Hot Cars in The Summertime

One of the things my family enjoys in the summer is looking at vintage cars.
They're. Just. Cool.  Period. 

So this morning Brawn and I got up early, went out to breakfast with friends
and headed to a car show to check out some vintage-ness before the day heated up.

News Flash!  I even did something unusual.  I took my camera along.  I don't like looking like a tourist, don't like lugging a heavy camera around, and I don't like to stand out taking photos.
But for the sake of the Hot fun in the Summertime link party every Friday in July - I did.

Secretly I like looking at old cars because the hot fun doesn't involve swim suits.
These oldies are in better shape for their age then I am for mine!

I decided a lot of my blogging friends should be decorating with these old cars.
For example, wouldn't this car fit in nice with all of you decorating with aqua?
This was a hot color at this particular car show. 

Or how about the love affair we have with old wheels?  

I would hang this in my house.

Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet.

Admit it.  You would love to get your hands on this tail gate.   

What would you use it for?  The back rest for a garden bench?

How about this art deco door handle?  A towel holder perhaps?

An old drive-in movie speaker 

could be made into any number of things for your decorating pleasure.  

The people watched me as I took a picture of it probably wondering why!  

Maybe I looked young enough they didn't think I knew what it was?  

Probably not.

Getta load of those double barrel beauties.  

They don't make 'em like they used too.  

Can you imagine backing into a car of today with a set of those taillights?

Car seats for kids have come a long way.  That's me when I was a baby.  

About the same car and my mom liked to dress me in plaid.  

Pretty sure she didn't have a whole back seat of tin ware to match my outfits though.  

Tell me there aren't a few of you who wouldn't like to get your hands on that plaid!

I have a thing for the dashboards on vintage cars.  And the wheels.  The emblems.  

The outside mirrors.  The front grill.  The rear lights.  The hood ornaments.  All the details.

For this former California beach bunny, nothing takes me for a walk down memory lane like a Chevy Malibu.  Make that a ride down memory lane.

Come back Friday for week #2 of the Hot Fun in the Summertime Link Party.
Be there or be square daddy-o.

Link Party Hot Fun in the Summertime

 It's no accident that the whole country is having record heat at the same time the
Hot Fun in the Summertime blog party's about to kick off.
 That's just how hot this party is!

Link up on one, be seen on all 5 blogs.

Here's the rules: 

We're really nice people and party rules are about the same everywhere....

* You MUST link back to your host or your party entry will probably disappear into linky limbo
* Please link to your specific post and not your main blog
* No Etsy, advertisements or sales.... DO link your projects, crafts, furniture, recipes, hot dance videos, whatever you want to showcase as some of your best summer fun
* Be polite and be a follower of your host ...don't forget to follow my FB page too!  You get extra brownie points if you *like* the BlissRanch FB page, because I really have no idea what I'm doing on there and am in need of some *friends & likes*
* Please check out some of the other awesome entries. Link the love and make some new friends.  I happen to think I have the best followers around, so I'll share them with you.
* You are welcome to enter a few times.
* Make sure to come back and see if you've been featured and grab an
"I've been featured" button from the sidebar.  I'll be sending you a congrat's note if you are.
* The party runs every Friday all through July so I'd be honored if you would put the button on your sidebar so others can find it through your blog.

Home First Aid Kit Recycled Tool Box

Inspired by Suzanne over at MeridianRoad, I pinned her lunch box turned first aid kit and set out on my merry garage sale way to find one of the millions of lunch boxes I see every week.  

Free Dresser Coming Soon

Caution... this is a teaser post.

I know my fellow bloggers are familiar with how to do a teaser post.  They have teased me a time or two the past six months with waiting to see their cool projects.
I have learned well from them and I am repaying the favor.

I got this dresser free.
Free is good.
Free at a garage sale.
I couldn't take it with me right away and when I came back to fetch it they had put a 'sold for free' sign on it and one that said 'spoken for'.
They were as excited to get rid of it as I was to take it.  Yes siree.

Free turned a big yellow lemon into a cool rock n roll dresser a few months back.
Because it was free I took chances, I had nothing to lose.

