Room Spray Inspired!

This is a mini-bathroom makeover inspired by Febreze! Maybe I am the only one who is crazy this way, but when I buy something for a room--something as simple as air freshener--I like it to match. So the other day, I had bathrom air freshener on my list and I was looking for a masculine brown-ish can. Ever notice they are all girly and foo-foo looking? Then this little number caught my eye. I brought it home and set it on the counter and inspiration struck! Love those colors! This little room had been a tiny bit unsatisfactory to me from day one...a little too muted and bland. I felt that it needed a few 'pops' of color...but how and where...AND on a BUDGET!?!?

Once again...the ticket....SPRAY PAINT!

The old brown laundry basket is now a bright ocean blue krylon!

Do you see the ocean blue mat reflected from the picture in the morror? How about the star above the medicine cabinet? A few cheap flower pics added to the arrangement on the counter?

A blue and brown striped wash cloth now lies under the red bandana on the back of the too-lay. :) Who would have thought it? :)

Dare I point out the candle in the sconce on the wall? It's an ocean blue krylon candle now. I don't burn it anyway, so why not? It's true what those DIY'ers say, you really CAN spray paint anything! I love the new look and that it's nice and 'springy' doesn't hurt my feelings either! A mini-bathroom-make-over all for the price of a can of spray paint and a washcloth. Oh...and let's not forget the air-freshener! My husband has learned not to trust anyone--not even air-freshener! :)

The fumes were really making me happy and I had to grab a can of red while I was at the store. I think Kammy's stool looks great with red legs! The 'K' on the wall? $1 and from it hangs the apron my Grandma made for my bridal shower!

Now--no more goofing off! I really have got to clean and do a massive amount of laundry! We have company coming a week from today and a business trip to squeeze in between now and then, just to name a few! VERY excited about that company though!

Tiny Talk Tuesday

My baby sleeping at Grandma's house while mommy and daddy were in Spain.

Kalli reading an Amish book: "Man, all these crazy Amish people do is eat ginger cookies and drink fresh milk."

Me (to Kammy who was dusting the coffee table WITHOUT being asked): "Thank you, Kam! You are such a sweetheart." Kammy: "You're welcome! I hope it shows you how much love is in my heart!" Aww...where did she learn my love launguage?!?! Moments like that make all the spilled milk in the world worthwhile! :)

Kamy, speaking for her puppy Rancher, "He's saying, this sure is a different sort of family I got myself here!"

Make sure you follow the Tiny Talk link for more great things the tiny people say. They certainly have a way with words! :)

DIY Photo Coasters

First off, I am sure you can find millions of tutorials for these just by googling, and I'm not trying to steal anyone's patented DIY idea. (Why do I always feel like I have to say that, I wonder?) I wanted some photo coasters from our trip to Spain--actually, I needed some coasters period. But....there was just this little price issue. I have found coupons for free photo books and even photo canvas, but never photo coasters. So, ladies...gather your supplies. You will need some ceramic tiles (or nasty old thrift store coasters), copies of your favorite photos, some felt scrapes, a foam brush, Mod Podge, and a good heat proof acrylic spray sealer. You can get the tiles at your local home improvement store for about $1.

Give each of your tiles a nice coat of Mod Podge and then cut your photos to fit while the Mod dries. Now, coat the top of the tiles with another layer of Mod and "glue" the photo on. Dry completely.

Then, give each tile 3-4 THIN coats of Mod, using a FOAM brush and brushing all in the same direction. Allow to dry COMPLETELY between each coat. Use a hair dryer in case of impatience.

Now, take them outside and place them on your paint board or canvas. Sheet. Whatever you use. I didn't feel like going to the garage to get my paintboard (no patience) so I grabbed a door mat and turned it over and used the back side. :) Anyway, give it a few THIN coats of sealer. This will protect it from the heat of your coffee cup and make it nice and washable. Better give them a few more coats of sealer for a total of about 6. Now, this is hard, I know...but let them dry completely before you turn them over and hot glue the felt scrapes on.

Once you are relatively sure they are dry, glue on the felt. Mine turned out so pretty and nice, but then I made a terrible mistake and stacked them too soon. They were NOT completely dry. When hubby came home and I went to proudly show him...well, the top one was BEAUTIFUL, but the others were all stuck together. I said let them dry completely, the can said to allow 24 hours, but it FELT dry after um...30 minutes. My husband is laughing at my impatience. He says I an soooo predictable. (Insert a BIG sigh) Will I NEVER learn!?!? Now I have to sand down 3 of them and start over.

I know it can be done, because I have 1 very nice coaster. :) And in my defence, I HAVE to hurry--it's the only way I ever get ANYTHING done.

The Park

For all the negative things I might have said about Spain in my homesick fog, the park at the hotel was one of the very beautiful and peaceful places.

Here are a few shots taken there one afternoon.

And you'll be happy to know this is the last of my Barcelona posts. I have some DIY projects coming and some company as well! I'm excited about both! For now though, It's time to throw another log on the fire, start the laundry and teach school! Hope y'all have a lovely day! Thanks for going to Spain with me!

Parc Guell

In one of the walkways in Parc Guell

The park was originally part of a commercially unsuccessful housing site, the idea of Count Eusebi Güell, whom the park was named after. It was inspired by the English garden city movement; hence the original English name Park (in the Catalan language spoken in Catalonia where Barcelona is located, the word for "Park" is "Parc", and the name of the place is "Parc Güell" in its original language). The site was a rocky hill with little vegetation and few trees, called Muntanya Pelada (Bare Mountain). It already included a large country house called Larrard House or Muntaner de Dalt House, and was next to a neighborhood of upper class houses called La Salut (The Health). The intention was to exploit the fresh air (well away from smoky factories) and beautiful views from the site, with sixty triangular lots being provided for luxury houses. Count Eusebi Güell added to the prestige of the development by moving in 1906 to live in Larrard House. Ultimately, only two houses were built, neither designed by Gaudí. One was intended to be a show house, but on being completed in 1904 was put up for sale, and as no buyers came forward, Gaudí, at Güell's suggestion, bought it with his savings and moved in with his family and his father in 1906. This house, where Gaudi lived from 1906 to 1926, was built by Francesc Berenguer in 1904. It contains original works by Gaudi and several of his collaborators. It is now the Gaudí Museum (Casa Museu Gaudí) since 1963. In 1969 it was declared a historical artistic monument of national interest. The park can be reached by underground railway (although the stations are at a distance from the Park and at a much lower level below the hill), by city buses, or by commercial tourist buses. While entrance to the Park is free, Gaudí's house, "la Torre Rosa," — containing furniture that he designed — can be only visited for an entrance fee. There is a reduced rate for those wishing to see both Park Güell and the Sagrada Família Church.

We rode the underground rail and made the 1220 meter climb. There are seven sets of escalators built into this hike to sort of give you a boost as you make your way up. Along the way, you will pass (at an arms reach) many residences. It will break your heart to see the sad conditions these people live in. Sometimes you will see a place where in spite of the poverty, someone has really tried to be a homemaker--hanging out flower baskets or cheery window curtains. This was very heartwarming to see and re-affirms the idea that home is not your house, but your heart! The buildings flanking the entrance, though very original and remarkable with fantastically shaped roofs with unusual pinnacles, fit in well with the use of the park as pleasure gardens and seem relatively inconspicuous in the landscape when one considers the flamboyance of other buildings designed by Gaudí. Boadways around the park to service the intended houses were designed by Gaudí as structures jutting out from the steep hillside or running on viaducts, with separate footpaths in arcades formed under these structures. This minimized the intrusion of the roads, and Gaudí designed them using local stone in a way that integrates them closely into the landscape. His structures echo natural forms, with columns like tree trunks supporting branching vaulting under the roadway, and the curves of vaulting and alignment of sloping columns designed in a similar way to his Church of Colònia Güell so that the inverted catenary arch shapes form perfect compression structures. The large cross at the Park's high-point offers the most complete view of Barcelona and the bay. It is possible to view the main city in panorama, with the Sagrada Familia and the Montjuïc area visible at a distance. The observant visitor will notice green birds flying around amongst the pigeons and sparrows. These are monk parakeets that have became a common species with a growing population started from some individuals escaped from captivity sometime in the 70s. Like the pigeons they nest in the tall palm trees. Another bird to look out for is the hummingbird that can be seen on some days, if you look hard enough. View from the top. I am told that the flowers in the park are quite lovely but we were a little early in the season for them. We did get to see the cacti though--they are a very popular graffiti spot! Just inside the main entrance. This little gaudi dragon is so famous. I didn't quite figure out why, but maybe I missed something.