Friday Hodge Podge

Good morning, friends! Surgery went well. I stayed two LOONNNGGG nights in the hospital. My best friend, Kendra, stayed with me both nights so DH could be home with BBC and provide some sense of continuity there. As of yesterday afternoon I am home sweet home - yay!

Debbie helped me sum up how I feel right now - sore and spoiled! I got so many wonderful gifts and visitors while in the hospital. You all loved and encouraged me through words. Dang, I am one blessed gal!

My home is full of cheery flowers now. This is from my team at work - it's a bee in a nurse outfit carrying a sign - Bee Well. Too cute! It looks great on my breakfast table.

My mommy got me these balloons. I love the smiley face with band aids. One balloon say "It's All About You." Mom still knows me all too well.

My precious BBC brought me this vase filled with Gerber daisies. He picked it out all by himself and charmed the florist to toss in two extra blooms. He is so inquisitive and caring. He's at the grandparents for the weekend to give me a little extra time to heal.

This gorgeous bouquet is from DH's work team. I love all the vibrant colors.

My sweet friend Shea stopped by to see me on the second day. She came with a funny card, a sweet book, and emergency chocolate. Too funny!

This is the bouquet my Sunday School class sent to me. I haven't been to Sunday School in a month of Sundays so I'm thankful to still have their love and support.

Now the hard part begins. It has always been a challenge to allow others to care for me. I am out of commission for six weeks. This is going to be a good learning experience for me. We have so many wonderful friends and family offering to bring us meals. My dear friend, Bridget, brought us a yummy home-cooked meal last night.

We are so blessed. You all have been so wonderfully encouraging. Thank you so much for your prayers and well wishes! I hope to be back to fun projects and simply good home design soon!

~Southern Fried Gal

Time Out Tuesday: Little Lucy Lu

I am thrilled to introduce this week's guest blogger, Bec. She has the cutest style (both home and writing) and the most adorable partner in craft, Lucy. I love this simple and inexpensive project she shares and especially how she incorporates it into her charming home. Take it away, Bec...

Hey there! I'm Bec from Little Lucy Lu -- a blog about my life as a mom, wife, and kindergarten teacher, my vintage-inspired style and craft projects, my shopping addiction, living in the country, a recipe here and there, and most importantly - my Little Lucy Lu! Carmella has kindly invited me to guest post on her beautiful blog today, so I'm gonna show you one of my latest projects while I'm here .... I hope you like it, and I hope to see you again at Little Lucy Lu!

I hate cluttered counters, don't you? Especially the kitchen counter, where everything seems to pile up throughout the day -- the dishes, the mail, the cell phone, the keys ... among other things! I decided the last thing I needed was my grocery lists accumulating laying around on the counter, too ... so my newest project began.

I got a long, white, wooden picture frame at the craft store for $11.99. (It was marked way down because it had black marks all over it.) Luckily, the black marks didn't make a bit of difference to me since I was planning to paint it RED, anyway! :-)

I used black primer first ....

...then Krylon's Cherry Red spray paint.

I only gave it one coat, so the black shows through a little bit in spots - which I love!

Then, I took the glass from the frame and gave it two coats of black chalkboard (spray)paint.

I reassembled the frame and strung a piece of olive green ric-rac through the rings on the back....

..... tied in a knot, and hung from the side of an antique cabinet in my kitchen.

Here are some pictures of the finished product!

(By the way, I have chalk-a-phobia ... can't stand the feel of chalk ... so I use chalk ink markers! They ROCK!)

The antique cabinet has red handles and interior paint, so the red on the frame is a perfect match with rest of the piece! :-)

Cute, right? And SO easy to make yourself! :-)

Yes, ma'am. Super cute. I love the touch of green ric rac - it's those little touches that make the project. Where do you find the chalk ink? I swear I looked everywhere in Hobby Lobby to no avail. Thanks again for stopping over and sharing your charm, Bec.

~Southern Fried Gal

Keeping it Real with SFG

So for the past year or longer I have looked like this...

