The Sweeter Chair

 The sweater sweeter chair.

The $2 makeover, are you intrigued? 


If you have been following this blog, you know I really like chairs. Sometimes I find them, sometimes they find me. I even have a Pinterest board for them.

I have had this chair since I was in my early 20's.  It has a story, great pieces often do. It was acquired when my neighbor's were moving out of state and needed to empty their house. They lived in a gorgeous Victorian with many original pieces. Of course, I missed the house auction, as I was working nights back then (probably wouldn't of been able to afford the really good stuff anyway).  When I woke up that afternoon, this chair was on my porch  and waiting for me. They knew I had always liked it and when it didn't sell, they just gave it to me.

Moral of the story: 

Be nice to your neighbors and you will always have somewhere to sit.

Things I love about this chair:

• The tufting
• The color
• The lines
• The wonderful feeling you get when you sink into it.

So many memories sitting in this chair, I used to use it in front of my computer, have long conversations on the phone and read so many books and still do. 

When I sit in it, it feels like the club chairs that my parents had growing up. Basically,  it has that comfortable feeling of home.

We're not the only ones who love this chair and have enjoyed it.  You can see how worn it is.

It's such a great chair. This is also a great dog, he was visiting us for a couple days. Yup, this pooch was allowed on the furniture. Our pup well she is allowed only on one piece and it's not this chair, surprised?



So are you still intrigued about it's makeover?

Sunday School Teacher Gifts-Free Printable

It's that time again.

The time of year to express our gratitude to all those who work so tirelessly for the benefit of others.

Last year, these are the little tokens offered to our Church School to express the sentiment.

Here's how I made them.

20 Orthodox Crafts for Lent and Other Times

With Holy Week approaching here are ways to help our littles.  Looking for a fun craft to add to your church school lesson or perhaps a Lenten retreat or just someway to reinforce the lessons of the season at home? You are not going to believe this post! I gathered my favorite Orthodox crafts, all one place, to make it easier to pick.

  Whoo hoo, let the fun begin!!

If you like what you see and wish to pin it, please be courteous and take from the source post, give credit to these incredible people who inspire us. Photo heavy post after the jump.

Raise your Cross

Cross projects are always fun and can be easy or complex.  

This one is very satisfying and easy for little hands.  

I wish I could show you the ear to ear grins.  Once completed these look beautiful in the windows.  Make them with your children at home or at church school. Ours stayed up in the window for the longest time, I think until we moved?

Supplies needed are construction paper, scissors or exacto knife, tissue paper and clear contact paper.
Pair this with a lesson about the Cross and singing the hymn together.  

Pentecost and Kites

Pentecost was this past Sunday. It started with a beautiful liturgy, followed by the Kneeling Vespers and an evening with 800 of our closest friends and our Hierarch for dinner.  In between we were able to squeeze in some kite flying.  Made at school and one of the most awesome kites I have ever seen. SO MUCH FUN! What's Pentecost without squeezing in some kite flying after all.

Did you do anything special to help the little people celebrate the day?


Share the Day!

Lenten Macrame Bracelet

40 Days-40 Days Lenten Recipes and Crafts!



Here is a fun and satisfying craft. Knotting and macrame is coming back to the scene, I remember my Mom completing many hanging planters.  Going to have to look and see if she still has any for the porch? I was introduced to this at a retreat last year and it can be addictive. Loving the adjustable close.



Here is one I am working on. I use a clipboard to stabilize it and make it portable. The instructions to make your own can be found in the following link,
found here.

Look at how pretty these are below. They are made with a thicker grade thread, than I am using left. Recently have been wearing the purple one and gave the others as gifts.

21 Favorite Ideas to Decorate Easter Eggs

40 Days-40 Lenten Recipes (and more)

So with Easter/Pascha approaching, a girl's thoughts turn to... the eggs of course.
It can't be recipes and food all the time.

I started thinking about all the gorgeous egg tutorials I've seen on Pinterest.

So I thought I'd share some of my favorites and some history I learned, along the way.

