Relaxing Things...

In keeping with the fact that tonight is Spa Night, I'll be doing a pedicure once Baby Boy goes to bed :) Aahhh... I really need it too after all the painting this week. My toes are sprinkled with black and green paint! Not pretty. But a wonderful excuse to pamper my feet.

Anyway, I wanted to share a few projects I've been working on:

Remember this shelf/ hand towel bar I picked up at a thrift shop?

My loving man got rid of that scrolly thing that had lost its mate and sanded it all down for me. So yesterday when the mood hit, this mild mannered piece of metal was ready for painting.

The newly painted shelf turned recipe book holder will complement our sconces that go above the dining table. This still needs to go up on the wall in our new place. My kingdom for a stud finder!

And now it will tie the kitchen in with the eat-in dining nook :)

Oh, I love it. I'm working on some type of shelf to lay on the flat part. Aahhh... dreaming about the many recipes I will make using my handy recipe book holder. Remember, the original glass shelf is gone and this is upside down from how it was meant to be used. A few picture hanging hooks helped to stabilize the new position.

Between coats of paint, these babies got a good scrub down.

Please tell me you can see a difference! Most of the discoloration turned out to be permanent. I mean, I love that we got them for free, but I'd like them to look nice.  Hmmmm... perhaps another paint session is in order.....

After all that, I was ready to get off my feet for a bit. Ah, enter the gorgeous silk I found yesterday. Cut out four rough circles. After a bit of hand sewing....

Oo la la! I love it! So I made another one. And am a little obsessed because I'm in the process of making more.

I just had to put the first ones up in the guest bathroom. Oh no, I've unleashed the girly monster within me. Is it sad that I'm totally looking forward to girling it up in this room?

Walking around almost nekked after the dreaded kool aid incident of 2010. Which shall remain untold.

Saying the most beguiling please he can muster. No way, kid. I'm scared of you. And kool aid.

Take time to pamper yourself this week! Whether it's a homemade spa treatment or rearranging a few things to make your space a little more peaceful. Happy pampering :)

UPDATE 8/05/2010 I'm linking to:

I Would While Away the Hours....

I am in full project mode today and things are going well. Nothing major, but I haven't been in a project-ish mood for a while, so I'm just going with the energy while I've got it.

I've been helping a friend clean up our apartment complex's poolside furnishings this week to get ready for the grand opening. We'll be having a luau for Memorial Day weekend and I can't wait for the pool to be ready! I'll be able to teach Baby Boy how to swim! I always thought I'd teach any children I had to swim early in life but until we moved here, it didn't seem like it was going to happen. I just love that we will have access to a pool!

Earlier today, I worked again on pool furniture until I ran out of paint, so nothing more to do there until tomorrow when the supplies are refreshed. While Baby Boy snoozes, I'm trying my hand at my favorite type of project: reusing things we already have. I love the creativity aspect, even if it's something small. Today it's turning cereal/cookie boxes into some type of storage. We'll see how that goes! It may be great, it may be bad, but hey, it passes the time. We were blessed with two lawn chairs that aren't needed at the poolside anymore (yay!), so while the revamped boxes are drying, I'll be scrubbing down our 'new' outdoor seats. I'm excited to have somewhere to sit outside! And the spot in front of our apartment is perfect for relaxing in the cool evenings. Well, I'd better get going. Have a wonderfully wacky day!

The 'before' of the chairs I've been working on. There are also matching metal tables that need to be repainted. I was only able to do two chairs and a table before the paint was gone.

Obviously, several of them are stacked here, but you can see the chipped paint and rust on the edges. There are even a few splatters of white paint from when someone used them as a step stool to paint a room.

And the reveal. This is after being sanded, primed and given a glorious new shiny coat of green paint. I hope you can see the difference. They look wonderful! Only 5 more chairs and 3 more tables to go!

Found this gorgeous piece of maroon and black silk in my scraps. One of my best friends sent it as part of a bundle of Thailand silks for my wedding gift. I had forgotten all about it for 4 years! Perfect to use in the guest bath for the Feminine Powder Room look, huh? Now I have to figure out how I can get the most use out of this half a yard of fabric.

Harharhar... one of the poor unsuspecting boxes I'm demolishing to scratch my crafty itch. Results to be shown later.

And my wonderful little man. Such a sweetheart! Hiding behind throw pillows and whispering 'I love yous' has been a favorite thing for a few days.

