Aw, heck, let's have another drawing!

It was only two days ago that I was wandering around our property marveling at the new growth peeking up from the ground. Today - well, today is an entirely different story!

I took my hubby to work this morning (explanation later) and he diligently swept snow from our patio and off our van. That was about 5:30 this morning. Did ya catch that???? That's 5:30 in the morning!

Anyway, I came back home and did what any self respecting stay at home wife would do. I crawled back into bed and went back to sleep for an hour, piddled around the house for awhile, took a shower and headed back outside. I was not expecting to see this:

It had not only snowed more, it was still snowing. The windshield wipers were frozen in place and the wind was groaning, sounding like some large beast was dying.

Thing is, I have to have a TB test done (with negative results, of course) before I start my Remicade infusions next Thursday. (I think I've previously mentioned that I have rheumatoid arthritis. I currently give myself weekly injections of Enbrel, which isn't working for me as well as it used to, so I will now start a Remicade treatment. These are done by "infusions", which basically means that it is delivered into your body via your veins and is generally handled at a hospital. The infusions take about three hours.) I'll continue with my other RA meds, including Mobic, folic acid and Methetrexate.

I also had a package ready for OliveOyl64, who won last Friday's drawing. I had planned to mail it Monday but the transmission went out in hubby's truck and you can probably understand why, although I love being with him, I don't enjoy taking him to work. Not before the sun comes up.

Anyway, since I was already out in the 26° weather, I stopped at our local Kroger grocery store to pick up a few essentials. On the way out the door, I passed a familiar sight that I have really wanted to include in this blog but never had a camera with me to do so. BUT, for some reason that I can't recall, had it with me this morning:

I want to thank all of you once again for your prayers and good thoughts regarding my cardiac outcome. The cardiologist has scheduled several tests, including a nuclear medicine stress test, for this Friday. He's also sending me home with a Holter monitor, which will record my heart's activity for at least 24 hours. I continue to feel fine, just really tired a good part of the day.

This past drawing was a lot of fun for me. I've decided to have a similar drawing each month, with the same "rules" applying. The only difference will be that the monthly prizes won't be as elaborate as the one OliveOyl64 is about to receive. (I'll post a pic of what she received after I know she's received the package.)

The March contest starts NOW, with THIS post!

...PLUS...another one!!!...

PAY IT FORWARD -

Here's an idea I picked up from Deena: Someone will have a chance to get a surprise from me, on a surprise date, in the next 365 days.

Here are the rules:

1.~Leave a comment on my blog that says you want to play. First three folks to comment will get a gift from ME. (If I don't know it already, let me know how I can contact you, an e-mail is fine.)

2.~Do the same thing on your blog!The first three folks who leave a comment and commit to doing this on their blog, too, will get a surprise from YOU at a surprise time in the next 365 days!

If you've yet to meet her, treat yourself by visiting this extraordinary woman. Click here to read her story.

Thanks for stopping in. I appreciate your visits and love your comments!

A winner!

We have a Winner!

(Bring on the drumrolls, please...!) The winner of my first giveaway package is:

OLIVEOYL64!

Please contact me so I can mail your package to your door! Congratulations!

A huge heart felt THANK YOU to all of you who participated in this drawing! Look for more in the VERY near future!!!

A Peek at Friday's Prize Package

Hi, everyone!

First, let me give a "plug" for Pat Winter's Comfort Doll Project. The dolls she collects are sent to various Women's Shelters worldwide. I've just completed four that will be on their way to her within the next day or two: I'd like to encourage those of you who can to support this project. What a wonderful way to use leftover fabrics and your spare time!

Tomorrow is my first visit to the Cardiologist. I have no idea what to expect but am thinking and feeling quite positively and thank you for your prayers and good wishes.

I'm not too sure whether I'll be posting again before my drawing (reminder: You have until midnight this coming Friday, February 22) so I thought I'd give you a peek at a few of the things that will be included. Remember, I promised to include some surprizes!

First of all, here's the trinket box:

I put an old timey looking fabric on the box and "aged" it to make it look old and worn. Then, I topped it with netting, some soft flower blossoms and a tiny bird nest with two tiny eggs in it. The winner will also get an assortment of vintage buttons. These came from an estate here in NE Tennessee; I've had them for a couple years, stored in the same dusty fabric they came wrapped in. Sorry, no pictures of these. Not right now - I did clean them and right now they're spread out on an old dish towel, drying.

