Saturday, September 16, 2017

The 3 Little Bears...

OK, maybe not quite so little!  I was given a pallet that was used for something very heavy.  It was small but the boards on it were about 6 inches wide and one inch thick.  They were destined to be Bears!

The first order of business was to make a pattern, so off I went to the recycle bin for some chipboard!  
From here to the finished product, I forgot to take pictures...sorry! I get caught-up in a project and the last thing on my mind is a camera.  I'll try to do better next time - promise!

The bears were cut with a jigsaw, sanded, given  a coat of black craft paint, and distressed.  The muzzle, or snout, was cut from a thin piece of wood, painted, and glued on for a little 'dimension'.  

The eyes were painted and a scrap of red and white gingham was wrapped around the neck.  
I think they'd make great 'Greeters' at the front door, maybe with a picnic basket?

Here's hoping all is well in your part of the world.  The weather has been absolutely brutal in so many places.  May you be safe and dry!

Thank you for visiting the Cottage - have a wonderful week.


Linking to:
Saturday Shuffle
Snickerdoodle
Bouquet of Talent
Sunday's At Home
Sunday's Best
That DIY Party
Happiness is Homemade
Dishing It & Digging It
Makers Link
Over the Moon
Handmade Monday
Inspire Me Monday
Silver Pennies Sunday
Merry Monday
Amaze Me Monday
Motivational Monday
Cooking & Crafting With J&J
Make It Pretty Monday
Show & Share
Tuesdays With A Twist
Wonderful Wednesday
Party In Your PJs
Grandma's House
Wow Me Wednesday
Home & Garden Thursday
Vintage Charm
Creatively Crafty
Thursday Favorite Things
Creativity Unleashed
Handmade Hangout



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Saturday, September 9, 2017

Pallet Pumpkins - Fall is Here!

Welcome back, Everyone!  The weather is getting cooler and some leaves are starting to change on the trees...Fall has arrived and that means - Pumpkins!

I made these last year and since they were a hit, I decided to make them again, with a few minor changes.  After cutting and sanding, the pumpkins were painted with orange craft paint, left to dry, and distressed with sandpaper.  I didn't give them a rub with dark stain this year.  I liked the orange.  


The original plan was to wire the pieces together - and that's what I did last year.  This year, I strapped the backs with paint stirrers and screwed them together.

As you can see, a piece of jute was stapled to the back for hanging.

A couple of silk leaves and a raffia bow were added to complete the look.  


If you would like the pattern, it is available at Her Tool Belt.  It's a wonderful site and if you haven't checked it out, you should.

The pumpkins I made last year can be found HERE.

The new pumpkins will be available at Apple Street Crafts.

Have you started your Fall decorating yet?
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Sunday, September 3, 2017

Gimme a Hand

Labor Day weekend and it's 51 degrees and pouring rain in our neck of the woods!  Yesterday was cool, but sunny, so I was able to cut some new projects, and tomorrow is supposed to be a warmer, sunnier day. Fingers crossed, since we're invited to a 'soiree' at the lake! 
For today, I wanted to share a great little yard sale find.  You don't see many of these, so when I spotted it, I HAD to have it!
The man having the yard sale said he had no idea what it was and asked me if I knew and, actually, I did!  
It's a glove form that was used in the factories, back in the day.  It's about 13 inches long and made of some kind of hardwood.  It has a hole for hanging as it probably hung on the wall with many others of different sizes.  
So, now it hangs on my wall, going into the kitchen.  I have no plans for it, it's just a great little conversation piece.  Here are a couple of close-ups of the fingers:


What great conversation pieces do you have?  Let me know in the comments - I love to hear the stories of unusual items!

Enjoy the rest of the long weekend, and, as always, thank you for stopping by!

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Saturday, August 26, 2017

Birds on a Branch

No power tools for me this week...my vertigo has been, shall we say, winning?  It makes everything a challenge and using power tools is a really bad idea.  In between visits to the chiropractor, eply maneuvers, and resting on the couch, I did manage to get a little staining/painting done.  
This design was inspired by an item I saw at a home decor store.  I wasn't crazy about their version, so I got out my pencil and starting designing my own.  When I was finally happy with what I had, I cut-out my patterns on the back of a cereal box, or it might have been a 12-pack of beer. Every kind of thin cardboard or chipboard is fair game around here!
After cutting everything out from pallet wood, the birds were rubbed with stain on a rag.  
The branch was dry-brushed with white craft paint then rubbed with stain.  Sorry, I don't have pictures of that.  I tend to get a little enthusiastic about my projects and forget to take pictures.  
When I was pretty sure the stain was dry, I brushed red craft paint over the birds.  I wasn't fussy and left the spots that didn't cover well.  When the paint dried, I gave the birds a light sanding and what you see is what you get!
I watered-down some green paint for the leaves and painted them.  
I wanted a more primitive/rustic look.

I also created another one using yellow paint covered with red - another rustic look:
They are both available at Apple Street Crafts on facebook.

Next week, I'll start sharing my Fall-inspired projects.  I'm hanging-on to the last bits of Summer until September 1st!

Come back again soon and enjoy the Summer weather while we still have it!


Linking to:
Saturday Shuffle
Snickerdoodle
Bouquet of Talent
Sunday's Best
Sundays at Home
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Saturday, August 19, 2017

Just a Box of Screws

About a week ago, I took a trip to the local hardware store to buy some screws.  When using pallet wood, you tend to use those little buggers quickly.  As I walked through the door, an associate, named Gina asked what she could help me find.  Since I brought one of the screws I'd been using, I held it up and she said, "Follow me.".

