Easter's On It's Way

I thought I'd put up some Easter decorations this year since I'm home. Yippee!  I never had much time for decorations while working away from home.  

This is my Easter Wreath this year....and it didn't cost a dime!  The best kind of decoration.  I get a thrill out of obtaining free things!
 

Mr. Amazing and I have been attending auctions around the area and I'm finding all kinds of items to sell and to use!  I hope you like my creation from an old frame, used plastic eggs, a torn book, fabric scraps and some jewelry all found in boxes from the auctions.  I had the ribbons and paint in my stash.  It might be an old concept, but I just had to try it!

Pretty Things

Oh, I love pretty things!  Today I'm going to request this from Mr. Amazing for our new place in the country!  Whether I get it or not is a different story!  haha  But it never hurts to ask!

 You can find this and more at CountryLiving.com.

  

Jesus Was a Carpenter

Latest addition to the Valera Grace Etsy Store! Click on the link below to see more!

Etsy.com

Thank You, World!

Shout out to the world!

When I began blogging, I wanted to document my progress toward my goals and keep myself accountable.  I never dreamed of having people around the world viewing my posts!

I first discovered that individuals from France were viewing my posts, then observing the STATS, I noticed other countries where viewing as well.

Thank you for looking!  Even if it's to follow a photo, the fact that you even clicked makes me happy. Here's a list of the top countries to visit. 

United States	4022
France	1592
Brazil	256
United Kingdom	170
Poland	143
Germany	119
Russia	104
Hungary	101
Indonesia	68
Australia	56

So cool!  Next time you're here, drop me a comment!  Let me know what I can do to make the blog better or what you would like to see.

Quick Five! Leprechaun Fun!

I've never decorated for St. Patrick's day, but have two loved ones born on March 17, so there's a little celebrating going on here!  Here's a few little "good luck" charms I might try this year!

1.  Found this lovely arrangement on Pinterest under this board, "Fire up that fiddle boys and give me one more drink! A St. Patrick's Day Album."  Great name for a board, right?  haha  But, I love, love, love, this floral arrangement!

2.  These are cute.  You can find these blocks and more, by Angela Harbour (from Alaska), at Stickwithmevinyl found on Etsy.com. 

3.  Also at Etsy.com you can find this sign made by WorldsSweetestSigns, out of Indiana.  Nice font and great design! 

4.  Ahhh, a twist on St. Patty's day decorations. This one is on WWonderfulWorld.Tumbler.com.  I like it and it looks like and Old Irish decorating trick! Hey, it doesn't matter what you have....it's how you use it that counts!

5.  And, finally, the best celebration item yet!  Creator, Jess Lyons out of NY makes these and owns RaggaMuffinDesigns on Etsy.com.

 

Here's wishing you the Luck of the Irish this St. Patricks Day!  Decorate and live it up with your friends and family!

Mr. Amazing

I really don't give enough credit where credit is due!  Mr. Amazing is just that....Amazazazazing!   He's always there to help me and does all the manly parts of my projects.  He runs the saws, drills the screws and sands the wood.  I really can't do anything without him!

He has his camo on in this picture, but when dressed up, he's my very own George Clooney look alike!  We've had some tough times and some fantastic times too.  

The other day, I mentioned I wanted an old piece of wood we had at our old house.  He went out to get it before we closed.  I then mentioned it would look cool with pipe legs.  Well, guess what...he made it for me!  Look at this!

Now guess what I give thanks for every night.  It's not the pipe-leg table.  haha  It's dear Mr. Amazing and his bag of manly tricks!  He can fix anything and makes this family operation run!  

We've truly had a happy marriage and there's never been a dull moment!  Can't wait to see what happens next!  Love you Babe!

Up From the Grave!

Anyone remember this little number?

Purchased from the Amish Auction in 2016...I think!  It only cost $2 and was the perfect first furniture project for me!

Well, time got the better of me once again.  From work to caring for my Mom, I ignored this little thing for quite some time.  I think I finally sanded and put new legs on it (with the help of Mr. Amazing) in 2017, but then we moved, so it sat around a little while longer!  

Well.....drumroll please.....

Ta Da!

The finished product is a birds-egg blue with white highlights.  I used a home-made chalk paint from a friend in town, Elaine Lewis from the Bunkhouse in Coalgate, and then sealed it with an acrylic spray.

Yeah, it's not the best, but it's a start!  I wish I had pushed through all the obstacles earlier because I really enjoyed finishing this project.  It's sturdier and prettier.  
Love.

I Can Feel It!

Spring time is coming!  Time for spring cleaning!  whaa whaa.....

I've been piddling around lately and trying to work on arrangement of things.  We cleaned out the pantry, but I wanted to do some things to liven up the kitchen counters.  Since I'm not working, my budget is a big fat zero!  haha  but that shouldn't decide how I arrange things, right?

Here's my coffee pot spot - before ...and after.




What do you think?  I used the plate to cover the electrical outlet.  The little duck basket is cute so I filled it with the sweet-n-low. And finally, my daughter, Brooke, sold me this cute cheese board from her Pampered Chef business. 

Now for the other side of the stove.

I found another basket, this time with a metal base.  It didn't have the legs though, but I searched and found this riser under my cabinet.  I only use the riser once or twice a year, so now I've got it pulling more hours in the kitchen!  Clorox wipes aren't too attractive, so I moved a pitcher from the other side of the room.  You may not be able to see it, but it has a little bit of the blue like the knife block.

Sometimes it just takes a little extra care with what we have.  I may add a sign for the nail above the stove and I'm also considering a tiny lamp for the corner.  We recently repainted the entire house white (Mr. Amazing's favorite color), however, I really think I need a background stencil, tile or something for the background.  I'll think on it!


Well, I got that out of my system.  Now on to more scrubbing!  Happy spring, everyone! Wishing you a clean and very attractive home this year!  

Ornaments!

My all-time favorite thing to make is Christmas ornaments!  My love for making them started in the 1990's when I began exhibiting at craft shows.  My start was slow, but I shared a booth with friends so I could go at my own pace and still have plenty in the booth.  Slowly I found a niche with hand painted wood ornaments.  I quit showing around 1998, but never forgot how I loved making ornaments!  Later, I made them for the grand babies.  

Lately, I've been exploring all kinds of ornaments and actually began making and storing them for future craft shows and Etsy.  Here's my latest efforts. 

These can be used as Christmas ornaments or a valentine adornments. Of course, I found this one on Pinterest made by Virginia with Fynesdesigns.com.  She used her pastel colored hearts to go on a beautiful Valentine wreath. Go check her out!  She has some really cute DIY projects too!  

Hope you like these!  Happy Monday and have a fabulous week!

Having trouble getting motivated today. Did the dishes though...does that count for being creative?