IT'S ABOUT TIME!!

 

Let's see.....I missed Thanksgiving....I missed Christmas.....New Year's slipped right on by......and most recently, Valentine's Day! Well, I didn't REALLY miss those holidays.....I just wasn't HERE! Writing about all the fascinating things that I'm doing in my ever-changing, exciting life!! BAA, HAA, HA! I'm sure you all wondered where the heck I was.........RIGHT?? Not to worry.....I think I've got my MOJO back - in spite of the frigid, arctic, cold wave that keeps coming around to remind us, it's been a lo-o-o-o-ng WINTER already!

 

 

Too cold, I mean waaaaay below 0 windchill cold, to do this....

try to catch snow flakes on your tongue!

 

Did you ever do this?

 

....or this!!

 

Snow Angels - there's no age limit!!

 

It was too cold to even get enthused about working on any new projects, although, I did manage to half-heartedly complete a few new things! I WAS IN A FUNK! I need something to PERK ME UP!  I may have to find a new pass-time - another avenue to pursue - a new adventure to SPARK MY INTEREST!

 

The last couple of days have been a lot warmer temperature-wise, but we've had a ton of snow! Okay! YOU CAN TURN OFF THE SNOW MACHINE ANY DAY NOW! Excuse me while I go out to shovel the white stuff, AGAIN!

 

Whew! That was a workout! I'm back inside to continue my ramblings! So, where was I..... oh, yeah... I was going to tell you about some stuff I've been working on!

 



 

Late last summer, I went to a  tag sale and picked up a couple of chairs in really poor condition - remember me telling you how disgusting they were? It took a lot of scrubbing, disinfecting, sanding, and repairing! 

 

 

The smaller one was a Victorian style. This is how it looked after I gave it a coat of fresh paint.

 

 

Then I gave it a "funkified" look....

I got the clover seed sacks at the 'Junk Bonanza' event - I love the colors together!

 

 

The other chair was a larger, upholstered piece with nice ornate, shapely legs. I got this far with it, and then it sat in the garage for a while!

 

 

I had an image in my mind how I wanted it to look, so I cut a new seat (after removing the old rusty springs - what a job that was!). Wasn't quite sure how to go about putting new fabric on the back, so I quit working on it until I finally gave in and just did it!!

 

 

I couldn't figure out exactly how to do it, so I improvised and left the 'wing' sides open - plus I was running out of fabric! I kinda like how it turned out! And...it's comfortable to boot!

 

This unique little side table at the thrift store, calling my name!

 

It looks like it might have been hand-made with pine wood and could have been used as a night stand.

 

There are 2 drawers and an open space on the bottom to store your book or journal.

 

Oh! This turned out so good! I've seen the chevron pattern lately and decided this piece would be perfect for it! Originally, the drawers didn't have any hardware on them, but these antique brass pulls really make a statement!

 

 

I used Annie Sloan French Linen Chalk Paint for the base and Antique White for the chevron design.

 

 

It looks fabulous all the way around! What a darling table to be sitting next to your bedside!

 

 

I had one more market cart left and I wanted to make it a little more 'cottage-y' looking by using a linen-like heavy weight muslin trimmed with lace and eyelet ruffles.

 

I created an additional sling-style pouch to hold small items, water bottles, or your wallet. It has ties to attach it to the handle or to the inside of the cart. Pretty handy to have when you go to the Farmer's Market - which can't come anytime too soon!!

 

 

The lining of the pouch is a French inspired dish towel from Ikea! Boy! I sure wish we had one of those mega-stores close by! Well, probably a good thing there isn't one!!

 

This luggage rack is another thing I got done.

 

 BEFORE:

 

 

AFTER:

 

A couple of coats of Antique White paint and new upholstery webbing for the supports gave it the update it needed. I gave it a little quick sanding for a lightly distressed look.

 

 

Great! Now it will look perfect holding a stack of vintage luggage!

 

 

I made up a few pillows to use up some of my odds & ends fabric.

 

 This one is made out of a women's decorative t-shirt. I used the sleeve fabric and fancy lace to make a wide ruffle, used some feather binding for accent and finished it off with a suede fringe.

 

I used up my vintage canvas fabric on some other pillows that I didn't get photos of. So that pretty much depleted my scrap fabric and most of my trim. I reorganized my tote bins, got them down to three, closed up the sewing machine, and put  the ironing board away! I'm done - for now!

 

I just picked up the new FLEA MARKET STYLE magazine! There's a whole bunch of great ideas and reminders of upcoming flea markets and junky sales!!  I can feel the excitement rising within!!

 

AND.....you all know how much I LO-O-OVE those little vintage canned ham trailers.....well LOOKY HERE:

 

What fun to have one of these little cuties!

 

That's all for now!

Stay warm my friends......

 

 

XXOO

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 







 

Okay......Give me your honest opinion!

Remember when I told you about the furniture I bought at a tag sale that was so dirty, moldy, and disgusting that I could NOT believe I went ahead and BOUGHT IT?? Well, this chair is one of the pieces.....

 

 No, this is NOT the 'BEFORE' photo -  I couldn't bring myself to take pictures of how bad it REALLY was - this is after I painted it, but BEFORE I did anything else to it! Got the picture?

Why did I paint it a bright yellow, you ask? Well......I guess I thought it needed cheering up!