I'm taking some chances with this one too.
I think you will be surprised.
And I think it was Brawn's idea.

I think you will be surprised both by the color and by what the dresser becomes.

Feel free to leave a guess in the comments.  

Free is good for dressers and guesses.

That sample spot sure looks like the purpley pink goo used for tummy aches.
It dries darker.
Bless it's little Pepto heart.  (That's what we say up North).

The dresser will be making it's debut in July.
Probably the 2nd week in July.

And why do I need to finish the dresser by then?
Because of the party.
What party? 

 Hot fun in the Summertime.

Five Blogs, Five Fridays.

First Link Party Ever.

The Pillows Of Bliss Ranch

Boy that's a dreamy post title huh? 
Only a party with Linda @ItAllStartedWithPaint could get me to take my camera around in the wee hours of the morning, while people still slumber, creep into their domain and take photos of their pillows.  You see it's Pillowpalooza party #2 and I hate to miss a party. 

I have always loved pillows, but feel like I just never seem to get it right with them.  I was thinking I don't have any, but Lordy they are actually everywhere. 

I'm not going to be sewing and gluing up any pillows like these coffee sack ones from the last Pillowpalooza Party.  I made four, or maybe it was 5?

#2 Daughter could be known as the pillow princess.  She has more than her fair share.

These kitten ones are some of my fav's.  They are like vintage post cards.  

Really cute for a little girls room.  Except my girl isn't little anymore.  

She doesn't like change.... on her window seat anyhow.

She also has this pillow to remind her how many frogs there are out in the world.

 And as she grew up so did her cats.  Her kittens turned into wild animals.  

You have all seen the famed zebra-cat right?

This one should say Pillow Princess.  

She is the princess, and believe me she never lets us forget it!

I have these leaf print pillows in three rooms..... mudroom, family room and kitchen.  I don't dislike them.  Those ones are in the mudroom on a bench I painted a few months ago.

The cedar porch has a big fish pillow, it's the one that didn't get away I guess.  It was hanging on the wall before a little redo.  My grand kids love that big thing.  It's over 5 feet long to the end of it's tail with a face only a mother could love.  Don't you want one?

If you catch the master bedroom on a day like this photo was taken, you would find the pillows on the bed.  But usually they are on the floor next to the bed like they were this morning.  And they might be staying that way all day.

 This cute Bessie Pease Gutmann pillow is now on the chair in the master bedroom.  

There is a very neglected stairway and window seat with pillows that match my dining room.  I started blogging in January to redo the dining room.  Hmm.......

 The family room has a mix of pillows, none really go with each other.  In addition to the coffee sack pillows, there are these ones made from a vintage bedspread.  I really like these, and I have a few more.  They lived in the bedroom of daughter #1 but ended up in the closet when son #2 took it over.  I pulled them out a couple weeks ago.

This is my favorite - envelope style.  The fringe part is from the bottom of the bedspread.

And this Northrup King seed sack pillow.  I like it too.

This little pillow is on an old childs rocker.  

 

There were lots of boring pillows I didn't take pictures of, and several rooms that I *think* have pillows in them, but I never made it past the doorway to find out.  Those rooms belong to the male species in my home. 

The guys pretty much rule the game room and the pillows in that room are in places like this:

And if there are pillows in their rooms, I suspect they were under the clothes on their floor.

I have one more pillow.  I used it in my very first magazine copy cat challenge.  

With the right person the pillow message lasts.  The man that puts up with me will be celebrating 31 years of wedded BLISS this week.  To little 'ol me.

Linking up to The Pillowpalooza Party @ItAllStartedWithPaint

The question is, which pillow will I link? 

  Can't forget the pillow Linda herself made for me.  You can check out her Etsy shop for all her dropcloth designs, she has some gorgeous samples.  

How funny would it be to enter her own pillow in her own party?

I Finally Passed On

I can cross something off my list.  Passing On.  Not the permanent life altering passing on to the next life (oh now that's deep huh!), but the passing on of the pass it on project.

