my to do list

I am going to take a cue from house of hepworths and make a to do list.  This list is not to be strayed from until I get everything done on it.  None of it is hard, just odds and ends of stuff that just needs to be completely finished.  So here is my list ( i'm scared right now because I'm not sure how long it will be)
1.  Make a door screen similar to this to cover up my craft room when we have company.

This picture is from not just a housewife

I am, like jen from tatertots and jello am turning my former dining room into a craftroom and even though it wil be cute, I don't want people to see it when we have company.  So I thought this would be a cute divider to put in front of the doorway.  She installed frenchdoors, but I don't want the doorway permanently changed.

2.  I took this out of my master bedroom- that had been proclaimed "done"  never believe me, I'm a know liar in this area.

I'm now using it behind my tv in the family room, so I need to come up with something for that space and it needs to have my wedding date very subtly showing in the paint.  Here's the rehung door in the family room.

3.  Must buy 4 old doors, if you live in the dallas area I am calling dibs right now.  So don't even look till after this weekend.  I mean it I am a desperate woman, ha!

4.  I must somehow figure out a way to decorate my gorgeous windtunnel of a backyard.  We have a beautiful pool, outdoor fireplace and shade structure.  I mean beautiful.  I am blessed.  Everything I put outside ends up smashed against the back fence.  Everything, including metal, heavy chairs.  It's ridiculous.

5.  I must paint and distress this.

My thoughts are lime green, yellow or aqua blue, not sure yet.  The little boxes are the perfect size for paper plates, napkins and silverware and it's been outside long enough and has never kissed the fence.  Woo hoo!

6  I must finish the few touchups that I have left to do in the redone kitchen.

7.  I have to really explore painting the family room a new soft grey color

8.  I must rug tape my throw rugs together so they stop moving around

9.  I must finish my craftroom

10 .  I must paint the 9 pieces of furniture I have waiting in the garage to sell.  Then I can move on to other projects.

I would also like to make new family room curtains from possibly this fabric.

Here is a picture of my almost done family room just a s a reference.

So if you see a post from me without these on it, simply walk away, do not be an enabler!  I have a problem people, really I do.

lisa

linking to
houseof hepworths
shabbycreekcottage 
suzysartsycraftysitcom 
katiesnestingspot

changing for fall

Around here I like to change quite a few things with the seasons.  My mantel which I showed a few post back.  My china hutch, the frame I showed in the last post and alot of candles and bowls that I refill with stuff.  For summer most everything is seashells.  For fall everything goes to pinecones, pumpkins, pheasant feathers, acorns and candy corn.  Here is my entry way display for summer.

And here is the change for fall

Don't worry I bought more bags of it, because my hubby and kids pilfer from this all season.  I changed the blue grasscloth runner to my grandmas vintage tablecloth and switched out the seashells for the candy  Plus everytime I do this it forces me to wash the containers and really dust and clean the stuff around this area.

  I have a little cupboard in my kitchen that has large ziplocs filled with the seasonal fillers so that I don't rebuy acorns, pinecones, seashells, easter eggs, etc.  This type of storage has really worked well for me.  I find that if I have to search for things I lose interest. 

A few other changes for fall is my front door wreath.  I have one for every season now, but find they need perk ups every season. 

Heres the fresh from the attic wreath

Kinda dusty and faded.  Some parts need to reglued, etc.

Here is the after

I went to the dollar store and bought some fall leaves and hot glues those in the wreath.  I replumped the bow.  I had a few flowers that I also reglued into the wreath.  Just a little maintenance can make a big difference.

Another area that I like to add fall color to is my dining room tabletop.  I always have these silver candlesticks but in the fall I like to replace a few candle with fake pumpkins.

linking to
craftomaniac
crayonfreckles 
running with glitter

eighteen25 one of my fave blogs

I wanted to give you guys a heads up if you haven't found this blog yet.  I love them for 2 reasons, one they do the best seasonal printables for free.  Here is their latest.

