Washboard to Herb Garden

Hi Friends,

Today I'm sharing a fun project

changing an old washboard to a Herb Garden

for the fence.

One of my dearest friends  turned sister, gave me this old washboard to redesign.

I looked at it awhile before I decided on taking it outside

and creating a planter of sorts to hang on the fence.

The washboard had an ad graphic on both sides

and this is actually the back.

I liked the vertical wood members and the graphic better here

so I turned it around.

Sorry I don't have a before pic.

My friend really took good care of this treasure

as you can see the metal area is still like new.

Being outside it will show some patina soon and be perfect.

The planter box section has been added by my talented hubby.

He cut fence wood and formed a box and drilled drainage holes at the bottom.

He then added the wood box to the legs of the board. 

Next I stenciled the word, Herbs to the front and we added dirt then planted a few herbs.

I love how it's begun to weather a bit and show some distress around the box.

Perfect little herb and flower garden in my side yard.

I planted, basil, thyme and parsley.

Soon a lot of growth will take over

and it will be lush and full.

You can see I had some fun with photo editing too.

Hope this gives you an idea for a washboard if you have one

and no place to display it.

Take it outside and let it be pretty in the garden.

Have a great last couple days of May!!

~See you soon~

Happy Memorial Day 2017

In Remembrance and honor 

to those brave men and women who have served our country to keep us free 

and to those that continue to sacrifice each and every day for America,

 we give our heartfelt thankfulness.

As we celebrate our nations hero's, let us give thanks for their military dedication and safety.

 We can never be thankful enough to those that serve America, 

but we can lift our prayers for them each and everyday. 

When you see a military person, take a moment and say thank you. 

The encouragement will honor them as they realize people care and remember.

My Father Joseph,fought for this country in WWII on Omaha Beach in Normandy France. 

He used to say, "I wouldn't give you a nickle for my experiences, but, I wouldn't sell them for a million dollars either"

 Words from a proud and glad to serve, American! 

I dedicate this Memorial Day to him and the bravery he carried as he jumped off the ship and swam to land on Omaha Beach with his fellow soldiers.

 God was with him that day as he ran forward to defend America.

When I saw the movie, Saving Private Ryan,

 I realized for the first time, what he must have faced that day.

 I thought, Wow Dad needs to see this movie. 

Then I realized, he doesn't need to see this, He was there! It just gave me chills.

Whatever your long weekend plans, enjoy, be safe and be grateful!

In Remembrance

Happy Memorial Day!

Tenth Tea Cup, Mug Reveal ~ Spring 2017

Welcome to the tenth Tea Cup Mug Exchange!

I am so thrilled to be apart of this season of exchanges

hosted by our amazing and talented friend

Stephanie from,

The Enchanting Rose

This season may have been the largest number of participants yet.

Everyone has a wonderful time and enjoys making 2 new friends.

One you send to and the other you receive from.

********************

This spring season I decided on sending and receiving a mug for the first time.

It was a wonderful exchange and I was  blessed to receive my mug

from Lisa Johnson who lives in the west.

Lisa doesn't have a blog but she is one of the nicest ladies ever

and I am so glad to have met her!!!

Here are a few photos of the gifts she sent along with my mug!!

Starting with the sweet card and boxed filled with goodies.

 Love this bike card with sweet note from Lisa inside!

This sweet pink roses box was filled with goodies!

I love it for storage and more!

 The mug Lisa sent me was a beauty from the Pioneer Woman collection.

I truly love it and how beautiful it goes with pieces from 

the collection I already own.

Look how this cup has beautiful watercolor painted flowers all around.

Not sure how she knew I would love this cup!!!

And to go with the cup, Lisa added this beautiful plate

with the same design.

LOVE it!!

She also so generously added this lace pattern plate from the PW collection too.

Gorgeous!

And if all this wasn't enough she included a beautiful 

storage keeper for food etc. also from the PW collection.

The design is the same as the mug!

It was also filled with goodies like this~~~

Oh my goodness the yummy goodness!!

