goodwill..cheep ..and everywhere you looked people were decorating with them. So I took this one, bought a poster from allposters.com and decoupaged it on the glass, the inside of the window so it looks like you are looking in at the poster.. The poster did not fit the window perfectly, so I ripped and tore the edges to make it look antique, imperfect. The I added paint in several colors that matched colors in the poster. Get out the mod podge and grab a poster, magazine pictures, calendar pages.. I have used calenders before, the pages can be thick paper..so soak it for few seconds..once it is wet.you can peel of the heavy backing. A little practice, because some days it's wrinkles, bubbles and tears.. but it doesn't have to be perfect. It gives it character.

Beachy Bathroom

2009-09-19T05:52:00.000-07:00

Our half bath was a true experiment.. I was just starting to mosaic, and wanted to do a mosaic for the sink to sit in..then I was thinking how wonderful it would be to have one of the custom painted sinks I had seen ..but not in this lifetime would I pay what they wanted.. so I ran across the porceline/ceramic paint that is baked in the oven..WELL, I we had the plain white sink, we took it home to Colorado, after one of our working trips at the lake..yes..950 miles back to Co. it went.. I found a stained glass book with mermaids.. got my vision.. and got to work.. Who would think you could bake a sink ? I had to try..plain white sinks are inexpensive.. I think it turned out great, and has held up just fine ! The mosaic, well Don cut me the wood at the lake.. we hauled it back to CO. and i did the mosaic there, then back to the lake and installed it and grouted it. Look close to find a star fish, turtle, Koi fish, sea horse..and a little ceramic flip flop I got at Jimmy Buffets "Margaritaville" holds my ring when washing up..the backsplash... look to the right and see a pink hammock between two palms, a sharks fin by the hot water knob, and the sun in the corner..with a stripe umbrella on the far left.. I embedded real shells for some 3-D effect. The bathroom walls have light house mural, with a beach fence and shore birds , this fence goes all around the room. The palm trees I used a stencil for the tops and sheet rock mud I tinted to give it color.. the mud makes a great texture..later I added more color to make it pop..the shelf on the wall holds a cute lighthouse , a gift from Robin at Candy Creek..fits the room just right.the The wood Noah and friends stays in the room year round, a painted gift from dear Michele. Bella the mermaid we picked up in Florida last year...she kept the hurricanes away from us while we were there for 2 months..she travels back and forth to Fl. now to bring us luck. The blue frame with the hand painted mermaid, Maddie did for me..she was 10 at the time, and what a great artist..I love it..perfect ! I laid the floor tiles, they look like sandstone, or beach sand..Don was recuperating from shoulder surgery at the time..so he cut the cement board for me..and a couple odd shape tiles for me..I did the rest.. I LOVE to tile. This room turned out like I hoped.

Waterbug

2009-07-14T19:11:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am guilty of painting this golf cart.. from green and boring beige seats... to Perfect in Pink..with some fun flower power.. OH they know it's ME when they see this. Dear Hubby put in a lot of the labor,sanding, painting it pink.. it took both of us to recover the seats, and I hand painted the flowers on it.. It makes people smile when they see it.. and there isn't another one like it... bet ya !

Sunset,perfect ending to any day !

2009-07-13T23:37:00.000-07:00

We sure get awesome sunsets here. The humidity in the air, and the sun setting over the water always makes me stop to look, and enjoy the great life I am so lucky to live. Being able to be retired young and spend so much time with my better half .. a sunset boat cruise, jump in for a swim any time you desire... I think this does beat the city life.. bring on the lightning bugs,and first star of the evening.You can find me lazing on the lounger soaking in the sunset !

Great trash to treasure find

2009-07-05T18:14:00.000-07:00

I was out on the golf cart this weekend.. cruised by a small yard sale.. looked like nothing for me there.. exercise stuff..NOPE... Nuttin to see here... then I spied it .... just daring me to take a closer look..and I did.. there she was.. whispering.." take me home... I have potential..." I kept looking away. trying to ignore the call.. my mind asked her.. "where will I put you" ? Do I NEED you" ? I chatted up the yard sale lady trying not to look at this interesting beauty.. and then I see a tag ... $3 ... OH that had to be a mistake.. I had to be seeing wrong.. instantly my trash to treasure brain kicked in.. $3 if you don't use it for you.. bet u can give it as a gift all fixed up... hmmm ??? then she said.. " OH NOOOO .. if you take me home.. I stay !! I know there is a spot waiting for me in your art studio.... I need some paint, antiqued and look.. I fold down ! " Well that was the kicker.. I saw the "VISION" she was sending.. antique blue with pink cabbage roses on the inset of the tray...The detail will pop with paint..that metal braid rope is so unique... I pulled out $3 ..loaded that beauty on the cart...and was long gone.. Next time you see her.. she will be calling to YOU too...you can look... she's here to stay.. !

