I participated in the Summer Blog Party found here:
It is so awesome with so many creative ideas for summer! I think if I tried all the ones which caught my eye it would be NEXT summer! Go and take a look if you have some time!
Happy Summer!
Thursday, June 23, 2011
My FIRST ever "Link-up"!
Well I finally did it! People would always ask me to "link-up" and I never knew quite how to do it but today, I finally got one to work! YAY!
I participated in the Summer Blog Party found here:
It is so awesome with so many creative ideas for summer! I think if I tried all the ones which caught my eye it would be NEXT summer! Go and take a look if you have some time!
Happy Summer!
I participated in the Summer Blog Party found here:
It is so awesome with so many creative ideas for summer! I think if I tried all the ones which caught my eye it would be NEXT summer! Go and take a look if you have some time!
Happy Summer!
Monday, June 20, 2011
Wimbledon: Naked Men and Ralph Lauren
The Wimbledon Tennis Championships begin today and will last a fortnight (2 weeks). It is played at the AELTCC (All-England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club) which is an absolutely amazing place.
It is played on grass and players must wear predominantly white tennis attire or no attire at all as streakers are a given during rain delays. The snack of choice is the famous strawberries and cream and the colors associated with the championships are deep purple and green. It just drips with tradition and is truly a glorious two weeks in the life of any tennis player. If you get a chance, watch some of the coverage. It is like the Masters in golf or the Superbowl. You don't have to be a player or a fan to appreciate the General Splendour of it all. And Ralph Lauren is the official outfitter - need I say more!
It is raining there today so only matches under the roof will be played. It is also raining here in Chicago so no tennis camps today. I am taking the day to complete (hopefully) my window bench. My hands are cut and bleeding from trying to cut sheet metal to make a vent duct extension. I look like I was in a fight with Jack the Ripper - not pretty. LOL
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Shed Progress - So long Tiki Hut & Shark Lagoon...
Since I didn't have to dedicate this day to a family bar-b-que with my Dad, I decided to get some work done. In 2006, I painted the shed like a Tiki Hut. In its hey-day it was pretty cool. I had the thatch roof and hawaiian lights I made palm tree shutters and it went perfectly with my backyard beach I made to boost my spirits while going through awful chemo. I cannot believe I don't have a picture to share - it was totally Jimmy Buffett! Fins up!
I had "lagoons" made from blue sand and one even had a shark we named "Herman". But I am totally bored with it. The historic blizzard this past February took its toll on the lagoons (LOL) so I decided to gut it all. I still have my beach but the shed needs a change.
Maybe it is because Wimbledon (my absolute favorite) is starting tomorrow, but I have decided to turn my shed into a Tennis Club! I gave it a first coat of green today but it was a little tough painting over "the perfect waves".
This is the new paint color that I used it on the front of the house and the garage door. The old color in this picture is a little bright - it is SO 1980s. Damn Sears Weatherbeater paint lasts forever! :-) Another project on my summer list - paint the back of the house! (I really need to get married so I can pass off some of these chores!) LOL!
Alas, I LOVE the green and the difference it makes already. I have to replace wood on the doors (thank you carpenter ants), paint the doors white and add faux windows - a technique I used on my garage. I also found this old garden sign in the garage and I think this will work out perfectly!
I then gutted shark reef and Herman swam away - good-bye old friend I shall miss you. I put in New Guinea impatiens and some mulch. It looks so clean and fresh. I love it already and I have such a LONG way to go. Just wanted to share. Hopefully this time next week it will be done and I can post a reveal. Is the weekend over already? Why do they go so fast???
I had "lagoons" made from blue sand and one even had a shark we named "Herman". But I am totally bored with it. The historic blizzard this past February took its toll on the lagoons (LOL) so I decided to gut it all. I still have my beach but the shed needs a change.
Maybe it is because Wimbledon (my absolute favorite) is starting tomorrow, but I have decided to turn my shed into a Tennis Club! I gave it a first coat of green today but it was a little tough painting over "the perfect waves".
