It's Time For The Truth

Okay, it's time for the truth. While things seem pretty and perfect at my blog, the truth is that I've felt "mostly dead" this entire week. Yes, mostly dead from what is likely a sinus infection from breathing in an over abundance of saw dust and paint fumes from this project. And from the reaction to the drug that is supposed to make me feel better.

Why am I telling you this?

First, because it's good to be reminded that even though all of my projects are done in a "well ventilated area" (outside), it's still good to protect myself, and you should protect yourself too.
Meet my new best friend. I'll look pretty funny. But funny looking is a better choice than mostly dead feeling.
Second, you must see the truth,

the whole truth,
and nothing but the truth.

Sick as could be, I dragged myself out, did a quick, but unfinished paint job on this chair. And an unfinished clean-up of the area, just so I could present a pretty picture to all who care to see.

But I feel bad---not mostly dead bad. I'm actually feeling almost alive again.
But I have been feeling guilty bad. Guilty for adding to the whole notion that we should always give the appearance of pretty and perfect. When the reality for all of us is that

RARELY is life pretty and perfect.

And to be honest, who wants it to be?

It's the messes in our lives that make us
appreciate the pretty.
It's the mostly dead moments that remind us
to embrace every moment of living.

I fear that the blog world
can be one more place where

we compare the worst in ourselves
to the best in others.
So today I will tell the truth.
My life is often a mess
and rarely pretty and perfect.
And I love it that way!

I Do Not Sew

I do not sew.

So why do I find myself with
a rather large stash of fabric?
And why is it so difficult for me
to pass by
fabric remnants at the thrift store
or the fabric store?
And why do I even find myself
in a fabric store
when I do not sew?
Perhaps it's because every once in a while
I stumble upon a great deal on some
fantastic fabric.And then I use that fantastic fabric to cover a seat.And I give that spray paint color a second chance.And the result is an outdoor chair
that looked like thisnow looks like this. And, without sewing,
I've made a pretty little spot
by my side door that beckons me
to rest and enjoy my shade garden.

A Little Outdoor Cutie

Last year I did a makeover on my back patio. My goal was to have it be fun, summery and a bit retro. I painted my collection of vintage metal chairs and other accessories in the colors of red and yellow. My boys teased that it looked like ketchup and mustard, which meant I had accomplished my goal of having it fun and summery. I also chose to decorate the patio so that it connected to the yard and flower garden, with garden accessories galore.In the spring of this year I stood at the back of my yard staring at my patio. I no longer loved what I saw. The bright colors were fun, but they also created visual clutter. So I chose new goals for my patio. I want it calm, classy, and more of an extension of the inside of my home.
One way that I chose to accomplish the home to patio connection was to incorporate another furniture piece. I decided that a china hutch would be the perfect choice. It could provide storage for cushions during the winter, and beauty and a bit of privacy during the summer. I began my search. The hutch had to be a bit on the smaller side. I didn't want it to overwhelm the patio. It had to have character. It had to be free of glass (who wants to continually clean?). And, most of all, it had to be cheap!

After looking through several thrift stores with nothing to be found, I started my search on our local on-line classifieds. I found this hand-made cutie for twenty-five dollars. What? You don't think it's cute? Well, it did have that grandpa's cabin look, and it was a bit short, standing less that five feet tall. But it did have character and it definitely had potential!We added legs and feet using a 4x4 that we'd found in the dumpster, and fence finials from the thrift store at 50 cents each.I gave it a fresh coat of spray paint, but found the color a little too boring, so I sanded it a bit to prepare it for it's next coat. I pulled out a mis-tint that had the wow factor. The paint was beautiful, but I wanted to add back some of that grandpa's cabin character. Out came the sandpaper and the stain.Thanks to the addition of the feet, this cutie now stands at 5'8'' and looks like a piece unearthed from an attic.

I love it!

Linked to Southern Hospitality and Metamorphosis Monday.

