WEDDING BOUQUET GIFT

Happy Friday.. I don't know about you, but this week has been a wacky one. 

When I got married (almost 9 years ago!), my Mom surprised me by having my bouquet and my husband's boutonniere dried and framed.  It is really beautiful and it makes me smile every time I see it on the wall.  She took it to someone professional and it has this amazing oval bubble frame.  WOW.

When a friend recently got married, I just knew I had to try to recreate her bouquet for their wedding gift.  She has noticed mine hanging on the wall and commented on it numerous times.  Do you think she was hinting?  Nah...

After the wedding, I stole her bouquet (above) as well as 2 of the bridemaids', just to make sure I had enough flowers.  I followed this video on how to dry flowers. 

Some tips I discovered along the way:
Do make make you have an airtight container.
Do follow the length of recommended time to dry the flowers. Not all of my flowers turned out because I let it dry longer than recommended. 

After the flowers were dried, I purchased a 12x12 frame.  The square is a better option, if an oval frame is out of your price range.  I used a plain piece of 12x12 piece of scrapbook paper that went with the colors in her wedding.

I arranged the flowers in a circle on the paper until it looked like a bouquet.  I wish I had pictures of this process, but blogging was not in my vocabulary at that time.  NO! really?  Yes, I had not yet discovered this amazing world. 

All I did after this was purchase a can of spray glue.  And carefully sprayed under the flowers directly onto the paper.  Be CAREFUL.  Glue will get on your hands and the delicate flowers can stick to you.  They will rip/tear and be ruined.  But hey, no hot glue for this one, people.  That means no burned fingers!  Amazing for me since I have a tendency to be injured.   

Once I had the flowers glued down I took the entire paper outside and gave it a light couple of coats with a satin lacquer spray to help the flowers hold the color.

Here's how it looks today. 

It really is a memory preserved and I felt so happy that it turned out as intended to give as a wedding gift.  Have you given a memorable DIY gift lately? I would love to hear about it!

Have a great weekend folks!  Thanks so much for stopping by my little corner of the world.  Please leave me a comment or send an email to say HI!

A SAD BENCH REFRESHED

Hello again! 

Just wanted to share a really simple spray paint project I finally finished this week.  When we moved into our home, the landscaping was already completed as I talked about yesterday. 

There were plants and trees, but really no place to put pots or seasonal decor.  I found this bench for $20.00 at a store closing sale.  It was not pretty from the beginning.  Full of wood putty and cracks, but for outdoors, the lighter wood color was fine.  I just wouldn't suggest sitting more than a plant on it.

So, after about 3 years of outdoor wear, the bench was looking pretty messed up.  I decided last fall that it needed a makeover. 

The additional aspect of the makeover was that I was going to be hosting a college friend of mine and her family.  I had not seen her in 8 years and had not met her family.  I was so happy and excited that they were coming, but you know the feeling.... the panicked knot in your tummy as you look around your messy home and want everything to look like it does in a magazine. 

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely knew my friend wouldn't care if we lived in a run down shack with weeds growing everywhere.  However, I wanted her and her family to want to come back again. 

I grabbed my leftover can of black spray paint and thought, "easy project and will look tons better out in front of the house." HA!  Nothing is ever easy when you need it to be.  I got pretty much the entire front done and ran out of spray paint.  Just my luck!  There was not enough time to run to get more.

I put it back out front and hoped that it looked good when they drove up to the house.  Even if it looked bad when you see the back.  They probably couldn't even tell you today that there was a bench there.  But I knew it, it really only was in my head.

Sorry, long story, not short. ;)  I did the original spray paint job in October, so spray paint weather left me before I could finish it.  ugh.  I had to look at it all winter.  Here's the better version of a very simple bench.

The wood is still bad and it's cracked, but from a distance it looks great with some potted flowers. 

Finally back in its place.  Ready for me to add some plants or summer!

Happy Spray Painting!!!  Welcome warm weather...

THE GREAT OUTDOORS... AND SPRAY PAINT PLANS

WOW.  Is everyone wearing tank tops and shorts today?  It suddenly feels like July weather here in PA.  It makes me want to sit out on the back deck and relax. 

In honor of the beautiful weather, I thought I would share the outside of our home with you.  As always, it's a work in progress.  We have big plans for the front and have been talking about the changes we would like to make.  I am such a slow-poke deciding, so it won't happen anytime soon. 

This is the front of our home.  We have a simple ranch house, but we would like to add on and also change the front so that it doesn't look so "flat."  Maybe after we stop paying for daycare, the dreams will become reality. 

Here are the things I would like to change this summer. 