Isn't darling?  You print it like a picture.  I just have a 16x20 frame with a cutout for an 8x10 always in the same spot in my house and every holiday when they do their printable I use the new ones and keep the old in the back of the frame.  they are awesome quality and free.  Here is the link to their page. here


and they do great book reviews for good reads. I am an avid reader and have read more then one book because they said to, and it was a wonderful book.  I'm not getting anything for this post, they don't need my help.  Just wanted my readers to have a heads up incase you were interested



lisa

ascp paint review annie sloan chalk paint

 

I'll let you decide if you like the bookcase or not.  Here's the cost rundown.

old white-2x because it doesn't cover that well.  3 to 4 coats to cover this oak bookcase.  That's 2x 38.00, so76 bucks for white paint that didn't cover as well as good old primer and a coat of good quality white paint.  Not thanks.  I will not ever buy the old white again.  Over rated, over priced, and doesn't cover at all.

The rest of the bookcase is done in graphite.  I like the color, it covered in one coat, so no primer needed.  It does distress well also, but it was 38.00.  I would possibly buy this again if the next part wasn't involved.

Waxing.  Not fun.  Lots of extra work.  Way more work then glazing, wiping off and doing a coat or two of poly.  Like it's an arm workout.  And you need 2 types of waxes and a very expensive wax brush, that is very cool looking.  But the wax is in the 30 buck range and so is the brush.  So now I have spent almost 200 dollars on paint that I didn't like that was a whole lot harder to work with. A brush that looks cool and works well.  Plus two tins of wax.  Hmmmmm!  Sorry I don't think I will be using any of this anytime soon again.  It is good quality paint, at least the darker shade was, but so not worth it.  Sorry ladies.

I so wish I loved this, because I adore all the bloggers that use it and love it.  But it just didn't do a thing for me, but the brush is really cute.

miss mustard seed
tatertots and jello 
funkyjunk

an unexpected adventure

Before I had children I was an adoption social worker and a foster care case worker.  Beautiful and heart wrenching both.  I did this for about 3 years and then became a mom 2x biologically.  For the past 14 years I have longed to adopt 2 more children.  Not babies.  Kids just sitting in fostercare waiting for a family.  My husband has been completely uninterested.  I'm not interested in nagging him into something he doesn't want to do so I stopped talking about it.  I didn't resent his lack of interest, I wasn't bitter, I was just perplexed why I had such a strong need to adopt and I was married to a man with 0 interest.  I prayed for 14 years.  It was barely talked about.  Every year or so I would bring it up to test the waters, but it was still the same.  This year I turned 47, I kept praying but mostly because my heart was broken and I was trying to understand why God would allow such a strong yearning for no reason.  Plus everyone I know is adopting right now.  I feel like everytime I go to church there is a new family that has started the process. 

This morning I was praying specifically about God healing my heart and taking the desire away.  The phone rang.  It was my husband.  We have not talked about adoption in months.

Husband" Let's talk about adoptions!"
me "huh?"
Husband- " I want to talk about adoption.  Are you still interested?
me - "um yes?"
Husband-  "  We've been married 19 years, you have supported me in everything I have ever wanted to do.  This is the only thing that you have ever really wanted to do and it's not becoming less of a desire as time goes on.  I don't want to be the person that keeps you from your adventure, so it's my adventure now too.  Why don't you start calling and seeing what we need to do!"
15 minutes of heart wrenching sobbing later I agreed. 
If that is not a love story I don't now what is!  So we are beginning this new adventure.  Somewhere out there are two children that need a family and I intend to pray and see who God has planned for us. 

lisa

343

A big respected number around here. It's the number of fireman killed on 9/11.  It's so deeply respected because my husband is a fireman.  He lives and breathes it.  He has another job also, so that we can pay the bills.  But mostly he's a firemen.  I don't have anything eloquent or profound to say about this topic.  I just respect the heck out of my man and want the world to know that he runs in when other people are running out. 

lisa

fall mantle

I've been working on this all day and will be doing tutorials later in the week for the mantle garland and sign.