Even though I haven't been carrying one of these.

I found out last Friday that I've really been carrying around one of these - or at least a cyst that size. Yikes! Tomorrow I am having emergency surgery to have it removed.

I will be in the hospital a couple of nights and then a total couch potato for two weeks. I am scheduling a post or two tonight but I may be MIA for a bit. Just know while I'm away I will be missing y'all and sending love from the hospital.

I appreciate your prayers and well wishes! Have a blessed week!

~Southern Fried Gal

Willow House Wednesday: May Days Sale

Save big with our Willow House May Days sale! These fabulous deals and more are available in my online store.

Happy May Days!!!

~Southern Fried Gal

Time Out Tuesday:

It's time to meet a new guest blogger. This week I introduce Audreya of Arkansas (ooh - doesn't that sound cool?). I met this cute little spitfire at an Arkanasas Women Blogger roundup. I love her fun quips. She's a hoot to follow on Twitter (@audcole), too. And heeeere's Audreya!

I'm Audreya. Most days, I can be found sharing opinions no one asked for on my blog If You Ask Me. Today, however, I'm excited to share a project I recently completed at my house.

Over a year ago, my husband painstakingly stripped heavy, oil-based paint off of an old dresser. He then sanded and stained the dresser. It looked great... except that it needed some sort of drawer knobs or pulls. I promised to come up with something. However, having also recently finished a mostly-DIY kitchen makeover, I was still in shock over the amount of money we spent on new hardware for the cabinets. And we didn't even get anything fancy or "high-end"! So, run out and drop more money on hardware for the dresser? No thanks! Leave the drawers "naked" and wait until he brings it up again? Sounds like a plan!!

Well, he brought it up again. But I still couldn't see spending a lot of money on drawer hardware. Especially since the dresser is in our guest bedroom. A bedroom "decorated" by my husband... complete with camo bedspread and deer head on the wall.

Then, I came across some ideas on a blog one day. (If I remembered which blog, I'd be glad to credit them, but I don't. So, thanks for the inspiration, whoever you are!) I took some of their suggestions, infused my own, and came up with some great, rustic, and most importantly, affordable drawer pulls.

Supplies:
Measuring tape
Roll of jute, twine, or sisal. (I used jute.)
Glue (I used Gorilla Glue because I had it on hand. Fabric glue or even hot glue would do the trick.)
Drill (Depending on the size / placement of existing holes in the drawer.)

First up, our drawers only had a single hole on either side for a knob. As I was crafting pulls, it was necessary to drill additional holes. Also, because the pulls are somewhat thick, I had to increase the size of the existing holes.

I used an index card to make a template for the new holes. I spaced them 4" apart. I drilled them out with a 1/2" drill bit.

Next, I prepared the handles. I measured out about 12" of jute. I cut 6 pieces of this size per handle. Firmly tied a knot at one end, then braided them to about 7". Finally, I put a piece of tape around the unfinished end. (This kept the handle from coming unbraided and also made it easier to pull through the holes in the drawer.)

I fed the handle from the inside of the drawer to the outside. (Gave it a firm tug just to make sure the knot held up.) Then I fed it into the next hole and back inside the drawer. As it was a pretty tight space and difficult to tie the unfinished end, I used an additional bit of jute and tied several knots until it was thick enough not to pull through the hole. I trimmed off the excess. Finally, for added strength, I added a drop of glue to each knot. (Note: I used Gorilla Glue, which expands as it dries, so literally a small drop was all that was necessary. I also made sure the knots were not up against the wood as the glue dried.)

And that's it! I repeated the process for each drawer pull. After everything was dried, I returned the drawers to the dresser and proceeded to the final and most important step - admiring one's own handiwork!

The nice thing about a project like this is that the look is not supposed to be perfect. I thought it fit in very well for the rustic nature of the dresser and the room. Plus, the project took just over an hour and came in at a whopping $2.33. That's right! The only thing I had to purchase was a roll of jute.