The house looks extremely "old-school" with the green and tan together.  I would like it to be a bit more modern.  So fixes that will happen are the shutters and the front porch light.  Really detest that gold thing. 

The star above is a bit larger project and it's what we have been talking about since last August.  The steps are currently just a form that was originally attached to the house.  UG. LY.  Plus, our friends, the chipmunks, have made themselves a home underneath, causing water to be able to sit... you know what that means... potential leaks!

Right now, we are working on the landscaping.  You can see that we have started the mulch in the first pic.  We love the fact that it was done when we moved in, but it is a ton of work to maintain.  As of right now, I'm embarrassed to show you the weedy pictures.  The weeds started a war with us and as you can see from the pictures, we are trying to win the fight. 

Let's take a walk around the house, shall we?

OH MY!  What's that?  Yes, it our gazebo. *SIGH*  There have been really strong winds the last few weeks, and we put up the fabric on the gazebo early this year because it has been so nice.  BUT, it seems after three years of use, the threads were not willing to hold up.  

Let's just say it held up better than the first gazebo we had.  Let me advocate for all gazebos out there and say - BOLT all four sides down.  REALLY.  Notice the leg in. the. TREE.

Seems it was necessary to replace it.  I can laugh about it now. 

I did get another small project done this weekend that I will share with you tomorrow.  I love that it is finally spray paint weather!  For those of us without a garage, it is a long winter of piling up projects.  I am a bit day late getting this post up so I will make it up to you by posting three days in a row!

Aren't you just giddy with excitement?!?! What are your plans for the nice weather?  Any outdoor projects going on?  Please feel free to share.  Thanks again for stopping by!

KITCHEN CURTAINS... FINALLY

Whew!  Finally... the kitchen curtains are up.  I need to start making a list of the things we have intended to do but let sit for months.  I'm embarrassed to say I think it would be pretty long.  *blushing*

Last week I showed the new kitchen light and removal of the cabinet connector piece.  I was so excited to show it off that it looked really unfinished. 

When we bought the light last June (oh yeah, that long ago) I went, in excitement, and purchased this fabric at Joann's.

It was a perfect tie in from the dining room redo we were in the process of completing to the kitchen.  Isn't it PUUURRTY?!?!  Well, while waiting for the light to be put in, I did take down the valance and blinds that were originally there.  I really hate those white plastic blinds.  Functional, but uuug-ly.

I replaced it with a rod and just put fabric napkins on the rings to go with the season.  When the light was up, I realized that the rod was a bit low.  Insert hubby-do.  Look at that skill. ;)

I just did a simple hem by taking a shirt box (HA, you can even see old tape on it), marking a one inch line across one side and folded the fabric over it to iron.  Ironing goes a long way when doing a hem.  Believe me, I am only an ironing kinda girl for sewing.  Our clothes, nada. 

All that was left was to sew it up and hang it.  Let me tell you, I feel such happiness with the light that this fabric could only be like ice cream on top of a piece of really yummy apple pie... Here is how it looks now

What a difference from ucky blinds and that connector.  Open and fresh. 

We do still need to putty the holes and repaint the walls, but I'm debating on the color.  Plus, I am sticking my toe in the water of repainting the kitchen cabinets this summer.  My best buddy, The Enabler, has me almost convinced, and she says she will help!  WOO HOO.  I think she's just as sick of the cabinets as I am and she doesn't actually live here. 

Let's take one last look right by the light

Sigh... magnificant.  At least to me.  What's up with you?  Do you have any redos planned for this weekend?  Thanks for spending some time with me!

COUNTY FAIR PARTY

Howdy!  I hope you had a wonderful weekend!  I'm not sure if my head has stopped spinning yet from all the cooking, packing, traveling and hosting. 

Speaking of my everyday life... I would like to share with you one of the most special events I've created and planned.  At the end of last year, my Mom turned 60.  GASP.  I just revealed her age.  No worries, she is ok with that, right Mom?

I wanted to do something really "her", she deserves the world for all that she has done for me and my family, and we don't often get a huge shindig thrown in our honor.  Lucky for me, her hubbie was willing to let me take the reins and throw the party at their house, and spend some of his moola to get it together.

The party needed a theme and after some web browsing with my mom in mind, I came up with a County Fair Party.  My mom is the best cook I know and I can actually remember her entering contests at the local fair for her cake decorating ability.  She totally deserves blue ribbons for her canned dilled pickles and strawberry freezer jam. 

Aren't the flowers beautiful?  We have this A-MAZING place named Produce Junction.  I got all the flowers (8 table centerpieces and 2 groupings for other tables) for only $40.00.  
Here is the invite.  I wanted something simple that went with the theme.

