Show and Tell

Once in a while we all need to stop and toot our own horn. If I did not take this liberty on occasion, I fear I would cease to find excitement in my trivial hobbies and thus cease to exist outside of the kitchen and the laundry room. With that said, I pray I can do so in grace and prudence, else I become an annoying braggart. (I just finished a novel about Jane Austen's life, sorry for the flowery words!)


This bench is the first refinish project that I took on and it is still my most favorite. When my dad was a child, the church building that he attended his meetings in was scheduled for demolition. He saw the beauty of this bench and grabbed it and stored it throughout his life. I remember this bench sitting along the North wall in the garage and also in the fireplace room in the basement. I asked him a few times about it and he indicated that he wanted to refinish it. Well, life went the way that it did and the bench was never refinished by my dad. Soon after we moved into our first home, Scott and I were able to grab the bench before it ended up at the dump. Once I caught a vision of what this bench may become, I set to work. Sanding, sanding and sanding, just to find out that the sandpaper was dull, grr... Dad came over and helped me work on it. After sanding, I stained it a beautiful brown color that I have since continued using on other refinish jobs. This bench sits in our front room and I never tire of the comments and compliments that it has earned.

This picture shows the curtains that I hung on the canopy of my bed. It is amazing to me that something like a set of raggedy, stained curtains can transform a room with a simple dye job. I took these old curtain panels and bought a bottle of fabric dye. Within a few minutes, these curtains went from DI pile to an amazing accent to my room that finishes the look of the bed.
Also, there is a pair of lamps that flank either side of the bed. These lamps were rescued from a DI pile that my sister-in-law was accumulating. The style of the lamps don't suit me but I was happy to get a pair of matching lamps for nothing. I painted them black and covered the shade with rust colored fabric.
One more thing to notice in the picture, the side tables. My sisters and I had the privilege of playing in a large room above our garage. In this room were all sorts of objects to entertain ourselves. Among the clutter of the room were school desks that Dad brought home from work. We could sit at a school desk and color to our hearts content. But, to be totally honest, I only remember jumping from desk to desk and sustaining minor head lacerations in the process. Well, as life goes on, and it does, these desks were on their way out the door when I snatched them. I knew right away that with some sandpaper, stain and spray paint I would be able to retire the cardboard boxes wrapped in blankets that served as our side tables for over seven years of marriage.


This dresser was one that we used as sisters growing up. It was an awful cream color with gold trim. To make it's appearance even more embarrassing, there were stickers on the front of the drawers and missing knobs. This project was the most laborious. I choose to bypass the sander because the paint job, although hideous, was done rather well. I decided to test out paint strippers. The ones that are safe for indoor use and humans, takes a long time.... But, after many, many hours scrapping paint I was able to start staining the beautiful wood, just to find out that the stain would not absorb. Many, many hours and frustrations later, I stripped the layers and layers of stain off and sanded the wood to rough it up a little. That worked!

This picture is not all that spectacular but I do love the curtains that I made with that rust fabric that also covers the lamps. One objective in my projects is to do them with as little money as possible. Part of the need to be frugal is just that, frugality, but another part of it is the thrill of making something out of practically nothing and having it turn out so perfectly. So, if you have ever priced out curtain rods and found them to be quite expensive considering their unpretentious use, you will appreciate my ingenuity. After realizing that the rod would never be seen, I fashioned one out of PVC pipe and three PVC fitting that we had laying around the house. Also, the tie backs are pieces of a chandelier that I saved from an old house that was scheduled for demolition, hmm sounds familiar. A little spray paint and selectively drilled holes and I have one of a kind accessories for the curtains.

This couch was described in the previous post and I got such a response to post a picture, so here it is!

What good is show and tell without showing something of true importance. I have been taught to prepare for the inevitable, whether it be a job loss, or natural disaster. One of the may facets of preparation is food storage. Here is a glimpse of what I have spent the past months doing. Along the same lines of frugality, I must find ways to procure the produce with little coin to then preserve for later use. One of my primary sources for produce is from my garden that I religiously plant every Spring. Another source is from family, friends and neighbors who just don't want to put in the effort to preserve their abundance, so they call me. But I must give credit to my sweet friend Keri, and especially her Angel mother, Elaine. For without Elaine's generosity, I would have far fewer peaches and tomatoes.