Out with the old...In with the new

 Well, that may be true for most people, however I'm more inclined to bring in the old...I keep thinking that some day I will tire of these old things, but so far that is not the case. My idea of a great time is to dig around in old barns and  flea markets for stuff that has been abandoned by their previous owners. Sometimes I try to figure out new ways to use them and sometimes I just like to enjoy them just as they are and try to imagine the stories they could tell,you know, if they could talk.

My pile of "TO DO" has turned into a pile of "DONE"...as you can see I have a new can of paint...Well, have I ever had fun with this color.. and it's not even close to being red...

 I had some pages from old magazines and church song books so I lined the drawers with those..should have taken a picture, I know. I'm in the process of papering the back of this desk with the same pages, just in case it has to be free standing...got to make the back look good too.

This carved Robin landed on this painted glass and is quite happy, hum, looks like Spring to me. Wishful thinking...

 My second Make Do chair...this isn't going to the shop it has a home at my sisters...hope she likes it.

 Tim made this child sized shabby chic bench...great for kids or at the foot of the bed to hold extra quilts or an old doll.  Could be used on a covered porch in the summer,too.

Well, that is all for now...So

From my porch to yours...

Have a blessed and happy new  year...the best is yet to come

Let your light shine before men....

Suitcases...They're not just for traveling...

Well, Christmas is just a few days away, so, Merry Christmas to all of you. I love this time of year, regardless of what the world says, it's Christ's birthday , or at least the time chosen to celebrate His birth. Thank you God for sending us your Son to be our Savior. That is truly the greatest gift of all, salvation and eternal life . " John 3:16  For God so loved the world that He gave  His only begotten Son; that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

This will be my last post of 2014,not a lot to say and just a few pictures to share.

 Just an ordinary suitcase....clean and no funky smells, I sprayed with Lavender scent anyway.

 I painted it a Turquoise color and aged it just a bit...

 This is how I see it being used ...

But, would be great for sleepovers at Grandmas house...

Although this isn't a suitcase it is a case of sorts so I chose to include it...it was an ordinary briefcase,
I covered it in doilies and old papers, added some old keys and other hardware lined the inside with some matching paper and as a final ,I think, step I added an old picture to the back...didn't get a picture of that cause it is still drying. Will try to show the back in my next post.

Well, these have been fun to work on, they won't go to the shop till after the new year.

So, frommy porch to yours...

Have a blessed Christmas...

Here's What's Happening...

Well time has just been flying by...a lot of things have happened and I won't go into detail now but I have a few projects to show. My pile of "things to do" is getting noticeable  smaller so I'm on the search for "new" old things to recreate.

 As I've said in the past, "I love old shoes" I fond a pair of sweet baby shoes on Etsy and ordered them, when they came there were three shoes in the box, the note inside said she didn't know where the other shoe was and she hoped I could find some use for it. Well, this is what I finally did with it.

 I think this would be so cute hung on the door of a small child's room, change out the flowers and it can be used all year long. A battery operated candle could hung on the frame or stuck in the shoe its self.

 And this dresser is a real beauty...it is very old and was very dingy and dull, sorry, I could not find any before pictures but I'm sure you've seen old dressers before. well this is the updated model.

 We did a few cosmetic fixes but not a whole lot, there was no musty smell and that is a plus, her drawers were in good shape, mostly, just needed a little fixing, that job fell to Tim. He is so good at that. The pic above is a close up of the design that is on the front of the two lover drawers, part of the design in the middle was missing so I just took the rest off and the imprint still shows ...love that

 I found new drawer pulls  and before  adding them we filled the old holes and drilled new ones that were closer together. This made opening of the lower drawers so much easier.

This project is a wrap and tomorrow will be in the shop. maybe she will be a Christmas gift for some lucky lady. Just a side note, I think this would make a super cute buffet in the dining room, what do you think?

That's all for now...

From my porch to yours...

Have a Blessed week...

It's beginning....

We have a lot of snow on the ground and it looks like we are in for more...I guess Winter is here. I've been busy in the workshop...some of the items are already in the shop but here are the pictures of those waiting to be transported.

Just in case I forget what's going on outside ....this reminds me.

 These are the only snowmen I make ...they last longer and I stay warm...

This is my Dad's rocker...he would sit in it when he got tired working at the garden, the bird house is one he made for me forty years ago, it's not fancy but it is functional. I plan on using it on the front porch in a purely decorative manor. For Christmas I'm thinking of using a galvanized bucket filled with natural greens and sit it in a grapevine wreath.

 These items have been taken to the shop in Grayling for the 37th. annual Christmas walk, which, by the way, started the year we moved up here...

 I  think I may have missed one or two  years of walking the walk, last year I stayed at the booth because my knee was acting up and I couldn't walk for very long.  This year I was at the booth for a while then my family and I walked the whole walk...it was a beautiful and cold night but I was warmed by having my family around me.  There were 12 of us and we managed to stay together most of the time, it was a fun night.

