Camp Stool

It's July....crunch time for 4-H projects

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This Friday is Fashion Revue.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with 4-H, this is an event in which the 4-Her makes a clothing item and then models the item with coordinating accessories in front of a judge.  Back in my day this provided "Toddler and Tiara" type of competition amongst as Johnson County 4-Hers.  Not kidding.  Things aren't as ugly around here.

While I'm having flashbacks and hotflashes about midnight sewing sessions to finish the clothing projects, I thought I'd procrastinate a bit more and show you the project that #1 completed last week.

We found this cute little raggedy camp stool at Habitat for a dollar.

#1 sanded the legs to get the grime off and then rubbed on a coat or two of clear wax.

Then he made a new seat out of vintage cowboy canvas using the old seat as a pattern.

Notice the tape on the machine?  This is a life saver when teaching kids how to sew.  Place the tape where the seem allowance needs to be and the child has all kinds of room to keep the edge even with the tape and the seem allowance will be consistent (best case scenario).

He covered the nails with decorative vintage looking nailheads. 

Took him about three hours from start to finish to complete. 

That's excluding the we-(Mom and #1) need-a-break-from-eachother moments.  Everyone has these when working with their kids, right? 

Step away...just step away.

It can hold up to 50 pounds...

(probably more - but we won't test that until after Achievement Days.)

Now I'm ready to head back to the sewing room with #2.

Becky

Wanted: Desk

Well...I needed another desk for the office. 

{Actually, just another flat surface to pile papers on.}

So, I went to Goodwill.

For $20.00 I came home with this solid wood table.

See the fun stuff painted around the edge? 

  

The cat thought it a perfect place to take an afternoon bath.

Then...

...I kicked the cat off...

... sanded the heck out of the top...

...painted the base black...

...re stained the top...

...distressed the base...

...and waxed the whole thing with clear wax.

Unfortunately, all the fun edge painting had to go.  No time for pickiness.  The kids would be home in an hour!

AND - I actually tried to stage something.

Not bad for a rookie!

{I used the sedum because the dog laid in it and broke all the stems off!}

{No decorating/staging knowledge used for that one.}

I read somewhere (regarding children and homemaking)-

"Do ONE thing everyday that 'they' can't undo."

If you're a mom, you definitely know what this means...and how good this feels!

Becky

Have a Seat

More about the "Little Red House"...

Here's the "project/thinkin'/workin'/snackin'/chattin' table. 

Many brilliant ideas are congered up right here and it's NEVER this clean.  {None of these photos are staged - obviously.  Showin' ya how it is.}  Notice the chairs?

This is what they looked like when I brought them home from the Habitat Restore.

For some reason the early-twenty-something-college-student-volunteer-worker thought they were ugly.  Little did she know that my mom would have killed for these chairs when I was in high school!!  Worked to my benefit - they were priced at $10 each and I bought them all for $35.  She mumbled something like "oh please, get those disgusting things out of here".  I felt judged.

But with $10 slipcovers from Sure-Fit I think they are smashing. 

That'll fix Suzie's little red wagon! 

Sidebar:  Here's a pic of the ceiling.  It's galvanized tin barn siding/roofing.  I think it's super cool and I kinda love the picture.

Sidebar #2:  Here's another pic of the felt board with the "new" project pieces on display.  I'm only including this because I like the looks of that pumpkiny orange color with black.  Happy moment.

Sidebar#3:  Kids are back in school.  These 2 photos crack me up.  The first - the big fourth grade brother is not happy about being requested to put his arms around his sisters.  {Makes me a bit sad, also}

The second- it looks like Woody the Newfoundland is going to eat the girls!  However, I know inside he's big ole dog head he's thinkin', "thank goodness these two drama queens are going back to school!"  Dorks.

Blessings- B

Whatcha Gonna Give?

SATURDAY...

I went to an auction! 

First one in a couple of years.  I'm absolutely GIDDY! 

Kids 1, 2, & 3 had the morning off so they went along to find some kitchen ware for their playhouse.  Number 4 helped Dad fence and #5 would have rather been in a tractor but she had no choice but to go with us.  She's easy to keep entertained with a bag of Cheetos.  I remember early in my mothering career, the statement that I just made would have been inconceivable.  Let my child eat less than nutritious snacks... I think not!  Thank goodness I've relaxed. 

Anyway, on to the good stuff.

For $21.00 we came home with these treasures:

Let's begin with our big purchase of the day coming in at $10-

Mike was soooo excited when he saw my "bolt bin".  Then he was a little disappointed when I shared my thoughts of how pretty my fat quarters would be when arranged neatly inside.

I love the Sioux Steel stamp on the side.

