Third Time Is A Charm

Years ago, when most of our children were still at home, my husband and I built a beautiful square table. I loved it then but with our family getting smaller I started to yearn for a smaller round table. When I voiced my desire my family rejected the idea of replacing the table that we had built. I was left with only one choice, if I couldn't change the table shape, I could change the existing table style. I stripped off the old finish, painted and re-stained, added a varathane for protection, and then for added protection I added a layer of wax. OH BOY was that a bad choice! The varathane and wax did not play well together and I was left with having to start the process all over again. Yes, at this point I was definitely wishing I had just bought the round table that I wanted, but I wanted to be sensitive to my family's wishes so I did a DO-OVER-DO-OVER.

Strip the finish.First coat of gray stain.Drybrush on walnut stain.Varathane, and finally. . .ENJOY!The third time is a charm!

The Ol' Screen Door

One of my favorite projects for the porch redo began with a door
that was originally propped in the corner of the side porch. It was there because my client has
a love for old screen doors
and she had purchased this one to use as decoration. Without telling her my plans I kidnapped her door to give it a makeover.

(She gave me a budget and told me she didn't want to make ANY decisions!)

I dry brushed it to give it a real aged appearance
and show off the details.We purchased two sets of bi-fold doors from the thrift store. And added plywood and molding to make a shelving unit.I gave the outside a few coats of the exterior red paint
that was used on other porch projects. The interior was painted a calm gray.Now the ol' screen door is not just pretty to look at,
it's functional too.The perfect little potting shed!

This Old Window

Our client had this old window that she had carefully carried home from her home state. They had added a piece of wood to the bottom so it could serve as a display shelf. Knowing of her love for the window I wanted to give it a bit more importance in her patio design.
We added simple 1x3 legs and trimmed it out with molding to make it into an outdoor end table. I gave it all a couple of coats of exterior white paint.Because our clients raise chickens I thought it was only fitting to mod podge a piece of chicken covered fabric onto luan and attach it to the underside of the window to give it more depth and interest.The window table is now the perfect spot to rest a tray and have a sip of refreshing lemonade.

An Influential Build

Don't you feel so blessed when someone unexpectedly walks into your life to build you up and let you know that they believe in you.
Someone who plays a key role because they
unlock thoughts about yourself you never thought before.Someone who immediately becomes your friend because they can see

great qualities in you that you can't see in yourself. And, in my case, someone who has so much faith
in my design abilities that she was the very first to say,
"You've got a talent and I want to pay you for helping me." And then she recommends you to others because she believes in you so much. Yes, that would be my friend who owns the cabin I showed you in the last post. She has been such
a wonderful influence for good in my life. I hope to be like her!

So when it came to building our first "commissioned piece"
of door furniture, for her and her husband, I wanted it to be special.

I designed it to be unique, practical and beautiful. And it looks like it belongs right at home in their cabin.

You Never Know Until You Try

Very few things stay the same in my home. Even if I love the way something looks, I find it exciting to challenge myself to make a few changes, if only to see if I'll love it even more.
After all, you never know until you try right?
This little shelf we built, that hangs above the potty, has looked like this for some time. And these pretty bottles sat in the bathroom window far too long. So I combined them and added a few more bottles from around the house.

Now the little bathroom shelf looks like this. A fresh, new change
for the new year.

Picture a Tray

The only negative thing about making a door into a table is that the uneven surface makes it difficult to display things. I could have topped it with glass, but seriously, who wants to have that additional cost, let alone clean a glass surface constantly.

My solution for creating an even surface is to
use a tray. Oh how I love trays!

I'm pretty sure I have at least a couple of dozen of them, silver ones, wooden ones, store bought and handmade. But I thought I'd make one more.

I took out a wooden picture frame
from my stash. Then had hubby cut and glue a piece of
scrap beadboard to fit the opening (he enjoys taking part in my projects). I gave it a pretty coat of spray paint. And then gave it a good distressing.

My technique for distressing is pretty simple. I start by using my palm sander and scuffing up the areas that would naturally show wear, the edges, corners and under the handles. If I had used brush-on paint, I might have rubbed those areas with wax before painting so that the paint would wipe off easily to show the original layer. To add more character, I use a paint scraper. With both the sander and the scraper I make sure to vary the scuffs, heavy in some spots and lighter, or not at all, in others. If the scuffs are too uniform it doesn't look natural.
I then finish with a coat of stain or diluted brown paint. I like working with water-based stains and paints because I can spray on a little water and wipe off as much stain as I desire. I try to leave stain in the corners and low areas that would naturally attract dirt and grime over years.Once dry, I added two old drawer handles. I could have added knobs, wooden balls or finials to the bottom for feet like I did on this tray, but I need my picture frame tray to have as much bottom surface area as possible. My new tray is beautiful and serves as a nice flat area on my door table to set my burlap lamp and other pretties.

Linked to A Soft Place to Land

Lettuce With a Touch of Ketchup

Last summer we built this table from an old door and stair balusters. It was designed to fill an awkward space between a window well and a set of stairs on our patio. It's tall so that it can function as a sofa table behind my wicker love seat. I originally painted the top red, (remember my ketchup and mustard theme?).In my effort to transform my patio into a more restful spot, I thought it was time to give the table a little paint makeover with a beautiful leafy green, reminiscent of a luscious head of lettuce. Then of course I distressed it with sandpaper and a paint scraper to unearth it's past. This little door has not only been red in it's former life, but has also dawned the colors white and baby blue.

Oh how I love a piece with age and character!

Back-up Plan

Our wonderful friends planned a garden reception for their newly married son and daughter-in-law. Several weeks before, they asked if I would be the "back-up plan" in case of inclement weather. I happily agreed. Unfortunately we have been experiencing unseasonably rainy weather and Saturday was no exception. At noon I was called when it was decided that the reception would be moved inside to a nearby church. The bride's parents had plenty of little lights, oodles of beautiful flower pots, and lengths of picket fencing to give a garden ambiance, but I wanted to add just a bit more. So with the wheels in my head spinning and my hubby as my creative accomplice, we went to work on Plan B.
We used four old and weathered porch columns given to us by our good neighbors. We added a top to attach them together. The columns stood firm and became a pergola over the wedding cake.Then we pulled out two french doors (Yes, we really do have these things on hand---stored in our garage, where most people park their cars). We cut and painted a few pieces of wood to slip on top of the doors. This tied them together so they'd stand on their own to form a unique and pretty garden trellis; a perfect spot for the bride and groom to greet their guests.It was a whirlwind of a day, but I think the bride and groom were pretty pleased with the back-up plan.