Looking Up

I love old buildings! I love the craftsmanship that went into making a building beautiful. I admire the intricacy in the moldings and trim. I'm amazed at the ornate detail in things as small as an elevator button. And one thing that I'm attracted to is the old tin ceilings. It astounds me that such detail and design was put into something that you would have look upward to notice. It is because of my admiration of the design of ceiling tins that I have manged to acquire a collection of them. I use tins all throughout my home.

I have old, authentic ones.

(The crown molding and the shelf
are made using ceiling tin)(We cut apart a tin to make the four small squares)

I have reproductions too.

Aahhh, the beauty of a ceiling tins!

Where's My Head?

Oh dear! I totally forgot
to pass some more fun info on to you.
(I apologize Heather!)
Heather has a wonderful tutorial on her blog BeTasseled.
Now, with last weeks post and this one,
you have even more tassel making inspiration.
What are you waiting for?
Go make a tassel.

Ooooo La La!

Most people Spring clean. I Fall build. I don't know what it is about the Fall, but I suddenly get the urge to build items for my home. I'm not sure if it's the nesting instinct left over from having my last three children born in the Fall months. Or if it's the desire to have a nice home for the holidays. Or maybe, I no longer feel the need to work on outside projects, so I can devote my time and energy to the inside of my home. Whatever the reason, I have the urge to Fall build.
And so it was on Saturday.

I went into my garage and found an old door
that I bought months ago at a thrift store.(You see those french doors? I have plans for them too.
Won't they look great on a garden shed?
That project will have to wait until next Spring)

My trusty assistant (aka: hubby) cut the door in half,
leaving the vintage doorknob,
and reattaching the hinges.In the meantime, I sanded some metal legs
that we bought months ago
at that big blue box store that sells Swedish furniture.
The legs needed to be sanded
in preparation for their makeover.Then I primed them with a good primer.Next came a few coats of satin black.I sanded the door where there were chips and dings.

The sanding uncovered a few layers of paint.When the legs were dry,
we screwed them onto the door.

And voila! A beautiful desk was born! Don't those legs give it a French flair?It looks a bit like a grown up version of the tray
from my previous post.
I'm enjoying the combination of cream and black lately.
This beauty is going to find it's way
into the master bedroom.
I think I'm feeling a bedroom makeover coming on!

Q and A and Tray Chic

Thank you all for your sweet comments about my chair. You've made me excited to start on it's makeover. I just need to find the right fabric. I know the color is "in" but, the vinyl has a few holes in it so it needs to be redone.

Hooray! Some of you asked questions on the last post. And for those of you who've asked me questions on older posts (the dollar frame project, etc.), I'm just getting caught up, so be patient with me.

Q: Jenn asked about painting her chandelier. I tried to email you Jenn, but the info was wrong so I'm answering you here.
A: If your chandelier does not have a really shiny/glossy finish you should be able to spray paint it without any problems. If it has a mat finish, like my lamp did, &/or feels a little rough when you touch it, the paint should adhere just fine.
If it has a really shiny/glossy finish, you'll want to sand it first with a medium grit paper. You just need a light sanding. Then, to be safe you should prime it with a primer made for metal, before you spray paint it. Because it's not going to get a lot of wear, these steps are enough.
I like using Rustoleum brand paint in a satin finish. I like the sheen of a satin. Then if you lightly spray a metallic over it, it will really have a warm finish. Be sure to keep a good distance when you spray the metallic. You only want a dusting of color.

Q: Rambling Girl asked if there were any tutorials on how to make tassels.
A: Elise at Nest Sweet Nest did a tutorial on tassel making. I heard about it from Darlene at Darlene's Days. She's made a few cute ones too.

Q: Sue asked how I come up with so many ideas. Am I working on something all the time?
A: I am happiest when I'm creating. And I AM working on something all of the time. Once I tried to write down all of the things that I wanted to accomplish in my home. It was SEVERAL pages long! I made the mistake of counting each thing and figuring out how long it would take if I did one each day. It was overwhelming! Now I just try to do the ideas that excite me most each day. It's more fun for me, although it frustrates my family. One of my sons jokingly refers to our house as "The house of unfinished dreams" because I have so many ideas and not enough time to do them all.

Q: Runner Mom asked if I upholster too.
A: I've recovered chairs, and made slipcovers, but my thrift chair would be my first big upholstery project.

Q: Carla asked what color and brand of brown spray paint I like.
A: I used Rustoleum's Espresso in satin for this project. I think that it's a nice brown.

Now, I can't leave you for the entire weekend without something fun.

I bought a very large tray at the thrift store. It was rather plain and was stained an orangish color.

I sanded it and primed it.I spray painted it Heirloom White
and sanded the edges for a distressed look.I added some retro hardware that I'd sprayed black
with a bronze metallic dusting.I spray painted four finials.And "ABRACADABRA!"
Those pretty finials are now fancy legs.Then just to make it "tres chic",
I added some fleur de lis rub on decals.It's not a plain tray anymore!

I'm Back, I'm Catching Up, And I'm Crazy?!?

