MY FIFTH "BUILDINGS OUT HOMES TOGETHER" FOR WEDNESDAY - JUNE 29TH

I'M PARTICIPATING IN THE WEDNESDAY "BUILDING OUR HOMES TOGETHER...WITH JESUS" OVER AT THE PRAIRIE FLOWER FARM BLOG. FEEL FREE TO PAY LINDA A VISIT.  SHE LOVE VISITORS. TELL HER I SAID HELLO :) :) :)

Hi everyone,

How are you this week? I know it's Thursday, but I still wanted to reflect Wednesday in my blog post today. No particular reason, other than to try and keep my self on task. Each new "Building Our Homes Together" series starts on Wednesday :) :) I am so LOVING this series. Every week, ladies are posting really cool things from Scripture, from their homes, DIY-projects, recipes etc :) :) It's a lot of fun.  Do you remember that curio cabinet that I wrote about awhile back. Well, it is now repainted. Here's the journey it went on or "Heather the Weather's Adventures in Painting".

IT STARTED WITH THIS SMALL WALL CURIO CABINET. I PURCHASED IT AT A YARD SALE A FEW WEEKS AGO.  THAT'S SOME OF MY CRAFT STUFF JUST STREWN EVERYWHERE. THAT'S TYPICAL TO FIND CRAFT STASHES LIKE THAT ALL OVER THE APARTMENT ;) :) 

            I saw this curio cabinet at a yard sale a few weeks ago. The lady selling it wanted $5 for it. However, I was able to talk her down to $3.50 since that was literally all I had in my wallet. Truth be told, I didn't do a lot of "talking down" in the bargain sense of the phrase.  All I said was literally "Would you take $3.50 for the cabinet. It's all I have in my wallet" It was the truth, too :) :) :) The lady said yes and home I went with a "new" treasure :) :) 
            When I first saw this, I knew it would look really cute repainted in softer colors that are romantic, shabby chic, cottage, country, Victorian, rustic etc..you get the idea... :) :) :) So that was my first step. Also since I'm working on becoming totally debt free I had to wait until more money was available to buy paint supplies.

IN THE FOREGROUND ARE THE PAINT SUPPLIES THAT I PURCHASED FOR THE PROJECT. I WENT TO MY LOCAL HOME IMPROVEMENT STORE. NOW THAT I THINK ABOUT IT, I PROBABLY GOT SUCKERED INTO BUYING SOME THINGS I DIDN'T REALLY NEED. HOWEVER, I WAS REALLY GLAD TO HAVE IT ALL.  THE SEWING BOX, THE STUFF ON THE SEWING BOX AND THE ROSE PITCHER AND BOWL WERE NOT PART OF THE PAINT SUPPLIES :) :) I ALREADY HAD THOSE ITEMS.

I had to wait until more money came in to buy paint supplies. Remember, I'm trying to redecorate and work my way out of debt all at the same time. Random, I know,  but it's a conviction and a commitment that I intend to keep. So when I got my new smartphone back in April, I filled out paperwork to get the rebate card. Once the rebate card arrived in the mail, it made my  smartphone totally FREE. The rebate card arrived earlier this month and off I went to the store.  Here's a list of what I bought:
- 400 SandWet sandpaper
- plastic dropcloth (don't want paint flying everywhere)
- roller brush/paint pan thingy
- paint brush with angle bristles
- primer (tried Zinser since it was the least expensive option)
- Behr interior semi-gloss paint in "Paris White" (more like pale pink)
- paint can opener (not necessary, but fits under the lid way better than just using a screwdriver. trust me on this one. It was absolute heaven to open)
- face masks

The  paint chip card and the paint stick were freebies. 

Originally, my plan was to go with a nice antique white paint. However, once I arrived at the store, the pale pink was calling my name. Well, not literally, but that is what I was automatically drawn towards. So I went with my gut and picked out a very pale, pale shade of pink called "Parish White". It's that very top  strip on the paint card. It's a  nice soft shade. 
            I LOVE vintage, shabby chic, cottage, romantic, Victorian, prim, country, feminine fru-fru, lots of frills and furbelows and simplicity or any combination of all of those. Does that make any sense? Oh, add farmgirl style to that too :) :) In any case, I had this vision in my head of what I wanted to do to this curio cabinet. The  cabinet was probably made in the 1970s.  Did I mention, that I have absolutely NO  EXPERIENCE with refinishing furniture of anykind? None. I just went ahead and did it anyway.