Belated Birthday Gift for Sis

2009-07-05T17:56:00.000-07:00

I finally got this gift done for my dear friend over at CandyCreek blog. Robin is like a true sister to me. We met online in 2000 during Big Brother. We have so much in common. My hubby and I traveled to her lake home in Tennessee last summer..and she will be flying here very soon.. OMG... we are going to giggle ourselves silly. Plenty of Girl Talk.. watch some Big Brother together..and a few crafts, golf cart around to show her our lake..boat rides. jet ski...and plan my visit to her house in Aug.. Oh we are so lucky to be able to spend time together. Her family made us so comfy from the minute we pulled into her drive..and they had the perfect spot for our camper right down near the water...it felt like home.. seeing the lake . We look forward to our trip again !I will hand deliver this to her then. I took a unused cabinet door.. paint, paint.. extra wood trims.. some decoupage and turned it into a chalkboard..maybe she can use it in her freshly redone kitchen.. I added a leftover handle from my kitchen cabinets, and had a little Tiffany jewelry bag that will hold her chalk. A hook for keys.. SO she is set to make a list. LOVE YOU SIS.... !!

Girly tote bag

2009-07-05T13:46:00.000-07:00

This bag I painted all girly girl.. I have it hanging in the art studio.. so I can grab it and fill it and tote stuff when I need to... I also painted a black duffle bag like this to travel with.. My dear hubby sure looks cute carrying that duffle bag thru hotels.. my hands are full with my pink and white polka dot computer case ! Good thing he is secure in his manliness !!

Back to the BLOG

2009-07-05T13:39:00.001-07:00

Yikes.. Time does fly.. so I wanted to post some close up of the projects in the art studio.. maybe you will enjoy some of the details. Hope so.. I have felt like I abandoned my blog..but I am back with some fun stuff to show.. projects every where.. and tooo many more in my head.. LoL

Ahhhh Summer

2009-05-31T21:22:00.000-07:00

The past two weekends have been busy. Memorial weekend, we hosted the annual Lake Opener on our porch.. friends brought great food, we enjoyed catching up and look forward to lots of Bar-b-Q's, swimming, boating, skiing, jet skis, fishing, and sitting on the porch at the end of the day to watch the sunset.. and laying on the new round lounger reading a book, watching the wildlife or taking a nap under the ceiling fan, that lounger is perfect for nappin. I got the party lights up, and made a wreath for the back porch to welcome back door guests.. Using a kids inner tube, and goodies from the dollar store.. tied it on with some ribbon, fishin' line works good too. Next weekend we have invited some cousins to come stay and play.. so grab your sunscreen, flip flops and tank tops.. the boats full of gas and water is perfect !

2009-05-14T16:21:00.000-07:00

Dresser is Done.... Art Studio is almost complete !

2009-05-13T21:13:00.000-07:00

Seems like I started the room ages ago.. But actually just a lot has gone on in my life and I had to stop and start many times.. However.. the dresser we bought off EBay as is, I painted it french country and hand painted some flowers on it. Hubby cut a new top and back splash to follow the curve..since it was bought off EBay with out a top. It was shipped to OK from S. Carolina.. I did the Mosaic on top using old plates, and stained glass. and 1/2 marbles for the edge. I'm happy with the result, and glad to be done. The dresser will hold art supplies. More room photos soon... It should be finished by tomorrow night.. BUT I think we may go fish with the neighbors if we don't get rained out.. Will feel nice to go float on Hazels Pontoon boat..and catch some crappie or sand bass.. Yumm.. Peek back soon. I actually will be updating the blog often now that the room is going to be done.

Think Pink..from tulips to table skirt !