Enjoy and then let's get cracking!

Sorry couldn't resist.

Lenten Spring Mantle Decor

40 Days-40 Days of Lenten Recipes (and Crafts)

Need to share and send a shout out to two of my favorite blogs!

First let me thank Christina for the sweet Lamb chatterboxes. I made a few of them and put them in a basket in our church narthex for the kids to take home as a family activity. They were snatched up pretty quickly and enjoyed!  If you haven't seen these, so adorable and a great way to open some sweet discussions with the little people.

Now I wish to thank Kristi from I Should Be Mopping the Floor for posting a free Printable.

 It is so pretty and exactly what I wanted for our Lenten Mantle. 

You can see it below. 

Instead of framing it, although it would look very nice this way, I decided to do something else.

I took the 8x10 and had it blown up to 12x16, it didn't cost much as I had a coupon etc... 

Anyway, once I brought it home, used the old modpodge then a little white paint to blend in the edges. The white paper it was on was significantly bluer than my canvas. Go figure?

When I initially put it up it looked lovely but I felt it was still missing something. I played around with the vases and other things on the mantle. Then, I figured out what was missing for me. So, I added the yellow flowers to match the wall color and bring in the daffodils. I tried to match Kristi's pretty flower design. What do you think?

Too much? or Good Match?

Kristi, I just LOVE it!

Thanks!

Here's the full mantle view.

I can't wait for the Forsythia to be in bloom, maybe should get daisies next?

Share the Day

Sharing with

I Should Be Mopping the Floor

Icon Letter Craft

40 Days-40 Days of Lenten Recipes (and Crafts!)

Now for something a bit different, being that it is the Sunday of Orthodoxy. I had hoped in this 40 days series to not only have recipes, but also craft ideas. This is a special craft to us and one of our favorites.  

An Icon Letter!

This idea came to me while looking at all the wonderful family photo letters people have made on Pinterest. It popped into my head and I ran with it. We have made these for baptisms for some special little ones. But as I think about it, it would make a great craft for church school and retreats. It can be a wonderful way to learn about icons and each child's Saint. 

The process requires downloading pictures of your icons and printing them out. We used regular printer paper and it worked just fine. I made duplicates on my processing page and made them different sizes.  Then print them out, cut them out and go to town with the mod podge.  We do both sides and once it's all dry, glue a small hanger bracket to the back. It is a fun activity, where we spend some time together and have some nice talks about the Saints and Icons too! 

Share the Day!

Would you like to Guest Post for 40 Days-40 Lenten Recipes 2014 Challenge?

Last year I challenged myself to complete posting daily and offer to you all, 40 recipes for Lent.  

My hope was that it would help that ever present question, "what are we going to eat?" and I am always trying to answer that question. In fact, it is the question that led me to discover blogs in first place. Admittedly this season always brings with it, a sense of excitement and renewal. I am looking forward to Lent this year and returning to cleaner whole eating.  This year's lenten offering to you all, will focus on easy and healthy recipes and few other surprises.

Drum roll...offering 5 guest post openings . 
Would you like to be that guest?

If you would like to be a guest, please email me.  To be considered, please submit either a tutorial or recipe with at least one clear picture of the finished food item or activity.  If submitting a recipe it must be vegetarian or vegan to be considered. 

40 days Recap will be posted soon!
So send me an email and come over to Share the Day!

Icon Button Magnets

Need a gift for a large group of people?

Or just something sweet and new for your own use?

How about button magnets?

I have done these for years...

These were done with icons, but have used favorite pictures and school logos also.

All you need to make are:

1/2 inch to 1 inch pictures (made mine on computer and shrunk to size)

E-6000 glue, (very smelly, don't do when the kids are up)

Magnets for base (whatever you have coupons for and are on sale)

Glass buttons (use the ones from craft store meant to stabilize flowers)

For the glass buttons, watch for ones that have too many lines inside,

 as they will affect viewing your picture.

When giving them I love to put them in decorated tins.

You know the ones I mean.

Share the Day!

Sharing with these lovely parties.

