Looking Back

and Moving Forward 

2013 

a year in review

First a quick shot of my buffet for Christmas this year.

I didn't get it finished. I got sick and gave up.

(I didn't have Christmas dinner at my house)

That white tree in the foreground is a white feather tree given to me by my sister.

I got it just a day or two before Christmas so it didn't get decorated but I'll be anxious

to do it up next year!

That little white tree fence was given to me last year by MVL reader....Belinda.

Hi, Belinda!

So...

I've succumbed to peer pressure....

Everyone is listing all their accomplishments of the last year during this last week of 2013.

I thought I'd list what I got done too.

I'm afraid it was far less than I intended.

I did not get any major projects done but let's review anyway.

January started out with my Mom recuperating from her heart valve surgery in my back bedroom.

see post here

Today, she is 100%. That was a great start to the new year but a slow start for me and projects.

I gathered up some vintage pink doilies to make a table runner for Valentine's Day.

see post here

I made a lampshade and pillow and dressed up the guest bedroom with a vintage headboard.

see post here

Warm weather took me outside on the deck where I fashioned a chandelier out 

of outdoor led candles and a birdcage.

see post here

Harvey has been on a big time diet this year. This photo was taken in July. He's lost more weight since then.

Some of you noticed in his Christmas tree decorating photo how thin he is.

more photos to come....this one was in low light. 

He's just about reached his goal weight but he is hungry all the time.

He follows me around the house and demands to be fed.

This summer I did a little painting including this dog portrait for a fellow blogger...

see post here

That's Kelly's little Emmett from My Soulful Home.

I made a fun umbrella slipcover for my outdoor umbrella.

see post here

Fixed up a Goodwill lamp and made a burlap lampshade and interchangeable lamp jewelry.

see post here and here

In the fall I made lots of sweater pumpkins

see post here

and scary little flying bats

see post here

For Thanksgiving I sewed up a burlap table runner and gave instructions on how to make one for yourself.

see post here

During the fall...I was busy painting my living room.

Lamps.com sent me a pretty lamp to review and it was my first photography 

of the living room's new color - Sherwin Williams: Shoji White.

see post here

For Christmas I made lots of little bottle brush trees and included directions.

see post here

You can see the new living room color in these photos.

The day I posted photos of these trees it was cloudy so the photos were not as bright as I would have liked.

So I took a few more photos today in the sunlight.

There....that's the ugly truth...those chippy windows.

Still to be painted. First thing on list for 2014.

And the room badly needs drapes.

Another shot of the wall color. More chippy woodwork.

Did I tell you that the piece of furniture I was going to make into a potting bench has

ended up in that far corner? 

The dresser I had there before was too small and this piece

is just right. 

So its going to get painted soon and stay.

I think.

Last year...in January I brought this ottoman home. 

Now, Pier 1 has a new fabric choice in this style.

A solid linen in a color called parchment.

I'll be selling this one and have already got the new one on order.

I wanted a solid when I bought this one and was going to slipcover.

Now I don't have to.

Sometimes it pays to procrastinate.

sometimes....

but rarely

I've got lots I need to get done this year

Here is a new list...

Paint the windows in the living room and dining room and all woodwork.

Paint the dining room to match the living room.

Make drapes for the living room and dining room

paint the shutters I have in the dining room

get the salvaged piece of carrera marble I've got in my car cut for my kitchen island top

find a new piece of furniture to use as a potting bench cause I brought that piece inside and 

and like it in the corner of my living room

paint that piece of furniture for my living room

paint my french dresser which I am now using in the dining room

fix up a mirror that is on that chest

get the thermostat fixed on the oven

fix the garage door...make it work and look better

Paint the front door

Those are just the musts!

There are plenty of other things I just want to do.

And projects that will just come up.

Oh...and I need to figure out what I'm going to do with the rest of my life!

Here's to a full and busy and productive 2014!

Happy New Year!

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Happy New Year!

Another year...gone...and another year to begin again.

A new beginning...this what New Year's brings....the chance to get it right, start over

a do over.

I hope you all have a wonderful New Year's Day and 364 more wonderful days in 2013.

2013

Wow!

I've been away from the blog quite a bit the past few days...but wanted to review my past year

in blogging.

It was not as successful as I'd hoped.

I had many projects and plans that didn't happen.

Real life kept getting in the way.

I could think and do design, crafts and art 24/7.

But sometimes you MUST do other things not so fun.

Today I thought I'd go through this past year in posts and hit the highlights.

I started out in January 2012 by adding a new pup to my life.

Henry Franklin Longfellow or just Franklin.

That was one project begun and finished, successfully.

Actually he's a project in progress..he gets better and better...he's a sweetie pie.

I finally got all the bottles I needed for my spice rack and showed it off in 

late January. See post here.

Then I got lost in a few months of working two jobs and being miserable.

Once I quit one of the jobs...things started to look up.

After obsessing about hutches turned into potting benches....I ventured out to 

find one for myself.

Here is the tale of my Craigslist adventure.

But...when Mom came up one day she declared that my hutch was just what she'd 

been looking for to go in her back breakfast room. I gave her the hutch.

So...

Back to hunting on Craigslist again and soon I found this one for me...

I liked the size of this one better anyway.

The plan was to paint it and have fun styling it this summer.

But I soon learned my friend Shannon was very ill and my free time

went out the window while I kept her company.

Time very well spent as I lost her last week.

I cherish all the time I spent with her this last year.

At least I don't have regrets about not being with her.

Ugly truth is...this hutch has now been in my breakfast nook for 6 months

in the way. It's waiting to be painted before I put it outside.

I am very tired of walking around it. 

Very sick of it.

So are the dogs.

