Since my husband’s Multiple Sclerosis is progressively getting worse, it is difficult for me to be away from home for long periods of time, falling is my greatest fear.
So working on small projects every day keeps me busy doing something I enjoy, and still keeping me close to him.
This, sometimes silly and crazy blog of mine, is another way I enjoy my time and stay busy.
I am not someone who can just sit all day.
I just cannot!
Getting up early is normal for me, but a short nap during the day is not out of the question.
Aren’t naps heaven?
I try to live each day keeping active, always being thankful for each day no matter what I am facing.
Today I thought I would share some of the simple small projects I have recently completed just by cleaning and spray painting.
A small wood plant stand, $3.00 at the thrift store, just needed a fresh coat of black spray paint.
It now sits on my front porch holding one of my favorite indoor plants.
After a long winter, my indoor plants need to enjoy the outdoors, those warm sunny days.
How amazing it looks surrounded by flowers with lots of color.
As you might have guessed from many of my posts, I love photos.
I love to have photos of those I love around me.
I never buy new photo frames, they can be expensive. The thrift store has so many for very little money.
Some are in boxes, never used, others just need cleaning and a fresh coat of spray paint.
I loved this frame from the moment I saw it! I knew immediately the photo I would place in it.
It was $2.00, but it was sale day at the thrift store, 50% off, only $1.00. Yes, the thrift store does have sale days every week!
To get the look I love, I sprayed painted the frame with Rustoleum, white chalk paint.
Love the way it turned out.
It now holds a very special photo of my beautiful niece and has found a place on a table in my living room. How lovely!
In this photo she is gathering tulips.
What a beautiful photo!
In this next project, I used a rolling pin I bought for only $1.50. I seriously do not think it was ever used.
I have wanted this rolling pin, pictured below, for so long. It is part of the MagnoliaHome collection by Joanna Gaines sold at Target, but it is always sold out.
No matter now, I painted and sealed the handles on my $1.50 find, it is perfect.
This 50 cent, bright green tray, only needed white spray paint and some cute handles to become a sweet dresser tray.
Love the way it turned out, so clean, so bright.
Hope you all enjoyed my simple offerings today.
Hope you all get some creative ideas of your own from them.
Before I end I do not want you folks to think I am a prisoner in my home caring for my husband, I am not.
He encourages me to get out, he may like a bit of quiet time himself sometimes. Time without me constantly asking him, “do you need something” or “are you OK”.
I also have my wonderful son who will be with him so I can sometimes enjoy a weekend visiting my niece and her family in the country.
We spend days out together, fun days, with my sister and brother-in-law. They are so good to him.
I always know that things in life can always be worse.
We all need to stay busy, stay positive, and be thankful.
These days, they come in all manner of adorable designs.
When shopping I am always drawn to them!
Have you ever wondered what to do with those old tea towels?
Maybe you have some that are a bit frayed or stained, but you don’t want to just cut them up for rags.
Today I want to share some tea towel projects, using old and new towels.
These towels were perfect for cutting and framing using thrift store frames, cleaned and painted.
The coffee cup, “Hello”, now hangs in my kitchen.
“Life is Better in the Country”, was made to give as a small thank you gift to someone special when visiting her home. She lives in a beautiful country setting. Perfect!
A black and white plaid towel was framed and turned into a kitchen tray, again using a thrift store frame, cleaned and painted.
Inexpensive, simple handles were added to complete.
I really love the simple and clean look of plaid, especially in a kitchen.
I used a lovely towel given to me by my sister, on Mother’s Day some years ago, and turned it into a toss pillow.
The pillow required very little sewing, thank goodness since my sewing machine hates me!
Just folded the towel and stitched up the sides, leaving the front open to insert a pillow form.
It has that vintage look I love.
Women long ago would embroider on tea towels to show off their skills.
Love the idea of recycling or upcycling, so items can get a second or third chance at life.
Just starting my morning, so thankful, another chance today to love my life and all those who share it with me.
As Memorial Day quickly approaches, we all become patriotic.
We celebrate displaying our flags, and bits of red, white, and blue.
Memorial Day is a time to honor and recognize the sacrifices of those who have given their lives for our freedom. It is crucial that we always remember these heroes.
This week I completed some red, white, and blue projects I would like to share today.
Using a chunky porch piece I found at the flea market and gathering up some other wood pieces, that can be found at Michael’s or HobbyLobby, I made some simple flag holders.
