Mar 21, 2013
Last year, mom and I attended our first Fall RoundTop Antiques Fair just to “check it out”, but we were overwhelmed by the options – way too many great finds! After much restraint, we ended up only buying what would fit in the car (err, or on it)… And that’s how we drove home with a “chicken coop” tied to the top of the Jeep. We sure did get crazy looks from passing drivers!
Come to find out, what I was calling a “chicken coop”, is actually a “nesting box”, according to my friend Tony (who has chickens). Tomato, tom-ahto, either way- it’s super cool. I originally wanted it for the store – to display cute grab-and-go-gifts – but we never seemed to have the wall space, so it just collected dust in the back. This January, we did a major clean-out at the store, and I finally decided to bring it home. I wanted to hang it on my back porch, but upon closer examination, my granddad thought it was too heavy, so moved on to Plan B.
My granddad is a Jack of all Trades. He’s an 82 year old cotton farmer, mechanic, electrician, plumber, inventor, and overall “fixer”. I love his resourcefulness (he’s a little like MacGyver), and I appreciate his… precision. Let’s just say anything he’s ever fixed or made is going to last awhile. Probably forever. He’s very thorough, and he likes things to be sturdy – like the swing set he made when we were kids with tractor plow bases (buried 6 feet in the ground). That sucker’s not going anywhere!
Once we decided that the nesting box was too heavy to hang, I sketched out a plan for my granddad to build a”stand” for it. He welded iron for the frame, and I couldn’t be more pleased with how it turned out. I made a quick trip to his barn to pick out what material I wanted for the shelf (wood or metal), and he finished it up for me. It’s PERFECT!
This past weekend we secured the box by anchoring it to the brick wall (just in case), and then I completed the look by potting some trailing plants and colorful flowers to place in the openings and on the bottom shelf.
This project was more of an “accidental” re-purpose, since my original vision for the nesting box changed from displaying store products to becoming a planter… but the finished product is even better than I imagined! It’s an unusual display and perfect for my patio! Ta-da… the nesting box has been re-purposed, and I can’t wait to enjoy it!
What have you re-purposed lately?
Feb 3, 2013
Please don’t judge how terrible my guest room was before. I knew it was bad. When I moved in two years ago, it was runner-up for LAST thing on the list of projects for the new house, and I just kept ignoring it.
I just recently decided it was time for a change!
Ok, ok, fine. That’s not entirely true.
THIS is the real reason for the sudden change. (see above photo for WHY). ——->
More specifically, what she did to my coverlet in the guest room was the deciding factor. Once it was sufficiently destroyed for no apparent reason (I promise, she’s a good dog and generally not a chewer), I thought it was at least time for new bedding… But new the new bedding project turned into re-arranging the room, and re-arranging the room just turned into a little bit more of a makeover than I had planned on! I didn’t do anything major – mostly just moving around existing items and adding a few new pieces to the mix, so I wouldn’t really call it renovation… but I will say the transformation is huge – and I love the result! I posted the window hanging DIY as a different post, which you can see here. Here are a few pics of the AFTER (my favorite detail is the last one):
Don’t you just love the embroidered sheets? I saw something similar to this idea in a magazine about 10 years ago and kept the clipping… I’ve been dying to do this for the longest time!
Here’s the rundown on the old/new (for anyone who is curious):
OLD- Antique windows (from a garage sale), draperies, shimmer accent pillow, taller black lamp and shade, black photo frame (moved from my bedroom), brass headboard (hard to see in the pics), side tables (used to have in the living room, had forever), vintage glass milk jar, silver coasters from Anthropologie (a gift), antique dresser with mirror (confiscated from mom’s house years ago), vintage books (I’m a bit of an addict, so I have a ton), the furry llama (one of my favorite random items in my house), chevron frame (thanks to my friend Linda, still needs a photo), guitar in the corner by the dresser – you can’t see (from college, still never learned to play).
NEW – Turquoise glass lamp with burlap shade (TJ Maxx find), birdie accent pillow (TJ Maxx), Blue chevron shams and duvet cover (Urban Outfitters), palm potted plant (Lowe’s), flat screen television (I’ve asked for one 2 Christmases in a row to no avail – so I bought myself one at a Pawn Shop… felt SO rebelious!), white sheets (Tuesday Morning)- monogrammed with my custom idea, new down comforter and queen mattress pillowtop (Bed Bath & Bey0nd), down pillow- specifically for my momma (Overstock.com), hydrangeas (from my florist friend, just because I love them so much).
So what do you think? Do you like the change?
Feb 3, 2013
I’ve always been been fascinated with interesting doors and windows – particularly antique ones. In fact, for years (and in two different homes), I’ve had old windows mounted to the wall for decoration. My dad refers to them as “windows to nowhere” – he thinks they’re pretty silly – but I don’t care because they make me happy!
Mounting vintage windows (and doors) is actually pretty easy, if you have the right tools and a little help. For this installment, my mother was kind enough to assist. It’s a lot easier with two people, but if you have to go it alone, you can (I’ve done it before). If you’re interested in hanging your own antique window “art”, you will need the following:
– a stud finder (I have a Zircon and I love it because it’s really easy to use!)
– painter’s tape
– a pencil
– a drill with 7/64″ drill bit
– a Phillips head screwdriver
– Corner Braces (I used 4 per window – mine were 1-1/2 inches x 5/8 inch)
– wood screws – 1 inch long (just make sure they are they same width as the ones included in the Corner Brace packages)
– windows to hang, glass cleaned beforehand (also make sure that there are no jagged or loose panes of glass that could be dangerous)
Steps
1. Use a stud finder to indicate where the studs are on the wall. I used a small piece of the painter’s tape to quickly mark the location of each stud.
2. Ask your assistant to hold up each window, roughly where you would like it to hang. Take a step back and see if it appears straight on the wall. If it looks correct to your eye, most likely it will be. Mark the corners with painter’s tape and use a pencil to mark the bottom edge of the window on the wall, as close to the stud as possible (by eye-balling your “stud marker” tape).
3. Use the stud finder to verify that your pencil mark are indeed on a stud, then use the drill to get your first hold started. You don’t have to go all the way through, you just want the drilled hole to “guide” the screw in straight for the next step.
4. Place the corner brace as shown (prepared to serve as a bottom bracket for your window), with hole you just drilled centered in the bottom hole on the brace. With the brace in place, mark the location of the top hole with a pencil Then use the drill the repeat step 3 for the second hole. Using the wood screws, not the screws included with the corner brace, use the screwdriver and tighten the brace to the wall (trying to keep it level).
5. Using your pre-taped guides for corners and your secured corner braces (as a “placement shelf”), reposition the window. Using the stud finder again, verify where you will need the top braces, and just like Steps 3 and 4, secure the brace to the wall on each side. Once the window is finally positioned, use the drill to “start” the hole you will be screwing in on the top on each side of the brace. You could probably use both holes, but mine was plenty secure with just using the outer-most one.
6. Next, use the smaller screws included in the corner brace kit and the screwdriver to secure the window on the top. Repeat this process on the bottom with the braces that the window is resting on. Repeat these steps for each window you want to hang.
Here’s the end result in my guest room:
Hanging these three windows only took about an hour and half with the help of my mom. What do you think?
