before and after

My favorite blogs, articles in magazines, pictures, all have the same thing in common. I am over the moon in love with "before and after" pictures. I just dog gone love em. I love to see the dull, sad, poor posture, no lipstick wearing women in the "before" magically transform into bright eyed, happy, stand up straight, fierce lipstick wearing glowing woman in the "after".

For the life of me, I keep forgetting to take the "before" pics. dang it. My mind swirls when I look at an out of date object, then I come up with a Davine redo. In the excitement I somehow forget to take a picture of the dull, lifeless object before.

Which brings me to the refrigerator. Earlier today, I removed everything and I do mean yippee Skippy every single thing off the refrigerator. This included, a huge urn with flowers and a metal box and a white porcelain chicken and a white bowl, and magnets and more magnets, and pictures and quotes and ticket stubs and a feather and more pictures and a plastic frame with a snapshot. I cleaned and scrubbed and scrubbed some more. I picked off scotch tape & ticky tack goo. I wiped away finger prints and somehow a splash of coffee.

There she stands, shockingly white and sparkling clean and really a blank canvas for me to create and come up with something spectacular. Oh, you can bet I have tried many options.........then it hit. Plug in that glue gun, sister............I am on a mission. Mix all together, hot glue, huge magnets, to die for metal tray........magic happens right before my eyes. Color and function and creative spirit just pops out at you. You know instantly when you step back and take a look. If you saw this in someone else's kitchen you would gasp and point and say, my oh my, where did you get that?

When sadness gets a hold of me, I just love climbing out of the bucket by creating something charming and lovely. Sort of makes me giddy.

Once in a while you have to take a day or two for yourself and jump in with both feet and bathe yourself in grace. You have to stop buying a gift for this person or try not to send a card to that person. You have to completely and selfishly, take care of yourself. So in between the manicures and pedicures and the latest issue of my favorite Quilt magazine, I find that I am the happiest when I create some teeny bit of beauty and charm in my little corner of the world.

yes, yes, I will take an after picture.