Pink Saturday Bathroom Tour

We remodeled our tiny, 4' X 8' master bath a couple of years ago, turning it into a pink powder (puff) room. DH is such a sweety to put up with all my pinkness! At the time of the redo there was a thrift store that had opened up not too far from us, and their prices were so cheap! That little store greatly aided my redo. Too bad their prices didn't stay that low. Hope you enjoy the tour!

I got this bathroom light, brand-new, still in the box, from THE thrift store for $2.99.



The mirror and towel hooks came from our local home improvement store.



The medicine cabinet was a thrift store find for $7 ! It was originally gold, and DS #1 sanded and painted it white.



I put this Mary Engelbreit calendar page on the inside of the medicine cabinet door as a reminder to make my days count.



I got the shower valance from the thrift store for 49 cents.






We sanded, painted, and added new pink knobs to our old birch vanity.



I got the little two-drawer cabinet/towel rack from another local home improvement store for $10.



I found my ceramic powder dish at the thrift store and added the rose decal myself.



I searched high and low for a rug that would be the perfect size for this long, narrow spot. Not finding what I wanted, I decided to make my own with instructions from here.



The reverse side of the rug: Notice this fabric is the same as the valance. I found this matching shower curtain on another visit to the thrift store. It had a few tears in it, thus I got it for only 49 cents too! It yielded quite a bit of useful fabric. I'll show other things I've made from it in future posts.



DS put up the beadboard and helped DH and me finish up the redo with the pink paint. I was so happy with the results that I've almost forgotten about the first paint job. I called it Pepto Bismol pink. I woke DH up at 2:00 one morning to tell him I didn't think I could live with it. Being the sweetie he is, he kindly told me not to worry about it, we could repaint.



Well, that's my Pink Saturday contribution for this week. Don't forget to go by Beverly's blog, How Sweet the Sound, for the list of all Pink Saturday participants. I visited Jill's blog, Balliwick Designs, this week and was awed by this beautiful site. And, she's having a Valentine give-away! Be sure to drop by there and tell her I sent you. Don't you just love Valentine season?! It's my favorite time of the year!

Hope you have a happy Pink Saturday!

P.S. Don't forget to enter my Apron give-away! Check out my last post.

Apron Give-away!

Here's the "Made-by-Sherry" apron for my first give-away! (Little Maggie dog is not included in give-away, she just wanted to be included in the picture.) See contest rules at bottom of post.






Here's the rules:
1. Leave a comment on this post letting me know you want to enter the drawing and your name will be entered.

2. If you are a follower of my blog, or sign up now to be a follower, let me know and your name will be entered the second time .

3. If you mention my blog and apron give-away on your blog and send me the link, you will be entered in the drawing again.

That's it! Easy-peasy! I will announce the winner of the apron in my Pink Saturday post on February 13! This is my very first give-away and I'm so excited about it!

WIP: One down, one to go and an Apron Give-away!

I'm still crocheting up a storm here, trying to get "twin" afghans made, as you might remember from the previous post here. I have finished the pink one and the blue yarn is patiently awaiting its turn. It was easy to crochet on those cold, rainy days, but now the days are sunshiny and bright, and my greenhouse is calling me back. I bought my potting soil and spinach seeds over the weekend. I'm hoping to get those planted in the next few days. I don't need to be too anxious to plant though, we have a chance of snow in our forecast for Friday and Saturday! Oops, I'm rambling, back to my WIP; I only have until Feb. 7 to make the blue afghan, so, back to work!

I am going to have an apron give-away, as I mentioned in my last post. I plan to post details for the give-away Thursday or Friday. Don't forget to come back then!

Pink Saturday... Aprons and a Give-Away announcement!

I don't know what it is, but something about putting on an apron makes me want to get to work! While hanging sheets on the line this fine day, I decided it would be a good idea to air out my apron collection.


Now, I don't usually wear these particular aprons...they're just too cute to wear! Well, I do wear one of them, I'll tell you more about all of them in a bit.



