Window boxes and weekend stuff

I am so tired. I had a very busy weekend. Janae is taking a week off and is putting in new floors. It is so much work and yet looks so great it is worth it. It is fun to work on it with her. I got distracted and totally weeded and worked in her front yard. I loved the feeling of accomplishment from doing that and being able to help her out in that way. I need to spend some major time in my yard! I did get my window boxes planted which was good.

Here they were last year...

They looked beautiful! So here they are this year...

Can't wait until they get big and beautiful like last year! I used miracle grow soil--they should be lovely soon.

I missed Chantel this weekend. There was no school on friday so thursday night she spent the night with a friend who lives in Gales Creek. Then on friday night she stayed the night with Janae helping her get the carpet all torn out of her house. Chantel is such an organizer. Trust me, you all would love to have a daughter like her. She is such a take charge girl too. She totally got my garage organized..instructing Wyatt and I on what to do. Now I can actually go in there! Thank God for Chantel.

Eileen came over today with Griffin. It was so great to spend the afternoon with her. She brought over everything to have a big BBQ. She is so awesome. Thank God for Eileen too! I am so blessed.

I have so been enjoying being able to cut flowers from the garden. It is still raining like crazy which is driving me nuts because some flowers are done before I have felt like I have had time to enjoy them outside! So I guess I really have to bring the outside in...

Mom brought me some flowers--I think she said they were coming into her yard from her neighbors. So pretty!

To end I wanted to post this picture of our cat Big John and our hamster Walter. Chantel calls them her "sons" which is funny because Big John was born before she was. I love how Chantel adores these two..and I love how Persians don't have a single bit of the hunting instinct. Also, Walter doesn't realize he is not supposed to be friends with a cat. Don't you just wish the whole world was like that?!

Thanks for visiting!

Adhering fabric to bookcase

Last night I did a project that was once again inspired by another blogger. I had seen this bookcase backed in fabric and thought that would look so pretty in my built in bookcase, and it looked easy too. Here is where I was inspired.

I have posted before about this fabric I love. I have yet to make my cart liner with it but plan to do that after we finish Janae's new floors.  Doesn't this fabric add a girly old fashioned look to this bookcase? I think it does. I am pleased! The really great thing is I applied it with spray starch and so whenever I want to change it it will be super easy. The fabric can be washed and reused to make pillows or something. I think it is a great technique!

This is what I used. I am sure there are probably better brands but this was only like $1.50 at Walmart.

At first I was worried because it wasn't staying up. For one thing I was using a very long piece of fabric (70 inches) and the weight of it was a problem as I started at the top. The trick is really soak it.

I heavily sprayed the back of the bookcase and then soaked the front of the fabric. I smoothed it out as I went..getting rid of bubbles kind of like doing wall paper. After I figured out to really get it wet it worked fine.

I love it now! 

This bookcase is in my sunroom/creative area so I have decided I am allowing this room to be girly so I think this looks great:)

Here is the evolution of the bookcase....

This is how it looked when we were looking at this house. Chantel has already grown so much since then!

This is after my husband put some better moulding around it and I painted it white

Here it is now--it has come a long way from that first picture!

 This starch technique could be used on so many different projects. I am so glad I discovered this!

On another note..my lilacs are blooming! I am really worried about my big old lilac bush though. It has very few blooms compared to last year and almost no leaves. This years weather has been awful. Does anyone have any ideas on how to help this big old bush get healthier?

 Thanks for visiting!

Ruffled Giveaway at A Gathering of Thoughts!

Today I saw this giveaway for this beautiful apron at the blog A Gathering of Thoughts. What a beautiful blog! I am so happy to have found this blog. I think I have been there before and somehow didn't follow. I hate it when blogger is having issues or something and I end up not following a great blog, and then forget to go back.  I am so looking forward to following her now. Love her blog!

Anyway--her giveaway is this beautiful apron. It goes so well with my "year of the ruffle" theme I have going and my new love of pink. I adore it! So go to her blog and enter to win.:) Someone giving such a beautiful and generous prize deserves a lot of entries!  When you are there you can check out her beautiful bedroom..along with many other gorgeous posts.

Enjoy!

Garden Chair

This is such a fun time of year. All the garden centers are filling with beautiful flowers and it just makes you want to plant something! I am inspired to bring the outside in...and in this case maybe take a bit of the inside out. Here is my latest project...

I was inspired by a chair I saw at the Junk Sisters show..and have been wanting to make one ever since!

Inspiration chair from Junk sisters show

I had a chair that I bought years ago at a garage sale for $2. I had never done anything with it and thought this would be perfect! My husband cut a hole in the seat of it the right size to put a pot I had. It would probably look better to put wire and moss or something to that effect, but I decided to go with a pot.

I think it is just as cute as can be! When the plants grow it will look even better, and more natural.

I am thinking this is adorable:)

Happy Spring--Thanks for visiting!

