Tea Party

Grace received the most adorable Peter Rabbit themed porcelain tea set for her birthday.

Each cup has a different Peter Rabbit scene.  Each saucer has a quote from the Peter Rabbit books circling the rim.

Since Grace, Age 4 LOVES

A proper tea party was to be had.

And, Grace played the role of hostess to perfection.

It was a good day.

Picnik, say it ain't so.

I just learned that on April 19th Picnik will be shutting down their free photo editing website. I am still in shock over this announcement. It's like preparing to say goodbye to a dear friend you talk to everyday.

As an ode to Picnik, I'll be sharing my favorite Picnik project: Grace, a year in review.

Head over to Picnik and upload a picture that has some empty space to either the left or right of your subject {in this case Grace}.

Under the edit tab select the text tab. Select a font you like and add your text. I entered one line of text at a time, changing the font and font size with each additional line I added. As soon as you enter your line of text, press add. The text will appear on your picture. You can move it around, change the size and/or change the color. Repeat these steps to add more lines of text.

When you are finished, go to the save and share tab and save your picture to your computer.

Enjoy Picnik while you can.

Is anyone else as devastated by this news?

Home Improvement Junkie

Guilty as charged. I am a home improvement junkie.

This was introduced early on. My dad, whom I inherited this disease from, was always fixing or building something. Often, my sister and I would hand him tools, keep him company or, in the case below, dance along to whatever music he was playing.

We were probably listening to Billy Joel's Glass Houses album {yes, this was before CDs}. Is it strange that certain songs remind me of a home improvement project {and, of course, my dad}?

The Beatles, remind me of the hours I spent, in my first house, working with my dad as we remodeled a very pink and very outdated bathroom.

Penny Lane {by the Beatles} will forever bring back happy memories of my dad whistling as he labored turning a vision of what I wanted for my new bathroom into a reality. It will also remind me of the importance of buying quality tools {but that's a story for another day}.

Louis Prima crooned as my dad helped me turn an attic into a loft.

Jump, Jive An' Wail {by Louis Prima}, will remind me of dancing around that dusty old attic with my dad as he taught me how to use a nail gun for the first time.

Frank Sinatra played as my dad, Grace and I put up molding in our dining room {in our current house}.

That's Life {by Frank Sinatra} brings me back to that happy day when Grace got to work with her grandpa on her first home improvement project, another generation exposed to this disease. My favorite project by far.

This past weekend, Dean Martin played, practically on repeat as my dad, my husband and I all worked side by side turning this disaster of a closet into...

A closet I still can't believe is mine.

{It's still a work in progress touching things up and moving clothes back in.}

The only thing better than my under shoe rack lighting...

Being able to work on another project with my dad.

Memories Are Made of This, by Dean Martin, ironically, will remind me of my most recent project with my dad.

Much like childbirth, the trials and tribulations of home renovation projects {like the mess, the countless trips to Home Depot, the frustrations, the disarray} all fade over time. What lingers on, at least for me, the memories created spending time with my dad.

I think this is why, I'll forever be a home improvement junkie.

Decorate with what makes you happy.

Throughout my life, there have been things I have kept, significant things and, to others what might seem, insignificant things. Some of these things I have on display and others tucked away in a box. Looking at these things, I realize, they were kept throughout the years to evoke a memory, make me smile or because they simply had meaning to me, so why are some of these things stored in a box or haphazardly set some place and not proudly displayed?

Two days ago, had you looked at my cookbook stand, you may or may not have noticed what would have seemed like a normal recipe.

Maybe you would have thought it was a recipe I had recently made. Perhaps you would have overlooked it altogether. To you, it may have seemed an insignificant thing. To me, it brings back memories of this feisty lady...

My grandma.

Just before my grandma had passed away, I asked her to teach me to bake '2 Quick Cheesecake', a staple dessert she made for every family gathering. While perched on a kitchen stool, she happily ordered me around her kitchen, directing me through every step of the recipe. The confidence she had in her kitchen, confidence that comes from raising a family of 7, is the confidence I try to muster every day when cooking for my family of 3.

As we baked together, she wrote that recipe down and a few others she loved to make. That night, I took home the '2 Quick Cheesecake' we made together, 3 handwritten recipes she had written out and, of course, a priceless memory.

Throughout the years, I moved and stuck those recipes in a cookbook. I thought about them occasionally and when I would stumble upon them, I would smile. I finally put them on my recipe stand but really wanted to pay tribute to these recipes and the memories they held for me by displaying them in a way that even a casual observer could tell that it was a significant item I had saved.

I found a $1.99 frame from Goodwill that had an ornate design, giving it a vintage feel.

With a can of black gloss spray paint {I wish I had used semi gloss or matte}, I gave my Goodwill frame 2 coats of paint.

I found some black checkered fabric that I wrapped and then taped to the cardboard insert. The fabric covered cardboard then acted as a mat to place my recipe on.

Then, I centered my grandma's recipe on the fabric mat and inserted it into the frame.

Now, it has a place of honor, proudly displayed in my kitchen cabinet. For me, it allowed me to not only frame and display my grandma's recipe but also to frame a special memory as well.

If you have a collection of things you have saved, things that have special meaning to you, take a new look at them and see if you can give life to the memories they contain by displaying them in a significant way.

A tribute to lovies

One of my favorite gifts, given to me as a little girl, was a stuffed dog. He kind of resembled Shoeshine boy, you know Underdog's secret identity...am I totally dating myself here? I remember the connection was immediate. My dad asked me, what I wanted to name him. I thought about it and responded, Clancy. The name stuck and Clancy became a constant companion.

Rosebeary is Grace's Clancy. There may be other stuffed animals that will win her favor for a week or two but Rosebeary consistently makes a reappearance. Rosebeary is always tucked into bed with her at the end of the day. Rosebeary is always an invited guest at our tea parties. Rosebeary is Grace's first love.

When you love a stuffed animal as much as I loved Clancy and Grace loves Rosebeary, they are not easily forgotten. Jennifer Maher, an artist I came across on pinterest, appreciates what these treasured childhood lovies mean and turns them into original toy portraits. Not only is this such a unique idea but her work has whimsy and depth bringing the love each toy has received to life.

You can see more of Jennifer Maher's portraits here.

I hope to one day be able to commission a portrait of Rosebeary for Grace but for now I'll elect for a poor man's version.

I used this picture of Grace and Rosebeary.

I cropped in on Rosebeary. In Photoshop, I selected filter, artistic and finally watercolor. My photograph was instantly converted to a more artistic version of Rosebeary. Though it may not compare to the hand painted custom portrait I ultimately want, I think my version does have character and an artistic point of view that represents the importance of Rosebeary.

Maybe one day, if or when Grace decides she's too old to have Rosebeary tucked into bed with her, she can display this a piece of artwork, representing the love and security this dear friend provided. That day, when hanging on her wall, or maybe hanging in the room of her own daughter, Rosebeary can to continue to look after her and remind her of the simple joys in life.