Party Ready...DIY

I am going to start this post oddly.

NOT ONE OF THE PHOTOS USED IN THIS POST

HAVE BEEN PHOTOSHOPPED OR CHANGED

IN ANY WAY.

This will be important if you choose to read all the way to then end of this DIY adventure.

 

Making "stained" glass jars is nothing new.

But I put my own twist on mine.

I am planning a large party which will not happen for

a few months, but I do not want to wait till

the last minute and stress, so I am starting

early and hope to use the jars more than one time.

 

Making clear glass jars colorful.

1. Choose jars which you will no longer be using.

 

2. Set your oven for the lowest temp you can use.

Mine is 170

 

3. Mix up your colors out of mod podge, food color,

and a few drops of water. I mixed in small disposable cups.

 

3. Coat the OUTSIDE of the jars evenly with the mixture...this is important if you plan to use

the jars for vases, or any reason that they

would need to have water in them, which I do.

 

4. Place them upside down on a lined bake sheet.

I put mine on skewers so they would not stick to the foil.

(the above photo is taken through the window of my oven.

5. Place them in the oven for approximately 20 minutes. (They will not be completley dry, but enough to touch without leaving finger prints.)

You will see that the jars clear and look simply lovely!

 

NOW, this is where I departed from the norm

and put my personal spin on them!

I built a couple of "tri-pods" to put the rings

of the jars on to enable me to paint them.

Yes, that is what I said.....paint them!!

I chose colors that matched the jar colors and I think it tops the jars with a much lovelier finish.

 

 

 

 Here they are with the inspiration that pushed me in the direction of the colors that I choose.

 

Join me please in a sigh of prettiness.

 

S.I.G.H. Filled with white flowers....oh yeah!

 

Yep, I like it. I like it alot!

 

And now you know why I put the disclaimer at the top of this post...the brilliant colors are real, not touched up by any photoshopping or changing of the pictures at all.



Twinkle, Twinkle

I love shine and sparkle, that is nothing new.

But what is new are the lovely knobs that I bought

while in the frozen tundra!

Remember these?

 

Ohhhhh Laaaa Laaa!

The clear ones were intended for the antique

dresser that we used as a tv stand for the last

couple of years. I LOVE that piece.

But with simple wooden knobs, I always knew

that I wanted to add a bit of "bling" to it.

Since progress had been made on the built-ins

the dresser was moved to it's new desirable

place of honor in our living room.

And the something new was added to the something old!

Yes, oh yes.

 

THEN, I needed to 'dress up' the dresser.

Now, we have not put the base boards back on,

so that will change, but I am completely

satisfied with the dresser itself.

I used what

I already have to put the finishing touches

on my beauty and as I sit here in my big

comfy chair typing this, I peek up at the

dresser and see the reflection of the fireplace

twinkling in the lamp and several of the knobs.

Ahhhhh, such a lovely view!

We Have Progress!

We are making progress on the built-ins that

we are creating in our living room.

We bought pre-made cabinets for the base

of the built-ins.

These are un-finished oak UPPER cabinets

that would normally be used in a kitchen.

Each side of the fireplace has 2 cabinets.

A double and a single, which are differing sizes

as our fireplace is not symmetrical to the room.

And if you recall, I am NOT a symmetrical girl!

So having an off center fireplace is quite all right with me!

I put two coats of no VOC Zinnser primer on

the cabinets followed by 2 coats of cabinet

and trim paint. (Dutch Boy is my choice)

 After drying, my husband leveled, installed,

and added the necessary fill strips to each side

as there was an extra 1 1/2 inches on the right side

and 3 inches on the left side.

Which is very normal, as it is almost impossible to have

the standard width of an off the shelf cabinet

fill your area perfectly. And they sell fill strips

for just that purpose!

After the cabinets were given cut outs to expose

our outlets, tv cable was run and doors

were put on, the top "shelve" was installed.

This is a solid 14 inch wide piece of solid wood

which was ripped down from a 16 inch piece.

We were full of saw dust to say the least.

But we work together really well, so a bit

of saw dust is kinda fun when progress is made!

This is were progress ended for the time being

as the wood that we purchased for the shelving

part of the built-ins decided to bow and had

to be returned. Boo.

So, tomorrow my hubby will visit a different

lumber yard and see what can be found

that will make this task easier, lovelier

and without twists and turns.



It Is Beginning

We are starting the process of the built ins.

This is the fireplace wall in which

we have already pulled furniture away from.

 

 

Maybe we should keep it minimalist?

Nope.

 

These are the bottom cabinets that will be

the lower part of the built ins.

My husband and I have primed them and

we are ready to install...but I think I may put

a coat of paint on them first so that

once they are installed it will only be touch ups

that will be needed.

Next we will build the shelving,

 remove the current mantle

(we are planning a new one made of re-claimed wood)

and crown molding will top it all off.

Updates will be forth coming.

I hope quickly, but with life happening,

it may not happen as quickly as I would want.

Which was last week.

