Before and After and the Maker of the Rings

Yes, I can make stuff out of other stuff, but the one with the real talent is my husband, Josh.  Last year for our anniversary I suggested that we do homemade gifts (every husband's dream, am I right?).  I selfishly suggested this because I had a WONDERFUL, HEART-STOPPING, PRESENT-OF-ALL-PRESENTS, YOU-WILL-NEVER-TOP-THIS, idea.  

and then i forgot it. 

and i never did remember it. 

But he, on the other hand, came up with these AMAZING rings.  He worked on them for hours and hours and hours.  all in secret.  And finally gave me these beautiful things for our anniversary.  

He is amazing.  I deserved much worse.  But I was blessed with this hot ring maker...

That with him is our newest shorty.  She'll be 1 next week.  YARK!

Anyway... here are a couple of his finished products.  drumroll please...

Bubinga Wood

Wenge Wood lined with Padauk Wood

Walnut Matched Set

Tapered Australian Walnut lined with Beech Wood and a Beech Inlay

Aren't they amazing?  I love them.  They're for sale in our shop, so pop on over if you're interested.  Great gift for anyone!  

I also wanted to share this quickie makeover....

I got this basket a few years ago at a shower.  It's sentimental, so I didn't want to get rid of it, but it was really looking yucky.  and icky.  and grossy.  What's a girl to do?  Yep.  covered it with burlap.

So here's the before:

Funky ugly basket

And here's the after:

Lovely Burlap-y Functional Bliss.

Me likey.  You likey?

Welcome to Spring and Shocking the Neighbors

Spring has finally sprung in my house.  I found this idea at 320 Sycamore and I absolutely had to try it.  Since I already had wheat in my pantry, it was a no-brainer.  Soak the wheat overnight, then sprinkle a generous amount of wheat berries over some dirt/compost in a pot.  Water daily.  This stuff grows like three inches a day, no joke.  Here are my soakies:

Here is the taste of spring that I so desperately long for is my lovely grass!

They still have a bit of growing to do, and they'll need a trim soon, but I think they're so sweet!  I did four, and we have one more in the works.  What a great gift to bring over to a friend!

We did the first of our spring planting this week, too!  My helpers and I got some peas in the ground.

One of us, who shall remain nameless, helped to put "peas" in the ground by dropping trow right there in the yard in front of the Lord and everyone, and peed, well, because he can.   Happy helpers...

What have you done to welcome spring?

To Gallery Wall or Not to Gallery Wall?

Gallery walls seem to be a big deal right now.  While I'm not an immediate convert to this idea, I think it's slowly growing on me.  I thought I'd try my hand at one though.

First I gathered a bunch of goodies and arranged them like so:

Yes, I know this picture is terrible.  BUT it was gloomy for like a week, and I had to get ON with my LIFE!  So I took a bad picture.

Anyway... on to the fun part SPRAYPAINTING!!!!!!

FYI, you should be aware that I l.o.v.e. spray paint.   I mean, I love lots of paints, but there's something special about spray paint.  Perhaps it's the desire for instant gratification that flows like fire through my veins, I don't know.  I just love it.

and so it begins...  I started out with some ORB (fellow spray painters already know this means Oil Rubbed Bronze)  (more on my desperate love for this stuff later.  I just discovered it yesterday.  I know... so sad..)

   I've since learned that there's a little sign on those post office priority mail boxes that says you cannot use them for anything but priority mail, and this certainly isn't that.  Plus I didn't know, so please don't report me to the post office authorities.

And then I bathed some pieces in white.  (I love to say I "bathed" something in paint.  It is so refreshing.  Also it makes me feel like the spray paint is my child or something.  Which may seem weird to you....) awkward pause.

Here's the final product.  I'm not sure it works because it seems pretty symmetrical, and I'm not sure if that's IN or OUT right now.  What do you think?  Did I get it?

 This is a bad picture too.  I'm certain good bloggers don't post bad pictures, but I didn't want to hang them on my wall.  I laid these all out on a drop cloth to take the picture, and then I edited out the wrinkles in the drop cloth even though I ironed the drop cloth for hours.  P.S.  don't iron a drop cloth.  There is something on it that needs to be washed first.  My iron got all sticky, and I feel like the incredible hulk now from inhaling whatever the fumes were... drop cloth, drop cloth.

I have another set in the works.  I'd show you a picture, but it's also gross, and I've already filled my gross picture quota for the post.  I'd love to know what you think of this set tho!





I linked up here... and at The Inspired Room

We Came, We Saw, We JUNKED

     Some girls are hand bag girls, some girls are shoe girls.  You can make some girls happy by giving them shiny things, and some girls are suckers for food.

THESE girls, however will take a cracky ol' chunk of rusty junk any day.  (say that three times fast)

     My friend Ruth and I went junkin' yesterday.  Wow.  It was sooooooo fun.   We started at the Norfolk Re-Store (Habitat for Humanity) and found this "gem."

They wanted $100 and wouldn't take less that $75.  It was made of plastic and the poster was held in there with duct tape??  Ca-RAZY.  We didn't leave there with much.  We did manage to find some cabinet doors, but not much else.  

Next destination: Doumar's.  

Oh. MY.  It was so amazing.  This little hole in the wall in Norfolk has been there for over 100 years, and I'm gonna tell ya what:  YUM.  It was featured on "Diner's, Drive In's, and Dives" with Guy Crazy Hair Fieri or whatever his name is.  Well, he wasn't joking.  I had two cheeseburgers.  Instead of dessert.  

And it was super cute. 

FINALLY, we made it to the crown jewel of the day: Country Boys

Note the hours "M-S 11-5 and...Sunday by Chance" 

I could smack myself for not grabbing that big jar in the window.  But if you could see how packed it was in there, you'd give me grace for having missed it.  

