Photo shoot

Since the time I took the older girls out and took there pictures (remember THIS post), Little Miss K has been begging me to take her out and take her picture.  Well yesterday was finally the day.  As I was taking her picture I couldn't believe how grown up she has become.  I know I am bias, but I have some gorgeous kids.  Anyway, We just went to the park by our home, it was a beautiful day and we had a lot of fun.  So here are a few (I took 127 pictures :) of Miss K's pictures.

Well, 3 down, 3 to go.  I really want to take the boys out and get pics of them next.  I have some fun ideas I want to try with them.  Thanks for looking.

I want to show you a couple of thrift store lamps that I have redone recently.  Hopefully tomorrow.  We are still trying to get into the swing of summer so I have not been able to get on here much lately.  So check back :)

One more sign

I had to make one more sign.   These are so simple and fun to make.  This one is for Little Miss K's room.  I made it the same as I did in THIS tutorial.

This sign was done on the same kind of old grey wood.  Painted white with some black crackling.  I made the stencil using the cricut machine and the SCAL program.  I LOOOOOVE this program.  If you have a Cricut machine you have. to. get. this. program!  You will not regret it.  It is awesome.

This picture has wonky lighting, but it shows the wood detail and also how it is sanded to look distressed.  Well thanks for taking the time to look.  This probably won't be the last sign you see here :)  I love these things.
P.S.  See the scalloped shelf?  I totally made that.  Cute Huh!?! I know!  I know!  The curtains DEFINITELY need to be replaced.

I am linking to House of Hepworth and Frugal and Fabulous  so go check out all the great craftiness.

Sign tutorial

This weather has been fantastic.  I have been outside spray painting something every day this week.  I LOVE IT!!!   I promised I would do a mini tutorial for you, so here it is. 



I have wanted an "Old sign"  over my kitchen sink as a window treatment for a while now but have not been lucky enough to find one.  So I set out to make one.  V and Co. has a great tutorial HERE of how to recreate these signs.  So starting with that info, I went ahead and tweaked it a little.

First thing, my sweet hubby brought home some old wood.  After picking the perfect piece, I cut it to a size to fit the window.  Mine measures about 9 1/2" X 50". 

My wood was a really great old Grey color so I didn't want to mess with the color to much.  I did dry brush some thin white paint over the front of the wood.

Then I cut my design out of vinyl using my Cricut Machine (I didn't get any pics of this process sorry, you gotta use your imagination). 

Next, using the NEGATIVE part of your image, decide on your placement and adhere the vinyl to the front of the wood.

Next, using the vinyl as a stencil, I brushed on a dark brown for the wording (I used a metallic vinyl which is why there is such a bad glare in the photo)

Once the paint is dry peel off the vinyl.  Then, using the stencil brush and the same dark brown paint, I added some "distressing".  I just "dirtied it up" where ever it would be dirty or worn, around the edges and in the cracks of the wood.  When I got the paint where I like it I took it outside and started to sand it.  I didn't want to lose the natural Grey weathering on the wood so I didn't sand very hard.  Just enough to take off the top couple of paint layers.

I continued to sand and add paint until I got the look that I wanted.  That is it!  This was a very simple project and I love the results.  To hang it I just screwed through the wood right into the wall (my husband will love that :)  Here are the final pictures of it all hung up.  Sorry about the bad lighting :( The dark areas are where I added the brown paint then sanded it off a little. I like how it brings out the detail of the wood.

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you like it.  I love it, and by the way it says  'the house of chocolate' hee hee Love it!  It makes me smile every time I go in there.

Some things I have been working on

I could spend my entire day creating and fixing things up.  I wish I could make a living doing it.  That really would be my dream job.  Anyway, I have had a couple of projects that I have wanted to get finished and with the good weather (FINALLY!) I have been able to grab the spray paint and head outside.   My first project I didn't get any before pictures.  I was so excited to get started that I totally forgot.

This is my headboard bench.  As you can see it is not quite finished (I need to add the arm rests) but I think it turned out pretty good.  Ignore the ugly hose, pretend there is a beautiful pot filled with flowers right there :)


 For my next projects, this is what I had to work with.

I've decided I really like other peoples junk.  I love to change it and make it look good again.  The burlap I ended up making into a pillow that now has a home on my new bench, so scroll back up and take a peek.


As for that big brown blah thingy.....

 This is what it looks like now.  Pretty good, Huh?!?  I haven't decided where this is going to go yet, but I know I will find somewhere good.


