Have a safe and happy Halloween!!!

Saturday Nite Special #3 - anything goes!

Welcome to the 3rd edition of Saturday Nite Special!

If you're new here, kick off your shoes and join in! This weekend's theme is anything goes. Any project that you've worked on past or present that you feel you'd like to share, please do so! The post that most inspires me in some way will be deemed a winner and will win a feature of her blog! Party shuts down by Sunday midnight.

On with the show! I wanted to post a project of mine, but Picasa was PMSing today, so we parted ways. So instead, I've found a couple cool features to show you.

It's all about metal!

Isn't this a hoot?!? Junk Sophisticate's friend found a giant wisk and inspired by another, changed it into a light fixture! This one would have me smiling big all day long. :)

Ever hear of a gear lamp before? Well now you have! WhisperWood Cottage's hubby created this one, and...

.... this one! Hard to make out in this pic, but in the next...

... there's even a place for the cell phone. Heehee! Love it!

This is so cool. This is a necklace. The Red Door Antiques picked this little baby up in Texas at a show. She says, "This is sooooo awesome and fits me to the T. I love the dial on the inside with the days of the week on it....it is classic me....all the days just run together...so how fitting for me."

And here's a few from my own camp.

The hilarious canning jar lid wreath that hangs on my character building outside. And I'm happy to report, it's way more rustier now than this pic. That's a good thing. :)

My own kitchen island has a metal topper.

I designed the shape with radius corners and soft curves. It's also designed to sit at from both sides. My buddy Dan fabricated it for me. It's a workhorse and incredibly unique!

And then there's my fab stair rail put in just lately. I used 5/8 steel rods for the spindles I cut down myself on buddy Dan's chopsaw. The final look is 'traditional industrial.' Yeah, that's it. I LOVE the outcome and again, pretty original as the spindles show black, steel, and abit of rust.

These are massive metal corbels on my fireplace. They were fabricated to slip overtop the exsisting brick ones.

And here's moi hugging my rusty metal clad siding I used on a project on this week. That I wanted to show you. That isn't posted. Because of Picasa! BLEAH! Fate is screaming at me to load photoshop on another computer and get with the program. Ok ok I will!

Ok, nuff chitter chatter on metal. Let's party!

Rules:

1. Please link up to your post, not your home page address.

2. Please link back to this party from your post so in the future, others can find you.

If you see your post deleted, it may be because one of the two above weren't done. If it's gone, please try again!

Happy party, and Halloween!

Perfect.

I've been toying around with this post for quite some time now. I have held off because it shows a side of me I'm not so proud of. I decided to write it today because especially lately, more than usual, I've seen comments and posts here and there from bloggers about their home not measuring up...not being as beautiful as the next...not as perfect.

This big bloggy world is one that has brought much joy to my life. Much creativity. I have loved "meeting" all of you because of blogging.

But there are times when I click through some blogs and am not proud of my reaction. First, it's awe and glee from a great reveal or project.

Then, maybe a bit of wishing.

Then, do I dare say it...

Resentment? Jealousy?

I'm not proud of that. Not one bit, but it's the truth.

Let me be clear here -- I big fat LOVE our home. I would not trade it for any other. Because it is truly where our heart is. I have put my blood, sweat and tears into this house. We have raised out kids here and have created so many wonderful traditions and memories.

I cannot stress enough how much I adore it.

So maybe it's not the homes I see that give me the tinges of jealousy. Maybe it's the time some have to dedicate to their homes. Maybe it's the money some can spend on their homes. Maybe it's the way they describe their lives that seem so...perfect?

Maybe you have felt that way about this blog at times? I know it's possible and probably true, but I hope it's a fleeting feeling.

Our home is not perfect. Our life is not perfect. And a couple weeks ago, I got a big (soft) slap upside the head from God when I found out something about a blogger I visit every so often. It's a little known fact about this person, and let's just say I felt like a big fat ARSE after finding out the information. ;)

It was a message in flashing red lights that no one's life is "perfect." It may appear to be, but it never is.

And really, who wants perfect? Seriously, perfect is BOR-RING. Just like a house, it's so much more interesting with imperfections...the squeak on the floor that drives you crazy every time you step on that spot. The crack in the wall no one sees but you (but it still drives you mad). The dings in the drywall and baseboards from kids living in a home. All of us have squeaks and cracks and dings in our lives that make them not perfect.

