Shrimps and a G.R.I.T.S.

DIY Tshirt scarf

2012-01-19T18:51:00.000-05:00

This is a tutorial for a DIY Tshirt scarf.

First, find an old Tshirt either of yours or your significant other. In my opinion, the larger the better as it will make a longer scarf and you will be able to tie it easily around your neck (if you choose). I apologize for the picture here, but this Tshirt is actually a black Tshirt that I stole from hubby's closet. Shhhh...nobody tell him ok? Ok, good.

I forgot to take a picture of the next stop, but take an ordinary paper plate (you can use anything circular, but I liked the size of a paper plate), place it face down on the shirt, and trace circles all over the Tshirt until you run out of material. Mine made about 8 and the Tshirt was an XL. Oh-and this works best if the shirt does not have seams down the side(s) as you will get more circles from the shirt.

The next two steps may take a while until you get a rythm down, but bare with me....

Cut all the circles out and then start cutting each circle into a spiral. As you can see below, I cut strips about 1/2 wide (maybe 3/4 inch). I hope that last part makes sense since I didn't get to video the process.

After all the sprial strips are cut, lay two peices end to end and use fabric glue to secure the two peices together. Let dry. Again, forgot to take a picture of the next step, but I just got a small strip from the same shirt and tied it around the middle section, knoting it to secure. This will make one long scarf.

Here is a (horrible) self portrait of the scarf. I love this scarf and get compliments on it all the time! I even made my daughter a white one from a childs' size large Tshirt.

**And because I became so addicted to these Tshirt scarves, I went to my local thrift store and found several different colors and sizes and the best part is they were all $1 each!

Thanks for stopping in!

Homemade lotion

2012-01-05T18:27:00.000-05:00

Homemade lotion and one of the best I've tried!

Here is what you need:
16 oz. baby lotion (I used the Lavender scent)
8 oz. Vitamin E cream
8 oz. Vaseline
Mixer
Misc. containers to store in, or to give as gifts in

Mix all 'ingredients' until smooth.

It should look like icing after you beat it.

Here is right before I put it into containers. I put my lotion into a zipper bag, cut the corner (very small) and squeezed the lotion into my containers. I had some small ones, and a few larger (recycled-yeah!) ones--all were given as gifts.

I hope you enjoyed the tutorial and will give this a try yourselves. It's wonderful lotion and I can't live without it, especially in the Winter months!

Thanks,

Reid

Homemade Meyers Soap

2011-12-22T17:30:00.003-05:00

Lemon verbena liquid soap in the making....
My favorite!
And will also be Christmas gifts!
Start with a grater of choice
8oz. bar of your favorite Meyers soap (I used Lemon Verbena)
2 tablespoons of liquid glycerin
a gallon of water

Add the grated soap and the liquid glycerin and allow to come to a boil.

(I do suggest boiling the water first as this will help with 'shelf life', then just add the soap and glycerin)

Next, let the soap dissolve, stirring occasionally. It will look like soapy water.

Remove from heat and let sit at least 12 hours (I let mine sit overnight). If the soap is harder than true liquid soap, use your beaters to mix up. I added a little bit of water to mine to get the right consistency. You'll have to add a little at a time if you use this step.

I reused other soap containers (how great is this!?) to give as gifts and put the rest in a clean and recycled (another great part!) milk jug.

Thanks!
Reid

wine bottle remake...

2011-11-13T13:39:00.001-05:00

Can anyone guess what these will be??

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Homemade Creamy Basil Ravioli

2011-11-10T19:52:00.001-05:00

Just for the Hubs.....yum..
It is turning cooler here and this is pure comfort food....

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.7

Time to share a new blog...of mine

2011-03-11T18:51:00.000-05:00

For a while now I've wanted to start another blog.
A blog just for refabs, thrifting, and projects.
It's finally ready, but by no means 100% complete as far as design. But, without further ado, I introduce you to Shrimps and G.R.I.T.S. !

I may be a tad slow to start but do plan on adding some completed projects and new projects as well as some giveaways periodically. Stay tuned (and be patient with the layout and design).
Thanks to all who follow!

Wash the washer?

2011-02-21T19:13:00.001-05:00

Ok, who else washes their washer?

Is it only me who is obsessed with laundry?

I admit I do love it. And i jusy washed mine with Mrs.Myers Lemon Verbena spray (also a new addiction of mine).

My Shrimps

2011-02-21T12:21:00.001-05:00

Here are the shrimps for this G.R.I.T.S

Planting strawberries

2011-02-19T16:25:00.001-05:00

Come to see the progress

wow....MIA to say the least.....

2011-02-07T19:17:00.000-05:00

I just recently got back into checking my blog roll, and decided to check my own. I can't believe I've been MIA for almost 4 months. Even the last post was weak to say the least. Once again, I'm going to try to do better.
I have several 'new' projects I've done and a few remodeled rooms I need to share. Oh, and to my defense, one of the main reasons I was MIA was our kitchen was remodeled. Completely. As in gutted. For THREE months and my internet activity was limited during that time.
More to come on the new kitchen.
And I have a new laundry room.
And a new guest bathroom.
Oh, and let's not forget the 'new' Shack out back.........
I have alot of catching up to do it seems.
Stay tuned.
Until then, here is a pic of the snow we got a few weeks ago. And I'm posting about snow b/c we rarely get it here in S.C.!

Bye, until next time....The Andersons....

Latest

2010-10-03T17:13:00.001-04:00

Refab night stand

Test

2010-08-23T19:00:00.001-04:00

Test via phone

Test

2010-08-23T18:59:00.001-04:00

Test via phone

DIY Thrifty Treasure, candle remake

2010-05-10T14:24:00.000-04:00

I am linking to The DIY Showoff and Rhoda's Today's Thrifty Treasures. Please check out both parties to see many more great ideas!

I am probably the last person to work with these candles, but when I took a trip to my local Kmart recently, I found these on clearance for $1 each. The place mat came from Publix and was $1.19. You first saw these two finds in this post last week.

Please excuse the fact that I didn't take 'during' pictures, but here are the final products.

I cut the burlap place mat to fit one of the larger candles. I wasn't sure how much I would get out of it, but surprisingly enough I ended up doing both tall ones and a small Dollar Tree candle I had sitting on my kitchen counter. A good example how nothing is safe around my house! After I clued the burlap on all three, I got out my embellishments and just came up with something, deciding on black (and white) ribbon on two of them, and aqua beads on the third one. I love how they turned out.

Thanks for stopping in and please leave me a comment.

Thrifty Thursday---My Recent Finds

2010-05-06T09:13:00.000-04:00

I am joining Leigh's Thrifty Thursday party over at Bloggeritaville.

Be sure to go over there and check out all the other thrifty finds and get prepared to be inspired.

My finds are before they are redone, but they are from a few recent thrift trips.

The candles were found on clearance at Kmart for $1 each. It's hard to see, but they are sitting on a burlap placemat, found at Publix for $1.19. (These got redone this weekend so be sure to check back to see the final prouct.)

These candle sticks were picked up at His House (like Salvation Army for those who may not have them in your area) and were .25 each! (These, too, have been redone and placed on my mantel that also got a makeover---post coming soon)

This arrangement was found at Steinmart. It was previously a display so they had it marked $3!

You can't beat that for some Spring flowers, and a very nice basket (that looks like Longaberger).

Now, here is my BIG find.

I found this 'TV cart' at His House and the sticker said $10!

I almost squealed with excitement!

Can you stand it?!!?

It is in the midst of getting redone. It has taken me longer than expected b/c that joker can soak up some paint (and yes, I did prime it first) and the sides have so much detail.

I am hoping to get it finished before Mother's Day so I can use it for our family brunch. Can you guess what this will be?

That is it for now. Sorry to jumble several finds in one, but they are recent or current projects and future posts!

Thanks for stopping in and as always, I LURVE comments. ADORE.

Parents Photo Faves

2010-05-03T20:28:00.000-04:00

I know this is a long shot, but my son's picture is up for voting. If you're a follower, please vote for his picture.
You can vote every day until 5/9.
It's one of our favorite photos of him and shows his deep personality well.
Thanks in advance and sorry for the 'different' post from me.
More thrifting and DIY projects coming soon!

Parents Photo Faves

My Breakfast area--transformed

2010-05-03T12:36:00.000-04:00

I am linking with Poppies at Play for the Parade of Homes linky party.

I recently transformed my little breakfast nook in my kitchen. Sorry, no before pictures really but here is the change. I used to have the table fully out and set but I condensed it for more floor space. Our kitchen is laid out horribly and we have little room to move around between us all.

I hope one day we can do a kitchen remodel!

It would help us with floor space ~~sanity.~~

Thanks for stopping in...I always enjoy visitors and ADORE comments! :)

One Fine Spring Day…….

2010-04-07T09:01:00.000-04:00

I just LOVE Spring! I love opening the doors and windows and letting the fresh air in. Pollen has hit pretty hard here already but I had a few chances to get outside with the kiddos before it got too bad. So, you get to see the kids today, instead of crafting/thrifting projects.

I'm joining Susan at A Southern Dreamer for her Outdoor Wednesday party

G playing hide and go seek.....

G watching and waiting for bubbles....

Pop!

Sibling love......

They are, afterall, Irish Twins.

Take note, this is rare......

Because this is the majority of the time. Sigh.

Thanks for stopping in. Welcome Spring!
Reid

My Thrifty Treasures....

2010-04-01T11:02:00.000-04:00

I am SO glad all the Thrift parties are back! I haven't stopped thrifting, but haven't been taking pictures of most of my finds until recently (when I knew the parties would be kicking up again).
I am participating in Bloggeritaville's Thrifty Thursday party.

Go check out her site for many more thrifty finds!

Here are a few of my recent ones.

I stopped in the local Good Will and found these items:

Yes, that is an old metal lunch box and was only .70! I completely fell in love with it and grabbed it up before anyone else could see it. My husband thinks I am nuts but he has no idea. I am either going to clean it up and keep it in it's original state, or paint it a bright/bold color. What do you think?

I also found a cute little bird tray, some tags, and a pair of shoes for my Daughter. She had a pair of these a few sizes smaller and when she outgrew them, she was sad. They are her favorite 'Princess shoes' and has yet to go a day without wearing them (no matter WHAT she has on.....sigh).

And here is the inside of the lunch box:

I am thinking someone used it as a planter (which is a thought), or some sort of container (other than lunches). Regardless, hubby was scared I was going to make him start taking his lunches in it. men.

Right next to our GW, is a Kmart. (I assume you all know what these are, but if not, Kmart is much like Walmart)

Anyhoo---I stopped in there and found these on clearance for $1. I have plans for them, but for now they are in my dining room ~~catch all room.~~

I have so many projects I want to get done it's not even funny. JI am just glad the weather has been nice here (which has caused me to just sit on the porch and watch the grass grow).

