Repurposing shelf brackets

I picked up these two brackets at a garage sale a while back..I think I spent $1 for the pair. I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do with them, but I really liked the shape.


Here they are before:

They were pretty but a little busted up...my favorite!

After:

I saw quite a few architectural pieces at Scott's Antique Market, so I went in that direction.  I screwed the two brackets together, painted & distressed them.  They're a little wonky but that seems to be what I gravitate towards.

I'm slowly but surely getting the bookcase in order & will change things around several times a week (or day).  Right now we're cutting the veneer into 3.5" strips and covering the desktop.  It's a total pain but I think it'll be worth it.

Tonight we're meeting with a Bible study group from church and looking forward to meeting new friends.  We're also going to take a big step this next week..I hesitate to say more until it's done. But we're so EXCITED about it and I'm just saying my prayers, crossing my fingers & toes it all goes smoothly!!

I love Sundays & I hope you all are enjoying yours!!

I'm linking to Metamorphosis Monday at BNOTP - pop over & see what everyone has been up to!

TTFN,

Lovely lamp & the beast

So yesterday was a pretty good day. I finally solved my decor dilemma in my bedroom. You know when you just can't get the look you want and you try&try&try. I know most of you know what I mean. Well mine is ovah!
 
I've tried greenery on this chest of drawers in different containers and none of it looked right to me.  I went shopping through my stash and found this little lamp I picked up in an antique store.

  I love the warm glow and it's the perfect night light.

I had to rewire it with a lamp kit and it's a little wonky but, hey, it's old!  I  was glad it already had an adapter for the wire.

I love the shape and it's pretty heavy too.

So now that I can check that off, I'm going to focus on the beast...this big, dated built-in bookcase in my den.  I'm not going to show the whole thing because it looks terrible and until I have a gorgeous after, the befores will have to wait..here is a peek at what I have to work with though..don't be jealous..

Formica top that we are covering in Oak veneer.

PANELING!  Thank you previous owners for including this in the build!  We are covering this with beadboard.  

So, as you can see, we have our work cut out for us.  I'm pretty sure I'm going to post this piecemeal because it will probably be so thrilling to me that we're finally doing this that I won't be able to contain myself!  Totally random question here..but is anyone else watching Top Chef? Wonder who is going this week... 

Latest Finds & Pink Room Facelift!

We had a fun July 4th and, of course, I didn't get half of what I thought I could get done..done.  Does that make sense?

We drove to my sister's in Alabama and on the way back stopped by this junky little store (usually the best places).  The guy had some cool pieces out front and he was OPEN (big plus!)  We couldn't stay long because we had 2 dogs in the car and they were over it already...but I did pick up this:

Two extremely large planters and an old fan.  I have a vision for my back yard that includes painting the outbuildings, large planters overflowing with flowers, my Ventura Blvd. sign on a tree, an arbor with swing, *deep breath* firepit patio, screened porch, lights in the trees and around the fence, etc., etc.   
BIG PLANS!  

Remember the garden sheds?

The fan works and has the perfect green patina.  

I also started revamping the Pink Room.  I've made some big changes, but still need to repaint it and talk Brian into the beadboard on the ceiling.  He once thought it was a great idea and now he has no memory of the conversation at all.  I think this is a case of selective memory.  I'll have to wear him down because beadboard on the ceiling would look FAB-U-LOUS!

 

Just a peek - I rearranged the room and sanded the dresser.  (The dresser that we got for FREE off the curb is mahogany.)  I had no desire to try & remove all the paint, so I just smoothed it out. I'm going to restore the top and paint the rest white (I think). I'm looking at Anthropologie & HL for knobs.  This is totally mid-process, so ignore everything on the walls...please. 

That's my news for the past week.  I can't wait to see how the dresser top looks stained & to get to work in that yard!  

P.S. We did clean out the garage and it was just as terrible as I thought it would be, but at least it's DONE!

Cloche-ish & the Pink Room!

Hello, hello!
I'm just going to jump right in here today! I've seen many a cheese dome turned into a cloche and I just love the look. I came across a couple of cheese domes myself and decided to give it a shot.