Finally, and probably my favorite, the candle stick and the cheese dome. I have seen this project all over blogland and was finally lucky enough to find a cheese dome at the DI the other day  Woo Hoo!



DRUMROLL......

I LOOOOOOVE how this turned out.  I am sure I will be filling this full of all sorts of crap all year long.

So that is a few of the things I have been working on.  I have some more that I will post soon.  In fact stop back by tomorrow.  I have a mini tutorial on a project I finished for my kitchen.  Thanks for stopping by!

I am linking these projects  to House of Hepworth.

The Lord needs Us... (and a funny story)

"If there ever were a time when the Lord needed righteous, determined women who can distinguish between the adversary's deceptions and the voice of the Lord, it is now. If there were ever a time when the Lord needed women of integrity and purity who live in the world but rise above it, it is now. If there is ever a time when the Lord needed His daughters to be alert to what is happening in society and to defend the sanctity of the home and family, it is now. If there were ever a time when the Lord needed us to have a clear vision of who we are, where we are, and what is important, it is now." 

Sheri Dew

A bishop was walking down the street one day when he noticed a young primary boy in his ward trying to press the doorbell of a home on the street. The boy was very small and the doorbell was too high for him to reach it, so the Bishop decided to help him by pressing the doorbell. Crouching down to the child's level, the Bishop smiled benevolently and asked, "And now what, young brother?" To which the boy replied, "Now we run!"

 (Both the quote and the story were found at  latterdaychatter.blogspot.com )

 

"Sue"

     Today is 'Middle name appreciation day'!  Did you know that?  Well I am here to announce my middle name and the story behind how I got it  (psst...I wasn't born with it).
    I was born October 27, 19XX  to Patty and Larry who decided to name me Joni Maughan.

       As most of you know that is not my maiden name.  So the story goes something like this.  My dad's mom got a divorce when my dad was a kid.  His mom then changed his last name to her NEW last name, no apotion ever happened.  I guess back then you didn't need to do much to change your name?????  Anyway, he lived most of his life with his step-father's last name.   Now fast forward to when I was about 3 or 4 yrs. old,  my dad decided once and for all that he wanted to have his fathers last name and not the step-father's anymore.    Was that confusing?  It seems like it is as I am typing.    Ok, back to the story.  We went as a family to the court to get the last name changed, but as we had been talking about it before hand I told my mom that I wanted to have a middle name.  She asked what I wanted it  to be.  I, of course, wanted what most 3 yr olds would want,  I wanted my middle name to be the same as my mom's.   So when we went to court, my parents were talking to the judge and I remember the judge looking down at me from what seemed like the biggest desk in all the world.  Then he said something like  "I heard you wanted to ask me something?"  To which I said that "I wanted a middle name because I didn't have one."  He asked me "What do you want your middle name to be?"  Quietly I said "Sue".  "Why do you want that name?"  I said "Because that is my mom's middle name."  He then sat back in his chair with a smile on his face.  He leaned over to the side and acted as though he opened his desk drawer and said "I think I have one of those right here in my drawer."

    And that is it.  From then on I had a new middle and last name.  So for "Middle name appreciation day'  I am proud to announce that my middle name is SUE!!  Thanks Mom!

"Mom, I found a snail outside!"

     As I was getting ready for church today, Laith came downstairs and says "Mom come see what i found."
Of course this was at the busiest time of the morning that he wants me to drop everything.

"What is it?"  I asked.


"You just have to come see."


So I say"Laith I am trying to get everything done right now.  Just tell me what it is please."


To which he says "I found a snail out side and I want you to see it.  It's huge."


This is where I am thinking 'Great some gross bug, probably squished on the sidewalk.'


"Laith please not now, I am trying to hurry."


"But I want you to see it before it is gone."


"Laith it is so cold out there that if you found a snail it is dead and not going anywhere any time soon."


"MOOOOMMMM   PLEEEEEAAASE!!!!"


"Ok FINE!  Let's go."


And this is what I saw.....

      Isn't he cute!  Laith had gone outside while I was getting everyone ready and made this cute snail for me.   How cute and how sweet of him.  It made me smile.  I totally forgot about "everything that needed to be done"  and spent the next 5 or 10 minute taking picture of this cute little creature.
    I love the creativity of my kids.  I love that they have such great imaginations and that they are willing to share them.  Next time he asks me to come and see I will think twice about being "to busy".