Wear Repair

I always like to show the "good" before I show the "bad" and the "ugly".

So if you have an aversion to rotten wood and peeling paint

well, then you better not continue...

I have a great space off of our lower level family room;

a large concrete patio of sorts.

The problem is that there are some shady spots that never see the sun...

a drainage problem that invites mosquitoes to eat you for lunch...

(which hopefully is now fixed)

and an issue with dirt runoff from our shake roof that causes

 the concrete to be stained.

Oh, and did I mention squirrels with giant gnawing teeth?

When my inlaws moved out of their house a few years ago,

we brought home this park bench which we had given them.

Layers of paint that weren't pretty.

It was screaming for help.

(help meeeeeeeeee....)

And then there is a great bench that my daddy made about 25 years ago,

but was slowly rotting due to the elements...

and said giant gnawing squirrel teeth.

I'd finally had enough of this unsightly stuff,

and decided I needed to actually DO something about it,

instead of just ignoring it.

So I bought an industrial size tub of spackling

and went to work.

Not perfect, but at least I think I bought it a couple more years,

before it would have to go to the woodpile.

Bench looking better.

Sorry, no distressing here.

In a few months it will be plenty "distressed".

A can of white Rustoleum and this little set was looking better, too.

Even the planters got a little Behr Ultra Exterior on them.

So here's the space.

I'm not sure what I want to do with it.

But at least it's not so scary, now.

I'm going to be using this area for some al fresco dining

during the Summer Blog Party.

Hope you're planning on joining in!

I'm joining in on these great parties,

find the links on my sidebar.

Hope to see you Thursday afternoon with some

 Vintage Inspiration

Staying busy,

hope you're having a great week!

love,

Come join the Summer Block...er... Blog Party!!

Anyone out there ready for a good old fashioned block party?

Well, we're having one!

Our girlfriends, sisters Vanessa and Heather

over At The Picket Fence are our hostesses.

They're cookin' up all the fun,

and have asked us to come join in.

12, yea, count 'em, 12 of us crazy party gals

will each be having our regular parties

 the week of June 20-25.

But the twist is that we'll be celebrating

the first week of Summer,

with some great Summer themes.

So check out all the other blogs that are participating

and plan to join in on the Summer fun.

Vintage Inspiration Friday

will be celebrating ways to enjoy your summer,

with a vintage twist.

So grab all your summery vintage "stuff",

and let's kick off the start of summer

with a great big vintage bang!!

Picnics, garage sales, outdoor dining, porch and deck decor,

fun summer fashion, DIY projects,

 relaxing by the pool or at the beach, ...

whatever floats your boat will be featured.

So plan on joining in all week...

I'm hearing some great Summer Give Aways will be in the works.

So grab the button from

 At the Picket Fence

or here on my sidebar,

and mark your calendars.

See ya there!!

Cottage Charm Give Away Winner!

Thanks so much to all of you who came by and entered the Cottage Charm Give Away, during the month of May. This was my first time to participate, and I so appreciate all of you, who not only entered, but also posted the button and blogged about it. And Hello to all of you new followers. Hope you'll enjoy coming by to visit.

The winner, chosen by Random.org. is Patsy from

Heartworks, a talented artist from the Philippines.

I promise not to be so long in between Give Backs from now on!!

lots of love,

What I've been up to this weekend...

I love inviting you all into my sunroom;

My 80's "seen better days" sunroom.

It's my fun spot in the house,

where quilts and nic nacs and color schemes change each season.

But guess who I found out here this weekend?

Debbie the Trash-Talkin' Diva herself.

(me on left, Debbie on right)

Deb and her other half, the infamous Cat Daddy,

decided to make a weekend trip up through Oklahoma,

then into Missouri in search of junk gold.

They came by the house,

then we headed out for an Italian dinner.

I haven't laughed and hugged this much for a long time!

If you don't know Debbie,

then please go visit her at Talking Trash.

They are seasoned veterans of Warrenton,

and dealers at Winnie and Tulula's in Athens, Texas.

Talent extraordinaire!!

(and kindred spirits)

The reason I didn't get to spend more time with the dynamic duo

was due to something that had been in the works for awhile.

I've had a great booth space at Spring Creek Antiques and Tea room,

in Ozark Missouri for the last three years.

But it's not an easy place to navigate

 with furniture and tubs of merchandise.

And as some of you know,

I have a little issue with my heart;

a hereditary thingy, which has been kicking up lately.

The result of which has meant letting go of that space.

So Saturday me, hubbs, and daughter #2 Alyson,

headed down to pack it up and move it out.

But as we were about to unload it all in the garage,

I just couldn't make myself let all the "stuff" come back inside.

A quick decision and we were on the road again to Relics

where I have two other spaces.

There just happened to be an available space

 on the same aisle as my other two spots,

so I grabbed it up and we hurriedly put together this new booth;

a little more girly and white.

With 30 minutes left until closing we started unpacking tubs of smalls.

Aly is great at display so she threw it all together in record time.

See the window on the dollhouse here on the upper right?

Yeh...

that's how I felt by 6:00 that evening.

A little "wonky"!

But, thank you Lord, it's not in the garage!!!!

I'm linking to Kathleen for White Wednesday

 

love you all,

off to buy white geraniums...

Vintage Inspiration Friday # 39 Scandinavian Design

Most of us are aware of the current influences of Scandinavian design.

Anyone who dabbles in the world of "white and chippy"

 is familiar with at least a few of their blogs. 

Whether you are a full blown devotee, or like me, 

one who loves white and neutrals as a base,

we all can find something from their aesthetic

 that can be appreciated and incorporated

into our own personal design philosophy.

Here are just a sampling of blogs that I personally find as favorites.

Room Seventeen

Lilla Blanka

Hvitur Lakkris

Me and Alice

Inspiration i vitt

l antlif

Blomsterverkstad

(which literally means "flower stand")

I have to say that of all the Scandinavian blogs this is my favorite.

The flea market vibe and the colorful use of plants and blooms

 gives me a lift each time I go there.

I think I'm more attracted to the French influence in their design:

slightly more elegant and curvy.

I'm not a stark and minimalist kind of gal,

but I do appreciate the clean, vintage look.

Let us know what you think...

Are you influenced by the current

Scandinavian Country look?

There are so many wonderful and creative posts

from last week that it's hard to just choose four,

Gosh, I could feature 10 or 15 of you easy each week!

Faye at Wild Rose Vintage

found some rose dish beauties at an Old Barn Sale

Rosemary at Villa Barnes

found some cuckoo clock elements for an

Embellished Birdie Box

Terry from Forever Decorating

 showed us how she designed her Garden Cupola

and Deneen from dreamingincolor

showed us how to take a trash chandelier

and turn it into the perfect dessert tray

I'm linking up with these gals for Friday Parties:

Hope you can join the party today at

Vintage Inspiration Friday

"anything vintage or vintage inspired"

and you have until May 29 to enter my May Give Away,

just click here!

lots of love,

Is it just me...?

Blogger aka Google

seems to be at it again.

For the last 2 days I've been trying to comment on blogs

and not being able to...

but I've just now learned something interesting.

Instead of choosing "Google Account"

just choose "anonymous".

then leave your blog name.

While I may not be doing the "Happy Dance"

at least we can adapt until they can get it fixed!!

See ya tomorrow with

love ya,