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~God give me work, till my life shall end And life, till my work is done. ~Epitaph of W.H.

Showing posts with label Trash to Treasure. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Trash to Treasure. Show all posts

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Happy September 2012!

Good Saturday Morning! Can you believe it is the first of September, already!? Fall will soon be upon us, and I have SO much to do!

I think this past month of August was the BUSIEST of all the days of my entire life--seriously! It most certainly "kept me on my toes," in more ways than I'd planned, that's for sure!

Earlier in the month, we had family come for five days, from Iowa. It was such a blessing to see them after nearly 12 1/2 years!!! We truly had the time of our lives, and shared moments together, as family, that will stay with me (all of us, no doubt) for all the days of my life. I pray "next time" will not be cut so short, and never again *that* long in between seeing one another again. Parting ways, and having to get back to our "real lives" was most difficult, and painful, but having had the time together, after so many--too many-- years, was simply indescribable! ♥

Normally, we school through the summer, and it was about a week or two before family showed that I half-heartedly decided to let the kids have the remainder of the summer "off" to give them (and myself) a summer break. Personally, I've managed to start (and complete most) some projects around the house that I've been wanting to do for quite a while. I did some "purging" of a lot of unwanted/unneeded items around the house, painted/distressed/aged the dining table/chairs (photos to come *sometime* in the near future), did some home decor rearranging, painted shelves, "made purdies" here and there throughout the house, and probably some other *things* I can't even think of at the moment. 0.o

So, all in all, there was a LOT of projects going on, in between a GAZILLION "events" and happenings. There was the family visit, and our trip to the Space Needle in Seattle. There was my God son's first birthday party one day, the his baptism the next. There was (as always) my children, their friends--the entire neighborhood, it seemed, at times--in and out, all day long, every day. You should SEE my carpets!!! Oh MY! I'm not looking forward to finally tackling them for a GOOD cleaning... There were camping trips with friends and other adventures I can't even think of; youth group meetings, roller derby practices --ROLLERPALOOZA--, play-dates and other outings, oh my gosh! I don't know how "everyday life" even happened sometimes. Maybe it DIDN'T, always!? Well, it goes without saying, I'm sure --->I am truly looking forward to MUCH "down time."

The only rest I *did* TAKE (besides actually sleeping at bedtime) was my reading time. This summer, I read TEN novels, two of which were "Trilogy's," and those were just for my personal reading pleasure, and does not include passages from poetry/short story books, a biography, and science shorts--and another sci-fi/fantasy novel we've not yet finished, written by our neighbor/author friend--with the two youngest.

Though I could go "on and on" with all the other *things* that took place--just in the month of August, alone--but, I'll refrain. After all, this *is* the "Prim ~n~ Proper" blog, and I do have pictures to share, just a few, and they are not much, simply most recent snapshots from my booth down at the Exhibitor's Boutique. I never like to post a blog "empty-handed," you know. *wink*

So, with ALL that, I bid you a very happy (and "UNEVENTFUL"), relaxing, maybe even LAZY Labor Day Weekend! I pray your summer was SMASHING, and that, like me, you realize at the end of each day that you have much to be thankful for despite how CRAZY Life can get, and that you are surrounded by good friends and family that you love dearly, and whom love you right back. May your days be blessed, your sorrows taken by the wind, and your burdens and worries lifted on high.♥

~God Bless~

The following photos are (as described earlier) most recent "snapshots" of this and that that I've recently added to the booth.  Many are "Fab Finds" that I either left just "as is" (like the GIANT Vintage Turkey Serving Platter I picked up), and the rest are little projects that I "upcycled," painted, aged, etc.  Oh, and of course, I brought in a few Fall/Halloween handmades left over from 2011.  :) 

Enjoy and Thank You!



















~Blessings~

Monday, May 21, 2012

Sharing A Few Finished Pieces

Good Monday evening, all! 

I'm here to "drop off" a few photos for ya!

I've been working on some [wood] pieces here at home that I was able to get finished up this weekend, and do have more that are "in the making," and even more pieces to come!

