Sea Glass Sailboat - Done!

I finished my little sailboat this morning. That is a real crab claw flag on the top.  :D

I ended up using Weldbond glue to attach the sea glass. It does dry clear. The bottom is a small piece of driftwood that I found on the beach. I like it.

I am planning to build a long shelf out of an old deck board I found along the side of the road.

I just happened to have shelf brackets that are the right size. :D They were white, so I spray painted them with Oil Rubbed Bronze.
I will probably add some rope to the front edge of the shelf?

This is REAL weathered wood! 

I need to put my foot up for a while now so this project will have to wait. Hope you are having a great Labor Day!

Good Day Sunshine

Last week I was working on things and things were not going well... Nothing has changed.

Today I am doing a sit down project. That because, I fractured a bone in my foot yesterday. Yep, clumsy me slipped on the bottom step of my deck and twisted my foot. It hurt. A lot. I tried ice, an ACE wrap and elevated it for a few hours. It didn't get better.

So I made a trip to the Doc In A Box I came home with this. A big black boot and a little dog with a look that says, "You really need to be more careful!"

Right now I am waiting for glue to dry. I'm testing Weldbond glue and clear Tacky Glue. I need something that will hold glass to wood and dry clear. Any suggestions?

My sailboat is about 12" tall. I'm using basswood, a dowel and a piece of real driftwood. I think it will look nice on a shelf.

I found this FREE printable online. Love it!  I think it will look great in a white frame. :D

I tried to print one and realized that my printer is out of yellow ink. Story of my life...

I hope you are having a good day! I'm hoping mine will get better soon!

Too Much!

Yesterday was just too much. It started with me splashing paint all over myself and my kitchen and went downhill from there...

I tried to put my mirror back into the frame but it wouldn't fit. I trimmed the back a bit but now the screws don't line up. I may have to try to drill new holes or use mirror mastic and hope and pray it won't fall!?

After failing at this project, I went outside. I mowed the back yard and then decided to fix the fence out front. I need to cut just one branch that is in the way. I got my pruning saw out. Then I realized the blade was stuck inside the handle. So I took it apart.  Now I can't figure out how to put it back together!

When I took the mirror off my newly painted dining room table I saw that I had somehow gouged the paint. I thought I had been careful not to do that. Now I will have to repaint the table top!

I decided on the fabric for the dining room chairs. I am recovering the original seats. I'm glad I bought two yards of this fabric so I can match the pattern on the chairs.

So far, I have removed the old fabric from one chair. There are about 50 staples holding the fabric in each one! I purchased an upholster's staple/tack remover. It really helps, but it's going to take a LONG time to do four chairs!

It seems like everything I touched yesterday ended up being frustrating! Hopefully, today will be a better day. Perhaps now you can see why I never seem to finish anything?!

Note to Self . . .

If you are going to shake a can of paint in the kitchen, be sure the lid is on tight!  

I had to roll off my pajamas, wipe off my hair, face and neck, shower and then start cleaning up the floor and counter top!

If this is the way my day started,  I can't wait to see what happens next!

It may be time for a morning nap?

Thrift Store Finds and Projects in Progress

My entire house is a project right now!  Here are some things that I found lately at "my" thrift store. This framed art was only $4.99.  :D

Love this $7.00 blue chair! I'm going to use it as a desk chair in the craft room. Very cool. What you see behind it are my many projects in progress!

I also found this pretty ceramic pedestal bowl. I've been looking for one for a long time. This one was only $3 and the perfect colors!

I attached a silk orchid to my real orchid plant that hasn't bloomed (or died) since I bought it about 4 years ago. I love the little flamingo too.

I just need to attach the frame to my mirror and it will be ready to hang behind the white sofa that I got at the same thrift store! Have I mentioned that I love Mission Possible?  :D

Hope you have a great day. I can't wait for the weekend so I can get back to work!  :D

A New Friend

Hello everyone!

I've been missing in action for over a month now...  Has it really been that long?!

I have working on my projects, trying to deal with my son's pending divorce, my own milestone birthday and getting to know our new four legged friend!

This is "Trinity." I wasn't looking for another dog. I really didn't want another dog. This one was wandering around the parking deck at work. Filthy, covered with ticks and fleas, timid and starving. She had a collar but no tags. I don't know where she had been, but I was sure she didn't want to go back there!

I coaxed her into my car, took her to my wonderful vet's office and then home later that day. I can't believe how sweet, well behaved and loving she is! I named her "Trinity" because that is where I found her, at the Trinity Medical Center parking garage.

After her vet check and bath she looks like a completely different dog! She does have heart worms but is not strong enough yet to be treated. Most of her teeth are missing. Doc said it was from trying to get out of a pen. He believes that she was never an inside dog. She has never known the comfort and love of a real home.

