I Took This Picture With My CELL! Christmas in Dixie..

I got a new cell phone this week.. One of my Cmas gifts to my self (the other was a hat lol), even though it was free... I had to renew my contract to get it free, therefore it's a present lol. Anyway it takes REALLY nice pictures!

We have had snow, snow, and more snow here today. The flakes have been HUGE. I went to my mother's house for a little bit, but came home before dark so I could avoid any ice that might form on the roads.. We Georgia folk arent used to all this.

Anyway, while at my mother's house I took some pretty pictures but the one above is my favorite.. I love it. Just seeing the snow falling here through the trees reminds me of that Alabama song, "Christmas in Dixie"...

By now in New York City.
There's snow on the ground.
And out in California.
The sunshines' falling down.
And maybe down in Memphis, Graceland's all in lights.
And in Atlanta, Georgia, there's peace on earth tonight.

Christmas in Dixie, its snowing in the pines.
Merry Christmas from Dixie to everyone tonight.

Its windy in Chicago.
The kids are out of school.
There's magic in Motown.
The city's on the move.
In Jackson, Mississippi to Charlotte, Caroline.
And all across the Nation, its a peaceful Christmas time.

Christmas in Dixie, its snowing in the pines.
Merry Christmas from Dixie, to everyone tonight.
And from Fort Payne, Alabama..Merry Christmas tonight.
(And from Calhoun, Georgia.. Merry Christmas tonight..)

Merry Christmas!!!

I just wanted to wish everyone a very, merry Christmas! Please have a wonderful holiday and be safe!

My Other Blog...

Hey everybody. Just wanted to drop in and ask everyone to PLEASE follow my other blog. I'm wanting to get started with a life, shopping, fashion, bbw type blog.. A Day in the Life of a Shopaholic, Glamour Goddess

Thank you in advance :)

Once I get moved to a new place (and goodness I hope that's soon) I will get back to both blogs with ferver.

Target Clearance. WOW!

Well I went to Cartersville, GA today with my best friend and her daughter.. We stopped in at Target and WOW! They had trench coats for 75% off! So I branched out! I did it! I got a khaki one and one thats brown (kinda like a brown black mix) with burgundy and camel color accents.. for $13.50 each!!!!! for less than $29.00 I got TWO TRENCH COATS!!!!! I now have my friend Amber in Chattanooga on the lookout for a black one. They didnt have a black in my size in Cartersville! I am making good use of my Cmas money from my mother :)

I recommend you go check it out. they had a lot of cute things on clearance.. I hope you find a good deal like I did!!!!

What are you into this season?

I guess this is a decorating AND fashion post.. I was just wondering what kinds of things everyone is into this year?

Right now I am in Full-on jewelry mode, and it's all about vintage for me. And vintage-inspired. I'm crushing on watches... I used to LOVE LOVE watches. Now that Ive had surgery on both my hands I find it harder to wear them because they bother my scars.. Oddly enough though, bracelets dont bother me.. So when I saw this bracelet on Victorian Trading Company that's made from watches I fell in love.. I've gathered up watch parts and I will post pics once I've made mine. I'm also all about watch parts, doilies, buttons (this one isnt a new thing either), and anything inspired by Anthropoligie's jewelry line. I cant afford their pieces, so Ill be making mine.

As far as clothing, I'm really liking dresses these days. I havent worn dresses in years really, but with the prospective new jobs, Id like to start wearing more dresses. Also, ive usually always stuck to black, red, purple, burgundy, and grey.. I need to branch out a little.. Right now I like the color Camel. I HATE brown. Ive always hated brown, but Camel seems a nice neutral brown.. And looks good with black..

Now as far as decorating, Im LOVING silver mercury glass. My mother bought me several pieces for Cmas this year.. There seems to be tons of it in stores around this time, and that suits me just fine.


So what things are you enjoying? :) Id love to hear.

If you dont wanna post on here you can email me at sassydevilbbw@yahoo.com and tell me :)

Missing in Action....

Whew... I havent been here in ages. I know I've been missing in action, but my life has been crazy. My once perfect house has turned evil on me. Actually it's my landlord who is evil, but I digress.

