The Apple Street Cottage

Well, my friends, it really has been FOREVER since I wrote a 'This & That' post.  I just looked and it's been almost a year.  What can I say?   In the interest of keeping this from being the longest post ever, let's just talk about 3 things:  My ear surgery (because I promised to explain in a past post), Keepin' it Real, and a couple of pics of life at the cottage.   This post may contain affiliate links. Ready?  Here we go..... The Ear Surgery In all honesty, this story starts in 2023.  That was the Estate Sale, Auntie B & 'Aunti-biotics post.   Oh, was I sick.  No ear infection, but lots of fluid.  After that, I couldn't go anywhere that was musty/moldy without my ears reacting, sometimes with an infection.   Finally, in the Fall of 2024, after 2 different ENT doctors and a case of Sudden Sensorineural Hearing (that's a story in and of itself - just Google it), I was given ventilation tubes in my ears to pr...

 It's June and that means Flag Day and Independence Day are just around the corner. So, it's time for a little flag decor to mark the occasions.   Since I'm always a fan of a good upcycle, let me present my summer top. I've always hand-washed it in cold water and no matter how I tried, the red bled into the white.  It doesn't show up that well in the picture, but if you look carefully in the upper right, you may see what I mean. The interesting thing was the bodice of the top didn't bleed - at least not a much!  Most of it was around the arms and neckline. Well, I couldn't wear that anymore, but the red and white stripes gave me an idea! This post may contain affiliate links. Out came my rotary cutter and cutting mat to cut some strips. One linen top deconstructed into about ten strips! This lovely (large) wooden knitting needle was in my stash just waiting to be used for something other than knitting. It's about 14 inches long. I started attaching the ...

Winter is over, the ground has thawed, and the garden centers are full of beautiful plants and flowers.  Let me show you how to create beautiful stepping stones to add a whimsical, charming touch to your garden.   W elcome to the 'Do It Over' Designers blog hop. We are a group of bloggers who love to recycle/upcycle/DIY. I'm happy to host this hop and I hope you'll visit everyone to see what they have to share with you.   Our theme this month is "For the Garden" and I've challenged the team to 'do over' something that would be perfect for the garden.  Please visit to see everyone's creativity. The links will be listed at the end of this post. Here's what you'll need to make a stepping stone: This post may contain affiliate links. Plates.  I find mine at yard/estate sales.  Disposable cake pans. Tile nippers . I really like the wheeled ones. Safety Goggles .  We 're cutting plates and glass pieces can fly.  Protect your eyes. P...

  This sweet little goose (OK, maybe not so sweet) was found at an estate sale late last fall. It sat on a shelf until the last day, broken bill taped to its back, and no one interested in taking the little quacker (or honker) home. Until I came along! Now, there was some debate as to whether this was a goose or a duck.  The ladies running the estate sale really felt it was a goose so, for all intents and purposes, goose it is! This poor little goose was broken, dirty, wobbly, and priced at $8.  Since it was half-price day, I paid $4. How could anyone resist that little face?   This post may contain affiliate links. The first thing to do?  Reattach that bill.   Fortunately, it was a clean break and a little bit of wood glue took care of the problem. Some tape to hold it while the glue dried... The wood on the tail feathers had a split.   A little wood filler took care of it. Time to sand and paint! This little goose was looking much better ...

This is a follow-up post to my recent Making Curtains From Vintage Petticoats post and, yes, this actually was the easiest DIY ever! You may remember this window film.  It was old, faded, and dirty.   T his picture makes it look so much better than it actually was - Trust me! The problem was that while it did provide privacy, it had to go.   That's why I made those curtains .  . . . With the curtains made and up, it was time to get that window film removed.   Now, I'm going to be perfectly honest with you.  I was prepared for the worst:   First, those screws probably would not come out... OR ...if they did, the frame would be stuck to the door with some type of permanent glue.  If I was able to jump those two hurdles, I was convinced the glass would be covered in adhesive, resulting in spending an inordinate amount of time  scraping it off  with Goo-Gone and a razor blade. Why so negative?  Because, sometimes, th...