Mi CASA Chair

Last month was CASA's Festival of Chairs. This is my third year to revitalize and donate a chair for the charity's live and silent auction.

I was very excited because this year my chair made it into the live auction!

Too bad I forgot to snap some before pics but I started out with two identical black chairs. I picked them up at a local flea market and immediately removed the horseshoes someone had screwed onto the backs. YeeHaw!

I spray painted the chairs white and decoupaged pieces of book pages to the backs, legs and interesting features of the chairs.

Then globbed (yes that's a technical term) on a water based stain I like to refer to as "liquid dirt" giving it an antiqued feel.

After removing the seats I measured and cut (ok so Ben really did the cutting) a new base that attached the two chairs to each other creating a bench. I shaped an extra thick cushion to fit in the chair backs (managed the actually cut my big toe with a pair of really sharp Fiskars... don't ask. lol) and covered it with a slightly stretchy linen-look fabric.

Next came the lettering which was done with black acrylic paint.

Here we have the "Live, Laugh, Loveseat".

This was the chair, or bench if you will, on display at a local restaurant, Mike's Place, for a couple of weeks before the auction.

I was excited that the chair went $275! And I loved hearing the whispers before the auction got on its way about my chair. Can't wait for next year's. I know some people who better get their chairs ready so they can finally come with me :P

Cause now I'm Back, From outerspace!

It's been a while hasn't it friends.
My world has been shaking like a snow globe in the hands of a two year old since we last spoke.
I'll catch you up eventually, but just to say I am feeling like the old me. Or rather a new me with old tendencies :)
Look for new soon!
Looks for new fun stuff soon too!

Summertime and the livin' is easy.....

I can't wait till summer.

I won't have the time crunch of dropping the kids off at school and can ride my sweet bike to work. She still need some racks and baskets.

But know we are in a quandary. We are starting to look for a new house. Ben and I are at odds as to what we want. We both agree on more space, that extra bathroom would be awesome. But I would like to stay here in Old Town. He's looking at things farther out. I love being close to everything and able to ride my sweet bike to work and walk the kids to school and such. The thought of having to drive into town for all that just doesn't set me at ease. I love the old houses around here. He wants something he wont have to fix.

So keep us in mind while we look into this new shall we say "adventure".

Giveaway Grapevine

Just to pass on some yummy fiber goodness to all you yarn-a-holics out there.

My good friend Cyndi, The Twisted Purl, is having an awesome handspun yarn giveaway.

Hurry on over to sign up :)

From my front porch

I don't know if you can classify it as a porch actually. It's a bit more than a stoop though. The late afternoon sun is shining through the trees. Right now it's hit an open patch on out catalpa tree and it is rather bright, but I am not really complaining. After having weather that basically consisted of a month and a half of straight rain, I'll take a bit of bright sunlight. Just gives me a good reason to put on the Audrey shades.

For the past couple of days I have been watching a momma bird tend to a baby in our front yard. I first caught site of her feeding him in our high grass. The ground has been too saturated to mow until of late. I could see the baby stretching his neck up like they do and the momma fluttered about with bugs and worms and such.

As Ben started to mow yesterday, I ran out quickly to do a spot check of where I had last seen the mother and child but they had moved on. As I set here typing (on my new laptop which I can take outside... LOVE IT!) I can see them over in the still higher grass of the drainage ditch. He's fuzzy with feathers but likes to spread his wings. I wondered if they lost their nest somewhere in the rain storms we have had.

My nicco hydrangea is sporting many beautiful bloom heads. I am still waiting on the blushing bride. I guess she's just shy ;) I have a new climbing rose that has just started to bloom.

Today was the first day I have had off since last Wednesday. Working a full weekend makes for a rather long discouraging work week. And these days at home on nice sunny days make me miss being home all the time. Getting to be in my house alone and enjoying my clothes line. Sunny days are made for laundry. At least in my book. :)

But I am looking forward to my 3 day weekend. Its Riverfest weekend in Little Rock and Saturday will mark 11 years of wedded bliss.

As the sun dips lower, it highlights the bugs darting to and from and the birds are taking advantage of it. Guess its suppertime for all.

Throwing the towel in

Yes you read that correct.I have officially thrown the towel in when it comes to crafting as a business. Well at least on any kind of regular schedule.

I want my crafting to become fun again. But I will still be here showing off my creations to anyone who cares to see my irregularly scheduled programming. I enjoyed blogging and I so enjoy creating and crafting, and as I keep saying I want it to be "FUN" again... not a chore, like cleaning the toilet. Which I need to get to as well :)

Speaking of towels, I have this crazy urge to crochet dishcloths and even edgings for my dishtowels. The fabulous EllynAnne always talks about how housewives used to make their "tools" for housework pretty so that even when doing the dirtiest of jobs could be enjoyable. I finally finished a project in my Tuesday night Yarn-A-Holics group that meets at the library. The comment was made one night that they had never seen me finish a project. I was like welcome to my crocheting life. HAHA.

But I did finish this dishcloth and I absolutely love it! I think the "yarn" may actually be butcher's string. I got it in a grab bag of things from Savers.

Speaking of Savers, my mom and I had the best Mother's Day on Sunday. We were given the chance to head out on the cloudy, drizzly day and hit the antique malls and flea markets. I don't think she and I have really done this since I was in high school or college. OK maybe we did it once or twice in San Antonio but we never were completely on own own.

But we hit some places in North Little Rock, Savers and Hidden treasures and then just worked our way back to Conway.

I have made a vow to buy all my bed linens from thrift stores. I rarely pay more that $6 for my queen sized sheets and they are already super soft and in the unique retro and vintage prints that i adore anyway. Why pay $40 for a sheet set?

I did pick up a potato masher for Ben :)

But my big find was so super cool.

Look at this canister set!

The colors, the cute retro pseudo-Dutch design, and they all nestle together on a lazy susan to boot!I think I am going to clean off the top of the fridge so it will have a prime spot for showing off, yet not take up valuable counter space. I.E. not be covered with the mounds of paper clutter that is drawn into my house like a black hole vortex!

I know it says its for flour and sugar and tea and coffee but those are just suggestions don't you think.

What a great spot for my granola storage! Which by the way my family ate in less than 3 days!

So while I won't be actively pursuing a crafting career, I'm still here making stuff and thrifting when I get the chance. And if there is something you see that you think you might want just ask. You never know with me ;)

Ready, Set, Toooooooooooad!!!!

It's Toad Suck Daze in these parts.

Toad Suck is a yearly festival in Conway.

Something to do with the history of the Arkansas River and the sailors that used to drink so much they swelled like toads when they docked here.

Anyway we have a big 3 day hoopla of

toad races

(Luke won his!)

music,

craft booths, carny rides,

and fried food on a stick.

What more could you ask for?

Oh yeah!

There's Stuck on a Truck!!!

Check out the webcam to see how the contestants are fairing so far.

The rain about did us in this year. Saturday turned out to be a total wash out. They completely cancelled it and we were so looking forward to seeing Robert Randolph last night and David was really upset that his music group from school didn't get to preform :(

I feel so sorry for the vendors. I heard through my friend Chris who has a booth there that she had a ton of water in her booth but that she fared better than some who had completely lost their tents.

It's Sunday today and the last day of the festivities and I believe the last little rain cloud is passing now. Hopefully we can get a tad bit more of the toady experience in before the day is over.