{Back in Busy-ness}

 It's been a while since I've been able to do anything crafty.  But my upcoming wedding has the wheels turning a bit.  

Here, I turned some ho-hum Ball jars that I bought at a yard sale early this summer into a rustic, vintage style vase to hold flowers for my wedding.  I already had lots of lace scraps, so all I needed was a hot glue gun, a roll of burlap from the craft store, and some vintage (or store-bought) keys.  

I've also been collecting nature-themed books, especially anything about birds, and any that are aqua blue or orange, my colors of choice!

I also decorated my front porch with pumpkins, mums, and a hay bail.  I gave my two urn planters a makeover because they were looking a little too shabby.  So, I took a can of Rustoleum oil rubbed bronze spray paint, and went to town.

Here's a side by side.  What a difference two coats of spray paint can do!  While I spray painted, I tied up the flowers with a bungee cord because I'm not ready to part with these lovely pink and purple blooms just yet.  HOWEVER, their days are numbered...I plan on putting these white pumpkin topiaries in them.

 Here is how I made them:  

I bought foam pumpkins at the craft store when they were 50% off.  Two of each size in large, medium, and small sizes.  

Then I used a hacksaw to saw the stems off of all but the smallest pumpkins.....they go on top, so they need to keep their stem.  

Then I used a utility knife to cut holes in the top and bottom of the medium and large pumpkins, but only the bottom of the baby pumpkin.

I then fed a 3/4" wood dowel into all of them, feeding them onto the pole like giant marshmallows!!  Yummy!  I had to trim the dowel to fit inside my urn planters.  Last step is to put them in the urns and add some foliage and lights.

{Weekend Makeover ~ Chippy Toy Chest Turned End Table}

One of my Shupp's Grove picks this year, during my annual Sister's Getaway Weekend, was this awesome aqua blue (my favorite color) side table, made out of reclaimed wood.  The vendor told me it came from her uncle's house and that they used it as a toy box when they were kids.  The top is hinged and opens to reveal a roomy spot to put lots of stuff into....I've got 2 kids so the possibilities are endless!

I love how you can see the wear and tear on the legs and the top (not pictured), where the tiny little hands flipped it open over and over again.  What's also interesting is all of the different kinds of bolts, nails, and screws that were used to put it together.  No leg is attached in the same manner, but it's a sturdy little piece!  One sunny weekend, my son helped me wash the dirt and grime off of it.  Then I sanded it down using a palm sander on another very windy day.   Thank goodness for the wind because it made me feel better about the possibility of the paint containing lead.  The huge gusts of wind whisked it all away!  

I wanted it to go in this spot...where an old stationery cabinet used to sit. That piece was purchased at a local barn sale.  The drawers don't come out too easily, but they work well enough to store seasonal items in it like sunscreen, sunglasses, and odds and ends like cell phone chargers and stuff like that.

I am contemplating repainting the front of my chippy aqua blue toy chest because some funky drip marks did not sand out like I thought they would.  I doubt I'll find an exact match to the paint, but I can sure try.  I'm considering using my new supply of CeCe Caldwell Chalk and Clay paint.  I'll post about that project if I ever get around to it.  Then, I'll apply a coat of finishing wax to seal in the paint completely and protect it.  

So, here it now sits in my family room.  I'm still deciding if I like it there.  It's quite a bit smaller than I imagined it to be.  

Now, my West Elm hack owl lamp has a new home where he can be seen a little better than in his last home, all tucked into the corner on the opposite side of our grey sectional couch.  I bought an ugly semi-realistic looking owl lamp complete with creepy, bright yellow eyes.  I spray painted it bright white.  It cost about $35 as opposed to the very costly brand new one at West Elm.  

Well, I hope you enjoyed hearing about some of my projects.  

As always, stay cozy!

Mandy

{Curbside Rescue ~ Oak Parlor Table}

Hi there!  I am proud to say that I am finished with my very first chalk paint project.  I started with a solid oak parlor table with cast metal ball & claw feet that my sister rescued from someone's trash pile in her neighborhood.

