Welcome to Debbie-Dabble Blog!!
I am so happy you decided to stop by!!
Blogging has always been a stress reliever for me along with an avenue to share my passions which are my home and my garden.....
I
feel it is a personal Journal that, hopefully, someday, my Twin
Granddaughters will be able to look back on to learn about who I
was....
I will be posting 3 times a week on MONDAYS, THURSDAYS and SATURDAYS....
As always, click on each picture if you would like to enlarge it....
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A NOTE ABOUT COMMENTS
I
enjoy reading your comments and will return the favor by visiting and
commenting on your blog or reply to you directly here if you do not have
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And since I have a very busy life, like most of us do, it may take me awhile to return your comments but I promise I will....
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In my last post, I shared a few New Buys and how I did on my February Goals.....
Click HERE if you missed that post!!
You may have noticed that the title of this post says " Past Saint Patrick's Day Decor and Crafting".....
I know I mentioned in my last post that I was going to start to decorate the china cupboard in the Den for Saint Patrick's Day and hoped to share it with you today...
I decided not to decorate for Saint Patrick's Day as we are already into the first week of March.....
And I truly do need to give myself some Grace during this time of the year...
February 26th was the 38th Anniversary of my Dad's sudden, unexpected passing...
That day started a 7 week time frame in which I lost both parents, my Dad in 1987 then my Mother in 2004, and then Joe last year on April 16th....
It will be 21 years since we watched my Mother die a little bit everyday for 9 weeks in the hospital before honoring her DNR and admitting her to an Inpatient Hospice Unit where she passed away a few days later on March 29th....
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Joe's illness and passing forced me to once again relive this horrific period of time in my life when I was running to the hospital twice a day while working, as my Mother was not a patient in the hospital where I worked......
Joe was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer that spread to the liver on April 1st, 20 years to the date of my Mother's Funeral....
They say the first year after a loved one passes away is the hardest and that I know from experience that I wish I did not have....
Being honest, this time of year has been hard for me since I lost both of my parents and now, it will be even tougher as the memories of last year flood over me.....
So I realize that I need to give myself some Grace and not expect so much and push myself as hard as I usually do....
I know I am my own worst enemy as I set very high expectations and standards for myself but the one thing I am learning this year is to take time for Self Care...
I still have a hard time, even though I have not worked for 6 years now, not to burn the candle at both ends, so to speak...
Which is why I decided to skip my St. Patrick's Day decorating in the Den and just get right into Easter decorating...
And that is why I really do not have a lot of content to share for this post so I do apologize for that but sometimes Life happens.....
If you would like to see how I did decorate the china cupboard....
Using a lot of my collection of green Old Curiosity Shop dishes.....
That I was lucky enough to find most of the pieces in Salvation Army many years ago....
Along with the area around it......
Also using some pieces of vintage green depression glass.....
And the 4 ft. Tree on the side of it...
I thought I would also share some of the crafting I did in the past for Saint Patrick's Day....
I made this wreath many years ago......
Using mostly items purchased at Dollar Tree.....
I
bought this shamrock at a yard sale for $1 about 20 years ago and updated it over the years with
new silk flowers and shamrock picks and green ribbon woven to form a
border......
The ribbon, though pretty, was very dated so I decided last year to add some rich looking green velvet ribbon from my stash to it.....
I added 4 loops of the velvet ribbon here...
And a few here ...
I think it glammed it up a bit.....
A vintage styled sachet envelope that I embellished....
Joe bought this sign on Clearance for 90% off in Big Lot's a few years ago....
I decided to add a bit of something to it!
I actually thought that this was ribbon but when I took a closer look, I realized that it is tape!!
I guess I had no idea what I bought.....
I added it to the edges of the sign....
I think it spruced it up a bit, don't you????
I decided to use one of the clay pots I bought at a church flea market in the Summer for 25 cents....
And change it into a Leprechaun Hat planter!
First I painted it green and on the final coat, sprinkled green glitter
over it before it could dry, adhering the glitter to the pot when it did
dry.........
I did the same with the saucer that I had in my stash....
I painted the bottom rim of the saucer and top rim of the pot black...
Then I filled it with some green and white carnations....
And glued a gold coin to the pot.....
I also framed the vintage Irish postcards that my late friend Anne Marie gifted to me....
I
had gold Christmas cards, that I bought after Christmas one year on
clearance in Target, that were for photos to be placed inside of...
I then used up the green glittered peel and stick tape that I had in my stash, forming a border.....
Then I glued 2 gold coins to each one....
The post cards can still be taken out so no damage was done to any of the vintage cards.....
Since I ran out of the green glittered tape, I just placed 2 more cards in these and left them as is....
I bought this Tree Topper in Big Lot's on Clearance after Christmas for under $3.00......
I spray painted the metal bow white....
I thought I would be adding a bow on top of the metal one until I realized that this was tape and not ribbon.....
So I did this instead......
I think it definitely added a bit of something something to the Tree....
I hope you enjoyed seeing my past Saint Patrick's Day decor and crafting......
I
have managed to pack up all the Valentine's decor from the Living Room,except for the undecorating the Trees, which I will be doing today....
The Living Room usually takes me about 4-5 days to decorate for Easter because I also change the drapes, curtains and the linens over from Winter to Spring/Summer...
Then I do a deep clean like I do every time I change my Seasonal decor before I actually start to do any decorating....
