Shabby Chic Inspired Shower Curtain

I just love all the pretty shabby chic shower curtains, especially the ones I've seen at Target! So, I thought I would try making one myself!  I purchased a plain white cotton shower curtain at Target when it was on sale for just $6.98!

To make the ruffles I decided to use quilt binding. It's so wide and since it's cut on the bias it won't ravel.  I certainly did not want to hem all those strips of fabric! I think the raw edges give it a more shabby chic feel, anyway!

I used two packages of white cotton quilt binding. The binding was 3 inches wide and 3 yards long. I cut the binding down the center lengthwise, so I would have four strips
(1 1/2 inches wide and 3 yards long)! This was enough to make four rows of ruffles. I then stitched down the middle of each strip and gathered them. Now, I have four pretty ruffles and I just sewed them onto the shower curtain in four rows!

This was a pretty easy project and I love my new shabby chic shower curtain! 

I'm joining Masterpiece Monday at Boogieboard Cottage!
Sizzle into Summer at DIY by Design!
White Wednesday at Faded Charm!
Wow us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style!

Blessings,

The Pickle Pot!

I've never in my life made pickles! But, after seeing how easy they were to make in blogland, I thought it would be fun to give it a try! I especially like this recipe because it is a refrigerator recipe and does not involve canning!

Making pickles reminded me of Aunt Bee and the famous pickle episode!

Her pickles were not very tasty!  In fact, Andy and Barney described Aunt Bee's pickles as tasting like kerosene! My husband assured me that mine were delicious!

I found the recipe for the Pickle Pot at Miz Helen's!

The pickles were very easy to make! Although, I went a little overboard! I made twice as much as Miz Helen's recipe! I asked my son the chef to bring me a large leftover glass jar from his kitchen and I filled it up!

I'm not a pickle connoisseur by any means, but did add some sugar to the recipe to better suit my taste!

I don't like eating pickles by themselves, but prefer them in a sandwich!

I have so many pickles now, that I've been giving them away!!!

Blessings,

True Disney Legends

Betty Taylor as "Sluefoot Sue" and Wally Boag as "Pecos Bill" starred in the original Golden Horseshoe Revue at Disneyland! 

The other evening my husband and I along with our kids were invited to Disneyland to attend a special Tribute to honor two "True Disney Legends" Betty Taylor and Wally Boag! They were both there from the very beginning when Disneyland first opened and were hand picked by Walt Disney to star in the Golden Horseshoe Revue! It is in the Guinness Book of World Records as the most performances of any show in the entire world - over 47,000 shows!
 Just recently they both passed away within one day of each other. We were so sad to hear of Wally's passing on June 3 and then the very next morning we learned that Betty was gone, too! Disneyland decided to honor them with a special tribute.

My husband had the privilege of working with both Wally and Betty at the Golden Horseshoe Revue! He was Wally's sub for 12 years! They were absolutely amazing performers and my husband and I felt so privileged to even know them! I was a waitress at the Golden Horseshoe and that is where we met! It is a truly special place for us!

My husband as Pecos Bill!

Jaclyn was so excited to meet the Can Can Dancers! I wish you could of seen her kicking up her heels along with them!

They were so sweet to her!

Disney legend Richard Sherman who wrote so many Disney songs was there, as well!
My girl's were thrilled to meet him and they even know all of his songs!
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

Our family on stage at Disneyland!
It was a very special evening for us!

Blessings,

Homemade Plum Jam

I've been making a lot of freezer jam this summer and my freezer is now full of jam! I've never made plum jam before, but heard it was very delicious! Since plums were on sale the other day, I bought 4 lbs. and decided to try making some!

Most of the freezer jams I've made this summer (strawberry, peach and apricot), did not need to be cooked. However, the plums did! After slicing them and removing the pits, I simmered them until soft. When they were cool, I put them in my blender to puree. 

 A few weeks ago I made blueberry jam and cooked it first, as well. Which by the way, was quite yummy! Here's a previous post about making freezer jam. 

I like using the "Ball" brand of pectin the best because their recipe for freezer jam only uses
1 1/2 cups of sugar, instead of like 7 cups, as most recipes call for! It definitely tastes delicious and I can't decide now which jam is my favorite!

Blessings,

"Twenty-Six Miles Across the Sea...

...Santa Catalina is a waitin' for me"!

We just took a fun day trip to the beautiful island of Catalina! Here's a photo of the "Catalina Flyer" we rode to Catalina Island! It has a catamaran hull, so is quite fast and smooth! The trip takes only 75 minutes to reach the island from Balboa. As you can see, it turned out to be a very cool and cloudy day!

Arriving in the quaint little town of Avalon!

One of the first things you notice when arriving in the harbor is the Casino. It was built in 1929 by William Wrigley (of the chewing gum). It is a popular landmark and tourist attraction and is actually a movie theater, museum and ballroom, not a casino!

Here's a view of the main street from the pier. There's lots of cute little shops to browse!

One of our favorite places to eat is at the "Fish and Chips" on the pier! This is where we ate lunch. Their fish and chips are the best!

We relaxed on the beach for awhile before heading back.

We really had a wonderful day! On our trip back to the mainland, we were escorted by a school of dolphins! It was not easy trying to take pictures because they were so quick!

Jaclyn said this was her best day ever!

Blessings,

Some Fun Weekend Projects!

I've been seeing these cute faux blue mason jars around blogland lately and thought they would be fun to make! I just love their vintagey look and they were actually pretty simple to do! I painted them with a mixture of white glue and a few drops of blue and green food coloring. If you google "faux blue mason jars" you will find a lot of tutorials. Keep in mind, they really are just for decoration only! I'm definitely going to be making more of these! I think next time I will try using mod podge instead of the white glue.

Okay, I just have to add this now! After two months, these blue jars have completely faded!

Here's another fun project I did over the weekend! 

I found this picture frame at a yard sale (sorry I forgot to take a before photo), but it was just a silvery metal picture frame. I've been looking for something like this because I've been wanting to make a chalkboard sign! I took out the glass and spray painted the frame white. Then I cut out some particle board to fit inside the frame and gave it three coats of chalkboard paint. Super easy and fun!

I painted the mirror my husband found on the side of the road! 

I used the Olympic ONE paint in antique white from Lowe's. It has the primer already in it! I really like using this paint because I only need two coats! I'm so happy how this mirror turned out and to think it was just sitting on the side of the road!

I'm linking to Show Off Your Cottage Monday at The House in the Roses!

Blessings,

A Few Side of the Road Finds!

I can't believe someone actually left this mirror on the side of the road with a "FREE" sign on it! My husband spotted it early yesterday morning when he was out riding his bike. He hurried home, got my van and brought it home for me because he knew I would like it!

He's SO sweet!

I will be painting it, of course!

Now, I can't believe that I actually drug this desk home myself! I found it on the side of the road, too! I admit it was a mess!!!

But, now it is my little sewing desk! 

I'm still amazed at how a little paint and a few minor repairs can transform an old ugly piece of furniture that nobody wanted into a real sweet find! 

I'm joining the The Power of Paint Party at Domestically Speaking!

Blessings,