From A to Being

Room Re-Do #1 Entry & DIY Ballard Design Orb Chandelier!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 29 Jan 2016 16:51:00 -0500

First on the list of rooms that have been re-done since moving in is the Entry!
Let's start with a good before and after shall we?!? This photo was taken before we moved in (seller touching up paint)... **just a disclaimer...EVERY room in our entire house has been repainted by me since we moved in... and the vast majority of lighting fixtures have been replaced...but we'll cover those as we do these makeovers.

Here's the room after:

You may recognize that little half moon table from the Entry Makeover from our previous home. And...before you scratch your head in confusion...yes, it was Fall when this picture was taken, and yes, that's a chair on my living room table because I was painting it.

Here's the DIY Ballard Design Orb Chandelier... I'd been eyeing these forever, and knew when we moved, I wanted to get one. I couldn't get myself to stomach the price tag though...$299?!?!? Woah! I decided to try to make my own. You can too, here's what you'll need...

Materials list....
Old light
Spraypaint
Macrame rings (I used 4)
JB Weld
Patience

Here's the light I started with...$10 from Habitat.

First, disassemble the light to get to the middle. Then, you'll need to pull your macrame rings apart...loop them through the top of the light fixture, and use JB Kwik Weld to secure the rings to each other, and to repair where you had to separate them...

I used clamps to get them to stay where I wanted them while I was waiting for the the KwikWeld to dry....and yes...those are containers of spare lighting parts.

Then, spraypaint with your choice of spraypaint...replace your light fixture with the one you just made...sit back, and relax...or start making something new!

This project total cost less than $30!!! Score!

See ya next week for the next room makeover!

So....We bought This House....

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 19 Jan 2016 16:10:00 -0500

....We bought this house almost 2 years ago. February 28, 2014 was our closing date. But before we go there...I want to start with the story of the old house, because knowing the situation in its entirety will help you understand.

So, October 2014-Mr. A2B and I decide it's time. It's time to start those last minute projects OR-finish those million projects so we can begin to consider, or at least look into putting our house on the market. **DISCLAIMER: IF you're thinking of doing this...get a storage unit or three. Just sayin.

First-We contacted a Realtor who ended up being the BEST Realtor we could have ever dreamed of. She came, she saw, she commented, and we shat ourselves. Just kidding...but she was a realist. We told her what we wanted to list the house for, she recommended against it, and my husband said, well, we aren't planning on listing it like this...we're planning on doing stuff first. (She probably shat herself thinking how are these people going to do everything I recommended in a couple of months?!?!) Nonetheless-if you've been here before or if you know me, you know I have issues... OCD (in multiple forms) one of those being Obsessive Christmas Disorder. We thought our best chance to sell the condo would be while she's decorated in her Christmas Glory! My father and mother in-laws said-put this house on the market when it's like this...(they said that in 2013)...so that's what we wanted to do. Thinking to ourselves...The market is down right now, so we'll have about 6-10 months to find something, so we'll do all of this stuff, list it, and start high-so eventually the price will fall, etc....Baaaahahahahaha-wishful thinking...

Anywho-we painted the entire house inside, replaced fixtures, shampooed carpets until the cows came home, and packed up about 75% of our belongings and hauled them to another storage unit. While we unloaded about 50% of the other unit so we could decorate for Christmas. Yes, this was the second storage unit...full-sized-as big as you can rent round here...packed to the ceiling! So, the day came...our Realtor came over, took pictures, put the sign in the yard and told us the house would officially be "live on the market" two days later. I will say-she was impressed by our Awesomeness (AKA-ability to bust A$$ and get everything here done...including renting scaffolding and painting 28' walls and the entire ceiling in the place).

The day it was live, we received 3 requests for showings, to be the following day...yes, all of them...and the next day, we had an offer...a cash one-naturally we took it. Luckily-they knew we had little ones and since it was December 13th-and we had about 2-3 feet of snow that winter beginning in November-and since we didn't have a place picked out yet, they offered us closing at the end of February.

WAIT-yes, you read that correctly...had a cash offer...3 days after our house was on the market...and we had no place to live. Talk about STRESS!!! Not to mention the fact that I bawled my eyes out the night she put that little Keller Williams sign in our little front yard. So before I get to the part about how we ended up here...let me take you through an emotional journey.

We poured so much $$, blood, sweat, and tears into this home. We spent our Wedding night in this home. I started my blog in this home, we brought our children home from the hospital to this home, the monsters said their first words in this home...now, it's time to just up and leave it?!?!? Over the course of 6 years there, virtually every single square inch of that place had our mark on it...and the kids' too. (thank God Sherwin Williams covers crayon). Even the tiny inches of that house didn't exist were created into something; whether that was a playhouse under the stairs, or a tiny space that couldn't be wasted for storage. It was small, but it was open and we were always together...even doing laundry, or while preparing dinner...it was cozy and it had grown on us. All of us. What was once a bachelor pad...actually THE Bachelor Pad had now become home. Our Neighbors were family, they house sat for us, knew our pets' names (all of them), gathered our UPS packages if we needed them to, called 911 for me because I was sure the "suspicious" vehicle that belonged to another neighbor's grandchild was a serial killer's. True story...more on that later. But, now we had to say bye?!? It was bittersweet to say the least. And of course-when you know you must relocate for more space, but also don't in your heart of hearts want to leave, house hunting is not as fun. So it began, we searched...and searched...and searched. Nothing. There was always something about the houses we went thru that just didn't do it for me. Which is shocking because I typically find the silver lining in everything, and can see the potential of houses. Not this time. I was very petulant. Looking back, I do feel sorry for everything I put our poor realtor and Mr. A2B through.

It was time to say good bye. Eventually-I settled. I was outnumbered. The realtor, by this time my closest friend, Mr. A2B, my parents, and in-laws all voted against me. I wanted a basement, cathedral ceiling (because of my Christmas tree of course), and some land...yadayadayada. I didn't even entertain the thought of this house until the last minute because it didn't have a basement...or cathedral ceiling down stairs. But I lost, and two years later with a whole lot left on my "To-Do-to make this my dream house without a basement" list-I couldn't be happier that I did. We have completed a lot of projects. There are even more than we've done to go, so why not get this blog going again? First I'll share the before pictures with you...and we'll journey together through all these projects like we did at the old house. Here she is in her real estate photo glory...

Front of the House

Back Yard and Patio

Woods

Office

Living Room

Kitchen (looking towards Laundry Room)

Kitchen (looking towards Living Room)

Laundry/Mudroom

Half Bath

Master Bedroom

Master Bath

Loft

Little Man's Room

Little Princess' Room

Kid's Bath

4th Room (Craft Room)

Don't go away yet...the journey is just beginning....I thought the same thing...she's just not me. But almost 2 years into it, and she's starting to become my dream home. So, grab some popcorn, maybe some tissues, check back tomorrow or the next day, and join me as she goes from A to Being!

Half-Bath Pallet Renovation Reveal!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 13 Oct 2014 13:13:00 -0400

This project is one that I helped my dad visualize. I didn't do much of the work. Long story short...Mom and Dad decided to move. (kept the house we grew up in for a rental) The new house is bigger, AND...an extremely well-built full brick ranch with a walk-out basement. Their dream home. Actually-mine too! It's perfect and we all love it! It's still close to where we are, where my older brother and his family are, and the old house. It's great for holiday gatherings, has an open floor plan, and the basement is my dad's dream. The old house had a basement but it was not functional. More like a cellar to store canned goods and hide in when a tornado came. It was frightful to say the least. So, like I said, My dad did most of the work. I just got the project going. They moved last summer. After having lived in one house for 25 years, you begin to acquire a bunch of crap! So, Dad kept telling all of us that he wanted absolutely NOTHING! He was a little burnt out if you catch my drift. So, since his "man-cave" half bath in the basement boasted a pink sink and toilet, I decided to get him a faucet and a galvanized bucket for the sink. And, yes, I meant to type that. I was inspired by this...

