To rest in the sun

One day I was out walking my dogs in the nature trail near my house when I came across this cute simple bench.  It was so simple and plain that it seemed perfect and practical.  So I took a picture of it.

And then, I used it for inspiration.  

I built this bench using the same simple form, but added some ornate elements, mostly the cut-outs on the top and the wavy sides.  

It's a nice accent to the yard and it's actually quite comfy.

Cute storage

I really needed a shed.  To store all of the outdoor stuff that I kept making, of course.  But the cute ones were so expensive.  The only one I could afford was one of those ugly metal ones that you see at the big box store.  You know the ones, they are usually a dingy off white with brown or green trim.  Ugh.  Couldn't picture it.

Or could I?

I figured it out.  My (wonderful) son and I put together this one:

Cute, right? 

But do you see it? It's one of those ugly metal ones.  I just painted it barn red with white trim.  

And added a cute metal flower (from Haiti) to the gable.  I think it's adorable.  And it holds everything. Why don't they just make them this color?  I they they would be much more popular  

The big sun table

I really needed a nice outdoor table.  But have you priced outdoor furniture lately?  Couldn't do it.  So I bought an old metal set from a garage sale.  It was all white and pretty banged up.

I painted the pieces black, but they still looked shoddy.

So using a big piece of plywood and some 1x2s around the outside of that, I made a frame the size of the table top and made this mosaic:

 I got most of the tiles from the local salvage store.  Breaking them up was fun.  I just threw them in the air and hit them with a hammer as they fell into a large plastic tub.

Making the mosaic is easy.  Just put down a thin layer of mortar, place the tiles, then grout.

The top just sits on the old metal table.  It's heavy enough not to blow off or move at all.  But I can remove it in the winter time and store it in my shed nice and safe.

Joining the pallet movement

So I know a lot of people are getting creative with pallets.  Maybe because they are usually available for free, maybe because they are already cut up pieces of wood.  Who knows?  But I thought I should give it a go.  So here are my pallet creations:

The pallet swing

This was an easy one.  Just sanded, stained, and hung from a tree. 

The potter's bench

This was a little more involved.  I had to take apart several pallets and add in some 4x4s and 2x4s.  

A little decoration by drilling some small holes and inserting glass rocks.  

And then I added some hooks on the side to hold my tools.

Just can't pass up free building materials!

A new view

So, I finally broke down and got new windows!  Much less breezy in my house now!  But I needed a solution to window coverings in my bedroom.  I need the privacy, but want to see out a little bit, especially to see the trees at night from my bed.

With the old windows, I had those thermal shades.  Not so attractive.  So I put some goofy valances  on the top to hide them when I had them open.  It was all very unsightly.

When I moved in, there were cafe curtains that only covered half the window.  They were cute, but it looked like a cafe!  

So to not cover the whole window, I set off to make some interior shutters.  Half way up for the small side window and 3/4s the way up for the big back windows.  

For the smaller side windows, I started with 4 old picture frames which just happened to be the right size.

For the bigger back windows, I had to make the frames. I used 1x2s and cut wedges out of the ends with the jigsaw.

Then glued them together using a square to make perfect rectangles.  

I hammered in some finishing nails in the corners for more strength and put spackle around the corners to make them smooth (sanded these down as soon as the spackle dried).  

After painting, I drilled some holes in the inside corners to hold small dowels that would hold up the fabric.  

I could have just stapled fabric to the back of the frames, but I want to be able to change out the fabric or just remove the fabric to wash it.  

After inserting the fabric panels, I just screwed in the hinges and put them up.

I have white fabric panels and light grey panels. 

I really like when they are all open during the day.  They don't block the window at all so all the light can flow in.  

Ready for spring!!

Home away from home

We did a little restructuring at work, so I needed to move my workspace and there wasn't really a good space for me (we all work in cubes at my office, even the CEO!)  So, although the facilities team worked to create a nice nook for me, I still needed a side shelf and a kind of desk space to meet with my staff.  So... I just built it all myself.

I bought a cute little kidney shaped desk at a local antique store. It was all painted brown and looked just terrible.  So I sanded all of the paint off the top (it came off pretty easily), refinished the top, and painted the base and legs white.

 Then I made a large shelf by gluing boards together (2x4s and 1x2s to get the right width).  And then I cut a curve out of it with my jigsaw, fitting the kidney shaped desk in it like a puzzle. I attached the two pieces at the bottom with mending plates, so it's sturdy.

So now when I turn around (away from my computer), I can face my staff as they sit across the little desk and talk to me.  I also made this little stained glass window insert that keeps the sun glare off my computer screen in the morning.

Its all very cozy!

The old 6 panel door

So I found a great old 6 panel door at a restore!  I wanted to do something cool with it and, just so happened I needed a headboard.  My outside walls were really cold.  So I turned this great old door into a headboard.  

 I had to strip the paint (NOT a fun process). It's really hard to find a door that is not painted (and probably with lead paint which I don't want right next to my head).  So poured the harsh chemical strippers all over it and scraped away.

It has lots of bumps, scrapes and scratches, which I like.  Makes it rustic.

I added some trim from the local big box store to cover the doorknob holes. I carved out grooves in 4x4s an fit the headboard right in. Crowned the 4x4s with finials.  

Even my dog loves it!