table how to

I picked up this table at a church rummage give away.  Several of the churches in the area will collect items you no longer want and set them up as a service to the community.  Of course most of the things are clothes since it's back to school time.  This large coffee table was one of only three pieces of furniture being offered, I also picked up a small end table.  I took my goodies home cleaned them up and added a coat of Kilz primer.  This stuff will block out just about anything so you can paint over it.  Two coats of gloss black spray paint, finished the bottom.  For the top I used a base coat of white then scumble painted with off white, grey, and cream.  This technique has no right or wrong way to do it and looks great when finished.  First I pour 2-3T of each of the colors on a foam plate.  Starting with the darkest color and using a very beat up chip brush I pounced the color randomly over the table.  Working quickly so the paint was still wet I did the next two colors.  You want the colors to blend together and overlap, and for some of the background to show through.  If you think the color is too strong or light you just put more color over it.  Keep adding paint until it looks right to you.  DO NOT OVER THINK THIS!!!!! This table is 3X4 feet and took less than 20 minutes. Don't try to make a pattern or have exactly the same paints every where.  Let the paint dry for at least 24 hours then spray with clear acrylic spray at least 3 coats for a table top that will get wet occasionally. This beauty is already at the resale store.
NOTE:  don't use a fancy expensive brush for this technique you will ruin it.  A 2" chip brush is under a dollar  and the more used and abused it is the better it works.

perfectly fine but kind of boring before

updated after

close up of top paint

helpers

First a big HAPPY 40th  BIRTHDAY to our son Ron.  You have become such a great man, husband and father and we are so proud of you

Our yard is large and filled with flower beds.  With AH working so many hours and the weird weather we've been having, I can't keep up with all the work.  I hired these two youngsters to help me out.  Actually I hired the older boy and since he watches his younger brother while his parents work he came as part of the package. Their grandma is a good friend of mine and they go to our church. So far  they have helped plant flowers, mulch, put in the new hosta bed, weeded and last week put in a new path from the street into the yard.  They are hard working, energetic, strong, polite and fun to be around. I really appreciate how much they have accomplished this summer.  AH appreciates it even more because he doesn't have to do the work.

hard workers

almost finished

junkin finds

A couple of weeks ago we had  our city wide garage sale.  We have them twice a year and people come from miles around.  With such a small town if you have a sale on your own, unless it's huge you will get far fewer customers.  I don't like having them but I do love to go.  I've gotten many great treasures over the years and I'm always amazed at what people will get rid of for such a small amount of money.

Concrete pedestals and pot along with some great wire baskets and wonderful cupcakes for a donation to our church youth camp.  I am always so proud of how hard these kids work during the year so they can go to camp.

brass bird house along with a smaller one $5 for both

brass tray table donation to a church $20

two prim chairs for .25 each  I'll add screen and moss and plant flowers in them

concrete urns $30 a lot of cash for me but they are antiques and will last for many years

I didn't know what this was but it looked like a house for $1 and I thought I'd put a fern in it.  It is a golf ball holder

charming foot stool with storage $5

A touch of spring

We had a tease of spring a couple of weeks ago then it got cold again.  What better way to brighten the winter blahs than a visit to a green house.  Prairie Gardens/ Jeffery Alan's had an open house this last week end.  I love walking in a warm sun filled  green house dreaming of every thing I could buy and plant.  Then reality hits and I picked up just a few things to brighten up the house and plant outside early.  I bought pansies, primroses and a few herbs.

pansies and johnny jump ups in a chamber pot

I refinished these containers from a very drab olive to this antique white.  I'll plant the herbs when I have more time

Primrose in a little yellow drawer will brighten a table or shelf

What do you do to make your home feel like spring?

signs of spring

Winter seems like it will never leave.  Last week we woke on Sunday morning to 9" of snow and it was bitter cold most of the week.  This week it is suppose to get close to 60, can't wait.  To make the wait a little more enjoyable I stated some bulbs I had stored in my frig since last fall.  They have started to grow and a few are already in  bloom.  They do give me hope that I can be out playing in the dirt soon.

