Textured Wooden Pumpkin

October 27, 2015October 24, 2016 spcountrygal Craft, Decorating, DIY, Home Accessories, Super Saturday Accessories, Armchair Decorator, Autumn Decor, Craft, Decorating, DIY, Home Accessories, Painting, Super Saturday

Fall is in the air…isn’t that exciting? Around here, that means that we are no longer having triple digit temperatures. Woo hoo! With daytime highs of less than 85 degrees and night time lows in the 50’s, I’m in the mood for everything Autumn. The other day I got the hankering to just make something new to add to my Fall decorating. I gave myself a challenge. Do you ever do that? My challenge was that I would use materials that I already own and create something I’ve never seen before. Here is what I decided to work with:

Some stained old textured wallpaper and 3 scrap pieces of 2×4 left over from a garage shelving project. Are you inspired? I was. Wanna see what I made?

Turned out okay, don’t you think? I happen to love it! Would you like to see how I made it? Alright. Here we go:

First step, I cut out the textured wallpaper. I wanted a continuous pattern so I traced around the 2×4’s, stacked vertically, on the back side of the wallpaper. After cutting out the wallpaper, I glued a strip down on each of the 2×4’s using regular white glue. Easy. To make sure that it didn’t bubble, I stacked them up and weighed them down with books. As the glue dried I made up a pattern. Kind of. I’m not an artist so I went to the computer and found a basic pumpkin template. I printed it out then cut the image in 4 pieces so I could stretch it out to make a larger size. After taping it down to a large sheet of (pieced together) paper, I drew in my own lines. Next step, I cut out the paper template and then transferred the pumpkin shape to my textured wallpaper 2×4’s, again making sure that the pattern was continuous.

After cutting the individual pieces out, I sanded random dents in the edges to make them more rounded and textured. See?

I wanted the pumpkins to look nice and finished and not thrown together so I made sure to “caulk” the edges with spackling.

See how much better the spackled part looks?

I chose to paint my pumpkin a nice white, but orange, black, aqua or teal would be equally nice. I had originally painted mine black with the intention of sanding the edges to allow the black to show through, but ended up liking the white, un-distressed look.

My stalk is a cut piece of a branch from a tree in my yard. If wishes were fishes, I would have made it longer, but by the time that I decided that, the darn thing was too attached to remove.

Once the paint dried, I assembled the pieces:

Chopstick as spacers

Possible overkill with screws

A few twist of baling wire forms the tendrils. I also added some silk leaves and some natural raffia…

Baling wire twisted around a thin marker

Twisted wire

And, there you have it… a finished pumpkin.

I’m kind of liking my new pumpkin. What do you think?

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———This post was FEATURED!!!———–

Live Randomly Simple

http://www.cozylittlehouse.com/2015/11/tweak-it-tuesday-166.html

Funky Junk Interiors: DIY Salvage Junk Projects

Intelligent Domestications 101 + Pumpkin Decorating Ideas:

Found: My Pinterest Friends

July 10, 2015September 20, 2016 spcountrygal Pinterest, Uncategorized Pinterest

I’m totally doing the “Happy Dance” in my seat right now because I am so excited. Wanna know why? Of course you do! I just figured out how to make it so I see what my friends and those that I purposely follow on Pinterest are pinning. It has been months since I have been able to do that.

Do you have the same problem that I had? Is your Pinterest newsfeed cluttered with “Picked For You” pins and “Promoted Pins”? For me, it was as if all of my friends, as well as people and boards that I follow, had disappeared from my Pinterest newsfeed. Frustrating. Seriously, has your newsfeed been commandeered like mine had been? If so, I can help you!!! Ready? Okay!

First of all, click on the gear-shaped icon on the upper right corner of your Pinterest screen, then “Account Settings”. I’m showing you my settings, but you may choose to set yours differently.

In the “Personalization” section, I set NO for both options because I do NOT want Pinterest to send me Promoted Pins and recommendations based on my activity.

In this same section, it is probably a good idea to clear your recent searches every so often, as well:

Continue to scroll down to “Notifications”, and this is the important part, click on the option to only get notifications from people you follow:

Finally, make sure that you click on “Save Settings” to make it official.

