The Scarecrow and Mr. Rake

I guess you could call this a copy cat challenge or just a plain copy cat, but the inspiration for this came from a Country Living book I purchased a couple of years ago.  I had the old rake, the foliage, the drawer pull, the buttons and the birch branch so it was a no brainer to assemble it all and make myself a scarecrow.

 Oh, yes, I forgot the finial that I already had on hand to make his nose.  I threaded a fall foliage garland purchased at the local craft store and strung it through the rake thingies back and forth until he had a full head of hair leaves.  I used a hand saw to cut two slices from my thick birch branch and then glue gunned a button onto each circle to form the eyes.  Then that assembly was glue gunned to the rake.  I drilled two screws with heads on the back of the finial and slipped them through the rake and then ran wire back and forth to keep his nose on.  I repeated the same process for the drawer pull, placed the screws in the holes and ran wire back and forth from behind to keep it on.  It actually looks more like a mustache than a mouth, but that's my artistic liberty.

 I left the rake handle the full length that it was so he could stand in front of my trellis.  At one time I wired a wire coat hanger on him and dressed him with cover-alls and a plaid shirt.  He was adorable, but this year I'm keep'n it simple so I attached my pumpkin sign right below his face.  He's the official greeter as you walk up our front steps.

Thanks for taking a peak.  Happy Saturday everyone.

I'm partying at...


Mondays          Le Chateau des Fleurs       The Graphics Fairy    
                                     Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday
Tuesdays          Knick of Time       Tutus and Tea Parties       Coastal Charm  
                                      Boogie Board Cottage    A Stroll Thru Life   
                                     Cozy Little House Tweak it Tuesday
Wednesdays     Savvy Southern Style         Ivy and Elephants
                                     Faded Charm Cottage       Fine Craft Guild      
Thursdays        Embracing Change     The Shabby Creek Cottage    No Minimalist Here 
                                     Between Naps on the Porch Tablescape Thursday    Fishtail Cottage
                                     Rustic Restorations Homespun Happenings
Fridays            French Country Cottage       My Romantic Home        Miss Mustard Seed
                                    At the Picket Fence     Potpourri Friday     Common Ground
                                    The Charm of Home    Decorating Insanity   Rooted in Thyme
Saturdays        Funky Junk Interiors

Sundays           My 1928 Charmer Sunday's Best

Canterbury Bookcase

I've been told this is a Canterbury Bookcase, but I only found one image that confirms this.  At first I thought it was for plants. It looks almost like a small crib, but it's not.  Anyway, I love the green and the cane and the whole look of it.  I attached my Halloween banner and took it to the shop.

It's pretty deep and very French.

I'm not even sure how old this piece is, but I suspect it's probably from the 1960's or earlier.  If anyone knows more about this type of furniture, please let me know.  Thanks.

I'm partying at...


Mondays          Le Chateau des Fleurs       The Graphics Fairy    
                                      Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday
Tuesdays          Knick of Time       Tutus and Tea Parties       Coastal Charm  
                                      Boogie Board Cottage    A Stroll Thru Life   
                                     Cozy Little House Tweak it Tuesday
Wednesdays     Savvy Southern Style         Ivy and Elephants
                                     Faded Charm Cottage       Fine Craft Guild      
Thursdays        Embracing Change     The Shabby Creek Cottage    No Minimalist Here 
                                     Between Naps on the Porch Tablescape Thursday    Fishtail Cottage
                                     Rustic Restorations Homespun Happenings
Fridays            French Country Cottage       My Romantic Home        Miss Mustard Seed
                                    At the Picket Fence     Potpourri Friday     Common Ground
                                    The Charm of Home    Decorating Insanity   Rooted in Thyme
Saturdays        Funky Junk Interiors

Sundays           My 1928 Charmer Sunday's Best

La Botanique

I figure if I do one small project a day until Christmas, I will be out of small projects.  Maybe that's exaggerating a bit, but I feel like I'll never get to the bottom of the pile.  This was another small caddy in my stash.  I love caddies.  They are great for display.  This one started out as plain wood and I spruced it up with a coat of red paint and added some ivory letters shaded with dark gray, and then I gave it a good sanding to bring out the primitive look.

 These were my two caddies as they started out.  I won't even tell you what happened to the other one.  Let's just say it wasn't a banner week for my projects.  Seems I must do a lot of tweaking to reach my goals, and reach them I will.  Just might take an extra day or two.  Have a great evening and thanks for stopping by.

I'm partying at...