This cute clock was in the same pile of stuff with the bin.  Doesn't work but I liked the face.

One wire freezer basket with a bunch of old tools in it for a dollar and a tall skinny freezer basket with a few other things in it for a dollar.  They're nice and rusty.  Gonna be cute with a muslin or canvas liner for toys and books and stuff.

I fought for this precious storage unit... $4!  

Not quite tall enough for a nightstand but fun sitting on top of another table for storage. 

Needs a bath. 

divided drawers....

... a few extra seed peas if anyone needs some...

...my hand model...

...still the cute 2 year old...

...copper drawer pulls...

I had to give $3 for this cool tool box.

There's a board nailed to the side???  That's coming off tomorrow.

Inside the box were some squares of sheet metal - I'm thinkin' 4-H project.  I'll let ya know.

{I just liked this pic beside my old bike!}

For ONE DOLLAR kids can furnish the entire kitchen of their playhouse.  They were thrilled!!  They played in the grass with their treasures while Mom watched the rest of the sale.

Some people were so kind as to give them unwanted items out of the boxes they had purchased.

Dad needed one or two to help him when we got home.  They decided they'd all help Dad to make it go faster so they could come back and set up shop. 

(Sometimes they work together without being told.)

One last "dollar" item... a box of sewing supplies.  Helloo.. the duct tape was worth the dollar.

There's a glue gun, old buttons, lots of thread, velcro, and so many needles that I'll never have to buy another.

That's my fun Saturday.

I see 90 degree weather is headed our way. 

Tomorrow's project is the shaving of the 140 pound Newfoundland! 

Doesn't he look excited?

He'll be happier when it's over.

I don't know what kind of gross stuff is under his chin but it's coming off too.

Say a prayer for the people dealing with the water.

Blessings-

B

Detour... What?

On Wednesdays I travel to the big city to the southwest.  Today... I was late.  Today... there was a carnival in town.  Today... the carnival was set up on Main Street.  Today... I had to take a detour.  Today... I was mad.  But wait... today... ON WEDNESDAY... there was a garage sale!  A garage sale on Wednesday? Unheard of! The stars were aligned and I spotted this sweet little dresser. 

Suddenly, I wasn't so late.

$15.00 later - she was mine!

  The gentleman that sold her to me was so proud of the way he had refinished the old girl - stripped - sanded - sanded some more - painted - painted - and painted again.  I didn't have the heart to tell him that she was going to my garage to be abused by an electric sander and stripped of that beeeaaauuutiful brass hardware.

I did just that.  The handles were too gold and the paint was too perfect.  In a matter of an hour, the finish was now less than perfect.  Then I went over the bare wood spots with wood stain in one of my favorite Min-Wax colors - "Gunstock".  {My other favorite is "Early American"}

When all was dry, I gave it a good polish with this amazing stuff -

We sprayed the drawers with Febreeze and then painted the drawer pulls with "Oil-Rubbed Bronze" spray paint.

Fabulous!

With any luck, she'll be resting comfortably in her new home by tomorrow afternoon.

Detours are awesome!

Blessings - B

I'm Back

Hey... I'm baaack!  April was a little tough on the Beckster and I didn't pay any attention to this journalistic masterpiece.  But now I have a few things to share.  First up is our new bed.  We were in bad, bad need of a new mattress.  We bought the new set and, of course, we HAD to have a new headboard.

I found the plans for this beauty at Knock Off Wood. 

 Have you been there yet?

Isn't it beeeaaauuutiful?  I took a few more pics just in case you wanted to see it 30 more times...

The top trim piece was suppose to be a 2X4.  However, I didn't feel like going to the feedlot, picking out a 2X4 most recently used for forming cement and then coming home and sanding the living tar out of it only to be questioned later by the farmer who may be missing said piece of lumber.  Sooo, you use what you have and the 1X4 was what I had and it turned out just fine.  Don't ya think?

The best part is the price.  Are you ready?  All the wood came from Menards.  I bought a few "select" pieces of wood {aka "Black Label" in Menards terms} but most pieces were out of the "quality" bins.  I had the stain and varnish so we don't count that as a cost, right? 

Drum roll......

**$49.00**

I am so thrilled!  The best part was M's reaction.  He said that the kids will fight over it someday!  Did I marry the best guy ever, or what?  Ahhh...

Oooo... I can't forget the ugly little lamp.  Unfortunately, I didn't take before pictures so use your imagination.  It was a Habitat Restore treasure for $1.  It was yellow with a blue lamp shade.  After a coat of "Oil Rubbed Bronze" metallic spray paint and a charming new $8 lamp shade from Kmart, we have this-

I sure do enjoy "this little light of mine"!

Blessings - B