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Saturday, August 29, 2020

Dare to Share #432


It is Friday night, and you know what that means.. 
It is time to Dare to Share! 

This week we were supposed to be starting school. Our district had a lot of things to figure out that were not going o be ready in time so the start date was postponed a few weeks.  So instead of teaching this week, I was the nanny for the two kids of the school secretary who is essential at getting things ready for the school year, but all needed a sitter. It's been a long time since I watched younger ones.  It was fun, but I am also very tired.  After not going to work for the last few months, it is have a LONG time since I got up before 7.  I need to start getting used to it though, school is right around the corner.... maybe (if you watch the news at all, you know things change quite quickly)  



This week I finally posted my review of the custom paint by numbers set that from Winnie's Picks.  You can see what I thought about it, in my post here.

I have several fall and Halloween posts in the works.  I have been hauling and photographing a lot of really cool finds from the Dollar Tree.  I am also starting some fun, inexpensive DIYs that I will be sharing soon.  I will also been sharing more about my recent vacation about all the cool places we visited all around Michigan in the next couple of weeks.  

Since it is getting late, I better get this party started.  

Link up and HAVE FUN!!


You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Wednesday, August 26, 2020

Winnie's Picks Paint by Number Review


While it took longer than I had planned with everything I had going on this summer, I finally finished my custom paint by number set by Winnie's Picks.  I do have to disclose that I was sent this set by Winnie's Picks to try out and review, but all of my opinions are 100% mine, and mine alone.  




I was asked by Winnie's Picks if I would like to try a paint by numbers set while we were still in lock down in my state.  There are many paintings in different categories to choose from, but at the time all of the pictures I really wanted to paint were not in stock. (this is not the case anymore!)  I decided to try their custom paint by numbers set with a picture of our cat Milo who we lost to cancer a couple of years ago. 




This was the photo I decided to try.  The process for a custom set is pretty easy.  You find a picture that fits the criteria, and upload it to the site. It does take a few weeks longer to arrive than a pre-made set because it needs to be printed and the colors customized.  When it arrives, you get receive long sturdy tube (pictured above) in the mail.  


In the kit I received 35 different colors and a small package of paint brushes.  



The picture was printed on a nice quality canvas.  I also received a pattern on paper that at times was very helpful, and at times it was not. (more about that later) 


I wasn't really sure to start, so I followed the advice on the instructions sent to me, and started to the left of the pattern. Since I am right handed, there was less chance I would accidentally smear what I had already painted.  


The hardest part of the painting was definitely was painting the cat. There were so many colors to paint, and some of the parts of the pattern were very small and at times hard to see with my "older" eyes. 


As I continued to paint, it was so cool to see Milo start to come to life.  


Once the majority of the cat was painted, the background and bow tie went pretty quickly. I did have on small problem while painting, and by small, you can kind of see them on this picture.  See all those white spots, they are white because the number on the pattern was too small to see or there was no number at all.   While the majority of the pattern I could see just fine, the super small print on some parts of the pattern, and printed canvas was just too small to see.  I tried zooming in with my phone, I tried an inexpensive magnifying glass, and even asked my daughter who has "young" eyes.  Between those three things we were able to figure out most of the white spots. There were still a few I just had to guess the number.   If you are a beginner painter or someone who needs large print, there are sets offered on the site that are designed for less experienced painters in mind.  Since I am an experienced crafter/painter I was good with this level of painting. 



Here is my final painting.  I have to say I really LOVE IT.  
It looks just like Milo.  While the coloring around his mouth is a little bit different than the photo with the creams and beiges they sent instead of whiter shades, it captured all the different shades of his fur.  I highly recommend Winnie's Picks if you like to paint.  I know I will be painting more of their canvases in the future. 

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Dare to Share #431


It is Friday night, and you know what that means..
It is time to Dare to Share! 

Well if you shared a link at last weeks party, you saw that I was doing something exciting that I could not share yet. In my last post I shared what I was up to, I was on an amazing vacation visiting several locations all over Michigan, Wisconsin and even a quick stop in Chicago. I am one of those people that like to wait until after I get home to share all of my pictures. I shared a few highlights on my post Spilling the Beans and on Instagram. I will be posting about the vacation her on the blog too, but you can see many beautiful pics of all the places visited now over on Insta. 