This chair is really old - look at those porcelain casters! The detail of the legs, and the intricate carving on the chair back are a work of art! And, being yellow makes it look HAPPY! Now I had to decide what kind of covering to put on it. Hm-m-m. Should I go with a colorful fabric or tone it down with something more neutral.

 



After giving it a lot of thought (well, not so much - I KNEW what I wanted - just not so sure how it would turn out!) I decided to use a really bright fabric covering. I came across this bold and colorful seed sack at 'Junk Bonanza' and knew immediately it would be PERFECT!! What do YOU think?

The original springs were replaced with a piece of wood that I cut to fit and I made some support blocks to secure it in place. On top of that, a 2" thick foam was cut to size and wrapped with 1" thick batting to make a very comfortable chair for sitting.

 

 

The chair back needed some support, as well, so I cut a 1/2" thick piece of plywood to fill the opening and covered it with 1" foam and 1" batting before tacking on the fabric. The back side was a little trickier, and I ended up having to stitch some additional fabric together to make it work. Frayed holes in the fabric only add to the uniqueness FUNKINESS! Right?

So.....this project is not yet complete! I still have the dilemma about what to do for the trim! I can't leave it like it is with the staples showing - tacky, don't you agree?

What about a ruffle? I used up all the fabric scraps and came up with this........too fu fu? Maybe vintage looking upholstery tacks - you know, the ones that have the hammered tops. They'd have to be large enough to cover up the stapes, but they just might work! Or a cord trim would look nice - matching or coordinating color. It's a toss-up! I JUST CAN'T DECIDE!!!!!

 

I think I might just leave the chair where I can see it, walk by it, think about it, and eventually the right answer will JUMP OUT AT ME!! I'll keep you posted.....................

 

Meanwhile................

BE HAPPY! 

(there's nothing sweeter than the sound of a baby's laughter)

 

XXOO

You're in for a special treat!



 

Post Road Vintage Homebound Magazine (click to open)

 

Over the years of browsing through hundreds of blogs, there are a few that have become my favorite places to visit. Post Road Vintage was one of the first ones to create an e-magazine that is so well done, I wanted to share it with you. It's full of beautiful photos, decorating ideas, gorgeous gardens, and mouth-watering recipes. Heather is a truly remarkable and amazing young woman with all her creative talents and extremely busy life raising her family and caring for her home. Take a few moments to read her blog, get to know her, sit back and relax while you enjoy the magazine.......

 it's a special treat!

XXOO

REALLY??

I've got a lot whole pile of completed projects. But that doesn't stop me from starting another one - or five!!

I spied this desk chair on the curb when I was out garage sale-ing about a month ago.

It was in really good condition and only needed a good cleaning. You KNOW I couldn't

just leave it as it was, didn't you! I HAD TO PAINT IT!!

 

I decided to go with a more toned down version of previous desk chairs I've done.

 

It's more 'girly' colors! I kinda like how the colors compliment each other.

 

The chair is surprisingly comfortable to sit in!

 

A little tricky to embellish the legs! But I didn't want to leave them bare - it just wouldn't look right!

 

This little table is very old and I thought it was missing a drawer, but it turns out it's actually made to have an open shelf there. A unique piece. I'll let you know how it turns out!

 

 

I've been collecting old yardsticks from several of the 'junk' events that I've gone to. There are so many neat and unusual ways to use them - other than measuring something!!

 I saw this idea of making a coat rack with the yardsticks.

 

And I thought, this will be a great way to use some of the odd

   items in my "what the heck am I going to do with these" drawer!

 

 

 

Old drawer hardware, fun hooks, vintage coat hooks, and old outdoor water faucet knobs gathering dust now have a new purpose!

 

 

This is a shorter version - I ran out of yardsticks!  

My favorite thing is this vintage glass drawer pull. Adds a touch of **sparkle**!

 

A drawer front left over from another project became something useful. A short statement and to the point! You can never have enough signs!

 

 

 

Old luggage stand that I plan to turn into a map covered work of art! It'll be

part of my "travel" series of furniture!

 

OMGee! Laying on the curb - so I TOOK IT! Like new headboard made of solid wood!

Some people don't know the value of a beautiful piece they just toss it out............

thank you, though!

 

 

 

 

Until next time............

 

XXOO



FALL CLOTHES

You know what I like about Fall? Well, besides the gorgeous colorful leaves, the fresh crisp air, faint aromas of wood-burning fireplaces, and all that ........but, what I REALLY like is the fact that I get to wear SWEATERS!!

 

.......and BOOTS!! 

Yeah, I LOVE my leggings and jeans paired with boots and a cozy warm sweater! Now that the season has changed to some down-right colder temperatures, it's time to switch out the wardrobe.

I'm partial to this look! It's SO ME!! (or who I IMAGINE myself to be!)

 I hate the cold, so anything warm and cozy...and, yes, I would so LOVE to look like this!! A girl can dream - right! Ah.....heavy sigh!!

 

 Anyhoo...........after going through my fall wardrobe,

I'm thinking it's time to do some serious SHOPPING! 

I'll take one of each....please!!

 

How about you? Does your wardrobe need a fashion update?

 

You have my permission to SHOP TILL YOU DROP!!

 

 

XXOO