Be A Goof Off!

It is Summer Time....the season we give ourselves permission to Goof Off a bit....
I don't think of goofing off as a negative.....but when I read the definition for the noun......it wasn't such a positive image!!

HMMMMMM......but relax!  This post isn't about that kind of GOOF OFF.....

It is about THIS!

$4 worth of MAGIC....

In a little yellow can!

Add a little steel wool and this stuff will remove any number little messes!

 

This Thursday we will turn Sweetwater into a Floral Arranging Studio for a day!

A friend is coming to make ALL the bouquets, corsages and boutonnieres for her wedding!

Won't that be fun? 

If you want to read about another time we did this CLICK HERE

I am organizing supplies and getting ready for Thursday.

When I got out my clippers.....oh my....they were not ready for company!!

Fairy Garden Resource List

The weather in Minnesota has been "interesting" this summer!

If you don't speak "Minnesotan", you probably don't understand that when someone uses the term "interesting", it is probably less than complimentary!

I know there are lots of people who are still cleaning up from torrential rains.....which is very serious and costly business.

At this point I am putting my tongue in my cheek and will show you the "horrible" storm damage at Sweetwater! The storm damage was so bad.....it entailed the need for an entirely new roof!

Yup.....the Fairy House took a direct hit from the torrents of rain.....all the bark fell off the roof and the furniture was overturned!!!!  OMG!  What to do?

DYI No Crease Pants Hangers!

Some people just HATE ironing....but....don't think I am crazy when I say....

I don't mind ironing....in fact it can be kind of relaxing!

But what I do hate is when the pants that I have ironed get creases in them hanging in the closet!

The problem is the hangers.....

Even wooden pants hangers don't seem to solve the problem for me.


The wood bar still leaves creases....and I don't like to hang my pants from the cuffs!



I have looked all over for padded hangers for pants and have been unsuccessful!  And chances are...if I ever do find some....I will be too "cheap" to shell out the $$$ for them!

Read More to see what I did instead!

The Best Dish Scrubber.... Ever!

When you think of souvenirs from Mexico you probably think of things like these!

Pretty.....and pretty expensive!  

And to be honest they aren't exactly the right look for my decor....except for the jewelry!

This is my absolute FAVORITE purchase from the Mercado!
Click to see what it is!

Super Simple Almost NO SEW Ottoman Slipcover!

Recovering an ottoman can seem like a daunting project!

It doesn't have to be!

If you have an hour....

If you can sew a straight seam...
You can do it!

Would you believe THIS....?

looked like THIS just a couple of days ago......?
I think I recovered it (poorly) over 15 years ago and it was time for an update!!!

The process was pretty simple....but of course I forgot to take pictures!

BUT....

Custom Sized Rug "Use What You Have"

The Powder room at Sweetwater is little more than big enough to turn around in.....but it is on the main floor and handy....so I really shouldn't complain.

The floor space between the vanity and the toilet in this tiny room is an odd dimension....almost a perfect 3 foot square.

This makes finding a rug for the space difficult!  There aren't a lot of square bathroom rugs out there.

I found one at Target....but the colors aren't right.....

This one from the Company Store is okay....but it is $28....and looks a little too "bathroomy" for a main floor powder room.

1 Hour Rug Project!

I could have gone to the fabric store and found a piece of upholstery to make a new rug out of upholstery fabric!

Here is a link to a tutorial for doing just that!


But....shhh....don't tell Mr. S.....I really want to do some major stuff in this little room before we have the floors refinished in the fall....and I don't know what the color scheme will be....and I don't want to make a rug I love, love, love only to have it not fit that scheme....
ALAS....POOR ME!

Enter the "Use What I Have" Philosophy!

Easy Summer Memory Wall Decor!

Once the 4th of July is over, we are in the thick of the Summer!

Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer
Those days of soda and pretzels and beer
Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer
You'll wish that summer could always be here!

Lyricist Charles Tobias 

 Well then.....

 Are you wondering why I am showing you a picture of a house taken in late fall?

Well....I want you to notice the red trimmed storm windows on this house...which is the house Mr. S grew up in!

When the house was sold....and it was time to clean out the garage...

We "rescued" one of the old stormwindows to hang in our house!

I decided to turn the window into a Summer Memory Gallery!

Hooray For The Red White and Blue!

 

Happy Fourth of July!

The flags are flying and we plan a simple celebration with family to view the fireworks from the dock at the Sweetwater Mom's lake house!

It is a beautiful summer day here at Sweetwater!

Take a peek at the simple patriotic decorations around here.

I have a collection of "stuff" and just plop it here and there!

Really....what is more like summer than the Red White and Blue?

Thrifty Planters-Use What You Have!

Through the years....we have collected lots and lots of planters!

These pots could sit in a pile next in the garage....taking up space!

OR....they could be placed all over in the gardens for visual interest....

The problem is that if I need to buy flowers and foliage plants to fill them....it gets very expensive!

Here is the "Use What You Have!" Solution for this dilemma!