Thanks for stopping in and please leave me a comment. I LURVE comments.

Oh, and be sure to tell me what you think I should do w/ the lunchbox.

Thanks!

Happy St Pats Day--Love All Things Green!

2010-03-17T19:10:00.002-04:00

I am loving the color green these days.
Today, of course, I have on green. My kids have on green, and so does my hubby.
I've been in search of kitchen designs lately-mainly b/c we are about to remodel ~~gut~~ ours!
Here are a few kitchens with splashes of green in them (which I am loving ~~but hubby will hate~~ )

Here are a few images that make me swoon (and sorry no clue where they came from, so if you know please share!):
I love the touches of spring green in this kitchen....the tile is amazing!

Love the color of this kitchen. Love the shelves and love the number.

I don't really have a modern taste, but do like these colors together. The lights is cool and the little green chair in there is awesome!

This, by far, is my favorite!!! From the light fixtures, to the different shades of green (ON THE CEILING!? Swoon), to the placement of the bar and seating, and the bar stools!!!

And sadly, here is my current kitchen. As I said, we are in the midst of trying to remodel (trying to find a design that works=difficult) so hopefully you'll see a post in the 'near' future. Hey, a girl can dream can't she!?!

Oh, and I hope my new-found-kitchen has one of these.........

Remember, girl=dream

(sorry it's blurry)

Thanks for stopping in and hope everyone has a Happy St Patty's day!

I love it!

Reid

Cheapo plastic frame turned Easter wall hanging!

2010-03-05T12:00:00.000-05:00

I just realized I have been blogging for TWO years now! 3/3/10 was my anniversary! I may just have to do a giveaway for that! Stay tuned!
I originally started out blogging, trying to document my kids' milestones. It started slowly then blossomed into more of a crafting blog. You can read one of my very first posts here.

A little history on this project....At Christmastime, at work, we did a 'Silly Santa' or 'Chinese Christmas' gift exhange. Assuming that you all know what that is but if not, here is an explanation, although there are some variations......

Here is what I got in my exchange.

One high quality ~~plastic cheapo~~ picture frame.

Complete with dust an inch thick on the glass. Really. No kidding. Everyone laughed at me and my gift.

BUT, I had a vision for this frame and immediately thought Easter wall hanging. Not sure why, but I did.

However, with it not being spray paint weather, I waited until recently to transform it.

Here is my frame mid-way through the transformation. I first spray painted the whole thing white.

Then, I found my newest Friend, Brilliant Metals Pearl base paint by Valspar, found at Lowe's. Sorry the picture isn't great, but it was taken at night, inside and I giddy with continuing this project. I brushed on two coats (same night) and let it dry overnight.

As the paint was drying, I took a peice of scrapbook paper and cut it to fit the frame size. I found the 'Easter' letters at Hobby Lobby and simply glued them onto the paper. I used E6000 glue for this, but only because that is what I had handy. Someone pointed out to me they thought the 'S' was upside down, but I promise this is how it was in the package. Could be upside down, and maybe I'll change it, but most likely not.

Then, I added some pink rhinestones around the edge of the frame (which don't show up well), and found some sheer pink ribbon to hang it with.

Here it is hanging on a wall in my kitchen going into the dining room. I don't really decorate for Easter so I took it to my office at work--which I don't decorate for Easter either, but I wanted to show of my DIY high quality ~~plastic cheapo~~ Chinese Christmas frame.

Thanks for stopping in!

I'll be linking to several parties this week so please check them out too. .

Monday Links

Between Naps on the porch
It's So very Cheri

Tuesday Links
A Soft Place to Land

Wednesday Links
Show and tell

Thursday Links
The Shabby Chic Cottage
Thrifty Thursday
Strut your stuff

Friday Links
Show and tell Friday
Creative cats Friday

A Transformation, Tiffany Princess style

2010-02-25T19:08:00.000-05:00

I'm back! Well, sort of.....

But, I am joining several parties this week to show off my bedroom transformation.

The room started out like this:

Kind of boyish, don't you think?

My step son was in this room, so it was decorated for his taste. (he has since moved into our FROG, aka Finished Room Over the Garage incase you hadn't heard the term)

More of the room:

I know, I know...yes, there is really a strand of lights around the window. Happened around Christmas and just stuck around for several years.

The room is actually pretty large so he had a sitting area in there.

Here is the room now!

Transformed into my daughters Tiffany Blue bedroom. Pictures don't do it justice (taken at night-shame shame), but I just love how it turned out.

My wonderful husband made those wooden boxes that the lights are hanging from. I painted them white, added a tension rod to the inside and hung white lights and tulle from the rod. I wanted a canopy feel, but not round and over the beds. Make sense?

And I haven't finished accessorizing it yet. I have a stained glass piece (made by a friend of mine) that I am going to hang in that window between the beds and I am not crazy about that desk there either. Maybe if I add a little stool? Suggestions are welcome!

This is the wall where the TV was in the last 'before' picture.

I found the shelf months back at Goodwill and painted it, put her monogram on it (LOVE vinyl letters!) and hung her hospital going home outfit on it. And the picture is from her newborn photo shoot and the matte has all her hospital visitors' signatures (and notes to her), even my doctor!

I love this little corner so much!

Monday Links

Between Naps on the porch

It's So very Cheri

Tuesday Links

A Soft Place to Land

Wednesday Links

Show and tell

The Power of Paint

Thursday Links

The Shabby Chic Cottage

Thrifty Thursday

Strut your stuff

Friday Links

Show and tell Friday

Creative cats Friday

I got a Sunshine Award!

2010-02-24T12:52:00.004-05:00

I love being appreciated!

I received the Sunshine Award!

I received a message from Sarah at The Byrd Nest letting me know she appreciates my blog and has given me the award. Sarah is one of the thriftiest people I know. She can find a free/good deal anywhere. Don't believe me? See this post, and this post.

So, I am honored that she loves my thrifting because she is the Queen of it!

I haven't been doing much of revamping lately because of the weather here, but I HAVE still be thrifting so be on the lookout for some of my projects very soon.

Now, back to the award. The rules of the Sunshine award are that you have to award 5 other blogs. I don't mind doing this as I can share with you some lovely bloggers that I love to read on a regular basis.

1. I love checking in on Connie from Shady Creek Lane. She has some great craft ideas and I loved when she did her January pantry challenge. You can see her 'findings' here.

2. Gotta love Michelle's finds at Vintage Junky. She has an amazing eye for refabs! Just check out what she did with this coffee table. And I love the beds that her husband just found for her. I have similar ones and will be posting about them this week.

3. I also love Sarah's blog, peweter+sage. I just love her style. She also does fabulous work with invitations and such. You can see an example here.

4. I can't give out awards and not mention chesteranddonkey. I also love her style and she's recently started her own shop in Etsy. Go check her out!

5. Last but not least, I want to mention Embellished Bayou. Here recent post about redoing her bookshelves has inspired me to dip into some more color! I love her use of purple!

Thanks again to Sarah who has given me this award. I just love being recognized! :)

It's So Very Cheri GIVEAWAY

2010-02-05T08:01:00.006-05:00

I know I have been MIA, but I can't resist the urge to tell you about Cheri's giveaway(s).

She is a wonderful blogger and does some fabulous giveaways. Please go here to see her latest and you have until Saturday to enter this weeks' drawing. She has a giveaway going on all this month too, so please check back with her to enter!

While I am here, I want to promise you that I will return to regularly blogging soon. Our weather has still prevented me from doing much crafting, but I can promise you that I have done alot of thrifting. I have a garage full of projects to tackle as soon as the weather warms up some. My spray cans have missed me and I them.

And because I love pictures with blog posts, here are a few.
Since my last post, my daughter turned 3.....

And my son turned 2......
Yes, I've still been busy.
It's my husband's birthday Monday so after all the dust settles, I will return to blogging more! That's a promise!

I’ve been MIA, but with good cause….

2009-12-16T08:00:00.002-05:00

The holidays really put me behind for posting on the blog! Sorry guys, but I’m going to try to be better.

Since I’ve last posted we had Thanksgiving.

This year, was much of the same as previous. We had a relaxed time, but added a visit to one of my friends house before coming home to cook at our own. Tried to get some good pics since everyone looked nice, but here is what we ended up with:

That same weekend, we picked out our main (yes, I have WAY more than one) Christmas tree.

It was the day of our BIG rival college football game (USC vs. Clemson) so of course the kids were decked out in their CORRECT team outfits.

Of course, not all of their moments are perfect.

Sigh.

Next, we had

Hubby’s (big) family in town and at our house for Christmas. We had a great time! We/I took family pictures of everyone in front of my snowman (that I made from thrift store finds---OOO how I miss those posts).

This is MY family’s picture.

And My kiddos….

Then, we had our first Santa visit of this year.

I expected the opposite as far as kids, but here ya go:

However, she really like ‘Ho Ho’ this year so she went back for more!

HOPEFULLY, the next post will be a post showcasing my house decorated at Christmas.

We shall see. Such a busy time of year!

Thanks for stopping in!!!

Reid and crew

DIY-Glitter Pumpkin

2009-11-23T18:40:00.000-05:00

I am joining Metamorphosis Monday and It's So Very Creative again this week.

You'd think I would have started on some Christmas projects and while I do have a few in mind, I still can't resist sprucing up an old fav!

I got this pumpkin last year, after the Season clearance. I drilled holes in it immediately (before packing it away).

I set it out this year and thought it just needed a little extra something.

(and notice some small Dollar Store pumpkins I was also painting white at the time)

So, I did Modge Podge all over it and covered it in orange glitter.

Looks much better, I think.

In it's resting place, for now.

Thanks for stopping in!

I promise I will have some Christmas projects soon!

Reid

Tablescape Thursday-Thanksgiving style

2009-11-18T20:52:00.003-05:00

I am joining Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for her Tablescape Thursday party.

I pulled out my grandmother’s original Fiestaware for this tablescape. I love the colors and they just scream Thanksgiving to me.

I remember as a kid, everyone would ‘fight’ over the dark blue plate. Here, you’ll see I placed it at the head of the table where my hubby sits. Nice wifey huh?

I especially love the golden boa I used down the middle of the table (a recent find on clearance at Hobby Lobby).

At candlelight……(no, it’s not dark outside yet…ha)

AND, I noticed I took pictures before I set my silverware out. Call it Mommy brain!

Once more look at my tablescape.

Thanks for stopping in!

Reid

Met Monday- Costumes

2009-11-15T21:50:00.000-05:00

I am joining Susan's Metamorphosis Monday party at Between Naps on the Porch.

