Welcome the Red, White and Blue!

I wanted to have a new something on my door as a welcome to visitors but, I haven't figured what it was. And as we got close to the Fourth of July, I wanted something that represented our country. But, at the same time, that would mean it would be up for awhile and then need to be stored when I put something else on the door. So, I tried to come up with something that could be "changed out" from time to time.

I went through all my thrifty loot that I had recently gotten and decided to use this old Home Interiors picture from 1981. A mighty fine year, the year I graduated! Oooh, that hurts to think that it was almost 30 years ago!!

Okay, let's move away from that depressing thought! Anyway, remember this picture I showed you last week that I got for $1.00?




Yup, the one with the fun but plastic frame. I told you that I bought it for a redo project. Well, that is what I did.

I started by cleaning the frame. Then taking the picture out. The picture was copied onto the backing of the frame. So there was just a frame, glass and picture. I painted the frame white. I also painted the picture. I didn't need for it to be completely perfect and covered, I just needed it as a blank background.



I did a couple coats of white spray paint. A kind of cool surprise was the plastic frame mimicked a wood grain so, that showed through when it was painted. I really like the effect it gave.

Once everything was dry, I grabbed a bandanna that I had gotten on sale (ironed it) and covered the picture with it.





Make sure you pull the fabric tight. You don't want wrinkles. Once it was in place, I put the glass back in and screwed the whole thing back to the frame. Another nice thing about this old picture was that everything screwed in.



Then trim away the excess fabric.



I bought little wood letters to spell out the word "Welcome" and painted them white. I then glued them to the glass.

Knowing that this would end up bumping on the door every time it opened, I took and old t-shirt that I was going to cut up for rags and cut some pieces off and glued them to the back so it would "soften" the banging.

Then a little red, white and blue ribbon to hang it. I glued the ribbon onto the white wreath hanger. Oops, you can see the "glue string". And I thought I got all the dirt off the door. Arghh!! They are putting in a bike path in the wildlife reserve across the street. So, we are dealing with everything being covered in dirt theses days! I do need to get a bigger ribbon to make a larger bow.






I really love the way it turned out and I love the fact that I can change the background design to fit whatever holiday or look I want. Just unscrew the back and pop in a different bandanna, piece of fabric, tissue paper, scrapbook paper, wrapping paper...you name it! How cute would this be if your were having a birthday party and slipped in a bright colored happy birthday piece of wrapping paper? Lots of fun options!!




I am joining these fun parties:



"Red, White and Blue Project Challenge" at The CSI Project

"Stars and Striped Party" at Centsational Girl

"Thrifty Thursday" at Tales from Bloggeritaville

"Vintage Thingie Thursday" at Coloradolady

"Treasures and Trinkets Thursday" at My Cottage Charm

"Transformation Thursday" at The Shabby Chic cottage

"Show Off Your Stuff" at Fireflies and Jellybeans

"Look at Me Party!" at It's Fun to Craft

"Under $100 Party!" at Beyond the Picket Fence

More Red & White Treasures

Hi everyone! Are you ready for some red & white treasures? Yup, I have more to show from the "Mega Thrifting Adventure"!

This is a set of red plastic dishware and matching flatware. The set is missing two spoons. I have washed this set and bundled I up into my "To-Go Bag" that I keep in my truck. Since we stop at so many parks when we are out and about for the day, I got tired of spending money on paper plates and cups and wanted an outdoor set of dishes that can be reused and take a bit of a beating. I keep a plastic grocery bag in the tote as well so the dirty dishes go into it afer we use them. This was marked $1.91 and then it was half off.





This Campbells soup label tin was sitting on the white wicker chair that I picked up on the curb a week or so ago. I just thought it was bright and cheery and would work nice for some of the Princess' little treasures. So, this was a freebie.




I just thought this set of three salad size milk glass plates were so pretty! I love the edging.




This is just a simple plain cake pedestal that someone made. I always find these handy to have around. It was priced higher but, I ended up paying .50 cents.




To be honest, I don't buy and use a lot of Asian style dishware. It just isn't my favorite look. However, I liked the clean lines on these bowls and I have very little dishes in the black and white category. So, for a set of 6 at $1.00, I decided to buy them.




