Projects Finally Done

Yes, it takes me awhile to finally get around to

 or even finish my projects once I start them. :(

Oh well, these are finally done.

It's Summer and Beach is on the mind!



Some of my wooden planters were falling apart

(hey, they are about 20 yrs old!)

So I salvaged the naturally aged and worn wood,

slapped some glorious turquoise paint on them

 and did some stenciling.

Added shells from my extensive collection

 from my beach combing trips.

Then placed them here and there

throughout the house and in the front yard.

I also added shells around a frame,

 then painted them white.

I added my favorite Beachy saying:

"May you always have a shell in your pocket

 and sand in your shoes"

I even made a beachy looking candle!

The bottom third is sand

followed by a layer of beach glass.

Wiggle a thick "taper type" candle in

so it's nice and stable and there you go :)

Feels a little beachy-er around here now :)

I also made some Creamy Moisturizer

 for my poor gardening hands using this

One Good Thing by Jillee Simple Recipe

Works great for your hands,

especially if they are really dry. 

 It doesn't burn like some other creams do.

Awesome after shaving your legs too!

I gave jars of these out for Easter.



I had purchased a couple of non-working clocks

a long time ago with the idea of transforming them.

I found them in my Treasure Pile recently

 and finally got to work on them.

  

This mantle clock was upcycled into

shabby distressed Garden Cottage decor. 

This wall clock was made into a tribute for a Mother.

I also found a gazillion muslin bags in my Treasure Pile.

 I'm sure they came out of my Dad's Shop

 when we cleaned up the farm.

My Daughter had recently given me a

bouquet of dried Roses she had received

and had been saving. 

They were still in tact, full of dust,

but still in good condition for their age.

I knew I wanted to do something with them.

 I dusted them off ~ with my blow dryer...be sure to do

 this outside, unless you want dust flying

everywhere in your house!

I then gave them a good coat of hairspray

and set them aside for a bit.

When I found the muslin bags the light bulb went on!

I stamped the bag with a large Rose then

 colored it using colored pencils.

I added the Rose bouquet inside and

 tied off with a strip of cheesecloth.

I love the way it turned out.

Romantic looking.

When my Daughter and middle Son

went through High School they both took shop.

Since the curriculum never changes,

 even though they are 9 years apart,

I ended up with a set of stools/ottomans.

Believe me, I'm not complaining.

I l♥ve them!

When they were brought home they were raw wood.

It was up to me to figure out how I want to finish them.

I finished my Daughter's fairly quickly.

At the time a new colored stain had just come out.

Can't remember the company but it was advertised in every magazine I had seen. It looked really pretty in the photos,

 so I decided to give it a try. I chose a rose color.

 I liked how you were able to get color

but still see the grain of the wood.

I added a Rose decal to top it off.

It happened to coordinate well with this chair, I loved it. 

Enter mild mannered Bella.

Our newest addition, a Red Doberman/Corgi mix.

First pics here.

Who would think a 3 year old dog

would still be going through a chewing phase!?

She ate the corner right off!!

Frustrated, I tried to figure out how I was going to fix this.

Of course, wouldn't you know they don't make that stain anymore :(

 Using wood putty I recreated the corner.

Now what to do since I couldn't match the stain.

Yep, the top got several coats of white

(I really liked the way it was before,

but change is good) :/

And 2 vintage decals.

I didn't get around to distressing it

to match the rest of the piece,

 but every one's shoes will do that for me ;) 

 

T's stayed in the raw for several years, 7 to be precise.

Embarrassed? yes!

But my kiddos know I will eventually get around to doing things.

Thank goodness for their patience.

I decided to go all white with his and have a different colored top.

(I actually did his before  M's was chewed up.)

 I remembered seeing a plastic doily used as a sort of stencil.

Every time I see those old plastic ones I pick them up,

I have several sizes in my supplies now.

I sprayed the back of the doily lightly with adhesive

 and placed it where I wanted it.

Then painted on the green by first dabbing/stippling the doily,

then finished painting out the top.

I gently lifted the doily off.

I was worried about the paint bleeding under the doily,

so there are areas where I didn't apply

the paint as evenly as the others.

It's not quite "perfect". But it's perfect for me!

Even with the sealant I used,

the paint will wear once shoes are on and off it.

so this just gives it a head start for that

shabby distressed/used look.

Whew!

Finally got these posted. Long post huh? 

Some of these have been done for awhile

with their photos sitting in my camera.

 Others I have just finished.

And Yes, I know, I forget to take before

 photos most of the time, Sorry :/

There's more to come ♥

Freebie Friday

Be sure to snag this GREAT little
set of *Fun in the Sun* QP's from KapiScrap & Art!

The FREEBIE is free until next Thursday
so be sure to grab it quick!

Access HERE:

Be sure to check out the more of the

Fun in the SUN collection HERE!

 My Memories has authorized me to offer a $10 discount off the purchase of the My Memories Suite Scrapbook software and a $10 coupon for the MyMemories.com store - $20 value!) by using this code at checkout ~

STMMMS25918



Garden Angels

While poking around Pinterest I noticed a theme of upcycled "Angels" made for the garden. So clever and so cute!

source

source

source

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Three Fuzzy Chicks in the Hawk Nest

Big Red Feeds the Day Old Hatchlings

 

Viewers of the Cornell Hawks cam can tune in to see Big Red and Ezra feeding three bobbly headed, downy-white chicks. The first two hatched early morning on Monday, Earth Day, as thousands of people watched. The third youngster entered the world two days later. Big Red and Ezra have been busily provisioning them with chipmunks, starlings, snakes, and other prey, which they carefully tear into small pieces before giving to the nestlings.

