U•G•L•Y You ain't got no alibi...

You UGLY! What, what... you ugly! You mama say you ugly.


Is this not the ugliest baby crib bumper you have ever seen?! It's a really sad shade of khaki brown with a yellowish-gold swirl all over it. Kind of a baby poop brown. Ewwww. It IS, however, very well made and in brand-new shape. So I bought it  for $6 (at a thrift store - score) and decided to make a slipcover for it. I found some really pretty black & white material and sewed away. I really, really hate sewing, but I put on my big girl panties and did it. I can sew, just don't like to.



Seriously. This is UGLY.















Here is the new Tater bumper pad...

It's lying on my guest room bed so there is a lot going on here - pattern wise. It was so simple to make. I just measured the circumference and length and made a tube with black grosgrain ribbon added every 26 inches, like the original. Then turned it right side out, inserted the original pad (not as painful as I thought it was going to be) and sewed up the ends. Done. I can't wait to see the whole crib finished. We don't have one yet, but I am looking for one that is already black or even white. I want to pair the pad with a black/white polka dot bed skirt, which I will be making. Dang, Tater, good thing I love you already.

 

I made another piece of art too. I found an 8 x 8 inch black frame at Walmart (less than $10, $8 I think). I cut a 2 inch mat and glued some black & white patterned material to the mat. Just used some ATG tape to secure it. I then added a sticker that says "I love you" to the glass. It is actually 2 pieces of glass sandwiched together with the sticker in the middle on the back piece. (I have a 2nd job working for an artist doing his matting and framing, a skill that has come in handy) No backing behind the picture - I wanted it to be clear and let the wall color show through the glass. I have it here on a shelf in my kitchen and you can see the back of the shelf through the glass, a taupey green color. So when it is hanging in Tater's room, it will have the baby yellow background showing through from the wall.

 

Redo Update

I finished the storage/shelf thingy for Tater today. I love it, love it. I still need baskets to put in the shelf areas, but that search isn't over yet. Finding the right size and color will be my challenge. I'm leaning toward baby yellow canvas, but so far, nothing has turned up. I might try painting plain canvas ones. We'll see.

 

I was going to put glass knobs on the drawers but went with brushed nickel instead. Very pretty! Got them from Home Depot.

Suicidal Squirrels

 

Dammit! For the second time in about 6 months, one of our bazillion neighborhood squirrels did the suicide dance in front of my car. You know how they do it... they jump out as you are approaching them, then they see you - decide that maybe they should go back - and do. But no, they really want to try and cross and they dart out again. Crazy dart out! Almost spinning in mid air. This is repeated about 5 times before they commit to a direction, and all in a matter of nano seconds.  All the while  I am watching and screaming like a 9 year old girl.  Not much makes me scream like that, except the sight of a live, and loose snake, and the possibility that I might hit an animal with my car. I suspect that the squirrel, if capable, would be letting out the same high pitched girly scream in the middle of the street.

I try as hard as I can to miss, but then the inevitable thump-thump. My heart sinks and have to live with that sound and the literal bump of my wheels for weeks. Know that bumper sticker that says "I brake for animals"? Mine would say, "I swerve back and forth, jeopardizing my own life and those of my passengers, for the sake of a fuzzy tailed rodent". Dammit! 

I understand the circle of life thing, and these little guys are abundant enough to not even notice that one is gone. But why, oh why, do they have to pick me as a source to the end of their little lives? I admit, I'm not a squirrel lover, but I wouldn't want to hurt one either. Or any other living thing. I'm a meat eater, yes-yes, and I see the irony here, but I get my meat at the grocery store where you're supposed to get it and there aren't any recognizable body parts in the package. And it's boneless and skinless. Just meat. Did someone kill it? Yes, but not me. I couldn't handle the nightmares that would follow. So, RIP little squirrel. Please tell your bazillion friends to listen for a scream... that's me, run like hell if you hear it.

