Paint Can Do Wonders

I am back at school after a fun and productive break.

And, I am still on a roll with my projects.

Yesterday I gathered up these caddies that have seen better days and took them to the garage.

While I was at it I grabbed this pitcher I found on the discount Easter rack at Tuesday Morning- marked down 70% to $2.10.

My one lonely scale also made it to the garage.

I soaked the paper off the pitcher

 and gave it a coat of Annie Sloan Old White to take off the shine.

The pitcher ended up in the living room on my Tuesday Morning green chair.

The new colors for the caddies are a vast improvement.

The white caddy, a cheap TJ Maxx find, stayed in its usual place on the front porch bench.

The red caddy KC made for me in middle school is now on the dining room table.

The green caddy is still looking for a permanent home so it is being moved around the house.

I embellished the indoor caddies to give them a little something extra.

I have wanted to paint my scale since the day I bought it - almost a year ago- and just never got around to it.

The red makes a better statement on the green and yellow table.

I even painted my scrabble tile holder.

I have a bench in the guest room waiting for a makeover, the dresser is still waiting for its coat of Greek Blue and I am sure I will find some other things that could do with the wonders of paint.

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

You can find me partying at

Domestically Speaking - The Power of Paint Party

Cedar Hill Ranch - Tuesdays the Scoop

The Rustic Pig

Elizabeth & Co.

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Creative Cain Cabin

Lavender Garden Cottage

Fluster Buster

Cozy Little House

Savvy Southern Style

Coastal Charm

#6 Tackling the Jungle

Spring Break is over today and I got most of the things done on my list.

#6 has been eluding me because I developed bursitis and the doctor ordered me to take it easy.

What exactly does "taking it easy" mean?

I knew it meant no gardening.

My body agreed with the doctor and refused to let me garden.

But, Victor came to the rescue.

Victor is our neighbor's gardener and he agreed to come to our house yesterday.

He worked for HOURS tackling the jungle.

He trimmed the ivy and hibiscus, weeded and cleaned up the cobblestones.

I am embarrassed to show the before picture of this section of the garden.

In my defense, I teach middle school and coach volleyball so I don't get home until after dark from October through March.

I had a few plants on hand, but there won't be anymore planting until next weekend.

I wanted some color in the garden so this morning I grabbed the WELCOME sign that has been calling out for a makeover and painted it.

I love Annie Sloan Chalk Paint because the whole sign took only a couple of hours to paint, stencil, distress and put in the garden.

#6 was completed after all.

There is still so much to do, but the garden is looking pretty good.

And, if I wasn't back at school tomorrow, I could follow the doctor's orders and take it easy in one of those blue chairs.

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

You can find me joining in at these parties

Under the Table and Dreaming

Boogieboard Cottage

Life on Lakeshore Drive

I Heart Naptime

Another Change?

One area of my house that needs work is my entry.

It has gone through many changes over the last 15 years.

The biggest change was moving the washer/dryer and water heater to the garage.

The white cabinet was a good choice, but I like it now on the porch.

I love to sit in the wicker chair and talk to Steve while he cooks, but the area is really inefficient.

When you live in a small house, every piece of furniture has to serve a purpose and sometimes more than one purpose.

The shell display is fitting for our beach house, but not functional.

I need a place to store napkins, placemats, tablecloths, etc.

On Tuesday I decided to tackle the spot.

I swapped a tall cabinet from a closet with the red bookcase.

Without the red cabinet on the wall, it looked really bare.

 "Flowers and Rust" came out of the bedroom to grace the entryway.

Linens and pitchers are on display.

And the drawers keep napery handy for setting the table.

Wire baskets and an Anthropologie shelf hold keys, books, mementos, etc.

The cabinet needs a paint job.

I am favoring using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint -Old White.

I wouldn't mind using a color on the cabinet, but I need something that won't detract from the painting.

At first Steve's comment was, "another change?"

But, he loves that Flowers and Rust is in a prominent position instead of relegated to the bedroom.