But don't just think jute. Ribbon can also be used, perhaps for a little girl's room. I followed the same process here, just added a knot in the middle for a better grip. Of course, this is just an example. My husband wasn't too keen on pink ribbon in his man cave!

Braided handles could also be added to baskets or boxes. It's a quick and functional solution I will definitely use again!

Thanks for sharing, Audreya. I think the pink ribbon is perfect for the man cave! You should tie bows in the antlers to coordinate. What do you think? Ha! I admire your use of Gorilla Glue. Let's just say I had a little mishap with that stuff and I'm not allowed to use it again.

~Southern Fried Gal

Mother's Day Gift of Service

This year for Mother's Day I played things a little differently. I asked for a gift of service from BBC which means DH had to be up for the challenge, too. Last year in early spring I realized I lost my azaleas, my dogwood, and several other plants in my secret garden. They just couldn't hold up to the 90 inches of rain the prior year.

I was too depressed to do anything about it last year so the area was a mess this spring. I asked the boys to help me clean it up so I can start over. They cleared out the deadwood a couple of weeks ago but have been hindered to finish because of all the rain the past two weeks.

Today they finished the project by bagging up all the leaves, branches, and weeds. BBC wasn't that excited about the project today. I am in physical therapy for a back injury so all I could do was hang out and encourage. Other than a few random side eyes from DH, I think we ended up having a good time after all.

We played with worms and had a buddy or two stop over to dine and drink. I was amazed at how close this dove was to us. It stayed there a long while. We also had a greedy robin taking the worms we uncovered.

This is BBC trying to coax one to perch on his finger. "Here birdie, birdie." That child cracks me up. I'm so blessed to be his Momma!

This is probably the most expensive gift I've ever requested - in man hours. They hauled a dozen bags to the curb. The boys were exhausted but I'm a happy gal! I totally appreciate the labor of love. I'm a little nervous about the payback on Father's Day, though.

What was the highlight of your weekend?

~Southern Fried Gal

Weekend O'Celebration

Eleven years ago I 'hitched my cart' to DH in true Southern Fried style. DH says he asked me to do this on May 6 because it would be easy to remember our anniversary as the day after Cinco de Mayo. This year we have the added fun of Mother's Day falling on the same weekend. And as if we didn't have enough to already celebrate, my precious BBC has earned three green lights in a row for behavior at school (hoping for the fourth today - fingers crossed). I wish this wasn't as big of a deal as it is. We have been blessed with a ring-tailed-tooter.

Woo Hoo! That's what we are celebrating - how about you?

~Southern Fried Gal

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aka Southern Fried Gal

Time Out Tuesday: Vintage Windows

Please help me welcome Nancy from Crafter's Window to this week's Time Out Tuesday. She has a lovely project to share with us. I also think her freebie find will make you a little green with envy - or at least it did me - ha! Without further ado, here's Nancy...

I have never been so excited to make a post as I am today. When Southern Fried Gal put out that she was looking for guest posters, I so wanted to post for her blog. However, I never thought I would be chosen. AND here I am! WooHoo!!

My name is Nancy and I am from Crafter's Window. I am a wife to a, now, retired Navy man and a mom to 3 children, ages 22,11, and 6. It wasn't until this point of my life (I'm 44) that I have found that I love working with my hands. I'll be honest, my mom owned a ceramic business while I was growing up and I did most of her finish painting for her craft shows. However, it was always for my mom and never thought of doing something with my hands was what would, ultimately, make me happy.

For those of you that know my blog, I have been planning a series on vintage windows and the many things that you can make with one. So, here is my first window that I have to add to my series that I actually created.

I already owned the mail/key thing and had it hanging where this family information board now hangs with it attached. I needed a central location for my family to find out where each other is, what is going on that night, or to find out if I can drive them anywhere. This will fill all those needs.

I started out with windows I obtained for free from a Craigslist posting. Just a hint all: When the post states to make offer, be honest. This posting stated he had over 40 windows that he wanted to get rid of and to make an offer. I was honest and responded that they require a lot of work to refurbish and that I would be happy to take them off his hands, but that I wouldn't be willing to pay for them. I drove an hour to get them, but that was a very small price to pay for over 40 of these windows.

