The Apple Street Cottage

It's the last day of August and the beginning of Labor Day Weekend.  Sadly, that means Summer is coming to a close.  The gardens at the Cottage have come a long way in one short year.  We started with nothing and this year, we had flowers, herbs. and vegetables.  Feel free to click HERE to see the gardens in June.  So many things were in full bloom that are not included in this post.   This year I started hollyhocks from seed.  I didn't expect them to flower this year, but they surprised me with one of my favorite colors: I just love the two-toned pink! The plants are at least 5 feet tall and are filled with flowers and buds. They are so large, that my Mr. Lincoln Rose Bush was crowded out.  Even so, there are several buds that are getting ready to bloom: Next Spring, Mr. Lincoln will be moved to a less-crowded spot.  The sunflowers have taken center-stage this month.  They are all at least 10-feet tall and gorgeous! I love how the sun is shining through

A friend showed me this little bench she bought at a yard sale for $2.  She said she had no idea what to do with it.  I suggested that it looked like a bench for a child, or maybe a place for plants.  As I was thinking out loud, she handed it to me and said, "Do something with it."   After some more thought, I decided it would be adorable as a little seat for a child, so I got to work. It started out as a pine bench stained with dark walnut.  It's about 26" wide and the seat is about 9" off the floor.  I gave it a 'scuff' with sandpaper and two coats of primer.  I had some porch paint laying around,  so it got two coats.   At this point, it was nothing special, but it had nice lines, especially the curves on the back - I'll get to that in a bit.  Meanwhile, I knew it needed a cushion and I found the cutest hedgehog fabric in the sale bin - to be honest, my husband actually found it!  He's really good like that. "The Hedgehog Bench

It's Ten on the 10th again and I'd like to thank Carol from Blue Sky at Home for hosting.  This month we are talking about yard sales and this frame was a great find.  I paid $3 and  knew exactly what I was going to do with it.  The goal was to spend little to no money, and  I can honestly tell you, I  succeeded! The details were lovely and the actual frame was large and light.  At 3 feet tall, I expected it to be heavy, but it was light as a feather. It also contained a lovely painting, not my style, but it was well-done. The first thing I did was remove the painting.  It was a thin piece of luan held in place by a few finishing nails.  It wasn't the best piece of wood, but I had plans for it.  So I set it aside and grabbed my jar of Peacock chalk paint. After two coats, it was  already  looking better! Here's a close-up: I did some distressing with 220 grit sandpaper and sealed the entire frame with a clear spray. Now, what

Update:   See the Rocking Chair Update HERE .                 See the Table Update HERE . It's still summertime around here, even though I'm hearing some bloggers making noise about Fall.  To them I say, "Nooooooo - Don't rush it!"  It took a looooong time for summer to get here, and I'm not letting go just yet.  So, in the spirit of summer, let me share some of my fabulous yard sale finds!   Besides getting great deals, the best part about yard sales is the people you meet.  You may remember the afternoon we spent with Gene a couple of years ago.  If you haven't read the story, it's well worth it and will restore your faith in humanity.   This year, I met a sweet lady who was selling her house to move into an apartment.  Her husband had passed away and she just couldn't take care of it without his help.  She had TONS of small things but this antique egg beater caught my eye: Her eyes lit up when I lifted it off the shelf and she told me i