Word Art

Hi Friends!

I am increasing intrigued & inspired by some of the wonderful word art I have been seeing around.  There are so many many wonderful ideas all over the internet, but I  came across this one locally last week.  I love it as a whole and also love each of the little sayings on their own.  Oh the possibilities!  I have my eyes open for just the right medium on which to create my own!

This one is stenciled on two separate pieces of black painted wood.  I love how all the sayings run into each other.  And I love the simplicity of the artwork itself. So simple yet so powerful.

{Sorry about the picture quality, I had to take this one with my phone}

I suppose you can read it right off the picture, but here are all the sayings if you’d like to cut and paste any!

He used to say things like

all that glitters is gold

and you catch more flies with honey than vinegar

money doesn’t grow on trees

never trust a man a dog doesn’t like

early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise

beggars can’t be choosers

where there’s a will there’s a way

a closed mouth catches no flies

a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush

the squeaky wheel gets the oil

an apple a day keeps the doctor away

don’t count your chickens before they hatch

a leopard cannot change its spots

the early bird gets the worm

don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater

a watched pot never boils

good things come to those who wait

never trust a skinny cook

a rolling stone gathers no moss

waste not want not

cloudy mornings give way to clear evenings

two heads are better than one

makes hay while the sun shines

into every life a little rain must fall

finders keepers losers weepers

it goes without saying he was a good man.

------------------------------------------------

So there ya go, permission to use clichés!

Hummm, I’m thinking on a large pallet perhaps? 

Smile!

hugs, Celeste

Beachy Mantel Details {summer mantel}

Oh, this is just too exciting!  I’m gearing up for my first ever mantel linky party!  When I first started blogging last year, I didn’t know what a linky party was and I didn’t have a mantel.  Since then I’ve done quite a bit of partying and decided I *needed* to install a mantel so I could keep up with the Jonses jump on the band wagon. {To see my mantel installation click here…and to see when I painted the fireplace white click here!}

Please allow me to give you a tour of my mantel, all dressed up for its first ever linky party!!

 My goal was a beach theme with aqua accents…so I was thrilled when I found this wonderfully shaped aqua bottle at Crate and Barrel. And, it was on sale for 50% off!

Next I used a couple of vases I had stashed away from flower deliveries over the years and wrapped them with jute rope {tutorial coming soon}.  I filled them with sand/shells.  I also filled the apothecary jar {which I picked up at World Market with my $10 off coupon} with sand and shells. I got the shells in  a huge bag from Michaels, with my 40% coupon. And finally I topped them with battery operated tea lights from World Market.

Speaking of coupons, did you know you can do a Google search for coupons before you hit the stores?  Well, at least the stores listed above.  I can always find coupons for 30-40% off for Michaels & Jo Ann’s.  Also, World Market usually has a $10 off $30 coupon floating around too.

Moving along…

 This water pitcher is probably 40+ years old. As a child, I can always remember this little guy filled with cold water in our refrigerator. I was lucky enough to inherit it a few years ago and have finally put it to use again! It’s fun to think of my childhood each time I glace over at it.

And the starfish is also from Michaels.  Waaaay cheaper than from Pottery Barn.  Well, I actually should take that back…PB Kids had a set of 4 the other day for under $20…that’s around the same price as this one.

I think this is my favorite find! I just love this jar. I found it at World Market, advertised as a bee catching jar. You are supposed to put something sweet smelling in it and I guess the bees fly in the bottom but can’t get out? Well, for me it was perfect for the mantel! Just look underneath, there is a hole the perfect size for a votive to sit inside {just make sure you use battery powered votives, not the real thing or you could cause a little explosion!}

See the hole in the bottom!

 

I told ya, it’s a wasp trap! But I think it’s too cute for those bad guys!  Plus, it’s aqua tinted….thumpity- thump goes my heart! Can you hear it? 

Next comes the sand dollars I’ve saved for 5 years since a good friend’s wedding. These were used for table assignments at their Hawaiian reception. {Our names are on the other side!}

Three little votive holders I made with jute string…and real candles this time!

Do you recognize this jar?! It’s one of the mason jars I painted myself. If you missed it, see the tutorial here.

Then I just filled it with beach glass which I picked up at Michaels.

{I started to raid my son’s own beach glass collection, which along with the beach rocks could have easily filled this jar…but he protested so it was just another excuse to go to Michaels. Bummer, huh!}

My son started to protest me taking this one out of his room…but when I promised to hang his new Star Wars posters I framed for him in its place {see them here} he quieted right down. This is an old PB Kids piece that I bought on HUGE sale like 6 years ago.

