The Flip Side

The gift was finished and given!  Many hours of love have gone into this gift and I am so excited to put it our in the screen porch.  For now we are using it in the living room.

After some wood getting and sledding the day after Christmas we put it to use to see if this was fun.  What do you know.... it WAS fun!!!

We played Scrabble and then... in the blink of an eye... FLIP!  We played Checkers!!

This is SO much fun!!  I do believe that I love it more than any of my family, but I really LOVE it!

Did you accept ALL your presents?

As my children read the Christmas Story to us out of Luke this year and then began opening gifts I was reminded of an amazing thing.  Even if a gift was not their "favorite" gift they accepted all of them.  There was not one gift that was given back to me with a rude comment about how they did not want it, or even a polite excuse about why it just would not work out for them to receive this particular gift.

Then my mind drifted to the actual "GIFT" that we are celebrating.  I am amazed at the different responses that people give for not accepting this gift.  Some totally reject the gift and never even bother to open it to see what it is, others open the gift but them give it back saying it will not work for them to receive this gift.

So, what did you do with your gift of Jesus?  Did you accept ALL your gifts this Christmas?

May you have a blessed Christmas this day and a year filled with the blessings of accepting the gift of Jesus!

Wrapping up Christmas

Here at Cherish's Country Store we are wrapping up Christmas.  We are tracking the last few packages that have not arrived from our store to you and pray that each gift arrives safely.

We love helping you choose the perfect gift.  I have spent countless hours on the phone explaining the color schemes of the wooden country signs and the joy that hand thrown pottery coffee mugs bring me each morning.  Trying not to put to much of my "style" onto what others would like.

We built Christmas Signs and a ton of custom country signs, and of course we helped you all smell better with lotions and soaps.

Our dinner bells will be bringing home the troops and we have sent decorative hooks to many homes.

From us to you... we hope that you have a very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year.

The Last Minute

For those of you who are asking, YES this IS the last minute! 
If is it not in the mail on Monday you most likely will not get it, and even if it goes on Monday the only way to guarantee is it Express mail. 

I do hope you enjoy your Christmas!  Joy is the word at our house this Christmas.  I got out the book we read for Christmas Morning.  It is Luke 2:1-20 with beautiful illistrations by C. Michael Dudash. 

I am reminded again that there is no bad news that can out do the Good News of Great Joy!

Merry Christmas Jesus

Just in time for a last minute addition to your Christmas we have added the Merry Christmas Jesus sign.

Behind each Merry Christmas should be the reminder of Jesus who we celebrate during this season.

This sign beautiful sign measures 3 1/2 inches tall and 11 inches long. It has a brown background with a darker brown JESUS overlaid with Merry Christmas in cream. Each sign is hung with a green wire hanger.

Use this as a wonderful addition or give it to your neighbors, family and friends.

Merry Christmas from Cherish's Country Store.

Merry Christmas Jesus

Finished for Christmas

Varnish is on all of the pieces and the Family Christmas Present is complete.  I will be posting pictures of the "giving" when Christmas arrives.  You will have to be patient along with my Sweet Husband.  Actually, I hate how patient he is!!  It is driving me crazy. I am SO excited!!!!!

Merry Christmas to you all, and enjoy this season.

Another Crazy Venture

Any of you who know me know that I have a "creative" mind.  What this basicly means is that I have a TON of crazy ideas!!!  (God Bless My Sweet Husband for putting up with me!)

So here is another one....

I have been working on an idea for over a year now.  I have the first few t-shirts made and I am getting ready to put them for sale on the website.  www.nakedcover.com.

Here is a little look.... starting with a few basic designs and colors

Varnish

I would just like to say a quick word about vanish. 

I have to say, this has been a dandy of a project.  it has been so fun.  Half the reason I am blogging about it is because I really just want to talk about it and the person I would tell is my Sweet Husband and I can't because it is for him. 

I am looking so forward to the moment where I bring it in and we get to PLAY.

With all that said, I get that varnish is an important step, especially because this is going outside, but wow... this is the hard part for me.  It seems so tedious and who knew vanish could be so finicky!!!!