Furniture Redo numero uno

Oh, Little Tater, it's hot outside, but I am gladly redoing a piece of furniture for you today. I found this at the Junior League Thrift store (my fave) for $20. It's a nice piece of real wood furniture that started out a natural finish pine (not my fave). I have primed it so far and will be painting it black. I promised a before and after picture, but being true to my spontaneously compulsive self, I started priming it before I took a real before picture. Here is what it looks like right this minute, outside drying after primer...

 Don't judge my lawn. We're in the middle of another drought and my poor grass is in a state of shock. Rain, dammit. Well, not yet anyway. At least let my furniture dry then rain.

Look at the big feet on this thing! Loving it.

Yes, I left the knobs on while I primed, and then realized I want to change them out with some cute glass Hobby Lobby ones. So off they came. That's one on the right side of the table. Plain old knob... gone.

 I have high hopes for the outcome here. I love, love the big chunky feet on the bottom and the adjustable shelves. I plan to put some canvas baskets in the shelf areas for teeny tiny beebee clothes. Two nice sized drawers for extra diapers.

Making use of all the drying space I can find. Love you, Tater.

Before and After Tissue Box

Remember this?

A recent $1 thrift find. Nice oak tissue box. Initially I spray painted it black without sanding first. I've never had issues before doing that, but for some reason this time I did. The paint bubbled up and looked awful. The more I sprayed the yuckier it looked. dang!
So, I sanded it (like I should have done in the first place) then painted it green with acrylic paint to match my craft room accessories. Ewwwww! Horrible again. Good grief, this was turning into a throw-it-on-the-floor-and-stomp-it project. Yes, I've done that, I say with a little misplaced pride. I don't lose it often, but when I do, something is gonna get stomped on.

OK, one more try. I sanded and spray painted again and this time it worked fine. Geez!

I lined the box with heavy scrapbook paper in a teal-ish shade of green, and hammered some saw tooth picture hangers to the back. I didn't bother to cover up the tissue "hole" as it was not going to be seen.

I added some of our Ghoulies from our Etsy collection and a picture of Jesse, my sweet dog who I miss dearly, and hung it by my big collaged K and newly renovated lamp. Sweet!

 

Tater's subway art

Finally got around to printing my subway art design and cutting a mat and framing it. I had an old oak frame that I spray painted with glossy black, then strung grosgrain ribbon by two eye hooks. It turned out really nice. I was so tempted to include "Tater" in there, but the dignified Gigi had a fight with the smart aleck Gigi, and the dignified Gigi won.  She's a beeyatch.

Love you, Tater.

baby Tater

That's the name I call my in-the-oven-grandchild. We don't know a gender yet, too soon. The big event will be in January next year, pretty dang closed to my birthday. Number 3 on the grandchild count. I am all atwitter (I know all the big words, like mayonnaise and Worcestershire) planning the new nursery. This is my inspiration color for a gender friendly room...

Two different rooms, same color scheme. I love, love yellow and black together. Today I painted that beautiful soft buttery yellow in the room.  Both inspiration rooms have chandelieres in them, but if tater is not a girl, I won't go there. For now, it will be gender neutral. If it is a girl, I'll go with the flow in that direction.






















I am looking for thrifted furniture and have already found two pieces. One is a changing table and the other is a storage piece with shelves and 2 drawers and big, chunky feet. They will both be painted a high gloss black. I promise to post a before and after. I also found a fabulous bumper pad for the crib in an awful, awful brownish gold color (who would put that in a baby's room?) and bought some black & white material to make a "slipcover".  My sweet friend Margie will help me get the sewing done. I absolutely hate to sew. I can do it, I just hate it. Margie loves to sew. She's one of those people that can make something without a pattern, which I admire. I think my aversion to sewing is the math. Ugh! I don't like measurements and fractions and gettin' all "mathy". Yard to feet conversions = Yuck!