I will spare you the details of my life, but because of my experiences, HOME means so much more to me than a building or a place for stuff. Most of my childhood was filled with wonderful memories and traditions. I never noticed the dings in the drywall, the creaks in the floors. (And your kids won't either.)

Then in high school, a series of events occurred that changed my outlook on life. I didn't have a home for quite some time. I lived with my best friend and her family for a summer. When it was time to go back to college, my dorm room was my only home. And that Thanksgiving was spent in an old, gross motel room, just my Mom and me.

It was one of the lowest days of my life.

At that time, Sarah McLachlan's song "Elsewhere" brought me comfort. I listened to it constantly. Part of the chorus from that song that still sticks with me:

I believe this is heaven to no one else but me.
And I'll defend it as long as I can be...

That song still makes me cry. ;) I am thankful for every moment of my life, because it's brought me where I am today.

It's not about the stuff or the house being perfect. It's about it being a home, in the emotional sense. Because of my past, a place to put down roots and to create memories for our kids means so much to me. So if you ever take anything away from this blog, it's that your home should be YOUR haven. I don't care what it looks like. I don't care if it's your dream home. Make it your dream home with what you have.

Even if that is just baking cookies, carving a pumpkin and playing with your kids on this Halloween weekend. Remember even those that feel they have very little are envied by someone. Be proud and love what you have and make it what you love and are proud of, in whatever way you can.

I hope you have a wonderful holiday weekend with your family. Thanks for listening to my deep thoughts today. :)

A Last Trick and a Treat

I know that it's one day before Halloween, but if you're like me, you're tweaking things until it's time to take them down. So I thought I'd share one last trick using these bags of skeleton garland I bought at the dollar store a while back. I could never find a place for them and then it occurred to me that maybe it was because they needed a bit of a makeover---a silver spray paint makeover.With a few decorative ornament hangers and my army of silver skeletons in hand I proceeded to the dining room.They're just the spooktacular accessory that my chandelier needed.I was so pleased with their gory to glam makeover that I gave a larger dollar store skeleton the same treatment. But while the paint was still wet I sprinkled on a little glitter. Tied with a bow he guards this shelf perfectly.
Be sure to visit on Monday. I have a wonderful treat in store---an exciting giveaway!

You Know You're A Home Improvement Enthusiast When...

...you open your refrigerator and in the place where food should be you see paint brushes instead. (Wrapped in a Target bag no less.)

The above is a draft I wrote months ago while in the midst of the Kitchen Redesign, but never posted.

I was reminded of this draft yesterday when Karla at It's The Little Things That Make A House A Home posted a link to Beth's post, Top 10 List For Decor Bloggers: Must Read. You know you are a true decor blogger if...

I clicked over to see what Karla had found so amusing. Yes, definitely laugh worthy, particularly number 6! (You have contorted your body into crazy and dangerous positions and perhaps even perched on top of furniture in order to get a good picture of an inanimate object.)

At the end of the post Beth asks if she left anything out, what would you add to the list? Well encountering paint rollers and brushes in a place one usually finds food of course, that is what I would add.

What is in your home that you would need to add to such a list?

Kiss the Cook

Happy Friday!

Yikes, it's almost the end of October!!! OMG, where did the month go?

I finally made an easel card for Magnolia-licious Highlites. That's the challenge for October...to make an easel card.

I didn't make this monochromatic which was the optional challenge (sorry Suzanne), but rather I went with the challenge of Colour Create. Their Challenge 30 is ... ALL WHITE ... we'd like to see your makes with colour on the image only.

I thought this would be interesting to do, but it was sooo... hard not to even add a bit of colour by distressing the edges which I like to do. I had to rely on stitching, 3-d work and embelishments to make the white part noticeable.

A couple more challenges for this card:

At A Spoon Full of Sugar it's their Challenge 75. "For our Challenge this week we would like to see Kitchen/Cooking themed projects."

And this is also for Kellie's first Magnolia Down Under Store challenge. You can enter here. "Make a card or creation with at least ONE stamp from the Magnolia Yummy For Your Tummy Collection." Come on ladies, that's what you've all been doing anyway. Get your entries in by Friday, Nov. 13.

