My New Old Chair

I have been searching for a specific style of chair for the new Master Bathroom. I finally found THE one at an antique store for $18. It began as a green chair, which The Hunny proclaimed he liked after I painted it. I, of course had a vision of white!

BEFORE



AFTER

I painted the chair with the one and only Rust-oleum American Accents Heirloom White. After a few coats, I distressed it with 220 sandpaper. 

I did a lot of distressing for a very old look. I love how the green began to reveal itself!

I used Minwax Dark Walnut Stain as a glaze over the distressed areas. Although, as I began to wipe the glaze off with a wet rag, the white paint turned more brown than I liked. So I simply used my sandpaper and began removing the glaze. It brightened the white and gave an amazing texture, this really added to the old look I was trying to achieve.

I used Minwax Paste Finishing Wax to add a protective and luster finish.

One last look at the after!

Hope you had a wonderful week!

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Otherwise

 

Otherwise

Jane Kenyon

I got out of bed
on two strong legs.
It might have been
otherwise. I ate
cereal, sweet
milk, ripe, flawless
peach. It might
have been otherwise.
I took the dog uphill
to the birch wood.
All morning I did
the work I love.

At noon I lay down
with my mate. It might
have been otherwise.
We ate dinner together
at a table with silver
candlesticks. It might
have been otherwise.
I slept in a bed
in a room with paintings
on the walls, and
planned another day
just like this day.
But one day, I know,
it will be otherwise.

We tend to always plan things out, but what about the otherwise? We know in our hearts that there will always be that time. And in that time God will always see us through. He will not leave us comfortless.

Paraphrased from Pastor Norm

I wrote this Monday morning in hopes to publish it today. As my Monday progressed, the more otherwise I ran into. It was very ironic how I stumbled upon these thoughts when I needed it most. Hope this inspires you at just the right moment.

An Unexpected Find

Last weekend The Hunny and I traveled to Patoka Lake for some relaxation. We began the four hour drive Friday afternoon. After passing one garage sale sign after another, I began to get really antsy. Of course I expressed my desire to stop at just one to The Hunny. 

Finally, after the fourth or fifth complaint about wanting him to turn, he said he would turn into the next one if I gave him enough notice. With my luck we didn't see another sign. BUT, I did happen to notice a huge flea market sign in one of the small towns we were passing through. By this time The Hunny claimed he needed to stretch his legs anyway and stopped for me to do a little shopping! How sweet of him! I only found one goodie.. but it's enough for me. It's my new love and I can't wait to find a permanent home for her.

I couldn't help but take a few scrumptious pictures of my new love!



These stripes really remind me of the grain sacks I have been drooling over in Blogland.

I can't decide if she can stand alone or if I need to find more!

Enjoy your weekend!

Gallery Wall

I have been wanting to do a gallery wall for a long time, but just didn't know where to start. Blogland really gave me the motivation to go for it! I pulled a team together to help, including my Mom and family friend, Rissa.

I began by choosing the pictures I wanted. The key ingredient to a successful gallery is choosing photos that evoke a memory rather than posed pictures. After I had the pictures chosen, I went to thrift stores and found old frames of different colors and sizes. I really enjoyed the hunt!  We also used a few other decorative items to add texture and visual interest.

The jars, vinyl lettering, iron stars, and the "D" were all purchased at Hobby Lobby. The iron candle holder was purchased at Pottery Barn  (yes, I actually bought something from PB... but not without free shipping)! The old shelf was another treasure I found in one of the barns.

After we had all of the pictures and decor items, we laid a blanket down and began to arrange them on the floor. From there, we just began to hang things up. No precise measuring...simply the naked eye.

Hope this inspires you! Have a wonderful day!

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Fun Filled Weekend

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend! I spent this weekend in The East Barn painting furniture and taking pictures for some upcoming posts. We also had a nice dinner on the back deck. The Hunny has been working hard on the deck the past few weeks and has finally finished it. I will be posting pictures soon!

We also had a wonderful surprise Friday evening. Zoe, our dog, had puppies! We had a male dog around the farm a few months ago. He was very skittish and concerning to have around. Of course, he took a liking to Zoe. We had a hard time deciding what to do with this beautiful black dog who wouldn't let us near him. We gave it some time and he soon warmed up to us.

He now comes when we call him, has learned how to sit, and is always excited to see us! I guess dogs need time to trust others just as humans do. We always referred to him as black dog so now he responds to that name..not what I would have chosen but I guess it will do! So now Zoe and Black Dog have 7 puppies. Hopefully we can find good homes for the puppies, but I am still trying to convince The Hunny to keep just one! Although, right now we have 5 cats, 5 kittens, 6 chickens, 2 dogs, and 7 puppies...Oh my!

After reading this post from Miss Mustard Seed I have been on the lookout for a tool caddy for the kitchen. And look what I found in the barn out back! How wonderful it is to go shopping in your own sheds and barns filled with old treasures!

It was covered in dirt and grime. So I gave it a good cleaning with a brush and bleach water. After washing the dirt away, this lovely chipped paint was exposed!

This tool caddy was used for lamb shears, but it is now transformed as a kitchen storage caddy. I filled it with bowls, sifters, and jars (which I'm addicted to).

Have you gone shopping in your own basement, shed, or attic lately? You might be surprised with what you find!

