Foster Fail Two

Well you'll be happy to hear that I went ahead and adopted that adorable smushed face, pirate eyed boy! I couldn't bear the thought of someone else getting to love him for the rest of his life. Somewhere in my heart I always knew he was mine. And I honestly think he knew it too. When I got the email congratulating me on becoming his forever mom, I looked over at him and I swear to you he was smiling at me, "I know I'm yours mom, forever and ever." I cried so hard into his little speckled neck that day. Definitely one of the happiest moments of my life.

I've been through a lot this past year or so and sometimes I don't think I would've made it if it wasn't for the unconditional love of my creatures. They make me want to make it and to make something better out of myself. I'm getting there.

"I have found that when you are deeply troubled, there are things you get from the silent devoted companionship of a dog that you can get from no other source." ~ Doris Day

Foster Fail

Earlier this year I started fostering for a French Bulldog rescue organization. I wanted to do something for this breed that I've fallen so in love with. (I hate to say it but I might actually be more of a frenchie person than a pug person now!) I picked up my first foster Mack around Easter and have spent the last few months working on his behavioral rehabilitation as well as a few health issues.

Well I've done it, I went and fell completely head over heels for my first foster... I mean, I anticipated that fostering would be rewarding but I never dreamed that I would grow so attached. The time has come to put Mack up for adoption and I have received several applications that I know would make wonderful homes for him. So far I've been quite picky. I know it probably sounds ridiculous, but how can anyone possibly love him as much as I do?

I know you must be thinking, Well duh, why don't YOU just adopt him then?? He suffers from separation anxiety and was recently diagnosed with diabetes. Given the recent turn of events in my life (calling off my wedding, breaking things off with the fiance, etc...) I don't feel I can give this boy the home that he needs. And it breaks my heart!

Just look at that face...

Looooong Time Gone

Hi everybody! I know I've been gone for oh half a year or so but I'm going to try and be back now. It has been a whirlwind of a year so far. My fiance's dad passed, I have wedding plans coming out my rear, we recently took in a foster pup, and the house projects never seem to end!

So here's a little picture update on my year so far...

My boys.

My foster boy.

 

Reupholstered and repainted chairs...

Bird cage I found at the thrift store to use as a card drop for the wedding.

I hope everyone is having a great year so far!





Mourning Mix

In dealing with multiple pet deaths, a miscarriage, and now my father-in-law's death I have been through the journey of grief more than I care to over the past year. It is a tricky thing, grief. There is no right or wrong way to deal with death. There are certainly actions and reactions to death that society has deemed permissible and still others that it has deemed preferential. 

With the pet deaths and miscarriage I felt very much on my own in dealing with my grief. There are not a lot of resources out there regarding these topics. Among other things, I turned to music.

I compiled a list of songs that I dubbed my "Mourning Mix". I thought I'd share it with you. I hope it brings you as much peace as it did me.

1. Angel (Sarah Mclachlan)

2. Beauty From Pain (Superchick)  

3. Let It Be (Beatles)

4. Open Your Eyes (Snow Patrol)

5. If I Die Young (The Band Perry)

6. Winter Song (Sara Barreilles & Ingrid Michaelson)

7. Only The Good Die Young (Billy Joel)

8. Old Man (Neil Young)

9. Hallelujah (Willie Nelson)

10. You're Missing (Bruce Springsteen)

11. Long as I Can See the Light (Creedence Clearwater Revival)



Thoughts and Prayers

Please keep our family in your thoughts and prayers. My fiance's dad passed away suddenly yesterday morning. He was a great man and we already miss him. Life will never be the same.

These are a Few of My Favorite Things

I developed some new loves (or as the fiance likes to call them obsessions) in 2010. I fully expect them to follow me into 2011. Here's a list of my top five...



1. Harry Potter. The books. The movies. The characters. I love it all. I am currently on the fourth book and I just can't get enough of it!

(Image courtesy of czechfolks.com)

2. Glee. Yes somewhere along the way last year I fell in love with the hilariously entertaining lives of the McKinley High Glee Club's misfits. I'm a dork Gleek.

 (Image courtsey of pinartarhan.com)

3. Sewing. One of my many new hobbies It's fun. It's a money saver. And I'm not entirely bad at it. 

(Image courtesy of pinklovesbrown.com)

4. Chalkboard paint. Love this stuff. On anything. And everything.

(Image courtesy of rustoleum.com)

5. Junking. I have always been a pretty serious thrifter. Then I discovered junking. And it's pretty much the coolest hobby ever. My visit to the Oronoco Gold Rush Days and Junk Bonanza sealed my fate.

(Image courtesy of me)

(Image courtesey of me)



What about you? What new loves did you pick up in 2010 that you will carry with you into 2011? New hobbies? TV shows? Events? Places?

2011 New Year's Resolutions...

Like most of you, I too have made some resolutions for this year. Here are my top five...

