a French printer’s tray.

Published on by Quandie8 Comments

If you’ve been following me for long, you know that my ‘workshop’ is out in the carriage house …

And it’s not heated.  Plus we have to fit our cars in there in the winter.

So I haul all of my supplies inside the house before we get a freeze, and then I do most of my painting in the piano room.

I put a drop cloth over the piano and it becomes a workbench, and I keep the supplies I use most often in the Specimens cupboard.

It’s definitely not glamorous.  And whenever we’re having guests I have to put everything away.

It’s also not very much space to work in.

So as fall approaches each year I start to pile up a bunch of small projects to work on after the Christmas season is over and I’m steadily working my way through that pile.

Today’s small project is a simple wooden tray that I picked up at a garage sale last summer.

It definitely seems to be homemade.  You can see that the wood piece that makes up the bottom originally had hinges on it, and the one shorter side is a bit thinner than the others.  Someone clearly cobbled it together out of bits and pieces they had on hand, you gotta love that.

After first painting the tray in Dixie Belle’s Dried Sage and deciding I didn’t like it (even though I’ve used Dried Sage on numerous projects that I loved), I ended up going with a very simple makeover.  I added two coats of DB’s Drop Cloth.  Once dry, I added some bits and pieces of French typography from my transfer scrap pile.

I used google translate to make sure I wasn’t putting nonsense on my tray.  That first line, Tous droits réservé, is simple, it means ‘all rights reserved.’  Évreux is a place in France.  And that bottom line is just a name, followed by the word ‘printer’.  So, in other words, it could be considered an advertisement for a printer.

After the wording was in place, I added a small embellishment to the bottom of the tray too.

I’d considered going with something a bit more elaborate, but I figured most people would be putting stuff inside the tray and thus potentially covering that up anyway.

I sanded the edges of the tray to distress them, and then finished everything off with a coat of clear wax.

I added some old books, a pair of crusty old paint brushes in a ball jar, and an antique camera for styling.

How would you style this tray?

Leave a comment and let me know!

a sweet little toolbox.

Published on by Quandie34 Comments

My friend opK found this sweet little toolbox for me last summer.

She thought it would be the perfect candidate for a makeover, and she was right.

I gave it my usual prep, a good washing with soapy water and then a coat of Dixie Belle’s B.O.S.S.  By the way, while we’re on the subject of B.O.S.S., did you hear that Dixie Belle is coming out with a new product that combines the qualities of B.O.S.S. and Slick Stick?  So it will still block odors and seal stains, but it will also be formulated to use on slick surfaces to improve the adhesion of your paint.  I’m looking forward to trying that out.

But in the meantime, I still like using the clear B.O.S.S. on items like this.  I prefer the clear version over the white or grey because I almost always distress my pieces and I don’t want to see that white or grey color under my final paint color.  Of course, in this particular instance I could have used the grey and it wouldn’t have made much difference since the original color of this toolbox was a silvery grey.

I painted the inside in DB’s Cottage Door.  This is such a lovely warm pinkish coral.  I’ve used it to create a pop of color inside a few toolboxes now.

Next I painted the outside in DB’s Midnight Sky.  Then I taped off a Swiss cross to paint in Drop Cloth.  Unfortunately, after I painted the cross, the tape I used pulled a bunch of the Midnight Sky with it when I took it off.

I usually use the yellow Frog Tape for delicate surfaces, but they didn’t have that one at Home Depot so I had purchased the regular green Frog Tape instead.  I’ve since gone back to Menard’s to stock up on the yellow version so this doesn’t happen again.  I could also probably avoid this problem if I allowed the paint to cure longer before taping over it, but who has the patience for that?

After going back and touching up the Midnight Sky, I added a small transfer from I.O.D.’s Label Ephemera to the top of the toolbox.

Then I decided that a small section from the I.O.D. Mélange paint inlay had the perfect typography for below that transfer.

I love it!

Except what did I do?  You can definitely see it in that close up photo above.  Yep, I forgot to seal my paint inlay with a spray sealer before applying some clear wax.  As soon as I swiped over it with the wax brush it smeared.  Ugh!

A more detailed explanation on the correct way to apply and seal a paint inlay can be found here.

I’m so annoyed with myself, I definitely knew better, I just wasn’t thinking.

I went back in with a q-tip to try and clean it up a bit, but you can definitely still see a bit of smearing, especially in a close up.

