Thanks, Y’all. (And merci, too!)

There is not a tutorial enclosed in this blog. Nor are there any fancy pictures. Just me.

I have to admit that often when I blog it seems like my “inside voice.” Thoughts on paper, er, internet paper, are still just thoughts, right? It’s always kind of surreal (and so encouraging) to have someone come up to me and mention that they have actually read a certain blog post. (I always think afterwards that I must’ve reacted like a deer in headlights. LOL)

The truth is, while I say a lot on my blog, I’m quite a private person. So it has taken me out of my comfort zone (in a good way) to put my thoughts “out there.”

Thanks for reading. Thanks for commenting (which is so encouraging). Thanks to all of the people who encourage me in person. It’s truly, truly appreciated.

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The Gospel Truth

Have you ever unintentionally collected something? One minute you have one extra casserole dish/figurine/pound and the next you have twenty? (Hey, I know I’m not the only person to have unintentionally collected twenty pounds at some point!!)


I have unintentionally collected antique and vintage hymnals. I mean to say, I didn’t set out to collect them. The collection just sort of happened a long the way. Now here I sit with a stack of hymnals from the Bible Belt (that’s the South, y’all) in varying conditions.

I love the ones that are falling apart at the seams. There’s only way to get like that — by being used. Unfortunately some have no life left in them as a song book, but I just can’t bare to throw them away. (I might surprise you that I am the total opposite of a “hoarder.”) I haven’t had a plan for using them before, but this past Sunday at church I was completely inspired. The words to “Holy, Holy, Holy” are truly beautiful, and I was inspired by the verse, “Early in the morning, our song shall rise to Thee.”


I decided to use one of the hymnals that had seen better days to create something new.


XOXO,
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Fall Antique Festivals in the South

 

Hooray! Hooray! One of my favorite times of year is here — fall. Not only does it mean mulling spices and pumpkin everything, it also means fall antique festival season is here. And that, my friends, is almost as yummy as a pumpkin spice muffin with my pumpkin spice latte while my pumpkin spice candle is burning. Ahhhhhh, sweet heaven on earth…antique festivals.
 
 
Below is a list of festivals that are on my radar. I am more than happy to add your favorite to my list and get it some publicity. Please email or leave a comment and I’ll add it to my list. The only requirements are that #1 It’s an antique festival #2 It’s in the fall. #3 It’s in the South. (Nothing against our neighbors to the north of the Mason Dixon Line, but that’s the theme of my blog, after all.)
 
 
Crabapple Fest Antique & Art Festival (One of my faves! One day only.)
Milton, GA
October 5th10-6
http://www.crabapplecommunityassociation.org/CCA/Arts_Festival_MAIN.html
 
Clinch River Antiques Festival
Clinton, TN
October 11 & 12
http://clinchriverfallfestival.com/
 
Georgia Apple Festival (This is an apple festival, but the town of Ellijay where it is held has some fantastic antique stores. Have a blast at the apple festival and stop at the stores before you leave.)
October 12-13; 19-20
http://www.georgiaapplefestival.org/
Elligay, Ga
 
The Chapel Market
October 19, 2013
Pike Road, Alabama
http://theletteredcottage.net/goin-to-the-chapel/
 
Braselton Antique & Holiday Festival
October 26 & 27 Besides the festival, there are 5 antique shops within one block of the festival.
http://www.countrysideantiques.net/braselton-antique-festival.html
 
Country Living Fair
October 25-27
http://www.countryliving.com/cl-fair/country-living-fair-atlanta
 
Scott Antique Markets
http://scottantiquemarket.com/
 
Raleigh Flea Market
Tuesdays, Saturdays, Sundays 9-6
http://www.raleighfleamarket.net/
 
 
Lakewood 400 Antiques Market
http://www.lakewoodantiques.com/ 
 
I hope you have a blast antiquing this fall. Be sure to stop by my Facebook page and post some pictures of the treasures you get.
XOXO,
Abby
 
 


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Mason Jar Lamp: Fall Re-Mix

I love making something that can be used in many different ways. Remember this guy?

 
Well, I pretty much got tired of the lamp shade. And I got sick of the corks. Truth be told, I probably won’t drink enough wine in my entire life to even get it half-full. (The craziest it usually gets around here is chocolate milk, folks.)
 
I love the lamp itself too much to sell it (collaborative groan from the masses), but I wanted to change it up. So it now sits on my mantle with a new brown shade ($5, Walmart) and some colorful autumn glass thingies. This was a super quick change! Remember, the top screws off.
 

