Paint Shop in West Michigan
Special prayers going up for those missing loved ones and or struggling with health, financial or emotional challenges. May you find peace, healing and joy in the days and years to come.
Continue reading “Happy Thanksgiving from Our Ohana to Yours!”
Hop on over to my ShizzleLLC Facebook page to watch our latest challenge video creation which is pinned to the top of my page. Then please comment on that video post on Facebook on May 11th. It’s part of our DIY Boot Camp Challenge so all comments and shares will count towards our win. Laughing is permitted lol
For most of us, Easter Sunday represents a day of new beginnings, a fresh start, a clean slate. This year strikes another cord for our family; it’s not only Biblical renewal, it’s a year of many firsts because, for us, last year was a year of many lasts. Continue reading “Somewhere over the Rainbow Skies are Blue”
I painted this on a whim so I forgot to take a “before” but it was pretty worn and weathered when when I got it.
It only took me a few minutes actually working on it to transform it into something totally different. I had to let it dry between the three layers but the actual paint time was a jiffy. Learn how easy it is to do this type of finish by clicking on the READ MORE below:
Continue reading “From Drab to Fab in 10 Minutes ~ Vintage Mirror Frame Makeover”
I’ve been playing with DIY Paints and wanted to show you one my favorite new color combinations. Today’s combo is simply delish! With summer right around the corner, people will be flocking to their summer homes looking for new pieces of furniture to freshen up their places and I can’t wait to paint this on some of the pieces in the workshop. Our Not So Shabby location is near Lake Michigan so we get even more traffic during the summer months when everyone is enjoying the beach. Lake Michigan, sigh… It’s my happy place, #puremichigan. It’s where I go to escape, relax, soak in the sun and simply unwind. Everything about that beautiful sandy beach and clear blue expanse of unsalted water soothes my soul.
I love water. I’m Pisces, what can I say? When we were little, mom and dad had a pick-up camper. The three of us kids would lay on the bed above the truck looking through a wide window at the front of our Coachman Camper. We spent lots of summers camping at Burt Lake just north of Petoskey. So many adventures, trips on the Honda 70, boat rides across the lake and through the locks, fishing, swimming, skiing, tubing, trips to Indian River, Mackinaw, Mackinac Island and of course hunting for Petoskey Stones.
How the five of us slept in that tiny camper is beyond me. Cathy said she and Steve had to sleep in a tent. I guess I had special privileges because I was the youngest. It was small but mom had it completely and efficiently organized. She’d whip out breakfasts like that of a champagne brunch at the Westin. I would discover those years later when I lived on Maui.
Dad always sought out adventure. He always took “short cuts”, lol. I laugh because they weren’t shorter, he just loved getting off the beaten path to explore new territory. With dirt bikes on a front rack and our old speed boat hitched to the back, we were ready for anything. Even though the last three years of my life have been an ongoing nightmare, I have to admit, I had the best childhood ever and I am grateful for every single memory!
When I look at this simple color board, my mind drifts off and I can see myself lounging on the vast sandy shoreline of Lake Michigan. I cannot wait to soak up some vitamin D and get my toes in the water at Holland State Park!
For this finish, I didn’t layer the colors, I applied them all simultaneously dipping in and out the the various colors. Yes I used the same brush and no I didn’t wash it in between. When I do finishes like this, I dump a little bit of each color on a plate or one of those black rectangular serving dishes that the roll-ups come on at Costco. They make great trays for rolling too. Can you tell I haven’t taken my Adderall today? my mind is bouncing all over the place. Anyway. I applied DIY’s Old 57, Fancy Farm Girl and Bohemian Blue together, blending ever so lightly. When that had set up a little, I decided to highlight it with a little white. I used Crinoline because that’s the can I had open and next to me but Vintage Linen, White Swan or Bead Board would have worked just as well.
I didn’t brush the colors back and forth because that would have mixed them and I wanted the variations to show more. I did this while I was making up some paint brush examples for our Paint & Pour Paint Brush Make & Take Project so I had the colors in bottles mixed with Clear Liquid Patina. I used my finger to slightly blend the Crinoline over the other colors.
I have to say, I love how it turned out and can’t wait to do this on a piece out back. Stay tuned!!! As soon as I finish up the pile of income taxes taking over my dining room, I’ll be back to painting.
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DON’T MISS OUT – Discontinued quarts are on clearance both online & in stores for $19.99; sample pots of those same colors are $5.99 WHILE SUPPLIES LAST!
Also… I’ll be working at Not So Shabby from 10-5, Saturday, March 17. I may set up an easel so you can come in an play around with the paint. Pop in and say hi!
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A hui hou!
Shelly
Prayers going up for those missing loved ones and or struggling with health, financial or emotional challenges. May you find peace, healing and joy in the days to come.
EVERYTHING in our Shizzle booth at Changing Thymes is ON SALE Nov 24-25!!
