Goodwill Desk Re-do Before

Look what I dragged home from the Goodwill with me the other day!!  My husband is so happy.  He loves it when the garage is crammed with furniture projects.:)  I initially bought this desk for our daughter who is moving into an apartment this summer and I thought this might work for her.  We will see if she likes it.  I have a feeling it might be too small for her but then again maybe not.  I have not seen the size of her new bedroom yet in the apartment and I think that is what will decide if she is going to take it or not.  Anyway, I am going to proceed with painting it and it will either end up with her or stay here with me.  I’ll probably use it as a sewing table.  Not sure exactly where we’ll put it but I’ll worry about that later. :)

And did I mention that I only paid $20.00 for it????  BARGAIN!

 

First step was to wipe it down with a damp wash cloth after removing the hardware.  I am going to replace all the drawer pulls with something new. See the scribble marks from the former owners?  The primer will help cover that up.  The top of this desk is a laminate.  I am hoping that the primer will allow me to paint that surface and not have the paint chip off.  My back up plan is to decoupage the top if the primer does not prevent any chipping. 

  

One coat of primer gave me the coverage I needed.  (One can gave me one full coat.)

It’s a work in progess.  But I am on my way. Just waiting for the primer to dry which gives me some time to think about what color to paint it.

Any ideas?

More Stepping Stones.

More stepping stones.  The “Welcome” stone had to be hosed off before I took the photo because the birds like to poop on them.

And, C’mon….I know you think the “SAVE FERRIS” stone is funny.  Because it is! 

That’s all I’ve got today. :)

Painter’s Cloth Pillow

 

 

I have been wanting to try to see what I could do with some painter’s cloth that I picked up at Lowe’s Hardware.  You know how I love to stencil on to burlap, well, I wanted to try the same thing with the painter’s cloth that I have seen on so many other other blogs and websites.  People have been making curtain panels and table cloths etc…with them and I thought I would try and recover some pillows.  The painter’s cloth worked great.  It was easy to work with and has that Shabby Chic look to it that I really like. 

  

I found these not so attractive pillows at the Goodwill not too long ago and after making sure they were clean and had no smell to them, I purchased them for $2.49 each.  The painter’s cloth package that I picked up had a nice piece that was 4 x 6 foot and it only cost me $4.99.  I cut out the cloth about 2 inches wider on all sides than the pillow I was cutting for so that I had enough room for my seems.  After stitching them together on all sides and leaving an opening to insert the pillow, I turned it right side out and after putting the pillow inside I hand stitched it closed.  I haven’t sewed a pillow in I can’t tell you how long and I can’t believe that I remembered how to make a ruffle!  It’s sooooo not perfect but good enough for me.  I am thinking that I might have to look for an Eiffle Tower stencil.  I need something tall to put on this one. 

For this pillow I decide to put “Thank You” in French on it.  I did learn the hard way that it would be MUCH easier to stencil a design on to the painter’s cloth BEFORE sewing and stuffing the pillow.  (also FYI…I did not pre-wash the cloth because I like the stiffer feel when it comes out of the package.  It does have a strange odor…but I have to say that disappears.  I made the pillow a couple of days ago and there is no smell at all right now.)  This pillow was already stuffed when I added the stencil and it wasn’t easy my friend! (Next time I will try to stencil before I sew.)  The paint didn’t cover as well, but you know I actually like how it almost looks faded and makes the pillow look older.  Happy accidents…don’t you just love them?!

Geraniums on the Front Porch

     

Ahhh…It’s Springtime and time to enjoy the front porch.  This is one of my most favorite places to be.

We finally got all the Geraniums planted.  I started with 10 plants and I am thinking that I may need 3 or 4 more!  I forgot all about putting some of them on the back deck and our daughter is moving into her first apartment at school in June.  She is going to be taking a class this summer and working part time there.  She is going to need a Geranium pot of her own for good luck.  So it  looks like I’ll be taking that long country road back to A & A Plants for more red Geraniums. 

 

Usually, the annual “potting of the Geraniums” is a solo project for me.  But this year I had some help from my husband.  It’s kind of nice when your teenage son “wants” to cut the grass ($$$ is a powerful motivator) because now the husband doesn’t have to do it and has more time to help me with my projects.  :)

Anyway, we had a nice assembly line going.  He lifted the heavy bags of Miracle Gro Potting Mix and filled all the pots and I did the planting.   Then he and his rippling muscles :) moved all the pots to the porch. 

Yep, we planted 10 of these babies.