 My dad pointed out that the  door frame was seperate at the joint on the upper  left-hand corner along with a small crack in the frame in the lower right-hand corner. We used some wood glue, a clamp, and some tape. Now the tape is unconventional, but I'll get to that in a minute. It's all about using what you have to ge the job done.  
             I don't know much about "tools" as such. My dad had this clamp that can be fitted with different lengths of galvanized pipe, depending on what size clamp you need for the project.  This seems to me like it could be a real money saver, since you don't have to buy multiple clamps. Don't quote me on that, though. So we went to our local Ace Hubbard's hardware store to look for a 24-inch length of galvanized pipe.  Oh, I think the pipe diameter was about 3/4 inch? In any case, they didn't have the size we needed in the pre-cut pipes. The associate custom-cut some pipe for us. That was really cool. It only cost us $1.99 a foot and she threaded the pipe, too. That was nice :) :) 
           So we applied some wood glue in the joint at the upper left-hand corner of the frame and clamped it tight. Perfect. Only, there was that other crack in the lower right-hand corner to fix. No problem. It was a small crack.  We applied more wood glue. we tried to use a pile of really heavy books to weight it down/hold it together. Okay, we tried using my dad's John MacArthur Bible commentary and three Jon Courson commentaries. That didn't work really well, because the books just fell off. So we used package tape instead. That was totally unconventional, but PERFECT. It did the job perfectly and we didn't have to spend extra money.

MY DADDY'S HANDS HELPING TO SAND THE CURIO CABINET.  HE STARTED THE SANDING. I FINISHED IT.

I bought a 400-grit SandWet sand paper. Again, it was what the store associate recommended. I did NOT wet the sandpaper, preferring to leave it dry . Why? No reason. I just didn't want to bother with that. The sand paper was so smooth. All I needed to do was take just enough varnish off  in order for the primer and paint to stick to the surface.  This was hard to do because there were so many nooks and crannies that were hard to reach. Not to mention those spindle thingies. Those were really persnickety to sand. As my 6th grade teacher once said "American ends with "I can"...and I did get the job done :) :) Now for the fun stuff :) :)

THIS IS THE CURIO CABINET AFTER I APPLIED THE PRIMER.

I got a little happy with the primer and applied TWO coats. The transformation was so amazing that I literally forgot what I was doing for awhile. I just kept applying more and more primer. However, I'm glad that I did, because I wanted the color to go on as smoothly as possible. 

THESE ARE THE PAINT BRUSHES THAT I USED ON THIS PROJECT. THE ANGLED-BRUSH AT THE BOTTOM HERE WAS THE ONE I PURCHASED MYSELF. THE OTHER TWO WERE BORROWED. NEXT TIME, I'M BUYING SMALLER BRUSHES.

 I was able to use the larger brush to get the larger surfaces painted. I also borrowed an angled foam brush to reach into the corners. Those were really hard to reach with the bigger brush.  It took patience and some agility with my arms. However, it was worth the effort.

HERE IS MY BEAUTIFUL CURIO CABINET ALL TRANSFORMED. DOESN'T IT LOOK REALLY DIFFERENT WITH A NEW COAT OF PAINT? IT HAS NEW LIFE BREATHED INTO IT.

Depending on your tastes, one coat of final paint may be enough. I decided to use two coats of paint. Remember, how enthralled I was with the primer? It was more so with the actual paint. When I saw the color go on so smooth and shiny, I was hooked. I applied one coat of "Paris White", let it dry over night, and then applied a  second  coat. This was right after I had applied the second coat of paint. Such a beautiful pale shade of pink :) :)

HERE IS THE FINISHED CURIO CABINET IN MY ROOM. THE BLUE MASON JAR IS  A YARD SALE FIND AS IS THE MASON GLASS DRINKING JAR.