And stink... not my favorite smell.

Alright, I am still excited and I have a TON of varnishing to do (and sanding between each coat, gotta love that part!)

ONWARD!

Cold Mornings

We are headed toward Christmas, fast an furious.  We see lights all around and all the signs are there.  We are finally getting bits of snow (which at my house means SLEDDING!) and so everyone is very excited.

I find that in all the chaos and craziness of the holidays there is one thing that always remains the same.  I get up in the morning and look out the window.  I am blessed by the beautiful sunrise that never fails to happen.  I have time with my sweet husband before he heads off to work and the I have a few moments with the Lord over coffee.

Funny thing isn't it, you would invite your best friend over for coffee.  I feel so blessed that mine waits for me every morning.

The Crown

So... questions of the day.  What is on the opposite side of the checker.  One side has a crown, the other side has.... Low and behold, after google and many phone calls to friends and family... the answer is NOTHING!!!

Many have a star or something like that, but in all actuality it is just a place holder. 


Put paint on the table and so all is ready for varnish.  Wooohhooo!!

Tomorrow I will start the process of distressing all that needs to be distressed and then a small layer of stain. 

We will be done!

The Table

This was the part that I thought I might not actually be able to do.  It requires a little more skill and as you have seen from viewing my blog I am a "wing it" sort of girl.

I defiantly don't do things perfectly, thank goodness for distressing!!

I am sure however, that my family is going to USE this and so perfection just gets dings and dents.

I will now do a little sanding to get it ready for paint, I will paint, and then it will be time for varnish.  I have to do the board, the blocks, and the table. 

Oh, and lets not forget that I have 5 inch round pieces on the way to make my checkers!  So exciting.

To look at it now, it seems that I might even have it actually finished for Christmas!

Perspective

A God who is merciful,  a husband who loves me whom i love, healthy amazing kids, a job I enjoy, when I start to think about all the things I am thankful for and I put them down on paper it help to create perspective for the times when I complain.  To top it all off I haven't even begun talking about the blessing that go above and beyond my needs and desires.

Today I am over flowing with gratitude for all the blessing in my life. 

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Checkers

For the record, it is MUCH easier to paint a checker board than it is to paint a scrabble board.

Today I ordered 5 inch circles for the checker pieces.  It is the one thing I am not going to try to cut myself.  I honestly don't even know where I would start.  It will make this part of the process much more simple.  I will still have to paint them but at least I will not have to figure out how to cut them.

I am happy with both sides.  I look forward to distressing everything and getting the varnish on both sides.  I am defiantly not a perfectionist and so my painting leaves much to be desired.  The distressing helps my painting skills out considerably!!!

I am making strides to being done by Christmas.

Flip Side

One of the reasons I have for making this game board into a table instead of doing tiles is so that we can have 2 sides.

And so... the flip side!!!

I am now laying out the checkerboard on the flip side of the scrabble board.  It has been laid out and the red is on.  I will wait for that to dry and then put on the black.

After both sides are completed I will then distress both sides with sanding and stain and varnish the entire thing.

Before I stain and varnish I will also need to have the table part ready.  That is the plan for this week.  We are supposed to warm up to 45ish and so it will be warm enough to work outside on the table. 


At this point all of the painting and varnishing has to be done in the house do to the cold weather.

Ready for Varnish

Each tile, after they were all stenciled with the painted letters and numbers, then had to be stained.

I choose a light colored stain that would bring out the slight grain in the wood without "hiding" the black painted letters.

So... we have 100 letter tiles (well 98 and 2 blanks) painted stained and ready for varnish.

Soon I hope to start the process of putting the table together.  I think that will be the hardest part for me.  I also have to paint the checker board side of the game board.

Letter Tile Process

It is quite a process to make 100 letter tiles.  After I had cut them all to a 3 inch square, then each time had to be sanded on all 6 sides and all 12 corners.

After the sanding was complete then I began the process of of painting on all of the letters and numbers.

Thank goodness for 2 blanks!

Cutting and Sanding

Wow, I had a friend help me cut my board to the right size and cut the board that will be the base to the right size.  That was so slick, he has a very nice table saw.  Sometimes it IS about who you know.

