Cutting Board Made Anew!

     Honey and I were in Cajun Country recently and he spotted this old cutting board at the Lafayette Flea Market for only $2.00.  He plays "I Spy" so well because only a couple of days before I had mentioned that I wanted to find one.  We had been to an absolutely adorable shop in my home town of Crowley, La - called Serendipity - and had picked up a couple of drawer pulls for next to nothing.  I knew exactly what I wanted to do with them ~ and this cutting board was what was needed next!

     Once I got it painted with chalk paint, I headed over to www.thegraphicsfairy.com and found just the right graphic.  I used graphite paper to give it a quick trace, then filled it in with permanent marker.  After sanding it down, I gave it a heavy coat of my favorite home-made wax.

     I think that it's just perfect for laying out some cheese and peppered salami the next time that we have friends over!

Cheers!

My first attempt at "chalking"

     I've been wanting to try my hand at a chalk board for some time now.  I have seen these amazing ones all over the big P, but I have a terribly slanted handwriting, and for some reason my eyes also lead me astray - I always write crooked!  So I hesitated - until recently.  

     I had this great frame that I had already made into a chalkboard, but it didn't lend itself well to a calendar format which was what I needed....so, I decided to play around a bit, and this is what I came up with.  I don't think that it's too bad for a first time attempt!

     The frame was a $20 garage sale purchase - you know the kind!  Large, gold, ornate with a picture of a mother holding a baby?  The picture was destroyed, but the frame was inspirational!  I base coated it with Annie Sloan Versailles (my absolute favorite color) and topped it with AS Old White.  Then gave it a waxing with some homemade stuff - just paste wax with a smidgen of craft paint - antiquing.  

     I really like both the frame and the chalking.  I'll definitely try it again for the holidays! 

Cheers!  And Happy Crafting! 

Mirror, Mirror ~ Used to Be!

A few months ago the Honey Husband and I had a few days in New Orleans.  We visited one of my favorite "junque" shops - Conrad's - there is always a treasure or two or four to be found in this man's insane amount of clutter.
I fell in love with this piece - it was a dresser mirror - missing the mirror, of course!  I had to have it, and had a vision of exactly what I would do with it.
Annie Sloan Chalk Paint to the rescue!
Of course, since it was chalk paint, I did absolutely nothing to it before painting it, except for wiping the layers of dust off of it.
I put the "Old White" directly onto the wood, and topped some areas with "Versailles" - I gave it a good sanding, scratched a bit of paint off in a couple of areas, and wiped it with a damp sponge in a few spots.  I then topped it off with my own mix of clear Johnson's Paste Wax, followed up a mix of Johnson's mixed with brown paint (no clue what kind or color) - I mixed it a while back and have used it several times - it's almost a sepia color, which works well in our home.
I can't wait to get the chalkboard insert put in sometime soon!
I'll post that when it's all done, but for now.........Cheers!

I'm a Registered Nurse!

It seems like a life time ago that I wrote anything.  I took a hiatus from life to fulfill a life-long dream ~ and to find my own joy in life ~ I went back to school, at the age of 52, to get my BSN.  On May 10, 2014 I graduated with honors from the University of Texas at Arlington, and on June 10, successfully completed my NCLEX, the licensing examination, on the first attempt.  I am living proof that dreams really can come true, in spite of obstacles, age, and anything negative that tries to come against you!!

So now, I'm on a short, much needed break before re-entering the workforce as a Registered Nurse! 

DIY Mirror

When I remodeled last year I wanted a large mirror in the living room - but I wanted one with character - one of those times where I had Champagne taste on a beer budget - after spending thousands on a nearly total renovation, I couldn't stand the thought of spending hundreds on a mirror ~ not only that, I just couldn't find what my mind saw.  After a conversation with my friend Lorrie, we decided to go for it!!  I absolutely LOVE this mirror - it is full of color and whimsy and it fits my home's character and personalilty perfectly!

 I looked for a large mirror - this one is 4 1/2' x 3 1/2 ' - what I really wanted was a WIDE, somewhat flat frame that I could decoupage on ~ I found this one at our local Garden Ridge for $89! It was a steal to me, and had the exact frame that I needed. It was a copperish gold color - which is perfect with my copper accents throughout my home.

