A window shelf...

Hi Everyone!  There's nothing like having fast internet again!  It had been running slower and slower until it finally didn't let me log in at all while I waited for my internet company to get new equipment in and then finally upgraded.  And now that it has I can once again upload pictures to share with you!  I have a stack of window frames and unfortunately I don't have or can't find a before picture.

 It had broken glass panes that I carefully removed and then cleaned and scrubbed the window...then added a shelf to one side and a flat board to the opposite side to give it a more finished look.

I painted the whole thing black and then a top coat of white and then sanded.  I turned a pip berry garland into a wreath and hung it in front of the window.  Something simple yet cute and an easy way to turn a broken window destined for the dump into something useful and cute.  It will be available at my Fall Open House next Friday.  Thanks for stopping by.

Linking to:
http://www.myrepurposedlife.com/2014/09/catch-as-catch-can-181.html

A side table...

Hi Everyone!  Now that my Internet is back up and running, I have lots of things to share with you....beginning with this little side table that my friend Lynett picked up for me at Goodwill.

 It was cute as is but I thought the hunter green and light colored top were a little old looking....

 ...so I freshened it up.  I painted the base with my favorite color...

 ...Lagoon.  I stripped the top and knobs....

 ...and stained it with my favorite custom blend stain....

...then applied polyurethane to the top...

...I like the bold color and am  happy with how it turned out.  It's the perfect size for a side table next to a bed or chair and provides a little bit of storage.  It will be available at my Open House next weekend.  Thanks for stopping by.

Linking to:
http://www.myrepurposedlife.com/2014/09/catch-as-catch-can-181.html
http://missmustardseed.com/2014/09/furniture-feature-friday-favorites-link-party-38/

Upcoming events...

Hi Everyone!  It's that time of year again....show time.  In the past I've packed up a trailer load of items and headed out to a fair across the river in Nebraska, but this year I'm not packing anything up because I'm having a Fall Open House at the Studio instead!  The date has been set, over 400 flyers have gone out and the ad is ready to run in the newspaper beginning this weekend.

So if you are in the Southwest Iowa area I will be having my Fall Open House on Friday, September 26th 9 am to 5 pm and Saturday, September 27th 9 am to 4 pm.  Contact me for more information.

I haven't done any shows this year because I've been working on the remodel of my house but I have been working on custom orders and inventory for the upcoming shows since the middle of July.  I'll get back to working on my house this winter.

I have a lot of new things to share and can't wait to share them with you now that my Internet is back up and running.  Thanks for stopping.

Planked wall art...

Hi Everyone!  I thought I'd share with you one of the custom orders I received and completed a few weeks ago.  My client sent me some pictures of what she wanted.  One of her inspiration pictures was the Pottery Barn planked art piece of the United States only she wanted the art to be of the State of Iowa (her home state).  And this is what I came up with....

Sorry, no in progress shots...I forgot to pick up the camera, but will on the next one, I've already received an order for another one.

I used lath as planks because they were the right size and full of character even after hours of sanding each piece.

I built a wooden frame and attached the lath boards after cutting them to size.

Then I stained it on this side and painted the back side of the boards.

Once it was dry I got out my trusty atlas and used it as my visual guide and hand painted the state of Iowa onto the four squares.  Then painted it with a base of white.  Once the paint was dry I took the sander to the entire piece to give it instant age.

I added a bit of antique medium to the white paint to age it a bit more.  Then when it was dry I added a coat of sealer.  I used the side of one of the out buildings for photos because I have no other place to hang such a large piece.  And in case you are wondering, only this side of it looks like this...the rest is painted white.  I keep letting this side chip away because it looks good in photos, but someday I will need to paint it.  Thanks for stopping.

Linking to:
http://www.myrepurposedlife.com/2014/08/catch-as-catch-can-175.html

Around the farm, part two...

Hi Everyone!  Yesterday I showed you that the hay ground had been cut and baled into large rectangular bales....well, today I thought I'd show you what we've been waiting all spring and summer to start work on....in fact Dad has been waiting for this to happen for several years...

....the pond and dam are being worked on.  They brought the big equipment on Monday afternoon and began working on it on Tuesday.  My grandpa original dug out this pond and created the dam and it lasted a good many years. 

But my first year here (10 years ago) we had winter kill of the fish because the pond was getting filled in with silt (from run off from the fields and pasture).  Then a few years later we had a couple of years worth of flooding that broke the dam, right where he's working (above photo).

 Not only are they rebuilding the dam, but they are also digging it out and making it deeper.

 There use to be three large cottonwood trees in this group but a couple of years ago we lost one in a big storm.  They used the smaller excavator to move it and pile it up and then started burning it.  It will take a few days to burn it (it was a huge tree!) and then they will bury what remains of it.

