The Art of Giving: Vintage Clipboards

There is absolutely nothing that lifts the soul more than the art of giving. Especially when the gift is unexpected. And for me, especially if the gift is something that I made. It has been a very long time since my last post and a very long time since I have had a day to myself. I won't go into it today, but our family has been through a struggle over the last 3 months. But God is faithful and we are getting better day by day. Our Heavenly Father is faithful even in the little things. For example, last Sunday we had a family dinner. There were 25 people. I only had seating for 24, so of course I thought, now if I could just bring over that little folding table I have in my hobby shop, it would be perfect. But I was too tired to unload all the many crafting items, so we just made do.

Five days later, on the Friday after our Sunday dinner, I went on facebook before I went to bed. One of my friends had just posted a picture of a desk she was giving away to the first person who messaged her. Guess who got the desk? ME! It is actually a computer desk, but very nice with several open shelves. It has a glass top so I can see all my items stored below the glass top on what is really the keyboard shelf. So, my youngest son picked the desk up for me and last night I unloaded the little folding table that I can now have available for overflow guests, and I reorganized all of my crafting items onto my new desk.

Looks like I already need to reorganize! Sorry for all the junky containers. See the work in progress on the left? Recycling cans for making my craft items really cute in tin and burlap!

Today after breakfast and then a much needed middle of the day nap, I couldn't decide what project to do first. As I sat at my new desk, I started thinking about my friend Carla, who gave it away. She is a very kind, Christian woman who is also an awesome photographer. (Visit her Facebook page at Carla Carter Photography). I started thinking about some of the graphics I had printed from The Graphics Fairy and some other great blogs, and remembered I had some that looked like vintage photograph advertisements. I also had a couple of old clipboards that I have saved in all my pack ratting, so my wheels started turning.

I could make a gift for Carla as a THANK YOU for the FREE desk. So I spent most of the afternoon designing and creating her vintage clipboard. Carla and I also go to the same church, so I plan on giving her the clipboard tomorrow. I think she will appreciate the time it took to make something special that is personalized just for her. But she won't like it any more that I will love giving it to her. I can't wait to see her smile!

I chose images I thought Carla would like.

The ribbon makes it so feminine. Just like my friend.

Love these old looking graphics. Find these and hundreds more at http://justsomethingimade.com/freebies/ . I learned a lot about using Mod Podge today. When a tutorial tells you the bubbles will disappear if you have smoothed them out really well, believe it. Mine had some awfully big ones, but they are flat and smooth now that it is completey dry.

I decided the back had to look cute, too.

I used some distressing ink to age the edges of this card and other cut outs.

The old earring that has lost it shine is perfect on the old rusty clip.



I like the religious photos as well.

Added her name as a last minute decision. Yep, I think she's gonna like it!

I surely hope my friend likes her little surprise. That is the way God does us. Just when we need something, and just when we do not expect it, BOOM. Gifts from above. But then, should we expect anything less? After all, He gave the greatest gift of all. Blessings to you and yours. May the Son shine on you and warm your heart so that you will be able to give of yourself as a sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Love,

Becky

This week I am linking to Funky Junk Interiors. Come take a look at all the beautiful ideas posted on her blog!

Summertime Fun

Independence Day has come and gone. We spent the day preparing to leave for a short visit to Boston, but made time to eat some delicious grilled meats and all the trimmings with some family. I will go back to work in 3 days until next summer when I will have a few weeks off. Don't feel too sorry for me, because I do have holidays when the students are not in school, so it makes for a great job.

We spent hours walking all over Boston. Up and down streets, stairs, escalators, traveled by car, plane, bus, taxi, subway train, and ferry in 3 short days. We saw so much beautiful architecture, shopped, admired the gardens of Boston, visited churches, historical sites, and it all climaxed with a classic baseball game at Fenway Park between the Red Sox and the New York Yankees. We took our youngest son, Connor, and his girlfriend, Lea Anna. Enjoy the photos to see what our summer memories look like.

               

                 This patriotic scene was taken at the Boston Public Library. It is a beautiful structure inside and out.

 

The ceiling on the second floor hallway is a work of art in itself.

What a perfect example of what a library should be like-lots of natural light and lots of books!

                          

Mahi Mahi Spicy Tacoes from SkipJack's were so deliciously fresh and the mango salsa-yum!

                           

The Charlton from Mike and Patty's-made fresh to order: cheese, bacon, tomatoes, and collards.
Just right for a Southern girl eating breakfast in south Boston!

 

The Boston Public Gardens have been giving Swan Boat rides for over 100 years. This was fun...and CHEAP!

Trinity Church is amazingly kept.

On the Long Wharf Ferry in some very windy weather...great fun seeing the harbor close up.

Getting to see historical sights that are over 200 years old makes us appreciate our country even more.
We visited the USS Constitution at the Charlestown Naval Yard.

Red Sox vs. Yankees
The saga continues...

A perfect ending to a great long week-end...Red Sox win over the Yankees 9-6!

We made it back home to Mississippi safely, which is quite a blessing. The sun was not shining when we arrived in Mobile at the airport, and it was only 80 degrees, but the humidity was in full force. I have enjoyed the past few days basking in the sunshine of the northeast. We may have different accents, and different ideas, but we are all Americans, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. My prayer is that this never changes. Blessings to you and yours.

Becky

I have linked to Funky Junk's SNS Pretty Scenery. Check it out!



Change Is Good!

Some of my friends at work gave me a birthday happy and I went straight to a couple of antique places that I like and burned it up quick and in a hurry. My office at work is in dire need of a change. I moved furniture, dusted, cleaned out desk drawers, filed or chunked piles of paper that have accumulated, and lots of things that I don't know why they were even in my office (mostly under my desk!). Anyway, it is still a work in progress, but now I have a wall that is 9 feet high and 15 feet wide that is completely empty. The first thing I am working on is kind of like an inspiration board, but it is really just a fancy bulletin board so I can place things that inspire me and make me happy in one location to enjoy. And, it will also be a conversation piece, as people are in and out of my office, I am sure.

