Am I Crazy?

So, by now you know that I am a BLOG STALKER!!!! I know it's weird, but it is cheap entertainment! Bear with me a minute as I walk you through one of my blog adventures and the CRAZY idea that has come out of it! Earlier this week I was reading this post about a Swap Meet at ALTAR'd and I was intrigued! So, I followed the link to all the details at The Nester, whom I also follow, but I didn't find her until recently!

Then today, as I was walking around my house, I noticed a number of things that just were not working for me anymore. I've told you that I have finally discovered my style and my house is in a slow overhaul. But, the question remains about what to do with the stuff that's not working for me. It's still great stuff, it just doesn't quite go with the vibe I want for my house. So, in my crazy mixed up brain the memory of the Swap Meet collided with the dilemma of the stuff and my CRAZY idea emerged!

I want to host a Swap Meet of my own! I figure I can't be the only person out there who has decor that is not working for them. So here is the break down on how this would work. We would gather at my house and everyone would bring 5 home decor items (from their houses, the key is to not spend any money)! Then we would visit, eat, and "shop"! We would each get to take home 5 new decorations, and it won't cost us a dime! I can't think of better scenario, but I could be the only one who thinks this sounds fun. So, am I CRAZY?

Let me know what you think! Do you have decor you are ready to swap out? If I hosted this, would you come? I need some feedback so I can decide if I should start planning or book myself in the psych ward! Leave me a comment, here or on Facebook!

Thanks for stopping by!

The "Barbara"

I am working! I promise! I know my projects seem few and far between, but there are several going on right now! I work when I can (in the nooks and crannies)! And anyone with kids knows there aren't many minutes of the day where there is not Something on the schedule! But just so you believe me, this is my garage in its current state:

It is full of finished projects, projects in the works, and projects I haven't gotten to yet! And a few bikes, balls, and a toilet!HA!!! I forgot that was even there until I took the picture! (We changed out the toilet and haven't hauled off the old one yet...just in case you were wondering!)

It has been hard to work here lately. Not only have I been busy with my family, but the weather is NOT cooperating! Here in Mississippi it has been HOT! This means there are only a few short hours where it is bearable to work outside. Today it finally cooled off, but this is what I got:

Overcast and rainy! We got a HUGE storm just after I took this picture! Don't get me wrong, we desperately needed the rain, but it did not help me out with the painting situation! You will be glad to know that I did finish the base coats (it took 3) on a large piece I started last week!
Anyway, the real reason for this post is the piece that is finished! It is a custom piece for my next door neighbor Barbara. She helped me unload this piece the day I bought it and instantly claimed it for herself!

She had been looking for some more storage!

And this pieces has TONS!
Barbara LOVES blue and yellow! Her kitchen is decked out with blue and yellow dishes, pictures, dishtowels, you name it! She even has blue pendant lights! The Lady loves blue and yellow! So, my original plan was to paint this piece blue, then yellow. And then rough it up so the blue would come through! I actually did all that, but it wasn't working for me or Barbara (I am so thankful for her honesty!) All the paint was competing with the unbelievable knobs I had found. So, the second time around, we opted for simple, clean, white! And here she is all finished!

It is perfect! Check out the details on these pulls:

When I found them at Hobby Lobby, they just screamed Barbara's name! They look fabulous against the bright white! I can't wait to see how it looks in her house! If I get pictures of it there, I will definitely share them with all of you! Thanks for stopping by!
On a side note, I am hoping to up the number of my followers! If you check in on a regular basis, click the "Follow" button on the side of the page! I have a giveaway planned for November, but only to my followers. So, click it now while you are here!

A Birthday, A Broken Leg, & Some Yummy Treats

This weekend was very eventful, just not in the painting department!

We went to the "country" and got to hang out with family and celebrate my grandmother's 80th birthday! It is always fun to see everyone...there is never a dull moment! Or as my cousin once said "They should follow us around with cameras, we are THAT funny!"

And just to keep it interesting, my mom fell early Friday morning and broke her ankle! So most of that day was spent at the doctor's office.

Nonetheless, we were together, and that is all that matters! I hope you had a wonderful weekend too!

I may not have any furniture to share, but I always bring you something! Check out the snack I made the kiddos today

CANDY CORN PARFAITS

They were DELICIOUS!

I even got a "Thanks so much for making this mom!"

What more could I ask for?

You can get the recipe here at one of my new favorite blogs, Baked Bree!

Go check it out! And let me know what kind of treats you find to make!

Thanks for stopping by!

The "Oz"

I have decided to start naming my pieces, at least the big ones! It gets so complicated trying to remind my mom, or Mr. Rustic, or my friends which piece I am currently working on. It is constantly, "Now, which one are you painting?"
"What color did you decide to use?"
"Tell me again what it looks like!"
You see my problem! Now I can just say, I'm busy painting The Frenchie, or some other clever name. Ok, so it might not solve all my problems, but it will definitely make it more fun!
So, on with today's make-over! Do you remember this piece that I scored on my estate sale excursion a few weeks ago?


