Here's to Chalkin' it Up!!!

We had a LOVELY winter day last week and I was able to work outside on a few projects, so I thought I'd share one of them...

I got this frame-thingy at a thrift store awhile back, and knew that I wanted to make it a chalkboard...



It was 99 cents...:-))



It was made to accommodate an insert, so I measured the inside dimensions and cut a piece of board to slide into it...it was a super thin (about a quarter of an inch, I think) piece of plywood that I got at the local hardware store for about $4. It was actually for a different project and there was just a lot left over...then I painted the cut piece with chalkboard paint...



I was *honestly* not painting in my driveway in the middle of the night!! It was dusk when I took the pics, and turning on the flash just made it look darker...really!!! I did the recommended two coats, and then just decided to be done because I am so impatient like that!! And it works fine, but since it was unpainted wood, it would look better with more coats, so I might try to do that next spring. (Really, I should have primed, then the two coats would have been fine!!) So here it is...



I love the red color on this, and it will go great in my living room when the Christmas decorations come down!! Two more weeks!! Aaack!! :-))

Here's to Holiday Crafting!!

Ahhh...so much time, so little to do...

Wait...other way around!!! (I love that movie!! :-) So here it is, what, two weeks til Christmas???!!! And all the little loose ends to tie up, last presents to find, traditions to keep! :-)) In the middle of everything, I thought I would try making some cute holiday servers, kind of a take-off on the cake plate I did as my very first post!!

I used super glue for glass, although I just used regular super glue the first time around, and it worked great!



Then I gathered some really cute holiday plates, votive holders, aperitif glasses, whatever caught my eye, and started playing around til I thought something worked...







These would all work as really cute candle holders, but you could also put little faux or real flower arrangements in them for use as centerpieces or decorations. I also made these two tier servers that could be used to serve dessert, appetizers like crackers and cheese, or for holding jewelry, or arrangements for a centerpiece. There are just a ton of ways to use these little beauts. That's why I thought I would make them a little more generic...





Hope your December is going just swimmingly and everyone is enjoying all the great sights, tastes, smells, and sounds of the season!!! :-))

Here's to Advent!!

Awww...It's finally December!!! I thought I would start off the month with a little advent wreath make-over...YAY for Christmas candles!!

I started off with this...



I am as nostalgic as the next gal...but when my Mom gave me this blast from the past, I knew it couldn't stay this way!! This light made it look its very best, but it smelled like old plastic, was harboring several tiny bug carcasses, and was SERIOUSLY dusty!! So I started thinking about how I wanted to remake this little lovely, and here's what I came up with...(I think you'll like it :-))



Yeah, OK, I'm not a magician ;-)) But when I started thinking about advent wreaths, I just began seeing them everywhere...and how sweet is this simple little version???!! Little it is, too...



Then, I got the inspiration for this one...





I know, I know, its probably already been done...but no matter...I LOVE it!!! Modern, simple, easy, stunning!! I just stuck the candles in the decorative rock, but to really use it, I would affix them more securely. You could hot glue them down, or stick them in floral foam...(if its not flammable...which I don't think it is...but I don't really know...the flammability of floral foam has never come up as an issue for me before...:-))

ANYwhoo, to get back to the original wreath...I took it all apart and just kept the skeleton wire frame with candleholders, added a dollar wreath for updated greenery, and then set a salad plate in the middle with a favorite angel from my little collection...



Traditional, simple, easy, beautiful!! The hardest part of this super-fun project will be deciding which one to actually use :-))!!!



(OK...would it be total sacrilege to call this the original *Peace Out*??? Hee hee hee and ho ho ho :-))))

Here's to Pumpkin Goodness!!

I just love this time of year with the holidays in full swing...when the world just seems to take a deep breath and calm down...my to-do list shrivels up, and...oh wait...that's in my alternate universe!!!! ;-)))

Well, with the weather getting colder... I am going to have to find something to take the place of all my spray painting projects, so this post is a little different!! I thought I would share my recipe for the Easiest Ever Pumpkin Cookies...seriously, folks, these are beyond simple!!



You start with these four things, spice cake mix, canned pumpkin, some sort of delicious icing, and a stove...OK, OK, you also need a bowl, mixing spoon, and cookie sheet...but seriously...THAT'S ALL!!!!

Mix together the pumpkin and cake mix...(and I should note here that I am totally un-brand loyal...I literally just photographed what was in my kitchen at the time...Betty Crocker must have had a sale ;-))



It will be a little dry at first, but it blends together quickly.



Drop by any size spoonfuls onto cookie sheet...



(As you can see, perfection NOT required!!) Bake at about 350 F for about 10-15 minutes.



And ice with your favorite...butter cream or some sort of cream cheese frosting works great if you swing that way...;-))



Really, the only downside to this recipe is that it never makes enough!!! :-)))

Here's to Imperfection!!

AAAAACK!! I was SO excited about this idea...partly because I thought it would be a brilliant way to re-use a commonly found item, and partly because I thought it would be a simple and easy little project...I WAS SO WRONG!!!!

This project was like tripping uphill!!! EVERYTHING went wrong, but let me show you...



I thought I would take these little trays, paint them up real cute-like, make a few magnets, and have an adorable way to put up notes, pictures, cards, etc. It could work as a frame or a grocery store list holder, whatever you needed...versatile and SO cute!!



