Birthday and Decor!
My birthday was last week!
I got so many awesome gifts, so here is just a sneak peek:
My brother also got me the book, “The Magoc of Writing: How to Write and Publish the Book that is Inside You,” by Linda J. Falkner. So, now I have another project I’m working on 
Among many great gifts from family and friends, I also got a few decor related things to keep my occupied in the house for a while. Check out this funky antique alligator trunk:
Is that not totally rad?!
I had drooled over this trunk earlier this fall while browsing antiques. Sweet, eh?
Thanks everybody! Now I have some fun projects to play with!
An Office Project Finished
As I said before, I have recently started a new job. With that has come a new, but bland, office. So, I got to work. The first project I have completed is a table for the office. I found this ugly guy with a paper top for a couple of dollars at the thrift store:
I started by sanding the wood legs and sides a bit and then painting them black. I then used scrapbook paper on the top. I taped the paper down, starting with a full sheet in the very middle of the table. When the sheets were lined up nicely, I used ModPodge to cover the sheets, using a foam brush. I did several coats of this, drying in between.
Black and white, of course!
One thing I learned from using the ModPodge was that it makes the paper wet, so at first it will bubble up. This smooths out as it dries. But, I did make the mistake of lining the paper sheets up perfectly edge to edge. Lining them up with a bit of overlap would have prevented the sheets from moving as they dried. I do have a few tiny spots where there are gaps between the paper now. I learned! 
Wine Corks
Our friends at the bistro up town have been saving all of the used wine corks for us to use for a project. Months later…we have a cork board!
I painted an antique frame that was falling apart with a shiny black paint. The nailed a piece of solid peg board to the back of the frame. I used a hot glue gun to glue the corks in, and viola! A message board for the kitchen.
Actually, we have a little gap in one of the rows due to corks all being different sizes, but we are cutting a cork down to half size and filling in the gap. Also, if you are going to try this, nail the peg board to the actual back of the frame, not inside where a picture would go. this makes the framed area a bit deeper, for the fat corks.
Simple, easy, and best of all, free!
Mason Chair
Tony knows me well. The other day he sent me a message and said he had a surprise for me that I was really going to love. Aw. Yup, he was right. He pulled in the driveway with a chair in the back of his truck! Tony is in the Masonic Lodge and they are updating and selling off some of their old chairs. So, he nabbed one. He picked the oldest (see, he does know me well!). It even has straps underneath holding old straw stuffing in!
The leather seat is in bad shape, so we plan to refurbish it. I would love to find some old, worn looking leather for the replacement (if you know where I can accomplish this please let me know!). We would really like to keep the nostalgia of the chair, so are trying to keep it similar to its original look. Currently Tony has set up camp for the new chair at the head of the table
Now, where to find pre-worn leather pieces!??
Tid Bits and Projects
It seems like I havebeen so busy around here… but where is my progress? I have so my projects currently on my plate, and have been working on them, really! But, none are officially completed yet. So, I thought I would just fill you in on some of the tib bits going on around here and a few of the before shots of some current projects.
Some awesome flowers have sprouted up in the back yard. I forgot that I had planted them there in the spring! I love lillies, any kind, especially orange ones!
We are also still taking care of Gillian, the salamander. He is still in the rubber tote sitting on the table, grossing everyone out. But, we are searching for a small tank to keep him in. In this picture he is right next to the end of the leaf. Those two black dots are his eyes; he is burrowed in the dirt.
The dogs made a nice mess for me to clean up this morning. They decided that the five minutes they were left alone in the yard was just long enough to dig for moles. Here they are trying to look all innocent and quite muddy! Also check out Marley’s new collar. She thinks she’s tough!
Tony was the sweetest last night and had his amazing spaghetti pizza ready for me when I walked in the door! I even have some for lunch today.
And, here are just a few sneak peeks of the projects I am working away on…
Stay tuned…
Junkin’ Projects
I have finally gotten around to a few projects with the junk we found at the junk yard! Here’s the elephant statue all painted up and pretty with a teal pot and pink flowers:
Don’t mind our mud pile of a yard. All this rain has made the place a pit!
We also painted a few pots for the back yard.
