A Pretty Valentine Craft

A happy Wednesday to you, my friends.
I hope you are all well and staying warm. It was -23 deg. Celsius when I got up this morning, that is pretty chilly, especially when there is a breeze. It was -30 something with windchill factor, brrrrrr!


I want to show you a very easy craft that anyone can do.
I saw this on Pinterest and I just had to try it.














I put it in a dollar store shadow box frame, but I had to remove the glass in order for the heart to fan out like it needed to.









I think it's a lovely little craft. I stacked eleven little hearts and glued each one down the fold with a tiny bit of glue.


In other news, I had a delightful little surprise when I looked out my front window and saw several pretty birds in my Mountain Ash tree. They were pecking at the frozen berries.













They are so pretty, I have no idea what they are, though. Perhaps one of you may know, please tell me if you do.


What delightful little surprise have you had today?

I am joining the Cozy Home Party at Cozy Home Scenes.

Staying warm,


Cindy





A wide shot, you can see my crafting paraphernalia on the table. It's too cold to spend much time in the basement craft room.

I made the Impossible Possible!

Hello my friends, thank you so much for coming by today.
I have joined a fabulous challenge and I am so excited to walk you through it and explain what my challenge was all about.











Eight years ago my husband and I purchased an antique armoire. I loved the bones of it, but not the finish on it.









Pretty boring, actually.
When we purchased and moved into our little 1927 Craftsman Bungalow over three years ago, I knew that I was closer to doing something really special with it.

Then came the "Imagine the Impossibilies" challenge from super-talented Karianne at Thistlewoodfarm along with five other bloggers.


I had been wanting to refinish this armoire for so long that I knew that IT was my "impossibility."


First, I had to get my husband on board, that didn't take any persuasion, he was very willing to help me out. Tons of thanks goes to my sweetheart.
Secondly, I asked your opinions and I got lots of fabulous ideas that day. Thank you so much for them, they really gave me clarity.
Thirdly, I wanted to make my own chalk paint and tint it myself. I chose a linen color that I loved and I tinted it. It came out to the exact shade that I wanted!
Fourthly, my husband purchased and added the molding that I picked out.
Fifthly, I painted it and then I did something I had never done before. I glazed it. Here is where a blogger came to my rescue, a Canadian gal at, Recaptured Charm. From her and her blog, I learned what to purchase and how to do the glazing. I added a black paint to the glaze.
That was the hard part, the glazing took hours! But I am liking the results more and more every day.






















~Before~

~After~


I'm not stopping here, next comes a fireplace makeover. My son, the brick mason is going to reface my ugly dark fireplace with a re-claimed brick that is very attractive.
Then I will paint my living-room a yummy creamy color and
my bathroom will be a light turquoise. Lots of fun to come!


This is where the parties are happening starting Tuesday at 7 am Eastern time, check them out!
Kelly at Eclectically Vintage
Karianne at Thistlewood Farm
Linda at It All Started with Paint
Andrea at The CottageMarket
Karah at The Space Between
Stacey at A Sort of Fairytale

Go HERE to see all of the people who took up the challenge!

I have also joined my friend Nita for Mod Mix Monday.


Warm hugs,


Cindy





I'm lovin' it!!!

A Small Antique Table Makeover

After some linen coloured chalk paint, walnut stain and satin Varathane, it looks much better, I think.










I distressed it, too, that's so hard to do after working to paint it so nicely. But I like the looks of it distressed.





I am going to join The Delectable Home today, hope to see you over there.


Have a wonderful day!
Cindy



I need to find a more prominent place for such a pretty table, I'm thinking.

~Happy Ice Skating~

When I was nine years old my family moved from the coast of Washington state to the frozen northern regions of British Columbia.
Our first Winter there, I received a pair of ice-skates and I was very excited!
But I fell again and again, until I finally learned to put my weight on my heels, so the picks at the front of my skates would not catch and send me flying.


Despite the pain and embarrassment of falling and losing my glasses time and time again, I loved ice skating from the moment I first set foot on the ice. And to this day, I still enjoy the thrill of flying across the ice on winged feet. That's how I feel at least!









Just outside the backdoor of the little log house where we first made our home, we had a creek with steep sides.
We tobogganed down the hills and skated on the creek, it was truly a child's winter paradise. Our school had an outdoor rink that was taken care of by the school board, so we were always able to skate at recess and lunch time, also.








