Patina White

go ahead & take @ least {1}

hello and happy day to you! ok. so i am probably not a real big risk taker. i get grief from my favorite restaurant for always ordering the same thing. which for me means a customized dish to my liking. so tweaked from their menu offerings that they actually programmed a button to send out the order to the cooks that beth is in the building. and she wants the "usual". 

so when i spotted a saying on pinterest awhile back with little tear off "tabs"...i recreated my own version and hung in my kitchen. {below}

 

 

reminding me that it's ok to break out of our safety zone once in awhile and take a chance now and then. you'll note that i took one immediately. and even though i didn't deviate from my "usual" main course this past weekend on our dinner out...i did happily go for the cheesecake. there was a "chance" it wouldn't have enough caramel on it. does that count? 

hope you are inspired to take some chances of your own. a glance @ my tear sheet {above} indicates i have more opportunity @ taking chances. guess i will always leave room for dessert!

here's to chances..big and small! 

i've got no "morels"

happy day to you! i feel that i have been as scarce these days as today's subject matter. with shady season a couple weeks away i have been ironing my wonder woman cape in preparation for that fun start to summer. but even a super hero needs a little time unwinding. so i put on my trusty bogs...

 

and in the company of my hubby...took a walk in the woods...

 

in search of the elusive morel mushroom {image courtesy cracked pot gardener}

 

and since i didn't use my own photo above...it's a pretty good indication i didn't find a thing. or should i say i didn't find a morel because throughout my hunt i was constantly distracted w/ other interesting objects as well as my surroundings. so i thought i'd share a little walk on the minnesota wild-side! 

 

the early start of some fern fronds... the heart shape caught my eye...

 

saw plenty of other varieties of mushrooms along the way. like these...

 

 

plus this gathering...

 

and check out this guy!...

 

 

and i'm still laughin' @ the thought of this "fella". now that's one stylish rock and mossy "hairdo"! {below}

 

there were plenty of fungus among us. just not the delicious variety i had hoped for! i did stop to appreciate other little things like a web covered in the droplets of the early morning rain...

 

and this lone pinecone from last years shed nestled under some leafy growth...

 

patches of moss always stop me dead in my tracks. i love to use this earthy element for my potted plants...but i left everyone alone this time around...

 

even though i still have no "morels"...i do feel fortunate to have a room with such a great view so close to my home...

 

i hope your weekend is a wonderful one! i may very well find me on what would be my third quest for the mystical mushroom. although i think i would have better luck searching for a unicorn!  glad you popped by and hope you enjoyed your woodsy trek with me!

take time to enjoy the little things...

growing a junk{iary}

hey there show & tell friends! we all know what a topiary is, right? well mix in a little junk and you have yourself a junk{iary}! which is just what i did this past weekend while bringing some lively accents into our home.

the fragrant aroma of rosemary tickles my senses. i've always fancied the look of the topiary version but they tend to be a bit more costly than the humble potted variety. so i brought home the latter of the two and decided to pop it in a cool piece of pipe for the "trunk". now a make shift junk{iary} resides on our kitchen counter {below}

 

 

when the time came to trim some snippets of ivy from my large plant for a project...i took a few of the extra tails and "planted" them in of {1} of the {3} ironstone pitchers that hang from an old radiator belt rack in our dining area.

you'll note the wire cage to an old fan is now the foundation for a junk{iary} in progress. we will see if they continue to grow and weave their way about the frame. i am a big "fan" of how it looks right now {as shown below}.

 

 

an unplanned {but much enjoyed} visit to bergen's greenhouse on saturday yielded me a spattering of cheery annuals for my container gardens. i was captivated with the looks of the traditional topiary shape of what i learned is a lavender swirl trailing lantana. the tag states it attract butterflies...but it sure attracted me! 

so much so that i had to make one of them mine. i nestled it in a rusty sap bucket...covered the pot with moss and piled in some glass aqua fishnet floats. it's right @ home on our porch. just waiting for those butterflies {below}!

 

 

a little junk goes a long way! especially when combined with the happy texture of plantings! and like the butterflies....i must flutter my way back to tasks @ hand. the shady hollow season is coming up in less than {3} weeks! so off to the pile 'o projects i go! until next time...

make it a great day!

dear john...

hello hello show & tell! i am writing a dear john letter today...because i have put away my tool box, paint brushes + cleaning supplies and am happy to report that my "master disaster" is finally finished! that disaster was the vanity in our master bathroom that turned into a much bigger project than i had dreamed it would be. 

right about now you'd think i would show you the finished project. but there's a reason i'm holding out. and though i can't say why or what...just know that you all will get to enjoy the fruits of my labor...guess i can't even share a when with you either! remember that absence makes the heart grow fonder. ok...i've said too much already. moving on...

i would like to share with you a view of our toilet though! or some would say "john"..."biffy"..."commode"...you get the picture. i know...i know. show you my toilet?! really...is that the best you can give us, beth? well...i'd like to think the porcelain "throne" can be quite decorative.  the addition of a partial piece of a windmill tail + metal alliums {below} really made this "work zone" industrial fabulous!

