Gossip Bench Makeover in "Duck Egg Blue"

I haven't blogged in a while now because I've been really busy.  I haven't had a chance to show you but I've been busy crocheting, busy visiting family in NJ, busy refinishing furniture, busy hunting down furniture, busy re-arranging furniture, and busy being a wife and mom.  I've been feeling quite productive lately and today especially since I got out and cleaned up a part of my front yard to get ready for spring.  The longer days make me happy :)  Anyway let's get down to business and let me show you my latest project.  I'm totally in love with it.

So exactly two weekends ago I landed an awesome gossip bench.  I've been on the search for one for a while now and I really thought it suitable for my foyer.  It was on craigslist so I contacted the seller and got it the next day.
I wanted to paint in in Annie Sloan's Duck Egg Blue but I honestly can't afford it at the rate that I paint furniture.  By all means I love it but it's just pricy so if price isn't an issue then go for it.  Anyway I searched blog land for inspiration and as always I learn something new.  I love blog land and how everyone is so willing to share information.  I came across Altard.com and found Annie Sloan color equivalents and was so happy.  Check out their post on Color Comparisons.  So my Duck Egg Blue in Behr paint was Gray Morning.  One trip to the Home Depot and I was set! I also bought Polished Pearl which is like the Old White because you can't go wrong with having it around.

Here's what I started out with (ignore the background and focus on the bench) working on my kitchen table.

 And here's my paint :) you won't believe that I only bought a sample for $3! Yay! Plus I only used half it it so $1.50 is a drop in the bucket compared to Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint.  I was so proud of myself.

Here's the result after the first coat!

While my final coat of paint was drying and I went ahead and popped my fabric in the washer and then dried it.  I bought a drop cloth canvas and used it to reupholster the seat.  Cheap and sturdy and french looking and this was inspired by a lot of projects in blog land but mainly by Miss Mustard Seed.  I love her blog and her house please be sure to check out all of her awesomeness I spend hours on her blog and I love it.  Seriously though who am I to give her a shout out when I'm such a young blogger I'm just giving credit where credit is due :)
Anyway here's the fabric.

Then after stapling my fabric to the seat I painted stripes on it using some burgundy/purplish oops paint.  Always nice to have oops paint on hand :)

Then a few hours later as this was drying I glazed the bench with a little bit of gold craft paint diluted in water.  It was so thin more of a wash and I glazed to add some sheen and gold accents then I'd wipe lightly with a cloth.  That made the blue more green so then I made another wash with the blue and went over the whole thing again. Then some sanding and distressing with a hand file and I was done.

A photo shoot was in order:

Don't you just love all the details?! I know I do.

It's total luck that my oops paint stripes match the hearts on my It's Good To Be Queen pillow :)
So this is it! Just a $1.50 worth of paint and this baby has been transformed and is sitting happily in the foyer.  Please share some love and let me know what you think.  Would love to hear from you!
xoxo,
May

I'm linking up to these parties:

Happy Birthday to my Mom

Today is my mom's birthday! My mother is a very special woman in every way I can think of. She is so selfless that I know for a fact that I can never be like her.  I also know that God has truly blessed me by giving me a mother like her and by allowing me to experience what it means to be a mother.  She's also an awesome grandmother to my two girls.  I wrote this simple poem for her today.

Happy birthday to my mom

The one who raised me well

The one that gave up on her dreams so that her children may excel

 

Happy birthday to my mom

The one who with my dad left their country, people and all that they considered home

Happy birthday to my mom

And may she with dad in paradise roam

 

Happy birthday to my mom

The one who taught me how to walk, sit, eat, and speak

Happy birthday to my mom

That showed me how to be strong even when I felt weak

 

Happy birthday to my mom

The one who insured that all we ate was homemade

Happy birthday to my mom

The woman who taught me about God as she prayed

 

Happy birthday to my mom

That taught me how to be humble so that God elevates me

Happy birthday to my mom

That showed me that good manners where always the key

 

Happy birthday to my mom

May she be blessed with health, wealth, and happiness for all her life

Happy birthday to my mom

That after all these years proves to be the perfect wife

 

