Gorgeous Cake Plate!

I saw this GREAT and I mean GREAT idea on Pinterest.  I pinned it to my board, and my wheels started spinning!  Like I always say, take something and make it your own.  What started as a simple cake plate and cloche topper, became my obsession!  You can see the original idea at The Gathering Place Design.  The icing on the cake, so to speak, was that the wire basket came from the dollar store...my favorite place in life!  This person used a cake plate that they bought, I decided to glue a charger plate to a candle stick so I could have a taller plate and customize the design myself.  This is how my vision began.

I crackled the candle stick for a rustic look.  First I painted it dark brown, then I used a crackle medium.  You can purchase very small quantities of this at Michael's.  I have a large jar because...well, that's how I roll! 

I took Annie Sloan's Dark Wax and waxed over the top of it.  Next I took the dollar store trash can, and painted it Provence Chalk Paint by Annie Sloan.  I then waxed over it with the dark wax as well.  I found a Christmas ornament at Hobby Lobby that I thought would make a great handle for the cloche.  I painted the ornament Provence and waxed it as well. 

Next came the plate.  Since this is glass, a special paint is required.  First, the plate must be wiped down with alcohol to remove any oils so the paint will stick.  I then sponged on Caribbean Blue and Gold Perm Enamel Glass Paint.  When you sponge the product on randomly, it makes sort of a marble look.

On the front of the plate, I used Modern Masters Crackle Medium for the first layer.  After that dried, I used Wicker White Folk Art Enamel Paint for Glass and brushed on it up and down vertical strokes.  When that dried, I used a harlequin stencil to apply diamond shapes in Licorice Folk Art Enamel. 

I used the Modern Masters rusting technique (discussed in an earlier blog) to add some rust to the plate.  Then the entire front and back of the plate was glazed in Perm Enamel Air Dry Glaze.  This can be found at Michael's.  With a two part epoxy, I then glued the plate to the top of the candle stick.  I also glued some hanging jewels about four inches apart around the bottom of the plate.  I also glued the Christmas ornament on top of the upside down basket to make the cloche topper.  This is the final result.







I can think of a hundred more combinations....I can't wait to do more!

Have a great "hump" day!

Luvyameanit.

Nee' Nee'

The Lost Art of the Thank You Note

Let me start by saying, I REALLY appreciate a hand written thank you note.  In this day of electronic mail, texting and instant messaging, I know the effort it takes to sit down and hand write a thank you note, find a stamp, and actually get it into the mail!  I view a thank you note as a time to share your true feelings on paper, and let that person know how special they are to you, and that you really value their friendship.  That being said, I wanted to share the sweetest thank you note ever.  It wasn't for a gift, it was just a note to let me know that all of the things I do for my niece, does not go unnoticed.  It was so personal, because I love The Wizard of Oz (especially the green witch!)  I received this last week from my niece, Ashlee, who is getting married in October.  I really cherish this!

The front of the card are the red jeweled slippers that Dorothy wore.

This is the sweet, sweet inside!!!  Melts my heart.

So pick up your pen!
Make somebody feel special!
Luvyameanit!
Nee' Nee'

Sorority Girl

Congratulations to my sweet niece, Preslee.  She is the newest member of the AXO Sorority.  Way to go, Pres!

(A)XO XOXXO!
Luvyameanit!
Nee' Nee'

Frame It!

I have an alarm system in my home, and the place that you set the alarm sticks out like a sore thumb.  I didn't like it...so I decided to put a frame around it.

I feel much better now!

It has been so hot outside, that Sookie has been watching me do my projects in air conditioned comfort. She perches herself on the couch and watches me through the window.  She's got the right idea!  From Sookie and I...have a happy Friday!

Luvyameanit!

Nee' Nee'

Damn Good Scrambled Eggs!