 She asked me what they were for and I explained what I did with pallet wood and showed her a few pictures.  She was quite enthusiastic and asked how many screws I needed.  We decided a box of 100 should last me for a bit.  

 As we walked down the aisle, Gina asked me more about how I attached the pieces together and I told her how I used wood glue and strips of wood (aka paint stirrers) on the back with the screws going through them.  "Well", she said, "we have TONS of those. Let me get you some!" She went over to the paint department and grabbed me a handful of paint stirrers.  

 I thanked her profusely, and before I could say another word, she told me to wait for a minute, because she was pretty sure they had at least one pallet in the back.  Gina was gone in a flash, with me calling after her...." I don't have a truck!"

 A few minutes later, she was back with a huge smile on her face. She told me they had a nice 8-foot pallet that was going to be cut in pieces for me so it would fit in my car.  I couldn't believe it!

 She told me to go pay for the screws and drive around back to get the pallet.  When I got there, a very nice young man came out with a saws-all and cut that pallet into 3 pieces for me.  One piece went in the back seat and the other two, in the trunk.


 Needless to say, it was a very fruitful day.  I went in for screws and came home with a handful of paint stirrers, an 8-foot pallet, and the screws!
Don't you just love when things work out like that?

I took the rest of the pallet apart (with help from my hubby) when I got home with my saws-all, sanded the boards and started some cutting.  
Are you curious as to what I'm making???  Here's a sneak peek:
Be sure to come back to see the finished products.  I've got lots of work ahead of me!

Thanks for stopping by the Cottage - have a great week!


Linking to:
Saturday Shuffle
Snickerdoodle
Bouquet of Talent
Sunday's Best
That DIY Party
Silver Pennies Sunday
Happiness is Homemade
Dishing It & Digging It
Inspire Me Monday
Handmade Monday
Motivational Monday
Cooking & Crafting With J&J
Brag About It
Tuesdays With a Twist
Talk of the Town
Party In Your PJs
Wonderful Wednesday
Wow Me Wednesday
Grandma's House
Vintage Charm
Creatively Crafty
Creativity Unleashed
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Saturday, August 12, 2017

Cupcakes!

Who doesn't love them?  And these little cuties have NO calories!
I was thinking about those pretty cupcake wrappers that could be cut with my Cricut and went 'outside of the box' again with what to put in them.  After seeing bath scrubbies everywhere, I decided they'd look adorable in one of the wrappers, so, I went to work.

The next time I was out shopping, I grabbed some bath scrubbies, came home, and cut out a few cupcake wrappers. Here's one taken apart for a closer look:


Placed in a cello bag with some curling ribbon, it's now a cute, little gift or shower/party favor. Don't you think?  
They are for sale - if you're interested, email me or contact me through Apple Street Crafts on facebook.  

I have now proven that I still 'play with paper' in between taking apart pallets and sawing/sanding!  

Have a great week everyone and thanks for stopping by the Cottage!


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Linking to:
Saturday Shuffle
Snickerdoodle
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Saturday, August 5, 2017

$5 Update & A Mason Jar

I meant to get the update posted earlier this week, but the week got away from me.  I acquired a new pallet and Chrome decided not to get along with my laptop.  I really DO love Chrome, but sometimes it decides to stop working.  Anyone else have those issues? Thankfully my Tech Guy - aka Hubby, got it working again, but it took a couple of hours of his time!  But enough complaining - on to the good stuff!

 Thank you to everyone who commented on my Really? Five Dollars? post.  I asked for your opinion on what to do with it and overwhelmingly you said, "USE IT!"  You reminded me that I am an 'out-of-the-box' gal and silverware can be used every day.

 My wonderful husband got out the silver polish and cleaned the tarnish off of every single piece.  He said he didn't want the repetitive motion to aggravate my neck and shoulder - isn't he a sweetheart?  
Here's the final result:
How about a close-up?

We are happily using it daily and, hopefully, soon I can get my china and crystal out of storage!!

The box will be repurposed as a jewelry box.  Right now I'm looking for fabric to line it that is treated so silver jewelry won't tarnish.  If you have a lead, let me know!

Now, about that Mason jar....we were on our way to an outdoor festival when we walked past a yard sale.  We waved and said 'hello' assuring the lady we'd stop by on our way back.  She didn't have much left, since it was afternoon and the second day (wish I'd gotten there earlier!) but I spotted this Mason jar:
It was pretty dirty, but I loved the fact that the top was glass with a metal rim. It has the letters ABCD along with Made in USA.
The bottom has the number 89 in the middle.  Around the edge it says: PAT NOV 26 C7.
I can't tell you what it all means, but after doing a little research online I found out it's worth anywhere from $2 to $200!  How's that for a price range?
I thought about having it appraised, but I don't want to spend $50 to find out it's worth $2.  
For now, I paid $2 for it and I like it.  That's all that matters, right?

What treasures have you found at yard sales?  I love hearing about great finds!

Thanks for stopping by - have a great weekend!

Just a reminder:
We are still looking for a few more people to join us in the Five Dollar Challenge. All you need to do is find something for $5 or less and repurpose it.  A date will be set for sharing the 'finished posts' and 'hopping' from blog to blog.Interested?  E-mail me at november-rose@hotmail.com with "$5 Challenge" in the subject line.

Linking to:
Saturday Shuffle
Snickerdoodle
Bouquet of Talent
Sundays At Home
That DIY Party
Silver Pennies Sunday
Happiness is Homemade
Dishing It & Digging It
Inspire Me Monday
Over the Moon
Makers Link
Merry Monday
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