But most people aren’t going to be scrutinizing it that closely, right?

Unfortunately, an immediate fix for this would be rather delicate.  Since the paint inlay has to be applied to wet paint, I would have to paint back over that area.  However, I wouldn’t trust the adhesion of paint over the freshly applied wax, although you can paint over it after it’s cured, in about 30 days.  Otherwise, the wax would need to be removed by scrubbing it off with some mineral spirits.

Then I could brush on some more Drop Cloth paint and apply the paint inlay again.  However, as I’ve found in the past, using a paint inlay for the 2nd time gives a much fainter result than the first time around.  So would I be any happier with the look of that?

Another option would be to buy a new Mélange paint inlay just to use that little section of it.  The inlay is currently on sale at The Painted Heirloom for $40.50, plus $6.95 shipping unless I would spend at least $150 to get free shipping.  Yikes!  That’s a lot of money to fork over just for this one little fix.  Don’t get me wrong, I do think that the Mélange paint inlay is worth that price if you have lots of projects to use it on.  But I already have it, and I’ve only used about half of it.

FYI, The Painted Heirloom site has a message saying that all I.O.D. paint inlays are now considered ‘limited release’ and once sold out there won’t be more.  So maybe that’s motivation to buy another.

Do I really want to spend almost $50 for another Mélange inlay though, just for this one little section on this one little toolbox?

And maybe that blurring isn’t really that bad?

From a distance you barely notice it … especially if you squint just a little.

LOL, I don’t know.  We’re always more critical of our own work, aren’t we?  What do you think?

By the way, I also added a simple Tim Holtz number transfer to the side of the toolbox.

and I think the latch is my favorite part of this makeover.

It’s half black and half white, and I added a little crown.

For now I have set this toolbox aside while I consider whether or not I need to re-do that inlay.  But I may just take it into the shop and see what happens.  I can always make a decision about re-doing it if it doesn’t sell.

What would you do?

the botanist box.

Published on by Quandie26 Comments

Today I’m bringing you another wooden box makeover.

Since there really isn’t any way to tell the scale in that photo, I’ll tell you that this is bigger than your average recipe box.  I suspect it was used by a business of some kind.

And that’s partially based on this stamp inside the lid calling it a ‘merchants box’, and partially based on the size.

I gave this box a quick scuff sanding, followed by wiping it down with a damp cloth.  Then I painted the outside in two coats of Dixie Belle’s Sawmill Gravy.

Then I pretty much lost my head.  That’s the best way to describe it.

I decided I really wanted to use just the wording from inside the circle of I.O.D.’s The Botanist transfer.  You may remember when I used this full transfer on a bed last summer.

I had ordered another one recently, and I just couldn’t resist using the typography portion on this box.

It was a perfect fit.

If I was keeping this box for myself I probably wouldn’t bat an eye over the $25 price tag for the transfer, but I’m planning to sell this box.  So I fully admit that it doesn’t make any kind of good business sense to spend this much on a transfer that I used on one measly box makeover.  I hesitated quite a bit before deciding I just had to do it.  I also think I’ve come up with a use for the rest of the transfer, those floral swags that surround the typography, but we’ll have to wait and see if that comes to fruition.

So will I get my money back out of this one?  Probably just barely.  I certainly won’t be making any kind of profit.  That’s OK with me, but I know many of you guys need to turn a profit, in which case this is not the way to do it.

By the way, yes, I did consider filling that big crack down the middle of the lid.

But I decided it added a little character and age to the box.  I’m OK with that.

You may have noticed that in addition to the typography, I also decorated this box with some florals from the I.O.D. Floral Anthology transfer.

I filled the front of the box …

and trailed over to both sides …

with various scraps of Floral Anthology.

I should also mention that prior to adding any of the transfers, I used the wet distress method on this box.  This method involves using a damp rag to rub paint away from edges where the box would have naturally been worn over time.  It can be a good alternative to distressing the edges with sandpaper, often looking more authentic.  This only works with a paint that is reactivated with water, so mainly chalk style paints.

I did add one little Tim Holtz number transfer to the front of the box as well.

I finished the box with some clear wax both inside and out.  I hadn’t painted the inside, but chose to leave it in the natural wood instead.  The wax freshened it up nicely.

I should also point out that this box must have had some sort of slider thingie inside originally that had since been removed, leaving a sort of empty track in the bottom of the box.