Yes, I am including a Halloween post. Sue me.

But, I waited ~~yes, a little late~~ to post a Halloween post until after Halloween because their costumes were semi-surprises, at least to the grandparents.

But, here is what I started with.

I bought some clearance brown fabric, Styrofoam balls and cone, ordered the blue 'bloomers' from Ebay, a hat from Good will, and bought some orange pants, a green shirt, and some black felt and went to town.

I'd say my total cost was $15 for all.

I cut one of the balls in half and used it at the tip of this 'cone' to make the club.

My big 'score' was when I found this hat at Good Will for .70! I hadn't thought about what or how to make an orange hat but knew this would work well.

And here is the final project. I cut the arms out of Pebbles' green shirt, cut the legs out of Bam Bam's pants, cut a 'sash' out of some of the brown 'fur' fabric, painted the hat orange and cut around the rim to make it look like a baseball cap. Then, I took apart the skeleton to use the bones for accessories, black felt triangles and glued them on the outfits. I also wrapped the 'club' in brown fabric and secured it with spray adhesive.

Please meet Pebbles and Bam Bam, 2009!

(yes, I spray painted her hair 'red' (it turned out more hot pink) and put a bone in it. No, Daddy wasn't crazy about it, especially since it's still kinda pink.ha! but it made their outfits, I think)

They won 1st prize in the costume contest we entered them in! YAY

Thanks for stopping in!

Reid

Flower anyone??? Also a call to the lurkers

2009-11-10T20:09:00.000-05:00

I am posting this randomly, I know, and not linking to any blogs. But, wanted to celebrate our wonderful Fall weather (although don't judge by today since it has been raining all day, although it is still only been 65ish today)and show you my Little Princess.
And, I'd also like to ask everyone who regularly reads, to leave a comment. That means the ones who may not officially 'follow' but those who lurk and maybe don't post. I'd love to hear from you, all of you!

Meet my angel.
She and I recently spent some time in the yard where I was actually able to snap a few shots of her before she started to protest and/or pull her hairbow out.

"Hey Mommy....I found a flower...... Want to see it?"

"Are you sure??????"

"Come on Mommmmmmmy........."

"Don't you want to SMELL it????"

And even later, she still has the flower..........

Thanks for stopping in!

Showing more winnings…..And Transformation Thursday

2009-11-05T18:58:00.000-05:00

I'm joining The Shabby Chic Cottage's Transformation Thursday party. Go check out more ideas and inspirations here.

Today, I am showing you the transformation of my coffee table decor and showing you more of my winnings from Chester and Donkey.

You can see more here and here.

If you missed everything I won, you can see them here.

For years, YEARS, my coffee table looked like this:

Boring huh!? Recently, I decided it will be constantly changing, along with other venues around my house. Thanks Blogland!

Here is what it looks like now:

Notice the orange 'vase' that was part of my winnings. I love this table now.

And believe it or not, these things don't get bothered by little toddler hands.

Whew.

Thanks for stopping in!

Reid

Hand Sanitizer (bottle) redo for Transformation Thursday

2009-10-29T08:45:00.000-04:00

I am joining Transformation Thursday over at The Shabby Chic Cottage.

My transformation is a hand sanitizer bottle. In my excitement to start the project, I took this picture after I had taken the label off.

All items shown below were only $1 and were from Target and Dollar Tree.

I just put some sheer pink ribbon at the top and bottom then embellished the bottle with the flowers and rhinestones. This bottle was made for a friend of mine who LOVES pink. I also made one for me and it was done in black and white but am not showing you that one b/c I scratched the bottle trying to get the label off. THEN, I found some Goo Gone in my cabinet. *sigh*

You could do this with any bottle, soap or hand sanitizer, but I really liked the shape of this bottle.

Thanks for stopping in....

Reid

Clock to Cloche and more of my winnings from Chester and Donkey

2009-10-27T16:00:00.001-04:00

I'm joining Kimba's DIY day at A Soft Place To Land. Go check out some great ideas!

Today, I am sharing more of my winnings from Jennifer at Chester and Donkey.

I’ve told you about more of my winnings here.

I found the clock (and tray) at my local thrift store, His House and squealed when I saw it because I remember Jennifer's post about turning one into a cloche. I knew when I received her package, just what to do w/ the clock.

The tray you also saw here.

I took the clock part out and spray painted the bottom with Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint. I found the finial at a hardware store and it matched the paint perfectly so I glued it to the top. I placed the pumpkin from my winnings inside and tied a bow at the top. The ribbon came from the Dollar Tree and is sheer with pumpkins on it.

A close up of my new cloche.

Thanks for stopping in and please remember to go check out Kimba's for more great ideas!

Reid

Stolen....Blog Award.....

2009-10-26T19:58:00.002-04:00

I stole this from my friend Kelly's blog.

Rules
1. You Can Only Use One Word.
2. Pass this along to 6 of your favorite bloggers.
3. Alert them that you have given them this award.
4. Have Fun!

The Fun Part:
1. Where is your cell phone? beside
2. Your hair? short
3. Your mother? helpful
4. Your father? nice
5. Your favorite food? Chinese
6. Your dream last night? none
7. Your favorite drink? ~~shimmy~~ Chardonnay :)
8. Your dream/goal? photographer
9. What room are you in? kitchen
10. Your hobby? thrifting
11. Your fear? HEIGHTS!
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Happy
13. Where were you last night? Home
14. Something that you aren’t? Patient
15. Muffins? Nah.
16. Wish list item? Kurieg
17. Where did you grow up? Lexington ~~for the most part~~
18. Last thing you did? swallowed ~~refer to #7-HA!~~
19. What are you wearing? jeans
20. Your TV? Overused
21. Your pets? cats
22. Friends? supportive
23. Your life? Hectic
24. Your mood? Relaxed
25. Missing someone? always
26. Vehicle? Tahoe
27. Something you’re not wearing? shoes
28. Your favorite store? ~~Goodwill~~ TJ Maxx
29. Your favorite color? red
30. When was the last time you laughed? Today
31. Last time you cried? last night
32. Your best friend? D
33. One place that I go to over and over? daycare
34. One person who emails me regularly? alot
35. Favorite place to eat? Chuck's :)

Here are the ones I have tagged:
Jennifer
Cheri
Sarah
Shauna
Karrie
Mary

Wordless Wednesday

2009-10-21T07:00:00.000-04:00

The picture says it all…..

Happy Anniversary to my Husband!

2009-10-20T16:00:00.001-04:00

On October 20, 2003 at 4:00 PM hubby and I were married.
It was a day I will never forget. The day I married my soul mate. The day I finally became happy and complete. And incase anyone is interested, here is the story of how it all happened.

We had a cruise planned long before we decided to get married.
The closer the vacation came, the more we were 'tossing' (half joking) the idea of getting married on the cruise, in the Bahamas. Then, we started to get serious and looked into getting married on the beach there. That got to be too complicated, so we decided that the beach in Charleston, SC was just fine. All we wanted was us, and our toes in the sand. Afterall, the cruise ship was leaving from that port anyway, so 'why not?' We hired Mobile Marriage, a photographer (Sorry forget who it was), and found a quaint spot on the beach for our special day.

Oh wait....did I mention we eloped!? We did!

We had secretly planned this special day without anyone else knowing (except another couple who happened to be going on the cruise with us).

We planned a 'reception' (aka party) for several weeks after we got back and were sending out invites to that before we left. And 'before' I mean RIGHT before. You see, we got married in front of the lighthouse on Sullivan's Island and several months before the cruise/wedding, we went to take pictures of the lighthouse (b/c we were going to print it on the invites). As we were leaving the beach, my wonderful husband got down on one knee and officially proposed, with a ring and all! (we had been saving money for the cruise and to buy a house so we had only planned on wedding bands)

So, we printed the invites, which turned out to be 'guess what we did!' announcements as well and stuck them in the mailbox before we boarded the ship. The front said 'On October 20th, 2003....' and the inside said 'We got married!' then went on to include the party details.

We imagine the phone lines were BURNING up about two days later. Sure enough, when we got back on land and turned on our cell phones, we had several messages.

Happy Anniversary to my wonderful husband, soul mate, and amazing father of my kids!

Thanks for letting us share,

The Anderson's

Est. 2003

It’s Fall, Ya’ll…..and DIY day!

2009-10-20T08:00:00.001-04:00

I'm joining Kimba's DIY day at A Soft Place to Land. She is also doing a giveaway so please be sure to check out her site for the details as well as links to many more DIY projects.
Speaking of giveaways.....I recently won a giveaway from Jennifer at Chester and Donkey. It was my first win and I was SO excited to receive my package.

Incase you didn't see her giveaway post, this is what I won.

I am going to do a series of posts that will showcase these within my home.

I took some gold scrapbook paper and cut it to fit the frame (which was a beautiful green color...and perfect, but I just started 'splashing' green around my house).

Then, I took some faux leaves from the Dollar Tree (I love that place) and glued them onto the paper.

Then, I took that pumpkin and gourd....also from the Dollar Tree (bag of 6 at that!) and cut them in half, painted glue on them and sprinkled them with orange glitter.

Then, I glued them onto the leaves in a random pattern. Like the way it turned out?

I do! And here is it's new home on my Fall mantel.

Thanks again Jennifer!

Reid

Pink Week!!!

2009-10-19T21:31:00.002-04:00

It’s Pink Week at I Heart Faces and I am pleased to join this week as October is Breast Cancer awareness month. A dear friend of mine battled Breast Cancer for many years and passed away March of last year. She continues to be my true inspiration and although she never met my son, she did get to meet and hold my daughter. Therefore, I thought I would share a photo of my daughter in Kathy’s honor.

Kathy—I miss you every single day! Love you!

And here is Gracie-girl today…..she misses you too!

Reid

I found some great deals lately….

2009-10-19T09:00:00.001-04:00

Hi, my name is Reid and I am addicted to thrifting!

I'm linking up to 'I'm a Flea Marketer' party. It is their first blog party so go check out the site and see other great finds!

I found all of these things at His House (which is like Salvation Army, if you didn’t know).

All for $3!!

I got a bag of stick on bows (yes, I use these ….cheap, I know but it works well with cats and kids picking around the tree, see that is one of said kids in the background). I also got two small wooden frames, three packages of ornaments, the long wooden ‘basket’, another glass bottle (to fit my other addiction of glass bottles), and this white creamware made in the USA.

SCORE!

Thanks for stopping in....

Reid

It’s So Very Cottagey Home Tour

2009-10-16T07:45:00.000-04:00

I am featured at Cheri’s It’s So Very Cottagey Home Tour here. It’s her second week and I am so thrilled to be apart of the new excitement! Please bookmark her or follow her and see the great tours each week.

