April 2020 – Loving My New Simple Life

21
Apr
2020

3 Step Projects #1

You all know I love thrift store makeovers.

So much of what I buy can be repurposed or upcycled with little work.

Useful items, that can be brought back to life.

I thought I would share these projects, the ones that only require cleaning, sanding, and painting or staining as, ” 3 Step Projects”.

Just three simple steps.

In today’s post I have taken a common coffee mug tree and transformed it into a jewelry holder.

Using the 3 steps, I cleaned the item thoroughly, I sanded the rough spots, and painted.

Most days I wear a watch and a bracelet.

I love bracelets!

This is now an item that gives me easy access to my everyday jewelry, and also a quick put away at the end of the day.

Along with the mug tree I picked up this box for .75 cents.

It was somewhat beat up and something missing from the front, but I saw potential.

Again, I cleaned it thoroughly, sanded down all the nicks, painted it white and added some sweet glass knobs to finish.

The box now holds some of my everyday larger jewelry pieces.

Love the look of these items together on my dresser.

A simple, clean look.

No need for fancy.

They help me organize, and again, they give me easy access to everyday pieces.

A fun, fast, simple, “3 Step Project”

I love them!

Thanks for stopping by today.

Be safe, be happy, tell folks you love them!

Loving, laughing, and family, that’s life, isn’t it?

14
Apr
2020

Our Easter Blessing

categories: DIY, Easter, Flea Market Finds/Thrifting

Hope you all had a blessed Easter.

Our family was surely blessed.

My niece Carrie, had a beautiful baby boy on Easter Sunday, weighing over 9 lbs.

Such a blessing during all the suffering and deaths in our country from the Covid-19 virus.

Heartbreaking.

Me and my sister planned a beautiful baby shower for Carrie.

We planned every detail for months, wanting it to be something really special for her.

After all was in place we unfortunately, only a week before the event, had to postpone the shower due to the social distancing and for the safety of everyone.

We were all disappointed, but when this is all over we will have the shower for Carrie and baby Josh, and it will be just as special.

I needed a tray to serve coffee with cake to our guests, so I decided to make a tray from a thrift store frame.

Took the frame apart and of course, I painted it white.

Printed out old childhood photos of me, my sister, and brother, and a few of my son.

Made a collage on the frame backing with all the photos.

Secured the photos with a bit of glue and added some gold handles to the tray.

Assembled the back of the tray to finish.

Perfect for serving coffee.

My tray is all about family.

I’m sentimental, and mushy, and loving, so when I can use old photos, you know I do!

Love this project so much.

Costing very little to make, but so valuable to me.

Would make a lovely Mother’s Day gift.

Love you all, take care.

Blessings.

11
Apr
2020

Easter Egg Candle Holders

categories: Easter

Staying in and away from family is surely difficult.

Miss my breakfast and lunch visits with my sister so much.

I have been watching, Little House on the Prairie, crying with every episode, and I know I have enjoyed too, too many sweets.

Being able to work on my projects has helped me stay busy during this isolation time.

Today I want to share a project using faux eggs to make some cute candle holders for my table.

Cute, don’t you think?

Painted 5 faux eggs, used 2 dowels, and 4 small wood plagues, painted white, to complete this project.

Drilled holes in the top and bottom of the eggs, the diameter of the dowels, then drilled holes in the wood pieces.

Glued the dowels in the drilled holes on each plaque, and when dried, slipped the eggs on the dowels, one on top of the other.

Glued another plague on top of the dowel to complete.

They would have been nicer with colored candles, more colorful, but white was all I had on hand.

No matter, I still love them.

They will be fun on my Easter table tomorrow.

Hope you all have a blessed Easter.

Take care, and remember we can, and we will, get through these times.

Love to all.

10
Apr
2020

Back With You Once Again

categories: Christmas, Easter

So, I am saying once again, “it has been awhile”.

It has been over five months since my last post.

Five months, so hard to believe!

I have done a bunch of soul searching during this time, also new health issues filled my days with overwhelming worry.

Should I give up my blog or continue?

It hasn’t been the success I had hoped for, it is difficult to build followers.

Giving up my blog was always there, but now more than ever, with the craziness of our world, I know I need to keep it going.

I need to be able to share the things that give me joy in my life.

During these past months I missed sharing Thanksgiving posts like this sweet burlap table runner.

I stenciled the words, “thankful, grateful, blessed”, down the center.

Such an easy project that I used on my kitchen table on Thanksgiving Day.

A simple look, simple to make.

I missed sharing Christmas projects like these ornaments made from $1 cookie cutters, painted gold.

How rewarding to take inexpensive cookie cutters and change them into special ornaments.

So beautiful on my tree.

I also made some cute ornaments from wood rings, painted white and gold.

Added photos, words, and finished up by adding some eye hooks.

Love to use photos to personalize holidays whenever possible.

How sweet on my trees.

Love them!

I loved my trees this year, white, gold, with lots of snow, and a whimsy one, red and white.

I have been working on a few Easter projects.

Easter will be different this year, no church services, no large family meals, no community egg hunts, but I hope you all have still filled your homes with bunnies and eggs.

Just a few of our favorite Easter treasures, the ones we all keep and display year after year, the ones with meaning and memories, are good for our spirits.

I added this stenciled pillow this year.