shabby story

old window chalkboard…

2012-03-06T13:52:00.003-05:00

hi everyone! today, I wanted to share my chalkboard. this old window came from an antique shop-(salvage sisters) in franklin indiana. it’s a unique little shop full of a wide variety of treasures. it had thick paint on the window pane, so instead of removing the paint, I took out the pane and my husband used the pane as a pattern on a piece of wood.

this is the before pic.

I painted 3 coats of chalkboard paint on the wood insert, and painted VERY simply roses at the top. here’s how it looks now. I LOVE it!

the chippy column behind the chalkboard was found in the same store.

sharing with funky junk, faded charm, commonground, and feathered nest friday!

thanks for looking!

shabby tv cabinet…

2012-02-29T06:13:00.002-05:00

when the flat screen tvs first came out, there weren’t many options for tv cabinets. we found this shabby tv cabinet at an antique shop in rochester, indiana, –green oaks.

because they use old shutters, tin, moldings, and headers, each piece is one of a kind. this one is made of a pressed tin back, an old table top holds the tv, and there is huge header across the top.

and if its not needed to hold the tv. there is another shelf that can be added to showcase pottery, books, whatever.

below is another style of cabinet I have from the same place. it uses old porch posts and scalloped trim.

sharing with funky junk, faded charm, miss mustard seed, feathered nest friday.

thanks for looking:)

vintage door knob coat rack…

2012-02-27T12:11:00.001-05:00

debra at commonground is having a “monday marketplace” link party today. just link up an etsy purchase, or item for sale on your etsy or another online shop.

in my last post, I shared my slipcovered footstool, but didn’t mention the cute door knob hanger on the door. this piece was my very first etsy purchase. I found this, almost 2 yrs ago, at an etsy shop—creation designs.

here’s the whole door—it’s a work in progress—I’m hoping my husband can build a table onto the bottom half of the door soon.

---something like this pic below that I found on pinterest. then, the rack will move to the guest bath to hold towels.

image from google

thanks for looking!

slipcovered stool…

2012-02-17T16:17:00.003-05:00

I found this footstool at a garage sale and it was missing a top cushion. first, I should say, I don’t sew, but, this was 5 rectangles sewn with straight lines.

I recycled the material from an old shabby chic shower curtain. it had 3 rows of cute ruffles on it.

I painted the cherry legs white, and added some lace and dried flowers to the top.

this is the before look—after I painted the legs…

sharing with common ground, nutmeg place, knick of time, faded charm, freckled laundry, rustic crafts and chic decor and feathered nest.

have a great weekend, everyone!

my garden junk…

2012-02-14T09:07:00.001-05:00

happy valentines day, everyone.

its snowing here and I’m so ready for flowers and outdoor projects.

sharing with faded charm! have a great day, everyone!

I heart old windows…

2012-02-11T18:02:00.001-05:00

back in the late 90’s, I bought my first old oak windows at a salvage store for just $40. they hung inside larger windows.

this is the same window, my husband built it into a wall cabinet for my guest bedroom

we put an old window in our shed door. .

and another on the side

my husband built a closet in a bedroom and added an old leaded window at the top. it made a great night light.

last year I added a vinyl chandy to this chippy pink window and put it in the garden.

I tend to hang things on this window.

and last weekend, I found my newest old window. it’s 44” x 30”, and I can’t decide if I want to make it into a large chalkboard or save it for a garden shed that my husband will build this spring. either way, I’m going to love it.

sharing with funky junk, faded charm, commonground, feathered nest friday!

have a great weekend!

painted chair and shabby white stool…

2012-02-02T19:12:00.004-05:00

in my last post, I showed my guest bedroom re-do. i painted the chair in the room.