Please go check out Cheri’s site for more great home tours (she’s doing 3 homes a week!). Not only am I featured in her second week of Home Tours but I was featured in her most recent post today, here. You can see that post here, and see my Fall craft project.

Welcome to my home!

My husband and I have lived here 6 years. We looked at probably 10 houses and when we walked into this one, we knew it was ‘the one’. No work was required but we knew we wanted to change a few things, right off.

This is the front of our house in the RARE snow we had last year.

This is the front of my yard, in the Spring.

This is the entryway into our home. The light fixture has since been painted Oil Rubbed Bronze!

When we moved in, all the walls were painted white. And when I say all, I do mean ALL.

All. White. Walls. Everywhere.

We weren’t in the house long before we started painting, however will admit that the walls you see here didn’t get paint until about two years ago.

This is our den, looking in from the kitchen. ~~Ignore the toys.~~

This is another shot of our den from the other side of the room, beside the fireplace.

Sorry it’s a little blurry, but here is a shot of wall behind the couch. This is one of my favorite walls. The mirror was my grandmother’s and is VERY old. I got this idea from Pottery Barn. The photos I took myself.

This view is from my bedroom door. It’s hard to see the color well in the pics but I LOVE this color. I saw it in someone else’s house and knew that was the right color. It’s Mannered Gold, Sherwin Williams.

A closer look of my favorite wall. Sorry, I just can’t resist it……

This is the guest bathroom which is located just as you step in our entryway. It desperately needs updating and after the Holidays that is one of our first projects. Wallpaper will come down, mirror replaced and decor probably revamped. Now, what color should I paint it? I am loving a pumpkin color, but what do you all think? I already have a new light fixture for it, found at His House for $3!

Oh, and the gold you see in these pictures, has also been painted with Oil Rubbed Bronze….that weekend, nothing was safe in my house!

If this were Cribs, I would say ‘Here’s where the magic happens’ … But, it’s not so welcome to our bedroom.

What’s that you ask? What kind of headboard is that?

Well, I’d love to tell you more about that. It’s actually two doors I found at His House (Ya’ll DO know what that is, don’t you? Sorry, I should have explained earlier. His House is like Salvation Army) for $5 each. (The bottom door you can’t see because of the pillows, sorry.) But, picture them in white paint, peeling. Hubby stripped them and stained them a dark mahogany. I put on some brass hardware I already had and a glass doorknob from another house. We bolted them right in the wall.

The next picture is the opposite of the room from the bed. ~~Excuse the wipes holder.~~ And I really don’t like the scrolly stuff around the top of that insert. Ideas?

We painted the walls Latte by Sherwin Williams.

Here is the (again)white master bathroom. We haven’t gotten around to redoing this yet, but it may be a 2010 project also. The walls are wallpaper and is in satin and shiny white stripes. EEK. I do, however, love the size of it and love that it has a big fan in there.

Oh, and doesn’t two master bath sinks scream ‘Marriage saver!’

Here is our kitchen. I don’t really like it ~~hate it~~ but we realize we will need to pay someone to redo it. Maybe in year 2011!?

The counters are terrible and I would really like it more open to the den…oh, and a little larger would be nice. We spend most of our time in here so it would be worth it to us. And I never thought I would be one to have stuff all over her fridge, but here ya go.

The walls in the kitchen are Kilim Beige, again SW

Here is our dining room. I’ve always wanted a nice dining room, and to me, this is it. Again, the walls were white and I thought I wanted a yellow dining room. We painted it yellow and it just didn’t look right ~~plus I’ve always wanted a red dining room –~~why do I listen to others so much!? It took Hubby many MANY coats but in the end, we love it. The color is Valspar Fabulous Red. The light fixture has also been….yes, you guessed it- painted with Oil Rubbed Bronze.

The china cabinet was my grandmothers and is filled with all her old china. It’s fragile but I love it. And, I do try to keep the babies out of here when possible.

Lately, this area has become my craft staging area, but has also been known as ‘EBay shipping and receiving’ (thanks to Hubby).

Now, let’s take a stroll upstairs. This is overlooking the balcony that separates both bedrooms. See the toy pile in the right…let’s just say that Toys R Us has put a warrant out for some of their toys.

This is the larger of the two rooms and current ~~but not for very long~~ is my step son’s room, but soon to be my daughters.

The wall color is Nomadic Desert, SW.

Notice the lights I ‘let’ him put up around the window…..Yeah, I had a weak moment.

Across the hall is the nursery. Currently, both babies are in the same room and it’s really cramped (hence the clothes stacked up on the toy box ~~that will get a makeover soon~~)

All the furniture is painted black gloss. The dressers came from His House and were $25 each. The crib was mine when I was a baby. My mom saved it for me and I’m so glad I did. It’s still in great shape and with a coat of gloss black paint, looks like brand new. The changing table (not pictured-because that side of the room was HORRIBLE) was a craigslist find for $25 and is also black.

Wall color is Yellow Frost by Waverly Home Classics.

A bathroom is between the bedrooms, in the hallway. It has the same wallpaper bathroom theme and will get a makeover eventually. The wallpaper is off white and khaki stripped.

Want to see one more bathroom?

Well, it’s almost a bathroom.

Remember, I said the babies are currently in the same bedroom. Well, that’s all about to change! The plan for the last year *sigh* has been to redo our FROG (ha—anyone heard of that before? It’s Finished Room Over Garage), add a bathroom and move step son in there so the babies can have their own rooms.

Before, the FROG was just a TV/Computer room and we rarely spent time up there. We knew if we moved step on in there, it really needed a bathroom so the Hubster took on this ‘little’ project. We (ok, HE) have learned a lot and it’s been trying at times, but will be so worth it. I am planning a whole post around this renovation so please make sure to come back and see the before, during, and after. I’m amazed and know you will be too!

Until then…here’s a sneak peek. A shower was installed and tiled. And my favorite, a pocket door leading in! Yes, hubby did it all! Plumbing, wiring and everything! And No, he’s not for hire. (you’re welcome Hubby)

This is the entry into the ‘back’ of our house. But, it’s not truly the back, but is the side, going into the kitchen.

And my favorite flower…hydrangea. It does really well and I have three more beside it.

The red dresser was a His House find, $25, and although it’s here now, the plan is to give it a coat of paint and put it in my daughters room.

I know I should stop there, but I just can’t resist adding a few pictures of my home at Christmas. It’s my favorite time of year and last year, I really outdid myself. I put up 5 trees. Three inside and two outside. Below is our main tree and although you can’t see the details well, the colors were black and gold with feathers and a ton of white lights (about 1500!). Below is also our entryway with the front door (which is open) in the reflection of the mirror.

This is a view of our breakfast area, which you didn’t see above but it’s opposite the kitchen picture you saw earlier.

Our dining room, decorated for a party we decided to have (we haven’t had one since we’ve been married).

This was the porch, same party. Tree was decorated with old style ornaments.

Like the bar area?

Stocked and all ready! Yes, you’re welcome this year!

Here is our bedroom.

This tree was decorated in all white, some silver, and ice skates and ice cycles.

And I am really laughing that ‘the naughty chair’ made it into the photo. See it in the bottom left? teehee-oops!

Somehow, I forget to get a picture of the front of the house and the tree on the front porch. *sigh*

But, the front has garland, white lights and red bows. Simple.

The front porch tree was done in big ornaments and had a polka dot theme.

Well, I know it was a long one but there is the tour of our home. I hope you enjoyed the tour and I really hope you check out Cheri’s posts every Friday to see more great home tours.

As always, I LOVE comments so please leave me some!

Reid

Tablescape Thursday

2009-10-14T21:00:00.000-04:00

It’s been a while, but I am joining Susan’s Tablescape Thursday party again today. You can find more great tablescapes at Between Naps on the Porch here.

Here is my 'Halloween' tablescape. I normally don't do a Halloween one, but pulled this together at the spur of the moment the other day. LOVE it, but I love black and red so.......here you go.

I love the spider webs!!!

Thanks for stopping in...please be sure to check out Susan's site for more great tablescapes!

Reid

Wordless Wednesday

2009-10-12T21:01:00.002-04:00

My daughter…….Love her to death!

Excited!

2009-10-12T08:19:00.004-04:00

Joining I Heart Faces for this weeks' challenge...Excited!

I took this picture of my daughter at the beach this year. This is the first year she has been interested in the sand and water.
This was just as the waves were touching her feet.

Go check out more great photos at I Heart Faces.

Beware! Attack of the baby powder! Everyone take cover!

2009-10-09T21:35:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone! I haven't fallen off of the Earth, I promise!
I had to take a small vacation from blogging (although I have been reading). Things have been crazy around here (work and homelife) to say the least.

Think I'm lyin'?? Just keep reading.

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s snow………..NO, it’s BABY POWDER! This is the second attack of such ‘animal’ from my Daughter!

(and no, that’s not my camera playing tricks on your eyes—it’s baby powder floating around in the air! )

See? Isn’t she so innocent?

And you notice more baby powder floating in the air….this is about 20 minutes after I FOUND her! She told me she was trying to put a new diaper on her baby, with powder (we do this w/ her younger brother).

Ok, this is my fault…I told her to leave the room so I could clean up the mess. She plopped down on our leather couch. STILL trying to put the diaper on the baby.

And later, when she told me she had to go ‘tee tee’, I told her to meet me in the bathroom and not take her baby. She dropped her right inside the bathroom, and POOF! It looks like Pig Pen was here.

By the way, incase you’re wondering, there was a fine layer of baby powder all over my bedroom for WEEKS! I’d clean it up and a day later, more could be found.

Ahhhhhhhhh, life with Irish Twins! (thankfully, her brother was already asleep or he would be all into this mess).

Welcome to my crazy,hectic but wonderful life! (things like this are a regular occurance at our house-anyone want to babysit??? )

Reid

Good Will Frame- $1.25 total and Announcement!!

2009-09-28T21:18:00.007-04:00

Of course, I am joining the party at The Shabby Chic Cottage. Please check out the site for more great ideas!!!

This is the frame, before. I picked it up at Good Will for .25! I didn't like the gold nor the picture, so here is my Transformation Thursday Project this week.

I spray painted it with one of my new favorite colors by Krylon- Bahama Sea.

I am not really a 'blue person' but really liked the color of this paint.

Then, I rubbed (with a paper towel) some craft paint in Metallic Bronze (another new favorite). I almost sanded the frame to let the gold show through, but wasn't sure how that would turn out w/this 'nice' gold plastic frame, so I replicated the feel w/the paint.

Then, I cut some scrapbook paper (had on hand) and did an "A" stencil with black craft paint.
here is sits in my kitchen window. Even hubby said he liked the transformation (AND he noticed the small touch.)

