"Horsey, Horsey, don't you stop"

Here I am again, and I bet you are all wondering "What is she up to now", LOL  As if you have nothing better to do.  Anyway, another trip to "The Queen's Cupboard" produced a little old, lonely, blue, wooden horse.  Someone many years ago had probably lovingly made this for their child or grandchild only to be tossed to the back of a pile of forgotten linens.  Then, Chris came along and her eyes lit up and she said to herself, "I bet that would look really cute painted cream".  So here it is in its before state.........................

And this is the little darling in "mid" state, almost finished the painting, one more coat I think and it will be ready to beautify..............

I'm actually getting excited thinking about my plans for this baby.  What would we do without the Dollar Store? God help me when Michaels opens up here.

On Tuesday evening, Helena, Janis and I went to the movies to see "The woman in black".  I was expecting it to be a scarey one but it was only mediocre.  I wouldn't recommend this one but then there is no accounting for personal taste.

"The Woman in Black"

Arthur Kipps (Daniel Radcliffe), a widowed lawyer whose grief has put his career in jeopardy, is sent to a remote village to sort out the affairs of a recently deceased eccentric. But upon his arrival, it soon becomes clear that everyone in the town is keeping a deadly secret. Although the townspeople try to keep Kipps from learning their tragic history, he soon discovers that the house belonging to his client is haunted by the ghost of a woman who is determined to find someone and something she lost...and no one, not even the children, are safe from her vengeance.


I've been working on some small, wooden birdhouses, painting them and decided that they would look great if they could stand on something.  It really was Laurie's idea (my buddy from down the hall) and we were trying to come up with ideas on what to use.  I finally decided to "shabby chic" a set of candlesticks and have the birdhouses perch on top of them.  I haven't quite finished the project but here are the candlesticks, before and after......................

I'm still experimenting with different finishes for the birdhouses and will post them when I finally come up with the end result.

Two more paintings went up on the walls, one by my son and the other by Laurie ( http://laurie-whentheboughbreaks.blogspot.com/ ). I can't seem to get enough of all this talent and beauty, but then who can blame me?....................

The little old lady that Laurie and I have been visiting is back in her apartment but I can't see her staying there for much longer. She is very frail and seems to have changed quite a bit since we were visiting her before she went into hospital.  She is very reluctant to accept professional help and the thought of moving into a retirement/nursing home is scaring the wits out of her but we try and tell her that she will be well cared for.  Everyone is so worried about her.  Laurie and I don't mind visiting and even making her some tea or a sandwich but she is at the "stage" where she is non-appreciative and treats us more like staff than friends, especially Laurie who has a heart as big as the moon.  I hope I don't get like this (I know, some of you are thinking that I'm already there, LOL).  Perhaps by the next time I blog she will have been placed in a nice comfortable room where she will be well cared for, I sure hope so.

I bought some birchbark stars from "The Queen's Cupboard" - aren't they cute?...................

Cute bird made out of some kind of metal and made to look "shabby chic" from the Dollar Store.  Couldn't resist it.................

Well, that's about it for now.  Going to finish up with a couple of pictures of darling grandson, the good one and the naughty one. Which one do you prefer?.......................

 

Getting a haircut

 

Trying them on for size??  Maybe he's just helping mummy sort the laundry, LOL

Have a great weekend and I'll talk to you again soon.

To a caring and loving home!!

Yes, my friends, the curio cabinet (from "The Queen's Cupboard") has arrived, yesterday to be exact, but I had a few things to do to it before I could write about it.  You remember what it looked like in the store (check out previous posts).  This is what it looked like when it found it's new, loving home.............................

And this is what it is looking like now that I have started to fuss around with it.  Doesn't mean that I will leave it like this but I had to rustle up a few things to make it feel welcome.................

For some reason it has taken on a bird theme and, notice the cloches?   Yes, they each have a birdie inside them also.

I finally decided to paint a mirror that I have had for over 30 years.  It has followed us all around to every new home we have lived in and this is how I repay it for all it's loyal service, but I LOVE it, I'm just surprised that I haven't done it before now.........................

Here is some artwork I have just framed.  I took cheap Dollar Store frames and painted them cream and gave them an aged look.  I think they make the prints look so sharp.  The first four are my son's paintings and the last one is my dear friend Laurie's (from:  http://laurie-whentheboughbreaks.blogspot.com/  ). I'm not that good at taking photos and can't seem to get them completely straight, but you'll get the idea.  At least when they are up on the wall they will be straight, LOL

Well, that's about it for now - just had to let you all see the beautiful curio cabinet.  After it had arrived I had to do a little work on it.  Unfortunately the door wouldn't close, probably because the dampness of the paint made the old wood swell, so this afternoon I spent about 3 hours sanding the top and bottom of the door and now it closes like a dream.

