LOVE IS SPELLED WITH A "C"....... CHOCOLATE

CHOCOLATE--OH CHOCOLATE..THERE CAN NEVER BE ENOUGH

LOVE IS IN THE AIR--I SMELL CHOCOLATE

Valentine's Day is soon upon us and the shops have their colorful eye catching displays ready for lovers to snatch up that special gift for their object of affection. Pretty pinks, reds and all hues in between adorn lovely boxes filled with my favorite confection. CHOCOLATE!

ANTIQUE VALENTINES

Heart shaped treasures wrapped with charming silk ribbons are waiting eagerly to be untied by anxious fingers. Once unleashed from their soft restraints, yummy mounds of luscious chocolate will be available for tasting. Some will be of the dark variety while others will be milky with delectable flavored centers. Caramel filled are my favorites. Well, I really should not say, "favorite" because whatever I am enjoying at the time is my favorite.  I certainly am not a chocolate snob.  Godiva's are divine but so are Hershey's Kisses.

DANCING HEARTS

 

 

 Cannot trust anyone who does not at least like chocolate. I am trying to be flexible here...love just seems so much more appropriate a word.  Sitting by a roaring fire, cuddling close with someone special, sipping hot chocolate, reading love poems--=-strike that last part..not realistic.... laughter, love and chocolate ..can't get much better.

AN EXAMPLE OF A "REAL" LOVE POEM.....

 Hiking on a sunny day, taking a break by a clear running stream munching on a chocolate laced granola bar, yea my kind of snack. Exercising at the gym and stopping on the way home for a cold one...a bottle of Yahoo..that's what I'm talking about. Birthdays are the best. the cake part, especially when covered in a gooey Dutch chocolate frosting. Anyway you slice it (pun intended) chocolate is definitely on my main food group list.

HOW THE CARDS ARE DEALT

 Chocoholics love Valentine's Day. We even love the day after when all the goodies go on sale and we can stock up. Freezing chocolate works quite well.  I should know..move over pork chops here come the Whitman Samplers!

CHOCOHOLICS ALLOW FOR OTHER SWEETS

 

 

 I read once where even a broken heart allows light to come in. John 13:34 commands we love one another.  A good way to spread that love is through sweet treats to all those you love and maybe even those you might love or those who just need loving.

CAN I PLAY..HUH CAN I?

 Love comes in may different packages. it is glorious. "Love" is one of my favorite words..especially when wrapped in a gold Godiva box!

 Love..get wrapped up in it...tangles and all. It is the greatest gift.

 

THE BEAUTY OF ICE

HOUSEBOUND AT HAWK'S CREEK

CABIN FEVER..HAVE CAMERA WILL TRAVEL..EVEN IF JUST TO THE FROZEN YARD

Beautiful pyracantha sports ice with flair.

This handsome fellow is all decked out for the holidays. His buddies sure are cute. they are feasting on my offerings.  Will be filling their table with yummies daily.

He looks like he might be saying.."Enough, already"..I testify to that..

I have to admit it is stunning.  The ice enhances the color of everything.

White on white. no time or desire to sit and contemplate today.

Ouch! Hope this ornamental is forgiving.

Even blanketed in ice and snow this future project is interesting and gets me to thinking of what it will be in its next life.

Icicles...delightful memories of pulling icicles from their roof edge home. Playing swordfight or just tasting their icy flavor.

Former residents now basking in the Southern sun.

My poor lettuce. hopefully it too will be forgiving.

Kind of feel like this little guy.  Up to my ears in ice and cold.  He has a smile on his cheery face..guess I should take a cue from him...trying,  but being housebound, even at wonderful Hawk's Creek,  can be a challenge for this antsy project oriented gardener with a passion for rusty junk.

WHAT'S BEHIND THE RED DOOR

RE-PURPOSING A COOL OLD DOOR

NEED A ROOM DIVIDER..USE AN OLD DOOR

I love old doors.  Any old doors.  My house has many different doors used in various settings.  Barn doors are used to hide A/C units, open into bathrooms, one is a headboard and this one is a divider used to separate the refrigerator from the kitchen seating area.  It started out with a boring chippy green color. We changed it to a pretty barn red.

First step is to clean and sand the old finish. Then apply whatever color your décor suggests.  We chose this worn barn red.

The next step is to sand the red to whatever "chippiness" fits your taste.  Then apply a dark stain to give it a nice warm worn appearance.  Last you apply a coat of clear satin protective. Polyurethane is usually what we use.  Sometimes for the final finish we apply a coat of wax rubbed to a nice patina.