This is the new paint color that I used it on the front of the house and the garage door. The old color in this picture is a little bright - it is SO 1980s. Damn Sears Weatherbeater paint lasts forever! :-) Another project on my summer list - paint the back of the house! (I really need to get married so I can pass off some of these chores!) LOL!
Alas, I LOVE the green and the difference it makes already. I have to replace wood on the doors (thank you carpenter ants), paint the doors white and add faux windows - a technique I used on my garage. I also found this old garden sign in the garage and I think this will work out perfectly!
I then gutted shark reef and Herman swam away - good-bye old friend I shall miss you. I put in New Guinea impatiens and some mulch. It looks so clean and fresh. I love it already and I have such a LONG way to go. Just wanted to share. Hopefully this time next week it will be done and I can post a reveal. Is the weekend over already? Why do they go so fast???
I miss you Dad - Happy Father's Day!
I just wanted to wish everyone out there a Happy Father's Day! This day is always bittersweet because my Dad died in 2000. I miss him everyday but it is because of him that I am able to continue to enjoy life with love and laughter and also handle power tools! LOL!
I love this picture because of the way he is laughing out loud - something he did all the time. It made for a very happy life! Thanks Dad for teaching me to laugh everyday - especially at myself!
I love how much you and Mom loved each other and were best friends as well. Cheers to you both!
I love this picture because of the way he is laughing out loud - something he did all the time. It made for a very happy life! Thanks Dad for teaching me to laugh everyday - especially at myself!
I love how much you and Mom loved each other and were best friends as well. Cheers to you both!
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Woo Hoo! Craigslist score! So excited...
So we all know I have been trying to find awesome chairs for my Craigslist dining room table:
On my recent trip to Florida, I stopped in at a World Market to see if they had my chairs in stock. Apparently, I am not the only person in LOVE with these chairs and they are basically sold out nation wide and they are not selling the floor samples! UGH! Well, the salesperson told me they may be discontinued! What? Oh no - please tell me that cannot be true! I love these so much and they will match perfectly!
So even though I have been holding out hope that these chairs are actually in great abundance and are simply being hoarded by evil trolls trying to drive us all mad, I am pretty sure they are just plain SOLD OUT! As I face this ugly reality, I have been continually been checking my beloved Craigslist just in case something were to catch my eye. Well something has!
I found these little beauties yesterday! They are from the BOMBAY COMPANY! Remember when that oh so lovely store graced your local mall? I loved it and have a few of their pieces in my home still. It was always such an elegant store and they had the neatest accent pieces.
Well, apparently they are still alive and well in Canada and online. WHO KNEW? So I Googled them and wa-lah! Look what I found - they appear to be a pretty close match:
I absolutely LOVE them! Problem: The chairs appear to be tan and creme and my dining room will eventually be silver, navy and white. But I am thinking that I can have my dearest, lovliest sister (I hope she is reading this) sew up some slip covers and they will be perfectly perfect! Plus the chair leg line seems to match the feet of the table. NICE! And I will have saved about $275 off the World Cost chairs. BONUS! I may actually like these better. They also retail for $499. EACH! Yikes!
I am still ironing out the particulars and normally I don't like to post a Craigslist find until I have it in my hands, but I was too excited to wait! So with my table and chairs - my dining set will have been a whopping $250 smackeroonies! Not too shabby! :-) My fingers are crossed - hope to maybe get them tomorrow! Enjoy your Wednesday!
On my recent trip to Florida, I stopped in at a World Market to see if they had my chairs in stock. Apparently, I am not the only person in LOVE with these chairs and they are basically sold out nation wide and they are not selling the floor samples! UGH! Well, the salesperson told me they may be discontinued! What? Oh no - please tell me that cannot be true! I love these so much and they will match perfectly!
So even though I have been holding out hope that these chairs are actually in great abundance and are simply being hoarded by evil trolls trying to drive us all mad, I am pretty sure they are just plain SOLD OUT! As I face this ugly reality, I have been continually been checking my beloved Craigslist just in case something were to catch my eye. Well something has!
I found these little beauties yesterday! They are from the BOMBAY COMPANY! Remember when that oh so lovely store graced your local mall? I loved it and have a few of their pieces in my home still. It was always such an elegant store and they had the neatest accent pieces.