Finishing off with a new photo of my darling grandson that my son sent me today, can't wait to see him and my new little grand-daughter (when she arrives - just two more months for the latter) .............................

Have a great weekend.  Talk to you again soon.  Oh, and I cancelled my Etsy Account.  It wasn't doing anything for me and I decided not to put more money into it.  I think there is a knack to it, but it escapes me.  So, it will be the Craft Shows again this year.

Joyful Noise & Happy Cabinet

The girls (Helena, Janis, Nancy) and I went to the movies to see "Joyful Noise".  It was fabulous.  Loved the music and laughed lots.  It's a good wholesome family type movie.

"Joyful Noise" is the story of a small town choir out to win a national competition despite overwhelming odds. A story of faith and determination by the choir leaders (Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton) and the young talent who give their all to win God's praise and beat the competition for the grand prize.


I mentioned in my last blog that I was purchasing an old curio cabinet from "The Queen's Cupboard" and was waiting for it to be refinished and delivered.  Well, I heard today that it should be finished and delivered by Wednesday.  Yippee, then I can fill it up with more junk object d'art, LOL.  I know, I can hear a few groans already!!  In case you don't remember what it looked like, here it is again, but just imagine what it is going to look like painted cream......................

What have I been doing with myself, well, I started to tidy up my craft room, it's a disaster in there.  I began but haven't quite finished.  As you can see, there is lots to tidy up...............

I'm starting to think that perhaps I should begin downsizing all my "creations".  My Etsy account isn't doing anything so all I have going for me is the Craft Sales here locally.  I do fine in those but I think I am beginning to lose some interest.  Afterall, it is very difficult for me to get around to them as I don't drive and with my health issues it is not without much pain.  I would be quite happy if I could find someone who would buy up the whole lot.  No reasonable offer refused, but they would need a truck to take it away, LOL

I hung another of my dear friend Laurie's artwork on my wall, always a pleasure to do this (here is her blog.....  http://laurie-whentheboughbreaks.blogspot.com/

Fiddled around with the cloches (thanks to so many people for different suggestions)............

And here is a little birdhouse that I repainted.  It's so cute and adds a little colour to my otherwise very plain living room.......

Last but not least, I have been re-painting very ordinary frames and making them a little more vintage/shabby chic looking.  I don't know if I am actually accomplishing this look but I sure am having so much fun trying.  I have re-framed quite a few of my wall decorations with these new frames and I think they look quite lovely, for example, Laurie's painting and my son's mentioned in my last blog.

Some of them I have shaded to make them look antiquated and others I have added embellishments before I painted them, making them look old.  Just something to pass away the cold wintry days.

Laurie just mentioned to me that the elderly lady we told you about a couple of blogs ago (actually about three weeks ago), is supposed to be coming back to her apartment.  As far as we can make out, she is going to be having some home-care (nursing I imagine) and she does have a cleaning lady who comes in every two weeks.  Perhaps she will also be wise enough to opt for Meals on Wheels.  This way she could stay at home and make her own plans for when she would like to go into a retirement/nursing home and be able to choose for herself what items she would like to take with her, rather than having it forced upon her.  She must have improved healthwise, and thank God for that, or they wouldn't let her come home.

Well that's it for now.  Nothing much else to talk about.  Been a very quiet weekend for me so far.  Gareth (my son) and Chelsie are coming over for supper tomorrow - I'm looking forward so much to that.  Chelsie is a sweetheart.  Have a great Sunday.  Talk to you again soon.

Finish with my favourite topic!!!!

All's well that ends well.

Well, this is going to be my most recent acquisition.  I can't wait for it to be refinished.

Still at the store

Pat, owner of "The Queen's Cupboard" has been encouraging me to buy this and of course I said if the price was right and if it were painted cream (LOL), I would consider it.   Obviously it wasn't difficult for Pat to agree to my terms so now I am waiting for it to be painted and delivered.  I had to move a few things around to accommodate it but I'm pretty sure it will fit in with all the other lovely pieces I have purchased from her.  Normally I would paint it myself but living in an apartment and it now being winter, doesn't lend itself to painting on such a large scale.  Also, Pat will do a better job than I in taping around the glass.


