Mermaid in a Snow Globe!

Well all, my term on the DT for A Day For Daisies is (sadly!) coming to an end :(   I have one more week left but I really hate goodbyes so I decided to do this now.  I am very grateful to Tammy for taking a chance on me and allowing me to stay on for as long as I have.  It's been such a joy! :)

Ok, so, onto the fun stuff!  A new challenge begins today at A Day For Daisies and it is to use glitter - woohoo!  I love my glitter *giggle* - and since the new release are snow globe images (CA-UTE!), it's the perfect combination!  I used Tammy's "Mermaid in a Snowglobe" image - oh she is such a cutie!  I love how she's pressed up to the glass...and that gave me an idea :)  I wanted my own little ADFD mermaid in a snow globe!  I printed the image on heavy vellum and colored it with prismacolor pencils.  I fussy-cut out the mermaid and mounted it on a thin strip of craft plastic.  I gently rolled up the image and slipped it inside the clear ornament, leaving the craft plastic to stick out the bottom a little; this way, I could move the image around.  Once she was in place (looking out the glass), I hot glued the plastic strip and cut off the excess.  I put some "bubble" beads, beach sand, glitter, and tiny shells as well.  I used an empty ribbon spool to create the snow globe base.  Oh, and I made a matching card to create a little gift set :)

Happy Crafting! <3 Lisa

Another Craiglist SCORE - Teal Chairs!

Hello Everyone!  While Dan has been working on putting the trim around the mantel and hearth, I have been focusing on furnishings and decorating.  Since the walls are painted teal (Behr paint with primer in "Harbor"), I wanted to go with mostly neutral furniture but with teal accent chairs.

Here are my first inspiration pics.  But both of these were from the UK and sported a hefty price tag, even before shipping costs.

York Sherlock Tub Chair - $240

and

Medan Velvet Accent Chair - $305

So, I kept searching and found these in the US but still pretty pricey:

Inspiration #1

 Home Decorators.com - Hammond Armchair, $259 

and Inspiration #2:

Pier One - Isaac Swivel Chair, $399.95

It was looking like teal chairs were not possible in my budget...And then...lookie what I found last week on Craigslist:

SQEEEEE!!!   TWO!  TEAL!  ACCENT CHAIRS!  *Plus*  They are also VELVET - swoon!  And the deal-seal...100 bucks each!  Needless to say, I scooped these up and here they are in their rightful place...on either side of  my mantel:

They look like what you would get if my first inspiration chair married my second inspiration chair and then they had  babies - *giggle*.   Oh and you can see I have been playing around with other furniture I have.  I brought the brown ottoman down from the guest bedroom and think it looks great in here.  Lily agrees as this is where she likes to sprawl out on in what she is now convinced is HER room.  

Doesn't she look miffed!?  Or maybe it's indignation for interrupting her umpteenth nap of the day with camera flashes?  Oh she's such a diva :)  ha!

So, now wall decor and curtain panels top the list for things left to figure out for this room.  It will probably take a little time to get that completed because I'm shifting gears a bit because I have a wedding to help plan (for my bestie Rhonda!) and my parents' 50th wedding anniversary.  I'm also hosting a bridal shower and am really excited about sharing my plans for that!   

Happy Crafting! <3 Lisa

Mother and Child

My Mom's birthday is not for a couple weeks yet but when I saw this beautiful image, "Mother and Jane," from the A Day For Daisies new release this week, I wanted to it use for her card.  I am a huge fan of Tammy's mother/child images.  They convey such love and tenderness!

I colored the image with copics and cut it out with a large oval Nestabilities (it's matted on Bazzill pastel pink cardstock).  I used Memory Box printed papers, Wild Orchid Craft paper rose and the other embellishment is a holiday pick from JoAnn's.  There is a sheer ribbon accent in the corner but unfortunately it doesn't show up very well.

My mom is my best friend.  She is the first to my rescue and has always been my sounding board.  There isn't anything I can't talk to her about.  She is the kindest, most compassionate person you will ever meet; although she can be fierce if one of  us has been done wrong.   She's funny and crafty and about a million other wonderful, beautiful things but she doesn't see it even when you insist.  She can also make a mean potato salad :)  She is everything I want to be and everything to me.   I love you Mom.  <3  I am ever thankful for you.  Happy Birthday!

Dream...And the Mantel is IN!!!

Hello All!  Well, the fuss and busy pace of the holidays are over and it's time to get back into the swing of crafting.  Woo hoo!  A Day For Daisies has a new challenge beginning today and it's to use pastels.  I used this precious mermaid image from ADFD's new release, "Mermaid of Star."  She's colored with copics and embellished with Stickles.  I framed her using Nestabilities and pastel cardstock from Bazzill.  The "dream" sticker came from the $1 bins at Michaels.  Doesn't she look so magical!?

