My REAL Mother's Day PRESENT.

Yah, yah. I know my post is late, but you see I've been busy. No, I don't have a craft or a project to post. Nope on all counts of anything newly painted or re-arranged in the Mermaid Cave. You see I've been PRESENT lately. You know, in the moment, paying attention, watching my life happen around me as an active participant. I read a post online today that spoke to my heart about How to Miss A Childhood. That post reminded me of so many days when my kids and I spent hours together staring into puddles, swinging on swings, walking trails, going to T-Ball and finding slugs. The boys are 10 and almost 16 now and slugs rarely get the same reaction they did 5 years ago ;) I find being *present* these days requires a completely different level of attention. Knowing who is dating who, why someone is being "flamed" on Facebook, where it is OK to "party" and what kind of party we are talking about....how much to be seen and when. It is a real balance with teens as I don't have to tell some of you. Being present at this age means SEEING your child with an unflinching eye and being his homebase, no matter what.

This guy though...he is still all "Mama, look at me!!!!!" And I am Quinn. I am looking right at you. I never miss a smile or wave from on the field. I want him to have exactly the same feeling his big brother had. He is my hero, I am avidly watching. I love him. I want him to win and have fun and not fall down. I will know every detail of each game, where he stood in the chorus and how he almost tripped getting on stage for his big moment in the play en' Francais. For Mother's Day this year I got breakfast, gratis gardening, the new Conan the Barbarian movie and chicken nuggets for dinner. I smiled and hugged and told each of them how much I loved my gifts and their efforts to make my day. Cause truth be told....I am half way there, aren't I?

My New Motto!

 

Do you have bad art? I mean something you bought a long time ago because you liked the colours in it but you knew it didn’t fit your decor? Voila. Here we have some sort of strange wanna-be African drummer, cause you know I have an East African theme going in a big way in my house….lol. This lovely picture has been living in my basement for years.

What to do…..I need some art that TRULY reflects me and the vibe I am going for in my home. Coastal. With Margaritas. My inspiration being my outdoor cushions that have every colour I love.

What to do? Rip that thing apart with some needle-nosed pliers, remove staples, clean glass and find the Rustoleum Painter’s Touch in “Caribbean Blue”. I want to be buried in this colour. Thank goodness it’s spray paint!! LOL

I love this colour. Have I mentioned that yet?

Looking online for free printable….I found my new summer motto. One 11 x 17 sheet of paper later and I am in business.

Bring on the gazebo, the pool, the margaritas and candles.

Keep Calm and Party On!

Rockin’ Around the House

 

Our boys have been surfing the dungeon enjoying the semi-finished basement with their friends for seven years in our home. This has kept the noise to a dull roar when large hordes of boys are in my home and means I mostly only see the teenagers when the fridge light is on. But….the guys are 10 and almost 16 and I hate to admit it, but they are growing up. As in, they are going to be gone soonish. I actually enjoy them and want to see them more. So, Greg and I came up with the brilliant plan to rework the under-utilized living/dining room at the front of the house into a lounge for the dudes and their filthy, eatingmachine  lovely friends. Complete with computer station, PS3 and reading area.

You may remember (or not) this shot of the room when I first came across the $40 settee:

We moved the extra loveseat upstairs (to be slipcovered this weekend or it will never survive), put the PS3 and TV on my hope chest for height and surface area. Baskets were scattered around to hold controllers, games, comics etc. But I hit the wall, literally, when it came to a huge expanse of wall over the settee. What the heck did I have on hand that didn’t have flowers on it or a lady in a beach scene to make wall art?

TO PINTEREST! (Just imagine Batman saying that.)

Aha! Inspiration anyone?

Source: modernkiddo.com via Dharma on Pinterest

 

I have records. Really cool records. I can do that……Quick…Robin get me my finishing nails, some bulldog clips and my record collection.

Janis Joplin? Check.

The guys love this new setup and tonight I laughed when Greg noted… “Hey we are all sitting in a room together, and no one is eating!” I think this will be awesome. Lots more boy time. Yay!

 

A pallet’s tale…

 

As you may or may not be aware (you are if you follow me on Pinterest), I’ve been skulking around dumpsters in my neighbourhood lately. On the hunt. For these.