ALL PAINT & PAINT SUPPLIES including:
WAX (Clear, Dark, White, Black, Gray)
METALLIC WAXES (bronze, gold, silver, pearl, pewter, smoke, burgundy, copper)
CLEAR COATS (Top Coat, Hard Coat, Finishing Coat, Matte, Satin & Gloss Clear Coats…)
GLAZE (Clear, Black, Brown)
BRUSHES (Frenchic & Vintiquties Paint and Wax Brushes)
all on sale two days only at Shizzle.
only our online followers will know this
ALL PAINT & PAINT SUPPLIES 10% off at NSS 11/24-11/25 2017 including:
WAX (Clear, Dark, White, Black, Gray)
METALLIC WAXES (bronze, gold, silver, pearl, pewter, smoke, burgundy, copper)
CLEAR COATS (Top Coat, Hard Coat, Finishing Coat, Matte, Satin & Gloss Clear Coats…)
GLAZE (Clear, Black, Brown)
BRUSHES (Frenchic & Vintiquties Paint and Wax Brushes)
all on sale two days only at Shizzle’s Not So Shabby location.
Save 50% off shipping on all Online Shizzle Shop orders placed Nov 24-25 at Shizzle (within the United States). Enter Code Shipping50. Note: You won’t see it immediately; I’ll deduct half your shipping when I pack your orders.)
It’s taken me a long time to put this together because I simply couldn’t find the words. I know some of you don’t follow us on Facebook so you may not even know but I lost my sister almost two months ago now. “I Hope You Dance” was played at her graveside burial. From now on, every time I hear that song, it will take me back to that moment in time.
Six years earlier on that very same day, Cathy and I unveiled our first pieces of painted furniture. Ironic, isn’t it? That debut happened at Holland’s Art in the Park in Holland, Michigan in 2011 and every year since, we celebrated lunch in Holland on August 2nd..
Never did I imagine that August 2nd would take on a whole new meaning
Horrific back pain led her to Urgent Care the day before Thanksgiving. She was diagnosed with Stage IV Extensive Small Cell Lung Cancer with mets to her spine and skull on Thanksgiving Day, 2016. We were all shocked to find out her back was broken in eight different locations. How she even drove herself to ER is beyond me.
Cathy’s journey with this damn cancer would prove to be eight months of hell on earth. Her vocal cords were damaged during one of the very first tests they ran over Thanksgiving and we would never hear her real voice again. There were countless oversights, delays, screw-ups, mixed-up patient files and mis-communications between departments, insurance companies and the lead oncologist. I wouldn’t wish her experience on my worst enemy.
If I hadn’t gone through this with her, I wouldn’t have believed it was true.
This isn’t a post about the horror of Cath’s journey though, it’s a post about the good times, those diamonds in the rough that we so desperately sought out along the way.
Cath on the way to her first chemo appt
Don’t let it fool you, it’s poison!
She was in so much pain Christmas Day but had a couple decent hours to enjoy the kids opening gifts
God spared Cath her hair long enough to celebrate Christmas Day. The next morning, most of her locks were found on her pillow.
With my arm completely immobilized for two months and Cathy’s terminal cancer, we had to think fast. It just didn’t make cents (pun intended) to keep our Jenison location open with that kind of overhead. We moved out of Jenison and Hudsonville and moved into Changing Thymes at 2900 Wilson Avenue in Grandville.
Together, with the help of many friends, customers, volunteers and our landlord, we were able to dramatically downsize and move the business back to my home. My eyes were blurry from failed Lasik surgery and my arm literally immobilized. Even with all the volunteers, I seriously don’t know how we did it. We resigned as U.S. Distributor for Frenchic in exchange for just being a retailer, sold a lot of furniture, donated a bunch of projects we never started, gave things away, and filled our dumpster – twice. After a month of very hard work, everything was moved out. I am STILL sorting through boxes and trying to organize everything so I can work at home again.
Why you go for a pedicure of course! Kell had gift certificates and treated all of us to twinkle toes. Thanks Kelly!
It was so bitter sweet. We all knew it would be her last but she truly was surrounded by all who loved her.
One of the highlights of the 8 month journey was a road trip to Uniquely Chic. Cath was in her glory that day feeling well enough to help Karen paint signs while Karli and I worked on our new website. Have any of you checked it out lately? New layout, easier shopping, easier navigation and a whole new look! Ummm yeah, I kind of forgot to announce that upgrade with everything else happening.
2900 Wilson Avenue, Grandville, Michigan 49418
Somebody was getting her last chemo treatment so she passed out treats to everyone. Cath was planning to switch to Metro after our vacation but it wasn’t in the cards.
