Bedroom redo photos...

Quite a while back I mentioned that I was redoing a guest room. I have had it all done for quite a while except for hanging some things on the wall....I love it and call it the Zen room. One reason it is Zen for me is the whole room cost just under 80.00. Everything! I got a mismatch paint for 2.50 (regular 29.99 for a gallon.). I went to Ross and found a comforter set for under twenty dollars on clearance and everything else came from a yard sale or I made it.
 I started out with a mattress, foundation and frame and a gold curtain rod and two gold holders....It looked something like this in there......

Then I painted......

I can't remember why I have the chair on the bed, really! I love this green though.

This is the view from the door....On the ceiling it looks like there is paint but it is just a shadow..

I made two art pieces for the room....I found a blank canvas, old wood frame and a bunch of old keys in a baggie. I even found a can of copper spray paint for a quarter.  this is the result. The leather hanging thing is a key holder that some of the keys were hanging on. I just added beads to the bottom.

  

Cute little chair as a nightstand, vintage suitcase and a lamp and shade redo...The owl is the one that Daniel made.

Not a great picture but I have several of these little crates in the room. They were 50 cents a piece.

This print framed I found for two dollars. I really love it in the room.

I had some bright pink curtains that I tried to dye and they came out an obnoxious puce color. I painted, stained and inked this and added texture with thread. I then took a big branch that fell in the yard and tacked it over the fabric and sprayed over it with copper paint.

This was my own idea. I found these little wooden stakes and painted them then inked in the grand kids names and how far away they are. Luke's point up because he is in heaven. My own Baby Angel.

Last of all, a couple ideas from Pinterest. Fabric wrapped pillows (no sewing). and Two sheer curtains instead of a headboard behind the bed. On the bottom layer are quotes that are inspiring that I wrote with a sharpie.

I love how it looks and the kid's like reading them .

That's it, it's a room now. I have redone several and am working on the laundry room now. I will show more later! Happy Fall....xoxox Melinda

Doing?

 I have been doing little bits of things here and there. I get frustrated because I can't just whip things out like I used to. I will decide to do a home project or a quilt and it takes me forever. At this rate, I will get very few things done so I guess I just have to accept it.
 I did with help manage to decorate the front yard for Halloween.

I tried to decorate so that when Halloween is over, I just remove a few things and fall decor is in place.Like this wreath on the front door.

I changed out my purple rocking chairs for some really comfortable off white chairs that I got at a garage sale for  for both. You can tell they are expensive chairs when you sit on them. They are so comfy.

Olivia and I are going to make little lanterns out of glittered jars with glow sticks in them. I am not used to really getting Trick or Treater's but I guess it is really big in this neighborhood!

On the night of the Zombie Ball that the kids went to, we all decided to play zombie. I did all the makeup and hair. It took a long time and boy, did I make a mess. The pictures are out of focus but still funny!

I love how my daughter put her face up. It cracks me up....

Here is Liv and her friend Tori...

They really had fun and I guess there were a lot of games for 

 and under. They came home loaded up with all kinds of stuff.

I am also slowly working on the laundry room. It had this hideous wallpaper which is now gone. It was a job.

The room already looks better before a paint job.

Last of all, on a beautiful fall day my son took me fishing. It was so pretty out and quiet and we talked a lot. Plus I caught two Steelhead. Can't beat that!

He and I went thru a pretty rough patch, so it was great to have the day together and I know he felt the same way......Happy Fall! Melinda

Happy October, one of my favorite months!

It is cooling way down now and I am enjoying it. Especially since it is still sunny. I apologize for not blogging too much. I just was sick for so long that I didn't  have the energy to do it. Pneumonia is a kicker I will say that. I would start to get better then relapse. Or wake up feeling good and two hours later, I couldn't get up the stairs. Over two months is a long time to be sick.

 Stacie (daughter ) Took us to the rubber duck races on Sunday. We each had five and you think you might have a chance until you see how many there really are. They drew for fifty really big prizes.

I had to short leash Cooper because those rubber duckies were very tempting.

They had a lot of activities for kids and families. Daniel and Olivia made pumpkins. Someone donated a ton of them and all of the things needed to decorate.

Daniel can be hard to get out. He is so into computers. He told me what a fun time he had. That made me happy because I don't get out much.

Here are the kids, dogs and I with a giant rubber duckie.

I started to decorate for Halloween today. I have a few things to make yet and then put out. I am going to decorate the porch up nice. It will mostly be fall, that way I can keep things out until December.

Right in my entryway though I decorated for Halloween. That inspired me to make a new zombie doll. I kept with the Alice in Wonderland theme and made the white Rabbit. Except he is now the Zombie Rabid.

Getting ready to bake his polymer clay parts.

His body all ready for a head, hands and feet and we can't forget his pocket watch.

He is a scary rabbit for sure. Nothing Wascally about this Wabbit.

I also made a wreath.

The pom poms with the spiders and the Halloween box were made by a swap friend, Chris.