I was nervous painting the fabric, but, it turned out great and I’d do this again.

this is what the bedroom chair looked like when I found it at a resale shop. it was in perfect shape and cost me $65.

here’s a close up of the seat—it looks much like damask. I used fabric paint from hobby lobby and just rolled it on with a sponge roller. it took 3 heavy coats and I let it dry overnight each time.

and here’s a better look at my newest stool. I’m developing an addiction to old stools. they are wonderful because they fit where tables won’t and they are easy to move around.

that’s it for today, thanks for looking:)

sharing this with common ground, feathered nest, faded charm, and power of paint.,miss mustardseed and

nutmeg place.

imagine the impossibilities - guest bedroom…

2012-01-31T16:25:00.003-05:00

thistlewood farm challenged us to tackle something we’ve been putting off and blog about it today.

i have a small guest bedroom that needed updating. it was dark and held a hodge podge of items. there is a 5’ window seat, which I love, but it was neglected and bare. this is a before picture.

I started out by painting the walls dover white and the trim white—well, i didn’t get all of the trim finished yet, but, I’m working on it. then, I gathered these things…

and here’s the part of the room that is finished.

and here’s the part that still needs work. there is a 4’ closet with some ugly and noisy sliding doors, that still needs new french doors and the trim needs paint. .

before

when its done, this closet will look like our other closets-below.

thanks to thistlewood farm and the others for inspiring me to get this job going:)

check out the other projects here.

sharing with knick of time, faded charm, common ground, and feathered nest!

new kitchen…

2012-01-24T20:22:00.001-05:00

this is my new kitchen. it’s 18’ x 10’. we had to gut it to the studs, and took out some walls. lots of pics below, hopefully, they make sense to you.

before

after-we added new drywall, cabinets, appliances, copper sink and flooring. we moved the stove, sink, dishwasher and fridge into different positions.

before-fridge

after-fridge—the pantrys hold so much!

before ceiling

after-tore out the bulk header, added the bead board to ceiling, new ceiling fan and can lights.

before-door

after-new door to garage and pantry

before-a super small eating area

after-added pantry on the right, removed the wall on the left this is a baking area—we found the jenn air convection oven at lowes for $250! it was suppose to be $1250, but a worker miss-marked it and the manager let us have it!

from the dining room

looking into great room

looking into kitchen from great room

this was the hardest remodel we’ve ever done, but now we can just enjoy it.

thanks for coming by:)

sharing this with faded charm, common ground, feathered nest

gothic frame…

2012-01-18T07:01:00.001-05:00

I would love to find an old gothic window, but, after years of looking, I’m just as happy with my 4.5’ mirror--a xmas gift from my son. this mirror was found at hobby lobby on clearance—50% off and still…not a bargain, but I love it:)

I removed the mirror and painted the frame white. it’s heavy, so I put it on a table, and added my urn of flowers. the gothic shaped mirror won’t go to waste. my husband is making a simple frame for it, so I’ll end up with two gothic pieces from this one gift. makes the price seem not so bad.

I’m sharing this with faded charm, and feathered nest., knick of time!

thanks for looking and have a great week!

new bar area…

2012-01-12T16:34:00.003-05:00

we finished part of our new kitchen--the bar area, and I thought I’d show it.

the kitchen was 20 years old and looked older:) it has a counter height bar area with a small opening to the kitchen. very claustrophobic .we removed the top section of the wall, and raised the countertop to bar height.

it was finished off by adding some bead board, two posts, a couple of corbels and a wood applique to the lower wall.

here’s the after--it opened up the living/dining room to the kitchen.

love this!

I found …

ana white’s slipcover tutorial

and I have these barstools, and really want to try, to slipcover them in drop cloth fabric.

sharing this with common ground, and feathered nest.

thanks for coming by!

shutter shelf…

2012-01-10T21:02:00.003-05:00

I love shutters and all the different things you can do with them. the shelf part is made from some garden edging.

it holds some old lace, china pieces,

and a rose picture.

I’m sharing this with faded charm and knick of time—thanks for looking!

chandeliers and an old shutter…

2012-01-03T17:31:00.001-05:00

when I shared my headboard before christmas, I knew I needed something with color behind the old birdcage stand, holding a chandelier-(left side of this pic).