Dylan and Nugget seem to like her too. There has not been one nasty word between them. It is almost as if they knew she needed us. She is good in the house with supervision. She sleeps in her crate at night and when I am at work. The rest of the time she sits right beside me with her head on my lap. :D

Once I finish one of my seventeen projects I will post some photos. I'm still working on my dining room right now.

Hope you have a good day! Thanks for hanging around while I've been away!

A Little Something

What do you do when you have a little something that needs a little something?  This little yellow stool needed just that. I'm not finished with it yet but it's starting to come along...

I'm inspired by MacKenzie-Childs, Susan Sargent and Amy Butler's designs. My new fabric got me started.

I have two yards of this beautiful fabric, found on Ebay. It is a Loralie Design and I love it!

Hope you are having a lovely weekend!

Dining Room Before and After

I painted the walls and trim white and painted the table.

I found this pink lamp shade at my thrift store and attached a capiz shell wind chime inside it.
There are lots of tutorials about adding a shade to a fan. I liked this one at Thrifty Decor Chick.

Another idea I found on Design Sponge is to paint a design on window film. I did a search for "hibiscus graphics" and found this beautiful design.

I'm going to try using a paint pen and trace this pattern onto clear contact paper. We'll see how it works?

Hope you have a beautiful day!

Waiting For Paint To Dry...

I'm working on my dining room furniture today.  I decided to use the Watermelon Smoothie paint for the table base.

The top will be white so I can use any color place mats and dishes.

I'm going to paint the chairs white too. That is, after I do a lot of sanding and priming!

I haven't decided what fabric I want to use for the seats? I do have an idea though.

Hope you are having a great weekend!  

Defining My Style

Did you watch HGTV Star last night?  I did, and I am inspired. I've been trying to find and copy rooms I like but so far none of them are really "me."

I think this is why I have had so much trouble choosing fabrics and paint colors for my living/dining rooms. I've got the basics done now. White paint, bamboo and tropical colors. Something is missing...

There is a "hippie chick" inside of me that is dying to come out again.  :D













I love Amy Butler fabrics! I love her colors, patterns and the symmetry of her designs, especially her Lark collection.

So many beautiful fabrics! So many great colors!

I have an eclectic heart, a love for the sea and the beautiful colors of nature. Somehow I'm going to combine the things I love to create MY own space.

A counselor once told me that I needed my home to be my sanctuary. I want a place that defines who I am and makes me happy. I'm going to stop trying to copy others and define my own style!

Stay tuned.

Prime Time

I would love to skip the sanding and priming part of my dining room furniture, but it has be done, and someone has to do it!

Guess that's me!










I'm going to paint everything white for now. The table may end up another color, depending on which fabric I decide to use on the chairs?

This fabric is 54" wide so it will only take one yard to recover for seats. :D






I also have some cute fish fabric that I could use on the chairs...

I'll have plenty of time to decide. I've got four chairs and a table to sand, prime and paint!

Hope you are having a beautiful day!

Dylan, Drapes and Lamps

Thanks for all of your sweet and encouraging comments about Dylan. He is taking his antibiotics and seems to be doing well.  He is one tough little doggie!

I stopped by my thrift store again last night. I found this twin size sheet for $1.99 and a pretty lime green dust ruffle for the same price. Lots of fabric to work with for four bucks! I'm going to use it to add trim to my white sheet drapes.

I have two glass lamps that my mother and I made years ago. They are both completely filled with sea shells and are very heavy!  I'm going to take all of the shells out of the lamps and wrap the posts with bubble wrap before putting the shells back inside.

I love this little 1:12 lamp that Kris at 1 Inch Minis made.  So cute!

I know it is not as heavy as mine. :D




I took my lamps apart and spray painted the lamp parts with Rustoleum Oil Rubbed Bronze. Now they look brand new. I'm also going to use this paint for my electrical conduit curtain rods.

I'm hoping to find some pretty shells inside my lamps to use to make finials. Love these!

Image from Landi Designs Etsy

I've got my work lined up for today. What are you planning to do this weekend?

My Little Friend

This is a photo I took of my sweet little Dylan. It was taken two days after his cancer surgery in January. He has been doing great.  :D

Dachshunds are known to be stubborn and determined. He wasn't about to let a "little" surgery get him down!  He has been right by my side every minute. I can't even take a shower without him in the bathroom with me. He runs around the house, plays with Nugget and Henry Cat.

Of course he cuddles right next to me at night.  I think he likes to feel me breathing right beside him. I know I do...

Last night I discovered that Dylan has developed a small open wound on his chest. I felt something damp under his arm when I picked him up to help him outside.  It is right where his surgery was done months ago.

We're going to the vet this afternoon. Being a nurse, I imagine all sorts of horrible things...  I hope it is a localized infection that can be treated with antibiotics.  I know it is probably something else.

Please pray for us. We knew the time would come eventually. I just hope it's not right now.