If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you know that my husband and I went with our 4 kids to do some canoeing and kayaking over the weekend. It’s becoming our tradition to do this each summer, and I look forward to it every year. We usually do it on a Saturday, but my my oldest son’s work schedule conflicted with that, so we did it on Sunday this time, and that’s the only day I want to do {Read More}
Bugs, Grease, and an Antique Cutting Board
July 15, 2015 by 39 Comments
Old barns have the best stuff in them, and there was a fair amount of stuff in our barn when we bought our house. At first glance, you wouldn’t have thought there was anything really worth keeping, but that’s what makes a barn a good mine – you have to dig for the good stuff, and you have to be willing to look beyond layers of dirt and, creepy crawlies, and spider webs. One of the things we uncovered was an old wooden crate. {Read More}
I’m a Proud Little Algae Eater
July 9, 2015 by 34 Comments
Standing in front of a great big aquarium at the pet store, a strange analogy popped into my head. Auction-goers are a lot like fish in an aquarium. Fish? Yes, fish. Let me explain. Aquariums usually have 3 types of fish in them, and auctions usually have 3 types of bidders.
Barn Door Bedroom Hooks
June 29, 2015 by 14 Comments
I rarely check Craigs List, but I got lucky one of the few times I did check it last year. I’m not sure if this was a small barn door, or a heavy barn gate, but I was so glad it was still available when I called about it. There were actually several to choose from, so I bought this one, plus another one that I used as a headboard in our shed-turned-guestroom. I thought I might use this one as a {Read More}
How to Make a Farmhouse Milk Can Patio Table
June 17, 2015 by 22 Comments
If you recall, a few weeks ago I was contemplating what to do with this old milk can that’s been sitting on my front patio. I thought about painting the whole thing, but it’s pretty rusty and I it has just a bit of old blue paint on it that I really loved and hated to cover up. Then I thought about just using the Milk and Cream stencil to paint just a sign on the front. I think it would have {Read More}
Tabletop Industrial Cart
June 12, 2015 by 15 Comments
One thing often leads to another, but in my case, it can lead to another, and another, and another. Do you remember the little clementine box that I turned into a vintage style crate? Recently I added some vintage style signage to it, and I loved it even more. Well, I set that little crate on my kitchen shelf, and as I looked at it, it made me think of something I would really, really, really love to have… an old industrial cart. I {Read More}
Because I Can
June 3, 2015 by 15 Comments
I’m smack dab in the middle of raising my 4th teenager now, and there’s a standard answer he gives me when I ask why he did something. “Because I can.” Well, I’m stealing his answer today, because my tin can stash is overflowing again, so it was time to repurpose some of them, and turn them into summmerish decor. I printed a few of my vintage can labels (links to printables below) to add to the cans. You’ll notice that these {Read More}
Vintage Style Storage in Antique Trunk
May 29, 2015 by 24 Comments
Normally when we travel, I can’t wait to hit every single antique store, thrift shop, and yard sale we drive by, but I was ridiculously well-behaved when we traveled to and from New Mexico last week. I didn’t go to a single yard sale, and only stopped at a handful of antique stores, and from those stores, I only bought a few things. I seriously amazed myself at my self-discipline, because I found several really cool things, and had carried {Read More}
Galvanized Bucket Makeover
May 20, 2015 by 35 Comments
I picked up this old galvanized bucket at a thrift store a few weeks ago. I usually leave them as-is, because they’re so darn cute, but I decided to play around with this one a bit. I’ve done a lot of transfer projects on wood and canvas, but I thought I’d try it on metal this time. I was a little concerned that I might ruin the cute bucket, but crossed my fingers that it would turn out. SHOP FOR GALVANIZED {Read More}
Repurposed Chair Flower Planter
May 15, 2015 by 13 Comments
A few years ago, I had scads (does anyone still use that word?) of old chairs that I’d picked up, primarily at auctions. I was on a repurposed chair kick , so most of them were turned into new creations, but I still have just a few left that I’ve never done anything with. I have no idea what possessed me to buy 2 of these chairs, because they aren’t my style at all, but I did. I think they must {Read More}
