The Big Day

The Big Day has come and gone.

 

Time to get back into the everyday routine.  That means back to work.  I don't think I like that idea much.  Having 2 weeks off gives you a taste of the what it's like to be retired.  You know, go at your own pace, take life easy.  I could get used to that real FAST!  I don't have to wait too much longer for that!  Can't wait!  I can see the end of the working life is near.

 

Well, here are some pictures of the Big Day.

 

The Groom & Groomsmen waiting for the ceremony to begin

 

 

Aren't they a handsome bunch?

 

Here comes the Bride!

 

 

Mr. & Mrs.

 

 

Off to the reception

 

 

The reception was held in a beautifully, old, restored barn.

 

 

 

 

 

Dinner was a casual affair, buffet style.  Perfect for a barn reception.

 

 

The Best Man's speech. He was told to keep it short.  It was so long that he had to read it off his cell phone.  It was just under 8 minutes.  Apparently, he doesn't listen very well!  We learned some interesting things about our Son!

 

 

The wedding cake was not your typical looking cake either.

It was chocolate with raspberry filling.

 

 

The wedding dance

 

 

The Father / Daughter dance.  This was hysterical!  It lasted almost 10 minutes.  I posted a video on my Facebook page of it.

 

 

A good time was had by all!

 

 

I'm glad I could share a few of our MANY photos of the Big Day and I hope that you enjoyed them.

 

Veroinca

 

 

New / Old Toolbox

I am always on the look out for trays, baskets, boxes, or anything I can display items in.

 

When I spot something that I like, which I tend to like a lot of stuff, whether it be in a store, magazine, someone else's home, wherever,  I always wonder if I can make one myself.

 

So when I saw this picture of an old antique toolbox, I just knew that this would be a different look to a display, plus I knew it would be a quick and easy project to make.

 

 

I remember making one of these when I was in 8th grade for my woodshop project.  When I finished my toolbox I gave it to my Dad and he used it to store some of his things in his garage for many years.  I don't live close to my parents so when my Dad passed away many years ago I never knew what became of my toolbox.

 

I was telling my Father-in-Law about my idea and showed him the picture of what I wanted,  and he mentioned that it would be cool if it could be made out of old barn wood.

 

Well, I happened to visit my niece, Lisa while I was on vacation and I mentioned to her about my idea of a toolbox made out of old barn wood. She told me that her neighbors were in the process of tearing down an old barn because it was starting to fall down.  This barn was 115 years old!   So I asked if I could have some of the wood to make my toolbox.  They told me I could take all the wood that I wanted.  I got this wood for FREE!  Thanks Lisa for getting me this wood!

 

We don't have an area where we can have a woodshop set up, so I usually asked my Father-in-Law if he would like to build my projects.  He is always a willing candidate.  LOVE HIM!

 

This is what he came up with.  My new/old toolbox.

 

 

 

Just look at all of that wood grain!

 

This is the other side.

 

 

 

Do you see the wood knot that fell out on the right-hand side?  I told him to leave it out so that it would give it more caricature.  I also didn't want him to put polyurethane on it.  I had a vision of this being a different color.

 

And this is what the inside looks like.

 

 

 

I envisioned this with an aged white-washed look.  So I dug out my Paris Grey, Annie Sloan chalk paint and got to work painting it.  It took me about 15 minutes to paint.

 

Here it is in all it's glory.

 

 

And here it is with a couple of starfish placed inside.

 

 

I LOVE my new/old toolbox.  Didn't my Father-in-law do a great job?  Thanks so much Bumpa for making this for me.

 

I see so many uses for my new toolbox.  Stay tuned!

 

Veronica



 

 

 

 

Painting with Chalk Paint

While I was in Pennsylvania on vacation  I finally got to take an Annie Sloan chalk paint class.



 

If you are not familiar with Annie Sloan chalk paint you can click on the link below to see what all the rage is about.

 

www.anniesloan.com

 

When I signed up for the class I was told that I could bring a small project to work on.  Since I didn't have a project to take to class I headed to the nearest resale store to see what I could find.

 

 I found this chair for $4.00. 

 

 I figured for $4.00 if I happened to mess it up I wasn't out a lot of $$$$.

 

 

You can click on any of my pictures to get an enlarged version.

 

 

 

 I have been looking for a ladder back chair like this for a while but just couldn't find the perfect chair, either the look was never just right, it was too big, or the color wasn't what I was looking for.  I wanted it small enough so that I could sit on my front porch to decorate it for the seasons.

 

In all my excitement of taking the class I forgot to take a picture of the chair before I started to paint it. I keep forgetting that I am a blogger now and need to take pictures of everything I do so that I can share with everyone.   It's a good thing I remembered before I got too far! 

 

You can see the color that I chose to paint it, on the front of the chair, under the seat.

 

The color is called Duck Egg Blue.

 

It is a beautiful bluish/green color.

 

 

 

Well here it is all complete!   I don't think I wasted my $4.00.

 

 

I think that I might distress it a little bit more to give it more of an aged look.  But over all not bad for my first go at painting with chalk paint.

 

 

Here it is decorated.  I LOVE how this chair turned out.  This color goes with so many other colors. 

 

 

 

If I ever get tired of it all I have to do is paint over it.  No sanding or stripping.  How simple is that?

 

I am already thinking of all the projects I can do using this paint.  Why buy new when I can create something new myself?  The possibilities are ENDLESS, and I mean ENDLESS,  with this paint.