Speaking of magic - I am ready to show you the mantel!  Dan and I got it painted, along with the room, and although we still have to finish the trim work,  I HAVE to show you!  For the biggest WOW factor, I need to show the room BEFORE.   We didn't have furniture so the room has sat empty.  Well, except for the junk that collected in there from time to time ;)  It sort of became a catch-all for stuff we didn't feel like taking up or down stairs!

So this is the way the room has looked since we've moved in.  It's funny how long it took us to realize how bland the beige walls were!  The light fixture was chosen months before the house was even framed and most of the ones we picked we've changed.  But I liked the fixture in the living room with the exception of the colored shade which would cast a sickly yellow light when illuminated.  Amazingly, we were able to find the perfect new glass shade so I was able to keep the fixture.  The carpet will be replaced with wood flooring but that's not happening for a while yet.  I know this pics aren't the best but I had to show you the bare bones of a room :)  This first pic shows the blank wall where the mantel was put up and the pic below is the other side of the room.

Ok so here's the AFTER ...

 Oh I just LOVE it!  The little green chair is going to go; I brought it up from the basement to play around with the placement but another armchair will replace it once I get it.  I still need wall decor and curtains but to see it this far along is so.darn.exciting!!!  Gotta put in another pic of that mantel:

The mirror was pretty worn -- I'm not sure if that's how one describes a de-silvering mirror but I wanted to keep it intact exactly as it came.  Those gorgeous crystal lamps were a Christmas present from Dan (more about that later!).  The hearth is black granite tile but it has a slight sparkle in it - totally gorgeous!  You can see in this picture where trim is  needed around the base of the hearth and around the base of the mantel (where is sits on the hearth).   We painted the mantel with the same semi-gloss the rest of the trim is painted and for the final coat, we added a chemical called, Floetrol, which creates a smooth finish and removes all brush marks, etc.  I love that stuff :)






Here's a close up of the crystal lamps and the ceiling fixture:

And since I've gone pic CRAZZEEEE - here's a shot of the dining room too :)  We still have to paint the trim in here, add wall decor, and curtains for the bay.  

Ok, so that's all for today as I believe I have broke my own record for the most pics in one post :)  I hope you have a great weekend!! Happy Crafting, <3 Lisa

So Long 2011... Well Hello 2012!

Happy New Year Friends!   I am excited for the "new" 2012 has the promise to bring!  2011 was not a banner year here at the Jackson house.  But, since focusing on the negatives is way too easy and totally unproductive, I'm going to snub my nose at them and focus solely on the positives I can take away from 2011!  I hereby declare this blog a "positives only" zone. ( Do you think the negatives feeling snubbed yet?)  Okay - sooo positives ---ah, here's one -- to deal with stress I have been painting every room in the house!  It started with the sun room (see it HERE) and, to date, I have painted the family room (and we re-did the fireplace, see it HERE), kitchen, powder room, dining room and all the ceilings too. ( I started the living room in 2011 but 2012 will claim its completion).  It's a welcomed change of scenery, freshens up the house beautifully and it was much needed.  win/win ;)   Dan has been right beside me with a paint sponge in hand ready to edge at a moment's notice (Thanks honey!)  If the cutting in is covered, I can load up the paint roller and roll, roll, roll!  My new year's resolution is just to keep painting...things are bound to get better and once they do, the house is going to be fabulous ;)

Another positive has been redecorating.  That should be fun, right!?  Not so much :(  Furniture shopping (*with the exception of my dining room table; that was kismet - and another positive!) has not been what I expected.  What with the high-pressure sell, the following --yes, actually tailing us-- around the showroom, coupled with sticker shock and ridiculous "finance package" offers; GAHHH, not fun at all.  I knew there had to be a better way.  Enter another positive = CRAIGSLIST!  I cannot believe I hadn't checked it out before.   I *love* curling up with my laptop and a cup of coffee to browse hundreds of items (at prices that don't require eating cup-of-noodles for the next year and a half) and envisioning all the possibilities!   Of course, I have stumbled upon the off item that was NOT as pictured; you know, it looks all sparkly and perfect, only to find out the pic was taken 10 years ago, two seconds after being delivered from the furniture store - LOL!  No biggie - I have no problem declining the offer under those circumstances :)  But so far, the instances of great finds far outweigh the crummy ones.   I understand that what makes a "great find" depends solely on what you're looking for so just for fun, here are my "top finds" and the inspiration behind them! (Prepare for positives overload!)

