I am in LOVE with our latest project...is that possible??

If you follow me on facebook you know that my hubby's factory closed in November of last year with no
warning. He found another job in the middle of January of this year. We JUST got health insurance after
his probation period of 90 days, had it for a week or two and then he got laid off again. He didn't find
another job until about three weeks ago so...I say all that to say this. We TRIED to keep busy to keep
 ourselves sane, but on the other hand we had no extra money to spend so we set out to do a project
with things we already had here.

We just finished up this piece yesterday that we started when he was laid off. I guess you could call it
 a potting bench, but I doubt I will do much if any potting on it as I have a garden shed also.

 I LOVE how it turned out, don't you?

It all started with this piece that we picked up at a garage sale for $2.00! You can't even buy one board
for that price so it was well worth it. I wish I had a before picture as it was a blue gray color with a LOT
of grease on the top and inside. It was previously used for a work bench and was a MESS to say the
least, but I saw potential. Didn't have a clue what I would do with it, but I am so glad we put it in
our jeep that day!

Fast forward a few weeks.   I was browsing PINTEREST and was inspired to make some type of  bench
 with it. If you google "potting benches" you will find one that is similar in nature as far as the top of it,
but more of a creamy color with a tin valance. That was my inspiration.

{My genuine antique English watering can...there is a repro of it sitting on one of the bench
shelves also...but I digress...} 

After we finished it yesterday I initially thought I would put it on the front porch, but there
wasn't enough room where I wanted it. WHO KNEW?? ha!

So we ended up putting it on the back deck for now and I moved plants etc. here,
there and everywhere trying to find the best look.

{I am loving how my tiered herb garden turned out this year!}

This is a side view of the piece. One day I got inspired for hubby to add a window and then another
day I said, "Hey , let's put some shelves on the side of the window". We did that and it sat a couple
more weeks or so. Yesterday, I figured I better get this done or it would be winter before long!!
So we cut and old post in half for the front and added some shelves on the side that I had laying
around along with the brackets.

{The post came from my grandmother's house when it was torn down. I acquired three of them and
love using them for something to remember her by}

When I look at the finished photo, I think I would like one of the shelves that are on the sides a
 bit lower than the other side so it doesn't look so "matchy, matchy", but we can do that
 anytime.

We added old table legs on each side of the window to add more character and they
were the perfect length! We couldn't have planned that if we tried.

I had the "valance" laying in my potting shed for a few years and had no clue what I would
ever do with it, but now I know why I kept it.

A bit of paint and distressing and WA LA...it was done and ready to be decorated!

I didn't want to spend one dime especially since hubs was laid off,  so we just used stuff we already had
except the $2 we spent on the initial bench. I am thrilled with how it turned out and now we can move
on to the next project...whatever that is. I am sure I will come up with something! *SMILE*

This was the photo that I put on facebook this week.
What have you made lately? I would love to know!!
Blessings~

Oh the things we do...and redo!

I recently purchased two shelving units for my studio that are made out of barn siding, painted white and then distressed. I love both of them! One has a vintage screen door on the front to close it off and this one does not.
So you know what that means...I had an excuse to rearrange my studio all over again!

This is an old vanity that I have had for several years that was in the back porch entry way, but I put my chippy, new, old table there and brought this one in here. I purchased it at a garage sale for $2.00. 

Even the floor lamp doesn't escape some vintage lace treatment. 

One of my ribbon centers and my inspiration board.

The lighting in this room stinks. I had to jump through hoops to get halfway decent photos!  I reallyyyy need to take a photography course to find out what in the heck I am doing. LOL! 

One of my stacks of vintage tablecloths, pillowcases, lace etc. 

One can never have too much vintage lace. :)

I found these iron fleur-de-lis several weeks ago at Hobby Lobby in their 90% off pile so I had to add them to my studio.

A wonderful lavender sachet that came from Little Cottage Shoppe. I ordered several of her Jeanne d' Arc scarves that she was selling at half off and she included this in one of my packages. Love it! 

This is the cabinet with the screen door on the front...love it! 

A closeup for you of my berry box filled with goodies that I purchased from Becky over at Timewashed! I LOVE the detail and care that she puts into each package. I really need to hang these up so they can be seen. Of couse I haven't actually used anything or even opened anything that I bought from her yet. Do you do that too? I just love pretties!!

My inspiration board with some fun goodies on it.

I love little button cards with the buttons still attached. 

One day while looking through Pinterest , I was inspired to round up all my old salt and pepper shakers and fill them with glitter. Sure makes for a pretty picture. :) 

More glitter love... 

Pretty boxes...this particular day the lighting was extra horrible with shadows and everything. hee hee  

Little metal tins that I found at a garage sale a few years ago for 25 cents each. I LOVE THEM, but sold most of them and all I have left are these two. WHAT was I thinking?? Oh, the life of a creator and seller. 

The crowning touch...my Goodwill chair!! I didn't have to do one thing to this except wipe it down cause I always do that. It is PERFECT in this room. I took out the huge, BLACK, clunky, rolling wheel computer chair and put this in and was instantly a happy camper! We rolled the black, ugly chair out the door to the roadside with a free sign and the neighbor snatched it up! She said her daughter is thrilled with her new desk chair. :) I love to share, don't you? 

Here we are again...back at the beginning. ha ha!! Guess I didn't need this in here again.
I hope you enjoyed your tour of the south end of the studio/computer room. One of these days I will get the other end redone and show it also.

I will say this about "redoing" things. This room was a porch when we moved here back in 1982. The inside walls {that we covered up with paneling and then wallpapered} are a light gray board and batten!! Every day I would like to rip this paneling off and have those walls showing, but I just haven't gotten around to it yet. Maybe one of these days. It also has a cement floor underneath the berber carpet...gray...oh the things I could do with that. LIVE and LEARN ...or so we hope. Ha! Happy weekend!!

 

New Embellishment Center ~

I have really needed some more shelving for my glitters, ribbon etc. for quite some time now and I was thrilled to find this at Michaels yesterday. I was in there to get the new Somerset Life (which they did not have and I still haven't found in a store) and purchased some mercury glass items that were 80 % off and we headed out to the car. Next it was on to Barnes and Noble bookstore looking for the magazine and they didn't have it either. So I asked hubby to take me back to Michaels (it was in the same plaza...lol) to get something I hadn't gotten previously. I walked back in the door and saw this embellishment center that I had not noticed the first time. I knew it would be perfect and better yet it was half off !!

It came pre-assembled and I can't wait to get it hung on the wall and filled up with my goodies! I love the two bottom shelves that have dowels to hold ribbon. I can now free up some other space that I desperately need to use for other things. Looking forward to a new year full of wonderful possibilities! ~Blessings!

Shabby Vintage

I thought I would add a few more decor pictures. I absolutely love this picture! I got it at Home Goods a couple years ago for 4.99! However, I haven't quite got the wall decor along with it figured out and everytime I look at it , it drives me crazy! :) In the corner by this wall I have an old creamy white shutter with a clock on it in the same colors as the picture and a loveseat is underneath with a white cover and a quilted throw with the colors in the picture as well so if anyone has any ideas please feel free to share them with me.

I just couldn't pass up these adorable shoes especially with the vintage millinery included.

This is one of my favorite photographs of another corner in my living room. I purchased the candle sconce at the Goodwill for $3.00!! I hope everyone has a wonderful day today!