Swing into Spring - it's a Party #170

Welcome to this week's Swing into Spring party.

Last week's party was filled with so many awesome ideas and inspiration.

Here are this week's features:

HOME DECOR:

Our Home Away from Home  shared a tutorial on how she transformed her drapes into drapes with grommets.  Super easy and it changed the whole look of the room.

FURNITURE TRANSFORMATIONS:

Home Coming shared their refinished stairwell.  Love the darker color.  This is definitely on my "to do" list.

CRAFTY CREATIONS:

House of Bennetts shared how they created this DIY coffee table tray.  Super cute!

TASTY TREATS:

Lambert's Lately shared a recipe for this super tasty chunky monkey breakfast smoothie!

If you were featured, please grab an "I've Been Featured" button.  You can find my buttons by clicking on the buttons tab right under my header.  Now let's get started with this week's party.  I can't wait to see what you have been up to.  Link up anything you have been working on...home decor, sewing, crafts, organizing, baking, recipes, etc.  I will keep this link open through Friday.

A few rules:

1.  Please become a follower (if you already follow me on Google, I would love for you to follow me on Linky Followers as well).

2.  Please link back to the party.  This way word can spread about the party.  The more people at the party, the more fun we will have, and the more views your posts will receive.

3.  Please enter the link to your actual post, not just a link to your main blog page.

4.  Please visit others who have linked up.  Everyone works hard on their projects and blogs...let's show each other some love by visiting each other.  Let's have some fun and hopefully make a few new friends along the way.

Ok...Let's party!!

-Judy

Swing into Spring - It's a Party #169

Welcome to this week's Swing into Spring party.

Last week's party was filled with tons of great ideas and inspiration.

Here are this week's features:

HOME DECOR:

Our Home Away From Home shared the changes she has made to her home library. 

 What a beautiful room.

FURNITURE TRANSFORMATIONS:

Delusions of Ingenuity transformed an old floral chair into this beauty by painting it with chalk paint. Love it!!

CRAFTY CREATIONS:

So Much Better With Age gives a full tutorial on how she created this faux embroidered lamp shade.  Great job!

TASTY TREATS:

Lou Lou Girls shared her recipe for strawberry banana pudding. Yummy!

If you were featured, please grab an "I've Been Featured" button.  You can find my buttons by clicking on the buttons tab right under my header.  Now let's get started with this week's party.  I can't wait to see what you have been up to.  Link up anything you have been working on...home decor, sewing, crafts, organizing, baking, recipes, etc.  I will keep this link open through Friday.

A few rules:

1.  Please become a follower (if you already follow me on Google, I would love for you to follow me on Linky Followers as well).

2.  Please link back to the party.  This way word can spread about the party.  The more people at the party, the more fun we will have, and the more views your posts will receive.

3.  Please enter the link to your actual post, not just a link to your main blog page.

4.  Please visit others who have linked up.  Everyone works hard on their projects and blogs...let's show each other some love by visiting each other.  Let's have some fun and hopefully make a few new friends along the way.

Ok...Let's party!!

-Judy

How to Care for Teak Furniture

Happy Monday!

We had a beautiful weather all weekend which allowed us to work outside and really get the backyard ready for the season.  

Teak is one of the most beautiful high quality woods available.  It's a very dense, straight-grained hardwood with a coarse texture.  It is resistant to rotting and is almost impervious to the effects of sun, rain, snow and frost.  It makes it perfect for outdoor use.  

We have outdoor dining chairs with teak arms, a teak coffee table and a teak bench in our backyard.  This weekend we spent a little time maintaining these pieces.  Most of the teak arms on our dining set are in perfect condition, but they had grayed and dried out a little bit causing splinters.  We store the furniture in our shed during the winter.  I don't know if an animal got into the shed and ate some of this arm or what, but it was in need of some maintenance.  Teak starts out a warm golden color, but turns to a gray patina usually within a year.  I am not as big a fan of the gray so I also wanted to address that.

Using an electric sander, I sanded the arms of all of the chairs.  Some needed more sanding than others, but in the end they all were smooth and not going to give our guests splinters anymore.  

After sanding all of the arms, I applied two coats of teak oil.  Honestly I think teak oil should be applied each year.  We have owned these chairs for 15 years and I think this is only the second or third time we have done this.  It makes a huge difference and helps prolong the life of the teak.

Next I turned my attention to the teak coffee table we bought a few years ago from Restoration Hardware.  You can see the difference between the side with the teak oil and the side without.  I also power washed and sanded this piece before applying the teak oil.  You can also use a teak cleaner before the oil to clean the piece thoroughly.  It's best to start with a clean piece to get the best results.

The most dramatic difference was this teak bench that my husband bought for me as an anniversary gift 14  years ago.  It was a mess covered in green and apparently attacked by bird droppings.  We were so busy that I forgot to snap a before photo.  After power washing it and lightly sanding it, it looks brand new.  

So if you're like me and you prefer to keep your teak's original golden color, rather than letting it turn a gray patina,  just lightly sand and then apply a teak cleaner and protectant.  Well worth the time and effort.  Have a great day!

Judy

Swing into Spring - It's a Party #168

Welcome to this week's Swing into Spring party.

Last week's party was filled with so many awesome ideas and inspiration.

Here are this week's features:

HOME DECOR:

Forever Decorating  shared a MacKenzie Childs inspired guest bedroom.  You must stop by to see how she created this room.  