My air was basically out all summer. My landlord kept sending his "friends" to fix it and it never got fixed. Finally he called someone else and he fixed it the first time.... at the end of August.. Wow thanks! Because of this my house ran between 78 and 88 degrees and my power bills ran close to $350 a month. This is very bad news for someone on Unemployment.

THEN just as the air got fixed, the roof started leaking... on my bed. YAY! Its October, and for the record, it's STILL LEAKING! They are supposed to put a new roof on but Ive yet to see these phantom roofers.

While I was searching for more leaks I discovered that everything in both my hall closets was molded.. everything.. bedding, suitcase, leather jacket, every piece of winter clothing I own.. all my dressy coats... gone.. Because my landlord forgot to tell me there were water pipes and AC ducts behind the walls and I shouldnt use those closets.. Well he neglected to tell me this.. Plus what good is a closet you cant use right?

And during all of this I am beating the pavement trying to get a job. No such luck. Every interview Ive been called for has been in Tennessee, not even in Georgia.. Plus ive gone through several interviews just to be not hired in the end. Im very frustrated. Ive done everything right. My resume is good, Ive taken the Georgia Work Keys exam and made two Platinums and a Gold, Ive got more resumes out there than a picnic has ants.. I just dont know what else to do. I even signed up for the Georgia Works training program, but dont have anyone training me yet. Apparantly you have to have experience to get the jobs. I guess they dont know the meaning of a training program.. So yeah! VERY frustrated..

Add into this that I'm bi-polar and didnt have any of my meds because I lost my insurance (Who can afford $700 a month for one pill?) and you've got the makings of a VERY crazy few months..

I need to move because my perfect house has turned out to be falling apart and my landlord wont fix it.. But who can move without a job? Just call me "Out of Luck"..

I finished my Diningroom Chairs! A Peek into the Dining Room

I searched and searched for months (since January) for the perfect dining chairs to go with my table. I had no luck for months, then one day I found them! I talked the owner, David, of the Calhoun Antique Mall into selling them to me instead of putting them into the auction.. They are perfect.. Antique and in GREAT shape, very sturdy, have GREAT legs, AND have fleur de lis on them!!! Given my fleur de lis obsession I dont think they could be more perfect, all I had to do was cover them.. I got 6 chairs from the early 1900's for $125! (this before my lovely layoff).. I found some awesome fabric at Hobby Lobby to cover them with. It's a super thick, tone on tone, black woven fabric with a sort of damask pattern stitched on.. It was about $17 a yard I think but I had a 40% off coupon so I got a deal! I got two yards and headed home.... and did nothing... for weeks... The fabric was so thick that I knew it would be tough to do alone, so when my friend Kay volunteered to help I said "Heck yeah!".. It took 3 installments but we finished them this morning! I love how they turned out and how they look with the table. Here's a before and after:

BEFORE:


AFTER:


LIGHTENED BOTTOM VIEW TO SHOW PATTERN:


SIDE BY SIDE: BEFORE AND AFTER


And here's how they look with the table.. I just wanted to give you a peek. I will post better diningroom pics once I have everything done and where I want it :) I put 4 of the chairs with the table and put the other two by the window in the corners with pillows in them..

Goodwill Chaos..

They opened a new Goodwill near me, in Cartersville,GA. My friend Kay and I went down there for the opening. We got there at about 9am and it was so crowded that we could barely find a place to park! It got worse once we got inside the store..

It was complete MADNESS in there! People were everywhere! There were so many people that you could not walk..Everyone pushing, shoving.. It was terrible.. And they had no room to put all the furniture. They were bringing out pieces, waiting til they had sold, then replacing them from their stores in the back.

The first thing I picked up I broke! It was a beautiful jar. My favorite thing in the entire store. But just as I picked it up a lady knocked into me and it went flying. It broke all over my foot and it cut my hand. Goodwill workers converged on me immediately to make sure I was ok.. Blood everywhere from a tiny, tiny cut.. LOL it was horrible..