They usually hang in the corner of my breakfast room, shamefully unnoticed. I did make them a special place to hang though. I found this tie holder at a thrift store for $1. I sanded it, shot it with a couple of coats of pink paint, and then added rose decals. I even gave them a special angel to keep watch over their little corner of the room. And, VOILA! A beautiful pink spot for my sweet aprons!



Here are some detail shots of my aprons. I smocked and sewed this pink gingham one a few years ago. I don't wear it much because it doesn't have a pocket to hold my IPOD. I keep meaning to add a pocket.




I found this little sheer cotton candy-looking confection hanging in a thrift store when I visited my daughter in Indiana last year. I love the detail on the pocket. I don't wear this apron for obvious reasons, I mean, how much protection would it give this spill-aholic?




I made this little green and pink number from an old pattern I have. I don't wear it much either. Here's the reason why...don't let those "pockets" fool you.That's one big pocket and anything I put in there goes down to the bottom of the apron. I just about have to get down on my knees to dig anything back out of it. Bad, bad design.



I am very happy with these last two aprons because they are made from thrifted pillowcases and by my own design...no purchased patterns!

I think this white one is so pristine and feminine looking. But guess what? I don't wear it either, because it is white. I'm sure others aren't as messy as me when they cook.  I think I'll save it as a gift for someone special.





Okay, now for the last one. It's really my very favorite of all the half-aprons I actually use. You might have noticed this shy little apron wasn't hanging on the rack with the other aprons. There is a reason for that. The aprons I really wear are hanging on the back of my utility room door. They are pressed into service daily, so they aren't quite as nice to look at as the others. But I wanted to show you this much-loved and often-worn apron because it is so special. For starters, it doesn't show stains. It is so forgiving of my spilling accidents. Another wonderful feature is it's IPOD-sized pocket. (I love pockets and my IPOD keeps me company while I cook and clean.) But the best thing about this soft well-worn friend is...




...the fabric! This little thrift-store pillowcase refashion is covered with clouds and each one of these clouds has a silver lining! Really! They are outlined with shiny silver thread. Every time I wear it, it reminds me of the old saying, "Every cloud has a silver lining."



And now...my special announcement: I am going to have my very first give-away and it's going to be....an apron! (Sorry, it won't be pink, I just can't seem to give away anything pink.)I want to reward one of my sweet followers with a made-by-Sherry apron. I will post details some time in the next few days, so make sure you check back often and become a follower of my blog, if you haven't already done so!

BTW, make sure you go over and visit our Pink Saturday hostess at her blog, How Sweet the Sound for a list of this week's pink participants. Thank you for making this possible for us Beverly!

I try to visit as many of the other Pink Saturday participants as possible each week. Here is a blog that I return to often. Why don't you check it out too? The Stone Rabbit

Flowers for you!

This little birdie stopped by my feeder today, and asked me...



...to send you this.



Hope you have a happy day!

I have high hopes!

I actually have the audacity to think that I, an inexperienced crocheter, can turn this ...



into a baby gift! I have a sweet friend that is expecting not just her first baby, but her first two babies! Yes, she is expecting twins...a boy and a girl! Her baby shower is Feb. 7, and I have high hopes that I can make not one, but two!, baby afghans. The art of crochet is still somewhat new to me. I mean, I didn't grow up crocheting. My mother and both my grandmothers crocheted, but for some reason I never had the desire to learn. I always wanted to be a little different. No one in my family knitted, so when I was about twelve years old, I bought myself a "teach yourself to knit" book at the grocery store for 29 cents. Armed with this little 3 x 4-inch book, a skein of borrowed yarn, and two pencils, yes pencils, I learned the basic knit and purl stitches. I never went on to be very fancy with my knitting skills, but I do get by. I can make basic scarves and caps. My greatest accomplishment ever was a pair of puppet mittens I made my daughter when she was about three years old. I wish I had kept those, just to show myself what I can do when I set my mind to it. Well, about three years ago, I decided I wanted to learn to crochet...hadn't I already proven to everyone that I'm "different"? After picking up that first crochet needle, there has been no turning back! But, my biggest problem is that I go about this craft like everything else I do...wide open! I'm either wide-open or sound-asleep, there's no in-between for me. The result? The tangle of thread in the picture above. This is what I have after a week's work, and changing my mind on the pattern three times. You know, the thread gets kind of wrinkly after raveling it out three times. Okay, so I've made up my mind. I have chosen THE pattern and...