Here are a few more larger trays that I was also going to transform...

The first thing to go wrong, was that I spray paint outside, and in this breezy autumn weather, the spray paint attracted EVERY tiny piece of leaf or twig within 30 yards...and that happened with EVERY coat of paint (and I had to apply several to cover the color on the trays)...so the finish wasn't nearly as ice-smooth as I wanted...

Next, I tried to stamp the trays with cute little images, *sigh*...I do stamping so rarely, that I kindof forget all the little tricks to doing it...like don't load the stamp with too much paint, and it's hard to stamp on slick surfaces...so stamping didn't go well at all...

Then I thought I better seal the trays so that the magnets wouldn't scrape the paint...great - except that the polyurethane attracted even more STUFF than the paint...ARGH!!!

At this point I wanted to rip my hair out...but my hair is my best feature, and seeing as how I am getting older, (and therefore have wrinkling, stretch marks, and age spots) I can't afford to just go mangling the one good thing I have still going for me...;-)))

SO...this lifelong, twelve-step dropout, dedicated perfectionist took a deep breath, revised my standards for this project, and persevered.

Here are the final results:





I used plate hangers that adhere to the back, but the plate hangers that clamp around the plate would work too. (another snafu - after I snapped this picture, the hanger came off the back...apparently the adhesive wasn't meant for metal...of course it wasn't...:-))...so I just super-glued it back on!!)



The magnets were supposed to be easy, too...I just used some cute little buttons that I had...



Of course the ones I chose had wire through the middle...of course they did...:-))







SO after all of that...I still like the idea of this project, I just need to figure out less time-consuming way to execute!!! And I am just going to chalk these up to *it's the first time I did this so of course they aren't perfect*!!!!

They are, however, a LOT cuter holding a picture of my J-Bro and his wife!!! :-)))

Here's to Adorable Little Boys!!

Get ready to amp up the cuteness in here!! :-)) I was so pleased with the results of this little makeover...and it was really very simple! I started with two pictures that had been given to me by sis HBAPJ (she gives me the best stuff :-))...



They had a dated look, and the frames really screamed 70's!! (They actually look much better in this picture than they did in real life!!) But their adorable little faces kept drawing me in...I just couldn't put them in the give-away pile!!





So after living with them for awhile, I decided that they needed a little revamping...spray paint, here we come!!

I took the pictures out of the frames, and sprayed the frames with an almond color that I thought would compliment the colors in the pictures better than straight white...then I distressed the frames (meaning I didn't spray paint them perfectly and when they were dry, I sanded them a bit - easy peasy!!).



Delightful, but I had one more charming idea!! I took a *smidge* of Mod Podge,thinned with a drop of water, and painted it on a few highlights in each picture, then added just a skosh of glitter...





OH SO PRECIOUS!!! (And very subtle in real life!!) I just love the hint of sparkle that catches the light, and the frames now compliment the soft colors of the boys instead of overpowering them!! What charming art for my own towhead's room!! :-))

Here's to Just Going For It!!!

Today's project is a lesson in what CAN work!!!

I picked this footstool out of a neighbor's trash pile...(words I swear to you I never thought I would say...I am becoming one of THOSE people...;-)))



It was a little rough...but the shape drew me in, and it was really solidly constructed with a cute little lid and storage!!



I SO love multifunctional furniture!!!

My initial thought was to just clean this up and spray paint the heck out of it...then I started thinking twice...I worried about the wicker not holding up, the paint not going on well then flaking off right away, and the seat cushion getting messed up in the cleaning process...



BLAH...

...so this sat in my garage for a few months...until the spurt of cold weather (and the growing pile of *projects* in my garage, this being one of the easier ones) convinced me that I needed to do something with this little guy...

I put it in the Goodwill pile, sadly certain that I really couldn't fix this one...

Then after not getting to Goodwill for a week, I decided that if I tried to paint it and it didn't work, it wouldn't really be in any worse shape for Goodwill, right?? (Ummm, logic anyone?!)

So I did it...I got out my handy dandy black spray paint and tarp and went to town...



WOW, WOW, and WOW!!! I couldn't have been more surprised at how well it went!! The paint went on easily, covered well, and looked great!!



So in one of the easiest 15 minutes of spray painting ever, I got a great new-looking little footstool!! Now, I don't even use expensive paint...oh no, I use the cheapest 99-cent spray paint I can find...

(Kindof reminds me of the classic, "Waiter, this wine is old...bring us a bottle of your FRESHEST wine..." :-))) Love me some Steve Martin!!

So anyway...IT WORKED!! GREAT!! I love my cheap spray paint!! And just to give this guy a little more protection, I put on a quick coat of sealer. :-)) Done!!

Here's to Halloween!!

Happy Halloween!!

I haven't been in much of a spooky mood lately...I've only done a little fall decorating this year...



I even let nature decorate my pumpkins...



But really...I couldn't have done better!! :-)))

My leafy outdoor bouquet was about as Halloweeny as I got...



But I did have a lot of fun making these autumn cards...I used an old Mary Engelbreit desk calendar that I cut up then added a little embellishment...







I am definitely not selling these (actually, if you are family, you might see one soon!! :-))...so don't worry, Mary, no copyright issues here!! :-)) It was a fun way to recycle some adorable little images and spread some autumn cheer!!