Halloween Wishes

WISHING YOU A

SPOOKTACULAR HALLOWEEN
AND A
WONDERFUL WEEKEND!

Decorate Beautifully AND Have Pets – Part Four

Hard durable flooring is ideal for pet owners. Sealed stone, hardwood, or vinyl flooring will hold up well. If you do choose to have carpeting, get the cut pile variety. Loop pile carpet can be snagged and unraveled by a rowdy pet. An alternative to carpeting is buying several stylish area rugs. These can be cleaned easily, unlike carpet, where the carpet padding can never be fully cleaned if an animal has an accident on the carpet. Just don’t buy rugs that are too expensive, if you do you’ll be stressed out about them getting dirty. Carpet tiles of the sort often used in commercial spaces are another way to go if you want to have carpet. This way, if one square gets dirty, you can pull it up and replace it.

Brushing your pets often can really lessen the amount of hair that ends up in your home. I bought a brush called the furminator that works great on my dogs, I get a lot more hair off of them than I do with a regular brush.

Giving your dog plenty of treats is another way to help keep your furniture looking nice. If they have appealing things to chew on, they’re less likely to chew on your stuff. I go to thrift stores and stock up on small stuffed toys for my dog a couple times a year, much cheaper than buying very similar stuffed toys at a pet store.

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I Want My Mummy

I try to give my family a little holiday inspired dinner
every Halloween.
This stuffed bread mummy is one of their favorites.
It's really quite easy to make.
First, you'll need two loaves of frozen bread dough,
thawed & risen. Flatten the dough.Cream 8 ounces of cream cheese with
enough milk to make it easy to spread.

Add fresh chopped or dehydrated onion to the mixture to taste.
With a sharp knife cut the edges of the flattened dough
into 1" strips, leaving 3" down the center of the dough.
Spread the cream cheese mixture down the center of the dough.Add your choice of sliced meat. We like ham &/or turkey.Pull the edges of the dough across the filling,
crisscrossing the strips.You can bake the two braided loaves
or cut the loaves into sections and

assemble the pieces to look like a mummy.Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Add olives for eyes, and enjoy your spooky treat.

Edited to add:
I've been boo-ed by Tidymom and Mrs. B.

THANKS SO MUCH, LADIES!!!

Decorate Beautifully AND Have Pets – Part Three

If you’re a big sucker like me, and you like your animals to live in the lap of luxury, consider getting a fashionable piece of furniture just for your pet. If you can get your pet to use it instead of the human furniture, you’ll have a lot less couch cleaning to do. Leather bean bag chairs are a good option that I’ve seen dogs fall in love with. This same idea goes for cats too, if you buy a piece of cat furniture with a little cubby in it or a platform up high where they can lounge they won’t sleep on your furniture as much. I made my cat a little hideaway under an end table and he sleeps there faithfully every day. If you do allow your pets on your furniture, it will probably be worth it to you to buy a small hand held vacuum. You can store it in a convenient place, such as under an end table next to the couch and even keep it plugged in. This way, it’s easy to get out and vacuum your couches often. Another option is to buy slipcovers for your couches that you can wash frequently. Slipcovers are actually in fashion right now, and they come in quite a variety of styles and fabric types.

These days there are plenty of pet accessories to choose from that will match your home. There are stainless steel food and water dishes or ceramic dishes to choose from.

Check back soon for part four of this blog.

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Bon Appetit!

On a rare occasion I will purchase home accessories at other stores than the thrift store. Last year I bought a little tin sign at a high end furniture store. They gave me a coupon for a percentage off of one accessory. I wandered the store picking up piece after piece looking for something I could afford, even with the discount. Finally I found this: I probably would have bought it without the discount because I really liked it. I've enjoyed displaying it on a wire easel in my kitchen.

Last week I decided that I wanted to make it a bit more substantial, as well as give it a more permanent home. I bought some molding and asked my supportive husband to make me a frame.

I then spray painted the frame black.