A few years ago my husband, Frank, was "adopted" by a lady named Cha Cha.  She is a neat lady who taught him how to kill a dear, shoot a hog, gut it, skin it and cook it!  She took up hunting so that she would have a life long common interest with her two boys.  She has a big heart, but most of all, SHE CAN COOK!  She taught us the true meaning of a scrambled egg!  There is nothing low fat or low cal about these eggs, and they are YUM-O.  My husband Frank has learned his lessons well, and he is now the egg master in our house.  We were visiting friends in a charming little Texas town called Victoria recently, and it was about 7:30 in the morning.  All of the kids were up, and all the grown ups were sleeping in, as all good grown ups should do on the week end!  Frank and I were up, and asked the kids if they were hungry.  They were.  Frank pulled out a skillet and proceeded to whip up some Cha Cha eggs.  There was a character of an 8 year old there, named Jayce.  Frank made his eggs, and he scarfed them down, and asked for seconds.  A short time later, Jayce's mom woke up and asked him if he was hungry.  He told her "Yes, and Frank makes some damn good eggs."  Out of the mouths of babes!

You will need:

1 stick of genuine died in the wool BUTTER
Eggs

As you can see they are simple but the trick is when you remove them from the fire.  Melt the butter!  Beat the eggs!  Cook over medium heat but don't be tempted to stir them too much.  Let them cook a little bit and form kind of an omelet under the runny eggs on top.  Now, scrape the bottom a couple of times.  Repeat...this is the tricky part...take them off before they look done.  They continue to cook a little bit after you remove them from the heat, so take them off when they still seem to be just a bit too runny.  I can't explain it, but this is when the magic happens.  In like 2 minutes, the eggs are perfect.  This takes some practice at first, because you are tempted to stir them until they are dried out little egg jerkies!  It also takes some extreme will power to remove them before they are completely cooked...but do it, I tell you, DO IT!  You won't be disappointed...I know Jayce wasn't!

Luvyameanit!
Nee' Nee'

Crocodile Coffee Table

Let me start by saying, I love junk!  I love to comb through resale shops, garage sales and yes, trash, to find treasures that I can transform.  One morning while I was walking my dogs, I spotted two ceramic elephants that were very large.  They were in front of a house set out for the garbage man to pick up.  I ran my dogs back to my house and proceeded to get my loot!  I textured and painted them, and my sister then proceeded to use them as a table base out by her pool.  I don't have pictures, but they were gorgeous.  Another time I spotted a hope chest that is still in use in my home at the end of a bed!  With a little touch up and a lot of paint, almost anything can be transformed into something beautiful.

One day while combing local resale shops, I honed in on a small coffee table that had a lot of potential.  It had a pineapple base, and a raw plywood top.  It was very shaky, but for $15.00, I decided to take a chance on it!  I brought it home and my husband was able to firm it up with some dowel rods and a lot of Gorilla Glue.  http://www.gorillaglue.com/ If you have never heard of Gorilla Glue, you are missing out.  I am here to tell you, I would hang from a 100 foot pole glued together with Gorilla Glue!  The stuff is awesome!  I have glued tile, brick, wood, metal...almost anything you can imagine with this stuff.  This is a secret weapon for "trashy" girls like me!

I brought my little beauty home and went to work.  As I mentioned the top of it was raw wood, so I knew I had to put some type of texture on it.  Based on my product knowledge, I decided to use Smooth Absorbent Texture by Proceed.  http://www.proceedsystem.com/  In my creative opinion, this table called for crocodile.  I used a crocodile stencil that I purchased at Epic Paint.  (they have a great selection!)

As you can see in the first picture, my dog, Sookie, wanted in on the action!  She helps me a lot!  Sookie is 8 months old, this is what she looked like when we brought her home:

After the entire top was covered with the crocodile texture, I sanded it down where the stencil overlapped to create a smooth, even surface.  Next I base coated it with a metallic paint by Modern Masters http://modernmasters.com/default.asp called Tequila gold.  I painted the bottom pineapple with Tequila Gold as well.  I also used English Brown, and Warm Silver (my fave) on different parts of the table to create contrast.  With the help of Lucy, my trowel, I applied dark wax so it would settle in the crocodile crevices.  I also added faux nail heads all the way around the table.  Several coats of polyurethane later, the table was finished.