Added architectural  elements make the door more interesting.  We added a couple of old hooks, a bit of chalk paint, glass door knob and an old handle which holds an antique towel nicely.

The chalk board can be used to write notes or just add a bit of whimsy.

We hung the door from large antique rusty chains mounted to an old piece of wood.  This helped preserve our wood ceiling and still adds to the look.

FUN....INTERESTING AND STILL A WORK IN PROGRESS

I am sure as time goes by, I will be adding more funkiness to this door.  I am thinking a nice piece of rusty tin might find a home on one of the panels.

Now go check in your stash of junk and see what door you can find to bring inside your home and put to a new fun use.

I BALK AT CHALK

PAINTING THE OLD FASHIONED WAY

 

BEFORE

 

 

 PRETTY IN BLUE.. AFTER PAINTING USING SPRAY PAINT, SANDPAPER, STAIN AND WAX

The popular product DIY'ers are using today is chalk paint or a variation of chalk paint. I have tied many paints and products over the years. Buttermilk paint was the rage some years back. I did love the colors offered. Seems I always come back to my old, tried and true method.  I use spray paint, sandpaper and wax. You can layer on color, experiment rather easily and it certainly is cost friendly. This is my method of choice on small items.  Larger items I use latex paint.  I can mix and match. Layer and use various stains and processes to achieve the look I want.  Calk paint gives a very nice look, but I am just too cheap to use it and besides, with practice,  side by side there is little difference.

Try your hand at re-doing, re-purposing or whatever you want to call it on a small project.  You can change your décor with little expense and a lot of fun.

BOHEMIAN NECESSARY ROOM

HOW TO HAVE A FUNKY FABULOUS CHIPPY BATHROOM

So you want a "fun" bathroom with a signature theme of Bohemia, shabby chippy and your own personal touch.  No problem....well except... if you have a man around the house, he will not be happy or impressed.  Okay then,  you must have a bathroom which is strictly your own to start with or a fella who loves you so much that he will look past all the funky little things we chippy girls like so much.

I call my little bit of private paradise The Necessary Room.  It is absolutely necessary that I have my own little space to get up close and personal with a hundred year old claw foot tub..full of bubbles and lovely scented oils, of course.

THE SINK OF MANY COLORS

I found this sink years ago and have moved it around with me many times until I found the perfect old table to "sink" it into for the best pairing ever.  If you do not want a conventional vanity area then I suggest you look for an old table, buffet or sideboard which will work with a sink, faucets and all the plumbing "stuff" needed. This table has only one shelf which I have used fabric to hide all the "girly" necessities.  I sanded the table top, stained it to a color I liked and then coated it with several coats of polyurethane.  The final step is to put a really good coat of paste wax on the top after the poly has cured a day or two.  I think a copper or zinc sink would look nice also. I just happened to love the  hand painted colors in mine.  It is not as durable as a metal sink, so I have to be somewhat careful of dropping anything heavy into it.
My Necessary Room is long and narrow.  I am compelled to fill up every bit of space in all my rooms and also on most of my walls.  This little narrow hide-a-way is no different.

LOVING ALL THINGS SHABBY AND CHIPPY

I love the pure chippiness of this cabinet. Since there are no built ins in my room, I must use other means of storage.  Oh, I hate that. What fun to find just the right piece to hold all my absolutely necessary products, towels and who knows whats!

This fabulous very old little cabinet once had another life at The Railway Express.  I am betting it is happier with me.

Bath salts, body butters and soaps never had such a cute hiding place.

RUB A DUB DUB TUB

Recycled old tile makes a nice foundation for my ancient and extremely heavy claw foot tub. I found this gem of a tub in Dallas when a developer decided to demolish an old house.  Buying a tub like this is one thing, hauling it home is another story. It took a little doing but mission was accomplished.
First thing I did was to give  it a thorough cleaning. Next I painted the outside a rich coat of gold water resistant paint. If you buy an old tub like this make sure you have all the plumbing parts or know where to get them. I searched the web and finally found a shower kit which would work for me.  I wanted an old fashioned  shower set up. If you don't want a shower, then just make sure you have the faucets. 

IF THESE WALLS COULD TALK

I wanted one of my walls to look like an old European brick wall.  To do this effect you can use half bricks or Z Brick.  Plaster or any number of wall treatments will work to bed your bricks into. The thing about something like this is that you can do it anyway you desire. Whatever look you are going after can be done. Do it your way. I wanted mine to look old and somewhat dilapidated.

