a gated deck

you've heard of gated communities right?
well we now have a gated deck
for our puppy, laci.

my second project this past week required major power tools
and let me tell you...
i LOVE me some
table saw,
miter saw,
cordless drill, 
nail gun action

a puppy gate for our deck

 made from leftover pressure treated

decking and fence pickets

first i cut the wood into two inch widths and the length that i needed,

countersunk holes about 1 inch from the ends,

squared up the corners and attached together with wood screws,

when the four sides were all put together, then i added the pickets

that were previously cut to length with a nail gun.

all that was left was to put the two sections into place and add a hook & eye.

i rummaged through my hardware to find something cool or unique

but i decide that simple was best for now.

who knows when a better idea will pop into my brain,

and if that happens i'll be sure to change it up then.

 the two gate sections are wider than the width of the stairs
and slide between the top railing balusters.

to open, unhook latch and pull one side in or slide sections apart

since our pup is small, no hardware was needed to secure to the railing

much like funky junk donna, i LOVE using my power tools

(ok, actually they're mr.1829's but he shares)

there's nothing like the smell of sawdust,
the feel of raw wood, heavy metal and
some kicking power to get one's
creativity motivated

added bonus:
 there was no cost to build this
other than time!

so glad to be back posting...
oh how i've missed it so!

until next time
have a great week my friends!

linking up to:

funky junkified-inspired farmhouse decor

as many of you have discovered, there is a blogger out there who has her finger on the pulse of junk decor.  funky junk donna along with junkmarketstyle have been an inspiration to me to fine tune and re-connect to my style-love of old, vintage, rusty, galvanized junk. 

about five or so years ago, i went through a period of time decorating with the primitive, folk art style.  i think i convinced myself that it worked for me, but honestly, my true heart was in items that had a history or a story to tell.  

there's nothing wrong with this style, it just isn't my heartbeat. 

i married a man who's grandfather was an antique dealer for many years.  their home was filled with beautiful antiques, all with a story to tell.  we have since acquired several wonderful pieces from their estate but i digress.  the reason for this post is to show how my true style has finally shown through.  and to pay homage to those in blogland who have been my inspiration for getting back to my roots, so to speak. 

without further ado, i now present my

funky junkified-inspired farmhouse decor

bathroom vanity in the rough (reveal coming soon)

vintage washstand for deck entertaining

there is now a wood insert in other side to sit drink cups, etc

(sorry i don't have pic with it finished)

 rusty, crusty metal toys

rusty metal and weathered wood

 back porch decor

soda pop crates, vintage tins and more toys

the red trolley car was found inside a wall during a renovation project!

and donna...this one is for you

a funky junkified horse

(click link to see more)

FYI: if you haven't discovered this new catalog

 and you love the rustic, recycled style

go check this out

check out the sale page too.

at west end

a unique place for rustic and recycled home decor

$5 shipping any size order

i am not being compensated by this company...i just like their products!

linking up to 

a labor of love

i mentioned a few posts back about some projects in the making. 

this table and sideboard (aka:cupboard) was a labor of love for my parents.

  my sister and i found the table on craiglist for a sweet price and the cupboard was in their basement.  my folks once upon a time had a smaller table and the cupboard had been used for storage in the dining area of the kitchen.  now that the "new" smaller table is in place, there is now room for the cabinet once again.   as you can see the table was very dated, however, we fixed that problem with a bit of paint and glaze. 
the top and leaves were sanded, re-stained and poly'd. 

the really cool thing about this table is the way the leaves are stored and used.  the table top lifts off and the two leaves, stored underneath, 

(each have double arm supports-you can see part of one in the right corner of pic below) 
fit into metal supports on the underside of table.   

the table top then fits back down between the leaves.

the cabinet was a handmade project (1970's era) by their former neighbor, mr. love (his real name) who worked for rockwell and had his own heated workshop in his backyard. this cabinet was a "whatever i have on hand to use" kind of project. most of it was real wood, but there were a few strange, mystery components. the very top was a sort of mdf board with wood edges, interior walls were a silver paper-covered board and the front skirt has wooden pegs that have a dimpled efect to them. overall, it was sound with a few minor issues. our carpenter friend, darrin, came to the rescue with refitting the bottom of the cupboard with a "warpless" piece of plywood and a wooden support for the middle shelf.  i also changed out the dated paneling that was used as door panels for beadboard to give it a classic, cottage look.

once sanded to take off the sheen from the dark stained & poly'd finish it was ready for paint.  i probably should have used a primer but after 3 coats of a creamy white pittsburg paint (pure performance) eggshell, it was done.  i painted the hardware using craft paint (it was too cold to spray outside) and then waxed it.  i had considered changing out the hardware but figured my parents (in their late eighties) didn't really mind one way or the other. 

so to keep things simple, i just re-used.  

i had wanted to add something special to the top, once i painted it.  i decided to go with a dinner prayer that my parents have always said in their home.  i found the font that i liked and using microsoft word, printed out the text.  i cut around each word, spaced it accordingly and using pencil rubbings a fancy technique, drew out the words and handpainted the letters with a mix of black and brown craft paint.

