Another Spring Project -- Done!

I am showing you a picture, snapped this morning,

of some pretty flowers

that border my front walkway.

This lovely sight is just to get your attention.

Sorry, but I have a very mundane post today.

  

What is it about Spring

that makes all those

little house projects,

that you have managed to ignore 

for quite a while,

suddenly seem you cannot

stand for another day?

My lovely little house is an old one,

almost 100 years old.

Last week, after living with the vents

for the past eight or so years,

I suddenly looked at them and thought,

yuk.

These vents are probably original 

to the house and it's not a wonder

they look awful. 

Time for a little cosmetic update.

We had a perfect day last weekend

for spray painting outside.

Before and after!

Why do I let these little project go for so long?

Especially  when the whole job 

took about an hour,

and what a difference!

On My Needles Today...

…is a scarf knitted in…

…a combination of many of the shades of Autumn.

Mother's Day

Being a mother is the hardest

job you will ever do.

It is the most demanding,

most self sacrificing

and least appreciated job on earth.

Being a mother is also the most fun,

rewarding, empowering, sharing,

fulfilling and joyful job you will ever do.

Motherhood is a time that goes by way too quickly,
but being a mother is a job that never ends.
Thank goodness.

Happy Mother's Day!

(All pictures are from Pinterest.)

On My Needles Today...

…is the beginning of a gold mitten.

Knitted with one stand of wool

and one strand of mohair,

it is the mate to one already knitted.

Tweaking the Dining Room

I have finished painting my dining room!

(See my last post.)

As I look at my pictures,

I am noticing this was more of a 

"tweaking"

exercise than a major change.

After all, I did only go from yellow to darker yellow.

This was the color I started with,

a bright, "lemony" yellow.

Note the rug.

In an effort to get "less fussy"

it is going away.

Actual painting is not really a part of the job that I dislike.

It's the total chaos and disorder you live with 

while you're doing it.

Getting started by doing all the hand painted edging.

You can get an idea of the color change here.

This darker yellow is a more mustard yellow.

Finished!

I have replaced the oriental rug

with a natural jute one.

I like how my recently painted

french door mirrors

pop against the new yellow.

By the way, the yellow love seats

in the living room

will soon be slip covered in 

an off white fabric.

(Isn't it amazing how one change

brings about lots of

other changes.)

One spring project done!

A hundred more left to do…

Linking this week to
Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch
Twirl and Take a Bow at All Things Heart and Home
Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style

The Color Yellow and Good Karma...

Today I am painting my dining room.

I'll (hopefully) show you the results next time…

I originally painted the dining room a 

sunshiny, lemon yellow when I bought this house,

and it was my favorite room.

Yellow has always been a favorite color of mine. 

However, my tastes and moods have changed

a bit since.

I am going with yellow again,

but more of a "mustard" yellow this time.

I actually started this job yesterday.

I have always used a "satin" finish in the past

but this time I decided to be a little different

and choose the "eggshell" finish.

BIG mistake.

I think eggshell takes a better painter than me.

The first coat looks blotchy and streaked.

After a bit of research I find I can

paint satin on top of eggshell.

So…an early evening run to Lowe's

last night for a second gallon of paint.

I am using Lowe's Valspar

and to my happy delight,

their policy with this paint is

"…if you are not happy with the color,

have a second one on us."

Who knew????

I picked up Chinese takeout for dinner on the way home 

and, I kid you not, 

this is what my fortune cookie said,

"Focus in on the color yellow

tomorrow for good luck."

That's all the mojo I need and expect

good final results.

But in the meantime…

it's time to paint.

Have a great weekend!

Happy Easter Weekend!

I'm off this morning to drive to

Washington DC,

to spend the weekend with

my daughter Kate.

(Please send good karma my way,

that I won't get lost too many times!

It's a given I will some…)

Hoping everyone has a 

wonderful

Easter weekend!

A Nice Snack Cracker...

…you can make yourself!

   

Zesty Ranch Crackers

Mix together:

3/4 c. Orville Redenbbacher's Popcorn Oil

1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch dry dressing mix

 Add one large bag of small oyster crackers

Mix to fully coat the crackers.

Pour crackers onto a large rimmed baking sheet.

(I used the broiler pan from my oven.)

Bake for 30 minutes in a preheated 250 degree F. oven.

Using a spatula, toss and turn the crackers every 10 minutes.

Allow crackers to fully cool then 

store in an airtight container.

These are a great little snack cracker!

Chalk Paint Time…Again!

I have posted in the past about my ventures into chalk painting.

I'm still loving' my Yellow Painted Wardrobe!

Recently I've taken on a couple of other projects!

A few years ago I had this set of old french doors

backed with mirrors.

They lean against a wall in my narrow dining room,

giving an illusion of more space,

and adding light.

For the past year I have been trying 

to lighten up (i.e. get less brown in) my space here at

Buttermilk Cottage,

so I decided the doors 

would benefit from chalk paint!

I would have chosen the yellow of my painted wardrobe,

but the walls in my dining room are yellow,

so I decided upon a soft white for the doors.

I also already have a white painted buffet in this room.

Everything I know about chalk paint

I have learned from Sherry at No Minimalist Here.

She is a master at the technique,

so be sure to check out her blog.

One coat of chalk paint has never been enough

for the pieces I have done.

In fact, after one coat (above) 

I always have that moment  of,

"what have I done…"

But, it ALWAYS works out well!

For these doors I actually used three coats.

I opted not to distress the doors, 

but I did put a coat of finishing wax on them.

I am very pleased with my "lightened up" dining room!

I recently posted about my new/old office chair,

discovered on Etsy.

It was also a good candidate for chalk paint!

I chose soft white for it as well

and chose to do a bit of distressing on it.

Perfect chair for my office/sewing room!

No excuse for not being productive now!

I wonder if this icky, but very functional,

desk could benefit from some chalk paint…

hummm….

Linking this week at:
Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch
Tweak It Tuesday at Cozy Little House
Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style
Open House Party Thursday at No Minimalist Here