I picked up this one for $2 and the candlestick for $1 at HFH. I pried the candleholder metal thing out of the candlestick and used Titebond wood glue to put them together

I wanted to still be able to use the cloche for food. So I lightly sanded the top and taped it up before painting.

I didn't get pictures of each step. I used satin black spray paint and gave it 2 good coats. No leaks under the tape - good!

I used olive oil to condition the wood and give it a rich sheen.

And there you have it! I'm betting how long it takes my 8 yr old to knock it over and break the glass...I'll just enjoy it while I can!

Here's another little something I knocked out yesterday. This was a plain white shade and I wrapped some ribbon around it and used tape to hold it in place. I think it looks really cute now and it took about 5 min. I love little changes with a pop!

This is in what I call the Pink Room...it's essentially a guest room but I've turned it into my giant closet/changing room. It's all of my girlie-girl stuff.

I LOVE this room..I'm in the process of changing it up and am using this sheet music and butterfly print as inspiration for a new look. I have plans to beadboard the ceiling..Brian is not looking forward to this one. Bless his heart.

Have a good day & come by again soon!

Beadboard Backsplash & Pretty jars!

This was a long time coming, we finally finished the kitchen backsplash! What a long drawn out process (all my fault) but in the end, a very simple panel of beadboard was the answer. I bought tiles last year and laid them all out with a template but I wasn't sure, so I never put them up. I've learned to wait if things don't feel right..not to rush it. I'm glad I waited because I really like this look and it wasn't expensive (returned all the tiles & got a credit).

Before:

Without a backsplash the cabinets look lower & darker overall.

I included this shot not to just show you my dirty breakfast dishes, but because you can see how damaged the wall was over the sink and you can see where I had laid out tile that I was thinking of using. I'm really glad I didn't go with a dark colored tile.

How attractive is this? A man in your kitchen about to tackle a project for you..

Beadboard is up and now he's adding another outlet for me & raising them both an inch or two. I know he didn't have fun cutting out all the little corners around the window but he did a great job.

After:

I think it really brightens things up! (Unlike my photography skills)

The contrast with the counters and clean lines make me happy!

I'll be working on the record cabinet next, so we can have our kitchen island. Also on the menu is a fresh coat of paint on the cabinets.

These are so special to me, I just had to point them out.

My mom made these sweet jars for me in 1997. They've been moved around quite a bit and little hands (& not so little hands) have dinged them up looking for cookies...I just love them. She handpainted them for me and wrote little notes to me on them..

This one says, "Life and this little jar are full of surprises."

This one says: "The secret ingredient is love."

Good things to remember. Thanks Mom!


I'll be including this on Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch, Make it for Monday at Cottage Instincts and the DIY Project Parade at DIY Show Off.

Kitties & my lucky number

(I started this on Tuesday but putting it up on Thursday. I don't know how to change the publishing date or if you can...)

Please be patient with me on this post:

I have 6 kitties of my own. BLT had 2 and I had 3 when we married and then one of ours passed away last year and we adopted 2 more. They all have kooky little personalities and hang ups. They are much loved and overfed, so we're doing our job.

I have been involved with animal rescue for years..I've been picking up strays since I was a kid. I bought a feeder mouse for .99 when I was about 7 years old and kept it as a pet..that didn't go over well. I brought my mom a rabbit that was attacked by a cat with it's tummy hanging out and handed it to her..saying, "Fix it. You're the mom..make it live." When I started driving I would get dogs out of the shelter and tell my parents I found it on the side of the road..I was baaaad when it came to animals.

I still have that need to save..I can't stand the thought of knowing an unwanted animal is in a stainless steel cage and may lose it's life by no fault of its own. Which brings me to my point..I'm fostering for Floyd County Humane Society..it's a rural area and they don't get much traffic in their shelter and the Humane Society isn't big at all. My cats have their own part of the house they live in and the fosters will live in the laundry room for a while until they are ready to go to their forever home. That little laundry room has been the nursery to many, many kittens. If you've ever thought about fostering a pet, I encourage you to pursue it. It's a wonderful way to teach children about being responsible & good stewards of all animals. There are so many in need and anything you could do would be a big help. It is the best feeling to see them thrive and go to their new home!