Now, go back to your newsfeed by clicking on the Pinterest “P” symbol on the left side of the search bar at the top. At this point, you should only see pins from people that you follow…YAY!!!… although Pinterest still seems to throw in a few promo pins. I’m assuming that Pinterest must get paid for these.

Another important tip: If you follow several group boards, you will also find that your newsfeed is full of pins from people that you don’t know and you may want to scale back and just follow your favorites.

You can fine tune your newsfeed further by seeing if there are pins that you really aren’t interested in and then click on the bottom portion of the pin -not the pic of the pin itself- where it says who the pinner is and what board it is on. Take a minute to make sure that that truly is a board that you want to follow. If not, click on the “Unfollow Board” shape on the upper right hand side.

Something else to keep in mind is that you don’t have to follow every single board when you follow someone. For example, I know that I will never get a tattoo so if I follow someone who has a board with all of their favorite tattoos, I can click “Unfollow” on that board alone. On the other hand, I might only like one or two board categories that someone has, so I will choose to only follow those boards. That is the awesome thing about Pinterest…you get to customize your experience. Really, how awesome it that?!

So, now I have my old Pinterest back and I couldn’t be happier. Well, kind of. It appears that everyone else is probably in the same clogged-up newsfeed situation that I was because, where I used to get hundreds of repins a day, I now get about a 10th of that. Go figure. Maybe if I tell two friends, and you tell two friends, who then tell two friends, and so on and so on, and so on… the word will get around and we will all get back to where we used to be on Pinterest: a place where we can see what our friends and those we follow are pinning. Are you in with me?

Speaking of being “in” with me…have you checked me out on Pinterest? If not, you should!

While you are at it, you can check out my boards and follow the ones that you like, or follow them all. Your Pinterest…your choice! If you do, you just may be showing up on MY newsfeed, as well.

UPDATE: Here is some recent correspondence that I had with Pinterest that I thought that you might be interested in reading:

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Easy DIY: Distressed Metal Art

July 9, 2015September 16, 2016 spcountrygal Accessories, Craft, Decorating, DIY, Gray and White, Home Accessories, Painting, Quick Project, Spray Paint Accessories, Armchair Decorator, Craft, Decorating, DIY, Gray and White, Home Accessories, Quick and Easy, Quick Project, Spray Paint

Check out this awesome piece of metal art that I bought 4 years ago at Ross.

I thought that the design was okay-ish and the size, awesome (3 feet by 3 feet), but above all, I loved the price:

7 bucks? That, I can do! I’m thinking that it was discounted because it was kind of scraped up in a few places…

…which is ok since I didn’t like the finish on it anyway. So after moving it from place to place in my garage for the past 4 years, it got some attention today, and I LOVE it!

Wanna see how I did this uber-easy project? Of course you do! First I grabbed a can of black spray paint and mainly focused on painting the edges and raised portions:

Sorry, the dappled sunlight makes it kind of hard to see, but if you look at the upper left corner of the above pic, you can kind of see the black edges which will be visible once the piece is distressed. Next, came two coats of a semi-gloss white paint:

Of course I could have called it “Done” at this point if I was going for a clean modern look, but I wanted to take it a step further and distress it up a little to highlight some of the details. Of course that is why I painted it black in the first place.

***Very Important*** If you plan to do a similar project, spray the top coats with only a short time between coats and distress while the paint is still a bit tacky. They make spray paint so well these days that it dries to form a really tough surface, which is really what we want, right? SO, if you are distressing spray paint, you have just a short window of time to accomplish that task. Even though the distressing process took me about 10 minutes, I could tell a big difference between how easy it was when I started, compared to when I was finished. Work fast, ok? If, heaven forbid, you miss that window of time, you can try using some fingernail polish remover and a Q-tip like I did with my metal star project. Just make sure that you change Q-tips often to avoid a smudgey look. Got it? Good!

