Sofa table make-over

I found this small sofa table at DI a few days ago. I loved the pretty spiral legs and the drawer, but I hated its funky turned-out feet! Naturally, I didn't remember to take a true "before" picture, so you'll have to put the pieces together in your head!

By the way, this was the first project I used my miter saw on! It only took me a month to work up to it!

The cherry finish was very dated.

Here are the feet! Imagine them all turned outward, and then imagine that the bottom shelf was something like nine inches off the floor--trust me, it looked weird! They had to go.

Here it is after white paint and a dark brown glaze!

It's sitting in our front room at the moment. My daughter wants to keep it, and I'm thinking it looks pretty good there myself...

...but my husband calls anything in the entry hall a "fire hazard."

This table is available for $75.

[ Read More ]

So happy together

The chairs for the Pseudo-Farmhouse Table are all together at last! (You saw them separately here and here.)


The new owner seems to be very happy. She hadn't seen the last two chairs at all until I brought them over today.


Now she's all set for Thanksgiving dinner!

Here's another of her little projects that I haven't shown you yet. She got this little pine hutch several years ago as a gift from her husband and children. It was just plain, unfinished wood, and she thought a little color would be nice.

This was finished in oregano green with a black glaze over all.


Isn't it fun?

[ Read More ]

Using and Growing Lemon Eucalyptus

Lemon eucalyptus (Eucalyptus citriodora) has a scent similar to that of lemon verbena, lemon balm and even lemon thyme, but the fragrance is stronger and more pungent. It isn't a typical herb, though. It's really a tree in the eucalyptus family that can grow large - very large (60 feet and sometimes a lot taller). It's only hardy outdoors year round in zones 9 and higher.

Because it can grow

[ Read More ]

Amish Fiction – oh how I love it!

Now I’m not sure how many of you saw my post on APP forum about my ‘love’ of reading Amish Fiction…well if you didn’t read it here's my passion  -  and I’m amazed to find so many out there that love them too…I have quite a large library of the books and I keep adding to it.

Amish Fiction books are so heartwarming, a learning lesson in their culture
(because everything is researched and not published unless it's fact - except for the
story line itself...that's fiction), great characters, and just plain entertaining.

I have been a huge fan of the Amish culture for over 30 years...we visit Lancaster, PA a couple times a year (more when we can) and love our drives in the country seeing their beautifully kept home settings and just seeing them out in their buggies.

We do not stare, or think they are a spectacle to be watched, nor do we take pictures of them, we do not disrespect their lifestyle...WE SIMPLY LOVE IT AND ARE AWED by their simple (yet hard) way of life....and hard as it is...it is real and for the most part, they are a close knit community.

My favorite authors are:
Beverly Lewis
Wanda Brunstetter
Cindy Woodsmall
(you must read Sister's of the Quilt series  by Cindy -
my husband even like listening to the audios of this series)
BJ Hoff
Shelley Shepard Gray
Kim Vogel Sawyer
Beth Wiseman
Kathleen Fuller
Linda Byler
Jerry S. Eicher
Amy Clipston

I order them from:  Christian Books .com   I typed in the words ‘Amish Fiction’ when I first started searching a few years ago and all the authors books came up.
Here’s the link:  http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/easy_find?Ntt=amish+fiction&N=0&Ntk=keywords&action=Search&Ne=0&event=ESRCN&nav_search=1&cms=1

And here's my collection

 

 
This one I’m reading right now from the library

All that being said...these books take me into their lives and community and I read until my eyes blur.

My first series was ABRAM'S  DAUGHTERS
a set of 5 in the series and I was hooked.
I get about 2-3 books a month and read them quickly...also I have been ordering the
audio's as well and listen to them on our travels.

I know I've gone on here - well I just can't say enough about the Amish books...
my daughter in-law has even started getting interested in them.

I just finished listening to Indiana Cousins audios I  got from the library
    

I was at Barnes & Nobles yesterday and bought 3 Amish books!

I thought as long as I was buying Book 1, I might as well get book 2 and 3 to complete the trilogy.
It's called THE ADAMS COUNTY TRILOGY by Jerry S. Eicher
I've read his books before and they are good too...
They Trilogy has….
Rebecca's Promise
Rebecca's Return
Rebecca's Choice

Do ya think these are about REBECCA?????

It will give me something to read when we travel to Lancaster a week from today!
I have the audio’s of Abram’s Daughters on order from Christian Books but they have been on back order forever…was hoping they would be here in time to listen to on the trip.

I was hoping to have some pretties to share with you today
but I don’t so you will have to be happy with my books!

Karen

[ Read More ]

The last two chairs!

The sweet lady who bought the Pseudo-Farmhouse Table wanted a total of eight chairs. Since she only had three to begin with, I have been hunting for the past couple of weeks to find five more! I finished and delivered six of the chairs by last week. For chairs #7 and #8, she wanted armchairs. I was lucky enough to spot a pair at Deseret Industries one week--but I didn't have her approval yet! I e-mailed her and waited anxiously for her response, as you never know how quickly things will move at DI!

She said "go for it."

I went back to DI. One of the chairs was marked as sold!

I was so disappointed.

I went back the next day--the chairs were still there! But one was still marked as sold. At DI, you only have so long to pick up an item, so I wondered if someone had just ripped the tags off.

So I went back.

Both chairs are there, but this time BOTH are marked as sold! Augghh!

But I didn't give up hope yet. On Monday morning, I went back again, and there were both chairs, newly tagged! I giggled fiendishly to myself, and ran to the checkout line!

Here they are! Do you see what I saw in them?


The finish was peeling off the backs and arms, but the cushions were in remarkably good shape. I peeked underneath, and found that they were manufactured by Basset. Score!



These chairs got the same treatment as all the others--heirloom white paint, followed by a glazing with walnut stain. A trip to Hancock Fabrics had me falling in love with a lovely gold-and-ivory floral fabric (the gold color was requested to pull out gold tones in the adjacent family room).

So here is the lovely AFTER.


I think these will look lovely with everything else! And they are pretty enough to be tucked into the master bedroom as sitting chairs when they are not needed.

[ Read More ]

More barstools - I may have a problem

I am supposed to be looking for a wrought-iron barstool for a friend of mine. I haven't found one yet. But when I saw these two barstools at DI (kind of a Utah Goodwill), they needed to come home with me.

No, I didn't remember to take "before" pictures. Again. But they were solid black (I added the white brushing on the flowers), and had nasty dirty tan seats.





I like them better now!





This set of two bar stools is going to my sister!

[ Read More ]

Chunky barstools

A couple of weeks ago my husband was sure he needed to go with me to garage sales. I have to say, I don't think he was feelin' the love when it was all over! I'm sure he had no idea what I saw in these barstools!


But hey, they were solid wood, and CHUNKY! Never mind the fact that one seat had two cracks, they were nicked and dinged, and very uneven on the floor!

I sent a picture to a friend of mine, and we both agreed they were just crying out to be black and distressed. I remember when I started spraying with my handy-dandy Critter siphon gun, and the black was going on, I was thinking, "Oh, yeah, baby!" It was perfect.


I sanded the edges and some of the dings and scratches. They look well-loved. I also installed leveling glides, and I'm a huge fan of those now! Here's how they look in my friend's house!


She only wishes there had been three!

Linking up!

[ Read More ]