I purchased CeCe Caldwell clay and chalk paints from Foxy Finds at the Bucks County Antique Gallery in Chalfont, PA as well as online at Glitterfarm.com.  Not only is this paint earth friendly, it has no odor.  No harmful VOCs that are bad for your health, safe for pets and kids.  Perfect for this tree-huggin' mama.

It got two coats of Santa Fe Turquoise and then I distressed it lightly using a damp cloth.  That's the beauty of this paint...so little effort is needed to distress your pieces in just the right areas.  You can also use a fine grit sand paper, but a cloth works just as nice.

Next, I cleaned up the glass ball feet and the cast metal claws got a good scrubbing with a microfiber cloth soaked in warm water and TSP.  After they dried, I used some antique gold Rub 'n Buff on the metal and they came out so gorgeous!

I wanted to tone down the brightness of the turquoise color of the table.  It's my favorite color, but it was almost too vibrant for this piece.  So, I figured a glaze was a good option.  I mixed up a few batches of tinted glaze using a smidgeon of some of the colors I bought from Glitter Farm, dropped into cups of clear glaze.  I then tested each of them on a long wooden stake that I painted turquoise, just to see which effect I liked the most.  The winner was Virginia Chestnut.  Just a touch of paint gets added to the glaze if you want a subtle glaze...more gets added if you want to be more dramatic.  I really liked experimenting with these.  That's the scientist in me, I guess!  The light colored stain was perfect to tone down the turquoise, but allow enough to show through.  

Here you can see the glaze on top of the turquoise color.  It gave a really nice aged look to it.  

The final stages happened on my kitchen table one night after the kids went to bed.  Jeff was in the office/playroom next door listening to some awful political talk show and I just wanted to shoot myself.  I love the man to pieces, but his taste in entertainment sometimes makes me cringe.  Next time I decide to do a project within earshot of said political talk show, my iPod is comin' out.  Jeff and I are complete opposites on a couple of very important issues (politics & religion), but somehow we make it work.  Definitely makes for some interesting discussions, most of which I try to avoid altogether.  :)    

Just a side note.....see those chairs and table in the photo above?  My next project is painting those in CeCe Caldwell's Vintage White and recovering the seat pads with red & white gingham oil cloth that is totally and completely wipeable!  Who's idea was it to cover kitchen chairs in fabric???  I scored the whole set, solid wood with a durable formica top, 6 padded ladder back chairs, and two leaves.  All for $150.  Not too bad, huh?  The set will replace our old counter-height set seen here:

See that light fixture with the one light bulb blown out?  It's going as well.  I ordered a vintage looking porcelain enamel pendant light from Barn Light Electric in jade green to go over the table as well as one for over our sink.  I cannot wait until I have the time to install those babies!

Okay, back to my table project.  The final steps were coating the table top and lower shelf in four coats of Endurance finish to protect the surface from scratches, etc.  It's extremely durable.  The legs got 2 coats of Satin finish.  There you have it, my friends!  My first furniture painting experience.  I think it was quite the success, don't you?  It will be available for sale at Home Fine Art at the Mill Race Village in Historic Mt. Holly, NJ where my lovely talented sister is a member and also sells her artwork.  Take a trip and check it out.  There are lots of other shops there too.  

{Celebrating with Cupcakes & Fondant}

Baby Agnes turned one in May.  Um, what?  Yes, I said it.  She's one already.  We spent the whole year in shock that we had a girl and now we've moved onto the phase where we're shocked that she's one already.  There's nothing like a growing child to show you just how quickly the time passes.  They are like living, breathing scrapbooks or time capsules.  You look at them today and your memory plays a movie in your head of the days that have passed.  Jeff and I spent the whole weekend singing "Happy Birthday" to her over and over.  Poor child.  We also kept saying things like, "Remember when she used to fit in our arms like this?" and "Remember when she just laid there on her playmat, not able to really do anything?"  Now she's cruising the furniture like nobody's business, climbing up on the couch using anything close by as a step stool (including dad's face), and taking just one single step unassisted before hesitating and sitting back down.

Jeff and I took off from work on her actual birthday to spend the day with her.  Since the weather was crappy, we didn't do much of anything besides get things ready for the next day's party.  Luckily, the forecast for party day was perfectly cool & sunny.  I love the month of May.  We all enjoyed having birthday tea on the playroom floor using the new tea set we bought her, even Grandpa.

