Happy 6th Birthday, Jaclyn!

 It's hard to believe that Jaclyn is now 6!

As you can tell, we had a Tangled birthday party! Rapunzel is Jaclyn's new favorite Disney princess!

You are our favorite princess, Jaclyn! 

Happy Birthday!

We love you so much!

Blessings,

I Won A Fun Giveaway!

I was lucky enough to win a fun beach themed giveaway! Kim a new bloggy friend recently had a giveaway and this is what I won! She has the sweetest blog called Musings from Kim K. 

I just love this adorable vintage bottle!

How cute is this!

Just love this little jar filled with shells and the starfish!

 Kim's always up to something creative and you must give her a visit! She also has a very precious treasure from China, like me!

Thanks, Kim!

Blessings,

Cowboy Up!

This is Jimmy's room. He's my youngest son and will be 13 this year.

 He keeps telling me that he doesn't want a cowboy room anymore! I realize it's past time for a room redo. Jimmy's had a cowboy room since we first moved into our home nearly 8 years ago when he was only 4!  But, as his 13th birthday approaches, I know I must get busy and redo it into a more grownup teenagers room! :(

I've always liked this cool cowhide fabric I found at a fabric warehouse! I just stapled it right onto the wall and added some old, rugged type wood for the chair rail. I also painted and stenciled his little table and chair (actually the other chair is broken)! Jimmy has outgrown them now! :(

This red cabinet hides his TV and video game stuff! 

A cowboy boot chair!

We mounted these antlers my husband found when he was a kid growing up in Arizona! 

The curtains are made from bandana handkerchiefs tied onto a real tree branch!
I painted the walls and ceiling a light sky blue, then sponge painted clouds all over the walls and ceiling! There's even stars on the ceiling that glow at night!

 I made this little lamp for him out of an old spool. The fabric on the lamp shade is from leftover fabric I used when I made his baby quilt. 

Can't have a cowboy room without the Duke!

Closeup photo of the cowboy bedding on his bunk.

This is a rag rug I crocheted for him using old flannel sheets and some old jeans!

I actually learned how to make this from watching you tube videos!

I had so much fun decorating his room with a cowboy theme and
I don't have any ideas how I am going to redo his room, yet!
Maybe I should ask him?

I'm linking to Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home
and Flaunt it Friday at Chic on a Shoestring!

Blessings,

A Before and After!

A discarded TV cabinet from my son, Josh...

.... becomes a place to hide all the TV equipment and anything else! Here's an older post I did about redoing an old corner cabinet and making it into a TV cabinet.

I tried the new ONE paint with the paint and primer all in one!  I really, really liked it! It went on in only two coats and loved the way it covered! I used a satin finish in antique white. I have to say that the yellow walls are not as dark as my camera shows. It's really a much lighter yellow!!!

Now, I have a new place to display more stuff!

I'm linking to Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch and
the Paint Party at My Romantic Home!

Blessings,

My New IKEA Sofas!

I couldn't believe that I found this IKEA love seat on craigslist!

 I've been desperately wanting to get a new love seat to replace our old, ugly recliner! I told my husband how nice it would be if we could actually sit together and watch a movie! Yes, this was my scheme to get rid of that old thing! I just had to do something desperate because his old recliner was beginning to look like Frasiers' Dad's chair!!!

Anyway, the love seat I found on craigslist also came with a brand new slipcover! They were asking $200.00, but settled on $175.00. I really didn't want to pay that much, but it was in great shape and a brand new IKEA love seat is $379.00! 

Well.... I loved the love seat so much that I had to have the sofa to go with it!
(If you give a mouse a cookie)! My old hand me down sofa had seen better days, as well and now looked awful next to my new love seat! I'd been intending to make a slipcover for the old thing, but that was just becoming too overwhelming of a project for me! So, the next Saturday morning after we brought the love seat home, my oldest son Josh and I headed off to IKEA (after we dropped my husband off at the airport)! We had a fun morning and Josh even set the sofa up for me when we got home!

I just love my new sofas and now I feel like I have a brand new family room! I especially like the fact that the sofas have washable slipcovers! I couldn't believe that the slipcover for the love seat was only $11.00, so I bought an extra one! I ended up selling my old sofa for $35.00 on craigslist and listed the recliner as free because no one would pay anything for it and they were both gone within a day! Now my husband and I can sit together on our love seat and watch his John Wayne movies! ;)

I'm linking to Show & Tell Friday at My Romantic Home!

Blessings,

Homemade Apricot Jam

My sweet neighbor gave me some apricots from her tree the other day. So, I thought I would try making some no cook apricot freezer jam! I've made freezer jam before with strawberries and peaches, but never with apricots. Here's my post about making no cook strawberry jam!

Apricot jam is so yummy and homemade is absolutely the best!

 I used 4 cups crushed apricots and 1 1/2 cups sugar. Basically, I just followed the directions on the "no cook" fruit pectin package!

I love making freezer jam because you don't have to can it....  just put in the freezer!  You could also freeze it in plastic containers, as well! I like using the "Ball" brand of pectin because it uses a lot less sugar.   

I'm joining Sweets for a Saturday at Sweet as Sugar Cookies!

Blessings,

The Day We Celebrate

Wishing everyone a fun and safe Fourth of July!

We will be having some good friends over for dinner! I have a fun menu planned and will share soon!

But, mostly I will be just relaxing this weekend. I have been so busy lately, that I have not had a chance to post for awhile! I've been traveling with my husband a little and have also been working an some projects around my home that I hope to post about real soon!

I got out my blue and white English china I recently found at a yard sale!

A little patriotic banner I made from some vintage graphics.

 I just added a patriotic photo to this vintage music wreath I made a few months ago! I've been acquiring a few new decorations for the 4th, but really like the vintagey ones that I can make!

Here's for a Glorious Fourth!

I'm joining Vintage Inspiration Friday for the Patriotic Party at Common Ground!

Blessings,