This is the finished curio cabinet. It's sitting on top of my dresser drawer. Oh, the dresser drawer is narrow with five vertical drawers. It was also a yard sale find for $5.  OK, let me get back on track here.  I don't know what I'll put on it yet. It couldn't wait until it was all decorated to show you. I had to show it off today :) :)  I'm going to be really thoughtful about what I place here. It should be useful, but also cute at the same time.  For me, the everyday stuff of life needs to have an element of beauty attached to it. So it's worth it to wait a little bit and see what strikes my fancy. Once the shelves are full, I'll do another post. Let me know what you think :) :)  I might add painted roses at a later date. For now, it's going to look like this :) :)
             There are probably some mistakes that need to be fixed. In fact, I know there are...but I'm not going to tell :) :)  They're on the other side of the cabinet...where no one can see :) :) Oh, and "What happened to the glass door" you ask? Well, when I purchased it at the yardsale it was completely detached from the hinges on the door frame. So I removed it.  I decided NOT to reattach it to the cabinet, optioning to repurpose it as a display tray for my teacups, instead. See the photo below:

            This what I ended up doing to the door from the curio cabinet. I temporarily used it as a display tray for some teacups. Yes, also yardsale finds along with the doilies they're sitting on. I loved i t so much, I decided to leave it that way. Now I am tempted to repaint the frame. Although, it does have some vintage charm the way it is, too.

            I got a little behind in my daily Bible readings. So I've been spending some of today getting caught up on that. If you are looking for a  neat on-line Bible to read OR you want a cool  Bible app for your smart phone, I highly recommend the app from Lifechurch.tv.  You can click here to visit the site.  They have all versions of the Bible in English, plus multiple other languages. It's a handy tool if you want to read the Bible on-line or on your cell-phone. I'm currently reading through the Bible in a whole year.   It really helps keep me focused.  I'm also much less grouchy when I spend regular time reading.  What's really cool about doing my devotions online is that after each day's reading is done, I can check mark the box to say that it's finished. It keeps track of what I've read. It even tells me, in percentages, how close I am to finishing my goal.

Well, if you have any questions about repainting my curio cabinet or about the on-line Bible devotions, just leave me a comment :) :) This post would have been a lot LONGER if I had told you the backstory with my painting adventure :) :) Thanks for visiting me today. Oh, welcome to the new followers, too :) :) Please come to visit again and again and maybe leave some comments, too. I love to hear from you.

Oh, just on a random note, I'll have to reorganize the  "tags" for my posts. I have way too many and need to condense them. If you have any helpful ideas, leave them here, too :) :) That's the news from Oregon today. Love and hugs, Heather :)
                                                                                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                   

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

YARD SALE TREASURES.

Hi everyone,
Okay, so this post will be FULL OF PHOTOS today. There are lots of yardsale finds to tell you about.  I've learned to be a bit more judicious in my spending when shopping at yardsales ;) :) So here's my latest round of goodies...

THIS IS A BATTENBURG LACE DOILIE THAT WAS  $0.50.

It's actually kind of funny how I purchased this. When I bought the two Japanese teacups (pictures to follow later in this post), I needed something to cushion them, so they w ouldn't get scratched or chipped. It just so happened that there was a set of four doilies, one cream Battenburg and the three hand-crocheted white d oilies. They were originally priced at $2 EACH...but the guy said that was too much and gave all four to me for $2. That's a good deal. When you break it down, it comes to $0.50 per doilie. These are the real deal and hand-made. I do use them in my house to line plates in the cabinet. It keeps the plates nice and scratch free.

THIS WAS A SET OF FOUR BATTENBURG LACE PLACEMATS WITH FOUR MATCHING BATTENBURG LACE NAPKINS. ALL EIGHT PIECES WERE JUST $2.

Did I mention  how much I LOVE Battenburg lace? It's just the right mix of vintage, country, romantic charm.  So whenever I see Battenburg lace at a yardsale, I buy it up quick. This set was purchased at a local church yard sale.

THIS IS A SWEET, VINTAGE LOOKING "PIGGY BANK". IT HAS A SL IT ON THE LID, WH ERE YOU CAN DROP IN COINS.  I'VE ALREADY STARTED PU TTING MONEY IN THERE. ISN'T IT JUST SO MUCH FUN? THIS WAS ONLY $0.25

A SMALL WOODEN CORNER SHELF FOR $1. THE TEACUPS WERE ALSO $1 EACH.

