"Granite" from a bottle!

Or several little bottles, actually! Whew, what an interesting couple of days it has been around here! Did I really have time to tackle this project with homeschooling, orders to fill for my business and church activities? . . . NO, but I was ready to just get it over with!

First, a little background info. When we moved into this house almost four years ago, the countertop had just been put in by the builders. Even though we really didn't like the color, we hated to spend the money to replace it when it was perfectly fine otherwise.

All this time that green countertop has bugged me. We planned on eventually replacing it, but it never seemed to make it to the top of the priority list financially speaking!

I'm a huge DIY kind of person, so when I heard that you could PAINT countertops, I was more than ready to give it a shot! I researched techniques and found a tutorial from a woman who had done hers over three years ago and they are still holding up perfectly.

Enough rambling - I'll get to the project!

Here's where we started (click on the pics to see better)-

Here's my new look-

I've only done one side of the kitchen. My oven, fridge and pantry are on the other side along with two small countertops so it won't be as much work!

Supplies-

-Acrylic paints in your choice of colors
-Paint roller or foam brushes
-Zinsser 1-2-3 primer tinted to your base color (this stuff is AMAZING!)
-Textured paper towels (I used white Sparkle towels)
-Frog tape (again, AMAZING stuff!)
-Minwax Polycrylic in clear gloss

Basically you just prime the countertop, use scrunched up paper towels to blot on the paint and seal it really well.

I'll share the link to the video that I followed at the end, but right now I'll share about a thousand pictures for you to see the process!

OK, the above picture was after the primer and the first two paint colors were dabbed on. THAT  looked horrible! I'll admit this was about 11:00 at night and I can't remember for sure, but I think there were tears involved. You can see on the right corner I stopped and did all the layers just to remind myself that this was really going to work!! All was better after a good night's sleep!

More layers - still pretty ugly, but you can see how the colors are building.

A little better, I was getting excited at this point!

The finished product BEFORE the gloss polycrylic was applied. Exactly the colors I wanted but notice how dull it looks here.

AFTER the polycrylic. The colors are richer and it has that nice shine that makes it look more realistic. This is after only one coat. I still have several more coats to go!

That's about it! I promise it wasn't hard. If I can do it, anyone can.

I already had all the supplies I needed except for the polycrylic and the Frog tape. Very inexpensive project!!

Again, I have no idea how it will hold up, but according to Kristi's blog hers have held up fine for three years. I figured I had nothing to lose since we have been seriously talking about replacing them soon anyway. If it works out, we've saved a TON of money - if not, oh well! I'm going to stay positve!


Here's the link to the video. She does a great job explaining everything.

Creative Kristi

I'll be glad to answer any questions!

Countertop Sneak Peak!

What a process this is! It's not hard, it just takes time!

Here's a little sneak peak - I love how it's turning out. No more GREEN!

I'll share the whole process and more pictures when I'm completely done!

Painting Today . . . but not what you think!

I'm usually painting signs and blocks, but today I'm painting my KITCHEN COUNTERTOPS! I've been wanting to do this for over a year but I was scared that it wouldn't hold up! I finally ran across a blog post from someone who gave a great tutorial and hers have held up for over 3 years! I'll give the link to her blog and show before/after pictures in my next post. I'm a little nervous, but excited!

Oh, by the way my, Creekside Creations Facebook page has been stuck at 299 likes for a couple of days - I'd love to top 300 today! I'd LOVE for you to Like my page. You'll get in on giveaways, promotions and see custom orders that I'm working on. Thanks so much!

Well, off to make a mess in my kitchen!

I Just Wish They Knew

I know my blog is hopelessly void of any consistancy right now, but just in case anyone out there still reads my little unorganized spot on the web, I wanted to share this.

I experienced something recently that awakened a burden in my heart that I've never known to this extent. I had a conversation with an unbeliever that shook me to my core. Now I don't mean that it shook my faith - actually, it did just the opposite. It brought me even closer to the Lord and made me all the more thankful that I personally know the creator of  heaven and earth and am able to call Him Father.

After hearing this person's stance on God, (basically that there is no God) I was deeply saddened. I prayed for the right scriptures and words to come to mind during the conversation. God delivered the exact words I needed, but the individual has a hardened heart and refused to accept anything I had to say. I tried to take to heart what 1 Corinthians 2 :14 says:

The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.

The weather is unseasonably warm here in TN this week so I decided to go outside and enjoy it. While I was outside, I reflected on the conversation and again felt a deep sadness for the condition of this person's heart. I looked around at the beauty of the day and all that God had created and felt sad that unbelievers don't experience the joy I feel when I praise the Lord for all His blessings.

