A Tale of Two A's

I have a confession.  I have never ever decoupaged before this project.  I'm a little embarrassed to admit it.  I mean, it's a pretty basic craft and even kids do it, but I decided it was time when I saw the paper-mache letters at Michael's.  I already had the paper napkins and thought of them right away when I saw the A.  I remembered seeing a tutorial a while back using the napkins, so I got started by pulling apart the layers and then tearing the printed side in pieces.

I had a vision of how it would look when it was finished and this A looked nothing like that vision!  It was dark and wrinkly and clumpy.  I definitely used too much glue and paper and I think the napkin was too sheer for the paper-mache.  So, I went back to Michael's and got a second A and painted it white.  I used less glue and paper and it turned out exactly like I envisioned.  Why did I wait so long to try this?!  It's one more thing I'm hooked on now!

Have you tried something new lately?  Have you decoupaged before?  I want to hear all about it!

xo Annette xo

317.  listening to Shylee read

318.  letting go of the need to be perfect

319.  a book that draws you in on the first page

320.  making time to read

321.  the privilege of praying for others

322.  finding a new stress reliever

323.  realizing I can do more than I think I can

324.  binge watching a tv show

Photo A Day Week 7

It was so so cold this last week and this coming week promises to be just as cold but with snow.  At least it's not as bad here as it is in Boston.  See, there's always something to be thankful for!

Day 40 - Energy

Day 41 - This inspires me
The fabric, books, magazines, colors.  Inspires me every time I walk in this room.

Day 42 - On the wall
Our house was built in 1976.  The chimney has a bicentennial brick on the outside and also one on the inside under the mantle.  I liked it because I graduated from high school that year!

Day 43 - Pointy
My straight pins.

Day 44 - Temptation
So very tempting.

Day 45 - Love

Day 46 - Spot
I spotted a cardinal and blue jay in the back yard at the same time.

I hope your week is off to a good start.  I'm looking forward to seeing my girls and maybe spending some time in the sewing room.  What will you be doing this week?

xo Annette xo

244.  longer days

245.  learning to live in the moment

246.  love...in all it's different forms

247.  observing the angst and awkwardness of teenagers before a Valentine's dance and being                relieved that I made it through my teens and my kids' teens         

248.  discovering new facts about Michael's childhood

Photo A Day Week 6

I got behind this week and had to play catch up in one day...not fun!  Life gets in the way sometimes and you do what you have to do.  It will probably happen again before the year is over!

Day 33 - Mail
This was happy mail.  One of two orders I placed on Etsy and it came just in time for this prompt.

Day 34 - Water
I don't know how many pictures I took of a water splash that didn't turn out.  I finally just took this up close shot of water in a fancy glass.

Day 35 - Reward
My reward for walking past the bakery and candy aisle without buying something.

Day 36 - Something blue

Last summer I got new glasses.  I didn't pay attention to what brand or designer they were, I just liked the way they looked.  When I went back to pick them up and they pulled the Tiffany blue box out of the tray I was a little surprised.  By the time they showed me the glasses case, pouch, cleaning cloth, and certificate of authenticity, I was laughing.  It's probably the only thing I will ever own from Tiffany's!

Day 37 - Makes me smile

Annie makes me smile every day...even when she turns away from the camera.

Day 38 - Stripes

In my dining room.

Day 39 - In my bag

There is nothing exciting in my bag.  But it's colorful and makes me happy!

I hope you have a good week.  

xo Annette xo

240.  an old friend finding me on facebook

241.  Downton Abbey tea from Sean

242.  common sense

244.  a weekend with Shylee

Photo A Day Week 5

It was so cold last week so I stayed in as much as possible.  I have such a hard time getting warm when I'm cold to the bone.

Day 26 - Three things
Three teacups and saucers in front of the Christmas tree so I could get the bokeh effect.  Michael gets in no hurry to put away the tree.

Day 27 - Morning
Every single morning, the very first thing I do is check my blood sugar level.  My little kit includes a glucose meter, lancets, lancing device, and test strips.  It goes with me everywhere I go.

Day 28 - Strange
I think it's strange that a weed can still grow in 20 degree weather.

Day 29 - Winter/summer
We got a dusting of snow and I was okay with that.

Day 30 - Fave food
Chocolate, of course...but only one a day!

Day 31 - On top
The Longaberger baskets on top of a cabinet in the kitchen.  I used to sell the baskets at home parties.

Day 32 - On my plate
Apple pie and ice cream on Michael's plate.