Have a great weekend!

linking to
whipperberry
tatertots and jello 
funkyjunk 
just a girl 
sunday showcase 
craftomaniac 
making the world cuter 
sew chatty 
polly want a crafter 
crayon freckles 
running with glitter 
the thrifty home 
share the wealth wednesdays 
katiesnesting spot
suziessitcom 
i heart naptime 
fingerprintsonthefridge

halloween/fall decor

I am just starting to decorate seasonally.  I tend to lump halloween and fall together around sept 1st every year.  That way I only have to decorate once until Christmas begins.  Plus we do not do the witches, ghosts, graveyards, skeletons, etc.  We focus on harvest and thanking God for our harvest. I struggle every year with this because lets face it all the new halloween decor out there is FUN !  I love it, but honestly feel it would be wrong to honor that in my home.  I'm sure plenty of people disagree with me and plenty agree, don't worry I'll still be drooling over all the cute witch hats, and broom parking signs I see, I just won't put them in my house. 

Ok sermon done.  My daughter went to a Christian preschool years ago and they drew the line where I like to draw it.  If God made it then we can use it for decor, if not we will pass.  Although I have let mummies and frankie in from time to time, but that offended my kids, so now I'm down to pumpkins and this darling owl I found.

I'm a bad blogger and didn't show the before, just picture it in all it's harvest gold, orange and avocado green lovelieness, with glued on brown glass eyes.  It was truly creepy.  I painted it with high gloss black spray paint and it's done.  Such an easy project.  I am decorating the fireplace mantle today and will hopefully post with updates later to show everything.  I love this owl, it's both fall/harvest and just enough spook for cute without me feeling a little guilty.

Here she is on the mantle

 

I will have this puppy decked out soon with a new garland and painted sign I've been working on plus pilgrims and acorns, etc.  I'm excited.  

new sewing table

Hi everyone, happy fall ya'll!

 

Just wanted to show a pretty fall picture.  I'm just starting to change my seasonal displays and in Texas fall means pheasants feathers and lots of them. Despite the need for touch up paint from getting the new countertops installed, I think it looks nice.

So on to the craftroom redo.  Here is where the sewing table began.

Not very pretty but the setup has worked for me in the past.  The tables have a foam top so I just pinned a canvas from a bleached drop cloth on top.

If your table doesn't have a foam padded top then I would just duct tape the material in place, we like duct tape in the south! :)

Here it is in process from the front.  I first pinned the ends, then went to the center and pinned that and gathered it inbetween for the rest.  After that was done I went to lowes and bought a piece of 3/4 mdf.  I had that measurements that I needed to make the top and had them cut it for me.  I bought 2 inch L brackets and my husband used the L brackets to put the 2 inch x 96 inch section I had them cut.

This is what I ended up with.  I will show it all prettied up in a future post.  But it hides a ton of storage space underneath and it's a nice clean surface to work on.  I painted the mdf with white oil paint with a roller brush.  The whole thing was two coats.  It really was a very easy project.

Here it is from the top.  I didn't even fill the seam in, but it wouldn't be hard if that is something that would bother you.  Just smear some woodfiller in the seam and when it dries, sand it and then paint it.  I'm very pleased.  Next I am shabby chicing up the side cabinets.  See you in a day or two with that project.

linking to
scrappy,happy, crafty
katies nesting spot 
suzy's sitcom 
shabbycreekcottage

bedroom complete!

I showed this picture of my almost complete master bedroom redo a while back.  I said I was going to add some mirrors from ikea and then never posted when I did.  So here is a catchup post.

Here is before the mirrors and below is the after.

I think it added a little sparkle and just what the bedroom needed to finish it.  One room done, now back to the craftroom.  I will be posting this weekend sometime the new sewing table.

linking to
tatertots and jello
funky junk

lisa