Another thing that happened this week was I finished my paint by numbers set by Winnie's Picks. I love how it turned out! I will be sharing my review and the process this weekend. 

Well it looks like it is time to get this party started. LINK UP and HAVE FUN! 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Wednesday, August 19, 2020

Spilling the Beans- What I have been up to


During the Dare to Share party the other day, I mentioned that I was doing something exciting.  I misspoke and said that night, I was actually doing something all week and I was posting the party while on vacation.  

It was my first vacation in a very long time, and it was amazing! I am lucky to live in a very beautiful state especially in the summer.  We started the trip in Holland, Mi which is right on Lake Michigan.  I lived in Holland Michigan many years ago, so it was nice to go  back and visit.  From there we traveled up the west coast of Michigan all the way to Mackinaw City to visit Mackinaw Island.  After visiting the island (for the first time!) we visited several places in the Upper Peninsula and then went on to Wisconsin and Chicago.  I was posting the party from the Wisconsin Dells toward the end of our trip.    


Along the way we saw 17 lighthouses. Each one unique in it's own way, and all beautiful.  They were closed on the inside due to social distancing, but that just means we will need to go back again someday.   I will be sharing a post on the lighthouses, and I have already begun sharing them and other vacation photos on my Instagram


We saw stunning sunsets over Lake Michigan more than once.  The best one of the trip was in Traverse City.  



We drove by the mushroom houses in Charlevoix.  They had a tour but we got there too late go on it.  


We crossed Mackinac Bridge into the UP.  It was my first time as an adult.  I lived in the UP for a very short time as a baby, but I was way too young to remember anything about it. 


On Mackinaw Island we saw the Grand Hotel and so many beautiful buildings.  This hotel was the setting of the movie Somewhere in Time with Christopher Reeves.  






We found amazing gorgeous rocks on Lake Superior. They are a must see in person. The pictures don't really show all the colors. 



We saw Tahquamenon Falls in Paradise, both the upper and lower 



After a stop in the Wisconsin Dells, we visited the Navy Pier in Chicago before heading home.  It was definitely a trip that I will never forget and will be sharing with you in the upcoming days. 



Another thing I did on our trip was stop at 9 Dollar Trees in different cities on our route.  Some of them were amazing, others not as great, but I found so many cute and fun fall, Halloween and other items that I want to share. Hopefully you will be able to find some of these items at your Dollar Tree. 

Another update,  I am supposed to go back to work real soon. As of right now my district will be opening up for 4 days a week with one day for remote learning. Opening day was pushed back a couple of weeks. Our governor has said she may make the decision for all schools to do remote learning at least at the beginning of school year, but that decision has not been made yet.  

So be watching for new posts, and check out my vacation pictures on Instagram.





Saturday, August 15, 2020

Dare to Share #430


It is Friday night, and you know what that means.. 
It is time to Dare to Share! 

I have been doing something really cool tonight that I can't wait to share with you.  I can't spill the beans just yet, but will very soon. I should have several posts about it in the upcoming weeks.  

It is getting late, so let's get this party started!  Link up and HAVE FUN!! 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Saturday, August 8, 2020

Dare to Share #429


It is Friday night, and you know what that means. 
It is time for Dare to Share! 

Sorry I am a little late to post the party. I have a good reason though..  I have been working hard trying to get this done before the party.  


I have been working on this paint by numbers set by Winnie's Picks.  I am so close to being done but some of the numbers are just too small for my older eyes.  I think I am going to have to use a magnifying glass to see them.  I was hoping to get it finished before the party, because I am going to be doing something the next few days and won't be able to work on it.  I will be sharing a review post as soon as I get it done. I will leave you with this though, this is a customized print of one of our beloved kitties that died a few years ago, and I love how it is turning out. :) 

I better get this party started because it is late, and I need to get some sleep.  

Link up and HAVE FUN! 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!