The Apple Street Cottage

Behold, my newly refinished table - once again!  Yes, this is the second time this little beauty has been refinished. The table was originally refinished in 2013.  I carefully sanded, stained, and sealed it with polycrylic.  Everyone in blogland was singing the praises of polycrylic, so I thought I'd give it a try.  It went on great, clean-up was easy, and it dried quickly.   Win-Win, right?  WRONG!! After about a year and a half, I started noticing some wear on the edges of the table.  You know, the spot where people rest their arms?  As time went on, these spots actually started to feel a bit sticky and you could see them: It was really difficult to get a picture of them, but, if you look carefully where the arrows are pointing, you'll see dull spots in the finish.  We lived with it for a while, then I told my husband, "As soon as the weather gets nice, this table has a date with my sander!" Time for my full disclosure. ...

Look what I found peeking through my fence: They are growing wild and like the shade. This one has a visitor! They're about 2 feet tall and there's a bunch of them. I have no idea what they are, but they sure are pretty!  Can someone help me identify them? Linking to: Shabbilicious Friday Feathered Nest Friday Craft Frenzy Friday What To Do Weekends Sweet Inspiration Saturday Shuffle Happiness is Homemade Handmade and Handcrafted

Did I get your attention? The Cottage recently got a new roof.  It was over 30 years old and, although it wasn't leaking, it probably would soon.  The Amish arrived arrived early in the morning and, after a 12-hour day, the roof was done! That's my garden under those tarps. The flowers took a beating, but the roof looks great! No worries, the flowers will bounce back! There was a bonus for me... ...PALLETS! My sawzall and I got to work.  I bought a construction blade to cut through all of the nails and my husband held the pallet steady.  Safety first - goggles are a MUST! Don't I look like an alien? Even though the videos make it look easy, cutting up a pallet is WORK! But, I got it done: I still have to cut up the other one, but, all in all, it was good day. Any ideas on what I should make first with my pallet wood??  I'm open to all suggestions! Linking to: Create It Thursday Shabbilicious Friday ...

Welcome back, today I want to share a little basket that has seen better days: It had spent some time out in the weather and needed a makeover. In the interest of saving money, I pulled out the paint we used to trim our windows after the "Shutter Incident" - (you can read about that HERE ), and got to work. It always amazes me how a coat of paint (or two) can transform an object: I added some bright petunias and this little basket was ready for the front porch. You may be asking why I chose this color for the petunias.  It's simple, they match the center of my flower on the chair, and, of course, the basket matches the trim on the cottage. If you'd like to read more about the chair, click HERE . I'm so glad I was able to breathe new life into this little basket, and it's expecially exciting when it can be done with materials you already have around the house! Thank you for stopping by the Cottage.  Have a wonderful week and be sure to...

The weather hasn't been very nice around here, lately...rainy, windy, and cool...the perfect time to get some projects done inside.  This little chair from my front porch needed a facelift desperately.  I found it at a yard sale about six years ago where it had been sitting outside in someone's yard.  It has lived on my front porch ever since, partially protected, but, the rain would blow in on it.  Let me show you it's new face: Please forgive my background.  This was taken in my Craft Room...remember the not-so-nice weather?  Naturally, I didn't take a before pic (I always forget), but here's a pic of it last Fall: You can see how "weathered" it was, although, it still was pretty sturdy.  You can read about my Broom Parking Sign  HERE.   It also had a big crack down the middle of the seat that was filled with Bondo.  I didn't fuss too much, because those little imperfections add character, don't you think? The yellow paint ...