4th of July

I've been feeling like a slacker lately because I don't have anything exciting to blog about, then I realized...duh!...4th of July! It's only my favorite holiday, the only day Jake and I jointly throw a party, and our anniversary!

This year, we celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary, and our 4th annual 4th of July party.

For our anniversary, I bought Jake a rest for his new bow. I picked out a new lantern for the post in our front yard, even put it on hold at a local store, but Jake has yet to pick it up for me. I don't know if he is trying to come up with a different gift idea or what, but pretty soon I'm going to give up waiting and buy that lantern for myself :)

The party was a success. We ate BBQ, drank alot, and set the field on fire a few times with some fireworks. Have no fear...the boys were ready with buckets of water!

Here is our 3 year anniversary photo:

And on our wedding day, July 4, 2009. Things really haven't changed much:

On a (very exciting) side note...Jake found out a couple of weeks ago that he will be promoted to Technical Sergeant! This promotion won't take place until sometime next spring, but I'm incredibly proud of him!

Cupboard Door Sign

I found an old, thick, solid wood cupboard door at The Barn and right away I knew it would make a cool sign. I started to sand it to prep it to be spray painted, then decided I liked the way it look all roughed up, so I left it with the old chippy paint. I got a vinyl "Home Sweet Home" saying for free with a Stampin' Up order, and luckily it fits perfectly!



It's pretty heavy, so I'm waiting for Jake to get home to help me hang it.

Chalkboard

When I found this at the thrift store, I wasn't immediately impressed. It was dirty, painted ugly brown, and instead of glass, it had this grimey plastic covering. What made me take a second look was the fact that the frame is solid wood and has an interesting home carved look.

Once I took off the plastic, I found that the painting is actually pretty nice. On the back is a nice plaque that says it was painted in Havre, MT in 1972, and has the artists name. I think I might try to track her down on craigslist to see if she wants it.

I cleaned the wood, spray painted it white, and distressed it. Then I bought a piece of MDF at Home Depot. It was only $3.95 and they cut it to size for me. I sprayed two coats of chalkboard paint, then attached it to the back of the frame.

 Now I have a big chalk board to play with!

Button Earrings

A few months ago, I found a photo of button earrings on Pinterest. It turns out they were being sold on Etsy. They were only about $5, but I have so many buttons that I figured I could just make them myself. I bought a bag of earring posts and backs, and a bottle of super glue. I use the brush on kind because it doesn't get clogged.



 Probably the hardest part of this project was finding two buttons in my entire stash that matched. I flipped them both upside down and brushed on a layer of super glue.

Then I stuck one of the posts in the glue and let it sit for a few minutes. Once it dried and seemed sturdy, I brushed another layer of glue around the post just to keep it more secure, then let it dry again.

I think I'll wear the white ones today!

Vintage Dress

Yesterday, I stopped in at my favorite antique/thrift store, The Barn. I like to do a quick walk through every couple of weeks just to see if there is anything new. I found a few goodies this time! I found a firebird hood ornament that I brought home for Jake...and I found this beauty for me...

I love to look at vintage dresses, but I'm usually reluctant to buy any. I instantly fell in love with this one. The colors and pattern are beautiful, and the fabric is nice, soft cotton. Luckily, I could not find any stains, the white is still a nice bright white, and the skirt is fully lined. A few of the seams are starting to come apart, but the dress is a little loose on me, so I think I might be able to take in the seams a bit. When my mama comes to visit in August, that will be one of our projects :)

The tag is hard to read, but I looked up Vicky Vaughn and found out the brand is Vicky Vaughn Juniors, a junior division of R & M Kaufmann. This blog has a little bit of info about the company. Anyone have an idea of the approximate year? I'll do a little more research to try to find out. The info I found says that the company sold to another company in 1969...so I guess it must have been made before that.

Look how well it fits!

Could be perfect to wear to a summer wedding.

I love that the fabric is so soft.

Burlap Greeting Card

I mentioned in my last post that I was inspired by all the projects in the new Stampin' Up catalog that featured the use of burlap. I got right down to it last night an made this cutie.

 I did this project to experiment with the burlap, so I kept it pretty simple, and I love how it turned out. I used regular ol' Tombow runner tape to stick on the burlap. I had to run it on the card, then place the burlap on top of the tape because the tape would not run a solid line on the burlap.

To keep the burlap from fraying, I sewed a straight line all the way around the card. See the white stitching?

Stampin' Up

The new Stampin' Up catalog came out today, and I really like the new look of the catalog, and lots of the ideas for inspiration. I only found a few new items that I want to buy...but I'm pretty excited about those few items!

This paper pack is called Comfort Cafe and I just love the patterns!

 This paper pack is called International Bazaar and I love the rich colors!

This is a large background stamp...I've been drawn to poppies lately. It's called Pleasant Poppies.

This is a diecut for the Sizzix called Apothecary Accents Framelits. I want to get this and then label everything in my house!

 I noticed a few projects in the catalog that featured burlap. This one in particular caught my eye.

Jake is on a backpacking trip in Glacier this weekend, so I get the house all to myself! I think I might try a variation of the burlap card tonight :)