It's finally done...
This clock has been siting in my living-room, unpainted, sanded-down, and ready to go for a LONG time!!!!

Finally I drug it into the garage and got started...
The problem was, I didn't know what color or style to paint it....

How did I end up with this clock?

I had been looking for a grandfather clock on Craigslist for a long time, but never saw one I liked...
They were all too square-ish.

So one day I walked into the thrift store, and there it was.
The exact shape I was looking for....
BUT....  It was more than I was willing to pay...
AND it had some issues, it needed some minor repairs...

Talked to the manager.  Was not willing to negotiate on price...

So I just stood there.....
A LONG time...
Twenty minutes, thirty, I don't know....
My daughter  was getting tired of it and said:  "Let's go Mom!"
But Mom wouldn't budge....
That's when I knew I HAD to buy it....

I couldn't part from it...

Isn't that terribly materialistic of me?

After thorough sanding and cleaning, I painted the clock with home-mixed green colored self-fabricated  chalkpaint....
Then I added a brown glaze that my neighbor just gave me from her stash last week {she was moving out of state, and couldn't take it with her...  Thanks Michele!  Enjoy your new adventures....!}.

Anyway, I'm super happy with it, and I can't wait to finish the rest of my half-finished projects so I can show off other areas of my house....

Some more about this clock on this link

Linking up to my Bloggy friends right here

Funky Fun, yet Classy Style: 
I love this tie-skirt!


It is super soft, comfy, and also a memory-skirt at the same time!

For a few years I would snag the ties my hubby would toss in the 'to be donated' pile....
I even snagged some ties at my in-laws house {from their donation pile}.
Finally I couldn't wait any longer and stopped by the thrift store to finish up my collection and get started on the tieskirt.....

I was so excited, and I must say: it turned out pretty cute!

I sewed the ties together using a variety of decorative stitches (that I rarely use) on my sewing machine.  This was a great excuse to use them!

When I look at the skirt I remember how my husband used to wear some of these ties....
Fun times....

You know for as 'light' as ties are, this skirt is surprisingly warm and 'heavy'....
Great for fall and winter coming up...
:-)

I don't know about you, but I just wash this skirt a home, rather than take it to the dry-cleaners.

• Just throw it in the washing machine with mild detergent.  Set the machine on 'hand-wash' cycle.
• Pull it out and hang it up to dry.
• I even touch it up a bit with some steam if I need to....  {or press carefully}

What's so nice about the T-shirt waistband is that it is nice and soft and comfy, and it also allows you to adjust the length of your skirt: 

• wear it on you waist, folded over, for a shorter skirt,
• wear it on your hips, for a longer version

Another fun thing you can do to mix things up is to TURN it!
Twist and Shout

• Who says that front is front, and back is back? 
• Maybe back is front...
• Or side is front...
• It's all good.....!

Lots of colors in the ties give you lots of opportunities for combining with different tops...

Because the T-shirt waist-band is stretchy this skirt fits a variety of sizes even....!  How handy is that!
Great for sisters to share and expand their wardrobe...
Or even roommates at college...!
 
Have a great day!

Crystelle










The tutorial for this skirt is right here.

Do you have a collection of ties at home?
What are your plans for them?

 Linking up to all my favorite bloggy friends....

This is SUCH a fun after-school snack, I just HAD to share it with you. 
We had a great time being creative together, talking, visiting, and then eating our snack to hold us over till dinner time.

• Easy
• Quick
• Fun
• Tasty
• Filling
• Healthy

My peanut even got creative and 'made' new colors:  orange {one drop each of red & yellow} and purple {one drop each of red & blue}....

I used more 'paint' than my daughter did, and was worried that my toast might be a bit "soggy," but then happily discovered:  it was not:  it was perfect after toasting....!  Yay!



Painted toast!
With a little honey on it....
YUMMY!

I'm thinking:  it would be great to make toast for special occasions: 

• a fall leave in autumn
• a Christmas tree at Christmas time
• a heart for valentines day
• a number on a special birthday...

What other special occasions can you think of?

Linking up with my bloggy friends right here....  :)

Aren't these rollers and glasses hilarious!  How about the turquoise face-mask!  Awesome....

I love this little video above!  What a great lesson we all can learn from time to time.  It is so easy to see where others fall short, but it is hard to acknowledge our own mistakes and shortcomings...

My goal:  think positively about others this week...
.... and after that:  always.....

OK, I just couldn't refuse!  I was walking around in a thrift store and lo and behold, I came upon a wooden pizza reel.  It was just slightly used....  Immediately my mind said EAT!  {like it says all the time anyway.... lol!}

So I picked it up.  Paid $1.50.
Took it home and got started right way. 

Now, I forgot to take a 'before' picture because I was so excited to get goin'.... 
It happens...  a lot.......