This is another sight you will see somewhere on the front porch hiding behind the brick.  The 10th Grade Son’s most prized possessions…one of his many Lacrosse sticks and his longboard skateboard.   Kind of takes away from the ambiance.  :)

Oh, so where was I?  Oh yes, this is where we like to hang out.  My husband and I sit out here a lot.  With a stack of magazines or a book, maybe some music, and a tastee beverage and our dog at our feet, we are happy to sit on our front porch and watch the world go by.  Last night’s entertainment was our neighbor being pulled on a razor scooter by his 160 pound Newfoundland dog.  That was a sight to see.  :)

Words to Live By

I saw this little saying on a plaque in a cute garden shop that I was in a few days ago.  I memorized it just long enough for me to get to my car and write it down.   I think it is one of the cutest things I have seen in a long time.  The one I saw was painted on a chunky piece of wood.  I didn’t have any wood but I did happen to have an extra small canvas so I thought I would try and make my own. 

    

I used my stencils and some acrylic craft paint. 

I need to try this one again.  I was a wee bit impatient and some of my letters are a tad off center…a few smudges here and there.  Not my best work so I am going to call this one a “prototype”.   I am going to make another one for my daughter.  I think she will get a kick out of it.  Yes, I think these are good words to start the day with!

It’s Time to Plant the Geraniums

Guess what I am doing today?  I drove out to A&A Plants in Brown Summit,NC  (a long drive in the country but well worth the miles) and picked up ten bright and gorgeous red Geranium plants.  There is no other place that I have found that grows such huge and healthy plants for the money.  And I stopped earlier today to get my favorite dirt,  Miracle Gro Potting Mix.  My Geraniums are virtually guaranteed to be beautiful this year!!

    

So while our son is cutting the grass tonight, I am going to be planting my pots.  You will be the first to see them when I get them done….it might take a few days. :)

The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder

As I have mentioned before, one of my most favorite books of all time is The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood written by Rebecca Wells and so I was thrilled to be asked to read her latest novel, The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder and write a review.  Rebecca Wells is a gifted writer and there is something about the way she puts a sentence together that draws me in every time!

Calla Lily Ponder grows up in the small town of La Luna, Louisiana and she narrates her own story from when it began on the day she was born in 1953 until the book closes in 1984.  Over these years we hear from Calla Lily herself as her life unfolds.  When she is very little she describes her life and describes it with the perceptions of a little girl.  We feel the love and the tight bonds she has with her family but especially the special connection between her and her mother.  We are there as she grows up in her small town, meets and forms the friendships with her lifelong friends.  We are there as she moves through high school and throughout her teen age years.  And of course we are there when she falls in love.

Calla Lily Ponder realizes she has a “gift” for doing hair just like her Mother had.  She learns more than the basics from her Mother sitting at her side in her mother’s beauty shop and then goes to New Orleans after she graduates from high school to attend beauty school.  It is a coming of age story in many ways and a lot of the story is set in the 1970’s.  I got a kick out of all the fun references and descriptions of the fads and fashion of that time.  You can feel the heat and humidity of New Orleans and smell the beignets in the air.  Life, love, and loss are all here with more life and love thrown in.

While it is hard not to compare this latest novel from Rebecca Wells to her hugely successful “The Devine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood”, the books are really quite different.  Both books are set in the South, and the love and fun of the friendships between the women is delightful in both books, but for me, that is where the similarities end.  Heavier topics like the loss of a loved one and alcoholism make an appearance in both books but here in Calla Lily’s story, you do not have the gut-wrenching  sadness and grief nor the serious consequences that you find in “Divine Secrets”.  The deepness of the friendships and sense of connection that the women in the  Ya Ya’s had is quite different from what I felt reading The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder.  Calla Lily Ponder’s book is lighter.

        

This book is what I would call a great “Beach read”.  And the book is now out in paperback just in time for packing in your vacation tote!  :)    So while the Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood swallowed me whole, The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder entertained me.  And sometimes that is just what the doctor ordered!  It’s a fun story, it makes you laugh, makes you shed a few tears, but in the end you feel like you really know Calla Lily Ponder and the world she lives in.   So to answer the questions of did I like the book and would I recommend it?????  I say YES to both!

Here are a couple of clips of Rebecca Wells herself telling us about her book The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder.

 

Are you part of a Book Club????    Book Club Girl is running a contest from now until October where  if your club is one of the fist 25 Book Clubs to commit  to reading Rebecca Wells’  new book “The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder”,  your group will win a King Cake to enjoy during your meeting from Randazzo’s Bakery in New Orleans!!!  Stop by Book Club Girl for more details.  Mmmmm……..

 Book Club Girl is also hosting a live on-air discussion with Rebecca Wells to discuss her book on May 5, 2010 at 7:00pm.  Mark your calendar and click HERE for more details.

More Stones for the Garden…The Obsession Continues

I am hooked on making these garden stones. My latest stone was the one in the photo above.

And I used my favorite French Bakery stencil… yet again. (I am depreciating the cost of my stencil.) :)

I purchased this paver stone at Lowe’s for only $3.74. A little black spray paint …

and some vanilla colored acrylic craft paint and a stencil is all I needed and it’s done.

