Summer Eye Candy – Container Gardening

Pinterest is one of my favorite places to spend a rainy afternoon.  I can get lost for hours at a time.    Since Summer is officially upon us, I thought I would share some out the summer lovelies from my Pin boards.   (You can click on the images to visit the original source.)

Some of my favorite flowers are Spring bulbs.  I love how these look in the galvanized pots.

You don’t need a piece of land to have a garden.  Container gardening can be beautiful.   Love the kettle!

You can even have a shabby garden.

If you live in an apartment, you can even garden UP!

An old door garden.

Now this one won’t fit on your deck or balcony but it’s still awesome!

Cheating with Martha - Room Divider Redo

On my thrifting adventures one of the things that I am always on the look out for is pretty fabric.   It can be sheets, shams, curtains, whatever.  Sheets work especially well because they’ re usually wider than most fabrics. 

It was on one such adventure that I met up with Martha.  Yes, Stewart.


I found this beautiful pair of curtains with a buttery yellow  background and cabbage roses from the Martha Stewart collection.   I didn’t have a plan for it then but it was definitely coming home with me.   Then inspiration hit.   An old room divider needed attention.  (Ooops.  Forgot to take a ‘Before” of the divider.)

This is where the benefit of recycling fabric comes in.    There is always at least one hemmed edge that can be used.  I sewed a seam on one end and used Velcro to create a pocket for the dowel to go through.  It might be cheating but it sure saves time.   A hem, seam and Velcro on the other end.


Recycling fabrics is a “good thing”.
This is furniture....'ish, right?   At the risk of being banished, I'm linking up for Furniture Feature Friday and Sunday Showcase.

Sunday Showcase

 

It looked like an easy one…….Petite Drop Front Desk

I was deceived.  It didn’t have too many nooks & crannies and I thought it would be a quick fix.   Curvy lines with mostly flat surfaces….but…..it was a bleeder.

I prefer to take things completely apart if I can.  Then do the prep work.  Sanding.  Wood filler.  (I prefer not to use stripper because it’s a messy proposition and it just feels toxic.)   Then prime.   Yada yada.

I started by using a brush on primer but that’s when the trouble began.  Pink bleed through.  So I went to my ‘go-to’ spray primer (Rustoleum – Artist’s Touch – 2x coverage) in very light coats to seal in the old stain.    It worked.

I put it all back together and spiffed it up with crystal pulls.  I used foam board covered with batting and a pretty pink fabric to create a pin-board in the back.

Good to go.  Into the shop it went.

Road Trip to Maine - The Cutest Shop - Ever!

A few weeks ago my husband and I decided we needed a change of scenery and so we took a little jaunt.  We are lucky enough to live in an area that is central to all New England states.  We can be in New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut and even Cape Code in about an hour.   Vermont and Maine are about an hour and a half.  Eenie, meenie, miney……Maine it is!

First on the agenda was a drive to Lake Sebago.  My husband had been up to a friend’s lake house a few times and we thought it would make for a nice drive.  

Once we got off of I-95 we meandered along and that’s when I had an Ikea moment….. “Stop the car! Stop the car!”.   The cutest little shop was calling out to me.  “My Sister’s Garage”.  It’s little house with two floors of awesome stuff!  Look at the walls and ceiling!.

How pretty!

And it’s not just about shabby……

It really was one of those “Ohhh!” and “Awww!”  kind of shops.  I loved it and definitely plan to get back there.  If you are interested, they are on Facebook – located in Windham ME.

You Did Not!

That was the reaction from a few of the other dealers at the shop. … when I told them that I had painted a table….green!  I paint 99% of my furniture a shade of white or cream.  (Who knew there were so many shades!) 

I was at Lowe’s and there was a gallon of  green “oops” paint for $5.  Significantly cheaper than most paints so I bought it.   


It’s a kind of…..mmm…..Spring green’ish?  When I took it outside in the sunlight the color was kind of shocking for my eyes since they are so accustomed to white.  I let it sit for a couple of hours to see how I felt.


It’s a pretty color but I just thought the all over green was a little too intense.


So I distressed the top.  Couldn’t help myself.


After 4 hours of redoing my booth for a weekend sale I was pooped and this is the only picture that I managed to take.  But look!  A blue chair too!  I’m working on it…..

Bigger Isn't Better–OOK Picture Hangers

This post is less about what I did and more about what I found.  So no “before” just an “after” pic.

I painted this huge chalkboard over a month ago and it has been sitting in my garage ever since.


It’s big and heavy and I was worried about hanging it on the drywall in the shop for fear that it would come crashing down.   I finally decided that I was being silly.  First of all, it wasn’t going to sell sitting in the garage and, secondly, I was getting tired of moving it around when I worked on other projects! 

So off to the hardware store I went.    Looking for industrial sized picture hanging ‘equipment’.  Bigger is better, right?  

Since I prefer the local mom & pop stores that's where I headed.  I was greeted by a very helpful guy when I arrived.  I told him what I was looking for.   Already knowing in my head that what I needed were some big honkin’ wall plugs,  screws, etc…..a drill, hammer….    He suggested that I try these.

He told me that they are much easier to use and only require a hammer to install.  They hold up to 100 lbs.  No drilling for wall plugs, etc.  I was hesitant but he seemed to know what he was talking about.   Well let’s just say that it pays to ask questions.    I had the chalkboard hanging on the wall in less than a minute.

Lessons learned?   Use the local stores whenever possible.   Ask questions.  (That’s what they’re there for.)  I might still be standing in the aisle of the big box store with a blank look on my face.

Upcycling Old Cabinet Doors

A few months ago while scouting a local salvage yard (a la Sanford & Sons kind of salvage yard) I came across a trio of old, crackled cabinet doors.  Crackled to perfection.

So, up first.   The first door was upcycled to a frenchy sign.  No sanding and I left the old hardware intact.

Painted, stenciled, distressed and sprayed with a clear spray.  I bought the stencil from http://junkinjunky.blogspot.com/.   (SOLD!)

Door No. 2.  (I feel like I’m channeling “Let’s Make a Deal”)  took a different route.    I painted them both at the same time but I couldn’t decide what I wanted to do.  A few days ago it struck me so I gathered some supplies.

Mason jars, adjustable metal clamps, L-brackets and tools.

Attach L-brackets and clamps.

Insert jars & fill with sea glass.

I love the crackled patina on these doors.

Tomorrow I’ll pick up a few flower stems and off to the shop it goes.