COMING OUT OF HIBERNATION!

Hello, world! (str-r-etch and yawn) I feel like I'm just waking up from a very long and dreary winter! I think it's safe to say WINTER'S OVER!! 


The sun is shining, it's 70 degrees out, plants are popping their heads through the ground, trees are budding out, and the grass is GREEN! Magnolia blossoms are in bloom.....

Squirrels are acting 'squirrely', and birds are singing like crazy! And I can finally enjoy working outdoors, again!

Now that it's warmed up enough to be out in the garage, I've got some new projects in the works! First of all, I did a major re-organization and de-cluttering of the garage so I'd have space to work in! It was so nice and neat, that I almost hated to MESS IT UP! 

On one of my excursions to my favorite HABITAT RESTORE last fall, I found a really nice upright bookcase. It was fairly new, expensive and well made. It was in good shape, except for some deep scratches on the top. Pieces  of furniture like this don't come along very often, so I grabbed it up! It sat out in the garage over the winter until I decided what I was going to do to it! I didn't want to paint it, since the dark wood looked so nice, but I wanted to do something to the top. Hmmm.......I got it!....decoupage!

 

After I did the top, the rest of it looked kinda plain! So I did the shelves, too! The paper I had is actually wrapping paper! You know, the kind you get that's rolled up and then you realize there's a ton of it, when you only needed it for ONE SMALL PACKAGE!! It looks like plain brown wrapping paper imprinted with a black French Country design - PERFECT for my project!

 

It's difficult to tell by the photos, but the patterned paper really makes the dark color of the wood stand out. It's very classy looking - if I do say so, myself!

 

 

Did I already tell you about this vintage stereo cabinet?

 

 

Sometimes I think I'm INSANE! I mean, who in their right mind would INTENTIONALLY pick out something like this!

 





 

Well, YOU KNOW WHO! I had this vision of making it into a wine bar - Yes, I have a vivid imagination! - and, of course, I seem to be attracted to a CHALLENGE!

 



 

Believe it or not....the sliding top turned out to be the most challenging thing about the entire thing! At first, I was going to leave it as it was. But, I soon found out, it DIDN'T SLIDE! Or at least, it didn't slide the way it was supposed to slide! So, my dilemma was to figure out how to use that top as is. (this is where having a  handy-dandy significant other/partner would certainly have been welcome!) This is what I came up with..............

 

 

It's going to be a bar, right? Why not use some wine corks? Yeah, and somehow glue the two 'non'-sliding pieces together and then, instead of painting it, cover the entire top with something. Can you tell I really didn't have a plan! Just kinda winged it as I went along! (which is also kinda how my life goes! bah, ha, ha, ha!)

 

OKAY! Now that I got the top out of the way, I could contemplate how to finish the rest of it. Since it's turning out to be a unique piece, I  decided to paint it a flat black, inside and out. Then, I replaced the original frieze fabric covering the speaker openings with a printed burlap fabric I had - can you tell I like French-y things!

 

 

All it needs now are some dark wicker baskets for the bottom shelf and it's ready for storing bar glasses, wine  bottles, and bar supplies. Pretty nifty, huh! Sometimes "no plan" turns out to be the better choice! Cheers!

 

Another vintage piece I picked up over the winter, is this Waterfall-style night stand. I remembered to take the 'before' picture after I started doing repair work on it - that's wood filler on the door!

 

 

This piece was in bad shape. It had a lot of water damage, especially on the sides, which caused the veneer to buckle and crack. It's so sad to see nice furniture neglected and damaged.

 

 

 With some careful re-gluing, and lots of wood filler, I managed to save cover-up some most of it!

 

 

It looks a lot happier now! I used a light gray-blue paint with an ivory trim color. A little distressing gives it a softer aged-look. Some new-old door hardware from my stash makes it complete.

 

 

You can barely see the water damage any more.

 

 

 

Clean and fresh inside and out! It'll make a nice little bedside table! Can't you just imagine it with a cute vintage lamp and a good book to read? Nighty - night!

 

 

This cute little curved wood chair would be the perfect accent for your bedroom along with the night stand!

 

 

 

The fabric on the seat is actually from an antique drapery panel. It's soft texturing has a shimmery look to it and the lovely faded rose motif gives the chair a feminine touch.

