Spring is here?

Well, even though it is still snowing in Western New York...we decided it was going to be Spring here anyways. We spent some time adding some new Spring decor to the kitchen and dining room...want to see???
Do you love these queen wrens as much as I do? on sale at Michael's for only $1.49... Thanks for the tip Holly! Holly also gave me the idea for this cloche...Check Holly's out here...


hmmm...making cookies with Layton...looks like he's been eating the dough...




Happy Spring!!

Christmas addiction...book paper crafts...

I fell in love with book paper crafts this Christmas...so I thought I would share some of the projects that I worked on over the Christmas season...By the time Christmas rolled around I have to admit to being completely burned out on the whole concept of crafting...I was talking to my mother about it and she sent me the most perfect quote...it made my day and renewed my faith in the joy of creating..."I just want to make beautiful things, even if nobody cares. it's a peaceful place to be in life." She found the quote here. I think it may be my new mantra for 2011...
Well anyways here are some of my creations. It all started with the shredded paper for the bottom of my centerpiece...I got my shredder for $7 at a lawn sale a few summers ago with my sister...I use it mostly for crafting...


This is the gift I made for my secret santa that I joined through lillyella. It is a Rolodex...

I mounted it on a 5x7 frame and put a Christmas poem in it...

I haven't taken pictures yet, but my secret santa sent me the perfect present...a beautiful book paper craft book and two gorgeous skeins of yarn...she couldn't have picked it better if she had known me! How did she know I was addicted?



This is the package after I wrapped it...


I really liked the wrapping so I wrapped my dad's birthday present the same...

and my friend Karen's present...


I spent one evening crumpling up paper while my husband tried to watch tv, to make this...and then I took the leftover butterflies and put them in some glass bulbs
to make these...

I can't wait to look at my new book to come up with some new ideas...Especially after I got this for Christmas from my husband...

Yep...tons of gorgeous antique books...

Giving thanks...for Thanksgiving Day...do people do that?

After the wonderful holiday I have had...I am feeling that a second Thanksgiving is probably necessary. I feel so lucky to have such wonderful friends and family....First, of all I want to thank my husband who ran around like a crazy man last week...did all the shopping...which entailed three grocery store trips, two trips to the liquor store and several trips to our "clubhouse" to find things for me, on three different days...one with all three kids in tow...cleaned the entire house and somehow made it to work...amazing!

Then there is my amazing family, who arrived with there own gifts to share. My sister with four pies and the most amazing lemon curd I have ever had (I am still dreaming about those tarts), my mother with the BEST stuffing I have ever had (we all agreed on this one) and a pecan pie...and then she brought me this:Tell me this isn't the most beautiful cornucopia you have ever seen! My table looked amazing...(pay no attention to my paper napkins...totally forgot...hey its my first time hosting...cut me some slack).

After Thanksgiving my mother stayed for two days after everyone else left and we crafted and decorated our hearts out... We actually mounted an antique mantle to the wall all by ourselves (we are so proud). We laughed that if any man saw us using that jigsaw we would never live it down...but we did it and it came out perfect...



Eh? right...check that out...I purchase the mantle at an antique store for $100 and spent the summer stripping the many layers of paint off the poor thing...and much to my delight there was beautiful tiger oak underneath! Yeah! But I deserved it...I worked so hard.

After the day of hanging it...my mom and I needed a rest, but the next day we set to work making my Christmas wreath. My inspiration came from Kate at Centsational Girl, she posted about this wreath:Don't you just love it? Well anyways, I had a lot of the materials at home in my craft room, but I did make a trip to the dollar store for some fake snow and pine cones...and voila... Here is my wreath! And here it is with the mantle... My mom and I had an amazing time...I missed her the second she pulled out of the driveway!

AND IF ALL THAT WASN'T more than enough to be extra thankful, when I got to work today, I was surprised with the MOST BEAUTIFUL gift I have ever received for my wonderful friend Karen. About a week ago while surfing my Google Reader, I came across a post by Becca at Blue Cricket Design where she shared a tutorial on how to make this advent project:So I emailed the post to my friend Karen who is a paper crafter and GUESS WHAT I found on my desk today!

YEP! She made them for me...Not only did she make them for me, but she spent her precious time over the holiday to make me this wonderful Christmas gift (and I got to open it early...bonus). I told her today, "You know how when you are making something for someone, you envision them loving it when you give it to them...well I love it ten times more than that." She not only gave me a gift, but gave my family a new tradition. Karen is a amazing person, teacher, instructional leader and friend and I am so lucky to have her! I will treasure this gift always!

In summary...I am calling for a second Thanksgiving...any takers?

Furniture...Gone White...before and after

I thought it was about time I shared with everyone the reason why I have been seen with white paint on my hands for the last six months...I have been painting the world white...After moving into my new house, I decided my dining room set (that was pieced together from various places over the years) needed an update...I can't count how many people have come in and asked me when I got a new dining room set...a little white paint goes a long way!


SO here it goes...here is the buffet...(sorry for the poor picture I took it in the garage on a sunny day) before...


And AFTER...
Dining room table...BEFORE...(notice the green walls...they got a coat of white too!)
and AFTER...
China cabinet...BEFORE...

and AFTER...(notice the white walls?)


Looks like new furniture, doesn't it?

My new treasures...

This was definitely a great weekend for treasure hunting...and finding...as I prepared for a yard sale this week (aided by two of my young neighbors, David and Peter, who are fearless...and by that I mean they are not afraid to dig amongst spiders and cobwebs in my old barn)...I found some unexpected treasures...and I wanted to share them with the world...

First, I found a NEW set of twins...

I just love these chairs and the best part is I had just saw a chair just like them featured on Design Sponge. You can check out this chair's before and after here...

Then I found this great kitchen scale...


...which my mother immediately traded me for a fan that I let her have last time she was up...

She must have REALLY liked the scale because she even offered to spray paint it for me...

Later that day, my neighbor, Aunt Becky, told me about an old typewriter she
had in her barn...and she gave it to me... I heart this typewriter...It is going to look so amazing in my library...but what would a library be without...

A LIBRARY table...yeah!!! I found this at the end of the day at a yard sale...and I got
it for only $60...I have been looking high and low for a real library table...when I got
out of the car...and saw it I actually started running...SO EXCITED...

Stay tuned to see before and after pictures after I refinish some of these
pieces...Ohhhhhh MOM!! We need to get to the fabric store...