And yes, there will be more changes.

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

You can find me partying at

The Charm of Home

Redoux

Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson

My Romantic Home

The Shabby Nest

A Delightsome Life

Shabby Creek Cottage

Jennifer Rizzo

Fabulous Friday Linky Party

Holly's Stamping Addiction

French Country Cottage

Rooted in Thyme

Shabby Art Boutique

Classy Clutter

The Best Laid Plans

The plan for today was to paint our dresser.

The saying goes, "the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray".

I woke this morning in such pain that a trip to the doctor became the order of the day.

A cortisone shop and instructions to curtail my walking and take it easy for the next few days definitely did not allow for moving a dresser and painting it.

So, I took time to smell the flowers.

One dozen long stemmed red roses.

 I sat at the table plotting my day now that painting was out and 

 I noticed my favorite candlesticks- the only wedding present we still have - and thought about April 3, 1971.

We were kids - Steve was still in college -

who had no idea where we were going or what we would do to get there.

We thought we would live in San Diego forever and dreamed of buying a house in Mission Beach.

My aunt told me many years later that when she met Steve at the wedding her first thought was, "he's cute, but what will he amount to?"

All she saw was a "surfer dude" with a part-time job whose only possessions were a couple of surfboards and an old VW.

We "grew up" together and had great adventures along the way.

After three years of marriage, we picked up and moved to Jamaica as Peace Corps volunteers.

And, surprised everyone by giving birth to JP while living in Jamaica.

We settled back in San Diego still unsure of our course.

Two weeks after our sixth anniversary, Steve came home to tell me we were being transferred.

Our Ventura adventure- 

Steve started a branch of the company from scratch and we knew no one.

Thirty-six years,

four different homes,

the birth of KC,

a return to college for a teaching credential and masters degree for me,

Steve changing jobs 3 times so our children would graduate from high school with their pre-school friends,

Steve returning to college for art courses when his company dissolved and outsourced everything to China,

the fulfillment of our dream to own a beach house,

a totally new career as an artist for Steve, 

and lately, 

our bodies falling apart from too much play and too many adventures,

People are warning us that when I retire in June we will drive one another crazy.

No problem - I already drive Steve crazy!

Maybe our long marriage comes from not having the best laid plans - they would have just gone astray.

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

Follow me on bloglovin

Chipping away at the list . . .

Due to Easter weekend, I accomplished nothing on Saturday or Sunday.

But, yesterday morning I was determined to make my pillows.

Actually, first I planned to paint my record cabinet white.

I was pulling it out from the wall when Steve walked through the living room and asked,
"what are you up to now?"

He has been reeling with all of my changes this week.

He commented to everyone at Easter dinner that he never knows what the living room will look like from day to day.

JP's comment was, "the one constant in this house is change!"

Anyway, when I told Steve that I was going to paint the cabinet, he put his foot down.

It seems he loves the cabinet just as it is.

He never made a comment on it when I painted it the three colors and he rarely makes any comments regarding his opinions about the decorating.

It's his house too, so the cabinet stays red, yellow and blue.

With the cabinet off the list, I got out my sewing machine and started the pillows.

Like most of my projects, the vision and the reality are quite different.

The plan was to make two yellow pillows and three red polka dot pillows.

I already had some smaller yellow pillows in the same color and I like them.

Instead of making large yellow pillows, I made large white pillows.

With only two floral pillows, the look is less "busy".

And the floral incorporates all my favorite colors.

I can always change the white out with a check or stripe if I want.

When I bought the chair, there were two large pillows, but it was actually uncomfortable with the two large pillows so I just have one large and one smaller pillow.

 #1 is finished.

A fresh new look on the sofa

and on the chair.

A list that is almost complete.

I will finish the dresser tomorrow.

And Steve would say, "enough already".

But, there are so many ideas running around in my head.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

You can find me partying at

The Dedicated House

Fluster Buster

Lavender Garden Cottage

The Farmhouse Porch

Sew-licious Home Decor