To cover that up I simply cut a thick piece of cardboard to fit the bottom of the box, and then covered that with some scrapbook paper.

It’s quite sturdy, but also quite removable.  So down the road if it gets all grungy from use, it can easily be pulled out and replaced with something fresh.

I took this one into the shop this week, so if any of you locals are interested in it you’ll need to pop into Reclaiming Beautiful in Stillwater.

As for the rest of you, what do you think of this box makeover?

a winter thrift haul.

Published on by Quandie10 Comments

I’m starting to suffer from some serious garage sale withdrawal, so I hit the thrift shops last week.  Unfortunately, I didn’t find much, and definitely not anything very exciting.

In addition to a couple of Goodwill stores, I also stopped in at Turn Style, which is a consignment store.  It was a little startling to find one of my creations for sale there …

That was one of my first cupboard door signs, but I really don’t remember when I painted it.  I couldn’t find a blog post about it, so it may even be pre-blog.  Back in 2014 (yikes!  10 years ago!) I put that French Market stencil on A LOT of items including cutting boards …

and buckets …

I likely sold that sign at one of my Carriage House sales.  Whoever purchased it from me must be getting rid of it now.  I debated buying it back, and then redoing it in some other way.  But at $18, it was a little too expensive to be worthwhile for me.  I prefer to get my cupboard doors for free, or for less than $5 or so.

So I left the sign at Turn Style.  But here’s what I did bring home.

Well, most of it anyway.  I did also purchase a pair of ice skates and some red & green plaid dishes for the 2024 holiday season (not pictured).  I’m going to hang onto the little metal lantern for next Christmas season too.  I think it will be adorable with a little bottle brush tree and a reindeer inside.

One of these items is for me to keep and that’s the hygrometer (which is the fancy word for a humidity gauge).

I’m not entirely sure that it works, but for only $3.99 I thought it was worth a shot.  I am often wondering what the humidity is outside so if this works it will be handy to have for my workshop in the carriage house.

I did purchase a couple of things to flip that didn’t require more than a good cleaning.  First up, this 1 qt. pitcher.

I’m always drawn to things with numbers or words on them.

I also grabbed this glass cannister.

You can never have too many glass cannisters.  I use them inside my English pine cupboard to hold painting and/or crafting supplies.  I like being able to see what’s inside them.

I also like to have them on hand to contain a grouping of items to sell, such as vintage cookie cutters or old children’s blocks.

The rest of these items all got a paint and transfer makeover starting with the French flower bucket.

It looked just a bit too new.  So my goal was to add some faux age.

I gave it a base coat of Dixie Belle’s French Linen first, then added a layer of their Sawmill Gravy over it.  I was planning to do some wet distressing back to the French Linen layer, but uh … yeah … I forgot that I was going to do that and after the paint was dry I added a coat of clear wax.  Turns out, the clear wax does protect the paint from water quite a bit.  Enough that wet distressing was no longer a good option.

But then I remembered that I had ordered some of the Dixie Belle dirt to try out.

Dixie Dirt is a powder that you apply over tacky wax.  Basically you apply wax, wait 10 minutes for it to get tacky, brush the Dixie Dirt into cracks and crevices, then wipe away any excess ‘dirt’.

I ordered the ‘dirt’ in two colors; Ash and Earth.

FYI, the French Tip brush from Dixie Belle works really nicely for applying the dirt.

I used the Ash color on my French flower bucket.

I feel like the look I got with the dirt is very comparable to using a dark wax.  The benefit to the dirt is that it’s a bit cheaper than wax at $8.95 (find it here), and I think these little containers will go a long way.  So if you already have a clear wax, but no dark wax, this might be a good option for you if you like this look.

I should have mentioned that I also added a re.design with prima transfer to the flower bucket before I added any wax.

Always add transfers before wax, they will not adhere to a freshly waxed surface.  This transfer is from the Lovely Labels Middy transfer set, and it is a dark blue color rather than the usual black or dark grey.

Here is the final look for the flower bucket.

Next up, I decided to give the box a similar treatment.

Again, it was too new for me.  Too smooth, and only scratched up in a bad way, not a good way.

But this time, I added some of Dixie Belle’s Sea Spray texture additive to my base coat of French Linen first.  I let that dry, and then added a coat of Sawmill Gravy over it.  Once the Sawmill was dry, I sanded over it with 120 grit sandpaper to reveal the textured layer.

