A PRODUCTIVE WEEKEND

After a week of feeling a bit 'under the weather' I tackled the weekend with a lot of zest and zeal! I enjoyed a very productive two-days.

Mondays - Fridays don't work too well for me - after working all day I come home to 3 dogs that need to be first walked and then fed, supper needs to be made and during the warmer months - gardens need to be tended. I'm pooped out at the end of the day and don't have much steam left for my 'projects'.

I yearn for these types of weekends where all of my time is spent doing the things I love - anything that falls within the home improvement category.

Hubs doesn't feel quite the same.

He fondly recalls a time in recent history, BL (Before Lisa), where weekends were spent in front of the television, watching sporting events for long periods of time; sunny mornings at the links; snapping a Bud with buddies and even sleeping in past 7 a.m.

AL (After Lisa) brings early morning jaunts with the dogs in various parks, flea markets, farmer markets, antique shows and lists ... yes, the dreaded lists.

Lists of all the things I want to accomplish. Lists that ensure our weekends are 'productive'!

As well as showing you some of my fabulous fall flowers, here is a sampling of the projects we tackled over the weekend. Full posts to come!

The weekend consisted of painting ~

and wallpapering!

Architectural salvage ~

and mirrors!

Stay Tuned! Cheers ~ Lisa

PINKS STILL BLOOMING IN MY GARDEN

Today I am once again participating in "Pink Saturday" at How Sweet the Sound. What I really appreciate about this event is that Beverly encourages all the participants to visit one another in an effort to meet new 'friends'. It can be difficult when you're new to blogging to gather a following. As a result of my first Pink Saturday, I did in fact, make some new friends and I was rather overwhelmed with the response of the other participants, taking the time to welcome me to the event. What a great bunch of gals! It was such a gratifying experience that I am here once again, ready to enjoy another Pink Saturday. Thanks to Beverly for hosting this event.

The days are now unpredictable where I live in Southern Ontario. The mornings can be quite nippy while the afternoon can still heat up with the sun shining but as it sets in the western sky, the temperature can dip quite low. Autumn is finally upon us! I thought I would share the pink flowers that are still blooming in my garden.

My Hydrangea from the Forever & Ever Series. This variety produces flowers on old and new wood so it started spouting lovely pink flowers in the spring and has continued to put on a stellar performance all season long!

Sedum "Autumn Joy" is just starting to flush with colour. The name is so appropriate because this plant does just that - it brings JOY to the Fall garden!

The pink Begonia's still doing their thing in their container on the fence. I feed my annuals each and every week to keep them blooming & healthy throughout the growing season.

Here is my Weigela 'Variegata' enjoying a rather sparse, second flush of flowers. It bloomed profusely in the spring and this is now the finale.

Ahhhh ..... 'Pink Pewter' Lamium - a proven winner! This started producing petite pink flowers in the early spring and as you can see, in mid-September, it's still going strong.

What a great little filler - even in containers.

The large fluffy blooms of my PeeGee Hydrangea, just starting to change colour. These are perfect for indoor floral displays as they dry so beautifully.

Here is my Double Pink Hydrangea, again another variety from the Forever & Ever series.

Here's a charming 'pink' in my garden that will bloom all year round ~~ the flowers in my stained glass window.

I also wanted to share a 'visitor' that we had this week.

Isn't she beautiful?

GLORIOUS!

And finally, the fading blooms of my "Fairy" Rose. Sigh ... it's almost time to put the garden to bed for another winter.

HAPPY PINK SATURDAY! ~ Lisa ~

CHERUB LIGHT

I decided to spend my Sunday working on a simple project that I had in mind. Kind of a crafting day.


I purchased this little light from Ebay a couple of years ago. I'm really into 'mood' lighting as it does just that, sets a mood. This corner of my living room enjoys natural light during the day but by night it is a dark, drab corner. This sweet little cherub adds a touch of ambiance and lights up that corner, ever so slightly. It's quite pretty at night.


I decided to give my light an easy makeover. Since the 'rage' seems to be burlap, feed sacks and drop cloths, I figured I would head in this direction.


First ... I had to take it all apart. Now keep in mind - I lack patience for fiddly-type projects. I am so not a crafter (but I am compelled to keep trying).


I removed the beads. This was pretty easy.


Then I attempted to tackle the fabric. Not so easy. Notice my tool of choice - a steak knife!


