Weekend Warriors- Claw Foot Tub Edition!

 I live in a 1200 sq ft town home built in 1918 in a suburb of Youngstown. While any modern home needs modern functionality, as I remodel I have always tried to stay true to the era of the home. I have restored and added bead board into my décor, removed carpeting back to the hardwood floors, and tried to choose light fixtures with the home's age in mind as well. 

One of the most coveted original aspects of the home has always been the claw foot tub. For many years, I did not even have a shower.... I lavished in soaking in the deep tub nightly and the lack of a shower never crossed my mind. One thing that did cross my mind though was that that tub was showing its age. It was dingy and needed some love.

I decided to undertake this major DIY home renovation to sand down the tub and refinish it, as well as add a shower extension. The products I used can be found at the links above. If you have never sanded anything down... wood, tub, doesn't matter... be forwarded, it makes a mess of dust!

You can see above the difference and just how dingy my tub was... but let's give some love that the poor thing is stamped as made in 1917 underneath... Once sanded the next step was to follow the multistep directions refinish kit that I found at Lowe's. (Side Note: Follow the directions exactly including time frames.... I got distracted in the process and let the one step harden longer than it should've which resulted in having to re-sand and buy another kit to redo this step.) Once completed though it definitely made a notable difference and brought new life back into my 100 yr old tub. 

Another side note: yes it is better to remove all the existing hardware prior to this process to prevent rust even if not replacing it. However, since I was already committed to this project, I was also replacing the hardware to add the shower extension. Another side note: I knew someone who was able to help me with the plumbing portion- if you do not this could add to the expense. I also added a massaging shower head after the fact and found that an expander adaptor was also required. Granted this little piece found at Ace was under $1, had I not known this, I would've spent hundreds trying to figure it out. (Apparently older plumbing fixtures do not equate to modern by 1/4"- who knew!?!)

Once all of the hard work and mathematical plumbing issues were solved, I focused on the functionality and bought a pretty shower curtain and caddy that also looked true to the era. 

Now while I have absolutely come to love and appreciate the efficiency of having a shower and finally moving into that aspect of the 21st century, I still relish a good soak in the tub. So while I have adapted showering most days, I have held true to my Sunday evening ritual. On any given Sunday night you will most likely to find me preparing for the week ahead soaking in my claw foot tub with an Avo Bath Balm from Lush and a glass of wine with a sheet mask on my face.

Poe Themed Halloween Party

 Every year I am in charge of hosting and planning the Halloween Party for our Ladies Mt Carmel Society Italian Women's Club. I plan this in conjunction with my mom and my aunt and this year we chose an Edgar Allen Poe theme. Many would daunted but planning such an event annually but it really isn't that hard to do.

We placed crows into all the displays along with Halloween décor we already had that would look as if it came from an old library. Use disposable table coverings from the Dollar Tree or part supply store that go with the theme, this year we used black and white. Add in some "creepy cloth" also from the Dollar Tree or party supply store and you have a look that's chilling but yet classier than some cartoony decorations. 

You don't need to overthink the supplies you need. These crows were from the Dollar Tree, the bottles were from various other antique displays around the house, and the sticks of course were from outside.

Creating elegant-like centerpieces for such an event is just as easy. The white pumpkins were from the local farmers market, the black frames were from the Dollar Tree, and the Poe themed art work was simply printed from Pintrest. 

The same can go for your costume. This year I googled ideas for unique women's Halloween costume and decided on a silent film star. The wig was reused from a previous year as a flapper, the dress was from NYE a few years back, shoes and hose were from my closet as well, and the chalkboard was also from the Dollar Tree. 

With a little imagination and reuse of some already owned objects you can also plan an more elegant looking event and costume for Halloween without breaking the bank. What other tips do you have from events or costumes you have planned?

Witches on the Prowl!

