Birdcage Inspiration

Today, I was reading "Saving CeeCee Honeycutt" by Beth Hoffman -- a must read by the way, although I'm only half way through the book right now -- and I was inspired to find a birdcage to incorporate into my home. I will "wire the door open to remind myself how delicious freedom is." So, without further ado, my inspiration:

via The Decorologist

via Digs Digs

via Bee's Knees Studio

via batixa

via etsy (little blue bird studios)

via etsy (sadie olive)

Have you been inspired by a book recently?  I'd love to hear about some of your favorite books and how they've inspired your home! :)

Jacobean Grey Side Tables

So, I found this side table at a garage sale for $1!

It was in pretty bad shape before I got ahold of it:

Nothing a little tlc couldn't fix though.

So I sanded the top and stained it in Jacobean Minwax stain. I painted the bottom in an "oops paint" called grey basalm.  Then, I lightly sanded the edges with 220 grit sand paper and wiped with the cloth that had jacobean stain on it.  I sealed it with a wax, and here it is.

I loved it! In fact, I love the color so much, I'm thinking of repainting my entry (again) in this Grey Basalm color.  What do you think?

Painting with Fabric

I have some of the best friends in the entire world! So, when one of my dearest emailled me this from the sundance catalog and asked me if I could paint something similar for her, I couldn't decline.

"Earth Ground Sheep Who Stares at Leaf"

Now, I'm not an artist.  That being said, I do get inspired by other people's work, but put my own twist on it.  So, I asked my friend if it was ok if I used a medium that I was more comfortable with.  I had seen this technique several years ago on a quilting show that used to air, and I had been dying to put it to use.  This was the perfect subject.  So I got to work ... after all her birthday was the very next week, and how perfect ...

I title her "Earthen Sheep Staring at Leaves".

So here is how i made this. First, I took a bunch of solid colored fabric and cut it to pieces.  Literally:

Then, using the original image and a muslin canvas, I mixed and matched the fabric colors to arrange them on the canvas for the background.  I step back and blur my eyes a lot for this step, looking for good color and flow.  This really looks like a mess, but we are about to reign it in ...

Then, I take black tulle and cover the whole canvas.  The tulle is going to keep all those tiny pieces in.  It also helps to "blur" the colors without taking away from their impact.

Next, you put in as many safety pins as you possibly can without disrupting the fabric.  This step is important! Also, because there are so many, I don't like to close my safety pins so that they are easier to take out while I'm quilting, but every now and again one falls out and then the little fabric pieces get jumbled.

Once you have it all pinned up, carefully take the whole thing to your sewing machine.  With your stippling foot on, go to town.  I use a clear thread on top and a neutral medium grey or brown thread for the bottom. Test your tension first though.  With most quilts you start quilting in the middle and work your way out, but for this one I like to baste around the edges first, then I go in and do my quilting.    I use patterns that match my medium.  Usually I just go with what inspires me at the moment.

The next piece of the puzzle was the sheep and the leaves.  I decided burlap was what I wanted to use.  So I googled "how to draw a sheep", and found this:

I used it as my guide to draw my sheep.  Then, I traced it on a piece of freezer paper for my template.  I ironed the freezer paper to my burlap and cut the sheep out. I then chose a matching thread and embroidered around the sheep to affix her to the background.  I then cut two leaves.  I didn't use a template for the leaves, just my eye balls.  I also added some detail to the sheep and leaves with some embroidery thread.

I then took an antique frame and painted it black.  And I trimmed the edges and stapled the canvas inside the frame:

It was a blast to make, and my friend LOVED it so I'm very happy with it.

In coming weeks, I'll show you the two others that I did using the same technique.

Happy Tuesday!

Trial and Error: Pink Dresser

For me, painting furniture for a friend is more nerve wracking than painting furniture for a stranger.  I want my friends to love it, but also not feel obligated to love it just because I painted it.  I also want it to be perfect. Oh dilemmas, ya know? Well, this dresser was a great find and a project I learned a lot on - hence the long post!  First, here is the final product:

I don't have a really good before picture, so here she is in the background ...

OK, down to the nitty gritty!  I started out wanting to make the top a dark wood stain, just so I knew I could. SO, I began to remove the veneer on top.  Bad decision, oh well!  After removing about a tenth of the veneer, I googled "how to remove veneer" and read a couple of articles.  I needed to add steam, heat, and a bit more force to the mix.  So, I got out the hammer, a painter's tool, an iron, a big cup of water, and a towel (to protect my iron from the wood glue holding the veneer down).  I went to work.

I think I spent 6 hours removing veneer.  And through the process, I managed to gouge the wood in a few places.  I was determined to stain this top though. So I filled the gouges in with wood putty, and I filled in a few of the wormholes (I should have left those).  I sanded, and applied Minwax pre-stain conditioner.

I stained in Minwax Jacobean, and of course, the stainable putty did not take the stain.  I tried to color it with a black marker, but the gouges were too big and it just didn't look right.  You can see the picture on the right is what it WOULD have looked like, and the one on the left is what it DID look like. (Sorry for the glares.)

Unacceptable.  So, I had to paint the top.  Not a total loss though, cause I learned A LOT, and my friend really wanted the whole thing painted anyhow.

The next fiasco was the texture of the flat sides and drawer fronts. Because there had been MANY coats of paint and other such ilk on this baby, she had a terrible "I've been painted too many times" look to her.  I tried applying a heavy glaze and distressing the terrible texture out of her, but the color just wasn't right and she really just needed to be pink. This was going in a little girls room, and I felt the overly distressed look just looked dirty.