This hutch must be a priority to paint this winter...so I can put it out this spring.

So that is Project Number One for 2013.

I did make myself a few seashell topped bottles for my fireplace mantel this past summer.

I love projects like this...I just didn't have any spare time for stuff like this in 2012.

I better have time to implement my ideas in 2013.

Life is not fun for me unless I'm making stuff.

See the tutorial on how to make these ...here.

I was lucky and found 30 plus doilies at a flea market to make myself a doily table runner.

When I went to make it...I could not find the sack of them.

I threw them away accidentally when cleaning the kitchen.

Darn....maybe I'll find a bunch again this year.

Project delayed...

I restyled my open kitchen shelves.

See here.

I did this in preparation for showing my new kitchen island.

Bad Craigslist photo.

I took the table top extensions off and added wheels.

I stalled when I couldn't come up with a countertop for 0 money.

I planned on showing this anyway on the blog but my

kitchen seemed to always be messy when I had the light to do it or I was rushing off somewhere.

Project to be continued...

photo of Franklin from later in the summer. 

He is a scamp. A precious scamp.

Hopefully, there will be more time to photograph dogs this year.

By late summer I was getting desperate for some change in my decor.

On a whim I moved this large outside planter inside in front of the dining room window.

I really like it there flanked by shutters given to me by my friend, Deidra.

Another painting project to come...painting those shutters.

Deidra is moving back to my neighborhood...I hope she doesn't want her shutters back.

Hmmm...I better ask her before I paint them.

I did find the time...or made the time to do this painting for my good friend KC.

She actually commissioned me to do it.

That is why I got it done. She paid me, so I had to.

I still have another painting to do for someone else.

It should have been done by Christmas but I didn't get to plan my schedule much this year.

Best laid plans and all....

But I did have a great time creating this painting and am looking forward to being much more creative in 2013.

I have started the New Year with a bang.

I ordered this yesterday at Pier 1.

I'd been wanting it forever for the living room to use as a coffee table.

It was on sale for $199.99.

I used my Pier 1 Christmas bucks (they give us $50 as bonus at Christmas) plus I won a few contests

at the store too and then a friend gave me a Pier 1 gift card.

With my discount and after all that...it was only $30 out of my pocket and it was mine!

Mine all mine!!!!

I've been wanting a tufted ottoman ever since viewing "The Holiday" years ago but they are always so expensive. 

But the one at Pier 1 is not. 

I think it's going to be the perfect addition to my living room.

I will be recovering it.

I love those legs but my living room has so many legs....I'm betting this is going to get a skirt

because you know...too many legs in a room makes a room jittery.

No one wants a nervous room.

But we'll see.

I'm thinking I'll recover in a velvet similar to above but not sure.

Perhaps a slipcover so I can change it out easily.

That's a good start for the New Year....don't you think?

And a newly repaired Mom...a pretty good start.

Oh...and I have a plan to make my Aunt Jane move to my neighborhood.

I just have to convince her.

I know she would love it here.

She has been so sad since losing her daughter and I think moving near me...is just 

the new start she needs.

Now I just have to convince her.

When I called and told her of my plan...which included the house that I've already picked.

The house will soon be on the market and we'll have first shot at it.

She just said..."Oh..my!"

She just laughed as I told her the plan for the rest of her life.

I am so sure this is what Shelly would want.

But it was an uneasy laugh.

I think she thinks I am just slightly suggesting...and joking.

But I am not...this is what I am positive needs to happen for her.

Now I just have to get my Aunt Jane to sell her house...buy a house by me and 

have a new beginning.

I'm crossing my fingers.

When this delightful, fantastic, crazy idea came to me....I thought 

Shelly would want this. I know she would.

Now I just have to get Jane to do it.

I blew off Mod Mix Monday this week....just could not get to it.

I'll start anew next Monday.

I'm sure some of you are wondering how I can be so cheerful after all that has happened of late.

Well, I just cannot be sad any more. I'm happy my Mom will be good again.

I've wasted enough time being sad over things I cannot change.

There is nothing I can do to make the past different but I can make the future different 

and that is what I plan to do.

Happy New Year!!!

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2011 in Review

Projects and Posts

2011 started off just fine with this finial I made from a lamp bought at a 

thrift store.

see post

I shared my completed master bath after I sewed up a skirt for the sink.

see post

I shared the details about my antique tile that makes up my fireplace.

see post

My post on Dita Von Teese's house turned out to be one of my most popular posts of the year.

It gets lots of hits every month.

see post

Amy of Maison Decor created this sketch of my home as a surprise and mailed it to me.

see post

For Valentine's I made this paper rose covered heart shape candy box.

see post

The boys enjoying an early spring day.

see post

I painted all my dining room furniture.

see post

And enjoyed my first Easter with the newly painted furniture.

see post

Complete with Luray Pastel dinnerware.

see post

I decorated the dining room with large tissue paper flowers, I made.

see post

see post

The tissue paper flowers led to several encounters with hummingbirds in my house.

So the flowers had to come down.

see post and see post

I painted this little table periwinkle.

see post

I changed up my kitchen back splash for less than $20.

I finally had the all white back splash I'd been dreaming of.

see post

I redid this lamp over adding a new crystal ball shade.

see post

I created a little bit of summer under glass complete with vellum butterflies.

see post

I turned a wall fountain into a planter over flowing with impatiens and money wort.

And stacked a pot on a birdbath and turned it into a planter too.

see post

I'm making my list of projects to complete for next year.
I already have paint courtesy of Dutch Boy to paint the bedroom and my new tv is going to
inspire me to make my office/den look good.
I am seriously thinking about painting the living room and dining room and kitchen.
But that will be quite an undertaking.

Are you making lists of things to accomplish in 2012?

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