Ruffles...Ruffles...Did I say Ruffles?

A few months ago I was inspired by THIS...

How could I NOT LOVE the ruffles...I'm a girly girl at heart! :o) I wanted to have a shower curtain just like this one and just like the blogger, I was not about to pay over $100 for a SHOWER CURTAIN!

 Uh uh, not gonna happen. BUT I knew, I HAD to have a shower curtain just like that!

 I began the search  for the white sheets at Goodwill and started taking measurements. Normally I would have this done in one day...but you see, I am now working full time and I leave the house at 6:30 AM and don't arrive home again until 6 PM. So, over a week here was the steps I took to get that AMAZING GIRLY shower curtain:

First night.... cutting the fabric pieces (I took a picture, but I have no idea where it went!)
Second night.... hemming the back and the ruffles

Third night.... serging the top of all the ruffles(this time I did forget a picture)

Fourth day, 5 hours on a sunday afternoon.... sewing all the ruffles on

And here is the finished project!I truly LOVE it and honestly can't wait til we move and I have the perfect dove grey walls to compliment this

BEAUTIFUL

WHITE

RUFFLY

GIRLY

shower curtain!

 

And the Stockings were Hung on the "Chimney" with care

For a few years now, I have wanted new stockings. We have had ours for YEARS and I really wanted something that reflected more of my idea of christmas rather than a store bought random stocking. I had thought about sock stockings, crossed stiched stockings, knitted stockings & velvet stockings, amoung other ideas. But then I came across these on Pinterest:

So I got out my trusty Serger that my mom gave me a very long time ago: 

Got some AMAZING coffee burlap sacks from my dear friend Stephanie who works at a coffee roasting shop:

Began to cut them in stocking shapes:

Added a cuff and a few embelishments:

And TADA!

 Here they are. I LOVE them! (And of course the one with the great BIG COFFEE words is mine! :o) And unfortunately we don't have a fireplace, so this is where they go...until next year, when you will certainly see them hung on the mantel in our new house!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

Homemade Noodles = Chicken Noodle Soup

When I was a little girl and not feeling well, one of my favorite memories was of my Mumsy making home made noodles, then making chicken noodle soup. It was one of my most favorite things that she would do for us. So, a few weeks ago, we all came down with some sort of tummy bug and I got the idea to do for my family, what my Mums did for me. Words can't really describe this process, so I decided to take some pictures to share with all of you

The noodles in the process of drying...

While the noodles were drying, the chicken & veggies were simmering on the stove for a nice homemade chicken stock.

All the noodles just before going into the chicken stock...Yep, we are gonne EAT them :o)

And the finished soup. Thanks Mumsy for leaving me with the wonderful memory of Homemade Chicken Noodle soup for me to share with my family!

Takin' Out the Trash

About 15 years ago, I decided I wanted a wooden trash can for my kitchen. Of course, those were the days when mauve & blue or forest green & burgundy were the colors of choice for most of us into “country”décor. So, this is what I ended up with:

When I first bought it, it was just stained. Over the years the stain wore off and it got scratched and I wanted a change, so I painted it black, just like you see it here. Another thing that bothered me and that I began to notice over time was that the wood began to absorb the odor of the trash. (PEEE EEEWWW!) So, I started the hunt for a new trash can. BUT…me being forever on the hunt for a bargain and not willing to pay a TON of money, kept passing up trash can, after trash can. They were either too expensive, not the right size, the wrong shape or just not really what I had in mind.

Then came Chad….my word working, furniture making, creative with power tools son-in-law. I mentioned to him in passing, that I wanted a new wooden trash can. Then began to drop hints that Christmas would be a great time for a new trash can, or my birthday or even….

Monday, cuz its just… well….Monday. :o)

And guess what??!! Three long years later, I finally got a beautiful new trash can that he and Michael (his partner in furniture making) custom made, just for me! They left the wood bare in order for me to add my creative touches. And here she is…

Don’t you just LOVE LOVE LOVE it?!

 I sure do!

Finally a trash can, that no longer smells (well, atleast the wood doesn’t smell), is much more functional and is such a great new addition to my kitchen.

 Thanks a MILLION Chad & Michael!

Bags O' FUN!

SO, a while back I entered a give-a-way from Midwestern Sewing Girl for a $75 gift certificate to

 Mixed Bag Designs

 And of course, I didnt think that "I" would win...

HOWEVER, I checked and much to my surprise...

I WON!!!

WOW! I am on a roll! I have decided that I am going to enter any all possible give-a-ways from now on! (My husband says I should buy a lottery ticket! ;o)

I wanted to share with you what I decided to get (and of course I wasn't able to decide on just a couple, so I spent a little extra and got all the bags I wanted)

I am excited to get to use them! This weekend, I am going to a retreat with a few ladies....and guess who is gonna have the cutest bags EVER!!! :o)

Thank you to Midwestern Sewing Girl & Mixed Bag Designs!

Drab to FAB!