End Table Makeover

I am so excited to share my first furniture makeover with you today! I began looking for an end table simply because it was a necessary piece for the living room. I finally found a light wood finished table with turned legs.

I found the end table at a salvage store that is literally piled from floor to ceiling. I grabbed the owner to give me a price. He looked the table over and said, "You can have it for nine." Wait.. what? I was in shock and my first thought was nine what?! I repeated, "So $9?" The owner confirmed and I replied, "I'll take it!" The piece has very good bones and didn't need any extra work other than a coat of paint. What a deal! I will definitely be shopping there again. I loaded my $9 end table and drove off to my craigslist dresser pick up..that's for another day! After futile searching for the deals I always hear about; I finally had success!

Now onto the makeover..

I began by removing the hardware and then filled the holes with wood filler. I used Elmer's Natural Carpenter's Wood Filler. I then sanded all the surfaces. I painted three coats of Zinsser Bulls Eye 1-2-3 Spray as the primer. After the primer completely dried I painted it with Rust-oleum Heirloom White with a paint brush. I then used a spray of the same color to cover the brush strokes. I also used Foetrol in the paint for longer drying time to reduce the brush strokes. To finish, I used Verathane Spray Polyurethane Satin which is a fast drying and non-yellowing topcoat.


Before

After

I replaced the hardware with new knobs from Hobby Lobby. I think they really add a chic touch to the table.

Love the Legs!

I can't decide whether to break out the sandpaper and do a little distressing on her! What do you think? 



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Black Raspberry Muffins

Last week I was out by the pond with The Hunny and we came upon some black raspberry bushes. We began to pick a few and soon we had three quarts of black raspberries. I went up to the house and was determined to find a recipe to use them! I found this wonderful Black Raspberry Muffin recipe from Joy The Baker adapted from The Gourmet Cookbook and they turned out amazing!

Did I take any pictures of this for my new blog? Nope, completely forgot. So today I went out (with my camera this time) to find some more fresh raspberries. Naturally, the bushes were almost completely picked over. Lesson learned..take my camera the first time! With some perseverance and a few bug bites later I came up with just enough berries to make these muffins again and get a few pictures! Please ENJOY!

"Black Raspberry Muffins

3/4 stick (6 Tablespoons) unsalted butter
1/3 cup whole milk
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups berries (I used frozen black raspberries)

Put a rack in the upper third of oven and preheat to 375 degrees F.  Generously butter or spray muffin cups.  This recipe makes 12 standard muffins.  If using paper cupcake liners, you don't have to grease the muffin pan.  

Melt butter in a small saucepan over moderately low heat; remove from heat.  Whisk in milk, egg, yolk, and vanilla until well combined.

Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.  Add milk mixture and stir until just combined.  Gently but thoroughly fold in the berries.  

Divide the batter among muffin cups and spread evenly.  Sprinkle generously with turbinado sugar.  Bake until golden and crisp and a wooden pick or skewer inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 18-20 minutes  Cool in pan of a rack for 15 minutes, then run a knife around edges of muffin tops and carefully remove from cups.  (I used paper cupcake liners, and didn't have to grease the pan.)  Serve hot, warm or at room temperature."

I substituted brown sugar for the turbinado sugar and used 1% milk because I didn't have any whole milk on hand.. still turned out delicious! 

Happy Baking!

A Walk On The Farm

This morning I decided to take a few pictures of a beautiful summer day on the farm. Here are just a few things I found.

The sunflowers are just starting to bloom.. Soon we will have fields of sunflowers!

The sweet corn is starting to tassel and will soon be ready to pick for dinner!

I love this field of flowers. It has such a breezy feel..

 Black raspberries for the picking! A marvelous breakfast muffin recipe to come!

Hope you enjoy your weekend!

A Little Reminder

"Don't aim for success if you want it; just do what you love and believe in,

and it will come naturally" David Frost 

Sometimes we just need a reminder how simple life really is.

Mod Podge Madness

I decided a few months ago to take our coasters to goodwill because they were very outdated. I then realized it would have been a better idea to get new coasters before throwing out the old. I searched for months (adding water rings to the furniture) looking to find coasters that even came close to cuteness...and had no luck. 

This is when I decided to take matters into my own hands. The idea was planted. I could MAKE coasters to fit perfectly with my decor! I immediately drove to the craft store to find the tools I needed. I was walking down the aisles (as I always feel the need to do at Hobby Lobby ) and I saw these coasters. I didn't love the spring detail but they were a perfect base for a fantastic scrapbook paper makeover!

BEFORE

I used some scrapbook paper from my stash that had an antique feel to match the living room. I tore the paper down to the size of the coasters and then brushed the Mod Podge directly onto the coaster in one direction. I then laid the paper on top and pressed firmly. After this had dried for 20 min I put 3 additional coats of Mod Podge on top of the paper. Finally, I sprayed them with Minwax Polycrylic Satin Finish to give a nice finish and make them waterproof.
Ta-Daa!! CUTENESS

AFTER



(love, love, love this paper)

Of course I had to go back and get another set for the Master Bedroom!     

AFTER

 

This was a very quick and fun project.. I literally wanted to Mod Podge everything in the house after such beautiful and easy results!

Have you Mod Podged something recently?!



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