Thanks for stopping in!

Oh, and as if this little transformation wasn't enough excitement for you......let me announce something!

Cheri from It's So Very Cheri is doing a weekly home tour every Friday. This week, she is featuring yours truly. Yes, me. And yes, my house can clean up nicely ~~most of the time~~ even with Irish Twins.

Be sure to check out her blog on Friday to see the It's So Very Cottagey tour ~~and yours truly~~!

Thanks for stopping in,
Reid

DIY Tuesday –Quick Fall Vase & Arrangement

2009-09-28T21:06:00.004-04:00

I am joining Kimba from a Soft Place To Land DIY TUESDAY party…did you catch that?! Yes, I said Tuesday! Kimba moved her party to Tuesday! Please check out many other wonderful DIY's here.

I am editing to add Cheri's Celebrate the Holidays Wednesday tour. Please check our Cheri's site for more great Fall ideas.

This week, I decided to throw together a great Fall arrangement on Saturday morning. I actually did a few projects while it was overcast and rainy here, and my kids were behaving ~~sleeping~~.

I forgot to take a picture of the vase, but I've had a rectangle vase that I have used for various (real) flower arrangements. I got that out and decided I needed to update it for Fall.

Other than that vase, here is what I recently purchased on various shopping trips.

Box of misc Fall looking cones and nuts was on clearance from Big Lots, $6.

Folk Art Metallic Taupe (my new favorite color) paint from Hobby Lobby, $1.25

Faux Fall hydrangeas came in a bunch for $5 at Walmart (I was so excited about this project, I had already cut some branches off)

The faux leaves and sheer ribbon came from the Dollar Tree—LOVE it.

I put some of the cones and nuts in the bottom, spacing out the colors then stuck some hydrangea branches in.

Then, I experimented with the Metallic Taupe paint. I wanted them to have a sheen ~~bling~~ but wasn't sure how much this paint would do. The one on the bottom is original, the one on the top left is medium coverage, and the top right is heavy coverage (done with a paper towel, no doubt). I chose the medium coverage.

At the last minute I decided to pull out this orange glitter ribbon I recently found at JoAnn’s Fabric. I LOVE this ribbon!

I wrapped the shimmer (pumpkin) ribbon around the vase and hot glued it. Then, put this glitter ribbon in the middle of it and hot glued it as well.

Then, I glued the leaves on the middle and Viola!

Finished, QUICK project.

Here is it on my breakfast table. Perfect for Fall, wouldn't you say?

Thanks for stopping in!!!

Reid

I heart Faces - Blue theme

2009-09-28T08:26:00.002-04:00

This week is 'Blue' at I Heart Faces.

Recent Thrifts

2009-09-27T19:50:00.003-04:00

On a recent trip to Good Will, I found some neat treasures.

My total bill was $12!

Clothes for Fall for my kids.

A Christmas wreath for $1! No, those decorations will not stay on…. you know me. It’ll be stripped, fluffed out, new bow and tons of white lights. I can’t wait!

Rafia .50

Frame .25

Green ‘foam’ hat .50 (which will be part of a Halloween costume…more to come.)

The hat was a hit with my daughter and that isn’t even part of her costume! Just had to share a cute photo.

(and as you can see we’re getting ready for Halloween already here!)

Thanks for stopping in and please check out more great finds at Rhoda’s!

Reid

Chalk board tray/platter

2009-09-24T08:57:00.000-04:00

I am joining the parties, Transformation Thursday at The Shabby Chic Cottage and DIY Day (and there is a giveaway today!) at A Soft Place to Land. Go check those two sites out for many more great ideas!!

I found this tray at His House. I tried to clean it up but even Wright's Silver Cream didn't work.

Enter Mr Spray paint.
And Viola!

I sprayed the whole thing Heirloom White and painted the middle with chalk board paint. And incase you are wondering ~~and aren't from the South~~, our local football team is the South Carolina Gamecocks. Around here we just say Go Cocks! (hee)

I had another plate in this spot but it wasn't big like this one...and here is what it helps hide. This is behind the plate.

Not bad huh?

And kind of appropriate thing to post today since tonight is our weekly football game! Go Gamecocks!
Thanks for stopping in!

Completely Candid

2009-09-22T08:25:00.005-04:00

This is my first time joining the photo challenge at I Heart Faces (I just stumbled upon this site and already love it!). This week is 'completely candid' and I knew I had many candid moments to share, but narrowed it down to this picture. It was totally candid and completely describes my life with Irish Twins.
A picture is truly worth a 1000 words........Enjoy!

Now, if we only knew what she did to him right before I took this...........

Thrifty Treasures Monday-His House finds

2009-09-21T14:30:00.000-04:00

Here are my recent Thrifty Treasures from His House. I really LOVE that place and they're starting to know my face....uh ohhhh.

I am joining Rhoda's Thrifty Treasure Monday party. Go check out many other great finds there!

I got all of these (6 items-one you'll see below) for $6!

I got two outfits for my son for this Winter (all clothes are $1 at HH), the chunky candle stick, and the coverlet (that I have been looking for for Daughter's new room)--can you believe that bedspread was only $1!?

Add this sweater to the above to equal 6.

It's hard to see but there are clear sequins around some of the circles.

I normally don't buy clothes for myself at HH, but this stuck out to me for some reason and it's well made, in need of washing is all.

See the close up of this set of four snowflake dishes!?!?! $1

And I am loving the color, although I typically don't 'do blue' for Christmas....

I couldn't believe the price. The candlestick has already gotten a makeover so can't wait to show you...maybe Transformation Thursday??

Thanks for stopping in...

Reid

A Plaque makeover....For Metamorphosis Monday

2009-09-20T20:20:00.003-04:00

I am joining Susan's Metamorphosis Monday party again this week.
Sorry, but I didn't have alot of before and during pictures but you get the gist.
I got this wall hanging from Target a while back. It was on clearance for $1.25 and I had originally planned to hang it as, in a grouping of similar plaques. Now, I'm thinking of redoing most of the ones I got. We shall see.
This is after. I painted the whole thing solid black and decoupaged this palm tree on the front and hung with a black ribbon. (the palm tree is the same stencil I used for the tray, here but this time, I cut the design out of scrapbook paper to change it up a bit.)
It's found a home right here for now.

This area looked like this for several years. Even hubby noticed the change...but, then again he's in the kitchen alot of the time.

Thanks for stopping in! Please do leave a comment...I'm so addicted to what you all think!

A Small Transformation and DIY project

2009-09-16T19:55:00.001-04:00

I am participating in Kimba's DIY Thursday and Gina's Transformation Thursday parties.

I found this at His House and they man only charged me .50 ~~they are starting to 'know' me and that's scary.~~

It had a scary looking flower arrangement in it that I pulled out before I even got it in the house.

I spray painted it black and put these Fall looking flowers in it and hung it in my kitchen.

Here is it's new home and I can see that the motif will change from season ~~mood~~to season ~~mood~~.

Thanks for stopping in!!! And please don't forget to check out Transformation Thursday and DIY Day for more great ideas.

Favorite flowers-Outdoor Wednesday

2009-09-16T07:29:00.004-04:00

I am participating again in Outdoor Wednesday with Susan and many others. Go check them all out!

Sunflowers outside my front door.

Someone else enjoys them too.....

My favorite flower is hydrangea. I will admit that I have NO green thumb, but these do quite well and I simply prune them back each year. I have three (blue) and usually get a new one on Mother's Day, which I love!

*above hydrangea picture was taken the first part of Summer when they were still blooming here.*

Thanks for stopping in and please check out Susan's site for more outdoor photos!

Metamorphosis Monday-candlestick bottom to cake stand

2009-09-12T22:21:00.006-04:00

Today, I am joining Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday.
See her transformation of her closet and many more ideas here.

Notice the taller candlestick .....this is what I transformed this week.

I didn't get a true 'before' picture of it but when I bought it (at His House for .50!) it was all dirty and dingy.

I housed it here until I could find a project to use it in (although had the 'vision' when I picked it up)

I had found this plate 1/2 off at Hobby Lobby and fell in love with the pattern! (I have a square one sitting in my kitchen, on a stand.)

I painted the candlestick black and E6000'd it to the plate.

A ~~not so great~~ side view of the new cake stand.

My new cake stand. I plan to use it for cookies for parties, namely my daughter's 3rd bday party in December (since she's a Princess).

And...I may add some crystal chandy pieces hanging off the edges......what do you think? I'm thinking pink chandy crystals would be nice!

Thanks for stopping in!
And check this post out for a giveaway...I'm close to my goal so would love to succeed at my first giveaway. It too can serve as a Metamorphosis Monday post!

Transformation Thursday and DIY Day-a Serving Tray

2009-09-10T18:39:00.001-04:00

Again, I am joining two of my favorite parties. Please check them out. They are Transformation Thursday by Gina, and DIY day by Kimba-who is also doing a giveaway so be sure to check her out. For more great ideas, see both blogs!

This week, I am sharing one of my favs!
I found this serving tray for $1.00 at His House and love it ~~should have bought all 6!~~
I, again, didn't take any 'during' pics, but here is what I did. I taped off the inside because I wanted some natural rattan to show through. (in true form for me, some trials and errors here).

To begin with, I only taped the edges of the inside. Mistake, but it turned out ok. Once I pulled the tape off, I realize some of the black spray paint misted the exposed inside rattan. Ok, lesson learned.

But, I went with it...and took the remaining tape off and misted the other, making it match, but not as solid as the black 'frame'. Make sense?

I then stenciled a palm tree (in black) in the center.

Ahhhhhhhhhh that's better!

I will say that I've already had a request for one of these (or a close replica, depending on my Thrifty Finds) from someone!

Sorry the pics aren't great.

I'm still trying to perfect my picture taking with backgrounds, settings, and such. Thanks for being my guinea pigs!

And don't forget to check out more ideas at Gina's and Kimba's!

Letters and Numbers Party

2009-09-08T20:15:00.005-04:00

I am joining the party at Vintage Junky today. Go check that linky party out, here.

I am SO into letters and numbers that I hope my house doesn't become too over the top with them. :)

See the collection of frames I got from His House?

I love these 'old' frames and for $ .50 - $1.00 each you really can't beat them!

I got all these for $2.00.

For this party I am showing you the biggest one on the right, the one that was empty (and they actually only charge me $.50 because it had no picture in it...haha. Little do they know!).

Sorry I don't have a 'during' photo.

I recently happened upon alot of old canvas bank bags (again, sorry no 'before' pic) and couldn't think what to do with them. I have a few ideas, but this one popped in my head first.