Next up I added a leftover scrap from the I.O.D. Label Ephemera transfer.

I finished it off with a coat of clear wax first.  Then this time I did use a brown wax along the edges just to ‘dirty’ them up a bit.  It was a pretty subtle adjustment, but it helps disguise any freshly sanded wood edges.

Finally we’ve got the two ‘signs’ that I purchased.

I knew the mustard yellow one would be perfect for that adorable row of birds from the I.O.D. Brocante transfer set.  I gave it the same paint treatment as the box.  A base coat of French Linen mixed with some Sea Spray, then a coat of Sawmill Gravy.  Once dry, I sanded it smooth and added the birds.

I also added some random French typography from my transfer scrap pile, and then finished it off with a coat of clear wax.

I skipped the textured base coat on the 2nd sign.  It has a sort of ribbed surface to begin with, so it didn’t need any additional texture.  Instead I simply added a coat of Sawmill Gravy followed by some floral scraps from I.O.D.’s Floral Anthology transfer and some wording from the Classic Vintage Labels transfers from re.design with prima.

I added a little Dixie Dirt in the Earth color to this one.

You can see how it gets caught in the grooves in that close up photo.

I’ll be bringing most of these items into the shop tonight (Reclaiming Beautiful in Stillwater, MN) if any of you locals want to head over there this weekend and check them out.

In the meantime, are any of you finding goodies at the thrift stores, or are you finding that there are slim pickin’s like I am?  Leave a comment and let me know, or just let me know which of today’s projects is your favorite.

it’s like falling off a bike.

Published on by Quandie24 Comments

I can’t exactly remember the circumstances, but recently I meant to saying something was ‘like riding a bike’ (meaning it was a skill that would come back to you easily, even if you hadn’t done it in a while), but instead what came out of my mouth was ‘it’s like falling off a bike’.  The people I was with all got a good laugh.

But now I’m wondering if ‘falling off a bike’ fits this particular situation better.

It had been a while since I’d used milk paint when I pulled out the Miss Mustard Seed Tricycle to paint my North Pole Bed and Breakfast sign a few weeks back.

That particular project went quite smoothly, although I didn’t really get the chipping that I wanted.

I was painting another of those cupboard door signs at the same time.  I followed the same exact prep process with both.  I lightly scuff sanded them, and then cleaned them with a TSP substitute (I use the Sunnyside brand from Menards, if anyone is curious).

For the 2nd sign, I pulled out some Sweet Pickins milk paint in a color called In a Pickle.  I mixed it up and painted up the 2nd cupboard door.  Imagine my consternation when the 2nd one not only chipped, it chipped A LOT.

I’d forgotten just how unpredictable milk paint can be.  Frankly, this is why I rarely use it anymore.  It can be pretty frustrating to get results like this when it’s not what you wanted.  I get much more reliable results with the chalk style paint from Dixie Belle that I use most often.

Also, I want to point out that you can always add the bonding agent to your milk paint which will eliminate the chipping altogether.

That being said, there really is no substitute for the authentically chippy look you can get with straight up milk paint … you just have to be OK with the possibility of wildly varying results.

I have experienced my share of overly chippy milk paint projects in the past, and in one case I ultimately ended up sanding the piece down entirely and starting over with chalk paint (you can find that story starting here, and ending here).

Since I really wanted some chippy-ness on this piece though, I decided to try a couple of tricks to see what I could do with this one.  First up I sanded it a little bit more thoroughly, which did remove quite a bit of the chipping paint, and then I painted two more coats of In a Pickle.  Once the paint was dry, I still had quite a lot of chipping.  So next I vacuumed away all of the loose chips, and then I sealed it with a coat of Rust-Oleum matte spray sealer.  Once that dried, I went back in again with another coat of the milk paint over it.

That helped somewhat, but it definitely did not eliminate the chipping entirely.

But at that point I decided this was a level of chipping that I could live with.

After giving the piece another coat of spray sealer, I added a stencil.

This is another one that I ordered from The Stencil Smith.  I had to modify it slightly to fit on my cupboard door by leaving the “Picked Fresh Daily” off the top.  But otherwise it worked perfectly.

Once again I used my shadowing technique to put a dark shadow behind just the “Garden Herbs” wording.

That is Dixie Belle’s Coffee Bean for the shadow, and Drop Cloth for the 2nd layer.