Here's a little project that I cranked out last week and I like the way it looks..

I bought these at Hobby Lobby. I love stuff like this..stars, eggs, numbers, letters..

I painted them chocolate brown and then waxed them and basically treated this cardboard like wood. It took it pretty well!

After a coat of white paint and light sanding I got this!

These are part of my cubbyhole makeover that I'm going to post Friday. I like projects like this...inexpensive, doesn't take too long and you don't tear your house up doing it!

Have a happy Thursday!

Bathroom Redesign

Since we moved into this 40+ year old house, I had every intention of demoing this bathroom to the studs and rebuilding. Four years later, it still hasn't happened and I couldn't wait one more minute for a new look.

Last Friday was D-day for the bathroom. I don't have a before of the decorated bathroom - it wasn't terrible, but not what I wanted. Taking into account the unintentional texturized walls where some Einstein wallpapered and then another Einstein attempted to remove SOME of it...I was left with walls that looked like a 100 year old crumbling villa and not in a charming way.

I took everything out and started with this:

BEFORE

It has neutral marble floors, countertop and ceramic tiles. I could work with this.

AFTER

I used Behr's Moon Rise white and love how it camouflages the
imperfections and adds warmth.

Let's take a little tour, shall we?

My mom found this sign, I added a frame and put it on the door...that along with
this basket of soap (homemade by a sweet friend from church) was my inspiration..

If you need any homemade soap let me know and I will hook you up!
This is the BEST I've ever used.

Ok, so let's keep moving...

This bathroom is FILLED with gifts and sentimental things I picked up over the years. My brother-in-law made the teapot lamp, mom gave me the Cherries Ripe! picture above it, the shelf was in my grandmother's bathroom, my sister gave me the tea towel, platter & pitcher, there's a picture of me with my dad, brother & sister on the ledge when we were kids on vacation, my husband made the silver leaf on the ledge, my brother gave me this beautiful hand carved wooden charm from Spain (that's on the shelf..you'll see in a minute)..I could go on and on. I love this room because it's like a little timeline and there are reminders of people I love everywhere.

We added the glass shelf under the mirror.


I don't know who thought it would be a good idea to put a toothbrush holder right over the toilet, but I put a little votive on it instead.


This shelf is a new addition too. I had the larger glass jar and the other 3 I picked up last week at a thrift store.


This shelf is actually one of the cabinet doors that I removed on the vanity. You'll see I skirted it and didn't want to waste the doors. BLT cut about 3 inches off so it wasn't so wide (I have 3 others that I'll need to find a place for.)


This painting was in a yucky metal frame that I wasn't too fond of..I pried it out of the frame and LOVED the authentic fray of the canvas. I can't believe I didn't do that sooner.

Here's the carved wooden locket that Richard gave me.
It's so sweet and I'm glad I found the perfect place for it under this cloche.

I stamped French sayings on slips of paper and filled one of the jars.

I'm a self professed cat lady and here is a poem about kitties that I found in a poetry book called "there is no rhyme for silver." I used old sheet music & black scrapbook paper to frame it.


Mom gave me these pretty brackets..she gets me.

I bought this on a family trip to France in 2005.
(Along with some fabulous wine that is LONG gone.)

The vanity needed more help than I could offer and since I'm not a magician, the doors came off. I measured and made 3 panels, so I could still access the storage. I had bronze thumbtacks and they worked fine. I looked at fabric, but in the end used a drop cloth from Home Depot for this and the shower curtain. It was a twin pack for $10. Can't beat that!


And here's the shower curtain. I have a shower curtain liner that protects this from the water on a shorter rod, but I like my curtains to go from floor to ceiling. I bought grosgrain ribbon and sewed it on. The most expensive part of this was that rod and curtain clips - I could've shopped around for a better deal but I wanted it finished.

So there you have my bathroom redesign..in total I spent about $90 on paint, drop cloth, chenille rug (which I don't think I got a picture of but it's cream and from Target), curtain rod clips, ribbon and jars. That, along with busting my rear end for an entire weekend, created my little getaway.

Today I am participating in Metamorphisis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch & Make it for Monday at Cottage Instincts. Come see what everyone has been working on!