My husband and I decided to put a chandelier where we had removed a fan light while remodeling the kitchen. I thought it would be interesting to find a vintage one and updating it. I was on the hunt. I checked garage sales, antique stores and didn’t find anything that inspired me. Finally, I checked craigslist. I am always uncomfortable meeting people to exchange money for goods. You hear so many horror stories about people getting hurt or robbed. In the past, I always had my husband go with me. He’s a pretty good sized man and most people wouldn’t mess with him. He was busy as were both of my daughters. I loved the chandelier I found on craigslist and knew I had to have it. It was the right price and in town. I emailed the seller and we arranged for me to go to her house. We talked on the phone and she said when I got to her house, she would bring the chandelier out to the car. I wouldn’t have to enter her home. I told her how nervous I was about dealing with craigslist and she told me I should be and gave me some tips to follow on future endeavors. What a great buy and visit!

After bringing the chandelier home, I waited for my husband to see it before attempting to clean and paint. He was so puzzled by all the lampshades. When I picked up the chandelier, there were lampshades with it. The seller said they never used them but when she moved into her home the shades were on it. The posting on craigslist didn’t have shades on it. I told my husband we weren’t using them and the relief on his face was comical. We had both looked at the posting on craigslist and agreed that was what we wanted. I tossed the shades in my crafting room and started cleaning the chandelier.

After cleaning and painting the chandelier white, I needed to replace the sleeves and buy lightbulbs. That was harder than I thought. I found the sleeves but they were all too long. I asked my husband if he could cut them down and ordered them on Amazon. It took me 3 tries to get the correct lightbulbs. But finally I had everything ready. My husband, Daniel, helped me or rather I helped him hardwire and hang the chandelier.

It turned out great and the cost of buying, painting, replacing the sleeves as well as getting lightbulbs still made it a bargain!

After Christmas is over, I often get the “Winter Blues”. Taking down Christmas decorations makes me think of how much time is left before the next holiday. It seems forever!!!! This year I got on Pinterest and looked up winter decor. I found that many of my decorations could be left out in a new setting and would make me feel like the time isn’t passing so slowly. I usually go shopping for after Christmas stuff but I knew I already had too much. If I chose winter decor (ha ha) I wouldn’t be spending it on Christmas stuff or so I told myself. I ordered 2 white lit birch trees, 2 lit up moose, and 2 white sparkly deers from Wal-Mart at less than half price. Love a bargain but couldn’t wait for lower sales.

I had stored all of my village homes and businesses that were for Christmas. I had 2 houses that were from PartyLite without any Christmas connection. I used leftover Christmas candles, and arranged them in a winter landscape using a piece of white chiffon fabric. One of the pins on Pinterest had wine glasses turned upside down with winter scenes inside them. I liked the idea but wanted to keep it simple. I stuck petals in one and put a candle on top. I thought a pine cone would be pretty under the wine glass. I found 5 pine cones from an old project, painted them white and sprinkled glitter on them while they were still wet. I stuck one under a wine glass and put a candle on top.

Deciding I liked the pine cone trees, I stuck the rest of them in the holes of my wooden candle holder/miscellaneous stand and loved it.

Pine cone trees. The paint looks like snow and the glitter looks like star-dust!

Winter landscape. So wintry and cozy at the same time!

The sled I used on my stoop underwent a season change. I took off the sign, ribbon and horn. Put in with the 2 trees, plopped a snowman in front and I have another winter landscape.

Of course we are having a dry winter. It has snowed only once or twice. But at least the decor makes it feel all cozy and warm. I also left my lights and tree (without the ornaments) up in my family room. My husband says I should enjoy my tree until spring. That’s exactly what I am doing!

While getting the bedroom bench out of my closet for my last project, I noticed an old hall bench that was also collecting dust. I thought it would go well with my kitchen table.

Getting ready to paint the bench.

