How to Make Vanilla Facial Scrub

After you make a batch of vanilla sugar from my previous post for cooking and sweet indulgences like tea and coffee, whip up a batch of vanilla facial scrub. It's a mild, sweet smelling scrub that has real benefits. It's all natural, easy to make and effective.

Here's the recipe:

Vanilla and Honey Facial Scrub

1 Cup packed brown sugar
Seeds from half a vanilla bean (or 1 teaspoon of real

[ Read More ]

How to Make Vanilla Sugar

Vanilla sugar is a neat twist on plain old granulated sugar. It'll boost your morale every time you lift the lid on the pot or dish. It's very simple, too. Another wonderful benefit is that it makes a very nice gift for a favorite cook -- or even just someone who likes trying out new foods.

It's wonderful in coffee or tea, makes a nice sprinkle on cookies or homemade donuts (or cereal), and

[ Read More ]

Flowers, Kids, 3-D, Shots and gifts

Hi all,

Been a busy day here. We packed a lot into one day -

First I want to share my Easter Flowers…I had purchased a Pink Tulip plant for my Aunt for Easter.
It was 7 inches tall when I bought it on Tuesday and by Friday it was 14 inches and all buds had blossomed out – so I just didn’t want to give her a plant that was almost finished. Amazing what 3 days did to this plant. (we ended up giving her some wonderful ‘truffle’ candy – and she loved it)
Our son and daughter in-law brought a Daffodil plant on Easter
Took this on Tuesday after Easter
 
So today I planted them in the gardens. I should have separated the bulbs but I didn’t  want to aggravate my back and hips by bending and kneeling for too long….so they will get a good start in the ground this Summer and then late Fall I can split them up.

Emily and Joe were here for their last day of Easter break and I felt bad because most of the morning was taken up with big people stuff.

They had to go over to the hospital with me and wait while I had another SI joint injection – yes, it’s back good and strong again!
But before I had the shot the Neurologist spoke with Doug and I about me to getting the RF treatment (Radio Frequency – Nerve Ablation). They will zap (burn) the nerve endings in the hopes that the pain stays away longer than with the shots. So hopefully in 2-3 weeks I’ll have that procedure.

Took them to lunch right after the shot, came home and the kids watched a 3-D movie – (yes…he broke down and yesterday he bought the 3-D glasses, 3-D Blue-Ray player).
I’m not real impressed with 3-D but it’s part of the TV even if we never use it.
 
The movie was about the Ocean – not too pretty looking without glasses
- but you can see double exposure – this is something built in the sand.

I’m very slow with my Rug Hooking project. I ran out of background green and was going to buy some more but I checked in my big tote of colors and found a very large bunch almost the same green so I’m mixing them and you can’t even tell the difference…but I like the variegated look.
And I like the design as well…it’s going on my black Windsor chair and I think I might purchase another one for my other chair.

I had the most wonderful surprise in the mail today…a package from Jen Taylor
( http://taylorsfarmhouseattic.blogspot.com/ )
How she found the time with all that has been happening with her family/extended family is beyond me. She’s such a dear friend and so talented.
Just look at these beautiful Pillow Tucks with HER OWN DESIGNS and filled with the most aromatic ‘Lavender’.  THANK YOU JEN!

I also took my flower pots over to the garden center and picked out plants – they will do the work and keep them until the 3rd week of May so they get a good start in the greenhouse. Last year I did my own and they just didn’t have the ‘look’ that they do.

I’ll leave you with this picture of my two kitties sunning themselves in the doorway today – such a life! If it wasn’t for the sun you would NEVER see them this close…EVER!!!

Hope you all have a safe and wonderful weekend.

Karen

[ Read More ]

Sheep to Sunshine!!

Today's question is: "Can you up-cycle an ugly canvas?"

Why YES YOU CAN!

I got a picture strictly for the frame...I wanted to use it for a chalkboard. But when I took the frame off, I noticed the picture was a "real" painting on canvas, and I decided to hang on to it until I found the perfect project...and I did!

This is what I started out with...

The painting was mostly smooth, except for the sheep, which had been painted with big chunky swirls and things to resemble fleece, creating a very rough surface. I painted over the whole thing with Behr Ultra paint--yes, regular old latex paint--but the rough spaces stood out too much.

I thought to myself, "I wonder if you can use paint stripper on canvas?"

Guess what....you can!

After I sheared those poor sheep, I repainted the canvas with my latex paint.

Then, using this is my inspiration, I designed the lettering on my Silhouette and cut everything out of vinyl. It was a painstaking process to get the vinyl on the canvas in a reasonably level manner! The vinyl wasn't going to stay on the canvas, but be used as kind of a "reverse stencil." That means I paint over the vinyl and all, and then carefully lift the vinyl off while the paint is still wet.