Finally that old pine mirror in the middle.  It’s been under my bed for the last, um, 9 years.  But not just 9 years under my bed…this is the 3rd house in which she’s sat patiently under my bed…just waiting for her chance again.  I’m thinking a very pale coat of turquoise would give her new life…we’ll see what I can come up with in the next couple of months…before it’s time to change this mantel for fall!

Now I’m not sure if you recall the first time I posted my finished mantel after building it, but I had a string of lights hanging from below:

They seemed kinda beachy to me…with their woven rattan look…reminds me of the ones Pottery Barn sells, but I got mine for half the price at World Market.  Here’s PB’s:

They’re cute, huh?  I liked them. But then I decided to take them down.  Why?  Well, I know that I want lights up there at some point during the year.  Christmas for SURE, maybe even Halloween/Thanksgiving….but I wanted the lights to be something extra special, not just an every day thing.  So I decided to take them down for the summer and most likely these exact ones will go up in the fall. What do you think?

So that’s it folks! My mantel’s ready to par-tay!! 

It’s gonna be fun changing it up with the seasons. Smile!

Tissue Paper Votive Holders {craft for kids}

Hello friends!  Seems like it’s been a while…probably cause it has!  I’ve been a little lazy super busy lately.  For some reason this week, and month for that matter, have been exceptionally crazy around here.

But today I wanted to share with you a super easy craft you can make with kids of all ages.  I made these with 8 preschoolers a couple of weeks ago.  The kids all gave them to their moms for Mother’s Day.  These are a perfect last minute gift to give any female in your kids’ lives.  I’m thinkin’ they’d be a great homemade teacher gift, too.  

So here’s what you need:
~baby food jars
~multi-colored tissue paper {think: leftovers from all the gift bags you have stashed}
~Mod Podge
~paint brush
 

Ok, the directions are easy peasy chicken lemon squeezy {you can thank twin A for that one}

Step 1:  Tear or cut your tissue paper into small pieces {smaller than the height of the baby food jar}

 
Step 2: Cover jar with Mod Podge using a paint brush.  Then place tissue paper all over jar and cover tissue paper with Mod Podge.

Be sure to cover with a thick layer of Mod Podge on top.  More than you think necessary {if you’ve never used this stuff before.}  They should look very white.  But not to worry, it dries completely clear!  It’s Amazing!  Sorry I don’t have more action shots…but I was making these with 8 preschoolers, so my hands got a little too gooey to take pics!  But here’s what they look like drying:

Be sure to completely cover with tissue paper, the more layers the better.  And then a gloppy coat of Mod Podge and set upside down to dry.

See, it really does dry clear!  But you can see the places where tissue paper was thin or non-existent.  Put on as much tissue paper as you can! 

Then you can place a votive candle inside and voila, it’s that simple!

We light them each night at dinner.  My girls love them and are so proud they made them all by themselves!

And just in case you were wondering about the vase/jar…I posted a tutorial here on how to create your own “vintage” aqua mason jars!

Linking up at a fun for kids party at Smile Monsters!

The Mantel Reveal…aka: Part 3 of While the Cat’s Away

Ok, folks, I know you’ve been on the edge of your seat since my last post…just dying to find out if I finished the fireplace mantel I decided to build. 

In case you missed my last post {see it here} I was just telling everyone how my husband was out of town and that I wanted to do a few little high impact projects to surprise him with when he comes home.  I installed drapery rods/panels on day one.

On tap for day two was painting the flagstone fireplace…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

…which turned into: painting the fireplace AND building a mantel!

So that brings us to today’s post: building the mantel.

After spending all morning painting, at 2pm I decided that a mantel would be a nice finishing touch.  {With all the mantel linky parties going on, what’s a mantel-less girl to do?}

So I enlisted the help of my aunt {to play with my kids and give me a woman’s opinion} and my uncle {to help me secure the skill saw and drill holes in mortar} who are always getting roped into helping me so generous with their time.

A quick trip to Home Depot {which ended up being the first of two trips this afternoon} and before you knew it, I was sawing and sanding away. 

