Reaching to the top

Looks like the ladder fills the tiny room and It almost does. You may remember the first thing I did was purchase this 10 foot ladder so I could reach the 12 foot ceilings.

The project:

Hanging this cute little antique fixture that was gifted to me by a sweet friend. It so perfect for this tiny room. I think it came from her childhood home and if I remember correctly, not long after getting my daydream moved here, her Mom suggested they share it with me. Thank you Renee.

Oh how I love this window.

All I did to the fixture was remove the electrical wires, wax it and paint the little rusted cups that hold the candles. I made a huge effort to find the glass hurricane replacements that held the shades that were part of the fixture. I gave up. Actually, I thought I found some but when they arrived they did not work. 

It feels so good to get this project done. Now all three rooms have hanging fixtures that I have had in waiting for a long time. I'm getting real close to being able to move the 10 foot ladder out.

In this older picture you can see the fixture and shades on the cabinet. The cabinet is still in the tiny room but I've moved it under the stairs.

When I turned around

On Stage Now

The Red Wicker Chair

 According to my Intention Journal, I painted the wicker chair red on July 13th. 

The wicker chair project never got to take a bow.

Here is the before as shown in the Project by Project post on April 6th.

This post is about something else.

It is about something that sometimes just plain dumbfounds me. 

I finished painting the drop leaf table on May 25th and she officially took a bow on June 15th.

 I was dumbfounded.

It was when I turned around while taking photos of the new floor cloth.

I saw for the first time the connection between the table and chair. 

Flabbergasted.

Amazed.

I was alone but I was speechless for a moment. 

And then I heard her say, "It's about time you let me and my red curls take a bow on your stage."

When I Turned Around

I am totally aware of being influenced by my surroundings but when I discover it has come through my subconscious, that dumbfounds me.

Walking In Beauty Floor Cloth

Morning Sunlight in the Parlor!

Before the final addition to my beautiful floor cloth, I took it to the Garden Palace for a preview.

 I needed to determine where to start the writing in the reserved border space. 

I'm just plain nutty about the early morning sunshine in the Rose Garden Parlor and for no other reason share here.

Can you feel it? 

On the floor and in position it all made sense.

While the path of this Navajo prayer borders the cloth, clearly there is a path right down the middle of two rows of beauty.

And that is how I decided the starting point of the prayer. 

I found two versions of the prayer (author unknown).

With a little revision, I included parts of both. 

I took all of these pictures and about 59 more on two different days with two different cameras and at two different times of day.

The above was mid afternoon.

On the Edge 

Walking In Beauty

author unknown

In Beauty I walk

With beauty before me, behind me, above me, and around me, I walk.

It has become beauty again.

Today I will walk out, today everything negative will leave me.

I will be as I was before, I will have a cool breeze over my body.

I will have a light body, I will be happy forever, nothing will hinder me.

I will walk with beauty before me, behind me, below me, above me and around me.

My words will be beautiful.

In beauty all day long may I walk.

Through the returning seasons, may I walk.

Beautifully will I possess again,

beautifully birds beautifully joyful birds.

On the trail marked with pollen may I walk.

With dew about my feet, may I walk.

With beauty before me may I walk. 

With beauty behind me may I walk.

With beauty below me may I walk.

With beauty above me may I walk.

With beauty all around me may I walk.

In old age wandering on a trail of beauty, lively, may I walk.

In old age wandering on a trail of beauty, living again, may I walk.

It is finished in beauty.

My words will be beautiful

Parting Shot

Parting Shot showing both floor cloths

It is a happy place with color.

On another day, I will have more to say about the how-to of making a floor cloth. 

Click back to Painting a Floor Cloth to see the beginning of this one.

Backyard Birthday Banquet

Backyard Birthday Banquet

Happy 26th Ashley!

Birthday girl requested crab.

So we had a fun finger food first course of:

 Alaskan Snow Crab

Drawn Butter

Corn on the Cob

Cheddar Bay Biscuits

I remembered to get a photo before everyone came back for seconds.

My sweet Kids

♥

Waiting for second course from Grand Pa's kitchen.

Ribs

Smashed Hot Potatoes

French Bread

oops I forgot to get photo

I can't think of anything I love more than being surrounded by our family and in our back yard.

Before birthday cake, we walked over for a tour of the Garden Palace.

Make a wish Ashley!

Creamy Cold Ice Cream Cake

full of birthday wishes

12  ice cream sandwiches

1 quart ice cream of your choice (softened)

Cool whip (thawed)

Chocolate magic shell

Pull off about 18inches of aluminum foil and lay on a dish.

 In the middle of foil, lay first layer of ice cream sandwiches.

Spread a layer of the softened ice cream. 

Lay a second layer of ice cream sandwiches.

Spread a second layer of softened ice cream.

Wrap the foil over it and freeze it long enough for the ice cream to harden.

Remove and add a layer of thawed cool whip.

Wrap the foil over it and freeze long enough for the cool whip to harden.

Remove and add as much Chocolate magic shell as you like.

Wrap the foil over it and refrigerate until party time.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

My family, even the non-sweet eaters, loves this.

I love that I can make it a day or days ahead.

Knowing that Ashley loved lime sherbet, that's what I used.

I have made it with other flavors and you can even use more than one flavor.

You can make it as big or little as you want. 

This one I actually used 11 sandwiches.

It is OK to cut them to make the square or rectangle. 

It would not need to be two layers but that's what make it impressive. 

Looks like I slaved over it. 

Painting a Floor Cloth

I've started another Garden Palace floor cloth.

This one is for the Rose Garden Parlor, or as DH might say, "the front room of the shack".

FYI:  The size is 58" by 91.5"

At this point, I was painting and adding layers of background colors as that was all I had to start with.

Will the real inspiration please step forward.

As you know,  in my head I work about 6 and a half projects ahead of the one at hand. 

Therefore, I had plenty of inspiration to sort through to get to the one and only that I hoped would please me the most.

Sometimes it is a hard thing to do.

Of course, I always knew it would be flowers.

Of course, I wanted it to be roses.

(in the rose garden parlor) 

But of course, I do not know how to paint roses. 

Since this Garden Palace is a real life fantasy daydream, I can paint fantasy flowers. 

So that's it.

My favorite pictures are the ones with all the paint pots and brushes on the work in progress.

After a quick white charcoal sketch, I worked up and down the row of fantasy flowers adding layers of color.

Then I started adding layers of fun stuff.

Each time I stopped for lunch, I posted on my Instagram.

But the thing I did that was new for me was to also share on Facebook.

I fear that is the reason I have neglected sharing here; however, I only started last Wednesday.

This is where I am right now. 

I don't consider this side finished but I'm ready to start the garden row down the other side. 

I will be sharing.

Count on it. 

And thank you all so much for all of your comments and good thoughts. 

I appreciate you!