Burlap Window Mistreatment!

Welcome to Crazy for Burlap Party hosted by Miz Rhoda of Southern Hospitality!

I have a dirty secret... This is the window on the door to my dirty secret - our back room! The main entry into our home and it's disgraceful! There's nothing welcoming or gracious about it, it is what it is, a collection site for everything from power tools, appliances, wood, discarded junk, clutter, exercise equipment, you name it and it's probably buried in this room some where!

I seriously need an intervention where this room is concerned.

So while on vacation last week I decided to take 30 minutes and whip up a mistreatment for this window. Afterall if ya can't hide it ya should decorate it right? *smiles*

Here's the view from outside, see the cute burlap?

Left over from my chicken wire frame projectI'm definitely going to spruce up the outside soon *hanging head in shame*

Here's the inside view... Still have to add insulation and dry wall. The cute fabric is an embroidered linen of sea shells, turtles and starfish from Robert Allen.

And here it is rolled up from the outside

I see now that I need to paint this door since the primer coat isn't looking so great

And rolled up from the inside

This is a metal clad door but for some reason those magnetic curtain rods wouldn't stick to the door. I didn't want to put holes in it for a regular rod so I used velcro to attach it. I used two different kinds, the sticky kind and the sew on kind from our favorite store Hobby Lobby.

If you want to make something similar but haven't a clue how I'd be happy to talk you thru it!

Thanks for looking!

Mini Chalkboard Frame & other Simple Projects

Ever since The Boy broke one of my yard sale rooster plates I've been wondering what I could replace it with. A recent trip to the Habitat Resale store got me a plastic frame with chipboard cutesy print for 50 cents. I sprayed the chipboard with chalkboard paint. What do y'all think?I was obviously on a creative roll, my next project? Do something with our crocheted initials that I've had forever. Using my distress ink pads and a background stamp I added subtle detail to the cardstock. So subtle y'all can't see it in my bad picture! A bit of ribbon, a cut out of a stamped house imagine that so reminds me of Mr Darcy's Pemberly *sigh* ... and a sweet metal embellie from Karen Foster that says it all for me "Family"

I love the ease of clip frames & I especially love how cheap you can find them at Big Lots! My beloved HL sells them just not in this size/shape...

Gosh it feels wonderful to actually finish something! I can't tell y'all how much I've been missing playing with my crafty bits. Just simple projects that I didn't allow to overwhelm me. I focused on keeping it simple, not getting bogged down in too many choices. Simplify - my word for 2009 *smiles* Sometimes it's way too easy to get bogged down in what if's... what if I did this instead of that, ya know? And next thing ya know time is up & you've made nothing but a mess. I feel lousy when I do that! It's so discouraging. So please don't do that to yourself, a simple completed project is so much better than a complicated unfinished one!

Old Sheldon Church Ruins

I've longed to visit this sacred ground for years, since 2003 in fact when I first learned of this place. Back then I only had a vague description of it's location but the longing stuck with me. Two years ago while visiting with friends in the Charleston area I thought I'd finally have my much anticipated visit. I did some google searching and discovered it was about an hour or so away from where we were staying. But it wasn't meant to be at that time...

We spent last week on vacation discovering Hilton Head Island. I was determined to finally see this church and on the way down we stopped by this magnificent place. It was all I imagined and more. I could just feel the history as we walked around. It's a lovely, beautiful place tucked away down a very shady narrow two lane country road.

Vacation!

We're going on vacation y'all & I'm so excited! We never go anywhere but that's about to change cause we're headed to Hilton Head Island SC on Monday for four days... I've never been there before so I'm doubly excited My dear sweet husband drives, it's his job so I'm going to do the driving on our little trip. And guess where I'm going to take us along the way... To see Old Sheldon Church ruins near Beaufort SC. Isn't it just hauntingly beautiful? I can't wait to see this holy place in person. Looks romantic doesn't it? I've wanted to go there for the last 7 years at least...

I'm going to keep this very real friends and tell y'all maybe we should spend money on my dental work or a much needed hoopty mobile. We've spent years postponing vacations for various reasons, all of which are mostly forgotten when we think back on it. But then I remember what my dear friend Rosie, Rose Big Pond - Marquez told me after a particularly rough patch in her family's lives. She said she wished they had taken more vacations together because they would have those memories forever. I've sadly lost touch with my dear Rosie, how I wish I could find her. But her words ring true in my ears!



Excitement of anticipation has been so sweet these last 3 weeks as we've planned our vacation... It's gotten me thru some tough long days at work. Just thinking about walks on the beach hand in hand... Quiet moments together... Sunrises on the water... Swimming in the ocean...

And the memories of our early days together, when our love was brand new. Y'all don't know this but we met on a little island very far far away... We spent our first months of married life on that island and being at the ocean recalls those memories for us. That will be the sweetest part of this trip, recalling those precious early days while making new memories.

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!