THIS IS MY CURIO CABINET WHICH WAS $3.50. I POSTED THIS SAME PHOTO YESTERDAY. YOU'LL BE SEEING THIS A LOT, AS I AM WORKING ON REPAINTING IT. CLICK HERE TO VIEW YESTERDAY'S POST. I TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT HOW I'M GOING TO REPAINT THIS CURIO CABINET :)

THIS IS THE DOOR TO THE CURIO CABINET. IT NOW FUNCTIONS AS A DISPLAY TRAY FOR MY TEACUPS. YOU WILL ALSO RECOGNIZE THIS FROM AN EARLIER POST.

THESE ARE THE THREE CROCHETED DOILIES THAT WERE IN THE SAME SET AS THE CREAM BATTENBURG LACE DOILIE. ALL FOUR TOGETHER WERE JUST $2. THAT WORKS OUT TO $0.50 A PIECE ;)

A VINTAGE TRIPLE-SCREEN FLOUR SIFTER THAT IS IN PERFECT WORKING ORDER. IT WAS ONLY $0.50. OTHER THAN SOME OBVIOUS WEAR AND TEAR ON THE OUTSIDE, IT'S PERFECT. I'LL PROBABLY ACTUALLY USE T HIS ONE FOR BAKING OR FOR DISPLAY....OR BOTH :)

A TEACUP WITH GRAPES, APPLES AND PEARS ALL AROUND THE OUTSIDE AND INSIDE THE TEACUP.  NOTICE THE FAN PEDESTAL AT THE BASE. THIS CUP WAS $1 AT A YARDSALE.

THE  BACKSTAMP ON THE FAN PEDESTAL TEACUP.

 MY VIOLET TEACUP. THIS WAS PURCHASED AT THE SAME PLACE AS  THE PREVIOUS TEACUP. NOTICE THAT IT  HAS A DOUBLE-RING HANDLE AN D IT SITS ON A THREE-RING PEDESTAL. THERE WAS NO BACKSTAMP ON THIS CUP. IT WAS ALSO $1.

MY DAD REALLY LIKED THIS. IT'S A WOODEN WALL HANGING FOR STORING LETTERS, BILLS  ETC. I LOVE THE VINTAGE LOOK OF IT. I AM CONSIDERING REPAINTING THIS COMLETELY. THIS WAS ONLY $0.50

THIS LONELY TEACUP AND FOUR MATCHING SAUCERS WERE ONLY $1 FOR EVERYTHING. THAT WORKS OUT TO JUST $0.20 A PIECE...THAT'S PITTANCE ;) :)  I'M NOT SURE THAT I'LL KEEP THIS, BUT I COULDN'T PASS IT UP. I DID SEE A PATTERN SOMEWHERE FOR TU RNING A TEACUP INTO A SEWING PIN CUSHION. MAY BE THAT'S WHAT I'LL DO WITH THIS.

THIS IS A CLOSE -UP OF THE TEACUP SAUCER.    THERE WAS NO BACKSTAMP ON THIS, SO THE ORIGIN IS UNCLEAR. HOWEVER, THESE MAKE GREAT TRAYS FOR SOAPS AND OTHER THINGS BESIDES TEACUPS :)

AN OLD GLASS BOTTLE THAT LOOKS VINTAGE CHIC. I'LL DECORATE THIS AND PUT IT ON MY BOOKSHELF FOR DISPLAY. IT WAS $0.50.

THIS IS THE BACKSTAMP ON THE SMALL GLASS BOTTLE. IT LOOKS VINTAGE TO ME. IF ANY OF YOU KNOW HOW TO READ THIS KIND OF THING, LET ME KNOW. IN ANY CASE, THE BOTTLE IS SUPER CUTE.

Those are my vintage finds for the last two weeks.  Aren't they great? I have been more careful to buy things I know that I' ll actually use this time :) :)  It's so much FUN looking for hidden treasures :) :) All total, I spent $12.25 for everything. That's a great bargain for all the practical beauty that has just graced my home :) :)

This is what's on my mind today. If you'd like to participate, feel free to visit Rhonda over at Down to Earth. She's a lovely lady from Australia. Her blog is full of recipes, tips, craft projects...life stories. It's really a delight to visit.