 

I am using a leftover board of 100+ year old reclaimed barn oak from when I built my kitchen island {with the same uncle} back in January. I love how it ties the kitchen in with the living room {which are both part of the same “great room”}

On one of my trips to Home Depot, I picked up a pair of iron brackets to hold the mantel:

 

They aren’t the most decorative of brackets in the world {the Depot didn’t have too many options} so I can see them being replaced by a splurge on something from, oh maybe, um, Anthropologie? Just a thought. Like howz about these…

 

oooooo, wouldn’t that be fun?  Wanna know what I love about them? 

~the painted and distressed white iron

~the painted and distressed teal iron

~the whimsical, but not too over-the-top scroll

~did I mention the colors? they match my home perfectly! Love it!

 

A-hem. Ok, anyways…moving right along.  Oh and by the way, I did paint the hex nuts black on the Home Depot bracket…not to worry! {See ugly silver nuts on pic above Anthro pic}

So while I sanded and sanded and sanded…and then did a bit more sanding…my uncle drilled the 4 holes in the flagstone mortar for the bracket. And one sore back later, I proudly announced the board was finished and ready for installation.  Up we propped it onto the brackets, added a couple of screws to secure the wood to the bracket and voila, finished!

And it’s not even 5pm yet!  I said my thank yous and bid farewell to my aunt and uncle {purposely not reminding him of the dining table I’d love to build out of the same wood} and then started to play!

 

 

Grabbed this picture from the hallway…a little too BIG, ya think!  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So then I found this mirror hiding under my bed. Now we’re getting closer…though it would look great in distressed turquoise! But for now we’ll go with it…it’s free and I can’t go buy paint at this point ‘cause my kids are all in bed.

 

Remember how my son’s room used to be surf-themed and now it’s evolving into a Star Wars {cringe, ok now smile} theme? So I stole a few things from his room…namely the “Beach this way” sign…and his personal shell collection…& the next morning I picked up a few things from Cost Plus and Michael’s and here we are the next afternoon:

And finally, I couldn’t resist these “beachy” rattan ball lights…I’ve been so mantel deprived that I just wanted to go all out!

Eeeeeee, I’m so excited for my husband to come home from his trip!  Do you think he’ll be surprised?

When he left it looked like this:

And he’s coming home to this:

I’d say a back massage is most definitely in order, wouldn’t you?

Bring on the mantel linky parties!! This girl is ready!

New Dining Room Drapery Panels {where to hang drapes on Craftsman window trim}

While the cat’s away, the mice will play!

My husband doesn’t go out of town very often, but he’s been gone this week…which gives me the perfect opportunity to do a few projects to surprise him!  You see, it’s a win-win for me to do projects while he’s out of town.  First off, he’s not subjected to hours of discussion on splitting hairs  on whether to add one more milli-drop of pigment to this gallon of paint or not?  Second, {and one thing that really attracted me to him} he has a very good sense of style and cares way more about the little details than the average man should be allowed to does.   So this sometimes can lead to lengthy fights discussions over installing the bracket here or 1/2 inch to the right.  And third, who doesn’t love to come home to a home improvement project started and finished to completion without having to do any decision making or work? {Ok, don’t answer that!}

So, while he’s been away this week, this little mouse {yours truly} has been working hard on sprucing up our cottage to surprise him! I should really take a look at my to do list for 2011 so I can actually get things crossed off- since my first project isn’t on the list, darn!

First up is adding drapery panels to our dining room slider…and what a nice finishing touch it made. 

Here’s the slider BEFORE before…what it looked like with the previous owners:

And here it is after my husband installed Craftsman style trim around all the windows and we changed out the handle and lock:

Sorry, I forgot to take a “before” picture without the brackets, oops!

Ok, then I installed the brackets right on top of the trim:

After much research on where to install the brackets, I finally determined that during the Craftsman period {when trim like this was the standard} they installed the brackets right on top of the wood trim. I think it’s perfect, actually {that and I don’t have any wall space above my trim, which kinda leaves me without many options!}

I found these beautiful sheer drapery panels at my new favorite store, Cost Plus World Market.  I was contemplating sewing my own panels but when I saw these at just $14.99 each (plus I use my $10 off $30 coupon) it was a no-brainer.

Look at the adorable little bags they come in.  Hummm, what could I re-use these bags for??

They come all rolled up in a perfect little package:

So up went the drapery rod:

And the finials:

I just love the tie tops!  So whimsical, light and airy….just beachy!

And then I had to decide at what height I wanted the tie backs:

My dear son wasn’t quite as patient with me as my husband is…upon the 10th location I asked him to move it to, he was finished with me.

And here we are!

I think the next thing this little mouse needs to do is clean up that back yard a bit!

Back to work!!