Well, OK, now onto how I did this.

Step 1 - Clean the windows as best as you can with cleaner and paper towels.

Step 2 - Either clean the glass, if using, or remove, if not.

Step 3 - Sand the window as much as you can. I recommend wearing a dust mask for this as these windows most likely have lead base paint on them and you don't need to be inhaling this. I used a palm sander for all my larger, flat areas and my Dremel with a sander attachment for around the actual window panes.

Step 4 - Paint - I chose to use spray paint on this window and it required about 3 coats. Still debating on if that was the best type of paint to use or not. Will keep you posted!

Now, at this point, you have to decide what you want to do with the window. I knew I wanted this window for this family message board. So, to accomplish that, these are the directions:

Wipe Board

I cleaned two of the original glass panes and put back in with a light scrap paper behind so that writing will show up clearly. Don't mind my messy work space. This is a makeshift spot that I was using to paint another project earlier today.

Cork Board

I thought it would be easier to have a piece of cork that went into two of the window panes rather than two separate pieces of cork in each pane. So, I removed the back of one of the cross sections.

I then attached a piece of chip board to the cork using Mod Podge. There has to be an easier way as I found this very messy. But, it worked!

Magnet Board

Almost daily, I check out a website (yes, other than Southern Fried Gal's) by a fellow blogger called Greenbean's Crafterole. Recently, she had a post about some small boards that she makes out of galvanized flashing. Well, I went out and bought a roll at my local Home Depot and it only cost me $8.48 for a 10" x 10' roll. So, I cut out some from that roll and covered with some scrap paper. I used fleur de lis as the hanger that I attached also had a fleur de lis on it (plus, it is one of my favorite things).

Lastly, I attached my key holder to the bottom (really the side, as I turned it to make it fit best) of the window. I keep my Bed Bath & Beyond Coupons as well as take out menus there. Plus, I have always found that it is so much easier to find my keys if I have a designated place to put them. It took me a while to get used to hanging them up, but wow, I would be lost without it now.

I forgot to mention that I used glazing points to hold all items into the individual window panes.

So, there you have it! That is all it took to create this great family message board:

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do and I would love to have you visit me at The Crafter's Window. Thank you so much Southern Fried Gal for having me over for the day.

Thank you, Nancy, for sharing this cute project with us. I love all those vintage windows you have and can't wait to see what other fun you have with them. We'll definitely have to have you back to share another project.

~Southern Fried Gal

Mossy Rock Wreath

I'm excited to share my first Dollar Tree Designs project.

To create this project you will need several bags of mossy rocks (I used 15 bags @ $1 each from Dollar Tree), a styrofoam wreath form (I used the largest one from Hobby Lobby), and toothpicks.

To get started, stick toothpicks into several rocks and begin attaching to the wreath. I chose toothpicks to secure the rocks to the wreath because I have trouble committing to a design. I like to recycle and reuse items. I suppose glue would work if you wanted a permanent wreath.

Then start working the puzzle.I found it was easier to cover the top of the wreath with most of the larger rocks, fill in with smaller rocks, and then start working the inside and outside of the form. Make sure to fit together tight so that none of the styrofoam shows through.

The inside of the mossy rocks are styrofoam. This means you can manipulate the rocks into the shape you need to complete the puzzle. These both started as the same size and shape. Vary the angle of the toothpick to make the fit more secure.

I ended up cutting a handful of the rocks to fill in the weird spots on the inside and outside of the wreath. I did not use any cut rocks on the front of the wreath.

Your finished product should look something like this. I had planned to embellish it but after I finished I decided I liked it plain. I think it has a higher end look and it cost just over $20 and an hour or so to make.

For a finishing touch, I simply added a burlap ribbon and hung from the ceiling over my mantel. It's the perfect touch to my garden inspired mantel. I'm in love once again with another simply good design on an unbeatable budget!

~Southern Fried Gal

Joining the fun at...