A Few Of My 30 Things to STOP Doing

Have you seen this going around on Facebook?  It's called 30 Things To Stop Doing to Yourself.  They are all really good - and so many apply to me!  And so many apply to business!  Here are a few that I found meaningful.

#7. Stop being scared to make a mistake. – Doing something and getting it wrong is at least ten times more productive than doing nothing.  Every success has a trail of failures behind it, and every failure is leading towards success.  You end up regretting the things you did NOT do far more than the things you did.

This is true.  I let FEAR creep in a lot.  I spend a lot of time worrying about what if I do this and it doesn't work out.  And then I've spent so much time being afraid and listing all the reasons I might fail that I don't have as much time to spend on actually making it work!

#8. Stop berating yourself for old mistakes. – We may love the wrong person and cry about the wrong things, but no matter how things go wrong, one thing is for sure, mistakes help us find the person and things that are right for us.  We all make mistakes, have struggles, and even regret things in our past.  But you are not your mistakes, you are not your struggles, and you are here NOW with the power to shape your day and your future.  Every single thing that has ever happened in your life is preparing you for a moment that is yet to come.

I especially like the last line in this one - everything has prepared you for a moment yet to come.  This is SO true.  I often find myself in a quiet moment, usually when I'm stressed about other things and feeling unsure of myself, thinking back to bad choices I've made or bad times in my life.  But then, when I bring myself out of that and look at the big picture, I can see where those bad times either caused me to learn something, or grow stronger or appreciate something that I have now more than I ever would have before.  For example, I had a string of jobs when I was younger that were extremely toxic working environments.  The people, the situations, everything...bad, stressful...just, well, toxic.  Fast forward to now - I have several jobs at the moment which can be tough at times.  But what I've come to notice is that I have learned to surround myself with good, positive people who make the jobs so much better. No matter what else is going on around me, I don't have the drama that used to push me over the edge.  This means so much to me and I don't think I would truly appreciate it otherwise. And I have a much better radar for those toxic people and situations now so that I can steer clear of them.

 #28. Stop worrying so much. – Worry will not strip tomorrow of its burdens, it will strip today of its joy.  One way to check if something is worth mulling over is to ask yourself this question: “Will this matter in one year’s time?  Three years?  Five years?”  If not, then it’s not worth worrying about.

 I'm really bad about letting worry rob my peace and joy.  I cling often to Matthew 6:34

"So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own".  

I once heard a coworker say, "Don't borrow trouble".  I love that!  There is enough in just living...why come up with problems that aren't even there.  There was a time recently where my husband's job was on pretty rocky grounds.  Every time he would text me, I would wonder if this was the time I would read, "I'm on my way home".  A couple of times I was tempted to let my mind wander to that land of "WHAT IF".  A couple of times, I did let it go there - but very few (especially compared to how I would have reacted say about 10 years ago!).  I quickly brought myself out of those thoughts and remembered that verse from Matthew. I reminded myself that worrying about the what if's would not stop them from coming.  And also that they may not come at all so what was the point?  Sure enough, they didn't come.  All of the issues were resolved and my husband is now in a better situation and actually may be able to make more money in his new position!  I'm so glad for the time I did NOT waste wondering WHAT IF!!

#30. Stop being ungrateful. – No matter how good or bad you have it, wake up each day thankful for your life.  Someone somewhere else is desperately fighting for theirs.  Instead of thinking about what you’re missing, try thinking about what you have that everyone else is missing.

 As you can probably tell, I lean towards the negative.  It's a constant internal battle for me to be positive.  I fight it each day!  I wish I was one of those people who was just normally positive and optimistic - my dad is that way.  We call him Pollyana!  LOL.  One of my biggest struggles is to be happy with my life as it is - not wishing it was another way or thinking it would be better if this or if that would happen.  Recently though, two lovely ladies have really helped me in my struggle.  They don't know it - but they have.  Both of these ladies have lost husbands in the past several months.  Very different circumstances - they don't know each other.  I don't even know one of them very well at all.  But both have touched me greatly with their strength, positive attitudes, and perseverance for their children.  Both are great reminders to me to be grateful for what I DO have...each day.  No matter how much my husband might get on my nerves at times...he's here.  At the end of each day, he's coming home to have dinner, play with the kids, fight with the kids...heck, fight with me sometimes!  But he's here. They would give anything to have that back.  And it's not fair that they have to go through it, but they are such a blessing to me because they bring me back to what is MOST important of all. 

I'd love to hear back if any of the 30 things spoke to you!  We all struggle - it's good to know that others are there with you!  We can help empower each other!!

Make it a wonderful day!!

How to Apply Vax and ReVax - Video!!

Are you into St. Patrick's Day? It's not really that exciting to me for some reason. I wore my green today though!

I got a lot done this past week over spring break.  I am not ready for spring break to be over.  I so enjoyed spending time with the kids, not being on a schedule, and just relaxing and having some time to get stuff done around the house! 

I also had some time to paint and I'll be showing some projects soon.  They're not all quite done...but close!

I keep being amazed over and over again about how easy it is to use vax compared to wax. I shared a lot of them here in my Why Shabby Paints Series.  But I'll share some again!

What about not having to wear gloves or a mask because it's not toxic and has NO VOC's!  This is a big deal. A Shabby Stylist recently saw a woman post something about how happy she was to be using another line of paint because it was safe for pregnant women...when in fact it is not.  Some of this particular product is LOW VOC but it states on the container that pregnant women should not be using it.  Shabby Paints is NO VOC and we are not required to state any exceptions for pregnant women...or anyone else.

