Saturday, February 9, 2013

I was busy today . . .

I will be spending a lot of time at home in the near future.

My husband is having shoulder replacement surgery on Tuesday and we have no idea what to expect in terms of recovery.  
He has been told that it will be about a year for full recovery.

That means we won't being doing a lot of kayaking, tennis, cycling or swimming for awhile.

I could do all of those things, but I don't want to leave him at home alone so we will be doing a lot of hiking and walking on the beach.

At least for the next week, I will be taking care of him while his movement is limited.

I will have time for some projects.

So, last night I decided to look at my Pinterest boards for inspiration.

I copied 29 images onto my To Make list last night.

Today,  I completed two projects and actually began two more.

FIRST

It was a beautiful sunny day ( I am sorry to everyone buried in snow) and I was able to actually work in the garden.

Steve has been threatening to take photos of my garden and sneak them into my blog to show everyone the jungle.

After tackling one section of the garden, I moved my garden bench from one side of the garden

this was taken last fall - my garden doesn't look this green and there are very few flowers right now

to another


and added some pillows.


Bear assumed that I had moved the bench for him.

My inspiration?

via

I left out the tray of lemonade.

It might have been sunny, but it was not warm enough to sit in the garden and relax.


I am not sure if I will paint the bench.

I do plan to change the two white pillows to one long pillow.

And I want to make some red, yellow and blue pillows inspired by the beautiful garden from the blog My Painted Garden which was recently featured in Flea Market Gardens.

Her garden is amazing and in my color palette. 

SECOND

With the garden on its way, I moved onto finishing a project I began a month ago.

I painted this mirror with chalkboard paint originally.


And, I have been looking on Pinterest for ideas that I thought I might be able to create.

One reason I waited was that I wasn't sure where I would even hang the mirror.

Living in an art gallery means I have very little wall space for my projects.

 I came across these great signs last night.

via                                                   via

I saw the black sign and loved the message.

 Then I saw the red one and realized I could paint the message instead of using chalk.

My plan was to hang the sign in our entry, but then it hit me that I could put the sign in the bathroom.

Our bathroom is the only room in the house that has no red so I settled on blue.

I used letter stickers to write the words.


I painted the mirror portion blue and added a starfish.


The letters didn't come out perfect and in some spots I left them as is.

After I hung the sign, I went in and touched up the letters and spots on the frame.


The new sign is hanging in the bathroom and just awaiting a little sanding tomorrow.


It's not perfect like the signs I found on Pinterest.

But I made it myself.

And the best part - it cost absolutely nothing.

Two down and only 27 more projects to go!

................................


28 comments:

  1. You had a very productive weekend. I'm impressed. I like your garden/yard. The bench and pillows look very inviting. I can see why kitty made himself comfortable there so quickly. Your bathroom sign is cute and perfect for your beach cottage.

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  2. First off let me say that I hope that the surgery goes well and that he has a speedy recovery. I think that your bench looks so fantastic with all of those awesome pillows! It is a stunning garden Carol! And the sign is perfect...looks weathered and beachy which suits your house! Great challenge...your off to an amazing start!

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  3. I love the sign! I have a hard time finding wall space to put anything up myself! We are making a guest room upstairs and we have some space - Charles immediately said: "We can hang some of the paintings from the book (his Exsultet, published this past year!) on the walls!" And I said, "No, I want more of a cottage-y look!" I think I will have fun making this room look homey!

    I feel your husband's pain - I am 9 weeks post rotator cuff surgery. The first two weeks were the worst - lots of pain and the pain meds just made me feel loopy and weird. Make sure you get lots of pillows to prop him up in bed, or if you have recliner chair, that works the best. Lying flat is pretty awful. I will keep him in my prayers for a swift and complete recovery with as little discomfort as possible! You are good to take such good care of him! I'll pray for you too, as my poor husband suffered from my grumpiness after my surgery!

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  4. Wow, it sounds like you are serious about checking these projects off of you list.
    Traci

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  5. love the sign you made! your cat reminds me of mine. always enjoys a new place to sleep in the sun.
    best wishes for the surgery.
    x

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  6. You've made plenty of beautiful things...
    I wish I could be that productive.

    Love your garden bench.

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  7. I love your garden bench and all the pillows made it look so charming. What a great, free project with your new Word Art. My Aunt just had knee replacement and they told her a year for recovery also:(

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  8. I think your picture looks BETTER than those you posted from Pinterest! You did a great job. So nice that you were able to spend some time in your garden too. We had a beautiful day in western Washington yesterday also but not quite warm enough for me to be outside. I felt so bad for all those poor people with icy winds and no power. Best wishes to your husband. I'm sure you'll take great care of him. Patti@OldThingsNew

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  9. Love your sign. Sorry to hear about your hubby. I had two friends that had that surgery last year. You really have to take it easy afterwards, really.
    Okay no word. If you did send an email I didn't get it.
    I need your address.....please send. Remember you have to type in my address grammypetals@yahoo.com because the address changes causing me alot of grief. The box is ready to go. Everyone else has gotten their box. sorry youwon't have yours before Valentines. Darn post office.
    Hope next week goes well. Please don't let this turn you away from swapping.
    (((((HUGS))))