It was glued on pretty tight. I struggled for a couple of minutes and then simply lost my patience and just went to town, ripping the fabric from the shade with all of my might.

Oh well, I tore the shade in the process. What did I expect?

I 'antiqued' the cherub so he was no longer a stark white. Notice the new 'cord cover'? Burlap - yup. I ordered that online. Once I saw it I realized I could have probably sewn one myself (maybe).

And then on to assemble the new shade. I chose linen. I traced around the shade and made a paper template to cut out my fabric.

Okay, this was not so great. I also used a glue gun to secure the linen to the shade. I burned my fingers, my table and a nearby mirror, in the process. I also discovered that the linen was not a wise choice for this shade - too thick! But now I was in deep.

The top needed something. I would make a nice trim detail out of the linen and attach it to the top of my shade.

This was a nightmare. Look at how small the sewing area was. Plus I needed to wind the bobbin with the matching thread I had purchased. I still cannot do this without referring to my owner's manual. That is how challenged I am. This has become my bible.

You know what I mean when I say "colouring outside of the lines". That is exactly how the sewing went. I was all over trying to sew in that small area. I kept sewing right off my fabric and would have to stop the press and start over. I went ahead and glued this piece onto my shade but then concealed it with ribbon.

Hubs left me in the morning to play golf and returned home in the afternoon to find me still working on this 'simple craft project'. It is not perfect by any stretch but darn it, I'm hanging it back up .....

while I search for a new light for this corner of my living room.

Cheers ~ Lisa ~

GIVEAWAY WINNER & ANTIQUE SHOW

Today the weather was glorious - the perfect day for going to an antique show - the Christie show in Dundas, Ontario. This is one of the largest in all of Southern Ontario with vendors from Canada & the USA. I prepared for the show by making a mental note of all the treasures I hoped to unearth today. Did I get anything from the list I had formed in my head - NOPE!

Let me share my 'random' purchases.

I bought this framed photograph that I found in a $6.00 box. I offered $5.00 and it came with me.


It's a really pretty photograph of a body of water, surrounded by tall conifer trees with a very large mountain in the background. Hubs asked "why" and I really didn't have an answer. It just spoke to me. I plan on using it in the bedroom I'm redecorating for my son. It has a gold coloured frame so I plan on rubbing some walnut stain over it.



And then there is the bowling pin. Again, I don't really know why except all the males in my life are athletic and I'm drawn to old sporting equipment. This piece posed a big problem, carrying it around all day as it was my first purchase. It was just heavy & awkward!



I then bought this fan. Thank goodness I purchased this at the end of the day, because it was even more awkward and cumbersome to lug around then the bowling pin. They certainly don't make fans like this anymore. I checked with the vendor to make sure it still worked; not because I plan to use it for anything other than decoration, but for $60.00, it should at least have to operate. I was assured it worked just fine.


NOPE! After we arrived home, Hubs approached me after unloading the van and stated that the fan would make a great paperweight. I chuckled and replied, oh because it's so heavy and Hubs answered, no, because it doesn't work. Dang! Hubs then took it into his workshop (the garage) and fiddled with the wiring and voila, it worked! And let me tell you, they don't make fans like this anymore. This fan can really blow up a storm! Here's the logo ... made in the U.S. of A, nonetheless!


And finally, my rusty garden gate. I saw one of these at the last antique show we attended and refused to pay $50 for it. After walking away, I came across a very similar gate for $150. I quickly decided I wanted to pay $50 for the gate but of course, it was now "sold". When I saw this one today and was told it was $30, I purchased it immediately.


Now, picture this, two middle-aged peeps struggling with a gate that we're both carrying, each holding an end while I have my bowling pin cradled in my arms with Hubs utilizing his free arm to lug around a 50 pound vintage fan all while the mountain photo is hanging out of my shoulder bag! It wasn't pretty.



After a long, fun, and tiring day, it was time to draw the name of the winner of my first giveaway. I didn't use one of those random number generators that many other bloggers use, I just put the names of my followers into a basket.



Hubs had to assist as this was a 'Kodak' moment!


And the winner is .....



KRYSTA FROM DROPPED STITCH KNITTER!!!! Please take a moment and say hi to Krysta and welcome her to blogland! http://droppedstitchknitter.blogspot.com/

I also want to take a moment to recognize today - the 9th anniversary of 9/11. I know that many of my blogging friends are posting tributes today. My thoughts & prayers are extended to all the families who were affected by this tragedy.

~ Lisa ~