I'm Not Here! I'm in Summer!

  Another winter storm is due to hit at any moment. Freezing rain,up to 1/2" of ice,snow,and possibly some thunder tonight. Yes, thunder!  I think all this crummy weather has caused my creative wheels to come to a sudden halt!

Oh, Summer! I will try not to complain of your heat and humidity when you return.. I just want to see your green grass and leaves,your sunny skies, and hear your crickets and birds. I long for flowers and butterflies. I want to spray paint, something,anything! I miss my BFF,Krylon !

                                                          Until then, I will just pretend!


 Dear Blog Friends, I have arrived in Summer! The weather is beautiful! Krylon and I were so overjoyed to see each other we couldn't stop hugging! We have been junk hunting all day.Tonite we are having a picnic by a stream. Nothing fancy,just throwing a vintage tablecloth on the ground and feasting on local strawberries and cheese. Oh, almost forgot artisan bread and fresh squeezed lemonade.Not a single mosquito buzzing! Those darn crickets are so loud, I can't hear myself think.Wish you were here.  Hugs, Tami

Canvas Rubbing

             Sawn61 you were very close on your comment ! Only different materials, canvas & a crayon !

                   I'm not sure if I will frame them,make a pillow,or what. I sure do like them though !

Any suggestions?

http://www.freckledlaundry.com/
Linking up to Air Your Laundry Friday. There is always some wonderful inspirations there, So stop over.

Antique Spool Chest

This spool chest has been in my life as far back as I can remember. My parents have always been antique collectors. There is no furniture in their home that is  not an antique with the exception of upholstered pieces. Even the upholstered pieces are antique designs. As a kid I sometimes felt like I lived in a museum, but it nurtured in me a deep appreciation of antiques. Mom and Dad gave me the spool chest a couple years ago,because it was always my favorite piece. The knobs are original and we have never been able to find replacements for the missing ones, that came even close. I have toyed with the idea of just replacing all of them ,but for some reason I can't bring myself to do it. Crazy, huh?

The sides have raised panels. Each with a different design. I'm not sure if they are copper,bronze, or what type of metal. I just know they are beautiful!

Photographing these I came up with an idea I am going to attempt tomorrow.
Which all of you will be the first to see, if  it turns out!
Any guesses?

Stay warm, Tami

Winter Survivor

             Winter came early this year.  Below freezing cold !  I've been dreaming of digging in the warm earth. Opening windows to the wonderful aroma of the Spring air.Sleeping in a bed of line dried sheets.If you have never slept on line dried sheets,you have certainly missed out on a slice of heaven. Imagine my amazement  when I went out in the courtyard only to find this pot of ground cover still green on a seven degree day !

                      I just had to bring it inside! In just a couple of days it has shown signs of growth.
                                                              A much needed gift !

                I wanted to share this wonderful watercolor I purchased for a dollar at a garage sale.
     It makes me wonder about the gentleman who painted it.  The most exciting thing about old things is wondering about the person who created them .



Simple Adornment

 This chippy old mirror is one of  my most favorite things. I spotted her all alone at the side of someones barn as I was pulling away from their garage sale. Twenty-five dollars and she was coming home with me! There are very few things in my house that I feel any attachment to,but she is one of them. Several have tried to talk me out of her. No way! I'll lay across her and hang on for dear life if need be (unless of course I were to be threatened by a weapon).Well,I rather doubt anyone is that desperate for an old mirror anyway! Ha!

 Though I think she is beautiful as is, I thought perhaps she deserved a little adornment. Now as you can see she is a simple beauty,so nothing sparkly! Just some antique buttons strung together suit her just fine!(By the way my walls aren't that shade as the pics show,more of a grayish blue.)

                                                                     Simplicity!

All the furry creatures of the family are enjoying the warmth of a sunny window! Can't blame them it's 7 degrees here and I am so over winter!

One last but very important thing , Thank you for being a follower. I get so excited every time I see someone new has joined us. I get giddy actually. I even clap in sheer delight! Maybe even look a little foolish, but hey, who's lookin?

Burlap Blooms

I have been inspired by all the different fabric flowers growing in Blogland. So I decided to grow some myself . I bought this sweet little basket for a quarter a few years back at a garage sale. I thought it would be the perfect place to plant my blooms !