She likes to share and tries to very forcefully jam the spoon into your mouth.  Then she chucks the cups and saucers over her shoulder in a very Mad-Hatter way.  I originally wanted to do a rainbow theme or a Mad Hatter Tea Party them, so I almost bought her this top-hat by LilBirdsCouture on Etsy to wear for the big day.  

{$24} Pink Lemonade Vintage Inspired Birthday - Mini Top Hat Headband (or fascinator)

But, Jeff practically insisted on a May Flowers theme, and I agreed it was easier and more fitting for the time of the year.  I'll re-explore the Mad Hatter theme for when she's older and has real girlfriends to invite for tea.  

That night, Jeff made dinner and we celebrated with the Grandparents and some cupcakes.  I spent the rest of the night decorating more cupcakes with homemade chocolate icing that I made with Ghirardelli cocoa powder and a mini cake that I covered in fondant.  Screw making my own cake batter.   When people rave over them, I always tell them the batter is from the box.  I'm not one to take credit for something I didn't do.  Mr. Hines and Mrs. Crocker are my friends and they do quite a fine job in this busy mother's opinion.  Can I, and have I made my own?  Yes.  Maybe one day the negative stigma over boxed cake mixes will be a thing of the past.  What's your take on it? 

Oh, and while at the store, I also picked up a box of this blue velvet cake mix just for the heck of it and mostly because it's my favorite color. I don't care when or how I use it, but I can't wait.  Maybe some tri-colored cupcakes for the 4th of July or something like that.   

The little flowers on the chocolate cupcakes are made out of royal icing, which dries rock hard.  It's the cement for bakers.  I made a big batch of these flowers a long time ago after my mom sent me a birthday package full of Wilton cake decorating supplies.  She used to be a cake decorator at a local arts & crafts store called Lee Wards.  Michaels bought them out.  I remember going in there as a kid and seeing her decorated cakes hanging up on the wall.  I was like, "How do heck do they stay up there?"  I didn't realize they were fake.  Anyway, royal icing decorations keep in an airtight container FOR.EVER.  This is the third time I've used them and I still have a bunch left.  I recommend making a ton if you have the time, so you'll always have a stash to make your cupcakes pop. 

People call me crazy when I do creative stuff like this, but this is my therapy.  This is my yoga.  This is my xanax.  This birthday cake for my daughter's 1st was the first time I experimented with covering a cake with fondant.  The design was inspired by the Cake Boss and thanks to his TV show, I felt like a real pro.  "I'm not a professional cake decorator, but I learned how to be one while watching TV."  I had a little extra help with this Cake Boss kit that I bought at Michaels.  I didn't buy the pre-made fondant like the book suggests because I made my own a while ago (fondant keeps for a long time too), and used it to make the ears, eyes, eyebrows, and nose of a fox cake that I made for my sister's birthday.  

I had a huge chunk of it leftover, so I brought it out and added my own Wilton gel colors to it to match the colors in my daughter's birthday decorations.  

This stuff is like play-doh for adults.  So. Much. Fun!  It probably helped that I had a few drinks while making the cake.  I'm not a drinker so a little goes a long way with me.  As you're rolling it out, you're supposed to periodically lift the fondant sheet up and dust your table with more powdered sugar.  Well, I didn't.  I blame it on the alcohol.  

It ended up sticking to the mat in a very big way so I had to scrape it off with a bench scraper and start over.  Oh well, lesson learned.  You'd think all the cookie dough I've rolled out would have taught me that lesson, but no.  I like to learn things the hard way.  Over and over.  Ironically, I also blame my calmness about the above on the alcohol.  I should drink more often.  I really should.    

I displayed the cake on a boring clear glass cake stand.  I've been on the hunt for the perfect vintage cake stand like this one sold by SwirlingOrange11 on Etsy:

{$295} Turquoise Blue Milk Glass Cake Stand, Opaque Blue Milk Glass Wedding Cake or Cupcake Pedestal

So far, I haven't been able to find one at the price I'd like to pay.  When I finally find the one, though, I may just have to bite the bullet and pay a little extra. 