And, I painted the little lantern from the junk yard teal as well. It sits on the front porch. I also made a tiny table for a few drinks out of a plant stand and a clay pot bottom. This project was inspired by Crafty Nest, so check out her even cooler project here: http://www.craftynest.com/2009/06/plant-stand-lazy-susan-mini-side-table/
Did you also notice the antique lantern on the floor? That’s from my grandma. It even has a globe made by Pyrex. Very neat. Any suggestions?
Simple Fix and 4th of July Weekend
Sometimes the tiniest details of your home can make life so much more organized, easy, and even pretty. Well, the other day I was very annoyed by my growing collection of costume jewelry. My good jewelry is hung neatly in my jewelry box and some of my most often worn costume pieces are held in jars in my dresser and vintage medicine cabinet in the bedroom. But, the rest of it has been hanging in clumps on hangers and hooks in the closet. You couldn’t see them easily, and you definitely couldn’t grab one easily. Here is the pile that I hurriedly threw on the bed.
So, my grandma gave me some vintage hand crochetedhangers. And I picked up a package of sewing pins with bead heads.
Although the pins didn’t stick into the wood hanger underneath very well, they stuck in the ends enough to keep any slippery necklaces from falling off the hanger. And, viola! Simple, yet cute and organized. What an easy fix. Thanks grandma!
Oh, and if you were wondering why the big bandage on my hand… I burned my hand that night while cooking dinner. Yes, I think it was a sign from God to quit cooking and get some take-out menus. But, the sloppy joe’s turned out well, so Tony didn’t buy that. By the next day I had to go to the doctor for it and my hand was completely wrapped up for the whole holiday weekend.
And, as with most of my projects, the dogs helped of course!
So, on to the 4th of July celebration! We camped at our local park, and it rained here the entire day (of course). That didn’t stop us! We waded through the mud the entire weekend. It ended up clearing up just in time to have amazing fire works! Here’s the guys playing in a horseshoe tournament right through the rain!
You can see all the umbrellas out there! You can also see the river in the background. That’s the rock river, and right were we camp and also sit and watch the fireworks. Here we are playing games together.
Our softball team also won another game Sunday, so we are now 6-1! Yay!
How was your 4th of July? Hope it was a great one!
Lawn Chair Paint Project
I got the new lawn chairs done just in time for the party. Remember these sweet but boring old fashioned lawn chairs we picked up?
Well, with some bright paint and a bit of handy work, they are now unique and look good together!
What do you think? I think pretty soon all of these random tid bits will come together!
Roadside Find
On a quick drive to Peoria yesterday to pick up some new lawn chairs I spotted the oddest, cutest little chair on the side of the road in Kewanee. On my way home it was still there, so I quickly threw it in the back of the truck and sped away!
It’s so ugly right now, but I think there is a lot of cuteness potential under there! That storage could be very useful too! Some scrubbing and some new fabric… maybe even some paint? Mid century lovers should love this one when its finished, so keep your eyes peeled because it will be another shop addition!
Lawn Chairs and Cookouts
Yesterday I finally got the garage sale lawn chairs finished! Remember the old blue metal set we got for $10? The one that looked like it belonged next to pink plastic flamingos in, well, not our yard? Yes, those are nice shiny black now! Before:
Now:
All we needed was a couple fun cushions. Well, that has been a task. Since these chairs are so old no cushions are the right size! And, have you noticed how dull this year’s “summer” colors are? Blah! But, we stopped in at K-Mart just to check, and found a decent, fun and bright set. Not what we thought we wanted, but it will work for this year! They are a bit different shape, but when you sit in them and squish them down they are perfect. I would also like to add a couple red throw pillows to match the ones we would like to throw on the hammock (coming soon!). Here’s what we have so far:
Better! And Tony even helped me pick ‘em out! So, we decided to celebrate a productive day (and the fact that it didn’t rain!) by grilling out and having dinner at the picnic table.
The pups even joined in! Have a great weekend!
P.S. Just for the record, the blue on the chairs was a really pretty color. But, we have a lot of red in our yard and it just wasn’t matching what we wanted to do out there. But, after already painted the set black we realized the new cushions do have the exact blue in them! Oh, well, sticking to the plan! Now they are versatile enough to change our minds on cushions all the time! (if they weren’t so ridiculously expensive!)