I used my Cricut to cut out some stencils for the letter blocks, they turned out nice.

Now I am sanding each of the 100 letter blocks.  CRAMP!

1000 Little Steps

What we have here is the makings for scrabble.  But let me tell you what I see.

With every cut of the saw and stroke of the paint brush I can see in my minds eye my family gathered together in our screen porch, sometimes just our core family and other times with extended family and friends around us, laughter and love making real words and words we are "sure" exist.  You know someone is going to be dragging out the dictionary!

That is what I see.

We Have Color

Wow... it looks like a whole different board.  I am so excited to play on this thing I just can't stand it.  I am willing to sit out in the freezing cold screen porch in December to play a game of scrabble on this thing!!!

So... onward with the country screen porch scrabble.

Still in Love

All of you DIYers out there will appreciate this.... you find something, or you dream it up... you decide to make it... you get the stuff... take the time to put it all together... you put it up... and you start to use it... Then you realize that it is NOT what you pictures or NOT as useful as you imagined... bummer...

That is so NOT what happened here!!!!

I can't tell you how much I love this shelf.  It fits right next to my message board, and is easy to grab on the way out the door, so I always know where I am going... or supposed to be going.  It makes something that I need, my life planner, even more usable.

I love this shelf!

Life Planner Shelf

The shelf is complete.  I sanded it, I painted it, I sanded it again, I stained it, and finally I gave it a coat of wax.

Then... I took a very deep breath as I always do when I am going to make holes in the wall and I screwed it into place.

WWWOOHHOOO!!!  I love this shelf. 

Board is waiting for color

Our country game board is coming along.  One step at a time.


Finished painting, let the paint dry, took off all of the vinyl.  That was a LOT of vinyl.

Fixed all the letter blocks and now they are all the right size.  I am getting ready to start the painting on those.




I now have to add the colored blocks to the board here so that it stars to look like a scrabble board.

I am starting to get very excited for Christmas!

Multitasking

It seems silly to spend all your time on one project.  So....

We (my family and I) live off my life planner.  It is not just a day planner, when this precious book is missing, even my husband starts to get all nervous and upset.



I need a wall calendar and a planner.  However, that does not work for me.  If I write it on the calendar on the wall when I think of it, then when we are out and about I get a new thing that needs to be written down, then I have stuff in 2 places and whenever I need it I find that it is not in the right place.  YIKES!




I have come up with a solution for my need for both and my need for only one.  A little shelf!  This shelf will hold my planner on the wall and when it is time for us to leave the house, I can grab it with my phone and purse and kids and keys and crating the dogs and stoking the fire and turning off the lights... and I will have it with me.

I took a 1x4 and cut it into about half.  Then I added a piece of molding on the front so that it will hold the book from sliding off.  Then I painted it black.  I will be distressing it tomorrow and putting on some wax and then screwing it into place on the wall.  I will put up pictures when I have it in working order.

Christmas Gift for the Family

I contiune on with my project for my family for Christmas.  We WILL have scrabble on the patio!

Wow... lots of work.  So I painted my board cream and then put vinyl squares on the board (15 x15) and painted over it black.  I did 2 coats and after it dried I took off the vinyl.  Presto!!! We have a board.  Now I just have to add color.



I did make a measurement error and didn't figure it out until after I had cut 100 squares for the letters and so I will have to take a 1/2 inch piece of 2 sides of each block... seriously, what was I thinking!!




That will slow me down a little bit, but I am still on target to getting all of this done.  Now I just have to cut out stencils for the letters.  This is coming along!

WARNING

There are some things in this world that you just shouldn't try because once you try them they could ruin your life.  Drugs for instance are something that it is just best to totally avoid because once you start few have the fortitude to go back to the life they had before the drugs.

With that said... you all know that we have been working on a screen porch.  So I have been searching the Internet for ways to decorate and other things that I can do to make this area of our home a blessing are, not only in looks but in activities.


(Here is were the drug reference comes to play)  In searching the Internet I found Pinterest, now if I was you I would just take my advice and stay away from this place it can take over your life!!