I got this shutter for christmas and now, the chandelier stands out. the pillow (and matching comforter) were also xmas gifts.

and santa brought this cute sign, too—don’t know where I’ll put it, but I love it:).

yesterday, we got just enough snow to cause 67 wrecks-yikes!

sharing this with faded charm and knick of time—thanks for looking!

happy new year and a thank you…

2011-12-31T19:21:00.001-05:00

wishing a happy new year to everyone!

and I wanted to share “lena” with you. isn’t she fabulous?! I won her in a christmas give away from vickie (daranger911), and she arrived 2 days before christmas, -complete with suitcase! thank you vickie-she’s darling and you are an amazing seamstress!

thanks for looking!

chippy porch trim…

2011-12-27T17:58:00.003-05:00

hi everyone, I hope your xmas was a great one!

I use this 6’ trim as a ladder for holding decorative stuff and change it seasonally. right now, its done up for xmas.

this wire basket is one of two bicycle baskets I found while on vacation this year. makes a great magazine holder.

thanks for looking!

I’m sharing this with knick of time, white wednesday, and debbie doo’s newbie party:)

merry christmas!…

2011-12-25T07:33:00.001-05:00

wishing everyone a very merry chirstmas and happy, safe new year!

thanks for all your visits and comments—I have the best followers:)

old fireplace mantel, new headboard…

2011-12-21T15:55:00.005-05:00

hi everyone! I wanted to show my new headboard today.

my husband put some bead board on the opening, and I painted it. since its so close to xmas, I stuck one of the old windows on the mantle and added an old baby slip and dress. I love the hanging star light in the garland.

this was my old iron headboard. (this pic was taken with my old camera—not so good-sorry)

I found this mantel last year and an antique/junk shop.

now, I need to shop for new bedding:) it’s hard to see, but in the left corner is an old bird cage stand with a chandelier hanging in it.

just a simple tree in a watercan. the little sign hanging on the handle says vintage junk.

sharing with faded charm’s white wednesday, common ground, knick of time, primitive and proper, shabby art boutique, and funky junk’s saturday nite special:)

wishing everyone a wonderful christmas, and happy holidays!!

christmas lights at night…

2011-12-09T13:17:00.003-05:00

how’s your decorating going? got mine done, so, its on to the shopping:) this year I kept things simple—a couple of garlands and my new tree, in my great room, but I like the way it looks at night:).

thanks for looking!

sharing with commonground, and funky junk:)

my ruffled stocking wreath…

2011-12-07T10:31:00.003-05:00

keeping the christmas spirit alive 365 and funky junk has a stocking link up and I thought I’d join in with the only stocking we have in the house. I made this about 2 yrs old from osnaberg and muslin fabrics—no pattern, just winged it

I have all of the xmas decorating done, and most of the shopping done, so, now I can enjoy this holiday:) hope you are too!

thanks for looking!

vintage water can tree…

2011-12-06T14:25:00.002-05:00

my house is small, and my dining room is open to the living and kitchen, but, it’s small. so, I put a skinny woodland type tree in one of my old water cans, and decorated it with burlap bags, tags, and paper banners for the garland.

close up…

it sits on an old cabinet with cool rounded corners, curvy bottom and cute little legs. when I found this cabinet at a resale store, it was dirty, dark brown and horribly scratched up. I scrubbed it up and dry brushed some white paint on it. this sweet cabinet is one of my favorites, that I’ve had for about 10 years. my friend thinks it was a radio cabinet in its younger life.

thanks so much for looking today:)

sharing with knick of time tuesday,

twiced owned tuesday,

and white wednesday #129!

wall cabinet…

2011-12-01T20:03:00.002-05:00

I found this old junk piece--

and had my husband build it into a wall cabinet for me.

it has a bead board backing.

here it is finished.