As I've not been "in the mood" for sewing in quite a while (I think it's a time-issue thing, really), I got to looking through all my STUFF, and was reminded of just how much I actually have to work with!  There are quite a few wood findings (among other things) that have been stashed in boxes, here and there, for a very long time, and I decided it was probably about time I start making something of it all, get it down to the Shoppe, and make more room... for MORE STUFF, of course!  =D   Oh, I jest, a little bit, anyway.  *wink*  LOL  

Tonight, I am sharing a couple of VERY LARGE wooden bowls/plates that my BFF passed on to me.  They were plain natural wood on the front sides, with a beige/tan coat of paint on the backs.  I envisioned them Americana pieces, very similar to some nesting boxes I did a while back.  They came out exactly as I'd planned!  

*please excuse the fingerprints on the smaller navy blue/star plate in the photos.  They weren't quite dry yet, but the fingerprints do wipe right off... I just hadn't done it before I took the pics - OOPS!*

And, of course, I took no "before" shots - DOUBLE OOPS!  >.<
These pieces were "aged" with a walnut minwax, however it's not as obvious in the photos as is in person.  In other words, the star and other white areas are actually more tan.


This next piece is one of those "Fab Finds" I had sitting on a shelf in the garage for I don't know how long!  lol  It was originally a neat little wooden box with hinged lid that had been painted solid RED!  I sanded it down, painted black over red, sanded, distressed, aged, and then added this old Clorox ad label I'd found online (which I also aged pretty heavily).

I simply LOVE how this turned out, and it was a bit difficult to part with...






Next is a plain ole' wooden candle holder, but I love it!  It's painted a nutmeg color, sanded, and "aged" with walnut minwax.

 Of course, I put it among some grubby tapers and votives.  :)

And the last piece I'll share tonight is this "recycled" game board (another "Fab Find" from long, long ago) that I transformed a bit and again, "aged" for a more prim feel!



Tomorrow, I will return with a some other "findings" that I took down today.

Have a wonderful evening!

♥Blessings♥

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

More Pin Cushions & Bringing In the Spring!

Hello there! Once again, I don't have a whole lot of time, so this will be a rather quick post. I hope everyone has been well. I've been my usual busy self, and it seems I've had a slight fever over the past couple of days --- SPRING FEVER, THAT IS! *giggle* 

Yes, I have been a crafty gal since the weekend, crafting at every "open opportunity," and thought I'd swing by here and share a few things that are actually finished.  :D

First of all, I did three more pin cushions since the last one.  These last three are much improved from the first, as they are all a lot "firmer" in the cushy part!  If only I could say the same for my own "cushy part!"  LOL!!!  Sorry, couldn't help myself - I thought it was funny!  :P

Okay, so I said this would be rather quick, so here we go...  Have a looky at Pincushion 2, 3, and 4!  *wink*



My MOST FAVORITE of all the pin cushions!





Aren't they cute!?  *hehe*  I love them!  :D

Now, here are some other things - Spring Things- that I've finished and taken down to the Shoppe.  

~Grubby/Grungy Jars with Spring floral sprigs and yellow pip berries~




A Spring Gift Basket with Grubby Heart Pillow Tuck, Grubby mini-pillar candle, a mini-grapevine wreath, mini-pantry cake, and a sprig of yellow pip berries!  *This one is SO LOVELY in person, I also kept if for myself, I loved it SO much!*

  
Another "Gift Basket" filled with 5 mini grubby votives, some sprigs of greenery, and a small ditty bag tuck, accented with a sprig of yellow pip berries.  :)


Then, I took down some Grubby Chicks and Dirty Chocolate Bunnies that didn't do so well last year, because they didn't make it in the booth until quite later than they should've, I think.  Hopefully, after getting another grungy bath and "freshening up," they'll do well this time around.  :)

Here are the Grubby Chicks in their new home, an adorable blue wooden basket...


...and here is a snapshot of the Dirty Chocolate Bunnies in my booth...
*didn't think to take a close-up of them*  DOH!

Okey dokey!  I am off again until next time!

Have a wonderful evening... and thanks so much for stopping by!

♥Blessings♥

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Americana Pin Cushion ~ Another "First"

I'm SO excited to share with you this evening!  

I know it's not much (and it's still even wet from being grubbied up), but I'm smiling ear-to-ear, just the same!  Here is my very first pin cushion!  I LOVE IT!!!  :D






 Thank you for looking!

♥Blessings♥