bodner006

Meet Tyler. Daniel never applied himself in school, like many a young boy.  It was only as he matured, he realized just how important those formative school years were.  He vowed he would make sure his kids took full advantage of their education. He created an after-school cribbage club where he taught many children how to play a game they could play with their grandparents. He was also the guy that would volunteer for the dunk tank at the Spring Fling Festival. And he read aloud to his kids, which they loved, because he used different voices for each character.  That is something they will always remember about their Dad. I wanted to add some "fun"ctionality to this piece.  So I used some chalkboard paint for the top, drawer fronts, and the inside back of the desk.  The alphabet was hand painted on the top as well.  Can't you just see a youngster practicing their letters on the top?  Daniel would be so proud. I went with a sweet vintage yellow which s...

Meet William. William has been a hard working member of his family for many years.  And the wear has shown.  It was time for a face-lift. William was that kid that everyone liked.  It probably didn't hurt that he was the best linebacker his high school has seen in decades.  Or that he lead the Debate team.  He crossed all those lines; from geeks to jocks. After attending Clemson and receiving an engineering degree, he worked for the government and retired comfortably at an age where he could enjoy his grandkids.  He loves to take them out on his 37 foot sailboat. It wasn't easy getting William in peak condition.  I knew I wanted a wood top, but after carefully checking it out, I could see it was a wood veneer and not in great shape. There was just too much damage.  So I crossed my fingers and scraped it off.  Hours and hours of scraping.  No need for the gym that day. I'm super happy what I discovered underneath.   I also saw i...

I have a friend that is renovating her living and dining room into a beachy retreat.  I am living through her transformation.  Loving the color choices, the planked walls, the white mantel.  If I'm not renovating myself, I'm a barnacle on my poor friends who are.  :) Well, I offered to make her a sign to go with her new look.  And of course I like to use found objects, or re-use ones from another purpose.  I had a small butcher block table top that fit the bill.  Add a few shells, and you've got yourself a little something. I like the idea of using the thick, heavy top.  Perhaps my demented view of driftwood.  My friend gave me the quote and off to the races I went. The quote was found on Pinterest and it fit exactly with how she feels about the beach. I wanted a border and felt some waves were in order. A beachy sign is not beachy unless it is distressed and weathered. Tabletops are a great place to add some signage.  Get out there and ...

Fiona was a shy girl.  So much so, that when people talked about her, that would be the first thing they would remember.  "She's that shy girl, right?!?" Not anymore. Maybe it was going off to Smith College, where she started to feel comfortable in her own skin. Perhaps it was the two years of roller derby where she was hailed as Punky Bruiser. Or maybe it was just settling into life, doing what she loves, hanging with real people, and being happy. I'm a little late to the party, but I had to paint something emerald as it's Pantone's 2013 color of the year.  I do love the pop of color it would give to any room.  And it looks particularly handsome paired with the wood top. Fiona will be at Robin's Egg a little later this week, looking for her new home. Have a fabulous day, Debbie Sharing with: No Minimalist Here Not Just a Housewife The Happy Housie My Romantic Home French Country Cottage Common Ground The Charm of Home C raftberry Bush Miss Mustard Seed Th...

I have a lot of scraps.  You know, the cut ends of wood that you end up kicking around the floor.  Mine were piling up and they made me kind of sad. Heck, I sell under the name, The Reclaimed Life, so I had to give them another purpose. I took some random discarded pieces of pallet wood to make this lovely doggie: I used some old weathered scraps to make this fun fishy: I love this moose and I'm keeping him all to myself: Kind of seeing a theme here?!?  Well, I do live in New Hampshire where we love our dogs, fish and moose.  And it wouldn't be New Hampshire without a bear or two: I used much smaller scraps to make these bears. You can make your own "scrap animal" too.  I stayed with my New England theme, but you can choose any animal, or object, you like.  Stay with a silhouette you would find easy to cut with a jigsaw. I used my Silhouette Cameo program, but you can just put the outline of your object in photo editing software or a word processing documen...

The little girl was turning 5.  FIVE?!?  When did that happen?  I think I say that every year. Well, she wanted a mermaid party.  Luckily, it didn't take a lot of convincing that her male friends would prefer to be pirates rather than mermen.  So, I started by compiling a list of ideas on a board in Pinterest .  This is the best way for me as I can get a little scattered. The tails were made using bright colored towels from Target.  They were cut to shape, stitched a design in the tail and added ribbon so they can be wrapped around our mermaid's waist.  The girls also got sparkly crowns and necklaces made from shells that the birthday girl and I picked from the beaches of Cape Cod. The boys had eye patches and skull caps.  I thought about swords . . . . for about three seconds.  That was an easy no. We had to have a "Walk Da Plank".  .  . . . . . a treasure hunt . . . .   . . . and mermaid manicures. Haley is obsessed...