God Bless America

I hope all of you are enjoying this week.  I am surprised at how fast June has been flying by.  As we approach July, it is obvious that everyone thinks of the 4th of July.  With that in mind, I knew just what I was going to do with my most recent auction purchase.  Again, another piece that no one bid on.  I know, I just don't understand either.  Doesn't anyone else see the potential?!

 Here she is before any tlc.

You can see that we have a little veneer issue.  But overall, I felt she was a great little candidate for a patriotic makeover.  First thing I had to do was pull up the American flag to make sure I did, in fact, have the right amount of stripes.  I painted the base with Annie Sloan's Emperor's Silk.  Then, I painted the top white.  After measuring and a little math, I started taping off my stripes.

I picked up some star stickers at Dollar Tree instead of making a stencil.

I slapped on some blue paint from a sample I had.  As I peeled off the stickers, some of the white painted started to pull off.  Therefore, it would have to be distressed.  To finish it up, I applied clear and dark wax.  Now, she is an eye catcher!  All set and ready for a little patriotic guy or gal.

I decided to gear up for the 4th of July in my booth by adding this desk, bunting, and a little chalkboard word art.  I followed how Maison Decor made her bunting.  For the font for the 'Freedom' word art, I used Mutlu font.  I used the good ole' rub the back with chalk and trace over the front with a pencil.  To add even more of a pop, I had to add a little red and blue fireworks.

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Summer fun!

Hey! I haven't forgotten about you guys. I have just been a little busy. The kids have been out of school for a couple weeks. There has been tennis camp, swim lessons, library trips, a trip to Missouri and so much more. I am trying to make up for last summer of being drained from chemo and surgeries. Forgive me if I neglect the blog for a bit. I really will make an effort to post but I will make no promises. I am trying to really make some great memories with the kiddos. I hope you are enjoying this time as much as I am!

 

 

 

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Ugly duckling

Ugly duckling. Yes, that must be what everyone thought about this poor little desk at the auction. I couldn't believe NO ONE bid on it!

I got it at an absolute steal! It is true that she isn't the most well made but she had the bones too make for a nice redo. I decided to go with Annie Sloan's Graphite for the body and Old White for the drawers. Sorry for the poor quality of the picture. I took it with my archaic phone once I got it to my booth (I forgot my camera). It is a good thing I did. It was snapped up in 2 days!

See, a little lipstick can go a long way girls!
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Hip, hip, hooray!!

Yep! My surgery chapters should now be closed. After almost a full year, I finally had my surgery to exchange out these expanders for the implants this morning! I cannot tell you how excited I am. I have had a total of four surgeries this year: auxillary sentinel lymph node surgery with port installation, double mastectomy with placement of expanders and port removal, ovaries removed, and finally today exchanging out expanders for permanent implants. As I think about this past year, I am amazed at all I have endured. I never thought I would have experienced chemo, radiation, and 4 surgeries within this past year all by the age of 37! It truly has been a whirlwind this year.

Since most people have no experience with expanders, let me tell you about them. This is what a tissue expander (on left) looks like before being placed verses a silicone implant(right side). As you can see, the implant is squeezable.

vs.

Once the tissue expanders are placed, they fill it over time to stretch your skin and muscle. Here is a picture of how it is placed.

You can see, there is just a thin shell of muscle and skin. Needless to say, it is uncomfortable. I was able to adjust to it pretty quickly. The biggest problem with the tissue expanders is feeling pressure and the inability of movement. What has been taken away this past year was my ability to hold my children on my lap and cuddle with them. The pressure of them leaning back on me was too uncomfortable. I am so ecstatic to be able to hold the kiddos and let them lean on me. Just the idea of the implant being able to move is thrilling to me. I can't wait to wear a real bra again instead of a sports bra.

Today has marked another chapter closed on this breast cancer journey. I want to thank everyone for the support and prayers given to me through my journey. As I recoup from my last surgery, I hope you take time to enjoy your Memorial Day weekend! Thank you again for hanging in there with me! It has meant a lot!! Take care!

 

 

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