I'm typing this in WordPerfect at the moment because my internet is down and has been for over 24 hours.  I am not happy, in fact I am a little lost without being able to keep in contact with all my lovely friends.  When I got up yesterday my internet and phone were both out, then later in the afternoon the phone came back on so I thought, yippee, everything is back to normal, but no, the internet wasn't back on and a little while after that the phone service went AWOL again.  Later in the evening the phone came back on yet again, but still no internet and of course without a phone or internet how can you inform your Internet Provider of the problem.  Laurie (down the hall) did send off an e-mail on my behalf but it being the weekend, did they even see it yet?  Anyway, I now have a call in to my IP and the waiting time is upward of 2 hours to get a reply.


My son, Gareth and his sweet lady, Chelsie took me to the movies this afternoon.  We went to see the new Tom Hanks movie (mmmmmmm, he gets better as he gets older), "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close".  It was okay but not having researched it, didn't realize that it was about a young lad's search for answers for what happened on that most terrible day.  I thought it had more to do with the event.

"Oskar is convinced that his father, who died in the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center, has left a final message for him hidden somewhere in the city. Feeling disconnected from his grieving mother and driven by a relentlessly active mind that refuses to believe in things that can't beobserved, Oskar begins searching New York City for the lock that fits a mysterious key he found in his father's closet. His journey through the five boroughs takes him beyond his own loss to a greater understanding of the observable world around him"  It was enjoyable.

This is a photograph of one of my son Dave's most recent pieces of art.  I love it - it fits in perfectly with my decor.

I acquired a few more bits and pieces to add to my Parisian theme.  I can always count on Pat for having something different with which to tempt me.

Bought some new coasters for myself and my son Gareth and Chelsie, his lady.  They were on sale and I didn't realize until I got them home how they also fit in with the rest of my junk treasures.

I've seen many postings of cloches and wasn't really aware of what they were or were used for.  The new kitchen store in the mall had some in their after Christmas sale and I thought it would be cute to own a couple, or three.  At present I'm kind of experimenting with them to find out how best to use them and at the moment I have little birds sitting inside them, poor little things, looks like they are imprisoned in Alcatraz!!

So all my dear blogging friends, what else can I use these for? They would hold about three normal sized cupcakes, so they are not very large, but the etched designs on them are so pretty.

I'm back on the Internet, oh how I missed it, but all is well - I think the problem was caused by the router for my wireless internet which could have been caused when the power went out in our apartment building recently, just for a minute, but perhaps enough to dislodge the connection?  I don't know because I know nothing of the weird and wonderful workings of computers.

Talk to you again soon, in the meantime, here is another adorable photo of my darling grandson.

What was I thinking?

Yes, what was I thinking?  Did I really think that the snow would just disappear?  Did I really think that it would just pay us a cordial visit and then leave gracefully?  In my dreams this would happen but in reality we, here in this smaller Ontario city of Sault Ste. Marie, are stuck with it for probably the next three and a half months, but it is pretty.....................

For those of you who been asking about Laurie's (from http://laurie-whentheboughbreaks.blogspot.com/) and my neighbour, there isn't much to tell except that she is still in the hospital being assessed.  Laurie has had a phone call from another elderly lady, a friend of our neighbour, saying that she has been to see her and she is okay.  Knowing our neighbour as we do, Laurie and I know that she would not be very happy to not be in control of her day-to-day life.  Hopefully, the grandson will let us know when he comes to town in about another two weeks.  So, thanks for your prayers, she would appreciate that.

Onto a happier note, at least it is for me.  I have just finished my "Parisian" wall.  All the frames have been painted cream (no surprise there), and pictures printed off the internet, some of them so graciously offered by *The Graphics Fairy*.  This is a fabulous site - check it out.

It went from this..................

To this.................

and this..........

It's hard to take photographs in a narrow hallway, so other than standing on my head with a grape in my mouth singing God Save the Queen, these were the best I could come up with!!

Here's something else I created threw together.  Actually, it looks quite pretty on the wall and has given my living room a dash of colour, along with a couple of knick-knacks I picked up.  On a cold, wintry day one needs a little colour to add warmth, don't you think?

I made this one also........

Knick-knacks (which I need as much as I need a hole in my head, LOL)

I purchased all these adorable "knick-knacks" at The Queen's Cupboard.  Pat has some unique items, old and new and really worth checking out.  If you need Vintage Clothing for any occasion coming up, she has some fabulous outfits and the prices are very reasonable.  I'm almost tempted to see if she has a French Beret to hang from my Parisian wall, I've got the nobs for it, LOL

I think I will finish with a photo of my darling grandson.  Am I obsessed?  I guess so, LOL...............

Have a wonderful week.  TTFN