Crafting with the stars?!?

Yes, I've entered into the running...Go over and check out the competition! Lots of cool crafts!...and join too:)

Mod Podge DOES Rock!!

I finally decided to take a stab at a Mod Podge project of my own. I have been watching all of the fun projects post to a blog I follow, Mod Podge Rocks!. There are TONS of cool and crafty ideas posted on this blog. I've heard varying opinions on Mod Podge but I really enjoyed the project and thought it turned out pretty cute too!


I started out with a small child's bench that the neighbors' little one had out grown. I imagine she probably displayed her stuffed animals on it.  We've been looking at and pricing dog food stands but they are just so darn pricey for what they are..if you know what I mean. So Mr. Bliss cut two holes into the seat of the bench to fit our metal dog food dishes. That was a stopping point for a little bit. I had not decided how I wanted to decorate the stand.


Here it is white and ugly but working perfectly:

I then decided to paint it a shiny black.. improving...

While the bench was drying I got to work on my letters and designs to be Mod Podged onto the back and top of the bench. I purchased a large Mod Podge "Matte" from Michael's, along with a cool pad of pretty paper. Total cost was under $10. I used cheap paper letter stencils(can be found at Lowe's or Walmart) to trace out the names of each dog and then carefully cut them out with my exacto knife.


I then went online and found some dog paw images via google and printed them out as a guide. This part took me the longest b/c I was being very picky and wanted smooth little paw pads. Small circles with the exacto knife were a little bit harder than the letters for me.


Once I had all of my letters and paw pieces cut out I started playing around with the layout. When I had it like I wanted it I pasted the letters and paws onto the back of the bench. I used a 1" sponge brush and some Mod Podge making sure they were secure and exactly where I wanted them. Then I applied coat after coat of Mod Podge, letting each dry completely before applying another, until I thought they were nicely sealed. Lastly, I Mod Podged some trimmed up pages of my pretty paper to the section where the bowls rest..... and voila!!

Our very own personalized dog food stand. Isn't it grand!!


More Mod Podge fun in the works including washer jewelry and a fancy lamp shade:) Thanks for stopping by!

DIY Projects Galore!

The past couple of weekends have been such fun. I began to tackle the DIY projects that have been floating around blog land and hence swirling around in my head. Today I'm here to share my first DIY Success. Old coffee table turned into lovely ottoman.

I have been drooling over many posts I've seen of these circulating on the interwebs and just had to give it a go. My original inspiration came from Little Green Notebook , one of the first DIY blogs I followed. When inspired by Little Green's  post I had only dreamed of attempting any kind of DIY project, but as my blog following became a more serious habit, I was filled with confidence that I too could do this and gave it a shot.

My coffee table of choice is not quite square like Jenny's but VERY rectangle. I was ok with that though b/c its size is better suited for the space it will fill. A definite blast from the past, this was actually my parents' coffee table while I was growing up. When they were through with it she, yes it's now a she, was banished to the garage. When I left my parents' nest and was in need of furniture I found her waiting patiently for me in the garage. I painted her white and she tagged along through most of my twenties. After my last move she was once again banished to the garage....Until now.

Last week I pulled her out and here she is in all of her white-ness and glory.

I then removed her shelves, which I'll save for another revamp project of some sort.

 Next I Removed her under brackets and legs...
 

 
And was left with this...

I have never reupholstered ANYTHING! This was the most intimidating part for me. Rather than spend a fortune on fabric, I used the wonderful advice of Traci from Beneath My Heart about using drop cloths to redecorate. I love the linen look of all the drop cloth projects she has on her blog.



My ottoman took half of a 6x9 drop cloth and that's probably a bit more than usual being that this was my first attempt doing this. For the foam, I was thrifty and used an old tempurpedic-ish mattress topper that was the perfect thickness. I would love to thank all of the wonderful ladies out there who mentioned using a bread knife for cutting the foam. It went through like BUTTER. I washed, dried, and ironed the drop cloth, cut the foam to size, gave her legs a bit of a spray tan and then got to work with the help of Mr. Bliss and my handy new electric stapler. Check her out............she's back:):):)

....and with sexy black legs to boot!!......

Back soon with my next project!!! Thanks for stopping by!

Meditations for Women

Photo borrowed from Sama Baby Blog

I've been receiving the weekly emails from this site for a couple of months and have really been enjoying the daily meditations as well. Here is a link from today's email. I thought it was worth mentioning and sharing:) Have a great Tuesday!   

Ello again!

A catch up on what the past couple of weeks have entailed.....

Lots and lots of gardening and yardwork with spectacular results- beautiful flowers and beds and birds and herbs and veggies...oh my!:)

A tense evening of searching for my best friend...Mr. Clyde..who went on a 5 hour journey of which only he knows all of the details. I know that while he was doing his thing I went from calm, to concerned, to worried, to ...quick put signs up b/f it gets dark..., emergency vet and pound calls, and lastly tears. I'd just given up hope of finding him for the night when the phone rang. He had made it across a four lane highway and quite a few neighborhoods on his big adventure and ended up on a strangers porch unable to walk with bleeding front paws. This led to a trip to the emergency vet that lasted until 1a.m. and finally me making it into bed with this pitiful little guy way past my bed time- It was all worth it just to know he was safe at home in bed and going to be ok. 

 One of the most fun things was my boyfriend and I cooking tuna steaks with our fresh home grown herbs and enjoying the fruits of our labor:):)- Yummo!

Happy Friday! Have a GREAT weekend!

Strangely perfect

While going through my blog reader today at lunch I came across the most "meant for me" post I've ever read. Now to start working on the steps. Had a major lost puppy ordeal last night which allowed me all of 4.5 hours of sleep. I'm starting to struggle on the brain function:) I'll post all about the ordeal this weekend...but for now my Clyde is alive and well and resting up at home where he belongs. What a night!

So check out the blog post here and also check out the rest of Zenhabits. Have a great weekend!

Well Hello!

I'm back! Last Thursday after work I left to go to my boyfriend's and then Friday a.m. we hit the road for a little trip. We headed to Marietta, Ohio, where his family lives. The Weather Channel promised me a beautiful Easter weekend and it was just that! We were very in need of a mini break. We spent some very nice quality time with his family and we had a wonderful trip. We have our real vacay coming up in May. We're going to Pigeon Forge and staying in a cute little cabin...that's pet friendly too. Which is even better because our fur children can be included on our trip:) We will do a day in Gatlinburg, a day at Dollywood, and I'm most looking forward to some porch grillin' and hot tub chillin'- there is even a tv out on the porch so we can even watch the tube from the tub..haha! Just a quick update. More serious bloggin' to come a little later. Hope everyone has a great day!!