The Apple Street Cottage

For those of you who love antiques/old things, there is that one thing you've always wanted.  For me, it was a card catalog and I wanted to make it into a coffee table.  I've been actively looking for a few years now and I've had no luck.  Either I just can't find one, or when I do, it's REALLY expensive.  My theory is:  "If you can't get it for a good price, it's not worth getting".   A few weeks ago, we had lunch with some friends.  In the course of the conversation, I mentioned that I was looking for a card catalog. My friend looked at me and said, "I have one in the garage, you can have it."  I nearly fell over!  When I saw it, I couldn't believe the shape it was in - take a look: Pretty sweet, huh? I have to admit, the top was dirtier than this picture shows.  My husband had already started cleaning it with some rubbing compound by the time I took these photos.  The little square thing on the top was where a pen ha...

I'm not sure if I ever mentioned this, but the screens (and windows) at the cottage are original.  That's right, 75 years old - and to be honest with you, I think they have 75 layers of paint on them, but that's another story.  The biggest problem was the fact that the screens had holes in them - not very effective at keeping out the bugs! Let's not overlook the paint that was all over the edges: The first order of business was removing the thin moldings around the screen - no rubber spline here, folks, this is VINTAGE!  The goal was to remove it without cracking, splitting, or breaking it, soooo, I started by scoring through the 75 layers of paint... ...and gently lifting the moldings: SUCCESS! A few of the finishing nails stayed put, so they had to be pulled out Along with the staples - there must have been 100! The frame and moldings were scraped, painted and left to dry: It was finally time to rescreen!  The new screening wa...

Good Morning, Everyone!  It's a rainy Monday at the cottage, but I'm not complaining.  We had a beautiful weekend with lots of sun and mild temperatures. Yesterday was spent with friends on their 10 acres - a little slice of heaven - so, a little rain?  All of my plants are smiling! My latest project was reinventing a planter for the front porch: Are you ready for the 'before' shot? I'm sure it came directly from 1970.  It even had a flower decal (that was removed before this pic).  If you look carefully, you can see the outline.  I layed a wet cloth on it for a few minutes and the decal came right off - with the help of my spatula.  Yes, I was too lazy to go downstairs and get a scraper!  Over the years, this little treasure had some wear & tear.  The legs were loose and the top corner had a chunk missing.  Nothing a screwdriver (with some toothpicks to fill-in the hole that was now too big - my hubby's trick) and some...

That's right, my friends.  An old metal trash can was left behind at the cottage.  It looked like this: Yes, I forgot to take a 'before' pic!  I had some leftover spray paint from the bar stools , so, I got to work and sprayed the entire can.  Easiest project ever!!!   I put some plastic containers in the bottom (reused those empty laundry & milk bottles), so I didn't have to fill the entire can with soil (makes it lighter, too), added soil to the top, along with plants and some mulch - project completed! There was a big dent on the edge that I couldn't pound out, so I turned it to the back.  Here's a peek: So, there you have it - my upcycle project for this week.  Proof that you 'can' turn trash into treasure. Have a wonderful week & thank you for stopping by the Cottage! Linking to: Make It Pretty Monday Something To Talk About Amaze Me Monday Do Tell Tuesday Creative Spark Grandma Ideas Before ...

I'm still here - been feeling a little "under the weather" this week, so I haven't had the energy to do much blogging.  In spite of that, I just had to share what I found in one of my hanging baskets this morning: I can't tell you how much I wish the neighbors would STOP FEEDING THE SQUIRRELS!!! I'll be back next week with a great upcycle - you don't want to miss this one! Linking to: Grandma Ideas Create It Thursday Thursday Favorite Things