I found this amazing picture of something I wanted to try in my screen porch.

If you look closely, what you see if a tile floor that is also a scrabble board.  HOW MUCH FUN IS THAT!


So... in thinking about my screen porch and trying to figure out how scrabble will work into my flooring, what I realized is that by the time I am ready to put something like this down on my floor my children will be 40.  Knowing that it is still okay to play scrabble at 40 but not wanting to loose all the years in between I have concocted a plan that will get me something similar (as far as the idea goes) that I can have now... and so....

I am now working on plans to build a coffee table type thing that will be both a scrabble board and a checker board.  I am so excited... as my plan continue I will let you know how it is going.  It is the beginning of November and I want to be able to give it to my family for Christmas!

I better go get busy!!!

Desk Complete

To save money I got my file cabinets not put together and I put them together.  WOW, big project!  I put vinyl letting on the desk top and I added pictures of my girls.  I also covered it with Plexiglas so that I could use it.

I had some white plastic drawers that I wanted to use, but they were lookign dingy and didn't go well with all of the black, so I bought myself some plastic spray paint and went to town. 

For wall decoration I hung an old latter sidways and put framed pictures between the wrungs and on the top.  There is nothing I enjoy more than looking at my family!


After 2 entire large kitchen size bags full of garbage (way cleaner desk and files!) it has now all come together.  Who knew?!

I am excited to present the new desk area!

I am also giving you an up close of the desk top.  It is so much fun!

1 project down... many many to go!!

Painted and Ready

After tons of sanding and 3 coats of paint we have a desk top.  After I finished with the 3rd coat of paint I let it totally dry.  Then I lightly sanded the top and distressed the corners and edges.  I applied some stain and a coat of wax.

I have been working on a fun idea to go under the Plexiglas and so when I get it all together I will show you.

Right now I am waiting for the file cabinets to arrive.  I am so excited to have this all together.  I think it will be a huge improvement on my space.  When it is all organized things just work so much better.

Desk Top

Alright, so I need a new desk.  WOW, haven't purchased a desk in a few years (like 6 years) and so I was a little shocked at a few things.

1. EXPENSIVE
2. Why is it that "real" wood no longer exists.  I finally found some wood file cabinets, they still really are not wood.  And it isn't like I am looking for top of the line anything.  I just wanted a painted black wood file cabinet.

Okay, wow I could rant on that all day long!  I found some file cabinets that would work, and they are black painted wood like I wanted.  They were not too outrageous and the quality was workable.  I may have to re enforce a few things (I have kids at my house, everything has to be durable!).  So then I started searching for the desk top.

We are not talking about granite here.  I am talking about a piece of wood, about 5 feet tall and 2 feet wide PAINTED black.  We are not talking about precious hard wood here.  $200 for the cheep ones. 

After I started breathing again, I decided to figure this one out.  All of you DIY'ers out there will see where I am coming from.

Things to know about me.  I CAN use power tools, but not always correctly.  I DO NOT ask my husband for help very often.  He is an amazing man and busy as all get out.  So, I have learned after nearly 20 years of marriage that one has to be able to figure it out by ones self!

So, went to the hardware store, picked out a piece of wood, molding for the front and side edges, wood glue, finish nails, wood putty, sand paper, and paint.  I was $40 in and good to go. (the paint is not in the amount, I actually already had the black paint that I had been using for other projects.

I searched through all the 2 foot wide boards at the hardware store and didn't find any with a really nice front edge, so I had to "rig" the table saw.  I cut off an inch of the board so I have this beautiful front edge to put my molding on.  The  molding was cut, glued, and nailed into place and the putty was applied.  Sanding followed and today I am painting.  I will update you with those pictures when the painting is completed.

Onward with the Project

So... roof is on, sheeting is on... gutters came yesterday.  Moving ahead!

Cherish can put on sheeting!!  Not perfect and not necessarily correctly, but ON, which is a big deal at my house these days.  I inlisted the help of my girls who are very good at helping their crazy mom with all the pojects I try to start and finish.