 

Well, this gets me caught up for a little while! I'm busy working on a couple of interesting items that I'm anxious to finish and share with you! In the meantime, try to get outside and enjoy the fresh breath of spring! And remember.........

 

 

 

Go outside, dig in the dirt, and plant something! It's almost time to get your garden started!

 

 

THAT IS ALL!

 

 

XXOO

 

A New Year, A New You!

I've completed the last of my projects for the year! It was a work in progress for quite

awhile, but I think it turned out pretty cool!

 

This piece was a vintage stereo cabinet in it's previous life. I found in a thrift shop and

immediately knew it was destined to become something glamorous!

 

Here's the BEFORE....

 

 

Interior shot.....

Someone had already done some interior work to it,

so that made the project go much quicker! No measuring and sawing

plywood shelving.

 

I envisioned this piece to become a side bar to store glassware

and essentials for impromptu entertaining!

 

 

I used silver metallic paint for the trim around

the top, the base, and the door hardware. I chose a

light blue-grey for the cabinet.

 

 

For the interior I picked a vibrant turquoise color and

a silver patterned background to give it some *sparkle*!

 

 

I added a chrome wine glass holder to keep fancy

glassware within easy reach.

 

What a fun conversation piece to have for your next party! Don't forget to invite me!

 

I've got quite a few completed projects accumulating and I'll be planning another sale

coming up in the Early Spring!

 Watch for the dates!

 

**********************

 

Have you made your New Year's resolutions, yet?

 

How true! We all want to do 'more' to make us a 'better' person.

Ideally, it should last ALL YEAR LONG!

 

 

 It seems like the idea of making a list of things that you want to accomplish, stop doing,

start doing, try, simplify, organize.....well, you get the picture....is kind of redundant!

 

 

But.....here's one that would be PERFECT to have on anyone's list!

 

 

There's just ONE more thing I'd really have to add to the list (if I did one)...

A 'new-look' wardrobe! And, who doesn't want to look fashionable?

 

 

I love this casual combination.

 

 

Gray is such a flattering color for the more "mature" woman!

 

 

Oh, Yeah! I really like this look for work! The boots are awesome!

 

 

I tend to wear a lot of dark colors. A splash of color would be a nice change.

 I already have this animal print scarf!

 

 

 

And, of course, I'm always on the lookout for some fabulous Western Boots!

GIDDY-UP!

 

 

 

Well, this part of my New Year's list seems like it'll be fairly easy to complete! There are

more important things that I want to  to accomplish. If I don't get to all of them, I'm

not going to worry too much...........THEY'LL STILL BE THERE NEXT YEAR!! 

 

 

I hope this will be your

BEST NEW YEAR EVER!

 

 

XXOO

NAUGHTY OR NICE?

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

 

I'm so excited to be spending the holidays in Colorado - Glenwood Springs, to be exact. I arrived here by Amtrak! Riding the train is something I've always wanted to do and  I thought it might be interesting and fun.

 

 Images of a different era of train travel came to mind - when it was elegant and glamorous.

 

 

Uniformed Porters, dining cars with white linen table cloths, waiters dressed in white jackets and gloves.....

 

 

 

Visions of grand train stations.

 

 

Well......the sad fact is, unfortunately, it's not like that anymore!

The few remaining train stations I saw along the way are very small, rundown, or no longer in use. The trains themselves are in need of updating and a good cleaning!

 

That being said, it turned out to be an okay experience! The seats are roomy, you can get up and roam around, and you meet some interesting people along the way.

 

Most of the trip was at night. It looked like this when I boarded the train.

 

Amtrak shares the rails with freight trains, which involves having to be side-tracked, literally, so the freight can go on by. It can cause delays - so expect your train to be behind schedule!

 

The winding turns in the mountains allow you to view the front part of the train rounding the bends!

 

Finally reaching my destination........

Beautiful Glenwood Springs!

 

It's been snowing since I got here! A white Christmas, for sure!

 

 

 

With Christmas so close, it's time to reflect on the past year. Have you been naughty? Or nice? It's not too late to give Santa your 'Wish List'!

 

 

Santa, Baby! For me a BMW convertible, please! Z4! All black! I'd love that! I've been an angel all year! Santa, Baby! So hurry it down the chimney tonight!

 

May all your wishes come true!

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS! and HAPPIEST OF NEW YEARS TO YOU!

 

XXOO