Pretty Doily Vases

Little project today...

We had a yard sale about a month or so ago.  I almost put these three vases in the "3/$1.00" pile, but then I thought I could do something with them.

No big deal.  Just glass vases from the floral department at walmart.  I had a purpose when I bought them, but I can't remember what that purpose was.  They look like they'd be useful, but somehow, they weren't really.

So I thought, what the heck!  I got the spraypaint out.  DH said that he'd be very surprised if it worked.  I told him to watch and learn.  ;)  Rustoleum 2x Painter's Touch was on the job.

Then I picked up three crocheted doilies from the Dollar Tree and did the Nestea Plunge onto the doily bandwagon.

First I cut out the middles...which just happened to fit perfectly on the bottom - you know, to keep these from scratching tables and all that.

note to self: don't use your good sewing scissors next time. 

so you just Mod-Podge or glue that on.  I didn't seal it.  It didn't need sealing.  It just needed to get stuck on. 

Then I put the vase right in the middle of the donut-like doily...

folded up the sides, two at a time...

and cut the corners off.

ended up with this.

Then, you do an official Mod Podge technique.  It's called the "Glop & Stick."

1. Glop it on

2. Stick it down.

Repeat until you're done.  Let dry.

Next, plant a hydrangea.  Wait a few years.  Then cut off some blooms.  Put the blooms in the vases!

Now that's something I'd actually display!  In fact, it's on the sofa table as we speak.  Not that we're speaking, exactly.

Before & After (my favorite part!)

 

 Linking up!

Highs and Lows: Beach Edition

What a week!  There truly were not many lows.  I spent it at the Jersey Shore and it was just wonderful.

Highs:
1. My kids are absolutely precious. They had a great time, and we had fun together - away from all the usual stuff at home.  I forget that THEY need a break from the routine, too.  I heard my little guy tell his sister (after we'd gotten home) that he wishes we could be back at the beach house.  That made me so happy.

2. The Crabby Platter at Mike's Seafood.  I will probably never be happy eating crab legs again, because they're never going to be as good as the ones we had at Mike's.  Oh my goodness.  Plus, it was "kids eat free" night.  Score!

 3. Sunrises: I got to see two of them.  the first one was breathtaking.  The second one was, uh, a little too cloudy to really count as a "sunrise."  But it was special because I was out there with my 7yo daughter, who actually wanted to get up with me and see it.  We had a nice time sitting up on the lifeguard stand together.


4. What's not to love about a week where I didn't have to cook?  I may never cook again, I enjoyed it so much. 

Lows:
1. We pretty much spent our life savings at that dang rip-off grocery store down there.  It was my own fault.  I didn't go shopping beforehand or bring a lot of food from home. That was a mistake of epic proportions.  Next time I'll do better about preparing. Live and learn and go broke doing it.

2. DH & the stepson went fishing one day.  The fishing gods were apparently cranky about something, because not only did the guys catch hardly anything, but they ended up at the auto parts store having to buy a new battery for the car.

3. Awkward situation today! (We're back, btw.)  Every year, our neighbors (of approx. 10 years) have a huge 4th of July picnic.  Here's the awkward part: some years they invite us, some years they don't.  Is that weird?  (Yes.) This year they didn't.  I know it's dumb, but I feel weird going outside in my backyard with them all partying next door.  Now please understand: we're friendly neighbors, but not "friends" exactly, if that makes sense.  They're sort of a "half-generation" older than us...their kids are about 10 years younger than me...well, anyway.  It's really not that I have hurt feelings, or wish I could be over there or anything like that.  But I find it really strange that they invite us sometimes, and don't other times.  And I may have forgotten a lot of things my parents taught me (heh, just kidding mom, I have it all written down...), but one thing I do not do, is show up at a party uninvited, whether the non-invite was intentional or not.  I just don't do it.  But like, if the shoe was on the other foot, and even if we didn't even really like our neighbors, I'd totally invite them.  So...that's just weird and awkward today.  I do not like feeling weird and awkward.

