Lighten Up

Sorry for another disappearing act.  This summer hasn't turned out as I expected, and I've been pretty under the weather.  Being sick is never fun, but it always seems to be a little worse during the summertime.

We've managed a few un-blog-worthy projects around the house, like replacing a storm door that was literally crumbling to pieces and having gutter guards installed since the trees are now taller than the roof line (read: regularly clogged gutters).  The yard I worked so hard on this spring is now a weedy mess.  The laundry piled higher and higher, and when I was finally feeling well enough to tackle it, the washer broke.  Oh well.

During a good week, I decided I'd had enough of our dark olive green living room.  I had changed it from a ho-hum taupe about five years ago to SW Olive Grove and immediately regretted it.  It was just too dark.

Adding the overmantel helped lighten the room, but I still wanted a brighter, happier look.  I wanted to stick with a shade of green, and I finally settled on Valspar's Desert Grass that I had mixed at Sherwin Williams because I love their Cashmere paint.

It's a much more cheerful room, and the traditional cherry furniture I love seems less heavy now. This shade of green really blends well with the brass hardware, especially in the grandfather clock, my very first Craigslist purchase from about five years ago.  Can you believe I scored this beauty for only $125?  Since it had been stored in a dirty garage, I had it professionally cleaned, and the serviceman said it was worth about $800.  Score!

I've always been and admirer of secretary desks.  My grandmother and my great-grandmother had one, but I thought they were a little old-fashioned until I saw the many hutches and the secretary desk in Mary Carol Garrity's home:

So when I found a secretary that had just been put on the sales floor at ReStore, I pounced on it.  It's filled with beautiful books (that we've actually read, thank-you-very-much!) and favorite pictures documenting some of our family history.

It took five years, but I think I've finally figured out this room.

Odds and Ends

My favorite part of shopping at ReStore is digging through boxes of odds and ends.  Recently, they received a donation of random curtain rod finials.  Some had partners, but most were missing their mates, like these two.

Immediately, I saw a use for them.  A little hot glue and some Rub 'n Buff was all they needed.

Isn't it pretty now?

Undecided

I scored a pretty paperweight last week, and I had intended to put it in my booth at a local flea market.

However, once I brought it home, I began to have second thoughts.

I'm not usually one who jumps on the trend bandwagon, but this emerald green is rather pretty.

Should I keep it?

Adventures with French Doors

It's no great secret that one of my favorite places to shop is ReStore.  They know me by name.

I have my favorite departments.  Cabinet pulls, trimwork, furniture, cabinet doors, paint, and garden supplies.  And lighting.  I love to deconstruct vintage light fixtures like I did here and here.  I think I have two more in the garage.

I usually pass by the appliances and plumbing.  Used toilets?  No thanks.  I also don't give a lot of thought to the long wall of doors, even though there is some neat stuff in there.  I remember talking to a fellow who was in the architectural salvage business.  He had some absolutely fabulous doors in his showroom.  He thought he would make a lot of money selling beautiful antique doors, but they turned out to be a huge pain in the you-know-what.  It's just too difficult to retrofit an old door into a new space.  I never forgot this conversation, which is why I usually don't look twice at the doors.

But for some reason, I stopped to look one day.  And I found two matching French doors.  Brand spanking new French doors and marked $60 each.

The bedroom we use as an office is at the top of the stairs and has two double doors overlooking for foyer.  We always said how pretty it would be to replace them with French doors.

What's the chance these two doors would fit?

While I dug through my purse for a tape measure, I overheard a conversation the manager was having with another customer.  Everything in the store was going to be 50% off the next day.  Holy cats!  These doors were going to be $30 each tomorrow!  My head was spinning.  The store was closing in twenty minutes, but I was taking no chances, so I buried them in the middle of the rack, and scurried home with my measurements.

They were the same size as the existing doors!  I announced to my husband to expect to get up early the next morning so we could be in line when ReStore opened.  When the store opened, I made a bee-line for my doors, and I refused to let them out of my sight.  One of the volunteers commented, "Yeah, I didn't expect those doors to last long today."  When we took them home and tried a test fit, I was giddy.

The routering didn't quite line up with the existing hinges, and they would need a mullion, the piece that goes in between the two doors.  Considering their weight and the issues with poorly hung doors, we decide to leave this one to the pros.  I called a local handyman company and explained in detail what I needed.  "No problem.  We'll send our best trim carpenter."

When he arrived, he looked at them, measured, and announced they would not fit.  I pointed out they were same size as the existing doors, but they did need a mullion.  I explained that we did a test fit before I called, and it was a good fit.  "Doesn't matter," he said.  "There's going to be a one and three-quarter inch gap in between them.  The tape measure doesn't lie."