2009-04-07T05:47:00.000-07:00

A quick break for a look at spring popping up ! My bed of tulips of pinks, red, whites, lavender are reaching for the suns warmth... SO am I ! Things are greening up here at the lake, after several days of wind, wind and more cold wind. But the cold wind brought in some white pelicans and some black lake ducks but I didn't catch a clear picture of them..I plan to plant some rose bushes in my flower bed soon. I need to decide, a mixed variety, or PINK, my signature color. Speaking of pink, I have not abandoned my craft studio..making good progress. I am now cleaning out and thinning out stuff from that..and then I will start putting the room back together. It has not been with out some stops and starts.. the table skirt I first made from a vision...well more like a nightmare.. it had to go. I looked at it on the table for 30 minutes..took a lunch break and snatched it off the table, started cutting seams apart to re use fabric..and this is what I ended up with, and no, you will not be seeing the scarry ugly one I made first...If I would have went with this idea first..(it was my first idea.. it would have been one color..BUT no I changed and went to plan B and after hours of cutting, sewing, gathering..and cutting back apart I settled for 2 colors..since I had cut all fabric up..even had the curtain toppers cut and started..and decided NOT to do fabric toppers.no one heard me cursing??did they??. decided..simplify...its french country/ shabby chic, simplified ! I will finish this.. soon ! I know you will check back to see how and IF I can pull this off! AND if this isn't enough.. we won a bid on ebay for a awesome dresser I can paint, yes paint it"french country", the dresser has awesome curves to it..yes , another vision is involved.. must get the room ready so when the dresser arrives I can paint and mosaic it. Gotta go.. lots to do ! I must be crazy...Till then,,,,,,,,,

Relaxing while paint dries

2009-03-28T22:20:00.000-07:00

After a day of two coats of pink paint and removing tape.. I was ready to head in here for a nice long soak, and crank up the Jacuzzi to get the kinks out.

My little Cubby hole in the master bath area.. Just a nice deep Jacuzzi tub, lots of bubbles and candles.. I love the sea glass green with the crisp white.. The paint job in the craft studio will be similar..only pink on top. For some reason I actually like the potty in here and the sink vanity out in the other part of the room...I think I'm just weird like that. I love the little stuffed duck on the top of the storage cabinet. Tomorrow it's on to white paint...!

Craft Studio remake

2009-03-27T22:58:00.000-07:00

I have got the Vw border and theme out of the room...here are some before pix...and here is a pix with white primer on all the walls.. I may be dreaming about pink ..or I will be having pepto bismal nightmares..In a week or so we get to go to Old Town VAN Buren Ark,, hope they still have the great antique/ used furniture shops...so I can find the pieces I have in my vision.. but till then I have many things to prime and paint..check back sooooon !

NOW>>>PINK & WHITE ... I have some caulk to do and a little more paint on trim... but need a run to town for more caulk....so wanting to get the room put back together so I can start the fine tuning ! Onward !

Idea peice

2009-03-24T17:10:00.000-07:00

We got back from two weeks of the beach.. We had the best weather.. 70's to 80..no wind.. got some burn .. some tan.. so I read and then thought of all the ideas for my craft room I'm about to redo.. I will post before and after pix.. But it is going from beachy to shabby chic/ parlor. We stopped and shopped along the way and I found this great trash can at T.J MAX..Yes.. Robin at Candy Creek helped.. I called her on the phone so she could google TJMAX so I could find one. Thank U, Sista chick.. so this was perfect.. I can do the pink and white and cream and pull in some French blue. {thinking the blue from the pictures of my Master bath cabinets} Even tho this trash can has more of a robins egg blue/green tinge.. it doesn't all have to be matchy matchy.. Got home after 10 pm last night and by 2 pm today I was buying paint, rollers, tape..primer.. I am ready to roll....I chose "capricious pink" . and wouldn't you know "capricious" means the quality of being guided by sudden and unpredictable impulses... Well thats for sure.. My hubby said.. "well the currant decor in that room lasted one and a half years ! " I hope to take before pix tomorrow and start removing border.. UGHHHH... BUT hope it comes off easy. I have a vision

