7 random things

I am just a little competitive, so when my friend Debbie of Words Upon Wheels put my name on her blog to see if I could list 7 random things about myself, I thought, "huh. I bet I could do that." So, here you go, Debbie!

1. I had never been outside the U.S. until was 45. Did i then go to europe? nah. asia? huh-uh. I went to India, complete with a trip down the Ganges river at dawn with floating dead bodies.

yeah. pretty at dawn, huh?

2. My natural hair color includes a LOT. of white. all over. too much, really. My hairdresser used to say it was so straight it looked like a cat sucked on it. Now it's curly and i use a straightner every day. Go figure.

3. I like the show Glee. And yes. I watch it every week,(with some discretion) but I have to tape it because my husband hates it. But I watch it anyway. My favorite episode is the one with Gyneth Paltrow and "Umbrella".

4. At least for the next four weeks, I am taking 18 pills a day to combat Ulcerative Colitis. Breakfast consists of fiber, water, 8 pills and more water. gag.

5. I have always wanted to sing back up for a huge band in front of an enormous audience. Like madison square garden or or some Woodstock-like audience. huge.

6. I watch Vh1 music videos while I work out at the YMCA. (I would watch Country Music Videos, but I don't think there's a channel for that.) Then, I embarrass my eldest by calling her and saying things like, "have you heard that song by Jay-z? something to do with a d.j.? it's soo good! Oh, it's by Usher? Right. Isn't it great??!!" I have found that I like Michael Franti, Train, Maroon 5, Sara Bareilles and I find Lady Gaga to be the most weirdly fascinating person.

7. The dumbest purchase I ever made was the red convertable Mustang that Lauren is currently driving.  I thought I was past the days of carting children and backpacks around to various sporting events, but then Brenna surprised me by joining the co-ed Basketball and soccer team the year I bought the car. I could barely fit two kids into the back seat, let alone all the stuff into the trunk. And having the top down? Not in the summer, when it's 112 degrees out here. It's like being roasted in an open pit. That only works at the beach. The best time is the fall, when you can turn the heater on and have the top down. Lauren doesn't like it either, because she can't take anyone anywhere. Do you hear me complaining?

No, this is not me. I don't smile in this car anymore. Well, maybe once in a while with the top down.

Thanks for this, Debbie-it was a lot of fun. And now you all know more about me than you ever wanted to!!!!

xo
lynn

$4.00 curtains.

I had white cotton sheers in the living room.

Had.

I bought $4.00 worth of store-brand black tea.

Ready?

Wash curtains. Especially if they are like mine and have black dirt on the top of the tabs. 

I have 6 panels.

Fill up your washing machine with hot water, on large setting.
Take paper tags off of tea bags and toss into washer. I put all 48 bags in.

I let them steep about 10 minutes or so. Maybe a little longer.

I took them out with a strainer and pushed down to get all the tea out.

Then I added my 6 curtain panels.

About every 10 minutes I would close the lid so the machine would agitate, then I would lift the lid so the machine would stop and the panels could soak.

I did this for at least 30-40 minutes. 

Then I closed the lid and forgot to pull them out after the first drain cycle, so it ended up running through the whole cycle.

The end result was pretty impressive!

Can you see the difference? It looks very similar to muslin, but just a shade darker.

After I took the panels out, I dried them for just a couple of minutes to get the wrinkles out, then hung them over the shower to dry. 

After they dried, I did notice a couple of spots by the hem on two of the panels where the tea was a much darker stain, almost like a mark of dirt. Luckily, I was able to put the panels up in such a way that the spot was hidden by furniture.

When I was finished, I put a large cycle on and just ran some laundry soap and bleach through the washer to make sure I didn't tea-dye all my big -girl panties later.

Here is a link I looked at for some ideas on how to do this:

http://www.reddawn.net/quilt/teadye.htm

The panels in the dining room:

I especially like them with this old dictionary banner I sewed:

Oh, yes. More on the banner next week!!

Definitely.