These wonderful mug cake mixes are a special treat.

Lisa included these too  and I can't wait to try them.

Dessert in a mug.

How perfect!!

Swedish Thins were also included and wow are they delicious!!

Lisa added two of my very favorite teas too.

Earl Grey and Irish Breakfast!!

Oh my she has spoiled me!!!!!

And if all this was not enough, Lisa included a set of 4 napkins

in the mixed colors of PW and 2 beautiful dish towels.

Oh how I love them all.

Look at this sweet aqua tag with the butterfly.

Lisa tucked this among the goodies as well.

Lisa gifted me in an incredible way and I so love

everything she sent with the beautiful mug.

Thank you so much my new friend.

You have blessed my heart with your generosity and friendship!

*************

My mug exchange gift was sent to Lynn

from Quaker Hill Farm

I enjoyed making up a package for dear Lynn

and I also sent her a Pioneer Woman mug.

From the colors she enjoys, I thought this was the perfect accent in her home.

Lisa and I were thinking along the same lines. 

Lynn's mug has the red interior while mine was dark aqua!!

Love them both!

Above is the package I sent to Lynn.

She is such a sweetheart, To visit Lynn and say hello, 

click, HERE! you'll be so glad you did!!

Once again it was a wonderful event all organized

with love and care by Stephanie.

I have to take a moment and thank her too!!

You know this isn't an easy task to pull together,

but Stephanie does an incredible job.

 Her efforts over the

past 10 exchanges 

have blessed so many with  friendship all around the world.

Thank you Stephanie for making this exchange a beautiful event once again!

Thank you to all of you too for taking the time to stop in. 

I always love your visits and for more participant reveals~

drop on by,  The Enchanting Rose

See you again soon sharing a new adventure in design

Remembering The Last Mother's Day with Mom~

Happy Mother's Day

For me,Mother's  Day is special, not only because my family blesses me with their thoughtfulness, but because remembering my mother is a gift that I can reopen each year. A treasured gift that lives in the depths of my heart.

This story begins on a gorgeous Mother's Day in the year 2000. The day was warm and sunny accompanied by plans for a special dinner for my mother in our home.

You see, after my father passed away in 1998, I brought my mother from Michigan to live with me in my home in Texas. God brought my family 2 years earlier to this very home that would have a room just for my mom. A home where just outside our subdivision and across the road, was a care facility. Little did we know at the time, there would be a need for that care. But God knew and was preparing us for what lay ahead.

At that point, mother settled in with me and my family and life continued by the grace of God. However, little by little my mother's health was failing. She had medical issues and needs that I could no longer meet. I tried, I really tried. I cried and  cried for the strength and courage to continue, but that was not going to be the plan. Now the help of the care facility was needed. So close by and so easy to visit every day. What a blessing it was.

Mom once again settled into her new home. I decorated her pretty space, with all her treasures to give her comfort and feel like home. Not a word of complaint was ever spoken from her lips, not a discouraged attitude was ever reflected in her pretty face. She was showing us the grace and dignity of a life in its final days. It had to be difficult for her making this huge change. The grand lady who worked and retired from the Veteran’s Administration Hospital, was also a homemaker, gardener, decorator, crafter, cook, wife, mother, church faithful and friend to all.

As time went by, my family and I spent every day visiting my mother. Mornings, afternoons and evenings we all stopped in to spend time with mom. I planned special events, picnics outside mom's room, sing a long times, birthday parties and so forth. It was a time to soak up so much to learn about life and the fragility of our days on earth. Mom still had so much to tell me and show me. She was an angel on earth and her work here not yet complete.

By now the first Mother’s Day after mom’s move was approaching. Mom was doing well enough to come home for the day to enjoy dinner and spend time with the family. We all were looking forward to the outing mom would take to be with us. I cooked and cleaned to make everything just right. I prayed for our day to be as special as could be, and it was.