Pincushion

I finally did this easy-but-so-useful craft. After weeks of procrastinating, that tuna can I washed out and saved was finally getting on my nerves. It seemed to mock me: "You acted like you were going to make me into something but really you just like collecting clutter." Ack! What was I to do but grab the offending can, plug in the glue gun and get to work. Here is the result, and here is a tutorial telling you what to do, because I didn't have a charged camera while I was making it. They put a ring of hot glue on the inside rim of the can before cramming the batting and fabric in there too! I guess great and lazy crafty minds think alike : ) A tout a l'heure, mes amis!

Scrap ribbon saved me from measuring and cutting more fabric...or having to sand and paint the can.

The pretty fabric is from my latest stash of scraps. Thanks to my thoughtful mother, the original crafter!

Now What?

I need to get back into a routine. Not having one has been wreaking havoc on my daily schedule, or lack of one. So, in an effort to do that, I'm starting on some projects. Well, let's say I'm thinking about a few projects. Here's one item in particular that I can't figure out what to use it for, but when I saw it while I was out thrifting, I plunked down 2 bucks and brought it home for a makeover. I want it to be functional, but not necessarily what it was originally.

The left side is missing the fancy "S" shaped bit that can be seen on the right. I'll probably remove the remaining one. There's a bit of rust, which should be camouflaged easily with some sanding and the new coat of paint.

Obviously, it was a little shelf and hand towel rack that could be attached to a wall with screws. It could be a great place to put my growing collection of scarves. By growing, I mean I used to have one and now I have four. I know, drastic change, huh? Still, I'd like somewhere to put them and have hesitated getting more when I see them at a great price because of the lack of storage. For scarf storage, I'd paint it silver (to go with the master bedroom theme) and mount it to the wall for some pretty and functional storage.

The other option. Yeah, I flipped over the first photo. Anyone with extreme vertigo, avert your eyes.
Turn it over, attach it to a kitchen wall just above the counter top and Voila! A pretty cookbook/ recipe holder. My counter space is very limited and making things from my cookbooks is a bit of a juggling act, which this would solve nicely. If I go with this option, I would paint it black to match the wrought iron decor in the attached dining nook and black appliances.

So, two dilemmas and two solutions. I've been wracking my brain for other ideas but anything else I think up sounds cheesy (panty drying rack, anyone? bleh). I'll decide and get started this week :)

Crafty Day & Spa Night

npacked a box yesterday and found a postcard I received 3 years ago from my sisters. I loved it so much that I saved it, propped up on my dresser. I decided to give it a new life in a mini shadow box.

To the left is a frame whose glass broke during packing. I was sad, but I knew I could use it for something else. And there's the beautiful mosaic postcard my sisters made for me. The turtle is made of different pieces of colored paper covered with glitter. I love the colors and I LOVE turtles, so I just had to make sure I could enjoy it longer.

I placed the frame on the card and cut so the turtle would be off kilter. Don't know why. I just liked it. I also love the bubbles near the turtle's head so I adjusted it so a few could be seen in the frame.

After spraying both the frame and newly pared down card with an acrylic sealer and letting them dry, I secured the turtle in the frame. For the last step, I cut a piece of blue foam sheet to fit the frame and glued it to the back.

It's up on the wall now. My beautifully personal shadowbox :) I couldn't get the photo to show just how vibrant and gorgeous the turtle's colors are. Trust me, it looks amazing. Hubby saw it when he came home last night and asked, "Where'd we get that picture?". Ah. Success!

Now for the spa part. I just whipped up a face mask and after rinsing, my skin feels baby soft, so I thought I'd share the easy recipe:

Chocolate Honey Mask
3 Tbs honey
1 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder

In a small bowl, mix ingredients until consistency is smooth. There will be air bubbles.

Apply to face, massaging into skin. Leave on for 20 minutes. If you get bored because you also happen to be waiting on the dishwasher to get done while dyeing your hair, you could always whistle. Ha!

Remove with warm water. Seal your pores with a final rinse of cold water.
Apply toner and moisturizer and you're done! Enjoy your unbelievably soft skin.

I used a homemade sugar scrub before using this mask, but if you're short on time and want to eliminate the extra time spent on the scrub but still get the benefits of a good scrub (like removing dead skin cells), just adding one more ingredient to the Chocolate Honey Mask can help.

1 Tbs dry oatmeal. That's it! Oatmeal.


When you massage the mask into your skin, the oatmeal will act as a natural exfoliant and soothe your skin too! Honey is a natural antibacterial, helping any open blemishes to heal and unclogging pores. The chocolate powder contains natural antioxidants and supposedly protects your skin from damaging free radicals.

Spa Night in general helps me unwind and destress. Do you need a little relaxation in your day? Try this simple mask and leave the stress behind for a few minutes. If nothing else, you'll feel pampered and you'll see the improvement in your skin. Plus, this mask smells divine!