That's the news from Oregon today. Love and hugs, Heather :)

MY FOURTH "BUILDING OUR HOMES TOGETHER" FOR WEDNESDAY - JUNE 22ND.

I'M PARTICIPATING IN THE WEDNESDAY "BUILDING OUR HOMES TOGETHER...WITH JESUS" OVER AT THE PRAIRIE FLOWER FARM BLOG. FEEL FREE TO PAY LINDA A VISIT.  SHE LOVE VISITORS. TELL HER I SAID HELLO :) :) :)

Hi everyone,
What a week. Summer has finally arrived here in Southern Oregon. My dad and I broke down and finally turned the air conditioner on. It's spendy, but so comforting in this hot weather.

Today  will be a short post, because I have lots to do. I just wanted to show you where I'm at in repairing/repainting the curio cabinet.

THIS IS A SMALL WALL CURIO CABINET. I PURCHASED THIS AT A YARDSALE FOR $3.50.

I purchased this curio cabinet a little over a week ago at a yardsale. The lady wanted $5 for it. I was able to talk her down to $3.50, since that was literally all that I had in my wallet at the time.  Making your home look nice, doesn't have to cost a lot.  In fact, I  try and find all my items at yardsales to save money. So this is where it's at right now. I had to fix the little door frame. My dad helped with that. We applied some wood glue and  a clamp. The tape was to hold down a light repair on another part of the curio cabinet. It's unconventional, but it works. We didn't have money to buy another clamp. Today, I'll be taking off the tape and the clamp and sanding it. Wish me luck. It's my first refinishing job.

THIS IS THE DOOR TO THE CURIO CABINET. IT IS NOW A  DISPLAY TRAY FOR MY NEWLY ACQUIRED TEACUPS...WHICH WERE ALSO YARDSALE FINDS.

I was going to share about my yardsale finds today, but there is so MUCH stuff, that I'll save that for another post.  One way to save money is to repurpose stuff. Before you throw  something away, ask yourself if there's a way you could reuse it for something different. In this case, the hinges attached to the door were completely off. The only thing that was holding the door in place was tape.  I decided not to purchase new hinges because of cost. So I just removed the door, added some doilies and teacups...and voila, now I have a display tray :) :) The door hinges are attached to the frame with tacks or something. They aren't easy to remove without ruining the frame..so I'm just going to leave them there. Isn't it vintage cool?  The doilies were part of a set of four for $2 at a yardsale. The teacups were $1 each, also purchased at a yardsale. 

I'M GOING TO PAINT THE CABINET IN "PARIS WHITE". THAT'S THE LIGHTEST COLOR AT THE TOP OF THIS SAMPLE CARD.

I bought just one quart of "Paris White" semi-gloss.  It will do the  job nicely. It was too expensive to buy more colors. So this will be perfect for now. What's really cool is that I can always add more colors/designs later if I choose too :) :)

ON THE TABLE ARE SOME MORE OF THE PAINT SUPPLIES THAT I'LL BE USING TO REFINISH THE CURIO CABINET.  ALL THE STUFF IN THE BACKGROUND IS NOW CLEARED OFF THE TABLE :) :) 

I'll keep you posted about the progress of this project as it comes along. 

Pray for my dad and I. Apartment living isn't always easy. There will be an apartment complex wide inspection on June 30th. They are inspecting all the patios and balconies.  My dad went to the manager's office to ask for details and the manager wasn't very friendly. That's just part of apartment living.  So keep my dad in your prayers. He's feeling a bit stressed.  We are having to completely spring clean the house in just a few days. It was a project that was going to take us longer. Plus, my dad's heart gets tired easy when he's stressed. He's feeling stressed now.  We would really like to move. God is having us stay. We don't understand...but He does and that's enough for the moment ;) :) 

Oh, if you like good church apps for your smartphones, another one to try is from Pastor Greg Laurie of Harvest Church. It's free to install and comes with lots of extras. I'll share more about that next week I was enjoying reading my daily devotional right from my smartphone today while out running errands. My dad was a real sweetheart and let me stay in the car with the air-conditioning while he ran some errands. 

