March 2016 is almost over so let's build a bench!
The weather is just nice enough to get outside and build a bench for your porch. I built this bench last spring, but never really showed you how I did it. I know there's tons of tutorials online but you may want to see how a Pastor's wife rolls up her sleeves.
Step 1: Scour resale and garage sales for a matching headboard and footboard. I found mine at a local resale shop here in Wheaton. I paid $30.00. Give me a Woot woot!
Step 2: Sand that sucker down! I used sandpaper and followed up with steel wool for a nice smooth finish.
When I was done that step, I used a tack cloth to get most of the dust off. Frankly, I still was not satisfied, so I went ahead and used a damp cloth on everything. This meant, I had to wait a bit for everything to be nice and dry. But, a clean, dust free surface is worth the wait.
Step 3: Cut the footboard in half. My hubby is super precise so I let him cut and measure as it is important that your pieces are exactly the same. Go ahead and attach the halves to your headboard.
Step 4: Build the box. Measure the inside length and width of your bench to determine the size of your boards. Once you've got that figured out cut two boards to the length dimensions and four boards for the width dimension. Attach pieces to frame.
Step 5: Cut your seat pieces of wood. We chose to cut our boards so that there was a 1/4 inch space between them when they sat on the frame. Our kids helped us paint every board before attaching them to the frame.
Paint your entire frame, headboard and foot board.
We used BEHR indoor/outdoor paint. It took about three coats for everything to look just right.
Step 6: Attach your seat boards to the frame. Also attach your door nobs. Add accessories and enjoy!
It's February 2016 ...
... But, It's almost March that means it's almost time to put our furniture back out on the porch!
After seeing all the DIY benches made out of headboards and footboards, we decided to give it a try. Here's the outcome! It's now one of our favorite porch pieces.
There's nothing better than a bed on the porch. We spend many lovely Sunday afternoons, napping, reading and drinking tea out here.
September 2015
Fall is my favorite time of year. It seems to be the time, I want to decorate, clean and entertain. This year is especially exciting to me as we are hosting the college ministry at our house on Sunday mornings and the college girls on Sunday nights. So, I've jumped head long into some projects to make the house sparkle! The first project included redecorating our side door entry way. A little paint, a chalkboard and a throw rug made this our new favorite door to come in.
The students are really responding to our weekly chalk board question. They write as they enter or leave. I loved our first question above. "Say hi in your language." We were surprised at how many international students we had the first week.
The question below also filled up our board. "Tell us where you grew up."
I painted the bead board with left over trim pain, and found a throw rug at Kohl's. I will post a final picture soon as there is a small entry table I'd like to add.
We love our side entry!
November 2014
Well, it's not quite November as I post this. However, some health concerns may have me busy in the next few weeks. Nothing to serious..but I may be needing some rest and recovery. So, I just can't wait to share a couple of fun November ideas with you!Drying flowers need not be complicated. I found scads of suggestions on-line, each one more difficult and expensive than the last. So, I just created my own way! Here's my super duper easy way to preserve your flowers.
So, the first thing is to get some hydrangeas. If you have a neighbor with many bushes, why not be brave and go ask for a few... or twenty! Hey, what a great way to get to know your neighbor.
Be sure you are cutting late in the fall like October or November. This way most of the work is already done for you. The plants have already begun to dry out.
Simply leave your plants cut and in a container inside for about a week. NO WATER!
So, here's the easy peasy part! Spray the entire flower and stem with Clear gloss spray paint.
Yes, I mean it! Clear gloss spray paint! Be sure to do this outside and leave them outside for at least a day when you are done.
I sprayed my flower cuttings, one by one and immediately put them into this beautiful white bird cage. I left them outside for a day to be sure the paint smell had dissipated.
Whoola! that's it.
October:
It's October and I am getting ready to host a couple of large parties at the Blue House. One of the tasks that used to bring smelly, slimy, annoyance, no longer does. I finally figured out how to clean my silver tea service without harsh or messy chemicals. If you've hesitated to buy silver plate at garage sales or thrift stores, you will want to read on!
See those sparkling beauties above? I paid three dollars for them at a garage sale. I am not kidding. Of course they were almost black when I bought them. I wish I'd taken a before picture, but I'm sure you've seen said, dark specimens in your travels.
Okay, so here's how to do it. You will need the following items:
One box of baking soda
One 5 gallon bucket
Tin Foil
Water
Tarnished Tea Service
#1. Line the bottom of the bucket with tin foil.
#2. Fill the bucket so that your tallest piece of silver will be completely submerged.
#3. Put in one tablespoon of baking soda per quart. There are four quarts per gallon. So, my 5 gallon bucket needed 20 tablespoons of baking soda.
#4. Stir gently
#5. Submerge one or two pieces at a time. It's really important that they stand upright on the tinfoil. Just tossing them in the bucket will not work.
#6. Soak each piece for 15-20 mins.
#7. Remove, Rinse and dry thoroughly with a soft hand towel.
#8. Repeat with the next pieces - You can use the same solution more than once!
Wahlaa! your sparkling tea service is ready for your next party!
Yes, we live in a bonafide Parsonage! It comes with many blessings. The first blessing is that it is huge! This is the living room turned into a piano studio! I have about 50 piano students. This room gets used! That's my darling Matthew on the carpet. He thought it the softest thing he'd ever felt. He ended up rolling up inside it like a burrito!
Here's the kitchen area! To the left is the kitchen. I'm standing in the sunny dining area!
The second blessing is the large front porch. I'm so in love with this place!
So, I'll be posting any decorating or crafty ideas on this page.
Warning! Decorating and crafting are addicting!
I hope you'll find some of my ideas helpful and fun! Since I've already posted about painting pumkins on the main page, Here's the links for those two posts. But after this you can just pop in here to see what I'm up to on the home front.
Here's the first post:
And the second!
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