The pennants on the invite were made from a paper pack called "Nana's Kitchen."  That is how the color schemes for the party were chosen. 

I also started my love affair with PINTEREST for the party.  Have you heard about it?  LOL. Here are some of the ideas I used. The sign for the photo booth.

 (Source)

This great tutorial on how to make the "pinwheels"



(Source)

And this sweet table set-up



(Source)

I was so excited to make all the wonderful details.  I only wish I had time to do more.  Are you ready for the picture montage?  (I'm totally channeling the movie The Sweetest Thing right now.  total goober.)

The centerpieces were on a fake grass mat (rug bought at Lowe's then cut into circles) with flowers, an apple votive candle, and a bucket of peanuts for snacking.

I made a photo booth with open frames tied onto my Mom's clothesline and stacks of hay bales to sit on. I just threw random pattern fabric over them to reduce the hay sticking to places no one wants.  I made mustaches on skewers and bought tiny cowboy hats for the ladies.

I also created a pennant banner to hang and we lined the inside of the tents with white lights.

The food, drink and dessert tables all also included fabric pennants I made, the pinwheels (instructions above) that I placed on the chalkboards behind the tables.  One chalkboard I had and the other I just used chalkboard paint on the back of a piece of leftover beadboard.

We had lots of fair type foods - YUMMY - deep fried veggies, burgers and dogs, potato pancakes, corn on the cob covered with butter and parmesan, soft pretzel bites with dips, fruit salad, and caramel corn.

The pickles as decor above are ones I stole from my Mom's stash.  Told you they were yummy!

The drink table had Lemonade with frozen strawberries and I even found Coke in glass bottles.

Last but, certainly not least was the dessert table.  MMMM... my favorite! Sorry about the picture - the sun was not cooperating with me.



LOL - drooping pie pop.

 

 Ok, I don't about anyone else, but I am getting hungry.  The great part is, my Mom was surprised pulling into her driveway after work to see tons of cars at her house, but she totally loved it.  What a great celebration for an AMAZING Mom.  A. MAZING. 

Thanks for coming by! I would love to see your parties! 

POTTERY BARN LIGHT

Well, Well, Well.. that's right.  We are finally a "well" household again! 

Sorry about last week folks.  It seems the fam went down for the count with the stomach flu.  It was not pretty. 

I had this post all planned for last week as I was doing the happy dance.  Did you see it?  Just there?  The WOO HOO I am super SUPER excited about what transpired over my kitchen sink dance? 
I'm not sure how to explain the dance except to say that it was part jig and part jumping up and down.  Can you tell I'm smiling?!!? 

Our kitchen is small, dark and not what I dream a kitchen should be.  It's the opposite.  I keep joking with the hubs that I'm going to push the wall down and expand the house.  He gives me the stink eye and I laugh.  We only have one window in the kitchen and it doesn't help with the small feeling. 

Like many houses we have the connector over the sink from cabinet to cabinet.  With the cheesy globe light.

UGH.  Even looking at that picture makes me cringe.  It blocked extra light and... just yuck.

As you can see the name of the blog carries over into my life.  And just look at the fabulous light... Ok, enough bemoaning.  ENTER:

OH yes! That's right people. The bag I know I dream about. See that happy dance again?

I finally wore down my Dad enough to install the pendant light I got from the Pottery Barn Outlet. WHAT?!?! Outlet? We are lucky enough to live about an hour and a half away from fabulous Lancaster, PA and they have blessed me by having an outlet.

The prices aren't all rock bottom, but you can find amazing deals. Especially for lighting. What we assume happens is that they use the lighting fixtures in their stores and then, when they change up the layout, they send all the fixtures to the outlet stores. This one came as is - no box, taped on screws and exposed wires. You don't want to know how much I paid for it... I don't want you to be sad that you don't have one.

So here is my dad, the electrician, and my hubby, the attic crawler, expertly taking down the original light and connector cabinet thingy. (Oh yeah, that's a word.)

I was so giddy with excitement. I think my Dad rolled his eyes about 50 times. I just had to hug it out with him. The extra light it let into the room was wonderful. My hubs then crawled up into the attic - YUCK - to pull the new wires. While they did that, I snapped some pics of the light. I was a bit anxious.

Isn't it PUUURRtty! In. Love. We have some work to do to clean up where the board was - spackle and what not, but let's just enjoy the sunlight that comes in and the beautious light fixture, shall we?

EEEE! Still makes me giddy! Doing another happy dance...

Cheryl