Once the stenciled paint was dry, I once again sealed the entire piece with the Rust-Oleum spray.

In the end, I’m quite happy with how this turned out, chipping and all.

What do you think?  Are you a fan of the chippy look, or are you over it?  Or maybe you never were a fan at all?  Leave me a comment and let me know.

This garden herbs sign is for sale locally (check my ‘available for local sale‘ page for more details).

out to lunch.

Published on by Quandie25 Comments

I picked up this vintage lunchbox at a garage sale last summer.

After getting it home, I removed the filthy string that was holding the handle in place and then gave the whole thing a good clean with soapy water.  Then I added a coat of B.O.S.S. and put it on the ‘pile of future projects’.

Sometimes I like to hang onto these smaller projects and then bring them out in January when I’m stuck in the house.

Anyway, I did debate whether or not to paint this one.  I know there is a segment of the vintage loving population that would have preferred this in its original patina.  However, that segment doesn’t seem to buy a lot of my pieces.

So I decided to paint this one up.  I started with a couple of coats of Dixie Belle’s Silk paint in Cactus on the inside.  I thought I’d save myself some work and use a Silk paint with its built-in top coat, thus eliminating one step in the process.

Next up I painted the outside in my favorite Dixie Belle Drop Cloth.  Once that was dry I pulled out some sections of the I.O.D. Floral Anthology transfer.  My original plan was to start at the bottom of the lunchbox and then continue the florals about half way up the lid.  But I started by cutting off the section for the lid and applying that first.

Once that was in place I decided I rather liked the look of the florals just on the lid.

Sometimes … oh, who am I kidding? … most of the time … my designs morph as I go along.

That’s sort of the fun of creating, isn’t it?

Once I had the florals in place I went in search of some typography to add.  I found the upper half of the smaller version of the Seeds transfer in my stash and thought it would be perfect.

This is a retired design.  It was originally sold by re.design with prima, and then by I.O.D.

Sadly, neither one of them produces this design anymore.  I was in luck because one of my readers sent this one to me (thanks again Monica!).

The handle on this lunchbox is made out of plastic, and I wasn’t overly fond of that original shade of forest green.  So I decided to go ahead and paint it in the Cactus as well.

To give my paint every opportunity to adhere to the plastic, I first washed the handle thoroughly with hot soapy water to remove any oils.  Once dry I sanded it to rough up the surface, and then I added a coat of Dixie Belle’s Slick Stick.  I followed all of that up with two coats of the Cactus.

I finished up the lunchbox with a coat of clear wax on the exterior.  Since the interior was painted in the Silk paint it didn’t require a further topcoat.

I was halfway through photographing the lunchbox when I remembered that it came with a funky … well … I’m not sure what you would call it.  It’s sort of a large safety pin thingie.

It slides through the latches and prevents the lunchbox from opening.  The latches are slightly loose and one side in particular tends to fall open rather easily.  I’m guessing that the former owner of this lunchbox added this as a clever fix.

I’m not sure if I prefer the lunchbox with or without this addition.

It certainly adds a unique touch.

What do you think?

I don’t know that I would use this as a lunchbox, although you certainly could.  I think I’d be more inclined to use it to store seed packets, or maybe colored pencils or other art supplies.

Regardless of what you want to use it for, this lunchbox is for sale locally.  Check out my ‘available for local sale’ page for more details!

Thank you to Dixie Belle Paint Co for providing the Slick Stick, Drop Cloth and Cactus paint, and clear wax used on this project.

a feast for the eyes.

Published on by Quandie23 Comments

Just a couple of days before Christmas my friend opK and I headed to Minneapolis to check out the 75% off sale at Bachman’s.  I’ve mentioned Bachman’s here before, but for those of you who may not be familiar, it is a local chain of ‘floral, home and garden’ centers.  They have been in business since 1885 when the founder began planting vegetable crops on a plot of land in south Minneapolis.  That plot of land still contains their flagship store and corporate headquarters.

I normally shop at their Maplewood store, which was their 2nd location and opened in 1990, but the flagship store is a bit larger and opK and I were hoping that there would be a bigger selection of Christmas merch remaining.  Spoiler alert, there wasn’t.  But we each purchased a few things.

Then we decided that we should check out a couple of other shops while we were in the big city, starting with Loft Antiques.

