Mobile home kitchen update

I just wanted to quickly post an updated photo of our kitchen now that the floors are done. (The flooring will be the next post!)
I know that looking at this photo probably doesn't give anyone else the same satisfaction that it gives me but I just love my kitchen now. When we saw our home for the first time I loved the openness of the kitchen but everything else pretty much made me cringe. The floral wallboard so common in mobile homes was awful. The floor was horrible...I guess the previous owner had some kind of portable island in the kitchen and there were large rust stains on the floor. And you all remember my hate of the blue and white counter tops, lol.

If you haven't seen my post on my "faux granite countertops" then be sure and go check that out here:

faux granite countertops

And here is the updated kitchen photo I promised! Please ignore the fact that no floor trim is done yet. That project is NEXT on our list but my husband is still recovering from doing the floors last weekend, lol.

Be sure and come back soon for my next post covering the new laminate flooring :)

We still have a few kitchen projects on our list, including a new back door and door frame as well as a new hallway light. But the main part of the kitchen is finished and I have to say that I love my kitchen.

We've updated the lighting, countertops, walls, repainted the cabinets, replaced the stove and dishwasher, replaced the faucet, painted the trim and redid the floor.

Thanks for having a look...if you have any questions or comments let me know below!
Have a great day!

My grandmother

My grandmother was not your typical cookie baking, crocheting grandma that was always cuddling and coddling you. Ha...she was more like the complete opposite of that. The cookie cutter grandmother stereotype she was not!

What she was, was unique. I've never met another person like my grandmother.
She was very "old school" in so many ways. She liked to "put on airs" when she was dealing with people outside the family. I think that was just typical behavior for ladies of her generation. I wish I could go back and observe her now that I am an adult with a better understanding of how things "use to be". How much different would my perception of her be? How much more would I appreciate her mannerisms??

My grandmother rarely used foul language and when she did we thought it was hilarious. One thing she would say fairly often if she was feeling affronted was "Now, hell, I'm a lady"....SO much contradiction in that statement but she would say it with such conviction. Sometimes we'd have to chuckle at her ladylike demeanor but, oh my, what would I give to go back to those days for just a visit! That was only one of so many things I loved and remember about my grandmother.

My grandmother was not called "grandma", "nana", "nanny" "granny" or any of the more common grandmotherly terms. We called her Nonnie. I am not sure really where "Nonnie" came from but my Mama always said that it's the name Nonnie picked for herself when the first grandchild was born because she was far too young to be a grandmother. That is certainly a statement I could easily attribute to my grandmother, lol.

I really miss Nonnie today. She's been on my mind for the last couple weeks. Yesterday was her birthday and that's the reason for this post. I just wanted to pay tribute to a lady who was a very important part of my life...a lady I miss so much. I love you and miss you Nonnie...I hope you had a great birthday in heaven's flower garden yesterday. It's really true that you don't realize how much people mean to you until they're gone.

Doris Brooks
March 21, 1928-
September 22, 2009

New layouts

Because I found myself sitting for hours last week working on layouts that had been completed YEARS ago because the adhesive failed in the long term, I am uploading more layouts here because frankly, I don't really have anywhere else I feel comfortable enough to post. I was forced to look back through my gallery at sb.com looking for the layouts I was working on to ensure I had them put back together the way they were originally. Not as easy a task as you might expect to be sure.
So, without a lot of gab or description, I'm posting some layouts here just as a safeguard against anything that happens down the road.

Prepare to be bombarded

WITH SCRAPBOOK LAYOUTS, hahaha.
I've been busy this morning taking photos and cropping them so that I could finally get my last several layouts uploaded. I have no excuse for letting them pile up without posting...I've just been lazy. But at least I've been SCRAPPY while being lazy, right?
I'm not going to go into huge detail...Some are simple and some more bulky with embellishments.

I dug realllly deep into my paper stash for some of
my favorite paper ever from Junkitz....I really miss
Junkitz. I've had this paper collection for years and
only use it sparingly, lol. 

I extended the cardstock to create flaps to open and
create more space for photos.

Quick view of the layout with the flaps open to show
the other two photos.

Paper distressing, hand sewing, and pop dotted title

I cut the bottle and title using my Expression.
I also used an Action Wobble behind the bottle so
it has movement. Those Action Wobbles are really
cool!!

Closer view of the bottle

This one lost a little of the black cardstock
background during cropping but it's even in person, I promise!
Very simple and pretty plain but I really like the way this one turned out.

Black diamond Stickles :)

Another pretty simple one but again, I love it :)

I put work into this one but I *love* it <3

All flowers are handmade by ME :)

Frames and heart background are cut files from the
 *Silhouette Design Store

If you looked at all these, then thank you! That's all I have for now but hopefully my scrapbook mojo continues in high gear and I get more layouts done so I can share them all here. That means you'll have to check back and see for yourselves!

Thanks for taking a look and if you have any questions let me know.

Rhonda

Beach Canvas

I know I promised to share my beach themed canvas weeks ago and I wish I had a good excuse as to why it's taken so long, but alas, I do not. I'm just lazy...pure and simple, lol. I've been quite the neglectful blogger of late and I apologize if anybody was left hanging.

I'm finally here to show you guys the canvas from beginning to end. I tried several times to get photos that really portrayed the true look of the finished product but I was never quite successful. Unfortunately, a photographer I am not. You guys probably won't really notice because you didn't see it in person and I am not being vain when I say the photos really don't do justice to the completed canvas.

Here is the finished canvas, which was a Christmas gift for one of girls and I think she really loved it. If she was faking she did a great job, lol.

Remember that if you click the photos you'll get a larger image for more detail :)

I'm now going to show you the canvas "before"

I picked up this canvas from Goodwill for $2 and knew as soon
as I saw it that I'd find a good use for it. I'm always on the prowl
for larger or odd sized canvases to alter and this one was perfect at
about an 18x18 size. My first step was a couple coats of
Gesso to prepare the canvas to work with.

If you click the photo for a larger image you might be able
to see the texture I added to the canvas once the Gesso had
dried. I used texture paste and paper towels to get the texture.

Most of the elements on the canvas itself were made by me,
including the mermaid. I cut the design with my Expression and
then used water colors to paint the body and hair.
For the "tail" or "fin" I used a form of gold leafing--I think
the flakes were "magic flakes" but I can't remember for sure. If you
need to know I'll dig it back out and let you know.
I used a gold pen to add some highlights to her hair just for
added dimension. I drew her face on and I hate it but not
enough to redo it ;)

This is the actual message that is inside the bottle on the
right hand side of the canvas.

The anchor is cardstock and also cut with my Expression.
I used Tim Holtz distress embossing powder to give it
a rusty effect.

Just a couple of cute little seahorses also cut with the Expression
and embossed with Frantage Embossing Enamel. 

There's the bottle I was talking about :)

The chest was handmade by me and embossed with
Frantage Embossing Enamel.
The shells on the canvas are a combination of real shells I've
brought back from a Florida vacation as well as some craft shells
purchased form the Dollar Tree.

I used several different Glimmer Mist sprays once the paint had dried
and there are lots of gold speckles as shown here.

There are really so many details but I know you guys get bored reading through all that. The quote is one I found online and there was no name attached to it and I saw it on several different quote sites while searching for the perfect quote for the canvas.

And that's it....I really do love how it turned out and like I said before, the photos seriously don't do justice to this. But you'll all just have to take my word for that.

Thanks for having a look and I'll see you all soon!

Rhonda