1. (This one's pretty obvious :)  ) Get in shape for my wedding in September.

2. Finish one room every month (or two).

3. Volunteer more.

4. Pay off at least two credit cards.

5. Start a new Project 365 and post one picture every day for a year. (Check out the new and improved Project 365 tab at the top!)

Very Merry Christmas to You!

Hello all! I'm sorry it's been so long... As I'm sure most of you can relate, I have been very busy these past couple of months. So here's a little peak at what I was working on...

My mom commissioned me to make Christmas gifts for all of her board members at work. And as I have mentioned before, I love love love chalkboard paint! So I thought I would make everyone a chalkboard vase. I'm also new to sewing so I sewed a little pouch to hold the handmade felt eraser, two pieces of chalk, and instructions on how to care for the vase.

I sewed the 5X3 inch pouch from some material that is both festive and good for year-round display. I cut some Velcro to size and glued it on the inside of the pouch so it would stay closed. I then glued a button on the front. I then cut a 3X3 inch square out of black felt and glued a ribbon and buttons in the center that serve as the handle. I printed "care" instructions from the computer and glued them onto a file folder (you know those whitish ones?). I used a crinkle patterned scissors to cut the instructions out and a hole punch to punch a single hole through all three pieces. I then used a small piece of hemp string to tie them all together. I folded the eraser in half and stuffed it, the chalk, and the instructions into the pouch.

The vases were all purchased from the thrift store. (If you're trying this at home make sure to use smooth surfaced vases to ensure a smooth writing surface for the chalk.) I used a can of spray chalkboard paint and painted all the vases at once.

Final product...

I hope everyone had a very merry Christmas!

Be Back Soon...

Bad Mama!

I'm a bad mama! I should have done this last week...

I'd like to wish a very happy birthday to The Pug. He turned a whopping six! My how the years fly by... He was a gift from the fiance (then boyfriend) for Christmas/birthday (they may or may not be on the same day :) ).

So we celebrated like every freak dog parent does and threw him a birthday party. Yes there were presents. And yes there was a Frosty Paws for each of the doggie guests. AND yes there was cake for the human guests. AND YES we stuck a candle in his Frosty Paws and sang him happy birthday!

I know what you're thinking cuz I hear it all the time... "Face only a mother could love."

Maybe, but I love him just the same.



Desk Update

TI finally finished the desk I've been working on forEVER! I had attempted my first ever antique finish on the small hutch piece that sits on top of the desk. It turned out better than I expected but my widescreen laptop doesn't fit on the desk so I have to leave it off for now. :(

I had also done a small microwave/kitchen cart thing in the antique finish. I didn't want the desk to be matchy matchy with the desk soooooooo I decided to try my hand at stenciling.

I googled flower clip art online and came up with this design:

I don't have a new printer at home yet so I printed it out at work. I had to tape the printout onto a piece of cardstock to cut it out. It would have been better if I could have printed it onto the cardstock because it got a little messy but I made it work.



I then taped it to my desk and using some of the gel stain that I used on the other pieces, I sponged the stencil.



Drumroll please...

I think this picture doesn't do it justice. It's really quite adorable in person I promise. :) It will look even better when this room is all set up.

Let me know what you think!

(You know what would have made this project easier? An Artograph Projector like the one being given away at Twice Lovely! Check it out and enter for a chance to win!)

Thrift Store Finds

While I was out running errands today I decided to stop at the thrift store. (This is entirely predictable of me as my "errands" typically include: bank, gas station, library, and -drum roll please- the thrift store!) I must say I made quite a haul today.



Inventory:

1-Mini trunk-like basket for dog toys. ($5.50)

1-White basket will most likely be used for magazines. ($7.50-kind of a splurge I know.)

1-Rocking horse missing eye and handle. ($3.00)

1-Copy of Angela's Ashes which I can't believe I've never read. ($2.00)

1-Photo album for friend's wedding pics. ($4.00-again, a splurge I know I know.)

1-Bar stool that can easily be painted and re-upholstered to be used in conjunction with easel for painting. (ONLY $1.00!! See all that splurging was justifiable because I saved so much on this bad boy!)

Happy Thrifting!

Desk Project

So first of all I would like to say thank you to Jill at the Junk Bonanza Blog and Tamara at Sheer Addiction for the fabulous giveaway! I can't believe I won!

Secondly I wanted to post a preview of one of the MANY projects I'm tackling right now...

This past summer I had my first ever garage sale and took donations of furniture, clothes, and tons of other stuff from family and friends to sell. (Proceeds went to the wedding fund :) ) This desk was one of the things that didn't sell and it was only marked for $5. What a steal! So I decided to hang on to it afterward instead of donating it.

