MAKE THE BEST OF WHAT'S AROUND

MY 100th POST AND A LITTLE ABOUT ME!

"Hey my friend
It seems your eyes are troubled
Care to share your time with me
Would you say you're feeling low and so
A good idea would be to get it off your mind

See you and me
Have a better time than most can dream
Have it better than the best
So we can pull on through
Whatever tears at us
Whatever holds us down
And if nothing can be done
We'll make the best of what's around

Turns out not where but who you're with
That really matters
And hurts not much when you're around
And if you hold on tight
To what you think is your thing
You may find you're missing all the rest

Well she ran up into the light surprised
Her arms are open
Her mind's eye is

Seeing things from a
Better side than most can dream
On a clearer road I feel
Oh you could say she's safe
Whatever tears at her
Whatever holds her down
And if nothing can be done
She'll make the best of what's around

Turns out not where but what you think
That really matters
We'll make the best of what's around"

~Dave Matthews Band

I can't believe that I've actually had 100 things to share with everyone! Yet, I still have so many more ideas in this head of mine that I can't wait to get out. Today I thought I'd share a bit about me and why I decided to start blogging.

I grew up in Western Washington and in 2009 my Husband got a job in Eastern Washington(almost Idaho) We packed everything and moved across the state! Moved away from all of our family and friends. This took a ton of getting used to for me. I am a stay-at-home mom of two little boys and I felt so lonely. I found myself so sad everyday missing our families and just having a friend to do something with. We have met a few great people since then, but at the time I felt the only thing I did was take care of kids and clean house. You know the duties of a stay-at-home mom...The same thing everyday!

So In May of 2010 my Mom & Sister-in-law came to visit. Can I tell you how much I love these two ladies. Linda and Brittany, you guys are the greatest! Anyways, I've always been a crafter, and loved to cook! My Sister-in-law Brittany suggested that I start a Blog! This was something so foreign to me. Why would I start a blog? What did I have to share?

I thought about it and with a bit of encouragement from my Husband, I started up

The Johnson Family Blog.

It started with a small craft and recipe here and there, and turned into a full-fledged crafting, blog with a bit of randomness thrown in.

It also received a name change! I tried so hard to come up with something cute, but I kept thinking about the things that I created. We live on a tight budget and I was constantly making the most out of what we had. This made me think of a song by my all-time favorite Band

The Dave Matthews Band and a little song they have called

MAKE THE BEST OF WHAT'S AROUND

It couldn't have been more perfect....and the words of the song fit so perfect with what I was feeling and what my Husband I and were trying to create for our family!

The whole blogging thing finally gave me something to do that was just for me!

Of course I love sharing all my ideas and creating a nice home for my Husband and boys, but the projects are for me to work on!

It's helped me to see that you don't need a ton of money to create something really special and that a bit of creativity goes a long way. I'm not a person that has a ton of confidence in the things I do, but I feel with blogging, I can put my ideas and creativity out there and people that actually like the things I do.
It just makes me feel good!

So, enough of me. I can't wait to keep sharing all my ideas and inspiration with friends, family and my super, awesome followers(blogging friends)

Here is to 100 more posts!!!!

LOVE,

Tanya

Happy Earth Day

This is the final Earth Day project I created using decor bought from a thrift store. Again, It doesn't take a ton of money to create something cute and why not recycle something old. I loved the shape of this frame, yet the inside of it was hideous!

{sorry if that offends anyone, just my personal opinion}

So, I took it apart and gave it a good spray with the same color I used on my little owl.

So much better!
Put my favorite brown, iron star behind it...


And my Earth Day projects are complete!

Not only do I decorate with these kind of things for Earth Day, but I love finding Thrift Store treasures all year round. It's a great feeling to take something old, recycle it and make it updated and cute. Hope this inspires everyone to recycle something old and give it a new life.



Happy Earth Day!


Tomorrow, taking a break to


celebrate my 31st Birthday. Cheers to being another year older =)

RECYCLE

In honor of Earth Day tomorrow, I thought I'd come up with a few before and after projects with items totally from the thrift store. Who says you need to pay big money for something cute. Spend less and feel good about buying something someone else no longer needs!

RECYCLE...

My first recycling project is this cute little owl from the Goodwill... $1.80

Plus a little green spray paint!

My second project is this cutting board turned into a chalk board for inspirational messages...
$2.80

All you need is some Chalk Board spray paint...so simple!

Now I have this completely recycled{and cute} vignette for Earth Day!

Stay tuned for one more Before and After project for Earth Day tomorrow.

Makeover Of A Makeover

I got this cheese dome from a thrift store back in November for $2.80. It got a quick makeover and I was never %100 happy with it. I painted it black which was nice, but every time I put something in it you really couldn't tell what exactly was in it unless you were up close. Just a bit too dark. Plus, I loved seeing everyone else blog about how they put a candle stick on the bottom to give it a bit more height and substance. So, I decided it needed another makeover. I went up to my favorite Goodwill store in Lewiston and found this guy for .99 cents. WooHoo for a good find!! Sanded off all the black paint. Well, I did leave a tiny bit on, but it's OK. I wanted some of it to show through. A bit of Gorilla Glue does the trick to stick these two together. Doesn't it look hideous at this point?! But, with a bit of paint.... a little bit of time....
and a few coats!

A bit of sanding, and you have this cute little guy...


TA DA!



I think it looks so much better! I can actually see what's inside without having to crouch down to look inside. These things are so fun to put just about anything in. This was a quick and frugal makeover of a makeover.




Fun, Fun!