I finished it up in no time flat {OK, I had to let it dry overnight ~ twice}, and hung it up in my kitchen....
Where it is right now, and it is VERY HAPPY there, I might add!!!

OK, now about my kitchen.  We bought this early 70's home because..... well, I don't know really why we bought it.... It had a LOT of issues...  YUK!  Anyway... 
We have done a lot of work on it, and with every project we get more exhausted, BUT the house gets a little bit nicer...  Imagine that....

So two of the original GREAT features of this house are in these pictures:  My number one FAVORITE {of course} is the retro oven...  In fire-engine red...!
WOW!  How lucky did I get!
And the good thing is ~ it actually works GREAT!!!
I love it.
It's a double oven, and really I only use the bottom one....
Ever.
OK, so maybe twice or thrice a year I will use the top oven. The only occasions for it are:  a big meal where I have to cook a LOT of food...
Or turkey:  it doesn't fit in the smaller lower oven...

The other unique aspect of this home is the huge brick wall that appears in the kitchen....
It's big....
and wraps around into the living room...




There is a tutorial slideshow below
{if you're interested}
WITH a blooper.....


better check it out.....!

Anyway, my kitchen and my EAT sign are very happy together...  
I took pics while I made the sign {it was SUPER easy}, and will add a tutorial later with some detailed tips AND a blooper {yes, I caught it on camera....}...

Have a very terrific day....
Crystelle
{Is there pizza in your eating future...???......}

I will have to tell you honestly:  What I DON'T like about this sing is that it says "eat"......  like my subconscious mind needs any reminding!  Or encouragement for that matter..........  I LOVE to eat!  don't you?

links:  Our Delightful Home, Serenity You, Little Becky Homecky, Say Not Sweet Anne, I should be mopping the floor, Skip to My Lou, the life of NOT so ordinary house wife, Craft-O-Maniac, the Gunny Sack, Lines Accross, Between Naps on the Porch, Be Colorful, Homemaker on a Dime, Sumos Sweet Stuff, Pincushion Creations, Winthrop Chronicles, Ladybug Blessings, A Diamond in the Stuff, Today's Creative Blog, Home Stories A to Z, a bowl full of lemons, not JUST a housewife, Homework, Miss Information, Uncommon, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Crafty Confessions, Crafty Texas Girls, Reasons to Skip the Housework, Printabellee, the DIY Dreamer, Doodles and Stitches, Chef in Training, Practically Functional, Tales of a Trophy Wife, Jaq's Studio, and these

Haute Handbags Magazine is having their annual back-issue sale.
Only $ 0.99 per issue (plus shipping)
This is a GREAT value as these issues regularly run $14.95
Good luck finding them much cheeper anywhere else on the internet too!!!

Haute handbags Magazine is always jam-pcked with all kind of fun creative purse sewing ideas.

My personal designs have been featured in these three of the Haute Handbags issues:  Haute Handbags Spring 2010, Autumn 2010, Spring 2012

This is the link to the special Haute Handbags sale.

Happy Shopping!

My daughter is having a birthday in a few days, but we will not be together......  We will miss her so much... :(
During the summers she works in Rhode Island to earn enough money to make it through two semesters of school...
We are so proud of her for her hard work and the wonderful lady she is turning out to be....  and the wonderful young lady she has always been.
{We love her:  does it show....???}




That said, I put together a little care package for her:  just some simple little things she might enjoy.  We will celebrate her birthday for real when she arrives home {for a couple of days} next month. 

To make her birthday more festive for her made a super-simple little garland to decorate her bedroom with... It turned out pretty cute, if I say so myself!

This is how I made it: 
I went through my scrap fabric box and picked out a few cheerful happy colored scraps.  I was surprised at how little fabric I needed. 
I folded the fabric over {pressed the crease real quick} and cut out a triangle, square or rectangle at random.  sometimes I didn't even use a cutting ruler:  I just eyeballed it.

Then I folded each shape over a string of jute cord and sewed along the edges using a bright colored zig-zag.
In the little garland I made, I used orange and green thread. 
I must say I am really happy with the cheerful results!

• Cost: nada {nothing, zip} ~ I had all these things laying around and almost threw them away many times {for clutter control purposes, I'm sure you've heard of it....}
  
• Time:  less than an hour
• Result:  pretty dang cute happy cheerful celebration decoration!!!

linking to:  It's a Blog Party, Trendy Treehouse, Savvy Southern Style, House of Hepworths, the Shabby Creek Cottage, Somewhat Simple, the Brambleberry Cottage, Delightful Order, Our Delightful Home, SevenThirtyThree, a Creative Princess, Firefies and Jellybeans, Bear Rabbit Bear, Live Laugh Rowe, Two Sasters, Whipperberry,  Strut Your Stuff, Just Us Four, Happy Hour Projects, The Dedicated House