On a Personal Note...One Proud Mom!

Oh, this was so fun!  Yep, this is all about bragging.  I just got back to Orlando tonight from attending my son's college graduation in Maryland

The graduation was at the gorgeous Gaylord National Harbor Hotel and what a graduation it was!

This was the grand finale of a long journey.  My son got his Associate of Arts degree straight out of high school, I had always hoped he would get his bachelors, but as many of you parents know, you can't make your kids do anything.

So over the years he changed majors a few times, took classes here and there, switched schools a couple times, had some great jobs and not so great jobs and well, I always hoped....One day, maybe, he would get his bachelors........Then....

Two and a half years ago when he moved to DC he found a school and a major that interested him and he went back to school full time and he started checking off the classes one by one, semester by semester and.... He was getting A's and more A's, and more A's. 

This was no easy task, here he was in a new town with a new full time job and going to school full time.  He had no time for friends and a social life, there was no time to play and explore his new city, no time for much needed vacations.  He kept his nose to the grind stone, his whole life was work and study.  The few times I visited I knew he was stressed.  There was times I thought he was in over his head, but he was a man on a mission!

Then the day came!

I knew it was coming.... He called one afternoon...Well, I'll never forget it..."Mom, I'm done, I just finished my last class"...Now, I'm not generally a crier and I have no idea where it came from so I surprised myself when...I burst out crying!   Then through my tears I heard him say "I got an A in the last class, Mom, I'm graduating with a 4.0

These are the buttons that popped right off my shirt as I puffed my chest with pride.....

 And watched him walk across the stage to get his diploma

Yep, he graduated with honors, in the top 1.8% of his class of 3248

Forever and ever he's earned the bragging rights of saying he graduated......

 Summa cum laude

National Society of Collegiate Scholars

Golden Key International Honour Society

Pi Gamma Mu International Honor Society

(Wife Alicia, Brad, Me, Grandma)

I want to share some advice that I often tell friends who have adult children leaving home for the first time.   

You can love, guide, and encourage them, (Beg, plead), and offer advice.  But, they are adults and you will quickly find you can't live their life.  You can't make them take a certain major, choose their career path, live vicariously through them, or choose their friends and interests.....But this isn't bad, 

I'm proud to say I raised a strong child who is not easily swayed by parents and peers, one that has a plan and follows through, that has strong convictions, sticks to them, and charts his own life's course....... You have to let them fly and ......They may just  surprise you!

...Congratulations Bradley!!!!

Ok, the bragging has officially ended, barf, barf, gag, gag......I just couldn't help myself, this was a really, really, big event in our lives!

Carol

Adding Jewels and Porcelain Flowers

I know what my "regulars" that shop my antiques booth like and that's a little bling.  My shelves at the shop were getting bare and I needed some "Smalls" so, I up cycled this creamer and some vanity items

All of these items started out the standard gold or silver and got a coat of Heirloom white satin spray paint

Then I spruced them up with jewels I attached with E-6000 glue

I love these hairspray holders/hiders

This one I used a porcelain flower I chipped off a damaged nik nack...Tutorial HERE

I usually price these items around $18-$20

Sometimes just a little somethin, somethin, makes all the difference

I'm off to have a few days of fun on a whirlwind getaway, I'll be back soon with pictures, have a great week!

Happy Creating!

Carol

  

Altering Vintage Doilies

Altering Vintage Doilies

I've been saving vintage doilies to go on an altering marathon

I often find doilies that are stained and have holes in them 

Time to give them new life

 The full tutorial on how to alter doilies is HERE.  I've previously altered them not only by changing up the center fabric but, by stamping them with rubber stamps or printing a graphic on the material before I sew it in the center, you can see those doilies HERE

You can use vintage or new fabric, it's a great way to use up small fabric scraps

This is more like a table topper...Huge!

This was a sweet rose fabric I purchased from Carousel Fabrics

So, there ya go, don't throw out those ripped or stained doilies, give them new life!

When I showed the last batch I altered, I got many emails about purchasing them and I felt bad because I had taken them all to my antiques booth.......So, this time I put a few in my online store
The Polka Dot Closet.

  
Have a great weekend!

  

Happy Creating!

Carol

Blog Reading list Is NOT Going Away, Just Blog Reader

Maybe you already knew this, I ignored it as long as I could, but when I heard blog reader was going away in July and it was now June, I thought it was time to check it out.

It just did not make sense to me that Google Friends Connect was staying, but Google reader was going away...Lets think about this, why would you have a button to connect and read a blog and then no way to read the blog you connected to....I just knew something wasn't right!  So, I spent an evening trying to figuring this out.  Here is what I discovered

Blog reader is going away, not Blogger reading list.  So, whats the difference?

Blog reader is an RSS feed  (Don't ask me what that is), just know it is a way some people follow blogs.

Blogger reading list is the blog roll in our dashboard, I think it is how most of us follow the blogs that we have connected to with Google friends connect. This is not going away!

 I found this information from many sources, but the best explanation was from Nathan, if you would like to read more.  

So there you go, nothing is going to change for most of us.  Will it in the future, maybe, but I'm not going to spend my time worrying about what might happen.  I know I could use Bloglovin, Google +, Linky, etc. etc.  I will cross that bridge when I have to, or maybe I won't.  I blog because it's fun, but if it gets to complicated I might rethink how much fun it is.

So, in the words of Scarlett O' Hara......"I can't think about that right now. If I do, I'll go crazy. I'll think about that tomorrow"

  

Happy Creating!
Carol

Cabinet Door + Ornate Picture Frame = Edwardian Style Mirror

Many Months ago I bought an antique mirrored cabinet door at an estate sale which by itself was a great wall hanging. Then a friend gave me an Edwardian era, ornate picture frame.....Ah, I envisioned the marriage of both pieces

Here is the cabinet door with a gorgeous beveled mirror and the frame that was literally falling apart!

I cut the frame to fit the top and bottom of the mirror, then used wood glue and nailed it on with my nail gun.  The ornate gesso was literally falling off the mirror

So, I glued the pieces back on with E-6000 and then used epoxy putty to fill in multiple gaps and tried to match the pattern as best I could

I sprayed the whole frame with flat black paint and then brushed on Martha's crackle effect.  I don't do a lot of crackled finishes, but wanted to really age this piece 

When the crackle effect dried I painted a coat of heirloom white homemade chalk paint

Then went over the whole piece with Annie Sloan dark wax

I added the coat hooks because I thought it gave the piece more purpose

Then put the mirror in my booth at Orange Tree and priced it at $95...Does that seem to high?  No matter how long I do this I am always second guessing myself!

You know how I usually say in my cheery voice..."This was an easy project"...Well, this was NOT, Oh my gosh, in the end I love it but,........ I think I shall move onto an easier project lol!

Happy Creating

Carol