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  10. Hi Carol, I love your bench and of course your pillows. Your Sorry to hear about your husband surgery. My hubby had shoulder surgery a little over two years ago and I can tell you that the biggest challenge for him was sleeping with the sling on, clothing issues, and not being able to drive or ride a bike for several months. He was not used to not wearing a t-shirt under his shirts and he was not used to having me dress him for the first couple of weeks. I bought a few cheap shirts at Wal-Mart clearance rack and cut off the sleeve. The physical therapy is so important for a fast recovery. For several months, we spent our time at PT and Dr. appointments. The PT also gave my husband exercises to do at home with a broomstick and those big rubber bands. We have a big yard so that year I mowed the front (sloped) and back yard. I wanted my husband to recover and to not have to go through this surgery again so I would not let him lift beyond the Dr. orders for the entire year, I had my neighbor come over to help me if I needed it because I did not want to hurt myself and then not be able to care for my husband. So many people we met in PT had repeat surgery or had to have the other shoulder repaired, so listen to the Dr. orders. I also made sure I was at all the appointments so that I knew what was going on. Most important you need to make time and take time for you. Get out of the house and do some of the things you love to do. Time goes by so fast I just kept telling myself that God wanted us to slow down and smell the roses. Sorry for the novel, just wanted to be real.
    Take care . ~Joanie~

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  11. Hi Carol!

    I will pray for your husband to have a complete and speedy recovery.

    I love your BEACH sign. It is perfect!

    Terry

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  12. Hi Terry,
    Your bench and patio is so lovely. Love your flagstones! What a great idea for your sign, very creative! Praying your hubby will come through surgery fine and have a good recovery. Thank you for leaving your sweet comment on my post. I am your newest follower and will be back to see more!
    Nancy

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  13. Trust all goes well with your husband's surgery. I'm sure he'll have the best of care when he gets home!!
    Mary Alice

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  14. Love garden benches. Real cute with the pillows:) Kitty looks comfy too! http://www.sewsweetvintage.com/2013/02/lombard-gable.html

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  15. Way to go with tackling your list!! The sign and bench are great!!

    Best wishes for a speedy recovery to your husband. It's nice that you can take time off and be his caregiver this week, and beyond. I hope the surgery goes well and gives him some relief.

    The little Valentine Tin I won in your giveaway arrived and is so sweet!! I'll write you a separate email to thank you properly!

    Take care,
    Maggie
    www.themagrag.com

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  16. Love both your projects. Your bench looks so comfy and inviting! It makes me long for spring. Thanks for sharing your creativity!
    melinda

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  17. You have been busy. I really like the way your sign turned out and your bench is ready and waiting for you when the weather warms up. That's the only way to tackle our projects...just keep knocking off one at a time and before you know it you'll be starting a new list. I hope your husbands surgery goes well and he makes a full and speedy recovery.

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  18. hi carol! so glad you stopped by my blog! i love all of your projects and to know that you are taking time to create even though you have some serious stuff going on in your life. love the bench AND the sign. so inspiring!

    if you get up to northern california sometime, let me know. ripon, salida and manteca are about an hour south of sacramento...between modesto and sac.

    get well wishes for your hubby and pray his surgery goes well.

    becky

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  19. I love everything, especially the outdoor bench...great job!

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  20. The fact that the mirror sign it is not perfect is what I just love about it and being here warms me up from the high winds we are having today.

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  21. I hope all goes well with Steve's operation it sounds such a long tome to recover. I love your bench and mirror.
    Sarah x

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  22. What a great weekend...I wish I had your talent!!! Always looking forward to see what is next!!!
    Take care of your boy...wishing Steve a speedy recovery!! xok

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  23. You have been busy Carol. The new pillows on the garden bench look nice and comfy and I think your sign turned out great. Can't wait to see what else you're up to. Wishing your hubby a speedy recovery.

    Hugs and Kisses,
    ❤Ana

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  24. Your sign turned out really nicely, and I think the best part is YOU MADE IT (second best part no cost-haha) It was around 20 degrees here when I went to the grocery store this evening, so your sunny garden looks pretty tempting. Best wishes for a speedy recovery for your husband!

    Jeanette

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  25. This is wonderful place to busy. Your garden looks so beautiful. Everyone love your choice.

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  26. You bench looks cozy with the pillows. Great job on the new look for the mirror! Good idea :) Thank you for sharing this at Rustic Restorations Weekend!

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  27. Oh how I am counting the days till I can get out and work in my garden. It really is therapy for me. Problem is our basement will be finished about the same time. Then will I ever be busy. Gardening and decorating the basement ast the same time. What's a girl to do? Love your beach sign. I just bought my copy of flea market gardens. Going to hunker down and read it from head to toe. My sweet bloggy friend, Carlene from Organized Clutter submitted a photo and was surprised to see that it was in there. I think it's her garden ladder. Check it out when you get a chance. Thanks for sharing with SYC. Hope hubby is doing well. It will take some time to recover.
    hugs,
    Jann

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  28. Your bench and sign are awesome! I love your sign. It turned out great. Prayers for your hubby! Thank you so much for sharing at A Bouquet of Talent! So thrilled to have you share. Have a wonderful weekend. :)

    Hugs
    Kathy

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