I have to admit that I rarely actually ‘shop’ at antique stores.  I mostly just like to scour them for inspiration, sort of making a mental list of items I should be snatching up at garage/estate sales.  Like original oil paintings by unknown artists …

or … LOL … old crusty paint brushes!

See?!  I’m not the only one who likes a crusty old brush.

There was a lot of inspiration to be found at Loft.

And by the way, I did ask for permission to take photos in their shop.  Most shop owners are perfectly fine with someone taking photos, but every once in a while you run into one who is vehemently opposed.  I’m thinking back to a shop Mr. Q and I visited in Summerville, SC.  I’m not naming names though, it was not the shop I blogged about back then.

I actually even purchased something at Loft!  I couldn’t resist this antique “Merry Christmas” shop signage.

My friend and fellow Reclaiming Beautiful vendor, Amy, has similar signage on the wall at her house (although not Christmas themed, but from an old church) and after seeing hers, I just had to have this one.  I’ll probably repaint it, I’m not sure.  But either way, I’m looking forward to finding a way to use it in my Christmas decor next year.

There are two more shops worth a visit right next door to Loft Antiques, Clarabel Vintage and A Rare Bird Antiques.  They are fairly small and I totally neglected to snap any photos to share with you.  But if any of you locals are in the neighborhood, they are worth checking out.

Our ultimate destination though was right across the street from Loft, Hunt & Gather.

opK had never been to Hunt & Gather, and I found it rather difficult to describe it to her before we got there.  But I think seeing the outside is a good hint as to what you’ll find on the inside.

But really, how would you describe it?

Here is how they describe themselves on their website …

“a vintage amusement store.  groovy.  kooky.  fresh.  unusual.  fun oddities & curiosities.”

Yep, that fits.

It’s definitely a feast for the eyes!

It’s your one stop shopping spot for all kinds of things, like silver trays …

souvenir shot glasses…

and creepy dolls!

I have to admit that seeing so much stuff packed into this shop makes my eye twitch just a little.  All I can think about is how much work it would be to clear it all out if they ever needed to.  I tend to think that way about my own house too, especially this time of year.  I always make a New Year’s resolution to start cleaning out drawers and closets, but I rarely follow through.  Maybe this year will be different.

How about you?  Are you a fan of the ‘more is more’ sort of style?  Or are you more of a minimalist?  Leave a comment and let me know.

the year in review.

Published on by Quandie23 Comments

Happy New Year!

At the end of the year I like to put together a recap post of the previous 12 months.  To be honest, it’s mainly for my own benefit.  I tend to feel like I haven’t really accomplished much, but then I look back and realize I’ve done more than I thought.

For example, I’ve been thinking I didn’t really makeover any furniture in 2023, but that’s not entirely true.  I did do about 10 pieces of furniture (check out my fab furniture page to see them all).

One of my favorites was the Summer Villa dresser.

That one featured the I.O.D. Summer Villa paint inlay, and it was gorgeous.

Another favorite of mine was the flower market dresser.

It was created using a large stencil from Wallcutz.

The botanist bed was another favorite of mine.

That thing really was gorgeous.  It sold to a woman who was restoring the farmhouse that belonged to her Swedish grandparents.  Her daughter’s family was going to live there, and this bed was going in her granddaughter’s room.  I always love it when I learn more about where my pieces are going.

Reviewing these pieces from last year makes me realize that I shouldn’t give up furniture makeovers entirely.  I’m going to be keeping my eye out for fun pieces to makeover this year.

I did spend quite a bit more of my time on ‘smalls’ last year.  There were somewhere around 17 toolboxes (if my counting is right).  You can see them all by going to the ‘toolboxes’ category under ‘sorted.’ over on the right side of the page if you’re viewing this on a computer screen.  If you’re on your phone, then try this link.

But anyway, I think I did a toolbox for every season starting with spring …

This rose chintz toolbox would be perfect for housing your garden planning supplies.

I created a bunch of summery floral toolboxes, but I think my favorites were embellished with the I.O.D. Elysium transfer.

This next one with the I.O.D. Flora Parisiensis transfer was a close 2nd.

Then fall came along and I felt like I had to move away from the summery florals into something a bit more autumnal.

That one featured the Harvest Hues transfer from re.design with prima.

Fall is always such a short season, in the blink of an eye I needed to move on to Christmas.

I used the I.O.D. Candy Cane Cottage transfers on that one.

One of my top faves from 2023 wasn’t seasonal though, it was inspired by our trip to Norway in September.