FINALLY...something I have been wanting to do for quite sometime, is DONE!

Remember this desk?

Brown...kinda dull...trim breaking off...ugly gold pulls...

The transformation begins

I didn't want to move it downstairs, cuz it's SO VERY heavy. So...I thought I would just sand the top by hand...Didn't work so well as you can see.

Step 2. Bring in the palm sander...

Nope! Didn't have the right kinda of sandpaper...

 Step 3. Bring in the BIG GUNS!

THE BELT SANDER!

Guess what?!?!? It worked!

 

And here is my dining area that my family had to endure while I was working on this

MESSY... to say the least!

 

Drawers are painted!

(does anyone else just do the outside? I thought about doing it all and still may go back and do it, but just wanted to get this done!) 

Bottom of the desk

DONE! 

And here she is!

I am so happy with the end results!

LOVE LOVE LOVE it!

Not just decorating

Taking a break from decorating for a minute to tell you about an exciting personal accomplishment.

So, a few months ago I decided that I was going to start running with my daughter. Well...It became sort of a challenge for me. First it was a mile, then 1 & 1/2.... then it became two. And now, just about 3 months later, I am up to 3.7 miles. A dear friend kept encouraging me and challenging me to keep going. To run a little further. To sign up for a 5k. I didn't think I could do it. But decided if I didn't atleast try, I would never know.

So....August 13th, Panerathon 5k, here I am.

This is my good luck charm...my grandson, Jonah

Off I go!

And the finish line! I finished my 1st 5K in 26.27 minutes. 19th in the womens.

I have the most AMAZING family ever...there supporting me at the finish line! My hubby was behind the camera, but he was there too!!

NEXT on the list....Race for the Cure on September 11th.

AND, the cool thing is....my hubby, who hates to run, is going to run with me! I am so excited! I have a running buddy now!

I plan to begin training in the next week or so for a 10K in October. I think I can do it....Mallory says I can. :o)

Red Hen Home give away = I WON!!

I just wanted to say thank you to Korrie at Red Hen Home! She had a give away a few weeks ago on her blog and I thought...why not? I will enter. So, I did and didn't even think about it again. Til late one night, or early morning, when I couldn't sleep, I was going through my blogs and low and behold...I WON! Who would have thought...ME...win something??!! Cazy! I was so excited! A few days later, I received

THIS in the mail

Isn't is AMAZING?? I haven't decided where to put it yet, but I absolutely LOVE it!

Thanks Korrie!



Bye Bye Peach!

So, the house we live in now is actually not ours. We have been renting it from some friends of ours for the past two years. My biggest fear in renting, because I LOVE to paint and decorate and change and create, was that I would not be able to make this house my "HOME".

But our friends have graciously allowed us to make it our "HOME". It has been an adventure these two years, but is it coming to an end. One of the things that we have wanted to do, was paint the lovely PEACH, yes, I said PEACH trim on the shed. It has desperately needed to be done. Now that this house is going on the market, I thought, why not...

So here is the "man shed" in peach.... (I almost forgot to take a picture)

And now, it is a lovely shade of red.

To Paint...or Not to Paint????

Ok, so I got this desk at Goodwill several years ago and it sat in my office at the school where I worked. I ended up getting new office furniture, so this desk became a permanent fixture at my house.

I love it!

 It is solid wood, has great character, but does have a few little flaws. It apparantly was somewhere that had flooded, as the back has water damage. There is a trim piece that is supposed to go all the way around under the top drawer....but it has been broken off in some places.

SOOOOO...with that being said....

Should I give it a facelift?

Paint all of it?

Paint the bottom, refinish the top?

Add some new hardware?

 Maybe an off white, then distress it?

Or go bold and make it a blue-ish color?

Ideas?

Thoughts?

I CAN't wait to see what you all think!

Project Waiting

Okay, so my grandson is estimated to arrive on July 2nd. However...

his Nana

 his Pops,

 his Aunties

& Uncle,

his Daddy

 and more than ALL of the people above...

his Mama

are MORE than ready for him to make his grand appearance!

 So, this may not be in the "decorating" category, but it is a few things that I have completed while we are playing the waiting game.

Nursing covers for Alyssa

And T-shirts for all of us as we wait at the hospital for him to arive.

Anticipation is killing us! We are excited to see his face and I of course cannot wait to kiss his chubby little cheeks!

Here's to decorating & re-decorating

-Painting
-Antiques
-Hanging
-Sanding
-Colors
-Refinishing
-Old Windows
-Hardware
-Repurposing
-Bargains

These are things that I love and things that inspire me. I have taken a lot of things in my house, things I got at garage sales, or goodwill and painted them, repurposed them, refinished them...again and again and again. It's what I love! And if you ask anyone, it's who I am.

I have decided to share my love for these things with all of you and maybe I can inspire some of you like others have inspired me. So, please stay tuned for projects that I am working on, pictures of things that I have already done, & things that inspire me.

I am excited to start this blog, so be sure to come back soon....