What a load of...

So he doesn't want the job.  It's within his rights to say "No thanks," but let's not lie about it.  I was not going to argue with him or continue to waste each others' time.  "Oh well," I chirped, "There's always Craigslist."  I promptly ushered him out the door and called another handyman company who had someone at my house within 45 minutes.

I knew it wasn't going to be an easy job, but this craftsman dug right in.  My husband ended up assisting since the doors were pretty heavy, and after four hours of measuring, chiseling, and shimming, we had two swinging French doors.

Originally, I'd planned to paint them the same color as the trim.  I primed them and started the first coat of paint.  The entire time, my husband was lamenting that we couldn't stain them, but since I had to fill some of the factory routering for the hinges, staining was out of the question.

I stopped for a break and made myself a cup of coffee.  I started thinking about some of the pretty painted French doors I've seen lately on Houzz.  Looking into my mug, I suggested that I could paint them something dark, like the color of coffee.

Surprisingly, my husband liked the idea.  "After all," he said, "It's just paint."  Easy for him to say.  I was the one doing all the painting.

After looking at all the coffee-named colors at Sherwin Williams like French Roast or Black Bean (too brown or too plumy), I settled on SW Black Fox.

Let me tell you, it took days to paint around all those panes of glass, especially since I'd primed for white paint.  (Insert pane-ful pun here.)

My husband is on board with replacing all the hardware in the house, but for now, I'm just reusing the old knobs.

Our house is from the honey oak era, but I like the contrast against the dark doors now.

This is one of those improvements we always said we wanted to make, but I never thought we'd actually do it.

If you are wondering, we're keeping the original doors if a future homeowner wants to switch them back for privacy.



I'm linking up...
Between Naps on the Porch
Les Chateau des Fleurs
Cedar Hill Ranch (Cowgirl Up)
Savvy Southern Style
Handy Man, Crafty Woman
The Shabby Creek Cottage
Chic on a Shoestring
The Shabby Nest

In the Details

I finally finished my first big project of the year last Sunday.  It took about a week longer than I expected, but I'm pleased with the results.  I'll have to wait until this weekend when I can get good day shots, but a reveal is coming!

By the way, I recently switched over to Google Chrome on my main blogging computer.  Internet Explorer wasn't playing nicely with Blogger anymore, and about the same time, I started having issues with browser hijacking on some of my favorite blogs.  Then, I maxed out my free storage space on Blogger and had to invest in a Google storage drive.  Now my photos upload much, much faster.  I am a happy camper.  If you are a regular Blogger (with a capital B), I recommend making these upgrades.

I have so many projects stacking up that I want to start now, but in the meantime, I made some minor adjustments to one of my favorite vignettes.

I'm sort of burning out on the bird craze, but this little fellow from Hobby Lobby was just too cute.  I thought about painting him bronze, but I keep telling myself I need to lighten up.

I did some rearranging, moving this ceramic pot "sleeve" under a basic terra cotta pot.  I found it at Lowes on clearance last year.  I thought it was $1.50, but I had misread the 50% off sign.  It turned out to be only 75 cents which was even better.

I bought something at Christmas and the package was tied with a beaded tassel.  I don't remember what it was.  A candle?  A bag of pine cones?  No matter.  Doesn't the tassel look pretty wrapped around the lamp base?

Sometimes, it's all in the details!

Good Intentions, Project 1

One of my resolutions this year is to finish the projects that are really starting to collect.  I have a bad habit of finding all sorts of things that need TLC, but I never get around to them. One of my pals at ReStore calls these projects "good intentions."  She suspects I have a garage, basement, and car filled of "good intentions."  She's right, and that's going to change this year!

This weathered, crusty planter is an excellent example of a good intention:

I think I paid a quarter for it at ReStore last autumn.  After bringing it home, I gave it a good scrubbing and filled the cracks with Spackle.  I even took the "before" picture!  And then it sat on the floor of my basement studio, unfinished for months.

I finally got tired of stepping over it last week, and the dining room table was looking pretty bare after the holidays.  It was all the motivation I needed to finish it.

Too keep it from looking too flat, I painted it with a mixture of black and bronze craft paint and dry-brushed it.  It's finished with several coats of glossy acrylic sealer.

I used what I had on hand to fill it, focusing only on color and texture.  Never mind that a real hydrangea probably wouldn't be happy with a container with hens and chicks.  

I found the iced unripe pomegranates on clearance after Christmas.  I liked their color, so I tucked them in with the pine cones.