Mondays          Le Chateau des Fleurs       The Graphics Fairy    
                                      Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday
Tuesdays          Knick of Time       Tutus and Tea Parties       Coastal Charm  
                                      Boogie Board Cottage    A Stroll Thru Life   
                                     Cozy Little House Tweak it Tuesday
Wednesdays     Savvy Southern Style         Ivy and Elephants
                                     Faded Charm Cottage       Fine Craft Guild      
Thursdays        Embracing Change     The Shabby Creek Cottage    No Minimalist Here 
                                     Between Naps on the Porch Tablescape Thursday    Fishtail Cottage
                                     Rustic Restorations Homespun Happenings
Fridays            French Country Cottage       My Romantic Home        Miss Mustard Seed
                                    At the Picket Fence     Potpourri Friday     Common Ground
                                    The Charm of Home    Decorating Insanity   Rooted in Thyme
Saturdays        Funky Junk Interiors

Sundays           My 1928 Charmer Sunday's Best

Ikea Pots Paris Style

I don't know what it is about French labels and French typography, but we don't seem to be able to get enough of them, do we?  Or maybe I can only speak for myself.  Yesterday I shared with you that my project for the day was a complete failure, and it was.  This is the salvaged and saved project, and I'm pretty darned pleased with it!

 Little did I know when I started this it would be a product comparison between three products, but that's exactly what it turned out to be.  I started out with a couple of Ikea pots.  I liked the shapes of them because they were not the typical terra cotta pots.  I have had wonderful luck with two projects using the Splendid Blender to transfer images so I thought I would try the same method on my pots.
I have no idea what went wrong because these pots are not shiny at all.  They were flat paint, then had acrylic craft paint dabbed on and zero, nada, zilch.  My image would not transfer with the Splendid Blender and I was using the required laser copy, not inkjet.  Soooo I sprayed the pots with Valspar clear flat spray to seal in the acrylic paints.  Still zero, nada, zilch.  No transfer!

Well, darn it!  I wanted this image on my pots.  So I had Mod Podge on hand, and what blogger doesn't?  I also had purchased some Liquitex Matte Gel medium which I have read works great with transfers as well.  So I put the products to the challenge.

In my book Mod Podge won hands down.  I put it on my mirror image laser copy and stuck it on the pot and left it overnight.  I did the same with the Liquitex on the small pot.  The Liquitex left a calcified water appearance behind which would not budge.  If you like that look, then that's the product for you.  Next to each other, you can see the results of the two products and compare.

Here is the pot as it started out.  Kind of gray.  Then I added some Delta burnt umber and dabbed it on with a dry paper towel.

After that, I came back with a new paper towel and dabbed on Delta leaf green.  Then I dabbed the Delta terra cotta.  It was all sealed in with the Valspar clear flat spray, and then I applied my mirror image laser copy to each pot using the two respective products.  I let them both sit over night and then I dampened my paper labels and gently backed them off with my fingertips.  I had to repeat about five times throughout the day to get most of the paper removed.  Then I came back with light steel wool, and knocked off the little remaining particles of paper.

I dabbed the inside too, just because it looks better when it's for sale.  The photo below was before I took my steel wool to knock off the excess pieces of paper, but I love the result and will definitely try this method again.

I'm partying at...


Mondays          Le Chateau des Fleurs       The Graphics Fairy    
                                     Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday
Tuesdays          Knick of Time       Tutus and Tea Parties       Coastal Charm  
                                      Boogie Board Cottage    A Stroll Thru Life   
                                     Cozy Little House Tweak it Tuesday
Wednesdays     Savvy Southern Style         Ivy and Elephants
                                     Faded Charm Cottage       Fine Craft Guild      
Thursdays        Embracing Change     The Shabby Creek Cottage    No Minimalist Here 
                                     Between Naps on the Porch Tablescape Thursday    Fishtail Cottage
                                     Rustic Restorations Homespun Happenings
Fridays            French Country Cottage       My Romantic Home        Miss Mustard Seed
                                    At the Picket Fence     Potpourri Friday     Common Ground
                                    The Charm of Home    Decorating Insanity   Rooted in Thyme
Saturdays        Funky Junk Interiors

Sundays           My 1928 Charmer Sunday's Best

Signs of Paris

I actually did have a project to share with you this evening, but it was a colossal flop failure so I am now trying a new technique and hopefully I will have something to share with you tomorrow.  So instead of posting zilch nothing, I will share a few photos I snapped in Paris and share some obvious observations with you.

This first photo is obvious.  It's a sign for the famous Metro.  I took a few of these around town when I saw them.