The cupcake stand is also a Wilton product.  I used a 50% off coupon at JoAnn Fabric so it cost me about $10.  It collapses so it stores nice and compact on a shelf in my basement.  The nice thing about it is that the tier surfaces are slanted outwards so the tops of your cupcakes are displayed, not the sides so much.  You can also attach ribbon, lace, or any other decorative trim to the sides to add another element of design to your cupcake display.  I haven't done this, but if I ever do, I'll probably use sticky scrapbooking tabs or something to hold the trim on instead of hot glueing it.        

For the party decor, I went to Party City and bought the standard party stuff.  Cups, plates, napkins, tissue paper hanging thingies, paper lanterns, and helium balloons.  I wanted to add a little personalized touch, so I printed out one picture from each month of Agnes's life and hung them in chronological order.  I used a strand of pink & white baker's twine and mini wooden clothes pins to hold each photo.  It was so hard to pick my favorite one, but the experience of going through all of those photos was a nice way to reminisce about the year. 

I saved the triangles of scrapbook paper that I cut out for her baptism decorations, seen above, and hung them in between each photo.  The big tissue paper pom poms can be made yourself, like I did here for Agnes's baptism.  I used all the tissue paper that I got in baby shower gifts.  The pom poms for her birthday were store-bought because I was feeling lazy and wanted to focus my energy and time on her cake.  Call me cheap, call me frugal, call me a hoarder, but I save all of it.  I flatten it out as best I can and store it in my basement with the hundred and one gift bags I've received over the years for baby showers and birthdays.  You have to understand too, that I'm an environmentalist by profession.  I do care about not wasting resources, so when I can, I try to recycle things, especially paper.  When I need to use the tissue paper, I'll iron it on a low setting if I need to and if I have the time.  Otherwise, it gets shoved into a gift bag, crinkles and all.   

Well, the party was a success, and everyone enjoyed the cupcakes and mini cake, especially Agnes.  I was able to really enjoy myself and the weather, thanks to everyone who helped that day.  Jeff manned the grill, and Grandma made the sides.  Everyone pitched in and helped clean up too, which is always so helpful.  Happy Birthday to our sweet, happy-go-lucky, baby girl who has put smiles on all of our faces since the day she was born.

{How To Hang Something from Your Ceiling}

In today's post, I'll show you how to hang a mid-weight item from your plaster ceiling (with tips for drywall too), using a cordless drill and a swag hook kit from the hardware store. As an added bonus, I'll share a tip with you that will make clean-up of falling debris a cinch!  In this example, I hung a chandelier that I had re-wired and then I re-vamped it by spray painting it pink for my daughter's bedroom.  

{Know Your Opponent}

Before you begin any hanging project, it's important to know the weight of the item to be hung, the type of ceiling material you're working with, and make sure you are using the correct hardware for the job.  My home was built in the early 50's and has plaster walls and ceilings, which was an unpleasant surprise to this 2nd-time homeowner. So, the type of anchors, screws, nails, etc. that worked in my previous dry-walled home do not work for my new home's plaster.

Here's an example for you...an old landlord thought it was a good idea to hang a ceiling fan from one of these swag hooks.  These hooks are not meant for something that heavy.  We left the fan on low while we were away for a long Summer weekend just to keep the air circulating a little.  Well, I'll just say the words "Massive CD collection" and "wrecking ball" and you can paint your own mental picture.  No bueno.

The chandelier will hang above a bed, so it's important that it won't come crashing down on someone in the middle of the night.  The package usually describes the weight capacity for the hardware.  Follow it to avoid the aforementioned scenario.

{Gather Your Supplies}

•protective eye gear

•cordless drill

•drill bits (one tiny and one large)

•paper dixie cup

•swag hook kit

•pencil

•tape measure

For safety's sake, wear protective eye gear and use your tools carefully.  You'll be looking up and foreign debris can very easily get into your eyes. 

For this project I gathered the chandelier, a tape measure, a pencil, my cordless drill, a couple of drill bits, a paper dixie cup, and my swag hook kit.  Also shown is the plug portion of the cord kit used to convert my chandelier from hard-wire to plug-in.  That tutorial is in the works.