My favorite find last Christmas was these juniper picks I found at a local home decor store.  Since I usually shop the big chain craft stores with their sales and coupons, I hated paying full retail price for them.  But as the fake stuff goes, they were too lovely to pass up.

Good Intentions = 1.  One less unfinished, neglected item lurking in the basement.  What a great feeling!

This and That Before Christmas

Christmas is really sneaking up on me this year.  Thankfully, I finished the shopping last weekend.

 

Last night we had a thunderstorm with a little hail.  The wind began to howl this morning around 4:00 am, and by dawn there was a fluffy layer of snow on the ground.

 

Random...

 

This year I put my vintage-style teddy bear next to the fireplace with the little sled I scored dumpster diving after a garage sale a few years ago.  The homeowner said his wife was having a hard time parting with it. 

 

He said this as he was pushing it into my hands.

 

 

I made Teddy's little black and white vest last year.  No pattern, just a lot of pinning.  Let me tell you, it's a very custom fit.  The little vest helped me discover how much I like using black and white with my holiday decorating. 

 

 

I scored a complete nativity scene at a Goodwill two years ago.  I mean complete.  Holy family, angel, wise men, shepherds, sheep, camels, you name it.  Needless to say, it's huge.  This year, I just displayed Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.  Originally, they were cream-colored with antiquing in all the crevices.  It wasn't a flattering finish, so I spray painted them Heirloom White.

 

Notice the black and white again?

 

 

I kept things pretty simple in the dining room this year.

 

 

I just tucked wintery things here and there.

 

 

I bet I overlook something when I put everything away in a couple of weeks.

 

New Adventure

I'm trying something new.  I've rented a booth at a local flea market.

Actually, it's half a booth.  I'm starting small to see how it goes.

It's a bit of handmade, a bit of vintage, and a bit of housewares.  If you live in the Kansas City area, check out out Tallgrass Design in person at A Place in Time.

A Place in Time

207 W. Dennis Ave.

Olathe, KS 66061

Wish me luck!

Antique Chest of Drawers

Did you ever find something fantatic and you bought it even though you didn't know where you will put it?

That's what happened when I found this antique chest of drawers at ReStore.

While it was a great price, I wasn't sure what my husband would think of it, so I took a picture with my phone, and practically danced around it while I waited for a response from him.  There was no way I was going to walk away from this beauty.

He approved.  Smart fellow.

I love the grape cluster pulls, the spindle details, and that amazing patina of worn wood.

The top has a large crack down the middle, which has been poorly repaired so it was priced accordingly.  Some day I'll either pull the top off and repair it properly or replace it with a piece of marble.  For now, I set a large tray on it for seasonal vignettes.

Mini-Bar Knock-off

In my part of the country, finished basements are pretty typical.  Some are really tricked out with elaborate wet bars, and I really question how much use they get.

When I've toured Mary Carol Garrity's home, one of the things I've admired is her mini-bar which moves from room to room, depending on the season.  I've seen it set up in her foyer ready to serve guests at a holiday party or tucked aside in the living room.

While I try to keep the liquor put away, it always seems like the old stand-bys don't stay in the cabinet.  I had a spare corner in the dining room that would be perfect for a small cart or table, if I could find one.

I searched my favorite thrift stores and second-hand shops until I found this table at a local antique store.

Being a reproduction, not an actual antique, the price was right.  I didn't like the backing or the spindles, but they were easy to remove.  The shelves were wood veneer, but I figured it could strip it and restain it.

And that's where my troubles started.

First problem: The original stain was stubborn, especially on the legs.  The stripper was pretty ineffective, so I had to sand the majority of the legs.

Second problem:  I couldn't get the new stain to "take."  I wanted it to be a dark cherry color.  I applied one coat of Minwax Red Mahogany.  Then a second coat. Still too pale.  So I switched to Ebony.  (Thank goodness I had all this stain on hand already).  Closer, but not quite.  The grain was disappearing and it looked muddy.  At this point, I'm ready to ditch the stain and head for the spray paint.

Good thing I didn't give up.

How did I achieve that rich finish?  I wiped down the excess stain with mineral spirits and tried one more thing: a wash with burnt sienna acrylic craft paint with just a dab of black paint. Brushed it on a small section with a chip brush, then promptly wiped the excess.  Let it dry, then sealed with Minwax's Wipe-on Poly.

Perfect!

I know that distressed chalk paint is all the rage...to the point of being passé in my opinion.  Give me that subtle shading of stained wood any day.

Shhhh...the lamp came from our neighbor's trash.  Formerly shiny brass, I spray painted it ORB.  I think their daughter recognized it when I was painting it in our driveway.  Yes, that was a little embarrassing.  The lampshade was a ReStore find last week.