You just gotta love a toolbox based on the Norwegian flag, right?

I really enjoy working on these toolboxes, so you’re sure to see many more of them from me in 2024.

There were lots of other smalls in 2023 though, everything from DIY apothecary bottles …

to painted lunch pails …

to painted pumpkins.

I brought home a few goodies from the thrift store, and garage/estate sales like my original Al Teeter …

and this lovely gold framed mirror.

And of course, lots of old books!

I also painted up several cupboard door signs in 2023.

I got my Flower Market sign done just in time for our April Fool’s snowstorm.

And of course there was the North Pole Bed and Breakfast sign.

Rather than being stenciled, this next one was super simple to create with some I.O.D. transfers.

Aside from all of the blog-worthy posts, I also accomplished quite a bit around here (with help in most cases).  We painted the back of the house, replaced a section of our fence, refinished the front stoop, repaired and refinished our deck, and repainted our Adirondack chairs.

Phew!

I really enjoyed working in the garden this year as well.  I’d planted a bunch of new bulbs the previous fall, so it was fun to see them all come up in the spring.

The peonies in the cutting garden really flourished last year too.

And of course the hydrangeas were amazing as always.

One of my favorite new (to me) plants for 2023 was the Raspberry Splash lungwort (or pulmonaria).

Another new favorite was the Curly Fries hosta.  I planted three of them in the shade garden.

But I think my best garden makeover for 2023 was the fairy garden.

I expanded it by moving it into an old wheelbarrow, and it worked out beautifully.  I’ve left it out for winter with a bit of protection, so we’ll see if everything survives.  If not, gee, I guess I’ll have to get all new plants for next year!

I did quite a bit of traveling in 2023.  Being able to head out of town whenever I want to is one of the best things about being retired.

My sister and I visited our mom back in February and we took a short road trip to the Valley of Fire while we were there.

I went back again in April and did a little planting outside of my comfort zone for mom.

My sister and I also went to DisneyWorld for her birthday in May.

We were there for the Flower and Garden festival which was right up my alley.

In September Mr. Q and I headed to Amsterdam with my sister and niece.

We spent six days in Amsterdam, and then boarded a Holland America Viking Sagas cruise around Norway.

We were pretty much plagued by rain the entire 7 day cruise, but it was still fantastic.

At the end of October my sister and I headed back out to Vegas for our mom’s 83rd birthday.  We took her on a little road trip to Zion National Park to celebrate.

Finally, I went to Puerto Vallarta at the end of November with my neighbor nnK and her parents.

I feel incredibly fortunate to be able to do all of this traveling.  I’m hoping to do just as much in 2024.

I’m also hoping to have plenty of garage sale/thrifting hauls to share with you guys, along with lots of makeovers small or large.  I’m sure I’ll have a few gardening posts along the way as well.  I hope that you’ll continue to tag along!

In the meantime, leave me a comment and let me know if you had a favorite from among my posts in 2023.

a brown christmas.

Published on by Quandie14 Comments

Merry Christmas from the garden!

The probability of a white Christmas in the Twin Cities is somewhere between 70% to 75%, depending on which source you look at.  I’m surprised it’s that low, it really feels like we almost always have a white Christmas.

Last year we definitely had a white Christmas …

and then a white January, and a white February, March and even April!

We got a fresh foot of snow on April 1.

But according to sources online, 2021 was a brown Christmas.  I definitely don’t remember it that way.  I have photos here on the blog that would beg to differ.

But apparently all of that snow melted by Christmas Eve, technically leaving us with a brown Christmas in 2021.

Prior to that both 2018 and 2015 were brown Christmases.

I did get a photo of the carriage house in 2015.

Seeing that picture reminds me of how much I liked having evergreen garland and lights hung all the way across above the doors on the carriage house.  I may have to try that again next year.

While digging out that brown Christmas pic, I came across our family Christmas photo from that year.

That was a fun year, despite no snow.  From the left; that is my sister, my nephew (her son), my mom, me, Mr. Q and my niece (also my sister’s kid).  My nephew was visiting from Philly and my mom was visiting from Las Vegas.  It was so nice to have both of them here.

It must just be that I don’t really remember whether a Christmas was snowy or not, I just remember the fun times spent with friends and family.

That’s lucky because it looks like we’re having a brown Christmas this year.