 I simply gathered strips of burlap using a running stitch.Tacked it together with thread and attached vintage broken earrings for the centers. These were very quick to whip up!

 My grandmother loved costume jewelry.I loved going through it as a kid and trying it on. I think she would approve of her broken & mismatched earrings becoming flowers.

         Some I frayed along one side before gathering,just for a little something different !
        
           Join me at  http://www.freckledlaundry.com/ for Air Your Laundry Friday. You'll be glad
              you did!
                                  Have a warm and wonderful weekend, Tami

It's All In The Details

Rudy's favorite Spot! Something homey about a cat.

 

 I had hunted and hunted for an old  bread box and couldn't find just the right one. My friend (also my aunt by marriage) gifted me the perfect one. I love it!

     Heck, I didn't even have to distress it ! The many years of service had already handled that detail.

  I know there are a lot of people out there that just don't find the beauty in such detail. A little rust, some dents and scratches, and some peeling  paint, equals perfection to me.

 
More beautiful detail ! I have a little gift in mind for this old mirror.I will be working on that the next couple of nights. Show you later !

Last but not least,an old cake flour bag. My original plan was to upholster a footstool with it. I couldn't bring myself to cut it ,so I just framed it and it hangs proudly in my kitchen. 

Stay warm, Tami

For those of you who asked about the chalkboard. We made it with a thin piece of MDF (available @ home improvement stores) , painted it with chalkboard paint and framed it.An easy project !

Two New Projects Completed !

         



          In yesterday's post I showed you these old doorknobs,but they weren't a coat rack then!

           A couple layers of paint , some distressing, and some glaze. I love how it turned out!

   I remembered a table runner my Aunt Dea had made for me. I think the colors are just what this room    needed.

    Maddie refers to her as "my very talented aunt". Aunt Dea is quite the seamstress and is quite             
        generous gifting her creations. She even does smocking! Yep,she is very talented!

     
One last thing. The distressed picture is now framed. It may be a little too distressed for some, but just right for me!

Distressed Art

Okay, I have to admit ,I am a compulsive distresser.I distress furniture.I distress fabric and I distress paper! I bought this print on eBay a year ago. It was just too pristine for my house. I got kinda carried away and forgot to take the before pic.

                           See there, I did take a pic of what I trimmed off in order to make it fit my frame!

I wadded it up (made me cringe) and wadded it again. Smoothed it out and put it in my broiler pan since it fit in there best.I then poured a cup of strong warm tea over it just long enough for it to start soaking in.Then poured off the excess. It did tear some (a lot).Sooooo, I just pieced it back together on top of mat board and let it dry. Actually if you like to live dangerously (like me) preheat the oven to 200 degrees and turn it OFF.Put the print on a cookie sheet or whatever pan fits best and put in oven to dry. You may have to iron it when it comes out. Yes I said "iron".

 Tomorrow, I will  use a spay adhesive to keep the pieces in place on the mat board before framing.  This is the first piece I have wadded up which probably weakened it. But I love the results! Looks old ,huh? I have tea soaked art I have printed off the Graphics Fairy onto cardstock with good results.However if you are using a pic you have printed off your printer, I recommend allowing the tea to cool so the ink doesn't run.

 
    Check back  tomorrow for the framed result and to see what is to become of these old doorknobs!

Finally Done, Well....Almost !

                                           I finally got it done after screwing up big time !

                                                                           Before

 The screw up ! My hubby tried to tell me I couldn't paint over polyurethane. I thought the finish was so far gone it wouldn't matter. IT MATTERED. I painted the whole table and distressed it. Then discovered the paint hadn't adhered. It was peeling off. But of course it didn't come off easy. I was out in 28 degree weather trying to get it off. So let this be a lesson to you all. Prep work is very,very important.

                       I still need to stain the legs and poly the top. But wanted to show it to all of you.

 Tried to come up with a quick centerpiece for the pics. I don't really care for either one but I'll figure that     
out later.

  Maddie came to the rescue! Bless her heart. She created her own table scape, including artwork from her and Lilly. How sweet is that!



Baby It's Cold Outside

        

Hot chocolate anyone?