Nine to Five

I started with #9 and went on to #5.

I began my 10 day project with #9 - the easiest to complete.

I couldn't find a screw for the clock knob so I used the OPEN knob instead.

 Free - easy - quick.

I used the dish towel I bought last weekend in Santa Barbara as a table runner.

That done, I move on to # 5 - the black bench.

 I love Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.

One coat of paint, drying while I worked in the garden, sanding to scuff it up and the bench was back in the living room by the end of lunch.

On a roll, I grabbed #10 and some blue paint I found in the garage.

It was not Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and it was not as easy to work with.

I had to do several coats of paint and I don't like the texture.

But, it is just sitting in the garden so it is fine.

Steve was not back from physical therapy so I moved on to #4.

The table cloth proved to be a bit challenging because the fabric is really not wide enough.

But, I was using the "mistake" fabric from my pillow project so I made do.

#4 turned out to be one of those "domino" projects.

I definitely need to make a long white table cloth to go beneath the print and I need to make blue or red pillows for the chairs.

I even did some work in the garden in between paint jobs.

It will be slow going, but I will work every day.

Victor, my neighbor's gardener, has agree to come next Saturday to help me tackle the jungle.

Started at nine - done by five.

At this rate, I might actually complete my list.

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You can find me partying at

Common Ground

My Romantic Home

French Country Cottage

Rooted in Thyme

Cottage Wishes

No Minimalist Here

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!

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You can find me partying at

The Pin Junkie

A Jennuine Life

Redoux

Homespun Happenings

French Country Cottage

Funky Junk Interiors

Jennifer Rizzo

Have a Cup of Mrs. Olson

My Romantic Home

The Answer is Chocolate

Tilly's Nest

The Trendy Treehouse

In the Old Road

Beyond the Picket Fence

Life on Lakeshore Drive