My New Cholesterol Journey

Hi guys! I have embarked on a new cholesterol journey. For the last 9 years I have been taking Statin drugs for my high cholesterol. My optometrist told me she saw cholesterol deposits in my irises and told me to get myself checked. I had just had my son Jack and my only Doctor was my gyno so when I had my checkup I badgered him into drawing blood for a cholesterol test. When it came back he was shocked. He said,"It is 303! You need to see a doctor!" I said, "Aren't YOU a doctor?" and he said (I kid you not) "I mean a REAL one!" LOL. His nurse just kept saying, "That can't be right?!" Unfortunately it was. I got a "real" doctor who put me on Statin drugs..first Lipitor for a couple years then Crestor ..then when my insurance company decided Crestor was too expensive, I was back to Lipitor then to generic Lipitor. My cholesterol did drop to around 120 and I went on my merry way eating whatever I pleased. I was taking a very low dose..5mg of Crestor and 10 of Lipitor. The last year or so, things started to creep up on me.

My feet started hurting and snap crackle popping every time I stood up. My energy was loooooow. My memory started slipping..words I KNEW started escaping me. I'd have to ask my family..what is that word I am searching for..it means (and I'd name off 4-5 synonyms). They would just say..Oh you mean the MICROWAVE?(or insert any other incredibly easy word here) The they would shake their heads..crazy old mom!Then my knees started hurting too and I felt stiff..I struggled to get up off the floor and even the couch in a graceful manner. My thumbs and hands started aching and getting stiff..last straw! I work with my hands and NEED them thankyouverymuch! I am 49 and I felt 89! A bell started to go off about Statin drug side effects. My mom has high cholesterol that she controls with diet and exercise..neither of which particularily appealed to me. She was constantly harping on evil Statin drugs (which she was immediately violently allergic to) and I would say, "I am FINE!" OK time to listen to my mother (she was so pleased!) I ran out of Statins and did not refill. I have changed my diet. I read labels (they are horrific if you actually read the ingredients..all sugar and preservatives) I told my husband I am going to try to avoid processed food which he is fine with (why not..tastes better and he doesn't have to cook!) I have started on Niacin and other supplements. I have added oatmeal and flax to my diet. I have also been reading up on "good Cholesterol " foods. I am going lower dairy (greek yogurt and skim milk) lean protein and lots of fruits an veggies. I am trying to cut out white sugar/ high glucose corn syrup..that stuff is in everything! Even a can of kidney beans has sugar added! Green and black tea & coffee are still a go..no more creamer real or hydrogenized fake stuff *sniffle* NO more hydrogenized oils in anything! Dark chocolate (not tons) is good. A glass of red wine a night is good. Walnuts are good. Raw honey if needed.

After my whole 40 days of Lent with no coffee (and tons of creamer) or bread, I jumped on the scale to discover I had lost 1/2 a pound! My daughter said ... well at least you know bread isn't making you fat! Humpf.. My husband on the other hand gave up pop and his candybars for Lent and lost 20 pounds. Oh well..at least he is healthier! I would like to lose about 20 lbs. (Someone told me also that Statin drugs make you gain weight..we'll see how that flies!" I don't want to be skinny..I love myself at 150! I have boobs and if I lose much more I get haggard looking. So off I go on my new way of life. Oh ..did I mention the 30 minutes of sweaty exercise a day? That was actually the most depressing idea to me as I am lazy as hell but I do know as a former exerciser that once you get back on the horse so to speak that it becomes less of a chore. So I will speed walk, ride the bike and lift some weights. I may even add a sit up or 2! I do need to add stretching also because I have lost any inkling of flexibility. *sigh*

On the up side I am going back to baking our own bread..my husband is almost giddy about that idea..I may even sneak some flax in on him! I am planning on getting my levels checked in a couple months..I assume they will rise and I wanted to have a good start to argue with my doctor with (he loves pills). He is a Lipitor taker too..maybe HIS knees will be aching and I can get a convert! So off I go on my healthier road..wish me luck! Til next time! Julia

Upcycled candelabras and new booth items

Hi guys! I just wanted to share some new upcycles and vintage items I took to my antiques booth today.This first one is one of my upcycled candelabras. The base is a vintage glass lamp base that I used faux mercury glass spray paint on. The middle is a vintage wooden piece..probably a table leg part. The top is a brass candle stand that I painted and punched holes and added vintage prisms and a prismy bobeche to.