Our son and his family gifted my husband and I with ice skates for Christmas this year. We've been ice-skating at least once a week, ever since then. I know I will miss it when Spring arrives.








I'm in my early 50's now, and I'm afraid to fall, but it doesn't stop me from skating as fast as I can.


I love the feel of the icy wind whizzing by...








...and it's such great exercise!

These photos are of myself and my two oldest grand kids. They were with us on Friday and we took them skating. My grand daughter is accustomed to skating with boys skates, so I spent time teaching her how to skate with figure skates. She was skating very well by the time we were ready to head back home for some hot chocolate.


Skating with them brought back so many great memories from when I was a kid! It seems like yesterday!


What outdoor recreation do you enjoy in the Winter time?
Do you go ice-skating?
I wish you could join me some time, we could have some great fun.

Have a lovely day and stay warm wherever you are.


Hugs,
Cindy

~Hearts Are Showing Up Everywhere!~

I love Valentine's Day, for several reasons, but I have never decorated for the day. Not that I can remember anyways.


But this year is different somehow. For one thing I am going through a very creative phase, creative for me anyways.


Let's start in the living room...







...hearts on the fireplace in the form of a small paper banner, and the mantle...even a couple of little cherubs up there, too.







A heart in the bird cage... hanging from the centre hook, can you see it?







Even in the kitchen...over the window...








...so there it is, hearts showing up everywhere!
Do you decorate for Valentine's Day?


It's a very special day in our family, we have two Valentine's birthdays, how fun is that? Well, to tell the truth, my brother, the first Valentine's baby, has never thought it was much fun. But my grand-daughter, the second Valentine's birthday, thinks it's wonderful!


Did you notice that I have a new "I Was Featured" button on the side of my blog? Two of the challenge bloggers featured me, I am so thrilled!!! I am reminded again of how important the blogging world has become to me. Most of my friends and family have never been interested in the fact that I love design and decor. Only in the blogging world have I found people who are interested in it and I've found many kindred spirits here. Thank you, my friends!
And special thanks to Karianne of Thistlewood Farms and Linda of It All Started With Paint for featuring my armoire in the Imagine the Impossibilities Challenge.




Have a sweet day!


Cindy

Exclusive Country Homes

I love giveaways, I really need to have one someday.
I particularly love winning a giveaway, don't you?
Greet of Belgian Pearls had a fabulous giveaway, it was for the book Exclusive Country Homes and I won!!! A great big YAY for me.
It arrived yesterday and oh my, there is so much eye candy in there. It's huge and it will take forever to read it all the way through...so I can see many happy hours ahead of me...sigh, I love beautiful European homes.








That is just one example of what I have to look forward to.
These homes are all lovely estates.












Greet, of Belgian Pearls, along with her brother and her husband run a business that has been in her family for four generations. They create elegant rooms with lovely wood paneling and built-ins of all sorts. She refers to them as cabinet makers, but they are that and so much more. These artisans do truly amazing work. If you have not been to her blog, you need to go, especially if you love beautiful interiors.
Greet was one of the first bloggers that I "met" on-line, she won a pay-it-forward giveaway that I had. I sent her an apron that I had made and since then she has become a real friend. She is so warm and genuine.

Thank you, dearest Greet for sending me this amazing book, I will think of you every time I see it and especially every time I read it.
I admire the simplicity of European design, don't you?




Have a lovely weekend my friends,


Cindy

Happy Valentine's Day!!!!

Hi, I'm so glad you have come by today.
As you can see my table is ready for our Valentine's dinner.
I have set a red and pink Valentine's table, with a couple of hearts, candles and cupids in the middle of the table for the centerpiece and an album of vintage valentines for us to enjoy while we eat.


These were my mother's when she was a little girl.

I have set the table with my newly thrifted dinnerware.
They are Bowrings Celebrate Life dishes.
The dinner plates are black and white transferware and they are all sitting on a large doily that's paired with a pink place mat.

The mugs have sweet little messages in them.










It's a beautiful day outside, the sun is shining brightly through the windows,and the love songs are playing quietly in the background. I love violin music, it's probably my favorite, my husband likes saxophone music.

I made chocolate chip heart cookies, one for each of us.




Here's wishing you a Happy Valentine's Day my friends.


Hugs,
Cindy





I will be busy this week with my fireplace makeover and I'll be painting the living room and kitchen, too. I am very excited to get these two rooms painted. I also have another project on the go, it's a little different, I hope you will like it.