Great product - new kitchen

Most of my adult life I've had a yellow or cream kitchen...I cook better in a yellow or cream kitchen.  The food looks better in a yellow or cream kitchen and it even tastes better in a yellow or cream kitchen... Only twice in 60+ years have I varied.  Once I painted my kitchen pink which did not last long... It was pepto bismal pink and horrid..

And about 35 years ago I painted it a minty green thinking it would be soothing... It was at the time I was upgrading my cabinets with new doors and getting new counter tops for which I also chose a minty green formica.  I soon hated a minty green kitchen and went back to either yellow or creams... But I was stuck with those minty green counters all those years.



So I was thinking when we were on the cruise that I would try to paint the counter tops and found this product on Amazon.

I thought I would try it and if I didn't like it I would paint sunflowers all over the counter instead.  But I was definitely not looking at those minty green counters one more summer.

I corralled DH into helping to tape off all the edges which was the most time consuming part of the whole process.  The first step was painting it all with black primer and DH was really worried at that point..  Probably rightly so as over the years I have had some not-so-great ideas.





Well it turned out so much better than I even dreamed it could.  The lighting in this picture does not do it justice. There were 3 steps.  The first step was the primer which had to dry 8 hours, then the sponging of three colors which had to dry 4 hours and then the top coat and let it dry 8 hours. It will take a couple weeks to really "cure."  So in a couple days my kitchen looks brand new.

It is really this color. Granted it is not real granite! ...and not as durable but it is breathtaking.  I always use vinegar on my kitchen counters and they advise vinegar or other harsh cleaners not to be used on this surface.  I can do that! And if I do accidentally damage a spot I will paint a sunflower on it.

Repurposed!

This week I have been continually searching for things and in the process finding things long forgotten...  One was this old needle book. I always loved the bakelite rose button...perfect for the clasp.

 It was too large to carry in my sewing bag so it was shelved and yesterday I repurposed it into a journal cover....perfect!












Below is both front and back....

PERFECT! PERFECT! PERFECT!

SOMEBODY SHOULD PATENT THIS!!!  I blogged for a year about how I love having my threads on rings like JMB but I wanted ALL at hand where ever I was stitching in the house.  Recent I blogged about how I converted a revolving shoe rack into a thread merry-go-round. (http://olderrose.blogspot.com/2014/09/could-i-be-more-hoop-happy.html BUT it was a little shorter than I liked... so back to the barn this morning.  With an old broom handle and a couple cotter pins, it is now a perfect height.  I also added some plastic to the bottom of the basket to store tools in use... and a ring at the top to move it about...  It is so wonderful that I'm doing a "happy hoop dance!"

Could I be more "hoop happy?"

 

Well maybe a little.  I have raved on and on how happy I am with my threads on hoops hanging on the door... But as I was stitching the other day I was thinking it would be even more perfect if they were all on a revolving rack at my side...  My first thought was a revolving tie rack I could mount on a stand but they were not large enough around to hold many rings. 

Since we worked booths at flower shows for years and years I have a small room in the barn filled with a variety of display fixtures and this is what I ended up with. 

I would like it a bit taller and the basket to have a bottom but it is workable.  I will see what I can do to tweet it to my needs.

Originally it was a shoe display rack and looked something like this, but only three baskets.  I had put bottoms in the baskets and used it to display small items.   I took off all the baskets except a large one. 

This is what would be absolutely perfect. It is a hankerchief or scarf rack.  The diameter is large and the height is adjustable...  But it is $60 plus $20 for shipping so I will (as usual) work with what I find in the barn for free and recycle and upcycle.  Plus I will keep an eye out when I am thrifting!

I'll be thinking on it while I'm winding down the garden and overseeing the "limbing up" of my forest to reduce fire danger.

Whatta ya think???

 

Found a few extra crocheted things in the barn....Had  this work stool!

Saw this this ....hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

 

Now I also have this handy little folding stool perfect for my featherweight because it tucks under nicely....BUT TURQUOISE  PLASTIC!!!  Back to the barn!

If money were no object!!

Our old worn sectional couch had to go and I looked at thrift store and on Craigslist for something to replace it...  But everything now is so huge and overstuffed and totally inappropriate for our old house....  So I finally settled on a used sofa with a Victorian look for the end of the room... Now there was nothing for the dogs to sit on to look out the window and this would never do. 

Of course something like this old chaise would be perfect except for the price..

 

Then I ran across a "Victorian sitting bench"....arms on both ends and no back..... perfect except for the price.

So when I ran across this I knew I could make a Victorian sitting bench that would be perfect for the dogs and  off I went to the barn to find 2 old wooden folding chairs that had been destined to be returned to the thrift store from whence they came years ago....

Stay tuned..... to see these chairs transformed for Morris and Molly to watch the birds again.....

