Making A Few Changes

THGGM found this lovely old cabinet a few weeks ago.

Last weekend we moved it into the dining room.

All week I'v been filling up the inside shelves with  dishes from another cabinet so we can move that one, take up the carpet under it and FINALLY paint the wall behind it.

We do nothing the conventional way.

Anyway, moving things around got me into the tweaking mood.

Not that that mood ever really leaves me.

Can't say that I'm much into decorating for Valentine's Day, but I do have a few things.

The tin heart is new to me.

 

 Not sure how the Sunbonnet Babies fit in, but I like them!

And the old Valentine's candy box makes a great backdrop to the swans.

This one is from 1949, as it says so on the back.

Lately I just can't seem to get enough of the old blocks. 

There truly is no accounting for taste.

Not that anyone has ever mistaken me for someone with taste.

What I do have are many things that can sort of go anywhere, something that around here we like to call "shopping from home".

Changed the arrangement on top of the piano too.

I think I like it.

I'll know for sure in a few weeks.







The top of the new cabinet is at the height of my nose.

This picture was taken by holding my camera over my head.

Standing right in front of it I can't see what's on it so well.

But it does seem to work from across the room!

Hopefully the old cabinet will be cleaned out by tomorrow morning and we can get the dining room put back together.

I've still got more things to wrap up to donate!

So far, I have yet to take anything back out of the donation box.  Yet.

More Decor

This season I began my Christmas decorating in our bedroom.
It's a bit of a challenge, since we live in the snowy north, but have a beachy themed bedroom.
Hmm.
What to do.., what to do...

Mostly, I just threw around ornaments.
These pictures aren't all from the same day, and even now, there have been tweaks.
Because I LOVE to tweak!

I also love how lace, doilies, and plaids look in the sketch effects mode of my camera.

For some reason I could never explain, I really like how this looks!

Seriously. I do.

And this isn't too bad, even without the sketch effects mode.

Another beachy corner.
Somehow, this turned out to be my favorite place this year.
Sometimes I would crawl into bed early, just to stare at the tiny Christmas tree with just white lights.
Calm, peaceful, and nearly perfect.
For me, anyway!

My Monday

So I brought in the ladder.

It needs some styling that I'm not sure I'm capable of doing.  I'll need to look around on Pinterest to see exactly how they layer coverlets and blankets and such.

Until this morning this held tablecloths.

Before that it had a baby theme.  Babies were a theme around here for about a decade, but now those babies are all big kids who are out of diapers and without binkies.

I'm moving on.

Of course, this area also required tweaking.

Ugh.

Not doing so well with my plan to not clutter it up.

I'm not sure that is even possible with me.

But, I am telling myself that I MUST stop adding things.

How was I able to do all of that on a day that I have kids?

Famke had her friend from down the street over for the day.  They played with their dolls ALONE in the basement, did crafts together, and played in the pool most of the afternoon.
Jonge and Feintsje played catch. Kado made things out of the Lego game pieces.

But there was quite awhile when they all played games together.
A Lego game, Spot It, and a Toy Story memory game.
They can do all of this without any help from me.
I did provide emotional support when one child felt that he was being picked on.  He wasn't, it was just the way the game played out. Now he knows why I'm not much of a game player.
Anyway, this new era of self-sufficiency is working out well.

And On It Goes...

My dentist appointment went fine.  I got a prescription for an antibiotic.  Next week I'll have two extractions.

It hurts worse today.  Hopefully this antibiotic kicks in soon.

In other news...

I've been tweaking this cupboard for a few days now.

My goal was to have it hold all my white dishes and glass wear.

But the glass wear just doesn't show up.

So, in time it will be going back to where it came from.

I'm guessing I'll be tweaking this cupboard for the rest of my life.

Tweaking is what I do for fun.

Weekend Puttering

 This weekend was rather low-key compared to last weekend.

I went to one thrift store and spent one dollar and fifty cents.

While THGGM shoveled, got the oil changed, and did other manly things, I tweaked a corner of the kitchen.

 Gone from the corner shelf are all of my striped and dotted bowls.

This time I went with plaids.

These colors make me happy.  At least in the kitchen they do.

My striped and dotted bowls are around the corner on shelves awaiting more tweaking.  I've got to do an evaluation on who can reach what before I find permanent places for them.

I wish that THGGM would do that before he puts things in upper cupboards that I cannot reach.  

Oh, yes.  I DO like this!

Okay, maybe the doll in the tin cup is a bit weird, even for me.  I might have to rethink that one.

I'd forgotten all about the small blue thermos, so that was a happy re-find!

Since there are only two actual shelves, I suggested to THGGM that he make me two more.

He told me that I have seriously over estimated  his abilities with a saw.  Maybe.  But it would be worth a try.

I love strings of white lights.  These are left on all the time.  Ambient lighting makes everything more cozy.

So, that's what I did on Saturday.

Next weekend I'm hoping to work on the other side of the kitchen.

If I do, I'm sure there will be pictures.

Today's View

Today I tweaked the top of the piano a bit.  I never set out with an actual plan, but just start somewhere and let it evolve as I go along.  It's like an ever changing canvas for me.  This is a good thing, because I can ALWAYS see where there is room for improvement and my tweaking is just my improving.  Until, that is, THGGM has to say STOP.  He hasn't said that yet.  Although he has mentioned something about cleaning up what doesn't show in my pictures.  Yes.  He has mentioned that a few times.  Our first Christmas party is tomorrow!  