Then I finally made my way to the book section.. There was this man and woman with two FULL carts blocking the entire row. They were taking some sort of scanner and scanning the books to see what they were worth online! Well, they must have thought they OWNED that row, because the woman in the duo literally SHOVED me into an elderly woman.. intentionally.. Now my temper has cooled a lot but I got mad.. I rammed her with my shoulder lol She went flying back and needless to say, when she looked up and saw the look on MY face, she went the other way.. What is WRONG with people nowadays?

I did end up finding one good thing. I love it.. When I was carrying it around, people kept commenting on how pretty it was. I got a silver plated cake stand!!!! Not sure exactly what Im going to do with it yet, but isnt it great?



I am in the process of working on my dining chairs right now-covering them. Only two done so far, but me and Kay are working on them again in the morning. The fabric is horrible to work with, but gorgeous. I'm almost finished with my dining room. It has really come together. Once I get it all fixed ill post pics.. Dining chair pics to come soon!

I'm Back!

Well, I'm back.. Very anti-climactic, I know. I have been MIA because I got laid off.. They had said it would be several weeks before we got laid off, but then called that same week on Wednesday and said "OK well, tomorrow is your last day.. you're going to be laid off." That's right.. One days notice. Nice huh? Anyway, I didnt have the net at home but I'm back up and running now.. My old trusty laptop hadnt been fired up in a year but it's working just fine. So yes, I'm back..

In the time I was gone a lot has happened. I found the perfect dining chairs for my set.. I had a yard sale and sold everything but about 3 things.. go me! lol And now I am moping around my house because I am bored and I have no money and no job.. Ahhhh, Isnt life grand? Anywayyyyyy, I've got resumes and applications in everywhere. I am trying to stay positive, though when I get bored that is not easy to do.

So here's my goals for myself while I have no job:

1. Clean and arrange my house (this is easier said than done since I have two bad hands and cant move things well.. I HAVE, however, discovered that putting something on a rug and sliding it works halfway well lol

2. Finish un-done craft projects.. this is including covering aforementioned dining chairs and paining everything that's ben left unpainted.

3. Do not wallow in self-pity.. Maybe this should be #1.. Admittedly, Ive been wallowing.. No job, no money, no friends in town.. No! Must not wallow...

4. Think about what I want to be when I grow up.. This one has eluded me for years.

5. Catch up on reading.. I havent read a book in ages.. I need to sit my bum down and read something good.. My friend April brought me the "Olympians" series.

6. Remember these goals and actually DO them..

7. Have another yard sale to clear out more clutter.

Does anyone else have anymore suggestions for anti-boredom? Because I'm open! lol

I missed everyone and I'm sure I missed lots of good blogs.. Maybe I should make that #8..

8. Catch up on blogs that I missed while away and post pics of my projects when I finish.

Some of my New (to me) Furniture....

I have been extremely behind about posting.. And today at work it's been relatively slow SO I'm going to catch up a bit.. Recently I've picked up some new, yet well-worn-in, furniture pieces.. Because of this my house is filled almost to capacity. I MUST have a yard sale soon! Some of the pieces I've gotten are a roll-top desk, antique buffet, clawfoot side tables, and a new coffee table.. Now the coffee table isnt really supposed to BE a coffee table.. It's too tall.. BUT I love it.. It was literally Love at First Sight.. I did not hesitate to get it at all.. It was $29, and it is absolutely one of my favorite pieces EVER!

I dont have pics of the clawfoot tables yet. Im going to re-do those so Im waiting on that.. But Ive got pics of the rest :)

Dont pay attention to the mess.im moving everything around! :)

I love the buffet and all it's old scratches.. The one thing I do NOT love is the smoke smell.. it's awful. I had to wipe it down with pure white vinegar.. But inside the drawers.. well.. there are no words.. I have wiped them out with vinegar... it helped a bit.. then I sprayed them down with vinegar and lemon juice.. it helped a bit.. but the smell is still there.. it's driving me insane because I want to use it!!! I think Im going to have to just rip the velvet lining out of the one drawer and spray them all again with vinegar and lemon juice.. Maybe that will help.. I assure you that candleabra has all red candles now lol







The desk rolls really well and i love the little cubbies inside it.. It will work great with my laptop!