Linking up to the only party who cares about my whining about the neighbors:

Ava Bag Sewalong: the finished bags

Here are my completed bags for the Two Peas in a Pod Designs Ava Bag Sewalong I participated in, hosted by one of my favorite blogs, Sew Sweetness. 

In no particular order...as I was working on them, I kinda gave them names:

1. The Frenchy Bag

back

the inside of the front pockets

the inside pockets

 I loved the original fabrics I picked out for this bag, but it was just begging for some black & white somewhere on it.  I found this polka dot and bought the rest of the bolt (relax, it was only like a yard and some inches!).  For the record, this polka dot fabric was the only fabric I actually bought for these purses.  The rest was from my stash.  It's hard to justify buying more fabric when I have so much just sitting there already. 

Anyway, I couldn't love this color combo more.  It's so Frenchy! 

2. The Mom Bag
Not like "mom jeans," though.  I just kept calling this one the Mom Bag because the fabrics look like something my mom would like.

You may notice that this one has a covered button on the inside instead of a snap.  That's because I ran out of snaps and refused to run all the way up to the store to get one more.  I had these covered button makers that I found at a yard sale, so I sewed one on.  Now I just have to work up the courage to sew a buttonhole on the other side.  I'm going to have to practice a LOT on some scrap fabric, because I will cry if I mess up this bag because of a stupid buttonhole.  Well, on second thought...if I mess it up, I can stick a big flower on it.  Thank goodness sticking big flowers on things is "in."  If you see me carrying this thing around, and it has a big flower stuck to it, you'll know that the buttonhole didn't work out. 

3. The Crazy Bag

It's just a little loud I guess.  I love it...it's just a little crazy.  Plus, I somehow cut straps out of a totally different fabric (by mistake!)...but then realized that they would look kind of cool with the other fabrics I was using...so I went with it.  Hence, the Crazy Bag was born. 

I was going to do a pattern review, but I think I'll do that another time this week.

Highs and Lows #1

~ Shamelessly copying off of Inspired by Jen at Life, Crafts, and Whatever: my week in review ~

Highs:

1. Do you know where I am, right now, at this very moment?  At the beach.  On vacation.  :)  With DH, our (not so) little ones, and his two (out of high school) teenagers.  This week, my to-do list consists of working on my killer tan, and reading a book.  I painted my toenails with cutesy little decals just for the occasion!

2. Related to #1: I found a pair of sunglasses that looks good on me, AND doesn't give me a headache.  Score!

3. Also related to #1: I found a SWIMSUIT that I'm happy with, thanks to the wonder of ruching.  I'm pretty sure that ruching is God's gift to swimsuits - and post-baby women everywhere.  Yeah, my babies are 5 and 7.  What's your point?

4. My little guy had his very last tee-ball game this week.  It was kind of bittersweet, but then we went out for ice cream with the whole team afterward.  The stand had butter pecan, and that made it all OK.

5. My lilies are blooming, and they look beautiful...and smell intoxicating.  I really, really hope they are still in bloom when we get back. 

Lows:

1. I got rooked into signing up for a "cheerleading boosters" committee, because I thought it was mandatory. They really made it sound like we had to. Only after I signed up did they tell me that it was optional.  Grrr.  I have no desire to be a booster of any kind at this point in my life, especially when I'm pretty sure my dearest darling daughter is only going to make the "alternate squad" this year, and thus, will be sitting and watching the cheerleaders do their thing.  Like I want to be on some "spirit committee" for other people's kids.  (Is that a bad attitude to have?)  

3. Library fine = $11.80.  I just kept forgetting to bring them back. 

4. Some stinkin' varmint ate every one of my beautiful cucumber plants.  I actually feel like I've had something stolen!!!  I'm so bummed out.  I'm surprised at how bummed out I am, actually.

