My HOPPY FRIEND, Monday, March 30, 2015

 I went to the Post Office the other day and picked up a VERY heavy box.  I could NOT imagine what was in it, but I couldn't wait to get out my scissors and open it!

 I was BLOWN away!  It was the awesome bunny noodle board that I had watched my friend, Lynn from Painting Thyme Needfuls, painting over the past few days.  My package was PACKED full of goodies from the Cape.

She put a candle, dog treats for Charcoal, candy, Chocolate, and patterns that she had designed!  I could NOT wait to get them cut out and painted.

First, I had to find the perfect place to put the treasure.  I chose to place it on the washstand that is a family antique.  My Mother refinished it YEARS ago, when THAT was the thing~~NOW you are NOT supposed to touch antiques.  

On this washstand are some china pieces that belonged to My Aunt Jenny.  She PROBABLY bought them with stamps or got them from the bank of maybe even from Oatmeal...we are not sure, but they are beautiful and remind me of her.

There is also a Chinese Rice Bowl that has a butterfly, a symbol that was so important to Mother, that was given to her by her dear friend, VV, when VV was cleaning her Mother's home after her death.  It was VERY special to mother.

The Rose bowl is another antique given to Mother by a friend.

The moustache cup was a funny story that Mother would tell with a twinkle in her eye.  When a friend, Mrs. Johnson, who was the first woman judge in Robertson County, was having to sell her home to move to a smaller place, she asked Mother if there was anything in her house that Mother wanted to buy BEFORE the auction...We went over and Mother bought a HUGE mirror and a loveseat.  While there, Mrs. Johnson asked Mother if she would be willing to buy the cup at the auction since it had belonged to her Daddy and she wanted it to go to someone special.  Mother agreed...she took it home for $25, which was a HUGE amount for Mother to spend on something so unnecessary back in the 60s...

It was only fitting that I should place this NEW treasure on this wash stand because NOW I have another special story to share...Thank you Lynn!!

I gathered my supplies to start this project.

I stained some tags to hang on the bunny...

I used coffee, vanilla and cinnamon...

I painted the bunny with RUSTIC Chalky Finish paint.  I sanded it offer after I had a good coverage.  I then put wax on the piece.  When that dried, I put Golden Brown Creme Wax on to make the exposed wood darker...I WISH I had the darker wax, but this turned out just fine...it gave another texture to the piece...

I am SO BLESSED to be able to cut my own wood...NORMALLY, I would NOT have cut this with the knot, but since I knew it would have a bow and I was going to make it look prim, it was ok THIS time...I DID put sealer over the knot...

I sanded the piece really well before I painted it...EVEN if I am going to PRIM something, I STILL want the foundation to be the best it can be!

I put 3 coats of paint on the from so the coverage would be good...I KNOW, some think that is silly since it was going to be sanded, but I just stick to the theory of a good foundation makes a better product!  That is my story and I am sticking to it!

I added a burlap bow, rusty wire, rusty bells and a tag...

I LOVE this pattern!!!

You may order the pattern as an

 INSTANT DOWNLOAD ON ETSY.

This gift has meant the world to me...it is just an example of how special a serendipitous moment can be!

Miss Lynn, YOU ARE SomeBUNNY VERY SPECIAL...

A Friend LOVES at ALL time...Proverb 17:17 NIV

PLEASE PAY IT FORWARD every chance you get...Blessings to YOU...~charlotte

A Happy SPRING HARE, Monday, March 9, 2015

Our Wacky Weather continues…just from Wednesday until Saturday, the temperatures bounced from 8 to 61 degrees!  ROFL

This is how it started on Wednesday night...

By Thursday morning, we had about 5 inches of sleet/snow!

Isn’t it strange how we HEAR the same stories over and over our entire life, but then, we are unable to give the details.  It was SOME day in Spring that Mother would tell that Daddy picked buttercups in the snow for her friend’s wedding shower…I JUST know it was late, but have no clue WHEN!  I THINK it was in 1950…that’s all I remember…

Spring 2014

Before our last two snows, the buttercups were a few days from opening!

This was February 14 BEFORE our WINTER MADNESS began...

I remember a HUGE snowfall the first day of Spring in 1996.  It was the ONLY time I ever remember Daddy being snowed in.  It was a tradition to pile into the truck and go to town with each new snowfall!  This time, though, the drifts were so high and there was no getting out…The snow was so heavy that the tractor couldn’t get it moved without weighing the back HEAVILY and Daddy just didn’t want to trudge through all the wet snow to get rolls of hay put on the back.

Daddy and I had laughed at the weather forecasters~~who doesn’t!  It had been POURING RAIN and we thought there was NO WAY that snow would ever stick.  I guess that just proves WHEN you get enough, it will eventually stick!

I was lucky to have a “deal” with my manager at Vanderbilt Bookstore…IF the students in my county didn’t have school, then I didn’t have to go into work…it was an hour away and we are on THE RIDGE, so often the weather is not the same.  I got LAUGHED off the phone when I called and told them that I could NOT get to work because there was not a drop of snow in Nashville…THANK GOODNESS, the news people came out and took pictures for the evening news…it was a weird weather event!

It was funny to be playing outside in the 60 degrees today and to see the patches of snow that still hadn’t melted…

I thought I needed to paint something with COLOR today, so I quickly designed this little bunny and thought I would share him with you all…

 Click on your mouse to save the picture to your computer.  The ONLY thing I ask is that you give ME credit for MY design if you post it anywhere…paint it...stitch it…use it in mixed media…it doesn’t matter, just do NOT claim it as YOUR own pattern…I am happy to share…I painted this on an 8x10 burlap canvas and the design is approximately 6.5 x 9…Feel free to resize it as you wish.

PLEASE give CREDIT to ROMA LAND WOODCRAFTS when posting or sharing

I ALWAYS use DecoArt Americana Paints to complete my projects...so many COLORS and GREAT Coverage...

I need to HOP along and get on to other stuff…I hope that you have the most AMAZING week and that it will be FILLED with times to remember…Blessings to YOU…~charlotte♥