Hutch has DOORS!

I can't even remember if I told you about this hutch base I've been working on with my dad, but we finally got the doors on it.

This makes me so happy because it hides *some* of the DVD clutter.  There's still a lot on top, but we have no choice.  Check out what the doors are hiding..

Ahh too many DVDs!!!  The long boards standing between the hutch and plant are the shelves for inside the cabinet.  We're waiting for the hardware to arrive then we'll place those in for a little more organization and easy access.

I love the black walnut wood we used.  It's so rich and delicious looking.  The knobs I found at a local hardware store and I love the vine pattern on them.

Fingers crossed I remember to take pictures during the shelf installation so I can a least show some part of the process!

The Dorothy Dollhouse- FINISHED!

I've done it! I've finally done it!

I finished that "simple" Greenleaf Dollhouse (The Arthur) that my mom has had since, oh, the 70's.  If you have spoken with me about it, you know that it has been the biggest pain in my patootie.  I mean, I've had fun picking out colors, wallpapers, etc., but when it comes to the whole "insert tab into slot and BAM! You have a dollhouse"- that is baloney.  Sheer lies.

Here we have the painted exterior (pink) with interior walls wallpapered.  In the bottom left you can see the start of my many attempts to get some sort of skeleton put together. With plenty of help from Marzipan.

There is so much wood glue and hot glue on the Dorothy Dollhouse that it better stay together.  Oh, did I mention I also used right-angle brackets to hold the base together with welding glue?  Slot-Tab design my foot.

 I've learned a lot in this process. 

I should mention I made it for my 18-month-old neice, but she's a bit too young for it.  That's gives me plenty of time to get some interior peices for it.

I tried so many different ways to keep the dang walls together at the start.  I had it balanced perfectly, propped up with the fan blowing to dry the glue, then crash.  I'd hear it from the living room.  My hard work falling to peices (again).

Finally,  I got the main walls secured (somehow).

And next were the additional walls and roof peices.

Oh, by the way... this was all in February.  I finished it in mid-May.  Why?  I got so frustrated I took a break from it around mid-March.  The smile up there... very fake.

And with the roof (minus shingles):

That brings us to April, the month the Dorothy Dollhouse got its name.  You may remember I mentioned a tornado that bizarrely swept through our yard at 2:00am?  I have not posted about it.. just don't really feel like it. 

Surrounded by pillows in tiny bathroom during storm.

But on that horrifying night, my studio window was evvver so slightly open (less than an inch).  The dollhouse was facing open side to that tiny little opening.  Since the tornado caused the rain to swirl, it came in horizontally.  I discovered this the next evening when I noticed the window.  I checked the dollhouse to find all my wallpaper and flooring were no longer flat, but wavy.  But luckily, that was the only damage!  It's relatively ignorable (word?), so I chalked it up to a story and named it the Dorothy Dollhouse (...Wizard of Oz).

I took the wood glue back up in May and started attaching the decorations and shingles. Shingles take forever!  I tried to be as neat as possible, but I know deep down it probably looks sloppy.  As Greer says, it's "perfectly imperfect."  He's such a sweetheart.

See the wavy wallpaper?  Ah, well.  I'm not re-doing it.  I purchased a little Hoosier cabinet and chairs, but I'm afraid the chairs may be too big.  I had fun added a mini mailbox and mini portrait.  Why are miniature things so fun??

I had some fun taking pictures.

I'm Still Alive!

Hello friends! I'm so sorry for the large chunk of time since I last posted... that's called grad school.  I had three 6-week classes that took over my life during June/July.  I have a little break now and don't you doubt I have been spending each day on projects!

I have a update for the lovely little end table you last saw primed white.  Here's that baby now...

I would say she turned out well.. but she's not done yet.  I'm going to add a stencil to the bottom square.  That's on the to-do list.

Did you need another view? Okay.

Get excited for the stencil addition (and tutorial if I remember to take pictures during the process.)

I'm participating in Metamorphosis Mondays at Between Naps on the Porch!

End Table Re-Do

So a few months ago I snagged this little end table at a thrift store for $5. 

The two square patches were covered with old, icky leather that was all cracked up.  Greer helped me rip it off (it was tough!).  Then it was next step- stripping (the table)!