Source

PERFECT!!! So, for the "rustic" look, I went with this faucet from Home Depot. It's expensive but it was his Christmas gift. For the sink....I got him a bucket similar to the picturebbelow.. And we went through two of them. On the first one when we drilled the hole, we cracked the bottom. No worries, it's now the trash can. We were more careful on the second one. We got the bucket from Rural King. Be sure if you're doing this to use silicon to seal the bottom to prevent any leaks.

I had some left over river rock tile that we used for the sink top and back splash. So, I did that. He came up with the ideas for everything else. Here are some before pics.

And, here are some after pics... that's the same vanity that was there. Dad just used more pallets to redesign over it. And he ripped out the adhesive tiles and put in a new ceramic tile floor! I did the back splash and "vanity top". And we did replace the pink toilet with a white one. :) Dad completed the toilet by adding a deer seat for the man cave. The TP and towel holders are antlers dad had laying around...and yes, there are lots and lots more of them!

The layout of that area is different. Here are my "best" sketches to show you what he did. And yes, he even used pallets on the ceiling and added a motion activated (outdoor) light to the man-cave outhouse! My dad is amazing! Wait until I show you what he did in our new house!!!

He spent days breaking pallets up...if you're going to do this...or something like this, be patient!!!
We are waiting on the picture to go in the window behind the toilet, and I'm in the process of making the mirror. But I couldn't want to share.

DIY Toddler Storage Beds

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 3 Oct 2014 12:26:00 -0400

I made these beds because the kids were lacking toy storage space in their shared room at our old house. I checked Anna White's blog for some inspiration. Here's what I knew:

*Needed space to store toys in the bed while keeping them organized.
*Needed to use the toddler mattresses we had (also the same size of a crib mattress).
*Needed to be able to position them in a particular corner (we were getting ready to list).
*Needed to utilize the corner space for; doll highchair, doll stroller, stuffed animals, and other items didn't want out during showings.
*Needed space for Christmas Tree (yes, I know).

First, I found some clear storage bins with lids from Walmart that I could use. (Store toys and keep them organized...check!) Then there were some toys that I needed to store that were oddly shaped and needed open bins. So, for this, I went to ULINE and they have TONS of things like this that aren't super expensive. Here are the tubs from Walmart...

Next, design beds that will fit the maximum number of toy bins that wouldn't hog too much room and could still utilize the mattresses we had...so that's what I did. I'm sure the guys at Home Depot were going to kill me when I showed them what I was building and how many cuts they'd need to make for me. At least they were super nice about wanting to kill me I suppose. So, after work I returned to the Depot to collect my lumber yard. Once I unloaded all of this I was overwhelmed....but that's okay. I feel like this a lot. Especially when I am in the middle of a project that seems to have no end...and you will too. Guarantee it...just keep swimming! OR...have a glass or two of wine and go back at it...both work well. Here's what I mean...

So on to building these bad boys. First I made "boxes". Not all had tops to them...not all had bottoms to them. I was making this up as I went along according to my "drawing and plans"...lol!

This was the "middle tic-tac-toe" thingamajig I made. Yes, very technical I know. After those were done, I "framed" them in with what was the top and bottom of the beds.

I also used little bun feet on the bottoms, and made the left over sides a little book shelf. With some help from Mr. A2B I flipped them up and made sure my tubs fit. Thank goodness they did.

I used 1x2's to "trim out the fronts of the beds. And with the help of about 20 million tubes of caulk, wood filler, and sand paper I was ready to paint! Here's the final product...

I did add rails so the monsters wouldn't fall out. I didn't build them. I took apart an old shelf that held baskets that we weren't using anymore, and made them work. :)

This picture was taken while I was building the back corner part, and before I filled all of the holes on the rails. Remember, I needed a place to store all of the space-hogging toys so we could show the house. That's why the beds needed to go in this corner. To label the tubs, I used my "DIY chalk board labels". The Monsters actually put their toys away-where they belong. Never in my life did I think that would happen.

And, here she is...in her Christmas decorated Glory!!!!

And there you have it... DIY Toddler Storage Beds! When I look back at the pictures from the old house, I miss it. I miss it a lot. I spent 6 years turning a bachelor pad into a home for our family. I constantly need to remind myself that Rome wasn't built in a day and if our old house took me 6 years, our new house will take me 12. So, with that in mind I hope you plan on sticking around! :)

Maybe this weekend I'll fill you in on some of the details of selling our home. Looking back on that journey makes me feel blessed. And who knows, maybe if you're thinking of selling or moving you could use some of our tips.

Have a great weekend!!!

Return to Awesomeness?!?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 29 Sep 2014 14:19:00 -0400

A long, long, time ago there was a girl with a blog. Then, life got in the way and she lost track of time. Before she knew it, days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and months into years. She had finished a log of DIY projects, finished an entire condo actually; packed it up, and moved into a "not-so-much-her style" home...and she's back at it again... ONE. DIY. PROJECT. AT. A TIME.

Yep, that's right...after a LOT of thinking and taking lots of things into consideration, one month short of a 2 year hiatus of blogging, I've decided to start this baby up again. I'm not posting every day. I'll be lucky to actually post more than one post during the week and one during the weekend. Nonetheless, I'll be posting this week so stay tuned for that. I've also decided to clear-up all of the advertising on my blog as well. I'm not blogging as a secondary income, and I'm not doing it to make money. In fact-at least for the time being, there won't be any sponsored posts...just me keepin' it real. One creation at a time...or toddler happening. They're getting pretty good these days. So, I just wanted to let all of you know that I'm back to show you how things go From A to Being once again!

See you soon!

Craft Room Makeover Reveal

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 16:14:00 -0500

I've been going back and forth on whether or not I should reveal the details of this room or the entire room and go over the details next week.... I've already revealed the desk do-over it was a labor of love, so I might as well show you the whole room.

Here are some before shots... *Disclaimer: these were taken "during" the process...so, naturally there is CRAP all over the place, but I didn't think to take awesome pictures of the before...BEFORE because I was so excited to get the project going.

@ the top of the landing...

Computer "area"?!?

"Craft area/bed for....guests?!?!"

My ribbon problem...

"organized"?!?!

Yep, pretty awful, I know. First issue: repaint the space...the maroon (while it was pretty) was too dark, and made it impossible to decorate. Paint choice: Stone Lion from SW...(because I already had a half gallon left from my bathroom, and it's a grayish/brownish...) Here's some progress....

Here's what the garage looked like....

OOPS!!!

Once she was painted: next issue: get rid of huge honkin desk that cannot be arranged any other way, or moved to any other wall....then, de-crapify the loft....and organize it....and find another "inexpensive desk"...then, for the fun part...decorate it!

So, let's see this bad boy shall we?!?

Up the stairs that I redid....here. And at the top of the stairs? An overweight black lab, our little Rookie.

And yes, my gallery wall is finally done! But honestly, I've not had time to post about it. You can see the giant picture tutorial here. And, hopefully next week, I'll let you know what I did for the wall....but here's the loft...and all its awesomeness!

To keep the cost down, I ordered fabric and made my own drapes. I bought Ikea lights off of Amazon (no Ikea here) ;( and mounted them to the wall and put the middle one "through" the drapes. I like the effect! This photo was a "during" photo...getting the new desk in was a debacle in itself, I'll tell you about that later. AND-pardon the fan, it was HOT up there!

Another "during" photo, after the desk came in and the white curtains were hung behind the stripes.

Another view of the window, and the chunky doggie!

Guest bed, (I used the left-over material to make a body pillow cover)...some of the pillows are from Etsy, Target, and.PB Teen

Top of landing, another view. Yes, I re-did furniture, but more on that later...

A view of my "craft area"

(Sorry about the bad pics....luckily I remembered to take them)...I made the lamp(shade) well, actually re-did the entire lamp twice (below), and also added another Ikea light on the wall....(above)

Ahhhhh....a "space for me"....and the kids....and the dog, and the cats, and our guests, ahhh, yes, and Mr. A2B!

A shot of our new desk! And, Big Bertha is still there too. Read about her transformation here. And here are some of my favorite details.....I'll explain them later when I get a free ~~minute~~ second...whew! FINALLY!!!

