Living on the Bliss a Retail Store?

Living on the Bliss a retail store?  What??

My daughter has moved to Pinehurst, NC with my 2 grandchildren to be closer to us.  She has owned her own children’s boutique and recently worked in an upscale consignment store called Lavish  in South Carolina before moving here.   So…we decided to open a retail store!   We are in the works of putting everything together.

Here we are celebrating out new location 126 W. Pennsylvania Avenue, Southern Pines, NC 28387

We have had so much fun “Junking” together, everyday we go out and search for pieces that need our love.  Here are a few of our finds that we will be turning into fabulous pieces.

I just had to have this old typewriter and Foo Dog.  I have a love for Foo Dogs, they protect the empire!  They are considered to be sacred dogs that used to guard the Buddhist temples.  Just a little trivia for you.

Can’t wait to show you what we make out of this!!

Our friends call us and we go pick up furniture that they need to sell.  “Call Me, Maybe”

We rescue vintage dresser and, you’ll see…….

Can’t wait to fancy up this french table.

Well we have lots more to show you and will be sharing their transformation soon!!!

Cindy and Cassie

Living on the Bliss

910-986-0289

http://LivingontheBliss.com/

Southern Bloggers Conference

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Southern Bloggers Conference, and a Blog Hop

Blogging, Blog, Bloggie, Bloggers, what is that, who are they, what do they do?  Here’s an opportunity for you to find out…

I am a contributing member of the Southern Bloggers Conference, check out our blog here.   I am so proud to be a part of this amazing group of savvy women.

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

I decided to paint this little pathetic guy.  I keep walking past him and feeling like he’s a little sad and in need of a makeover.  I’m loving the chalk paints that are out there on the market, lots to choose from.  The process is so easy anyone can do this in an afternoon.  There is no sanding, no priming, no shellacking and best of all no paint smell.

I painted this in my kitchen on my breakfast table whilst everyone was coming in and out of the room, opening the refrigerator door standing there looking, looking, more looking, close the door, open the freezer door looking, looking, (why, everything in there is stone cold frozen), no fruit roll ups in there.  Open the pantry doors, leaving the doors open, eating the last snack in the box and so sweetly leaving the empty box behind.    Didn’t bother me I’m in my painting zen…

I picked up some chalk paint, wax, and brushes and covered my table with an old sheet.  Here we go…

I decided on Paris Grey for a nice soft color.  I started with the underneath of the table.

I used dollar store sponge brushes on the larger areas and small craft brushes on the small areas.

The chalk paint dries very quickly so this project is quick and easy.

I started the distressing process.  You can use a wet rag or a sanding block.  I tried both, but because I put 2 coats of paint I had to use a sanding block to get the distressed look I was going for.

Next I used my vacuum system to get the small amount of sanding dust off and wiped this guy down with a old t shirt.

Looks good, now I’m ready for the waxing step and then the hardware goes back on.

The can of soft wax is so easy to apply, all that is needed is an old t shirt, (don’t talk about this step with your hubby he’ll be checking to see if you used the one he mows the lawn in that you hide when he does incase the neighbors see him).

Just use a small amount at a time and rub it over the painted surface.

When the wax dries, (minutes later) buff it with your old t shirt and whala…

I set him up in my formal dining window and I’m shopping my house to find just the right things to put on him.

Here’s one more look, before and after…

Comment and tell me if you’ve painted something or have a piece you would like to paint.

Living on the Blissful Side of Life.

Cindy

cmiller@LivingontheBliss.com

NC Mountains, Visiting Banner Elk & Blowing Rock

Have you traveled to the mountains of North Carolina?  It is truly a trip to be enjoyed.  My husband and I went on a small trip this last weekend with some great friends and had a wonderful time.  We traveled to Banner Elk where we spent the night and then Saturday went to Blowing Rock.  We met  at Banner Elk and went on a visit to the Banner Elk Winery.

Here are some of the pictures I took.

 Grapes and blueberries are grown at the winery.  The property is beautiful, this is a shot of some of the grape wines.

This is taken from the front porch of the building where we went for a wine tasting and the wine is kept in the barrels.  There is a pond and a fire pit (circle of rocks) that is really beautiful.

This is the building where they have wine tastings.  We sat out on the front porch to enjoy a bottle of Banner Elk Wine but it started raining so we had to go inside.

This is the Banner Elk Winery Villa.  You can stay in this beautiful villa which is made up of many different rooms.  There are lots of weddings at the Villa and the bride and groom can stay here while the wedding is taking place.

Inside the Banner Elk Villa.

Here we are enjoying a wine tasting with friends.

Our great friends Kathee & Jess.

As I said, it started raining so we came back inside and enjoyed our bottle of wine in the wine tasting room.  The painting over the fireplace is one painted by well renowned artist David Banegas, more to see from him later in the post.

Here are the lovely ladies we met while enjoying our bottle of cabernet.

I took this photo of the wine barrels and Instagramed it.  Turned out pretty cool looking.  I asked if I could get a few wine barrels and they said YES!  Soon to come, DIY wine barrel benches.  Can’t wait!!

After freshening up and settling in our rooms we headed to the Banner Elk downtown area and met Angelo, (owns the winery) which is good friends with Kathee & Jess.  He also owns Serento’s and the Sushi Bar, here he is assisting the famous David Banegas paint this piece of art.  How fun is that…

I love this painting by David Banegas of a single horse, his art is amazing.  More of him in a minute…

I usually take more food photos but I was a little busy with all that was going on.  This is a shot of our DragonRoll, Sushi, it was delish!! Instagramed..