That's the news from Oregon today. Love and hugs from Oregon, Heather :)

MY 30TH TEACUP AND TEA THINGS TUESDAY AND TEA TIME TUESDAY FOR JUNE 21ST

Hi everyone,

It's been awhile since I've been able to participate in  any of the tea parties. I love to visit everyone on Tuesdays...any day, actually.  However, it's also a great pleasure to have something to share with you all, too :) :)
Oh my, I went to a couple of yardsales this past weekend. I found a couple of really interesting treasures. Here  are some really neat teacups that I have to share with you. Now one of you sweet ladies has a teacup(s) just like these...or a very similar style. Well, before I talk too much, let me show you what I have to share today:

THESE ARE TWO OF THE TEACUPS I FOUND AT A YARDSALE THIS PAST WEEKEND.

I am working on a couple of posts for this month, so I'll go into detail about the other items in these photos another time. Today it's all about tea :) These two  teacups were yardsale treasures that I found for just $1 each.   These cups are so unusual, that I  just had to buy them.  I seem to remember one of you sweet ladies finding similar teacups as well :)

 THIS IS WHAT I CALL MY "VIOLET" TEACUP. IT'S GOT THIS SAME VIOLET PATTERN ALL THE WAY AROUND THE OUTSIDE OF THE CUP.

 This  cup is the most unusual in my collection so far.  It has a double-ring gold handle.  It also sits on three little mini gold rings. Plus, it has a pearlescent sheen to it. It reminds me of abalone shell.

The cup has this pearlescent sheen to it. It reminds me of abalone shell. There was no backstamp on this teacup. So I'm not able to identify it's origin. Oh yeah, that's my seriously warped reflection you see in the teacup. I was trying to get a good photo with my camera.... :) :) :) :)

HERE IS ANOTHER VIEW OF MY VIOLET TEACUP, JUST BECAUSE I THINK IT'S SO PRETTY. I LIKE THE  VIOLET DETAIL. USUALLY I SEE TEACUPS WITH ROSES..THIS MAKES IT EXTRA SPECIAL.

NOTICE THE THREE SMALL GOLDEN RINGS THAT THE CUP SITS ON. THEY SORT OF REMIND ME OF MINIATURE WEDDING RINGS.

THIS IS THE OTHER TEACUP THAT I FOUND AT  THE SAME YARDSALE THIS PAST WEEKEND. THIS ONE HAS A FRUIT THEME WITH GRAPES AND PEARS.

This teacup is also really beautiful...and quite romantic and regal, too.  Notice the pedestal fan base. that is quite unusual. I've seen more modern Asian teacups with pedestal bases. The handle has a bit of a thumb rest, too...of course, this also has gold and the same pearlescent sheen.

 THIS IS A CLOSER LOOK AT THE DESIGN ON THIS CUP. IT LOOKS LIKE GRAPES, PEARS AND APPLES. THIS SAME PATTERN IS ALL AROUND THE OUTSIDE OF THE TEACUP, AS WELL AS ON THE INSIDE.

THIS IS THE SAME FRUIT MOTIF ON THE INSIDE OF THE CUP. I LOVE TEACUPS THAT HAVE "SECRET" SURPRISE MOTIF ON THE INSIDE. THIS IS THE LARGEST ONE I'VE EVER SEEN

This teacup is really neat because of the beautiful fruit drawings on the outside and inside of the cup. It has the same sheen as the other teacup with the violet flowers.  

HERE IS THE BACKSTAMP ON THE TEACUP. IT JUST GIVE STHE PATTERN NAME, THE COUNTRY OF ORIGIN AND THE YEAR IT WAS PRODUCED.

This has a lot of similarites with the violet teacup. I'm guessing that one is also made in Japan. If any of you have more information on this teacup, please let me know.

HERE ARE MY BEAUTIFUL TEACUPS AGAIN.  I JUST HAPPENED TO PLACE THEM ON THIS "TRAY" WITH THE LACES.  HOWEVER, I RATHER LIKE THE LOOK, DON'T YOU?  IT'S REAL VINTAGE CHIC.

