Christmas Village Run Amuck

Kids really got into the Christmas village this year.

. . . . . . . . .  So did their legos.

Professor Jones, I presume.

Marian gets a dress.

Rebel Scout Trooper needs a piano.

Mantle dressed for Christmas

Sweet

How sweet are your promises to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!
I gain understanding from your precepts;
therefore I hate every wrong path.
Psalm 119:103-104

Give Us Clean Hands

-Loving this song right now.

Today’s Thrifty Treasure

   

I had so much fun with this the other week that I had to do it again.   But, time being of the essence in a busy household, I had to limit myself to one hour of garage sale shopping Friday morning!  (I went over by 7 minutes, by the way)

I’m glad I did go ahead and go.  I found a couple of neat things.  I took 2 kiddos with me, and they had fun, too.

At the first stop, there were 3 things I was debating on.  I got this —- caddy?—– desktop organizer?—thing for $2.  I was drawn to it when I saw it, but wasn’t sure how I was going to use it.  But, I liked it, so I got it.  It’s about 18 inches long.   How would you use it?

 

The other thing I found was a shelf.  Now, I couldn’t BELIEVE I found a shelf.  Why?  Because the night before I had decided I needed a longer one on the wall in our front room.    Who ever finds something they are actually looking for, especially when you only have an hour to shop?

This shelf is 4 ft. long and very heavy.  Looks like it is made out of solid oak.  It was $4. I’m going to sand it and then spray paint it ‘oiled bronze’.  Black, but not quite.  It will go on the wall to the right of the piano and my new art arrangement.

Here it is ‘as is’.

That’s all for this week. Please have some fun visiting Southern Hospitality and all the fun finds people post.

Sunday Reflections

Don’t Lose Your Ball in the Weeds………………..

 

Remember to do the important things first – the things that need to be done for your family.  Then, when those jobs are completed, there can be time for special projects and fun things (recovering a lamp, maybe?).

 

Simple thought.  Hard to do.

 

Know what’s important to you.  Is it your faith?  Your family relationships?  Providing a calm, peaceful home for your family?  Do the things that lead to meeting those priorities first.  You will feel better knowing that you’ve honored the things that matter.  Then, you can better enjoy the free time you do have.

 

There is enough time to get the everything done.  We just have to do the important things first.

New Arrangement

Sometimes it takes a while to figure out what to do in an area of the home.   Here is a spot I just this week put together in a way that I liked.

The artwork combination above the piano was pretty mish-mashed before.  (Sorry I don’t have a photo of that, but then again…)  I had 3 different sized frames, uncoordinating artwork prints, one oval matte, and two with no mattes.  I assure you, it was not good. 

Here’s what it looks like now.

This bird print was a free download from a site called Vintage Printable.  I saved it and then altered it to a black and white with my photo software.  I already had a black frame in the same size as the one on the right.  I simply added a white oval matte to mirror the portrait.  I love how it turned out.

The poster frame in the middle is the same one I already had. I got a white matte (half off at Hobby Lobby) and some foam board. I spray painted the foam board with chalkboard paint, then framed it. I added a little bow of blue toile up at the top for some color.

Ah, in close up mode I see a bit of fringe on the bow. But, as The Nester says, it doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful.  I declare, the girl has some awesome ideas.  Sometimes all we need is a little inspiration.

Lampapalooza!

I’m joining The Nester for her Lampapalooza party.  Seeing all the creativity there got my juices running and I worked on lamps today!

I’ll start with a lamp I got at a garage sale last week for $2.  I’ve redone it Nester style.  Unfortunately, I learned some things along the way.  Hot glue dries and leaves big bumps.  They show up on a solid fabric.  Enough said.  Might have to redo this one.

Here’s the before:

And the (current) after:

Yes, I know it’s sitting on a paper towel. Bad. But, I just spray painted it today, so wanted to be safe.