I hope you have a great week!

xo Annette xo

235.  just a dusting of snow

236.  celebrating 36 years with Michael

237.  an antiquing day with Erin

238.  my sister's generosity

239.  my coat, scarf, and gloves

Photo A Day Week4

Day 19 - Homemade
When I think homemade, I think of food.  The description for today's prompt talked about things made by hand, so I went with handmade.  This is part of my grandmother's handmade quilt made into a pillow.

Day 20 - Window
I've always loved the windows at the Cafe des Artistes, a French inspired restaurant.  But then I'm a sucker for lace curtains and twinkle lights in any window.

Day 21 - In a row
Embroidery floss numbered and lined up in a row.

Day 22 - Collection
Just a small portion of our large collection of books.

Day 23 - Something far away
If you look close, you can see a water tower...very far away.  And believe it or not, this is a color picture.  It started snowing about five minutes after I snapped it.

Day 24 - Play time
This is my kind of play time.

Day 25 - Black and white
This guy had no problem posing for me.

I hope you have a great week!

xo Annette xo

231.  big fat snowflakes falling ever so slowly

232.  the end of Dr appointments for a few weeks

233.  quiet mornings

234.  cheaper gas

Photo A Day Week 3

I struggled with a couple of these prompts this week.  I was tempted to pull photos from the archives, but resisted the urge.

Day 12 - Bright
I spent the day trying to find something bright before I realized this candle was burning most of the day and the flame was quite bright.

Day 13 - Lucky number
I don't have a lucky number or even a favorite number.  I was truly stumped for this prompt.  I ended up taking an online quiz to determine my lucky number and it said 5.  On a different day, while I was out, I saw these 5 seagulls.  Maybe that was lucky?

Day 14 - New
This is the only prompt I knew right away what I would photograph.  My newest teacup from Erin.

Day 15 - Old
I've photographed this barn before.  It's one of my favorites in the area.

Day 16 - Nature
The sun shining on the water looked like sparkly diamonds.

Day 17 - Jump
I didn't know what to do.  Michael wouldn't jump for me, nor would Annie dog.  Shylee wasn't here but I had some great jumps of her in the archives.  But then I saw a picture of two old men playing checkers and got this idea.  Michael was willing for this kind of jump!

Day 18 - Today is...
Today is rainy, cold, dark, and dreary

I'm looking forward to this week's prompts.  Have a Marvelous Monday!

xo Annette xo

221.  feeling better than I have in a very long time

222.  chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting, chocolate ganache, and peanut butter cups

223.  dinner and a movie with my hubby

224.  TV remotes

225.  feeling happy

Focus On Life Week 45 ~ Grateful

I have missed participating in Focus On Life.  Sometimes life just gets in the way of what you want to do.

The topic for November is ...ful.  This week's prompt is grateful.  I try to live my life with gratitude.  Everyday, I find something to be grateful for.  It's too easy to focus on the negative and everything that is going wrong, but when I deliberately look for something to be thankful for,  I feel better and it becomes easier to put everything in perspective.

Today, I'm grateful the sun was shining.  It's bad enough that it gets dark so early since changing the time, but when it's cloudy all day for days on end I get depressed and a little grumpy!

What are you grateful for today?

Have a wonderful weekend!

xo Annette xo

192.  health insurance

193.  old movies

194.  new movies

195.  sunshiny days  

196.  phone conversations with a 6 year old

An InLinkz Link-up

A Good Day

It was one of those days that was good from start to finish.  We got up early and drove three hours so Michael could work at the home office and I could see my girls.  I enjoy the drive in the fall because the turning trees can be breathtaking.  I took all the tree pictures through the windshield!  It's a good day when that drive is enjoyable!

One of the iconic landmarks of Baltimore is the smoke stack.  I've tried so many times to capture it and this is the first one that turned out half way decent.  It's always a good day when a picture turns out!  Especially through the window!

I only got to see Erin for about an hour before she had to leave to go to Shylee's Halloween parade at school and put in some volunteer hours.  But that was okay because I got to spend the afternoon with a friend.  And it's always a good day when I get to hang out with one of my favorite people.

I picked up Michael at work and we headed back to Erin's to see Shylee dressed up for trick or treating.  She was so proud of her Elsa shoes to go with her dress.  It was fun for me to see her get made up and witness her almost uncontrollable excitement for the evening.  It's always a good day when I get to see her completely happy!

What is a good day for you?

I hope today is a good one!

xo Annette xo

187. a friend who gets me

188. getting a doctor appointment a week out instead of 3 months away

189. good days

190.  being a grandma

191.  pure joy and excitement