I’ve amassed quite a collection. This doesn’t show off what’s lurking in the garage. Greg figures when we are ready for a “hillbilly campfire”, we are good! But there is a method to this madness. As discussed in previous posts, Greg and I are spending the WAD of Gubment $$$ back in taxes this year on a wharf to sit alongside this monster…

So of course this leaves very little money, a huge requirement of inspiration and mucho perspiration on Greg’s part to come up with some cheap outdoor furniture for the GAH-zebo (say that slowly)

Here is my inspiration shot.

I also got as ton of ideas from Sunny at Life in Rehab over here!

I tried out a few configurations for a low coffee table, but the general weight of these pallets is deceiving. Suckas is heavy!!

I bought the necessary wood screws and castors. 2 stationary castors for the back and 2 swivel castors for the front. In doing so I can almost guarantee the boys won’t use this for a skateboard and none of my Magarita-Madness beotches best girlfriends will push it over when they fall down.
Please refer to the following pics as my attempts to outshine the Pioneer Woman’s ass shots of her rancher husband

Let’s get this going already!

To make the depth and strength of the pallet enough for the castors we had to add a little oooomph, as in beefing the corners with scrap wood. But here is the finished product. My thinking (OK, OK Greg’s thinking) is that the top section is good for drinks, candles etc. but I surmised the bottom section (as it is very big) would be nice for putting your feet up.

Staining to follow. I like it!

Good boy Greg! Kisses!!! Pudge, kiss Daddy for me.

A match made in....

....you decide. What if HE met SHE:

...they took their skirts off and came to live together in my livingroom? THOUGHTS? Bheuller?

What is she thinking?

Well, I'll tell you what she is thinking. She is thinking about building a platform of the side of the seasonal bathtub in the backyard to stop people from falling out, off and into one another on the ladder stairs now present. She is thinking of something like this:

Source: brodneypool.com via Dharma on Pinterest

So, when one does one's taxes and comes up with exactly the same tax return $$ amount from *da Gubment* that her contractor HandyTom has given for a quote to build said leaping surface....she starts to see all of her dreams of planned new rustic patio furniture going down the drain. What is a girl to do? She starts "pinning" and dumpster diving and asking at her local Staples if they are gonna use that pallet sitting in the back? Cause she is on a mission to create HER OWN PATIO SET. Daybed, coffee tables, da works YO! My gazebo will make people gasp this year. GASP dammit. Here are some of my inspiration. Now to get up the motivation (and decent weather).

Source: blogs.babble.com via Dharma on Pinterest

Source: emilypaigeoslie.blogspot.com via Dharma on Pinterest

What are you doing with any of your Gubment $$? Are you good and pay off debt? Or do you address safety issues like me?

FFA Challenge #1

So, Mandi over at Vintage Revivals has started a club. The FFA is "Fearlessly Finding Awesome". This is not a "clubby" club, we won't be raving into the wee hours, sucking on pacifiers and dancing to trance music...or will we? Nope, this is about being fearless in your home. Fearless in decor, challenging you to make your space more "your space" and less like everything we see online or in magazines. First challenge is to Catch a Dream or to define your style "FEELING". Not with the traditional decor words but how you want your home to FEEL. What makes you, you? You know?

So in answering that, I think we all want our homes to feel and look like US. As in, your new friend walks into your home for the first time and says "OMG, this is exactly what I thought your house would look like. It's sooooo you!" To say I am outgoing is a bit of an understatement. I'm totally THAT girl. I've been described as too loud, too funny, too much my whole life. Now, translating that personality into a home could possibly make my place feel like Ringling Brothers had decorated it but there are other things about my personality that I do want to bring into my house. I am very maternal. I love being a mother and I love that my house is that house. The one where the boys' friends come and hang and feel comfortable. I like worn, comfy looking things that I don't have to shriek over. I have never yelled "Do not put your feet on that!". I am funny. Irreverant actually and I say exactly what's on my mind about 99% of the time. In my design style, I'd like more whimsy, humour and things that make you stop, look and laugh. You may have figured out that I love water. Duh. I'd like people to walk into my home and be reminded of beach days or a summer cottage trip. Not that I'm into stringing fishing nets from the ceiling (that makes us mermaids nervous) but I want that vibe. I love, love, love to entertain. I'd like for my guests and family to feel welcome. WELCOME. Open spaces, fun decor, colour and a beachy vibe. Comfortable, hey you - put your feet up....or help me make the margaritas kinda thing. What can I getcha?