In short, I cut the bag so that I had a pretty clean (they were dirty from old coins) area to work with. I starched and ironed the area I wanted to paint on. Then, I stapled the canvas to the frame (some trial and errors here, more to come on that).

Then, I stenciled the numbers on the canvas and viola!

I have big plans for several of these frames, that include pictures and more numbers. Stay tuned and/or come back!!! (please!)

PS---I am LOVING numbers and letters these days so you're likely to see more soon!

PSS-if you want to know the significance of the numbers, be sure to leave me a comment and if I get at least 20 comments (I know, sad huh), I will do a giveaway for your own personalized framed number(s)! And that will be my first giveaway so be sure not to miss it!

And lastly, I promise!, don't forget to check out the other ideas at the Numbers and Letters party here!

I am sure I will join again in the future! LOVE numbers, letters, and symbols!

Self Revelations-Honest Scrap Award

2009-09-08T09:42:00.003-04:00

I can't say this is a link party, but when I ran across it, I had to do it. You see, I love these things and while I have been on a posting hiatus, I simply have to get back into the game. So, here we go!
I saw this post/idea while over at Lotta's and thought it would be neat to do to kick the week off. I am supposed to post blog 10 things about myself (that I think you may or may not know), then tag 10 bloggers, let them know about it and they link back to me when they post or accept.

1. I am currently addicted to thrifting. It's an obsession really. I can't pass a thrift store (usually His House or Good Will) without stopping in AND without buying at least something. It's driving my husband crazy, and he recently said I need to start selling some of these things. *gasp*.

2. I secretly am sometimes glad to be back at work on Mondays. Don't get me wrong...I love my weekends and love having the kids with me all day but come Sunday night...whew.

3. I rarely have to cook. My hubby loves to cook and does all the cooking in our house. And I love it.

4. I am a 'planner'. Big time. Most of the time, that works out well for us, but it's the times when something changes my 'plan' (even in the slightest) that makes me crazy. Granted, I have let alot of that go after kids, but sometimes it comes back full force. (another reason I like #2 above)

5. I love my job. No, really I do. I've always enjoyed working and was raised with high work ethics. (yet, another reason I sometimes look forward to #2).

6. I am one of those that has a hard time painting wood. I don't have a problem painting small things (such as frames, boxes, etc) but hesitates painting wood furniture. I currently have a pair of twin beds that I just can't bring myself to paint. They are old and pretty and kind of wanted them Heirloom White in my daughters room, but for the life of me, can't do it. I also bought an old dresser off Craigslist that I 'can't' paint. (and that's why I bought it off Craigslist for $30...so I COULD paint it!)

7. I love my husband. He's truly my soul mate. I can't imagine being without him or being in my kids' lives. That said, he does do stuff that gets on my nerves! I guess that is common, but just had to get it out. :)

8. I loathe exercise. Period. But, will admit that I like how I feel afterwards.

9. Although not sure I have the talent for it, I would love to be a photographer.

10. I love the Fall. I love the crisp breezy air, all the mums, pumpkins, being able to get outside with the kids more (it's so humid here during the Summer), the State Fair that comes to town this time of year. I just love the Fall!

(and what post wouldn't be complete without pics---don't you enjoy pictures with your blog post reads? I do! These are a couple from last Fall. I know it seems odd that in the first one they are in 'summer' clothes and the second one is all bundled up. Believe it or not this was around 2 weeks apart.)

Thanks for stopping in and please feel free to do your own Honest Scrap Award post.
PS--I know I didn't tag anyone--just wanted to post these. Enjoy~!

Collage (from Picasa) of Edisto Beach

2009-09-04T15:24:00.000-04:00

Just tried this straight from Picasa to see if it worked...and well, because I have been so slack blogging lately. I have, however, been reading them just no inspiration for posting. Maybe this weekend.
Enjoy until then!

Outdoor Wednesday -Lake Murray

2009-09-02T19:58:00.009-04:00

I am joining Susan's Outdoor Wednesday party today. I am excited to be a part of this party for the first time.
This week, I am sharing some photos from a recent trip on Lake Murray, S.C. This lake is only minutes from our house so we enjoy many Saturdays during the warm months viewing things such as these. (It's still very warm here so to me, it doesn't feel like Fall yet. But, I can't wait!)

Thanks for stopping in and if you didn't see this post, please go check it out for a giveaway and a chance to win your own personalized numbered canvas.

Also, go check out more Outdoor Wednesday posts here.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-09-02T19:11:00.003-04:00

Blog Hop Party-Baby Pictures

2009-09-01T07:52:00.008-04:00

I just had to join in this party hosted by Brent at Riggs Family Blog. Lately, I have been participating in alot of thrifty makeover/decorating parties and honestly, I am a little worn out from those can not seem to finish what I start with projects lately .
So, here I am joining this party...an 'easy one' to me, as I love pictures of my kids and even more, love their baby pictures. Of course, they are STILL babies, but nevertheless, here you go.

This is a picture of my daughter, taken at around 3 weeks.

And this is a picture of my son, taken when he was around 3 months ~~the reason for the delay is he was in the NICU for the first month, then had to have some growing time as he was a preemie, which is why he still looks small here~~.

See any resemblance?

and just a few more of my favorites from the photo session above. (And you will notice my banner picture came from this shoot too).

Thanks for stopping in!

Reid

DIY day-Picture turned to look like an old timey picture

2009-08-27T14:02:00.002-04:00

I am joining Kimba, from A Soft Place to Land, in her DIY day.

I am glad she's not particular as to what makes a DIY project since I am including this one. This is something I want to do with several photos ~~haven't completed my true DIY projects~~ and hang them on the walls.
This is a picture of the intake towers for the Saluda Dam at Lake Murray, S.C.
I took this picture a few months ago.
June '09.

And this is after I made it looked aged. Doesn't it look just like an old photo from 'back in the day'? Print it and tear the edges some and Viola!
In fact, you can see some real old photos of them building the lake and dam here.
Don't forget to go over to Kimba's party to see more great ideas!

Thrifty Thursday

2009-08-27T10:33:00.005-04:00

I am joining Leigh's Thrifty Thursday party for the first time....Go see her and other great ideas here.
Recently, I popped in His House ~~I actually think I'm addicted, hubby agrees~~ and found these. Total for the shopping trip was $25!

I am in a REAL platter addiction...someone call Intervention, please!?

the top one is a cheap-o one but the others feel solid. Does that make sense? I can't make out any markings on the backs. The cheap-o one will get painted and not sure about the others. More to come on those projects as they unfold. each tray was around $1 each!

This little gem was .50 and will get a makeover for a friend of mine that collects pineapples.

Don't you just love old books. $1 each and I've already found a home for them--pics to come later.

This piece had some old ugly dried flowers in the top and sorry no picture of the true 'before' but those flowers headed for the trash pile before I entered the house!

Got plans for this one too.....

.50 cents

You can't see the detail well, but these are two old handkerchiefs with lace detail on the corner and small lace around the edges. He didn't know what they were, so threw them in for FREE!

I have semi- plans for these, if it works the way I think/want.

OR do any of you have suggestions?

A serving tray (see, the addiction continues) and a soon to be cloche! I got the idea from Jennifer, at chester and donkey. See her project here. Go ck our her ideas...and, she's planning on starting her own shop on Etsy, I hear!

$1 each

This beauty was $1 and has already been painting for the first part of this project. Yes, I have a gazillion projects going on at the same time. Hubby says I need to start selling some of these! Ha!

I squealed when I ran across this!

Not sure why, but I did!

Anyone ever seen one before? It is a cast iron alphabet corn bread maker. $10 for it!

And I've found some online (not terribly old, but looks it) for $35-$49!

Now, anyone know how to clean rust off of it?

I just love it, even if i just display it!

That is it for now....thanks for stopping in and I'd love to hear your comments!

Purple Martin Birds-Evening Cruise

2009-08-26T12:07:00.004-04:00

I told you about our weekend plans to go out and see the birds here and included a link to find out more about these little birds and how the inhabit our island this time of year.

This was our view over Bomb Island (as it's called) at Lake Murray as we rode up to our spot.

And guess what we saw next!? Yes, that says Ice Cream on the side of the boat!

I've seen it all now! Great idea though. I highly recommend the ice cream sandwiches!

Back to the views and birds.

Amazing view huh?

And ....here they come. Can you see all those tiny specks in the sky? Those are the Purple Martins flying in to Bomb Island.

Straight above our heads.

More flocking to the island.

After most of them get to the island, you can't see them anymore but you can hear them all 'talking' and it's really quite loud, and amazing!

I wonder where they go from here...??

Thanks for stopping in!

A Beachy Centerpiece

2009-08-26T09:36:00.005-04:00

I am joining the Beach Party at The Shabby Chic Cottage today. I don't have alot to post because my house isn't really beachy although I REALLY wish it was but this is something I whipped up the other day before company came into town. We were headed on the lake for a sunset 'dinner' more like appetizers cruise and sightings of Purple Martin birds (another post coming about that, and pictures so be sure to come back).
So, this is what I whipped up basically for nothing.
I had the middle container-a large Margarita glass and it had these shells already in it, in my cabinet. The shells were from a beach trip several years ago but since my house isn't really 'beachy' they've been stored. *sigh*.
The other two containers are leftover, washed, and 'delabled' spaghetti sauce jars! Yup, you heard that right! I am a NUT for containers of any sort and hate throwing them out, so when I made some spaghetti the other day, I thought...hmmmmm.
I filled them with more shells from various beach trips (I'm also a nut, and separate the shells by the trips/years we found them. So, from left to right, trips '07, '06, and '09--can't find '08-oops.
The 'raffia' is actually made of plastic and came off of a package of something I bought at HLobby! Add some votives and Viola!

As you can see this is my porch table. We sit out here and enjoy the evenings.

Fridays (ok, Monday) Show us your life

2009-08-24T08:51:00.003-04:00

This week is baby showers and is hosted by Kelly at Kelly's Korner.
I am showing you the family baby shower we had that was hosted by my mother in law and sister in law. I had a shower at work too, but can't find those pics, sadly. (And I didn't have a shower when I had my son.)
This is me and hubby before leaving for the shower. Yes, I 'made' him go with me. :)
(and you will see this is before we painted the den--BORING)

The spread, or most of it.

Great friends and family.....

Opening gifts and one of my favs...a monogrammed bib.

Me and my mom...(boy, I am huge! incidentally, this was three weeks before she was born)

Me and my in laws. From left to right--Niece, SIL, me, and MIL.

Thanks for letting me share my shower with you. Now, go on over to Kelly's to see more!

Happy Friday everyone!

