Grace and Mercy

Many of us are asking why.
Why so many tragedies?
Why so much hurt?
Why so many children?

He hears us.

He knows our pain. 
He catches our tears and listens to our prayers. 

Remember, this is not heaven. 
Sometimes we won't understand why.
But we can all live with grace and even a little mercy.

We can take time to connect with those in pain.
To look for the good; the helpers. 

Let your heart hurt if needed. 
There is beauty in the most sad moments in life.
Let these times guide you to Him. 
Not away.

Remember, no matter how bad it gets, 
we will meet again. 
In perfection. 

-Elyse 

My thoughts on Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint

Back when I was freshly pregnant and still possessing enough energy to paint, 

I tried out Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint. I chose this paint because it is fume free and green. Plus, I had been itching to give it a try because of it's amazing distressing capabilities. 

The first piece I worked on was an old dresser that once belonged to my husband's great grandmother. I applied the milk paint directly on top of thick brown lacquer that was originally on the dresser. Since I was wanting to achieve a chipped/aged look, I did not use the bonding agent that Miss Mustard Seed sells. 

Before:

As you can see, the paint randomly chipped off where it did not fully adhere. Working with this paint is much different than ASCP because you have little to no control where the distressing will occur. It's kindof nerve-racking and exciting at the same time!

The dresser was painted in Linen and waxed (by my hubby) with Annie Sloan's clear wax. 

We think this piece would make a lovely changing table.

It's the perfect height and size. Plus, I am thrilled with how it turned out 

and love the random chipping....

And then there is the next piece I painted.

Holy chipping Bat Man! This thing went nuts!

I picked up this solid oak antique dresser at a garage sale for $80. 

Before: 

I knew from the start that I want to leave the beautiful oak top untouched. Again, I used Linen milk paint with no bonding agent. Little did I know that this piece would have been a great candidate for the bonding agent... It is still chipping in my living room! It took a few weeks of looking at it to decided if I really like it or not. Verdict: We love it. It's just heavily distressed and needs to be vacuumed around a few times a week. 

To protect this piece, I decided to try Miss Mustard Seed's Hemp Oil. I chose this because it is safe for me to use while prego and super easy to apply. You simply pour a little oil on a clean cotton cloth and rub it in. If I compare it to clear wax, it is not as durable and is best suited for very porous furniture. 

Overall, I love using milk paint. It's a bit messy and nerve-racking but the natural distressing that occurs is gorgeous. To help the chipping along on both pieces, I used a plastic scraper and sanding block to flake off large cracks. 

I hope to start feeling better soon and get back into my garage to try out my new color, 

Shutter Gray.

Linking up to: The Shabby Creek Cottage, Savvy Southern Style, My Romantic Home, 
French Country Cottage, Serenity Now, Miss Mustard Seed

Where in the world has Shabby Sweet Tea been??

 I'm tired.

I'm sick almost all day

and

I have no desire to be creative.

But I'm happy as a clam!

A Shabby Sweet Tea baby is due

Nov 16, 2013

Vintage Easter Decor

 It hit me this week that Easter really is this month.

Subconsciously I knew this because there is no denying that I 

scarfed down a Cadbury Cream Egg in the Target parking lot. 

and another at home. 

Time to start thinking about Jesus a bit more and decorate too!

The chick salt and pepper shakers, cast iron bunny and yellow duck are all recent flea market finds. I love finding vintage holiday items!

Linking up to: The Shabby Creek Cottage, Savvy Southern Style, French Country Cottage, My Romantic Home, Crafts A La Mode

Tutorial: Embroidery Floss Easter Eggs

(re-post from Spring 2012. Original post here)


Step 1: 
To make Embroidery Floss Easter Eggs you will need...
-Blown up water balloons
-Embroidery floss
-Liquid starch (I found a bottle at Kroger in the laundry section)
-Flour
Create goop by mixing together 1cup liquid starch and a 1/2 cup flour. I ended up adding additional starch to make it thinner.

Step 2: 
Coil your floss in a bowl of the goop. 

Step 3: 
Pull a section of the floss out and scrape off the goop. Start applying the floss to the egg. It will stick right to the balloon. One skein of floss will create one egg. After making a few of these, I realized you need very little goop on the floss. Less is more because when the egg dries, you'll have to scrape off all the excess. 

Step 4:

Allow the eggs to dry for several hours. When dry, pop the balloon. I used a straight pin to scrape off the excess dried goop. 

  ...and there you have it. 
Embroidery Floss Easter Eggs!

 

Linking up to: Savvy Southern Style , A Bowl Full of Lemons

Hello Monday

Hello old and chippy doors.

Hello to the sweet old man that let me have them for free!

Hello future project material...

Hello antique oak cabinet. 

Hello $80

Hello to red wine storage on the left and right.

 Hello Mini Me.

What fun we had celebrating your birthday.

Hello 14....

Goodbye weekend. You were one to remember.

Hello Monday.

Linking up to: Lisa Leonard 

There is no cure for Paris...

 

je m'ennuie de toi...

Linking up to: My Romantic Home, French Country Cottage, Savvy Southern Style