Painted the pieces red, white, and blue, and glued them together to form the holders, large and small.
To finish up, I drilled holes in the pieces to hold the flags.
This large piece is perfect as a picnic table centerpiece.
So patriotic, holding nine flags.
Here are the two smaller ones.
A really fun project, ready to be used on the 4th of July too!
The second project was easy, just paint!
I purchased this yucky yellow colored basket some time ago just waiting for the right time to transform it into something wonderful.
I loved the shape of the basket, but not the color.
Take a look at the basket now!
Painted white and filled with a large pot of deep red geraniums.
Beautiful!
The last touch was adding a flag.
Now the perfect Memorial Day centerpiece.
Our family is patriotic and many have served our country over the years.
On one of my flea market trips, I ran across this porch piece.
It’s a chippy piece with years of white paint layers visible.
I was not sure exactly what I would do with it when I purchased for $6.00, but I so loved the look of it!
One of my wishes in life has always been to have a large front porch.
Sitting there alone at times, reading, surrounded by pots of geraniums or just watching the world go by.
It does not appear that this wish will ever happen. Sad for me!
Love a large porch as a gathering place for family.
Relaxing, talking, sharing, just being together.
Growing up, my parents rented a home with a large front porch. It also had a porch swing. I sat there many afternoons with my first true love. I thought he was gorgeous!
As kids we loved it, our friends would gather, planning our summer days. A magical place.
I wanted this piece to be something I could enjoy every day so when I saw this wood tray for 50% off at Hobby Lobby, I knew it would be a perfect addition to my chunky porch piece.
It took no time at all for me to put this project together.
A bit of sanding to level the top, E6000 glue, measuring to find the center, and that was it! Wonderful!
It now sits on my kitchen table.
I often wonder where the piece came from, what type of home, what type of family lived there. Did they love their porch as I would.
A unique piece, with many uses, but for now sitting on my kitchen table is where it will stay so that I can enjoy and remember.
This will certainly show my age, but do you remember the front porch on the Andy Griffith Show?
Andy sitting with his guitar, and Aunt Bee sewing. Loved it!
Just fifteen minutes to put this project together.
I read a devotional and my bible every day, as well as writing in a journal. There are also notebooks for writing and sketching new project ideas, always a novel, or something inspirational to read.
These favorite things of mine are scattered about, and at times, a bit of a mess on the floor.
I found this crate at the thrift store for $5.00.
You can find new ones at Michael’s for $10.00, sometimes on sale for $8.00. Home Depot also carries, not sure for how much.
The crate was in good shape except for a few very small splits in the wood.
My plan was to paint the crate and add legs.
I chose hairpin legs to lift the crate up off the floor.
Most types of wood legs would also work.
I bought the four legs on Amazon for $16.00.
When completed, the crate was a perfect space for my books.
Love it!
So simple, just spray painted, and added legs.
It also serves as a side table next to my chair, a great spot for my coffee and glasses.
If you are on a budget, two would make inexpensive night tables or side tables next to a sofa.
A project completed in one day!
It’s clean, and stylish too!
A bit of a modern farmhouse look.
Thank you for letting me share this fun project today.
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!
“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!
Last week, I worked on three small thrift store items, brought home to “relove”.
A beat up tin rooster, a wire basket, and a metal bulletin board.
Cleaned, scrubbed, spray painted, done!
The tin rooster was missing a wing, and could no longer stand up, but he caught my eye just the same!
A bit of cleaning, glue, and matte black spray paint, was all needed to love this tin rooster, and to find a special spot for him in my kitchen.
He is standing tall again, with that “farmhouse” look perfect for my simple kitchen.
The boring wire basket, just needed to be brighten up, and the metal bulletin board, in almost new condition, just needed to be cleaned.
Two coats of my favorite gold spray paint, Rust-Oleum metallic gold, really transformed the wire basket from dull to bright.
The basket is a great addition to the desk area in my spare bedroom. Perfect to hold extra pillows or throws, or maybe another place to hold my many books.
I love beautiful books, they are one of the joys in my life.
The metal bulletin board caught my eye because of the really sweet scalloped, eyelet trim.
So cute!
Found a spot for the board above my Mom’s old rocking chair, displaying family photos, she would like that!
Displaying photos, another joy for me.
I am all about enjoying photos, using them whenever posssible, framing and placing around my home, or using them in any event or project.
Pleased with all my items, worth the total cost of $5!