Busy Weekend...and WEEK!!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 16:53:00 -0500

Yes, the loft will be revealed this week! With Turkey Day being Thursday, we were all jumbled. BUT...Christmas decorations are done...and there's ANOTHER makeover in the works, BUT, I just couldn't wait to share......

Roadside Rescue...The Little Shelf That Could...

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 14:52:00 -0500

Hello There! So, since I've not posted too many projects in a while, I'll give you one small do-over just to keep you smiling! I'm hoping to do Loft/Craft Room/Little Monsters' Art Studio this week, and give you some previews on what is new and in the works! This project was FREE! My dad found this little shelf by the side of the road on trash day. It wasn't bad...I mean, after all, It was FREE. So my dad, being the most amazing man that he is, picked it up and brought him over. Here's a before...

And some quick afters.... I wanted to use my ASCP, but wanted brighter colors to show up underneath when I sanded it....so I went to the trusty ol' acrylic craft paint...worked like a charm!

(And, no-I do not know what these pegs are for!!)

Here's a during....since the little hearts are a little dated for my liking....I cut cardboard pieces to put over them, and I painted them with Chalkboard spray paint! Yes, the same spray paint I used here...gives it endless possibilities!

To the eye, on the side of the road, one might say...one of the hooks is broken, and the little hearts are kind of "homely"...but to my Dad's eye, it said- "I bet she can create SOMETHING with this"....I can't believe someone would throw that away"! He just gets me, what can I say?!?!

Christmas Itch...Big Red Preview. Butterflies Anyone?!?!?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 13:55:00 -0500

Call me crazy! I DID decorate for Thanksgiving, but I got the Christmas itch and decided to rip it all down and begin the Christmas festivities! Which made the little monsters happy because that means Chippy the Elf also arrived. His name was Ernie, but apparently they renamed him?!?!?! Whatever. Anywho, here's a preview of Big Red. you may remember her from here. And again here...lol!

This year....BUTTERFLIES!!!!!

Labor of Love

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 13:33:00 -0500

Why is this post titled "Labor of Love"? Well, it's simple really, allow me to explain.

Me: "Hmmm....I think I'll redo the loft, and make it more functional for the little monsters, and create a space for them to let their minds run wild!" (Sounds simple enough right?!?).... I had this desk I purchased at one of my favorite junk spots, SSS! And it came with an antique chair...best part, it was only $15! SCORE!!!

Me: "Hmmm....since it's THEIR space, perhaps I will allow them to choose the color scheme?!?! (This actually turned out to be one of the best ideas about the room)...more on that later. BUT, here's a peek of the rug I scored for super cheap at Target during their "Back to School" sale.

Me: "Jordan, are you sure you want these colors?" Jordan: "Yes mommy, I love it!!" (how could I resist?!?) So, I'll reveal the whole room next week, but by little monster #2 picking the rug, I decided I was going to go all out and "fun-up" the room so naturally, I started with the desk. Here's my little monster #2 (AKA "Helper")..yeah right. Any who, I disassembled the entire thing, with the intention of priming, and spray painting. (Sounds easy right.....WRONG!!!!!)

So, I took it apart!

Then....I found

So, after spending hours upon hours getting the non-lead paint off of the desk itself, I came up with the idea of a clear top for the desk....something like plexiglass. Why not? THEN....the monsters can see what's in their desk.... So, I lugged the aforementioned top to the glass place....and almost pooped myself when they told me how much a top was going to be....but I couldn't resist.... So, I ordered it. Two weeks, I must sit and wait....awesomeness...NOT!!!! Since the custom top was $120!!!-yes, that just happened....I decided I was not going to invest more $ than I had to into the chair (also lead-filled), so I found a bright yellow one online for $20....I can swallow that. I decided to keep the legs "crome"-ish looking to keep it similar to the chair....then I picked the green, not only because I already had that color of spray paint, but because I love the color scheme of yellow/orange/green....there are lots of websites that tell you all about colors and what goes with what etc....it's a little elementary, but I've found it helps me a lot when decorating because sometimes I think things "go"....but they don't. Anywho since Little Monster #1's favorite color is orange, I decided to paint an old silverware drawer organizer bright orange (already had the spraypaint) to keep their supplies organized. I put felt pads on the bottom to prevent them from scratching the desk. So, finally two weeks later, my labor of love was finally finished. Here she is...

More on the loft do-over later! It's good to be back!

Linking up to....

Our Office Fish Likes Ellen!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 15:38:00 -0400

Thought you all could use some humor this Thursday afternoon...

Meet, Nate! Nate enjoys long swims in his bowl, and of course, Ellen Degeneres! We named him Nate because he absolutely HATES anything other than green in his bowl. He is very particular about the color scheme in his environment, thus, "deeming" him worthy of being named after our favorite designer, Nate Berkus! Here he is, enjoying some Ellen TV!!! Oh yes, we almost forgot...he LOVES watching finding Nemo too...maybe that's why he is so hooked on Ellen?

HAPPY THURSDAY!!!!

I'm NOT Sorry! I LOVE America!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 09:06:00 -0400

I have to write this post today because I think it's important! Initially when I read through the comments of my post from September 11-about a review of Obama's America 2016-I was taken back! Here's the comment...

AND-I'd written a very long response to the now "Anonymous" (now) un-follower....but I thought since they don't follow anymore, they might not get it. SO-please read the comments under that post...you'll find it...there are only two. LOL....here's what I say to you...."Anonymous"...

Actually-the article was written by Scott Paulson, who happens to write political news and commentary for CBS Local and Examiner.com and teaches English at a community college in Chicago...typical very liberal. It didn't come from Fox News. I apologize if I've offended you. I'm simply exercising Freedom of Speech, which just so happens to be protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. And, you're exercising yours, which is why I'm leaving it up here.
It's a great film, and I thought the commentary was very well written, and non-partisan. AND-if you must know, I'm a fiscal Conservative, and social Liberal...much like a Libertarian.

HOWEVER, I see why you think I'm a right-wing extremist-I have a different opinion of President Obama than you-(which, lemme guess-makes me a racist too?) I think Obama's policies are bologna, his supercilious demeanor actually makes me cringe, and he's an embarrassment to our Great Country!

I see you've changed your name to Anonymous-well, I'm not hiding behind anything. This is my blog and I'm not afraid to stand up for what I believe in. I want my kids to have a better life than I did-I want them to live in the land of opportunity. I want them to recognize that they, just like you and me, were created equal, endowed by their Creator-given rights such as Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness-and also just like you and me, they have freedoms that my Great-Grandfather fought for in WWII-and my cousin -and a few friends of mine whose husbands fight for every day. Certainly you, and everyone else can appreciate that-that's why we can agree to disagree right? Isn't that what our Great Country is all about in the first place?

I appreciate your opinion. There's nothing like sparring first thing in the morning- I'm not going to call you names, rather-I'll just disagree with you. It's too bad you can't do the same because all of my projects, DIY's, tutorials and such-well, they're non-partisan. I'm not going to apologize for for being an American, and having an opinion of my own because too much blood has been shed so I can have this Freedom-to have my own opinion!

Happy Friday!

So there you have it! If you're still a reader-I'm happy to have you here. And if you're political views are different than mine-I'm still happy to have you here.

’2016: Obama’s America’ Movie Is Disturbingly Necessary « CBS Los Angeles

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 11:03:00 -0400

’2016: Obama’s America’ Movie Is Disturbingly Necessary « CBS Los Angeles

Laters Baby!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 4 Sep 2012 16:54:00 -0400

So...oddly the room is done, and I'm editing the photos for the reveal...BUT, I've read 50 Shades of Grey, Darker, and Freed.... and I have a lot to tell you... but I'm out of time today so I'll just say this; I've read all of the books...TWICE! And I purchased them the 21st of August.

