Just call me a wimp....

especially after watching the news this morning.  For all of you "up North", I hope this brings a little warmth to your day!

In North Carolina, we consider 45 degrees and a North wind COLD, baby!  (hey, man of men.... ready to make the move yet?)


Hoping you all stay safe & warm,

Love,
the Outer Banks Wimp

"Ghosts of Halloweens Past... Finale"

Just so my kids will know well into the future that their mother was willing to mortify herself as well as them... this is for you R, D & C...

Yeah... dat's right!  Mom is rockin' the cardboard Caspa Da' Ghost mask (what adult does "bunny ears" to unsuspecting children, anyway?)

Hope everyone has a safe and happy Halloween!

Photoshop....

I've come across many a posts out in blogland with tutorials on how to use Photoshop (or mainly Photoshop Elements/PSE.... not quite the same thing).  From what I've seen, most people use the program to enhance or correct photos they've taken before uploading them to the web.  There are some great before and after shots out there, I tell ya', and I continue to learn something new all of the time.

I use Photoshop for design work, be it web banners/pages or print media.  Most of the time these days, it's for myself (like the new business card below that I did this morning).  At this point, I do all of my printing myself on an eight-color photo printer.  For the amount I need, it makes the most sense and I've found some great on-line sources for printing materials you can't find at Staples, etc.

(low res copy before printing)

Often I'm hired as a subcontractor to design print ads, forms, flyers, etc for local businesses.

I started using Photoshop about 10 years ago.  At the time, the company I was working for wanted to find a  more cost effective way to produce their annual rental catalog (at 100 pages plus cover,over 200 photos and a boat-load of text) and I basically volunteered.  Crazy, huh?

We bought a copy of Photoshop from a friend of a friend so to speak, so I didn't even have a manual to refer to.  I had used Publisher to some degree in the past, but as anyone who has ever used Photoshop can attest to, there is absolutely NO comparison! And this was ten years ago... a lot has changed since then.

(new package label)

I taught myself how to use the program and it took me almost 3 months to complete the catalog.  But when I was done, I was ready for just about anything.  I'm still using the same version as then and I still haven't learned it all... it's definitely a day-to-day thing for me.  I'll upgrade to the newest version in the next few months and then I guess I'll be back to square one!

(just a little something I worked up yesterday- hope they like the new logo at the bottom!)

So what's out there that you're just dyin' to try?

What you get for waking up at 5 am on a Saturday....

Two dressers for the bargain price of one!  

Found these at a garage sale Saturday morning.  They need a little TLC but I love the detail work.  The larger one is "bowed in" on the sides to give it a curve and the carving on the frames is beautiful.

It will take me (and the man!) a while to fix them up, but when I'm done I'll have 2 new dressers for my bedroom and they will MATCH.... that's a first!

Stay tuned...   Did I mention I paid $45 for both- SCORE!

Hand-Made for the Holidays... Vintage Bark Cloth & A Giveaway!

You may recall from this post that the living room and our master bedroom are next on the list for some much needed updating.  While I'd love to jump right into the bedroom first, it's going to take much longer and will cost more... so the living room it is!

This is the material I used a couple of years ago to make the window treatments that hang above the wooden blinds.  Much as I love the big pop of color it gives to the high ceilings (that and the red wall!), I'm going for a more neutral look now.

It's vintage Bark Cloth that I bought off of Ebay for a steal about five or six years ago.  The selvage is printed with "Markwood Fabrics...Guaranteed to be Vat Printed".  Not sure "vat" that is (get it?), but.... once off the windows, it looked a little more Christmas-sy than I realized.

I hated to just fold it up and put it away...so I blew the dust off my sewing machine and whipped up these.  Mini stockings.  I've made six so far and plan to "string" them together to use as a garland for the mantle in the office.

Speaking of garland.... I also tried this out for the small tree we decorate for the living room.  I just backed a piece in fusible interfacing, cut that into strips using my pinking shears, and hot glued the links together.  

I think it will look great with the painted wooden ornaments the kids made when they were little.  A little vintage tree of their own!


Now for the Give Away.... I still have fabric left over in addition to the panels I made into valances. The panels are approximately 90" wide by 36" long and there are three all together.  


Have a re-purposing idea of your own (or some naked windows that could use a little Christmas cheer)?  I'll be giving away all three panels to one random winner.  All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this post.... sharing the post on Facebook would be really nice, too.

The contest will run through Monday, October 31st. and we'll announce the winner Tuesday the 1st.  Easy nuf?

Linking to...

Featured This Week...

Vanille Noir Gift Sets

Offered this week.... one of our newest scents: Vanille Noir.   Your choice of the Three Piece Hand-Poured Votive Set with custom wood gift box, or our small spa set with Linen & Room Freshener, Body Butter and Hand-made Soap (includes custom wood soap dish).

Click on  "What's New" on the side bar for more information and pricing.

Sunday Night Suppers....

We eat dinner at the dining room table on Sunday nights...complete with china, silver, and bottle of wine and a nice meal ("with three things on the plate" as my best friend would say... but that's a joke for another day).  In a house full of men this may seem kinda strange, but...

For my man's birthday two years ago, the kids and I surprised him (he'd been out of town the week prior and was just getting back late that afternoon).

The boys polished the silver, I cleaned the china (it gets dusty from neglect, even in the cabinet!) and we set the table, lit the candles, turned off the TVs (yes... that's plural- everyone seems to want to watch something different!) and sat down to eat as a family.  A wonderful meal and actual conversation that went beyond ("huh?" & "nope").