After it was dry, I spray painted it white.
I didn't do this because I changed my mind.
I gave it the two coat treatment because
I knew I wanted to sand it and distress it.
Sanding the white paint made the black show through. Then I glazed it with a dark brown stain.
I used a hot glue to adhere the sign
on top of the frame.I added heavy duty hook and loop tape
to the back of the frame and stuck it
to the granite back splash above my stove.Now that's a substantial accessory
that looks like it came from a high end furniture store!

Decorate Beautifully AND Have Pets – Part Two

Pick your color scheme carefully if you have pets or anticipate having them soon. Stay away from white carpeting, curtains, or furniture, they won’t be white for long if you own pets. Black fabric and upholstery shows light animal fur really well, and it can be hard to keep it all cleaned off, so try not to use very much black in your decorating. Bold or bright colors also show fur easily. The best colors for us animal lovers are soft neutrals, any color within the range from light tan to chocolate brown will stay looking nice with pets fairly well.

Don’t use flat finish paint if you have pets. When they rub against the walls (or run into the walls as my dogs sometimes do) it will be harder to clean flat finish painted walls. It is best to avoid white walls if you can. This will force you to think about your style a little bit more, and your home will probably end up looking better if you paint them colors other than white.

Your tables and end tables will need to be sturdy. Where you have animals you’ll have play and they’ll inevitably run into your furniture. Also, keeping a lot of knick knacks on your tables probably won’t work well if you are going to own pets, clutter free is best, that way there is less to be knocked over.

Ideally, you’ll have a pantry in the kitchen where you can store your pet’s food. This way, you can keep it hidden instead of having to either display it or go out into your garage each time you feed your pets.

Check back soon for part three of this blog.

This blog is brought to you by rehab jobs.

A Quick One

This little door shelf was our very first piece of door furniture---even though it was actually our second. We were in the middle of building our entertainment unit and things were going very slow. I was frustrated, so I brought out another old door, and various wood pieces. I told my husband that I needed a project with immediate gratification. I drew up a design plan and then left for a meeting. While I was gone, the sweet man I married started building. When I came home, a couple of hours later, the project was ready for me to paint. It was just what we needed. I had a project that I could work on while waiting for the completion of the entertainment unit, and since this project came together so quickly, it gave my hubby the excitement and confidence and to finish the next.
For years I used this piece in a corner of my kitchen to display antiques and other pretties. About a year ago I decided that I needed a change and the door shelf was moved to the basement. I walked past it last week and it caught my attention. It looked unloved and neglected. I knew, that with a little paint makeover, it could be a cherished piece again. So now it stands in it's glory, ready to live in my son's room (as soon as I paint the walls).

Let me tell you a little about it.
The back is an old door.
The legs are two stair balusters. The top piece was a part of a crib headboard
I found at the thrift store.We used fencing material to build the shelves.
It's rough and gives it a more rustic quality.
We added an old hinge above the door knob
to hide the hole left from a deadbolt. I painted it satin black,
then heavily distressed it with the sander.
I finished it off with a coat of maple stain.
I wanted it to look like it's been stored for years
out in grandpa's barn.
It's going to look great in my youngest son's room
and I won't have to worry about
the extra distressing it will get.

Decorate Beautifully AND Have Pets – Part One

I’m an animal lover and live with two dogs and two cats, but that doesn’t mean my house has to look worse for the wear. Sticking to a few rules when decorating your home can allow you to have a home that looks good and pets simultaneously. In fact, a home that is decorated to be durable and stylish may reduce your stress levels when guests or kids are over, you won’t have to worry about messes as much.

Stay away from decorating in fabric types that attract hair. If a fabric has any tendency to have static, it will attract animal hair like crazy. Velvet is another fabric to steer clear of, you will have a hard time keeping velvet hair free. Certain fabric types like microfiber are easy to keep fur off of. Ideally, you would choose fabrics that are close to the color of your pet’s hair to minimize visible fur on the fabric. There is a new fabric type called crypton, designed to resist stains and smells. It comes in many colors and styles and you can check it out at www.cryptonfabric.com. Leather is a good fabric choice for pet owners too. It is easy to clean and very durable. Pleather will work well too. Ultrasuede feels like real suede and is very good for pet owners too.