Well, apparently they are still alive and well in Canada and online. WHO KNEW? So I Googled them and wa-lah! Look what I found - they appear to be a pretty close match:
I absolutely LOVE them! Problem: The chairs appear to be tan and creme and my dining room will eventually be silver, navy and white. But I am thinking that I can have my dearest, lovliest sister (I hope she is reading this) sew up some slip covers and they will be perfectly perfect! Plus the chair leg line seems to match the feet of the table. NICE! And I will have saved about $275 off the World Cost chairs. BONUS! I may actually like these better. They also retail for $499. EACH! Yikes!
I am still ironing out the particulars and normally I don't like to post a Craigslist find until I have it in my hands, but I was too excited to wait! So with my table and chairs - my dining set will have been a whopping $250 smackeroonies! Not too shabby! :-) My fingers are crossed - hope to maybe get them tomorrow! Enjoy your Wednesday!
Monday, June 13, 2011
Home from vacation - Shed project begins!
So I just got back from Walt Disney World where I had a lovely week at my DVC (Disney Vacation Club) home resort of Bay Lake Tower. Pure Heaven! We DROVE from Chicago to Orlando for the first time in a LONG time but it wasn't too bad! Weather was amazing - no rain and in the 90s for 8 days straight! And gas prices were SUH-WEET - in the middle $3 range - a far cry from $4.30 here in Illinois. Shoot me now!
I am teaching tennis about 7 hours a day right now so I don't have a lot of time to devote to my dining room and back yard projects. However, with that being said, I am going to focus on my shed. It has been a tiki hut theme for quite a long time and I am now bored with it. I hope to work on it a few hours a day after tennis so hopefully this will be done by next week.
First up - the ants are using my shed as an apartment complex so I am removing all the old wood and painting the new pieces with weatherproof paint. I am taking my inspiration for my new shed from this picture - it is a vintage sign from the Palm Springs Tennis Club - I love it. It is SO Doris Day & Rock Hudson! :-)
Right now, my shed is yellow and white with a green roof. Did you know you can paint roof shingles? Neither did I! How great is that? I have to research this but I am excited that my green roof can now become black. My new shed will be green, white and black and I cannot wait! If it turns out half as cute as I picture it in my crazy head, I am hoping it will give the yard a much needed touch of class. Ok, I am off to get started! Its so good to be getting back to projects! So much to do!
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Disney World - Awesome behind the scenes pics!
I love all things Disney! I am a WDW Charter Annual Passholder, stockholder, Disney Vacation Club Member, a total kid at heart and just a big Disney dork! I even put a "hidden Mickey" in each room of my house or with each project I do just like in the parks. I don't blog Disney too much because once I get started talking about the house of the mouse, I just can't stop!
Fantasyland is undergoing an amazing expansion in the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World Florida. My favorite movie is Beauty and the Beast and Belle is my fav princess - something about a smart girl who can read and think for herself and still ends up with the Beast in the end is a great thing!
Here are the latest pictures of the Beast's castle progress:
Looks huge, right? People are concerned that it is going to overshadow Cinderella's Castle. I do not think there is any problem of that happening. Just take a look at the picture below! Hee hee! Disney Imagineers are using a method called "forced perspective". When you are down on the ground looking up, the castle will look HUGE, but in actuality, as this picture shows, it is quite tiny. Just wanted to share these awesome pics! Have a Disney day! :-)
Fantasyland is undergoing an amazing expansion in the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World Florida. My favorite movie is Beauty and the Beast and Belle is my fav princess - something about a smart girl who can read and think for herself and still ends up with the Beast in the end is a great thing!
Here are the latest pictures of the Beast's castle progress:
Looks huge, right? People are concerned that it is going to overshadow Cinderella's Castle. I do not think there is any problem of that happening. Just take a look at the picture below! Hee hee! Disney Imagineers are using a method called "forced perspective". When you are down on the ground looking up, the castle will look HUGE, but in actuality, as this picture shows, it is quite tiny. Just wanted to share these awesome pics! Have a Disney day! :-)
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