The Glory Hole

2009-03-01T08:33:00.001-08:00

A few years back my friend, Michele asked me to help her get her Christmas decorations from her Glory Hole.... I was wondering what or where that MIGHT be... she had just moved in to a different home. I find out it's her crawl space. Well she said that's what her Mom called her storage area.. I loved it.. it sounded so mysterious and Glorious too.. So while we were building the Happy Shack, it was my job to help insulate the walls. I got to work..one wall happens to have plumbing in it for the out door shower. Insulation was done, sheet rock, texture, and paint.. AHH perfect! Next spring we return to work on the house.. turn on the water. OH MY..LOOK water flowing into the house from the shower wall.. Well I didn't know I was suppose to put the insulation batting between the exterior wall and pipes.. SO Hubby had to cut a hole in my pretty finished walls I had textured and painted last fall. Light Bulb moment.... GLORY HOLE... make a little access door.. so if we ever need in that wall again to fix a pipe or whatever.. no more repairing of wall.. SO I gave him the idea of how I wanted it made.. NOW here is my Glory Hole door.. we just have to pop off 4 little wood dots to access screws, to remove the little square part of the "door" . I had to dress it up..I am known as Miss Fancy Pants... nothing can be left plain. I used anaglypta paper, a cute arch I got at Ross for $12, (I bought all 4 arches and have them all around the house ) and even a little door knob reproduction from Wal-mart for $6 that I did a patina treatment to, some extra wood "angel wing" shape appliques to the arch..left over trim from the house ..DONE ! I love it when people ask me what's behind that door? Its only 3 feet tall..... Maybe it's for "Alice to access the Rabbit Hole.. Simply Glorious !!!

2000 Ready for US to FINISH the job !

2009-02-27T17:17:00.000-08:00

Yes, we had the house built to this stage..and we took over ! Then the fun began..we had to clean up all the construction debris, original house color in grey blue. This is a Jim Walters home. But we wanted to finish it OUR way to OUR taste. So enjoy the 2x4 walls.. and then see what we did ! Yes.. we would drive from Colorado several times a year, 1,000 miles each way.. to do plumbing, electrical, sheet rock insulation. FUN TIMES.. and then drive 1,000 miles home..so Hubby could go back to his real job! Eight years of road trips later, retirement and the house is done... other than some small projects ! OK..truth... I will Never be done...I will change something at a drop of the hat..Hey, I repainted the kitchen 5 times before we ever moved in..re- did the laundry room, the wall texture, washer/dryer and cabinets.. and the master bath was re- done before we ever used the shower...yes.it was tore out and re -done before it ever got wet. I just decided I wanted a big Jacuzzi tub,and plan b happened...that's what happens when you leave for months at a time...and have time to think..hmm maybe we should... what if we... OH , that would be nice...Uhhh I have an idea.. YES hubby went along for the ride..and did the sweat equity. NOT to mention he had some awesome ideas that I sooo loved.

The lake veiw from our porch

2009-02-26T07:40:00.000-08:00

The best part of a day... is anytime you can sit on the porch and enjoy the view. The waters edge is about 200 feet away from our porch. The green of spring and summer, the breeze off the lake. watching birds in the nearby trees, and "toasting" a sunset ! Life is good. Enjoy the little things, and unwind from the day. Peaceful as we sit with a iced "sweet tea" it is the house wine of the south...Steele Magnolias is right ! Linger a little longer and watch the fireflies come out. It's all good! Here, you want some lemon in your tea??? How about another slice of lemon glazed pound cake? You just sit still, I will fetch it for you ! Don't go away now.....

Beachy Details

2009-02-26T07:02:00.000-08:00

We love all the pretty pastel beach houses in Gulf Shores and Pensacola. Our house needed a fresh coat of paint after 8 years, so we did pay someone to do that. And this time it was painted with a special ceramic paint that is suppose to last 24 plus years.They paint lighthouses with it,so it should hold up to the winds and rain we get right off the lake..We had no desire to paint a two story. I had painted our last ranch style before we moved..and I did most of it myself, except the tall ladder work, (too high) and under the eaves, (neck breaker)..Thanks Don for doing that part. I really like to paint tho. It's actually relaxing.. Since I took tole lessons in the 80's, I will paint about anything that doesn't move.. Kudos Dear Marj for having the patience to teach me and Michele.. You brought out my hidden "talent" and I get compliments all the time. I had no idea I could use the things you taught me so often. I feel blessed to have the ability to use all the gifts God gave me...You never know what you can do until you try. And Dons says..It's only paint...if you don't like it, you can paint over it ! He's a great cheerleader in all my endeavors

