project(s) update: wreath with candy-striped plaque

Upcycled, recycled and reused.

This one is fun!

little

“Children see magic because they look for it.”
― Christopher Moore

project(s) update: piano key sunburst mirror

Remember my sneak peeks of projects in the works? (CLICK HERE if you've forgotten.) That pile of 60+ year old piano keys ....


... a sunburst mirror!

 I hemmed and hawed for months about how to attach the keys and finally just tried to glue (wood glue) them. And ... it didn't work so well, so I ended up just nailing them straight through with 1-1/4" nails. I may go back and add a third nail to each key, but I was finished for the day and wanted to see how it would look.

 Kind of amazing! At least this one (if not two) will be for sale at the Market - coming up October 25 + 26th. And if they don't sell, I'm putting it right back up on the wall here. It's sorta retro, sorta artsy. I love it!

(and did you know? each piano key is numbered ... I used numbers 1-22 on this one)

projects update: entry table makeover

After being quite unhappy with a recent priming then painting job, I asked around for make-your-own chalk paint recipe and (after sanding) tried it out on this table! I got a free 7.5oz Valspar sample from Lowe's in Mountain Smoke (or a beige gray ..."greige" to be exact) and knew it was for this thrifted table.


It needed some love. So I sanded the heck out of it (probably 5-6 hours worth with all those little details!) and then painted it with THIS chalk paint recipe. And here it is!

I love the details! The weird spiral spot on top (see original pic) actually needs a little more work (a.k.a more sanding) but I'm hoping to sand and repaint that small spot and then clear wax the whole thing.

What do you think??

project(s) update: fence wood *LOVE* sign

I'll be sharing some projects with you for next couple of weeks - I'm in full gear attempting to crank out projects right and left.

Hope you see something you like!!

materials used: reclaimed fence wood, annie sloan chalk paint in old white, cream muslin and hot glue for rosettes 

Love sign tutorial HERE.

sun

"From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets,

    the name of the Lord is to be praised." Psalm 113:3 (NIV)

reading lately. {july - august}

I'm late! September is upon me and I haven't had a book update.

(from l-r)

boy's life: a (book club) book filled with imagination, adventure, and mystery telling the story of a boy's coming of age in the 60s.

bringing up bebe: an American mother's tale of French parenting. several pieces of advice from this book will come in handy! others were taken with a grain of salt. a little more crass than the other french parenting book...

french kids eat everything: an in-depth look on why French kids are so not picky compared to their American counterparts. very, very interesting. we are practicing cutting out snacks as much as possible in order to maximize meal-eating because of this book!

the walk (series): the first four books of the walk series are very easy-to-read, friendly, but also thought provoking. a man sets out on a journey to walk across America. each book tells a section of his story. now I wait for the next book to be released!

too loud, too bright, too fast, too tight: an interesting book about the sensitivities to surroundings some people have. after reading the first few chapters i realized this wasn't as relevant as i thought it might be to myself, but gave me insight on other people. skimmed the rest of the book.

bags: interested in sewing a new purse or bag? i checked this book out at the library and the patterns are complete! a bunch of fun bag ideas in this book. gifts? cute bag for yourself? :-)


more to come for September! thanks for reading on, friends!

autumn ready: faux leaf fall banner

boy howdy honey, fall better get here! it's been 100 degrees and i have about had it. the bugs and humidity and heat all need to melt away into gorgeous, breezy days full of autumn color.

i've been readying myself for fall. a friend (thanks Val!) gave me some apples like last year - an almost overflowing copy paper boxful! - and I've been peeling, slicing, mashing and inhaling heavenly scents these days.

there were only two in the whole box that were supermarket-worthy and I loved that! they were oddly-shaped, but organic, healthy and free! besides, why does fruit need to be uniform? i think the variations are gorgeous. but, I digress.

I've also put out - all four of - my fall decorations to let the world and weather know that I. Am. Ready. (I'd also love a good, spicy fall candle. Any recommendations?) I came across some faux fall leaves from last year and decided to autumn-ify my living room shelf - it's kind of like my mantle, you know, changing with the seasons.

And this was an excellent project for {Ladybug} to be involved in! She did great and took it so seriously. Can you tell?

supplies needed: faux leaves, twine, tapestry (blunt) needle, hole punch, scissors and thumb tacks. 

Just punch, thread and hang! I punched several leaves at a time because they were so thin - it worked much better that way.

(Someone was excited!) I hung the twine on the back of my barnwood frame between thumb tacks. Fluff leaves until you're happy.

And voila! Fall. What do you think?

A perfect toddler activity! (As long as she is careful with the needle, of course.)

shop update {september}

This is the time of year when beefing up your Etsy shop tends to pay off. It seems like November and January have been the biggest months in sales for the past 2 years. We'll see about this year!

Here are some of the new pieces. Find them in the shop HERE!

And some sweet patterns. 

:-)

setting the table: a Montesorri approach

Ladybug wants to be very helpful in the kitchen these days and usually I try to let her help "cook" (as far away from the heat as possible), set the table and empty the silverware.

I've been looking for a used, cheap placemat to try out a Montessori idea I came across several months ago. I didn't want to use one I liked, so I waited and finally found one at a local thrift store.

It's not the prettiest craft in the world, but I was more concerned with function over beauty this time around. I used a black permanent marker and traced the utensils and a small plate for the middle. A little cup for a circle and she caught right on!

A little practice and she'll be setting it better than I do most days. :-)

"EAT" sign - DIY distressed kitchen sign

I had a hankering for a new little sign in the kitchen - and it came to me one day. So I used a piece of scrap wood (leftover from THIS project) - then stained it, painted it with Annie Sloan chalk paint and distressed using sand paper and the vaseline distressing trick (see it HERE). I used graphite paper to trace a really simple font and painted it with black acrylic.

it is now perched over my kitchen sick (where there is little else to look at) flanked by two happy green/red/yellow vintage potholders.