I chose to faux finish my other three walls. This operation took quite some time.  I bought the colored glazes at Lowe's and mixed and matched until I got the colors I wanted.  I first painted all the walls ( which were textured like a mild to thick stucco) a  warm green.  I added three layers of glaze, letting them dry in between coats.  I used  gold, bronze and copper glazes. I used scrunched up plastic bags to manipulate the wet glazes.  I also used a bit of antiquing glaze for an aged finish look.  I did this about nine years ago and have yet to tire of the look.  Still love it.

I LOOK BEST IN CANDLELIGHT

My lighting is old and funky too. I have sconces on each side of my mirror and one overhead chandelier which at one time was a hall light used in a much fancier home. I love almost any light as long as it isn't fluorescent!

Stained glass always offers an interesting element to any room. This particular piece sits above my tub and the ledge holds clear perfume bottles.  Candlelight reflects beautifully off stained glass.

I AM IN LOVE WITH OLD DOORS

 

The door to my "Necessary Room" is an old barn door.  I and a friend dismantled an old barn/shed years ago just to get the cool old doors. I have also moved this door (and many others) with me through the years.  I found the hinges somewhere.  Don't remember where.

I left the original handle on the door.  There is no lock, but since the man in my house has his own Necessary Room, I have no worries about sharing.

I rarely use anything in the way it was originally intended.  I use this coat hanger hook to show off a print I really like.  It is mounted to the inside of the entry door.

WHEN I GET OLD I SHALL WEAR PURPLE

I usually am more of a muted color person, but in this Bohemian room I chose to use lots of bright colored glass. This pretty vase sits next to an artsy  photograph my granddaughter took of me one day when we were goofing off. I like it when a room doesn't have a firm theme.  I may use many ideas, themes and items totally unrelated in one room's atmosphere.

You can see the reflection of many colors in my mirror.  I also used very old crown moldings in this room.  I found a stash of solid wood, hand carved moldings and chose to use them throughout my home. You can a glimpse of one under the window. The window is an old window found at a home recycled place. I had it turned sideways.  I like things a little sideways too:-)

TASSEL NO HASSLE

I love to drape and tassel everything, except curtains!  Go figure.
Thanks for taking this Bohemian tour with me.  I think everyone should do whatever their heart tells them to do with their own personal decorating touch.  I am not one for fashion rules.  Get in touch with your Gypsy spirit and let it fly!

MOONLIGHT AND DAYDREAMS

MOON RISING BRINGS QUIET BEAUTY

As the yellow disk takes her place in the night sky, magic spreads in all the glorious crevices hidden by the brightness of day. Shadows play to the melody of crickets sharpening their instruments for their nightly concert.
A thing of beauty gradually opens with the perfume of sweet lemons, offering me to sit and reflect on my dreams of the day past.

Before she allows her full beauty to take my breath away she shows me that tightly wound objects will unfold if only given grace. Being wound like a spring myself, this nightly ritual gives me hope for a warm dose of grace to be shed upon my weary racing mind.

She is now announcing her glory for all who pass by her garden home.  I take a moment to lean my head her way, she allows me to take in her perfume and my tightly wound spring like mind calms to her symphony.

All join in for a chorus of hallelujahs lifting heads to the Most High. I follow with an out of tune version of "Harvest Moon", which always makes me smile knowing soon Autumn will bless us with cooler temperatures and  a bounty of oranges, reds and golds.  My lovely moonflower will go to sleep soon, but I am assured she will poke her stunning head out of the cold winter ground again come April. I gather her seeds to share with friends who have yet to know her ability to unwind a spring loaded gardener's mind.

DAYDREAMER

I am watching a fabulous sunset, digging my toes into warm sand, but I am remembering my daydreams of walking cool mountain paths, drinking hot coffee, smelling crisp pine needle laden air and looking for my friend, Moon, to rise to the challenge of making a beach moonrise outshine a midnight mountain rendezvous.

 

Standing beside this fast flowing mountain river, I am daydreaming of warm beaches, golden sunsets and moonrises over the ocean.  I guess you could say I am a bit fickle, certainly not discontent. Perhaps just a big daydreamer who loves it all and wants to experience the moon rising from all of nature's points of view. ---at once! Well for sure, I am most blessed and will go sit under these trees and contemplate tomorrows daydream.

Can you smell the pine needles, the salt of the ocean breeze and the warm sand between your toes? I can and as I leave this keyboard and head out to my moonflowers, I give you.........

A fragrant evening full of hope, promises of rich memories and daydreams to soothe your tightly wound mind. Let your spirit fly, your imagination soar and your arms receive love, give love..repeat...