Now, do you want to see my high-tech distressing tool? Of course you do:

Let me be honest: I started out by using my thumbnail and realized that I would likely wear it away to nothing so I figured that a plastic spoon would do the trick and it did. Sometimes I scraped away with the spoon part…

…and sometimes I used the handle to cover more area at a time…

Here is the finished project…

…which I LOVE!!! With the new finish, it is no longer “okay-ish”, it is fabulous. I thought that I knew exactly where I was going to place this baby, up high in my dining room, but now I want it more front and center. Hmmm. The easy part was re-creating this piece. The hard part is deciding where to put it:

Family Room: Computer Area

Dining Room: Up High

Dining Room: Above Buffet

Family Room: Above French Doors

What do you think? Where should it go?

Yep, I can honestly say that I love this piece. Love! So, do you have something hidden away in YOUR garage that could use a couple of coats of paint and a spoon?

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Truly Green Smoothie

July 1, 2015July 1, 2015 spcountrygal Food Food

I don’t know what it is like where you live, but it is hot, hot, hot here right now! Seriously HOT! It is not quite noon and it’s already 108 degrees with a forecast of 115. Did I mention that it is hot?

Just for fun, I thought that I would share how I make our super healthy green breakfast smoothie. My hubby and I drink it nearly every morning. I love that it is such a quick, easy, over-the-top HEALTHY breakfast.

I call this a Truly Green Smoothie because it has lots and lots of greens in it. Lots. I have looked at several green smoothie recipes before that include a small handful of spinach or other salad greens. Not ours. Ours has lots and lots of greens. Did I already mention that? Before I get too far ahead of myself, here are the ingredients that get smoothied out at our house:

Some of these ingredients might seem a bit out of place, but each has a purpose:

Chia seeds:

Known as a superfood, these little seeds add Omega-3, protein, antioxidants and fiber. I sprinkle them on top of 2 1/2-3 cups of water as the base of our smoothie and then add lots and lots of greens:

Did you know that you can freeze salad greens? I used to keep them in the fridge and after a few days of smoothie/salad making the huge Costco bag of greens would get all slimy and I would have to sort and rewash before adding. Huge pain. I did some research and found that you can freeze greens. I never have to sort now. The texture of those frozen leaves is just awesome, just make sure that you quickly return them to the freezer because they thaw out quickly. We get the Superfood Power Greens mix with Chard, Kale and Spinach at Costco. I grab handfuls and handfuls and smash it down as I add. It is a green smoothie, after all.

Next, come the berries:

We buy the Costco frozen mix that has raspberries, blueberries and blackberries as well as frozen strawberries. These add yummy flavor, vitamins and lots of fiber. I’ll admit that you have to kind of chew your smoothie if you add too much of the raspberry, blueberry and blackberry mix. I like to add more strawberries to avoid excessive seeds. A word of advice: check the mirror before leaving the house to avoid sharing a disgusting smile. Been there, done that.

After blending those ingredients (adding more water if needed), and keeping the blender running, I add the next three ingredients. First, a couple of teaspoons of sugar-free orange flavored psyllium aka Metamucil.

I know, I know. Actually this adds some flavor (to help cover up the handfuls of greens). Psyllium actually has more value than helping with regularity: it helps lower cholesterol and maintain healthy blood sugar level. Don’t forget that those 2 spoonfuls are for 2-3 servings.

Next comes baking soda. What? You don’t put baking soda in your smoothie?

There is all kinds of info out there about the benefits of having an alkaline body. Some might be hype, but just for the heck of it, I add a tiny bit of baking soda to our smoothie. You can’t taste it.

Lastly, I add this:

The tiniest squirt of water flavor enhancer (Crystal Light in this case) adds just enough flavor to overcome the last of the greens taste. It is my secret ingredient. I don’t think that the flavor even matters. My hubby doesn’t use this when he makes our smoothies and I just think mine taste better because of this little flavor addition.

Ta-dah! Our truly green smoothie:

Alright, I’ll admit that the red berries mixed with the greens actually make this more of an Olive green color. I would have said “Puce” but decided to Bing it to be sure. Did you know that “Puce” is actually a shade of pink? Who knew?

Yep…my hubby and I start our mornings off with this lovely Olive concoction and it keeps us going strong all morning long. My hubby drinks the ultra-large blue cup size and I go for the smaller glass. I imagine that our bodies are smiling on the inside because of the healthy, healthy stuff going in. Keeps me smiling on the outside, too…just as soon as I check the mirror and pick out the seeds!

