Be Careful What You Wish For...

I was drooling into my coffee cup this morning, reading blog posts and looking at photos from NancyLand. She mentioned and left a link for Skillshare. They are a place for creative types who want to share and learn from other creators via online classes and tutorials! What an amazing tip! Thanks Nancy!

I signed up for the free version, to test the waters before I go diving in. I watched a short writing tutorial on how to create a fable. Very interesting, and it reminded me of a story I heard as a child.

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Once upon a time there was a curious and precocious little boy named Fred. Fred often wandered the seaside shore near his home looking for lost treasure that had washed up on the beach. He'd pick up rocks, shells, old bottles and all the while sing his favorite jingles.

One day, as Fred was looking off at a distant ship, he tripped over something. To his amazement, it was a sort of teapot. He'd seen similar looking pieces in the antique store window. Fred set to work with his jacket rubbing off the dirt and grime to reveal solid, shimmering gold and delicate, beautiful etching. He was so excited and happy at his new plunder!

Suddenly, white smoke began to rise from the the long, narrow pour spout. The metal lid clambered as if something inside were about to explode! Fred dropped the teapot and took a giant step backwards! He could not believe his eyes!

A shape began to emerge from the now opened top. As if materializing from smoke, there before him stood a Genie! As if right from the pages of his adventure books! Lavish amethyst silk seemed to pillow and flutter around the intimidating figure. At once, in a thundering voice, the genie said "Thank you young man for delivering me from my wretched tomb! I have not but breathed the fresh air in mellennia! As is customary, I shall grant you three wishes".

Fred was dumbstruck! He rubbed his eyes, yet still the powerful figure appeared!
"You mean, you are going to grant me three wishes?" Fred replied. "Anything I want?".

"Yes, of course" said the Genie. "That is what I do. I must warn you though, think very carefully before you answer. Once it's said, a wish cannot be taken back."

Fred could not believe his luck! A million things were running through his head! Immediately, he decided "For wish one, I'd like to have a red wagon with lots of room for collecting stuff I find on the beach."

Poof! Instantly, a shiny new red wagon appeared. "Wow!" said Fred. That's awesome!"

The Genie asked "Have you given consideration to your remaining two wishes? I'd like to hurry this along, as I have much to catch up on."

Fred asked "What happens if I can't decide right away?"

The Genie replied "That means I'll have to stay with you until the third wish releases me from my obligation."

Fred asked "Even if it takes me 20 years to decide?"

"Yes" the Genie replied impatiently.

Inside, Fred had decided to only make one more wish right away. That way, he'd still have one left and the Genie would have to stay with him. He sure wanted to show off the Genie to the kids in school!

"Okay," Fred said. "I wish for all of my homework to be finished for the next year."

Poof! A one foot stack of papers appeared in the wagon - Fred's completed homework assignments for the next year.

"Wow mister! That's pretty neat!" Fred Said "But I can't really decide on the last wish just yet. Could you just come home with me while I think about it?"

"Oh, of course" said the Genie, losing patience.

Fred carefully placed the pot holding the genie into the wagon and began to pull it home. He still could not believe his luck! Was he going to wish for a million dollars with his last wish? He could sure buy a lot of toys with that. Or maybe a ship to sail the world.

As he happily continued to ponder the possibilities, he began to sing "I wish I was an Oscar Meyer wiener..."

Poof.

The End

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Finishing Touches

It's the little details that make me want to become 5-1/2 inches tall and live in my little projects. Pillows, plants, books, sculpture, photos all draw me in and make me want to stay awhile...

Today, I managed to carve out a little time from the busy day to add a few final touches to the barn's living room. Namely, rugs and curtains.

I think I posted before about the printable fabric I purchased from Amazon a while back. Avery makes one, too, but this one came with 10 sheets instead of 5, and was a little less pricey. Currently, it is just over $9, and if you have Amazon Prime there is free 2 day shipping. So far, I really like it!






I had read a thread somewhere that it was nice for making mini rugs. I thought I'd give it a try, and I am very pleased with the results! I was able to fit one 8"x5" and four 2"x3" rugs on one sheet. I set the coloration on my Cannon printer to a 10% increase in the saturation, and I really like how well the color and the detail shows through.







Here is the smaller door mat sized rug. I read also that someone makes velour printer paper. The original link to the site showed that the web site was no longer in existence. I did a Google search, and found a web site 'Across The Pond', but nothing closer to home. Amazon did have an Epson paper that says it is velvet artists paper, but I am not too sure that is what I am looking for. $21 is a little more risk than I am willing to take on a project.






I was avoiding the curtains for a while in hopes that I would come up with something brilliant for the awkward living room window. No cleaver ideas whatsoever have come to me, so I am just going with the same style and material that I employed for the loft windows.









I needed a rod (prestained dowel - check), and rod holders. In the loft windows they are set far back so the rod is just glued to the frames. This window is totally visible so I needed something better.

I had these leftover trim pieces from some old dollhouse furniture that I bashed, so after a little Xacto work and some sanding, they'll work perfect!

I made some measurements, cut the fabric out, ironed a hem in, cut away the excess fabric, then used fabric glue to glue them.












I waited a while for the glue to dry, attached them to the rod, added ties and hung them up.

I think (I may add more photos to the wall) this living room is getting close to being Ta-Done!

Quick and Cost Saving Paint Sample Tip

Many of you may already know this because I am usually the last to know or find out. Could it be that I am fiercely independent and don't usually resort to asking for help first? Likely, but I just found an inexpensive and convenient way to order paint online. Free delivery, no traffic, no parking lots and no crowds? Sign me up!

I went to the Home Depot web site to start narrowing down the color choices for the exterior of the barn. I went to the Paint category, then the Interior paint section. I was delighted with what I found!






 It the search results window, there were several drop down menus to narrow the search. I chose the Blue paint color category, then selected Free Shipping To Home under the How To Get It menu, then typed in $0 to $5 in the Price Range menu, and then sorted by Price Low To High in the Sort By menu.

This brought up all of the paints in the blue color family, that offer free to home shipping and that offer the 8oz sample paint for $1.94. Now all there was to do was choose a color!

I went with a flat, matte BEHR sample called Waterscape. I got 4- 8oz samples for $8.37 including tax. The quart prices start at $12.98, so I saved $4.61! If you can wait 8 days (mine says it will arrive 10/13), this might also be a good solution for you.




I hope this information will make someone's day like finding it made mine!

*** UPDATE***

The sample paint arrived one day early. It was packaged well, a band of tape to seal the jars, then packed inside zip top bags.

havanahholly on the GreenLeaf blog pointed out that your computer monitor might mislead you on the actual color. That is a good point to consider if you are looking for something very specific.

In my case, a warm and country looking blue was all I was after. I brushed on a patch and I think it will work out perfectly for me! I am very pleased!