I wish these didn’t weigh so much because I would love to add them to the Etsy Shop I still have not created!!! I have had big plans to open my Etsy shop but I have had more than a few interruptions. So I hope to get it up and running in the next couple of months. I’ll keep you posted on that front. :)

I am linking this post up to Roeshel's DIYShow Off and the DIY Parade. And I am so delighted that she chose my Re-Cycled Numbered Flower Pots post from last week on her blog today!! Thanks Roeshel! Stop by and check out all the other great projects from this past week.

Let’s Make A Deal

    

This is how Oakley tells me she is hungry and it’s time for dinner.  She steals my kitchen towel and runs off with it.    It’s 5:00pm and that dog has an internal clock that tells her exactly when it’s time for breakfast or dinner. 

Today it was a towel, yesterday it was my stinky work socks, the day before it was the Tenth Grade Son’s sticky Lacrosse socks.   She takes whatever the item of the day is and then sits just off the deck just out of reach.  She also never mastered the “Drop it!” command.   She just wants some attention and something to eat.  So she plays a game called “Let’s Make a Deal”.

I say to her, “Oakley, if you want some dinner, bring me my towel.

She “paw-ses”  :) and stops to consider my proposal.

And decides she’s had enough fun…for now anyway…and slowly brings it up to me in the kitchen as I fill her dinner bowl.   

I know, I know, I’m only reinforcing her bad behavior.  But like I keep saying…I can’t resist the cuteness. :)

My Life in Perfume

A few days ago I was reading one of my many favorite blogs “White Spray Paint” written by Laura and she had what I thought was a clever idea for her post. She wrote about all of the perfumes from her past. Some I shared with her, some I did not, and other I had never heard of before. But it got me thinking about the different scents I have worn over the years and the time line of when I wore them. Scents are like music to me sometimes. They bring up memories of where I was, what I was doing and who I was with. And of course certain scents remind me of certain people.

Whenever I smell Estee Lauder’s Youth Dew I think of my Mom. That is the scent I remember her wearing when I was growing up. And I think of my Grandma whenever I walk past someone wearing “Wind Song”. “I can’t seem to forget you…your Wind Song stays on my mind”.

And then there is “White Shoulders”. One of my dear friends growing up passed away a few months ago from complications from Juvenile Diabetes and this is the scent I remember her wearing. I think of Nina when I see a bottle and smell “White Shoulders”.

When I was little I remember my Aunt Gayle giving me a bottle of Avon perfume called “Brocade”. I couldn’t believe it when I searched Google and found a picture of the same hand bell shaped bottle I had!!

Ahh, remember “Love’s Baby Soft”. So 1970’s!! I actually did not like this. I wanted to like it but it was way too strong for me. And besides, most of my friend’s wore enough for the both of us. (Looking at that ad campaign kind of creeps me out. I don’t think they could get away with it today…or maybe they could. Still creepy.)

“And they call her…..Charlie!” Can’t you hear that jingle in your head? Please don’t tell me you don’t remember this! Still the 70’s…

More 70’s lusciousness! Now, I did wear this one. “Love’s Fresh Lemon”. I sprayed this one on head to toe! Now days the big scent seems to be vanilla but back then it was lemon.

“Chloe” by Karl Lagerfeld. I LOVED THIS. “Chloe” was my college scent. It was a heavy scent and I wore it with abandon. I loved it and I wore it for years.

Remember “Lauren” by Ralph Lauren? I had a brief affair with this one. But wear it I did.

I briefly remember wearing “Anais, Anais” as well and was never quite sure how to pronounce it. :)

Toss in a little “Chanel No. 5” here and there when I wanted to be more sophisticated. :)

“Giorgio” of Beverly Hills…It’s was the 80’s, the Reagan’s were in the White House and I was getting married! This is the scent I wore for my wedding.

“Liz Claiborne”. I Loved that yellow triangular bottle. This was my “working girl” everyday scent. I wore this for many, many years.

I remember “Eternity” by Calvin Klein fondly. I wore this briefly right before I had my kids. And then something funny happened. I had my kids and I totally cannot remember what fragrance I wore when they were little. Their baby days and childhood swallowed me whole and I don’t remember having the time or energy to worry about perfume!

Then my kids got a little older and someone gave me “Green Tea” as a gift and I kind of liked it. It was different so I gave it a 2 or 3 bottle contract.

Which brings me to today. This is what I now wear and I love it. “Amazing Grace” by Philosophy. It is a fresh and clean scent. It is hard to describe and I have to say that strangers have honestly stopped me and asked me what I am wearing. And this has happened many times. I like the shower gel and the body lotion. And really, most days it is only the lotion that I have on when I get the compliments. It’s not overpowering and so feminine and subtle.

I wonder what I’ll be wearing 10 years from now??? How about you? What would you call your “signature scent”?