PB Knockoff...except the Nakedness

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 15:09:00 -0400

It's almost been a year since I began blogging- primarily to keep myself busier than I ever thought possible, and partly to share creations/obstacles/epic failures with all of you. When I wanted to make some upgrades to the house, I researched a lot of ideas online...then I stumbled across a few honest blogs, and TONS of perfectly fake blogs. They made me feel bad, like....hello, my "playground" of a house is never going to be that clean...even on its best day. So, I felt it was necessary to start my blog.

Why am I telling you this?!? Welp, remember that welcome back to me message from Monday? You know, the one where I said I was going to share a PB knockoff with you yesterday?!? Ok...NOW you're following me. Well, guess what?!?! No shade = No reveal. But then I got thinking...look out right?!? DANGEROUS... Who cares if it's not totally done...it's as done as it's going to get...especially since I'm not really sure where it's going anyway. I have some great fabric, but until I figure out just how I'm going to do the shade part...you'll just hafta enjoy the nakedness. And maybe if you go junkin this weekend-you'll remember to look for an old tripod that you can put a lamp kit on and have some nakedness for yourself...for a fraction of Pottery Barn's!

Here she is...Naked Nancy!!

No shade....just Nancy. In all her versatile nakedness. She can be "Tall"

Or...she can be "short and stout".

Either way, she is fun, and I love her. I'd been wanting one of these since who knows when, but since I've not been junkin' in a while I haven't had the chance to find a tripod. I went to Target today and bought a plain white lamp shade to cover. Hopefully, the monsters will allow me some time to get it finished tonight. If not, so what?!? I have a "junk" desk and chair to paint up tonight too. Who wants to start placing bets that neither gets finished tonight?!? AND...I cropped out so much of the photos because I'm saving it for the big reveal for the 25th. Sorry!

THAT just happened...

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 14:49:00 -0400

APRIL....MAY....JUNE...JULY...

Yep...took some time off. I've been up to my eyeballs busy with one ginormous project. The plan was...after softball season is over...start blogging daily again. This would have worked out EXCEPT.... we went all the way into June this year!! Awesome for our team...not so awesome for all of you. After the season, we had a 2nd birthday party to plan, and family vacation...then a softball exposure showcase that I was asked to coach in July, then a Bachelorette party/weekend in Chicago....then the ginormous project. Good news! I'm planning on returning to our regularly scheduled content on Wednesday!!! Hopefully the reveal of the ginormous project will be the 25th!!! It's called operation CLEAN OUT/DECLUTTER!!! Doesn't that sound amazing?!?! It's a little different in terms of style/colors so be sure to catch that one. I let our 2 toddlers pick the colors/accessories. Yep...I know. But they actually did an amazing job!

Ok, so I've decided to set a schedule for my blogging. Sorry folks, but it's just too much to do 5 days/week. The 9-5 and kiddies need time too....and so does Mr. A2B...so I'll be back Wednesday with a quick little Pottery Barn Knock-off from my Junking this weekend...here's a hint...Theirs...$349.00-$599.00...mine: $8.89!

Chat at cha in a couple of days. It's been too long...waaaayyyyy too long!

Softball Field Project with Miracle-Gro Expand 'n Gro

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 16:01:00 -0400

This post brought to you by Scotts®. All opinions are 100% mine.

Hey there! I have to tell you what I’ve been doing this past week…It’s officially softball season, and if you’ve been a reader here, you’re aware that I coach high school softball. It’s great because about by the time the season is over-the yard sales, and furniture painting projects will be in full-swing.

Since the softball girls are on spring break, typically every year I take on a new project to make the field look a little better. If you have a huge yard-you can relate- this is no easy “feat”. Two years ago, I put in a warning track. It’s a little smaller than I’d prefer, so after the season is over, we will be widening it. Also, our dugouts need new roofs, and my wonderful daddy has volunteered to do that (of course with my help). BUT…I did manage to get a ginormous project finished this week. I had a giant pile of ag-lime moved from behind our bull-pen and dispersed around various low spots in the field. Where the ag-lime pile was, I decided to do some scape-art. I used pavers I bought at Lowe’s and made a “wall” on the back-side of the fence, put down weed-barrier, a load of fill-dirt, Expand ‘n Gro™, flowers, planted a bush, and mulched it. The awesome part? The flowers are planted in a “CC”. Our school is Central Catholic and we go by “CC”…so I can’t wait for the girls to get back. I’ll post finished pictures next week. Some of my players read my blog, and I don’t want to spoil the surprise. Here's a "preview"....

Since I’m not posting pics of the finished product until the girls get to see it, I have decided to tell you a little about the Miracle-Gro Expand ‘n Gro Concentrated Planting Mix. I was asked to write a little review of the product, so of course, since I LOVE it, I said YES!! First, let me remind you…I had to build a “mound”….well I only got so much fill-dirt, and thank goodness for this Miracle-Gro. I mixed it with a little water and expanded to almost 3X its original size. It gave much needed height! Also-it feeds my flowers for up to 6 months-way more convenient for me since after the season, I won’t remember to “feed” anything but the monsters, Mr. A2B, and myself. While it’s feeding my flowers, it will also retain up to 50% more moisture than typical potting soils. Again…much more convenient-less time spent watering everything! It’s also supposed to boost the flower production. I’m anxiously awaiting these results because so long as it does what it’s supposed to do, our “CC” will be full and even more beautiful.

Since I used the Expand ‘n Gro, I didn’t need to use any other top soil or potting soil like I was going to because it is supposed to improve the soil for multiple years. Again, this made the project much easier for me. I’d highly recommend this if you’re looking to make any project easier, get more “dirt for your buck” and save some money. If you had to buy fertilizer, top soil, potting soil, and feed,, your project would end up costing much more. It’s an easy way to prep your garden, planters, and flower beds.

Watch this video and learn a little more about it if you're not convinced...

I can't wait to post an updated picture of this project! It looks awesome!

TRB...The Voice....What's in a Name-A Blog's Name?...and Exciting News...Wrap-up!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 10:32:00 -0400

Hey Y'all!

So, I promised I'd let you in on a few surprises, and wrap-up the month with where the name of my blog came from. It worked out great because (obviously) I've been writing a lot about Grandma lately, and also told you about a surprise that "is in the works for you"... This is a great seg-way into that surprise. Here's how it went down...

Last January, (2011) Mr. A2B and little ol' me were driving to the Indianapolis Airport on our way to catch our flight to Tampa to get on The Rock Boat. Every year, they compile a "sampler" cd so everyone can become familiar with a few song of some of the artists on board. I had just received a call from my mom about my Grandma. She was calling to tell me that her doctors thought it would be best to start dialysis. When someone goes on dialysis, they have to have a port put into place. Grandma didn't do well with surgeries, so we were all very scared to say the least. I made mom promise me that they would not do the surgery until we got back, so they waited. With tears rolling down my eyes, I turned to Mr. A2B and told him I wasn't ready to loose her. He sympathized, and reached for the volume knob, and turned up this song, and said, "here babe, this will make you feel better"...as I listed to it, the chorus came...and I was immediately appalled that he could be so insensitive. The first line goes, "And Oh my my honey, everybody dies"...I (of course) screamed at him...and turned it off. He interrupted me and said, no, listen babe, just listen. So I did.

Here's a video clip (not the best quality, but the only one that I was able to put on here)

It quickly became my theme song. For a better version from ON-AIRSTREAMING, click here. You'll be directed to Youtube.

