Stand remake...

Hi Everyone!  I hope your weekend is going well.  Mine is busy.  I delivered Odin's stand after work yesterday and my client loved it.  She was giving it to him later in the day.

Before work yesterday I started a remake of a little stand.  I got this stand 11 years ago when I was living in a small apartment.  It's a plant stand but I use it to hold a lamp in a dark corner.  Since I'm changing the colors in my studio, I also need to change the color of the stand.

Here's what it looked like this morning before I got started.  

 I cleaned the surface and then painted it with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Louis Blue.

 Then when I got home from work I painted it in Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old White.  And lightly sanded the top and the sides.

 I applied both Louis Blue and Old White to the metal scrolls leaving a few spots plain so it looks like it had chipped off.  I decided not to do the whole base, just the scrolled areas.

I think it looks better and will definitely fit better in the dark corner of my studio.  Now I just need to repaint the lamp that resides on this stand.  I finished painting the walls for the second time last night.  I still need to paint the trim but I think I'll do that down the road.  Today I'm going to begin moving furniture around.  I still need to box up some of the items that I no longer have room for in the space.  I also have to move a large work table in that I made and paint it.  I have a very long to do list.  And the push is on because I have company coming a week from Tuesday and I want to have the majority of it done by then.  On that note, I need to get to work.  Thanks for stopping by.

Linking to:
http://shadesofamberinc.blogspot.com/2012/07/chalk-paint-link-party_17.html
http://www.myrepurposedlife.net/2012/07/catch-as-catch-can-82.html
http://thededicatedhouse.blogspot.com/2012/07/make-it-pretty-monday-week-6.html

Mirror, mirror and new finds....

Hi Everyone!  I hope you're all ready for a great weekend.  I will be working on my studio.  I need to get this finished so I can get back to work!  I'm getting behind on building up my inventory.  Plus I can't wait to have the chaos done.

Last week my co-worker Keith (the one that rescued the athletic baskets from the dump, you can read about that here) asked me if I wanted an old, large mirror.  Uh YES PLEASE!  He is remodeling his bathroom and took down this mirror and didn't want to just throw it out and he knew I might be able to do something with it.

 It's attached to some plywood and is in excellent condition.  I'm going to add some beefy molding to it.  I just need about 8 more hours in each day to get everything done.

 A shop opened in town recently that has used stuff.  It used to be a junk place that was too packed to walk through and where they left things sitting outside in all kinds of weather.  But now a new owner has come in and cleaned it all up, inside and out.  My mom stopped there the other day and told me I had to stop.  So I did on my lunch break.  I got this headboard/foot board for $5.00.  It's really short so I think I'll piece it out instead of making a bench with it.

I also picked up these six yard sticks for $1.00 each.  I've been looking for yard sticks.  I think I might have enough now to make something with them.

 The two tall ones are 48" sticks from Earl May Seed and Nursery.  If you're from the mid-west you might have heard of it.  Earl May Seed Company was started by Earl May in Shenandoah, Iowa (which is where I live) in 1919.  Shenandoah was the epicenter of the seed and nursery business back then.  Earl May's family still lives here where they still run the family business which has Garden Centers in Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri and Kansas.  A little bit of history there.

Now I need to get back to painting my studio.  I hope you have a great weekend.  Thanks for stopping by.

Odin's stand...

Hi Everyone.  I finally had a chance to work out in the shop.  The heat has been unbearable but this week hasn't been that bad, although it was hot today and we desperately need rain.  My front yard is looking really bad.

I started on this project a few weeks ago, right before it got really hot out and I finally finished it tonight.  A client of mine called me a while back and asked me to build another stand like the two that I built for her a few years ago.  Only this one was not for her.  She was having it done for her grandson.  She wanted it built like the other two only this one in white and with his name on it.  I had to get the measurements from her because I didn't write them down from the last ones.  I never thought she'd want another one.

These are the sides of the stand.  I notched out the feet so it would be more stable.