Got any junk stories of your own?  I would love to hear about them!  Also, there are some girls who love junk as much as I do...check them out, they have a neat story!  The Junk Gypsies

Have a great day!

Nee' Nee'

I Love this Chair!

That reminds me of a song...."I love this bar; it's my kind of place."  by Toby Keith.  Well, I love this chair, it's my kind of chair!  Seriously, in my free time that I waste between midnight and 4:30 am sleeping, I am going to have to learn to upholster furniture!   This chair is by Mackenzie-Childs.  I think I have shared their information with you before, but if you missed it...you MUST visit their website.  They have furniture, table top items, even socks!  The website alone with provide you with an amazing amount of inspiration!!!

Don't be surprised if I am blogging about a chair that I painted pretty soon.  I might just try it!

Thank You Very Muchness, and Have a Great Day!

Nee' Nee'

Christmas Decorating

Don't laugh, it will be here before you know it!  I read something once about decorating for the holidays.  It said that if you don't have time for anything else, do your mantle and entry door.  I think that is really good advice.  Of course, it is advice that I am unable to follow, because you know, I think if a little is good....a lot will be better!  It was just a reminder to me, not to leave these things out!  My decorating tip for Christmas is LOTS OF RIBBON and lots of BALLS....not necessarily in that order!  Seriously, all you need are ornaments or balls, and ribbon.  We already covered how to tie bows...that alone puts you 50% ahead of the game.  I like everything over sized, so I go buy big balls at Sam's Wholesale.  I hang them from EVERYTHING I can, and I tie a ribbon or bow on EVERYTHING I can.  That is how I decorate for parties too.  Just pick your colors and go for it.  Some years I do red and gold, or red and green, but I always do it up with lots of ribbon.  Each year you can change it up a bit by adding or subtracting some ribbons and change up the color or mood a bit.  I buy my ribbon at Sam's or Costco, but if you have a Tax ID Number, you can go to Kraftex in Bellaire.  Arnie's is another GREAT place for ribbon, and you aren't limited to just getting is seasonally.  You will also need floral wire...that is what I attach my ribbon and ornaments with. 

Below are some pictures of my decorations to get you in the spirit.  As you can see, nothing is off limits, including the chandelier and my husband's deer mount!

Merry Christmas in August...I could use just a little of that winter air about now!  How about you?  Christmas is my mother's favorite time of year because of the magic and joy.  I encourage you to spread a little Christmas magic today!

"Why can't every day be like Christmas?  Why can't this feeling go on endlessly?" 
                                                                         as sung by Elvis "The King" Presley



Luvyameanit!
Nee' Nee'

THE HELP

"I is kind, I is smart, I is important."  Valuable lessons learned from seeing the movie The Help.  I would recommend this movie to anyone!

Have a great day!
Nee' Nee'

Make Your Own Invitations

One of my very bestest girlfriends turned 40 in April.  We wanted a specific look for the party.  She wanted turquoise and brown, and I thought that a princess shedding her tiara to become the queen was a good theme.  We were able to decide on all of that really quickly, but looking for invitations was another problem.  I looked and looked, but couldn't come up with anything I liked.  Then it hit me, I had some gift wrap paper that was turquoise and brown, with crowns on it!  I cut a piece of the paper in 9" x 5" (to fit the envelopes I had) and scanned it into my computer.  With the help of Photoshop, I created the perfect invitation! I added text and printed them on card stock and cut them with a table top paper cutter.  They were adorable!

I also used this to create wine labels for bottles of wine that we used for party favors.  I don't have a really good picture, but this will give you an idea:

You could do this with wallpaper, a napkin, gift wrap tissue, let your imagination run wild!  Why be limited to the invitations in the store?  You could even scan Fall leaves for an Autumn or Thanksgiving party.  Get creative! 

