RULES..........

KNOW THE RULES, SO YOU CAN BREAK THEM PROPERLY!

photo credit - FABRICUT

This could be ME! I try to follow rules - although not always successfully! There's just TOO MANY OF THEM!! Rules are meant to be broken - RIGHT?? A gal's gotta BEND a little - have some FUN!

I like to break change the rules of design, too. The rule is, there are NO RULES! Throw caution to the wind, be a little DARING! UNIQUE! DIFFERENT! That's why everything I do is ONE-OF-A-KIND! Take for example this latest vanity re-do.

BEFORE

I almost forgot to take 'before' shots! I'd already started working on this vanity that I recently got at my favorite thrift store. It was in okay shape, although the middle section was coming apart and had a serious case of 'sagg-itis'! I did a bit of structural reinforcing and now it's all straightened out and secure! (and YES, I am working on this piece in my living room!)

The top had the usual water glass damage, some errant spray paint, and some cracked and missing veneer.

Nothing that a little wood glue and wood putty couldn't repair cover up! Besides, the drawer pulls are cool!

AFTER

Did I mention it has a big round mirror, too? A big HEAVY mirror? My original plan for this vanity didn't pan out. But not to fret!

RULE #1. If it doesn't look good to you - change it! So I did!

Opps! You can see my stack of stuff to take to BH reflected in the mirror! ah, ha, ha, ha! Hey, I have to utilize every inch of space in my little cottage!

I used my own version of chalk paint made with some left over paint I had. Two coats later, I gave it an over-all distressing with a150 grit sandpaper block. Then I applied a clear finish wax. Over that I used a dark wax to give it an aged look, and another coat of clear for a good seal. Smooth as a baby's butt! Sweet!!

A little touch of French LOVE.

(you see, my original plan was to have French script written all over the top and sides of the vanity - which turned out to be ALL WRONG! My writing looked like - well, you know! - like chicken scratch! Thankfully, I'd only done a small portion before I realized that it had to be sanded off and re-painted!)

It turned out to be a pretty piece. AND - it even looks great with this bench that I already had and was going to put in my space at BH. It's a perfectly-imperfect match!

RULE #2. Go with whatcha got!

So! Are you a RULE FOLLOWER or a RULE BREAKER? Just remember - life is too short NOT to break a few rules!

"The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do"....Walter Bagehot

To all my fellow REBEL SISTAS! Until next time!

HAVE YOU HEARD?.....................

Magnolia Pearl is having a giveaway! "Who is Magnolia Pearl", you ask? Robin "Magnolia Pearl" Brown is a renowned clothing designer. Her fashions are unlike any other you've seen! Bits of lace, faded vintage ribbons, sheer ruffles, combined together with soft fabrics gently gathered to form the most delectably feminine and romantic Bohemian designs on earth! See what lovelies there are on www.magnoliapearl.com. 

Anyhoo.............she's giving away TWO COMPLETE OUTFITS to some lucky readers! You can enter for a chance to win, too!

 Just click on the Magnolia Pearl button on the side panel!

 

 HURRY! You only have until March 15th to enter!

(All photos © Anne Lorys Photography unless indicated)

 

The beautiful ranch that Robin and her husband, John Gray, lived on is for sale. Be still my heart!!! It's located on 38 heavenly acres in the Texas countryside of Bandera. OMGeeeee! This place is like a dream-come-true to me! I can see myself living in one of the three houses situated on the property - any one of them!  I found these luscious photos on http://fionaandtwig.blogspot.com/2013/03/magnolia-pearl-ranch-and-giveaway.html.



 

 

love, love, love the chandeliers!

 

old tin ceiling and chippy, painted wood - oh, my!

 

rustic stone fireplace, old columns eclectic hanging chandies!

 

perfect patina!

 

And the gardens............ahhhh, heavy sigh!....are to die for!

 

 photo courtesy Magnolia Pearl

 

 

photo courtesy Magnolia Pearl

 

For more fabulous photos of the Magnolia Pearl Ranch and information on the 'giveaway', go to http://fionaandtwig.blogspot.com/2013/03/magnolia-pearl-ranch-and-giveaway.html. Mmmmm, it's eye-candy for the soul!

 

This is MY dream place (one of many!) What does your dream house look like?

 Isn't it FUN have FANTASIES!

 

 

 

~~ whisper your name on the things you find be*you*tiful!