Once again this year,  the sleepy Amish town of Volant, Pa to life for its annual Witch's Night out. All the witches came out on the prowl and again the normally dying off tourist town was bustling with life!

After feeling under dressed last year I decided to don the full array this year and go all out. Again the town did not disappoint and the event seemed to be even larger in its second year.... shops were open after hours this night... there were specialty drinks at the winery, a cackling contest and a parade! Truly a WITCH'S NIGHT OUT and a must to experience if you find yourself in the area during fall!

Welcome Coco!

The most wonderful thing happened this past weekend. It was actually somewhat of a surprise that began with a text that led to curiosity....
I received a text asking if I would be interested in taking in a small chihuahua since I had lost Eddie. After some thought, I agreed to see if Dante would get along with the potential new dog and the current owner and I sat a meet up. I had no idea that I would end up with Coco (previously Casey) when we met but it seemed the lady knew all along she was leaving the pup with me.
Coco took to me right from the beginning and got along with Dante famously.

She promptly took over her corner of the couch as well as her favorite throw.

She even moved right in on taking over Dante's bed but was kind enough to share with her new brother as well.

While she came into my life unexpectedly, I already couldn't imagine life without her. Coco moved into my heart as fast as she moved into my home. 💓

Farewell Blue Waters!

Despite the fact that I cannot swim, I absolutely love being near the water in the summer. I did get to visit the lake area several times this summer but it still didn't feel like enough and I was sad to say goodbye to the warmer months.  With the arrival of Labor Day, it seemed only fitting to visit the shores of Lake Erie one more time for the year, so I spent the day in a lazy coastal town of Fairport Harbor browsing unique boutiques and visiting their historical lighthouse.

Couldn't think of a better way to end the summer! How did you say Good Bye to summer?

It was an absolutely gorgeous day up by the water..... Clear skies and 72! My sweater was a find last spring (similar here from LL Bean), my Chinos are JCrew, and I sported some canvas Sperry's.

Two Blue Ribbons!

 I did it again! Yay me! Entered the Canfield Fair again with wreaths and won two more blue ribbons this year!

For one entry I had seen the idea of using an old bike wheel as the base of the wreath on Pinterest and absolutely loved how it looked. Earlier in the summer I had found old bikes listed on Craig's list and answered the posting to paint one to put in the flowerbed but the posting required buying two bikes. I took apart the second bike and created this blue ribbon winner.

 Despite the fact they judged the wreath hanging wrong form how it was designed, I won a blue ribbon for the design.

The second wreath I entered was based on the current farmhouse theme so popular in home decor right now. The metal animals and windmill worked into the bow were bought on Christmas clearance at Hobby Lobby. 

The fair judges again hung this on display a bit crooked from how I originally designed it though. 

This year as well my mom decided to turn her cross stitch talent into wreaths as well. I think they turned out quite well and she deserved better judgement than she got. Although for a first entry, she did also win a third place ribbon! Go Mom!

Easily Distracted by Goats!

As you can probably see, I have put on some weight.... 🙁 Others around me seem to be losing weight and I keep letting them know I think I found it but no one seems to want it back.....

Personally, I never was one to love exercise. I have tried the gyms and cardio, only to have wasted money and feel like I was about to collapse. Yoga and walking were always more my speed of things. Shopping was my cardio and the furthest I would go for joining a sports team is bocce leagues! Despite all of the exercise hype out there and influencers showing their sweaty abs, I am sure I am NOT alone on this!

So what's a gal to do!?!? Well this one decided to walk more.... I bought myself a FitBit and recruited a friend in the same position and we decided to meet up after work a few night a week at the MillCreek MetroParks Farm paths. This in itself was going to be a commitment and few nights in, I was already off focus when I discovered the actual "farm" part of this area we had chosen...

You can walk right into the barn there and pet these baby farm animals... needless to say my walking ambitions have now turned into petting these cuties several nights a week.... but honestly, who wouldn't be distracted by all this cuteness?!?!