When does the relaxing part start?

Yes. Summer is here and it's supposed to be about relaxing...that's not happening in this neck of the woods. I haven't stopped moving since the beginning of the week...some good, some bad.

Good:

• Helped with our fifth grade promotion decor and breakfast on Tuesday (4th grade parents always help). I wish I had photos...it looked so great! The theme was Katy Perry's "Firework" song. We used rolls of black craft paper to cover the side walls and then spray painted the lyrics so it looked like graffiti. We helped Jan, another parent, make these cool "explosive boxes" and made it look like fireworks and stars were extending from it...hard to describe, but they were awesome! 
• Then, helped my elderly friend's daughter get rid of a truckload of unused toiletries, toilet paper, paper towels, cleaning supplies and delivered them to a local homeless shelter...they were so excited to get all the supplies!!
• Today, worked at helping to set up our local magazine's annual "Best-of Annapolis" party...loading and unloading boxes of silent auction donations and boxes of giveaways...I get to attend tomorrow night (and dress up!!!) I love to dressup, considering I spend the majority of my life in shorts and a tee-shirt or sweats.

Bad:

• We had a basement flood on Monday and as of right now, we still can't find the source. Water is still coming from somewhere and we can't find it! Frustrating and smelly to say the least. We are now on the process of elimination...not the pipes, not the toilet (which we replaced), not the upstairs air conditioner, and so the mystery goes on...UPDATE: we think it's the lower level air conditioner; so until the AC guy gets here, we will be living in our bedrooms...it's supposed to be a hot weekend...
• Our sump pump also broke (nope, that was not the cause of the leak), which could have been a major problem, but my husband fixed it.

DON'T FORGET TO ENTER MY GIVEAWAY AT THE DIY CLUB RIGHT HERE

Back to Nature...

I've been anticipating Tracy's Trinkets & Treasures nature photo party this month. We spend a lot of time outdoors as a family (okay, mostly on the sports fields), but we do go hiking and exploring a lot. We have a favorite trail near us in Maryland called Billy Goat Trail, and it's known for it's rock scrambles and tough terrain. So, without further ado, here's some of the shots we've taken over the past year there and near the beach on the Eastern shore of Maryland. The one above and two directly below where taken by my son, Houston.

This one was taken by me...it's a rock that looks like a little car...don't you think?

This one was taken on the hiking trail.

This one was taken at a field near our house...the sepia tone, was added, of course.

 My son took this one at the beach...I love the angle of the palm.

I love the detail in this next one, taken by my son, again:

Nature's pretty awesome.

Success!!

My yard sale was a success in many ways! First, I raised $170 for the Alzheimer's Association! Most people were very generous, but I did have one lady who tried to talk me down from a very, very cheap price on vintage linens. I kept telling her that it was for charity, but she insisted that I take $2 for $8 worth of linens (which in reality was probably over $50 worth of linens). I said, "no" about five times and she shrugged and set them down...I sold almost all of them anyway, thank you very much. Seriously.



Anyway, I also cleared $160 for myself and have a cleaner garage. After unloading two truckfuls of stuff at my friend's house, I came back with one lonely box of stuff...all going to Purple Heart.
I was so happy to report all my earnings to the daughter of my friend with Alzheimers that I rode my bike right over after the sale!!!

As sweet as she is, she offered me anything that was left in the house...I could have filled my garage again with all the wonderful stuff, but I settled for a few plates, a new toaster, some other trinkets and these two gorgeous wood carved antique chairs! (I can't believe they didn't want them.) I am going to paint and recover them this summer...have no clue where they will go, but I love them!!! Trust me, they will be beautiful!

Time to Let Go...

I've been gradually reducing the huge amount of STUFF in my garage. After I lost my studio last year, it became clear to me that hand-painting furniture just isn't the right art medium for me...it just takes too much space, and we haven't had use of our garage for over a year. So, I've been donating a lot of my stuff to school silent auctions, people in need, and now, I'm about to put the rest of it  in my friend's community yard sale this Saturday. If it doesn't sell, it's going straight to charity.


Also, a dear, sweet friend of mine (my pretend grandma) was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer's...her daughter is going through the tiresome and emotional task of clearing out her house and moving some stuff back to Florida for her mom; she asked me if I wanted some things to sell such as stacks of old cookbooks. I thought that I would include her things and some other items that were given to me in a separate area at the sale and any money I raise would go directly to the Alzheimer's Association...so, if you live in the area, be sure to stop this Saturday at our sale!


Here's the scoop:


The Meadows community yard sale Saturday, June 11th, from 8 am - Noon.    16 – 20 homes in “The Meadows” and “Great Meadows” neighborhoods.  Cross Streets are Balt/Ann Blvd and MeadowGate Drive, Annapolis, 21409.  From Hwy 50 take Hwy450 South exit toward Naval Academy.  Turn left on Severn Ridge Road EAST; Turn left on Balt/Ann Blvd; turn right on MeadowGate.  Follow signs. 
....I'll be located on Meadow Hill Drive! 

Don't forget to enter my giveaway at The DIY Club this month! 

Chalk it Up to Paint!

Remember this little end table I got for $5 at a yard sale? I can hardly contain myself...I painted it with Old White chalk paint and love it! However, when I first started painting it, I admit it, I panicked! You see, chalk paint isn't like ordinary paint; it's a little thicker and it dries pretty quickly, so after three coats...it looked terrible; it was lumpy and uneven looking. I had to call an expert for advice...Cassie at Primitive & Proper. She calmed me a bit, told me to sand and wax. I did, adding a lot of distressing to hide those large lumps and the parts that had a little too much texture, and whew! I really like it now.

I grabbed these knobs, which I think match so nicely (so, now my nightstand needs new knobs). And, I immediately found a home for this sweet piece in my front hall (it may be temporary, but for now it works).

Of course, once I started with the chalk paint, I couldn't stop... I bought these candleholders at another yard sale for $5 (seems to be my magic number) and decided they would look great with a little chalk paint, too; the rust orange color looked great for autumn, but not for the rest of the year since nothing in my home is rust orange.  I love how they turned out.

Hmm, I wonder how the dog would look painted...


Don't forget to enter my giveaway at The DIY Club this month!

Linking to:http://www.shadesofamberinc.blogspot.com/

  

A little bit of Shabby Chic

Yesterday, I finished my latest keepsake box. I was tempted to stamp it with French script as I do most of my other boxes, but I controlled myself. This one, I painted a creamy off white and then antiqued it with an umber glaze. I then added a wood embellishment (also painted and antiqued). 

Inside, I used Mod Podge to decoupage ripped mulberry paper. And, 
just to appease myself I stamped it randomly with French script! 

Getting ready for an extremely busy weekend of lacrosse, soccer and graduation parties! Don't forget to enter my giveaway at The DIY Club this month!

Giveaways and Discounts – How About That?

Starting this Friday at the DIY Club, I will be part of a month-long etsy giveaway! I am offering all my followers (and new followers, too) a chance to win one of three original works of art. Hop on over to the DIY Club this Friday for details. The collage above is one of your choices!

Also, for the entire month of June, I am offering a 15% discount on ALL items in both of my shops, Country Tag Sale and Where The Grass is Greener. Just type in the coupon code, COUNTRYTAG15  for the Country Tag Sale shop or WTGIG15 for the Where The Grass is Greener shop at checkout!