EASTER MANTLE 2018

As I ready the house for Easter this year, I created a simple mantle.

While bringing in a worn quilt with spring-like colors, a few cuttings from the forsythia bush outside, a vintage white distressed frame and a terrarium full of paper mache eggs with images of Easter completed the look.

How simple, but yet so delightful!


I placed my white, distressed frame on the mantle first.  Then, I filled the urn with the forsythia branches that I was hoping to force the blooming process.

Two days later and the blooms are bursting.

The paper mache eggs were placed in the terrarium.

As I was finishing up the auction quilt project, I looked over at the mantle and realized that my sister Terri was trying to tell me something.  Originally, I was going to put the quilted frame up for auction, but then I spied the empty shabby chic frame sitting on top of the quilt.  What if the paper quilt project could fit in this frame?  Hmmmmm

Well, it did.  Quickly, I popped the cardboard covered paper quilt into the frame.  I love it.  The quilt project brings so much more color into the mantle vignette.  

I suppose when I tire of the paper quilt, I can put it back into the original frame and auction it out. The great thing about this quilt is that it has glass in the frame, so you could use it as a dry erase board using markers.

I had to update the forsythia stems in the urn because all of the blooms were gone.  My youngest went on a hike last week and found a fallen red bed branch bursting with blooms.  She brought it home as a gift for me and I replaced the forsythia stems with the red bud stems.  I also filled the urn with water so I can keep the red bud ones longer.  The pink adds more vibrancy to the mantle.

Thanks Terri!

HAPPY EASTER

AUCTION PROJECT BARNWOOD PAPER QUILT

When creating my annual birthday card, I purchased a 6 sided punch mimicking a quilt block.  After I made the first card, I thought I could use the same idea to create a new paper quilt for a future auction project.

  I already had the frame.  I still haven't decided if I'm going to use the mat or not.

I will be using the same scrapbook paper sampler.

It was nice to use my 40% off coupon for the scrapbook paper.  I can do a multitude of projects.

It took me about 30 minutes to cut out my 'quilt' patterns.

Using this paper punch was super easy. Next, I found the middle of the poster board that I was going to glue the 'quilt blocks' on to.

I spent about 30 more minutes to start placing them onto the board.

The next day, I started in the middle of the poster board and began gluing the blocks.  It took about

 2  1/2  hours to fill up the poster board.

Now, all it need to do is pop it into the simple white frame from Michaels.

But the story stops here.  Stay tuned to see the finished project



GERBER DAISY WREATH AND PLANTING

About a month ago, I was on a trip to Hobby Lobby when I spied some gorgeous faux Gerber daisy bunches.  The sale was so good that I couldn't pass them up.  It was time to put a spring wreath on the door during this crazy winter.

I also bought a wispy wreath to use as the base. 

As you can see from the stems, multiple flowers and berries were already included in them.  I began stripping the stems and wrapping and glue gunning them around the wreath.  The wreath was going to come to life quickly.

Very little manipulating of the stems caused an amazing splash of color--immediately.

In a matter of 15 minutes, the wreath was constructed.

A week later, I was by the Home Depot, so I decided to stop in the floral shop. One of the first plants I saw was the coral Gerber daisy.  I had to have it.  Because that was the only daisy, I looked around and bought some pansies to fill out the pot.

I planted them in my rusty, heart backed rod iron chair.  It is even more special that they were planted in my Grandmother's granite wash pan.

And now, with spring upon us, the front of the house is beckoning spring to come right in the front door.

 



ANNUAL ST. PATRICK'S DAY CARD 2018

Every year, I make a St. Patrick's Day card for particular friends and relatives.

This year, I thought that I could incorporate the family crest--Sweeney--into

the card.  For those in the family that are unaware of the crest, here it is.

Leave it to Mr. Thrifty to ask me why there was a lizard on our crest? 

I looked up the meaning of the symbols on the Coat of Arms.  Yellow/gold means generosity.  Sable/black denotes constancy and sometimes grief. The Fess or design of the shield denotes a military belt or girdle of honour.  The  boar represents the bearing of a warrior.  There was no mention of what the lizard symbol meant.  Do you know?

Happy St. Patrick's Day.





ST. PATRICK’S DAY TREASURES

Just wanted to share a few of my treasures, given to me by family and friends. 

RECYCLING A CERAMIC PLANTER WITH SPRAY PRIMER AND GUILDING WAX

I bought this ceramic planter at a yard sale for $1.00 over 10 years ago.  I loved the shape of the planter, but didn't really like the coloring on it.  I tried and tried to incorporate the planter into my décor but never had any success.

The markings on the underside were not anything special.



I initially began painting it with a silvered chalk paint.  The paint was not sticking at all.  And I knew that with watering the plant that would be inside the planter would not have a long lasting effect.

This next picture shows the second coat.  It wasn't much better.  Time to try something else.

I taped around the inside the planter, and filled it with newspaper and took it outside to spray paint.  It took a few sprayings to cover the entire piece, but I was liking the spray primer color.

I used my favorite Rust-oleum 2x ultra cover grey spray primer.



After the primer dried, I put a little bit of the silver guilding wax on my finger and went over the raised areas of the planter. 

I left the inside of the planter free from paint because I didn't want the primer to leech into the soil.

I was very happy with the result.



I added my cuttings into the planter.  Sitting it on top of a few vintage books gave the planter some height.

I am thrilled with the latest project. 

The planter works well with the great room décor.