We rented a great cottage for a week in Interlochen, Michigan. Cathy, her daughter, son-in-law, grandchildren, myself and girls were all able to stay together. Cath reserved it months earlier so we would all be up there for my other niece’s wedding. Our mom planned to go, but was too sick battling her cancer to go with us on this trip. Mom continues to battle her cancer to this day. Prayers are definitely appreciated for our dear mom; she’s simply the best!
I think we all had fun on Cathy’s motorized scooter. I’ll try to add some of the videos from our vacation.
We brought some back for Cath the first night; she loved it so much Cath and I went back the next day.
They have quite the view though
Cathy passed away peacefully on August 2, 2017. Minutes later our sunny skies had turned black and it rained cats and dogs for 30 minutes. This is the view out her kitchen door that morning.
We gathered some of the things Cath had made for each of us and displayed them at her party. This was the last piece of furniture she painted. She worked on it from her couch at home, little by little as pain permitted. It is not finished but it is absolutely perfect.
It seems like all we did over the course of those eight months was run back and forth for daily appointments at Lack’s Cancer Center. As I look back on these pictures, I am very thankful for the things we were able to squeeze in between. Our hearts are sad but she’s in a much better place.
We miss you like crazy! Your little sister ~ Shell
The results are in from Monday’s scans and not are what we prayed for.
We met with Dr Gribbin Tuesday and found out the third line of chemo didn’t Continue reading “7-13-17 Update on Cath ~ hospice”
It’s been a while since I’ve updated anyone on our website. For those of you who don’t know, Cathy is my sister and partner in the business.
Shizzle Sisters Cathy (left) and Shelly (right)
Shelly (left) and Cathy (right) pictured below at West Michigan’s Women’s Expo 2014
DeVos Place, Grand Rapids, MI
Cath was diagnosed Thanksgiving 2016 with Stage IV Extensive SMALL CELL Lung Cancer which had already metastisized to her bones.
So far, the cancer has metatisized to her spine (8 fractures), skull, liver, ribs, both femurs and her hips and that’s with numerous radiation treatments to various parts of her body and two failed lines of chemo. Cath spent the past 6 months in excruating pain because the cancer literally sucked the life out of her bones. The first two months were the worst as we literally watched her tremble and moan in pain as she shook. She looked like that of an advanced Parkinson’s patient and had just told us she was done fighting when a doctor from the Javery Pain Institute in Grand Rapids, Michigan came to her rescue. Thankfully, The Javery Paint Institute was able to get her pain under control using epidural type injections directly into her spine so she could get off all the other crappy pain meds that the oncologist kept pumping into her.
Because of all the damage to her spine, she’s lost several inches in height. She’s also lost almost 60 pounds.
Between chemo, radiation, the Javery Institute, 3 different oncologists, a radiologist and special dentist, she’s pretty much been in daily treatment, travelling back and forth to the hospital on a daily basis since she was diagnosed. To say that’s it’s been a nightmare is an understatement. It seems like anything and everything that could have gone wrong, has.
In the past six months, she’s lost the ability to do much of what we all take for granted. Due to all the damage caused in her spine, she’s no loger able to walk on her own or stand for more than a few seconds so much of her time is spent in a hospital bed which is set up in her living room. She uses a walker within her home and wheelchairs or motorized cart when we’re going to and from treatment or a quick stop to the store.
There is no cure and the prognosis is not good so continued prayers are appreciated. Cath was initially given 2-3 weeks without treatment or 3-6 months with treatment.
I can’t even begin to imagine what it must be like to be in her shoes as my cancer is under control. Our mom has also just finished several months of radiation for her cancer and as of last week, was given two thumbs up after results came in from her PET scan. She however is still very weak from all the treatment she had to go through and is having a hard time getting over 80 pounds. She’s trying hard to gain weight and regain her strength but is very tired and of course, concerned about Cathy.
Cath too has lost a tremendous amount of weight and needs to try to get more nurishment into her body. Last month, our brother Steve was also diagnosed with the same cancer that mom has but thankfully, his was caught at a very early stage so he’s going to be fine. I’m doing my best to juggle tiime between running Shizzle single-handedly, taking care of my two girls, running Cath to and from treatments and quite frankly, just trying to deal with it all. This has been an extremely trying time for everyone in our small family.
Words cannot express how much we appreciate all the love, support, prayers and continued paint sales as we go through this difficult journey. We wouldn’t be able to do it without you!
To stay current with Cath’s progress, you can subscribe to her CaringBridge website, It’s listed under Cathy Blood. You can also view updates on her GoFundMe site, also under Cathy Blood. I also post more frequent, but less detailed updates on our ShizzleLLC Facebook page. Shelly Andrade
Remembering Sydney Grace…
I’ll never forget the phone call… Kami called to tell us they had been up all night but “he” would be coming any time. Fifteen minutes later, Tim called stating “it’s a GIRL!”. I was like “what?” I was like “huh?” So much for those ultrasounds! This precious gift from God immediately stole the hearts of two of my dearest friends.
