"Carter....and his Mom and Dad" - OR "The 3rd post about my son-in-law"

Here is my only grandchild, Carter. He is the love of my life!

And his Mom and Dad are pretty lovable, too!

I think Carter needs a sister - don't you?

Playing with PicMonkey

I have been wanting to make photo collages and just haven't had time to learn - until 5 minutes ago - YUP, it only took me a few minutes to create this collage with PicMonkey. The older I get, the less I want to try to learn new things on my own, but this was simple!

I imagine you will begin to see more collages here at Pandora's Box!!

My Shadow at the Beach

If only I was this thin!:

My shadow on Hutchinson Island, Florida (May 2012)

Sharing with Shadow Shot Sunday2

I'm in Florida again - and last chance for my giveaway!

This is not your typical Florida beach, but Hutchinson Island has a beautiful reef area:

And when the tide comes in, the waves splash into the reef and water "flies" through the air:

This is not an area to swim as the reef can tear apart your skin!

And just down the road is this beautiful beach:

It is HOT down here and the water is warm! This is where I will be for the next few days!

Don't forget to enter my giveaway that closes on the 27th Just click here

Print Runner Sticker Giveaway!

I am going to "scoot" to Florida for the long Memorial Day weekend so I though this would be a perfect time to sponsor a giveaway!

Print Runner recently contacted me and offered to supply a product for this giveaway, here at Pandora's Box. I thought it would be fun to offer 250 Custom Standard Stickers (2" x 3 1/2") for one of my lucky readers .

Wouldn't these custom stickers be fun to use for your business, on your crafts that you sell, or to use as bookplate labels, or even tags for gifts? The ideas are endless!! The stickers are printed on premium sticker stock and can be designed using four colors or black and white. They can also be shipped out within 3 business days of placing your order!

PrintRunner.com was established with little more than a small press and a dream. Ten years later their company became one of the foremost online quality printers in Southern California. Their commitment to provide the best value and high quality full color printing at affordable price made this company grow. PrintRunner is a full service high quality printing company located in Chatsworth, California.

OK, here's the scoop:

You must be 18 years old or older and live in the US

Please be a follower, or a steady reader of Pandora's Box - and leave me a comment telling me what you will do with 250 custom stickers

"LIKE" PrintRunner on Facebook and return to tell me so for a second entry

Follow PrintRunner on Twitter and return to tell me so for an additional entry

Deadline is May 27th!!

Thank you to PrintRunner for providing us this giveaway, I will also receive a set of stickers for hosting this.

Trial and Error

I bought a cheap "oak-look" laminate table at a garage sale (for only $5.00) and painted the top with chalk paint - this was an experiment for me to see how well ASCP adhered to laminate:

And I made a mess splattering the paint, but the paint peeled off easily with my fingernail!

I "dry brushed" a stencil of a harlequin design on top with a mix of tan glaze and gold paint

I didn't have the wax to protect the finish, so I put 2 coats of varnish on the top:

So, ASCP adheres to laminate, but I like how it looks on real wood much better!

Sharing with:

Turning the Daunting into the Do-Able @ Project Queen

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm

Tutorial Tuesdays @ Hope Studios

I've been busy painting....

Last week I went to an estate sale and bought this Drexel desk. It is solid wood except for the top center, which is a laminate:

I wanted to update it a bit, so I taped off the laminate and painted it heirloom white and glazed it with a "made-up concoction" of tan, brown and taupe. I also added some stripes around the top edge and then distressed it:

Our local dollar store recently sold small cans of spray paint (4/$1.00), specifically for cars, and I sprayed the drawer handle in bronze:

The next project was an old coffee table I bought last year at Goodwill. I tried my new AS chalk paint and I am now sold on this paint! 1 1/2 coats of paint, without any sanding or priming - - it couldn't get any easier. I also distressed it and found that as you sand, it sands the paint off in a powder, unlike latex, which sometimes comes off in a strip (because I never let it dry long enough!)

Two projects completed in just a two days!

Sharing with:

Saturday Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors

Furniture Feature Friday @ Miss Mustard Seed

Show and Tell Saturday @ Be Different, Act Normal

The Purple Painted Lady

Yesterday I drove to Palmyra, NY to visit the Purple Painted Lady to purchase some AS Chalk Paint. This is a cute little shop in a quaint town where you can find some great treasures in their many antique shops.

After meeting Tricia, owner of the shop, and learning about the variety of chalk paint techniques, we drove to Park Ave in Rochester to have lunch with my youngest daughter, Caitlin:

It was a warm, breezy, sunny day so we ate outside at the Frog Pond.

They served my favorite lunch, quiche and salad:

Directly across the street was Stevers - a candy shop.

And what would be a better way to top of a meal, but a chocolate covered Twinkie!

To Die For!

Now, I am off to "play" with some chalk paint...I have a coffee table that is screaming to be painted!

Who Do You Believe?

I have StatCounter emailed to me weekly. I review Blogger Stats. I have a counter on the bottom of my page. I have Feedjit. I check monetize.

None of these jive with each other.

As a matter of fact, they vary significantly.

Does it matter?

It does to me. I like to know who is reading my blog. I am curious as to how many visitors I have daily. I want to reciprocate and visit those who also have sites. I am considering using this blog in other ways than I have in the past.

Does anyone pay notice to this?

On a happy note, my cherry tree is finally blossoming!