Shelf Life

Hello again.  I'm happy to report that the kids and I had safe travels to Florida and back for my grandfather's funeral.  All went well and it was a very special time spent with lots of family.

Since I just got back I don't have any projects to share with you yet, but I thought it might be fun to show you how the shelf in our living room has been changed up over the past year.  Unfortunately, we don't have a fireplace, therefore, no mantel to decorate.  So this shelf over the couch has to make do for now.

Here it is around this time last year.  After Christmas, it stayed this way for several months with no changes.  On top of that stack of books is my vintage wooden folding ruler that I later turned into a star for my bicycle basket Christmas "wreath."  (It has changed shapes again and is currently being used elsewhere, and I hope to show you that soon.)

Then, sometime in late June I changed out the cow picture for my picket fence flag that I've had forever.  (I had my house all decked out in Americana when we first got married almost 10 years ago.  The flag is the only piece I couldn't part with.)  I also added some red and blue game pieces to the clear jar on the right.  No huge changes, but just enough to give a nod to Summer and Independence Day.  The photo on the left is of my adorable nephew posing in a Navy seaman's hat with a fake tattoo on his little bulging bicep that says "Mommy."  (His mama was in the Navy at the time).  So cute!

Then along came mid-September and out came all the Fall decor and it got a complete makeover.  You can see more details about it here.

Another change was in order for Christmas as well.

(Christmas decor post is here.)

Then January brought the snowman decor.  (In hindsight, I wish I had put the smaller hanging snowman on the left and that larger one on the right.  It would have balanced out better.  Oh well.)

And this is how it looks now.

I don't really decorate for Valentine's Day, other than letting the kids put window clings on the living room window, and some other homemade type crafts.  But I added the little wooden blocks as a little extra in honor of V-day.  I slipped a cherished old photo of my husband's grandparents when they were young into the antique shoe form to make it a bit more functional.  I think it makes a pretty cute picture holder.

On either side of the shelf I have family photos displayed with vintage wooden trouser hangers.  I'm loving the look.

So there's a little look back at the changes I've made this year.  I've found that reading other blogs, and having my own blog, has challenged me to come up with new displays and vignettes when I might otherwise have just reverted back to how it looked last year.  I think a little stretching of the mind is good for one's soul.  : )

                                            

I'll be taking another break from blogging.  The kids and I are making an unexpected trip out of town for my sweet grandfather's funeral.  While we're sad he's gone, we're also celebrating the fact that he's now living a most perfect life in heaven with his Creator.  He lived an exemplary Christian life and was ready to meet his beloved Savior. 

Our last visit with him at Christmas time.

I'll be gone a week and then I'll be back to posting some goodies.

P.S.  If you haven't already heard, it's a very real possibility that Google Friend Connect could be going away in the near future.  The new kid on the block is Linky Followers.  I've joined up and have added their widget to my sidebar.  So, if you'd like to follow my blog please consider following me there, as well as GFC if you'd like.  I'd hate to lose all my followers just because Google decides to do away with Friend Connect.

                                                    

Plain Crate Turned Shipping Crate

A few months back I shared this photo and hinted at an upcoming project.  

Well, I'm happy to tell you that it finally happened!  Yay me! It's been forever since I've completed any projects so I'm feeling quite proud of myself.  Hubby, a bit sarcastically, said now I can take the rest of the year off.

So, here's the story.  I rescued this {heavy} wooden crate from the side of the road.....my side of the road.....as in my next door neighbor's bit of the road.  I looked out my window one morning and there it was, all dirty and covered in cobwebs and mud.  I think my heart skipped a beat.

I shouI'd have taken the picture with the opening on top so that you could see it's a crate, but I'm just now remembering that I planned on doing that.....and promptly forgot in my excitement of actually completing a project.

Funny thing is, about 6 months previous to this I saw about 6 of these things on his porch and was coveting them.  Ok, not quite coveting 'cause that's a sin, but I really really wished they were sitting on MY porch instead.  So on this morning, here sits one.  I didn't dare wait for the cover of night, I did not want someone coming along and taking it for firewood or some other such travesty.  I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it, so I put on my big girl panties brave face and quickly ran out and scooped it up.

Then it sat.  In the shed.  For months.  And months.  Seriously.

