Month: August 2018


Aug
2018

Making Candle Holders

categories: DIY, My Simple Home

For such a long time I have been wanting a set of wood candle holders, but the cost for three different sizes, just too pricey for me!

So you all know what I did, I made my own!

From this…

A basket full of various wood pieces and chunky chair legs.

To this….

Creating and gluing the wood pieces together.

To this…Love them!

After deciding on the placement of the different wood pieces, and gluing them together, I painted all with white chalk paint, distressed a bit by sanding, and sealed all with clear wax.

Topped with battery operated candles to finish.

So simple.

In the end, I was able to make all three for a little over the cost of buying just a small one.

The wood pieces I purchased at Michael’s and Hobby Lobby, using my 40% off weekly coupons.

I purchased the wood chair leg pieces at Home Depot, under $4.00 each.

They will be so festive for the upcoming fall and Thanksgiving season, surrounded by pumpkins and leaves.

When surrounded by evergreens and red berries at Christmas, they will make a lovely, amazing centerpiece.

Candle holders can be used so many places in a home, tables, dressers, buffets, side tables, and painted many colors.

So fun, so simple, and so pleased with the results, and the money I saved by making my own.

Also, so pleased and thankful, that God has given me a bit of creativity.

Creativity to fill my days with projects that give me so much joy in my heart, and add lots of enjoyment to my everyday life.

So blessed!

With love, until my next project!

 

 

 


Aug
2018

When Life Gives You Lemons…

categories: Flea Market Finds/Thrifting, My Simple Home, Simple Recipes, Summer

“When life gives you lemons, make lemonade”.

That is exactly what I did on one of the many very hot days we have had in the past several weeks.

Hard to find anything more refreshing than ice cold lemonade.

A treat for me and hubby when we are sitting together, on our small back porch, which is most days.

Of course, I made a bright beautiful tray out of a thrift store frame, and a lemon filled fabric swatch.

I suppose it does seem as if I am obsessed with making trays.  Maybe so, but they are just so easy and inexpensive to put together, making just a wonderful addition to any table.

The frame I found at the thrift store for $1.00 was large, perfect for my lemonade pitcher and glasses.

A fresh coat of black paint, and simple black screen door handles, completed this summer project.

If I can find a day when my sewing machine doesn’t hate me, I want to make a few napkins out of the remaining lemon fabric.

Lemon print toss pillows, found at Kirkland’s, helped to brighten up my living room for the summer.

The print on the pillows is so wonderful, soft colors!

I like to use toss pillows in the living room, adding color to any season, and they also allow my old outdated wing back chairs look so much better.

To end my “lemon” post, I want to share a recipe I tried from a sweet new cookbook, Magnolia Table, by Joanna Gaines.

I do not buy a bunch of cookbooks, but this one is special.  The recipes are fairly simple, and the photos in the book of Joanna’s farm are lovely.

This lemon pie was so very yummy!  My family loved it!

Definitely a summer dessert.

Here is the link to the recipe.

“When life gives you lemons, make lemonade”, make the best of what you are given, make something good out of a bad experience, turn a negative into a positive.

We are all given bad situations to deal with in this life, but if we ask for God’s blessings, we deal with them, get through them, and move on!

I hope you “squeeze” all kinds of happiness and joy out of this day!

Love to all.