Then I started putting it together using her dimensions with glue, nails to tack it in place until I could pre-drill for the screws.

Here it is after I put it together.

I filled the nail and screw holes and gave the whole thing a really good sanding using my orbital sander.

And then I brought it into the house to paint since it was too hot to work in the shop.

 I painted it with white latex paint.

 And buffed the flat surfaces.

 Last night I started the lettering of his name down one side.

 And I finished it tonight when I got home from work.  I know it's hard to tell in the picture, but the letters are hand painted in black with yellow gold outlining the letters.

Odin is a big University of Iowa Hawkeye fan (so am I) and wanted it painted to go in his Hawkeye room.  Now I just need to get it delivered.  I'm happy with the way it turned out and I hope my client and Odin are too.  Thanks for stopping by.

Linking to:
http://www.myrepurposedlife.net/2012/07/catch-as-catch-can-81.html
http://blissranch.blogspot.com/2012/07/dresser-redo-part-uno-party-link.html

http://www.doodlesandstitches.com/2012/07/fabulous-friday-link-party-10.html

All Star Block Party #6....

Hi Everyone!  Welcome to the All Star Block Party!  Thank you so much for making our fifth party a great success.  And if you haven't seen my features click here to check them out and to check out the features of my co-hosts, head over to their blogs..... and say hello!

      Shasta @ In The Old Road

      Carri @ Simply Done Wright

      Heather @ New House, New Home, New Life

           Meg @ Nutmeg Place

Now the business part of the party....We ask that you be a follower to participate. 

Link back to the blog that you linked up to.

Keep your links family friendly.

Only submit projects made by you.

No business pages, giveaways or link parties allowed.

We reserve the right to delete any link that does not follow these rules.

You are welcome to link up any of YOUR creations, old or new.  It can be crafts, remodels, woodworking, artwork, recipes, gardening, sewing projects...you get the idea.  We want to see what YOU'VE been working on.  Make sure that your link  is to your specific post and not your blog's main URL.  Be sure to visit some of your fellow blogger's link ups.  Then leave them some comment love.

 

 
So grab a button and show us what you've been up to.



This section for crafts, DIY, decor, etc.


This section for food and drinks

It's feature time...

Hi Everyone!  It's time for this weeks features.  I want to start by saying thank you to everyone that linked up to our party.  I had a great time visiting and meeting each one of you.  

Now the hard part......picking out my favorites.  You guys make it very difficult for me to pick my favorites because there are just so many wonderful projects linked up each week.  Now on with the show...




First up we have that adorable side table from Amy.  Isn't it cute!  I love the colors and the stencil she used on the top.  And the distressing looks wonderful. 

Amy @ One Artsy Mama

Next we have another side table.  This one is part of a pair.  I love the color that Julie Ann used on this.  It's so vibrant and bold.  And it really makes this table cute.

Julie Ann @ Jam's Corner

Next we have Meredith's living room.  I love the way she decorated it.  Turning the bookcase on it's side was the perfect thing to do.  I love the wall of frames too.

Meredith @ Meredith & Gwyneth, The New Yorkie

And I just had to add this fan makeover.  I love the stripes.  Such a wonderful way to dress up a boring ceiling fan.  Amy did a great job without taking the blades off!

Amy @ Home Happy Home

Doesn't this oven fried chicken look delicious!  And it is healthy for you since it's oven baked.  Thanks for sharing the recipe with us Evelyn!

Evelyn @ My Turn (for us)

I love lemonade!  And I especially love strawberry lemonade.  This looks so refreshing and delicious.  I love that Ericka added sliced lemons, strawberries and blueberries to it.  I needed a glass of that last week when the temperatures was 9000 degrees.

Erika @ Homestead Simple

Be sure to stop by and say hi to these ladies.  It will definitely be worth it.  And if you've been featured, please grab a featured button.