Cocktail, anyone?

And my most recent Nell Hill's purchases: This little fern plant and decanter.

For all the hours I spent trying to get the finish right, I'm so glad I didn't give up on it.

I'm linking up...

Coastal Charm

Savvy Southern Style

Handy Man, Crafty Woman

The Shabby Creek Cottage

Miss Mustard Seed

At the Picket Fence

Southern Hospitality

 

Pineapple Lamp Love

Recently, I was a stalker.

A thrift store stalker.  Someone found some vintage watercolor prints before I did.  She called over her companion for a look.  She held one up, "Look, they are scenes from Rome!"

They were in a stack on the floor, and I had walked right by them.  Dang it!  I pretended to be interested in nearby shelf of candlestick holders, stealing glances over shoulders.  Hoping she might change her mind.  And ready to pounce if she walked away from them.

Win some, lose some.  More often than not, I'm hauling something to the cashier, and I can see it in everyone's faces...

"What is she going to do with THAT?"

Like this pineapple lamp I found at a vintage market.  Love at first sight!  It was a busy afternoon, and the store was filled with people.  I couldn't believe it was still there!

The lamp shade wasn't included, but I had the perfect black shade at home.  The price is right.  It was meant to be!

I think it originally had dangles from its leaves.  No matter, it looks much better without them.  Check out the patina.

Forget about those predictable three-matching-lamps-in-a-box found at the usual shopping center home stores. 

Vintage-glam-oversized pineapple lamp, you will be mine!

Random Garden Thoughts

This is my first post since Blogger changed their dashboard (grumble).

The first weekend of May is traditionally our big planting weekend, with fingers crossed Mother Nature doesn't surprise us in the next 10 days.

This year, we planted the last weekend of March, and the clerk at the nursery warned us about putting the tomatos in the ground.  Snort.  They need to be staked and soon!

The peonies were just about finished blooming Saturday morning. We had heavy rain with a little hail Sunday morning, which probably finished off the blooms.

I'm running out of room in the existing flower beds, so this year I decided to focus on bringing other decorative elements into the garden and doing it for as little money as possible since I have bigger projects I'm saving for now.

Thanks to Craigslist, I scored a trunkload of goodies from someone who was clearing out a garden from an older home last year, including two chippy, rusted wire baskets.  I discovered they looked pretty good nestled inside one another, but I wasn't sure what to put inside it.

I've been taking cuttings from my sedums and starting them in small terra cotta pots.  I feel stupid for ever buying sedums because they are so easy to start from cuttings.  Just cut off a small stalk and stick it potting soil.  So now I have all these little pots of sedum setting around the deck.  Then I rememered those wire baskets.

I picked up a jade plant at the garden center and moved the aloe outside as we do every summer.  Don't they look great clusted together?

More recycled and dumpster-diving finds to come!

Not So Vintage Market Basket

When I visited Mary Carol Garrity's fall open house last year, I noticed she had a large market basket tucked under a sideboard, and it was filled with empty wine bottles.  Being known to tip back a glass (or two...nevermind, just give me the whole bottle), I loved the look.

(By the way, Mary Carol's spring open house is less than a month away!)

And who doesn't love a great vintage market basket?  But I'm way too cheap to buy the real thing.

But I do have one of these at the back of the closet that's doing nothing better than holding socks whose partners are l-o-n-g gone.  It's about 15 years old and it has seen lot of use hauling laundry up and down the stairs until it started to unravel at the top, which is when it was retired to become the gathering place of the Lonely Sock Club.

The size is perfect.  But that color is so 1990s.

Vintage = good
Dated = bad

Let's gather some supplies.

I evicted the singles club of socks and their tag-alongs, the dust bunnies, then sprayed the basket with oil rubbed bronze paint, which improved the look immediately.  But the color was a one-dimensional, so I gently brushed it with the Brunt Umber craft paint with one of my favorite tools, a chip brush.

After letting it dry, I hit the high points in the weave with the Pinecone Brown craft paint, blending it into the weave.  Finally I sealed it with a clear spray.

There are always plenty of wine bottles in the recycling bin, but eventually I'll fill it only with the bottles which were part of special occasions.

The best part?  It cost me NOTHING.  I love the subtle colors on the handles.

It's so fun to find ways to get "the look" for less!

I'm linking up...

Between Naps on the Porch

Coastal Charm

Handy Man, Crafty Woman

Savvy Southern Style

Domestically Speaking

Chic on a Shoestring Decorating

At the Picket Fence