Happy Mother’s Day

Mama Mallard and her ducklings

Happy Mother’s Day. This is the second Mother’s Day here in Ontario, Canada, where you can’t get together with your family (unless you live in the same home) and it adds a whole new level of appreciation for moms. Dads, too, of course, but today we are celebrating all things Mom.

I have three children. I remember well the hectic days when they were toddlers and the stressful years when they were on the verge of adulthood. And the last few years I have been blessed to witness an amazing transformation as one of my sons became a father. And, just recently, we received the joyous news that our daughter is about to become a mother this autumn. Something exciting and wonderful to think about in these un-ending lockdowns.

To all the mothers out there…to all those who take on the role of mother…to those who care for, nurture, provide wisdom and guidance for those in their care, I thank you. We thank you. Our mothers are the centers of our universe.

Sparrow feeding fledgling

For those who have lost their mothers, I understand how that feels. I miss my mother every single day. I remember the laughter we shared, the wisdom she imparted and the life lessons she taught me. Her spirit lives on.

Changing it up…

A simple and quick and very fun project, I changed this inexpensive table lamp, shade and all, in a few hours from white and boring to something more unique.

24″ table lamp with plastic base

For this project I went to my go-to paint: Annie Sloan Chalk paint. It is very versatile and can be used to paint a variety of surfaces without any time-consuming prep work.

I used Annie Sloan Graphite for the lamp base and bands around the shade. For the shade body I used Annie Sloan Duck Egg.

The lampshade was a boring beige-color burlap. I decided to highlight the bands on the top and bottom and paint the entire shade.

Boring beige? Not for long!

I used green painters tape to cover the band and painted the body of the shade first with the Duck Egg blue chalk paint. I did two coats (allowing about 30 mins between coats) and then removed the tape and taped off above and below the band and used a flat 1″ art brush to paint the bands with the Graphite chalk paint. Note that the fabric essentially soaks in the paint so when you turn the lamp on, there will be variations on the shade which makes for a very cool effect.

Lessons learned: Note that if you paint the shade a dark color, you will probably lose a little of the light’s function. So I wouldn’t recommend painting a fabric shade if the light is being used for task lighting.

The boring white base (some kind of plastic) was shiny and looked inexpensive. While latex paint would not adhere to such a shiny surface without sanding or priming, I did nothing to this base before applying the paint. Two coats of Graphite chalk paint. The first coat is always thin looking.

First coat of Graphite chalk paint on the white base.

I let the paint dry (approximately 20 minutes) and put on the second coat. That was all that was required.

Then I put a lightbulb in, attached the shade and put the new lamp in place.

Finished!

The beauty of these little DIY projects is that you can completely personalize your home. Having a difficult time finding just the right accent piece? Find something plain and boring (and, in this case, less than $25) and do it yourself! You’ll be so happy you did!

** I do not get paid to promote any type of paint or any of the supplies. These are just products I have used and adore and have used in various applications with great results.

Poetry in rain…

Allium (Purple Sensation)

Begonia

Columbine (Aquilegia)

Tulip (Angelique)

Osteospermum (African Daisy)

Variations in Green

I pondered green
in all its connotations
from leaves and stems
and beauteous gems
and jealousy’s damnation

I love the greens
I nibble on
for lunch and dinner, too
I love the greens
of apples and pears
and melon’s honeydew

in retrospect the color green
colors so much of my world
in popsicles and jellybeans
and lollipops gently swirled
in fabrics for clothing and home décor
in gym bags and umbrellas
in sparkling eyes of girls and guys
and one particularly special fella

My cat, Stix, at ten months

Spring greens…

Spring erupts and chartreuse colors my world.