With all that being said, I honestly do not know if I will be done in time to do a post on SATURDAY ...
I am also trying to get all my Tax info together for my Tax Man and it is a bit stressful as this is something that I never did before because Joe always handled that....
So if I do skip this Saturday's post, I will be back with some Easter decor on MONDAY....
Again, giving myself some Grace.....
Stay safe, healthy and most of all, HAPPY!!
Thanks to those who took the time out of their busy day to spend a little bit of time with me!!
If you do not have a blog, PLEASE give me some way to reply to your comment, maybe by including your email in your comment. If I can not find a way to reach you, I will reply on the post where you commented so please check back......
Thanks to those who took the time out of their busy day to spend a little bit of time with me!!
If you do not have a blog, PLEASE give me some way to reply to your comment, maybe by including your email in your comment. If I can not find a way to reach you, I will reply on the post where you commented so please check back......
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Tuesday Turn About Link Party
Please take some time to visit these terrific hosts and all those joining in on the fun!
I never do anything much for St. Patrick's Day so it's fun to see all the color and joy through your eyes.
ReplyDeleteHi Debbie! We love St Patrick’s Day here…I’m all decorated, inside and out (flags and green derbies on the statuary)
ReplyDeleteI don’t do near as much as you! I so enjoy your home, decorations, collections, crafts and family…you do so much…you truly are amazing….please, please, give yourself grace…and some time to rest. Happy weekend to you, Virginia
Virginia,
DeleteThanks so much for taking the time to stop by....I truly appreciate your kind comment...I am realizing that there are times I need to slow down...I hope you are having a great week!
Hugs,
Deb.
You deserve Grace! And we enjoyed the memory photos.
ReplyDeleteYou asked about the bathroom. It's a long story. Cheat alert. My husband was a plumber on the railroad. So not a plumber plumber, but he did maintain bathrooms and waterlines in buildings and on locomotives. He also ran a water treatment plant and a waste water treatment plant. And he also in earlier days put up duct work and (gasp) removed asbestos. BUT he was a plumber. In his 20's and 30's he would often help family with bathroom remodels. He put in fiberglass showers for people, replaced toilets, etc. By the time he was in his 40's, he had our three sons to help him. The master plan was to have our bathroom replaced with my "age in place" bathroom by the time we were 60. I had a separate bank account that I had fed to pay for this.
Well, it didn't happen. With both of my parents illnesses, that took priority, my oldest daughter had twins, then somehow we were grandparents of ten. Covid. I am trying to think of all the excuses. When I broke my arm, it became clear we had to have a walk in shower.
Then we had to compromise. Or I had to compromise. I wanted a tiled shower like I see on House Hunters or Hometown. He was satisfied with fiberglass. We had a lot of differences and unfortunately could not agree. He finally wore me down. Then he developed severe bursitis in his knee. And we had to deal with my inability to make decorating choices and decisions. It was the threat of tariffs that spurred us into action. I am cheap and wanted to purchase everything before prices went up.
We are using something called Utile, which is a premade wall system. There are other manufacturers (I was sure I was going to use Flexstone) but I decided on the pattern that only Utile makes. My contractor (husband) liked the way it is constructed and ease of installation according to Youtube. He wanted a porcelain shower base, but after visiting a dozen home improvement stores and finding every porcelain base chipped, he decided he could live with fiberglass. I wanted the base to match the walls, but settled for white, which is the only color it comes in. My sons have been over this week and I believe they are formulating a plan of attack for demolition and reconstruction around work schedules. Originally my contractor was going to do the whole project himself, but we waited too long and his back and knees are not cooperating.
Anyway. I am not upset with using this prefab wall system instead of tile anymore. I am glad I am not going to have grout to clean. All my friends are my age and all of us are replacing bathtubs with walk in showers. One friend had an Amish contractor who did a tile shower in less than a week, start to finish, at a very reasonable price. Another friend hired a local contractor that the fancy people use and I was surprised to visit and find they were using the same wall system that we are. And there is a local person on our facebook pages who installs walk in showers using either the tiles , the walls or the prefab fiberglass replacement. He has great reviews and I hear is reasonably priced (although I didn't have him price my project). I don't have any experience with Bathfitter. Let me know if you want me to give you prices of what I am paying for supplies. We ordered everything at once so my papers show the cabinet, sink, and flooring added in, but it wouldn't be hard to pull just the shower stuff.
Hi Deb..glad you are giving yourself some space and Grace! It's not easy for us to recognize when we need that!
ReplyDeleteEverything looks lovely!
Hugs, Barb
Barb,
DeleteThanks so much for stopping by!! Yes, I have realized that over this past year there are times that i just need to slow down a bit and take a breath.....
Hugs,
Deb
I love the green from past St. Patrick's Day decor! So many treasures! However, I, too, am glad that you are giving yourself the grace needed, especially during these coming weeks Give yourself all the time you need!
ReplyDeleteIt's been ages since I visited here! I love your enthusiastic response to the holidays!
ReplyDeleteThose leprechaun hats are adorable! What a fabulous idea.
ReplyDeleteOMG, I love all the green! That was an unusual tree topper for Christmas, but I have to say, I love what you did with it!
ReplyDeleteVery pretty tree topper makeover. You have a lot of green decor. The Leprechaun hats are adorable. Give yourself lots of time Debbie. You deserve all of the grace. Happy early At. Patrick's Day.
ReplyDelete