I saw so much potential! First and foremost, there's one thing you must know about me. If it's wood or anything fake wood, I will paint it white. (I tried to convince the fiance to let me paint the wood floors white instead of having them refinished but he wouldn't listen... "but think of all the money we'd save! And it would look so clean and fresh!" but he was not sold on the idea. Insert pout here.)

So naturally when I decided to take this little beauty into my home I had to start by painting it white. (I have a gallon of Dutch Boy's Timeless Ivory so almost everything I paint right now is that color! :) )

The second thing you should know about me is that the moment I discovered chalkboard paint I knew my life was finally complete. Sooooo..... I thought, "Wouldn't this desk be stellar with a chalkboard top?!"

So I took my Timeless Ivory desk and spray painted the top of it with chalkboard paint. But it looked so B-L-A-H. So I thought I'd try my hand at an antique finish. I gotta say, it's still in it's final stages but it turned out pretty neat...

The "before". (WOOF! It's so F-U-G!!)

The "In Between".

The finished product will be coming soon I promise!

**JunkBonanza**

The JB can be summed up in two words: Junker's Heaven. It is truly incredible. It is an endless sea of rusty, dusty, chippy, and well weathered/loved treasures of all shapes and sizes. If you haven't gone yet I highly recommend that you check it out tomorrow.

I found tons of goodies. Inventory includes:

2-rolls of absolutely A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E fabric.

1-porcelain polar bear.

1-letter "A" stamp.

1-mini bleached bushel basket.

1-blue wire basket.

1-picnic basket.

1-tin beer sign (for the fiance of course).

1-vintage flask (also for the fiance).

2-vintage metal trays.

1-skeleton and charm necklace (I got to pick out all the pieces myself).

1-super yummy smelling potpourri.

8-little green leaf ice cream dishes.

2-bud vases made out of the ends of hollow silverware.

1-bag of buttons.

Our first trip:

Our second trip:

This is a mere fraction of the goodies you will find! 

Happy Junking!

Junk Bonanza Official Site

Rest In Peace Old Man

On Friday I had to put my beloved geriatric to sleep. He's been sick for some time now and my heart couldn't bear to watch him suffer any longer. It was one of the most difficult moments of my life. He's been my dog for over 15 years. He watched me grow up and he was the last living tie to a lot of things from my childhood.: my grandpa, my other childhood pets, and almost every trial and tribulation I've been through in the past decade and a half. I know it was the right thing to do and I am at peace with my decision. I hope Doggie Heaven is all it's cracked up to be and more.

 So rest in peace my boy. I will forever hold you and our memories close to my heart.

 

Gold Rush

This past weekend the fiance and I spent a few days down in Oronoco, Minnesota at their annual Gold Rush Days. It was incredible. At night we stayed at an adorable little B&B a short drive away and then shopped til we dropped during the day.

The Barteau House

It was a zoo!

There was something for EVERYONE...

Horses of courses.

Flowers and plants galore!

Vintage bikes.

Adorable hand painted signs.

Hot chicks.

Mini outhouse-for all of your small bathroom needs?

Can you please pass the salt & peppa?

Sea of Denim.

Glassware.

Garage Art? Sorry Fiance, the answer is "NO".

After sifting through THOUSANDS of items, we decided on the following to take home with us...

Inventory:

1-Garage Art sign (fiance's).

1-Vintage/well loved copy of Black Beauty.

1-Golden horse.

1-Chippy white side table.

1-Door for hallway closet. (What a lucky find! It'll only need a little bit of trimming to make it fit!)

1-Bushel basket.

1-Wire laundry cart. (A NECESSITY at events such as this. Who wants to carry all that crap around? Not this girl.) 

1-Hand painted cabinet for awkward corner in dining room.

2-Vintage fans. (Yes they actually work!)

1-Chair for desk.

1-Metal ammo box. (The fiance's favoritest find!)

1-Men's bathroom sign for garage bathroom.

1-Basket weave garbage container for recycling. (To replace the Plain Jane plastic one.)

Junk Bonanza:

Ki Nassauer was there and even let me take a picture with her! (The fiance thought I was crazy, but I tried to explain that this was equivalent to him meeting Micahel Jordan-to which he just shook his head.) She was super nice as were all the ladies that were there advertising for Junk Bonanza and passing out information. (I found the door and the golden horse at their tent.) I've never been to the Junk Bonanza but after seeing the preview, I'm SOLD! They had some really great stuff there and it was all reasonably priced. So if this is any indication of what the Bonanza will be like, it's gonna be A-W-E-S-O-M-E!

Retail Therapy

After taking the dogs to the beach (if you can call it that) and stopping at the The Naniboujou Lodge for tea I went shopping with the future mom-in-law and her friend in downtown Grand Marais. I love retail therapy. Sometimes there's nothing better than a little shopping to lift your spirits.

So here's some pics of from our day...

The Naniboujou Lodge

And of course I couldn't pass up the mason jars...