daisymaebelle

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Coral Chalk Paint Table

melissa — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 14:26:23 +0000

I wish I lived in Mayberry.

I’d own a little store right beside Floyd’s Barber Shop.

I’d live down the street,

so that I could walk to work.

(My house would be the one

with the wrap around front porch,

and the picket fence.)

I’d be careful not to jay-walk.

Barney might be watching.

Just a little dream of mine. . .

In the mean time,

Murfreesboro is probably as close as I am going to get to Mayberry. . .

And, even though I don’t own the shop.

And, I have to drive to get to the square.

I love that I get to sell my things

at Simply Southern,

nestled right between

the dress store,

and the barber shop.

I painted this table with one of the Lowes Valspar sample paints called Sonoma Rose,

and Annie Sloan Old White.

I added Webster’s chalk paint mix to the Valspar paint,

shook thoroughly,

painted,

distressed,

and topped it all of with a clear wax.

Life to the full!

Melissa

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Ideas for Succulent Gardens

melissa — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 00:01:59 +0000

I have shared before about my lack of

“green thumb-ness.”

It is an unfortunate condition.

Because, a house looks so much more alive,

if it has a bit of green.

I have met a plant that I have a difficult time killing.

It doesn’t like to be watered much.

Which is good,

because I tend to forget!

Here is a great collection of how to use my favorite plant. . .

It doesn’t get any more versatile than that!

With just a few simple supplies,

you too can have a bit of green in your home.

I hope you found some ideas that inspired!

Life to the full!

Melissa

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How to Make a Tic-Tac-Toss Game

melissa — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 03:42:13 +0000

I think it was my 8th birthday when I got the game

Tic Tac Toss.

I remember the giant wrapped box.

I knew that the gift inside had to be good

just by the size of that box.

I set up the plastic game grid in the garage.

My bean bags were neon green and hot pink.

I loved that game.

I tried to create something similar for my girls.

Supplies:

1 square tablecloth

1 roll of duck tape

10 ziploc bags

rice

2 different colors of wide burlap ribbon

hot glue gun

scissors

Sharpie

Fill the ziploc bags half full of rice.

Cut 12″ lengths of the burlap ribbon.

Fold the ribbon in half.

Hot glue the sides together.

Insert the baggies of rice.

Hot glue the tops of the bags.

Using a yardstick,

divide the tablecloth into thirds.

Mark with a Sharpie.

Stick the tape down from point to point

to make the grid.

I played a few games with my girls to come up with some rules.

Here are our rules:

1. Find a line to stand behind.

2. Take turns tossing bean bags.

3. If your bag lands in a square that has already been taken,

you have to remove your bag and you don’t get to throw again.

4. If your bag lands on a line,

you move your bag to the square that your bag is in the most.

5. First one with 3 in a row wins!

Another game for us to enjoy in our backyard.

Life to the full!

Melissa

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Saturday

My Backyard Playhouse

melissa — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 17:03:14 +0000

Sometimes you don’t recognize blessing when you’re in the middle of it.

Sometimes it’s years later before you recognize the gift.

You look at this playhouse and see a cute little building.

I look at this playhouse

and am reminded of

the blessing of creativity I was given so many years ago.

It was about 35 years ago, when my dad came home with 4 little windows.

They were storm window samples that he had found.

He said, “I am going to build you a playhouse around these little windows.”

And, over the course of the next couple of weeks,

I watched my very own playhouse emerge

right there in my backyard.

When it was finished,

I remember my Mom and I

going to yard sale after yard sale,

my baggie of change in hand,

shopping for the perfect decorations.

I remember finding a little green oil lamp.

It would look perfect with my metal “golden harvest” appliances.

My mom made green and white gingham curtains for those little windows.

What precious memories.

(My parent’s house is still full of creativity.)

My dad retired about 9 years ago.

The first thing he did,

was pack his truck full of lumber, saws, nails and 4 little windows.

And, over the course of the next couple of weeks,

my 3 little girls

watched this playhouse

emerge right there in their own backyard.

One day,

I hope my girls will look back

and recognize the gift of creativity

that has been passed down to them.

Life to the full!

Melissa

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Saturday

Ladder Bird Feeder

melissa — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 19:23:06 +0000

You should meet my dog, Zuzu.

She would love to meet you.

She loves people.

She also loves birds.

She shares her food with them every day.

She just sits and watches them. . .

. . . one by one

. . . line up on our deck

. . . and eat all of her food.

So, I thought I would plate up a dish just for them.