This next one is at the Eiffel Tower.  Notice what they are selling and the language it's written in?  Ice cream and hot dogs.  Can't get anymore American than that, and I'm not sure they have a French word for hot dog that sounds quite like it does in English.

 This next photo is the marquis at Cafe Le Dome.  Apparently a great place for snacking and nonstop service.  I love it!

 How about the next photo which is Cafe Le Dome's awning, but around the corner.  Apparently I can take my evening cocktail away.  Yes, I would like my wine to go please.

 We did visit Ireland on this trip, but we didn't hit the Parisian Irish pub we found here.  Apparently we could watch live Rugby games in this pub.  Did you notice the American flag in the window?

 Here is one of the chocolate shops I came across.  They were all closed in both London and Paris.  So disappointing.  Look how sad that woman looks as she's walking away.  I shared her pain.

 If your a designer type gal, you will like the next photo.  I have a real Louis Vuitton bag I purchased from a street vendor when I visited Manhattan.  Well, that's what the vendor told me.  He wouldn't lie, would he?  I paid $39 for that bag!

I happen to have been fortunate enough to stay at the Waldorf Astoria when I was in Manhattan so I'm not sure of the history of this hotel in the following photo, but I believe it to be named for John Jacob Astor's second wife Madeleine Talmage Force who was 18 when she married John Jacob Astor who was 47 at the time.  John Jacob Astor built the famous Waldorf Astoria Hotel in 1897.  It was the first hotel to offer room service and changed the hotel industry forever.  So there is a little history lesson for you. 

 We all recognize the next photo.  I saw more Starbuck's than McDonald's.  They were everywhere we went and we could always count on them for internet access.

 Last but not least is this fabulous cafe with a wonderful huge black awning.  I love the lettering.  As always, thanks for stopping by for a visit.

I'm partying at...


Mondays          Le Chateau des Fleurs       The Graphics Fairy    
                                      Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday
Tuesdays          Knick of Time       Tutus and Tea Parties       Coastal Charm  
                                      Boogie Board Cottage    A Stroll Thru Life   
                                     Cozy Little House Tweak it Tuesday
Wednesdays     Savvy Southern Style         Ivy and Elephants
                                     Faded Charm Cottage       Fine Craft Guild      
Thursdays        Embracing Change     The Shabby Creek Cottage    No Minimalist Here 
                                     Between Naps on the Porch Tablescape Thursday    Fishtail Cottage
                                     Rustic Restorations Homespun Happenings
Fridays            French Country Cottage       My Romantic Home        Miss Mustard Seed
                                    At the Picket Fence     Potpourri Friday     Common Ground
                                    The Charm of Home    Decorating Insanity   Rooted in Thyme
Saturdays        Funky Junk Interiors

Sundays           My 1928 Charmer Sunday's Best

Seeking Happiness

Today I went through more of my stash and pulled out projects to start, but I wanted to share some of the wonderful things I found this weekend in my travels.  The first one is this over-sized canvas.  I love red and I love anything with cherries on it so, of course, I had to have this.  It's already in my space.

 My second fabulous find was this pig that is approximately 28 inches long.  Isn't he wonderful?  If he doesn't sell the way he is, I will paint him with chalkboard paint and paint those butcher markings on him, but he's already at the shop as well.  He's quite the conversation piece.

 I also acquired a whole bin of older silver pieces a while back so I spent a couple hours yesterday polishing, polishing and polishing.  I know highly polished silver isn't in vogue right now, and most people like a little tarnish, but maybe by the holidays I'll get there with this collection.  I took all of this out to my space yesterday as well.  Let's just say I've been very busy with my treasures.

Hope you all are enjoying cooler weather.  Thanks for dropping by.

I'm partying at...


Mondays          Le Chateau des Fleurs       The Graphics Fairy    
                                      Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday
Tuesdays          Knick of Time       Tutus and Tea Parties       Coastal Charm  
                                      Boogie Board Cottage    A Stroll Thru Life   
                                     Cozy Little House Tweak it Tuesday
Wednesdays     Savvy Southern Style         Ivy and Elephants
                                     Faded Charm Cottage       Fine Craft Guild      
Thursdays        Embracing Change     The Shabby Creek Cottage    No Minimalist Here 
                                     Between Naps on the Porch Tablescape Thursday    Fishtail Cottage
                                     Rustic Restorations Homespun Happenings
Fridays            French Country Cottage       My Romantic Home        Miss Mustard Seed
                                    At the Picket Fence     Potpourri Friday     Common Ground
                                    The Charm of Home    Decorating Insanity   Rooted in Thyme
Saturdays        Funky Junk Interiors

Sundays           My 1928 Charmer Sunday's Best