And up next comes the siding, now that could be a while.  Knowing that it could be a while I went ahead and stained the sheeting to the same color of the siding.  Mostly I wanted to protect it from the weather that I am sure it will see before siding goes up.

We have a few other things that have to be finished before we can make it to that stage.  We are now contemplating what we will put on the inside to finish things.  We are thinking cedar or pine tongue and groove for the ceiling, but the walls are still a debate.  Has to be something that can hold up to weather since there will only be screens for windows.

And the projects continue...

New Project

If you own a home, or live in a home, you will agree that it is never "done".  You are always adding, taking away, updating, and changing.  That is part of the fun, and love that happens in a home.

We purchased a home 2 1/2 years ago.  The deck was literally falling into the ground.  We removed the deck and added an 18x20 foot patio with footing, with the intention on making it a screen porch one day. 

Well, now is the day!  This is going to be a long term project, but we have added the roof and walls and are now working on the finishing of the screen porch.

I will be updating you periodically on this project.  We are excited to add this screen porch to our country home and I look forward to sharing with you the decorating ideas as they come.

This has been such a fun project for our family.  Stressful, most of the time, but enjoyable.  God has blessed us with this beautiful home and a place to be out of town and we pray that our home, and this new addition will be a blessing to all those who come to share it with us.

Shipping Fix

Good news, the shipping calculator is much better.  We will have to continue to fix any glitches we find in the new site as the arise.  We will be giving an "estimated" shipping cost and charging exact shipping for USPS Priority Mail plus a $3 handling fee.

We are always working on ways to ship quickly and effectively at the best possible rate to the customer.  This is a difficult task with rising shipping costs from the postal service.  We will continue to keep tabs on the situation and keep you updated as needed.

Thanks so much for your support in this matter,
Cherish

Vinyl Wall Letters

So, I have been experimenting with our newest product.  Vinyl lettering can be addictive.  It is fun to add little phrases here and there.  My first attempt was in our school room.  My children (very loveingly I am sure) call our school, "Cherish's Military School".  We decided to add this to our room above the flag.  The girls were so excited!

Then I started looking around my house.  Were could I add more lettering.  I was walking down the hall and was looking at my picture wall (I just LOVE to look at photo's of my family) and it got me to thinking of some fun signs that I saw.  I loved the sign, but I didn't really have a place to put it, so....

... I started to build my wall.  One word at a time.  That is really the coolest part about ordering custom vinyl lettering.  you can measure you space and have something made to fit your needs.

This is truly so much fun!

Check out our new Custom Vinyl Lettering.

New Heart and Star Hooks

Over the years I have had several requests for different products.  We carry a killer Horseshoe Hook, it is a very popular item.  I think one of the reasons this is so popular is because it is a HOOK.  You can hang nearly anything on this baby (as long as you have it anchored to something strong).  Hang them in the house and you have a decorative but useful coat hook.  Hang them in the barn and you have darling tack hooks. 

So what if horseshoes are not your thing?  We see other hooks, and they are beautiful, but... they are made mostly for decoration.  You can hang your keys or things for decorating, but when it comes right down to it, they are not sturdy.

Now we have 2 new options for you!  Patterned after the horseshoe hook, these heavy duty Heart and Star Hooks are made for use.  The charming country style heart and star make these hooks easy to use in all areas of your home.  Hand them at the front door for coat hooks, in the bathroom for towel hook, or in the barn for tack hooks. 

For those of you who asked for these hooks, thanks for the GREAT suggestion!

Shipping Shocker!

OH MY!!!  Got a few orders and had some SHOCKED customers.  Please, do not think that the estimated shipping is your actual shipping cost.  Right now we are having some MAJOR issues with the shipping calculator.  A $100 order can easily ring up a $130 shipping cost.  WOW, for that you may just see Cherish show up at your door with package in hand, walk into your house and put your decor item into place.  For $130, that should be the service!!

SO, do not be alarmed, we will not be charging you crazy shipping, we will just have to adjust your shipping as we go here until we get this mess figured out.  Your card will NOT be charged until your shipping cost has been adjusted.  If you would like a clearer estimate on your shipping cost please do not hesitate to call me at (406)749-0147 or send me an e-mail at info@cherishscountrystore.com.