I'm working on subway art (above) and am thinking I might frame some black & white quilting square material (also above) into some yellow frames. Oh the possibilities, little Tater! I can't wait to meet you. I already love you. Your brothers want to name you "Batman". Or "Robin". hmmmmm, I sense a theme here. We are all very excited especially mommy and daddy. Thank you, baby Tater for giving me a new fun project. I love the challenge and hope it meets with your approval.

Janny Bum

Janice is the middle sister in my family. She is between me and our oldest sister Ellen. When she was a little girl, my mom called her Janny Bum. I don't really know where that came from, it was some sort of term of endearment. Which implies mom had a sweet name she called each of us. Nope. I was just Karol... Karol Ann with an exclamation point at the end if I was in trouble. I tended to cringe if my name was called out in my house. We were all very, very good at staying below the radar. If you got the attention of my mother it usually wasn't a good thing. If we heard our first and middle names called together, we kind of peed our pants a little. I don't go by Karol Ann, only Karol.
Back to Janice... we are good crafting buddies and feed off each other. She has been the biggest supporter of all my ventures and has joined me in many.

These garden markers are her latest venture. They are so beautiful! She has a great skill at looking at things and seeing a new purpose in them. We can spend hours and hours in places where most people wouldn't even stop, and find bags of treasures to come home and get our creative juices flowing. She also has a fabulous knack of displaying things in a very pleasing way. When we do a craft show together, she puts it all together making sweet vignettes and adding extra touches to enhance our wares.
Just today, I went shopping in Daytona Beach's thrift shops looking for more flatware for her. Score! I found plenty to keep her busy for awhile. We will be displaying them in our booth in the fall and at an Open House near Christmas. Love you, Jan!

Martha

I know she sometimes gets a bad rap. She's a diva for sure, and on the snotty side. Way on the snotty side. But I love what she has given women who love to create and tap into their artsy, whimsical, thrifty, and crafty sides. She has made it cool to be all those things. I subscribe to her Living magazine (actually it is a gift from my sister Jan - thanks Jan) and I get so excited when each issue arrives. OK, I'll admit when there is a 2 page article about how to properly make a bed, I cringe and say "Really, Martha? I'm 59 years old and I know how to make a bed". But the crafting ideas are nothing short of inspirational. Yes, yes, I know she is surrounded by a staff of hundreds who do it all, but take all that away and crafty Martha would still rock. I love this idea in the June issue:

Doesn't it just make you slap your forehead and think... duh! Why didn't I think of that. So cute and so simple. Paper lanterns covered in circles of colored tissue. Beautiful. I see orange and black ones in my next Halloween decorating. So, thank you, Martha. You may not ever be someone who could be my best friend, but I love your Good Things.

Reality Overload

I can't believe I'm willing to admit this, but I have become a reality TV junkie. Oh, I'm not alone! Millions of people - good people like me - are hooked. I know every single Housewife from every single series. From "keepin' it real" NeNe of Atlanta to "table tossing" Teresa of New Jersey. I thought I saw Lauren (Caroline's daughter from NJ) at a restaurant in Asheville NC. I made my sister and my best friend a part of my plot to get her picture while we ate.  Seriously.
I know more about The Donald than I care to admit. I am totally hooked on the Mob Wives. (OMG).  I recognized (I swear) one of America's Top models in a recent ad, even though she was from several season's ago. "That's Bre!" I heard myself say. Geez... and don't even try to call me during Idol.
What is it about these shows that is so irresistible (to me, anyway)? It's the fact that they all make little old me feel so dang good about my little old self. Especially the Housewives series... good lord, I have never seen so many spoiled and obnoxious women who claim to "have" so much, and believe that they are "classy", act like such rude, and classless heathens. Yes, Gretchen, Alexis and Tamra, I am speaking about you. I roll my eyes in disgust yet I cannot turn the channel. It's that train wreck syndrome I suppose, or the reason we have "gapers blocks" on the highways when there is a car accident. People want to see blood and gore. Oh those clever TV executives. Laughing all the way to the bank. Also laughing all the way to the bank - all the players on these shows. So don't judge... I'm only human. And don't call me on Wednesday or Thursday evenings. I'm watching Idol. Go James!