We must have sat at the table for almost two hours just hangin' out.  Nobody jumped from the table to get back to whatever they were doing (or watching).  And miracle of all, my two sons spent more than 5 minutes in the same room without arguing.  Heaven, I tell ya'!

I can't remember what we talked about, but what I do remember is the men folk (all three) looking at me and asking me why we never used the room.  Sad but true... and I didn't have an answer...How crazy is it to work so hard to make something so inviting, filled with things you love, and forget to include the people you love most of all?

But the most surprising thing?  From that point forward, we have eaten dinner together at the table (sans TV, but with some pretty hip rock 'n roll in the background... and a mean game of "name that tune"!) nearly every Sunday night since. Stranger still?  My "boys" are actually 14 and 15 year old "young men" and they are the ones who look forward to it the most!

Last weekend we were out of town and the boys stayed with friends.  When we got back on Monday afternoon, Davis was the first one to ask me if we were going to have "Sunday night dinner tonight, since we missed it yesterday"

Gotta' Love It!

Linking to...

Between Naps on the Porch...

Unhinged...

People that know me well, know I have a hang-up with cords.  I can't stand seeing them and will go to great lengths to hide/disguise them in any way I can.

The basket on the right.... a desperate attempt to hide the TV cord (that you can still see 'cause it's not long enough to completely tuck behind).

I also don't like clutter (though I always seem to have a fair amount laying around).  When we finally got a new TV for the porch, we gave up the "pay-per-view" channels and got rid of the cable box.  That left us with the DVD player and no where for it to go.

The fix?  Easy and inexpensive.... a piano hinge!  Bonus... it happened to match the brass hardware on the dresser!

Works like a charm! (and gives me another spot to hide some of that clutter!)

Inspiration...

After seeing this on Miss Mustard Seeds' site...

I grabbed this...

Followed these instructions...

And was inspired to make this... (with the help of my man of all men)

I was really pleased with the way it turned out.... but I gotta' tell ya' those "bun feet" at the bottom.... not cheap!  I had the pillow, the batting to cover the pillow form, the wood to make the base, the material (aka drop cloth) and an image from The Graphic's Fairy to bring it all together.  But those "feet" at the base.... $5.45 a piece..... I'm thinkin' the man of all men can come up with a better alternative the next time around!

I think it would look good with a small pleat around it, but considering I made it for him that would be an  I don't think so....

But still... kinda' cute!

http://graphicsfairy.blogspot.com/

Updated Chair....

I found this child's chair a few weeks back... I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do with it (still don't have a clue), but I liked the "roll top desk" type seat and it was in good shape.

I mixed ASCP in Old White with water (at a 50/50 ratio) and just kinda washed the whole thing.  Heavier in some places, and lighter in others so the wood would show through.

Here's what I wound up with...

Pin It

Now I just have to find a place to put it....

Linking to:

Weekly Feature & A Give Away....

Candied Apple Gift Sets...

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Offered this week.... your choice of Candied Apple Linen & Room Freshener with Hand Poured Votive... or Three Piece Hand-Poured Votive Set.  Both come complete with our Custom Wood Gift Boxes.

Click on  "What's New" on the side bar for more information and pricing.

Now for the fun....just leave a comment below and Like us on Facebook and be entered to win a Candied Apple Gift Set of your choice.  Pretty easy, no?

Hand-Made for the Holidays.... Homemade Coffee Liquor

This is an easy and fairly inexpensive gift to make and give.  The added bonus is it doesn't look "homemade" (who makes their own liqueurs, after all?).  All you need is a nice looking container (I bought mine on-line from a wholesale bottle company) that can be sealed (either by screw-on top or cork) and an attractive label and you're in business!

To make it a little more special, gift it with some classic cordial glasses- kinda' adds a little more pizzazz! I've even found some cool looking martini glasses at the Dollar Store (go figure) that looked just great!

You'll Need:

 5 Cups Sugar
1- 2 oz Jar Instant Coffee (if you're using a larger jar you have on hand, use approx. 1 Cup for this recipe)
4 Cups Boiling Water
4 Cups Vodka (I use an inexpensive Vanilla Vodka for a different twist)
1 Vanilla Bean
4 Quart Size Glass Containers w/Lids (I use canning jars... but anything with a screw on lid works)

Boil water.  In the four containers, add 1 1/4 Cup sugar and 1/4 Cup instant coffee.  Pour 1 Cup boiling water into each container.  Stir to dissolve.  Cut vanilla bean into 4 pieces and split down the middle, add a piece to each container.  *Important* :Allow mixture to come to room temperature (think Flambe... alcohol evaporates when heated).  Once mixture has cooled, add 1 Cup vodka to each container.  Cover tightly and store in a dark place for 2 weeks (shaking at least once a week).  Remove & discard vanilla bean and pour liqueur into decorative bottles; cap or cork (with new corks) tightly.  Stores indefinitely.

Makes about 4 1/2 pints (approx. 10 cups)


Depending on the size of the bottles you use to package it in, you can determine the number of gifts you can make and the cost for each.  My bottles are a little larger- about 16 oz. or 2 Cups- so I'll get 5 gifts out of the recipe (with a little left over for the chef....).

Total cost for the coffee (I didn't have any on hand), vodka(out of a large bottle, you'll use about 2/3's) and vanilla bean (not cheap) came to around $19... we'll call it $20, so the 5 bottles I'll get are about $4 each!  Not bad at all!  Try it and let me know what ya' think.