Halloween Fun & A Personal Challenge

Happy Halloween everyone!

We will be going trick or treating downtown this afternoon. We live out in the country, so we don’t get any trick or treaters here at our house.

Although, I must share that my 12 year old daughter informed me that she wasn’t going to trick or treat tonight.

Yes, it’s started. The dreaded pre-teen and almost teen years.

Although it gives me comfort that my youngest (10 now) will NEVER want to stop trick or treating because he is absolutely a CANDYAHOLIC…LOL!

I also want to wish my Dad a wonderful Happy Birthday today. When I talked to him on the phone this morning I said…

“Dad, you’ve spent at least 50 of your birthdays handing out candy and taking your kids and their kids trick or treating”. Not a bad way to celebrate your special day. I miss you Dad and hope you have a great day.

I have a little something else I wanted to share with you guys today.

Six weeks ago I saw Dr. Joel Fuhrman on television. Something made me stop and sit down and listen to him. He spoke of better health and healthy eating.

I had been feeling sluggish and in need of a chance. I downloaded his book “Eat To Live” on my Kindle. The next day I began a personal challenge. I challenged myself to follow his plan and eat a plant-based diet for 6 weeks. YES, plant based means no meat and no diary. I had never tried an eating plan like this before and wanted to give it a try.

WELL. today marks the 6 week point of my personal challenge.

I met my goal. I ate ABSOLUTELY no meat (or chicken or fish) or dairy for a full 6 weeks.

Now….don’t get the idea that I didn’t EAT…I did!

I made a wonderful “Green Smoothie” for breakfast each day, at a HUMUNGOUS salad for lunch (with yummy dressings that Dr. Fuhrman provides recipes for), and delicious filling soups and cooked veggies for dinner. Every day includes a least a cup of beans or legumes. I really believe that the beans are a lifesaver for a sweet craver like me (it really works).

The result?

I have dropped quite a few pounds….I feel A LOT better, my energy level has soared, I don’t feel sluggish, and I’m just generally happier and NOT HUNGRY (that’s right).

I won’t stop here. I plan to continue with my new way of eating and living. This book may have changed my life for the better.

Don’t worry, my blog isn’t going to turn into a healthy lifestyle and eating forum…..

BUT, I may be turning out more projects than ever with my new found energy and vigor

I’m proud of myself for giving it a try, meeting my first goal of 6 weeks, and allowing myself to discover a new way of eating that really seems to agree with me.

This is the book if you are interested….

Thanks for letting me share.

Have a wonderful Halloween, and, no, I want me stealing any candy from my son’s bag tonight, but I WILL enjoy wearing jeans that aren’t snug anymore : )

Cori

Gather Ye Chairs

I can’t pass up a great chair…..

So…I found myself with four chairs and a greet little “bench”.

They went to the “chair repair center” for a little TLC…

got a nice fresh coat of paint (I actually mixed Old White and Old Ochre ASCP for this project) and became part of a great dining set here

See the blue and white stereo cabinet on the right from a couple posts ago? WELL….it already sold and was sitting in the front of the store with a wonderful “SOLD” sign on it.

Gotta love those super fast turnarounds!

I had to try out a fun lampshade project I found at Vintage Revivals here.

I even cut some of these beautiful roses from my garden to complement the room (I’m sure these are some of the last blooms of the season).

I found this fabulous fabric at JoAnn’s last week. It’s actually an outdoor fabric. Luckily, it wasn’t on sale so I could use my 40% off coupon.

I love the way it works with this set…just adds a bit of modern flair and a “just right” pop of color.

I was happy with the way the space looked when I left on Friday.

It’s so much fun to have an ever-changing “room” that’s not in your house that you can “play” with.

If you’ve ever thought about having a space at an antique mall and you love doing this kind of thing….

Give it a shot! It’s really so much fun.

You will learn a lot about yourself, the retail business, and NEVER run out of projects (if you are a project junkie like me).

Heck, you might even make a little money : )

Cori

Amazing Grace

Happy Weekend!

Today I want to share my latest project with you guys.

I’ve been wanting to do a girl’s dress form for quite some time. I’ve done a few forms that are in beautiful baby girl’s rooms and I thought having a beautiful form in “her” size would be wonderful.

What little girl wouldn’t want a form like this to audition her favorite outfits and play dress up with her life size form?

I was inspired by one of our favorite creations—Amelie—who was done in neutral stripes and was, oh so pretty.

I did Grace in white and cream vertical stripes.

I used beautiful trims, including a rosette trim for her neckline and a favorite ecru vintage crochet trim around her drop waist.

Her tutu and wings were purchased from a ffavorite new Etsy shop –Angel Baby Couture found here.

She looks beautiful without her tutu with her special “slip”.

She doesn’t need to be dressed up to be super special in your little angel’s room.

I will be listing Grace in my Etsy shop today.

I think she would make an extra special Christmas gift for one lucky little princess.

I’m so glad you stopped by today.

I’ll check in with you again soon-

Cori

Stereo Cabinet Upcycle

Happy Monday Morning!

I want to share an upcycle piece I completed this past week.

It started out like this…It was a stereo or hi-fi cabinet. I fell in love with the shape and scale of the piece.

I also loved some of the trim detail.

Even the hardware was nice.

I gave it a frenchy look with some Old Ochre ASCP. I also did the door insets with ASCP Provence. I followed with clear wax and then dark wax.

I would like this piece for an entry way or a great little bar in a living space. There’s plenty of storage for glassware and wine bottles or cocktail ingredients.

Lemon Drop anyone???

Hope you find your week off to a great start…only a week until Halloween.

Can you believe it?

Cori

Farm Fresh Table

Hello!

Just a quick post today. I wanted to share this fun project I ffinished last week.

We had this table in the store for quite awhile. It just wasn’t going anywhere.

I decided to do something different with it.

I turned it into a “sign” table. To add some local interest, I did

“FARM FRESH Walla Walla Produce – 1 mi.”

It’s a fun, whimsical table that would work great in a playroom, game room, eat-in kitchen or any space that needs a little fun and color.

I used Graphite ASCP for the top and acrylic paint for the lettering. I distressed the tabletop to give it the appearance of an old fruit stand sign.

I did use two coat of polyurethane for the top since this table may be used for eating or game playing.

This was a really fun project and I’m hoping someone just “has to have it” and it will be going home with someone soon.

I’ve got some other signs I’m working on and will be sure to share them with you very soon.

So glad you stopped into Starview Sonnet today.

Cori