You may not know why this became my "theme" song, but it struck a chord and I used it when I delivered my Grandma's Memorial Speech. I also delivered her Eulogy. Here was her Memorial Speech:

"Most of you were here when we buried Grandpa, and if you weren’t, Grandma literally tripped and almost fell head first into his vault, so all I can say is; well, she really fell for him this time… In January each year, we go on the Rockboat…it’s a floating musical festival, and you get a chance to see some up and coming singers/songwriters. This year, we got Seth *(my little bro) hooked on it. There was and artist named Matt Hires on the boat. I didn’t get to see his show, because I was busy making sure Seth wasn’t trying to hijack the cruise ship…but he has a song called A to B. Andrew suggested that I use it today… The chorus of the song goes,

And oh my my honey everybody dies

But you’ve got, you’ve got to see

That you can live your life walking in a straight line

But it’s more than just A to B

As we are gathered here in this cemetery, take a look around you. The headstones all give a date of birth and a date of death, an A and a B. Someone next year walking by here will get to see ma and paw’s A and B, but not know anything else. But we are lucky because we were given the privilege to be a part of their middle. The part that matters. I could walk over there…and tell you their A and B but I wouldn’t have a clue about who they really were. But for grandma, and paw beside her, I can tell you everything there is to know. That’s what will make me smile long after this day has passed, that’s what will comfort me in the coming weeks…is that somewhere between her A and B she touched my life and so many others. Between her A and B she lived such an unselfish beautiful life that words from me couldn’t begin to do it justice. I could go on and on about what made her so special. But I don’t need to tell all of you how special and wonderful she was. Because you’re here. You wouldn’t be here today if she hadn’t somehow touched your life too.

Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened. And whatever you do, don’t just think of life as going from A to B…because it’s not when or how you go, it’s life and what you make it. It’s the traveling, not the road that gets you there."

It was just as she would have wanted...short, sweet, and to the point. No time for tears, just smiles and happy memories. I wanted my blog to have her written all over it...and that's how From A to Being came about. I was going to go with: A to B....but it wasn't quite right...so I went with From A to Being because whether it's a softball field, a cake, finding yourself, refinishing a piece of furniture, taking on a small craft, or parenthood, all things go "From A to Being".

How does this relate to the "potentially good news for me?" I know that's what you're thinking. Well, since The Rock Boat has been so good to me, helping me find new artists whose songs are relate-able, and have helped me tremendously, I approached the Marketing Director for Sixthman (The company responsible for the floating music festival)...Anthony between concerts. BTW-Ken and Drew from Sister Hazel will claim it was their idea, but I'm pretty sure Andy Levine was the master mind behind it. Anyway, hopefully, Sixthman might tap into the blogging world for advertising. So, stay tuned for that because when Sixthman does something, they do it right.

Don't think you'll know any of the artists? Many of you probably know a few artists from past Rock Boats. Don't believe me, watch this....YEP! Zac Brown performed Chicken Fried on Rock Boat IV...YEARS before he became what he is now...Here he is performing with Sister Hazel.

Last year, I found another favorite...NEEDTOBREATHE. They opened for Taylor Swift...and now...they're huge. One of the best parts of it all? The artists don't leave the boat (unless they go on an excursion or something like that)...they're your boat-mates for a whole week. AND...ever wondered what is behind one of your favorite songs? Ask them while you're in line for pizza at 2 a.m. Or catch an intimate acoustic show on the Serenity Deck...as you're sippin a nice drink, watching the sun set...while listening to your favorite artist...from a hot tub...yes. It's true.

Here's a shot of Will Hoge (my all-time favorite artist...Mr. A2B proposed at one of his concerts) on the Serenity Deck...

GREAT show...absolutely amazing. You may have heard of Will...his song Wings is at the top of the Country Charts, and on CMT every morning. His song Even if it Breaks Your Heart is being sung by the Eli Young Band. Here's Will's version.

Here's The Rock Boat XI recap video...Song in the background is NEEDTOBREATHE!

The Rock Boat XI Recap from Sixthman TV on Vimeo.

I hope you're checking into The Rock Boat!!! I've certainly been inspired! Hopefully you will be too! Happy Friday!

*****AND...almost forgot...THIS GUY...Tony Lucca...now on The Voice. Yep...Rockboater!

Piano Bench Before and After Breakdown...

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 15:54:00 -0400

Hey There!
Boy, am I the luckiest girl in the world or what?!? I was overwhelmed by all of your emails, comments, messages, and support! I sincerely appreciate all of you. After all, YOU'RE the ones who helped me and you probably didn't even know it. I was down-sad and very lost. Starting this blog helped me find myself again, and helped me FEEL again. I cannot thank you all enough. I've received a lot of questions on the bench, so today I'm going to show you exactly how I did it. Here's what I had...Isn't she beautiful? Just wait!

I didn't re-cane it because although it would have been fairly easy and inexpensive, I wanted to do something different. So, after I ripped all of the canning out, I was left with just a rectangle. I wasn't sure what to do. I thought of a side table, but was afraid one of the little monsters would break the glass, and then if I did put glass on top...what would I do with the edge? So as I was rubber-necking around in one of my favorite junk spots, I spotted an old antique serving tray...2 handles, glass bottom, and a frame...only $2!!??! I'll take it!

I was reading a lot of blogs before I started mine...and I stumbled upon them because I was researching "painting furniture"....boy was I in for a surprise!! I loved the look of contrasting pieces. Unpainted tops, and accented parts...I was smitten!!! So, that's how I found ASCP. If you remember, my post on my First Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Piece I used ASCP in Arbusion Blue! I didn't want to "go right after" this piece, so I practiced on an old dry erase board I picked up at a Salvage Store. THIS piece is what I was practicing for! :) So, I used the blue on the legs, and corner braces. For the top and bottom braces, I sanded, stained, and poly-ed. I LOVED the contrast!

I disassembled the tray and decided I wanted to have a piece of glass made for it. I wanted tempered glass just in case the little monsters decided to break it. The total cost of the new piece of glass was $18. I used gold rub and buff on the metal parts of the handles. I'm sure this is what started my "gold-loving kick". I wanted to paint the frame to have it stick out a little bit, but wanted to keep some of the originality of the tray, so I cleaned up the handles a bit and gave them a coat of stain and poly.

Then, the more I saw the bench, the less and less I wanted to use it as a side table. I came up with the idea of making it a shadow box. I was kicking a few ideas around and at first, I was going to put hinges and have the bottom open, but since the bench had corner braces, unless I wanted them to show from the top, the hinges wouldn't work. Instead, what I decided to do was cover a piece of plywood with burlap, and use the corner braces to hold the shadow box "back" in place. I hadn't secured the top, so at this point, after I was finished screwing the corner braces into place, I built the shadow box from the top.

Underneath shot

Building the "box" progress

Close-up of the handles/distressed frame.

Here's the final product... To adhere the frame, I used Liquid Nails.

What's in the box? And why is it in there?

Smile Sticker-Grandma and Grandpa paid for my braces, so she always used to remind me to smile. She didn't like to see me unhappy, and even if I was upset, I tried as hard as I could not to show it if she was around because I never wanted to upset or hurt her.

String of faux pearls-Ma & Paw lived close-we all spent as much time at their house as possible. She LOVED crafting. We did it together. When we cleaned out the house, mom gave her craft supplies to me because she knew we loved doing those things together.

Knitting needle-Grandma taught me how to knit. Another favorite memory!

Yellow Rose-This was the one single flower on Ma's casket. She always told me; "when I die, don't let your mom and Heather spend money on flowers...It won't matter, I'll be dead...who cares if there are flowers. I want one single yellow rose, that's it!" So, that's what she got. The ribbon was leftover from my wedding. We (Mom-Ma-& I) made almost everything. The ribbon was yellow, and I tied it around the beautiful flower for the services.

Christmas Gift Tag-If you've read any of my Christmas posts-you already know by now that I tend to go overboard...in every aspect possible. It comes from her. She was Santa, and it was her favorite holiday-(probably why it became mine)...and we have many fond memories of Christmas Celebrations over the years.

Cat sticker-Ma loved cats, and that's probably why I started loving them too. NO ONE else likes cats in my family, but I sure love them. We used to play with all of the stray cats at Ma's house all the time. She fed them...so they kept coming around.

Hotel sticker-Mom and Dad couldn't afford much. (Neither could Ma & Paw) but they made everything possible. When I was 10 I started playing travel Fastpitch Softball for the Indiana Magic. Every weekend, we lived in hotels across the country. We drove and drove and drove. They are responsible for me going to DePaul to play softball on scholarship. Without them, I'm not sure if it would have been possible. The day I signed my National Letter of Intent was one of my proudest moments, and it was for them. I was proud for making them proud.