Here David Banegas is in the courtyard painting Batman for Angelo.  It was amazing to see his process.  Here’s his Facebook Page

Sorry this is an iPhone shot and it’s a bit fuzzy.

We had a great time on Friday with the winery and eating Italian and Sushi, so now we’re off to Blowing Rock for some SHOPPING!!  This is a very cool store filled with all kinds of ceramic pots, iron work, furniture, scarves, benches, figurines and much much more.  If you get to the mountains you must stop here.

Here are some of the ceramic water features they sell.  Also notice the 2 in front of the store, they are beautiful and we want one for our patio project we did at out home.  See us build it here.

I just loved these ceramic boots, being a Texan and all that makes sense right???  Wouldn’t these look so cute in my garden with bluebonnets, (Texas state flower) growing in them.  I want them…

We are trying to decide about this cabinet for our master bedroom.  We are planning on putting a wine & coffee bar in our bedroom.  It opens and has a wine rack on one side and storage on the other.  The top opens and you can store things inside.  I would paint it of course..

I really like this bench, it’s made from old doors $675 so it’s not going with me today.  Love the Mariachi Band, so cute….

This is a beautiful piece, navy blue, love this!!  I going to try to paint a piece this color soon…

This little cart was one of my favorite things.

We decided to buy this tree face for our kids.  We always like to bring them home a little gift when we travel.  We’re going to put it on one of our pine trees.  Do you have one of these???  Not a goofy husband a tree face??

Next stop this really great antique store, filled with some amazing things.

This antique store was a true antique store. Filled with so many things that made you remember your childhood.

We were getting a little hungry so we headed downtown Blowing Rock for a little lunch.  Blowing Rock is such a quaint town, everything is beautiful and there’s lots of SHOPPING!!!

Welcome to Blowing Rock…

The Blowing Rock park is really beautiful.  People were just sitting around on benches enjoying themselves, talking, eating ice cream from Kilwins, playing basketball, kids on the playground, and relaxing.

Blowing Rock Park

Our beautiful friends Kathee & Jess, we love to travel with them!

We decided to eat at Glidewells so we can sit outside and enjoy the music.  Food was great by the way…

Our server was so nice to take this photo of all 4 of us.  We look so relaxed and happy because we are!!!

We had a fabulous weekend and hate that we had to head back to our crazy lives, but we had a few days together and loved every minute of it.  Thank you Kathee & Jess for sharing such a great weekend.  Can’t wait until our next adventure…

What’s you next adventure? Where are you headed?  Comment below and share…

Living on the Blissful Side of Life,

Cindy

cmiller@LivingontheBliss.com

How to grill with charcoal

This Texan’s gotta brand new grill!!!!!

I moved to North Carolina from Texas in 1995.  I had never seen a gas grill before moving to NC.  I have really been wanting a charcoal grill for several years.  My husband and I were in our “fav store” Lowe’s and I decided this was the day for me to buy my charcoal grill.  So off we go armed with everything we need for GRILLING TIME!  Next stop Fresh Market, (NC’s Whole Foods) for something to cook!

My husband and my son were so sweet to put the grill together.

Finally put together, we’re ready to start grilling!

The best charcoal briquets are a must have!  I love Stubbs, took this picture on Instagram.

My son Andrew is so good at putting the charcoal in the grill and stacking it just right.  My next purchase will be a Chimney Charcoal Starter.

My husband covers the charcoal with lighter fluid.  Then we wait 5 minutes or so…

Andrew lights it up!  Yeah GRILLING TIME!

Andrew is in charge os soaking the wood chips, which gives the food a great smoky flavor.

Yeah!    It smells amazing, (sorry no scratch-n-sniff). Instagram photo!  See my post on Instagram here!

 You’ll know when the charcoal briquets are ready when they are all white like this!

Charcoal is perfect and ready for the ribs, chicken, and steaks.  I love this Stonewall Kitchen rub.

These ribs have been covered with the Stonewall Kitchen rub.  I place them in the refrigerator to marinade for as long as I can.

This is one of my FAV BBQ sauces.  I buy it at our Fresh Market, which is a store in NC much like Whole Foods.

We love to cook ribs, they are much easier than you think so give them a try.

Chicken and steaks are amazing on the charcoal grill.  They have a completely different taste than on a gas grill.

See that smokey flavor.  Yummo, can’t wait to eat.

Instagram of my beloved Charcoal Grill…!!!

I’m so happy…It’s the small things, right?…

I hope you give “grilling” a try and see for yourself just how much fun it is and how amazing your food will taste!

Living on the Blissful Side of Life

Cindy

CMiller@LivingontheBliss.com

July 4th, Red White and Blue

Happy July 4th, Happy Birthday America

I just want to post a few pictures that I feel inspired by and felt a little Red, White & Blue love from.

Pinterest

I love high heels, I talked about that here, I hate tennis shoes.  So….if I had to wear tennis shoes, this would be my choice!!!

I would love to sit  at this July 4th table!   and…(dreaming of food…) eat ribs and homemade BBQ beans, and potato salad, and salsa, and corn on the corn and ohh sorry I got carried away.

Pinterest

My husband,  BBQ Ribs Man….  I could so sell his ribs… recipe coming soon!

My daughter would love to make this…

Martha Stewart here 

And she would love to make these…

Martha Stewart Recipe here

Martha Stewart Recipe here

Enjoy a safe,

Happy 4th!

Living on the Blissful Side of Life,

Cindy

cmiller@LivingontheBliss.com