This candy cane amaryllis has 8 huge blooms on it.

Pink hyacinth is just opening and smells wonderful.  i just pushed tooth picks into the bulb and put it in a narrow glass.

last hurrah

A hard freeze is coming and these are probably going to be my last cut flowers from the garden for the year.  I love flowers and I really miss being able to go out and cut whenever I want.  For the next several months I will have to depend on blooming plants, forced bulbs and cut bouquets from the grocery store for my flower fix.  After a long cold winter I will anxiously wait for the first daffodils, lilacs and tulips to bloom.

curb shopping

We were driving down one of the busiest streets in the big city when I saw this table on the curb.  I had AH go around the block and park around the corner.  I checked it out then went to the door and politely asked the man if he was giving it away.  He said yes so I drug it to the car and we shoved it inside.  We were down the road in less than 5 minutes.  The table is a wood base with an enameled top.  It is filthy but as soon as it warms up again I'll clean it up and it will be perfect.  Always keep your eyes wide open, you never know when you could come upon a treasure.

Already being put to use outside

dryer balls

More greening my life.  I recently made dryer balls to use as an alternative to fabric softener.  The cost was $5.50 for a year of static free drying, compared to Downy at $84.20 for a year, and that doesn't even consider all the chemicals you aren't putting next to your skin.
They couldn't be easier.  The hardest part was finding 100% wool yarn, I found this at Joann's. I used about 1/2 of the skein to make 4 balls.

Wrap the yarn around your fingers about 30-40 times remove from fingers and continue wrapping yarn to form a tennis ball size . Slip the end of the yarn through a couple of loops of the ball just to hold it in place. Repeat 3 more times.  Tie 2 balls in a sock, run through the washer and dryer.  That's it, you're done.  Just leave them in the dryer and let them bounce around through each load for a year.  At that point they will be tight firm balls,  you can give them to your dog or cat to play with.  If you really can live with out the April fresh smell, add a couple of drops of lavender, lemon or floral essential oils to a wash cloth and toss that in the dryer with each load.

After the first dryer load those ends were felted into the balls.

spring fever

Spring fever has hit hard around here and I'm anxious to get seeds started, pull out the spring/summer decor and put on some shorts.  Unfortunately Mother Nature is not letting go of this winter.  My friend Becky taught me how to make news paper planting boxes for starting my seeds.  It's free, green and recycled, right up my alley.
Take a double piece of news paper, fold that together then fold it in half, you'll have 4 layers of paper.  Fold each side up about 3-4" and crease.  At each corner push in the corner to form a 45 degree angle, staple this together, repeat for each side.  This is harder to write than it is to actually do, once you've done one they go together really fast.  Make them fit in standard flats, fill with potting soil and plant your seeds.  When you are ready to plant, you can throw the pot in the compost pile or just plant it into the ground. We did several dozen in a little more than an hour.

citrus cleaner

I'm always on the look out for greener ways to do household chores.  Ask anyone who knows me well and they will tell you I DON'T LIKE TO CLEAN!!!!  I do however want a reasonably clean and tidy home, so you do what you gotta do.  I found this recipe on Pinterest and thought I'd give it a try.

Start with a gallon milk jug and throw in any citrus peels, sour oranges etc covering with white vinegar.  In a short time you'll have a gallon of wonderful smelling citrus cleaner.  Add a few drops of tea tree oil if you want it to be antimicrobial. I let the full jug sit for 2 weeks then I strained out 2C into a spray bottle to use for cleaning and filled the jug back up with more vinegar.  As we collect more citrus scraps, left over lemon or lime after you squeeze them, orange peels, grapefruit rinds, cut them up small enough to fit in the jug and top with more vinegar.  When the fruit looses it's color, toss the spent fruit on your compost pile and start a new batch.  This cleaner is especially good on wood furniture, counters and greasy surfaces, not so great on windows.