Here is the entryway all orange and purpled up!

I like it a lot and I know the kids will too. Which is why I do it.

My son brought me corn stalks and I put a chair and this wooden crate filled with things out right by the door.

I had bought one of these crates a long time ago and when I looked at it I knew I could make them. This is one of them that I made.

I want to paint the door a lime green. We will see if I get to it or not.

Happy October! xoxoxomelinda

Most days it still feels like summer....

I can feel Fall right behind it though.

 I have been busy with the kids, the chickens and the garden. The garden is still growing strong. I just planted more green beans to see if I could get another round in. It just might work!

  I am now coming into the squash season. That and the yellow cucumbers. I am going to have a lot of birdhouse gourds to play with after they dry! Plus, My cluck clucks are laying eggs now. They are so cute, I get such a kick out of them. When I go to pick them up, they bow their heads down so I can get them.

 After many years I re met my beautiful Grand Daughter Haylie. Here she is with Liv on the bench avoiding the mean geese....Haylie is 10 and Liv is 12. I have a feeling Haylie is going to be a tall girl. I love seeing her. She is here again this weekend and we are playing in my art and sewing room. She loves everything I do which I think is the best part of being with her. As I blog, she is sewing behind me making a pillow for her mom. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                         I made another Quilt Along Barn Block, this is my second.

I also made a block for the lone survivor of all the Firefighters in Colorado that lost their lives. Jean is collecting signature blocks to make a special quilt for this brave guy. I can only imagine the pain and heartache he is feeling.

I also participated in Val's zombie swap. This was my third year. The theme was Alice in Wonderland so I created for my partner Malice in Zombieland!

She is an evil one our Malice. Her horrific tray holds the Mad hatters head and hat, The heart of the queen, the dead white rabbit, black roses and what is left of the Cheshire Cat. Nothing but a smile!

To go with her undeadness I also made a Halloween House and Three Glass balls that spell out BOO.

Happy Fall Y'all!

Birdhouse Gourds and a barn along quilt block

I saw the cutest barn blocks on Pinterest. Lori Holt is doing a Barn Along. I am behind but I like them so much I am sure I can catch up. The block on the barn wall is made with 1 1/2 pieces. I haven't done anything that small in a long time so my first block is a little wonky. I still like it though. There are 12 blocks in all and each are 14 1/2 Square. My favorite one that I saw is a barn with a silo. I have a lot of scraps to use and I like that about it too. I re- met my Grandaughter Haylie day before yesterday. It was so wonderful I couldn't sleep that night. She is 10 and the last time I saw her she was almost 4. She is my son's child and he and mom are divorced so it made it hard for me to see her. She is a lot like me...She loves art and has a room full of art supplies. She also likes to write stories. I just am so excited and she was ready to come over right that second. Both Haylie and Olivia were excited too to have a girl cousin. I sent her a letter today and did a little mail art. I also finished three birdhouse gourds. I really love painting them. I had bought three of them at a garage sale. I wish I bought everyone of them that the lady had. I am growing my own and I think I am going to have a ton of them when the growing season is done. I especially like the little sea otter with the seaweed. My favorite though, is the funky chicken I finished today! I used primary colors and polymer clay. He looks so happy outside! I still am really struggling with this cough. I don't have pneumonia anymore but I am just wiped out from coughing all the time. It keeps me up all night and I just hate it. I cleaned the bunny cage and was so short of breath I thought I was going to pass out. arghhhhhhhhh..... I feel like it has ruined my summer with the kids. Well probably because in a way it has darn it. Happy Summer all!

Christmas in July and August.

I participated in Val's Christmas in July swap. For me on the receiving end it was in July. For my partner Jill, it was unfortunately today that she got her package. I have had pneumonia along with the cough that never ends and just wears me out. I am thinking if I get rid of it by October I will be lucky. It makes it hard to do anything and I HATE it. Emphasis on the HATE! Anyway so Jill sent me some of the coolest stuff. I love the Holiday Journal with stickers so I can personalize the tabs. She used manila envelopes and then covered them with scrapbook paper for the inside and the back inside cover. I think it is so cool. I have made journals but the pockets really add to it. She also sent me some Christmas recipes. I love new recipes and food is one of our traditions. If I find something really good it becomes a part of the dinner every year. She also made me these pretty and delicate paper ornaments. I have a pink tree and these will look so pretty! She knows about my love of all things chicken, especially my real ones so she sent me a little felt chicken ear bud holder and two cute chickens to live in my garden. The kind that don't eat it! Jill told me that she loves bird ornaments so I made her some for her tree along with some birdhouses. I saw these cute little birdie tags on Pinterest so I made a few. Last of all, because she waited so long I made her a quilted Table Topper with vintage and reproduction fabrics. I liked making this a lot. I just randomly put it together working on it a few minutes at a time. All wrapped up and off it went. WooHoo! I have so many things flying thru my head that I want to do so hopefully the cough will leave soon! Happy Summer....melindaxoxoxoxo