Happy birthday to my mom

That knows the true meaning of being a mother

Happy birthday to my mom

 The best grandma to my girls, she’s truly like no other

 

Happy birthday to my mom

The most selfless woman that I know

Happy birthday to my mom

And may her face on judgment day with light glow

 

Love you always mom!

xoxo,

May

Photo Post: Northern Cardinal

I've been wanting to take a picture of a Cardinal for so long and I finally was able to this past Friday.  I really love these birds, not only do they look so pretty but they sound so pretty too.  I was able to get a picture of the Male in red and also the Female :) they were chasing eachother around the tree just in time for Valentines day.

Hope you enjoy looking at them as much as I enjoyed capturing photos of them.
xoxo,
May

Crochet Slippers

I've been looking for a crochet pattern for some cute slippers to make for my little monsterette.  I came across a lot of patterns and finally decided on one that I thought to be the easiest.  I found it at

 http://www.coatsandclark.com/Crafts/Crochet/Projects/Accessories/CD205-05+Adult+and+Child+Slippers.htm 

and after downloading the FREE pdf file I decided to crochet the children's slippers in a Medium which equates to about a size 9.  I found this pattern to be super easy.  I didn't crochet 4 soles like the pattern and instead decided that two would be enough since little Monsterette will be wearing them at home.  I also added the little white single crochet on top for a bit of a girly touch. I crocheted them at night and when she woke up I told her to go see what's on the table and she was jumping up and down and dancing and sliding on our wood floors.  Ahhh the things that make me happy :)

They are a little loose though so I'm thinking to crochet more single crochets to create a little of a cuff or a mini boot.  Here they are for now!

The little slippers are of course for little little monsterette but they are not finished yet! I'm also working on a full size blanket in this orange and it's only about a foot and half wide.  It's going to take me a while to finish such a large project but hey next winter is a year away right? :)

That's all for now! How do you like? would love to hear what you have to say :)
xoxo,
May

Creating Crochet Heart Patterns

There's a lot of Heart crochet patterns online that I tried.  As many of you know the HEART is my favorite shape.  I've been crocheting hearts lately but was looking for a bit of a variety.  Since I'm far from being able to create my own pattern I decided to use a grid method that's typically used for knitting and crochet.  So I went to my handy dandy excel sheet and created a few hearts using the grid.  I then crochet one stitch of choice for each box on the grid.  I tried it and it worked! :) I've seen people and tutorials out there that start the upper half of the heart by doing the 2 semi circles and then attaching to it the bottom of the heart which is the triangle.  To me that was just too much attachments so to speak so I decided to crochet the heart from the bottom up and work the first semi circle then the second semi circle by attaching a new piece of yarn.  I've also Crocheted a heart using the grid sideways and it turned out great and looked like a knit since the lines where going up and down.  Crocheting from one side to the other meant that I only need to use on piece of yarn throughout the pattern which I liked.  Now the possibilities are limitless since I can crochet many different patterns using this method. Doves perhaps? Let's see what I come up with!

I'll be photographing my hearts soon but for now here's a screen shot of my excel spreadsheet.

I actually have graph paper on hand too so I can doodle until I come up with something that's created all by myself! :) That makes me happy!

Do you use this method? Let me know if this was helpful and please share your thoughts.

xoxo,
May

Heart Wreath

There's something about having a wreath on your front door that always made me feel like it makes a house feel like a home.  Months back I was on a hunt for a heart shaped wreath when I finally found the perfect size hearts at Michaels.  I snatched them up and was so excited to get home.  I already had the silk flowers from ACMoore from the year before and with some ribbon I went ahead and started to attach my flowers to the hearts.  I then attached the hearts to one another and I love how they look when I drive up to the house.  Dont' mind the shiny paint on the door.  That's on my "to tackle" list but slowly and surely right? Here's what it looks like! I heart it! Literally!