Have a great day!

Luvyameanit,

Nee' Nee'

Quick Lampshade Embellishment

This lampshade was a little plain so I decided to spruce it up a bit.  In case you haven't noticed, not much is just purchased and left alone in this crib!  The base was silver, and the shade just needed a little tweak!  I taped off a 1" border, and troweled on some spackle I bought from Home Depot.  After that dried, I glued acrylic stones about 2" apart from each other.  After that, I simply stippled on some silver paint and voila!

I bet you can think of some things that can be embellished like this in your home.  A door?  A box?  Let your imagination run wild!  So fun and easy!

Have a blessed day!

Nee' Nee'

Start Stop Video

My niece, Maycee, goes to Seaside, Florida every summer with friends.  There is a very talented young man in the group who makes videos using only still shots from a camera.  I have not tried this and don't have all of the details, but I LOVE IT!  I know you have to have a camera that will take several shutters per minute to accomplish this, and I am not sure what software he uses.  While I don't have all of the details, I can still appreciate these videos, and wanted to share!  These kids are so creative!  LUVITMEANIT!  Enjoy!

Hello Seaside Video

Farewell Video

Spring Break 2010 Video

I love me some creativity!  (of any kind!)

Have a great day!
XOXXO
Nee' Nee'

Cross Picture

My sister, Robin, recently purchased a ranch home, and is not used to decorating in the rustic ranch style decor.  We have been on a journey together to come up with some rustic decor.  She had two pictures that were really pretty, but they were not "ranchy" at all.  She had an idea that she wanted a big cross.  Together one morning while on vacation in Austin, we came up with a brain storm to paint over the old pictures.  We wanted a western flair, so we remembered a tooled leather chair that we had seen in a store while browsing.  She went to an upholstery store and bought some of that faux leather that looked hand tooled, I took it from there.  This is what the picture looked like before:

We decided we could paint right over the glass.  That's how we roll!  I first taped off the frame, then I base coated it with something called Set Coat by Faux Effects.  It is an excellent base coat that will stick to ANYTHING! 

Next, I plastered over this.  I used some plaster we had left over from a job, but you can by Venetian Gem by Faux Effects in any color you want.  It should be troweled on to create texture. 



I free handed a cross design out of wrapping paper to get the size right.  I then folded it in half to make it symmetrical.

Next I traced around the wrapping paper cross onto the faux tooled leather.  So the cross wouldn't slide around, I sprayed the back with spray adhesive before I started to trace it.

I cut the cross out and then applied it to the plastered glass with wallpaper glue.

I used Annie Sloan Dark Wax to rub over the plaster that gave the texture depth and made it look almost like turquoise.

After the faux leather cross was applied, I glued acrylic stones around the border to create a look of studs.  I took joint compound and used a stencil in the middle of the cross to make a raised medallion.  I painted over the stones and raised medallion with Metal Effects Iron paint.  After that, I brushed over the painted areas with Iron Activator to rust them.  This is the final product.

As you can see, nothing is off limits for a make over in this house!  I can't wait to see it in the ranch home!

Have a great Tuesday!

Luvyameanit,

Nee' Nee'







Aromatherapy

I have two words for you today....BLUE OIL!  I heard about  Aveda over 20 years ago, but I really didn't educate myself on all of the products.  In February I had a facial with Aveda products, and I now use ALL of their products.  I have noticed a marked difference in my face!  You often hear that on television, but I am not doing a commercial...I am just sharing what happened for me!  I use the tourmaline charged line of products, and it has evened out my skin tone.  I am currently starting the Green Science line for us mature girls in the over 40 group that may be getting fine lines.  I'll let you know how that works!

So, as for the two words of the day, BLUE OIL....let me tell you, this is the best!  It comes in a roller ball container, so you can apply it anywhere anytime.  When you need a pick me up, just apply this to your temples, behind your neck, on your wrists...and refresh yourself.  Seriously, this has gotten me through so many days!  When I feel like I can't go on, I dab a little of this Blue Oil on, and it peps me up!  I think it is $13.00 for the tube, and it lasts forever!  This is like heaven in a bottle! 