Thrifting Scores

I had a successful thrifting day today. I found these items for future projects.

revolving spice rack

silverplated salt/pepper shakers

 

 

 

hand made magazine rack

The spice rack has so much potential for storage. No bottles were included, but for a $ I can transform it into something awesome anyway. The shakers will become snowmen! the lids are so ornate and will be their hats. Can't wait to see them finished. Jan and I are already working on our newest batch. (I wonder what the collective word would be for a group of snowmen, I'm sure it isn't "batch")
The magazine rack was my favorite purchase. It is in beautiful shape and will be used for storing reference books and magazines in my craft room. I will post the after pix when I'm done "fixing them up".

My name is Karol, and I am a collector.

My garage holds crates and crates of collections. Most are seasonal, some are old linens I can't seem to give up, some are books that are there for the same reason. But mostly it is seasonal "stuff".  Every year I swear to myself that I am not going to buy anything else, but I just laugh and keep adding to the pile. I won't embarrass myself and tell you how many crates are out there, but I will say that my car couldn't fit in there if it had to. I have mostly Christmas, then next would be Halloween. Halloween is my favorite holiday, and if I didn't think my husband would kill me, I'd keep the decorations up all year.

Here are some of my Easter collectibles.

These egg cups started out as a set of chalkware that you could paint. I can't even remember where I got them, but I've had them for over 10 years. I love their facial expressions and poses. There are four total.
















My maternal grandmother used to send us all cards for every occasion when I was a little thing.  The impressive part about that is she had 36 grandchildren and never forgot to send any of us a card. She was a sentimental woman and that trait has been passed down to me. I kept my cards and love to bring them out to make me smile. This one has a fuzzy feel to the bunny.

 

Here is another one next to a thrift store pink duck sitting on one of my chairs from another collection. The duck is half of a salt and pepper shaker set. The other piece was missing. Notice my white plate collection too. I love milk glass. I put some dollar tree gel stickers on the plate... how cute! That was a DUH moment. I usually put them on a mirror or window, but it struck me that the white glass was a perfect background for the pretty pastel gels.

This is a full view of one of my cabinets in my kitchen. I made the egg "banner" with plastic eggs that I simply opened and attached to a ribbon. Not my idea, I saw it on another blog and loved the effect. So easy, and sweet.

I'm also a big lover of bubble lights. This one came from TJ Maxx and although it has glitter in it instead of just bubbles, I love it anyway. We had bubble lights on our Christmas tree when I was a kid, and I can remember how fascinated I was with them. I love that they are back around. What do you collect?

Easter cake!

I made this cake last night as a thank-you for some people who went above and beyond to help us out at work. I saw it on a food website (can't remember which one) and thought it was so cute! It is simply a box chocolate cake mix and tub icing. I'm not a big baker, obviously. Anyway, the sunflower "seads" are tiny chocolate chips, and of course, the Peeps make the petals. I did have to use toothpicks to secure the Peeps. They wanted to slide off. It is so cute in person and made a very nice presentation. I believe I'll be making another one for our family Easter picnic. I'm one of the few who actually likes to eat Peeps, and chocolate cake is my favorite. mmmmmm :)

 

Hippity Hoppity SUG

I made these little thank-you gifts for our fellow coworkers and passed them out this morning. I started with 4 boxes of bunny Peeps, 2 bags of little malted milk balls, a large bag of shredded coconut, and a package of the bags sold in the Wilton aisle that are meant for lollipops. These are so simple to make. I dyed the coconut greenish-yellow then toasted it in the oven on a large cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. I stirred it, and put it back in for 12 more minutes. After cooling, I spooned coconut 2 heaping spoonfuls into the bags with 5 or 6 milk balls and a Peep. I printed out onto shipping labels: "To one of our favorite Peeps", stuck those on the back side of the bag, then zip tied them with the silver tie that comes with the bags. Too cute!!! and so easy. I made 48 of them to share. Peep Peep!