I wanted the house blue again..only a brighter, beachy blue. I got out my brushes and I painted all the shutter slats , the gingerbread trim, and even the porch rail slats and balusters, ceiling fan blades, etc. Men have asked me how I convinced Don to paint so much pastel on it.. well I tell them "he's secure in his manliness, he likes beach house colors, and I would have done it anyway !" All summer long we will see golf carts cruise up to our property line sneaking up from the waters edge, and stop and stare.. I will often step out on the front porch to say hi, and they will rave on about how "beachy" it looks.. I smile inside and out. We added a outside shower, to rinse off after playing in the lake.. or even to have a shower under the stars or anytime the coast is clear...It is tucked between the bay windows and the porch rail..so it is pretty private. The shower privacy "wall" is an old long surfboard... My friend Teresa had moved it all over the country..a bargain at $15. I got out my mosaic supplies..and did a scene on both sides. It's one of my favorite things...! You grab a towel, jump in the shower..plenty of HOT water. There's some Calgon liquid soap... let it take you away !!!

It's all in a Name

2009-02-25T22:44:00.000-08:00

We thought and thought about a name for the house.. finally when we were at the beach last year, we drove by a place called "Happy Shack" It was so bright green and all sorts of stuff painted on it.. It made us smile. We smile when we drive up to our house and realize "We Made This". Still hard to believe. So Happy Shack" it is. I got out my mosaic supplies and got busy. Come on down to the lake.. be ready to smile!

Too many projects, to little time !

2009-02-25T06:49:00.000-08:00

Even after I thought the new house was done... I think of more and more projects. I will head to bed ready for some serious sleep, and the visions start to dance thru my head. Then I can't sleep. I think creative minds are restless. But if this happens to you, YOU know no matter what you do, the ideas swarm like bees at their hive. Give in to it. Get up, write down the ideas. I even get up and work on stuff... I try to have something set out in my work room to work on quietly so poor hubby doesn't hear me. I don't think I need as much sleep as some people. I can stay up till 2 a.m and get up at 7 a.m and go all day. Sometimes I may only be sitting at the computer for a lot of the day, searching for great sites to browse. Or chatting with great friends online.. and we know how inspiring that can be ! So I have to force myself up and away from the online window shopping, and chit chat..and hit the housework. Today I have a full list to complete...but still I sit and ponder...someone tip me out of this chair please...the clock is ticking !

From So So to Soooo Fabulous

2009-02-25T06:35:00.000-08:00

The master bath vanity was new, but very plain Jane natural maple. And No No No plain Jane for me. I used some deglosser to take off the top sheen,which I don't think works that well.. so a little fine sandpaper all over, wipe down and clean..time to paint. I used a colonial cream for the base and the cabinet doors, 2 coats. Then a watery blue for the trim. It was sky blue until I antiqued it, yup 2 coats, I sanded it off in spots for the worn look. I then antiqued it with a minwax cherry stain. I got out my trusty paint brushes to add some small floral and leaf pattern. I added some spattering to age it more. I was aiming for a French country hutch look, by adding more wood appliques, and trim the finished look is just the thing I wanted.

Chicken Pantry door

2009-02-24T23:13:00.000-08:00

I needed a pantry door in the new house we built..and I had to do this chicken.. I was so intimidated to start it..so I hauled the plain door 7 hours to a friends house.. Dear Michele...she was here to guide me thru the hard parts..She is so talented...She did her chickens on some wood panels she would later use like a shutter set.. so we jumped in and painted for days. Took a shopping break or two, and looked back at the accomplishment and smiled. I then hauled the door 7 more hours back home. Then the next trip to the lake house, I hauled it 1,000 miles. I don't think I will ever part with this door.. I don't think I could paint it again! I know I never would have attempted it, without Michele to get me thru it. Thanks Girlfriend... I always think of you when I see this door..and I smile !

Headboard to Blackboard

2009-02-24T19:02:00.000-08:00

I love my huge fridge.but hate that it stuck out in the room like a sore thumb. I took a pine headboard, added more dental trim, extra appliques, rope molding, grass green paint and Brazilian tan paint, then a quick antique and spatter... painted on some chalk board paint, turned the headboard sideways, and added to feet for looks, and hubby mounted it to the wall.. a great place to leave notes, make lists, and hide the bigger than life fridge. Think of it as a "wall". I try to find a new use for an old cast off item. My friend was going to toss this out ! NO WAY !