Hello everyone, happy Monday, and I hope you’re all finding ways to stay cool in the sweltering July heat!  Today is the last of the Fair Weather Forum summer link parties, and the topic is ‘Gardening’.  I had big plans to build a planter and feature it today, but life got in the way, funny how that happens!  Maybe later, maybe next year, who knows!

Instead, I opted for a simple art project with a few stems from the one single fern growing in my yard.  My backyard gets mostly afternoon and evening sun, which is great for grapes but not so good for shade loving plants.  However, I do have one small fern plant tucked underneath our deck, and it thrives there year after year. 

I’m fixing up our guest space since we’re expecting a lot of visitors this upcoming tasting season, and I love bringing the outdoors inside.  I was looking for an inexpensive way to create some simple and unique wall art, so I decided to flatten and preserve some of those fern fronds from our garden, and frame them behind glass.

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Happy Friday friends, what’s cookin’ this long weekend?  Are you off on a little vacay or grilling at home?  We’re having a little shindig with some close friends here at our casa.  We can’t wait to show off the new stone patio we installed, you’ll get to see it next week! 

Summer has me dreaming of a few days off, so I’ve scheduled some family time over the next few months.  A few road trips and a mini vacation are going to interrupt those Fair Weather Forums I planned earlier this year, so I’m announcing a new schedule.  I’ve moved a few topics around, so sorry for any inconvenience!  Also, in honor of Memorial Day, there will be no link party on Monday May 30th. 

Here are the new Summer Link Party dates:

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Hey there!  Hope you all had a fabulous holiday weekend!  We had a very relaxing time visiting with my sister and her family in Sacramento, dining on classic Easter dishes like citrus glazed ham, roasted asparagus, and my lemon pudding cake.  There’s nothing quite as nice as sitting around a dining table with my siblings catching up on the present, and laughing about the funny moments we’ve shared in the past.

Today is time for the ‘All Things Paint’ link party I mentioned last week.  Speaking of paint, this is my latest furniture makeover: a thrift store dresser I scored a week ago, then primed and painted for my very good friend Kari’s baby girl nursery.  It was such a great find!  Classic lines, solid wood, it just needed some repairs and a little TLC.

This dresser is going to do double duty as both a changing table and storage solution for diapers and clothing.  How elegant is this new look with the glass knobs and pulls?   I’m loving the two shades of gray green on this freshly painted dresser, ooh la la. 

I’ll share the play by play in the next post, including all the deets on how I patched the damaged top and filled the old holes to allow for the new hardware, plus a few of my tricks for priming and painting a classic wood piece like this.

But today is all about you, what paint projects have you completed lately?  Join the party and link up your latest !  Links close at 10 p.m. PST on Thursday, April 28th.

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Thanks so much to the 200+ participants in the Easter Ideas Link Party from earlier this week.  Wow, you all just inspire me with your creativity time and again!  What a fantastic collection of ideas for Easter mantels, crafts and tablescapes.  I’m just amazed!  Here are a few highlights from the par-tay.

Craft a vintage spoon egg holder with Cathe from Just Something I Made.

Create beautiful book page eggs with Dear Lillie.

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Time for a shout out to so many of you who linked up your creativity to this week’s Fair Weather Forum Link Party, all about spring projects.  Thank you to each and every one of you who participated!  There were over 400 inspiring links to browse, I was amazed at all of the creativity out there in blog land! 

Here are some highlights:

This coffee table turned bench by Fab Rehab Creations is a favorite!

I’m loving these chalkboard herb pots at Scissors and Spatulas.  They have me itching to plant my own herb garden whenever I have thyme.  Heh heh. 

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