 

Who knows maybe we will end up with a calico cat yet!

 

 

 

Happy Painting,

 

Veronica



 

 

 

 

 

Missing but found again

I'm sorry that I haven't posted anything in a few days.  I've been just a teeny, tiny, bit busy.

 

 Our Son got married!

 

He has blessed us with a beautiful, kind hearted, daughter-in-law.

 

 

They were married in the church but had the reception in a barn.  I know, you're thinking, WHAT?  But look at this barn.  How cool is that!

 

 

Here are just a couple of pictures of the inside.  I will post more when I get them in order.

 

 



 

 

And the wedding cake

 



 

 

 

I hope you had a beautiful week also.

 

Veronica

 

 

Sparkly Clean

Who likes to clean?  Not me that's for sure!  I have more important things to do than clean.

 

Like create something new,

go for a walk in nature,

read a book,

 spend time with family & friends,

take a nap,

 go shopping,

 and the list is endless.

 

But, because I like a clean and orderly house I must eventually do some cleaning.

 

So when the need arises to do some cleaning, I pull out my trusty All Natural Cleaner and get to work.

 

This is what my bathroom looks like after I have used this cleaner.  Look at that SPARKLE!

 

 

 

 

 

I don't buy cleaners from the store because the chemicals in them bother my asthma.  I'm sure that you can find All Natural Cleaners in the stores, but why buy them when it is so easy and economical to make your own at home?  I have used this recipe for many years and LOVE it.  This cleaner make cleaning a breeze!  I just spray it on and wipe it off and I am done.  No scrubbing or letting it set to penetrate dirt and grime.  This cleans up grease like there is no tomorrow!  So with just a few household ingredients that you probably have in your pantry, you too can make this GREAT All Natural, No Chemicals cleaner.

 

I would recommend mixing this up in your kitchen sink.  Mix the vinegar, water and lemon juice first.  Then add the baking soda and watch it bubble.

 

Let it sit for a few minute and then pour into your spray bottle.

 

I like to keep a recipe book of all the GREAT recipes I have tried and love so that I can use them for future use.  Because I am a crafter/cardmaker I like to make my own recipe cards for my book.  Here is the recipe card I came up with.

 

 

 

So put on some UPBEAT music and get to cleaning!

 

Give this cleaner a try and I guarantee you will love it also!

 

Happy Cleaning,

Veronica

The Beauty of Nature

Yesterday I noticed that a few more of my flowers were ready to burst open.

Each year I anxiously await their arrival.

 

The Poppies

These were planted in honor of my Mother-In-Law.  She always had a big beautiful poppy planted on the corner of the house.  It used to have so many gorgeous blooms each year that I knew this would be the flower I would plant in honor of her.

 

This is what the poppies look like today.  Look at all of those Stamens!  These are such a vibrant orange color.  Just STUNNING!

 

 

 

.....and then there are the PEONIES.  The ants are helping them wake up.  Do you see the ant?

These peonies are a very beautiful fuchsia pink.

 

 

The ants have been very busy.  I only had 2 that were ready to open yesterday.  Look at them now!  This is looking off of our back porch.  Aren't they BEAUTIFUL!  Big, beautiful blooms!

 

 

They are so beautiful that I had to pick some and bring them in the house, ants and all.  Do you know that you can get rid of the ants from your peonies so that you can have a big bouquet of them in the house?  Just cut your flowers and place them in a sink with cold water and a little dish soap. Trust me, this will not hurt your peonies.  Very gently swish them around in the soapy water for a few seconds.  You will notice the ants coming out of the flowers and floating on top of the water.  Then rinse the flowers in cold water to remove any soap from them.  Very gently tap on the flower using your hand to remove any excess water.  Place on a paper towel for a few seconds and they are ready to be displayed.

 

 

Another simply STUNNING flower.

 

 

Are you like me?  Do you love the beauty that Nature blesses us with?

 

Have a BLESSEDLY, BEAUTIFUL day!

Veronica

 

 

 

The Dark Hole

Well another task has been checked off the To Do List.  Wahoo!  It was the cleaning of the basement.  Our lower level is finished off and we have just a small space for hoarding storage.  That's probably a good thing. This is what it looked like before I cleaned it.  The door was just opened and things were just set wherever there was an empty space. I try to keep this area organized so that it is easier to get to things when needed. But we all know that life / jobs get in the way and that it's just not possible.  So a couple of times a year I do a good cleaning/organizing.

BEFORE



 

And this is the After.  All nicely cleaned and organized.  I can see that I need to get some more totes. 

I LOVE those things.  They really help keep everything organized better.  As I'm looking at this picture I see another project that I can do.  I won't say what it is because that will be for another post.

 

AFTER

 

 

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and can enjoy the beautiful weather.

 

Hugs,

 

Veronica



 

Better Looking Blog

I only had a few minutes yesterday to try and get my blog up and running before I had to head off to work.  Thus the bare bones look.  Today is a much better layout.  You know what they say, "the more you do something, the better you get".  Words to live by.  Today I will be straighten my basement.  It feels so neglected.  Since we have been trying to prepare for the upcoming wedding everything has been dumped in the basement.  Time to clean up the mess!  I should have pictures tomorrow.

It has finally arrived!

Well, I finally jumped on the band wagon.  I started my own Blog!  Please have a little patience as I figure this blog thing-y out.