Happy 4th of July and a Chess Cake

Happy 4th of July.  I went to Orchard Supply Hardware today to take advantage of their paint sale and they had this beautiful display of petunias.  Isn't it pretty?  I snapped a photo with my Droid.

Here is the view from our balcony.  We are going to watch fireworks tonight and sip some of this wonderful champagne my daughter ordered especially for the occasion.

I tried three new recipes from Pinterest today and the only one I liked was this wonderful chess cake from Kevin and Amanda's blog.  It is to die for, but a sweet tooth is definitely required.  It has only five ingredients, the base ingredient being a cake mix.  This is my kind of recipe.  I paired mine with the fresh fruit and believe me I wanted more.

I hope you all had a safe and fun holiday.  Thanks for your visits.

French Poem on a Garden Bench

I finally finished a project this week that I can share with you.  I also want to thank all of you for your comments about Carter.  I am still walking in the clouds and can't believe we are finally grandparents.  Dreams do come true after all.

I purchased this bench from a friend who loves to sell me things.  The bench had already been repaired, received a new seat and had a primer coat of white paint on it.

I sprayed it with white Rustoleum because it is a good exterior paint even for wood.

Then I thought long and hard about what to do with a plain white bench.  When I was new to blogland, I saw a dresser done by Miss Mustard Seed that had a French poem on the front of it.  I loved the idea, but when I checked into the stencil she used, it was really expensive.  I have wanted that stencil for over a year and a half, and I keep thinking of things I can do with it.

So I bit the bullet and ordered the stencil from Royal Design Studios.  I can use this for so many things including drop cloth fabric for upholstery projects.  I do love the bench with this beautiful "Springtime in Paris" poem.  After all, what's more romantic than a garden bench with a love poem on it?  I will give this a good spray with Valspar clear flat spray.  That is suitable for outdoors as well, and it will give it a good protective finish.

Thanks for your visits.



I may be partying at...


Mondays          Le Chateau des Fleurs       The Graphics Fairy    
                                      Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday


Fridays            French Country Cottage       My Romantic Home        Miss Mustard Seed
                                     Common Ground