Check back soon for part two of this blog.

This blog is brought to you by dialysis nuring jobs.

A Little Bit of Not Much

Today I'll be trying to catch up on a few projects. I'll be applying a paste wax to my new table. I used regular brush on latex paint so to help give it a hard finish, I like to rub in some wax. It will help protect it from cars being driven across it and shoes and bottoms being plopped on it.Many of you asked me the color. It was an oops paint. Saturday, I ran to the H Depot to see if I could find a close match. I am sorry to say that there wasn't one. The closest thing I could tell you is that it's a muddied version of Lemon Grass.

When it gets a little warmer, this afternoon, I'll be spray painting this:Yes, it's also made from an old door. I'll be changing the color to a nice satin black (big surprise!). It will be going in my youngest son's room along with some other pieces of furniture that I'll be painting this week. Hopefully the weather will stay in the sixties so I can get a lot accomplished!

Pumpkin Carving – Part Four

There are special pumpkin carving kits available at many stores. These kits are a lot easier to use for carving than knives that you happen to have around the kitchen, and a decent kit can usually be found for a good price. Kits usually include tiny serrated blades in several different sizes that make cutting intricate patterns easy. If you intend to really get into carving the details, having a drill on hand can make your task easier.

Candles look the most authentic inside carved pumpkins that are displayed, but the heat from the candles often causes pumpkins to shrivel and age prematurely. To prevent this, consider buying some lights meant to go inside of pumpkins. You can get lights that have tiny batteries in them so you don’t have to worry about finding an outlet. You can also get lights that flicker to look like a candle flame. These don’t usually cost more than a dollar per light, and they’re easier than candles too since you can leave them on instead of having to remember to light and blow out the candle each night.

There are a few unique things you can do with your pumpkin if you want it to stand out. You can put wax paper inside the pumpkin covering the design, this will create an opaque look when the pumpkin is lit. Tin foil inside the pumpkin across from the pattern makes the light emitted from the pumpkin look brighter.

Check back soon for part four of this blog.

This blog is brought to you by occupational therapy jobs.

TA DA DA DAaaAaa!!!

I've been doing some changing and rearranging.

I moved the old cedar chest
from in front of the couch to behind.That way it hides the cord mess and
helps protect the couch from the sun
that streams through the windows.Moving the chest also makes room for
my newest project.I added a bit of aging with stain
to honor the pieces that make up this project.
Both the door and the balusters are
over one hundred years old.In my opinion, it's the bumps and scrapes
that you get in life that give you true character.
So, as a reminder,
I like to highlight those in my furniture pieces. It's also in the small details where true beauty is found.I think this one is a real beauty.Many of you want to know where I find my old doors.
I find them at thrift stores, on the roadside, and
at businesses that sell new doors
and haul off the old ones.

I want to give a special thanks to Sandy for this award:

and Wendy for this one:

Have a delightful weekend everyone!

Pumpkin Carving – Part Three

Drilling holes where you will need to start each cut will make carving easier. This way, the hard work is done, and you have a nice starting point for each cut. Make sure you make the most of your carving tools by sawing with them, this is how they are meant to be used. Pumpkin carving is time consuming; expect to spend awhile on this project if you want it to look good when you are done. Pay close attention to your pattern as you cut, you don’t want to end up losing track of the final goal and accidentally sawing off a vital connector area.

When the hard work of carving the pumpkin is done, you might want to spend a few minutes working to make it last as long as possible. Place the pumpkin in a tub full of cold water, let the pumpkin fill with water and sink. Let it soak for at least a couple of hours. Add a little bleach to the tub of water to help prevent molding. This process sounds strange, but it works to firm up the pumpkin. When you remove the pumpkin from the water, let it dry off and then rub Vaseline along any cut edges. This traps the water in the pumpkin, which is what you want, because when water escapes this is what causes pumpkins to shrivel.

