Home Repair Minimalist

10 Reasons to Grow Herbs

10. They're easy to grow -- so easy that in some places they're considered weeds.

9. Many herbs can attract good insects to the garden (because they have a strong aroma/scent) and repel undesirable ones.

8. From appetizers to desserts, they make inspired garnishes for most dishes.

7. They'll happily take up residence in the most rocky, barren corner of your landscape and still give you a good

[ Read More ]

Pineapples and Quilts

Nope, they don’t relate to each other…just a heading…lol

I guess I’ve run out of things to post about, at least for awhile.
Nothing real interesting happening so I got to thinking of what I could take pictures of because I know you all love photos instead of long paragraphs just like me!

I looked around the house and thought of my Pineapples – one of my favorite things to decorate with although I don’t have too many and they aren’t ‘in your face’ – just a few here and there.

I really don’t know when I fell in love with these fruits as decorative accessories but they sure go hand in hand with Colonial/Primitive decorating.

The Pineapple is the symbol for Hospitality and Welcome, so that works for me….I love people, I love company, I love to entertain and I love my home, what more can I say.

My first pineapples were two that I purchased in Pennsylvania. One is on a scale in my kitchen, the other is in a round jar on my kitchen counter and it took off from there but like I said…there aren’t many.

This Pineapple is actually an ornament but I use this one in a box on my pie safe

Hard to see this one but it’s on the left side of my 2 gallon lighted jar that sit’s on my other pie safe

Just a little stuffed and stiffened Pineapple Make-Do

Wool stitched framed Pineapple

This is a Resin one I purchased at JoAnn’s many, many years ago…it measures 13 inches tall and sits on a square base…one of my favorites.

And this little one is on a long pick that I bent up to fit in this large wall basket

One of my runners I made

And last….my kitchen soffit border paper…very subtle but love, love, love it.

LET US SEE YOUR PINEAPPLES!

(Edited: A customer just sent me photos of the Chair Doilies she ordered.
Aren’t they wonderful? And they’re Pineapples…lol)

Yesterday (Thursday) we went back into Janesville to meet my Niece to pick up the quilt she made for me for our daughter in-laws birthday (which is today!) Happy Birthday Heather!

Now the pictures just don’t do justice to the colors Tina used – we both picked them out but she chose the print which I didn’t like at first when she showed me the fabric but after searching for something else it became a favorite….Tina has a good eye for working fabrics and colors together.
Guess that’s why she makes quilts and I don’t.

Up close

The backside

We’re heading up north very early in the morning for Doug’s Cousins Reunion and won’t be back till late Sunday night so i won’t be on here – no internet up there where we’re going

Have you been over to Primfills yet…oh my gosh what a fantastic website.
Jobeth has talent not only for creating but for writing…please go on over and peek at her website….it’s not just a shopping experience – you will be delighted and entertained as well.
You won’t regret your trip and visit….believe me….and if you could…why don’t you help her by posting on your blog sidebar…everyone should see her site! And if you have a website – trade links with her!

http://www.primfills.com/primfills_002.htm

Hugs, Karen

[ Read More ]

Cricut Love

I withstood the charm of the Cricut for a long time...until I started refurbishing furniture! Then I had all sorts of fun ideas for stencils I could do. I borrowed a friend's machine for my first foray into stencil-making, but eventually I found a really good deal for a used Cricut on eBay...and the best thing was, the seller lived in Hooper! I asked her if I could pick up the machine if I won, an she said "yes." That saved me about $20 in shipping charges.

Now that I have my own Cricut, I have used it to make stencils for these bar stools and this coffee table and this desk. But I think my favorite use was for this twin headboard/footboard set! I bought it for $2.50 at a Habitat for Humanity Re-Store sale.

I love birds! I'm glad I still have friends close by that I can borrow more cartridges from!

[ Read More ]

With Friends and Family!

Well remember I said that we were meeting friend of ours from AZ?
We met at our favorite restaurant for lunch – always seem to choose this one because we know we’ll get a wonderful meal.

Emily and Joe were the perfect little lady and gentleman…they greeted Mare and Jim properly – which I knew they would even without prompting. I can always count on them!
Joe brought along his #2 Harry Potter movie so they could watch it on the ride to and from.
An hour in the car each way gets a tad long when you are 10 and 12.

Here they are in the car…not sure what Joe was doing with his tongue.

Won’t bore you with detail…so here’s the gang!
We had a super wonderful hour and a half lunch and caught up with so much from the past year.

When we headed back home we stopped for gas and who should pull in as well but them! I caught Mare off guard with the camera when I realized it was their car….I think I took her by surprise when I yelled her name…

So there you have it!

It’s pouring out right now…and badly needed. The grass everywhere looks like late Summer.
We’re heading back into Janesville today to meet my Niece Tina and her husband for lunch at Applebee’s.

She made a rag quilt for me for our daughter in-laws birthday so we’re picking it up…I wish Tina would make and sell these on the web because she’s fantastic at putting the right colors together but she said she likes doing it for friends and family instead.

I’ll take a picture of it later tonight and put it in my next post.
Till then take care, stay safe and be happy

Hugs, Karen

[ Read More ]

Feeling blue...

I found this oval coffee table at Savers for a mere $5. She needed to come home with me! She had lots of dings and scratches, and I had to sand...and sand...and sand...to get rid of them! Then I used spray primer on the top, and my can had a faulty nozzle! Big drops and dribbles of primer went ALL OVER my table top. That's a big problem! Instead of a nice thing coat, I had a nice thing coat in some places, and big thick polka dots in others--and they showed. That meant I had to sand...and sand...and sand...AGAIN! I finally sprayed it all with Rustoleum's Aqua Blue spray paint, distressed it, and glazed it with walnut stain.

The fern stencil was an excuse to try out my new-to-me Cricut! I just cut it out of regular cardstock, sprayed the back with adhesive spray, and used spray paint for the stencil. Cardstock stencils work pretty good for spray paint; not so well if you're actually trying to paint with a paintbrush, I've discovered!

Anyway, I think she is pretty cute!

[ Read More ]

Cedar Chest before & after

I love cedar chests! I found this one at a garage sale for $25.

Look at those pretty legs! And a drawer!

Of course, the reason it was only $25 was that the varnish was peeling off in strips and flakes, and the veneer was partially missing on the top and coming up in other areas.

After lots of sanding, a little glue, and some caulk to hide the missing areas (shh! don't tell!), I painted it white and gave it a little distressing and glazing.

Linking up!

[ Read More ]

Desk and chair before-and-after

Remember this project? I actually listed it before I went to a family reunion for a week, so I had several calls before I could get back to sell it to someone! (That was kind of fun for me.)

One of the ladies who called wanted to know what the meaning of all the letters and numbers on the desk was! I said, "Just for fun!" She laughed and said she really wanted a plain white desk anyway.

Well, I got brave...I said, "I just happen to have another desk in my garage; I could paint it for you!" She was interested! I took pictures of the desk, e-mailed it to her, and we made a deal.

I finished the desk, e-mailed her new pictures, and she loved it! Then she said, "You don't happen to have a chair that could go with it, do you?" I thought fast. I had seen one the previous day at DI, and I wondered if it was still there. I told her I had something in mind, and I would e-mail her a new picture later that day. I went to DI, and I was in luck! The chair was still there, so I snatched it up! It's the one on the left.

....after sanding, priming, and painting--but no distressing for this client--and some sanding and cleaning of the original hardware, here is the finished product!