Arrange your tools and materials in one spot close to your work zone.  This is going to save you lots of climbing up and down ladders, or in my case, a bed.  

{Pick Your Spot Wisely}

Determine the ideal location for your item, keeping in mind any 6-foot-3 inhabitants of your home.  Also, be aware of things like windows and doorways.  You don't want to take all this time carefully hanging your decoration, only to bash it with a door or for a breeze through an open window to cause a problem.  I wanted the chandelier to hang in the center of the alcove, over the bed.  So, I measured a center point of just the alcove area, not the whole room, using a tape measure and marked a tiny dot on the ceiling with my pencil.  

{Ingenious Trick for Easy Clean-Up} 

Next, put your small drill bit on your drill.  Use it to poke a hole in the bottom of the dixie cup and feed the cup down onto the drill bit so that the bottom of the cup rests against the drill.  Tear away about half of the cup so the drill bit is longer than the cup.  The cup will stay on the drill as you drill into the ceiling, catching most, if not all, of the debris that will come out of the hole.  This makes for a no-mess project!  That's a huge plus...unless you're like me who is prone to making things harder on yourself by making stupid mistakes.  

After being so impressed with my dixie cup trick, I set my drill down on the bed against the chandelier, being careful that the cup stayed upright.  Well, it fell over and out came all of the dust and debris all over my daughter's vintage quilt.  My sister and I call that "pulling a Nuskey"...our maiden name.  We call each other at random to share lots of these little moments, usually starting the conversation with, "I just pulled a Nuskey...".

{Do Some Exploratory Drilling}

Using a tiny drill bit, drill up into the ceiling at the spot you marked with your pencil.  If you are not met with much resistance and the drill bit goes all the way through easily, you did not hit a wood joist (one of the wood beams that runs vertically across you house).  No worries, though.  Read on to see what to do next.  

{Did You Find a Joist?}

If you did meet resistance and you notice that some of your debris is saw dust, you hit a wooden joist and the job just became a little bit easier.  If you hit a joist, you simply screw the swag hook onto the blunt end of the wood screw included in the kit and then screw the pointy end up into the ceiling and joist until the hook is flush with the ceiling.  That's it!  You're done!  

{Visualize a Toggle Bolt as Being Kind of Like Childbirth}

Now, if you did not hit a joist, change out your drill bit to the larger one and put your dixie dust catcher back on.  Assemble the toggle bolt like this:

The little wings have a spring in them that allows them to spring outwards like this, but up inside your ceiling.  Picture having a baby...in your womb baby is able to stretch out just a little....but once it's time to come out he has to bend completely in half to fit through the birth canal.  Once he's on the other side, though, he can stretch out again.  Nice visual, huh?  No?  Sorry.  I had two C-sections so I apologize if I brought back any painful memories for you.  

To accomplish this childbirth like task, you have to drill a hole large enough to fit the assembled toggle bolt, toggle and all, up into the ceiling. It probably will be the size of a dime in diameter.  The base of the swag hook will cover this huge hole, so don't worry.  If your drill bit is not that large in diameter, just keep the drill going while making a circular motion inside the drill to shave off the sides of the hole a little at a time.  Your glad you have your dixie dust catcher now, aren't you?  

You'll thank me when you realize you don't have to take a shower just to get dust out of your hair.  It may be trial and error, so stop and check every few seconds to see if the hole is large enough.  If not, keep going.  

Once the hole is wide enough, pinch the wings down against the screw and push the whole thing up inside.  Be sure that the hook is on the end because you want to push the screw upwards as far as you can to ensure the wings spring back out, yet you don't want to lose your screw up there too.  

Lastly, as you screw the hook clockwise to tighten, pull downwards gently at the same time.  The wings will grip the inside of the ceiling and the screw will appear to be getting shorter and shorter, with the hook getting closer and closer towards the ceiling.    

source:  wikihow.com

Once you have tightened the hook and it is flush against the ceiling, you're done!  Now you can hang your project and be proud that you did it all by yourself.    

As Always, Stay Cozy!

Mandy