the next decision was "to glaze or not to glaze".  i let the cupboard sit in my painting booth (aka diningroom) for several days and then as christmas fast approached, it was necessary to make a decision.  i glazed and am SO glad i did.  it took several tries on the top as it wasn't coming out quite right but finally the 'less is more' application worked.  afterward, mr.1829 gave it 4 coats of paste wax (thanks cassie for the suggestion)

i'm really happy the way it turned out, from an ugly duckling to a white swan!

my mom was especially pleased with both pieces and couldn't believe that the cupboard was the same one from the basement.  she really appreciated the prayer painted along the edge.

  both pieces were a total surprise for them (we snuck the cupboard out without them knowing!)

i'd say overall that this was a mission accomplished!



sorry for the looooong absence but my parents have needed alot of help lately (dad's been battling varous infections & hospitalizations) and with that comes the neglect of the home front, paperwork & laundry piling up, along with various appointments here and there. life has been full of anxious moments but i am choosing to be grateful & prayerful. (phil. 4:6-7)

linking up to

Make it 4 Monday at Cottage Instincts

Metamorphis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch

February Before & After at Thrifty Decor Chick

Power of Work Wednesday at Primitive & Proper

update june 2011:

these pieces qualify for under $100 as the cupboard was free and the table was well under $100 including the paint and paste wax which was already on hand.  nothing extra was purchased to complete this transformation.  my favorite kind of project!

also linking to:

Sigh....kitchen still in progress

Our kitchen is taking MUCH longer than anticipated and of course the holidays are FAST approaching.  Don't we all work better under PRESSURE! (sure)  I am so sorry for the time lapse in posting.  For this reason,  I thought I'd give you a bit of a glimpse into the progress so far.  It's beginning to look a lot more like a kitchen...just like it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!  We have some finishing to do on woodwork and then the distressed paint job on lower cupboards.  There may be some things that will HAVE to wait until January. (sigh)  Without further ado, here are some pics....

 Floor before:

Floor after:

Aren't the floors just gorgeous!  Charlie, our local floor re-finisher did an amazing job.

The bottom cupboards have their base coat on them, awaiting the top coat, crackle paint and some distressing.  In the upper photo, there is a piece of wood (on right) lying across the ladder which are the "feet" to the bottom cupboards so they look like furniture.  Our carpenter friend, Darrin, made that along with all the cupboard doors (soon to be installed), and trash bin pull-out (my fav).

So stay tuned for the full reveal...coming soon to this blog!

Fall Decor on the Inside

Thought I would share some inside decorating.  My fireplace mantel is my favorite decorating spot.  I love to change it with the seasons.  Here it is in all it's fall splendor.  Enjoy!

Most of these items were bargains, gifts or found objects.  

My favorite stores to bargain shop for decor are TJMaxx, Marshalls, & Christmas Tree Shop.

 

Plate and box came from either TJM or Marshalls.  Iron stars from CTS

 

These old glasses were found inside an interior wall of our house- aren't they just the cat's meow!

Wood toy blocks were purchased at a local antique/junk store for about a $1 each.  

The "B" is for our last name.

Love that crusty rusty star made from barbed farm fencing.

1950's Schooldesk

This 1950's Heywood-Wakefield schooldesk was found stored above garage when we moved in over 27 years ago.  Painted a tacky green, written on with black marker and stuck with stickers, it has been patiently waiting for a makeover.  The paint was removed but the wood was not in the best shape so I opted again for a little black satin to spruce her up.  A can of spraypaint for the metal legs and frame along with painting & distressing of the wood got the job done.  I may go back over the desktop with chalkboard paint so it could be used for a message board in an entryway or for a child's use.

Closeup of detail

Here's the only before pics that I took.  But you get the idea.   

Note the lovely shade of green-what were they thinking!?

As you can see, the seat was discolored and needing some coverage.

For paint removal I use Back to Nature Multi Strip. It's a "greener" product and will encapsulate any lead paint. We've been using it in our kitchen renovation of an 1829 farmhouse- works great! Most of the time it comes off like butter. The key is putting on a thick enough layer and waiting 24-48 hrs.  It is well worth the wait. 

All Dressered in Black

Before this thrift store find was a sad sight but solid. I could have refinished the poor thing but opted for the "cottage" look of painted wood.  The knobs came with this thrift store find, however, the previous owner left the extra hole (for a handle) exposed.  A bit of wood filler, some light sanding for adhesion, black satin paint, some distressing and it's now "looking fine".  I love it's new junk-over!  This dresser would work well in the diningroom for table linens; entry or mudroom for hat, scarves & mitten storage; craft room for fabric, etc. or wherever organization is needed.

Before: tired and sad

Here she is in all her splendor - love how this came out, I surprised myself!

A closeup

Products used:

Zar Wood Patch in Neutral

Pittsburg Pure Performance Eggshell Paint in Black Satin (2 coats)

3M Block Sander w/80 grit paper

You may see additional posts at junkmarketstyle.com under itsnotjunk2me

Bookmark this website- it's great for sparking new decorating ideas!