 

 

Sweet Dreams!



 

SNOW DAYS!

Remember when you were a kid and school was closed for a "Snow Day"? YIPPEE! I couldn't wait to get outside to build a snowman and a snow fort where I'd stockpile snowballs. Then we neighborhood kids would play for hours throwing snowballs at each other. We'd trek through "at least 4 feet" of snow to go sledding! The city closed off one of the residential streets that was perfect for speeding downhill! Our 'snowsuits' were wet and frozen solid with snow. WHO CARES! It was THRILLING and FUN!

Fast forward to the present.........I can't wait to come IN from being out in the snow and cold! How about you? Do you LOVE THE SNOW? Or would you rather be snug and warm in front of the fireplace with a mug of steaming hot chocolate (or your favorite beverage of choice)?

These "Snow Days" have given me an opportunity to complete a few more projects.

I did another 'ghost mirror'. The first one turned out so well, I decided to use the same technique on another antique mirror I had.

I used a scrapbook paper that looks like a French vintage document, some old sheet music, and added an old photo into the mix. I put a dark stain wash on the antique frame, which I wiped off to enhance the crackled finish.

~~~~~~~~~~

You've probably seen these little metal shelves before. They were popular in the '50's and '60's and used mostly to hold cosmetics and small items in the bathroom. This one has been spray painted white, then distressed a bit to give it an aged look!

I decoupaged old dictionary pages and French ephemera onto the shelves.

Now this fancy little shelf unit will look great in ANY room!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What else can you do with a pile of old orphaned picture frames? Well, one idea is to turn them into a terrarium or display case! I've made them before and liked how they turned out. It's like putting together a puzzle! This bunch of frames was destined to become another one! The frames are larger than what I'd used previously, so it turned out to be rather tall!

For something different, I added an etched look to a couple of the glass panes. My plan was to have those panes on the top frames. Unfortunately, I neglected to make sure those panes fit the upper frames before I did the stenciling! When it came to putting all the glass in place.....GUESS WHAT!! It didn't fit in the top! The glass was for the frames on the bottom. UGH! Sometimes it just doesn't turn out as planned!!


That wasn't the ONLY problem! Yes, I had another 'junk-gone-bad' moment! GASP! One of the smaller frames I used didn't have glass with it, so I used one from another frame. Same size. It would work out okay - RIGHT? WRONGO!! It was just a TAD too big!!!!! But, of course, I didn't realize this until I was putting it all together. ACH-H-H! I couldn't believe it.

I ended up using the glass as it was. It's NOT perfect. It has character!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As long as I'm confessing..........I had ANOTHER problematic project! TWO IN ONE DAY!! That's when you want to just throw up your hands and QUIT!
I've turned lots of old picture frames into memo/jewelry holders using chicken wire. Most of the time it's easy to attach the wire to the frame back. Wel-l-l-l, not this one!

The vintage wavy frame was beautiful! It's the back side that turned out to be the issue.

It looks fine from the front - it just doesn't look so pretty from behind!

Do you ever have things not turn out as planned?

Sometimes you've just gotta grit your teeth and CARRY ON!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I saved the BEST FOR LAST!! This one is made from a wood end table - turned UPSIDE-DOWN! I forgot to take a before photo, but it looked kinda like this one. I had to remove the top part, which wasn't an easy task!



A cutie-patootie DOG BED! Isn't it adorable? What little dog wouldn't love to have their own bed!!



The cushion was a little tricky! I used a soft fleece for the top and French script fabric for the sides. The foam pad inside is so cush-y and cozy!

I attached wooden ball knobs to the bottom to elevate it off the floor a little bit - low enough for the pooch to climb in easily!

Happy dog dreams!

If you are lucky enough to have a  dog (or cat), you know about unconditional love! They love you no matter what! And, they are part of your family.  

If you don't have a dog, and like me, would love to have one........

"choose to take in someone who doesn't have a home

choose to feed him

choose his bed

choose to show him what it means to have a friend

choose to pet him on the head when he finally chooses to be your dog"

(from an ad for Nature's Recipe for pets)

ALWAYS, ALWAYS CHOOSE TO ADOPT!

To all you animal lovers - until next time.....

KEEP ON JUNKIN'!!



LITTLE BIT OF THIS, LITTLE BIT OF THAT!

