Face Lift in BLUE!!!

After thirty years of being surrounded by family, church groups, and I must add BOYS, well what wouldn't  need of a face lift?

When we begin buying furniture as a young married couple I went for country and durable.  I wanted furniture that would stand the test of time and made you feel welcome in our home.  Of course at age 20 I couldn't have imagined that I would still have these pieces 30 years later, but I do.  So with changes in our lifestyle I have been so grateful for buying good furniture in the beginning, but now they need a face lift.

Rug - a garage sale find for $40.00 to help keep white renter carpet white! Tables in need of face lift!

To the horror of my Dad (sorry Dad) I have started to paint my honey oak tables.

I first started with staining the tops of the tables with black stain.

Pedestal was painted in a Robin Egg Blue....like my spray paint called Bahama Breeze

De-stressed through sanding and adding an oak glaze over the top.

Finished Coffee table know holds our seasonal picture books, the bread bowl from my husband's great-grandmother, filled with roses from him, and a new vase.  Updated and yet, still my 30 year old table.

My husband's only request....PLEASE DON'T PAINT THE GRAND PIANO!!! Which I never intended to do, but I will change out the seat cover!
Now this is the type of face lift I can handle!

Closing the Door to Summer

I have to stop and reflect on the Summer of 2010, since I am not a list maker, so I don't have completed "to do" list...I have a done list. Now I can close the door to summer and  move forward.

This summer God walked me through some very personal growth.  He used his written word, blogs and books by different authors.  I can say that when I posted that God was putting me back on the potter's wheel I had no idea what means He would use.  Summer has meant "Spiritual Growth"

Summer 2010 has been a time to Enjoy and Refresh with My Family

Summer 2010 has allowed me to be Creative - How Energizing!

Summer 2010 has allowed me to be  Productive

Through Mommy Piggy Tales, where I have been recording my youth...well I can say God allowed me to have the same type of summer I had as a youth.  All of the above were ALWAYS  accomplished during the summer....even without a list.

So Long Summer, welcome our 22nd year of home schooling .....now for FALL...what will my God have for you and I?  I hope your summer has been a blessing...and thanks so much for sharing mine with me....I couldn't have imagined the blog world either.

This Girl Has Found Another Color

Summer has allowed me the joy of bringing some new color to our corner of the world. I began with a can of Red spray paint and attacked our worn porch furniture. The change was so enjoyable that I started looking toward economical ways to bring another new color in our house.  Now to refresh our overly used earth tone furniture, without buying new furniture. The challenge is to add color without breaking the bank. Taking already acquired pieces and adding inexpensive items to the décor just brought out my creative side. 

My den is underway….started with a wonderful garage sale find as the beginning inspiration. The den reveal with come later. 

Today I will show my new stair landing table. The table was original bought at a garage sale…one leg missing, true trashes to treasure find. I brought the table home to saw off part of the table top to make a  quarter moon shape shelf for the wall. The remaining table would attach to the wall as a hall table.  This worked well for years, but now it is in need of a face-lift.





Finding the new color I wanted added to our house I purchase a new can of paint. The table was spray painted with Ocean Breeze, oops I was wrong Bahama Sea…I might like this color since it has been years since I have seen the ocean and the Bahamas sounds wonderful. 

After spray painting the whole table Bahama Sea, I stenciled the table top in white. When all the paint was dry I hit the table and legs with the sander. I sanded across the stencil to make a worn look.

After the sanding I stained  over the table and legs with an oak stain. Now my new table has been the first introduction to a new color in my house. It stands out from the wall color…which I am not allowed to paint, and just screams fun to me. 

Total cost of my transformation…..$6.00!!!!!  One of my re-energizers and areas I am returning to cultivate has just brought a new color in my house. 


Joining Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday and Just Something I whipped up Monday.

This Girl Needs RED!!!!

Gazing around my small, treeless backyard I just needed some color!  My house isn't my canvas at this time. All the walls are beige, (with furniture which had been picked for rooms with colored walls) now blending into the surroundings.  I started to realize that things were colorless.