 

 

UPCYCLE -Sparkles and red to boot!!!

Red is my most favorite color and you would only have to look at my closet to know that. It's always a mood elevator for me. Yesterday my dear friend (and my driver) took me to a thrift store in a neighboring town and I found this precious necklace.

Beside the red glass beads there is a lot of intricate enamel work.  Even though I fell in love with it I immediately realized it was much to delicate for my ample bosom as I am a woman of substance.

So when I got home I went to my stash of red and sparkly   jewelry bits and parts.  The very first thing I'll do is mount the pendant on a larger piece of filigree to give it some weight. I love the pendant on the filigree but it overwhelms the rest..

So I'll enhance the other parts from my stash.  I've been wanting to use this large red stone in this brooch for some time and I think the bracelet parts will be perfect....maybe some heavier chain ...a fun challenge for sure

Then I looked on Etsy and found two pair of vintage earrings that will be perfect..

Shirring from thrift-store pillow sham.

I salvaged the shirring and some fabric from a fancy, thrift-store pillow sham and used it to trim out this block... The block was from an old round robin (seams only) from 4-5 years ago..  I did a lot of fine tuning on it last summer and finally got it finished in style..  I'll hang it in the needlework shop... I think it turned out great.  Some of the fancy pillow shams at the thrift store have lovely fabrics and trims..

Market cart in new trimmings

Remember a while back when I showed you my market cart that I'm using to haul supplies to my CQ classes? (on the left)  Well look at it on the right all decked out in its new liner...  Whatta ya think, Susie W.?

There was a cart on the internet that I admired that had a leather tool belt attached for pockets... I didn't want to appropriate my only leather tool belt, but I did have two canvas carpenter aprons....both equally grungy.  I soaked one in detergent and Oxyclean overnight and it came out well enough... I thought about buying a new one but this is a NO$$$ (from the barn) project.

This one has ten pockets of various sizes and I'm going to add a little lace trim to the pockets to finish it off...

It's nice to cross something off my list that wasn't even supposed to be on my list.

Want to take a walk to the barn?

DH was looking for his favorite paring knife this morning and accused me of throwing it away..  If it wouldn't have been so difficult to get up again, I'd fallen to the floor laughing.... I NEVER throw anything away.  Now that I've decided to do the front door I am going to need some impressive lumber to do a frame around it and of course if I'm doing the door I will need to do a frame around the entry porch... So I decided to poke around the garden and barn this morning to see what is salvageable. What I do know is:

• I will need several days for this project
• DH must be out of town
• It must be warm enough to take the door off its hinges.
• I have VERY limited funds most of which need to go for paint.

In the big sewing room in the barn (formally the tea room) there are about 40-50 feet of shelf around two walls. They  are wonderful 2x10s.  I would need a strong body to help me get them down as they are about 10ft  above the floor and I have promised DH and my doctor to stay off ladders. I was much younger when I put the shelves up and used a pulley and a 12' ladder.

I was thinking of some birds I carved for a bench and thought they might be suitable for over the entry to the porch...I knew the bench had since collapsed and found the birds were in pretty bad shape..  But I do have this faux thing over a window in the barn shop which I will repaint and use.   How many people do you know who have lace curtains on their barn window...?

And speaking of doors... Remember when I had an emotional meltdown over a door...  Well the replacement door (not nearly as nice) and is still sitting there on sawhorses.  Wouldn't it be nice if I could find the perfect use for this door this summer...?

Something else from the barn upcycled!!

While teaching the crazy quilting workshops I find it necessary to haul about 7-8 totes.  I have supplies for the day's activities, plus the laptop with a slide presentation, related books and lots and lots of samples of my needlework, and essentials things for my own use such as camera, notebooks, etc.   Getting it all to the car and then into the shop was a battle...

 Also I needed something elevated to set the laptop on so everyone could see it...something the height of a bar stool... a folding bar stool for easy transport?  Maybe a folding bar stool on wheels??? So in searching through the barn I came upon  vintage folding carts and if I put a cake rack across the top of one, it was just about the right height...  I could use it for the laptop AND to haul all my totes as well...and get to the car and into the shop in one trip.
I used to use mine to haul trees and shrubs around the garden to transplant. I have two ...this one with larger wheels which is my favorite.

Last winter when I visited Susie in California she took me to the humongous flea market at the Rose Bowl...There were people everywhere pulling these vintage carts.  I was amazed because I never see them in thrift stores any more.When I did a search on Google I found they are now actually referred to as "flea market carts"  I also saw lots of them for sale with fancy little liners which would be easy to do.

But the one I liked the best not only had a liner, it had the pockets and a tool belt... The liner would be nice because the metal wires are quite widely spaced and things can and do fall through the sides and bottom.    I think I definitely need to do this..
Is this cool or what?.