Little Red Bench...

Hi Everyone.  The green bench at the shop sold and since I didn't have another headboard bench ready to go, I had to get something ready to fill the space, so this is what I came up with.  I apologize if the red looks pink, but it really is a nice red color.  I took these pictures at night and it's amazing how much difference natural light makes.

 It is made out of recycled cedar boards that were out in the old corn crib. 

 I sanded it until it was smooth, painted it red, then took the electric sander back to it and distressed the paint and added a brown antiquing glaze to it.  These pictures really don't do it justice.

Then I hand painted the welcome and thought it needed a little something extra so I added the little bird to it.

Bo just had to give his sniff of approval to it when it was all done.  Well, thanks for stopping by.

101 Years Old...

My Grandmother turned 101 years old today.  This is a picture of my Dad and Grandma.

My family had a birthday party for her this past weekend, which I was unable to attend, but I

wanted to wish her a very happy day.  Happy Birthday Grandma!

Welcome signs...

Hello Everyone!  Since I didn't get much done this past weekend, I thought I'd share with you a couple of the welcome signs I've made.  This Welcome sign is made on old barn wood.  I barely sanded the board and added polyurethane to it.  Then I decided to turn it into a birdhouse sign.  I cut the top and added the roof and added a piece to the base so it stands.  Next I painted the letters and attached them with small nails.  Then I drilled the hole at the top and in the letter O and glued the nesting in. 

 These are welcome signs that I painted and then painted the flower shapes on the background to give them a unique twist.  Then I added the letters .  I really like the green background with the blue letters.  But of course the white one with red letters goes better with my front entry way, so that's where that hangs.  The others will be going to the shop for sale.

Thanks for stopping by.

*Sorry this didn't post on Tuesday.  I accidentally left it in drafts instead of publishing it.  DUH Holly!*

Retail space...

Happy Monday Everyone!  I hope your weekend was enjoyable.  I was able to get rested up and enjoyed the new puppies.  And I was able to give Bo (the Sire of the puppies) some much needed attention.  Since I don't have anything finished to share with you, I thought I would share my unconventional retail space with you.

I have items on display at Top Notch in Shenandoah, Iowa.  The proprietor has graciously given me space both on the floor and on her walls to display some of the things I've made.  It's a tad unconventional since it's a beauty shop, but the idea came to me when I was getting a hair cut, that this would be a great place for my items to be on display and give their clients something to look at while they get their hair done.  And when I heard that Judy was redecorating the shop, I made her a sign (as a bribe) and went to her with the idea.  And she jumped right on board.  Judy is such a great lady and I think she might even be my biggest fan (after my Mom that this).  So despite being unconventional, it's been a great place to display items. 

 Here's one of the display areas.  Over the years there have been several different display tables since everything is for sale.  So each time the display table sales, I make something different for the space.

 Here is another space.  The bench as sold and is just waiting to be picked up at the end of the month, so I'll need to bring something else in to fill this space.

 The shelf is also for sale.  I have had several different shelves in this space and have come in and taken one down because it sold and then put a different style shelf up.  This one has been here the longest, maybe it's time to change it out with a different style.

 I have even made shelves for the different stations.  Here's one example.  I think this is my favorite style bracket.

 Here is a different style bracket.  This shelf has cork board on the back of the lower portion so that pictures and fliers could be tacked up.  So when I mention the shop in posts, now you have an idea of what I'm talking about.  Well, now I really must get to work and finish some of the things I'm working on so I can share them with you.  Thanks for stopping by.

A Day Off...

Happy Saturday Everyone!  It has been such a long week with the delivery of Bailey's puppies, that I am taking this weekend off.  I have housework to catch up on as well as some much needed sleep.  So I will see you back here on Monday.  Have a great weekend everybody!

Dance in the rain...