And finally.. My awesome, fabulous, new coffee table.. *sigh* Yes, it's true love.. I love the curves and the legs and unique details.. Pay no attention to the rug or the mess lol






I'm going to that yard sale next weekend and I cannot wait! Im hoping to find bargains galore.. Ive got a whole LIST of things Im looking for lol.. it's sad really.. But topping the list is dining chairs, a rug for my livingroom, mirrors, anything with peacocks, and a cool looking chest of drawers for my bedroom. Wish me luck and few trips in my car lol!

90 Mile Dixie Highway Yard Sale (Georgia)

I got a second to pop on at work and figured I would send out a note about an upcoming,glorious event here in Georgia-the 90 Mile Dixie highway yard sale.. It's June 4-6 this year and follows highway 41 (Dixie Highway) here in Georgia.. It's always been great fun.. If you live near Georgia you should come on out!! My friend Kim is flying down this year from Seattle and she will be here for the Yard Sale!!!! (she hasnt been here since 2001)..YAY..

An Update. Not Around As Much...

Hey there. I havent been around as much lately.. They moved me from night shft to day shift. They finally did away with night shift. I am not sure how long day shift will even last. Maybe two weeks, maybe two months..

I applied for a customer Service job at my company and Ive already had my working assessment and my interview. I should know whether or not I get the job by next week.. But if I do get it, there wont be a lot of extra time.. I will work 12 noon til 9 pm and I will have a 45 minute commute each way.

I am hoping that I can find a better job somewhere else, even if it means leaving a company where I have ten years seniority. The company I work for has really just stopped valuing people and is basically cutthroat these days.. Wish me luck!

My *New/Old* Bedside Tables.. From White to Black..

I have been looking for bedside tables that will fit several bills at once for months..

1. I must love them..
2. They must have great details..
3. They must be matching..
4. The must be able to FIT beside my bed..

The last one is a toughie.. In my room, there's really only one good wall suitable for a nice headboard and finding thin enough tables to fit, without sacrificing the second table, was proving difficult.. I had been looking since December..

I had this image in my mind of what I wanted and when I dig my heels in, I usually don't let go til I get what I want.. I had looked at everything thrift and antique store around, with no luck, until two weeks ago..

I was cruising at the Antique Mall in Adairsville and spotted two matching end tables.. Nice details? Check... Right color? Nope.. but that's an easy fix.. Would they fit? Yes they would! AND the handles even had flourished versions of fleur de lis on them!! The price tag? $100 for the pair.. I walked away...

During that entire week though I couldnt stop thinking about those tables.. I fantasized about how they would looking.. I longed, I pined... I got a day of overtime at work.. I decided to go get them..

When I got there I was terrified that they would be gone.. So as I walked in I was on edge.. But guess what? They were there!!!!! and guess what else?? The seller had dropped the price to $80 for the pair!!! Joy, rapture, and happy dancing ensued.. Those babies were MINE MINE MINE!!!

I paid for them, loaded them up, and headed to Home Depot for my paint.. I bought 2 cans of Krylon Fusion Satin Black and a Gloss Enamel Sealant..

The next day I painted them... I got almost done and had to go for more paint but it was worth it!! Here's the pics!!! What do you think? I love them and they fit great!!!! Ill post pics of my entire bedroom once it's all settled like I want it.

BEFORE:



AFTER:





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An Awesome Clock Giveaway!~

There's a fabulous clock giveaway going on over at The Stories of A to Z.. It's a choice of a beadboard clock or a HUGE red clock both custom made by Staci from Craftify it..

Go on over to The stories of A to Z and get yourself into the drawing.. Who wouldnt want either one of those fab clocks?

What Do I Want to Be When I Grow Up?

Well, it is finally coming down to it.. One of two things is about to happen..

1. In a few weeks I will be laid off from work

OR

2. In a few months I will be laid off from work


I have survived layoffs several times now, but there's no way to survive when your entire department for the county is getting laid off.. What I don't know is when. I don't know if I will be a part of the first group to get laid off in a few weeks or the second group in a few months.

I'm hoping I can at least survive for a few more months.. Maybe I can find my way through.. I've been at this job for over 10 years now.. I'm good at it.. I'm dependable. But none of that matters to a company where they care more about lint on carpet than about people..