I’m sharing this with common ground and funky junk, —thanks for looking:)

rusty wire tray…

2011-11-29T09:29:00.003-05:00

I’m calling this a tray, because I’m not sure what it was before I found it in a junk store. I’m gonna use it to hold pics and other decorative items. the letter and rusty numbers are from hobby lobby.

michaels had these wooden letters and I added them to a banner I die cut from old music paper.

sharing this with twice owned tuesday #74, knick of time tuesday#10, and faded charms white wednesday #128:)

thanks for looking!

photo holder…

2011-11-23T22:20:00.001-05:00

have a happy thanksgiving, everyone!

this drawer was $5 at a junk store and it was pretty ugly, -full of scratches and stained a dark color. but it was perfect for a photo holder, so, I brushed some paint on it, and removed the front of the drawer.

the numbers (from hobby lobby), were added. the clothes pins were hot glued on. I cut picture mats and added some pics of a few of my reasons to be thankful:) so easy to change out the picture, too.

here’s a close up of the reason I love this piece.

I’m sharing this with common ground--thanks for stopping!

old mason jar card holder…

2011-11-22T22:36:00.002-05:00

I have lots of gift cards on the shopping list and I’m always looking for old objects to wrap them in. I just fill an old mason jar with fake snow and slide the card in. no one will ever know its in there—its hidden so well.

and, I made several of these framed pieces of lace for my garland on the fire place. (hobby lobby sells these glass jewelry frames—on sale just $1.50). I picked up an old damaged tablecloth at a garage sale last summer. just cut the lace to fit, for a quick ornament.

sharing this at funky junk, faded charm’s white wednesday:)

have a happy thanksgiving, everyone and thanks for looking!

my new tree…

2011-11-12T22:36:00.002-05:00

I’m sharing this with funky junk’s saturday nite #107 and friday frolic and keeping the christmas alive, 365!

my new christmas tree is up and I needed all new ornaments this year, so I thought I’d show what I have so far. the tree came from big lots--$70 and I found the cement urn at lowes-$20. my husband built a wooden tree stand to fit the urn. there’s an old lace table cloth wrapped around the base of the tree.

I sat down one day, and made several fabric roses to add to different ornaments.

this started as an unfinished wood snowflake. it got a coat of cream paint, and was stamped with a text stamp. I globbed on some white paint, and while still wet, sprinkled glitter on it. then, I inked the edges with brown ink and added a fabric rose it to the center of it.

meijer had these angel wings for $1.50, and I just added the roses and/or buttons to them.

when I was out junking, I found 12 of these tins, and lined them with sheet music and added a rose.

I painted some birdhouses white, and added different clock faces to some of them.

numbers and old hardware to others.

and several hoops were painted white and old lace was stretched over them. I finished them off with some ribbon and charms.

I dried some of my roses and added them to some small pic frames. I cut a 1/2 yard of burlap into 2 1/2” strips to make a simple garland, .which you can spot in this pic.

I have lots of bits and pieces of lace, so, I filled several glass bulbs with them and added a charm.

I really like how this is shaping up—that’s all for today, –thanks for looking:)

shabby frame…

2011-11-11T11:53:00.002-05:00

I’m sharing this with common ground’s vintage inspiration friday 63!

I found this frame at my local junk store. i just added a sloppy coat of white wash paint, being sure to miss spots here and there. didn’t need sanding or messy staining—so easy, and its looks way better.

here it is dressed up for xmas.

the old wooden star was re-painted in a martha stewart’s “enamelware”, and inked with desert sand ink. I stamped and inked the tag, too. I made the fabric rose and added some burlap string to finish it.

have a great weekend, everyone:)

christmas urn…

2011-11-08T18:17:00.001-05:00

today, for faded charms’s white wednesday #125, I have a cement urn, that I white washed and added one of my burlap roses to the front of it. hobby lobby had these metal numbers 40% off last week, so I bought some for my christmas projects.

the urn is sitting on my old pillar, and its hiding a electrical cord from the xmas lights over my window.

thanks for looking!

white xmas…

2011-11-01T20:04:00.001-04:00

I don’t do much with halloween, and I usually have my xmas décor up by thanksgiving. this year, I’ve started xmas decorating a few weeks earlier. I bought a new xmas tree, and started setting it up. its not done, but here’s a peek…

and this picture frame (found at my favorite junk store),

is now part of my xmas decorations. after removing the picture, I painted the frame and hung a tin star in it.