Here are some pictures of some tags I made that will be part of the package. These two are coated with wax: Here's a gardening tag: The picture I used has a little birdnest in it with eggs, so I added three tiny eggs in a toile nest for dimension, and a little round tag with flowers attached that match the flowers on the picture. This fourth tiny tag is also part of the package: I mounted a picture and a fabric rose on chipboard, then glittered it up.

I wanted to give them a different look from one another so they can be used for a variety of purposes and hope you like them.

Remember, you need only to leave a comment on this blog to qualify for the drawing! Mention it on your blog and your name will be put in the drawing twice. Good luck, everyone and thanks for participating!

Before I close, I want to show you the makeover piece my husband just finished. This server had certainly seen better days. It had been knife-stabbed, carved on, kicked on and left outside in the weather. It was missing knobs (note the square knobs - my hubby reconstructed some wooden knobs for it), the bottom drawer was totally busted up, the entire inside was filthy with unknown "stuff" spilled in it and served as home to a mouse family.

Here's the before: And the after...

We disagreed on this one. I wanted to paint it. It had never been painted before and he wanted to put wood stain on it. He won. For now. ;-)

That's it for now, folks! Don't forget to leave a comment to qualify for the drawing and to check back Saturday!

Almost One Week Left in my Drawing!

Giveaways are Fun!

No wonder so many bloggers have them! Keep your comments coming; remember, you have until Friday (six more days!) to qualify for my drawing! And all you have to do is take the time to leave a message here on this blog - just say "Hi!".

Meanwhile, I thought I'd show you the true final picture of my last finished wall cabinet (one with the knob attached!). Makes a lot of difference, doesn't it?!

Also: I just wanted to show you another one of my little trinket boxes. They're so much fun to make!

And here's a no brainer T2T item: It obviously used to be an electric wall sconce. I could go on and on about how I put a vintage globe on and how complicated it was to get all the wiring out but I would be such a liar! The truth is, all I did was stick a candle in the opening that was originally meant for a lightbulb. Oh, and I did add some beads. Big sweaty deal, huh?

Here's one that was almost as easy: Hobby Lobby marked this lamp down to $6 because of the stains on the shade. Add some eyelash trim and three minutes - Voila!

Many of you have requested more updated shots of the goodies in the Corner Nest. Below are some of the pix I took yesterday Corner Nest - Feb 07

Thanks again for stopping by - and don't forget to leave a comment! You'll automatically qualify for the drawing! Mention the drawing in your blog and receive an additional entry!

Valentine's Day, Another Makeover and a GIVEAWAY!

Happy Valentine's Day! Actually, Valentine's Day is almost over and I should have written this post 14 hours ago.

My sweet hubby surprised me yesterday with flowers, a singing card and the cutest little Hallmark bear angels that make smoochy sounds to one another. Magnets sewn inside their heads actually do make them "kiss", then her wings flutter. Sooo cute! We went to dinner tonight at our favorite local Mexican restaurant - another treat for me, since I didn't have to cook!

Trust me, I know I'm a lucky gal!

Today, I'm making good on another promise to you. I told you I was working on two wall cabinets and showed you the finished results two posts ago. It's now finished (okay, with the exception of putting the knob back on) and I thought you might like to see the process this one went through. Or, the process it put me through, whichever way you want to look at it.

Here's the "before" picture:

It wasn't a bad looking cabinet but looked a bit too country for the shop that it's going to. My intention was to paint all the shelves and the surrounding walls a sort of vanilla, or off-white, then paint the exterior black. The first problem quickly emerged - the wood was very dry and just absorbed the first coat of white paint. So, I dragged out the Kilz and gave the shelves another coat before re-applying the off-white. This picture is of the inside AFTER giving it one coat of regular paint AND a coat of Kilz!

Here it is after one coat of paint, a coat of Kilz, and the final top coat.

I had much better luck with the black paint. Oops, forgot to mention that I first had to wood putty some deep gouges on the wood. If you have ever done this, you know how important it is to make sure the wood putty is completely dry before you even think about sanding and painting.

Immediately after I applied the black, I changed my mind about the colors and decided to keep the shelves behind the door white but that the side shelves needed to be black. I like this look much better and think that, after I put the original white glass door knob back on the door, it will have the touch of class that I wanted for it.

I've been doing a lot of blog-surfing lately and have decided that it's time for me to have a giveaway. This revelation came to me after I realized I had never really had a true giveaway. True, I did have a contest some months back. But that was a contest, not a giveaway.