So there you have it, my highs and lows of the week.  But I hate to end on a negative note...!  This vacation we're on is the first vaca we've taken with just ourselves - me, DH, and the kids.  It was fun all week seeing the kids so excited about it.  We don't go away every year, so it's kind of a big deal.  

And not that I've been a blogging machine lately, but now that we're at the beach, I'm pretty much going to be unplugging for the week.  Who knows when I'll be back...but when I do come back, I'm going to have my very first giveaway!  Something I made.  So stay tuned and don't delete me from your reader just yet!  

Trends to rant about

It's Monday morning!  Let's start the week off right, with a rant!  I'm just gonna put it out there - and a big, blanket "no offense" apology for what I'm about to say:

1. What. Is. With. All. The. MUSTACHES? It's weird. I don't like seeing them everywhere. You know, those Pringles-guy-looking ones.  I have a feeling it is somehow linked to the equally strange "Steampunk" thing...don't even get me started on that. 

A quick search on Etsy resulted in this:

I'm uncomfortable.

2. Surely I can't be the only one who's tired of seeing the "Keep Calm and (fill in the blank) On" thing...everywhere? Maybe it's just me.  It's a pretty graphic; it just doesn't speak to me, that's all.  Keep Calm and Tennis On.  That's one I saw yesterday.  "Tennis" isn't even a verb!  Knit On.  Sew On.  Blog On.   Huh?  Even the ones that are verbs...just...just stop already.  Enough!!!

Now here's one I do like...

Spoofs are funny.

3. I love fabric flowers as much as the next person, I really do.  But if I see one more "fabric flower tutorial," I think my eyeballs might fall out. 

4. I realize that it's supposedly over, but...why is/was/is/was bacon such a fad?  Why?  I read something somewhere where the author made a comment like, "don't pretend to like bacon just because you want to sound cool" and I thought it was a joke.  Then I realized that bacon is somehow..."in."  It's bacon.  I realize I'm showing myself to be completely un-hip and out of it...but I really don't get it.  Bacon???

It's bacon.  Get over it.

 OK, so I guess that's it for now.  I feel much better having gotten all that off my chest.  Have I missed anything? 

Ava Bag fabric choices: Opinions, please!

Hello!  Happy Summer! 

I try to make it a point to not apologize for my lack of posting, but...sorry!!!  Hey, it's summer, what can I say?  The kids are out of school (yeah!), and for some reason, the "lazy days of summer" haven't gotten to our house yet.  I feel like we're busier now than we were during the school year!  Swimming lessons, little league (both kids, different teams!), cheerleading practice...plus, we're babysitting an 8-year-old this summer.  She's a nice little girl, but it's taking some getting used to - for all of us, I'm sure.  I haven't had my boundaries tested like this since my own kids were toddlers; let's just put it that way!!!  But give it another week or so, and I think things will be just great. 

Well, today, I have an opinion question for you all.  You might have noticed a new button on the side of my blog...I'm participating in a sewalong at Sew Sweetness this month; we're sewing The Ava Bag from Two Peas in a Pod.

I like the bag so much, I'm making three.  I just figured, it would be easier to make three at once than to go back and have to do all that cutting, etc. each time.  Plus, it was hard to choose only one fabric combo!  Which brings me to my question for you all:  What do you think of these fabrics?  Do you like the combos?  Do you not like any of them?  (You won't hurt my feelings, I promise!)  Which one is your favorite?  Inquiring minds want to know!  ;)

Here they are...

Ava Bag #1

Ava Bag #2

Ava Bag #3

...what do you think?  Just because I've cut them does not mean I'm committed. 

And do you like my cat's paws?  She can be such an attention hog!!!  Here's what I'm up against every time I try to cut something:

By all means, Snowy, make yourself comfortable.  Please.  I insist.

Look at that face.  She's like, "what?  you got a problem with this?"

OK...so get your commenting fingers typing.  I want to know: 1. Which one you like best, 2. if there are any you do not like, and 3. any general comments you want to throw my way. 

Thanks in advance!  :)