This one is a pillar candle stand. The top is a vintage silverplate ruffled bowl. I punched holes and added prisms. The middle is a porch post with an added vintage metal keyhole surround. The base is marble from a vintage lamp.

This one is the same as the first with a vintage brass base. I think this was a pillar candlestand. The bobeche just sits on the top. It is irridescent and the prisms are acrylic...so pretty!

I always buy these when I see them at a sale. This is a vintage floral water globe. You stuck your flowers in the rubber base and added water and some white vinegar to the globe, then flip the base w/ flowers upside down and reattach. The lid is quite tight fitting. I have 2 this size and a smaller one. I like them more for display. I have one full of vintage mother of pearl buttons and 2 small ones that I have planted moss in at my house! Also cool for a little tableau..like a big snow globe without the water.

I also always buy vintage cheese domes. Still useable for their original purpose but imagine this with a nest with faux robin's eggs or old photos and memorabilia! I like to use them more as a cloche.

This one had a cork base that I spray painted and a glass liner which I put some vintage wallpaper beneath. You could put anything under there and even switch it out seasonally! Of course I forgot my camera when I went up to the antique mall..I need to take it and get some new booth pix! Hope you are having a great week! 'Til next time. Julia

Altered antique bottles

Hi guys! I wanted to share some antique bottles that I altered. These were dug bottles so there is a bit of grunge here and there. These first ones are apothecary style. I added strips of ledger paper from an antique ledger book. (It was on who had paid their road taxes in Clark County South Dakota I believe) I added numbers that I color copied off old church choir board numbers that I have (the black ones) and a vintage flash card. I love numbers! I found 3 vintage crystal stoppers in my stash that fit these perfectly. I added vintage black taffeta ribbon and either vintage lace or lengths of vintage cloth measuring tape ..more numbers!

I had some smaller bottles too. This one has a Graphics Fairy perfume label image (www.graphicsfairy.blogspot.com) I am linking this up to her Brag Monday (just follow the link)

A smaller apothecary bottle w/ a GF image. I added corks where I had them to fit.

A vintage aqua bottle with a GF bird. This had a larger mouth so I just wrapped it w/ vintage lace.

This was a tiny purple one. More GF images.

Cobalt blue w/ a GF perfume label.

This one has a copy of a fav antique stereograph card image that I have and a picture of a luna moth my daughter took last year.

These last 2 are 2 of my fav antique photos. This came from a pic of a brother and sister. The crown is stamped and the butterfly is a Dover image.

This is Max.

And this is Mabel. She is sitting on a mushroom image from an old postcard I have. I hope to have these listed in my handmade shop soon. Hope you have a great weekend! 'Til next time! Julia

And now for something completely different

Hi guys! I decided to steal a line from Monty Python and share something besides my latest projects (which I still have more of!) and share some local scenery. Spring has sprung here. The Bradford pear trees are already done flowering. This has been an odd spring..it has been early and everything seemed to pop at once! I think these above are some sort of ornamental plum tree. I don't recall ever seeing fruit on these.

They were just covered and smelled fabulous. There were tons of bees buzzing about!

They are in the local recreation complex. I took these while my 9 yr old was practicing. He had practice tonight and left his entire ball bag with helmet, glove and bat inside, sitting on the bleachers. We went right back and it was gone. I am hoping one of his coaches or the other parents picked it up. I have made calls and left messages but no answer yet. I believe we will be saying a prayer for intercession to St. Anthony tonight! Edited to add..YAY! His coach picked it up! (Thank you St.Anthony!) He would have been in hot water with his dad even though I seem to recall his dad doing the same thing with a bag with an entire softball teams worth of bats, balls, catchers equipment AND my daughters softball photos inside and we never got that back!

Picasa..my photo editing software (free online download) just added a bunch of new editing options. They picked up a lot of ones that the now defunct Picnik used to have. So fun to play! I edited the edges of this one.

Close up!

Not sure what this is either..but very pretty.

This was the 1960's editing option..it adds a yellowish cast of a vintage photo..fun! These are the lilacs blooming in my backyard.

They seem paler purple this year...hmmm..I may have to Miracle Gro them again.

They do smell heavenly! When we first moved here I missed their blooming. I am used to lilacs blooming in May up north..not March! We have already mowed the lawn here! The pollen is so thick in the air you can smell it! Thank goodness after 23 years in the South I seem to be slowly getting used to it. It used to knock me out. My poor honey is still a sniffler!

One of the marauding peacocks. This guy has been especially noisy lately. Usually there are 6 of them and now only 3 come..I can hear the rest at the neighbors. Maybe there was some sort of power struggle? This guy was the alpha peacock. He was showing off his tail this week to the other younger 2 peacock males. One doesn't have his tail feathers yet and one only has 3 feathers..his first. He has been practicing showing those pitiful things off and it as if THIS guy says, "Oh yeah? Well look at THIS!" (men!)

I had a hard time getting full frontal feathers with this guy..he kept trying to turn his back on me! Sometimes I have to stop and remember that it is unusual to have 6 peacocks roaming your yard! They leave all the hens at home and come up to eat my cat's food and loll about. I can do a mean peacock imitation now! Some think that they sound like a woman screaming..they are loud! "HALP! HALP!" Hope you have a colorful week. Stop back.. I have more to share! Til next time! Julia

French Stamped Market totes or when 2 projects collide

Hi guys! I had 2 projects collide last week. I was inspired by Carol over at tthepolkadotcloset.blogspot by her stamped bags. I had done stamped Christmas stockings but hadn't done totes yet. Of course I had to give things my own spin too (I never was good at following directions!) I was going t make tote bags and flowers, but they ended up being tote bags WITH flowers!

I made singed flowers but then added my own layer of satin. I love how these turned out! I added a clip to the back so these could be removed and used elsewhere. I think they would look dreamy clipped on a plain (girly style not men's!) tee shirt neckline..a V or scoop neck tee.

I have had 2 cases of antique store signage stamps for a few years. They are in wooden cases with several sizes of stamps/fonts and one is stamped "Jacob" under the lid. I hope Jacob approves of my use of his old stamps! I found mine at an antique mall and use them a LOT! The fleur de lis is a new stamp.

The street names are actual, but the house numbers are fantasy..I just picked ones I liked!

I must try making these in some different colors! I used vintage pearly and crystal beads for the centers.

This one I liked so much I am keeping it! I hand dyed some of the totes aqua and pink.

I love the aqua and pink together!

They are topped with rows of vintage and antique laces from my stash..the perfect touch! I have a lot more things to share in the next few days.Stop on back! Til next time! Julia

French Ad tables Before and Afters

Hi guys! I wanted to share my latest painting projects. I finished 3 tables this week. This first one was an old oak pedestal table. There was a crack in the top. It was sturdy..not going to break or anything..just a crack where the seam had separated a bit. It may have had a marble top at one point.

I loved the base and could see it painted in oyster, cream and aqua with gold accents.

And that is what I did! It has been raining like crazy here so I had to paint it in my kitchen and could not get a good overall after shot. I took it to my booth today and if I can remember my camera next time I go up there I will try to get a better shot of this. I got the graphics from the Graphics Fairy ( www.graphicsfairy.blogspot.com) and made them bigger in PrintShop with the banner application. I made 2 "wide" banners about 2 pages each and then lined them up to match and taped one above the other to make it tall enough. I rubbed the back with a pencil and went over the graphics with a pen to transfer them to my table top. My kingdom for some transfer paper! They don't even sell it in my small town and I wasn't driving to get it! I'll have to look next time I am in Staples or Hobby Lobby.

I thought the crack would lend an "authentic" touch of an old sign to this. I did the lettering in dark brown acrylic..I thought it went better with the color scheme.

The apron I painted aqua. I "antiqued" the whole table with a brownish grey thin acrylic wash that I rubbed on and off with baby wipes until it looked like I wanted.

Paint suitcase! The column and feet are light oyster grey although they look white here. The ribbed part is cream like the table top and I added aqua and gold accents.

I also added gold to the edge and a rustic garland around the edges. I finished it with paste wax.I got 2 of these round end tables at an estate sale.

I painted them white and added more Graphics Fairy French ad graphics.

I painted the edges gold and gave the whole piece a once over with fine sandpaper to distress and applied a thin grey acrylic wash and wiped it off with baby wipes.

This one I used the same graphic as the pedestal table but in black.

Metallic gold edges. I did 2 coats but I like it sort of see through.I distressed it with sandpaper. I figure I will probably nick it up somehow before I get it to the shop so this way it just blends in!I finished these with paste wax too.

You can see my foam plate pallette on the edge of this one! This was before I antiqued it. I sit on my son's yoga ball when I paint these..just the right height and comfy. I should probably try to use it to do a sit up one of these days...nahhhhh.. LOL. I have more to share so stop on back..I have been a busy bee lately! Til next time! Julia