Indiana Magic Bunny pin-Every year, we bought tons of these, and traded them with the teams we played. I have so many memories of travel ball, pin trading, hotels, and everything in between. It makes my heart happy just thinking about all of them.

Band-aid sticker-My little sister actually gave Ma her nickname Grandma Boo Boo. She was around 3 or 4 when Grandpa passed away unexpectedly, so since my mom was Ma's caretaker, Allison went to all of her doctor's appointments. She knew their names, what they specialized in, and where the wheelchairs were kept. It's not every day a 3 yr. old knows what a Cardiologist does, let alone a Podiatrist.

Round Tropical Sticker-That was a seal from our wedding invitations. It's fitting because she actually introduced me to my husband, and she had tried 6 years before finally succeeding. I'll do an entire post on that later. She was a little match-maker!

Red button & Thimble-Ma taught me how to sew also. We made a lot of things! Some of them must have made her laugh hysterically when I took them home, nonetheless, I can sew with the best of em!

Wheat/Cattails-Grandma LOVED cattails. I have no idea why, but she did. We used to stop by the side of the road if we saw them just to pick a couple for her.

Saint pin-The Saint pin stands for a couple of things-She is my Saint! She was a Saint...by every definition of the word! The pin was actually one she earned for her letter jacket in high school, and ironically enough, almost two years before she passed, I told her she was a Saint. I was going through the RCIA classes to become Catholic and one night we covered Saints. I remember calling her as I was driving home and told her, "We learned about Saints tonight." She said, "oh yeah?!" and I responded, "ya know-you are a Saint"....she didn't think so, but I insisted because "God didn't define Saints by pre-naming them-all the Saints are Saints because of how they lived their lives, by the sacrifices they made to others...you are a Saint!" She rested her case. :)

Angel pin-She gave this to me on my 16th birthday. She told me never to drive faster than she (my Angel) could fly. She always had a way with words.

Life Sticker/Happiness sticker-She wrote letters to all of us. When she passed, we all got to read them. In mine, she said, "I hope you remember how beautiful life is-you have a special heart for those around you. Never forget to love the little things in life-remember to smile!"

Thanks again for all of your support. This month hasn't been easy to say the least, so thank you. I'm wrapping up this week with how the blog got its name, and that'll take me a few days, but it's a great seg-way into the exciting news I have been waiting to share with all of you about the trip. Since it's taken so long, the giveaway will be in April, but it's gonna be great! Happy Tuesday!

To My Dearest Saint...What's it Like in Heaven? I made a shadow box out of your piano bench...

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 14:52:00 -0400

Well Gma-
You've been up there for a year now.

A year ago today mom called in the wee hours of the morning telling me to "hurry, it's bad". I'll never forget that sinking feeling. You probably don't have the same memories of that day and I'm relieved because I know you wouldn't have wanted to see us in pain-any more than we had to see you in yours. I'm not sure what you recall about those last few days. Mom and Heather never left your side and I saw you every morning on my way to the office, during lunch, and on my way home before softball practice. Looking back, it's the worst roller-coaster ride I've ever been on. One day you're walking down the halls of the "rehab" facility-laughing with us during lunch visits. And the next day, you were incoherent-not because of any fault of your own, but because they overdosed you with pain meds-had to treat you for it, and that sealed your fate... I prayed that God would take you because although my heart was shattered, you didn't deserve to go through all you did. It didn't seem fair. I kept asking why he would let someone feel so much pain. Someone who hadn't hurt a single soul their whole time here on earth. Someone who brought so much joy to those whose paths crossed theirs. Someone who I refer to as "My Saint". You passed away on a Tuesday early morning. We were all with you. The Friday before that we all had our chance to sit and watch basketball with you, laugh with you, and have you to ourselves one by one...I don't know if you remember or not, but we made promises to each other...When I asked you if you were ready to go, you said yes, soI made you promise me if God came to take you-you'd go and not try to stay for us. In return, I promised you I'd be okay-I promised you I'd be there for mom and dad-I promised you I'd make sure everything was going to be alright. You kept yours to me, and hopefully I've kept mine to you.

As I was lying restless in bed last night, I looked up to the moon-took a deep breath, and felt a sense of relief. It's been a whole year. Finally (well, except for the lump in my throat as I'm writing this) my heart doesn't feel physical pain. I miss you more than I thought was imaginable, but I don't hurt anymore--I never thought I'd be able to say that. BUT-I miss your voice, your advice, your jokes, your "Dateline NBC", Oprah, and Ellen recaps, your scent, and your beautiful smile. I miss our Thursdays. I've not bought flowers for anyone this year, but I did send something to someone I met whose husband serves for us. I have been slacking in our "pay it forward" project, but hopefully this year I'll do better. I know you enjoyed that-oh how I miss our Thursdays... And last night, while I wasn't physically hurting, there's still a hole in my heart. I look at the kids and smile-I wonder what you'd say about them. I can see in my head your expression-when they learn something new, or when I explore this crazy task of parenthood. How proud of them you must be-I know you are, I just wish I could see it. I think the most unfortunate part of all of this is the kids will only know you through stories we tell them. They can't experience your gentle touch, or calming demeanor, or have the opportunity to truly see a heart of gold...They won't remember My Saint. I can still remember the day Jordan was born, and how you refused to leave the hospital until she made her sweet little way into this crazy world. I remember you ran out of oxygen, and were very short of breath, and starting to look bad...but when you held her...when you held my sweet little girl, your face lit-up and for that moment I saw you happier than I had for a while...I'll cherish that memory for the rest of my time on earth.

I read your letter often. It helps. I wish you would have included a life map or something. The more I read it, the more satisfied I become. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but at first...I read it...and said, "that's it?!?! That's all she wrote to me?!?" But I understand it now. It's taken almost a year. Simple. Heartfelt. To the point. Honestly, there are no words you could have written that would have made me happy, because my heart was broken and unable to reflect on all of the beautiful lasting memories we made. I'm a little more capable to enjoy those now. Slowly, the images of your painful last few days are fading away. I'm trying to help mom. She's coming around slowly, but she's coming around. And dad? He hides it well....MOST of the time. There was no fighting! Mom did a good job! You'd have been so proud of her! Heather is happy now. I wish you could have seen her this way before you went home. It's what you had always wanted for her....just to be happy. And she is. Slowly, the old Heather we knew and love is making her way back and it makes me so happy because I missed her. We all did! Oh Grandma, you would be so proud! I hope you are enjoying all you left behind! It wouldn't be- if you hadn't laid the groundwork-our family is built on the strongest foundation imaginable. It's all because of you!

I'm sure you have noticed I have started a new hobby. I had to do something other than softball because honestly, every memory of softball had you in it, and it was so painful! I forgot how to enjoy it. So, I started refinishing furniture...and blogging. I know right? Of all things?!? It's your fault you know? It all started with your piano bench. You know....the one that sat on your vanity with the hole in the caning. Mom had to tell numerous people it wasn't for sale but was just being used to hold some things for the garage sale. She gave it to me because it was special to you. She had no idea what it started. Honestly, I had no clue either. I just knew I wanted to fix it because it was yours, and you loved it. I started out doing it for you. You must have known I needed something to keep me busy-you must have known I needed something-you must have known this "new hobby" would nurture my shattered empty heart. Initially, I just took a can of spray paint to the legs....I hated it. So, out of despair-I started over. Orange stripper. I had never refinished anything. I didn't even know where to begin...but somehow I figured it out. All by myself! I When I was cleaning it up, I saw the most beautiful wood-more beautiful than any piece of furniture I'd ever seen. I took my time. Something in my letter kept running through my head...over....and....over. "I hope you always remember how beautiful life is, you have a special heart for those around you".... and so I found the beauty in it. A broken down old piano bench. The most beautiful piano bench I'd ever seen. So, I took that beautiful bench, stripped it, sanded it, stained it and made it as beautiful to other's eyes, as it was all along in mine. I started out doing it for you-finished it for myself, and rediscovered myself in the process! Tomorrow, for my readers, I'll detail the process. But since this letter has already been long, I'll just show the before and after pictures. I put all of "OUR" favorite things in there. I know you'll just love it!