This is a 20 x 28 frame and it was only $18. It is very heavy and in good condition.

I picked up some empty frames that I liked and added a little color, since the walls in my school office are a boring beige and cannot be changed. This one was beautiful the way it was, but I like the way these colors look on the high points. Then I covered a piece of foam board with some nicely woven fabric, inserted it into the frame, and it is ready to hang...am looking forward to filling it with fun cards, photos, and other memories throughout the year.

The other frame I am working on is not finished yet. I want to use it to display some decorative hang tags that have a certain theme. I am thinking about doing one on family, since that is the most important thing in my life aside from my faith in Jesus Christ. When it is finished and everything is hung, I will do another post. 

                          

                                The smaller frame was pretty beat up, but I loved the style and it was only $5.

With some paint and a wipe-down, the cracks and chips just make this little frame all the more lovable.

The other project I am working on it to repurpose some small canvas paintings that have outlived their glory. The photo below I even hate to post. Honestly, the three did look good at the time I bought them. Like I said, change is GOOD.

Before

 

Step 1 was to spray with some black paint because I did not want the vivid colors showing through the burlap.

    

              Step 2 was to cut some burlap the same size as the canvas and apply. The Mod Podge is not dry, but you get the idea. Boy, do I need to work on my photography!

So far, so good. I still feel like I need a third element at the top, but nothing I tried looked right, so I will leave it alone for now and come back to it later. I have two more of these to do and they will be hung as a group, so I need some more ideas. Of course, I had some ideas, but you can't spell W-I-S-H without an "s" and you can't spell H-O-P-E without an "e".
Hobby Lobby, here I come.

Well, it is time to go to bed so we can maybe get to church on time in the morning. Try to stay cool if you live in the south. Our Mississippi sunshine is pouring down the beams. Blessings to you all.

Becky

Back to the Land of the Living-Graduation is Done!

It has been almost two months since I have written anything on my blog. It has been a whirlwind around The White House. We have had two major parties at our home, a baccalaureate ceremony, and the graduation of our youngest son, Connor. He was the class Historian and shared a speech at graduation. I was on stage with him, since I am a school administrator, and was so proud of how he was able to share with his classmates and those in attendance. Our family of four and extended family and friends enjoyed being together at his graduation party and other ceremonies. It was 2001 when our oldest son, Jameson, graduated, so we had to get used to the idea of having a senior all over again. We are a blessed family! 





Con's graduation invitation photo was shot in the field of oats by our home.

Connor at around age 3

We did a frontier style party that was so much fun!
 Connor always thought he was a cowboy when he was little, so we thought we would reminisce a little bit.



Stu's mom and our other family members shared lots of old collectibles to make the party so much more realistic and the items were interesting to admire. Trying to figure out what each old piece was used for is part of the charm of collecting things of the past. It is something most of our family enjoys. 







This is my husband Stu and my sweet nephew Michael. He is our sound guy in the family and did an awesome job providing a microphone for "roasting" Connor with old stories, running the slideshow from birth to graduation (tears-yes), and providing some fun music for everyone to dance by. And yes, he looks like Sully from TV.

Time for me to share how Connor named himself "Con-Con". It is a long story. Oh, and check out the little beverage stand I made ALL BY MYSELF. The front piece is an old pallet and my sweet sister-in-law lined the stand with burlap so we could use the shelf inside for storage and it would not look so messy. All the old spools were salvaged by one of my brouther-in-laws from a burn pile at work. They are easy to roll around and make great tables.



Here we are after Baccalaureate in front of  East Central High School: Jameson, Becky, Connor, and Stu. Celebrating the ECHS Class of 2012

                                                         

Con and Lea Anna after graduation at the Biloxi Coliseum.

We also had another graduate in the family. Makayla Mae, my precious niece, is on the left of Connor. Her baby sis, Macy Cristine, will be graduating next year. Are they not a beautiful threesome???

Well, graduation is over, parties are done, and I am back at work for most of the summer. I am only off for three weeks and one has already been spent, so my days are few to relax. Today I am going to nap and hang out by myself then join family for dinner this evening. Then tomorrow I am going to go antiquing and yes I am taking my TRUCK. Maybe I will find some good deals. Blessings to you and yours as you begin a warm summer under the Mississippi Sunshine.

Love,

Becky

                                                                                                                  

Colors of Spring

To me, spring is about new life. It is about repurposing what you have on hand. My husband asks me all the time why I move stuff. It may be a piece of furniture or a wheelbarrow full of rocks. He just does not understand the need I have to create something that looks different or is used in a different way. Now granted, sometimes he is right about the furniture moves and I end up changing it back. And sometimes not. This year I've come across some new and old glass that says SPRING to me. The soft colors remind me of how the green leaves begin to fill the earth with an eventual shock of color. I understand why God started things out in a garden.  

 

After the full mantels of Christmas and then winter, I wanted a cleaner look for spring. I know Easter is done, but a dear friend gave me the Lladro bunny as a gift and I haven't found another place for her yet.

A pre-1900 bottle my dad brought from Natchez. I guess I get my love of "old stuff" from him.

I love the purples, blues, and greens of spring. And the vintage garland I found last fall for Christmas has not left my mantel since it arrived. I have found ways to make it work, because I love the way it shimmers in different colors. See below how it worked through three different seasons?

Christmas

Winter

Spring

I now see that I need something green that is alive on this mantel! Oh, so what's new? Change is good. Blessings to you and yours for good times and sunshiney days to share with those you love.

Becky

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