Accessorizing

After almost an entire week of not feeling well, I finally got over whatever "crud" had invaded my body. My spring break was intended to be more productive than it was but that, as they say, is life. I did manage to get around to some cleaning out of the spider webs in my craft room. Not literal webs, I'm not that bad. But I am bad at dangerously close levels of hoarding. So, I have my car filled to the brim with donations for my favorite thrift stores, and a second batch waiting to get loaded after that one gets dumped off. I feel cleansed. I had so much stuff in bags, I had forgotten that I had most of it. That's the bad side of crafting. How many times have we all said, "I will get around to doing something with this later." Of course, later never comes.


My first project was my bulletin board. Remember... I had left over material from my chair redo. Here is the board:

Right now I have some of my favorite family pictures on it, but I will be using it as a place to put inspiration pix that I find on-line or in magazines. I love this material! It is very bright and fun, and definitely sparked up my space. Got it at Walmart.

These are another couple of projects that I did to pull in the green/black theme. I found both of these at thrift stores. One is a cutlery tray and was light oak. The other is a little wall shelf and was a darker mahogany color. I'm am sooooo terrible at taking the "before pictures"... sorry.

On the cutlery tray, I simply primed it with white, painted the inside of each compartment with a spring green, then decoupaged the "walls" with black and green background papers. It is really cute! I attached a picture hanger to the back so I could hang it on the wall.

This little shelf got spray painted green and I filled it with some of my K collection and a few other little things that make me smile.

















The lamp started out as an ugly 80's brass thing with a pleated shade. I sprayed it with a brushed nickel paint and changed the shade. I took some more of the chair material, cut out some of the flowers and used Mod Podge to attach them to the shade. The little black pompom fringe adds so much whimsy! That was hot glued on. Believe it or not, I measured the shade before I bought the trim. Imagine that! I'm a slow learner, but I do learn eventually.

 

I found the bird cage at a thrift store for 50¢ and sprayed it green. I have my large acrylic paint bottles inside. The tissue box was one of those oval ones that Kleenex puts out at Christmas, and I covered it with green striped BG paper and added a black satin bow. Very pretty.

Another view of the lamp without the light on. You can see the color much better now. Enough for now. I'll post more another time. Meanwhile, I'm back to work tomorrow :(

Word Art

I love words and especially when made into word art. When I was younger, my choice of reading material was usually a dictionary. I still will pick one up when I have down time, or maybe books about quotations or word derivatives. I have compiled a mental list of my favorite words. If I'm ever asked by James Lipton what my favorite and least favorite words are, I will know the answers immediately. Onomatopoeia # 1 fave. Phlegm #1 least fave. Kind of ironic that my least favorite word is an onomatopoetic one! Anyhow... back to word art. I found this in a Ross store on clearance after St. Pat's Day. I bought it simply because I liked the size of the wooden block and it was $1. I also knew that I was going to redo it when I got it home into word art.

It had a little dowel with a broken shamrock sticking out of the top. I tossed those. I decoupaged some black background paper on the front then cut out magazine letters to spell out a message. I chose green letters to use because my of my recent chair redo. It has ispired me to use lime green and black accents in my craft room. Here is the first result:

Yuck! The background paper is waaaaaaay too busy to be able to read the letters. So scratch that one and start over. I covered the green letters with a piece of beige card stock then started over with more green letters:

Much better! It says: "she decided to start living the life she dreamed of". I do a lot of this kind of art. I cut out letters from magazines lay out a message ransom style. I call it Ransom Art.
I have this one hanging over the freshly made-over bulletin board which is above my work bench.
I took an old cork board which had an ugly brown metal frame, and (spray) painted the frame glossy black. I took some of the extra material from my chair project, and glued it (using ModPodge) to the cork and added a green ribbon around the edges .

I'll post more pictures of my craft room when I get it looking more photo worthy. I'm working hard at re-organizing and paring down some of my craft supplies. It was to be my spring break project, but that went awry since I got sick on day one of my break. I'm getting there.