The start of Christmas and my most recent transformation!

Hi y'all! I miss you all so much when I am not blogging, but I do stop in often to visit many of you, leaving a comment from time to time, or just popping in for a quick read, even when I am not posting myself. I have been quite busy, but just had to stop in today to show you all my latest transformation, and to get a little Christmassy advice!

Here is my tree....its white, with multi colored lights, and was a present from a very good friend, who was also once my mother in law. She bought a white tree for herself and I loved it, so she bought me one as well! How sweet right?

So whats the prob your wondering? Well, none of my decorations look good on it. I have decorated this sweety 3 times and took it all off. Right now she is sitting there in the corner looking BLAH...I am not sure what to do with it. Any ideas? Colors? Ribbon or no ribbon? Would love some advice!!!

And now for my transformation. A friend gave me a wicker rocking chair. You all know how much I love wicker and I fell in love with this one immediately. It was brown, and is comfy. I forgot to take a pic of it before, but remembered after nearly finishing the first coat of white spray paint. So here it is before.....

And here it is after the paint job and new cushion covers.....

I just love it, and it looks wonderful in my living room. Speaking of which, I have made some little changes which I promise to show you soon!

Until next time...

Melinda

Inspiration....

Hello again blogger friends! Its been a couple of weeks since my last post. How quickly time gets away from us. What have you all been up to? Me? Well, a lot of different things...

...my Christmas cleaning and Christmas shopping while counting down the days till, you guessed it, CHRISTMAS! I just love Christmas, don't you??

...a new business venture! I am very excited! Its an online sales business specializing in women's, and girls, clothing and accessories (to start!). I began with a Facebook group, and am in the process of a website. I have several different drop shippers and wholesalers, and I must say I am off to a pretty good start. I have a partner, my best friend and sister Melissa, and while for now we are selling just dresses and jewelry, we are in the process of expanding to shirts, pants, bags, accessories, and lingerie in the New Year! I am super excited, and loving it so far!

...last, but certainly not least, I have been nursing a sick little boy for the past week and a half. Kaleb had a nasty cold and a cough that is still lingering, but I am grateful that it wasn't anything more serious, and by anything I mean the H1N1 virus which is terrifying people these days. Kaleb received his vaccination, and Keenan will this week, but when I will get mine is still unknown.
That's about it for my activities these couple of weeks, but I have several fun things in the works for the coming weeks. I want to redecorate my bedroom which has been the room that's neglected since moving into the house back in July. I have been searching the world wide web high and low for inspiration and while I found many wonderful rooms I still have not found one that calls out to me. I want something with a little black in it after trading beds with my son this past week, who had a kinda old fashioned bed that was painted black, and discovering how much I loved it with my pink chenille bedspread, but not with my blue walls. I want a total redo...new paint, bedding, accessories, the whole nine yards.

While scouring the internet I, of course, saved several pictures to my computer for future reference, or just to oogle from time to time, and thought I would also share them with you! Hope you enjoy! If any of you all have your own inspirational pics that you think might tweak my creativity and inspire my own bedroom I would love to see them so go ahead and shoot them off to me in an email. Thanks, y'all are so helpful and sweet! Enjoy these whims

Halloween Fun and Aunt Melinda's Homemade Costumes!

Hi all! Hope you all had a fun and safe Halloween. Our kids had a great time, complete with trick or treating,a Halloween supper at Melissa's and 3 Halloween parties, and they all looked great!! I had set out this Halloween season with the intention of making all 4 kids costumes (my two boys, my niece Haley and nephew Hayden) but it didn't work out that way for one reason or another. My oldest son Keenan was offered a costume by a friend of ours that he thought was too cool to pass up, and my nephew wanted to be one thing for Halloween- a vampire- so without actually making his costume I pulled it all together. My littlest boy, Kaleb, had a homemade costume compliments of Mom, as did my niece Haley. And here they all are.......







Until next time....

Melinda

Living Room Tour with some New added pretties!

Hi everyone...has it been THAT long since I have stopped in (again!)....been really busy with, well, life...working on Halloween costumes right now, started my Christmas shopping, and the kids keep me busy...but here I am, and with some new pics of my living room which has undergone some changes in the past few weeks. This will be a post without many words, with lots of pics, and I absolutely promise to come back real soon!

Missing in action, recent ebay stuff, and my latest purchase!

I have been MIA once AGAIN...I know, I know..you are all tired of hearing that, and there really is no excuse for it other than the fact that I have been occupied elsewhere with this, that, or the other. I haven't been doing a lot of work on the house lately..I think I tuckered myself out and needed this little break..the kids are back in school and enjoying it thus far although Kaleb did go through a couple of days of crying but thankfully that is behind us now, and finally, after having taken a 2 month break I am back to work at ebay! I have accumulated a lot of vintage items over the summer and am listing a couple each day. Here is what I have listed so far this week.....








Plus, I have listed a couple of vintage nightgowns from the 1950's, adorable PINK vintage ladies shoes, and a splendid little girls vintage peacoat! If you would like to see any of my items just look me up on ebay.....vintage_loving_mom!