I’m sharing this at faded charm’s white wednesday #124!

thanks for looking:)

shabby window…

2011-10-25T18:39:00.002-04:00

I’m linking this to faded charm’s white wednesday #123:)

so sorry for the long break in posts—we bought a puppy sept 24th and I’ve been busy:) she’s a brindle american bulldog.

she’s so sweet, and I’m amazed how fast she has grown in just one month!

and, here’s my window, --I made some art blocks from scraps of fabric and paper, mixed with old lace, buttons and rolled flowers to fit this old window, to hang in my craft room. the window is being featured here. -- a fun way to use up bits and pieces.

thanks for looking!

new old mirror…

2011-09-20T18:37:00.001-04:00

this is linked to faded charm’s white wednesday 118.

I found this old mirror around xmas last year and just got around to painting it. the mirror finish has cracking and worn spots, something only time can produce. its surprisingly heavy, so it’s sitting on a table with a chandelier in front of it. –doubles the light.

you can see some of the imperfections of the mirror.

and last weekend, I shopped for white pumpkins, but at $24.99 each, I decided to paint 2 old orange pumpkins ivory.

they turned out great and I placed one on my stool, in my entry. I’ll show the second pumpkin later.

have a great day and thanks for coming:)

fall pumpkin…

2011-09-15T14:38:00.001-04:00

this is linked at vintage inspiration friday.

I’ve seen these cute pumpkins all over, and finally, made one. its made from cream.chenille, stuffed with some polyfill, and wrapped up in twine, to give it more shape. it matches my décor really well.

the dish I found at a garage sale. love the chippy, crackling on it.

thanks for looking!

yard sale sign…

2011-09-15T12:01:00.001-04:00

I’m linking this to faded charm’s white wednesday 117.

september is usually when I have my last yard sale, so I thought I’d show my sign.

it’s made from old legs?- (from a trash pile) and one of the chippy paint cabinet door panels that my neighbor gave me—he gave me 3!. I used stencils for the words. and the metal scroll on the top came off an old welcome sign I no longer wanted. my husband made the sign frame from our scrap pile. I decided not to whitewash it…for now:) the best part of all—it was free!

thanks for looking!

recycled floral wreath featured...

2011-09-06T08:53:00.000-04:00

I’m guest blogging today over at “do more with less”—thanks so much yvonne! there’s a 2 week challenge and a prize ---papertrey ink’s iconic images stamp set! this is the exclusive stamp-a-faire set.

here's a peek..

please check it out and thanks for looking!

vintage junk platter…

2011-09-04T16:05:00.001-04:00

this is linked to funky junks sns#97!

on my last trip junking, I found this old platter and loved the cracks and stains on it. using my silhouette, I cut “vintage junk” out of vinyl and attached it to the platter. the font is lucinda handwriting. such a fast project!

I’m hoping to find a few more plates and platters to add different sayings to, then hang them in a grouping on a hall wall.

yesterday, when I visited terry (ilovemybugs), she had a print friendly button on her post. when this gadget is installed on your blog, it allows your reader to print, save to a pdf, or email your post! great for tutorials, ect.

and it saves time, ink and paper in the process. (back up your template before you install this, and you’ll be go to go.) just thought you might like to know about this:)

thanks for looking:)

pottery barn inspired cubby shelf…

2011-09-01T16:04:00.001-04:00

edited to add final pic: this is linked to faded charms white wednesday #115!

I found detailed info on how to make this shelf here. if you’ve never been to this site, its full of diy wood projects. it was very inexpensive to make—it just takes 4 – 1×6 Boards, 8′ pine boards to make the basic box portion and it took about 2 hrs to finish...and another 2 hrs. to paint:)

I added an pediment from an old dresser, to the top.

I had some leftover bead boards in my garage from our kitchen remodel, and used them for the backing

here it is, before painting.

and here it is after it was painted.

and finished.

I really like the way this came out, and its hanging on my dining room wall.

thanks for looking!

garden projects...

