Wooden Bird Box

 

I’ve had this wooden box for a while now and knew I wanted to do something with it but wasn’t sure what…

I had picked it up in a garage sale for a few dollars. It’s really quite simply made and it wouldn’t be hard to make one, I think. If I’m correct these types of boxes were used to store cheese in, in the old days.

This one will probably be a catch-all on our coffee table for now. ( I’ll stick with keeping our cheese in the fridge )

I knew I wanted to paint a picture on the lid. I thought about words along the side but skipped that. I was afraid it would look too busy. Since I added some green accents to our living room, I went ahead and painted the lid and the bottom strip green. (old hiedleberg) The main base part I painted white.

 

I found this neat clipart on Microsoft word that really caught my attention..

I cropped the two branches and the flying bird and enlarged them and printed it out.

I used the least color possible to save my ink, as long as I could see the outline to trace it. I arranged it on the lid to see what angle would look best. I then used carbon paper to transfer.

As you can see, the carbon paper does get smudged some, but it’s easily wiped off with a damp cloth.

The next step was painting it…

I did kind of like this look of not distressing it but of course, I couldn’t contain myself and grabbed my sander and stain to give it an aged look…

I applied the stain with a cloth after sanding.

I think I’ll add a wooden knob in the center of the lid for easy opening, but for now this will do!

Have a great week everyone!

Photo Shadow Box

 

I’m always drawn to old windows. Not only do I simply like the look of them but I often wonder what their story is? Who all looked through them and what did they see? How many wishes upon a star were made through them? Or how many saw a loved one for the last time through an old window? Being a lover of the great outdoors, I could never have too many windows in my home. They do bring the outside in. For me, looking through a window brings joy to my heart. It’s where I spot the first Phoebe in the springtime. Or where I can watch a mother robin feed her young from atop the pergola. Sitting inside a window during the winter and watching snowflakes lazily falling from the sky while sipping a cup of hot chocolate can never be beat. Or watching a nice spring rain come down, turning everything greener by the minute…

Anyway, back to the subject at hand… I snagged a cute window at a local antique mall for a cool price…

It measures around 26”x18”. I took it out to the shop and pinned some sides to it and also cut a piece of plywood to slide in between the sides. This piece is where I taped the pictures onto. (sorry, I didn’t get a picture of it)

It’s hard to tell from the picture but I added strips of wood along the inside to hold the piece of plywood. (I can slide it in from the top or bottom since the box doesn’t have either)

 Next, I added string lights. I stapled them along the inside bottom.

Now here is the impressive part – I went to staples and printed out three 11”x17” pictures for around a dollar each! They are black and white and on regular paper but with good quality. I had forgotten to measure my window panes before going to Staples, so I just guessed on the measurements. I did need to cut them down some then since they were too big to fit the panes. And finally, here it is… a picture shadow box for about $7.00!

 

                         Because the box is on top of the entertainment center, you can’t see that it doesn’t have a top and that the pictures aren’t all the exact same size…

 

The lights don’t really show up the best in the picture above, but when the room is dark it does look pretty neat with the lights shining on the photos.

There’s probably about a two inch space between the window glass and the pictures.

 

 

I hope you enjoyed this and are possibly motivated to make your own shadow box!

Have a great week!

Hutch Makeover

 

A week ago I had posted a some before pictures of a hutch I’ve been working on…

 

Now, after some black paint from ORMES hardware (black leather; Do It Best paint/primer in one), A cream colored paint (darling dove), a little bit of distressing and some Minwax Polyurtherene it’s looking quite different!

 

 

I didn’t bother with too many decorations to take these pics and the background is in our drab basement so I imagine what a beauty this piece will be once it is displayed in the owner’s home!

A few more things I did with it…

They owners ordered a new maple top that I stained with a dark walnut stain and gave a few coats of polyurtherene.

 

This hutch was handed down a few generations so not only is it a nice antique but holds many family memories, I’m thinking.

I removed the glass from the doors to paint. I didn’t quite dare to try and remove the “curls” or “waves” on the doors but wished that I could wish them straight.

The hardware I believe was purchased at Keim Lumber, a local hardware/ lumber store.

It seems I always have some furniture sitting in our basement waiting for a new look. I don’t nearly post everything but try to once in a while. Next up I will share some of the deChristmasizing (wow, am I getting a red line for that one) that I’m doing around here. Watch for my shadowbox I made for a mere $10.00!

Have a great weekend! Thanks for visiting!

Changing Table to Buffet

 

You’re probably thinking “what is she thinking?” It does seem a little weird different to be thinking of transforming a baby changing table into a buffet… but it is possible! My sister used this changing table for all three of her daughters. Of course they are now all grown up and far removed from the days of diapers so this changing table hasn’t been used for a number of years.

 

The other day I was with my sister in her storage and of course my eagle eyes spotted this table. After a bit of begging convincing a few minutes later we were lugging it downstairs. I vividly recall the look of doubt in sis’s eyes.

A few days later I wheeled it out (we live along the same driveway) with the utility cart looking like this…

 

My sister was impressed. ( I was a tad disappointed because I made her promise beforehand that if she didn’t like it, she would say so and she agreed if it’s not her taste, I could have it, but oh well..) No, really, I was glad she wanted it.. it fit in great against her one wall.

It was all very easy to do. First of all, it was the right color so I didn’t even have to paint it. I proceeded to paint numbers on the drawers. (my latest obsession)

 

I’m out of black carbon paper so I used yellow which showed up pretty good. I then painted the numbers with a black paint marker.

 

 

I added the little squiggles. After painting the numbers, I sanded the cabinet to distress it. It looked like it was dark brown at one time because that’s what came through. After sanding, I rubbed it with a dark walnut colored stain. I wish I had taken a picture of this step but I neglected to do so. I ended up sanding some more after staining. It gave it an almost dirty, old look. I still had some vintage looking glass knobs that I thought would add a nice touch…

 

I had some drawer liner on hand that fit in perfectly for a backing in the right section. I still want to line the drawers with it too. It was self adhesive and very easy to put on.

 

After that it was ready for delivery! I now wish I would have knocked out the pipe holders in the open section. I think they are too noticeable.

 

 

I’m not sure what my sister will store in the open section. We talked about folded quilts and throws. A tall basket or container would look good too, I think.

I hope you enjoyed this and are possibly motivated to redo some of your unwanted, discarded furniture sitting in your storages.

Following is a sneak preview of one of the next projects I want to post.

One of my favorite types of furniture to redo. This is an old hutch handed down a few generations. I think you will hardly recognize it when you see the after photos! Until next time…have a good week!