Hoooray! We're up and running again.

And if you think I accomplished creatively, wonderful things yesterday... I'm sorry to disappoint you. I did manage to catch up on a little laundry though. Speaking of catching up, I want to thank those of you who have passed along awards to me. I really appreciate your thoughtfulness! For those of you who've tagged me and want me to list weird or random facts, I've decided instead...(oh, you know I'm a rule breaker!) ...to spend a post answering questions. Hopefully, you won't be bored! Feel free to ask about painting, decorating or past projects. And just to get you started, Darlene asked: Are the forks [on the fork rack] sturdy enough to hang things besides keys? The answer is: Yes. I've hung jackets on it. But I wouldn't hang my ten pound purse on it.

Now, I want you to see one of my latest
thrift store finds. As I stood in the thrift store,
I thought I heard it call to me:
"Joy, buy me please!
I'm only ten dollars.
You know you have a soft spot for wing back chairs.
Look at the detail on my legs.
I'm unusual. And you like the unusual.
I'd look great spray painted.
I'd be pretty easy to reupholster.
Please don't leave me here.
I want to go home with you!" Now I'm beginning to question,
WAS I CRAZY? OR WHAT?

Internet Frustrations

Hi my friends!
I am experiencing internet difficulties.
ARRRRGH!
I'm posting this at my husband's work.
I didn't want you to think I forgot you.
The internet company tells me someone should be out by tomorrow.
Silly internet!
Don't we all have a love/hate relationship with it?
And what good is a computer without it?
I mean, how many games of spider solitare can you play
before boredom sets in?
I'm off to find another creative outlet for today.
For those of you who've asked me questions,
I promise I'll get to you as soon as I can.

Stick a Fork In It

This cute little display hangs in the hall to my kitchen,

right between two doors that lead out of the house.

I wish I could take credit for making the coat hanger.
Our niece and her husband made it
and gave it to us for Christmas a few years ago.
Isn't it wonderful?They bought the forks at the thrift store
and used reclaimed wood from an old fence.
(I can take credit
for making the picture hanging above it.)

AaAaAa Collection

Remember the old Lay's potato chip commercial,

"Nobody can eat just one"?
Yeah, that's how I am
about something that I like in home decor.
I can't have just one!
I HAVE to have a collection.
That's the way it is with my monogram art.
I couldn't have just one letter A.
I MUST HAVE MANY!
All around my house.
One in my bedroom.One in the family room.And in the kitchen.One in the computer room.
(Yes, we named a room after an inanimate object)In the hall.Even on the front door.And several in the living room.(I have even more A's, but you get the picture.)

And I fear that after showing you how to make this:You have now started your own collection.
After all, nobody can have just one!

A Sign of Fall

I felt the urge to add to my fall decorations. I wanted a little sign that spelled FALL. I decided to take an old idea of mine and tweak it a bit. Please forgive the idea rerun. But, if you're like I am, you probably need to see something a few times before you decide to jump in and craft it. So here's your second chance!

First, I found a piece of scrap wood. If you don't have a garage full like I do, then the best place to look is in the big home improvement stores. Go to the back of the store where they cut wood for customers. Oftentimes,
they have scrap pieces of wood for really cheap.
They'll even cut it down to size for free.
Or if there is building or remodeling in your neighbor,
ask the builders if you can have a scrap or two.Next, I printed out the word to fit my wood.
I placed the printed word under the canvas/duck type fabric and copied over it using a paint marker.
To make it easier to see through,
I placed it on my light box,
but you could use a window.Then I cut the piece of fabric to size
and frayed the edges.I painted my wood block.
I used a spray paint color called Honey.
When the paint was dry,
I sanded and stained the edges. You may even choose to adhere a cute piece of scrapbook paper to the front side
(as I did the first time).
Next, I attached the fabric to the wood
using upholstery tacks. Then I embellished my sign with ribbon and a metal leaf.And there you have another sign that fall is here!

A Little Known Condition

I have a condition.

I don't talk about it much, but it affects every aspect of my life. I've decided that it's time to bring this abnormality out in the open and, even perhaps, to embrace it.

I am a tweaker!

Yes, I tweak constantly.

If you've known me for very long, you may have already noticed, but you are kind and politely overlooked my disability.

Here is evidence of my tweaking condition.
Before tweaking:And after: Before: After:Before: After:Before:After:Before:After:Before:After:

I try to control my compulsiveness to tweak. Although it is difficult for me to sit still for very long before I give into the urge. I try to allow it to manifest itself only within the confines of my own home. When I am in another person's home it is sometimes difficult to keep this condition under control. It is possible---if I clasp my hands and tweak only in my thoughts. I think that blogging has actually worsened the condition because I study photos of my home on the computer and then go on a tweaking binge. I've learned that it is feasible to live with this condition. However, it is sometimes difficult for family members to live with a tweaker. My family has accepted my abnormality, and has learned to tolerate it. I love my family for their willingness to live under such conditions.

Yes, I am a tweaker!
Are you a tweaker too?
(And yes, I've tweaked this post a few times too!)