But patience is NOT one of my gifts!

Treasures & Projects

I bought a few things while up in the frozen tundra.

This bargain will become something completely

different than the intent of the manufacturer.

What will it be you ask?

Well I ain't sayin! Just yet anyway.

But look at the price I got it for!!!!!

Saaawweettt!!!

 

And I just could not pass up this lamp.

Shinny, crackled, lovely.

And 1/3 of the original price.

Can you tell I am a bargain shopper?

 

OH! And The most prized bargain I brought home?

These beauties.

 

Ahhhhhhhhhh, They just make me sigh.

I intend to use the clear glass knobs on an antique dresser

that I currently use as a tv stand

and also the mercury glass ones on the new built-ins we are getting

ready to build, but more on that later.

 

What projects do you have in mind?

Done and Doing

I have been away for a few days.

3 to be exact.

A Mother / Daughter long weekend spent

in the frozen tundra (Green Bay WI)

and boy oh boy oh boy was it frozen!

-1 with a wind chill of 30 below zero!

I ran alot. There was a definite need to get

from point a to point b in the fastest way possible!

I had a blast. I bought some really amazing things.

All things purchased were at least 50% off

if not much more.

I will show you the amazing finds in the next few days.

 

And in the "doing" department, my husband

and I have begun the job of building "built ins"

to flank both sides of our fireplace.

Yes, that is correct.

Yes, I am more than excited.

Yes, I want them done yesterday!

patience is NOT my best gift.

ahem.

 

And last, but not by any means least

we had a party at our house (shocking I know)

the Sunday before I left on our trip.

My Father In Law had a birthday and

got the most amazing hat brought

back from New Orleans, bought in a

Harley shop in the French Quarter.

Did you guess that we bought it for him

NO? Well we did and it was so amazing!

 So amazing in fact that shortly after my FIL

recived his hat...he treated us to a light show!

Yes He Did!

Well, he started a basket filled with candy

on fire, in the middle of the dinning room table.

That counts as a light show right?

Here is the smoky after math....

 

 

 

I would have gotten the light show on film

but I was too busy doubling over with laughter.

A perfectly normal response to fire in one's home

I am sure.

My FIL is fine, and it will be a very memorable

party for him for sure!

I am so grateful that I have in-laws that I can

laugh with and hug and make lots of fun

foods for! I am blessed!

Children

We have 3 children.

2 from birth

one a total gift from God.

Blessed is all I can think to say.

 

But today I focus on one child in particular.

Our son. Evan. It is his birthday today!

He was due on Christmas. He has always been our

laid back child. Not in a hurry to come into this world. Funny thing tho, he NEVER been late for anything

since he has been born!! Ironic.

 

 

We raised our children in the church to love

God with all their hearts, serve Him and share

Him with others.

Our son still serves in his church playing music and

singing. (we all do this, musical family for sure)

But the coolest thing....he now is raising his children, with the help of his beautiful wife, to do the same thing.

 

We, as parents, have been praised openly by strangers for how amazing our children are as adults.

 

Our son is no exception. The people he works with and those at his church feel that he is just plain special. Mommy pride abounds here, but I and my husband give all glory and praise to God for the way in which our son has grown into a man of God.

 

So today, I celebrate (with a few tears, not going to lie!) that our son is celebrating his birthday with his wife and children 1000 miles from us.

I love this boy errrr man that God has given us.

 

Happy Birthday Son!!!

The View From Here

The view from our living room window that is.

We have this poor tree at the base

of our bank, almost on the bottom land

that goes to the river's edge which

is our back yard.

The tree has been broken off by storms

and has become the perfect perch for

the bald eagles that we watch

swoop, play and dive in our yard.

 

A Day....

 It is a cold day today.

It is a sunny day today.

It is a day that is without luster.

So, I need some color to make it a brilliant day.

Just a few photos to brighten my day

and hopefully yours too!

 

 

 

photo from pinterest

 

photo from pinterest

 





A Tisket A Tasket.....

A green and yellow basket.

Or not.

Do you have a spot in your basement

a spot deep in the corners

where you stash things

some nice things

that you just won't, can't, don't use any longer?

But you you just cannot bear to give away?

Yeah, so do I.

 

    Last night I dug out a basket.

A large basket that is laundry sized.

Just not a color I or anyone in my family would

use in their home.

Soooo, I decided to change that.

Bring that basket back to life!

 

 

I mixed my own custom color with

paint that I already used on my amazing chairs.

 

Got a c.h.e.a.p.o. paint brush since

I knew it would get abused painting a basket

and to work I went!

This took about and hour and a half to complete.

I worked from the inside out, being very

careful to to brush out runs that could in

no way be avoided, as a basket needs

LOTS of coaxing to get in all the nooks and crannies.

But, it was all worth it!

 

Could I have sprayed it? Yes.

But I wanted a very certain color so

I knew I would be brushing.

If you are a Fibromyalgia person

be prepared for some discomfort.

But again...soooooooooooooo worth it!