<div align="center"><a href="http://fullcirclecreations.blogspot.com/" title="Full Circle Creations"><img src="http://i1092.photobucket.com/albums/i402/fullcirclecre8/allstar.jpg" alt="Full Circle Creations" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Thanks again for making our party a great success.  And don't forget to stop by tomorrow night and link up to the 6th All Star Block Party!    Thanks for stopping by.

Living in chaos....

Hi Everyone.  I hope you are having a great weekend.  I started a project this past week that I could do inside because of this heat.  It's been too hot to work out in the shop.  And I've been tired of living in a project zone in my house.  I had basically turned my entire first floor into a workspace.  A project set up on my kitchen island.  Two on my dining room table.  Two large tables set up in my living room.  You get the idea.  Luckily it's just me and the dogs here on the farm because there are projects everywhere.  Not too mention the building projects in process out in the shop.

I decided to do something crazy.  Tuesday it was too hot to work out in the shop past about 10 am.  I got the crazy idea to rearrange my life and my living space.  My 1880's farmhouse has had several additions added to it in it's over 124 years life span.  My grandfather added an addition in the mid 60's that included the bathroom and a very large living room (15x23') that is the length of the entire original house and it has a doorway and very large open wall that leads into the front room of the house that I had turned into a dining room.

A painting of my home done by a relative of my grandmother.

 I decided Tuesday afternoon to eliminate my dining room and move my living room in there instead of the large living room.  So I started moving things around but it wasn't until Wednesday that I finally had most of my new living room set up.  There are still some things that need to be done in the living room but I'm happy with how it's going.  It is a very cozy space.  And since it's just me and the dogs, we don't need that much room.  My loveseat, big chair and recliner fit nicely.

And the old living room is being transformed into my studio.  My workroom.  My creative space.  My shop space.  My Studio!  I don't know why I didn't do this before.

I'm painting the walls.  I'm installing shelves.  I'm setting up display areas.  I'm setting up a photo area.  I'm building work tables with built-in shelves underneath the tables.  I have to figure out the lighting since there isn't a ceiling light.  I removed the curtains from the windows and have hung them in the large opening to separate the studio from the new living room.  I didn't want to install doors in the opening or put up permanent walls so the curtains are a nice compromise.

But I'm a bad blogger.  I didn't take any before pictures.  I thought I had some from before but I'm either not looking in the right place or I deleted them because I can't find them.  All I can find are the pictures I took before we moved out my grandparents furniture which I will share with you once I do the big reveal.  So if you've been wondering where I've been, now you know.  There are still so many things to do.  I have furniture that I need to move out but it's just been too hot to do but I'm hoping that changes over the next few days.  I have painting to finish and some building to do before the fun part can begin of styling my studio.  I can't wait for that part!  The dogs aren't happy about the changes but I think that's because things are still in chaos.  Hopefully the chaos ends soon.  Thanks for stopping by.

Dancing in the rain....

Hi Everyone.  I hope you had a good Independence Day.  Since it was in the middle of the week I was able to have two days off in a row....and I took full advantage of it.  But it has my week all thrown off base.  I already had a Monday, but it feels like I get another "Monday" after having two days off.  Plus it's a short week.  I was able to work on a lot of projects these past two days.  But I only finished three of them and I have a lot more to do.

 This is one of my favorite sayings.  I have made several different kinds of signs over the years using this saying.  I've even painted it on a wooden plate.  But this is the first time I have turned it into a painting.

 Isn't it fun?

 I like the way the umbrella turned out....

 ...and the galoshes....

 I showed it to my parents and they both really liked.  Just something a bit different.  I painted it on a canvas board and then framed it in a wooden frame that I painted black and distressed.  In person the blue background really does look watery.  It's simple with a touch of whimsey.  I'm happy with it.  What do you think?  Thanks for stopping by.

Linking to:
http://blissranch.blogspot.com/2012/07/link-party-hot-fun-in-summertime.html
http://www.myrepurposedlife.net/2012/07/catch-as-catch-can-80.html