Sunrise / Sunset

I tackled a different kind of painting project.  I should be working on furniture, based on the size of my stash…but a bit of a sore throat and a cough seemed to indicate that staying inside was in order!

It’s well known that I love signs and quotes in all their varieties (you can see my Etsy shop if ye doubt).  I’ve been pondering ways to make mine unique and separate from the many other lovely versions that are available.  I thought about using some ombre backgrounds, and that idea morphed into this:
Here is an 18” x 24” canvas that I painted Sunday night.  “What is it?” you may rightly wonder!  Well, lacking the skills to actually make a painting that looks like something…I decided to settle for reminding you of something!
To me, the reds, yellows, and oranges are reminiscent of a sunset.  But I suppose it could be a sunrise, too...although if it is, I keep thinking, “Red sky the morning: sailor take warning!”  And I don’t even sail!

I over-laid the scene with a favorite quote from Mother Teresa:

“We can do no great things; only small things with great Love.”

I used my Silhouette to cut the lettering out of vinyl for this project.  I used the negative space for the canvas, which left me with the “positive” space for another go.
This time I applied the quote to a piece of beadboard, and then painting another sky scene right over top of it all.  This time I used many different blues, as well as black, white…and a little pink.  Is it sunrise?  Is it dusk?  I’ll let you decide! 

I can’t really decide which I like better.  I like the softly faded, worn look of the beadboard (I had to distress it a little, naturally). 

…but vibrant reds and oranges speak to me, always!

Which one do you like?

(and if you really like one…they are both available in the Etsy shop.)

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Linking up here:

Domestically Speaking	Elizabeth & Co.
	The CSI Project
Friday Remodelaholic	2805
My Simple Home Life’s Simple Creations Friday
Funky Junk’s Saturday Night Special	The DIY Show Off
Beyond the Picket Fence	Someday Crafts
Knick of Time Mod Vintage Life	My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
Perfectly Imperfect	{Primp}
Common Ground	My Repurposed Life
From My Front Porch to Yours	All Star Block Party
Cowgirl Up!	{aka} design Coastal Charm

Autumn Buffet & Goose Creek Candle Giveaway!

The days are getting shorter and thankfully—a little cooler as well!  This weekend I decide it was time to add a few autumn touches to my home, starting with my beloved buffet.

The timing was perfect because I recently received a candle from Goose Creek Candle Company to try, and I chose the “Apples & Spice” scent.  Naturally we had to light it up immediately…and it made me long for fall even more!  In my home, we eschew apple pie in favor of homemade apple pizza (it’s divine)…and it smells just like it!  My children sniffed the kitchen hopefully, and were admittedly a little disappointed when they found that the aroma was coming from a candle and not dessert!

The pretty glass jar and deep red color fits in beautifully with my other fall decorations. 

I love the fact that the jar is so understated, without a big clunky label.  It looks pretty lit or unlit!

I am highly sensitive to many perfumes, but I am happy to report that this scented candle did not bother my nose at all!

I think scented candles make great gifts.  It’s one of those things that I rarely buy for myself, but always enjoy having around. 

Goose Creek Candle Co. has generously offered to send a 16 oz. American Heirloom jar candle to one of my readers.  To enter, simply peruse their selection of scented candles and then leave a comment here telling me which scent you’d like to try!  Giveaway will close Friday, September 21.

Please leave an e-mail if you even think you MIGHT be a “no-reply” blogger!

In addition, you can use coupon code 1050 for 25% off your entire purchase from their site through September 30.  Christmas is coming!  Wouldn’t these make great neighbor gifts?

Beautiful Things (v 3.0)

One of this week’s projects was to make a different version of my “beautiful things” sign.  My first ever made a brief appearance at a vintage market last summer, and I was always a little sad that it sold!

The next version (on beadboard) was made for a market this summer…

…but my buyer wanted something more along the lines of my Bread & Pastries sign. 

We had quite the debate over pink-and-white, pink-and-black, or black-and white…so we decided to use all three colors instead of choosing!  The lettering is off-white, but the cupboard door was painted pink underneath the black, so it shows through with heavy distressing.  Plus, there’s a pink swirl at the top just for fun!

I just love the sentiment, don’t you??

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Linking up here:

Domestically Speaking	Elizabeth & Co.
	The CSI Project
Friday Remodelaholic	2805
My Simple Home Life’s Simple Creations Friday
Funky Junk’s Saturday Night Special	The DIY Show Off
Beyond the Picket Fence	Someday Crafts
Knick of Time Mod Vintage Life	My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
Perfectly Imperfect	{Primp}
Common Ground	My Repurposed Life
From My Front Porch to Yours	All Star Block Party
Cowgirl Up!	{aka} design Coastal Charm

My Deep Dark Secret...Room

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Please VOTE for this room to receive an Epic Room Makeover!

Choose #134 at Vintage Revivals HERE!

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When people walk in to my home, the first thing they see is my beautiful suitcase wall.

Next they might notice our lovely built-in desk, against a wall of maps:

Or they might notice the antique buffet in the next room, perhaps all decked out for fall:

“Oh, you’re so clever!”  they might say.

