Time Slips Away

Time slips away and I am easily caught up in responsibilities. Someone posted today that life has to be balanced and sometimes I forget to just do the things I love the most and that bring me enjoyment. So I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for following me and supporting me because I would not have spent the time today to paint without your 25 plus "Likes" on The Shabby Porch page over on Facebook.

Long ago, before my husband and I bought a boat, we did a lot of fishing from the banks at the bottom of the levee road back in the salt marshes. My husband almost always caught fish there. I sometimes got lucky but on that day there was nothing. I couldn't even get the crabs to go for my bait.  So I took photos with my camera instead. When I looked down, I saw this little flower that was growing out of the rock, shells and muck and it amazed me that something so beautiful could sprout and flower where nothing else could. It is a reminder that when conditions are bleak you can still sprout and grow and become something beautiful. This is acrylic on canvas, 8 X 10 inches.

Life Happens

and there is nothing you can do but roll with the punches.  After two upper respiratory infections, three rounds of antibiotics, quitting smoking, a total bathroom remodel in our one bathroom house, and some other equally distracting events that are not yet resolved, I have not had the energy or mindset to blog. Today was a good day though and I was able to move the aqua dresser into the house, paint the dresser hardware, and now I need to start the decorative painting portion. 

I finished painting the cabinet doors to the bathroom. Unable to put them up yet as I still have the cabinets to put a second coat on but I will post some before and after pictures when I finish.

I also started priming a coffee table that I'm going to keep for me. It had dark glass insets but I'm thinking I want to add a wood top and finish it with some french graphics. 

And my last photo is a print I recently purchased that makes me happy. Something simple, beautiful colors, and lovely flowers. Here's hoping your week is wonderful and that your blessings abound.

My first Linky Party

Okay, so I admit, I'm a newbie and a blogging dunce. So if I do something wrong, please tell me!  I don't have a clue what I'm doing but I want to learn. You see I found these wonderful, blogging people that are so freakin creative, crafty, artsy, and inspirational that I want to tap into the flow and learn all I can from them! The pictures above are of my very first project, created with love for a grown daughter that wanted to redo her bedroom. I purchased the end tables along with a bed that I re-created for my grandson, and the dresser you've seen in the prior post.  The end tables are what got me started, after reading some of the blogs, which by the way, I would never have discovered if it weren't for pinterest. I mean, who knew there was this seemingly underground of talented people! So from the bottom of my heart I thank you all for inspiring me and for giving me such wonderful, helpful tips on upcycling furniture, decorating your home, sharing your art...all through your awesome blogs.

Veneer is Jamaican me Crazy!

So, little did I know what a pain in the nether region veneer can be! What I have learned so far. 1. Never buy a piece of veneer furniture to refinish unless it is in pristine shape. And never let the seller put your piece outside before you can get there to pick it up. As much as I love this dresser, it just keeps peeling veneer, no matter how much I patch and paste, there is still more peeling loose in places.  Not sure if I will be able to sell this, but I'm hoping that whatever flaws are seen will be taken as character in the piece, but we will see.  2. I'm a very messy painter.  Hope husband doesn't notice the blue splotches on the deck. Thinking the TSP cleaner should take care of those, hopefully. 3. I used the TSP cleaner on the top of the dresser and then used the Sander/Deglosser before painting.  On the drawers I sanded and then primed them with the spray on Kilz and then sanded with 220 sand paper before painting. I'm curious to see how  differently the two methods hold up.  4. I'm absolutely loving the Jamaican sea color! Thinking I need to paint some tropical flowers and leaves on the dresser.  I'm getting there, still need a light sanding and second coat, ugghhh, not sure how others are making money doing this cause it seems to take alot of time! Or maybe I'm just old & slow LOL, but I don't think so.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Progress!!! I definitely made some progress today, and it was a wonderful sunshiney day for it too. Sanded & primed drawers. Painted some frames and almost have my Shabby "Fun with Geo's" painting ready! Here's some photo's from today. Hope you enjoy. Have a Happy Valentine's Day, I'm off the the shower :)

My Favorite Comfy

When you're sick, do you have things that make you feel comfy? I have been battling an upper respiratory infection for the past few weeks and finally broke down and went to the doctor.  I am feeling lots better now and took today off the day job to work on some of my long overdue projects.  Plus I think I am going to do a giveaway here within the next month or so.  Anyway back to what I was saying, there were a couple of days where I was absolutely and utterly miserable. So miserable in fact, that I didn't even want a smoke. As a 2 pack a day smoker (yes, embarrassed to admit) for the past, well, 15 + years (yes, embarrassed also to admit) and social smoker off and on for the past 35 years, for me not to want a smoke can only be an act of God and that is exactly what I accepted it for. I am now 10 days nicotine free, without even a secret puff! But during those miserable sneezing, coughing, sore throat days,  I slept upright on the couch with my favorite, most comfy throw in the whole world. I love this throw so much I would carry it everywhere with me, just like Linus in the Charlie Brown cartoon series, if I could without looking silly. So what is your favorite comfy?

Shopping Therapy And a Birthday Celebration

I'm ashamed to say I haven't produced anything to show for sale on the site yet. I've been sick, work is in crisis mode, and I haven't had the time to get to the store to get the sandpaper, primer and craft paper I need to finish my projects. Dinners last week weren't usually on the table before 7 p.m. and afterward I just didn't have the energy to do anything before collapsing for the night. Thank goodness I have wonderful husband that pitches in, cooks, washes dishes and does laundry! Then add a daughter that needed a day of shopping therapy today after a relationship breakup and my oldest son's 35th birthday party this evening, and well, here I am with nothing to show you. 

One of the stops on our shopping therapy trip was an estate sale. I absolutely love going through other people's stuff. And this house had some nice "stuff", lots of it, and this was the second day so everything was 40% off. SCORE! I had to turn my head away from the beatiful antique pieces. I live in a 1940's arts and crafts home, that although it is full of years of good karma, it is also full of furniture, and I don't think I could cram another piece in it without it being wall to wall and cramped. And really the prices were reasonable at the sale, but I don't even have a place to store it even if I had bargained and bought a piece to refinish and sell (a workshop is on the "want list"!).  For now it is going to be one furniture project piece at a time and I still haven't had a chance to start on the dresser I posted about in my last blog post.

So what was my awesome score today? My wonderful daughter spotted it, picked it up and handed it to me. It was this beautiful vintage 68 piece set of Wm. Rogers 1847 Eternally Yours silverplate flatware.  It was only $60, subtract 40%, and yea! $36 for all of it and they even threw in a matching meat fork that I found over in the box with the souvenir spoons.  I think I got a pretty good deal! My research tonight says it was first produced in 1941 and was a very popular wedding gift for WWII brides. Now I know this sounds kind of crazy but I always feel like this house smiles and is happy whenever I paint a 40's vintage color on the walls, or bring in a vintage furniture piece or decor piece from the 40's. I swear the house feels happy when I brought today's find in. The flatware needs some cleaning and probably takes alot to keep it looking good, but I can't help but love it!

So I'm on the mend, the house is happy, the daughter got her shopping therapy, we had a wonderful dinner and birthday celebration for my oldest son, and tomorrow I work on completing scholarship paperwork with my youngest (soon to graduate high school) son. Hopefully I can sneak in a trip to the store for my sandpaper, primer and craft paper tomorrow and have something to produce for sale by next week.  But for now, here is a photo of today's great score! And yes, it's missing one dinner  knife and two salad forks to complete the eight piece set, but I think I can find those fairly easy.