Budding Plans

It's a gorgeous day today!

The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and I have plans to make my little corner of the world a bit more beautiful.

I'm going to plant these (once centerpieces) little pretties.Then I'm going to take some trimmings from my forsythia bushes and do this to their little ends, plop them in water, and bring them into my warm home so that

in a few days I can have a lovely display like this! It would make me so happy if your plans would include
clicking here to vote for Joys of Home.
Thank You, so very, very much!!!

Did You Hear That?

Did you hear that? That was a huge sigh of relief coming from me! The church dinner is over. I finished making nearly seventy favors and eight centerpieces and everything went well. It was a really nice evening. Aaaaaahhhhhh!

I chose to decorate for the event with a spa/spring theme---representing a time to renew & rejuvenate. The centerpieces were hurricanes made from dollar store vases glued a top dollar store candlesticks (I saw the idea on several blogs). Inside was a pansy, still in it's plastic nursery container, wrapped with moss. A mirror and dollar store rocks gave it the finishing touch. Yes, the dollar store is my go-to place for budget decorating!I wanted to send a little something home with each lady based on the theme of the evening. A little reminder that it's important for us, especially as women, to take time just for us. I know that when I do something just for me---be it reading a book or magazine, thrift shopping, lunch with a friend, whatever it is that makes me feel renewed---I am more able to meet the demands of life and give of myself to family and others.
Based on that thought, I put together these little favors made from mouding pieces mod podged with fabric and paper and embellished with rick rack and a metallic scrapbook dot.

A little reminder to do what it takes to
RENEW your spirit every day.

In Deep

Right now I'm up to my eyelids
making favors for a church dinner.I'll be back tomorrow with photos
of the whole table setting.(I hope they turn out as well in real life as I see them in my head!)

Silver Where?

As I ran my errands on Saturday I tucked in and pulled out my silver
olive-fork-handle key fob in and out of my pocket.
Each time it made me smile to think of it's uniqueness. It also made me think of all of the silverware projects I've done. I hope you don't mind that I took a little time to compile them all into one post just to satisfy my own curiosity.

Using the same technique as the key fob, a spoon with
the initial J was turned into a necklace pendant. I took a small collection, given to me as a gift,
and with an inexpensive tray, scrapbook paper and hot glue,
it became a pretty little display. It looks even better tucked inside an apothecary jar
sitting along with the collection of silverware from my in-laws.I used a spoon to embellish a treat tray.My hubby helped me bend forks to use as small easels. Years ago, I framed a small fork to hang over
our bent fork coat hanger
that was made by our niece and her husband. I've even hung spoons from our dining room chandelier using copper wire. It may be a little odd, and be the start of a few conversations
("Why do you have spoons hanging from your light?"), but
why not accent with the things you love!So there it is---
a collection of projects
made from a collection of silverware!

In Progress

It often seems that, because of the wonders of blogland, everyone gets projects done in a timely way and those projects magically look fantastic. I can sometimes feel a little low, wondering why that same magic doesn't happen at my house. Why can't I completely redecorate a room in a day, or a week, or even a month?
Take my guest room for example (a.k.a. daughter's abandoned room that she and her hubby come to stay in when they're in town). I started that project last December, added to it in February, and completely ignored it until this week. Why did I start working on it again? The changing of the weather of course! I've wanted to paint the headboard and footboard. I had to spray paint it before the weather gets any colder. I gave you a sneak peek of it earlier. It was only a peek because it wasn't the overall look that I had in mind.
The bed was originally our master bed. It came from the PB outlet. I loved the style, more than the color. But (***pay attention to this next line***) changing the color intimidated me. Yes, you read that correctly! I liked the finish but not the color. I was afraid if I changed the color that I couldn't achieve the same aged look. But I finally I got brave enough, reminded myself that "it's just paint" and took the plunge!I sprayed it a beautiful Aqua. It will look so pretty against the grayish walls and topped with the chocolate brown comforter. Yes, aqua was a bold, but beautiful color choice.Now on to the part that I feared. Aging and distressing has proved to be challenging. I started the usual way, a little sanding and a little scraping. But the primer white was coming through. No problem. A little staining will fix that, right? As well as add to the age.The stain went on a little blotchy and didn't cover the primer white spots.
What was the solution? Well, I remembered from my days of refinishing furniture that a rub of very fine steel wool helps to even out almost any stained finish. And, fortunately it worked marvelously!As to the primer white age spots, I took a clue from the original PB finish. I took out my brown acrylic craft paint and my teeny tipped paint brush and painted on those little worn marks! Yep! If it's good enough for the PB people, it's good enough for me!As for the final reveal of it's new make-over, you'll have to wait patiently along with me for it to dry completely. I wouldn't want to have to start this process all over again. It might take another ten months!