I can still see mom as my husband brought her home for the day visit. He wheeled her up the walkway in her wheelchair and my heart beat quicker with the excitement to entertain my mother. She was dressed in a pretty lavender suit. The color was gorgeous against her pretty silver hair. A little blush on her cheeks brought out those gorgeous brown eyes that danced and glistened like the pearls around her neck. It was easy to see how happy she was to be in our home for Mother’s Day.

Dinner was wonderful as we all talked and laughed sharing family memories. I played the piano for mom and we sang her favorite hymns. We went outside on the patio to enjoy the sunshine of this perfect day continuing the laughter and family stories.

As the day came to an end, I cleared the dining room table and cleaned the kitchen as mom sat by talking and laughing just like many times before. What a gift when I look back. How fast time marches on as life moves us forward.

When it was time to take mom back, we all rode along to settle her in her pretty room for the night. We gathered to say a prayer as we always did in parting, knowing we had been blessed once again with a memory that would last us forever. Mom passed away just 3 and half months later. Just 14 weeks from that special Mother’s Day and last dinner. The last time she would ever be in my home. The last time I would see her in that gorgeous lavender suit, hear her voice at the dinner table and see her generous smile.  With fragile hands, mom stroked my hair as we said goodbye. Thanked me for a lovely dinner and special day. I can still see her hand wave as we walked out of her pretty room. “See you tomorrow, we all said.”  Tomorrow's did come and go in those weeks before mom took her final move to heaven. Looking back  on those days were the best of my life.  Times in which I learned so much from my mother.  The one who always had a smile on her face and kind word for all.  Generous to a fault and a giver of time.   Encourager and cheerleader to everyone.
Learning's that will never have a last time!

This Mother’s Day will once again give me the moments to look into my heart and reopen that gift from the past.  It will be a time to be thankful for the dear mother I was blessed with and the mom I hope and pray I can be, set by her example.

Mom used to say to cherish the moments, take time to be kind and in all ways ask God to direct our path. Insightful words from a wise lady.  I hope your days are special and blessed by gifted moments shared with family, friends and Mothers.      (c)Celestina Marie

Many Blessings Always.

Your Friend,

Celestina Marie

Happy May!

Happy month of May, Blog Friends

To welcome the month of May,

I've picked a couple of bouquets from my garden.

Red and Pink Knock Out Roses for the table.

Red Mr. Lincoln Roses with Yellow Daisies for the bar.

They look like velvet.

Happy May!!

I hope this month is perfect for you and filled with blessings.

Thank you for stopping by and your kind comments.

See you soon

xo

Just a Little Project

Hi Friends~
Hope you enjoyed a nice weekend.

I'm a bit behind struggling with migraines
and had to limit computer time,
so today I am resharing a past post that many may not have seen.

 This is a fun craft idea and project
 using cafe international coffee cans

 redesigned into cute gift or keepsake boxes.

I started repurposing these cafe boxes many years ago when they were metal.

Now they're made  of plastic
and  a bit more of a challenge to design and paint,
but can be done with a nice outcome.

Chalk paint works great now
 as there is no need for the normal primer used for the metal cans.

So after several coats of chalk paint in "Lace, my favorite color" by Deco Americana,

I painted and sealed these little gems

creating little gift or storage boxes with lids.

 To the lids, I used mod podge over coordinating fabric cut to fit.

Once dry, I trimmed the lid out with lace, pearls and a crocheted flower with pearl center.

I have to say  that I experimented with decorative papers on the lids with mod podge,

but once dry, they popped right off the bendable lid. 

Fabric works better and stays in place when dry.

For the lid on this one,

 I used a coordinating green toile fabric like the leaves I painted with the roses.

The inside is ready to hold keepsakes, 

art or sewing supplies, candy and more.

To another, I added lots of lace and trims with a felt petal flower on the lid.

The sky's the limit to how you can decorate these or paint.

It's amazing how different they are to work with in the plastic

compared to the metal cans from years ago, but still lots of fun.

Thanks for stopping by.

Be Blessed!

Celestina Marie

joining any one of these weekly link ups

cooking and crafting with J&J

Roses of Inspiration

Good Fences

Thoughts of Home on Thursday