Another great thing about Vax is that you don't have to spend a ton of time and effort rubbing and buffing. You just paint or apply it with a wet brush or a sponge. You don't have to wipe it off afterwards and you certainly don't have to buff it!

Are you on the Shabby Paints Questions and Answers group on Facebook? If not, you should be! I think you should be able to request to join and someone will approve you.  If that doesn't work, send me a message on Wheelbarrow Cottage or here and I will get you added. If you are on it, you may have seen where a gal mentioned letting her furniture cure for 30 days. Imagine how excited and happy she was when she was told that she did NOT need to do that with Vax?!?! She only needed to maybe wait about 48 hours!

I could go on and on but will stop for now. But I do want to share this video that Shabby Paints owner Shannon made to show one way to apply Vax. I think it is very helpful to watch others do this before trying it.

Let me know if you have any questions about Vaxing!

Green Is Good! Featured Color Pop Up Board on Pinterest

Sometimes I just feel like the creativity well runs dry! Does that happen to anyone else? I can just sit and stare at a piece of furniture with NO idea what color to use. Or I know I want to craft...but nothing comes to mind.

So, I decided to do a new Featured Color Pop Up Board on Pinterest to help me with that...and I hope it will help you as well! I'll pick a color and just search for things in that color that inspire me and pin it to a board. There's no time table for when I'll do them - that's why I'm calling it a Pop Up Board...they will just POP UP...so be sure to follow me! I'll include things painted in Shabby Paints as well of course! But who knows what else might show up!

My first board is Green!! I guess because St. Patty's Day is right around the corner and I was seeing lots of green stuff pop up, maybe because it's one of my favorite colors, or maybe just because I'm anxious for spring to arrive and the grass to turn green again! Who knows!!

I hope you enjoy it! I enjoyed making it. And I'm off to paint something in Antique Verde now!! See...it works!

Have a color you want to see featured next? Leave a comment...and who knows! Maybe it will show up!

The Amazing Bent Cling On! Paintbrush

When I first took a look at this new line of paint brushes to determine what to order, I was instantly excited try the round and/or oval brushes.  I've always preferred them to flat even though I've been using the Purdy brand which are flat.  I just think that the round/oval are so much easier to hold in my opinion.  I could not for the life of me figure out the bent brushes though.  I did order one...just to try.  While waiting for our initial order to get here from Holland, I read a review from our fearless leader, Shannon, since she had already been using the brushes for a bit.  She loved that she could use that bent brush to get up into corners pretty easily.  Hmmm...okay.  I could get on board with that.

Fast forward to today - I've had the brushes about a week and while I LOVE my oval brush for the main painting job, I already cannot imagine trying to paint without my little bent wonder brush - I have the P20 size. Take a look at some reasons why in this short little video!!



Just a few examples of why this is a great brush!!  Many of the Shabby Paints Stylists are now retailing these, and many more will be soon!  So call the one near you and check this little wonder brush out for yourself soon! 

Cling On! Paintbrushes Are Here

Star Trek?  Nope...paint brushes!  All the way from The Netherlands!  Shabby Paints retailers are excited to be carrying this new line of paint brushes never before offered in the USA!

These brushes were developed by a professional painter who was frustrated with the brushes on the market.  As long as they are cared for properly, they retain their shape and don't require a lot upkeep, conditioning, etc.  The filaments of the Cling On!'s are specially dyed and treated for easier cleaning.

They are equipped with top quality nylon filaments.  They are extremely durable and suffer much less wear.  The brushes are super light weight.  Several of the stylists have problems with wrists and such and use these with no problems.

Don't care about that?  How about this?  Those that have been using them for a while report that they do not lose bristles...at all.  I have only used them a few times so far but haven't lost one either.

I love the crooked one!  I'm paining my cabinets.  Check this out!



I had painted this area before I switched colors and it was tough to get up in that corner.  This was SO much easier!

And if none of that suits your fancy...how about the prices?  I've bought fancy paintbrushes before.  They can be expensive!!  These are NOT!  Very reasonable.  The highest one I purchased is $20!

Now, I only ordered a few this time. I wasn't sure how they'd do sales wise and had never tried them.  After trying them, I'm 100% on board and think these are an excellent purchase if it's something you're interested in!!  If they do well, I'll order a bunch more.

Another thing I can order, if there is interest, is the brush keeper.

This is the brush keeper. It's made for the more serious painter who wants to save water, time, and their brushes. It holds water for your brush to sit in between uses. The bristles are suspended in the water and do not rest on the bottom which rinses them out and helps them keep their shape. The next time you need your brush just shake it out or give it a quick rinse and your ready to go.  Contact me if this is something you are interested in.  I will require pre-ordering and pre-payment for this product.

I hope you'll try these out.  Get out to the Antique Gallery Mall of Mesquite quickly though - I don't think they'll last long!!

Not Quite What You Want? Make Your Own Color!

I've been posting about the new great colors Wheelbarrow Cottage is carrying now and showing examples.  But, you don't have to just use the paint as it comes out of the jar.  Something really fun to do is MIX the colors together to make new colors!

I did this recently.  I mixed some Dynasty Blue with Garfield Grey and Real Teal Shimmer Paint.

Here's how it came out!  I knew it would be perfect for this little table!

 And it is!  I painted it, then distressed it and finished it with Pearl ReVax.  I wish the Pearl ReVax would show better in this picture.  It is so pretty!

What color would you love to create?  So what are you doing still sitting at your computer?  Get to mixing? Need some help?  Visit Shabby Paints website for Recipes!