Friday, October 30, 2015

Crate and Barrel Towel Art

 
 
 
 
I love the graphic dishtowel that Crate and Barrel is selling right now. 
 
 
I enlisted my handy husband to make another frame with pallet boards.  I love the patina of the old boards.
 
 
 
 
 
 
On the inside of the frame where he made the cuts, I used my trusty old trick of apple cider vinegar and steel wool to age the new cuts so they'd look like the rest of the boards.
 
I started by ironing the towel.
 
 
 
 
We used spray adhesive on the backer board, then used a rolling pin to make sure all of the creases and bubbles were out of it.
 
He made the frame so that we'd only have a 1/2" of overlap in the back.  It fit perfectly in the frame and went on the wall. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
I love it!
 
Thanks for your visit!

Pam
 
 
 

I am linking to the following parties:

 


Dwellings-The Heart of Your Home



Saturday, October 24, 2015

Silver Polishing Made Easy!

 
 
I had been storing my silver in drawers of a cabinet my husband made a few years ago.  I cut velvet pieces to line the drawers and put some papers in to keep the silver from tarnishing.  Well, the silver tarnished like crazy!
 
 

I got on Pinterest and found this great way to clean silver fast from Everton Terrace.

Start with a plastic container and line it with foil, shiny side up.  Add several scoops of baking soda (I buy the big bag at Costco).   Add boiling water.  Add tarnished silver.

 
 
 
Use tongs to remove the silver after a couple of minutes. 
 
I kept boiling water and adding it to the container so that I could get all of the silverware done in one shot. 





Rinse well.


Dry well.  
 
 

Put all of the shiny pieces away in the special boxes that silver comes in and you'll be set for the holidays!! 
 
 
Thanks for your visit!
 
Pam
 
 
 
I am linking to the following parties:

 


Dwellings-The Heart of Your Home



Sunday, October 11, 2015

Pallet Wood and Dishtowel Wall Art

 
 
 
Recently we went to Portland, Oregon for a family wedding.  Because Monticello Antique Marketplace is very close to the airport, it's our first stop when we arrive in town.  We were lucky enough to get there during their Fall Show, which is always filled to the brim with great treasures!

 

One of the things I found was this great dishtowel.  I knew I wouldn't be using it as a dishtowel since the graphics were so cute.
 
 
We decided to make a frame for it using pallet wood.  It took two pallet boards to make the frame.
 
 





 
 

 
 I used my handy-dandy wood aging technique on the  inside edges where the cut marks were, so that they'd look old too.  (if you don't want to click the link, the secret is Apple Cider Vinegar and Steel wool) 
 






 
 
He cut a piece of hardboard to attach the dishtowel to.  We used spray adhesive on the board, then used a rolling pin to attach the dishtowel to the board.  We then put that in the frame, used  glazing points to hold it in, added some tape around the edges, and a wire stapled across the back to hang it.


 
 
The dishtowel was $8.  We had everything else on hand, so I'd say $8 for a neat piece of art is worth it!  :)
 
Thanks for your visit!
 
Pam
 
 

I am linking to the following parties:



Dwellings-The Heart of Your Home



Saturday, October 3, 2015

New Life Breathed into Old Guest Room

 
 
 
Yes!  I'm back.  :)  I had a crazy-busy summer and am now excited to be back to blogging.  Recently my friend asked me to help her with the guest room in her 100 year old house.  First, she wanted an old iron headboard.  I was at a garage sale and found this one.  I'm guessing that it was originally the foot board, as it wasn't too tall, but she added some pipes to it to raise it to a great height. 
 
 

The headboard did have a great patina of rust, but this is a guest room that her grandkids will be sleeping in, so the rusty patina had to be cleaned up.  We got my husband to clean it up completely using a wire brush attachment on his drill.  We then primed it,  painted it white, then dabbed on a brown stain to age it.





 
 
 
 
Next, she needed a bedside table.  Back to recruiting my husband.  He built this one the exact dimensions that she needed for a small space.

 
 
She wanted a pop of yellow in the room, so chose this color.
 
 
 
 
She found the table at HomeGoods and the slipper chair at SteinMart.  The duvet and the rest of the bedding are from Pottery Barn and Pier1.





 Several months ago, she found this picture of a piece of numbered artwork in the Pottery Barn catalog.
source

 Not long after that,
I was at Pick Your Plum (love that place!!) and found a bunch of metal numbers in a dollar bin.  I knew they needed to come home with me!

I found an old frame at a garage sale and besides reinforcing the corners, I didn't really do anything with it.  I loved the aged look of it.
 

I painted a piece of hardboard a bright white, then used epoxy glue to attach the numbers to the board.  But, once it was up, it was too stark, so back down it came and some stain was rubbed over the whole thing to age it.


 
 
 
 

 










 
 
 
 
Now she has a room that works for her grandkids as well as anyone else who visits.  I think it turned out so cute!

Thanks for your visit.
Pam




I am linking to the following parties:



Dwellings-The Heart of Your Home