I spend a fair amount of time perusing different blog sites and various magazines filled with 'junk' creations, getting ideas here and there, and trying to re-create them into my own plans and projects.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery........quote by Charles Caleb Colton

Right? Well, I don't copy other's ideas EXACTLY!  Mine always include my own personal touch of whimsy - enough to make it look SIMILAR, but NOT THE SAME! Otherwise it wouldn't be UNIQUE, now would it? Even with the vast amount of people that are into the re-purpose/re-create craze, there's still a never-ending supply of uniquely new ideas out there! That's what's so much fun about it!

LAMP SHADES
I've accumulated a plethora of lampshades lately in all shapes and sizes. I must have seen some inspiring ideas using lampshades to get me started in the collection mode!  Here are a couple of them featured in the most recent Country Living Magazine....


I actually HAVE the exact same one that's pictured on the right! I found it last year laying on top of a trash pile waiting to be picked up! I couldn't believe my luck!! I was visiting out in CO and it just happened to be during the same time as the town's Trash Days - an annual event that attracts ALL kinds of junk and junky collectors, like ME!! Anyhoo...I was thrilled to find it! Didn't know what I was going to do with it, but knew that I couldn't leave it to be hauled away LIKE TRASH!! ah, ha, ha, ha!

Isn't she lovely? Not a stain, tear, or missing tassel! It reminds me of a ladies corset!

I've had this next one for awhile. The fabric was in shreds, and after removing it, I sprayed the frame with a coat of white paint. My plan was to turn it into a hanging light. I attached a mini eyelet ruffle to the top and bottom, but didn't really like how it looked. I'm still re-thinking this project!

These are a few more of the shades I've acquired. Different shapes and sizes. The smaller ones will be more difficult to use as projects, since there's only one of each style! Would it look TOO ODD to have mis-matched shades on a chandelier? Then, again, WHY NOT??

       

To see if I could rescue one shade that was badly water stained - I incorporated that look with a vintage tea-stained ruffle and lace scraps and beaded glass trim. It's shown here on a small milkglass hobnail lamp base.

First, I modge-podged tea stained sheer voile onto the shade and then added lace and trim scraps. The decorative lace applique and the voile are salvaged pieces of a white wedding dress that was used in another project. Mini millinery paper roses and satin ribbon accent a lacey flower.

The pair of dainty milkglass hobnail dresser lamps were a Goodwill find! If I were going to use this little lamp with this shade, I'd give it more of an antique off-white color for a better match. Wouldn't you agree? 

You can see the darker marks of the water stain through the fabric. Makes it look more authentically vintage!!

MIRRORS

By now you all know that I have a serious love of old mirrors! Especially ones with the aged and fading silver backing. They reflect so much beauty. Some years ago, I saw what was called a "ghost mirror", where a faded image was visible in the mirror itself. I've always wanted to give it a try - here's what I came up with:

Isn't it beautiful? It's vintage sheet music and a lovely scrapbook paper under the mirror. I've looked at several tutorials on how to do this, but they all seemed rather lengthy and involved strong chemicals. So I came up with my own solution! Very simple and it worked quite quickly! I was so happy with the results!

The closeup shows the detail of the background. Notice the words "Gypsy Countess"! I couldn't resist! The frame is an antique with floral carved edges. It's very sturdy and heavy - perfect! It will be a conversation piece, for sure!

PILLOWS

I always try to incorporate a few pillows in my space. Fills in empty places, adds a bit of whimsy, and makes it all look comfy & cozy! This is one I just finished out of some muslin and stenciled letters.

I like ruffles!



WHAT INSPIRES YOU? 

THINK SPRING!!

XOXOX

TODAY'S MY BIRTHDAY!!

YE DITTY HAW!  I've hit the ICON YEAR! "66"

click on the picture below

I'd LOVE to be truckin' down that old "ROUTE 66" this summer! With the windows rolled down, and the radio blastin' out those classic oldies! WOO-HOO!

"GET YOUR KICKS ON ROUTE 66"!!

Slow, but sure! Getting photos back online!

Whew! I want to thank you for your patience and having to endure my frustration during the photo fiasco! I'm just going to go ahead with a new post WITH photos, and work at filling in the previous post's deleted photos as I get to them! Okie-Dokie?

Let's see...........where did I leave off before I was interupted by the holidays! Oh, yeah! I remember!  I was telling you about this little beauty I captured on the curb in my neighborhood!

BEFORE

Cute little accent table. Just needed some TLC and a paint job!

AFTER

