Project # 2 Vintage Wooden Chalk Painted Stool

 I found this old black badly chipped wooden stool at the flea market. It is solid wood, probably handmade in the 30s or 40s. It had been given at least three coats of paint. White, red and black. Maybe more, but those are the colors that were showing through the black.

 In some places the white was showing through and in others the red. It needed some TLC. I made up some forest green chalk paint and decided to give this old piece some new life. Two coats of green paint, a little touch up here and there, a coat of sealer and then I added the picture.

 Since we live in an agricultural area, where farmers work to provide crops and food for our table, I decided to honor the farmers and of course, the Dads, since Father's Day is coming.

 I think it turned out fairly well for only my second time doing this. I enjoy giving new life to old things and even have a name for my new little venture. NEW LIFE DESIGNS and my motto is, "giving old things new life."

Here is a closeup of the farm scene on the stool. For the first few times I looked at it, I found something new. Cows in the background, a distant farm, a blooming shrub, a red-winged blackbird, a John Deere tractor, a black dog, a rabbit.

This stool is now for sale at the flea market. I'm hoping it will sell for Father's Day.

I continue my projects and am almost finished project #4. Project #3 is waiting for hubby to put the seat on it for me. Not sure when that is going to happen, but hopefully soon.

Some Creative Inspiration

 It's been a while since I've posted anything on my blog and I think it's time to show you what I've been doing. Besides working on my Etsy Shop, I've taken a spot at the flea market. We went half with a friend of ours, which is a great way to start.

I decided I needed something unique to sell, so found myself a few things to work on. I had been scanning the Internet for something I'd like to do and came across a blog that explained about a new trend...Chalk Painting. This method is fabulous. You don't have to sand pieces before painting. Chalk Paint will cover veneer, varnish, old paint, laminate and can even be used on plastic, terra cotta pots and so much more.

My first project was a small table. I didn't want to start with anything too large. I had a half quart of light blue paint and from that I made my own Chalk Paint. It didn't sound difficult and I decided I'd give it a try. I was successful on the first try.

I forgot to take before photos, but have a few after ones. The table was quite beat up, but the marks from past generations just gives it more character. I know this won't be my best piece, but it was great for a start.

A couple of photos of the top of the table. It would make a great plant stand and I put a coat of protective sealer on it so cleaning is simple. Just wipe with a damp cloth and wipe with a soft cloth or piece of toweling.

Since I wanted to enhance it a bit, I transferred an image of bluebirds onto the top for a nice touch of nature.

I'm going to have a hard time parting with this one, as it was my first and I love the bluebird image on the top. However, I have no place to put this, as our new place is really quite small and I'm downsizing a lot of stuff that I've had for years. I am going to keep photos of all my pieces and eventually, when I think I'm ready, I will be doing custom pieces as well.

This piece is now at the flea market waiting anxiously for its new home. I'm hoping that someone will spot it and love it as much as I do, even with its flaws.

I've already started on my second project...a chair. A lady gave it to me, as she was going to throw it out. The seat was horse hair and I decided to leave that and just recover it. The seat is reupholstered with a piece of fabric that Mom had. I think it's going to be super. Once it's done, I will post photos of before and after here. The before photos have already been taken.

I'm Way Behind

The last week and a half, I've been fighting bronchitis, ear infection and a nasty cold. I suspect it is from the changeable weather. This seems to happen to me every spring and fall. One day it's warm and you need only a light jacket. The next...it is cold and windy with snow flurries.

I was feeling some better Tuesday but had to go out to an appointment and do some errands. There was a nasty cold wind. Wednesday morning, I was right back where I started. It seems everyone has this yucky stuff right now. I'm trying to stay in so I won't be exposed to the germs when people sneeze and cough in public places.

I'm not the only one who has had this in our family. My daughter seemed to fight it off well, but Brandon and Jordan have both had a day off school because of it. Hubby has had it also. I think he was the one that passed it on to me.

All of this illness has put me behind in getting settled in our new place. There are still boxes in the hall and kitchen. The living room is pretty much in order, as is my Etsy room. Our bedroom needs a bit of organizing and the spare bedroom isn't set up yet. Actually, it has a few boxes filled with yard sale items.

One plus is, I have snow drops blooming along the side of the house. A sure sign that Miss Spring is trying to fight off Old Man Winter. According to the weather man, it won't be before the end of March. Seems we're going to have gusting winds and snow flurries until then at least. I just hope that this weather doesn't forge on into April.

So that's about all the news I have for today. Wishing you all a great weekend filled with nice weather.

A Few Before Pictures

 As promised, here are a few of the before pictures of the house right after we moved. This is Dakota, looking in amazement at all the clutter.

 Even the couches are loaded. These couches were left by the previous tenant and since ours was totally in tatters and these were clean, we opted to use these.

 This is another one of the hall. At least I know where my crock pot is.

 The kitchen is also full of clutter and difficult to navigate through at this time. It's better now, but not like I want it.

 Another of the kitchen. You can see how cluttered it is. The dresser standing in its end near the sink is now gone. Our friend wanted it and we just had no room. So, it has a new home.

 Dakota, trying to make his way down the hall. He was really hesitant because there is a cold air register in the hall just below the bottom of the photo. He didn't like it at all, but is used to it now.

 Another of the hall. What a mess. It's a little better but some of the stuff we just aren't sure where to put.

 Hubby wondering where we got all this stuff. After being married for 24 years and me having lots of my own at that time, it does accumulate.

 Starting to fix the place up a little. These bird plaques, one robins and one blue birds were the first to be hung. I bought them from my friend, Dee.

And my favorite picture, which hasn't been framed in the three years I've had it and some of my animal ornaments on the pantry in the hall. That picture is being framed very soon...in fact when I get my income tax back, that is what I'm getting for myself.

And so you can see the mess we were in. We still are in a mess, but not near as bad and working on it a little each day. I will get more photos for you soon. I want to make this place cozy and comfortable, which means getting rid of a lot of stuff.

Some will go into my ETSY shop and some into a huge yard sale we are planning for spring.