Frayed At The Ends

Since burlap has become one of my favorite designer fabrics of late, I've bought several yards, several times, cut by several fabric store ladies. But recently one fabric worker performed

burlap magic

right before my eyes and I just had to share!
If you want a perfectly straight edge on your burlap, you start by snipping the end with scissors. Then you take one thread and begin to pull. The burlap will begin to gather. Keep pulling the string with one hand and push the gathered section with your other hand until the pulled string has reached the opposite end of the fabric. Straighten out the gathers and you'll notice a perfect line which is now a guide for cutting the burlap. Once cut, if you want a perfectly frayed edge, just continue to pull threads until you achieve the frayed length you desire. That's how I made my wide burlap table runner for my outdoor table. I added some cute tablecloth weights so the table will always stay perfectly dressed.

A Favorite Combination

You know of my love for spray paint in transforming almost anything, and you know how much fun I've had using burlap in several projects, so it wouldn't surprise you that I decided to combine the two in the transformation of my thrift store lamp.After spray painting the lamp with R's metallic brown, I started the shade makeover. I purchased some chocolate brown burlap and a package of seam binding. I cut off the old material leaving just the plastic liner. I laid out the burlap and sprayed the outside of the shade with spray adhesive. I matched up the finished edge of the burlap to the existing seam on the shade. Then I rolled the shade on top of the burlap, pressing on the inside of the shade as I rolled.I trimmed the excess material from the top and bottom of the shade. I trimmed the opposite end of the fabric, pulled back the finished edge and tucked the raw edge under to make a nice, clean seam.
Using a clear tacky glue, I adhered the seam binding to the top and bottom of the shade. The lamp transformation is complete. A freshly painted lamp base combined with a newly covered burlap shade. A favorite combination! And a great price! Did you know that the big box red dot store sells burlap shades for twenty dollars? I paid less than ten dollars for the lamp, shade, and makeover materials. Linked to Tales From Bloggeritaville and A Soft Place To Land

Light Changes

I've been making some changes to my back patio. I found a chandelier and a tall lamp at the thrift store but I wasn't thrilled with the finishes so, of course, out came the spray paint!If you want to change the look of your chandelier without painting it, consider changing the style of the bulbs. Bulbs come clear, frosted, textured, flame tipped, or round. If you want more ambiance than light, you can choose flicker-flame bulbs or silicone covered ones. You can add or change lampshades. If you look, you can find shades at thrift stores and garage sales. Just be sure you know how many your chandelier needs so you won't come up short.Socket covers are another way to change the look. However, you should measure to be sure the new ones will fit (unlike what I did), or you can spray paint the existing covers (what I resorted to doing).To see more chandelier make overs, check out this post and this one.
Tomorrow I'll show you the finished lamp with it's made-over shade.

Basket To Go

When my children were younger I would keep a packed picnic basket in my car during the summer months. It came in handy. With a basket packed at all times, I only needed to worry about fixing sandwiches and grabbing drinks and we were ready to have a picnic. Or we would pick up some food at the drive-thru and then stop at a near by park to make eating out a real occasion. Somewhere between the changing of cars, and the growing of children I got out of the habit. This summer I decided to get back into it.I pulled out a pretty little basket from my basket stash (doesn't everyone have a stash of baskets?).I filled it with the usual supplies: plates, bowls, cups, utensils, pretty napkins, and a tablecloth, all from the dollar store. I also threw in some baby wipes for cleaning hands, spills, etc. Even though my family is now older and a bit smaller in size, I still want to make some impromptu family picnic memories.
I've added a few more supplies to the basket. My hubby and I enjoy going on a weekly date, but with the economy we've had to cut back. We have found date nights to be really beneficial for our marriage. I highly recommend it! Spending scheduled time alone together has strengthened our relationship. Our date nights have become a priority, even our kids expect us to go out every Friday. So we're not cutting back on our dates, just the amount of money we spend. Date nights don't have to cost a lot, they can be as simple as a dinner in the backyard while the kids are inside watching a movie. Now with the addition of candles, and a lighter in the basket, we can grab a chilled bottle of sparkling grape juice and we're ready to turn a five dollar sub into a romantic dinner for two.