Thursday, July 29, 2010

July In the Garden

I can’t believe July is almost over!  It has been both very hot and very wet in turns… but the garden is thriving nonetheless.  Here’s a quick tour of what’s blooming in the garden this month. 

A little yellow coreopsis lingered into July along with the purple coneflowers…

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Our pink Rose of Sharon is making its comeback after being pruned back last year.

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The Black Eyed Susans are plentiful and cheerful!

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The hot pink Crape Myrtle in the front yard is putting on a show this year, despite being torn in half by a falling tree last Spring.  Luckily the “good” side faces the street. :)

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Happy Summer!

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Friday, July 09, 2010

Bored? Make Chalkboard…

Here is an easy DIY summer project for you!

Take one old frame from thrift store/attic/friend’s attic  + chalkboard paint + spray paint = Fun framed chalkboard!

Step 1: Obtain old frame from friend’s attic.

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*Photo has been altered to protect the innocent :)

Step 2: Spray frame desired color.  Spray insert (plywood, etc) with chalkboard paint.

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Step 3: Reassemble frame and decorate with chalk!  Hang in kitchen!

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Optional Step 4: Make another for your mother! :)

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Voila!  Easy DIY chalkboard.

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Wednesday, July 07, 2010

Super Fantastic Fourth Photos!

That’s fourth, as in fourth of July! 

Just had to share my super fantastic fourth and fireworks photos!  You see, it’s easy to be fantastic when you take about fifty shots… then just weed out the blurry ones! Ha!

Here’s a few from our house, donning patriotic duds for our cookout:

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I love bunting! 

I have wanted red, white, and blue bunting for July 4th since I was a little kid, making my polka dot Uncle Sam’s hat out of tagboard and running up and down the street with my sister and our flag singing America, the Beautiful.  (<— dorks)  Now I finally got some for my stair railing!  Yay!

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I also made a couple of flag pillow covers from a screen printed flag that I got free from the fabric store a couple years ago.  Perfect!

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Plus, we went all-out patriotic this year and bought a flag for our porch.  Doesn’t it look super fantastic on our "colonial-esque” house?  I think so.

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And here’s a few from the fireworks show at Tanglewood this year: 

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Hope you all had a great holiday weekend!

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Saturday, July 03, 2010

Happy Fourth and Happy Birthday Blog!

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Happy Birthday America!

 and

Happy First Birthday to my Blog! 

Yes, I have been blogging here for one year!  I’ve written 83 posts.  That’s a lot of rambling and self-absorption!  Thanks for reading my little blog, it makes my day! 

Hope you all have a Happy Independence Day!

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Thursday, July 01, 2010

La Salle de Bain

Preface

I’m going to let you in on a little secret… my house is not perfect.  And neither am I.  ::gasp::  Let me tell you a little story about how imperfect we are.  And the great lengths we go to disguise it.

Chapter 1

The kind folks who lived here before us left two stick up hooks on the back of the bathroom door.  Sounds innocuous, no?  I’ve done the same kind of thing… only to my parents’ house and college dorms.  I definitely wouldn’t do it in my own home… my beautiful, perfect, double-stick-adhesive-free home.  So, as soon as we moved in and I began slapping “Sarah” all over this place, (namely slapping a purple wreath on the bathroom door… poor Michael) I had to remove the seemingly innocuous stick up hooks.  Let’s just say they didn’t go without a fight.  And maybe I wasn’t the victor this time.  And maybe this ruined my chances for a “perfect” house.  ::sob::

This is why 3M invented command strips, people!

Anyway, I tore off part of the fine wood particle door with the first hook and left a great chunk of adhesive foam with the second.  Grrr!  Not to be deterred by this bump in the road to my perfect house, I slapped that purple wreath over the marred surface without a second thought.  And then I proceeded to ignore it for two years. :)

Chapter 2

Enter, bathroom makeover.  Pictures are un-hung, towel bars removed, and silly purple wreaths taken down for the painting to begin.  And there, right where I left them… the ugly marks from the evil stick up hooks… mocking me again!  Y’all know me, I’m not going to be mocked by some sticky foam and scarred wood!  Enter spackle and scraper and elbow grease!  Take that sticky foam!  Tick, tick, tick…. spackle dry… sanding…

GAaaAahHH!

Evil sticky foam spackle section leaves a lovely little smooth place on otherwise wood particle textured door!  ::wail::  Paint over evil smooth spackle spot and wait for inspiration.

Chapter 3

Enter ugly butterfly canvas print. So ugly that I never even took a before photo.  And so ugly that the thrift store practically gave it to me to paint over one day.  Yay!  We are saved!  Paint over it we shall!  But what? 

A sign so people will know they are in my perfect, fantastic bathroom, in case the surroundings and fixture fail to alert them.  A sign with “Bathroom” written on it.  Yeah, but in French!  Cuz French is fancy!  Parfait!

Search internet for fancy design for fancy sign.  Find fancy font (Freebooter Script- dafont.com).  Resize and print.  Add more flourishes for extra fanciness: 

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With pencil, transfer to newly painted canvas.

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Paint to match wall color.  Add brown shadows = Super Fancy!

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Hang on door over ugly spackle spots.  Voila!

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La fin.

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