The next thing to do is to get different rods...

or spray paint the old ones!

xo

lynn

linking to:

Inspiration Friday

and

Vintage Inspiration Fridays

and

Wow Us Wednesdays

and

Feathered Nest Friday!

o.k., 

and....

SNS at Funky Junk Interior

repurposing, part 2...

What a week. 

I love my Mucinex-D, but when I don't take it, I am almost incapacitated with sinus headaches. Therefore, the lack of posts.

Here is the beginning of the re-do.

I still have more to do, but how I do love what we have gotten done so far...

from this:

to this:

I must say, I am fond of the little painting/transfer I did. I did this in order to practice for the big one over the couch.

I like it so much, I think I'll make it into a series with some different birds and words.

And SOME day, re-open my Etsy.....

This is the big canvas over the couch I have started. I like having it hanging and I walk past it several times during the day and can begin to form a picture in my mind of how I would like it to look. It has changed several times!

Plus, the sconces I re-painted and roughed up.

I love the aqua pillows...I am (really) going to try making a couple of big pillows (really) out of muslin and burlap to lighten up the room. (really)

But in the mean time, it was easier to find the aqua pillows. I went back for more of these pillows:

They were GONE the next day!!

I like the aqua ones, as they draw the color of this into the room:

It is an old, chippy wooden box I bought from Susie when she had her shop in Crestline.

She snuggled it right into the baker's rack and sent me on a hunt for my "prettiest" magazines.

Here is the rack all put together.

An amazing transformation...

of treasured items grouped together in pleasing ways

old and new..

This dish was my mom's. No, the picture isn't of her..

My dad's school books with a box I made.

The china hutch got a good cleaning out as well and all the pretty glass ended up inside with my Great-Grandmother's china.

Little bitty surprises here and there..

a sachet,

some sea shells,

little bits of unexpected pleasure.

I'll leave you with this and continue on through the week!

Have a wonderful day~

xoxo

lynn

linking to Wow Us Wednesdays

Interruption of Previously Scheduled Programming.

We are sorry to interrupt your previously recorded programming of Repurposing with this live news break.

Introducing.....

WENDY

of 

WENDY'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND

who happens to be my 100th follower!!!!!

(Insert cheering, confetti and horn blowing)

This gal came over during the One World, One Heart blog-o-rama and signed on to follow this little 'ol blog and was NUMBER 100!

Who would have ever thought?

In the spirit of give-aways and confetti, I am sending Miss Wendy this happy pendent. 

Congratulations, my new friend!

Happy Blogging...

And back to your regularly scheduled programming

Repurposing

You all know my friend, Vintage Susie, don't you? If you don't, then take a moment and hop over to her blog and prepare to smile. A lot.

So, Miss Susie came over to my house. She has this aMAZing ability to take what you have and rearrange it into the most gorgeous way I have ever seen.  I kept saying, "this is all my stuff???" And she kept saying, "yep." It has put me into a flurry of re-doing, cleaning, sorting and storing. Well, a flurry because I'm on a ton of Mucinex-D and I actually somewhat have energy for a while during the day from the pseudoephedrine. No, I'm not repurposing my house into a meth lab. I just have some energy.

Even my husband says I'm more chipper. Poor guy.

O.K., so back to the house thing.

Lots of sorting. And moving around. And dusting. yeesh.

All of this has gotten my inspiration juices flowing, and what I do in my home begins to come out in my art. Has anyone had this experience?

I have a bazillion ideas for creating!

This is getting repurposed:

This set of sconces is getting a face lift:

New vingettes await:

I'm taking old canvases and making new pieces of art, I have an idea for our words that I'm putting work into-

I can't wait to show you!!! 

I'm still working on the reliquaries, but I'm not happy with the mica sheets I bought and need to find a different kind. Does anyone know where to get them???

"You had better find it!!!" Miss Big-Girl tells me.

Stay tuned and have a Happy Valentine's Day!!

~Lynn

 

Spring Will Come

Take heart!

Spring is coming...

It might come earlier out here, but it will come to you as well!

The first whispers of the Calla Lilies...

promising new life.

linking to Inspiration Friday.