One of the things I love about seasons are those moments when they reveal themselves.  Like when the leaves turn in fall, or when that first snow falls in winter.  Sure, winter is magical during the holidays, and even through January.  Then comes that longing for warmer weather, so we wait and wait for the deciduous trees to come back to life and show us a sign that spring is near. 

Well looky loo, look at you, so nice to see you again.  

Spring is still technically several weeks away, but the first way it reveals itself around here is when the cherry and plum trees blossom.  You’re driving around, still wearing your winter clothes, bemoaning the dreariness, thinking you just can’t take it anymore.  Then all of a sudden, there’s a sea of pink blossoms around town in late February and it’s spectacular. 

I’m not the only one to stop and smell them, I spy my neighbors pausing to appreciate them too.  I’m sure you must stop and smell them too when they bloom in your state. 

Cherry and plum tree blossoms are one of my most favorite shows in nature, but unfortunately there’s a big storm headed our way, which means we will lose most of the blooms.  No fair spring, you’re such a tease.

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Hello hello, happy Monday!  Hope you had a great weekend!  There’s a lot going on this week around here.  Wish I had a ‘finished’ project to reveal today, but nope, just a whole lotta ‘works in progress’.   I have a fun craft to show you tomorrow, but today is a holiday, a slow Monday, a day to sit around in my pajamas with my kiddos.  Here’s just a few tidbits, musings, and thoughts from the past weeks.

First, I must share, I’m really enjoying this book with my morning coffee.  Don’t you love the cover?  And the teaser?  “An encyclopedia of forgotten yet delightful chic, useful, curious and otherwise commendable things from times gone by.” 

It’s filled with all those nostalgic things we treasure from the good ol’ days and hunt for at flea markets, plus the novelties we spy in old movies and hear about from our grandparents. 

Why yes think we should bring back braids, car tail fins, double features, kitten heels, pocket watches, and wicker baskets on bicycles ! 

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Next, the sad and happy news.  A tragedy occurred in our household a few weeks ago.  My Nikon D60 clicked its last.  I was snapping away.  Click!  Click!  Click!  Then all of a sudden I heard this. 

Cah-click.  Cah-click.  Cah…… 

Then nothing. 

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The three winners of the Cutting Edge Stencils Giveaway are:  #199 Eliza Dougherty;  #605 Nina English; and #1,411: Andrea H.  Sending you all my email contact today!  Yay, congratulations ladies !!

Are you in the mood for spring?  Craving pops of fresh color all around you?  Me too!  I’m also in the mood for a beachy vacay, and missing Hawaii soooo much.  This drizzle has me dreaming of soft sand and warm waves between my toes, and mai tais with pineapple and little pink umbrellas on top.  See, I’m so easy to please.

How delighted am I to bring you something sparkly from the Aloha state today!  I’d like to introduce you to Kahili Creations, an online store filled with handmade artisan jewelry from Hawaii’s Big Island. 

This lovely Etsy shop is filled with the most colorful and delicate pieces, you’re sure to find something lovely for yourself.  Perhaps one of your besties has a birthday coming up?  There’s always Mother’s Day to think about too!! 

Ooooh, sparklies !  

Kahili Creations is offering two lucky winners a $75 shop credit, enough to pick out at least one of their pieces, perhaps two!  Free shipping for the winners.  Everyone loves a freebie, especially if it’s something sparkly! 

Eligibility to win one of two $75 shop credits to Kahili Creations:

1) Hop on over to Kahili Creations and get lost among the gorgeous selections.  Pick a favorite piece then name it in a comment.

2) For additional chances to win, link to this giveaway on Facebook and/or on Twitter, then leave a comment telling where you mentioned it!  

Giveaway ends Monday February 21st at 8 p.m. PST.  US and Canada only.  Free shipping.  Two winners chosen by Random.org.

Good luck and have a fantastic weekend !

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It’s no secret I’ve been using Rust-Oleum paint products for years.  I remember back in 2009 when I was spray painting everything that stood still ‘Heirloom White’.  I went through my ‘Gloss White’ phase, then I dabbled in so many of their colorful and specialty spray paints.  I truly believe they have the best quality spray paints and I appreciate the variety of their more modern colors.  And as you know, I’ve always adored Zinsser primers. 

Did you know both Zinsser and Varathane are part of the Rust-Oleum family?  Yes indeedy! 

Rust-Oleum’s motto is ‘a solution for every surface’ and they are serious!  I thought I knew about most every product they had to offer, but I was delighted to discover at the two day event I attended last week that there are so many other specialty products they manufacture, and now am anxious to try several of them.

Last week, I had the opportunity to talk shop with the people at the helm of Rust-Oleum, plus I also got to try out their brand new Cabinet Transformations product, which is a completely new approach to refinishing your old kitchen and bathroom cabinets. 

I’ve refinished kitchen, bath, and laundry room cabinets all the old school way which can often require stripping and sanding, but always requires a good coat of primer, plus two coats of paint and a protectant. 

After much research and development, Rust-Oleum has recently introduced on the market a Cabinet Transformations kit for kitchen and bath.  This refinishing kit eliminates the need to strip, sand, or prime.  Shocking I know, and I admit I was skeptical.  No primer at all?  Seriously?  It sounded too good to be true, and I was very concerned about durability. 

I learned (and asked a lot of questions) about the formula for this new product, and based on the extensive testing in the lab and Rust-Oleum’s reputation for durability, I’m feeling pretty good about this new alternative.  In fact, I plan to use it in my hall bathroom later this year. 

I was able to try it out for myself, and I’m like a kid in a candy story when given the opportunity to try products that transform outdated cabinets.   

The kits come in two sizes for smaller (100 square feet) and larger kitchens (up to 200 square feet).  Rust-Oleum provides an online tool for measuring your kitchen for this DIY project.  This Cabinet Transformations kit approaches refinishing differently than the traditional method of strip + sand + prime + paint + protect.  It also works on surfaces beyond just wood, which includes laminates and melamine surfaces. 

In the shop, we worked with a standard oak cabinet door and all the supplies that come in the kit.

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