I'll be giving away a cute little trinket box designed by yours truly. It may not be this box, but it will be very similar:

And inside the box will be tucked some surprises that will include some vintage buttons - oh, darn! I told you about the buttons! Now I have to put some other surprises in with the buttons, since the buttons are no longer a surprise. The winner will end up with a nice stash of goodies!

Entering is simple: Just leave me a comment on this blog before midnight next Friday! If you mention this drawing on your blog, you will automatically be given two entries. (Be sure to let me know that you've done this so I can put your name in twice.) If you have more than one blog and you mention the drawing in all of them, you'll have one entry for each of your blogs.

It's now after 11:00 PM and I'm heading off to bed. I'll see you again soon. Until then, happy blogging!

Eye Candy, Project Delays and 7 Things...

More Eye Candy

It's been a while since I've posted any photo updates to the Corner Nest in Elizabethton but before I upload the pix, here's a confession: These were taken some time last month so they're already outdated. I'm hoping that you're like me in that you don't care when they were taken - you just like to look.

I love this gentleman's handmade brooms! This gal's cakes are AMAZING!

Remember this yard art? I still think it's hilarious! Remember that last week I told you I had gone for a mammogram and, as a preventive measure after my brother's surprise heart surgery, I also had a scan that reveals whether you have calcium buildup in your cardiovascular system? Well, I got the results - my mammogram was normal but the heart scan was not. My doctor is referring me to a cardiologist for further tests. The new tests will let us know how severe the problem is and what our plan of attack will be.

I'm feeling really positive about whatever happens because my brother (Ted) emerged from his surgeries feeling wonderful, like his batteries had been recharged. He ended up with six stints and two angioplasties (sp?) and says he hasn't felt this well since he was in his 20's.

Keep in mind, dear Friends, that neither of us have had any signs of heart disease - no shortness of breath, no chest pains, etc. This test is a simple non-intrusive test - it's a CT scan that is (generally) not covered by insurance. It cost me $250 here in Tennessee. A cheap price to continue your life! Also, please know that diabetes is a leading cause of heart disease and, although Ted was tested for diabetes when I was diagnosed and told he was NOT diabetic, his cardiologist told him otherwise! If you are at risk because of family history, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, overweight, etc., be smart and tell your physician you want this scan and make sure you get it! You don't have to have all the above to be at risk - any one of these items makes you a risk.

Pregnant Projects

As you know, I'm always laden with pregnant projects (projects-in-waiting). I had planned on posting a couple more pictures of finished projects but - and it's as good an excuse as any - I ran out of paint! Well, now I have no excuse to post the pictures next time, as I made a trip to Lowe's earlier today and am again equipped with paint. This is what happens when both you and your hubby are running separate projects! However, I will show you what he has finished! First, a reminder of the "before": and now the after: A closeup:

What an improvement, don't you agree?! A couple of the drawers had damaged bottoms and he fixed those using bottoms of those old drawers he picked up while curb shopping a few months ago. He does such a beautiful job on everything!

and...I've been tagged!

My friend MARGO aka Robolady has tagged me to reveal seven interesting facts about myself. It wasn't that long ago that I was tagged to reveal things to you that you probably didn't know. I don't know how revealing or interesting the following will be, but this is what I've come up with:

1. It is, for some odd reason, necessary for me to make sure the bread is lined up correctly when I make a sandwich. You know, the flat bottom parts should face the same way, etc. The two pieces don't have to be positioned in sync, just must face the same way.

2. It drives me a little crazy when someone makes reference to "me and her", "me and him", me and my mom", etc. Blame this one on my third grade teacher who must have also suffered from the same anal affliction and would not let anyone out of her class until they learned to say, "She and I", "He and I", "My Mom and I", etc. The other person is supposed to always be mentioned first. Remember this if you ever get arrested! ;-)

3. Thanks to Email, I manage to stay in touch with my childhood BFF, Joanna. We met in the third grade and were inseparable through our grade school and most of our high school years. (Hmmm. I wonder if she has the same affliction that I mentioned in #2...)

4. My hair was straight as a poker stick when I was growing up, then suddenly started to wave and curl in my 40's. It's now starting to revert back to my childhood status, as is much of my mind.

5. I cry easily. I've been known to get emotional during certain commercials, tear up when I see a new baby (I think I cried for hours when I first saw my first grandchild, Randi), I get teary-eyed when I see an elderly couple holding hands. You get the idea.

6. I'm one of the few people who still wear "hard" (gas permeable) contacts. My vision is awful; I'm a -9.75 in both eyes.