 

 

Over the next few days you may see the nestlings pecking at each other. Don't be alarmed—as long as there is a steady supply of food this behavior usually dissipates without harming the chicks in about 7–10 days.

Raley's targeted in cyber attack........Here we go again!!

Received this in my email!

To Our Customers: Raley's Family of Fine Stores has recently discovered that a portion of our computer network systems may have been the target of a complex, criminal cyber attack. We immediately initiated an investigation to determine whether cyber criminals may have obtained customer credit and debit card information. At this time, we have not confirmed any unauthorized access to payment card data, but our investigation remains ongoing. We have no reason to believe that debit PIN numbers could have been accessed. We do not collect Social Security or drivers' license numbers in association with payment card transactions. Raley's has taken a series of immediate steps to enhance the security measures already in place to protect customer data. We are confident that our customers can continue using their payment cards in its stores. We sincerely regret any inconvenience this incident may have caused and wanted to reach out to our customers to encourage you to: Check and monitor your bank and credit card statements for evidence of unauthorized transactions. Contact your bank or credit card company if you identify suspicious charges. Cardholders are not typically held responsible for fraudulent charges made by unauthorized parties if reported promptly to the card issuer. You can contact our dedicated response team from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day: Phone: 800-925-9989 Visit our website, www.raleys.com, for updates and to see our customer fact sheet. You can also learn more about fraud from the California Office of Privacy Protection website and the Federal Trade Commission's Consumer Information website. Happy Weekend

Disturbance at the Heron Nest



  

Although it's tough to see all the details, the sounds clearly tell us that there was a a disturbance at the heron nest last night (5/30/13). At around 11:30pm the female starts getting restless and suddenly just before 11:45pm we hear the geese disturbed on the pond below, followed by the female heron screaming at some unseen threat. The male arrives and stays on the nest for about three hours. As soon as the situation calms down, the chicks beg and are fed. The male and female vocalize together before he leaves the nest at a little past 2:30am. 

Old Friends



TODAY IS THE OLDEST YOU'VE EVER BEEN,

YET THE YOUNGEST YOU'LL EVER BE -

SO - ENJOY THIS DAY WHILE IT LASTS.

~Your kids are becoming you......but your grandchildren are perfect!~Going out is good.. Coming home is better!

~You forget names.... But it's OK because other people forgot they even knew you!!!

~You realize you're never going to be really good at anything.... especially Golf.

~The things you used to care to do, you no longer care to do, but you really do care that you don't care to do them anymore.

~You sleep better on a lounge chair with the TV blaring than in bed. It's called "pre-sleep".

~You miss the days when everything worked with just an "ON" and "OFF" Switch..

~You tend to use more 4 letter words ... "what?"..."when?"... ???

~Now that you can afford expensive jewelry, it's not safe to wear it anywhere.

~You notice everything they sell in stores is "sleeveless"?!!!

~What used to be freckles are now liver spots.

~Everybody whispers.

~You have 3 sizes of clothes in your closet.... 2 of which you will never wear.

~~~But Old is good in some things: Old songs, Old movies, and best of all, OLD FRIENDS!!

 It's Not What You Gather, But What You Scatter That Tells What Kind Of Life You Have Lived

When a dog knows ~

Have you ever heard that a dog 'knows' when an earthquake is about to hit?

 

Have you ever heard that a dog can 'sense' when a tornado is stirring up,

even 20 miles away?

Do you remember hearing that before the December tsunami struck Southeast Asia,

dogs started running frantically away from the seashore, at breakneck speed?

Do you know that dogs can detect cancer and

 other serious illnesses and danger of fire?

Somehow they always know when they                        

can 'go for a ride' before you even ask.

How do those dogs and cats get home from hundreds of miles away?

I'm a firm believer that animals ~ and especially cats and dogs ~

have keen insights into the Truth.

And you can't tell me that dogs can't sense

 a potentially terrible disaster well in advance.

 

Simply said, a dog just KNOWS when something isn't right ~

when impending doom is upon us.

They'll always try to warn us!

EVERYONE should have listened.

Freebie Friday

Be sure to snag this GREAT little *Sparkle and Shine* Frame set from
Touched By A Butterfly!

The FREEBIE is free until next Thursday
so be sure to grab it quick!

DOWNLOAD

50 Years of Math

50 Years of Math 1959-2009 (in the USA )

Last week I purchased a burger at Burger King for $1.58. The counter girl took my $ 2 and I was digging for my change when I pulled 8 cents from my pocket and gave it to her. She stood there, holding the nickel and 3 pennies, while looking at the screen on her register. I sensed her discomfort and tried to tell her to just give me two quarters , but she hailed the manager for help. While he tried to explain the transaction to her, she stood there and cried. Why do I tell you this? Because of the evolution in teaching math since the 1950s:

1. Teaching Math In 1950s

A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price. What is his profit ?

2. Teaching Math In 1960s

A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price, or $80. What is his profit?

3. Teaching Math In 1970s

A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80. Did he make a profit?

4. Teaching Math In 1980s

A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80 and his profit is $20. Your assignment: Underline the number 20.

5. Teaching Math In 1990s

A logger cuts down a beautiful forest because he is selfish and inconsiderate and cares nothing for the habitat of animals or the preservation of our woodlands. He does this so he can make a profit of $20. What do you think of this way of making a living? Topic for class participation after answering the question: How did the birds and squirrels feel as the logger cut down their homes? (There are no wrong answers, and if you feel like crying, it's ok.)

6. Teaching Math In 2009

Un hachero vende una carretada de maderapara $100. El costo de la producciones es $80. Cuanto dinero ha hecho?