Next I looked around for the paper that I wanted to use to decoupage ~ I found copper color and leopard print at Hobby Lobby, and a really cute vintage French print at Aaron Brothers.

We began tearing pieces of each paper, wadded up the pieces, unwadded them and literally stuck them all over the frame with Modge Podge - I cannot tell you how easy this was to do!  When we were done, and the paper had dried, I put a coat of thinned antiquing over it just to brown it up a bit and darken the white of the papers.  I absolutely LOVE my mirror!

What I learned was that if you can't find what you're looking for, don't give up ~ make it yourself! 

I wish that I had taken some pictures along the way, but trust me ~ you can do this!!!  Use ANY tissue paper or artists paper that you love, a bottle of Modge Podge, and BE BRAVE - if you hate it, it's only paper and glue - take it off!!  But if you go with the things that you love ~ you will love it and have a one-of-a-kind unique accent for your home!  ENJOY!

The Cardinal is Nesting!

Sweet Cardinal Nest


The beautiful little mother cardinal has been working so hard, and her nest is coming out beautifully.  Daddy stands guard in the trees above ~ they seem like a happy couple!
I can't wait to finally see little eggs, but for now, I enjoy watching her flittering in and out of the bushes, bringing little twigs and tid-bits to complete her nesting project.

Mac and Cheese - Pinterest success

My cheesey Pinterest success!!

It's just Honey and I at home, so the likelihood of us having a dinner that includes Mac & Cheese isn't real great - however, when I saw a picture on Pinterest, it just got me CRAVING the stuff!  The kids are long gone from home, so it was nice to have this glorious, cheesy, somewhat adult version ~ homemade - not out of the box.  I served it with Chicken Cordon Bleu and a side salad.

Just delicious - take a look around Pinterest ~ I bet you'll find something that you have a hankering for also!!

You can find this delicious recipe here:  http://elizabethsedibleexperience.blogspot.com/2008/11/turkey-day-troubles-installment-2.html

Springtime in Keller!

Love my daffodils ~ welcome Spring!

It's Springtime in Texas!

Honey and I had a glorious weekend getting the yard, deck and pool ready for Springtime.  We absolutely love to grill and have dinner on the deck, and we love to have friends over on a hot summer day to enjoy the pool.

We are also so fortunate to have a nice lot with about 20 oaks on it.  It's just a normal sized lot in Keller - North of Ft. Worth - but it's an older neighborhood.  Although we love our home, really what caught my eye was the established garden and the many trees.  The hostas, the daylillies, the irises ~ they are all pushing up!  I cannot wait for the peonies to start showing themselves ~ they are my absolute favorites!

For a few days now I have been watching, and HEARING, the male cardinal with his very loud song, and the female cardinal with her persistent clicks.  This morning, I found the nest!  It's right outside of my living room window.  I cannot wait to keep an eye on her as she lays eggs, and eventually the little baby cardinals arrive.  The male is keeping a constant song vigil - I wonder what it means?  Is he marking his yard?  He starts early ~ too early for me!  I'd like to be a late sleeper, but that's not possible with him around to claim his territory!!

I'm happy that he decided to call our home his home!!

He looks so beautiful against the vivid blue Texas sky!

Pinterest Success Stories!

So I am one of those self-admitted Pinterest addicts!  The imagination and ingenuity shown on that site is a constant source of inspiration to me ~ I am often able to find something ~ no, many things ~ that catch my eye.  I am pretty good at "copying" ~ I am not quite so good at "creating."

This is one of the little things that I "copied" ~ copying being loosely used here.  It really was just an inspiration to me, and I hope that I did it my own way.  I just love the outcome!!

The final outcome of my herb wall!
I absolutely LOVE it!!  Thanks Pinterest for this great idea!!!

I had purchased some herb markers some time ago and had them in my "hope chest" - they work perfectly for this!

We put 3 down and 2 across.  We set the straps on the wall with one screw, got them all aligned,
then installed the 2nd screw to tighten it up.  We had to loosen the strap to put the jar in, then tightened it back up.

This is one of the jars - the angle is great - when it rains, the angle will prevent water from overflowing the jar
and washing out all of the dirt, but yet I can still water quite well - the jars are in full sun!

These are the little hose clamps that we secured to the wooden fence with screws.
We used two screws and that made them nice and secure.  We also set them on an angle.