Of course, I painted it white. Rustoleum chalk paint is one of my favorite paints to use. I love the finish. After the 2nd coat was dry, I banged the edges and made marks to make it look aged. I used a General Finishes sealer.

It looked so good, I thought about putting it back in the hallway.

After sitting it with my table, I knew the grandkids would love it.

When I sat on it, I found it wasn’t very comfortable. It was the right size for the grandkids but wouldn’t be comfortable for them. I found some left over foam cushion from my bench I made last year from an IKEA shelving unit. Just enough. Then I went looking through my fabrics for a kid friendly, soft and cute pattern. I found one with birds on it in a flannel type fabric. I knew it would go with my colors of navy, aqua, gray and white.

It was perfect for the table. It looked so much better than before!

I’ve needed more storage and seating in my living room for awhile. I went through the house to get ideas and ran across a bench that came with our bedroom set that was sitting in our walk-in closet collecting dust. It was dark wood with an ivory material on the cushion. I visualized it with different material and with storage cubes underneath.

I went through my collection of material (I buy clearance fabric at Hobby Lobby and Walmart every time I go) and chose a patterned one that went with my other decor. Since I’m in my paint it white period, I took the bench apart and painted it white. While waiting for the bench to dry, I took the cushion and recovered it using the patterned material.

I put the bench back together with the new cover and set it in the corner. Now all I needed was some storage. I went to Target to see if that had any cloth storage cubes in stock. Normally I would have ordered them from Amazon. I was in too big a hurry to finish. The only thing they had in stock that appealed to me were a basket weave type storage cubes in white. I bought 3 of them. Once I got home and put them under the bench, it wasn’t the look I was visualizing. I got on Amazon and ordered 3 black cloth storage cubes. I had to wait 2 days but when they came in, they were exactly what I wanted. Once I put the storage cubes under the bench, I decided to put together a skirt around the front to cover the tops of the cubes. I love my new seating and storage. I put my grandsons toys in the bins and freed up the floor space.

I’ve seen posting of wall plaques using mason jars on Pinterest and decided to try it myself. I opted to stain the boards instead of paint them. I had several pins that went to blogs that had homemade stain. I chose one and started the process.

I made tea in a jar and set it aside along with the tea bags. Poured white vinegar into a jar and put a steel wool pad in it. I let both set for a 24 hours. I cut 3 pieces of 1 x 6 boards and laid them out on the floor. Brushed the tea on sides and top of each board. Let them dry. Turned them over and brushed tea on the other side. Let them dry thoroughly. Brushed the vinegar mix in the same process. After they dried, they were beautifully stained a dark rich look with the wood grain showing through. I loved it!

Before                                                      After

I drilled 2 holes at the top of each board and 1 in the position I wanted the lip of the jar to be placed. I tried using clamps to hold the jars in place and didn’t like the result. I finally used thick wire I keep around for sign hangers and like it much better. After placing the jar on the board with the wire, I put flowers in the jar. The 2 holes drilled at the top were for hanging the board. I pulled natural sisal rope through the holes, tied a knot on each end and hung them on upside down black ceiling hooks.

I love the end result. The homemade stain was so easy to do. I will use this process over and over.

Just now posting my Christmas decorations. Between holidays, family and parties, busy, busy, busy.

I use to put up all my decorations from wall to floor to outdoors. Then I slowly lost interest in digging it all out of storage. Since I have my 2 year old grandson often and my 10 and 4 year old grandson and granddaughter occasionally, I decided to do it for them. Christmas is magical for small ones and a sweet thing to watch. The lights, the sparkle, the all out wonder of the Christmas decorations.

I bought a new pre lit 7 foot pine Christmas tree at the end of the season last year. I was eager to put it up to see if I liked it as well as I remembered. The ease of assembly is fantastic. No lights to wrap around. No testing the bulbs. Just 4 parts and plug in. Just as easy and pretty as I remembered.

