Why I'm a weirdo (and another painting project)

I am such a weirdo. No really, I am. And let me give you a couple of reasons, in case you are interested.

I hate romantic comedies. I know, I'm a girl and a girly-girl at that and should LOVE them, but I just really do. not. They usually bore me to death. Of course, there are exceptions. "You've Got Mail" (makes me LOVE New York!) and anything by Audrey Hepburn. I prefer suspense, thrillers, but that's just me.

***Sidenote: I just took Jack's pants off to change his diaper and was rewarded with a handful of poop. Nice. That doesn't make me weird, but it did totally gross. me. out!!

On my Christmas wish list this year I had a staple gun, a sander, and a camera tripod. Is that weird? I think I should have been a boy...who is a carpenter. Don't worry, I did get some of the girly-est stuff in the world for Christmas - in addition to a sander that I am just thrilled about!


I often set aside a day (or seven - ahem!) a week and designate it as my "project day". It's the day where I pretty much just paint everything in sight. And redecorate everything in sight.

It's the day when my kids hide in their rooms for fear of being spray painted. They see mama coming with a can of spray paint and a hammer and they run. Poor little dears.

So yesterday and today were my "project days" and I worked on making this sign for our foyer:


I was inspired to make it because of this sign on The Lettered Cottage blog.


I made it with scrap wood from our garage that the hubs cut to size. The eye bolts and chain that hold the smaller sign were silver, and I made them black with a marker, because I'm just such a professional painter. Ha!




I redecorated my hallway a bit - inspired by Lola B's adorable Frenchy farmhouse!


Sometimes I'm afraid that people who read my blog get the wrong impression of who I really am and what my personality really is. Blogging is weird like that. You don't really *know* a person unless you spend face-to-face time together, which I don't always get the opportunity to do with you.

Oh, well, hopefully you will think that I am way cuter, more funny, smarter, and waaaay more talented than I actually am!! I won't try to change your mind!

Have a Happy New Year! And thanks for reading this little ol blog!

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Let the stable still astonish:
Straw—dirt floor, dull eyes,
Dusty flanks of donkeys, oxen;
Crumbling, crooked walls;
No bed to carry that pain,
And then, the child,
Rag-wrapped, laid to cry
In a trough.
Who would have chosen this?
Who would have said, “Yes,
Let the God of all the heavens
And earth
Be born here, in this place?”
Who but the same God
Who stands in the darker, fouler rooms
Of our hearts and says, “Yes, let the God
Of Heaven and Earth be born here—
In this place.”