I am currently working on the Dining Room/Living Room and this buffet from Thrifty Decor Chick has been pinned on my "Dining Room" Pinterest (AH HA - PINTEREST, another 2011 positive!) board for quite some time.  I love the curvy lines and crystal hardware:

Inspiration Buffet from Thrifty Decor Chick

And here is my gorgeous buffet found on Craigslist for $125!  The hardware is different but those beautiful curvaceous lines are mine, all mine ;)  And... the possibility is there that I could refinish the piece and add crystal hardware (once I learn how to re-finish furniture *giggle*)

Here is the Inspiration Sofa I pinned from Yahoo photo search.  When I retrieved the pin, I was taken to Overstock.com and the price on this baby is $1900:

Inspiration Sofa from Overstock.com

And here is my Craigslist find - a darling Storehouse Velvet Sofa for $75.  I love that the feet on the sofa match the wood of  my dining chairs and table:

Here is the inspiration for arm chairs for the dining room.  I bought side chairs from Overstock but wanted different styled chairs for the head of the table.  I loved the wood frame but wasn't crazy about the fabric.  Plus this baby runs about $250 and I need two!

Inspiration Chairs - Overstock.com

And lo and behold,  I spied these arm chairs on Craiglist.  INCREDIBLE, beautiful all-wood frames and the fabric couldn't be more perfect  - $15 each for a whopping $30 total for both :)

This is my table & side chairs:

The dining room is technically finished but since it's combined with the living room, it is a little cramped right now since I moved the sofa in while we work on the mantel.  Which brings me to my most favorite find on Craigslist so far!  First, the inspiration ...

Dramatic fireplace inspiration from HGTV.com

Oh, that double mantel with the sky-high ceiling and the lovely, celtic knotted-looking mirror --so dramatic and beautiful!  Now, I don't have that kind of ceiling in my living room but luckily, the ceilings are high SO when I saw this amazing, 7 foot antique Victorian double mantel with mirror --and for $125 --well, it was definitely made for me :)  

Dan and I have been working steadily and the hearth is completed and it's mounted to the wall.  Here's a progress pic:

  

I am excited about the transformation and can't wait to show you but I have a bit more work before the reveal.  We're down to just finishing the trim work and painting the walls (which are only primed in the pic).

So there, negatives, you have been officially snubbed.  Friends, I wish you the best of everything in the New Year -- love, health, and happiness -- and may you find the treasures you seek (and don't forget to check Craigslist - Ha!).  Happy Crafting, <3 Lisa

A Very Merry Christmas to All!

"And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more." --Dr. Seuss

My Favorite Things: A Day For Daisies, My Cat Lilybelle, and My circa 1900s Mantel!

Happy Friday All!  Oh my goodness, December is whizzing by and I'm still not finished with my Christmas shopping - YIKES!!  Dan and I have been working like mad around the house and it is crazy how much time goes into even the littlest project.   But it's so rewarding when a room comes together so it keeps us moving onto the next!  We are now working in dining/living room and I cannot wait to share the pictures of that room.  I am so excited about one of the improvements we are putting in there that I have to show you!!  But first, I want to share a card I made using this A.D.O.R.A.B.L.E. A Day For Daisies image (from the wonderful new release today).  I couldn't resist using Tammy's "Kitty Gift" image because it reminded of my LilyBelle - see her crazy little frizzy fur!?  She is a Himalayan mix and her coat has really gone through some phases - hee hee!

Here she is the day I brought her home July 13, 2009:

 and here she is now:

She is my constant companion and is always crafting with me...you know, chasing ribbon or sleeping on my table or batting about a bead she found on the floor :)  So.darn.cute!

Ok, enough of my going on about Lil; now it's time to get on with GUSHING about my latest Craigslist find! *giggle* I am so excited about this -- an antique Victorian double mantel!!!  

She is a beauty  - see for yourself:

SWOOONNN!  Look at those columns and that mirror!!!!  and you will never guess what I paid for her!   ONE HUNDRED TWENTY FIVE smackeroos - WHAT WAS THAT!?  yeppers $125.00 -  I couldn't believe it - I did one of those cartoon moves when I saw it:

I did not pass go, I did not collect $200, I moved directly to the phone and (1) called the owners, (2) arranged pick-up, (3)  rented a U-haul (cause she's 7 feet tall and 4 feet wide), and (4) changed out of my jammy jeans (no, I'm not kidding, my sister got them for me for Christmas last year) and was on the road less than 15 minutes later to Bowling Green to pick 'er up.   As it turned out, it had been listed previously for three times as much and it wasn't selling.  The owners were moving and it needed to go ASAP so they dropped the price.   Here's another look:

This amazing piece of history was removed from one of the historic homes in Bowling Green during renovation.   We actually passed the house it came from on Main Street on our way to get her!  I have written down these details and am placing them inside the mantel when it's installed (hopefully soon).  

Happy Crafting! <3 Lisa