Then comes the door hanger. I had been making my own from Spring to Summer to Fall. Now it was time to try Christmas. I had an idea what I wanted but knew I was missing some key pieces. I found an old fashioned metal and wood sled at an antique and flea market in the West Bottoms of Missouri. Fantastic place to get ideas and pickup items you can’t find elsewhere.

I found a bugle decoration and ribbon on the clearance aisle at Hobby Lobby. I strung some lights and garland on the sled. It still needed something. I took a piece of paneling, cut it to size and painted it white. I then went over it with red paint in stripes and then painted a area for writing with black chalkboard paint. Wrote “Happy Holidays” with white chalk and my door hanger was ready. Only problem I had was getting it to stay on the door. It was heavy and awkward. Finally, I had to admit defeat and place it on the stoop. It still looked great!

I am not a fan of this season. If the sun shines, it’s not so bad. But the dreary days of cool weather and lot’s of rain, nada!!!! The rain is welcome but makes it depressing. I love the early part of fall with the glorious leaf changes. Not too cold or too hot. Once the leaves fall, I dread the coming days. The leaf raking and bagging are not a favorite of mine. I don’t like cold weather. The only reason I can stand fall or winter is that I get to bring out my boots. I’m an avid boot wearer. Love, love, love boots!!!!! I must have 30 pairs. So fall is welcome if only for that reason.

That said, I decided to do some fall projects to lift my spirits. I started with door decor. Looking on pinterest always gives me inspiration. If I can, I like to use what I have on hand to make my projects. I have totes in my basement marked with the season or holiday. I pulled up my Halloween and Thanksgiving totes to go through.

I pulled out leaf garlands and grabbed a couple of pieces of boards. Looked through my collection of left over paints and picked a tan color for the boards. After I painted both pieces, I planned what to put on them. I had a long piece about 12″ wide and 48″ tall another piece at 7″ tall x  24″ wide.

The larger piece was going to be for my daughter’s door. She has a large glass storm door perfect for showcasing this. After the tan paint dried, I painted most of it with a black chalkboard paint. Then I hot glued leaves I had taken from the garland along all 4 sides. Wrote “Hello Fall” down the board and drew a small jack-o-lantern at the bottom with chalk. Once I felt the glue was dry I drilled 2 holes at the top, cut a length of sisal rope and pulled it through the holes and knotted the ends.

My daughter loved it!!

Next I started on my door decor. I had bought a really old small garden rake at a flea market and knew it would work great in my project. I took the smaller piece of wood and used black chalk board paint on a section of it. Drew a leaf from a pattern on each end of the board. Once the paint was dry, I thought it needed more leaves. I hot glued a few at top and bottom. Drilled two holes at the top and cut a length of sisal rope to size and inserted into the holes and knotted the ends. Drew “hello fall” in chalk and I was ready to hang. I placed a garland of leaves on the rake forks and down the handle. Hung the rake on the door and then placed the sign below it.

I thought it turned out great. Very colorful.

After finishing the pantry, I wanted a sign so visitors would know it was no longer a coat closet.

I went looking for supplies online. I tried Amazon first. Amazon is always my go to place for most anything. They have a handmade section that is very enticing. I found some rusty letters that I liked. I have Amazon Prime and can usually find what I want with free 2 day shipping. I bookmarked them and then went to Etsy. I found exactly what I wanted there at a cheaper price. Occasionally vendors on Etsy are willing to work with you on shipping. That is especially true if they state that they will combine items for cheaper shipping. I notified the vendor what I wanted and she was willing to work with me. Purchased my letters and 2 other rusty items for a reasonable price and shipping.

Next I needed to prepare my board. I used a 1 x 6 pine board left over from the pantry. I stained it minwax slate like the pantry walls then whitewashed it. When I whitewash an item, I paint it on with a brush then wipe it off with a cloth. This allows the grain to show through. You can extend the amount of paint you have by adding a small amount of bottled water to your paint cup. I always pour a small amount of paint into a cup or whatever you want to use as a paint holder. Then I add the water. Don’t use tap water. It will make your paint curdle. Or ruin is a good word.