Order Online!!!

After months of rebuilding and recalculating, loading products and checking options.  Cherish's Country Store is now open for business online once again.  We are still dealing with a few glitches here and there and finding broken links to fix, but all in all, things are up and running.  We have added some fun new items this year, like our custom decorative hooks  and so there are many options for adding new decor to your home or buying gift.

Have a great day!  It is good to be back!

New Fall Season

We are planning many new products this fall season.  Keep checking back as we post new decorating ideas and products.  Looking for something specific to ad to your decor?  Just let us know and we can create the perfect product for you.

Atributes

Atributes... we have atributes.  You can pick your scent, your color, and the list goes on.  Very soon the cart will be working as it should.  This is an exciting time... yippie!!!!

August

We moved form Fair to Vacation and worked very little on the store.  Then we got the sad news that my Aunt Jan had passed away.  Sad for us because we will all miss her so much, a joyous day for her as she has gone to be with the Lord.

So... we are back at the store.  Most everything is working, we still have to add some attributes and you can't yet check out, but it is moving along.  We should be locked and loaded by the end of the month.  Just in time for Christmas to hit us full on!

We are SOSOSOSO excited.

WWWWOOOHHHHOOOO!!!!!!!

We have products up and showing... it has taken so long and I am so excited... we are still working out some bug and are imrovising on a few thigns... but... that is business!

Up, up and away

Well, with a few minor glitches with the shopping cart integration we are moving ahead on a few things and just putting up something that will get us going for now... so hopefully by Monday we will have a "usable" website. 

I didn't realize how much I love this store until I had to live without it for a few months.  God was just giving me a little reminder.  Thank you Lord!

And so on...

We have done fair... girls did great... we have done vacation... have to come home to get some rest... rest???? not sure what that means.
I am currently loading more products into the store and praying for a quick reopening.  Thank you for being patient with us, this is taking longer than planned, but when do our lives really go as planned.
Thank you Lord for keeping us dependent on you!

Loading Products

We are currently loading the products into the new cart.  YEAH!!  What I am learning about programming... something the best things are worth the wait!

Very exciting.... more to come soon

Summer Mondays!

Give it up for Summer Mondays!  We are now in the full swing of summer.  We have sunshine, which we have not had much of until now, and gardens and flowers are growing.

The website is also coming along.  We are very excited!!

Summer is On

Summer is in full swing.  The baby birds have gone to live in the "wild" and the sun is shining at least part of the time.  The grass is growing and the garden is coming up.

On the store front, we are getting closer ever day.  The site is starting to take shape and we are getting ready to put the products into the cart.  I am so excited to see it all come together and show it to you all.

Yeah for summer!

Relax...

Makes me happy just to look at it...

Memorial Day

Sometimes we get caught up in the "celebration" of a day like today and forget to look at why it is there.  I have been thinking today about how blessed I am to live in the country we call the USA. 

I can worship God the way I want without fear of death or persecution, I can raise my family (of any size I choose) the way I would prefer, I can even do something as simple and as fun as running a store of my own.

May we not forget how we came to live in such a place and the sacrifices that have been made and are currently being made every day so that we can live safe and free.

I just want to personally thank all that serve and the families that wait for them.  The sacrifices you make every day for my freedoms are greatly appreciated.

Closer Every Day

Getting closer to the new store upload.  One day at a time.

Sign is almost up

I have been working on a sign configuration over the last few months.  It takes me a long time to decide on a decor item and then figure out where it should go.  Maybe it is just that I am a procrastinator?! NO... it couldn't be.

I hope to have pictures ready soon.  I am really like the sign, the size, and the fact that it is totally unique.

My Baby is Saving Babies

I am supposed to be keeping you updated on the website and the progress that is happening with the rebuild.

Today I am moving on to a different topic.  I have a little girl who has always loved animals.  She loves them to the point of complete distress if anything happens to them and has decided she would like to be a veterinarian.

A couple days ago a nest fell out of the tree in the wind and rain and the mama never returned.  The neighbors called and asked if my baby would like to feed them.  After looking online we found that if you soak dog or cat food in warm water you can feed it to the babies.  So all of this started (the feeding) yesterday in the afternoon. 

