Chalk It Up!

I told you hubby gave me a decorating closet make-over for Christmas.

I'm going to show you all about it when I think it is at its cutest.

Piece-by-piece.

Step-by-step I'm getting there.

Here is one of those steps.

I am trying to utilize every possible inch of storage in this fairly decent sized closet.

If you are like me, you get ideas in the middle of the night, while stalking your favorite blogs and looking through magazines. Some of those ideas will actually see the light of day but, alas, many get forgotten about.

I also have lists and lists of things to do. Sometimes they get done, sometimes they get shoved into oblivion.

Here is the back of above mentioned closet door.

Perfect spot for something inspirational.

I thought about hanging cork, but I decided that would look really messy (have-to-make-it-cute-itis) and I had a better spot to put the cork for all my magazine inspiration pictures.

Then I remembered my chalkboard paint.

Door taped off.

Those are my front door decorations for spring hanging above. Remember every. possible. inch. Really no rocket science here.

I used a level and drew out a rectangle with just eyeballing for size.

I still have lots of chalkboard paint from this project and this project.

Here's a tip when painting on a vertical surface with this paint.

Use light coats.

I am impatient and thought one thick coat would be better than a bunch of thin ones, but after repainting over runs and drips, I learned my lesson-for now.

Just because this is the back of a door in my decorating closet doesn't mean it has to be utilitarian.

Of course a simple chalkboard rectangle wouldn't be enough for me.

When I was looking for the chalkboard paint in the garage I ran across a quart of Crabby Apple! (from my front door and Scarlett) It was begging for me to take it off the shelf and of course my Cricut was feeling loney and wanted to play so...

I found a branch I liked, used the fancy corner option and put one on each corner of the chalkboard.

Next I broke out the Crabby Apple and brushed it on using an artist's brush.

I waited an excrutiatingly long 5 minutes and removed the stencil.

Then I waited another excruciatingly long 10 minutes and then I added my To Do's and Ideas! Now maybe some of those ideas will actually make it to fruition!

Gotta go get cracking on that list!

Come "Clocher"

Here's my environment as I blog on a wonderful Sunday morning:

Isn't that lovely. What a nice way to spend a Sunday morning. We have a Christmas musical at church today, but hubby and I decided to sleep a little later, relax a little longer and go to the service at 3pm.

But I digress, onto the business of the day.

I'm a few days late, but I'm linking up with Marty at A Stroll Through Life for her cloche party. Ever since I started blogging, I've seen those little glass domes all over blog-land. People make them out of cheese domes, upside down candle holders. All kinds of things.

I love them.

I have 4 cloches on display for Christmas. Let's start with my fav:

This sits on top of my curio cabinet in my dining room (thanks Mrs. Savvy for the help on figuring out what that piece of furniture should be called!) It is my favorite vignette of this season.

Afterall, it does represent the reason for the season!

Next up is a cloche that I stalked at my favorite flea market until it went on sale for 1/2 price:

I love the base on this one. It is like mossy stone.

Here is a tiny cloche that I got at the same flea market (actually the same booth) as the stony cloche above.

I love this guy, so vintagey, so Christmasy, so lover-ly.

Coming up are the cloches that are in my kitchen:

You all know I love me some ornaments. I especially love red and white ornaments. These were perfect to go along with my transferware creamer and white cake plate.

Here is my newest cloche addition. My friend, Jenny, gave this to me for Christmas this year. She makes fun of my bird addiction, but you notice that she is an enabler!

Drop by Marty's for some more ideas of things to go under glass!

W is for Wages

As soon as the temperature hits anything above 40 degrees my kids BEG to have a lemonade stand.
It drives me a little crazy.
But now that they are older and can take more initiative and responsibility they don't need as much assistance from me to go into business.

What gets a little hairy is the making of the signs, the hauling of the "princess folding table" and chairs, and of course the mixing of the lemonade.
It just creates a huge mess that I am left to either pick up
or endure the whining of "I'm too tired to pick it up now."