Gathered up a nice assortment of herbs that I love - particularly basil!!

Gathered up all of the essentials, including quart jars and some plumbing hose clamps -
 those were affixed to the wall to hold the jars

So this is what we started with ~ this wall of fence encloses our pool equipment.  Certainly nothing much nice to look at!

My Traveling Co-Pilot

My doggie boy Louis is my faithful, sweet traveling companion!

I sure do love this little fellow!

Memories ~ sweet memories

Cleaning out a nasty box at my little cottage in Louisiana after a great Mardi Gras weekend - before heading home to Ft. Worth.

It's no wonder that I am drawn to my home state with its glorious music. I grew up waking up to Lawrence Welk, Al Hirt, and any number of artists, if not my own father on his trumpet, cornet, clarinet, banjo or whatever his instrument of the day would be. How I wish that musical inclination would be the trait that I inherited from him!

Just a few of the many cylinder records and albums that I have unearthed this morning. Perhaps not a treasure of monetary value, but certainly a treasure trove of memories!

Happy Mardi Gras Y'all!

Headed to Lafayette for the King's parade then to Iota for the men's Courir de Mardi Gras!

T-Mamou Courir de Mardi Gras

I had an ABSOLUTE BLAST running the Courir de Mardi Gras with the T-Mamou ladies Krewe!  In spite of some horrible, threatening weather, we enjoyed the music and revelry at several homes, a fabulous gumbo at the Fruge Farm barn, and then the final Mardi Gras at DI's restaurant in Evangeline, LA.  Still a few days of celebration left!

Typical Cajun Mardi Gras mask ~ all hand made

My sister, my best friend and myself ~ dressed and ready for the Courir de Mardi Gras

Making mischief - about to squirt a gentleman with ketchup!

A typical hand made Cajun Mardi Gras mask

It's Mardi Gras!!!

And in SPITE of the Monsoon we are headed to Fred's in Mamou ~ a Louisiana tradition! They produce a Cajun music show every Saturday morning and on Mardi Gras Day ~ so this morning we're headed that way - I'm bringing my very own Mardi Gras with me in his mask that I made with my own little hands!! Let the FUN begin!!

Don't Eat The Dead Ones!

Don't eat the dead one!!

You may have heard a crawfish lover use that expression ~ but do you know what it means?? 

See that crawfish on the LEFT - see how his tail is straight out?  That means that he was DEAD before he was boiled! 

See the crawfish on the RIGHT - see how his tail is curled up?  That means that he was ALIVE when he was boiled!!

This is your way of knowing that your crawfish will be fresh and great tasting when you eat it - never eat a straight crawfish as it will be mushy and not great tasting ~ but enjoy the heck out of those curled tails!!

We prefer crawfish more than a little spicy and with a "dip" made of mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, Tabasco sauce, and any other seasoning that you might want to add - YUMMY!!

Crawfish season runs from early January to Mother's Day weekend - get you some!!

Louisiana Sunset

Somewhere across this amazing state, I hope that two sweethearts shared a glass of wine over this beautiful Valentine's Day sunset.  As for me, I was driving through Mamou, just 45 minutes from my beloved Cottage in Maxie, coming into town to enjoy Mardi Gras.  My sweetheart will join me on Friday evening for a few days of merriment, so for tonight ~ cheers ~ and Happy Valentine's Day to you!

Louisiana sunsets don't get prettier than this!

Crawfish traps in the rice field - beautiful sunset!

Headed to Cajun Country

For Mardi Gras!

Laissez Le Bon Temps Rouler!!!!

Quick trip to Canton

My sister Myrel and I decided to do a quick one day trip to Canton's Monday Trade Days ~ it was painful for me ~ a self admitted lover of all things rusty, iron, vintage - only one day! Yikes! There will be another weekend trip very, very soon! One day just wasn't enough!

Austin, TX

Spent a wonderful afternoon with my baby boy on South Congress - I love spending time with him ~ I get so lonesome now that he's grown up! We certainly enjoyed the sights of Austin!

My grown up "baby boy"

Love this cutie!

Uncommon Objects - great shop!

Love him with every bit of my heart!

Food trailers everywhere!

Great art work!

I LOVE this big 'ol chicken!