I even used a piece I had deemed unusable when we were making the pantry. It had holes in it and very rough edges.

Applied my stain.

Whitewashed it.

Laid out my letters and then decided to whitewash them also.

Hot glued my letters to the board. I added a tractor and butterfly to the sign for interest. My daughter asked me why the butterfly. The tractor could represent harvest and therefore food in the pantry. She couldn’t understand the butterfly. I replied that I just liked it. I outlined the letters with the slate stain to make them stand out.

I think it looks great! It is temporarily hung from a nail. My husband, Daniel, wants to install sliding barn type doors in the future. That would look amazing!!!

I love looking at other people’s blogs. It’s great for inspiration. I was browsing a blog that had turned a coat closet into a pantry and was instantly intrigued. I showed the blog to my husband, Daniel, and he was just as intrigued as I was. We are remodeling our kitchen/eat in dining room and would like to tear down our upper cabinets and make it open shelving. Problem was, we needed the storage space. Our original floor plan had a peninsula coming from the side wall dividing the kitchen from the eat in dining. We tore that out for a more open concept idea. That removed 4 upper and 4 lower cabinets. Already being in the negative for storage, we had bought 3 tall cabinets for storage temporarily until we decided what to do. The closet/pantry idea definitely had merit.

We removed the coats and other miscellaneous stuff that had piled up in the coat closet. Daniel started researching the best solution for shelves and we decided on a system that allowed as much light to pass through the shelves as possible. He decided we needed to have something other than sheetrock to attach the shelves to. He measured the closet and calculated how many boards and screws we would need. I wanted to give the closet some personality and showed him on pinterest an idea I had for that. He was on board with the idea but wanted to see a sample before we reached that point.

Off to the big box store to pickup supplies. Arriving home, he started cutting the boards to size and installing them in the closet. The studs in the closet were very weirdly set. That is one of the reasons Daniel wanted the boards to attach the shelves to instead of using the studs.

The empty closet. The wires/cables are from telephone or internet lines that were no longer used. We haven’t had a land line for several years and wireless internet for longer than that. Daniel pushed those back through to the basement.

The first board.

We didn’t take down the boards that the hanging pole fit into. For resale, the new owner can just take the shelves out, put the pole back in and the coat closet is back.

Almost finished with installing the boards.

Meanwhile, I needed a sample to show Daniel on how I wanted the boards to be finished.

I used a Minwax base of white with slate color added. It was a dark gray as you can see in the picture above.

Once I applied the stain then whitewashed over it with white chalk paint, we both loved it.
I am an avid user of chalk paint. I love the look and feel of it. I started out using the expensive Annie Sloan chalk paint but found the Rust-Oleum chalked paint to be almost as good and much cheaper. I use it too frequently to spend the money on the other brand.

It almost looks like aged barn wood. You can see all the grain and knots from the pine wood. Once the wood was stained and white washed, the other walls looked bare. I decided to do the other two walls with the same treatment sans the wood.

Not a bad look for a pantry.

The shelving going in.

The pantry filled. We emptied 3 tall cabinets into one pantry. The only problem is lighting.
I have placed the push and tap lights throughout the pantry but the lighting is still poor. We will tackle that problem later. Can’t get over how much we can get into the pantry. Not only food but bowls, cups and tupperware.

We couldn’t be any happier with the outcome. As a finishing touch, I made a temporary sign for the pantry.

You can find the steps for this project on another entry.

Since I don’t really have a front porch, I’ll call it a front stoop. The front door is an area that I notice almost as much as the style of a house. Plain concrete steps are not conducive to beauty. There’s not much you can do to make them appealing. I’ve put flower pots on each step. Nada. So I concentrated on the stoop. I had a white pitcher I bought at a thrift store that didn’t have a home yet; a small green metal chair from a yard sale; two old funnels, 2 rusty tools, and a small white shelf from a church sale and a bouquet of flowers. Put them together on the front stoop and you have some interest.