She Tweaks

Yesterday I had the day to myself.

In between loads of laundry I managed to begin work on this lovely box thingy that THGGM found.

It nicely balances with the clock on the other side of the fireplace.

The back of it was open, so I covered it in some scrapbook paper I found in my 'studio' in the basement.

Everything else was already somewhere in the living room so I just pulled it all together.

A few more tweaks and I think I'll be done with it (haha).

It just may need a Scrabble letter word or two, some dried flowers in the swans, a small shelter for the nativity, and something to hang from the knob.  I also think the knob needs to be swapped out for something in porcelain.


The lyrics to the song came from a hymn story book I thrifted a while ago.  I glued it to a battery candle I picked up at Michael's the last time I had a 50% off coupon.  It's sitting on an egg cup.

There is also a hook at the bottom but I'm not quite ready to tempt the wee ones with something to pull on.  But of course I already have ideas for that when the time comes.

Tweaking is just what I do.

A Work in Progress

Today THGGM and I did a bit more antiquing and thrifting along the lake shore.
Believe me, it was cooler there!
I was happy to have found the baby dress that you see in the top right of the picture.
When I got it home, I was even happier to notice that under the dress was the cute little slip you see at the  left!
Keep in mind that I am cheap and easily amused.
Tonight I worked on placing things on this ladder that I'd recently propped up in our bedroom.
It still needs a lot of tweaking, but that's what I do.
I'm thinking that those wooden hangers need some Scrabble letters glued to them, don't you agree?  And I'll probably change out the book for some cute baby themed postcards.
Next I'll have to ask THGGM how he feels about having a baby-themed ladder propped up on his side of the bed.
Someday I'll attempt to take a picture in better light.
Anyway, that was MY day, what did YOU do?

She Tweaks

When pictures don't turn out I feel really sad about it.

Sometimes the expressions are just too good to delete the picture based only on poor quality.

So I spend the evening tweaking less than perfect pictures until I get something that I like.

Tweaking should be my middle name.

But it's not.

Can't Stop Tweaking

Can you tell? I gave up on painting my own birds. I found these sihlouettes from Martha Stewart at Michael's. Now I'm still trying to decide if they need a twig to stand on.

I'm still tweaking the middle of the breeze-way. So I stuck two of the silhouettes in there also.

She Tweaks

The lighting is NOT good on the breeze-way, but does that stop me? No.

Anyway.., I ventured into the basement and located several boxes of flowers from a past life.

I think the life involving a BRIGHT yellow living room.

Quite possibly I shall stop tweaking this now.

It seems that I have an astounding amount of ideas and very little in the way of follow through.

Changing Things Up

Today I have only Feintjse.

He has been very smiley and sleepy.

So, while he sleeps I'm tweaking and when he smiles I'm holding him!

I removed the pink stuff from the shelves, added all but the pink bird houses, and then propped up three of my bird drawings.

For some reason, I cannot tell what something REALLY looks like until I study a picture of it.

It still needs some more work. Like more fall-like bouquets.

I'm hoping to find those in my basement.

What? YOU don't have a plethora of bouquets in your basement? I feel a wee bit sad for you. So, what do you think? Does this work?

Making Stuff

Today I ventured down into my very own rooms in the basement. I was going to sort everything back into the proper places but somehow I got sidetracked.

There shall be much tweaking, but I think I'm going to like the white shadow box when I'm through with it. Still trying to decide if I want to cover the sides with the green paper, or just the background.

The brown shadowbox came out really nice, but you wouldn't know it from the picture.

These came about as I began to sort, and the piles of things to put away started to look rather interesting.

Some days I just HAVE to make stuff. And this was one of those days.

Progress!

What a difference from Friday to Saturday and from Saturday to Sunday!

I was quite certain that I was going to go in a totally different way with this, but I did not.

Oh, well. Good thing I enjoy tweaking. I see A LOT of that in my future.

My super comfy rocker has been painted, but in this humidity is drying veeeery sloooowly.

Still Tweaking

So I dragged out the baby shoes again.

And put out more of my tiny collection of vintage baby things.

Since I took this picture I have added more length to the French dictionary paper chain. Just in case you wanted to know that.

Is it still January?

Will the sun ever shine again?

I'd like to get some decent pictures.

The doll head has reappeared in the dining room. I had her in the bathroom on a shelf over the toilet. But Jonge refused to go in there. Something had to go. Since I'd rather Jonge would go in the bathroom, I removed the doll head.

I think she looks lovely under glass.

Actually she is sitting on a cake stand that has a small white bowl on it and a crocheted beaded collar wraps around it. To give it more of a cloche look, I set a very short candle holder on top of the vase. I went downstairs to gather up some vintage ribbon to tie around it, but got side tracked and didn't remember that until now.

What IS it with animals wanting their pictures taken?

I was trying to get a picture in the best available sunlight, but do you think Zeke would move?

No. He would not. There was a point when he was moving his paws around like he was Vanna White.

Oh, well.

He needs a hair cut. But he is sooo soft and warm!