 
 
By the way, I want to thank everyone for visiting and for your support. I now have well over 25,000 views in less than and year, and that makes me feel reeeeeealllll special. 😉
 
 
XOXO,
Abby

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Fake It Till You Make It Muffins

Before I share my tips for these totally delish muffins, there are some things that y’all need to know.

1. (most importantly) Fake it till you make it.
2. Think smart, not hard.
3. No one’s perfect.

I’m a MOM? “Don’t let them see the fear in your eyes! Fake it till you make it!” I am embarrassed to admit how many times it gets close to dinner time, and the thought actually runs through my head of, “Oh, that would be me. It appears as though that’s my job. I guess I’m the one in charge of making that happen.” I wish I could say that this was when my kids were toddlers, but it has happened as recently as last night. I have never appreciated food cooked by other people more than since I became a mom.

My husband could put a poptart on a paper plate and declare it dinner,
and my eyes would roll back in my head. “I didn’t make this! Ermergherd, this is soooo good!”

Do I like cooking? Sure. Do I like cooking every day? Not a chance. Do I like going to the grocery store to get supplies to cook with? I’d rather have my eyelashes waxed. This brings me to the “think smart, not hard” part. I’m going to confess: Brinner happens way more than normal around here. You know, breakfast for dinner = brinner. The frequency of brinner is largely in part to the fact that it can involve ingredients that I usually have on hand. Ingredients that you will find below in the recipe, no doubt. Smart is using what you have on hand. Hard is going to the grocery store with kids who would rather be anywhere else.

Pinterest is full of recipes for “busy moms.” Recipes such as balsamic glazed pork chops and cilantro lime avocado chicken really do sound yummy. But both of those require time and ingredients. And someone who has a personal chef and is not shuttling kids from piano to violin to soccer and then lacrosse. (I sat in a car for an hour and a half today just to make the piano lesson even possible.) To sum up all 3 of these philosophies in one statement: If the kids are fed with mostly healthy food and my eye hasn’t twitched involuntarily to hide my stress, then today was a good day! I’m not perfect, and neither are any of the other people filling your Facebook newsfeeds bragging about how awesome their lives are. Give your self permission to do BRINNER!!!

May I present to you…

Fake it Till You Make it Muffins!
(Also known as “From a Box but BETTER Muffins!”)
 
Step 1: Get a box of your favorite muffin mix. I really do try to make it healthy, so I personally usually opt for something healthy like blueberry, banana, or pumpkin, etc.
 
Step 2: See the list of needed ingredients and instructions on the back? Disregard them. However many eggs that it says you need, only use the egg whites. In place of the oil or melted butter use Greek yogurt. Use the same amount of milk, but use skim milk. If it calls for water, use skim milk instead.

 
 
Tip: I like to use complimentary flavors of Greek yogurt. Blueberry or lemon yogurt both go well with either blueberry or lemon flavored muffin mixes. Vanilla goes well with chocolate or pumpkin mixes. You could even use banana flavored Greek yogurt for banana muffins. If you aren’t sure about using flavored yogurt, just use plain low fat or fat free Greek yogurt.
 
Step 3: Mix-ins! What can I mix into the batter to get another food group accounted for? Same as with the yogurt, use a mix-in that will go with your flavor. If you are making apple muffins, try finely chopping some apples and mixing them in with the batter. White raisins are really good in pumpkin muffins. Our favorite muffin is blueberry. It has blueberry muffin mix, blueberry yogurt, the can of blueberries that comes with the mix, and a handful of frozen blueberries from our garden.
 
 
Step 4: If you want to get fancy you can add some toppings. Try heating some preserves in the microwave and drizzling them on top. Yum!

 
 
I’m not perfect. It’s a miracle that I can even pull off brinner. But I do feel better about it when I make an effort to get some healthy ingredients into the mix.

 
 
XOXO y’all!
Abby

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One for the Books

I have a love of books and reading that crosses over into my vintage/antique obsession. I devour a good book. A good series of books is truly dangerous. There may not be any clean clothes or meals served until the series is done. Sad, but simply true.

Sometimes I buy old books because it’s written by a well known author. Often I buy them because the title is interesting. I also buy them because of the color of the cover. I’ve mentioned a few times before in previous posts that I will walk through the house looking for a book of a certain color to add to a holiday vignette that I am working on. There’s something about the smell of old paper that makes an old book holy regardless of the subject matter. There’s something about looking through an old encyclopedia of “modern” knowledge that makes even a young person long for the days of simplicity and ignorance of old. How little we knew. How happy we were.