(Seems that Kibbles and Bits are a favorite among birds.)

And, I have several birds that need to be fed.

This ladder makes the perfect spot

to hold their dish.

Kelly over at Eclectically Vintage inspired me with her birdbath.

You can check hers out here.

Life to the full!

Melissa

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Ideas for Garden Paths

melissa — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 02:41:30 +0000

Whew. . .

I am tired.

My sweet Anna Belle made the middle school basketball team.

(Yeah, Anna Belle!)

So, today we have been at ball tournaments, ALL day.

Tomorrow we will again be at tournaments, ALL day.

Tomorrow we leave for camp.

Tonight I pack for 5 people to go to camp for 5 days.

And, I am tired. . .

(Blessed beyond measure, but tired.)

I could use a lovely walk through a beautiful garden.

A cool breeze.

A meandering path.

My head free of all thoughts.

If you too are in need of a stroll through a garden.

Or, if you actually want to make your own garden path.

This Hometalk clipboard is just for you.

It is full of great DIY projects.

And, beautiful inspiration.

(And, if you haven’t checked out Hometalk yet, you really should!)

Enjoy!

Life to the full!

Melissa

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Mint Green Chalk Painted Chairs

melissa — Sun, 02 Jun 2013 20:25:30 +0000

Let me start this by saying,

I have a very sweet 13 year old daughter.

Let me follow this by saying,

thirteen year old daughters keep their mama’s humble.

Questions such as:

“Do you plan on wearing that?!”

-or-

“Mom, have your ever thought about wearing this instead?”

-or-

“Do you plan on being there?!”

If you have a 13 year old,

you know the questions.

Let me also say that my 13 year old daughter has a great sense of style.

Check out her new blog:

Henrietta and Clementine

(If you leave her a comment, it would make her day.)

I trust her opinions about decorating matters.

So, today when I asked her which set of pictures I should use of these chairs. . .

one being outside shots;

the other being these inside shots.

Her response was,

“You should use the inside shots.

They look like something out of Ballard Designs.”

(Now I am not naive enough to think that they actually look like they are from Ballard.)

But, it did make my heart swell just a bit.

In the eyes of my 13 year old,

I did something equally as pretty as Ballard Designs.

The next time she questions me,

I will remember this moment.

The moment that she put me in the same playing field as Ballard Designs.

And, I will smile.

Life to the full!

Melissa

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Pallet Garden Path

melissa — Fri, 31 May 2013 01:46:06 +0000

I am so thankful for Mythology 101.

I am so thankful that my advisor at the University of Memphis

advised me to take that class in the Fall of 1991.

I remember nothing of the gods.

I was a bit bored by all of the stories.

But, I admired the “Cute Mythology Boy”

(as I referred to him to all of my friends)

every Tuesday and Thursday that entire semester.

I never actually talked to him.

He was so smart.

Early to class.

Always prepared with paper and pencil.

He even asked questions about the reading assignments.

I was only there to try to get the courage to talk to him. . .

(I rarely even had paper.)

The semester ended,

and I never talked to him. . .

Luckily, that was just the first step in our journey. . .

(The story is entirely too long for one post.)

I have been married to that “Cute Mythology Boy” for 17 years now.

I showed him this great pallet garden path

that Donna had made over at Funky Junk Interiors.

And, the next day he delivered 3 pallets to our driveway.

Borrowed saws from a friend.

Watched a Youtube video about how to take a pallet apart.

And, cut them all up for me

so that I could have a pathway

from my redneck deck

to my garden bench.

I told you he was smart!

I am so thankful for Mythology 101.

Life to the full!

Melissa

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Chalk Painted Table with Dark Wax

melissa — Thu, 30 May 2013 01:59:10 +0000

When I first started gathering furniture to paint and sell. . .

I gave myself some rules.

Rule #1:

I can’t keep any of the furniture unless it REALLY has a place in my house.

Rule #2:

If I keep a piece, I HAVE to get rid of another.

So, looks like I am going to be getting rid of a piece of furniture. . .

This table actually matches my new coffee table.

Even though I used a Southern Honey paint called Otis.

(Instead of MMS Ironstone for my coffee table.)

And, I waxed the whole thing with Annie Sloan dark wax.

(Instead of the Annie Sloan clear wax that I used on my coffee table.)

It is just too perfect for my family room.

Not being too “matchy.”

Just the perfect amount of match.

And, I am following my rules.

I have already moved the table that was in my family room to the garage.

It will get a fresh coat of paint,

and move on out.

Life to the full!

Melissa

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