The Finial Act

As you know by now, I look at the world through spray painted glasses. Almost everything I see, I wonder if it might look better painted a different color. I am constantly amazed at how color can really change the character of an item. One example is this finial, a recent thrift store purchase:You may like it as is, but I like it so much better with a coat of cream paint topped with a bit of stain.I realize that I've only showed quick little spray paint projects all week. That's what gives me a daily thrill! I'm out every day spray painting a little something. Every week my son has to move my "spray paint station" (a stool topped with scrap wood) before he mows the lawn. It's not the prettiest lawn ornament but it works for me!

Friends and Chilld's Play

Hello my friends!

Before I show my little project, I want each one of you to know that I truly appreciate the time that you take to read this little blog. I am amazed and humbled that you find it worth your time to read about my "it's done" list. Thank you so much for your kind comments! If you do (or don't) comment I am very grateful for your support. I hope you are not offended if I don't get a chance to visit you. I have three young men at home who also like to have their time on the computer and most days it's tricky for me to get in some blog viewing time. During the summer months the only way I get time to post is to do it early in the morning before my boys wake up. Oh how I wish I could spend hours visiting everyone's blog---what a wonderful way to spend a day! However, real life makes it impossible. I'm sure you feel the same way too. I want you know that I really do value your blog friendship!!!!!!! And if you have a question for me or really want to invite me to your blog home, please just send me an email and I'll be there for you.

Now onto my easy little project. I found these plastic keys at the thrift store for a quarter. They're were meant for a child to play with, but I'm a big kid at heart and I love old keys. The yellow keys had a mouse image on them so I'll share those with my granddaughter, but I gave the rest of the set a coat of black spray paint. Once dry I spritzed on a coat of metallic paint. I "spritz" by spraying at a distance so as not to change the color, just add flecks of color. I like this combination because it gives depth and an appearance of aged metal. The keys now look like real antiques.

Tag It

Have you seen these wooden tags at the Dollar Store in the craft section?I'm sure you can find something similar at most craft stores.

They're ideal for painting with chalkboard paint!

However, the wood is so thin that the moisture in the paint will make them warp. Don't worry! Once the paint is dry to the touch just gather your chalkboard tags and place them under something heavy for a few of hours to straighten them out again.They're the perfect size to hang on a doorknob as a reminder for a child to clean their room. Or a fun way to congratulate newly weds. How about as little something extra for a birthday. Or a little Thank You to someone special for her thoughtfulness. There are so many possibilities!

Picture a Tray

The only negative thing about making a door into a table is that the uneven surface makes it difficult to display things. I could have topped it with glass, but seriously, who wants to have that additional cost, let alone clean a glass surface constantly.

My solution for creating an even surface is to
use a tray. Oh how I love trays!

I'm pretty sure I have at least a couple of dozen of them, silver ones, wooden ones, store bought and handmade. But I thought I'd make one more.

I took out a wooden picture frame
from my stash. Then had hubby cut and glue a piece of
scrap beadboard to fit the opening (he enjoys taking part in my projects). I gave it a pretty coat of spray paint. And then gave it a good distressing.

My technique for distressing is pretty simple. I start by using my palm sander and scuffing up the areas that would naturally show wear, the edges, corners and under the handles. If I had used brush-on paint, I might have rubbed those areas with wax before painting so that the paint would wipe off easily to show the original layer. To add more character, I use a paint scraper. With both the sander and the scraper I make sure to vary the scuffs, heavy in some spots and lighter, or not at all, in others. If the scuffs are too uniform it doesn't look natural.
I then finish with a coat of stain or diluted brown paint. I like working with water-based stains and paints because I can spray on a little water and wipe off as much stain as I desire. I try to leave stain in the corners and low areas that would naturally attract dirt and grime over years.Once dry, I added two old drawer handles. I could have added knobs, wooden balls or finials to the bottom for feet like I did on this tray, but I need my picture frame tray to have as much bottom surface area as possible. My new tray is beautiful and serves as a nice flat area on my door table to set my burlap lamp and other pretties.

Linked to A Soft Place to Land