Time for Pink

I have been having a want to add a little pink to my house. I think it is the spring flowers showing their faces, the nice weather...I am not sure. My favorite color all my life has been pink.  Though I do not use it too much in decorating, I feel the need lately to add little touches of it.

Here is my latest project...

I was inspired by Lynn at Shabby Story here. Even though it is totally a different kind of clock it gave me the inspiration (and courage) to take this old clock apart and make it something I love. For many years this little clock from Target has been our friend--sitting on one of our fireplace mantles in our previous house. I can't even imagine the number of times I have looked at this clock to check the time. It used to look like this...

For many years this clock went perfectly in our home. But now that I am making my creative space in the sun room more girlie I needed this clock to be a different color.

I am happy with the new look!

Today was another beautiful day! It was 82 degrees--broke the temp record for this date. Last record for this date was 79 degrees, 30 years ago! So we may be on a roll now:)

I didn't get too much done in the yard though. I am such a wimp when it comes to temperature. I think I had heat stroke or something. I had been gardening for about a half hour and then almost fell over. I was seeing weird colors and stuff. I couldn't stand up. I called for the kids and Wyatt came and helped me to my bedroom--turned on the ceiling fan full blast and brought me a large glass of iced tea. I was feeling better pretty quickly. I was frustrated because I wanted to get more done! I went back out but the minute that sun hit me I felt dizzy again. Last year I did all the gardening the last couple hours before the sun went down. I think I will have to stick to that. It is so weird though because I do fine walking with my Mom even on really hot days. Maybe it is the getting up and down with gardening. I don't know. I worked a little in the evening and was just fine.

The kids and I did walk to Walmart.  Chantel and Wyatt pooled their money to buy a Slip 'n Slide. They seemed to enjoy it. I think it will be a summer favorite! A great way to cool off. Of course, you won't see me trying that:) Slippin' and Slidin' is not good when you're 47!

This evening we finished off  our summer like day roasting hotdogs on the back patio. Ever since the kids were babies they have liked doing that. We also made smores. This is about as close to having a camp fire as we get:)

Thanks for visiting!

A Lovely Day

Today was filled with beautiful sunshine and sweet sounds. Chantel was helping Janae clean out her garage, and Wyatt was at a friends house.  Instead of the sounds of TV's and video games, the air was filled with the sounds of trickling water, church bells, and the occasional ice cream truck. It was such a lovely day! Even though I was so tired from getting up early this morning, I somehow felt rested. It was peaceful.

This morning I got up early to go with Janae to Lumber Liquidators to buy her new floors. On the way home we stopped at a Goodwill. I was having Goodwill withdrawal after having not been for over a week! Well, I found something--don't need it, shouldn't have spent the money, but it was one of those things where if I wouldn't have gotten it I would have been complaining to Janae for weeks (possibly months) that I should have gotten it. Actually, if I didn't get it Janae probably would have. Then I would have secretly wished I would have gotten it:)

Here she is...

It has one arm a little wobbly...but otherwise it is strong. I love it. I figure I need a reupholstery project anyway (because I only have about 100 other projects lined up..)--it will be a beauty with new paint and fabric. Don't you agree? I paid $19.99.

Another Goodwill happy moment was when I found these...

Aqua candlesticks are so hard to find...score!

Last night I played with my indoor fence a bit and hung some bottles with twine. I think it looks so cute!

I would have loved to read magazines and drink ice tea all day but the weeds were calling. I got quite a bit done in the yard! It was the perfect Oregon temp--somewhere around 76 degrees. Loved it!

Tomorrow is suppose to be another lovely day..and I plan to sleep in (really looking forward to that part!) and then enjoy the rest of the day working in the yard.

Hope this finds everyone having a lovely day...

Thanks for visiting!

Charming Picket Fence

Picket Fences are so charming to me. I have always loved them. Even a run down house has a bit of charm if it has a picket fence. Before we found this house and I was looking online at houses..I saw the cute picket fence this house has and thought, "We need to go look at that one!". I have always been drawn to white picket fences.

 

I had some picket fence boards from our other house and decided to make a little project to bring some "outside in". I had my husband put the boards together in what I thought was a pleasing design.

Then thinking I would try something different I stained the fence boards before painting them white. My thought here was I could sand down the boards and have the stain show through.

Well, the idea was good. After sanding and sanding I went back to my tried and true favorite way to distress and used the finger method with Rub and Buff as shown here in another post. I guess you can't teach an old dog new tricks. My sweet son Wyatt said this morning he doesn't know why I even tried doing it a new way because my way makes so much more sense. Love that kid!

I think it looks great! I am thinking I could wire some small bottles on it and hang flowers--or hang a small banner. I am thinking it has potential!

I need to own stock in Rub N Buff or something--I love the stuff.

Still in love with my sweet little white lilacs---

Just can't get enough of them!

Chantel and I are off to Thrift City to find some treasures!

Thanks for visiting!