If you love the look of striped grain sacks...

Get your painters tape ready!!

I have an old drop leaf table I'm dying to paint like this. But I'm running out of rooms in this old farmhouse to decorate!
But I'm sure I'll figure something out. ((giggle))



















:> )

Patience is a virtue...

I am a patient person. I have been all of my life. Except of course when it comes to my computer. Then all h*ll breaks loose. ((giggle))

For years I've been on the lookout for an old, red Jeep Wrangler to buzz around in the summer months. Most are out of my price range. You all know how cheap frugal I am.
Or the ones that are in my price range are destroyed by rust because of the harsh winters and the salt that is used on the roads here in New York.

I prefer the YJ because of the square headlights instead of the traditional round ones. I'm such a rebel. ;> )

Well lo and behold, guess what I found??!!!



Where else???.... On Craigslist!!

She was a bit of a hike to get to and I must thank my sweet hubs for driving out to get her. She's not perfect. But neither am I. She needed new "scoots" and a little tweaking. Don't we all?

I had to give her a name. So when I was on Facebook, I asked everyone to toss out some names. There were lots of good ones. But I settled on the name my sweet hubs suggested. It's perfect for the future plan I have for her!!

Meet... Betsy.

♥





:> )

Good Morning!!

I have been getting emails and phone calls from some very dear Facebook friends wondering where I am. I want to let everyone know I am fine. No need to worry. ♥
I thought I could quietly remove myself, but I guess it didn't go as planned.
;> )

You see, I had joined Facebook many years ago but decided to leave. I'm always talking about living simply and how important it is to enjoy nature. Yet I was spending much of my time with technology and quite frankly it was sucking the life out of me. That had to change, so I left.

Then last June my mom passed away. I wanted to get in touch with friends to let them know and Facebook was the best way to do it. So I tried to sneak back on for a bit. When I was "found out" I got such a warm and wonderful "welcome back" from some, I promised myself I would stay but only for one year.

Well, it's been one year. I kept my promise and left. I hope you all understand this is a personal decision. I have met so many wonderful people that I hope I can stay in touch with you somehow. Maybe with blogs? I'm guessing blogs aren't as hip and cool as Facebook or Twitter. But I like to blog. So I will stick with what I like... unhip and lame. ((giggle))

So there you have it. I hope this puts some minds at ease.
Thanks to all of you who contacted me with worry and concern. You guys are the best and please keep in touch when you can.

♥

“A beloved doll's voice...

speaks directly to your soul in a way that cannot be explained in words.”
~ Gayle Wray















♥

I decided to make...

my own red, white and blue finial base for some Betsy Ross flags.

It didn't come out too bad either if I do say so myself. ((giggle))



I can never get enough of Americana decor.

:> )

Finding the perfect white...

I have finally found a nice shade of white wall paint! YaY!!!

Man, there are like a gazillion shades of white out there to choose from! Either they were too yellow. Too orange. Too pink. Too blue. Too green.

But Behr's Antique White is like an "old" white. Sounds weird, but it's true. It's more neutral with no hint of any color.

Not only did I use it in the keeping room, it's also in the bedroom.

Take a lookieloo for yourself.





See...
Perfect.

:> )

"I am colorless before the Lord."

This wonderful unity march took place yesterday in Charleston, SC.

Organizers estimate there were as many as 20,000 people who joined in the march in honor of the nine people who were killed inside Emanuel AME Church last week.

♥

Be the light...

:> )

So very true...

:> )

There's not a day that goes by that I don't think of him...

and miss him. He was taken too early.



Happy Fathers Day, Daddy.
♥

It's Flag Day!!!!

So be sure to fly her proudly!!
:> )

As you enjoy your outdoor activities with family and friends...

Remember the reason why you've had this three day weekend.





♥

Turn your phone off.

Go outside.
Enjoy nature.



:> )

TONIGHT on Early Work Mercantile...

I was so tickled to finally hear the honks from the hundreds of Canada Geese coming back after a very long winter, I just had to create another Folk Art Canada Goose offering!


Click on the logo below to go directly to my Early Work Mercantile selling page.



Hope to see you there!!

:> )

Had some extra faux tin tiles. So...

I put them up in the powder room (off the kitchen) by myself!
Heck, I even managed to line them up with the kitchen tiles so it has a nice flow.

Woo hoo!! I'm pretty daggum proud too.



Since I still can't wrap my head around how to cut crown molding, my sweet hubs did it.





Never be intimidated or afraid to tackle a home remodel project yourself. If I can do it, you can too. Trust me!

Besides looking terrific, it's extremely rewarding.

:> )

My Faux White Tin Tile Kitchen Ceiling Is Finished!!

Oh my goodness!!! It completes the look of my kitchen!!



I can't begin to tell you how absolutely thrilled I am with the outcome!!!



My hubs and I took our time and completed it in two weekends. Actually, if we did it straight through, it would have taken only two days.

For the record, my sweet hubs did most of the work. I just assisted and drove him absolutely insane.
You know... my usual. ((giggle))





The one issue my sweet hubs had was when four corner tiles had to overlap. The corners looked bulky.
Leave it to my wonderful, OCD hubs to come up with this neat trick. But it does take a steady hand.

He cut two tiny squares (underneath the top tile) of the four overlapped tiles. This reduced the bulkiness in the corners allowing them to lay smoothly. Does that make sense?







I purchased the faux tin tiles from Home Depot. I purchased the polystyrene crown molding from Lowes. I also followed the manufacturer's directions and used Loctite Power Grab Heavy Duty Adhesive to insure proper adhesion.



Here's a few more photos taken with regular soft incandescent lighting.












So if you have an outdated, groovy ceiling like this...



With a little hard work, you can transform it into a classic, timeless look like this!



I'm not going to sugar coat it. It was a little difficult cutting around the perimeter especially since we had many angles. But it was worth it!!
Maybe not to my sweet hubs, but to me it was!! (I am always roping him into our my home improvement projects without his knowledge.) ((hee hee))

He told me no more home improvement projects until next year. I agreed with a cheesy grin and my fingers crossed behind my back.

You see, we have a small powder room off our kitchen and I just so happen to have enough leftover tiles to do the ceiling. YaY!!!

"Oh sweetheart... Guess what???!!!!"

:> )

♥