French Country Cottage

    Chic on a Shoestring Decorating,

Shabby Nest

All Things Pretty,

Coastal Charm

Lovely Crafty Home
I Should be Mopping the Floor

The Dedicated House

Fall Mantle Art

Time to change the mantle, I wasn't sure what my plan was yet.

I did know I wanted another paint chip art piece.

Why? Well...

they are affordable, they feel creative and I like mixing more sophisticated pieces,

with those that are more primitive.

How to Paint a Bench Ombre-Style

I picked up this bench last summer at a yard sale. 

End of the day and $20, yippee!

By now you know my affinty for Anthropologie.

I even pinned an inspiration.

I had great plans, I wanted to ombre it!

It sat for a long, long time on our very sad front porch, 

looking sorely out of place.

So many things had to take priority over it.

But finally, huge big grin. 

I had 2 hours, yes, I said it, 2 hours to myself!

I had 3 spray cans and 2 hours.

I washed it, got all the little spider babies out of it.(ick)

Sanded it a bit, I admit, should of sanded it more.

But I couldn't wait to get to the fun part.

I sprayed the white parts first, back top and bottom.

Using primer/spray mix, worked great! Easy-peasy.

Then next color, mid-blue, on the middle sections.

Last the dark blue on front middle.

To get more of the effect I would go over the transition parts with each color,

while lifting the spray can away from the piece, while spraying.

I wanted the darkest section at the very front.

Finished it with spray sealer, after it dried in the sun.

Turned out exactly as I pictured it!

Not often that happens, at least in my world.

I had a little left in the cans and decided to paint this cute pot to go with it.

Also moved some pillows from indoor to outdoor.

The pillows were sprayed with outdoor fabric protector.

Pretty, pretty, happy, happy.

Fall here we come!

How is your front porch starting to "fall" together?

Don't you love how the color deepens and changes with the light.

Smiling wide, baby, Smiling wide.

Share the Day!

Sharing with

 Thededicatedhouse,  Boogieboardcottage,  Coastal Charm, The Chicken- Chick,  Ishouldbemoppingthefloor, InsideBruCrewLife,  Uncommon Designs,   Todayscreativeblog,  Littlehouseliving,  Cozylittlehouse,  CedarHill Ranch,   Beyondthepicketfence,  Free Pretty Things for You,  Southern Lovely,  Ginger Snap Crafts, Katies Nesting Spot,  The Shabby Nest,  Be Different...Act Normal,  Lovely Crafty Home, An Original Belle, Savvy Southern Lovely , The Diy Dreamer, Lolly Jane, FarmHousePorch, CraftyTexasGirls, FrenchCountryCottage, Just Dip it in Chocolate

Chic on a Shoestring Decorating, Jennifer Rizzo , Shabby Creek Cottage, I Gotta Create

Secret Storage

How many of you out there do this?

When Christmas shopping, you pick up a little something-something for yourselves.

Guilty.

I saw these and knew I could make them, but took the short cut...

I know slap my hand...

I bought them.

I couldn't resist.

I knew exactly what I would use them and where the second I saw them.

Burlap wrapped faux books with leather decorative stripe 

and lined in black linen-type material.

Inside the top box I keep my paint chip boards,

who doesn't have a stash of these?

The middle has buttons, clasps, etc.

And the last is where I house things like, 

my rotor and paper cutter, glue, magnets,

tape, pencil sharpener and more. 

Things that when I want to do something quick

I do not feel like hunting or going far to grab.

Where do you have your fave craft must-haves?

Share the Day!

Fleece Crochet

Ok, I love fleece , the way it feels, it brings back a child comfort.

Making fleece blankets is so easy, esp. for kids.

We've made scarves, blankets, shawls this winter.

So sometimes we knot, above we knotted it short on one side, to make it look like a bow tie.

Sometimes we weave it, it's like crocheting it.

This here is the other side of shawl.

I learned it here, Lynn you are a genius!

And sometimes I fringe it.

Definitely easy.

Chunky fringe, thin long fringe, depends?

