Ring It In!

It's that time....ring it in! 

"Leave the Irreparable Past in His hands, and step out into the Irresistible Future with Him."    Oswald Chambers

Goals for 2012 - Even Ones That Sound Silly

So what if the above picture has nothing to do with goals!  I just loved it and found it on Tumblr.

Getting back to goals, I've written down goals for the past few years.  While many goals go unmet, several are partially met.  At least I'm striving to attain, even if the improvements are small.

One of my friends, who is Latino, made it a goal for 2011 to get more involved in the Latino community here in Kansas City.  Specifically, she set a goal to find Latino friends. 

One day, at a yard sale, she met a woman who was also Latino, they "hit it off" and became friends.  Through this friend, she has since gotten involved with the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and worked on fundraising projects for the group. 

What's interesting is we had a discussion before 2011 started, regarding friendships and whether at our age - 50 - if it's possible to really, genuinely make new friends.  I say "Why not?!"  I shared with her that some of my current closest friends are friends I've only had for 5 years or less, but I feel as though they have been in my life for 5 decades.  It's our spiritual connection - Jesus - that's really binds us. 

So, yes, I believe in setting all sorts of goals.  Even beyond the typical - lose weight, start running, get out of debt, etc....

Like making new best friends....

The Wisdom of a Harlem Globetrotter

Years ago, I had the privilege of hearing Meadowlark Lemon speak at a church.  He used to the most famous of Harlem Globetrotters.  They're an amazing group of athletes. 

What Meadowlark taught was to write down your goals. 

...and then God answered

"Write it out in big block letters so that it can be read on the run.

This vision-message is a witness pointing to what's coming. 

It aches for the coming - it can hardly wait!

And it doesn't lie.

If it seems slow in coming, wait.

It's on its way.  

It will come rignt on time."

The Message, Habakkuk 2

It's the time of year to reflect on the 2011, but more importantly to set goals for the 2012 and write them down.  It's not that ALL of our goals will always come to pass, but if we write down our goals, there's a chance that some of them will come to pass. 

Accumulation and Inspiration

Jewelry made from vintage baubles and finds are what I'm into lately.  Here are a few pieces and they are also in my etsy shop - anniemason.etsy.com

Assembling the pieces is not what takes so much time;  it's getting the inspiration to creat these pieces after digging through all my finds that I've stashed away over the years. 

Every Season is for Giving

Wise people give themselves away...

All year long...

I haven't been posting on my tiny-blog.  Between life, etsy, Facebook and Pinterest, I am sort of divided. 

I hope to show you some of what I've been doing.  Like everyone, I've been making jewelry and painting furniture.  While I maintain my space at River Market Antique Mall, I am exiting Good Company at the end of this month.  I want to focus more on the mall, which is open full-time, and on etsy, which is paying off a little. 

Also, I am going to get a part-time job after the holidays, that is, look for a part-time job.  So...I need to focus on putting my time where there is the most potential, financially speaking. 

But I'll still shop at Good Company on their sale weekends.  I love Kelley and the girls!  It's a terrific boutique!

A Santos at Christmastime

May your holidays be filled with tons of blessings....

(Did you find my Santos?  I found him at a yard sale for a few bucks - there's a sticker on the bottom that says it was made in Guatamela.)

Love and peace,
Diane

Frugal Re-do for the Kitchen

How I love the new look I gave to my kitchen hardware!  Sorry, but I forgot to take a "before" shot in my kitchen.  So the picture below shows my laundry room counter, with the pulls before I painted them. 

Don't you love the shiny brass!

I removed all pulls and hinges in my kitchen.  Then using Rustoleum Primer (heavy duty) and Rustoleum Metallic Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint, I went to town.  They look great, and I saved a lot of money.   My concern is with the hinges.  When I opened them, the paint scraped off a 1/4" section.  So...black Sharpie to the rescue.  We'll see how they hold up.  I might have to go buy new hinges. 

This was a 16-hour project.  I am pleased with the results, though.

The Fall Facelift for Home

I've been busy with washing windows in these possibly-last-days of sunny and warm weather.