I miss you Grandma Booboo! Please keep looking out for all of us. I love you MORE!!!!
Love,
Your Ashiebutt

Before

Hugs and Prayers....

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 14:05:00 -0400

Hey guys-
I had every intention of posting a recent project and also another that I have been looking forward to sharing for over 6 months!!!! However, Sunday I was informed that my nephew had fallen off of his bike into hot coals and ash and was being rushed to the hospital. My brother and sister-in-law had been burning fallen trees, and yard waste in the big fire pit Saturday night-and for some reason or another, Sunday my nephew fell into it. I do know they hadn't started any fires Sunday, so he didn't fall into flames, but rather smoldering hot coals and ash. I also know he was riding his bike and had fallen-off, and my brother was able to get to him within a few seconds. He was complaining about his hands, and after my brother had rinsed them and was looking at them he said his knee hurt really bad. When my brother looked down and saw it he suddenly realized it was much worse than either of his hands. After he ran it under water, he put him into the car and rushed him to the hospital. They gave him morphine, and wrapped him. The ER doc advised my sister-in-law to call his physician in the morning, and didn't think it was bad enough to send him to Riley Hospital in Indianapolis. Here's a picture of him all bandaged up....

Then, yesterday morning, his physician said it was extremely severe, and sent him to Riley Hospital immediately. His hands will recover, but they are thinking he will need numerous surgeries done on his leg, and he won't have very good range of motion. They were shocked that he hadn't been sent there the night before. Nonetheless, please send prayers and hugs for a speedy recovery. Needless to say, this has delayed my schedule a little bit, but hopefully little Chase gets better quickly, and I can take a second to tell you some good news, and share some projects.

Holy Cow!!!!!!!!!!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 16:00:00 -0400

Holy Cow! I need a vacation to recover from my "vacation". I can't wait to share it with all of you, but I need to wait because the "vacation" may have opened up some more opportunities for all of you! Yes...all of you. So, I'll just share some pictures of tiny parts of it! Also, a huge thank you to all of you for being so kind to the Girls! They enjoyed meeting all of you! And, thanks to my Girls for guesting while I was away! I have goodie bags in the process for all of you! Thanks so much! Now, with that being said, there are a few changes coming. Hopefully I'll announce them this week, along with my first giveaway! ALSO-while I was gone, I was emailed about being featured on Remodelaholic! Holy Cow! Super excited. If you missed it, click Remodelaholic to get to the feature. Cassity and Justin-Thank you so much! Okay, here are some great photos from the trip. More to come...soon I promise! Stay tuned. Yes....I still blog about projects of mine...lol! I'm sharing a very special one later this week. Actually, the project that's responsible for all of this madness...the blog, the debacles, new friends, new adventures, and all!

Dear Cozumel-I miss you!!! See ya'all tomorrow!~

A Week with the Girls- Traci from Beneath My Heart!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 8 Mar 2012 12:30:00 -0500

Hello! My name is Traci, and I blog at Beneath My Heart! I am so happy to be here!

Thank you, Ashley, for letting me hang out here today!

I want to share with you one of my favorite projects from my blog.

It’s a DIY Headboard Towel Holder!

I knew when I saw this headboard and footboard set at Goodwill that I had to buy them.

I happily paid $25.00 for the set and went home.

I had been trying to come up with a creative towel rack for the guest house bathroom in our previous home. The guest house was a little more cottage-y than our house, so I wanted to decorate it with more of a vintage feel.

So here’s what I did…

After holding both the headboard and footboard up against my bathroom wall to see which one “fit” best, I decided to go with the headboard. My bathroom in the guest house was not very big, but this headboard was going to make a big statement!

First I had to cut the legs off the headboard, so I used my hubby’s Skil Saw.

She was lookin’ good already!

Now some of you may think I am crazy for painting this beauty. I know some of you would have left her alone. But I’m not sentimental like that. I needed her to be white, so white she would be!

Now I needed to prepare the surface to paint. Instead of sanding it with sandpaper, I used a liquid deglosser to do the trick. It is soooo easy. Just pour it on a cloth and wipe it all over the wood surface!

I let that dry, and then I began painting.

My paint of choice is this little quart of Valspar paint. It can be found over by the spray paint cans at Lowes. There is a sign above it that says something like “high performance” or “extremely durable” paint. The workers at Lowes suggested we use this on our kitchen cabinets and we did. We love it!

So I used a brush to paint in any of the grooves.

Then I used my roll brush to paint the smooth surfaces. (No I am not left-handed, I just needed my right hand to take the picture!)

Here she is after 3 or 4 coats…ahhhhh….

Here’s the hardest part of the process… let it dry. It’s very important to let it dry REAL good before sanding.

I always suggest eating some chocolate at this point.

After the paint was good and dry, I used my sanding sponge to sand the edges of the headboard.

There’s no rhyme or reason to this step. Just sand as little or as much as you’d like to get the look you are after.

When I cut the bottom of the headboard off with my Skil Saw, it left a raw edge that needed a little work. I needed to fill an obvious groove in with some wood filler.

I just pushed the wood filler into the groove with my finger and the let it dry.

Then I used my sanding sponge to sand it to a smooth finish, and it was ready to paint.

To get a more “aged” look, I like to cover my white paint with my favorite glaze, Valspar “Mocha”.

I used a paper towel to cover the headboard with the glaze.

Then I used a damp paper towel to wipe it right back off. (See left side of headboard.) I love the way the glaze got in the “groves” on the headboard and brought out so many of the details.

Now I needed to attach my hooks. I found these cute little hooks at Hobby Lobby for half off. I bought 3 hooks for $1.50 a piece. Total=$4.50! I also got these wood screws at Lowe’s for a buck or two.

I attached the hooks with the wood screws.

As you can see, the silver screw does not look very good with my black hook, so I got a little black paint and dabbed it on the screw.

Perfect!

I bought some heavy duty mirror hangers at Lowes to mount the headboard on the wall. They were a dollar a piece.

Now I did make the headboard by myself, but my hubby helped me hang it on the wall. It was very heavy (like a large mirror). When you are hanging something this heavy, you need to make sure that you hammer the nails into the studs in the wall. My husband insisted he help me with this part, which was fine by me. We found the studs in the wall and measured the distance between them. Then we attached the hangers on the back of the headboard the same distance apart.

We hung it on the wall and I feel in love. It’s exactly what I wanted. But I am bummed at how my pictures turned out. There is no window in the bathroom, so I had no natural sunlight in which to take the pictures. Notice the beautiful natural light right outside the bathroom.

This is a piece of the bedroom furniture that I painted this summer. I’m storing the towels and blankets in there. I found the adorable locker room basket at a yard sale for $5.00. It’s perfect for storing the little wash cloths. My sweet mother-in-law bought me these new white towels for our guest house. Now into bathroom…

I love the way the towel rack turned out. (Though I don’t think these pictures show it’s true beauty. My walls are a pretty tan, not mustard yellow!)

I loved this project because it was a little “out of the box” for me, which made it tons of fun. And it brings the uniqueness I was looking for in a towel rack.

Now I still have the footboard…hmmm….

Thanks for letting me share the project with you, and I hope you come see me sometime at

Beneath My Heart!

A Week with the Girls-Janette from The Johanson Journey!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 7 Mar 2012 12:30:00 -0500

Hey Blog Friends!! My name is Janette from the Johanson Journey…..

I’m excited to be here while Ashley has a few days off to enjoy some Spring Break Fun!!! Let’s get started shall we!? We all love interviews and I sat down with Ashley to dish it all out!