 

 

next...i am highlighting another bathroom necessity! yep. toilet paper. there's something you won't see on every decorating blog or magazine. infact i am willing to bet there is little homage paid to this staple! well in my corner of the world if you've got to see it...it better be eye pleasing. i continued on with the industrial flavor w/ an expandable pipe apparatus for lack of a better term. and when i discovered that giant tissue rolls stack perfectly inside it's walls....i was ready to squeeze the charmin!  i think even mr. whipple would be impressed!

 

 

i'm pretty sure you could add a little vessel of fresh flowers to any ordinary object and make a statement! which is what i happended to do here {below} with a ball jar and assortment of happy blooms! and before i forget...the metal "cage" around the rock filled glass vase is really a former rodent trap. yes...you can officially say i have lost my mind @ this point. but it's really quite cool! {and clean thanks to a good power washing!}

 

oh what the heck...since i'm on a roll..how about a repeat of all the above features with the main floor powder room the area of focus?  well then...if you're still with me...here we go again! this time a gathering of dark oil paintings takes stage. a bit more "girly" if you will...than upstairs.

 

and in an effort to do mr. whipple proud with my very public display of t.p. ...this time i have piled up rolls in a locker basket. {below} there has never once been a scuffle in our household about replacing the roll of toilet paper! now landing back where it belongs...that's another story...

 

not to deviate from today's "format"...i put some cheerful stems in a glass vintage cottage cheese jar {below}. i bet the milkman didn't see that one coming!

 

 

well i guess that brings me to the end of this dear john letter. since usually they are intended to bid someone farwell that is exactly what i will do! but i will not be "gone" for long! just until the next time the moment is right. or there is a roll of toilet paper worth mentioning!

make it a great day everyone!

Happy MAY day!

hey there everyone! wishing you all a...

 

a sometimes forgotten celebration that occurs on...

 

may day is an astronomical holiday, one of the year’s four cross-quarter days. or day that falls more or less midway between an equinox and solstice – in this case the march equinox and june solstice. {ok...i'm sure you're thinking WHAT is she talking 'bout? well...that little factoid is compliments of earthsky.org....not my usual lingo but seemed easier than me rambling on about the origins. not that i'm not rambling currently!}

nowadays it is a good reason to justify a sweet treat. personal fav of mine.. salt water taffy....

 

and the use of flowers is considered to be another form of may day expression...my baskets will house seed packets {below} to point the recipients in that direction.

 

so the goods came together in my paper sacs {HOW2 make these was my last post if you recall!} with the addition of a candy swizzle and sprig of fern...add in a little shredded paper + a stamp detail & doorknobs are suddenly looking much more lively in our home! 

 

and since i can't possibly eat another piece of taffy. {well...maybe ONE more...} i best get these cuties to their destination. because MAY day is slipping by @ a quick rate! but i guess there are 30 more "may days" if you want to catch me on a technicality!  that means i really should make another trip to the candy store just to be stocked and ready!

 

happy {MAY} day to you all!

paper or plastic...HOW{2}

hey there everyone! right on the heels of my earth day tribute post i thought i would share a little HOW{2} with ya. so get out your shopping lists...and head to the store. and when asked if you'd like paper or plastic...shout out "PAPER"... because you are going to be making some sweet little sacs! read on...

 

 

you'll want to cut your bag up into rectangles. make 'em a variety of sizes. then take one of your rectangles...fold into thirds and then fold one side over a small amount to give a straight "edge".  {like below}

 

now fold together letter style. flip the bottom up to create a pocket. {i used a pinking shears on mine to clean up the flap. {see it below!}

 

alrighty...now you are going to want to run a piece of packing tape along that bottom flap to seal the deal!

and about that top...sky's the limit! you can freestyle cut out a pattern...or use a decorative scissor as i did to get the fun scallops {have a peek below}.

 

and if you flip it over you are pretty well done! you can get a number of pockets from {1} bag! i challenged myself to use up 99% of the bag and i think i did a pretty good job! the scraps were but a handful of tiny shavings! {below}

 

and time to show you my final product! {below}

i love these little sacs. especially the one utilizing the stamped bottom of the bag...a superb reuse of that "PAPER"! they work great for many projects! and i have an idea to use some of them for MAY DAY "baskets".  and with that only around the corner i suspect i will be showing them off very soon!

do you have your grocery list ready? pass on that ol plastic bag and stock up on the paper! infact tell 'em you want a double! because once you start your paper crafting...you'll be glad you did! 

wishing you the happiest of days...

earth day every day...

hello there show & tell friends! with the official earth day here and gone this past sunday...i thought i would highlight a couple "earthy" projects i've done in the past...

i'm never one to pass up a replica earth that has the right "look". i nab 'em when the color is right...and of course the price! this was a combination i put together using recycled license plate snippets and a cheerfully colored globe. {below} love our planet earth...

 

 

and speaking of gathered globes...in my project pile...there's a solar system just waiting to be recreated. {below} a world of possibilities! 

 

and probably one of my all time favorite creations was this globe "art" i fabricated with a half of globe...and many precious bits from my collection of vintage alphabet tiles. i've got the whole world in my hands...

 

so make every day an earth day by enjoying not only many of the earthly treasures {spring flowers anyone??} but also by being kind to our planet by reducing & recycling! heavens knows i am really working the recycling angle! there's a whole pile of cast off globes that prove exactly that. right next to the wood scraps...tin fragments...well...you get the point! i sure appreciate you peeking today and...

make it a great {earth} day!

monkey see..monkey do {hand*me*down}

hey all! been awhile since i've covered a monkey see...monkey do segment. where i take something that has inspired me and put my spin on recreating it. goodness knows there isn't a lack of inspirations out there! with the arrival of pinterest...it seems the sky is the limit on what you fancy. and even then the sky isn't going to limit you! 

well...way back before the advent of pinterest...i had been tearing out pages of magazines & keeping them tucked away in a basket. w/ my absolute favorite kept out front & center on my magnet board. what was so deserving of the v.i.p status you ask?? well that would be this honey of a chair & ottoman. {below}

 

 

i have to thank country living for that one! and not only did i have the page to fawn over for YEARS...lo & behold there is was on pinterest as well! with a link back to more slipcover creations from a one talented gal by the name of lauren ross. click the polaroid above to peek @ more lovely works of hers.

i held this glossy image so close to my heart because i knew that i had in my possession just the chair + ottoman {below} to create possible sisters to lauren's work. a duo that was passed thru the generations of my hubby's family. they'd been around since the 30's when my hubby's grandparents acquired them. 

 

then they changed hands to my dad and mom in law.  mom mary had her recovered in the brown upholstery seen above. and this chair was everybody's choice @ family gatherings. cozy and comfy...her down filled cushions begged to be sat in. 

but the time in that household was met and the next chapter was to be written. so they made their way to my storage loft. that was four years ago. guess you could say i suffered from some "writers block"...as i didn't crack that story back open until recently. when i decided i had admired the photo long enough and it was time to continue the legacy.

now. slipcovers and sewing are not my strong suit. but i was referred to a gal who did excel @ this craft. i had the picture...thus vision...but needed fabric. wanted linen. but was stopped short when the gal quoted me the cost of such an indulgence. enter in the lowly pile o' canvas dropcloths.

 

 

had {3} of them that i bought for next to nothing years ago intended for another project. read enough on them to feel they would produce a casual + cozy look i wanted. and no shortage of burlap in this household.

so i gathered the goods and was on my way to the upholsterer. she was very receptive to my ramblings and notes. taking on my ideas & experimenting w/ techniques unfamiliar to her. {self flange edge here...piped here...you want the wrinkled burlap as the finished COVER on the ottoman??} i'm giggling right now @ her face. but she was a genius. and darn fast one @ that! because only a hair over a week after i dropped off everything...i got the call that she was done!

i could hardly make tracks over that direction fast enough. and when i walked in and caught a glimpse...if i could have done a cartwheel i would have done 10 of 'em. because look @ these lovely ladies cloaked in their next generation of finery sitting in the corner of our bedroom {below}

 

 

 

and because i get pretty excited about the smallest of details...here is a little closer view {below} of that "wrinkled" burlap cover. with the cutest darn ruffle trim i've ever laid eyes on! 

 

 

so you'll note this monkey did indeed "do" what i had beeing "see"ing on an inspired page for years. i still have the photo. though it is tucked away w/ the rest of the gang in the mentioned basket. because i have my very own 3-d "image" to enjoy every single day!  and i'm in no hurry to hand 'em down!

enjoy the little things, my friends! 

left to my own devices

happy monday show & tell friends! in an ongoing effort to not only be a part of this fangdangle thing called technology...but also work more efficiently...i have added a new member to my family of gidget and gizmos. i have welcomed with open arms a traveling companion...my macbook.

so far in the week i've owned it i've only "traveled" up & down the flights of stairs in our home! but i have to tell you. this little guy is a work horse just waiting to show off a wealth of power! infact the eve i brought him home seems he started "talking" to our desktop...and my iphone. sure wish they would have included me in the conversation! but as long as they are happily working together...i'm content with learning along the way.

and though i claim to be a fast learner...i still don't have a clue how to work a 1/4 of the programs on my computer! reading instructions...so not my thing. but gussying a photo. now we are talking! and when they say "there's an app for that"....they are NOT kidding. i timidly searched around for a photo editing program that can add a little zing to some of my photos straight from my phone. who then takes it upon herself to shoot it over to the computers. {now if i can only get my hubby to do tasks without prompting i'm set!} 

for now i will just provide a few happy shots i altered a bit...

a view {below} from the grounds @ my favorite local greenhouse bergen's...a gerbera daisy on it's own really needs no altering...but a vintage effect does add a bit of charm!

 

a favorite plant of mine...my white bleeding heart decided to not come back and visit me this year. now my heart really is bleeding! but before making an untimely exit...she did decide to sow some seeds. because deep in the depths of my basement recessed window well...i can now peek out to this lovely sight {below}.

 

 

and a field of pansies...{as seen again @ bergen's} almost appear to be the work of a talented painter. the colors and effects are pretty amazing i think{below}!

 

did i mention working more efficiently? because i am pretty sure i could easily be distracted by the possibilities that are waiting for me to discover! lo and behold...my "photo stream" will soon runneth over! 

and on the topic of runneth over. i am on day {4} of no running water in our master bath. the master disaster you saw the start of in my last post continues. creeping it's way to completion. because left to my own devices...i would much rather play with my gizmos. maybe i can convince them to pool their efforts into not only pushing photos around...but pushing me into project completion!? just as long as when they are "talking" amongst themselves they aren't laughing @ me in my dickies!

 

wishing you a wonderful day!

finish what {u} started

hey friends! show of hands. ever bite off more than you can chew? if you could see me right now both hands + feet would be flailing in the air! {now that's a picture!}. because i have this habit of digging into something with avengeance...often times opening the door to way more than i have intended {hoped} for. enter in a metal tower of drawers {below} that i picked up.

 

this piece was bought with the idea of being a work horse {as is}. i needed something functional + compact for storing backstock baubles for my weekends @ the cottage. the other day i decided to powerwash her unsightly drawers. they had collected a fair share of dust bunnies sitting in the garage. 

it was outside hubby's shop...in the warmth of the sun that i decided to do a "quick" redo of her overall appearance. i knew under that paint sat a steely industrial surface waiting to be found. or so i thought. turns out this girl wasn't giving up her outer layers quite as easy i had anticipated. 

 

i'm not even going to start on the process. because i...

#1. would not subject you to the chemicals + years removed from my life experimenting w/ them.

#2. i can't even recall @ this point what i did and how. {chemicals got me again!}. 

#3. you have a life to get back to and i would consume a good part of it continuing to ramble.

soooo...i was able to strip that girl down to her roots..drawers first {below}.

so now that the drawers were to steel...i wasn't satisfied with their too new sheen. leave it to me to strip something down and then add layers back to it.

part of this picture {below} isn't pretty. but i thought i'd @ least show you what happens when good intentions go bad.

 

that green sludge is the very reason i had to resort to plan b for the body of the cabinet. and kinda hard to come up with a plan B when i never had a plan A to start with!

so after i had already started stripping her frame...i decided it was back to the drawing board. or should i say box of spray paint. now. in my mind i was chanting the words to a saying i love. FAKE IT TIL YOU MAKE IT. {expect voices to appear when playing with such forms of sludge}. but i have to admit. the end result {below} is actually BETTER than i expected. can't say planned because there was no plan of action! isn't she a "beauty"??

 

 

and her drawers are a tidy as can be. labeled {below} & ready to be put to work. 

 

 

i'm feeling pretty proud of finishin' what i started. and not throwing up the white flag in defeat. though i did consider it more than once thru the process.

since i was on a roll i decided it was time to address another task. that of my bathroom vanity that was in need of a fresh coat of paint to cover a little {large actually} area of water damage. just a quick sand of the top and a coat of a quality paint and i am done right? well. no. that would hardly be worth mentioning besides the fact that very few things i tackle are quick and or easy. 

so what exactly does it look like? this very minute you ask? well...as i click away on the keyboard finding ways to avoid pandora's box that i somehow opened...this is what my master bath {below} looks like. a master disaster!

 

 

that "look" was the work of you guessed it...more chemicals. i tried convincing hubby that maybe a wood top with bits of paint would be a rustic alternative to a repaint. but he's not buying it. which means i better stop typing...and tell myself "FINISH WHAT YOU STARTED"! more on that later...{i hope!} 

hope you have a BEAUTY*FULL day!

the use of chemicals were part of this story & i like to joke a little....but just so ya know...chemicals are not something i recommend playing around with. treat 'em with the respect they call for and deserve. and better yet. maybe don't monkey with them @ all. i wanted to be clear that they are certainly not something i prefer to enlist the aid of!