Something to remember...

My lovely friend Sharon of Shabby Polka Dots posted this on Facebook and it really struck a chord with me so I wanted to share it with you:

A psychologist walked around a room while teaching stress management to an audience. As she raised a glass of water, everyone expected they'd be asked the "half empty or half full" question. Instead, with a smile on her face, she inquired: "How heavy is this glass of water?"

Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz.

She replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, it's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my arm. If I hold it for a day, my arm will feel numb and paralyzed. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn't change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes." She continued, "The stresses and worries in life are like that glass of water. Think about them for a while and nothing happens. Think about them a bit longer and they begin to hurt. And if you think about them all day long, you will feel paralyzed – incapable of doing anything."

It’s important to remember to let go of your stresses. As early in the evening as you can, put all your burdens down. Don't carry them through the evening and into the night. Remember to put the glass down!

My favourite phrase of the moment is:

'Change what you can't accept and accept what you can't change'

Something we would all do well to remember....

Have a good day...and night.....

No mess distress makeover...

I picked up this little cabinet ages ago and loved her original bevelled glass and gilded finials - unfortunately I was the only one who loved her so a little re-invention was called for...

one makeover later... and she looks fresh and new... hmmm maybe a little too new (at this point take note of the Costco wet wipes to the right of the photo). I may be new to this particular party so forgive me if you already know this, but: did you know you can 'shabby up' chalk paint without sanding by just rubbing over with a damp rag (or Costco wet wipe)? Just rub the edges to dissolve a little of the paint before waxing!

here she is all finished and ready to make her debut at the next Vintage Fair 2nd/3rd March!

...and here's her inside, lined with some Laura Ashley wallpaper and this time I did sand the finish to get a different look

what do you think - better now?

New and old...

...so, next month I have two large Vintage Fairs to attend and for one of them I need to take my own chair. I was going to take one of my metalwork garden chairs - very shabby and rustic - but the size and weight of it (and the fact that it's still under snow) made me look around Ikea for a cheap and easy answer....so I got a simple white folding chair but wanted to 'French' it up  a bit. I hunted in my stash of paper pieces - more of this later in the post so stick with me -  and Modpodged a pretty French label on it (thanks to Karen at the Graphics Fairy yet again!). Then I remembered a pretty bolster cushion I made ages ago with one of Karen's images and hey presto!

a close up...

this is the 'new'...and now the aforementioned paper stash. This is the 'old' because I never showed you this before and I made it ages ago! I picked up this old deed box a while ago and put all my scraps inside to keep for another day - I can always find something that suits a project in here...

...I painted the inside with metal paint and used another of Karen's images to resemble an old document forgotten inside...

...a closer look at the ragged edges and ageing...

...and inside..lots of lovely images , vintage map of Paris etc all safely stored away - Voila!

...once again - useful and beautiful - and that's what it's all about!