It's my first attempt at actually stripping down a peice of furniture.  I was too frustrated to remember to take any process pictures.  I used a wood stripping agent (I'll find the name and post it) borrowed from Dad.  If you plan to strip wood, I suggest wearing rubber gloves.  I was warned that if you get it on skin it "burns like hell."  Follow directions and do it outside.  Look for future posts about stripping wood as I learn the process.

After I got it all stripped down (which took a few times) and sanded, I primed it using Bulls Eye White Primer.

This is where I am in the process right now.  I'm toying with paint colors and decorative paper modge podged on.  I'm thinking navy blue for the body and some sort of yellow or design with yellow for the squares.  Or maybe chalkboard paint. What do you think?

I'm participating in:

La Cocina: Las Detalles

La Cocina = The Kitchen
Las Detalles = The Details

I thought I'd share some kitchen details in our house at the moment.  I was playing with my camera, trying to see if I could capture close ups.  Want to see?

We aren't fans of keeping things in the commercial containers.  We both love mason jars (what is it about them?).  Greer is really good about knowing what to store in them and pretty much does it as soon as we buy a refill.  I can't name everything in them from this picture, but I know there is sugar, popcorn kernels and coffee.  As of today we have added a jar of southern grits straight from South Carolina! Wooo

To the left of the sink are some other fun things.  The bowl is hand-made and was a wedding gift.  There is a sun on the inside bottom.  We like to keep it filled with fruit so we grab the healthier snacks in front of our faces.  This was also storing some seeds until those were planted.



My Other Mother suggested the white lights on top of the cabinets and I love it.  I turn them on as soon as the light starts fading.  The bicycles are left over from our wedding.  There is another handmade bowl wedding gift, honey pot (our wedding theme was Sweet Honey Love), and a silver tea set wedding gift.

This is my childhood table given to us by my parents.  My dad made this table out of some wood and an old Singer sewing machine.  When we moved into the Burrow, we only had the ice cream shoppe 2-seater table.  That now lives on the porch and we inherited this beauty!

Last, everyone's favorite picture it seems.  It's next to the door and whenever someone (like my mom) leaves, they say "I love these pictures!"  The frame was an engagement gift from Greer's parents and the photos are a few of our engagement photos by Alisandra Photography.

Those are just a few kitchen details to keep you reading until I can post more about projects!

Studio + Guest Room: A Few New Detalles (Details)

In my previous post about the Studio + Guest Room's sleeper sofa, I mentioned the need to get creative and cheap to bring my mood board to life in this room.  I've started to take baby steps in that direction.

"Baby steps...baby steps to the door...baby steps down the stairs.." -What About Bob anyone?

Here are just a few of the detalles nuevos (new details).

You may have seen the aged wooden trunk in the mood board and possibly remember how I planned to relocate one of Greer's suitcase end tables.  It's hard to see in this picture (I'll post a new one another time), but I did just that.

I'm gonna just stop for a second and list a few reasons why I love a suitcase side table:

1. Greer makes them = it's DIY and I don't have to spend hundreds on the same thing at Anthropologie

2. Unique look = I think they're especially fun in a guest room for the metaphor

3. Storage = it's still a suitcase!  I store those things that we don't need to access often but don't want to get rid of (like electronics guides, extra cords, etc)

4. Table space = there's a lot more table area to a suitcase than your average end table.  This is great for guests.  Plenty of room for a lamp and decorative item or two, while leaving space for guests to add their necessary bedside items.

I'm sure I could come up with more reasons, but I'll leave that to you.

You can also spot in the above photo, one of the Pier 1 red flower dishes I got from my co-worker's yard sale.  Cheap decor- $6!

My last new additions are wall art.  I have a tough time decorating walls.  I'm trying to plan this out carefully and think about where I will want things to go.  So far all I've had to buy are the frames.

Home From Vacation

I only have time for a quick post because our anniversary dinner is waiting.  That's right- our 1 year marriage anniversary is today!!  6.5.10 - I married my best friend and have been living a fairytale with him.  I am still so in love with my Greer.  You can check out our DIY wedding details in previous posts like this one.  More under the "wedding" tag.

Today we returned from our honeymoonish vacation/1 year celebration.  We attended a friend's wedding in North Carolina, visited Savannah, Georgia, then spent a week with Greer's brother and sister-in-law and our neice in Florida.  Awesome week.  We followed it up by driving to Charleston, South Carolina and then finally returned home today.  What a wonderful week we've had!! Sunburn and all. 

This week- back to building and projects.  Updates soon :)

Lolly