Ugh, I'm terrible about procrastinating!

But this week I finally did it.

My vision was to add some basic lettering and numbers to make it seem like a shipping crate.  I found the stencils at Hobby Lobby.....months ago.  I decided to use a permanent marker because I didn't think I'd have a steady enough hand to use paint on those little letters.  Plus, I didn't want to wait for the paint to dry.  I'm incredibly patient like that.

Here it is with the lettering finished, but still looking too new and "perfect."

(All the wording, location, and numbers have special meaning to me, but I don't want to bore you with more details.)

I took my trusty little sander to it.

And finally had a finished product.

I used the "gritty" setting for the above photo.
This is what it looks like in reality.

This thing is pretty big, probably 2.5 feet by 2.5 feet or so.  I think it could be used in many different ways.

As an end table.

An old metal coffee can lid as a coaster.

Or maybe as a coffee table.

Or, you could even throw a cushion on it and make it into a seat.

So here's the before again...

And after.

Right now at this point I'm leaning towards using it as an end table, but I'm sure it will have many different uses in it's rustic lifetime.

And, lest you get the wrong impression that my home is perfectly kept and straightened up, here's a shot of what was going on just outside the edges of these pictures.

My daughter has very colorful taste in clothing!  : )

So, what do you think?  

Would you use a roadkill rescue crate in your home?  How would you choose to use it?

                                                                

Sharing over at:

Saturday Nite Special #161 - Funky Junk Interiors

Winter Decor & a Snowman Party

Ok, I realize that it's a little late to be showing you this when it's almost Valentine's Day already.  But since I've been having technical difficulties I'm runnin' a little behind.

Anyways.....a few years ago I realized I was never ready for the house to go back to "normal" after Christmas, so I decided to start decorating with snowmen for the month of January.  I stick with a mostly blue and white, not-too-Christmasy theme.  

While I was putting it all up this year, it hit me that mid-January is the perfect time for a party.  People kind of get the after-Christmas blues, cabin fever starts setting in (at least up here in the frigid North it does) and so I decided to take advantage of the decor already being up and have a Snowman Party for my daughter and a few of her friends from church. 

You might be wondering why I have brown candles up there instead of white ones, but it's because they're Peppermint Cocoa scented ones and I think that's perfect for Winter.

Just Checking In

After much searching and experimenting I've come to the conclusion that I just need to hunt down the installation CD for the photo editing program I had on the PC and install it on this one too.  If I remember right it had a Mac version on it.  I just can't seem to find a program that I like as much as I did that one.  So....I'll be up and running again soon, I promise!

And just so I don't leave you photo-less for too long, here's a peek at what the next post will be once I get all set up - my winter decor and a Snowman Party!

                                  

We Interrupt This Program.....

Okay, just wanted to let you know that blogging has been temporarily interrupted.  We recently upgraded from our PC, which we've had for about 7 years and was a bit of a dinosaur where computers are concerned, to a MacBook, which I'm loving.  But, we're still trying to figure out how to get all the info and pictures from the PC transferred to the Mac, and I'm going to have to find a new photo editing program.  Maybe now would be the time to try the free version of Photo Shop or Picnik?   Anyhoo...I just wanted you to know I'm still here, and I'll be back.......right after these messages.

Best of 2011

Donna over at Funky Junk Interiors is having a "Best of 2011" link party so I thought I'd join in the fun and do a little recap.

My favorite home decor project of the last year was definitely the trunk/coffee table redo.  It went from looking like this...

To looking like this.

The new paint job shows off details that were hidden before.  I'm loving the new look! 

(You can see more details and pictures here)

One of my other favorites (and the 2nd most popular post) was the Edison Lamp I made.

(more details here)

Another great project from this year was the vintage style tray I created.

I'm also still loving the suitcase table I was able to put together for $4.

By far, the most popular post (with 1,845 page views so far!) is my daughter's Pinkalicious birthday party.

5 months later and it still gets an average of 20 hits a day.

And the 3rd most popular post is this magnet board I made for $1.

(more about that here)

I started this blog back in March, so I haven't even been doing this for a full year yet, but I'm looking forward to another fun year of sharing projects.

Linking up to:

Saturday Nite Special - Funky Junk Interiors