Bottoms up!

What do you put in your smoothie?

********* Linking up to these awesome parties!*********

Our Masonic Lodge Home

June 18, 2015January 7, 2022 spcountrygal Home Sweet Home Home Sweet Home

Have you ever dreamed of turning a non-residential building into a home? For years I dreamed that dream. I had seen HGTV shows where people had converted libraries, laundromats, schools, churches, fire stations, etc. and I wanted my own non-house home. Guess what? I got it!

This old building was originally a Masonic Lodge upstairs and a schoolhouse downstairs and this is where we lived for about 18 months. One of the oldest buildings in Shasta County, CA, it was dedicated in 1867. In the 70’s, an unattractive addition was added that kind of destroyed the look of the place:

I don’t have a pic that shows the whole addition, but this was our grand entrance/carport. These pics (above) were taken on the first day that we actually laid eyes the place. Want to see what it looked like upstairs on that same day?

Cool, right? At that time, the upstairs portion was being used as a museum. Apparently there are formal occasions that the wives of Masons get all dressed up for and this room had several old gowns displayed on dress forms. After seeing this room I wanted to buy! Let me just say that I was surprised as all get out that my husband even agreed to look at the place, but even more surprised when he was willing to make an offer on the spot. It took several months for the Masons to get the zoning changed to allow it to be residential/mixed use and to get the CA branch of the Masons to approve the sale. Six months later, we were in.

Unfortunately, the nosy local historic society, figured that if they couldn’t have it, no one should. Trust me… it is a story that you don’t want to hear. Suffice it to say that an 86 year old grouchy woman must have camped at the county offices until they finally made us move out after living there for 18 months. We were told that we could move back in again, but we would have to move out first. Huhhhh? Yeah….no! The dream turned nightmare and we were ready to wake up. We sold the place.

That said, living in an old 7,000 square foot lodge was so much fun. Oh, the stories that I could tell you. Since the place was so big, our kids used scooters and skateboards to get around. The men’s restroom had a urinal. As a mother of 3 teenaged boys and lots of teenage boy visitors, I loved that urinal. Wow, that is a phrase that you don’t hear often!

Want to see more pics? Of course you do!

This room was about the same size as our first home. It served as a dining room, living room, hubby office and behind a curtain wall, master bedroom. Let me just say that it was a long, long trek to the restroom in the middle of the night! This pic only shows about a quarter of the room. You can see a tiny portion of the kitchen which was quite large and had a commercial dishwasher that could wash and sanitize a tray of dishes in about 90 seconds. That was awesome!

This room is even bigger. It housed our 3 sons, workout equipment, ping pong table, etc, etc. A bit of a mess here, but you get the idea.

This was, hands down, my favorite room of the house. I wish that I had taken more pictures, darn it! The painted tin ceiling and crown molding were simply amazing. There are 4 tall windows down each long exterior wall that brought so much light into the place. Great cross circulation, too. The walls are old growth (remember…1867!) redwood. You can see that they carefully alternated between red and orange redwood boards, horizontally below and vertically on top. The ceilings are 11 feet tall. This is a second story room, for heaven’s sakes! 11 foot ceilings! My friend, Patrice, and I used to use this room as an indoor running track…it is that big.

Yep, fixing up the place would have been amazing but having the historical society breathing down our necks just wasn’t worth it after all. So, 5 years later, the place sits empty of human life. Basically a huge storage unit with 3 acres of waist-high weeds. Millville Historical Society must be so proud. (Sounding a little bitter, aren’t I?)

So, I got my dream, after all. Sometimes dreams don’t turn out like you thought they would, and that is okay. I guess. Living in a normal house again does have its perks. Like a toilet that is less than 186 steps away from the bed. I hear that the place is going on the market soon. I’m almost tempted to try the dream again. Almost.

Do I regret the 18 months of living in a lodge? Heck, no! It was an adventure that my husband, my children and I will never forget.

I’m curious: Would YOU ever move into a non-house home?