Eat, Love, Revive

Hi there. Hope you all had a great holiday weekend.

My hubby and I just returned from a relaxing vacation with our dog, Otis. We visited Rockport, MA. Rockport is a small seaside community located on the northernmost tip of Cape Ann along with the city of Gloucester.

This is our third visit to Rockport (our first time with Otis) and if you happen to visit you will want to stay forever just to soak in the unspoiled scenery and charm. Here you will find some of the most beautiful beaches and scenery in the country.

Rockport's downtown and Bearskin Neck is filled with specialty gift and candy shops, art galleries, and some of the best restaurants in the state. 

Motif #1, a very iconic building, a fishing shack well known to students of art and art history as the "most often-painted building in America."

When visiting Cape Ann seafood is a must. My favorite spot for some lobster bisque and a lobster roll is The Lobster Pool Restaurant. The food is amazing and with views to match. 

We strolled through Halibut Point State Park known for hiking and it's granitic quarry pool. In one area you will have a vista of the huge quarry pool with the Atlantic Ocean in the background. Breath-taking!

Gloucester which is a quintessential fishing town, is home to Gorton's Seafood. The Fisherman's Memorial is a must see, the walkway along the harbor is a great place to sit and enjoy the view. 

 

Rockport is one of my favorite places to Eat, Love, and Revive!

Psst.... We also checked out a Antique Flea Market.... more to come on that.

Have a great week!

  

Pretting Up a Dog Food Bin

Since my first successful project with my a Silhouette, a vegetable basket. I figured I would step it up a notch and spruce up Otis's dry food bin. If you have a dog like me then you know you need a place to store the dry food. Most containers are unattractive, unless you spend a pretty penny. We've had this container from the day he came home back on 2007. As you can see it is just a generic container. 

Pretty blah isn't it? 

Do I hear "this is a job for my new Silhouette machine?"... I think I do! 

I downloaded a black and white image of a cocker spaniels face, and typed his name and the Grub Hub and printed them on black adhesive vinyl. I then drew a large dog bone, typed the word Yummo and printed them on red adhesive vinyl. Applied the graphics to the bin and wala a designer food bin. 

What have you done to spruce up your pets paraphernalia?

Have a Great Day!

Oh yeah what a Score!

Hi everyone.  Last December I treated myself to a Silhouette America Portrait Cutting Machine. I was getting to a creative funk and they were running this awesome special, so I splurged. Since then I have been doing some small projects to get familiar with the machine. There are so many things you can do with the Sihouette, it can seem overwhelming. So I figured I would start with a simple vinyl lettering project, a vegetable basket. 
 
I spotted this crate basket on Joss and Main, it was listed 2 for $52.00. 
Kind of steep. But oh so cute, just look at the chalkboard slate on the front. 

We’ll one day I was walking through Home Goods... When, what to my wondering eyes should appear but the exact same crate basket I was looking for, only it was $13.00 ea. Oh yeah what a score! I could barely contain myself as I made my way to the cashier. Best part I only need 1 basket, since that was all that would fit on my counter.

I pondered a few days on what to put on the slate. Then with a plan in hand I got to work. The Silhouette comes with a design program, so I played around with fonts and such. I then printed the text in white adhesive vinyl. Sorry, I didn’t take during pictures since I wasn’t sure how it would turn out. Silhouette gives you directions on how to use the vinyl and transfer paper to be able to apply the graphics. It’s pretty simple. Just look at the finished project. I just love it!

Have any of you used a Silhouette or Cricut for vinyl lettering?

Happy Hunting!

I was not asked by Silhouette to review or comment on the machine.

Sprucing up for Spring

Boy it has been a long winter in New England. Our tulips are just blooming. Better late than never. I have been itching to spruce up with some spring decor and add a little umph to our living space. I am starting in the living & dining room with my mantel and dining table. 

Here is my spring mantel. On the left is during the day and on the right is a night.

Letters are thick cardboard that I wrapped with jute twine. I found these cute little tin pots at the Dollar Tree. I used one on my mantel and added flowers to it. The sign is from Kohl's. Lantern from Pier 1. The ball is a Styrofoam ball that I wrapped with jute twine. The candle stick is a Styrofoam cylinder also wrapped with jute twine then I added burlap to the top and bottom. 

Here is my Table Centerpiece.

 
Here I used the other tin pot with a small boxwood topiary ball in it. The tray came from Hobby Lobby. My burlap runner I purchases on Etsy from HomesteadBurlaps. All candles are from my stash and they all have a timer feature. 

Thanks for stopping by!

What I have a Doctor's Appointment Tomorrow?!?!

If you are like me and my husband we have various appointment cards in various places. Some on the fridge, some on the counter, in your wallet, jean pocket.... etc.

On occasion we have been caught by surprise when we get home and hear a message on our answering machine that we have an appointment tomorrow.

So to help us be more organized I went to my local Hobby Lobby, gathered up some supplies and crafted a Message Board.

I bought a wooden frame, a canvas wrapped in burlap, jute twine, small metal clips, small red clothes pins, chalk board pins, hooks, tacks and a small red pail.

Assembling the Supplies

I screwed the burlap canvas to the front of the wood frame. Then added hooks to the bottom, strung the jute twine back and forth across the board, and added the clips.

Here is the finished product.

Message Board in Action

Now there is no excuse for being surprised by an appointment...lol