Ceiling Tile Trash to Treasure

George and I met up with Jessica one day last summer to check out some antique shops in Frederick, MD. It felt so strange to us to be out antiquing for the day, without looking for stuff for the store. Usually those days would end with us bringing back a truckload.

Instead, I bought one thing...

I fell in love with this old tin ceiling tile. Though I didn't like the dark dirty parts. 

I knew I wanted to hang it in out bathroom, but before I got the chance, I went to a wonderful local store called Whispering Pines. It's absolutely gorgeous! 

While I was there, I found the 2 embossed flower pictures on each end. Love!!! I had actually admired them last Christmas, but didn't have any place in mind to hang them. But now I do! I couldn't believe how perfectly they went with the ceiling tile. And bonus... they were on sale! 

But now I really felt the need to do away with dark, dirty part. I like the chippy bluish green with gold showing through, but I couldn't figure out how to keep that and get rid of the dark parts.

So, I decided to paint the whole thing. We found a chalk paint that complimented the color of the embossed pictures. It was a chalk paint which I honestly don't really care to use, but it was the best match we could find. 

After painting it, I used a sanding block to lightly distress it. Then I sprayed it with a sealer (and wouldn't you know, I got a couple runs in the spray varnish. Sigh)

But despite the runs, I absolutely love how it came out!!

They fill the wall, which is what I was hoping for. I love the colors, and how the embossing of the floral pics goes so well with the embossing of the ceiling tile. 

I wouldn't normally think of decorating a bathroom with canning jars, but I have several old blue jars, and the color is so similar to the wall grouping that I couldn't resist. 

Patience won out. I waited a couple years before I found what I wanted on that wall space, and once I saw the ceiling tile in that shop, it all snowballed. Yay! 

A New Year Ice Jam

 What a difference a day makes.

I was hoping to go to a state park yesterday for a first day hike to celebrate the New Year. 

But it was SO COLD. Wind chills in the single digits. 

So, I took a quick walk down to the Casselman River instead.

It had been running high and free in recent days with warmer weather.

But this Arctic cold front brought back the snow and BRRRRR IT HURTS YOUR FACE cold. 

It sure was nice to see the sun again, despite the cold.

Today, we looked out the window one direction, and the water was flowing.

But then we looked down river.

Ice jam!!

Here and there, water was running, but most is ice. It was cool that in some places where the ice is thinner, we could see the movement of the water underneath.

Hopefully it will break free soon without flooding. Warmer weather is coming again. It will be interesting to see how the river looks tomorrow. 

George grew up along a creek, so this is nothing new for him, but it is for me, and I find it fascinating to watch the river and all its changes!