 I've taken pictures on my lunch break each day and down by the pond each night because it's so interesting to see the progress they make each day.

 Below is a picture of what the pond looked like when I first moved here.  This is of the pond from the southwest side looking toward the house.  All the other pictures are looking from the house side.

They are also going to be putting in a driveway from the road to the east pasture (south of the barn) but I'll show you that on another day.  So far the weather has been great for this work and looks to stay that way for a while!  So that's what's going on at the farm these days.  What's happening in your neck of the woods?  Thanks for stopping by.

Around the farm...

Hi Everyone!  I have something a little different to share with you today....scenes from around the farm.  Things have been happening around the farm lately.  A couple of weeks ago they came and cut the grass for haying...

...and raked it...

...then came back a few days later and baled it....

 ...into large rectangular bales....

....and then of course they returned to pick them up as most of them had already been sold.  While this has been going on, I've been working not on my house...that's on hold for a while...I've been trying to get ready for an upcoming open house and the Clarinda Craft Carnival that I attend every year.  This year, it's the only Fair that I will be attending so I need to make sure it's a good one.  Remodeling the house this year was the priority so I didn't attend any other fairs and I wasn't able to have an open house this spring, but I'm working on having one this fall and definitely before Christmas!  Tomorrow I'll show you what else has been going on around the farm.  Thanks for stopping by.

Construction zone update, part 3....

Hi Everyone!  I know it's been a while but my nephew Quinton has been here for the last three weeks visiting so between spending time with him, working on orders, going to work and working on my kitchen, there just hasn't been enough time to do everything.  But I thought you'd like to see a couple of pictures of my kitchen shortly after I moved in back in 2004.  I tried to find some older pictures but none of them showed enough of the kitchen to get a good look at how it used to look.

 The stove was replaced in 2004 as was the wall paper border.

In this picture, back in 2004, I was in the process of removing the doors so I could paint them.  These cabinets were built and installed by my grandfather and his brother, they are built ins so I decided not to remove them.  I was afraid that the plaster walls behind them would crumble and I couldn't imagine the cost of replacing all those cabinets.  

I had my parents out this past weekend to see what I'd gotten done so far (I wanted them to be the first to see it) and now I can share that with you!....

..........And now for a look at what I've gotten done so far in the kitchen...........

So this is part of what I've been working on for the last five months.  I'm happy with how things are shaping up and so were my parents.  There's still a lot to do, but at least it's almost completely functional...the stove still needs to be hooked up.

I painted the cabinets (they had been red) and I cut out the bottom shelf of the right bottom cabinet to make room for the stove.   I still need to install the back splash, clean the chimney brick and replace the ceiling fan.

 I also need to finish the floor at the threshold, add supports and a narrow shelf under the cabinet that I shortened and remove the metal of the old back door that I replaced.  And then I can hook up the stove.

 I need to paint the divider next to the dishwasher and install the kick board under the cabinets and the tip out trays at the sink to hold scrubbers  (where fronts are missing at the sink).  I also need to cut down, paint and install the shutters that are sitting at the window above the sink.

I created the island.  The top is butcher block and the legs were created from half newel posts and the cabinet was saved from the landfill last year by my cousin's wife.  I still have some work to do on it.  The drawers need rebuilt/reinforced and the two doors (the large middle section) will be converted to drawers.  I need to build doors for the tall cabinet and shutters for the windows.  I need to paint the trim (the baseboards were painted before I installed the floor).

I'm picking up the new bar stools later today and I can hardly wait for them!

 The cabinet next to the back door is the pantry cupboard.  My nephew and I built it one afternoon while he was here.  I still need to paint the interior and build the door for it.

More trim and the door going upstairs need to be painted and maybe next year I can replace the old frig!  The doorway (left side of the picture) leads into the laundry room (which was the pantry).

One of my favorite things...the laundry room!  No more going to the basement to do the laundry!  I still need to paint the base cabinet that is between the dryer and the washer, paint and install the upper cabinets.

And I need to paint above the cabinets on the north wall and finish the trim in this room.

I still need to move all of my kitchen items back in and put knobs and pulls on the cabinets and drawers.  And I need to put in all the pretty stuff.  But I'm really happy with how things are turning out...and I'll eventually get all of these things completed.  I still have a lot of work to do in the bathroom and I'll show you that once I get some pictures taken of where I'm at now.  But that's a look at some of the things I've been up to for the last five months.  Thanks for stopping by!

Linking to:
http://www.myrepurposedlife.com/2014/07/catch-as-catch-can-172.html