2009-08-21T15:15:00.002-04:00

I am so glad it is Friday. I have a ton of projects I need to get done, but we will be cooking tonight (for our boat ride tomorrow) and then we get up to get ready. You see, we have some friends and family who are going to be boarding our boat tomorrow afternoon. We plan to enjoy a little sun, and R and R, and then head out to Bomb Island to see the Purple Martins (birds) as they fly at dusk. Below is a picture, and although it's not the best, you get the idea.

http://habitat.thestateonline.com/?cat=39 (picture courtesy of and you can read more about it through that link)
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh nothing is going to be finer than a nice little dinner cruise at sunset (wait-what about a tablescape!?! I gotta get moving on planning that one!).
Oh, did I mention we'll be KID FREE!?
I hope I will have pictures of my own on Monday so be sure to check back in.
Happy Friday to everyone!

Tablescape Thursday

2009-08-19T21:17:00.006-04:00

Hi All!

Susan at Between Naps on the Porch is hosting another Tablescape Thursday and this is the first time I am joining. This is my current tablescape, but it's likely to change soon for Fall so stay tuned!
I am currently looking for a new tablerunner so feel free to leave your feedback. Does it need to be an accent color, gold, red, or something totally different?
Thanks!
Plates were purchased on sale at TJ Maxx and love them!

The glasses were my grandmother's and I love the 'dot detail'.

Thanks for stopping in and I LOVE comments, so feel free to leave them!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-08-19T14:45:00.002-04:00

Thrifty Finds and Metamorphosis Monday!

2009-08-17T09:22:00.005-04:00

Gotta love Monday's just for these!

Please stop on over at Rhoda's to see some thrifty treasures and Susan's to see Metamorphosis Monday.

I picked up a few new items Friday but more on those later.
Remember this picture? I posted a little about it here. It is a canvas.

I got it at GW for $1 and originally thought I would paint the frame but once I did the chalk board, I loved the rustic look of the wood frame against the black chalk board. Here it is in it's new home. I can see that this piece will be all over my house.

This is one of my finds from Friday's stop at His House. I squealed with excitement!

And not only because of my new found interest in glass stopper bottles, but this one had 'Lavoris' on it! Not sure of value, but thought it was neat and you just don't see these anymore. Anyone know??

(sorry the picture is poor--I just couldn't get a good picture of it, showing 'Lavoris').

Here it is in it's new home, right beside my other finds from His House a few weeks ago!

(I put peppercorns in there for now, but thinking of an infused oil)

Thanks for stopping in...and don't forget to check out more Thrifty Treasure's at Rhoda's and Metamorphosis Monday ideas at Susan's.

Show us your life Friday.....Vacation spot

2009-08-14T07:00:00.001-04:00

I am joining Kelly's Friday link party-Show us your life. I can't wait to see all the great places. You can, too, if you go here.
This week, we're sharing our favorite vacation spot(s).
I actually have two favorite places.
First ~~because we go more often~~ is Charleston, SC.
We have alot of friends that live there and it's pretty close. We also got married there, on Sullivan's Island, in front of the lighthouse. You can read about that lighthouse here.
And you can see more about our wedding here.
This was a house we passed walking down the walkway to the beach. Can't you picture yourself sitting there in that swing with a nice glass of wine, or cup of coffee.

And there is nothing like the sunset at Shem Creek. I just love seeing the shrimp boats as the sun sets. I wonderful place to stay is the Shem Creek Inn. It overlooks the creek and has restaurants within walking distance.

Of course, I would be remiss if I didn't mention our ~~new~~ favorite vacation spot, Edisto Beach SC. You can read a little more about our vacation here.

This was the view from our house. So relaxing.

As the sunset.

This was actually from the front of our house.

We took our boat and went out to the marshes one day. We saw dolphins jumping-sorry I don't have a picture of them (close up that is) but I was so amazed by them, I just watched and didn't snap.

Here is a view of the marsh.

A previous renter had left us this sand dollar. We left it for the next family.

As I said we loved Edisto.

Well, for the most part that is.......

Thanks for stopping in!

DIY Thursday

2009-08-13T08:51:00.003-04:00

I am joining Kimba's DIY Thursday link party.
Stop on over there and check out other great ideas!

I forgot to take a picture of the tray before, but it was painted a lighter shade and you can see the blue design in the middle. I just didn't go with the rest of my decor, so I decided to change it up.
I sprayed it with Heirloom white, sanded the edges and then wiped stain on the sanded part to give it a distressed look.

I used scrapbook paper to line the inside. Yes, it took forever to match up the pattern but I did it. And glued it down with stick glue!

And here it is in my dining room (on my buffet) just ready for some dessert!

Thanks for stopping in---feel free to leave me your comments, as I love them!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-08-12T14:39:00.002-04:00

They are backkkkkkkkkkkkkkk

2009-08-12T12:23:00.005-04:00

Whew, I thought I was going to go nuts!

Or, as my dear friend Kathy used to say (in frustrating times).....
'I am going to go running down the street with a pot on my head'. (still no clue where she got that from but I use it from time to time, rest in peace Kathy!)

Anyhooo---It may look something like this-

But, now that they are back, I am happier than a 'pig in slop'. OR a little girl in ribs....
Whew.....so glad my blog roll is back!

I am so 'sick'

2009-08-12T08:03:00.003-04:00

Just sick, I tell ya....

I went to check up on my favorite blogs last night and found that all, yes ALL, my watched blogs on my dashboard were gone!

GONE.

Nothing there.

GONE.

And I'm just sick about it.....Now, I have to find a way to get all those back!

Booo Hooo. Hooo.

A Day in the Life....

2009-08-11T08:25:00.002-04:00

I know I wrote a little about our recent trip to Edisto Beach, SC here. But I can't resist showing you this picture as well. Just a glimpse of what life is like around our house.

*sigh*

My weekly thrifty finds

2009-08-10T13:41:00.006-04:00

While I missed the Longest Yard Sale, I did find some treasures at His House and Good Will last week. Therefore, I am joining Rhoda's Thrifty Treasure Monday, yet again. I just love Mondays for this reason ~~and no other reason~~. Stop in at Rhoda's to see more great ideas after you're done here.

Here is what I scored between His House and GW. Total cost was $3.25. And two of them have already been transformed.

See the little mirror I painted. I gave it a light coat of Heirloom white for a more antique look and plan to put it in my daughter's room when we get to move her into her 'new' room. The little frame was also painted with Heirloom white, but a thicker coat. and I plan to take the old picture out and put colorful paper in there and paint her initial on the paper.

A closer look at the mirror before:

This picture came from His House for $1 and it is already 1/2 way redone. I will include a post when it's complete.

Did you see this platter in the above picture with all my goodies. It was one of those silver numbers but I spray painted it Heirloom white and put a decal of our state tree (Palmetto Tree). And yes, I cheated and didn't actually PAINT it. I'm not that good. Ahem.

I gave this to a friends of mine as a birthday present last week.

And I might as well join Susan's Metamorphosis Monday too since I have had an ongoing project that include Oil Rubbed Bronze and my light fixtures and door knobs.
here is a glimpse of my bathroom before. Can you see that dated ~~ugly~~ gold towel rod? Yep, it was all over the bathroom. (sorry couldn't get great before pics)

Well, here it is after a coat of my new love.....Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint! I can't believe it took me 5 years to do this!
Even the door handle got painted. (So did my front door BRASS knob.....someone stop me now!)

Thanks for stopping in....Please don't forget to check out Rhoda and Susan for more great ideas!

I got an award!

2009-08-10T08:00:00.001-04:00

Just dwelling into blogging, I am learning alot about things.
Apparently, you can give and receive awards for your blog.
Such a nice surprise when I logged on and saw that I received on myself.
First, I want to thank Shauna for giving me my very first award.
Secondly, I'd like to thank my family for giving me inspiration for my blog posts. Whether it be posts about my thrifty finds, makeovers w/ those finds, or interesting facts. Like what you ask?
Like this humorous post, this rehab project (have I mentioned how much I LOVE oil rubbed bronze!?) post, and this post recapping last year's events.
Now, back to the award.
The rules are simple. You post about 5 of your current obsessions and then pass the award on to 5 fantabulous bloggers. Simple. Easy.

Here are my current obsessions, in random order:
1. Oil Rubbed Bronze. I HAVE mentioned my love for it right?

2. Blogging. It's really grown on me and what a great way to share things with people. I've also enjoyed reading others' blogs, daily. Can someone hit refresh too many times on the dashboard?

3. Thrifting. Whether it be Good Will or His House (like Salvation Army)--I hit those at least once a week and never come home empty handed.

4. Edisto Beach, SC. We recently got back from there and are SO glad we changed our annual family vacation spot to there. So beautiful and relaxing.

5. My crockpot. I typically cook something in it every Sunday. Meal for that night, and lunches for the week.

Now, here are 5 fantabulous blogs:
1. A Byrd's Nest
A story of a cute little girl and a mom with some neat DIY ideas.

2. Little Green Notebook
Some great DIY projects

3. Chester and Donkey
I just love this girls' thrifty finds and her love for cups and saucers.

4. My Kitty Scraps
More great ideas

5. Jack in the Blog
Mary has an adorable little boy and she is a wonderful mother who likes to deer hunt

That's it. Thanks again to Shauna!

Show us your life Friday...Honeymoon

2009-08-07T07:42:00.002-04:00

This may be a boring week for me, but I'm joining Kelly's (from Kelly's Korner) Friday linky party. This week is Receptions and Honeymoons. If you remember from last week, we eloped. If you didn't see that post, go here and read about it.
So, we boarded a cruise ship right after our beach ceremony therefore, no true reception. The cruise went to the Bahamas and Grand Caymans. And I will apologize in advance, because I don't have many pictures :( and the ones I have aren't great quality as that was before I got my good camera. AND, no pictures of the hubby and I. Sad.
This is as we were pulling into the Bahamas.

This was the view as we pulled up to our own 'private' Carnival island. We were on an excursion called the Yellow Bird Party boat. Man, was that a good time. And I know have more pictures (just remembered this) but no clue where they are. Sorry!

I wore my 'bride' hat most of the cruise. Cute huh?

This is me clowning around inside this red phone booth I found.
At Senior Frogs.

Sorry this is short, but without alot of pictures, I knew it would be boring. We really had a great time though!

Now head on over to Kelly's to see more!

DIY/Transformation Thursday

2009-08-06T08:27:00.005-04:00

I recently started some projects in my house so I thought I would join in the parties this week.

Gina at The Shabby Chic Cottage is doing Transformation Thursday and Kimba at a Soft Place to Land is doing DIY Thursday. Go check them both out for more great ideas.

Let me preface this by saying we have lived in our house for 5 years....and for 5 years, I have not liked ~~hated~~ our light fixtures. Thankfully, I recently was introduced to my new favorite spray paint, Oil Rubbed Bronze by Rust-oleum so decided to try it on my fixtures. I have to say that I LOVE this paint! I know you've seen it all over blogland.