Unacceptable. I had to fix the texture to actually be flat.  Sanding wasn't going so swell, it was just making the texture worse.  So I set out to apply paint stripper.  (I hate paint stripper.) I think I spent 6 hours stripping the paint off of this one ... (are you adding up my time? don't forget I'm new at this *wink*).  Since the CitraStrip I was using (because I'm a mess and everything ALWAYS gets on my skin), wasn't strong enough to take off all of the layers, I moved up to Klean Strip. And yes I wore gloves and kept the hose nearby because it got on my skin many, many, many, many times.  BUT, in the end she was stripped, and sanded smooth ...

Oh my ... dearie, please cover up!

Then, I painted the hardware with Rustoleum's 2X Kona Brown.  Originally I was going to do clay knobs with farm animal impressions, but after consulting the client, she picked out some hardware I had picked up at the Habitat store.  They looked like tulips, perfectly symbolizing their Dutch Heritage.

So after two coats of paint (Glidden eggshell in Ballet Slipper Pink) and a coat of wax, here she is again:

I also painted a shelf to match. Here are the two pieces in their final place.

Her daughter loved it so much, that she slept next to it during her nap the first day! :)  YAY!

Here are some more of the dresser:

Patty couldn't resist a photo shoot. Silly pup!

I'm linking up to these parties:

Primitive and Proper

Miss Mustard Seed

This post was featured here:

Berries and Brown Sugar Gratin

First, I need to apologize for neglecting my blog for (eek) 2 months now.  I won't go into the gory details of why I haven't been blogging, because really there isn't a good excuse.  So, I am back trying to make it up to you with my favorite summer time dessert! :)

I'm a huge proponent of fresh berries. I am also a huge proponent of brown sugar.  So this is the perfect recipe for me.

Before we get started, I must give credit to Deb over at Smitten Kitchen for the inspiration for this recipe!  This is the fastest, easiest, freshest dessert I've ever made. It is perfect for summer time whenever you don't really want to heat up the whole house!  It also doesn't dirty too many dishes! Win win!

So, now for the long list of ingredients *wink*:

Your Favorite Medley of Berries, Peaches, or Nectarines
Sour Cream or Plain Yogurt
Brown Sugar

What no measurements?!? That's right, you don't even have to dirty any measuring cups!  If you really want measurements, visit Smitten Kitchen's recipe for Raspberry Brown Sugar Gratin.

Now for the directions. First, I start with my favorite Fire King soup bowls.

Next, put in your favorite fruit to fill it about two inches. You can go with one kind of fruit, or mix and match your favorites.  I like them all, so I go with a medley.

Then, slather about 2 heaping spoons sour cream (or plain yogurt) over the fruit, so that the fruit is just barely peaking out in some areas.

Now for the brown sugar.  Use about 2+ heaping spoons of brown sugar. You want good coverage with the brown sugar.  Can there really be too much brown sugar?!  I used to eat this stuff by the spoonful as a kid ... I'm more sensible now ... I think ...

Then, turn your oven to broil, and set your fruit under the broiler.  Watch carefully, this step goes much faster than you'd think.  You want the brown sugar to get just crispy. If you start to see bubbling, then take it out!

It isn't the prettiest, but it sure is delightful! Enjoy!!


Don't forget to turn off the oven ... I made a deal with the hubs.  If I forget to turn off the oven, he gets to eat my dessert ... I don't forget anymore! :)

I'm a Junky Junkerson

So. I. Am. Addicted. To. Junk.

Yesterday, I left work early just to check out a moving sale with Gigi from Capricious Craze. We met the nicest lady. She brought us water so we could dig more comfortably in the 104 degree weather. She told us some great stories of some great finds she'd had with her friends.  She even told us about an up and coming Vintage Market show in Ira, Texas (but moving to Colorado City, Texas) called Petticoats on the Prairie. Check out their blog! Our new friend is a professional organizer and a hoot! I won't post any pics of the vintage nudey adult magazines we found, but we were glad for some comic relief from the heat! :) (No worries, we didn't purchase the magazines.)

Then, this morning, after some living room Yoga by Tara Stiles, we hit up a yard sale out in the country. The man who owned the property was a collector and is trying to get organized so he can manage his estate. He was a nice man with a good eye! We had to do a lot of digging! He had 3 buildings full, plus some items in his home. At one point, I was inspecting a dresser for Gigi, who was instructing from afar because of the scurrying noises.  As I turned the dresser the top fell off, and we'll just say it became evident that we weren't alone in that shed. No thanks, dresser! We did find a lot of stuff though, and I even think we'll go back on Saturday to see what else was uncovered by the more adventurous.

Here are some pics of my my junky finds!

 Isn't that chair sweet! I already recovered the seat and painted it! 

The hutch in the middle was a great find!  When Gigi and I first arrived at the yard sale, we were picking alone! Then, a nice young man came about 20 minutes later.  The competition began.  Well, the friendly competition began. I laughed out loud at one point when he said, "I got dibs on this wooden chest. It's mine. I'm just going to go ask how much it is."  I love a good spirited competition! 

I got three of these chairs, and I just had to have this tool box.  It was the man's mother-in-law's from when she was a child!  A woman after my own heart, that Liz Berry!

I'm a sucker for thread, especially on wooden spools!  Also, I am a sucker for these Fire King bowls with small handles. (I bought 10!)  They are the perfect size for a small bowl of cereal.  Am I the only one who hates eating a small proportion on a huge dish?

Love these molds! :)

I'm also a sucker for anything that is white and has a spout! 

A mini dressform, some lace, a skirt marker, and a tailor's stool!

And, last but not least, another lovely chair!

I'm linking this up to Junker Newbie's "Would You Buy It Wednesday?" party.  Over here: