Patina White

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! 

a tisket...a tasket...

hey everyone! today's post is a bit of a tisket...and somewhat of a tasket. a random mix if you will of my ramblings. so here goes.

first off. i know officially it's behind us now...but i sure hope you all had a... 

 

 

mine was fabulous...spending time in the company of loved ones...

 

 

with today finding me feeling particularly....

 

...because not only was i able to spend some quality time w/ my family...but i also revisited another long awaited project...my MAKE room closet. yep. if you are a long time follower you may recall a post from...oh...a mere {2} years ago. about a closet in need of organization. 

well...i never did update you. with good reason. it never got done. and by done...i mean started! but with a little help from hubby. {ok. alot of help getting those shelves assembled.} i was off like a race horse out of the gate unearthing from the depths piles of containers that i had tucked here & there just waiting for THIS occasion. it's still a work in progress...but i am pretty proud to show off to ya the stage i am currently @ {below}.

 

lastly...but certainly not least...i'd like to send a b-day shout out to my mom*in*law {below}. this lady is one special gal...and i am happy to have her in my life! i got a great package deal when i met my hubby. his folks truly have embraced me as their own. i hope you have a wonderful birthday, mary....we love you!

 

well i'm pretty sure i've filled your "basket" with enough tiskets and taskets! and like the little card states in the photo above..everything good will come your way!

thanks for peeking & enjoy your day!

love so many ways

happy day everyone! hope this finds you enjoying all things spring-like! easter bunnies, pansies, reese's peanut butter eggs...you know...all the good stuff! well...after my last post {lengthy}...i decided to stop rambling where i did. now today finds me picking up the pieces. wait. i picked up the pieces the day i refurbished my cabinet. wood scrap pieces that is...

 

often times i challenge myself when faced with scraps from a project. why toss them when they might become something cool? so this scrap was "married" with some other scrap. from the depths of my ceiling tin pile came out an assortment of complimentary pieces that i snipped to the size of the wood cutoff. 

couldn't quite commit on what to do to accent this match made in heaven. i liked the idea of my rustic wood letters. but didn't want to permanently anchor them so as to give options for the next lucky owner. so i glued magnets to the back of the letters and now i "LOVE" it! {below}

   

 

with just a flip of the axis and a swap of the letter configuration...you will have yourself another way to show the love. {below}

 

 

and though this is a short "love" story today. i was inspired by a much longer love story. that of my grandpa + grandma - very much in love for over 50 years. their photo was a simple way of highlighting the board...minus the letters...but still a grand way of showing some love! {below}

 

 

love isn't something to keep to one's self. so if you like this cutie...she'll be waiting @ my shady hollow cottage to move into her next "loving" home. 

now i am off to the races. hard to tell what pieces i will be picking up next. very likely a peanut butter egg. because since i mentioned them...they are calling out my name. hard to ignore the fact that i love them in so many ways! 

wishing you a wonderful start to your holiday celebrations!

 

 

mother hubbard's cupboard

hey everyone! 1st off...a BIG thank you to donna @ funky junk interiors for sharing my office redo on her SATURDAY NITE SPECIAL! i am honored such a wildly talented gal thought enough of my little corner of the world to share it with her readers! and if you happen to be one of them...another happy thanks for popping by! i hope you will enjoy my ramblings + bits of shared inspirations!

for the rest of you not familiar with donna & her amazing blog...grab a cup of coffee and click the link below to see my office feature...then browse around her site to be blown away by some seriously fabulous junk creations. now if you want to stick with me on today's post. you better grab a pot of coffee. i predict a long winded story ahead. buckle up and join me!

 

 

ok. so with the shady hollow flea market starting soon...i have been full speed ahead in all things patinaWHITE.  getting the wares collected + created for memorial weekend's kick off to a summer full of fun finds @ my cottage.  

a week or so ago...i made an innocent trip to pick my mom up from the airport with no intentions of "shopping". now i said shopping. but to me..."junking" has a WHOLE different meaning. and i am always in junking mode no matter what the weather, occasion or mood. so imagine my delight when i passed an antique store with a banner in the window. 50% off. store-wide! my heart skipped a beat!

boy i knew i should have left earlier. but with my travel weary mom soon to be landing...i drove right by. determined to be the good daughter and not leave her standing alone @ the gate. {though the thought did cross my mind...kidding!} 

well turns out her flight was an hour late {figures!} and as i flitted around the airport with 50% off store-wide on my mind...i could hardly grab her fast enough when she arrived and toss that luggage into my car. but we did find the time for a quick bit of nourishment. because a growling stomach not only is distracting...but makes me somewhat owly. 

before the food hit our stomachs we were out the door and on the road. i had already prepped her on what waited ahead. she agreed...likely because she knew it wasn't up for negotiation.

so upon entering the door of much anticipated sale...i saw this cabinet base {below}. and knew with the onset of shady hollow i was in the market for a few "new fixtures"...translation..."primitive cupboards".

 

they are getting harder to find. especially in that "patinaWHITE" look that was the foundation for my business! now. this honey met the criteria.

price point. BARGAIN! 50% off...hello?!

size. check.

color. check check. 

condition. well. three out of four isn't bad. 

even ma...who is usually open minded to my visions looked @ my find and noted..."well...the top is nice". because mother hubbard's cupboard was bare. missing paint on {1} side {below}

 

+ missing the paint on the other. oh wait! it was missing the entire side! 

 

projects like this call for my uniform of choice. so out came the dickies. and on to my workstation i go. digging out remnants of wood that i {w/ hubby's help} rip down on the table saw. i then had to cut out the braces on the "empty" side...relocating them to allow the wood to sit flush with that "nice top". once these steps were taken it was time for paint. 

and not your run*of*the*mill slap on the white paint and sand it off type of finish. oh no. that'd be too easy. this beauty was showing her age. and aged she had! time to pull of the big guns. or should i say heat gun?? {below}

 

i used about every trick i had + even a few new ones perfecting a technique to "heavily" distress the bare naked wood sides. if i get my act together i hope to do a post about it. because mom taught me it is nice to share. and this may help some of you out!

phew! are you with me? this did get long. but don't say i didn't warn you! there is more to the story. but i will stop today with one happy ending. a whole bag of rabbits later this is the side {below} that originally had bare wood planks.

 

and this side {below} was the side that was just plain 'ol bare. no side @ all to start with! a little wood and alot of "aging" i think it's hard to tell the difference between what was and what now is...heavily distressed!

 

so mother hubbard's cupboard is no longer "bare". unless, of course, you take into consideration it isn't yet enlisted to house some fun goodies! and just when will those goodies become available? well...ask no more! i made up a post-it {below} with the official launch weekend. be sure to save the date if you are in my neighborhood! please give the calendar a click to be whisked off to my website for more dates + details!

 

again...i sure appreciate all the recent visitors. i hope you continue to find inspiration here to bring a little bit of happy to your day! i value EVERYONES comments & questions and will do my darndest to get back to you asap if you sent an inquiry my way! 

now i must go to the cupboard and get me a bone. i am starting to hear my stomach growl again! 

have yourself a fantastic day!

 

 

buying some time

hey friends! since i am a little short on it. and it flies by. i am going to buy some time with a post of tried and true photos of show & tell past.

for those of you that haven't seen 'em. enjoy! and to you wonderful folks who have been tagging along w/ me for awhile...well..there's no time like the present for a good re-run! no need for a snooze button. somethings just get better with time. though you may tire of my "theme" before i'm thru!

 

so. i'm a big fan of clocks. and this one i made {below} for our mantle was officially the 1st piece of decor i added to our home even before the building was complete. and i don't see it going anywhere anytime soon.

 

 

we built our home {7} years ago. oh boy how...

during the construction process...i had a book full of wishes + sketches. high on the list was a full functioning entryway. so i was tickled that one wall in said entry lent itself to a family coatrack {below}. a spot each for hubby & i + our sweet girl, louie, has a leash spot {though i admit it's seen it's share of purses...and not her's either}...there's even an overflow spot for guest coats. {more purses}.

 

 

moving on from our home...let's get down to business. my business actually. and who can forget an all time favorite patinaWHITE staple? my wire "junk" wreaths {below} never stick around long at my shows. don't wait to grab one. tick tock...tick tock...you may have to wait til the next time i have them on-hand! 

 

and because...

...i best get back to my many projects @ hand. 

today's post has me wondering what price tag one could put on buying time? chances are pretty good there isn't a banker out there willing to finance that one for me! 

until next time! make it a great day everyone!