Where have I been?

You guessed it, Hobby Lobby! So much going on at my store and it's been a roller coaster ride. My blogging has definitely suffered. Then this past weekend while I was walking our new dog Dallas (pictures coming soon!) I found some road graffiti in front of our house.

I wish this was what I found but sadly it wasn't... What I found spray painted at the end of our driveway was so foul, so dispictable, so vulgar that I can't even speak it, I shudder to think of it still... Why would anyone do such a thing? After the police came and later the country road dept, it's slightly better but that's an overstatement. The county worker said in his 16 years on the job he's never ever seen anything like it... NICE All day Saturday cars slowed to read it and most likely wonder why we were "gifted" with such vulgarity. We do not think we were the intended recipients of the graffiti... We're nice neighbors! Honestly! There's a young couple across the road who have been having their own little drama going on and we think it was intended for one of them. But I have to say I wouldn't wish this vulgarity and vileness on anyone!

The upside was several of our neighbors came out to show their support and talk it over with us. We had an opportunity to connect and in some cases reconnect with our neighbors that our commuter job lifestyle has inhibited for the last several years. So I'm focusing on that blessing in the midst of the *other* foolishness.

How was your week?

Meet Indiana Jones

Whatcha doing Indy-bug?

Indy! Get down! Bad Kitty!

Cute Chicken Wire Frame

I was inspired by a new piece I saw come off the truck a few weeks ago at my favorite store *wink*wink* So I got a package of this from Lowe's.

I've been hording this piece of burlap for years... why? Frame was purchased dirt cheap because the glass was broken out of it ~ again, from that favorite store of ours..

I had this stuff already so I just cut a piece almost the exact size of the backing board which by the way really REALLY needs to be a bit smaller than original size so everything will fit.Would you look at the size of that glue stick!!!
After I glued my fluffy bit down I cut a piece of burlap slightly larger than the board so I could wrap it around and cover nicely.

Then I wrapped my painted chicken wire around that. I didn't glue that down, why bother?

Get a load of the mess I work in!

Added a decoupaged MDF bird from Mike's with a painted clothes pin attached to the back with hot glue. Bird directions: trace the back side on to the back side of scrapbook paper, cut out. Meanwhile paint what will be backside and sides of bird with paint, let dry, apply paper with Modge Podge, smoothing out, cut off excess with craft knife, sand edges for distressed look, go over entire piece again with Modge Podge, then embellish to your hearts content, hot glue clothes pin to the back of bird... Enjoy your craftiness!

I ~giant sparkly heart~ comments!

Thrifted Easter Bargain

Sweet bargain from my local Habitat Resale shop. I almost passed this bargain up because they were on an Easter decorations table a) I haven't found my stash of Easter decorations yet & b) felt guilty at the thought of buying more. But I took a closer look they were marked... HALLMARK for only $3 !!!!!! Well I quickly decided I could afford a few Easter decorations this year *smiles* Now where are my candle tapers?

Before & After

My home is old, as in 100+ years old & it started life as a simple country church. Then sometime in the 1930's it went onto the tax rolls as a duplex type dwelling complete with two front doors! I can't imagine how a family of 5 & another family of 6 managed to live in this home side by side when our small family of 4 are always bumping into each other! Sometime in the 60's it was remodeled into a single family dwelling & we purchased it in 1992. There's lots of little things that I love about my home like it's solid oh so heavy wood doors & crystal door knobs. And a few odd things like the whiff of pipe smoke I occasionally smell (none of us smoke or have friends who smoke in our home) & this odd little shelf over the stove area of our kitchen. I've decorated it with lots of old jars collected from my husband's grandmother's barn, I've had ceramic pieces displayed, currently it's spices. But whatever I've done it's always been a hodge podge mismatched collection that always looked cluttered, never pretty. I'd sure love me some pretty for a change!

On my day off last week I shopped somewhere else other than Hobby Lobby *gasp* I know! Don't tell on me please! I went to TJ Maxx to look around since so many of y'all rave on & on about the great deals you find there. I found this plate for only $3 !!! I *heart* damask & I especially *heart* black and white. So I was thinking what if...

Sort of bare though so I shopped the house, remember these?Put them together & see what y'all think...Now I'm not going to use plate stands for them. I just wanted to see what it would look like. While at work I picked up some plate hangers and over the weekend hung them up carefully measuring and eyeballing to make sure it would look right. Here's my after picture!
What do y'all think? Good idea?

Mistreated windows

I needed a change! The black & khaki homespun ruffled panels I was making do with had to go! So a bit of leftover dec fabric, some quick sewing, and left over crafting ribbon and this is what I came up with. If I knew what I was doing I would have made a mini roman blind type thingy but since I don't know this is it! *smiles* I tried it on a curtain rod but I hated how it looked so I got my dear Mr Darcy's staple gun & with some help from The Girl we stapled it up over the sink... You can't even see the staples really... But you sure can see the uglist kitchen sink light fixture in the history of all kitchen sink light fixtures - for shame!I did use a rod for the back door though...
It was so hard getting these pictures! My camera doesn't want to work half the time *smiles*
I just love this fabric because it feels old fashioned to me & my house is definitely old.
So what do y'all think?

Keep Calm & Carry On

Have you been admiring this phrase as much as me? I've been seeing it all over blogland & wanted my own. Here's my version... tell me what you think!

What makes my heart sing is it required me to use my stuff! I know! Imagine my delight... Ladies, I am truly blessed with crafting stuff & my own little space to work in but I am not blessed with time to play. When I finally do find a moment I'm quickly overwhelmed by a) the mess my craft room is in or b) the sheer volume of choices. I end up creating nothing & feeling like a crafting failure. I've been feeling like that a lot lately, for weeks and weeks in fact. My secret shame. No one should feel that way. This past week I spent a little time out there working on clearing & organizing. It's not done but most importantly it helped me to feel a connection to my creative space. So Saturday afternoon when I decided to go play with my things I was able to actually make something... *smiles* My heart was singing! Silly I know... but don't you ever feel that way too? Get bogged down in too many choices & perfectionism? This simple totally copy-catted sign represents me overcoming my creative block & actually doing/making something. For that it makes me happy & I'm totally ignoring the fact that the first R in Carry isn't perfect.... It's part of it's handcrafted charm!