This morning I really thought I would wake up to dead baby birds but....  5 live baby birds!  They are still eating and sleeping.

So... this is exciting... my baby might just turn out to be Dr. Dolittle!

I knew I loved Monday!

Out my window is blue sky.  I am actually watching a sunrise which has not been possible for over a week.  We went and looked at some of the flooding last night and it is truly incredible, the destruction is quick and large.  It was very interesting to see.  Good news!!!

Even better news my programmer is up and running (it is very hard to be one of the smartest people in the world) and working on the website.  WOOOHHHOOO!!

I knew I loved Mondays!

Saturday and Rain

I don't know if what you call what we are having just RAIN.  It makes me think about Noah and how hard and long the rain would actually have to happen to make the whole world flood.  This is crazy water and that was WAY crazy water.

Have a good weekend.

Friday and Rain

We have puddles for fields.  It is crazy rain this week.  We have a few more day of rain and then when that stops we are expecting more rain.

So, things are moving ahead as slowly as ever but moving none the less.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Message Board for the kitchen

 I had this frame, it had been dropped and I was not entirely sure what to do with it but I really hate throwing stuff away.  There was no glass and a large knick in the bottom portion of the fame.  I painted it black and distressed the frame.  I finished the frame with wax to give it a hard finish.

I had an old cheep painting that was in a frame.  I painted it black and glued a 12 inch square piece on the left side of the piece.

A suggestion was made of using metal so that you could use magnets but I find that the cork looks more primitive country. (of course that is an opionion)

When I finished the board I added a command strip clip so that I could use it to add a list.

Fun, Fun, Fun!  I love making stuff out of things you should really throw away.

Completed project.  This was both a fun and useful project.... I love this stuff!!

Taking Stock

This weekend I am taking stock as to what is important.  I love this store.  I love the products we sell and I love the people who make them.  I love the customers we have and their love of simple country values.

As much as I love this store and the fun and satisfaction I have in doing it, it is not the store or the products that make it all worth while.

It is the people!  From the artists who make our products to the people who buy them, the programmer who gives us life and does all the little stuff that makes us work.  That is what makes this worth my time.  I love these people and am so thankful for the joy they bring into my life and the life of my store.

Thank you!

The Glass is Half Full!

Power goes down... blogger goes down... you just never know what could happen and so we plug on.

Little slow with the pictures.  I have been working on my frame, cork boad is on, everything is painted and now I am looking for the right clip.

Website is still in process.  Let me know if you need help with anything or have quesitons about any products.

It's Raining, It's Pouring...

Please know that if you are in an area that is flooding, you are in our thoughts and prayers.  Wow, we are watching water rise here in western Montana.  It is amazing how much a constant drizzle combined with bouts of torrent rain can put down.  We are watching our fields fill with water.  The sun is supposed to peek out tomorrow and we do hope that it makes an appearance. 

Now we are facing the dreaded... MUD!!  Oh man, we have mud here like nothing you have ever seen.  Nothing like mixing water and clay together to get a sticky mess.  Mix that with horses, chickens, dogs, and 1 sheep and you have a mess that seemingly never ends.

Started a new project today... took an old frame, paint, sandpaper, cork board... very exciting... I will load pictures with my new project in a day or so.

A New Week

Monday, the start of a whole new week.  It really is my favorite day of the week.  Working on getting some photos together and products ready to upload.  Things are moving along.

Hope you have a great week!

Happy Mothers Day

Today is a day to celebrate mom.  Take a moment to call you mother, hug your mother, and tell her that you love her.  This is the woman who brought you into this world. 

Thanks mom!

So here we are...

So, normally you get a link to my blog and you can go there when you like and find out what is new at the store... For now, you can follow us on the blog to see how the store is coming.  I will keep you updated here with any news, or no news, as things move along.

One thing... then another thing...

Working on putting up the "new and improved" Cherish's Country Store". This is a work in progress and we are trying to get up and running as soon as possible. I appreciate your patience.