Leslie Leyland Fields
~~~
That the Creator Himself would be born as a creature in a stable is astonishing, but that He would actually come to live inside His followers by His Spirit is incomprehensible.

That the Lord Jesus is all the fullness of God in a body is unfathomable, but that we as His believers have this very same fullness in Him is staggering (Colossians 2:9-10).

What difference would it make to us if we really believed that we have all of His fullness in our very selves—that we are literally the temple of His Holy Spirit—that He is truly closer to us than our own breath—that we are as one with the Lord Jesus as He is with His Father? For this miraculous Gift I praise you, O God! I receive it with deep thankfulness. I marvel at how You love me!

(taken from www.adisciplesnotebook.com)

Christmas Fluffing

The Christmas decorations have been very understated around our house this year, but I still can't resist putting a little sparkle around the house!


I just lined the back of these small built-in bookcases with a wrapping paper that I really liked. I like that it adds a little bit of design instead of just having a plain white background. Wrapping paper + doublestick tape = easy & cheap!



Trifle bowl filled with ornaments...





This time of year I can't wait to open my mail and find all those beautiful cards from family and friends! Here is where I hang them...



And that concludes my little tour! Hope you all are enjoying the Christmas season!

Cabinet Overhaul

Or this post could be titled "How to glam up a junky, pink Goodwill cabinet for zero dollars and turn it into something functional for the kiddos". But I figured that title was kinda long.

We decided we needed a little mini space for Avery to hang her coats and keep her shoes/gloves/scarves, since we don't really have an entryway or a mudroom.

So hubs scoured the house and found the lovely pink cabinet in the attic. Here it is in all it's glory...

We performed surgery on it and hung it on a little corner beside our steps. It's been working great! Avery is SO proud to have her own little space!



Here are the surgical procedures that we performed:


Hubs added a leftover piece of molding to the top shelf to make it look a little fancier. He also cut out lines in the back of the cabinet to look like beadboard (I searched our house and couldn't find a single little scrap of beadboard to use. But this worked just as well - just took more time.)

He also cut out the lines on the drawer to make it look a little more substantial. And we replaced the handle with one we already had and added hooks to the bottom of the shelf to hang coats.

Oh yes, and I painted the cabinet a cream color and glazed it dark brown. I typically mix paint with paint conditioner to make the glaze, but I didn't feel like going down to the basement to get the conditioner, so I just mixed the brown paint with a little bit of water, and it worked great.



This is how we spent our Friday night. We are such glamorous weekend party-people!! Ha!

Can I just tell you how much fun it is to turn a piece of junk into something functional and pretty?! And for zero dollars, I might add! Gotta love that feeling!

Twine-Wrapped Bottles

I guess you could call me a busy-body. If I'm at home, I'm constantly doing something. And not just because I'm chasing my kids/picking up their kid-junk, but I suppose being busy just makes me happy! And keeps me from thinking too much about the junk that life throws our way sometimes.

Anyway, this morning while I was waiting for paint to dry on a little coat-hook thingie that I'm making for Avery (more on that later), I decided to throw together this little project made from wine bottles (or any kind of bottles), a roll of twine I had laying around, and the way-too-handy hot glue gun.


I wrapped twine around the bottles, starting at the bottom, and hot glued the twine as I went along. It was a little time consuming but really, very simple to do.


I stamped the Eiffel Tower on one bottle and made a Paris tag for the smaller one.


It's a fun little project and literally cost less than a dollar!

Wreaths & Such

I am selling some of my "book" wreaths (see previous post) at my sister's coffee shop - New Holland Coffee Co. at 840 W. Main St. in New Holland, Pa, in case you are interested in getting your hands on one without going to the work of making it yourself!

And while you are there, get yourself an awesome cup of java! Although I don't drink coffee (I know, shame on me! What kind of supportive sister am I?!), I'm told it's the best around! I go for the amazing hot chocolate they have!


If you're not in the area and want a wreath, shoot me an email (maweaver1@gmail.com), and I'd be happy to ship them! They sell for $30 + shipping.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I'm also making these cute little personalized photo blocks that I'm selling as well. They are 2" wooden blocks with a picture or word posted on the one side. There are 7 blocks/set.


These blocks are not for sale at the coffee shop, since they are custom made. If you are interested, please send me an email at maweaver1@gmail.com. I ship them as well! The blocks sell for $25/set + shipping.

Pictured is a set that I made for myself a few years ago, and I just love them! They make wonderfully unique gifts for Grandparents and friends!

And now I'm done with my little plug!

Ruffled T-Shirt

Here's a simple way to make a plain-jane, cheap-o t-shirt look a little more girly and fun. I saw this idea online somewhere while ago, but I don't remember where.

I bought two gray v-neck t-shirts from Forever 21 for $3.50 each. (Cheap, right?!) One of the t-shirts will be used to cut out circles for the ruffles.


I cut 7 small and 7 large circles out of one of the t-shirts (approx. 1-1/2" and 2" circles).

I used a needle and thread to sew the small circle on top of the large one to make a little "flower".

I then sewed each "flower" onto the neck of the t-shirt. And you could use as many flowers as you want in whatever pattern you like.


I paired the t-shirt up with a cardigan, since it's winter-time.



Cute, right? The possibilities are endless for this! It's really easy to do and does NOT have to be perfect!