My living room was looking sad, so...I got out my sewing machine.

New drapes have given my living room a facelift. 

I made them!  Hobby Lobby:  I LOVE YOU!!!

The rods I found at a garage sale - $1 for 5!  Plus a huge sack of drapery rings.

After cleaning my windows, I decided it was time.  The Pier 1 curtains had been up for 15 years. 

before

And always painting furniture for sales, I never enjoy it in my own home, until now.  I found this darling antique table at a yard sale, paying $10, which is a lot for me to pay for a table.  But I love it!

I dressed  up my boring crystal lamps.  They went from this:

to this!

Yes, it's a different lamp, but both cute, but dull little crystal lamps.  It just takes craft paint on the base.  I dressed up this lamp with a vintage fiberglass shade. 

What a quick transformation.  And orange is my new favorite color.

Free, Like a Saint Bernard Puppy

From the curb during a neighborhood yard sale, I rescued four chairs - free.  The owner even helped load them into my truck.  They turned out to be as free as a Saint Bernard pup.

These pics above are the "after" shots.  I must say, the finish is now terrific.  I am happy with the outcome.  But they were a lot of work, more than any chair I have re-done.

They required lots of sanding, which I do by hand.  I went thru a lot of sandpaper!  Then I painted using a semi-gloss paint.  After a few days of curing, I sanded and distressed the finish, following up with Bri Wax in Light Brown.

Painting and finishing the wood frames was the easy part. 

I used a double layer of burlap, which is inexpensive.  However, the tedious process of finishing the backs was time-consuming.  I went through 18 yards of Chinese braid. 

While I like the finished product, I wouldn't attempt these again.  Typically, people don't want to pay very much for chairs at local venues and I feel like I should get $80 to $90 each.  We'll see what happens - they're at Good Company for this weekend's sale. 

Here's the before picture - they were covered in a polyester fabric.  They are solid chairs - Salem House Furniture pieces. 

French Provincial Child's Chair

I found this darling French Provincial child's chair at Good Company.  The bones are great - the fabric was shot!  So...I mod-podged the fabric to keep it from tearing further, and covered it with burlap.  Of course, the terrific legs must show! 

Heywood Wakefield - Is It Wrong to Paint It?

Okay, I may have been impatient.  But, this hutch top was abused by its previous owner - scratches, ink, water damage. 

Nothing that a coat of paint can't solve, I thought.  So I painted it with a gallon of "oops" paint from Lowe's.  Then after distressing lightly, I used Briwax with a light brown tint. 

I never think to take a "before" photo!  But you can see what the design is like.  I love it!  It is now at Good Company in Merriam, setting on a harvest table.  Kudos to Kelley, the owner, for recommending such a piece of furniture to anchor the space. 

 

Breaking Up My Button Collection

My button collection is breaking up!  And I will start selling it at The Fleeting Flea this weekend.

 It's sorta painful, but just having buttons set in tubs in my little studio - pointless!

So...I have bagged and tagged over 160 packages of buttons.  Some on cards, most not though.  And it's only a drop in the bucket.  There are many more buttons in my studio.  I have sent emails to the Kansas Button Society and Missouri Button Society chapters.  I'm trying to get the word out because there are others who love buttons as much as me.

This week I'll feature pics of other vendors who will be at the Fleeting Flea in Overland Park, Kansas.

Good Company this Weekend!

Good Company!

(it's this weekend at I-35 and Lamar Avenue, just a block north)

It's a fab shop.  The darling owner, Kelley, just purchased a barn FULL of junque and I can't wait to see what's in there!

Chair Re-Do

After paying $10 for this chair at a garage sale, I decided to strip off the red plaid fabric.  Beneath was the original fabric - very drab.  So, I reached for the Sherwin Williams Pro Classics paint and changed the looks.  With a tad of sanding, I distressed it and finished the look with Johnson Paste Wax. 

The decision to leave the front of the chair back loose and blousey may haunt me!  It's going to Good Company in Merriam for this weekend's sale.  Wish me luck!