The roses are my attempt at freestyle folk art! They actually look better in real life! I used painter's tape when painting the green stripes, and when I peeled it off, some of the base paint came off with it! Hadn't planned on distressing this piece, but that's kinda how it turned out! The edges are painted in metallic gold. I applied a coat of finishing paste wax to give it some protection.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

This next item is an antique sewing cabinet that I picked up at a yard sale in Clear Lake last summer. They were having an "All-City Garage Sale"! Anyhoo........this cabinet was in pieces, missing some key items, one of which was a delicately detailed leg :((

BEFORE.....

This isn't the one I got - but it looks just like it if it had all it's legs!

 I found out that it's an antique 'Martha Washington Sewing Stand Cabinet'. If it was in perfect condition, it would be worth quite a bit! Well, sad to say mine wasn't perfect, so I decided to fix it up with some matching legs that I found at the ReStore, give it a good cleaning, some new pale sage colored paint, add some new hinges, put all the pieces back together and see what happens!!

AFTER.......

Wouldn't it make a fantastic side table, or jewelry box, or hey, how about a sewing cabinet!!

The side lids were missing the original hinges - the old kind that fit into the wood so it's hidden when the lids are closed. I tried different types of hinges, but ended up using these decorative ones attached to the top. They keep the lids and seams nice and flat and give the cabinet a little bit of flair! Two of the wooden drawer pulls were missing, but I found a couple of decorative metal replacements in my stash that worked perfectly! I love when that happens!

I think these legs used to be part of an open book shelf or room divider. I wasn't certain that they'd look  good with this cabinet, maybe a little too chunky compared to the original ones. I had quite a time getting all four legs attached - there were so many old worn out holes underneath, I couldn't get the new screws to stay in! I ended up having to fill in all the existing over-sized holes, wait until it all hardened and then start all over! It's a good thing I don't charge by the hour for ALL my time!

The interior of the side compartments was cleaned and brightened up with a coat of white paint. You could store all kinds of great things inside these two bins, what EVER you decide to use the cabinet for! It'll be good for at least another hundred years!

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

When I was in Lanesboro, MN, last Fall, I found this cool old mirror in an antique shop. It was a steal, and seeing's how I LOVE mirrors, I had to have it! It's been sitting around waiting to be made beautiful and useful, again!

BEFORE..........

A closer look at this piece showed a lot of abuse and neglect. There was mud ground into the back side, in every crack and craney, and, - I kid you NOT - even packed in the nail holes! Old dried grass, oats, and, ew-w-w!, mouse droppings stuck out from underneath the mirror backing!

My guess is that this mirror was at one time attached to a buffet side board. For whatever reason, it ended up a solo piece and must've been put out in the barn buried in the mucky barnyard for decades! How the mirror ever survived in one piece is the mystery question!!

Closer inspection of the mirror back, revealed a stamp - Galloway Glass Co., Chicago, May 10, 1901! I gave the whole piece a thorough vacuuming with the shop vac and a good disinfectant cleaning before replacing the backing. I filled in all the nail holes and sanded off what was left of the old varnish.

AFTER......

I used white paint for the frame and Annie Sloan's Linen chalk paint on the wood insets on either side of the mirror, added some black iron coat hooks, and now it's ready to be put on display! No more barnyards for this treasure find! I love preserving a little bit of history by giving it a new life!

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

My sewing machine has been getting a workout, too! I've been taking advantage of the cold weather to get busy on some sewing projects that I've been putting off ignoring!

I picked up some metal egg crates at the Holiday Junk Jubilee last November. Very Vintage! Very Cool! They're about 15 inches tall, and would be useful for holding a multitude of things.

I'm using this one for my magazines!

I made the liners out of some muslin fabric I had, and downloaded the prints from The Graphics Fairy - I love her stuff! And, I love how great this project turned out! Can't wait to show them off!

I've made a few tote bags and a couple of pillows, however there are no photos of them, yet! AND LOTS OF OTHER STUFF IN THE WORKS! I'll have more goodies to share with you next time!

It's been bitter cold and there's warnings of freezing rain for tomorrow! Lovely! Great day to stay in and get some more projects done!

Stay warm, my junky friend - 'cuz Baby, it's cold outside!!

XOXOX