How do you like it?
xoxo,
May

Neighbor's Gift

Last Friday we all went to Jersey to spend time with my family until new years.  We had a lot of fun! I enjoyed reconnecting with each of my sisters, the girls where of course being spoiled by everyone and we all just had a great time and mom's great food too! yesterday we decided to leave and get on the road before all the traffic started.  The trip back to VA wasn't bad at all as was the trip going to Jersey.  It took us about three and half hours to get home and it was such a relief because my little little monsterette was crying most of the trip and I was on the verge of having a break down.  Breath breath it was only new years day... As I got out the car and approached the front door I found a gift bag on the front steps.  Hubby picked it up and took it inside and with it was a card.  It was from our next door neighbors wishing us a happy new year. I thought it was so sweet of them and it was really nice to have something at the door when you least expect it.  The bag included the card, a pack of chocolates, and a bottle of sparkling cider.  I thought that this was such a thoughtful gift.  It's simple you may think but actually a lot of thought went into this gift.  I know that because as Muslims we don't drink any alcohol and also eat no pork. Believe me we had pork given to us by people that should have known better, and we've been offered alcohol on many occasions as well.  So having an alcohol-free bottle of cider at my door says to me "we know you" "we thought about what to give you" and to me that's the best gift ever.  Thank you dear neighbor for being a neighbor with all that that word means and implies. Happy New Year!

Pomegranates!

Oh how I love pomegranates! They are so sweet and such a treat to eat.  Lately though I've been reading all about the health benefits of this amazing fruit and it seems like the benefits are endless. 
This miracle fruit is mentioned in the Quran to be one of the fruits in heaven. Also, according to some research that I've done it's also mentioned in the Bible as a fruit that grows in the gardens of Eden.  Isn't that amazing?!
I've also come across some information that suggests that the peals are actually more nutritious then the insides! So I was on a mission to benefit from the peels as well.  I read that some may just boil the peels to make a tea and some also just dry the peels to make a powder to add to teas, food, and cakes or cookies. So I decided to dry up the peels. 

And here's how I did it:
Spread the peels in a cookie sheet
Place in oven on 150 degrees or warm and leave for as long as possible.
Turn over and repeat till all is hard and dry.
Grind to a powder mix using coffee grinder.

Of course the hubby, I, and the girls devoured the insides in a couple of days (I like to peel them all and keep in the fridge) and I can't wait to use my peels later.
Tip: to make sure all the white "stuff" is gone just fill the bowl with water and let the "stuff" float as you get rid of it.

Do you like pomegranates too?! They just make me happy :)

xoxo,
May

German China Planter

There's nothing like a great thrift store purchase! A couple of weeks ago while I was still recovering from pneumonia (yucks!) I figured I'd go to the thrift store for a change of scenery :)  Well I got quite a few things that day like a lot of china items.  I found this German china planter and instantly fell in love with it and it was in perfect condition.

Then it just sat there waiting to be loved for another week until I stopped by the Trader Joe's and unintentionally found this awesome miniature holiday tree.  I'm still not sure about the name of it but some research should give me an idea as to what this tree is.  Anyway I've been looking for a tiny one and just happened to spot it on my way out so I grabbed it and was so excited to be on my way home.

A little potting soil later here's what I ended up with.  I totally love it!

What do you think? Do you like "thrifting" as well? What are some of the items you've "thrifted" lately?

xoxo,
May

Crocheting for the Cold!

It's been a while since I've written but this past month was full of so much to do.  This past month I spent Eid (the Muslim holiday) with my family up in New Jersey and we all had a blast spending 10 days there.  I also started to crochet some scarves and cowls for the winter.  I love drinking a cup of tea as the girls play around while I crochet.  Something so relaxing and cozy about doing that.  I've crocheted a scarf and cowl for my sister and I've also added some items to the Shop.  I also crocheted some coasters for my mom. Then this past weekend hubby, the girls, and I spent some great time in Ocean City, MD.  The weather was spectacular and it was for my birthday. Yes the big 28 which is two years away form the big 30.  All I can say is that I'm blessed and pray that God continues to bless me.  Anyway, here's some crochet pix :)

Would love to hear from you! xo, May