2011-08-28T21:15:00.001-04:00

linking these up to diy showoff--- these are some of my husbands projects for my garden.

old pickets and a bent twig were used for this planter.

this was a headboard, made into a planter and he made the birdhouse, too.

he just finished a wall cubbie fashioned after the one pottery barn had for sale. i need to paint it and will post it soon. thanks for looking:)

bailey…

2011-08-28T19:49:00.000-04:00

she is an american bulldog, full of energy and too smart for her own good. she’s the funniest dog, I’ve ever had. I’m trying to keep track of her pink nose throughout this year. it will turn black by the time she’s full grown.—its filling in already.

at 2.5 months old at 7 mos.

she helps me with the junk

she hardly ever chews anything…

at 3.5 months—ummmm…

at 4.5 months-she loves to dress up…

5.5 months-she’s very smart –she got an A+!

she’s very comfortable around people…

she loves her chair…

at 7 months-she watches football…

she loves the colts…

under the weather…

great room re-do

2011-08-24T09:57:00.001-04:00

we are slowly going through our home, updating just about everything. you can see the new entry here.

here’s how the room looked with the previous owners.

here’s how it looks now.

we added crown molding, a new ceiling fan, painted all of the dark trim white.

and ripped up the carpet and installed oak flooring, a gas fireplace, and installed the tv on the wall.

we’re not done, but, its coming along.

I’m sharing this with faded charm’s white wednesday #114-thanks for looking!

painted fireplace…

2011-08-23T18:46:00.002-04:00

sharing this at primitive and proper’s piece of work wednesday #50:)

I’m always looking for bargains and when our menards cleared out this oak mantel for only $10.00, I grabbed it!

we just installed a gas fireplace last xmas. I’m re-doing my great room and painted the mantel white to fit into my new look. I found the fireplace screen at a craft fair, but, it was painted navy, so, I sanded it down, and painted it white, too. my husband (an electrician), hung the tv.

before

after

thanks for looking!

chippy porch column candle holder...

2011-08-22T08:05:00.001-04:00

today, i thought i'd show this column i found in a junk store. i just topped it off with a dried floral wreath and 6" candle.

and these are 2 candles that i stamped the images onto tissue wrapping paper, and used the wax paper method to heat the image into the candle.

here's a video showing you how to do these candles.

thanks for looking!

old barn stool for sns95...

2011-08-20T14:00:00.002-04:00

i'm sharing an old farm barn stool today for this week's funky junk's barn/farm/western things. we found this at a barn sale we happened to drive by one saturday. it's topped with some lace with a rolled fabric rose.

i'm using it as a small table to hold a light in our greatroom.

i love its distressed mushroom/cream color.

thanks for looking:)

shabby garden shed...

2011-08-20T13:43:00.006-04:00

this is linked to funky junk's sns #95!

when my son out grew his wooden fort, we tried to think of a way to recycle some of it. we used the rugged flooring for the base foundation of this shed. over time, i had collected leaded glass windows, corbles, and an old ornate door and glass knob.

i asked my husband to make a garden shed with the bits and pieces. and this is what he came up with. (it measures 4' x 6'.) here it is in progress.

and almost done.

and finished.

here's a pic of the window and window box.

next spring, we are building a bigger garden shed here, at our new home. should be fun!

in the beginning...

2011-08-18T21:00:00.002-04:00

i love to go junking and redecorate with old shabby stuff. i started this blog to share some ideas and to collect ideas from all of you:) we are redoing our whole house and the entry is done, so its a good place to start.

first, we added a new leaded glass door and i used my silhouette cutter to add a vinyl address.

we just finished adding oak flooring to our entry, (which had pink and baby blue vinyl flooring) when we bought the house.--so this was a big improvement!

i found this empty frame at a garage sale, a few years ago, and painted it pale pink and then, over painted it in some areas with white paint. i've had a wreath hanging on it for awhile, now, and wanted to change it up.

before

after

i used some ribbon to hang the plates and it now hangs on the entry wall above a desk that my husband built for me.

for this topiary, i glued lavender bits to 2 styrofoam balls and placed it into the cute pot--that i painted white--(it was a dark green color).

and this chandelier replaces an ugly shiny brass ceiling light.

i've linked this to Vintage Inspiration Friday--- more later--thanks for looking:)