Procrastinated Project & Fun Finds

It's Met & Thrifty Monday again! Thanks to Susan at Between Naps on the Porch (Met Monday) and Rhoda at Southern Hospitality (Today's Thrifty Treasures) for being our gracious hostesses for these two fun events. These two gals always have some fabulous ideas and treasures to share with us, so don't forget to stop by their sites!

Who has time for much more than fun on a holiday weekend? In between swimming at the pool with our grandies and sharing a July 4th meal of "the best grilled steak I ever ate in my life" (thanks, SIL!)glazed with bleu cheese butter, fresh corn on the cobb, broccoli slaw, watermelon and homemade strawberry shortcake (and an "incroyable" hors d'oeuvre), the Boston Pops, fireworks, and church on Sunday, there wasn't much time left. We are so fortunate to live in this free country, thanks to our forefathers, who had faith in God and were wise enough to "build our house on the solid rock" of our Lord. I pray that we never forget that.

Anyway, last Monday I posted my porch and bemoaned the mildewy white rockers . Well, procrastination is over and done with, thanks to the Hubster, my hero.

He thoroughly-and when I say thoroughly, I mean 150%- cleaned those babies and then primed them and gave them several coats of black paint. That'll show that mildew! Ha! Try to show off now!

Sorry, I've gotta brag on Hubster!

Another redo - though not so obvious. I got some pillows at GW with down inserts for $2, and I put them in my needlepoint pillows and - voilà - they look much better! Oh, you see that baby? That is an old baby doll that I have at my house and I'll tell you what, the grandies fight over her! Why? I don't know, maybe they feel sorry for her, look at her hair!!! Grandie #1 washed her hair 4 times and it still looks like this. Anyway, she told me I should make a dress for the naked baby doll, so for $2 at HLobby I got fabric to make a dress, and there it is.

Isn't she cute?! Do you think a conditioner would help that hair?!!!

And now, what to do with the left over fabric? I made grandie #1 a matching apron (free!) -she LOVES to cook at my house!

Uh-oh, what about the other grandies? Got some HobLob butterfly fabric to make aprons for the flibberty-jibbert twins, and some polka dots for wild and crazy grandie #4. (I'll figure out something later for the boy grandies.)

This fun Pottery Barn curtain for $3 will work perfectly as a tablecloth!

And 3 yards of "La Petite Ferme" toile for $3 will also be made into a tablecloth (for those wonderful tablescapes!).

Now, this is a mystery - maybe you can help me out. It's a GW find at $5 - a lithograph or something called "Le Limonadier Napolitain" by the Gerhaut Frères, engraved by Morner.

It is Italian (I have French/Italian heritage on one side of the family), published in a French publishing house. The limonade stand in Naples. The frame is 18 x 16.

Debbie at Confessions of a Plate Addict and I were playing Sherlock Holmes, trying to figure out age, art medium, value, etc. I emailed the German framer below in Lindenassee, Germany.

They promptly emailed back and were very gracious, telling me it was framed sometime around 1965 or so and that it was sort of a political satire done around 1900. I may or may not have a treasure, but I love the dark tones of the background and the fact that it is Italian done by a Frenchman. Debbie says I should take it to the Antiques Roadshow, what do you think?

Anyway, hope you stop by Susan's and Rhoda's - you'll enjoy them and all the other participants! Happy Monday! Linda