And my last little treasure for the day was this lonely abused little cup. I just had to have it. It has the prettiest pattern inside and out.






I am joining these Wednesday parties:



Rednesday



White Wednesday

How Do You Do It?

Do you use "To-do" lists? I have tried every method out there to make my to-do lists work for me and I am struggling! The Princess stays on track better than I do half the time!

I have been trying to take a few minutes before I "retire" for the evening, I have been writing out the things I want to accomplish the next day. I am doing this more for the whole, "I am never going to fall asleep because I have too much buzzing around in my head for my brain to shut down" effect.

Another question. Are you able to keep your to do list reasonable? I have a tendency to assign myself a gazillion things each day!

For example and the reason for this post, here is the list of just "project" stuff I assigned myself for tomorrow:

* Finish yellow candlestick project

* repurpose the black candlestick

* Re-paint wire teapot red

* make welcome sign

* Paint plastic pots

* paint square metal planter.

* paint wall basket

Now, that list is all fine and dandy if I had nothing else going on in my life!

Last time I checked, I am sure I saw no housekeeper, cook, laundress, nanny, bookkeeper, chauffeur, personal shopper, gardener or personal assistant in my home or on my payroll. That last part would have been difficult since I have NO payroll!

So how the heck do I think I am going to do all these projects plus all the things that are just blah everyday life chores? Not to mention, where do I fit in in pleasures like, reading, prayer, reflection, playing with and just cuddling the Princess, visiting a friend or a family member?

Or the other daily things such as listing things on Ebay, getting things listed in my Etsy store, do mystery shops, keep up on my surveys, and numerous other things I do everyday to try to bring a little extra income into our home?

And let's not even mention daily blogging!

So, how do you all do it? Is there some secret "Super Woman" book out there that I have not found yet? Am I out of the loop of the decoded email rings?

If you are doing one thing, that means 400 other things are not getting done. How do you choose which things to do when?

Do you overload yourself so much that almost nothing gets done? Do you just blow stuff off?

I have a tendency towards the "overload" concept. I have always heaped on a ton of stuff thinking I am Wonder Woman and I can do everything myself! Guess what? That just ain't workin' any more!

I am officially giving myself permission to NOT do it all! I feel like I just stood up front at a 12 step program and admitted that I can't and don't have to load myself down with all the pressures I normally do.

That project list above, just turned into my "This week I want to get done" project list.

So, for Amy's "Anti-Procrastination Tuesday's", I have stopped putting off the fact and realization that I cannot do it all especially all at once! Sounds like an odd anti-procrastination concept but, the reality of it is, I put off a lot of things that are nagging inside my brain on a regular basis. It is much easier to deal with all the external stuff of life instead of the internal stuff.

And for Heidi's "Wednesday Gratitude" I am thankful to have come to this conclusion and have the support that allows me to stop loading on more stress than need be. And I hope to have more courage and strength to ask for help when I start to feel overwhelmed. That is going to be a tough one for me but, I am going to work on it.

The Artist, Anton Pieck

Last week I wrote a post about thrifting for frames oppose to the pictures themselves. Well, I got a lot of pictures to use the frames but, I also picked up some pictures actually for the pictures.

I have very odd tastes in things. LOL I prefer to call it unconventional. Doesn't that sound so much nicer? Things just catch my eye. Even as I look at the item and think, "this so does not match my decor", I buy it anyway. Why? Because it made me smile or touched me in some other way.

I decided a long time ago that if something makes me happy, then it will fit into my decor! I did the whole "everything matches and fits just right" look in my home a long time ago. I liked it. I was proud of it. Then I got bored. I decided that the decor just showed a small portion of my personality. And it is my home, therefore, it should show more than just a little of me in it!

So, my big moral to this post is, "buy what makes you smile or what touches you." It will fit. Don't buy what fits or is suppose to fit". That is the difference between a House and a Home.

So, with all that said, here are two pictures I picked up. They are both by the artist, Anton Pieck. He had such a fun look and feel to his illustrations! They both made me smile. And they both were marked down to .95 each!



This picture is called, "The Watchmaker's Shop".



The second picture is called "The Old Print Shop"




I think I am going to just paint the frames black because they are pretty scruffed up. I want them kept simple and I plan to hang them in the hallway.