Or maybe, “What fun!  Your house is so pretty!”

Or sometimes even, “I wish you would come decorate my house!”

I smile modestly and thank them, shuffle my feet and look away…

…because I know the deep dark secret that lingers in my basement…

We call it THE FAMILY ROOM!!

dun-dun-DUNNH!! (cue creepy music)

Yes, this is the place where Legos go to die…

Where the PLAID COUCHES hide in shame…

Seriously, what was I thinking?? Plaid couches?  If anyone succeeds in building a time machine, please go back in time 10 years, find me at R.C. Willey, and SLAP ME!!

Where $16 roller blinds sort-of cover the windows, and they only went up this summer after 9 years of living in the house so company could have some privacy…

The IKEA bookshelf is the same color as the brown recliner (naturally my husband’s favorite chair).  Sometimes I kid myself into thinking “it’s camouflaged!” in hopes that it will magically disappear from sight and I won’t have to look at it anymore…

Pictures rest against the wall because let’s face it…what’s the point of trying to dress up these ugly walls?  I think they’re the color of anemic cornbread.  Or maybe two-week-old tapioca pudding.  Or maybe egg-salad-that-has-been-left-on-the-kitchen-counter-for-three days.  (I think I still have a gallon of paint left over if anyone’s interested…anyone?  anyone??  Bueller?)

The big wicker box next to the TV holds the dress-up clothes, but it seems to spontaneously regurgitate them on a daily basis (see the blue satin cape??)

And oh, look!  More IKEA-brown furniture!

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So there you have it.  My dirty little secret.  I have spent time/effort/money on MOST of the rest of the house, but the family room keeps getting lost in the shuffle.  Honestly?  I hardly ever go down there; it depresses me that much.

What to do….what to do…

Oh, I KNOW!!

Wouldn’t this room be perfect for a Mandi-licious makeover??

Wherein can ye doubt?

With Mandi’s help, I **know** this room could be fabulous.  It  just needs color!  And style!!  And…dare I say…funk!!

Mandi dear, if you’re reading this, here’s a note for you! 

I have a brand-new workshop full of tools (trust me, they’re there…I just haven’t blogged about them yet) that we could use to create all sorts of fun stuff!  I have a garage full of yet-to-be-started projects that might be just what this room needs…and if not, well, there’s a great DI and a Savers just miles down the road!  I have a house full of built-in minions ready to be at your beck and call (all I ask is that I get to be the chief minion).

And I’m not above bribery, Mandi!  Making over a room is hungry work!  And guess what…I can COOK!  No, really!  I am very good at it!  I make the best bread and cinnamon rolls.  Cheesecake?  I can do it!  Pie?  Piece of cake!  (Oh, just pretend that made sense.)  And if I can’t, I have a sister who can do everything else, and I can bribe her, too.

If you come to my house, I just might let you take home something from my garage stash! Just think of it!  My junk could be YOUR treasure!  Or I could paint you a sign of your very own.  How do you feel about beadboard??  Or old cupboard doors?  Oh well, just re-gift it at your next white elephant party!  But I don’t want to know about it.

Come play with me, Mandi…you know you want to….

(insert Jedi hand-wave here)

French Postcard Table

I haven’t really fallen off the planet, I promise.  I just seem to have come down with a serious case of blog ennui. 

I don’t think it’s terminal.

All my kids are back in school this week, and the weather seems to be cooling down a little bit.  So the urge to work on some furniture has finally hit, and that’s a good thing (I have quite a stash accumulated).  One of this week’s projects was this coffee table:

It started out like this:

I doubt you can tell from the picture, but the finish on the top is almost completely gone.  What did someone do to that table, I wonder??  Not that I care, really, because it makes refinishing it much easier!

I went through my stash of French typography (mainly courtesy of the Graphics Fairy), and decided this table wanted to look like a vintage French postcard (similar to—but not exactly like—my white postcard table I painted last summer).

There have been a LOT of typography tables since my first French Chocolate table, so it’s a challenge to change things up enough not to be boring!  So for this table, I played around with a little color.  Although the address is in black, the note that crosses the top corner is actually in a dark charcoal to differentiate it.

But my favorite is the postmark in my favorite color…RED!

The base of the table got a good scrubbing and refreshed with a little oil-rubbed bronze paint.   Doesn’t it have a pretty shape? 

So there you have it.  I’m still kicking and still painting  ;-)

Happy Fall, ya’ll!

This project has been featured at the Graphics Fairy, Elizabeth & Co., From My Front Porch to Yours, and aka design.

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Linking up here:

Domestically Speaking	Elizabeth & Co.
Primitive & Proper	The CSI Project
Friday Remodelaholic	2805
My Simple Home Life’s Simple Creations Friday	Miss Mustard Seed’s Furniture Feature Friday
Funky Junk’s Saturday Night Special	The DIY Show Off
Beyond the Picket Fence	Thrifty Décor Chick
Knick of Time Mod Vintage Life	My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
Perfectly Imperfect	{Primp}
Common Ground	My Repurposed Life
From My Front Porch to Yours	All Star Block Party
Cowgirl Up! The Graphics Fairy	{aka} design Coastal Charm