I mean, this dude has EVERYTHING and multiples of EVERYTHING and he knows about each piece.  Example.  Need a keyhole cover thingy?

 Forgive the pics, there is NO light in there, and I had to use my flash...  horror of horrors!

Or need some dishes? (look to the back of this picture.  See the chairs hanging from the ceiling?) again. CA-RAZY!!!  You can barely walk here.  This is NOT for the faint of heart junker.  

Here's the man of the hour, himself.  Alvin.  He drives a HARD BARGAIN, and that's sayin' alot, because I can bargain with virtually anyone.  

Country Boy's Antiques

3818 Granby Street in Norfolk

Bring Cash. Lots. And exact change.

Anyway, so this will be a really long post, but here are some of my sweet finds. 

This big frame is SUPER amazing.  Hand carved.  Who knows what I'll do with this beauty, but I'm thinking chalkboard/magnet board.  Also love those little curly things.  I may attach them to each other and make them part of a gallery wall kit for my Shop, who knows?

These antique glass knobs were just what I came for!  I bought all he had (which was only these six, but I like to make myself sound like some philanthropist...) ha!

oh, and the basket  I currently have these in, also a C.B.'s find

Beaut!!!

I found this wooden basket sitting in a little nook and dug it out.  I LOVE it.  So he says it's from some funeral gig somehow, but I don't care.  That handle calls out to me.  These spindles will make wonderful candlesticks (again, a Ruth influence), and those keyhole covers, who knows, but I just love them!!!  

(okay, and doesn't this picture look like it's from some abandoned french apartment, what with my cracking plaster and all?????)

Here's a better look on some of the age we're talkin' 'bout here...  drool, drool....

love.

NOW.  hold onto your seats.  for the Pièce de résistance (Yes, i googled that and copied and pasted it.  No, I'm not french, IF you can believe it...)

This is a piece of tin trim from who the heck knows when.  What will I do with this you ask?  I have NO idea... yet....  But I do want to carry it around with me and lick it occasionally.  Just kidding. really, I'm joking.  I don't lick stuff.  Generally....

There were a few more things, but I won't bore you with the rest.  And Ruth, you're welcome for my kindly not posting a bunch of pictures of you, tho it was hard, because that face you made about the frame price was priceLESS!!!!  Thanks for a fun day! Loved it!  Now on to the crafting....

I linked up here! and at I heart Naptime

I Humbly Stare at You and Dresser Before and After

My short people are hilarious.  I was just praying with one of them, and this is what he prayed: "...(blah, blah, blah...) and God, you are holy, and mighty, and I humbly stare at you."  He just turned three.  I have no idea what that means.  But at least he's humble, right?

Another (4) told her sister today as they were setting up a paint station, "this stuff right here's 'probly' made in China..."   Guess they really are listening as I ramble from my many soap boxes!

Anyway...

So, without further ado....  here's the before of my crooked, jacked-up doors, hand-me-down dresser that I've been considering painting for years.  I love the shape of this thing, and I know there are a lot of cool things I could do.  But I REALLY wanted something simple.  Especially since it's the school cabinet, and the puzzle cabinet and the play dough cabinet, and the "get-your-sticky-fingers-all-over-it-as-much-as-you-can" cabinet, you get the point.

And here's a closer up version.  yummy, I know.

A little AquaBond (Did I mention my love for this stuff?)

Had to just paint around these handles because they are attached with tiny pin nails, and we were uncertain they would ever fit again if taken out...(thanks for your meticulous work btw, Hot Husband...)

I had plans to distress, and add some layers, but when we got finished painting the heirloom white on, and I took the tape off, I loved the "clean" look.  I need something in my life that's not distressed.  Seriously.  

Soooooooooo.... Here's her new look!

And all my lovely new spring finds, too!

Maybe not the MOST amazing transformation ever, and yes, we still have the super-chic crooked doors, but it really brightens up the space.  I like that we kept the wood on the horizontal surfaces.  I can always re-stain them when I get bored with this piece.  Which I can ASSURE you, will happen.  

So let's see if I can accomplish a side by side before and after...

 

I like the free makeover!  What do you think?

Finally finishing what I started months ago starting on my kitchen cabinet transformation this week, and going JUNKIN' with my Funkie Finds friend Ruth on Thursday.  Can't wait to show you this place, and see what we find!  

Linked up my dresser here!  and also over at Centsational Girl

Thrifty Spring Finds

     Raise your hand if your hot husband likes to thrift.  I know.  There aren't many of you out there, but I am lucky enough to be one of the blessed few.

    We thrifted our butts off on Saturday.  Thought I'd share with you a peek or two of some of my awesome finds.

      These beautiful vintage china saucers caught my eye.  They'll make lovely candy dish stands when paired with some crystal candlesticks, don't you think?

  
     Also I found a couple of delicious books.  They fit right in with my new spring vignette (more on that later...)

  
     So glad I picked up this little vase, too!

   I don't know about you, but usually my favorite things are chunky and chippy and somewhat falling apart.  Here was the crown find:

     I can't even believe it.  Price tag? $1.  Yep.  and it's huge.  and the centerpiece on my newly refinished dresser.   yes, you'll have to wait....

    One last peek tho...

     Not from this weekend's finds, but certainly one of my favorites.  A scale that I picked up at an estate sale for $5.  Sigh.

     So whilst (is that a word?) I was doing all the work on my dining room table, I simultaneously re-did my dining room dresser, and if the durn sun will ever come out today, I'll take some final pictures and give her the grand reveal she deserves.

     How about you?  Are you working on any new Spring projects?