bodner006

This happened. I made it for our living room from these fabulous plans on Ana-White's website . Note to self: do not use coffee table as a train. Second note to self: never put wheels on tables; kids will always use them as trains. Kids and adults, that is. ;) In her glory days Anyway, we needed a new coffee table and in a hurry. We had guests staying at the house the following week and they needed some place to drop their refreshments. Since I had to move fast, I used what I had sitting in my garage. And here she is. Yup, a piano bench. And one in very sad shape at that. This was left in the house when we bought it and I held on to it for some reason, and now it's going to make itself useful. From a wallflower piano bench to a showcase in our living room. We wanted a smaller table for the space, so the footprint of this piece was perfect. I just cut the legs down to size and added a bit longer and wider top to fit our needs. I even kept the door that hinged open so we utilize ...

You can find the first post about our inaugural gutter garden here . So, we are three months in. And now we have an update . . . . . . We still have strawberries, and they did very well, the ones that made it, that is. I had transplanted the strawberries from someone else's garden, so I blame their death on my inexperience. But we did have three harvests with our lettuce.  I've replaced many of the flowers, since they did not bloom all summer. Herbs love the gutter garden. What I've learned about our gutter garden: 1. Birds love strawberries. Make sure you cover them up with netting. 2. Not all flowers will bloom well in shallow soil. Will have to do research on better garden flowers for longer blooms next year. 3. Lettuce and herbs are the way to go. 4. If you are going away for a week in the summer, expect on coming home to a thirsty garden. 5. If you plan this with your 5 year old, yup, you'll be doing it all by yourself. Thanks for reading, Debbie

I have a dear friend, Kristy, who asked if I would help make her son's room into a shark lovers delight.  Yup, I was more than onboard. I grew up on Cape Cod when they filmed Jaws off of Martha's Vineyard Island, so I've always had a fondness for sharks (yes, I do realize it was mechanical). Oh, and it just happens to be Shark Week on the Discovery Channel. Sweet! Kristy had to have a big shark. I mean, any shark lover would pee his 6 year old pants to have a big shark in his room. I hope a four foot one will do it. Most of my ideas were born from photos I found on Google Images. I loved this image, printed it, and put it through my projector onto 1/2" plywood before tracing the shape. After cutting with a jigsaw, the painting fun began. Can't have a shark room without the shark fin, right?!? I had fun creating the waves that my husband, Tom, didn't think I needed. But I felt it would just be hanging on the wall without it being grounded in the water. Grounded ...

Meet Amelia. Looking kind of drab until she received the makeover that uncovered her true passion. (Ugh - just caught the blur that must have been on my lens.) Decided to name this piece after Lady Lindy, Amelia Earhart.  I can only imagine she would be proud to display this piece in her home.  ;) I added a bit of trim to the top and bottom to give it a bit more definition. I usually hand paint the silhouette over the base coat, but because the red is highly pigmented, the white plane was painted in the negative space.  Took lots of coats but it was worth it. Gotta love friends who pick up furniture from the side of the road knowing you will welcome it into your garage.  :)  Thanks Tina! I hope this dresser makes it's way into a child's room and reminds them to soar. Have a fabulous day, Debbie Sharing with: Shabby Nest French Country Cottage Serenity You Liz Marie  Miss Mustard Seed Funky Junk Interiors Redoux The Charm of Home Beyond the Picket Fence Find...

Summer's here.  Want another way to keep your kids active and out of your hair? It took very little funds and under 2 hours to make this goal.  And my kids LOVE it!  Follow the easy instructions below and then pour yourself an adult beverage while your kids keep themselves busy - a novel idea.  ;) I made my goal to be 51" across, 27" high and 27" deep.  I used 1" PVC pipe for this size goal; if you want a bigger goal, you may want to increase the diameter of the PVC so it's not flimsy.  You want to buy enough PVC to create all cut lengths below in the photo.  If you have a hacksaw, you can see how easy it is to cut in the second photo. Super easy to cut with a hacksaw After all your pieces are cut, use the photos below to start to put them together. (Note:  90 degree connectors are the same as "elbows".) Next combine the parts to make the photo below. Then attach the last pieces to finish the frame. Now, stand your goal upright and TA DA - your fr...

Meet Jacob. Jacob was in very nice condition (minus the drawer that I couldn't find at the time and me being too lazy to attach the mirror), but fairly boring, and I was not in a boring mood. Now Jacob holds his head up high and is loving his new duds.  He now gets second looks when he walks into the library trustees meeting. I loved the finish on the drawers, so all I did was clean them up and add some wood conditioner. The base received my own custom color of chalk paint, topped with a heavy coat of glaze.  I sealed the top with layers of polyacrylic and base with wax. The hardware was very nice, and only needed a coat of paint using this method . Jacob will have no problem charming the ladies at the weekly tea party. Have a sunny day, Debbie Sharing with: Finding Silver Pennies DIY By Design The DIY Dreamer Saavy Southern Style Not Just a Housewife Adorned From Above Cozy Little House Our Home Away From Home Kammy's Korner Knick of Time My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia A Strol...