So, if you are out an about, you might want to pop into an Aveda store and just experience the aroma alone...it smells SO good! 

Have a great Monday!

XOXXO

Nee' Nee'

How to do a Gilded Gold Finish - Quick and Easy

My sister, Rhonda, found some shelves on sale at Hobby Lobby but they didn't match.  One was white and one was a brass color.  She wanted to give them to my niece, Ashlee, to use on a wall together, so I redid them with a quick gilded gold finish.  First of all, I took two colors of Modern Masters paint.  I used Pale Gold and Blackened Bronze.  I took a paint brush and dabbed both of these colors onto the shelves to make some highlights and low lights.

Next, I sprayed the shelf with spray adhesive.

After that dried about one minute, I took gold metallic paper, and pressed it onto the shelf in a random pattern.  The metallic transfer paper will adhere to the high spots and create a genuine metal effect.  The paper can be found at Wonderfaux Studio in Stafford, Texas.  They have several different colors to choose from, and the roll runs around $24.00, but will last FOREVER! 

It looked great like this, but I wanted more character, so I decided to accent the grooves by antiquing it with a water based product by Minwax purchased from Home Depot.  I like this product because it is water based and dries quickly; also clean up is a breeze.

You literally just have to slap it on and wipe it off!!!  It is THAT SIMPLE!

After it dried, I did spray a general clear coat on top of it just to improve durability and resist scratches.  This is how it turned out.  Luvitmeanit!











This can be done on any surface.  I would encourage you to step outside the box with this gold paper, try it on wood, or even glass.  I use it on walls quite a bit! 

This entire process took less than an hour, so it is a very basic beginner level project.

Happy gilding and always remember:

"Everything that glitters, is not gold."        Dan Seals

How to Rust Anything!

With all of the shabby chic looks that are in today, it is a must to know how to rust! Modern Masters has products that will help you do this.  I took a cross that I purchased at the dollar store (luv me some dollar store!)  and transformed it into a shabby chic work of art!

This is the cross before:

It actually looked pretty before, but my sister, Robin, is trying to add some turquoise accents to her ranch house so we wanted it to be rustic.  Now crafting is always a family affair with us.  We had Meagan's boyfriend, J.T., base coat the cross in a color called Provence by Annie Sloan.  I wanted to darken the color and add a little character (can't leave ANYTHING alone!) so I antiqued it with a Minwax water based product I got at Home Depot.

I watered it down some, and then I just slapped it on and wiped it off! The product does the work by settling in the grooves. 





It already looks good, but remember, we are going for RUST!  Modern Masters makes products that will allow you to rust just about anything.  It is a two part process.  You just paint a base coat of Iron Oxide, and spray with Rust Activator.  THAT IS IT!

Since I wanted rust only in certain places on my cross, I just turned my brush side ways, and brushed lightly over it, only hitting the high spots.

After that dried, I misted the Rust Activator with a spray bottle.  It needs to be nice and wet, but not runny, unless you want the piece to look like it sat out in the rain for decades, in which case, spray away!!  It will run and rust in that pattern.  Now, for me, this is the  hardest part:  WALK AWAY!  When you come back, it will be rusted.  I have found that if you spray a second coat, about 5 minutes into the drying process, it seems to rust more.  Modern Masters has a rust tutorial that might be helpful to you if you are interested in this process.  The paint is sold locally at Epic Paint on Jones Road. 

Now for the big reveal:

Doncha just luv it?  It will go SO GREAT at my sister's ranch!  I think it is beautimous!!!  Can't wait to show it to her.  (are you reading my blog Robin?)

So remember, it is a must to rust!  You too can  be a junk gypsy, without the road tour!!!

I hope you can think of some projects you want to start immediately!  Let me know what they are!

Have a great day!
Luvyameanit!
Nee' Nee'