Check back soon for part four of this blog.

This blog is brought to you by dialysis jobs.

Hooray for Me!

Hooray for me!

I won Dave Ramsey's book
that Christian gave away at her blog.
Thanks again Christian!
I also received a cute tag from JuJu.
Isn't it wonderful? She created it herself.

Now, you all know how weird I can be about tags and awards. But, I thought this one would be great for EVERYONE to do. So I'm passing this along to everyone who is willing to try. I think it is hard for women to compliment themselves. Well, I suppose some women find it easy, but I'm not one of them.
So here it goes:
1-I love that I'm able to make people smile and laugh.
2-I love that I know how to do a little bit of a lot of things (painting, gardening, decorating, designing, building, crafting, thrifting, etc.)
3-I love that I can find beauty in almost anything.

Now it's your turn! What do you love about yourself?

Oh before you go, Kasey and Blessed Mama gave me this:

I'm supposed to list 6 things I love. I thought it would be fun to show you six things around my house that I love. But before I do, please know that I have my priorities straight. First and foremost, I love my Father in Heaven and my Savior Jesus Christ. I love my husband and my family. I love my friends, in real life and blog world.
Now on to the materialistic things that I love.

I love chocolate!
What girl doesn't?
My favorite candy bar is Snickers Almond.
I love picture frames.
I'm not sure if it's because they're made from wood,
Or if it's just the beauty in the simplicity.
I love a good quote!
When I was a teenager, I spent a summer
handwriting a book of my favorite quotes.
Now I just clip them on a rack in my bathroom.
I LOVE blogging!!!
I cannot express to you the MANY ways
blogging has blessed my life.
Please know, though, that if you have ever
left me a comment or even just lurked
on my blog, I count you as a blessing!!!
I love decorating magazines, catalogs,
blogs, websites, t.v. shows, etc.I love being able to take someone's trash
and make it into a treasure.Did you notice that those last two photos
were actually sneak peeks of my week long project?
I'll show you the final reveal tomorrow.
(Now I just need to clean the paint off my kitchen floor)

Pumpkin Carving – Part Two

Projection kits have gotten popular for pumpkins lately. To project the pattern from the pumpkin onto a wall you’ll want to carve a small pattern into the pumpkin. You also need to carve it backwards if there is any text involved, so it will project the correct direction when you are done.

Pumpkin carving can be as intricate of a process as you would like it to be depending on how complicated the pattern you select is. Many people carve a basic pattern, which will yield black where no pumpkin is carved away, and bright yellow where the carving has been done and the candle shows through. There are two other shades that can be achieved with careful carving though. The first is light orange, which will show through if you carve away all of the skin off of the front of the pumpkin and some of the meat, the more you carve, the lighter the orange will look. Dark orange will show through if you remove the pumpkin meat from the inside, leaving the skin alone on the front side.

Once you pick out a pattern that you like, you will need to transfer it to the pumpkin. First, tape or pin the pattern to the pumpkin. You can push a thumb tack through the paper along the patterns lines, you’ll need a lot of holes to see the pattern clearly. This is a lot of work, but it will be worth it when you are done and you don’t have to guess where to carve any of your lines.

Check back soon for part three of this blog.

This blog is brought to you by physical therapy jobs.

A Bit More Color

I've decided that my living room needs a punch of color. That's one thing about blogging, when you post pictures of a room you start to notice where you can make improvements. Since my newest project is going in that room, it is the perfect place to add color. I like the paint color that I used on this project.

Speaking of this project,
it's now sitting on my front porch. I was able to harvest all of these
delightful fall goodies from my garden. I piled a bunch of the smaller ones into
some antique bowls
that I found years ago at the thrift store.And the larger ones look great outside.Since we're outside, I'll show you
some more of my Halloween decorations.

Some of you showed a real interest in my old PB light fixture.

I suppose I could sell it.
But I'm warning you, it's pretty heavy and would cost a bit to ship.