WHAT I'VE PAINTED LATELY

The spring is always incredibly busy for me at work. Closing out the school year is no joke! That makes it hard to dive into any major projects, but I'm never too busy for a can of spray paint. :-)

A few weeks ago I decided to clean out in the attic before the Alabama heat sets in, and I brought down this small mouth vase. I've had it for so long, I can't remember where it came from. If I had to guess, though, I'd say T J Maxx.

Most of my vases and jars have larger openings and require a good many more stems or flowers to make them look full.

But this one is easier to fill because of the small opening.

I decided I wanted a true white for the color, and this is what I ended up using. I picked mine up at Home Depot. Of course you can always get it from Amazon, too.

Before I started painting, I wiped down the vase really well with a damp paper towel. I then dried it off and started the transformation.

The paint went on great, and I didn't have any issues (other than the bugs that always show up when I'm trying to paint!).

I'm happy to report that I like it all over again. It feels brand new. The only problem I've had is that I like it in every room. :-) In the two pictures above, the vase is in a vignette in the living room atop a round skirted table. I rarely show this room. The lighting in there is not the best.

The picture below is the dining room.

Needless to say, it's no longer in the garage sale pile from the attic. A little spray paint goes a long way.

Here are a few of my other spray paint projects:

A ROUND MIRROR BEFORE AND AFTER

FEDERAL MIRROR FOLLOW UP

THRIFTED LAMP BEFORE AND AFTER

GOING GOLD: BEDROOM MIRROR BEFORE AND AFTER

Two more days until summer... Are you as ready for it as I am??

Kathryn

EASY CHESS SQUARES

Chess squares are one of my very favorite desserts. But would you believe this is my first time to make them? 

I was walking by the break room in our office at school a couple of weeks ago, and from the corner of my eye, I thought I caught a glimpse of this favorite dessert of mine. And, because I have no shame when it comes to sweets, I casually mentioned to our registrar Mrs. Frith that I spied something delicious looking in the lounge. Without hesitation she offered me one. She brought them for the office staff, and after just one bite, I immediately wanted the recipe to share with you. 

Ingredients: 

Layer One

1 box yellow cake mix (without pudding in the mix)

1 stick of melted butter

1 egg, beaten

Layer Two:

1 - 8 oz bar of softened cream cheese

3 eggs

1 box of confectioners sugar

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Mix the layer one ingredients and spread/press in a 13 x 9 baking dish. 

Mix the layer two ingredients well and pour over layer one. 

Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. Then, turn down the oven to 325 degrees and bake an additional 30 - 35 minutes. Let cool completely before cutting--although this will be extremely difficult. :-)

They took no time to make and were sooo easy. I hope you like them!

Kathryn