Here is my dining room fixture before.....

and here is it after......What do you think?

(and notice the change in table scape. :) )

A close up....

This fixture I REALLY disliked ~~hated~~. Most of the fixtures are this 'patina green' (is that what you call it--I do). I am not really a great person and our house is not really a 'green' house if that makes sense. You can see most of our downstairs here to see what I mean.

I was so excited to change this fixture, I didn't get a shot of it up but here it is before paint, disassembled.

And here it is after paint and reassembled.

Another view.

You can see this fixture's 'before' here -just scroll down a bit.

I am repainting all of my fixtures inside and out ~~because can you believe they put these on the OUTSIDE too!? ugh~~.

Thanks for stopping in....and do tell me what you think of the changes. Have you tried Oil Rubbed Bronze and love it too!?!

**we ran out mid-project and couldn't find it anywhere in town. I panicked. But, found it at a nearby Lowe's. Bought all they had. Whew.**

Just your typical Sunday afternoon

2009-08-05T15:02:00.003-04:00

You know---in our quiet ~~crazy~~ Anderson household, you may see this

...but only if you're REALLY quiet.

Today's Thrifty Treasures....

2009-08-03T12:50:00.004-04:00

I am once again joining Rhoda's Thrift Treasure Monday!
I have missed the last few because of vacation and then catching up so I'm back!
Right before I left for vacation, I just had to stop in Good Will. I think I am addicted, really. ha.
Below is the total things I found and the total was $4.25!
A close up of a few things. I just love that oval frame (.50!) but plan on painting it. The clear thing is a napkin holder and used it for a family cookout at my house the following weekend. The candle holder will get a paint job too. Are you noticing that red 'planter' or container? Want to see more?
Well, here you go. I love this thing and it was $1!. It will probably get a paint job but loved the shape and accents.

And who can resist $1.50 shoes for a little angel girl. She fell in love w/ these but the other day they gave her blisters on BOTH her feet.....and I think she's done with them. :(

I didn't get this at Good Will, but did get it at TJ Maxx on clearance for $7. Have been wanting one but didn't want to pay full price. There are a few at Stein Mart I am keeping an eye on too.

Thanks for stopping in...and please head over to Rhoda's link party and see many more great ideas! I just love Mondays!

My Wedding - October 20, 2003

2009-07-31T07:41:00.007-04:00

It's time for Kelly at Kelly's Korner Show us your Life Friday. Today is wedding party and flowers/ceremony.
I can't wait to show you ours. I missed last week so sneaking a few pictures of my dress in here, but they also show my flowers.

My husband and I eloped. We had been dating and planned a cruise with another couple. The closer the cruise came we started 'joking' about just getting married on the beach before boarding the boat--OR getting married in the Bahamas on the beach (which was too much of a hassle, we found out). So, the plans were set in motion. The only people that knew was the couple that went with us. Not even our families knew. I had made up announcements (we arranged for a reception a few weeks after we got back) that had a picture of the beach and lighthouse (where we got married-it's a local beach so we had visited it before this) and the front said, 'On the beaches of Sullivan's Island, on October 20th...'
Open, and said 'Chuck and Reid got married!'
We got married, then on the way to board the ship, we dropped them off at the post office. We laughed a few days later, saying the phone lines were probably burning up! It was great.
Now, on for the good stuff...pictures!
Since it was the beach, I had hubby stand with his back to me and I walked down to him.
Of course he had seen me that day, but hadn't seen my dress, etc. (oh yeah-did I mention I had to change at a local establishment because we rode there together! A hoot!)

And he turns to see me......heart melts.

Happily married couple! Toes in the sand and all.

Perfect!

And here is our wedding party! Ha! Don't you just love the hats!

More of the wedding party.

I present to you....Mr. and Mrs. Anderson

And you know how they take a picture of you boarding the boat....yup, ours was another 'formal' wedding picture. I actually wore my dress around the ship for the first few hours. People congratulated us all night. Then, remembered us most of the week....'aren't you the Bride and Groom'? It was great! I highly recommend eloping!!! It was the best day of my life and I wouldn't have had it any other way.

Thanks for stopping in. Don't forget to go to Kelly's Korner to see more great ideas and pics!

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beaches, dolphins, and sea turtles, oh my!

2009-07-29T13:10:00.004-04:00

Sorry I have been MIA!

We took our annual family beach trip last week.

We have been going to Garden City for the last 7 or so years but decided to change up a bit this year and try Edisto. It was a great beach and a busy week! This was the view from our house.

Both Corbett and Gracie enjoyed the beach this year. Gracie actually played in the sand and water all day.

Chuck Jr. learned ~~kind of~~ to surf and actually got up one time.

Oh, and he also met a girl......don't think anything became of it but still.....a sign of what's to come.

We took the boat out one day and had a nice time. We went around 'the sound' and saw some dolphins jumping near some boats. I tried to get a picture of it but just couldn't really well. (so didn't include that one--we were too far off).
BUT, one of the most exciting things was we saw sea turtles being born! We couldn't believe it! The 'Turtle people' (people helping to protect them) came and told us there were two nests right in front of our house and to keep our porch lights off and no flashlights.

Well, one night they came and told us they were getting ready to be born so we went to see them. Gracie was so cute, watching for them. They came out and oh my how amazing it was to see all those little turtles head for the sea. The picture below was as good as I could do with no flash. Aren't they cute?

I was excited to get to spend alot of time with my babies. They kept me busy ~~wore me out~~ .

Monday was hard leaving daycare.

It's Scuba Steve! No, wait, wrong gender.....

It's Scuba Shashie!!

As I said she enjoyed the true beach this year. She played very contently most all of the days. (whew)

I was excited to see how Corbett would do in the sand this year since last year he slept most of the time on the beach. I could just picture a sun-kissed, smiling little boy, toes in the sand.

Instead, got this.

Maybe next year.....(but, to his defense we had taken some ~~a battery of~~ family pictures and he was just spent.
See, here's one of Gracie:
And here we all are.....The Andersons

Thanks for stopping in and I notice the pictures look grainy but don't on my PC so sorry!

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Kids Birthday parties.....

2009-07-17T18:58:00.005-04:00

I am ~~late~~ joining Kelly's blog party and this week is Kids Birthday Parties. I LOVE the variety that she is doing and can't wait for each week. Don't know who Kelly is? Well, GO HERE! She's precious and has an even more precious daughter! So, this week I will be showing a few parties.
Here is my step son's birthday party two years ago. April 06. He turned 11.
Not alot of decorations but this is the porch where we celebrated.
(we LOVE our porch)

And he wanted oysters (yes, OYSTERS) the next day. Yum!And here is (sorry these are smaller) the porch decorated for my daughter's 1st birthday. We did pink and green. This was December 07.

I started this for my daughter and have done it three times now. I cut '1' cookies out for her 1st birthday. :)

She had little interest in her cake. *sigh*

Opening gifts.

This is 'the porch' again, this time decorated for my daughter's 2nd birthday. You can see I added a Christmas tree on this porch for the season. December 08. That year, we did pink and black.

The hot dog cooker was a hit. DH happen to have it at work (his business repairs restaurant equipment) and we borrowed it!

Still not real interested in the cake but look how cute it is w/ the polka dots (and her outfit is matching...tee.hee).

The famous number cookies again...this time in '2' of course.

This 'the porch' again.... and the hot dog cooker. It's my son's 1st birthday and it was January 09. Decorations are in yellow because I did Monkey 'theme'.

Opening gifts.

His cake. More polka dots. Love them!

And my little birthday angel.......
And he, too, wasn't interested in his cake. Oh well.

Aweeeeeeee isn't he cute!?

Thanks for stopping in! Good luck planning your next event!

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My Thrifty Treasures.....

2009-07-11T22:21:00.005-04:00

Again I am joining Rhoda's Thrify Finds weekly blog party!

I so enjoy seeing others' treasure and of course sharing mine!

Please stop in and see the linky party! You can see it here.
I have a few to share this week.

I found TWO of these puppies at Good Will. They were .50 each! I was so excited. I've already cleaned them both and painted one Heirloom White (by Krylon). I may keep one but I think I am going to do an initial on one and give it away at Christmas. So cute huh?

This is my BIG find, and Hubby's nemesis.

I stop in His House from time to time ~~about once a week~~. I found this Friday and just about squealed when I saw it. It is in perfect condition and no worn areas. A dream.

It did have three cushions with it (really?) but we stopped at the dump on the way home and got rid of them. I plan to find a single cushion for the bottom and three across the back (maybe), paint it (not clue what color-suggestions wanted), and put it in our back yard. Hubby thinks I'm nuts and just shook his head when I told him last night we had to go get it. The cost? $15!

And this is him, God love him, smiling ~~making fun of me~~ unloading it.

Thanks for stopping in and feel free to give me opinions!

You'll be sorry if you don't go see Rhoda!!

Reid

a plant.....and a little boy

2009-07-11T21:16:00.006-04:00

This is a story about a plant and a little boy.
See this plant below? I received it from a dear friend who visited me in the hospital the day I gave birth to my second child, my son. She surprised me from out town, brought this, something for my son and something for my oldest child (daughter). It was so special to me and the fact that I could replant it made it even better. However, I was afraid I would not be able to take care of my little plant well enough. I was afraid my little plant would not grow as it should. I was afraid.
Regardless, I came home and rooted it in our front planter, just waiting on something to go wrong. For a while, it didn't do so well. In fact, all last year was rough and bleak for my little plant.

This is my little plant today. Growing strong and developing. Developing a little behind but developing still the same. I have watched my little plant through the last year and a half, holding my breath, trying to be positive that things would be okay. They are. See my little plant? It's a miracle it's alive.

Now, meet said son.
This is the day he was born ~~the day I received the plant~~. This is one of the best days of my life. However, I was afraid. I was afraid I would not be able to take care of my little boy well enough. I was afraid my little boy would not grow ~~and live~~ as he should. I was afraid.
Regardless, I eventually brought my little boy home and rooted him into our lives and home, just waiting on something to go wrong. For a while, it didn't go so well. In fact, all last year was rough and bleak for my little boy.

BUT, this is my little boy today. Happy, relatively healthy, growing strong, and developing. Developing a little behind, but developing still the same. I have watched my little boy through the last year and a half, holding my breath, trying to be positive that things would be okay. They are. See my little boy? He is our miracle.

This is a story about a plant and a little boy. Coincidence they are on the same path? You be the judge.

And if you're still reading and want to know the details of my son's condition, please feel free to go here and read his Happy Birthday message from me, recounting his first year of life.

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