1} Can you tell us a little about yourself?
I am a full time working Mom in the telecommunications field. I have 3 beautiful children and a super hero husband. I love blogging, meeting new people and finding a way to insert myself into the world of crafting!
2} How you first got involved in with blogging?
Originally, I wanted to post pictures for my husband while he was overseas on a tour with the Army and for my parents who were working overseas as well in Saudi Arabia.
3} How would someone describe your blogging style?
I would say I am an evolving blogger.. you pick up on ideas, you learn from posts and other bloggers along the way and eventually you find yourself. I am as random as they come and as honest and blunt as you can get.. I have confident days and days when I want to throw in the towel but it has become a hobby and my escape from everyday responsibility.
4} Are you a full time blogger?
I made a New Years resolution in 2010 to start blogging daily, at least on week days and a few weekends here and there. I learned that the only way I was going to meet people and have anyone come by and visit is if I had something to say or share each day. It doesn't always work but it motivates me.
5} What networking do you do that you feel helps your blogging business?
This is a growing lesson because there are so many social networks out there now but I recently set up a FaceBook Blog Page and am slowly learning through others on how to get myself out there. I even joined twitter!! I thought I’d never do that!
6} How do you keep coming up with material/content for your blog?
Often times it will be a story that happened over the weekend or a thought I had while driving to work… sometimes another blogger will inspire me or I’ll join in a link party. Friends are always willing to give you things to talk about…. and everyone loves support from their fellow bloggers when they are creating something new—so helping to promote them is also fun..
7} Do you think Page-rank plays a vital role in a blog’s life?
Most of the stress I think I feel is because there is such thing as a page rank… I mean, would we care about calories if we didn’t know anything about them? We might eat with less stress… so I think it would be nice to blog with less stress… but its out there and it matters, especially if you are using your blog as your business.
8} A lot of people are interested in blogging for the money earning potential. What are some tips for people interesting in making money from blogging?
My best advice is ASK other bloggers you admire or click the links on people’s blogs yourself to see where it leads and read up on the details. There are so many websites available for getting you started and I wish I had all the right answers but start figuring out what you want out of your blog and what you are willing to do.
9} What has been your strategy for creating visibility to yourself and your blog?
At first it was emailing my friends and saying, HEY!! I have a new post! But now, I sortof try to just post for me and when I think its a fun post worth grabbing the attention of my readers, I will post about it on Facebook or twitter in hopes they’ll stop by and check it out.

10} If someone was interested in blogging, what would be a few things you would suggest?
DO IT!! Its so easy that its scary. Its addicting for many and an amazing place to meet great friends as odd as that sounds—its true. I LOVE & ADORE so many that I have met and have enjoyed following friends through ups and downs and sharing joys of life!! You can also turn your blog into a book…. there are so many options!!! JUST DO IT!! —not a sponsored post by Nike…. just my quick way of sayin’ it
Love & Hugs Ashley!!
Thank you for having me and if you weren’t bored to tears with my answers…. stop by my blog and say hello!! I’d love to meet new friends!!

~Janette

A Week with the Girls-Marilyn from The Artsy Girl Connection!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 6 Mar 2012 12:30:00 -0500

Hello lovely friends.. I am Super EXCITED to have an
opportunity to be

sharing with you today from my space next door via The ArtsyGirl
Connection. I
absolutely LOVE From A To Being, and I am
honored to be asked to share! I really hope
to get to get to know you all and indulge in some
fun blog shenanigans sometime..

......................
A Bit About Moi!

I am Marilyn, the heart and creator of The ArtsyGirl
Connection!
Mother of two funny and amazingly awesome kiddo's.

Engaged To My Very Best Friend! ❤

Severe Craftaholic.....
Photo Junkie!
Upcycling
Lover ....
Cause
Crafter!..........................
Far from a chef, but I dabble a bit within my humble abode!!!
....................................

I love indulging in creative outlets from crafting
to enhancing our home over the

season's and creating unique items for my children.I
craft for cause and totally light up at
any opportunity to help bring awareness where needed
to various issues close to my heart.
I will LOVE to get to know you all and hope
you can all stop in and say hello..
I
H.E.A.R.T My Artsy Friends..
Join Us..

...................................
Some Of The
Things You Will
Find Via
The ArtsyGirl Connection!
.............................................................
Pixel
Junkie!! ~❤PHOTOGRAPHY

I feature lots of photography and love to indulge in fun challenges around
the blog world.. ;)) I have one YOU might love, join me and my friends
in "Finagel A Foto" Sunday challenges!
...............................................
I Enjoy Crafting In
The Summer!
*Mason Jar Lanterns*

I LOVE To PLAY DRESS UP
Stop in and play dress up with me and decorate a bottle!!

*Vintage Dressed Up Bottle*

Pin
It

This dress up was FUN and very easy..I Love the way the bottle turned
out.. I think

it'll be great to bottle up wine or some sort of fun cocktail for a
nice spring picnic..
.............................
I Sometimes
Gozzle Down My Meals!!! ;)
Come sit and enjoy an amazingly deliscious
*Strawberry
Sweetheart Shake❤ *
SUPER YUMMY treat for your loves!

& enjoy trying out new recipes (Care to share a few of yours ..?)
My favorites are DESERTS!!! Life's too short to diet!!
*Homemade Blueberry
Sauce*
~ Sinfully DELISH!!!

...........................................
I UpCycle With
Smiles!! *GreenTeam*

I am a huge upcycling
fanatic and LOVE to re-do things normally considered junk

into
fun artsy decor for my home. Here are a few of my
Upcycling projects!
UpCycle Your Old Light Bulbs Into Pretty
Vases
These amazing vases now hang on my kitchen window.. Very lovely!

*Upcycled
Driftwood Bottles*
These are used bottles collected and decorated using paint, driftwood
and flowers. It's one of my FAVORITE thing's I've created and shared
via my blog..

...................................

I LOVE To Create Around The Holiday's!

*Stuffed
Burlap Ornaments*

This is another
upcycling project I made for Christmas. It features TP

Roll's
made
into Christmas ornaments and stuffed with love notes

and
sweets.
My
family really enjoyed them..

*Vintage
Candy Cane Bottles*
You guessed it... Another upcycling
project I created for Halloween. These are
Vintage Candy Corn Bottles I created
for decor from this past Halloween.
They turned out pretty festive and
lovely for the seaaon.

*Wine
Cork Holiday Place Cards*

I made these awesome place cards for
Christmas Dinner this year. I have a zillion
of corks from years of collection and
finally decided to start making use of them.
It was a big hit and everyone enjoyed
the idea of having a special
place holder and got to take them
home!

SO much more to see
and join in.. Hope you can stop in and share in some fun!
...................................

Thanks SO much for having me here today Ashley.. Wishing you all
a great week..

Hope you can all stop in sometime! I have a great linky party I would LOVE
for you to share in every Thursday ~ Pin'Inspirational
Thursday's {For the
LOVE of Pinterest!}.
Would LOVE to join you on facebook,
twitter
and hop along your linky tool's as well. Lets follow each other!
Hope to see you all again soon.. Be well!
~STAY
ARTSY!~

From A to Being

Room Re-Do #1 Entry & DIY Ballard Design Orb Chandelier!

Materials list....Old lightSpraypaintMacrame rings (I used 4)JB WeldPatience

So....We bought This House....

Half-Bath Pallet Renovation Reveal!

DIY Toddler Storage Beds

Return to Awesomeness?!?

Craft Room Makeover Reveal

Busy Weekend...and WEEK!!!!!

Roadside Rescue...The Little Shelf That Could...

Christmas Itch...Big Red Preview. Butterflies Anyone?!?!?

Labor of Love

Our Office Fish Likes Ellen!

I'm NOT Sorry! I LOVE America!

’2016: Obama’s America’ Movie Is Disturbingly Necessary « CBS Los Angeles

Laters Baby!

PB Knockoff...except the Nakedness

THAT just happened...

Softball Field Project with Miracle-Gro Expand 'n Gro

TRB...The Voice....What's in a Name-A Blog's Name?...and Exciting News...Wrap-up!

Piano Bench Before and After Breakdown...

To My Dearest Saint...What's it Like in Heaven? I made a shadow box out of your piano bench...

Hugs and Prayers....

Holy Cow!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Week with the Girls- Traci from Beneath My Heart!

A Week with the Girls-Janette from The Johanson Journey!

A Week with the Girls-Marilyn from The Artsy Girl Connection!

Materials list....
Old light
Spraypaint
Macrame rings (I used 4)
JB Weld
Patience