I thought about all the people that die every day and are seperated from God for eternity because they refuse to open their hearts and accept Jesus as their personal savior. They are too intellectual to believe in spiritual things. The "intelligence" that they cling to is their downfall. It is such a simple thing to do - a moment of faith like a child is all it takes. God will do the rest.

I shed tears for the first time in my life today for the lost. As everything in my life, this too was a blessing. God gave me just a glimpse of how His heart must break for them.

I just wish they knew.

GIveaway!

Just wanted to share my giveaway with everyone. If you haven't already, like my facebook page to get in on special offers!

Once you've liked my page, be the person to send me the most new likes and you win either a child's name block set: (here are a few examples)

(I have the cutest boy papers too, but I've only had girl orders!)

or a family name block set:

Your set will be personalized with your name and choice of scrapbook papers!

The RuLeS:

(1) Like my fb page (on my sidebar)

(2) Once you've liked, send others to my page and have them comment that you sent them.

 The person who has their name commented the most wins!

This is open until Tuesday, Jan. 17 at 8:00 PM.

I'll be back with another post later this week!

Traditions and Conditions of the Heart

We had a wonderful Christmas spending time with family and reflecting on the birth of Jesus. On that note, I want to share something that I've been thinking about lately. Christmas brings up all sorts of emotions, ideas, beliefs, controversies, etc. I've struggled over the years to secure in my heart and mind exactly how Christmas should be observed and celebrated by our family. It seems that this year, I've heard many arguments against celebrating Christmas, even from Christians. I'd like to share with you how we observe Christmas as a Christian family.

First of all, if you look up the word Christmas, the dictionaries can't even agree on the meaning of the word. I know some may disagree with this, but through my own study, I feel the correct meaning of the word is "to send Christ" or "Christ is sent" (mass stemming from the Latin word missa, which means to send). I'm at peace with that meaning of the word, therefore we feel comfortable celebrating Christmas as the time that Christ was sent to us.

We mix family traditions with our Christian beliefs. We decorate because it's fun, pretty and creates a warm, inviting atmosphere in our home for family and friends. We exchange gifts to show love and appreciation and to help us remember that God gave us the ultimate gift in our savior, Jesus Christ. It's OK to have a little fun and create warm family memories!

Don't get me wrong, I think all the commercialism, greed and busyness of the Christmas season is way out of hand. I don't set foot in a mall if not absolutely necessary!

Christmas is by no means the only time of year that we should, observe the birth of Jesus. Every day should include a time of thanking God for the gift of His son and being a light for Him. BUT, since Christmas is viewed by the world as a Christian Holiday and all eyes are on us during that time, I feel we should do even more to bring attention to the story of Jesus' birth. What a perfect opportunity to share Christ with those that may never give Him another thought the rest of the year!

Well, that's all I have to say about that! The things I've shared are things that our family has prayed about and discussed. The Lord has given us peace about the way we celebrate, and I urge you to seek the Lord's will for your family concerning this. What's right for one family isn't right for all, of course!

I'll leave you with a pic of my kiddos taken after church on Christmas morning-

Happy and Blessed New Year from our family to yours!!

Merry Christmas from an AWOL blogger!

I had absolutely NO idea when I did my last post in October that I wouldn't be posting again until two days before Christmas!!

The last two months have been a roller coaster ride to say the least! My entire life, I've had two dreams: (1) to be a stay at home mom and (2) to have my own business. Dream #1 - check. Dream #2 - not so simple!

For almost three years, I've been working on slowly building my business. I was afraid to move too fast - I wasn't sure if I could balance family and work. I got to the point earlier this year that I was ready to throw in the towel. Even though everything that was happening in my life suggested otherwise, I felt like there was no way that God could possibly want me to run a business and be a homeschooling mom at the same time. After all, don't good mothers spend every second of the day cooking, cleaning and taking care of their families? How in the world was I going to run a business and do all that?

I uselessly tried to ignore my desire to create things for my shop. I sent my good friend Becky an email and she was so wonderful to listen and remind of a few things that I had forgotten. The Proverbs 31 woman (who I've always tried to pattern my decisions after) was a business woman. She sold things that she made, didn't she? Well, of course she did!

Things changed after my conversations with Becky. Let's just say I let go and let God! I have been blessed with unbelievable success in my Etsy shop. My family has pulled together and helped me more than I could have imagined.There's so much more to this story, but I'll save it for my next post which I promise won't be two months from now!

I'll leave you with a pic of my favorite Christmas decoration. This is a nativity set that a secret sister from church gave me years ago. It's very special to me and reminds our family what Christmas is all about!

Merry Christmas to each one of you. May you experience the fullness and joy that the birth of our Savior offers!