But this could be a blessing in disguise. I hate it here.. I have for years.. I stay because the economy got bad and I was afraid to go anywhere else.. But now, being forced out, maybe I will actually find something that I like.. Which leads me to the all-important question of the day, er... week?...year?.. century?

What do I want to be when I grow up?

I know what I WANTED to be.. When I was so young and idealistic.. But I am not young OR idealistic anymore.. And now, given who I am today, What do I want to be?

The simple answer is that I just want to be happy..

I am relatively happy now.. With myself, at least. No, I dont like my job, but again, I'm good at it and Im proud of that. I have things in my life that keep me happy.. I have better people in my life now.. Yes, I am single, but I dont see that as a reason to be unhappy.. When I find the right person I will just know.. and then Ill be more happy..

Im rambling I know.. But does anyone know how we figure out what we want to do? or be? I mean yes, we can make a list of the things we like and that we do well.. and that's all well and good in theory, but how do we KNOW what will keep us happy?
If anyone has figured out even a way to start please let me know..

A Little Bit of Bling!

I bought these cute and fancy little frames at Michael's a month or so ago for $1.00 each. I FINALLY got around to painting them. I chose Krylon's Banner Red! They were yellow and Silvery before.. They didnt have glass in them though. They just had plastic.. It was glued into the round one and I had to tear it all up to get it out.. Oh well, but I figured Id either get some glass somewhere (or maybe small mirrors hehe) or do something else to it.

Yesterday while I was poking through drawers in my craft room I found a little bit of bling.. It had previously been one of those purse hangers that you hang on the edge of a table, but my friend's purse was so heavy that it broke hers.. She gave the pretty, top part to me.. What can I say? It's shiny.. rhinestones and some lacquer lol.. I pulled it out and laid it down for a while on my craft table..

Later in the day I was poking through my jewelry box.. Since Ive had several surgeries on both my hands, it is nearly impossible for me to wear rings anymore.. Unless they are just HUGE I'm out of luck (my hands swell).. I pulled out one of the costume jewelry rings that Id bought at Torrid and started eyeing it.. An Idea started to come together.. What else could a shiny red frame need more than a bit of bling, right?




Items Needed for this project:
small frames
thin cardboard (I save the backs from notepads and stuff from work and use them in crafting)
scrapbook paper
Mod Podge
Bling (My former purse holder and my huge ring)



My small frames only had the "backs" of the frames in them, no inserts, so I took some of that extra thin cardboard and made inserts to decoupage my paper to. I still had the little plastic front from the square frame so I could use it as a stencil but the one from the round frame was pretty torn up.. Luckily I had a bunch of round things on my desk that were ardoun the same size as I needed. I think I used the bottom of a candleholder for my pattern for the round one.

Once I had the inserts cut out I chose my paper. I decided to go with two different kinds of paper for more interest. I used my inserts as patterns and cut out my paper shapes. Then I decoupaged them on to my inserts.. I put them aside and let them dry.. While they were drying I removed the "ring" part from my big ring.

Once they were dry I put the inserts in the frames.. They already looked a lot better. Then I hot glued the Big ring and the Purse Bling into the middles of the frames... Now they are a nice little addition to the shelves on my built-ins! :)




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Make it for Monday! Go Check out my Monogram Iron Piece featured in her favorites!


And a brand spankin new Linky Party at Punkin Seed Productions! Go check it out ladies.

More wreaths.. Burlap, fabric, flowers, and frames

I saw on one of the blogs here (I can't remember whose, I'm sorry) where someone used one of those cute barn-like frames from the dollar tree for a wreath. I was looking for Easter gifts to make for my friends and family so I thought something like that would be great..

I made my friend Kay one for the inside of her house.. She likes Burlap and burgundy and all things country..

Items needed for this project:
Grapevine wreath
burlap
2 colors or prints of fabric
Beads in a coordinating color (or buttons or just something for the middle of the flowers)
Barn-like frame
printed off words, name, whatever you want to put in your frame
Ribbon for bow
Doily (stiffened)
Needle and thread
Paint for frame (mine was black before I painted it)
Hot Glue gun

I painted the frame a rusty-burgundy color and then sealed it with matte spray sealant.. Then I took a cream colored small doily from the dollar tree and used one part glue and one part water to stiffen it.. I dried it over a plastic bowl to shape it. I let both those dry over night..The doily came out looking similar to a flower..