A little about the artist:

Who's Anton Pieck ?

Anton Pieck is in the Netherlands best known for his romantic illustrations and as the creative force behind one of Europe’s leading theme parks - the Dutch fairy theme park De Efteling, a kind of Disneyland. However, he was in fact a very versatile artist, judging from his drawings, illustrations, oil paintings and graphic work.

His work resembles contemporary artist Swedish-American Gustav Tenggren, but Pieck’s work is far more detailed and portraits the very typical, charming Dutch way of life. His quaint 19th century scenes have appeared on millions of Christmas cards worldwide. A favorite theme was daily life, although often in an idealized version of the 18th and 19th centuries in which the rags of the poor are more picturesque than pathetic
Painting and illustrating are skills the Dutch are well known for. After all, paintings by Dutch artists hang in museums all over the world ! Some of the best-known Dutch painters are Vincent van Gogh, Rembrandt van Rijn, Jan Steen, Johannes Vermeer, Pieter Mondriaan and Karel Appel.

Illustrators like Marjolein Bastin, creator of the character “Vera the Mouse” and Dick Bruna, creator of the “Miffy” character are also well known worldwide, but there’s one Dutch illustrator who never got the recognition worldwide I think he deserves... his name is Anton Pieck.

Anton Pieck is in the Netherlands best known for his romantic illustrations and as the creative force behind one of Europe’s leading theme parks - the Dutch fairy theme park De Efteling, a kind of Disneyland. However, he was in fact a very versatile artist, judging from his drawings, illustrations, oil paintings and graphic work.

“I want to give a bit of romance”, he once said in an interview with The Associated Press, “There is nothing romantic now.” Pieck’s Dutch publishers have estimated that 4 to 6 million of his Christmas cards are being sold annually around the world while sales of his nostalgic calendars amount to hundreds of thousands each year.

Also in the English expenditure of Dickens' boasted work 'A Christmas Carol' became Pieck's drawings taken.

An Extraordinary Artistic Talent

Anton Pieck was born in 1895 in the Dutch city of Den Helder. Both he and his twin brother Henri had a remarkable talent for drawing. Anton won his first prize for art at the age of 11 with a still life in watercolor at a craft exhibition, for which he received five tubes of paint and a fixative atomizer. Both brothers enroll in art college where they study drawing and painting, and learn about perspective, anatomy and art history. They graduate at the age of 17.

While Henri enrolls in a course at the Amsterdam Academy for Fine Arts Anton goes on to teach drawing, a tragic waste of his extraordinary talent. He educates himself further by following evening classes and in 1920 receives a permanent teaching post at Kennemer Secondary School in Overveen, where he is to be employed until his retirement
Anton Pieck passed away in Overveen, the Netherlands on November 25, 1987 at the age of 92. An unfinished drawing was found pinned to his drawing board. Over the years, he made some 1500 designs from small to large for the Efteling. Many of them can be found in the park while others are carefully preserved.



Source: HubPages

I am joining these fun Tuesday blog parties:



Nifty Thrifty Tuesday



Tuesday Trivia Tie-In



2nd Time Around Tuesday

Today Only! 250 Address Labels for $1.00!!

Hi everyone! You know I like to notify you guys once in awhile of a really good deal. Well, this is a really good deal!

Today only(6/28) if you head over to Office Depot.com you can order a 250 roll of address labels for $1.00 (plue tax) and FREE shipping!!

Use coupon code: 854758859 at checkout.

Blue Mosaic Monday~ Another Local Park

Hi everyone! Just to keep you on your toes, no dish pictures today and no thrifty finds! Maybe I should call this post "Crazy Blue Mosaic Monday"!

This park is about 10 minutes from our home. It is a great place to spend the day with a picnic and do some fishing.



Lots of fishing, play grounds, picnic tables, walking paths and even a little museum.




You can click on any picture to enlarge. The river is The Huron River which flows into Lake Erie. This explains the "Fish Ladder".






I am joining ....

(thank you both Mary and Sally for hosting these weekly Monday parties!)

Mary at "Little Red House" for Mosaic Monday



and Sally at "Smiling Sally" for Blue Monday