Disclosure: I am notorious for doing a project and leaving the mess for my sweet hubby to clean up. By the time I finish a project I am usually impatient and done and want to get the heck out of Dodge. So I really can't fault my kids, I just try to teach them better habits and follow through than I have.
Anyway, one day at my favorite flea market we saw a super cute lemonade stand. It had wheels and a cute little canopy over the top.
Alas, it was already sold.
But that got hubby's wheels turning. He had plans to make one.

Fast forward a few months (and a few princess table lemonade stand days later) and we were at yet another auction.
A microwave cart came up and before I could say "Bob's your uncle" hubby was bidding on it.
I proceeded to respond with "What are you doing?" (add appropriate shocked tone here) He said "I think that would make a good lemonade stand."
I was shut up pretty quick, because I could see he was onto something.

Here is the before (sort of). We still haven't gotten the hang of taking "before" pictures.
He had already removed the doors and added the picture molding around the edges.
I bet you all know where I am going with this.

I spray painted it white (to prime it) and then let the girls and a neighbor paint it white with brushes.
My decorating nazi side just had to find something else to do while they were painting
(luckily we had a yard sale coming up so I had plenty to do.)
When they said they were done I stepped in and smoothed out the puddles of paint and the run marks (there was so much excess paint it didn't even qualify as drip marks).
Here is A #1 putting some artistic touches on it:

Here is the other side:
I painted the front with chalkboard paint and then wrote our "menu" on it with my new liquid chalk markers.
I love these things!
I have another project I am anxious to show you (and the reason I got them in the first place) but that is probably going to be another couple weeks, sorry!

Here is the final result and her debut at the yard sale!
The kids had a ball with it and they made over $30!!

Makes you thirsty just looking at it doesn't it?

I'm sharing this with:

Just a Girl Show and Share Day

Beyond the Picket Fence Under $100 Party

Miss Mustard Seed Furniture Friday

A very important P.S.

I told you about this earlier, but it really needs to be said again.

Sarah at Thrifty Decor Chick

is giving away a Silhouette!!

What is a Silhouette?

A Silhouette is very similar to a Cricut, except you don't have to buy cartridges for it.

You can download all kinds of cutie things off their website for very, very little money!

I know I told you before that you shouldn't go HERE to enter for yourself.

How about you go HERE and just tell Mrs. TDC that

your friend Molly REALLY needs one.

That sounds like a plan to me, go tell her. Go on. I'm waiting.

Let's Play School

You would think after spending 7 hours in a classroom, the last thing my kids would want to do would involve the "S" word (school). But they love to play school and will set up a school room at least 3 times a week.

Sidenote---for you OCD types, I know I am still on week "C" of my:

but, stay with me here. It will all come together in the end.

I am a bit of a control freak and I cannot stand the unorganized, "non-cute" look of this:

or the utilitarian look of this:

But my kids love to play school and this is their set-up, so what is a control freak, decorating maniac of a mother to do?
Shop, of course!

So one day while visiting one of my favorite thrift stores (you can see more of my finds from them here.) I came across this little gem:

It had a veneered board in it that was in bad shape. I took that out and gave it a good coat or two of simple white spray paint. I got a new board and hubby helped out by painting it with chalkboard paint (about 3 coats). There were some little metal brad things on the sides that I took out and spray painted silver. After brushing on some silver glaze here are the results:

Also, the red ribbon holds chalk. There was a brad thing missing so I threaded some ribbon through the hole and tied the chalk on.

AAAhhhhhhh....so much better.

Kids can play school. Check.

Mom can have something cute to look at. Check.

Rest little eyes, rest.

Here are some more pics for your cyber-pleasure.

That wraps up week "C." If you were wondering this post is "C" is for chalkboard. I am still thinking about a linky party. Anyone interested? In the meantime, I am linking up with Donna at Funky Junk, Bec at Beyond the Picket Fence and Carolyn at My Backyard Eden. Come see...