Since they had been expecting a boy, they had to do a little readjusting in the name department. They chose Sydney as her first name but what about a middle name? Along with Grandma Cindy, they bounced names around the room until suddenly, all at once, it came to them. Grace; her middle name had to be Grace.
Those two proud parents brought their baby girl home and loved her like no other. Then, shortly before the adoption paperwork was signed, Tim and Kami found out their precious baby had Spinal Muscular Atrophy.
Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) is a motor neuron disease. The motor neurons affect the voluntary muscles that are used for activities such as crawling, walking, head and neck control, and swallowing. As far as intelligence goes, most SMA patients are unusually bright and sociable. click here for more information on SMA
Tim and Kami were told Syd wouldn’t live to see her second birthday. They were advised by one of their first doctors to take her home and love her.
As time passed, Sydney’s muscles weakened. This disease robbed her of the ability to crawl, stand, walk and run. At least that’s the way many of us saw it. But Sydney taught us that it’s all in the perspective. You see, if you asked Syd, she’d tell you she was the fastest in her class! Her classmates had a blast chasing her around at recess. What difference does it make anyway, how somebody gets around? If they use their legs or a power chair? It didn’t matter to Syd; she was the fastest!
My girls loved hanging out with Sydney! They’ll always remember the time we stayed overnight with them at Lake Macatawa. What treasured memories!
Syd was SO excited to tell the girls bedtime stories and wanted to stay up ALL night long!
We ate at the BEST Mexican restaurant in Holland and had a really good time!
My oldest daughter loved combing Syd’s hair and of course Sydney had no problem being a princess!
My youngest adored Sydney. She read to her every chance she got and on THIS trip, she was even able to get in the water to swim with Sydney.
In May of this year, Sydney came down with a fever totally unrelated to her SMA and had to be taken to the hospital. We visited her late that night along with many other members of her family and the pastor of our church.
Everyone prayed and prayed and prayed. We left the hospital thinking she’d be okay because she had pulled through so many difficult situations and she seemed so peaceful while we were with her that night.
The phone woke me up out of a deep sleep very early Mother’s Day morning. I was so groggy, I barely realized it was the phone making all that noise. When I heard Kami’s voice, I was immediately jolted into awareness and though I heard her clearly, I just couldn’t digest her words. My fingers won’t type what she said that night, but her words will forever be engraved in my heart.
What do you do? What the heck to you do when two of your best friends have to bury their child? We brought them food, we prayed and I did what I always do to sooth my soul – I painted.
When Sydney passed away, I wanted to make something special Tim and Kami could keep as a remembrance. An old ladder back chair had hung in our garage for years. It had the most amazing lines, but I never had the right design for it until then.
I started by cutting out the seat to make room for a large planting bed.
I cut my hands left and right attaching the hard wire mesh to the chair but I was determined to add something strong and solid.
as
Since I didn’t want anyone else to get cut in the future, I wrapped the top edge with a very thick copper wire for protection.
Then I messed around with a million different colors to get just the right combination. Finally, I stepped back and said, “Yep, this is it! I think Sydney would approve”.
I lined the wire with plastic, concealed the plastic with moss then filled it up with several buckets of potting soil. Then, I chocked it full of beautiful, colorful perennials that I thought Syd would enjoy in her yard. Just can’t do the typical funeral flower thing, it’s just not practical.
I painted then attached a metal butterfly that was once the lid to a tin can. Syd LOVED butterflies, so the butterfly was the icing on the cake. It is a happy reminder that Syd is now free from all the struggles, surgeries and pain she endured here on earth. I deliberately placed the butterfly at an angle and painted a little trail to show her fluttering away. She’s in a better place now, dancing in Heaven with Jesus.
Sydney left our world when she was only 6-1/2 years old. She was so young and yet lived a life that was SO full. Despite her disability, Syd understood what was important in life. She was joyful, witty and above all she knew Jesus.
Even in her absence, Sydney continues to change lives. Her parents started a fund in her memory to raise money for other special need’s children in Sydney’s school. It’s called the Never, Ever, Ever Give Up Fund.
So, what is the definition of grace anyway? I looked it up today and here’s what I found…
grace: n.
Seemingly effortless beauty or charm of movement, form, or proportion.
A characteristic or quality pleasing for its charm or refinement.
A disposition to be generous or helpful; goodwill.
Mercy; clemency.
A favor rendered by one who need not do so; indulgence.
Divine love and protection bestowed freely on people.
The state of being protected or sanctified by the favor of God.
An excellence or power granted by God.
Yes, Grace. The perfect middle name. We love you Sydney Grace. You’re forever in our hearts and today, we’re all decked out in purple to celebrate your birthday!
Hauoli La Hanau! A hui hou!
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Thanx for stopping by! A hui hou!