As I stood there watching my few dots of color, (my goldfish in our pond), I decided that everything that was metal was going to have a face lift.  This face lift wouldn't be costly... a can of spray paint is only $3.00. Now what will the color be?

What color will make me smile and bring cheerfulness to our small yard?  Well it just had to be RED!!!!

With my finger on the trigger, I was entering the land of no return....the boring, non-exciting, worn pieces were being overcome with fusions of RED.

What fun!  Even with the 90-degree heat beating down on my back, I was enjoying the transformation.  Something so small just brought great joy.

How easily we can get stuck in a rut, when just a small creative outlet can bring life back into something lifeless.  A backyard picnic on a blanket can break the routine of the same old, same old day.  Eating dessert BEFORE dinner, while the children giggle, can bring such sweet memories.  Putting the mattresses into the family room to sleep, instead of the beds they were intended for.  A candlelight bath can relax and refresh a tired mother. They also provide the glowing ambiance for a romantic time with your husband - so many easy ways to break us out of our ruts.

Now to find some new pieces in my house to transform and lighten up!!!!  Maybe a garage sale item will work great against the beige walls....more paint......which color will I use next?

May you have a creative summer and enjoy all the color that surrounds us during this time.  What creative thing have you done to bring life into your dwelling or your family time...please share, I could use more ideas!!!

Time to Re-Energize - Day Three

Create...Re-energize Number 3 is to create, and I don't mean in the sense of procreation, thank-you, that one I have completed.

During the early years of parenting my four, (all under age 7!) I had an interior decorating business.  I ran this business out of my home.  I designed and created rooms, from window treatments to wall coverings.  This kept my creative juices flowing, and seeing my completed projects would energize me.

Then came the teen years- carpools, sporting events, music lessons... and another baby.  The season for the business came to an end; my creative juices would be used only occasionally.

Past and present energizers...

 Painting... I don't let something sit still too long, and walls are always an open canvas.  Furniture can be updated and transformed....garage sale items are a great place to start.  Many of my projects have been done with "oops" paints from Home Depot.

Sewing...not clothes, but anything for the home. My new bedroom bedding is the latest.  The energy I received from my new bedding was wonderful.  My next  adventure will be chair covers for the dining room, to transform the outdated honey oak.

I will also be finishing a Mother's Day order for a client ordered through my new business...www.encouragepillow.com.

Hand sewing....I haven't smocked, cross-stitched or embroidered in years, but I am going to do it again, even if it means with glasses.  I just purchased some flour sack rags to put iron-stamped embroidered patterns on them and see how much I remember from my grandmother.  I fondly remember having such peace when I set to busy my hands with a needle.

Scrapbooking....this creative hobby started with my fifth child.  I am not a good scrapper.  I concentrate on high school books for each child's graduation and then, ever so often, another one gets completed.  This year, the book is for ME.  I have started to gather all the pictures from my own life...oh, my!  The walk down memory lane is just awesome....now, to start my book to tell my story.  

Decorating....any means of decorating, whether it is just setting the table differently, re-arranging the furniture, changing the pictures on the wall or tearing out old white tile for oak counter-tops.  The change in my atmosphere can be a vitamin B-12 shot to my soul.  This week, I have taken down the 80's gold picture frames to spray paint them silver with black underlay.  The 80's gold frame mirror will have an overhaul  also.  My new dwelling is more limited than my past homes, so I am updating items instead.  As I started, my four-year-old met me at the table to "help me" paint.

I believe God made us to create, in one form or another. So, to neglect that part of our being will cause us to dry up. Therefore... creating re-energizes!  I think it is also the fact I LOVE to see something completed.  Parenting is a long process and I have already been on this journey for 26 years with at least 14 more  to go. So, to be able to view the completed process of parenting....well, forget that!  So, I am going to keep on re-energizing by putting my hands to creating.. and just watch my energy level rise!