I made a lovely purchase this past week as we.. I found in on a classifieds group on Facebook believe it or not...have a look....



Its a double sized duvet cover and 2 shams! I love, love , love it!!!!

Well latest...my sincerest apologies for my being away so long..and I promise I will be back soon!

Hugs,
Melinda

A little good news...what I have been up to...and updates on my little cottage!!

Hi everyone!!
I am so happy to be back, and with pics, AND on my laptop!!! That's right, I have my laptop back and as good as new! I did a little dipping into my measly savings and forced myself to allow myself to get it fixed. I seldom every buy myself anything (other than thrift store treasures of course) and when I had saved enough money to buy myself the laptop this past Spring I was so happy and proud of myself. I just couldn't imagine not getting it fixed. So, its fixed and back home!! That's my tid bit of good news for today!

Now that I have my laptop back I am able to upload pics finally, and went around the house taking pics of the newest developments....

I added a new chair to my living room. My sister had it up for sale at our yard sale a couple of weeks ago but it didn't move, and she REFUSED to bring it back in the house, and she was serious! It sat on her lawn for a day or two (thank goodness we didn't have rain) until she figured out what to do with it, which she never did. And I got to thinking....was there anything I could do with it to add it to my own living room? The chair is navy blue with burgundy and green picks and ugly to boot so...I threw a white blanket over it, then a white chenille bedspread over that, added a few pillows, and here it is!


I am still working on my living room and am always on the look out for new treasures to add, and so far I am totally loving the entire room, and apparently I am not the only one....

My feline babies seem to love it too...Princey, Tigger, and Noddy. (from left to right)


Kaleb's room is still a work in progress and is coming along very well. I repainted every piece of furniture in his room and here is how it turned out....


There is still lots to do, and I will update you on the progress soon!

I have been working on a few projects these past couple of weeks as well for another room in the house...my bedroom, FINALLY!!

This dresser was given to me by a lady from my Moms church who was moving and I fell in love with it! It has since gotten a coat of white paint and I will show you the finished results real soon I promise!!



And, as I mentioned in a previous post, I made my very first upholstered headboard, and here it is so far! I am not finished yet, but wanted to show you my progress so far!!


And then there are my thrift store finds..and it really has been slim picking let me tell you! Not a lot on the shelves these past few weeks but I did manage to find this framed picture at a yard sale a couple of weeks back, and its now hanging above my kitchen table...


And while visiting the Goodwill last week I found this cute mini, vintage suitcase. It is currently sitting on my nightstand holding note books and pens...


And last but not least...the progress on my tiny, but cozy, cottage chic bedroom! It still has a long way to go, but I am happy with the progress so far!



Phew..that was a lot of info! I have really been missing blogging and it just wasn't the same when I tried to keep up using the desktop in Keenan's all boy chaotic room! But, I'm back, and so happy to be!

Until next time.....

Hugs from Melinda

How do you relax and unwind?

How do you relax, unwind, let your hair down, throw your troubles to the wind??
Everyone uses different methods of relaxation, whether its a day at the spa, a mini vacation, or lying in the sun. What relaxes one person might not work for the other, and no way is the wrong way if it works for you. What works for you?
Me? Well, I have a few different things which I do when I just need to escape if only for a short time...

I sing....lousy...but I sing. I sit at the computer, turn on a play list on it which is suitably titled My Sucky Singing Song List..play it loud and sing even louder, at the top of my lungs. Whats in my play list? Well, first of all The Climb by Miley Cyrus..I know, its a little juvenile for a woman my life, but I absolutely love the song...then there is Feels Like Home to Me by Chantel K (I cannot spell her last name!!), Joey by Concrete Blond...a couple Bonnie Raight songs...and a few others that I just cannot think of off the top of my head. I belt them out of me like no ones listening!! And it works perfectly!

I read...and I love it! Always the same author (Danielle Steel) and I always like her oldest books best. I don't take them out from the Library, I buy them either at a nearby second hand book store, yard sales, thrift stores, Goodwill and every one in a while I will buy a couple on ebay. I have been reading her since the 9th grade...15 years ago! I read her and escape to the places she describe, get lost in the character, fall in love with the couples, and let myself get lost in another world!

I do both....in a nice hot bubble bath. A few years ago, when my ex husband and I were still married and living in what is now MY house, we purchased a new bathtub. We had intended to buy just a standard time but Home Hardware didn't have any in stock. They did, however, have a peanut tub...do you all know which tubs I am talking about?? They are shaped like a peanut inside, deeper than standard bathtubs, slant in the back for lying back, and have arm rests. Well, the tub ran us into more money that we had wanted to spend, but we needed a tub ASAP so we got it....and it was the best decision ever!!! Soaking in that tub filled with hot water and bubbles the rest of that world is forgotten AND I always either read while soaking, or take my MP3 player into the tub with me and sing along. Did I mention that I am a horrible singer?? My kids knock on the door several times within the hour (forgot to mention I soak for an hour!) asking when I am coming out just so that they don't have to listen to me sing anymore!

THAT is how I relax, unwind, shut out the world, and forget my troubles...what about you?