Favorite Projects for 2012

This was my inspiration! The Yellow Cape Cod blogged about a makeover done by whitewashing brick. I debated about whether I could do it.

You see I am in.patient! If I start a project I want it completed. I searched the internet for directions and got several lots of different techniques. The type of paint ended up being confusing also. I finally decided I could do it. And did. It was a quick makeover. 

And my next inspiration came from Rhoda over at Southern Hospitality. Oh her house renovation has been so exciting to watch this year. 

This is how she added trim to her hallway. My house is a 79 split entry also, Back in the day when long hallways led to the bedrooms and baths. This picture shows her trim before the hardwood floors. 

My hallway already had a chair rail that I added several years ago. Since it was too low for board and batten I decided to go with the picture frame moldings. One short afternoon project for me since I did the cutting and nailing via the trusty nail gun. Mr. Spouse did the chalking and I touched up the paint. (I painted with semi-gloss in ultra white prior to adding the boxes. 

All in all, these are two transformations that have made me smile! And they are inspired from others!

Merry Christmas!

Wishing each and everyone a wonderful Christmas from my house to yours!

Blog Makeover 101

Indecisive! Always changing. Fifteenth change in my blog look--maybe!

I found a simple way to change it.by.myself. No $$$. Well, there are all the scrapbook kits I have purchased. But...still.

See what I mean. 

• Use powerpoint to create the header by putting shapes, filling them with my scrapbook backgrounds.
• Add embellishments that are also part of the kits I have ordered.
• Create text by inserting text boxes and using different, favorite fonts and Word Art.

Then...select all, copy and paste into:

Paint.

Then it is an easy process.

I can crop it, resize it, and save it as a jpeg.

Changing the background isn't too daunting. Decide which background I want to use and upload it to Photobucket. Copy the http. link.

Now back to my blog and go to HTML. I know nothing about HTML other than it is really, really scary! I mean really, really, really scary. If you scroll down through all the various lists of whatever is there you will come to one that has the word background. That is it. Go to the part that is within the () and if you look carefully. It looks a great deal like the link you copied and pasted. Go ahead and put your cursor there and delete that portion. Insert the part you just copied and then...here is the best part...preview it. If it is fine you succeeded. If it isn't right then you can look right beside that preview button and you can delete the changes you made. AH. 

The image that is saved in Paint as a jpeg can be inserted into the layout section. There is an image near the top I just delete that image and insert my new one.

I make a divider the same way. 

• Create a divider
• Select all, copy, paste in Paint.
• Resize and crop.
• Save as a jpeg.

Go back to the HTML that now isn't nearly as scary and scroll down the multitude of information til you find one that has the word divider. Find the () and delete and paste your new divider!

Good luck!

Kitchen Christmas

With Christmas almost here I added a little sparkle to my kitchen. Using a white utensil holder and the top half of a four foot tree, I created a tree for my island. 

I love the sparkle of "grinch green" and red.

I found the polka dotted bow at Michaels and grabbed it up. 

I wish I had purchased some extra of the ribbon and went back--but no more. Their shelves are practically bare!

I tried making some polka dot ornaments by putting green paint on some red ornaments I already had. Hanging them on the chandelier was an easy way to let them dry.

I'm loving the white in the kitchen this year!

Christmas memories

Every year when I get the decorations out it brings back a multitude of memories. Decorations. Years past. People. Family.

This year my mother is 89 years old. Many of her friends and family have passed. I guess it is on her mind tremendously because every time I go to see her she gives me things. She gave me two of her Lenox dishes this year. Many years ago was the angel and bell. 

The little white houses we got on trips to Pigeon Forge and Dollywood. Precious Moments were another memory of times she belonged to the "club" and received yearly additions to her collection.

Snowmen I've received in gifts from students over the years. Kids that are in college now!

Memories. 

Swirly Curlies

I've been in a swirly kind of mood. The curls. The black. The powerful use of Hobby Lobby's 50% off sales.

I was probably motivated by this:     The House That Built Me

I think it made me re-think the way I decorated my walls. I already had this: 

I had moved this old one and Mr. Spouse painted it for me. You know the bright gold fixtures that were so in? It had been a Christmas gift from him and I just didn't want to part with it. I added the globes from Wal-Mart and I am pleased with it. It is now our foyer light. It actually looks lighter than it is. It is a very, very dark chocolate black. 

So two trips to Hobby Lobby:

50% off--$6.50

 40% off--$7.50

One is over the french doors. The other one is over the front door. 

It's a start!