It may not look as festive, but it certainly makes it easier to spend some time in the garden when there isn’t any snow and/or ice, or sub-zero temps.

I re-visited the idea of a garden Christmas tree this year.  Back in 2021 I put up a faux tree that I’d gotten for free at the curb.

I’d filled it with watering cans and garden implements.

But that tree ended up getting blown over in a storm and the ‘trunk’ was bent so much that it couldn’t be salvaged, at least not if I ever wanted it to stand upright.

This year I decided to purchase a small real tree and put it in a pot in that same spot.

It’s quite a bit smaller though, so the watering cans were a no go.

Instead I used some terracotta pots.  I also added some real winterberry sprigs and some rusty ornaments that I use somewhere outside every year.  I topped it all off with a rusty garden crown.

All things considered, I much preferred the full size tree.  Not only did it make much more of an impact, it was also much cheaper!  That little bitty real tree was $50!  I’m going to be on the lookout for another cheap/free faux tree to use next year.

By the way, did you notice the pair of skates hanging from my Rudolph and Co sign on the deck?

Those are the pair that I was questioning whether or not to paint.  At the time, I suspected I would end up using these outside.  Although paint with a good sealer would hold up outside, I don’t think a rub on transfer would.  So in the end I did not paint this pair for now.

I hope that those of you who celebrate Christmas have a very merry one, whether it’s white or brown.  I’m going to take a bit of a blog break over the next week, but I’ll be back in the New Year so be sure to stay tuned!

one last christmas project.

Published on by Quandie16 Comments

Today I’m squeezing in one last Christmas project.

I found this old beadboard cupboard door at a garage sale a few months back.

You know, back when there were hostas and lots of other green things in my garden.

I’ve always been a fan of old beadboard, and I thought the hardware on this one was kind of fun too.

I ended up painting it in Dixie Belle’s Midnight Sky and then adding the North Pole stencil from Wallcutz in Drop Cloth.

The beadboard did make the stenciling a bit more challenging, and it looked a bit sloppy when I first pulled the stencil away.  I had to go back with a small artist’s brush and fill in a lot of grooves to keep the wording legible.  Especially the smaller section in the circle.

Once that was done I added a couple of rusty, old, metal hooks from my stash.

These sort of hooks just screw into place.

I had initially taken photos of this sign hanging on a tree out in the garden.  I was planning to bring the sign into the shop with the rest of my Christmas merchandise.

But then I realized that this one would be perfect for hanging stockings.

And since we don’t have any sort of mantle I decided to keep it for that purpose.

I also had the perfect spot for it in the piano room.

Who knows, maybe next year I’ll sell this one on, but for now I’m really enjoying it in this spot.

A few of you have mentioned hoping that I’d share a tour of my Christmas decor this year, but to be honest, my indoor decorating was a bit haphazard.  I think that trip to Mexico back in late November kind of threw me off.  I never even put up the tree.

Do you remember the clock cloche?  I like to switch up the contents under the cloche depending on the season, and I did get that done this year.

It’s a simple look with some bottle brush trees and a tiny greenhouse full of poinsettias sitting on a vintage gardening book that my friend Sue gave me for my birthday.

And remember that Dutch ice skate I brought home from Amsterdam?  I hung that on my old wooden ladder along with some greens.

My friend opK was going through her stash of vintage Christmas cards and came across one with a snowy windmill scene and she thought it would be perfect for me.  I framed it up in an old chippy frame that I had on hand.  I layered it with an old invoice (sometimes the accountant in me still comes out).

I hung that from the ladder using some green velvet ribbon.

I’ve already shared the little bit of decorating that I did in our bedroom, and now this beadboard sign in the piano room.  Otherwise, I think you’ve seen everything else I have out this year in previous years including my toolbox full of tree toppers …

and my Christmas village …

To be precise, I actually set up my village twice.  I originally thought it would be nice to change it up and put it in the living room under the window.  I had it all set up there, and then decided it wasn’t working so I moved everything to the top of my English cupboard in the q branch.

I had to consolidate it down this year to fit entirely on top of that cupboard.  Last year I also had the blue rooster cupboard in that room, but if you’ll remember I moved it out when I brought in a larger desk.

And speaking of the q branch, finishing up the makeover in that room is on my to-do list for January.  I’ve picked out the new wall color, so once I get that village put back away again I’m going to get started on painting the walls.  So be sure to stay tuned in the new year!