7. I pop my knuckles.

And now, to find 7 people to pass this tag on to - I'll have to think about that one and get back to you! 'Bye for now!

Cabinet Re-Do

First, let me thank those of you who checked on me through both emails and phone calls! The tornadoes that swept through the South last night completely passed us by. We did get some winds this morning but nothing that I would consider dangerous.

We know we are blessed and hope you join us in prayers for those who were affected by the storms. The last report I heard was that at least 48 people had been killed and that 24 are from Tennessee.

The last few days here have been really warm for this time of year - it's been over 70 degrees! Many of us took advantage of the weather as we headed out to the polls and included some additional side trips to the malls.

I promised to show you at least one new completed T2T (Trash to Treasure) project and here it is! Remember this cabinet? It really wasn't in bad condition. It was just ugly. Although a very basic construction, someone had taken care in its construction. I thought about giving it a thorough cleaning and keeping it primitive but as I was examining it, it kept begging for a makeover. I love the look of pink and sage together and think that the combination may look fresh but still looks vintage. Thus, these are the colors it now wears. It had one glass knob in rough condition. I decided to put the knob aside for a later project and replace it with wooden pulls that I made from wood rounds (meant to be used as wheels for a toy) and round wooden beads. Well, I didn't like that look and neither did the cabinet; it looked quite uncomfortable. Those pulls were soon replaced with the ones shown in the picture. Something still seemed to be missing, so I consulted with some beads and old jewelry bits and came up with the touch of sparkle hanging from the knobs. You've seen my studio and know that I have an abundance - okay, overabundance - of supplies. This overabundance includes baskets, ribbons, papers, beads, old and/or broken jewelry, fabric - well, you saw the pictures. I had decided to tidy up the mess this morning and got distracted (as usual) by the need to create. Here is the result of that distraction: I made the beaded ornament on the front of the basket several years ago, liked it but didn't know what to do with it. It now has a home! These are easy to make and can be used as collar pins or even to dress up jean hems. You can really use them in a variety of ways, even though I held on to this one for so long. For you beaders and crafters, here are the instructions: You'll need a shanked button, beads, a small piece of felt, glue and a needle and thread. Cut a piece of felt in the shape and size you desire your finished piece to be. Cut the shank off the back of the button and glue it to the felt. It really isn't necessary to position to button in the center, as an off-center position can provide a different but interesting and pretty look.

When the glue is dried and the button is firmly adhered to the felt, thread your needle and simply stitch the beads around the button. If you want to use it as a pin, just add the pin back and you're done.

Tomorrow will include taking a small load of things to the shop in Elizabethton so I need to get back to work and tag items. Thanks again for stopping by!

Just Playing Around!

I've been working on a couple cabinets that have been stored in our Disaster Closet for a couple months. They're not ready for their final closeup yet so I won't post their pix until next time.

Meanwhile, I decided to take a break and play on the computer. Did you know that I'm an Empress? Yep, 'tis true! I'll even give you the website that will prove not only my aristocracy but yours as well if you dare to know:

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: Empress Sher the Bovine of Praze-an-Beeble Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

I'm long overdue for a haircut and found this site: http://hairmakeover.instyle.com/makeover/

You can try on hairstyles of different celebrities and change your haircolor, too, if you want. Here's my "before" picture: I usually don't wear my hair back like this but you need to push it back so the pictures will work right.

Ready for some of my makeovers? How about me in a Lindsay Lohan do? Amazing, isn't it? We could be twins! And here's my Gwen Stefani look:

Ever seen Katherine Heigle in this cut? Let's make it more realistic: No, huh? Okay, how about Nicole Richey, Reece Witherspoon, and one whose name I can't remember: This one is Zooey somebody. I dropped the bangs a little too low but think it's a great look. Not that one either? Hee!

I think I'd better give up trying to look like a 20 or 30-something year-old red carpet walker. What'dya think? LOL! (If you go to the site, you'll see there are no 60-somethings' do's for me to choose. There aren't even 50-somethings. I only have a few more months of being 50-something. *Sigh*! July 26 of this year I will be a full-fledged 60-something. Where did those years go????

Before I go back to work, I want to share this sunrise with you. This was taken Friday morning, about 6:00. The thing about watching a sunrise is that you need to appreciate the moment or it's gone. But then, that's the same for many things in life. A lesson for us all!

Don't give up on my trash-to-treasure endeavors. I promise to post pix of the re-do's next time!