Rudyard Kipling is known around the world. This copy of his works shows the once innocent swastika symbol with Kipling’s name on the inside cover. In the Hindu culture of Kipling’s beloved India, this was a symbol of good luck and fortune. Once the Nazi party later began to use it, Kipling ordered that it no longer be used in any of his books. I wonder, one day in the future will people remember that this symbol was not always one of evil and hatred? If books like this are tossed and thrown away the chances of that being known may die with it.


Not quite as well known as Rudyard Kipling, but symbolic to my home of the metro Atlanta region is poet and storyteller Sidney Lanier. The lake nearest to my home and also our source of drinking water takes the name of Sidney Lanier. Many people are probably unaware of who he even was. This copy of his poems, edited by his wife, also happens to be signed by the author. Lanier was important enough in his day to have a major body of water named after him. Lovely, isn’t it, that a man was appreciated for his artistic abilities?


Here is a gathering of old hymnals, which is quite appropriate for an antique lover living in the Bible Belt. Imagine the souls that held these hymnals week after week, who sang out and praised God, that begged for his mercy, that felt his Holy Spirit. There’s something about holding an antique church hymnal that makes me feel electrified.

And here are just a few examples of books that I’ve chosen because of their color or title alone:

The great things about collecting old books is that they are incredibly easy to find. Buy what you personally like and you will be surrounded by some of your favorite things.

XOXO,
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B2S Clip-Pin’s for Teacher


Here in the South school starts early, usually the first week of August. While the rest of the country is still enjoying the lazy, hazy days of summer, our little belles and beaus are hitting the books and getting their brains filled with knowledge.

We are very blessed and extremely thankful to have had some amazing individuals come into our lives and teach our kids. During the 9 months of the school year our kids will often spend more waking hours of their day with these teachers than with us. It’s important for us to let our kids’ teachers know from the get-go that we intend to partner with them and work together to teach our children. Because of this, and also because I am a southern lady that likes to show our hospitality and graciousness, I like to start the school year off with a small gift to the teachers. It’s never anything big, just a small gesture of “Here’s my baby. I hold them dear to my heart. Please keep them safe while they are away from me.”

This year I’ve been so busy and I’m trying to be more frugal with my crafting dollars, so I challenged myself to make Back to School teacher gifts using only materials that I already own. I decided to make some clip-pins from a previous post. Have you ever noticed that thin strip of cork that runs across the top of the chalk/white/smart board? These are perfect for that!

First up: A half-empty can of chalkboard paint from my advent calendar tutorial and leftover clothespins from my push-pin tutorial.

Spray paint some clothes pins. I used chalkboard paint because that’s what I had, but you could also use flat black. The chalkboard aspect of it doesn’t make a difference.

 

 
Next, I had a pack of school themed scrapbook paper leftover from teacher appreciation last year. This is a pack of 5×7 paper that I got from Michael’s. I used these thumbtacks, which originally came from Walmart.
 
 

After the paint is dry, cut paper to fit the front and back of the clips. I used some spray Elmer’s adhesive that I had, but ended up having to use hot glue in some spots. I also used some matte spray poly on top of the paper once the glue had dried. Once everything is dry, hot glue the tack to the back at the top.
 
 
I didn’t want the pins to poke anyone through the bags (Michael’s), so I cut a piece of foam core board that would fit inside the bag. Cut the foam core board at least 1/2″ smaller than the width of the bag so that everything will fit nicely.
 
 I covered the piece of foam core board in some paper to give it a finished look. I cut a small piece of paper and clipped all of the pins to it at the bottom to keep them from moving around in the bags.
 

Finally, I used my tag punch, some black card stock, and a white colored pencil to make the tags.
 
 

The only thing I would’ve done differently is to write the teachers’ names on the solid black clip with a white paint pen. But since I was restricting myself to materials I already had, I didn’t do it.
 
By the way, middle schoolers are too cool to hand their teachers gifts on the first day of school. So I will be giving these to his teachers at Open House. 😉 I have his permission. LOL. He just can’t be seen doing the deed himself. My 3rd grader on the other hand was happy to play Back to School Santa.
 
Enjoy! Please, please “pin” and share.
XOXO,
Abby
 



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Join Us on Pinterest!

 
It’s your turn to join in the fun!
Please join us on our GROUP board on Pinterest, Southern Ladies DIY it Better.
 
