An Old Door and a New Toy

I mean a new tool.

I had this old door hanging on my wall.  I decided to move it, but it was just a little too tall for the new space.  I needed to cut a little off the bottom. So what to do?  Forget about it?  Not me. I can't forget about any idea.

Wait until I see my Father-in-law so he can cut it for me?  No.  I have no patience when it comes to projects.

So I did what any impulsive, impatient DIY-er would do. I bought a circular saw. There have been many projects I didn't do because I didn't have a circular saw, so it was a good excuse.

I have to tell you.  After reading all the warnings, I was a little scared to use it.  I must have stood there for at least five minutes trying to work up the nerve to squeeze the starter.  I was sweating like crazy (or maybe that was because I was in the garage and it was 95 degrees outside).  Well, I finally squeezed and successfully cut the door down to size. 

Now on to the painting. It's going white of course.

Thanks to everyone for the comments on my broken chair.  I did not put it in the trash.  I'm loving the idea of making it a garden/ planter chair, I got an email with a great repair tip, or I could replace the front legs and make a floor length skirt. We'll see.

Janet

A Thrifting Oops

What a great find.  Only $3.00.  At least I thought it was.

I didn't realize until I got  home that the leg was totally glued together.  Oops!  So now what?   I'm not going to spend time and money to fix it up.  I don't want to donate it somewhere so someone else makes the same mistake that I did.  And I can't even think of a use for any of the parts I could salvage.  Off to the trash?  Say it isn't so.  If you have any ideas, let me know.  Otherwise, lesson learned.

Janet

A Feature and An Honor

I was featured today at The House in the Roses.  Cielo did a lovely post about my home.  I hope you can go over and see it.  I am very honored.

Thanks Cielo!

Janet

Old Doors + Old Books + Old Photos = New Wall Art

I had these two wooden doors in my basement. 

I painted and distressed the outer frame.

And then I applied book pages to the center with a starch method that I saw at Notes From A Cottage Industry.  Tracey has a video tutorial on the process here.  Thanks Tracey, it worked great.

I chose some really yellowed pages.  I love the aged look.  As I applied the starch some of the stained color came off the pages and spread on top of the lighter pages causing more of a aged, glazed effect.  Perfect!  You just never know what's going to happen when you start a project.

I added knobs from Hobby Lobby.

I built this "sill" from a 1x2 with molding around the edges...

Painted and stained it to match...

And attached it to the bottom, so it would feel more like one piece and not just two doors.

I hung the finished piece in the hallway off the foyer.  It is quite a narrow space, so a full picture was impossible.  I hope you can get the idea.  I had some old family photos that I put in the center. 

My Mother.

My Grandmother.

My grandmother is the little girl in this one.

My Grandfather.  Did you notice the chapter title on the page on the right?  Just a coincidence.

I have to say this project was a lot of fun and I love the finished product. 

Janet

Lots of parties to join:

Just Something I whipped Up

Metamorphosis Monday

Show Off Your Cottage Monday

Modern Craftswoman Monday

The CSI Project

I Made It Without My Hubby Party

Confessions of a Compulsive Furniture Rearranger

   

Hello, my name is Janet and I have an addiction.  I am constantly rearranging my furniture.  I will let nothing stand in my way.  I have even been known to develop almost super human strength to get my "fix".  My family will attest to this.  They arrive home and large pieces of furniture have gone up and down stairs and room to room. (I also tend to develop this strength when fabulous finds need to be loaded into a car).  I feel comfortable sharing this with you, because I know I am not alone.

My favorite rooms to rearrange are my bedroom and the dining room.  One small project is all it takes to start a room rearrangement.  Today it was the dining room. (No super human strength was needed for these moves) I have an idea for a project that I will share later.  But where was I going to put this completed project?  Let the moving begin.

This bench I made was kind of hidden in its current location.  You can see how I made it here.

And I never really liked this chair.

So I moved the bench in front of the window.  And since the bench was at the end of the table, I just took away the chair.

I had this chair in another corner by the mantel.

I moved it over to make a little sitting area.

I added a candle and some potpourri to the birdcage.  This is a flameless LED candle.  What do you think?    Is a fake candle a decorating faux pas like fake plants are suppose to be?  Or  do you love the convenience and long lasting-ness?

A few flowers from the yard and I'm done. (Sort of).  So now I have an empty area where the bench was - mission accomplished.

Thanks for listening.  I don't think I'll be recovering from this addiction anytime soon.

Janet

I will be joining:

Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps On The Porch

Show Off Your Cottage Monday at The House In The Roses

Making The World Cuter at Making The World Cuter

Table Top Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life

Modern Craftswoman Monday

Thrifty Trio

Well, I finally made the pillow to go with my chair and footstool, so I thought I would share the completed look.

Footstool before.

And after.  You can see how I re-made it here.  It was a zero cost project. 

I slipcovered this thrift shop find many years ago.  Here's a peek at the chair underneath.

This pillow was made from leftovers.  I just bought the form.

The great thing about this is that I made a plain white pillow.

And added this sleeve. It can easily be removed for a completely new look.

And there you have it.  Since I think this Furniture Feature is both Frugal and Frugalicious, I will be joining these Friday Parties.  Hope you have a good weekend.

Janet