I laid awake for hours (no, I'm not kidding) wondering what kind of paint I should use for the yellow coat. I worried about how quickly spray paint can dry...sometimes that leads to the paint tearing off around the vinyl when you remove it. If I hadn't been stuck at home with sick kids, I might have bought a sample pot of latex paint to use. But I was, so I didn't! Brushing on paint has it's own hazards--it tends to bleed underneath the vinyl.

So I chose my poison: Rustoleum Summer Squash spray paint.

Here's what it looked liked when I was in the process of taking of the letters!


I was in luck...the spray paint seemed to dry more slowly on canvas. I only had the tiniest bit of tearing on the very last letters, and it isn't noticeable. Two people pulling off the letters at once would have worked perfectly!

Here's the finished product!

I love, love, love it! I painted on the little red heart with acrylic paint, and I washed the whole canvas with diluted white acrylic paint--so this one canvas has three kinds of paint on it! Probably four, if you count what's underneath!

It is HUGE: 30" x 40". Right now it's sitting on my buffet in front of my chalkboard. It doesn't get to stay there, but I love looking at it for the moment!

Be sure to stop by this post and leave a comment to be entered in my giveaway! Ends May 2.

[ Read More ]

[ Read More ]

Nursery Wall

I have one of the best neighbors on the planet. Not only does she run over here on a moment's notice to give her opinion on any and all of the projects I work on, but she and her husband also helped a TON in getting me to the Spring Market a few weeks ago!

In return, she gets to shop through my garage once in a while. :-)

When she was looking for ideas for her daughter's bedroom wall, she discovered this mirror in my stash:


I painted it with Rustoleum Heirloom White for her, and then we glazed it with brown craft paint. Unfortunately...it was still a little too "creamy." So we tried glazing it with white paint next, and it worked great! It toned down the "creamy" and made it work better with the whites in the nursery. (I loved the white glazing so much I used it on a few projects right after that!)

Here's the wall space before:

And here's the beautiful AFTER!

The "L" was one of those gold "L"'s from Hobby lobby. I painted it pink, and then we glazed it with white to give it some depth. She already had the footprints framed, and we found a complementary white frame for the yellow temple picture she found on-line. I will claim the brilliant idea of using a plate for the 5th element, but she found the perfect bird plate at Pier 1 (there are other bird decorations in the room).

I never had the money, time, or interest to decorate a nursery when my babies were little...glad I get to live vicariously through my neighbor's baby now!

Be sure to check out this post for a giveaway! Ends May 2.

[ Read More ]

Birds and a Banner

The window that hangs in my kitchen needed to change with the season, and this is what I came up with:

(If you want to see its most recent look, look here.)

I used my pinking shears to cut triangles out of burlap, drop cloth, and other neutral-printed fabrics in my stash, and strung them together on yarn.

What's perched on the frame?

Birdies! Of course.

Some look like they might be trying to take a dive...

Simple...but I like it.

Would you like some scrappy birds of your own? Then be sure to leave a comment on this post!

[ Read More ]

Watching the Wedding....in a 'dreamlike' state?

Yes, 3:00am, central time, the alarm will startle me but I will get up to watch the pre-wedding chat shows. It's mass excitement, on the world stage, a time of dreams and fairytales in a 'time' of need.
Before the alarm sounds I am certain to dream of Princes and castles.............

The fire would already be roaring, the remote within arms reach......a tea would be lovely. I'll pull up the down duvet and reach for Cooper, my Corgi. The butler will be alerted to prepare my tray, breakfast in bed is sheer luxury

Nothing like being served in bed.......NO,  not the image i had in mind!

Is this my nightmare or a crystal ball? AGGHHH

ahhhhh, much better........the butler arrives

Oh, that butler!?

Ah yes.......now i am ready for the festivities to begin

 The eponymous  'Fortnum and Mason', a London institution, nicely outlined

 the days festivities along with a sumptuous brunch in their elegant dining room and probably a first,  a large screen television. A magical way to celebrate.

I shall watch the wedding in my 'fascinator'. One can only hope that Princess Beatrice, she of the ridiculous headpieces fame, will show a modicum of restraint. However hat watching is a traditional sport and often the more outlandish the better. Where else is Millinery an in demand profession?

This will do, don't you think?  And I am hoping this is a trend that takes hold here in the US, how fun are these?
Since we were not invited, we can celebrate this happy occasion with the world, indulge our own princess fantasizes from afar and then make reality happen, with reservations...........
                                          

Space is available but filling quickly. So, we are repeating this journey immediately following;
September 9th to September 16th. Space is limited to fourteen.

Everyone wants to take part

Cheers!

Debra

[ Read More ]