So, I finished the floor cloth that I was working on and  I'm considering putting it in one of the booth to see if there is any interest in this sort of thing. I love mine and have had no problems with them, I have wood floors and they stay where I put them, they are easy to keep clean and add a touch of color to the area where they are used . I will let you know if I am bombarded with orders for floor clothes.

Well, I guess I've rambled on for long enough so I calling this the end of this post.

Have a blessed weekend...

From my porch to yours...

Seasons...

I'm really not the kind that likes to skip Thanksgiving and jump into "The Christmas Season"... but, if I want to sell my stuff I have to have it out there early, so I will be posting a few pictures of Winter/Christmas decorations. Here's the first.

My version of a shabby chic sled....
                                                            ...and a shabby chic lamp...wish you could see the shadows this lamp casts on the ceiling and walls.

 Sorry about all the clutter in the picture.

                                                               
These are on their way out the door to find new homes...hopefully, soon.   

                                                        My tin angel has found a new resting place in the front hall...not sure how long she will stay there but I enjoy seeing her as I pass by during the day,

 The flameless candle is on a timer and shuts off after six hours...I really like that.

Well, that's all for this time...

From my Porch to Yours...

Have a blessed week.

As Time Goes By...

Well, Summer is gone and Autumn is swiftly taking over, many of the leaver have fallen and there is a bite in the air. There are many things that I love about Autumn but just knowing what follows takes away a little of the joy. However, there are a few Antique and Folk Art shows that take away the sting of approaching Winter.

I have had a busy Summer and am having a busy Autumn I don't have a lot of pictures to post  but will post the few that I do have.

 The picture above is an old Vernor's pop crate that I added legs to stuck a small lamp inside and it lights up the hall corner quite nicely.

 I found some beautiful leaves and waxed them to add to the Sunflower heads I have in a small wooden bowl. I hope to plant the seeds next Spring and have a plethora of Sunflowers in my side yard...we'll see how that works out.

This china cabinet is patiently waiting for its chance to shine in my booth, but it is sooooooo heavy  I'm not sure it will make it down there. Maybe I will have to have an in house sale...hummmm, I'll have to think about that.

Well, that's all for this time...

So, from my porch to yours...

Have a blessed week.



 P.S.  These are a few of the treasures I brought back from Indiana...there was a really fun antiques store there...could have spent 1/2 a day there.

Great is His faithfulness...

I am going to start this blog with a scripture verse instead of ending with one. Song of Solomon 2: 11 & 12 For,lo the winter is passed; the rain is over and gone, the flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle (turtledove) is heard in our land;                                                 
I was working in my garden today, pulling weeds and spreading mulch, it was chilly and we had had a few snow showers earlier in the day, the birds, however, were singing and flitting about , searching for things to feather their nest with. So, this verse came to my mind and I wanted to share it with my friends. It doesn't have  anything to do with my blog but it has everything to do with my day.

I don't have a lot of pictures to post, not because I haven't been busy but because I didn't take any pics to share and I've taken a lot of stuff to the shop, so here is what is in the workroom waiting to be delivered to the shop.

 Well, this isn't going to the shop...I just wanted to share the thought... and

 This  is staying right where it is, in the center of my table...I was able to pick some flowers from my garden, so, I guess the verse did have something to do with my post after all...

 This is the last of my shudders, I will be taking it to the shop this afternoon...

 And this little shelf/console table was MaCgyvered out of a leaf from table and the inside of a writing desk...we married them together and painted and now it is ready to be sold , hopefully. I never know if my concoctions will go over or not...I love it when they do.

Well, that's all for this time...

So, from my porch to yours...

Have a blessed week...

Trash to Treasure...

By no means do I think that this piece is going to be around for 100 years, but it won't be spending 100 years decaying in some junk yard. I love to take pieces that most people wouldn't look twice at and convert them into pseudo antiques. I know I'm not alone in feeling like this, there are so many more out there than I ever thought. I have recently found a group that feel like I do, and I was surprised to see how young many of them were. They were born in the era of disposable everything, yet they have the soul of yesteryear. I'm not sure how this happens but someone must have influenced them along the way. Maybe a mom, aunt, or friend, and I am so excited to see this. Well, enough chatter, now some before and after pictures and a few redo's 

 We found this little dresser at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore Store, Tim had to do a lot of reconstructive surgery to get it in shape for me to apply the finishes that make it look like it has been around for quite a while.

 Tim built the top and attached it to the base, he also had to tear off the sides and do some rebuilding  to the under structure and then he applied tongue and groove panel strips to the sides.

                                                            ALMOST FINISHED...

                                                                FINALLY DONE....

                    Soon to be taken to the shop and hopefully sold quickly because I have a stack of furniture that needs some TLC.

Just a little Spring redo for the house, because it's still too cold to do much in the garden...

Well, that's all for this time...

So from my porch to yours...

Have a blessed week.