Thursday, July 26, 2012

B Farm projects

I have been busy working on projects for the farmhouse. Every time we go up there, I have new things to add to my list of things to make. It gives me a connection until I can get back up there again. So first on the list, a mat for in front of the kitchen sink. I wanted my own design - found a tutorial from Roeshel - DIY Show Off blog.You can find it at: painted mat.  I love her blog; it's so inspiring! Anyway, here's my version of the painted mat:




Next up, I made a wreath holder. You've probably seen the ones you can buy that are metal and have a hook to hold the wreath. Well, I had this spindle forever it seems, just waiting for the right project. One end already had a notch cut into it, perfect for hanging a wreath from. I put a fresh coat of white paint on it, distressed it some and rubbed a bit of stain into places. 
I had a wooden plaque from way back which I used as the base. Painted it a dark brown from one of my many jars of sample paint, added crackle medium on top of that, then painted white on top of that. I then screwed it together. Voila! a wreath holder! It probably won't hold a big, heavy wreath but that's ok. I think it will hold what I have in mind.

Spindle


sample jar of paint


plaque

before crackling and painting base white
notch in spindle

 I'll show this off in the next post as soon as I find a wreath to hang from it!

Finally, I am working on a napkin holder. I found one at the thrift store for a mere $1.99. I've primed it and cut out new sides for it from birch plywood. Need to paint those and glue them on then I'll have a holder that's my own design. Love having something more unique!
thrift store find

drawn design

cut and drawn design on birch plywood

I'll show the finished napkin holder next time too. Until then enjoy your week!


Linking with: diyshowoff.com

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An AWARD! I'm So EXCITED!


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Sunday, July 15, 2012

Galvanized tub light

So, one of the things we did in the dining room to tie the decor with the kitchen was to make a galvanized tub light. It had a really dated chandelier that didn't work completely. And did I mention dated?


old light
I wanted to match the barn pendant lights over the bar as much as possible. Here they are:

barn pendant lights
So, I started with a clamp light:




It wasn't big enough however. So, I went to a feed and hardware store and bought a galvanized tub the size I wanted. Then my husband drilled a hole in the tub and inserted the cord from the clamp light:






Here's what it looked like inside:


Next I needed to paint it. I used the High Heat in black to prime it ( I wasn't sure how hot the light would make it and didn't want the rust color to peel ), let it dry, then sprayed on the Espresso over that.


Here's what it look like after painting:

pretty good color match
Then we hung it. Unfortunately, we had to leave it in the original spot so we swagged it over to the right spot. We also had to remove the handle from the top and the drill holes on the sides close to the bottom to reattach the handle for the chain to attach to. We didn't know if the cord could hold the weight of the tub by itself. Figured it was better safe than sorry.

Here it is finished:


I like how it shines down on the table without glare. It also ties in well with our pendants and for about $20 we got a rustic and custom light.

The hallway and doors are next. Then I think I can just concentrate on decorating. (My favorite part!)
Thanks for stopping by!

Linking with: http://debbie-debbiedoos.com/2012/07/all-things-fall-decor-and-crafts-newbie-party-started.html
Funky Junk Interiors Party-Junk-189-unique-lighting

Monday, July 9, 2012

Kitchen reveal

It's been awhile since my last post but I promise I have been busy! We got to spend a fabulous week at the farm and got much accomplished. I can proudly say after 5 busy brutal days, the kitchen is finally finished! A great shout out to my friend Cindy for helping with me two hard painting days. I wouldn't have gotten it done without you! Plus, she made us the cutest pillow. Aww!


And thanks to my wonderful husband for helping me get the cabinet doors and drawers painted. whew. It was hard work, my hands were cramping but it is done. It looks wonderful! Everything is slowly coming together. I'll let you enjoy it through the pictures.


doors off and ready to paint



23 doors and 8 drawers to paint
Here it is with primer and the first coat of paint:



Chalkboard Wall!!
Here's some cute things I painted to put on the shelves of the open cabinets:

wood blocks and barn birdhouse

Wood plaque with wood chicken
The door going to the garage had a really bad grain pattern. I don't know if you can see it in this picture but I called it the "saggy boob" door. ugh:

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The door is now painted white. The Order sign is one I got from the cafe closing. Adds a nice punch of color:

blackboard wall with ORDER sign and door painted white
Here's what the finished cabinets look like. I left the doors off the upper cabinets next to the sink and painted the backs green:

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In case you didn't notice, the curtain changed. I found this funky chicken print and couldn't resist. Thought it tied in well with the blackboard wall. The "B FARM" letters are metal and I found them at Michael's, strung them together with twine and hung them above the sink.

The sign on the top shelf says "Simplify"

view from the garage door

Nice and painted!!
Everything looks so different. And clean. I even painted the insides to seal the wood and cover over the grease stains. It also allows me to see if there are any critters (aka scorpions) in the lower cabinets. Yikes, we have too many. Had to get the bug man to come spray. They were just down right creepy. 
I love how it looks now. It's feeling very homey. We even have a regular-sized refrigerator! Yes! We can have more than a couple of items in there. 

I hope you've enjoyed seeing my lovely kitchen. Thanks for visiting!

Springtime Projects 3: Have A Seat!

It might still be Spring, but here in Texas, things are starting to heat up and feel like Summer. I knew I needed to get the last of my Spri...