Ok, so this is after I sanded it, but you get the gist of "Before"! I let it sit there for a few weeks while I decided what to do with it! I like to wait for each piece to feel inspired; for them to "speak" to me.
Then, one day I was digging in the "oops" paints and Lowe's and came across this

Um...You had me at $1.00! But the color REALLY got my attention.

I don't know if it's because I am ready for Christmas or because I was in the midst of planning the Wizard of Oz Party, but something about that shade of green enticed me. And within in a few days I had a quart of it mixed up and on my estate sale find!

Don't you love my makeshift lifts...Ella did! The green is nice, but a little too bright. So, I roughed her up, added some glaze, some copper pulls, and Voila!

Meet "The Oz"! What do you think?



This piece was so much fun to work on. Ok, fun to paint. It had some serious water damage, so the work was not so much fun! A big shout out to my friend, Shea! She came and completely dismantled the drawer so it would slide smoother (after I had painted it)! She has some serious skills when it comes to tools!

Thanks again for all your hard work! "We don't need no stinkin' man!"

Take one last look at her! This one is already spoken for, so she is not going up in Gallery!

Thanks for stopping by!
Linking to these fun Parties:

Three Special Boys

Meet Mason!

He is the third son of one of my best friends!

He was born in July and this picture was taken when he was just 8 days old.

And here he is with both of his big brothers, Cooper and Riley.

Thank you Erin, of Quinntography, for use of the pictures. They are beautiful!

Now, in case you're wondering...there is a reason I am showing you this sweet family! I FINALLY finished a project I have been working on for them! (Thanks to their mom, Kim, for being so patient with me!)

Three years ago, when Riley was born, Kim and I found these adorable, vintage inspired, alphabet cards.

I convinced her to buy them because I just knew we could come up with a cute project for them! So she did! (There is actually an entire set, but these are the only ones I had for a picture.) We went through a ton of ideas, but nothing seemed just right. And before long, the cards were forgotten!

Fast forward 3 years...and baby boy #3 is here! When I went to see Mason for the first time, there were the cards sitting on the nursery dresser! This time, we didn't even take time to think about it! We took the three cards with the boys first initials on them and decided to paint them on some old wood!

I had an old quilt box that I had deconstructed sitting in the garage.

It was perfect! One plank was big enough for all three letters!

"M" is for Mason

"R" is for Riley

"C" is for Cooper

They turned out so cute! They are not identical, which just gives them more character. They will be precious displayed all together or separate in each of the boys' rooms!

It has taken me a while to get these done, but I hope the boys LOVE them!

Be sure and check in later this week, I have some makeovers to share!

Thanks for stopping by!

Linking to:

Pay No Attention To The Woman Behind The Blog!

Well, it has taken me almost a week, but I am finally getting the party pictures posted! Let's start with the Birthday Girl! She is my supermodel in the making and was ready to pose as Dorothy!

I'm not sure how many details you want to know. So, I am just going to narrate the pictures and if you want directions or more information on something specific, just post a comment and I will pass on the information!

I posted tons of signs, to help set the mood.

This one was on the front door!

This one pointed guests to the backyard, where the party was held.

There was also a balloon rainbow, but somehow we didn't get a picture of that!

I made this banner greet the guests! It hung on the fence as they walked into the party.

Here are some close ups:

The food was probably the most fun to plan (and the easiest to carry out)! I loved planning out the table scape. For the food table, I made a table cloth from blue gingham fabric and trimmed it in red sparkly ribbon. We served Over the Rainbow Snacks (Rainbow Goldfish), Lemon "Poppy" Muffins, and:
Haunted Forest Applesauce

Glinda's Wand-wiches

And Ruby Red Slipper Sugar Cookies

For the Drink Table, I use a white table cloth tied up with blue gingham ribbon.

We served "Wicked Witch's Water",

Auntie Em's Lemonade


And Emerald City Punch

I made labels for all the food and held them up with "Haunted Apples"

But, by far, the show stopper was the cake. Mr Rustic's secretary, Jennifer made it for us.

And she did a PHENOMANAL job!

She added EVERY detail imaginable!

Just look at Ella's face!

And I don't know how she got a rainbow inside...but she DID!!!

We had a Great Day!

Jumping in "Dorothy's House"

Going Down the "Yellow Brick Road"

And Hitting the Pinata!

The Scarecrow and Tinman Showed up to handout Favors!

(So did the Lion, but he was too busy to take a picture)!

There are always a few things you would do differently, but just look at this smile:

That tells me it was a BIG hit!

And well worth all the effort!

Thanks for stopping by!