...I'm all set up for a rainy day, spent indoors crocheting up a pink fog! What's in my chair, you ask? Well...right in front is my IPOD, loaded with an audio book and pink earplugs. Next to that, you will probably recognize that hideous tangle of yarn. Next in line, my cute roll of crochet needles. And, lastly mentioned, but all important, that little pink pillow-looking thing in back? That's my corn bag. It's a little bag I made and filled with feed corn. I throw it in the microwave, on high, for a little over one minute. I lay it in my lap and it keeps me nice and toasty for quite a while. That should be enough to keep me busy today, at least in between house cleaning chores, homeschooling my son, and cooking supper. I'll keep you up on my wip(work in progress)...check back often!

P.S. Don't forget to come back for Pink Saturday. I've been playing with my new camera and I'm excited about some of my pictures. I'm hoping to make my Pink Saturday post some time Friday afternoon (told you I'm different :).

We've had a preview of spring...

This little fellow hasn't had to catch any rain since Sunday! We have been blessed with two beautiful spring-like days right in the middle of winter; lots of sunshine with high temps in the 60's. The rain and cooler temps are supposed to be moving back in soon, so....



...I am on my way home from the grocery store when I start thinking about what outside job I would like to work on when I get there. I have about two hours to work before I have to get supper started (that's "dinner" for non-southerners :).
I decide my project will be to spend a little time cleaning up my greenhouse. It has been neglected for far too long.

Before:



Mildew has been growing on the door and outside walls, so I scrub those down. It gets kind of cool when my water hose springs a leak, giving me an unexpected shower. The whole time I'm scouring, I'm dreaming of the delicious salads I'll be serving my family in February or March with spinach grown in my own little greenhouse.


After:



I'm all finished with the outside. I'll tackle the inside on another day. I can work in there even in rainy and/or cold weather.

Now to the kitchen to cook supper. What's on the menu? Oh, yes, my family's favorite....


Cheeseburger Casserole! Such a simple recipe, but oh, so good! Here's how I make it:

Brown one pound of ground beef with one chopped onion. Drain. Stir in 1/2 cup catsup, 1/2 cup bbq sauce, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon ground oregano, 1 - 8 oz. can tomato sauce. Heat until bubbly.



I cook this in an iron skillet which can be taken from stove-top to oven. If you didn't use an oven proof pan, pour your casserole into a casserole dish, and top with 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese.




Now I take a small can of biscuits and cut them up into eighths and cover the top of the casserole.



Slide this into a preheated 350 degree oven and set the timer for 25 minutes. While this is cooking and Dear Sons (DS) #1 and #2 are home to watch it for me, Dear Hubby (DH) and I take a walk down our country lane.




We never tire of the sights on our road. We walk past barns, cows, horses... I can't get good pictures of the animals right now because dusk is closing in.



After our refreshing walk, we return home, and are met with the most heavenly smell when we walk in the door. DS #2 has just pulled the casserole from the oven. Wish you could smell it!



DS's don't even mind eating raw broccoli if they get cheeseburger casserole to go with it.



Thank you for sharing this beautiful day with me. Please come back soon!

Welcome to Pink Saturday!

You are invited to grab yourself a cup of coffee and a sweet treat (mine's crocheted!), and join me for Pink Saturday in my little pink corner of the world:



The sitting room:



On the settee: Dolly pillow (made by me):


On the coffee table: Non-calorie eye candy



On the wall: Sweet little girl picture (She reminds me of my daughter when she was little, watching for Daddy.)



My reading chair:




Beside my chair:



The reading lamp:


"Red Sister" plant that resides happily behind my reading chair:



Last of all, paper roses made by me, just for you:



Whimsy and I would like to thank you for dropping by on this Pink Saturday. You can stroll over to Beverly's blog, How Sweet the Sound, for a complete list of Pink Saturday participants. What a great way to spend a weekend!