Enjoy your day and have a wonderful weekend!!!


Stamp: Magnolia Kitchen Tilda, sentiment from Bo Bunny What U Got Cookin' Clearly Stamps.

Tools: Martha Stewart border and corner punches Deco Fan.
Misc.: Vintage Attic Treasures pearls.

DP: Embosed vine cardstock from Michaels, everything else is plain white cardstock.

Frugal Friday~

Hello all! Welcome to this week's edition of Frugal Friday. So what am I talking about today?

Repurposing dresser drawers.

As I was driving down the street about a week ago, someone was throwing out what I could tell used to be a lovely old dresser. But it was trashed. And I mean trashed. Half of the drawers were missing and the two that were left looked a little worse for the wear.


"What a waste," I thought as I drove by.


Now this is a street that I drive down often. And a few days later, the dresser was still there. But this time I had a flash of inspiration. I pulled over and looked at the two remaining drawers. They were actually in pretty decent condition aside from the pulls which were falling off. So I pulled the drawers out...with a LOT of effort...and loaded them in my car. I have only finished one of them so far, but I couldn't wait to share.

Here is the first drawer before I set to work on it. I could see its potential. Pretty details...excellent craftsmanship!

I started by removing the hardware (which had been replaced, and really wasn't in fitting with the style of the dresser). Whoever replaced the hardware had filled the old holes with putty - and didn't do a very good job at it. So after I took off the handles, I used the screwdriver to scrape the putty out of the original holes.

Then I gave the whole drawer - inside and out - a coat of Nantucket White paint by Ralph Lauren. I only used one coat because I wanted the drawer to look old and used. I even left the holes which the new hardware had made.

The drawer had this wonderful keyhole on the front. I painted lightly over it and then used a sanding block to gently rub away bits of the paint. Isn't it gorgeous??

Then rather than adding handles - I strung some black and white check ribbon through the holes. An idea I shared here. I'm still debating whether or not to add casters to the bottom, although I think I will probably leave it as is.

So, my dear readers, what would you do with this little beauty? To see what I did, you'll have to come back next week. (I know, I'm so cruel to make you wait...)

Edited to add...here's what I ended up doing...

Linking to DIY day at ASPTL~

A dresser gets a little bling

I was so excited when I came across a bunch of house numbers at the thrift!

I started running through the house wondering where I could find a good home for them.

One place was the headboard turned towel rack. But where to use the rest?!? And then it came to me. I ran for the glaze and drill and the rest is history.

My salvaged $5 dresser from someone's barn in some weird shade of pink...

... recieved a fresh coat of white paint a few months ago. Lovely already! I just love the lines.

I took a sander to the edges for a bit of distressing for extra character. Not bad. I lived with this for quite awhile. Until I got the numbers. :)

I added a very small amount of glaze for further aging, and gave the little dresser some bling!

Notice how the glaze really warmed up the white? Yet it's still white. I am in love with glazing! I'll be doing a tutorial on how I glaze at a later date as this post will be long enough.

And the dresser got further dressed up with a canning jar hugging heart shaped rocks from our summer camping trip...

... with lots of texture in layers of course... the top is a mirror, 2nd is a galvanized framed mirror and the 3rd is an old barn window.

... and a little smattering of burlap. The platters make a wonderful key/loose change drop area.

The 'already ok but a little sleepy' before...

... to the dramatically enhanced after. The small changes of glazing and numbers made such an impact! It doesn't just feel like a lil' ol' plainted dresser any longer. It's now a 'feature.'

It's another one of those projects that makes me grin when I walk by. This dresser has spunk!

The dresser is on the left in this front entry.

Tip: Push it one level more.

As a graphic designer, I know about the rule to do something nice, but attempt to push things one more level. You can do this with virtually any project. Think a little outside the box, and your regular painted feature can become a piece of art with the smallest of details.

Dressers are like Barbie Dolls. You can redress them over and over again just because you can. And maybe even because designers are a tad anal... sigh.. I'm totally walking away from it for awhile. Thanks Survivor, for saving me tonight!

This post is shared with:

Furniture Feature Friday

Thrifty Decor Chick's Before and After party

Trash to Treasure Tuesday, Nov 10

on Nov 11.

White Wednesday, Nov 11.

Dec 29 thrifty tip party