CRAFTY CREATIONS:

Jewelry Making Journal gives a great tutorial on how she created this bracelet.

FURNITURE TRANSFORMATIONS:

Simply Vintageous by Suzan does wonderful transformations on furniture.  Be sure to stop by to check out this and other projects she has done.

TASTY TREATS:

Lamberts Lately  shared a recipe for pimento cheese puffs.  Yummy.

If you were featured, please grab an "I've Been Featured" button.  You can find my buttons by clicking on the buttons tab right under my header.  Now let's get started with this week's party.  I can't wait to see what you have been up to.  Link up anything you have been working on...home decor, sewing, crafts, organizing, baking, recipes, etc.  I will keep this link open through Friday.

A few rules:

1.  Please become a follower (if you already follow me on Google, I would love for you to follow me on Linky Followers as well).

2.  Please link back to the party.  This way word can spread about the party.  The more people at the party, the more fun we will have, and the more views your posts will receive.

3.  Please enter the link to your actual post, not just a link to your main blog page.

4.  Please visit others who have linked up.  Everyone works hard on their projects and blogs...let's show each other some love by visiting each other.  Let's have some fun and hopefully make a few new friends along the way.

Ok...Let's party!!

-Judy

Happy Birthday Sydney

14 years ago today I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl.  I have tried to enjoy each and every moment since God blessed me with her.  Times flies by so quickly and seems to be going faster and faster each day.  

Happy Birthday Sydney!  I love you to the moon and back ... and back again!

Swing into Spring - It's a Party #167

Welcome to this week's Swing into Spring party. 

Last week's party was filled with so many awesome ideas and inspiration.

Here are this week's features:

HOME DECOR:

Beaux R'eves  shared her gorgeous living room.  She has the most stunning home.

FURNITURE TRANSFORMATIONS:

Turtle and Tails  shared a tutorial on how she recovered this ottoman in ten minutes.

CRAFTY CREATIONS:

Our Home Away From Home  transformed existing artwork.  You must stop by to see the before and after.

TASTY TREATS:

Day2Day Super Mom created this super cake using glazed donuts and frosting.  Wow!

If you were featured, please grab an "I've Been Featured" button.  You can find my buttons by clicking on the buttons tab right under my header.  Now let's get started with this week's party.  I can't wait to see what you have been up to.  Link up anything you have been working on...home decor, sewing, crafts, organizing, baking, recipes, etc.  I will keep this link open through Friday.

A few rules:

1.  Please become a follower (if you already follow me on Google, I would love for you to follow me on Linky Followers as well).

2.  Please link back to the party.  This way word can spread about the party.  The more people at the party, the more fun we will have, and the more views your posts will receive.

3.  Please enter the link to your actual post, not just a link to your main blog page.

4.  Please visit others who have linked up.  Everyone works hard on their projects and blogs...let's show each other some love by visiting each other.  Let's have some fun and hopefully make a few new friends along the way.

Ok...Let's party!!

-Judy

Getting Ready for House Guests

My daughter will receive the Sacrament of Confirmation this Saturday.  After months of preparing suddenly it's almost here.  Three years ago we had my son's Confirmation party in our backyard.  We had the most terrential rain storm that weekend and the stress of that made my daughter decide there and then that we would not be having her party in the backyard.  So we are having it at a local catering hall and it's so nice not to have to worry about the weather.  

My daughter's Godparents are from Miami and will be arriving on Friday.  We met her Godparents on a cruise around Italy and Greece almost 18 years ago.  They were on their honeymoon and we were on a vacation prior to having any kids.  We were inseparable with each other during that trip and they have been like family ever since.  

I spent some time getting the guest room ready this weekend.  The guest room tends to be the place things go that don't have a home so it took a little bit of organizing to get it ready.  The one thing I had wanted to do prior to them arriving was sew a new bed skirt.

I picked a buffalo plaid fabric in a sea breeze color.  It's still on my to do list but it will have to wait until after the party.

I always try to have all the essentials on hand for house guests to make them feel at home...fresh towels, toiletries,...

magazines, etc.  I always appreciate having magazines to flip through when staying in someone else's home.

Plus, it's always nice that our guest room has one of the best views in the whole house.  

It's going to be crazy this week with last minute preparations.  Hope to see you all at my Swing into Spring party tomorrow night at 8pm EST.  

-Judy

I Hope this means Warmer Weather is on the Way

My favorite time of the year is when I get the letter from our pool company setting the date for the pool to be opened.  By contrast, one of my least favorite times of the year is when we get the letter with the date the pool will be closed. Lol

It's been a long, long winter and not a very warm spring here in New York.  Yesterday was the big day for the pool to be opened.  We had 40 degree temperatures and heavy rain all day yesterday and overnight as well.   I felt bad for the pool guys working out there in the pouring rain.

The positive to all of that rain yesterday and overnight was that the pool got filled without a hose.  Finally...something free.  We took out the patio furniture last weekend and my husband spend all day Saturday power washing everything.  This weekend the pool furniture will come out.  This has to mean that warmer weather is coming...right??

Another good sign that warmer weather is coming is "our" ducks are back.  For the past few weeks they have been mating away as they do every year.  They really seem to like our pool especially when the cover is still on with water on top of it.  I'm sure any day now I will wake up to a bunch of ducklings swimming around as we do every year.  It's all good!

Hope it's warming up where you are.

-Judy

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