Make-Overs

After a lot of hemming and  hawing I have finally done a couple of make-overs on some of my re-sale buys. My favorite day to shop is the last Tuesday of the month whenb a chain of World Mission re-sale stores in the area have 1/2 price day. I have a field day between shopping for make-over projects and wool clothing for rug hooking.

Who wouldn't love to have a dirty

old Mr Peanut wheelbarrel bowl?
Well, me for one. So, I unscrewed the
 base and stripped the peanut away. It
 cost a whole .34 cents. I didn't do a
thing to the .34 cent scoop

 

AFTER

This next find wasn't terrible for the .39 cents I paid. But........ what I needed were some things to set on a shelf we will be putting up next week (fingers crossed). So I pulled the corny built in candle holder off and filled the hole with wood putty and hubby cut the bottom bit off on the table saw for me. The brass candle holder was a quarter.

After

I just love how this little hand made basket came out. I sprayed multiple coats of light and dark sage and brown. It has some beautiful detail in the weave but the colors detracted from the workmanship. Baskets are .25 cents each or $1.00 for 10 every day at Love's Treasures re-sale.

After

This one isn't a make-over but a craft I found in one of the wonderful tutorials on The Pickled Pepper Patch blog. These little pantry cakes are made of plaster. They really don't shine at all but you know how it goes with a camera flash sometimes.

This next one was torture. I found this little high chair at an antique show over 2 years ago. It was originally finished in an appaulling pale yellow enamel paint. Then someone who was clueless when it came to refinishing furniture, spray painted over the high gloss enamel with a flat black. No sanding, no prep. It was a mess with the black rubbing off and the yellow enamel showing through everywhere.

I "thought" I was going to strip it down to bare wood and simply stain and varnish. But, that old enamel was tough as nails and nearly impossible to remove. Hours of sanding and scraping and bottles of stripper and I finally gave up. I announced I was going to just paint the thing over to make it usable for Christmas dinner. Hubby decided to give it one last tackle. He sat and patiently chipped and chiseled for 2 nights. It was far from complete, but it was finally good enough that I could imitate a Dimes chair I had seen. I stained the portions I wanted highlighted and paint and distress the rest. You don't have to look too closely to spot some bits of the yellow enamel peeking through the distressed black. But, it is what it is and........ beautiful despite the yellow chips. At the very least it is now a safe and usable chair for little ones.

After

Finally, here's one last wish for 

a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

The Stockings Were Hung

Christmas at Willow Ridge

Tis' the season for another x-mas house tour. A lot of it is the same as last year's tour, but there are some little changes here there. Some new sconces from our craZy & eventful trip to Lancaster. Another year and I might even be able to laugh about it.  :o)
The biggest change outside is the reindeer in the flower boxes. Purchased for 80% off last year, they were bright gold and glittery and made to hang. I drilled some holes in the bottom, added dowels, and spray painted them with 2 shades of brown and a very light mist of black.

Livingroom
The livingroom saw the greatest changes this year. The waist high walls torn out between the livingroom and the front entry hall, the awful navy carpet replaced with beautiful hand scraped hickory floors, new high profile maple baseboards, and a new to me chandelier. Next summer I'm hoping for new windows and crown moulding. I also found the windsor chair on Craig's List for just $100 and picked up an adorable early tavern table at an antique show. If you are looking to install wood floors in your home (also engineered and laminate floors) be sure to look up www.TrueHardwoods.com . My flooring would have been $8.99 a sq ft if bought locally. Thru True Hardwoods it was just $4.19 sq ft. No, I do not have ties to this company. Just passing on some very valuable info.

The Teddy Bear Tree

The Family Room

The Homespun Tree

Diningroom

My hubby made me a new bowl rack this year and I got to order a new hand crafted, tri-corner lantern from "Rob Miller Lanterns" for mother's day. You can find a link to his web-site in my fav web-site list.

Master Bedroom

 The Guest Room

  The Bath

Thanks for dropping by and taking the tour of my little house. We've just been here for 2 1/2 years so it's a work in progress but it's coming along. And, of coarse, I'm having the time of my life planning for new windows and deciding which wall to knock down next.

 Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!!!!!