Friday rolls around again

Today is Friday... again... still no new store.  Working on it, and then when we are done working on it, we work on it some more.  Thanks for being patient.

The Process

As many of you already know we are working on a rebuild.  When you are working toward greatness it always takes time.  Seems that we have hit a few speed bumps but we are working our way to the end result.  Please feel free to contact us if you would like to make a phone order or have any questions. 

We will keep you posted on the process.

Who's feet?

Here is a fun new sign that we have added to our wooden country sign lineup. Put a splash of nature into your home with this darling sign.
Bear Feet or Bare Feet... what sort of feet are welcome in your home.
Shop today at Cherish's Country Store.

Me? Make a Mistake? Never!

I defiantly do not have grammar check in my brain.  I have been thinking and planning this sign for about 6 months.  I finally made the sign, made the paper pieces, hung it on the wall, took its picture... and then the reveal to get creative input.

So I start hearing form a few people.  Everyone is picking their favorite layout.  And then the hammer drops!!  My friend Laura looks at the papers on my wall and says to me, " you do me YOU'RE and not YOUR right?"

After seeing the mistake I then asked my sisters why in the world they didn't point this out to me.  My sister Daphne pointed out that she thought it was supposed to say RELAX.. your home (like you need to make your home relaxed).  My sister Erika said she read it like this... RELAX... yo u r home!! (a little bit like texting your sign)

I laughed and laughed.  I guess it is all how you look at the situation.

And now I will replace YOUR with YOU'RE... because I really meant to say "RELAX... you're home."

Hanging a New Sign

It pays to have a smart sister-in-law!

I would say that I am definitely a "pound a hole without planning" sort of decorator. I end up moving things over and over. This time I found a phrase I love, and because I can't ever just do things the easy way (like making it nice and plain on one nice neat board) I had to make my phrase "fun".

So now I need to figure out how I want to hang this crazy sign so that it doesn't make my poor husband crazy.

Here I have put it on the wall in 3 different ways. I do realize that it is not strait and the pictures are a little fuzy and that the coloring is not the same in each photo. I am just trying to get a general idea of how I want to lay this out. At this point I am thinking I like it with Relax on the top and ... Your Home on the bottom. Not sure, I keep moving it around.

See, here is where my really smart sister-in-law comes in handy. I am moving tape instead of pounding holes in my wall. Wow, who knew.

One more thing to keep in mind is that the actual signs are black with cream letters.

The Flag is Up

With the two hooks in place the flag is put into place. This beautiful reminder of freedom is a fun focal point for the decor of this room.

Custom Decorative Hooks

Need a hook for a specific decorative purpose. There fun hooks can be created for whatever purpose you have in mind.
This darling Gymnast hook was created for a little girl who receives many ribbons and metals for gymnastics. This beautiful hook allows her to display her awards in an organized fashion.
Now you can choose from a variety of font styles choices to create the perfect hook for your needs.
Maybe you are decorating a babies room and would like the name of the child on the sign. Perhaps you have a child in a specific sport and would like to display awards or nick knacks on your hooks. Either way we have a wide variety of font styles that are sure to accommodate your needs.
For keys, for nick knacks, for awards and ribbons, in the bathroom, in the entryway, in your child's room, or any room, whatever your needs these fun custom decorative hooks are as fun to see as they are to use.

Metal Star Hooks

We carry these decorative metal star hooks that I thought would work perfectly for hanging my new flag. There are a few nice things about hanging a glag. 1.) They are light. 2.) They have ready to use holes so you don't have to add holes to your flag.

This beautiful flag just needed a place to live and with these darling metal hooks hanging the flag on the wall was an easy task. The hard part was placement on the wall.

Personalized Glass Coffee Mugs

Create a mug with personality that reflects the person using the mug. Perhaps you know a fisherman, try our fishing pole font.  What about that person who is constantly getting hurt, we have the ouch font style that would be perfect for them.

Make it cute or make it funny, either way this is a fun way to drink your favorite beverage.

Personalized Name Mugs Here are a few examples of the different font styles that you can choose from to create your own personalized mug. These mugs are a delightful way to create the perfect gift for that hard to buy for person.