Hi Everyone!  Happy Friday.  I don't have that much to share today.  The new puppies took up most of my time last night, so I thought I'd share something I made last fall.  This is one of my favorite sayings.  I have made all kinds of signs with this saying, so I decided to do something different and put it on a decorative plate.  Then painted the vine and flowers on the edge.  I thought it turned out nice and I hope it's new owner agrees.

I'll get back to work on showing you new things I've made as soon as I get caught up on some sleep.  Thanks for stopping.

Puppy update...

My dog Bailey had her puppies last night.  It was a very late night but all are doing well.  She had 3 males and 2 females.  All are chocolate brown.  We are going to the vet this afternoon for their first check up.

Check out their blog here.  Thanks for stopping by.

How many coffee filters?...

Hi Everyone!  I know everyone out there in blog land has made coffee filter wreaths and I didn't want to be left out of the fun.  So here are the two that I made for the shop.  I think the natural colored one is my favorite.  It took about 260 filters for each one.  I made them while watching a movie so it didn't seem to take any time at all.  So here they are hanging up in the shop.

I think I might just have to bring this one home because I have the perfect spot to put it in.  Or I guess I could just make another one...  Well, thanks for stopping by.

Storage or display caddy...

Happy Wednesday Everyone!  I thought I'd show you one of the things I made from this pile of wood.

This pile of wood is rough sawn walnut that was given to me by a former co-worker.  He knew that I made things and had this walnut stored in his barn for years and knew he wasn't ever going to get around to using it, so he gave it to me free of charge!  I just love getting free stuff!

 This is one of the things I have made with it.  It's a storage caddy or could be a display caddy.  Four quart size jars just happen to fit perfectly in it.  They could be filled with flowers, silverware, or just about anything.

 I put my paint brushes in it.  Or you could take the jars out and use it to store tools.  In this picture  you can see that the rough sawn edge is still there.  I sanded it so it was smooth but decided not to run it through the planer because I really liked the way this looked.

I painted it barn red and distressed it a little bit.  Then applied a coat of clear acrylic spray to bring the flat barn red color to life.  What would you put in it?  Well, thanks for stopping by. 

My dog Bailey...

Happy Tuesday Everyone!  In case you hadn't noticed this picture in the right hand column, I thought I'd share with you what's going on at my house.  My dog Bailey is getting ready to have her first litter.  I have two Chocolate Labs, Bailey and Bo.  I have created a blog about them to document it and make it easier to show pictures of the puppies to their perspective new families.  So if you get a chance, check that out.  And if you're interest in a puppy, let me know.  We went to the vet yesterday and she is having at least 5 puppies, there may be a sixth puppy that was hidden, but it was really hard for them to get good pictures. 

This is a picture of Bailey when she was 3 months old.

This is my dad holding Bo when he was 9 weeks old.  Well, thanks for stopping by.

Wreath Stand...

Happy Monday Everyone!  I thought I'd show you one of the things I did this weekend.  I made a wreath holder.  I'm sure you've all seen the metal wreath holders you can buy in stores.  I think they cost too much so I've been making them for over a year now.

 Here's the stand with a very large sheet music wreath on it.  (Trust me, it's behind there).

Here are a couple of stands.  The super tall one is for sitting on the floor, without being to near the floor.

Here's how I make them.  I cut a scrap block of wood that's 4"x4" down to the size I want, in this case it's about 10" tall.  I cut a 1"x8" and a 2"x8" scrap piece of wood down to the same size.  I never use any real measurements, I just sort of go with what I think looks good together and what I can find in my scrap barrel.  And of course I dug out one of the spindles a friend was nice enough to give me after they took down their porch.  Before I started putting anything together, I sanded all the wood with my orbital sander so I wouldn't have to sand anything after it's together.  I find it works better that way.

On both the 1"x8" and 2"x8" boards I found the center and marked it with an X.

Then I pre-drilled a counter sink hole into both pieces of wood so that the screw is sunk into the wood.