Remember my post about being a lucky duck here?  I told you about being part of the Pass It On project...... it was months ago so if you don't remember I understand.  I slapped myself for being so slow with it.

So what was my problem with getting it done?

The "What":  It wasn't that I didn't know what to do. It wasn't that I didn't know what to pass on.
The "When":  I certainly knew when to pass it on, and that was much sooner than I eventually did!
The "Where":  It could be anywhere, there was no limit.
The "Why":  Basically to perform a random act of kindness.  Why do something nice?  Because we all can!
The "Who":  And herein lies the problem.......it was that I love all my blog friends so much I could not decide who to pass it on too!

Really.
Like Lay's tater chips, I did not think I could pick just one.  But I could not send to 20 (unlike my crazy Pass It On mentor).

Fortunately some of my buds from my fav blogs were already participating so I didn't double up by asking them again.  I agonized over who to pick, how to pick, and finally I came to the conclusion I just couldn't pick.  So I put a bunch of my favorite blogs into a bowl (if you are reading this there is a good chance you were in the bowl) and I used the scientific method.

The scientific genius

 I had the princess in pigtails reach into the bowl and pull out a name.  No competition of who I liked more, it was strictly a matter of if you were already in the bowl, I wanted to pick you.  This is KEY.  It was like my children, I loved them all - each for their own qualities and things they contribute to me being me.  So no matter who was pulled out, I was going to be thrilled.

I also had to determine if the person plucked from the bowl would be able to participate because there is a commitment.   Then I had to say to myself..... self, be not afraid.  Just offer it up, if they can participate they will.  If not, it's not personal so get over it.  Then I quit talking to myself.

So someone received these baubles of kitchen beauty.

I reused the original Pass It On paint chips that I thought were so darn clever......

Packaged up the goods and shipped them off to where the yellow jasmine blooms.

South Carolina. 

But Bliss, you ask, who did they go too and what are these jeweled pieces of art?

These are cake testers.  You know, the diva version of the familiar toothpick.  A couple years ago #2 daughter started making and selling them to pay for her gas to college.  You can read a bit about them on her shout out page, or see more on her Etsy site. 

The cake testers are unique, original, useful and pretty....... like the blogger who received them.  I put them together specially for her with agates and all glass beads.  I also told her every time she stabs the helll out of a cake she can think of me.

The recipient blogger doesn't like to bake, not even a little, but from time to time she has too and since she is the queen of her kitchen she deserved to have a tiny scepter of kitchen bling.

This gal can whip up a truffle with a cake filling and you do need a tester for that...

Or she can turn you on to a new beer because she's friendly like that....

She hosts home tours that make you drool (you may never see mine but not for lack of trying only lack of cleaning).  She might just be one of the reasons you are reading this now - she brought us together when our blogs were infants.  She has a secret crush on a musician that I would tell you about, but some things are private in blogland.  Funny how well we get to know folks in a short amount of time.  My all time favorite link party also happens at her place (notice the cute Valentine by Moi  when you click).

And she dooo love her some Halloween.   If there is some link thing and project judging going on this Fall, SO count me in (insert my evil laugh here).

She is a friend too many, and I doos think of her as one of mine.  Heck I even spray painted coke cans in pastel colors inspired by her.  It's pretty inspiring to be able to inspire someone to paint coke cans to begin with, 'ya know? 

So I should doo like ya'll and be a tease (the Northerner said ya'll.  Or is that yawl?).  Tell you I'll have the reveal tomorrow.  But I'm way too nice to leave you hanging like that.

So in my very best James Bond voice I give you the recipient of my pass it on project........... Doo's, Debbie Doos.

So because I couldn't send a cake tester to all my bestest buddies, in July I will be hosting a giveaway so everyone can enter to win one.  Details on that and also my very first link party with 4 other great bloggers......... coming soon!

Hankie Noodle Dandy

The pool noodle party has arrived hosted by some of my favorite bloggers.  

If I sound excited it's because I am, simply because I'm actually ready.  

Usually I'm scrambling at the last minute for link parties or miss them all together.  

Not this time, no siree.

I'm on top of this party I am.

Literally - I could float around on it.