Here’s another I did today. I LOVE how this one turned out!
Before:

And the AFTER! (I think I’m going to spray the base the same yummy chocolate brown I used in the first lamp to better match the fabric.)

And here are two lamps in my house that I just like.  This one is on my dresser:

And here’s one more little bitty lamp that’s on our computer desk.

Check out The Nesting Place to see more posts full of creative lamps!

Success

Well, here it is.  My one little orange tree.  A while back, I decided to plant some seeds out of grocery store fruit.  I’d read that this was possible and wanted to give it a go.   This, for me, is entertainment.  I planted 5 or 6 organic valencia orange seeds in this pot.  To my shock, one actually grew!

Now, on the not successful side, I do have 4 blue plastic cups above my kitchen sink with the infamous ‘avacado seed with three toothpicks’ experiment going.  This is the umpteenth time I’ve tried to get one of those babies to grow.  Nothing has ever happened.   Yet, still, I try.  Although, this time there is one pit that has split open a fair amount on the bottom, so I’m hoping a root is going to appear on that one.

We’ll see what happens with this little orange sprout.  I think it’s a success just getting it to sprout.  Now, lets see if I can keep it alive!

Empty cup

We have been much too busy lately.   The schedule has been very full, and I have felt myself slowly running out of ‘oomph’.   Feelings like that should serve as an indicator light, a huge flashing reminder to slow down.  So, today, we are staying at home.   I’m moving slowly, getting work done at a nice, relaxed pace, and refilling my cup.

Keep an eye on your cup.  What is one thing you can do today to fill it up?

Columbine

Beauty

“In his love and mercy he redeemed them;
he lifted them up and carried them
all the days of old.”
Isaiah 63:9

Garage Sale Love

I was so excited to find this lovely trio of birds while out garage saling last night.  They make a nice, fresh addition to the mantle.  I love looking at them.

These folding doors caught my eye, but I wasn’t sure where to put them.  I went home without them, and then realized I could put them in front of the fireplace.  Back I went, and they were still there.  The knobs are uneven, but I like them.  The bunny in front was also a Friday find.

This mirror was $2.  I’m going to go over it with some cream paint, but it works great in my hallway.

So, here’s the mantle as it looks now.  An improvement over what was there before, I think.   A work in progress, but coming along.  The white dish is also something I found Friday for 50 cents.

Please visit Southern Hospitality to see her weekend sale finds, and also see many others who have posted theirs!

Decorating Thoughts

I’m thankful for my house.   Every so often, though, I feel like making some changes.   Sometimes, I move furniture around to get a fresh new look.  Right now, I want to paint.  Although, if I could figure out a good way to rearrange furniture, I might do that, too.   Even a small change can help you see your home in a whole new light.

I think, over time, my decorating taste has changed.  Or, maybe I’ve begun to figure out what my style really is.  In any event, there are things I would like to do:

Change handles on kitchen cabinets.  I heard that there was a paint that worked on metal.  Are you familiar with it?  If I ever find it, these will become darker. 

Ditto for two table lamps and one floor lamp in the family room.  I figured it would be a low-cost way to  change the look until I pick other lamps.  Yes?  No?

 

Paint family room and kitchen.  Need to figure out colors first.  Family room has never been painted – it is ‘builder white’ and needs to be warmed up a bit.  I am contemplating going with the color of the candles on the left side of the mantle.   

Style-wise, I am lately drawn more toward a more contemporary style with clean lines.   But, most things in our house are traditional, as you can see, so that change will have to come little by little.  Any ideas on where to start?

  

Kitchen opens up into the family room and is currently burgandy – not quite the shade that shows up in this shot, though.  I want something lighter in the kitchen, that blends well with the family room.

 

Those are my thoughts for today.  Still mulling those paint colors.  Love chocolate brown right now, but don’t think I want to do that in either of these rooms.  Gotta find a place to use it, though!

Renewal

 

 

“The LORD’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,
for His compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.”

Lamentations 3:22-23