First I printed out my words, in this case it was the last name of my friends, then added it to the frame. I removed the stand from the back of the frame then hot glued it to the grapevine wreath. I made a regular ole bow out of burgundy and gold ribbon and glued that on just under the frame. Then I glued my doily to the center of the bow..

I cut out different sizes of circles in the burlap and fabric.. I made the burlap circles largest, the burgundy a bit smaller, and then the printed fabric I did a bit differently. I didnt use regular scissors. I used wavy edge scissors for those.. Then I sewed the circles together in the middle. Once that was done I added my beads.. Luck had it that I had some burgundy beads shaped like flowers. I glued those to the center of the fabric flowers. Then I glued my burlap and fabric flowers into the wreath, adding one to the inside of the doily also.

I think it turned out great! And even better, my friend Kay loved it!






Next I did an outside spring wreath for my mother.. Everything on this wreath came from the dollar tree~! My mother loves blue. I found some cute blue and purple flowers at the Dollar tree that I thought would work nicely.

Items needed for this project:
Hard wreath
Ribbon for bow
Silk flowers
Barn-like Frame
Words for inside frame
Glue gun

I figured I would use silk flowers for this since it was going outside. I also found a big hard wreath at the dollar tree. I figured that would be better too since it was going outside.

I painted my frame cream color. Then I added my mother's name to the frame. This was the first thing I glued to my wreath.Then I made a regular old bow out of purple ribbon. I glued it just below the frame and added a flower to the middle of the bow. Then I just glued on flowers til I got it looking the way I wanted. I added a bit of bowdabra bow wire to the top for hanging it.





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Make it for Monday! Go Check out my Monogrammed Iron Piece! She put it as one of her favorites from last week's party :)


A Brand New Link Party at Punkin Seed Productions!!!! Go Check it out Ladies!!

Wreath for my Front Door... Plus....

It's no secret that I am a little "different" sometimes.. Sometimes I just dont want to be like everyone else.. And that's where the vision for my front door wreath started.. With my being different and having a feather obsession..

I drew ideas out over and over and changed my mind so many times that it makes me dizzy just thinking about it. But when I finally took a look at what I had and loved it all took shape..


Then I went looking for something to hang it on.. I KNEW I wanted an iron piece, even if I had to make something.. I got lucky! I found this over-the-door iron wreath holder at Hobby Lobby for $14.99 PLUS half off.. Pretty good for $7.50.. After I got the wreath holder it just all came together.. So different and SO me!



First, I gathered all my materials..

Black spray paint (gloss)
Silver spray glitter
Monogram E (metal one)
Red Spray paint (gloss)
Black ostrich feathers (I used two large ones)
Red ribbon
2 antique silver buttons
Silver damask-like christmas ornament (I chose one with a crystal on the end)
AND Hot glue gun and gluesticks


First I spray painted my wreath black and my monogram "E" red... After the wreath dried I sprayed it with the silver glitter.. After everything was dry I went to work assembling and I plugged in my glue gun.

First I tied my two feathers together with a bit of bow wire (the soft kind used in bowdabras), but anything will do, even a rubber band because it will be covered. Then I tied my bow and slipped the feathers into it, making sure the bow wire was covered..

THEN I took a look at my "E". It had two holes drilled in the side for wiring but I didnt need them so I used antiqued silver buttons to cover the holes and add interest. I hot glued the buttons to the "E" then glued the "E" to the enter of the wreath.. Then I glued my feathers and bow on.. Once everything was secure I took my ornament and looped it over the feathers so it would dangle and could be used again later if I should choose to. I then glued a hanger to the back and once it was all dry I hung it on the door.. viola!~ Im really happy with how it turned out.. :)







And while I was wreath-making I ended up making one for my mother.. I had previously gathered up flowers that matched an arrangement she had done in her house, So I put them all together and made a wreath for her. I took it to her yesterday and she loved it!



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