In order to  join, please “follow” the board and leave a comment on the pin that looks like the picture above that you’d like to be added.
 
Once you’re added, please pin your favorite DIY and craft ideas.
 
 


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The {Final} Nitty-Gritty on Sanding. When You’re Done?

 

I’ve noticed that a lot of times tutorials that go over how to use “furniture” (aka “chalk”) paint don’t go over what to do once the paint has dried. I personally have several more steps to go once the paint is dry on my furniture. I sand it, seal it, and often glaze it.

Sand it when the paint is dry? For latex or spray paint, not usually. For “furniture,” chalk, or milk paint, yes. There is an incredible difference in the finish of “furniture” paint when you sand it after it dries and when you don’t. It becomes incredibly smooth and “finished” looking. The paint should dry 8 hours, or overnight, before you sand it.

Depending on the look I am going for, I will either use 220 grit sandpaper or “00” steel wool. Usually using 220 grit sandpaper with my Black & Decker Mouse sander will give more of a distressed look. That means whatever the surface color was before you sanded it (wood or a different color) will show through on the edges and raised details. If I just want to “finish” the piece and I don’t want to distress it I will use “00” (double fine) steel wool. Even when using the “00” steel wool, be careful on the edges and details.

DON’T freak out when you sand your painted piece. Paint dust will come off. Trust me when I say, do not sand indoors, even a garage. You will cover everything in a fine coating of chalk dust. The great thing about “furniture” paint is, if you sand off too much, just touch it up with some more paint. Also, don’t freak out if your paint color “lightens” up a bit. This is just the effect of the “chalk” or plaster of Paris in the paint. When you apply your wax the color will deepen again.

Before you continue the process of finishing your painted piece after you have sanded it, wipe it down completely with a DRY cloth. Actually, most of the time I vacuum the piece with my shop vac when I’m done sanding. You can even use the final sanding process as a way to be creative with your paint. Once you have done a final sanding, you are ready to finish your piece with wax, polyurethane, or glaze. (or all of the above) 😉

I will go over more info on using “furniture” paint in a future blog post.
XOXO,
Abby

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The Nitty-Gritty on Sanding {Part Two}

In my previous post I went over the reasons why I would or wouldn’t sand a piece before refinishing it. In this post I’m going to go over how exactly to go about sanding.

Three things that will make your life easier while sanding:
#1 An electric hand held sander.
#2 Know your grit, Sherlock.

#3 Always sand in the direction of the grain. (the direction that the lines in the wood are going)

An electric hand held sander is going to cut your time by at least 75%. I have an old Black & Decker “Mouse” sander and I love it. I want a new sander, but just because I love tools. This one works great. Sandpaper is made especially to fit it and is easily put on and off. I like this because I can switch in between sandpapers when I’m working on something. Yes, it is possible to sand using a sanding block, but it is going to take you a lot of time.
 
Know your grit. Grit refers to the roughness of the sandpaper. The lower the number, the rougher the grit. You always, ALWAYS start with a lower number and work your way up to the higher number. For example, when I am refinishing a table top I will start with 60 grit. The 60 grit will grind down through any varnish and stain to the bare wood. If you use 60 grit too long, it will eventually start to grind away at your wood. 60 grit will leave your surface rough. There will be visible sanding marks and your piece will not be ready to paint or stain.

After removing the paint, varnish, or stain you were aiming to remove, next you will be ready to start creating a smooth surface ready for your finish. I like to move from 60 grit to 120 to 220. Going in this order will leave you with a quality surface that looks professional and neat. Be sure to check the surfaces that you’re sanding from different angles. If you are able to see sanding marks, you will need to re-sand that area to get rid of them, which is why I like the mouse. If I am working with the 220 grit sandpaper and I see marks left from the 60 grit, I can take the 220 off and put some 120 back on, remove the 60 grit marks, and then move back to the 220.

Finally, always sand with the grain of the wood. “Grain of the wood” refers to the direction that the lines in the wood are going. Don’t argue; just do it.

If you’ve sanded properly, when you apply your stain you will be rewarded with a thing of beauty. If you apply your stain and you suddenly see marks from sanding, wait for the stain to dry and begin again.

Sanding is one of those things that when you do it right, it is completely rewarding. You can literally see your hard work pay off. I’ll go over how to stain furniture sometime in the future.
This is my 12 year old sanding a bookshelf for his room. Don’t be afraid to get started. You can do this.
 
Next up will be: Sanding when you’re…done?

XOXO,
Abby

 

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