Then I found the middle of the block of wood, used Gorilla Glue and a 3" screw to attach the 2"x8" to the block of wood.

I did the same thing to the 1"x8" piece of wood to attach it to the spindle.

Using my handy nail gun, I glued and nailed the 1"x8" piece of wood with the attached spindle to the block of wood.

Then I added a coat hook to the spindle and a ball with a flat edge to the top to sort of finish it off. 

Now, I just need to paint it.  I'm thinking it needs to be a bold color like maybe red or a navy blue.

I've also recycled wooden closet dowels into wreath stands, like the black one.  I'll have to get this painted and into the shop.  Well, thanks for stopping by.

Little black table...

Hi Everyone!  Happy Sunday!  I hope you are enjoying your weekend.  I've been out in the shop this weekend so I thought I'd share my little black table with you.  I'm really happy with how this turned out.

The legs are recycled from a large dining table.  One of the legs on that table had broken up at the top, so that meant they had to be cut down, which was fine with me.  I  wanted to make a table that was more end-table height.

I really like the detail on the legs.  My kitchen table has almost the same details only they are thinner.

 I wasn't sure about painting it black, but all the wood used on this was different.  And it would have been very expensive to make them match, so painting was the only option.

I haven't decided if it needs distressed or not.  What's the worse that can happen?  If I don't like it, then I'll just have to repaint the edges.

 What do you have planned for your Sunday?  I'm going back out to the shop and work on a few more projects and maybe I'll go ahead and sand this.  Well, thanks for stopping by.

A reveal as promised...

Hi Everyone!  Happy Saturday!  Yesterday I showed you a couple of pictures of piles of wood.  Today I'm going to show you what I made from those piles of wood.

Remember these?

I told you how wood sometimes just "speaks" to me and lets me know what I should make out of it, well, that's what happened with these piles of wood.

And this is what I made, an occasional table.  It could go behind a couch or in a hall way or entry way. 

I found some really cool boards that have been stored in the old corn crib since who knows when.  I live on the farm that my mother grew up on.  My grandparents bought this farm when my mother was 8 years old and lived here until they passed away.  The house sat empty for a year and then I moved in.  The house was built in the 1880's and needs all the TLC I can give it. 

But luckily for me, my grandfather was a saver.  I wouldn't call him a hoarder or a pack rat, because he only saved things that could be used again.  And thanks to him, I've been able to make some really great things with the wood that he saved.  I've also found some really cool treasures that I've been able to use as decorations that would have cost me a fortune to go out and buy.

And I feel blessed everyday that I'm able to live here and keep this farm in the family.

And if one wasn't cool enough, I made two of them.  My plan is to use one in my dining room and take the other to use as a display table in the shop, but like everything in the shop, even the display stands are for sale.

I had planned on making a tutorial on how I made these, but my camera died and I didn't want to wait to make them.  Well, thanks for stopping by.

Magnets, Signs, and a Sneak Peek...

Hello everyone!  I just thought I'd share a few of the things I did this past weekend.  I will post the big things in the next couple of days, but thought I'd share a few of the smaller things and give you a sneak peek of a couple of the others.

 These are magnets for your frig or anywhere you'd like to put them.  The butterflies and dragonflies started out their life as Christmas ornaments that I spray painted and attached magnets to.  The purple and red flowers were once tart pans.  I spray painted them, added a wooden circle that I painted  and then attached magnets to the back of the pan.  My favorite is the blue dragon fly.

 This is another sign I made for the shop.  I liked the saying and the script.  (Sorry about the pink in the corner, my camera was in the process of dying.)

 I really liked how this one turned out.  But I'm wondering if I need to distress the lettering on these?  What do you think?

Here's a sneak peak of what I've been working on.  Not much of sneak, but let's just say that in these stacks of wood, I found something to make....the wood just sort of speaks to me.  I'm working on the post and will try to have it ready for tomorrow.  What would you make out of these piles of wood?  Thanks of stopping by.