 Thanks for stopping by for tea today. I really enjoyed visiting with you.  Again, if you know anything further about these two teacups, please let me know. They are quite lovely.  I have another teacup to share with you next week :) :)

That's the news from Oregon today. Love and hugs, Heather :)

MY 3RD "BUILDING OUR HOMES TOGETHER" FOR WEDNESDAY - JUNE 15TH, 2011

 I'M PARTICIPATING IN THE "BUILDING OUR HOMES TOGETHER" SERIES OVER AT PRAIRIE FLOWER FARM. IF YOU'D LIKE TO JOIN ON IN THE FUN,  PAY LINDA  A VISIT. THIS IS A SUPER FUN AND VERY ENCOURAGING SERIES.

Hi everyone,
How has your week been so far? Mine has been very good.  I've really been experiencing a burst of  craft inspiration the last few days. I'm not sure if it's coming from getting my house in shape. That leads to a less stressed-out Heather...and I have more time to think about fun stuff, like knitting.   Today is going to be a bit of a hodge podge of craft stuff.

I'm not sure if I mentioned this small wall curio cabinet that I  purchased at a yard sale last Saturday or not. This is going to be a redecorating project for me.

THIS IS THE SMALL WALL CURIO CABINET THAT I PURCHASED AT A YARDSALE LAST SATURDAY.  YOU CAN SEE SOME OF MY CRAFT STUFF JUST LYING AROUND EVERYWHERE. THAT IS USUALLY WHAT THE LIVING ROOM LOOKS LIKE...STASHES OF CRAFT ITEMS ARE EVERYWHERE....INSERT BIG HEATHER SMILE HERE, PLEASE  (PHOTO HAS NOT BEEN RETOUCHED)

 One of my goals in making my home beautiful is by using items that I've purchased at yardsales, garage sales etc.  Why? Mainly, it's because I'm "in between" jobs, so I can't afford to pay retail. Also, I like to keep as much money in my wallet as I can...job or no job :) :)  So I saw this curio cabinet and just had to have it. The lady wanted $5 dollars for it. However, I only had $3.50 in my wallet...literally. I asked her if she would take that and she said YES :) :) Score!!!! What a treasure and such a great price.  If you go to Ebay's website and type in "curio cabinet", you can find similar ones and even an exact replica selling for quite a bit more.  It reminds me of something from my childhood. 

It's not very pretty now, but it's got possibility aplenty. My plan  is to sand it, prime it and repaint it using creams and pinks.. making it romantic, country, shabby chic, etc. You get the idea - totally feminine and totally frufru :) :) 

THIS IS A TEA BAG COZY THAT I KNIT A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO. IT JUST SO HAPPENS, IT WILL FIT IN NICELY WITH A PROJECT HAPPENING OVER AT PRAIRIE FLOWER FARM :)

 Linda over at Prairie Flower Farm and some other incredible blog ladies are working on a project to help and encourage women in Joplin, Missouri. Click here to read Linda's original post on the project. It's called "Purses with Promise"   You can find out all the details there.  There is also a link to Angie's blog "Berry Homespun Primitives". She's also a sweetheart of a lady, just like Linda. She recently drove through Joplin, Missouri and took some photos of the devastation. Folks, this doesn't even begin to describe the difficulties the people are going through there. However, we are a country of resilient people.  Just look at all that was accomplished by those that came before us. We come from sturdy stock, that's for sure. In any case, Angie's photos really show just how much the people have lost...literally. Both blogs will give you some perspective as well as information on what this love project is all about :) :) It's a simple way to encourage the ladies of Joplin, Missouri. It's also an opportunity to use our talents to help others.

THESE ARE SOME OF THE SMALL CROCHET FLOWERS THAT I'M MAKING FOR THE "PURSES WITH PROMISE" PROJECT OVER AT PRAIRIE FLOWER FARM.  YOU CAN SEE THE ORIGINAL COLOR OF MY KNITTED TEA BAG COZY. (THIS PHOTO HAS NOT BEEN RETOUCHED)

The three crochet flowers on the left, were my attemps  at crocheted flowers.  Not too bad, but not what I was looking for. Linda of Prairie Flower Farm is  fabulous lady who loves Jesus. She sent me a link to an earlier blog post with the pattern for Miss Clarice's crocheted flowers. Click here if you'd like to try this pattern out for yourself. It's really easy. 

HERE'S A CLOSE-UP OF MY REPRODUCTION HERSHEY'S COCOA TIN. THIS IS NOW THE OFFICIAL "HOME" FOR ALL OF MY SMALL CROCHET FLOWERS. ISN'T THIS JUST THE CUTEST. CAN YOU IMAGINE A WHOLE TIN FILLED WITH LITTLE FLOWERS IN DIFFERENT COLORS?

These small crochet flowers taught me a lot about not being so concentrated on perfection. I was a little frustrated when I first started crocheting these. It's funny really, but true..  I can crochet doilies, knit lace edgings, socks, mittens, hats...and I couldn't crochet a simple flower.  You know what? That is okay. We aren't expected to be perfect. God doesn't expect perfection from me, but He wants me to give my all to HIM...and that's what I did. I prayed and asked God for help, because this project means so much to me..and I want the ladies who receive these to be blessed and encouraged :) :) God came through and once I layed my worries at HIS feet, the project automatically started getting easier. I'm still "new" to crochet in general, but these flowers are sure a lot of fun to make :) :) Give them a try.

THIS IS THE TOP OF THE HERSHEY'S TIN. IT WAS MADE IN ENGLAND IN  1982.  I PURCHASED IT AT A YARDSALE FOR JUST $0.50.

Remember what I said about this post being a hodge podge of craft stuff today? :) :) :)   You can find all sorts of cute ways to store things in your home. You don't have to use plastic or stick with boring colors.  Yardsales and garage sales can be great places to find vintage tins, bowls etc, that can be repurposed as storage units for all the bits and pieces in your home :) :)

FLAG DAY IS CELEBRATED EVERY JUNE 14TH IN THE UNITED STATES.  THIS IS A LITTLE FLAG TABLE MAT THAT I CROCHETED YESTERDAY AFTERNOON.

 Flag Day came and went yesterday. However, if you love fun and easy craft projects, this is for you.  Click this link to visit Create & Decorate magazine blog.  Here you can find the instructions for making your own flag.  The pattern is from  Vickie Zelizo. It's a really cute pattern and very easy to crochet in an afternoon. I used slightly different colors, because that was all I had on hand.  This would also be a perfect project for the upcoming 4th of July holiday :) :) So start working the yarn and crochet needles :) :)  Oh, if you'd like to subscribe to Create & Decorate magazine or just find out more, click here. It is a fantastic magazine full of super cute projects from front to back cover. I subscribe and it is worth EVERY penny :) :)

I  PURCHASED SOME COTTON YARN AT MY LOCAL FRED MEYER STORE.  THIS WILL BE CROCHETED INTO SOME MORE FLAG TABLE MATS.

The pattern calls for a really fun "Lily's Sugar N' Cream" cotton yarn. That yarn is really fun and comes in some fun colors.  I usually purchase mine at Joann's Fabrics or Michael's. Both stores are on the other side of town, so I settled for Lion Brand cotton yarn at Fred Meyer today.  It's much closer and not as much gas was needed to get there. Although, now I've got a hankering for "Lily's Sugar N' Cream" yarn...so eventually I will have to make my way to that part of town :) :)

AFTER ALL THIS YARN SHOPPING AND GROCERY SHOPPING TODAY, I NEED A NICE GLASS OF WATER :) :)

Alright, that's my post for today :) :) After buying the yarn, buying groceries, and running other errands, I needed to sit down for a bit. So I promptly sat myself down in my dad's nice cushy recliner and grabbed a nice glass jar and filled it with water and ice cubes. This is the good stuff and so simple :) :) :) Oh, doesn't the water look cuter in a Mason jar than in a regular cup? Again, simple things that we can do to make everythings look more beautiful :) :)

I'm a bit behind on my devotions - by two days to be exact. So I'll be catching up on my reading today.  I'm telling you what...ladies..it's so important to have a regular devotion time, even if it's just a few minutes every day.  It makes a huge difference in my day.  It's a noticable difference. So if you'd pray for more regular quiet times, that would be AWESOME. I'll do the same for you, too :) :)

Oh, this was a really long post.  I also experimented with most of my photos today. In fact, all of them were retouched in some way, except for those where I said "This photo not retouched" in parantheses. I'm obsessed with vintage photography. So I'm playing around with photos, to try and create a "vintage" look :) :)

Thanks for coming to visit me :) :) I always enjoy when you come over here...and even more so  when you leave comments :) :)  That's the news from Oregon today. Love and hugs, Heather :)