For a family picture this past Christmas, 

I made green scarves for the guys and the patterned one for the girls in the tribe.

Not perfect, but didn't Voltaire say, "Perfect is the enemy of the good."

There's no Nirvana fallacy in this house.

Lots of fun!

I think I'm going to get some Valentine fleece, who couldn't use a heart scarf?

Share the Day!

Making Stephana

I love weddings, 

which is a good thing because we get asked to attend many.

I had the great honor and privilege to be Koumbara (sponsor) to a beautiful couple, 

they recently celebrated their  2nd Anniversary.

Wishing you Many Years!

At the time, a dear sweet friend and Presvytera taught me how to make the stephana.

These were the result.

Made with love and good wishes, simple and sweet.

Thought I would share what she taught me.

First gather your materials.

Floral wire

White Floral tape

Pretty flowers, beads, pearls, picks

White ribbon, thin for wrapping and a little wider for the shared ribbon.

Wrap the floral wire to make the wreath shape and measure to make sure it will fit.  It doesn't have to encircle a person's head but it shouldn't be so small that it will likely fall off either.

Then wrap with floral tape.

Now it gets fun.

Start with your floral picks, pearls, flowers etc. hold each one and start wrapping white ribbon, which will hold each one in place and decorate the wedding wreath. Once finished, one ribbon end will come from the first stephani (wreath) and you may make a simple knot to the other to join them. 

I slipped in a few sewn stitches for extra security.

May God Bless the Happy Couple for Many Years.

Traditions are different what to do with the Wedding Crowns following the wedding. 

What I have experienced most is that they are placed either in a display box of their own 

or with an icon and placed on the wall of the family altar, or in the master bedroom.   

Later in life, I have seen families,

pass the wedding crowns to grandchildren 

and have also seen them placed with a person at final rest. 

It's all beautiful. 

Share the Day.

Beeswax Ornament

Year before last I made beeswax ornaments.

I gave many as gifts and saved this one for us.

To make it I used candy molds in this pretty snowflake patterns.

It has a beautiful aroma and is one of my favorites.

Share the Day.

Paper Rose Christmas Wreath

Wanted to make a paper rose wreath for our beautiful teen niece.

This isn't it, but it's the starting point.

This wreath was used as a centerpiece for a baptism.

It was made with a wreath form inside.

I then had wrapped different gift-wrap paper from our baby shower inside a layer of tulle. 

Finished it off with blue ribbons and teddy bears. 

Each centerpiece was special.

They were on the tables surrounding hurricane lamps.

It really looked beautiful.  

So I started by deconstructing the centerpiece.

You can see it in the picture below in the back.

I wanted to make paper roses and decided coffee filters were the way to go.

So I searched for some tutorials/patterns.

I found the exactly what I was looking for here. 

Make and make and make.

Glue and glue and glue.

To finish it, 

added a purple sparkled pointsetta 

and a beautiful matching peacock.

These pictures are with different flash settings, I really like the glow in this one, but the detail of the  flower  and peacock in the one below. Which one do you prefer?

She loved it!

Share the Day!

Not just Purses.

You might remember I recently finished a little project for two important somebodies.  

I'm currently working on a few more for a couple more somebodies special. 

Christmas is coming after all.

I thought I would share with you how to make the sweet little squares,

 to me they look like little byzantine crosses.

It's an old pattern. 

Handed down from our Mom.

So, it is very dear to me and one of my faves.

Love you Mom.

*****

You start with a chain of 6 or 8 (depending on how big your want the center to be)

and join it into a ring.

Chain 4, then triple crochet into the ring.

Repeat three more times.

Chain 5 then start triple crochet , 

join with slip stitch to center and repeat.

When completed fourth set of four triples, 

join last with another slip stitch to the first and then fasten off.

*****

I decided to make more so that my amazing cousin,

 could have something to match her girls.

So I blocked a scarf.

Then stitched them together.

Then added a simple border of single crochet.

I loved the result, mistakes and all.

 I hope she does too!

Here they all are together.

What do you think?

Share the Day!