July 4 centerpiece

Bonjour Peeps!  I am sharing an idea for personal shakers.....yeah, I know..... what is a shaker.??..well remember what pompoms are suppose to look like....you get the idea.

This is approx. 40 sticks with 6 strands of ribbon per craft stick.

 1. Paint the craft sticks white.

2. Cut various lengths of ribbon...we used red, white and blue...We decided to

measure about 1/2 way down the length of the stick.

3. Place a short piece of terrifically tacky tape on the end and remove the red skin.

4.Apply the ribbon to the sticky tape, one layer at a time.

5. Remember to face one sided ribbon away from you so when it doubles back, it will be facing 

correctly.

6. Apply another layer of sticky tape and ribbon.

I used a small piece of white to cover the layers. The above photo shows

a small amt. of tape used to secure the end.

Place all the sticks in a large vase and enjoy!

Yes, that is Mona peeking above the shakers...

This pair of canvases where purchased in Paris, Artist Park, Montmarte in March.

The artist is Samatra. 

Add some cake pops and you have a party!

These chocolate cake pops where made by my daughter. They are really tasty....dipped in white chocolate with drizzle....oh my.....calorie free of course!

Email me if you want the recipe.....I know it's around here somewhere.....

Happy July 4th!    Lynda

Linking with parties below:

July 4th flag window

Happy July 4th!  This year I purchased a patriotic flag and used tacks to secure it to an old window....It was difficult to capture due to glare on the glass. The window was placed on a table just outside the front door on the covered porch.

My reds don't match so type A ....move to the next photo....

The flag is a picture of 2 folks on a sailboat off shore during a July 4th extravaganza in town.

I used fresh carnations in my chippy red teapot I acquired the summer I worked at "Miss Teapot's Tea Room" downtown Lakeland.  The basket is a Longaberger with a flag tie-on.

Annie has been with us almost 26 years.....she is not showing her age....my daughter was born with red hair, so of course we had a few Raggedy Ann dolls in her room. 

Have a wonderful Independence celebration and stay safe!

Linking up with parties below:

ASCP Bust Makeover

I have been on an Annie Sloan Chalk Paint kick lately....


I received 2 cans of paint for Mother's Day....so I picked up a bust at Southern Hospitality in Plant City yesterday....just had to paint her last night. After church today gave her a wax and stained her up a bit....not bad for 1/2 day's work..... This is how she turned out....

This is how she started out.....all white and pitty....ful.....

She was very plain and dull at first....

Some residual pitting and scarring around her face??Acne?

Much improved with 2 coats of ASCP

Provence

First coat of plain wax....then dark wax making the dress and hair the darkest

Does anyone have a q-tip?

Here she is finished....with the Paris necklace I found at Lakeland's Fancy Flea several weekends ago.

She enjoys her jewelry....doesn't get out much though...

What project have you been up to lately?

Not all of mine come together so quickly....but I must 

agree ASCP does make it easy.....

Thanks for stopping by.......PLEASE feel free to leave a comment.

Linking up with parties below:

Graduation, 2012

This is one thankful Mom! Our son, Grant Harley, graduated from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville on Thursday, May 10, 2012. He received a doctoral degree in Philosophy, Major: Geography. He has accepted a position on staff at the University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg in August. He and his wife, Mandi, will move this summer.

Dr. Harley  ( hooded by Dr. Henri Grissino-Mayer)

B.A., University of South Florida, 2005

M.A., University of South Florida, 2007

Major: Geography

Dissertation: " Tree growth dynamics, fire history, and fire-climate relationships in pine

rocklands of the Florida Keys, USA

Dr. Grant Logan Harley and wife, Mandi McClellan Harley

Dr. Harley showing us his hood/UT colors....

Thankful Moms with the grad....

In front of the UT football stadium gates

Grant's sister, Lindsay will graduate from USF, Dec. 2013

I am thankful her husband, Douglas Heruska, stayed home

to take care of the dogs....we miss you too Doug! Doug I needed

you to take pics this weekend as you can see I still need a remedial class

in photography....

Girls with the grad....we were waiting on the Dad's to bring

the car for us....too far to walk in cute shoes...

Nice Grad hat, Lindsay! It tasted as good as it looked!

Raspberry filling, amazing buttercream icing....

My mother taught school for 42 years. All four of Mildred's daughters are in education....although

I remember declaring "I am going to be a nurse, not a teacher!" Be careful what you say

as the LORD may make you eat your words....I have been in education since 

1995. My sister Sabrina graduated with her Ph.D. in Education 2 years ago. Patsy has

been teaching for ? the last 10 years or so in Middle School( the armpit

of society....LORD bless her with patience)

Michelle, the youngest, has been an elementary assistant principal for 12 years.

As teachers we make a difference in the lives of students everyday. Most of the

time we do not see the end result. We are blessed to come from a 

line of educators. (English was not my specialty....so don't grade me on

spelling, please....)

Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful Mother's Day weekend!

Union Flag Box

Finally painted with the Annie Sloan paint I ordered from the local gal Robyn Story Designs in Tampa. The box I chose to paint was found in my Dad's garage months ago.

I used the only quart I purchased.....cream was the color.....I did buy small samples of the 

Emperor's Silk(red), Old White, and Napoleonic Blue.

The paint went on rather well...smooth. The only prep I did was to clean it off. No sanding

was done.

The above pic after the 1st coat. I did another and let it dry.

Then I drew with pencil the outlines of the flag. I chose the British flag.

Why did I use the British flag? There are many projects showing up these days

with this flag. It is quite popular to use in decorating....after all Annie is British!

WOW! I lost a leg....this box is really antique!

After painting the flag, I sanded the piece, then I applied the 2 step crackle from 

Annie Sloan.....then the final step.....dark wax.

It's too dark outside to take a great  photo.....so I'll try to add one later.

I think I'll use the box for old post cards when I finish the inside.

My husband could not believe I could sand the project so quickly.

He kept telling me I needed to let it dry.

I was surprised at the fast drying time.

If I didn't have to work tomorrow....I'll find something else to paint!

Hooking up with parties below:

Hello again, Mr. Louve in Paris

What is a visit to Paris if you don't take the time to go visit Mona? It may not be first on your list....but we wanted to get better pictures this year.....

She still seems fuzzy to me....but she is several feet away.....and behind glass....

but look at what else we found....

I think she is prettier than Mona and dressed much better....what do you think?

The wedding at Cana is quite popular...it is on the opposite wall of Mona.....Jesus performed the miracle turning the water into wine....

I tried to get a close-up of the detail here. The light is horrible and flash is not allowed....

This picture had an interesting frame....

This frame had 3 panels in the shape of a crown....

This onyx dressed lady has an owl....

OK we could be here for hours looking at all these statues...

A brief look at the courtyard with the horses of Marly.....

We looked for these last year....they are on the other side of the Louve....you need a map because you could wander for hours and get lost.....

Let's go shopping at Laduree.....buy some presents for Christmas....sshhh....and a box of macaroons.....that cost as much as a small chandelier.....just kidding...

The flavors are incredible....so much better than any other we tried......

The perfect end of the day treat.....a chocolate/banana crepe from the vendor next to the merry-go-round across the street from Tour Eiffel....

More adventures of Paris to come......stay tuned....

Lynda