Friday, June 24, 2011

Summer Projects: Some Fun, Some Not

I've been busy getting caught up with my early summer "To Do" list since school got out on Monday. Some of the projects were fun, some not so much fun. Here's how I did...

1. Get the porch, patio, and pool deck ready for summer. 
The fun part of this project was the decorating and accessorizing. The not-so-fun part was sweeping up dead bugs, replacing light bulbs (on those little strings of 100), and scrubbing lawn furniture...Ick! But, finally, the porch is officially "Open".













And here's where I sat when the job was done!

2.  Re-do vintage doll highchair.
This project has been on my "To Do" list for over a month now and I finally got to it. My sister, Nancy, bought this little chair on one of our road trips and never got  a chance to re-do it. I wanted to do it for her...in her favorite color...teal. This project goes in the category of "mostly fun"...loved the painting, didn't love gluing one part back together only to have another part fall off. All I have left to do on this one is sew a little cushion for the seat and I'm ready to call it good. I think Nancy would like it.

Before:

During:

After.
Nancy gave my daughter the doll so it seems fitting that she should get the "new" chair.

3. Transform drop cloths into banners.
Our local "Relay for Life" event is this weekend and the team Nancy started will walk in her memory to raise funds for the American Cancer Society. Our garage has been turned into a sign shop while I paint team banners on canvas drop cloths. This project actually turned out to be fun...lots of happy memories of previous Relays with Nancy kept me company while I painted.



(For those of you in Maine, Relay for Life begins at 6:00 p.m. Saturday evening, June 25th, at the Windham High School track...all are welcome to walk...good exercise for a good cause.)


4. Shop for bathing suit.
This definitely falls into the "not fun" category. When you're a little too old for a bikini and a little too young for a navy blue swim dress, shopping for a bathing suit can rank right up there on the fun meter with having a root canal. I did finally meet the challenge and find a suit before the 4th of July, beating my previous record of putting this project off until September. Now I can hit the beach looking, hopefully, just a little more "with it" than this.


Hope you are managing to have a little fun with your summer projects, too. For now it's back to the porch for me (refer to photo of green wicker rocker) to rest up after the trauma of trying on all those bathing suits!
I've missed joining so many great blog parties this past week that I'm making up for lost time and posting to quite a few this week. These are all wonderful blogs and I hope you will take some time to visit each of them:
Show & Share Day at Just A Girl
Summer Blog Party at French Country Cottage
Show & Tell Friday at My Romantic Home
Time Travel Thursday at Brambleberry Cottage
Catch As Catch Can at My Repurposed Life
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm
Home Sweet Home Party at The Charm of Home
Outdoor Wednesday at A Southern Daydreamer
Transformation Thursdays at The Shabby Chic Cottage
Saturday Nite Special at Funky Junk Interiors

10 comments:

Chris said...

Oh gosh! You've got a busy summer ahead of you! Some look like fun (drop cloths into banners--clever!) and some look not so fun (bathing suit shopping? No thanks!)! Thanks for sharing with us!

Martha said...

It's always nice to see items crossed off a list! Love what you did to the high chair!

Ever Green Tree said...

Summer wkshops are so much fun... Innovative idea and awesome pictures! The first two pic are so cute n colourful...kids would love it :)

Linda @ A La Carte said...

Cheryl your porch is wonderful. Very whimsical and I love that. It's good to get projects done. I've fallen behind on mine since my SIL's broken ankle but hopefully the next few weeks will find me back on track! Go Team Nancy!

hugs, Linda

Ando said...

Your the older sister. I don't know where you get your energy. Do you sleep? See you at Relay. Andi

Jane said...

Hi Cheryl,
My goodness have you been busy!! I love the bright, cheery colors of the summer porch...so inviting!!
Have fun at the Relay for Life event....such a great cause!
Jane

Sherry@Back2Vintage said...

You sure have gotten a lot accomplished! The doll chair is adorable...the color is perfect with all of the other colorful things on your porch!!! Good luck to your relay team!!!

The Charm of Home said...

Your porch is very nice. Love the little lights. Your high chair turned out very nice too! Thanks for linking it up to Home Sweet Home!
Sherry

WhyCuzICan said...

Lovely project and what a wonderful Sister Nancy has to carry on the good-fight against Cancer.

I, myself, am the wife of a stage 4 Kidney Cancer patient.

God Bless you and your HEART

Visiting from Cindy's Romantic Home Linky Party
Suzanne in IL

gail@My Repurposed Life said...

You've been very, very busy! The porch looks great!
I hope the relay for life was a huge success!
gail
ps catching you this week, thanks for linking up and linking back!