Makeovers and a DIY Sign

I have done a couple small makeovers starting with this clock.

My Mom and Dad had given this to us about 20 years ago. I just don't care for the golden honey finish anymore.

I decided to give it a bit of a prim facelift with a coat of 'Mopboard' black and a little distressing with sandpaper followed by some 'Dark Walnut' stain. A little hint for getting in the small tight spots is to use an emery board - it works like a charm! The clock face was a very bright white. To age it some, I gave it a coat of 'Early American' stain and then wiped it down. That seemed to tone it down just enough.

Another quick makeover was this cute little Hurricane Lamp. Sorry, I forgot to take a before shot. I bought this at the 'Christmas Tree Shop' for $4.99. It was painted an odd shade of bright blue and not to my liking, so I gave it a coat of black. I like it much better now.

I bought these candle holders (and a few others) for next to nothing at the antique shop. Since I had my paint and brushes already to go, I gave them a quick makeover. Again, sorry no before shot - got to work on that. They were just stained brown before and I painted them black and sanded in a bit of distressing and a quick coat of 'Dark Walnut' stain.

This is my first DIY sign. Remember my 'Factory Cart Coffee Table' - we had replaced the wood on top with some old boards. Most of the original boards were pretty rough and not salvageable, but I was able to keep some of them and this is one of them. It is weathered so nicely. Instead of stenciling, I tried a new method of transferring a printed image directly onto the board with 'Elmers Glue' and 'Modge Podge'. There is a nice tutorial for this on the 'Matsutake Blog' .The grain on the board was raised pretty badly and I wasn't sure if it this method would work, but to my pleasant surprise it did and I am happy with the results.

This is a cute little sampler that I picked up from the 'The Wagon Shed' in 'Billerica, Mass'. The picture is not that great, but I thought it looked fitting next to my 'Whale Tail Sconce'.

And lastly, this is a cute 'Cranberry Scoop' that I picked up at the local antique shop. I purchased the prim floral spray from 'Frills and Furbelows' in Kingston, NH. The owner is a very nice lady and she always has the nicest things. Be sure to visit her shop if you are in the area.

Until next time ~ Suzanne.

Factory Cart Coffee Table

I found this lovely old gal at a local antique shop.


Time had taken its toll and yet, she weathered the storm.

I saw so many possibilities the moment I saw her. My husband thought that I had finally gone off the deep end.

I saw character and charm and knew that she would make a wonderful statement piece. She would have a new purpose as a coffee table.

The top of the cart was weathered beyond hope, so we had to remove all the old boards. We were able to find some similar old boards to replace them with.

After some love and revamping (wheel adjustments to level the table, sanding, staining, painting and stenciling) - this is how she looks today.

Think how many times these wheels have turned over the years.

The antique dealer told us the cart came from the 'Harry Stoller Company' (one of the old shoe factories in Haverhill, Mass).  I stenciled the name on both sides to add a bit of history.

It just so happens, that my husband had been in that old mill building 5 years prior and probably passed right by her.  It seems she was meant to be ours.

We now have this lovely 'new/old' coffee table and my husband sees what I saw when we first met.

Until next time ~ Suzanne.

Linked to: Funky Junk Interiors

My Love of Old Boxes

I have a love for many old things, but lately I am really drawn to old wood boxes.

You know they are such a simple but useful object.

The more worn and used they are, the better as far as I'm concerned.

I like a less cluttered and simpler primitive style.

These old wood boxes seem to work nicely for this.

In keeping with my love for old wooden things, I was able to find these two lovely wood firkins at a local antique shop. The larger one has a wonderful patina. Sadly, there was no cover with it but I love it just the same. The smaller one has the metal bands and is not really a true firkin (probably considered a cookie jar) but I plan on giving it a nice prim paint job to make it blend better with the other.

Another small decor change was this. I had a snowman next to my box on the counter and it was time for him to go. I found this sweet prim angel at a local gift shop. Her little tag reads 'faith' and she makes me smile each time I walk past her. May 'Faith' smile on you as well.

Until next time ~ Suzanne

Primitive DIY Whale Tail Candle Sconce

I love the decorative detail of the 'Whale Tail' that you see in a lot of primitive pieces. I have read that it is a symbol for 'Good Luck'. I decided to incorporate it into this 'Candle Sconce' that I built with the help of my DH.

I first drew a pattern on a 1 x 10 board. We then cut the 5 simple pieces for this project. As you can see, the bottom piece was cut to length after this photo.

All the pieces were screwed together and the edges were then sanded to remove the sharpness and give the wood a nice 'worn' feel.

This is a view from the back. The screw holes were countersunk and then filled with glue and wooden dowels, which were then sanded down to a nice smooth finish. I think that this really makes a difference in the finish of the piece.

I then gave the piece a coat of 'Sage Green' paint followed by a coat of 'Black'. After drying overnight, I sanded the edges and some other areas to show 'wear'. I then gave it a quick coat of 'Minwax Dark Walnut' Stain and wiped the piece down.

And this is the finished 'Whale Tail Candle Sconce', as it looks now hanging in my home. Perhaps it will bring us some 'Good Luck'.

Until next time ~ Suzanne.

Penny Rug Progress and Rustoleum

I haven't got much done in the way of quilting or sewing lately, but I am trying to work a few minutes a day on this penny rug.

I am always amazed how much you can get done in just a short time. An added bonus is that sewing and quilting is a great stress reliever for me. Some people go to a spa - me, I just need a needle and thread or a sewing machine.

This pattern is called 'Pineapple Grove' by 'Threads That Bind' . I bought this as a kit last year from 'Cottage Herbs' in Berwick, Maine. The hand dyed wools are just luscious.

On a different note, I bought this 'Rustoleum' paint at 'Lowes' today and wanted to give it a try on this oil lantern that I had bought at Walmart for $5.

A quick spray of the can and this is what I ended up with.

Much better! I used this lantern in my 'Nesting Box' from a previous post mainly because it fit the space, but knew that it was not prim enough for my taste. I feel much better about it now.

Until next time ~ Suzanne.