Drying Lavender

Here is my first bunch of Lavender to dry.  I am loving the smell in the house right now just from this small bouquet..  I will either hang this for decoration or take the buds off to use in a scrub or sachet.

I love the look in a white frame.  So farmhousy, if thats a word.

REPURPOSED BASKET

Today I am showing you my latest project.  I was in need of an end table by one of my chairs, after I moved things around, you know how that is always changing things , enter smiley face, I have always loved this basket and it was put away.  And the little brain got to thinking how to repurpose it.

I found a round piece at the lumber company for very cheap so that made me very happy! I sanded and stained that piece.  I made sure it was a couple inches bigger than the top of my basket.   I sanded the basket down and did some antiquing on it.

And added some farmhouse numbers to it.  Then I glued the round piece to the top of the basket and wala it was done. 

See how lonely that chair would have been.  I love it when something is in your mind and actually turns out once you do it.  As you know that doesn't always happen.

Repurposed vintage funnel

I am adding some farmhouse decor slowly to my home.  i just love everything about it.  But I live cottage and shabby chic too.  I am going to combine it all and hopefully pull it off.

I had an old funnel I wasn't doing anything with.  I love the old galvanized look!! I decided to use it as a vase.  I just have a tube set down in it.  So when Summer finally gets here I can add fresh flowers.  I think it looks cool on my farmhouse table my hubby made me.  I put some ticking fabric down as the base for this arrangement.  It is simple and I like that these days.

I also added a little ticking ribbon from Michaels around my candles, I finally this week took off the sweaters that were on them.

Vintage ironing board repurposed

I bought this vintage ironing board from a friends yard sale.  I had been seeing all these large welcome signs everywhere.  I knew I could make one I just needed the right platform to do it on.  This was perfect.  

I bought some extra large stencils I found at Michaels, I love that store, And just stenciled the letters on, and then I added a good clear coat over the top to keep it in good condition.

I love when an idea comes together.  It makes me one happy camper. :)

Some Repurposed items for my flowers.

I recently went to our local flea market in search of some things to put in my yard to hold flowers.  It has been years since I have put anything new outside and I wanted something different and something farmhouse oriented.

I found this cool old funnel and I had seen on Pinterest where they put broom handles in the bottom and use it for hanging baskets.

My hubby had a galvanized pipe he wasn't using that he thought of to use as the base.  It worked perfect.  I want to  add a little more flowers probably some Lobelia but I LOVE it!!  What do you think?  Have you been repurposing anything for your flower gardens?

I had seen this shelf thingy that looked very farmhousy (if that's a word), industrial at a local store but it was $90, I can't do that.  As I was looking at it I realized it was just two crates screwed together with some pieces of metal here and there on it.  I figured I could make it for way less than that.

We needed a different side table to sit by my hubbys recliner and I wanted it to have some storage or decorative space on it.  This piece fit the bill.

I just screwed two crates together after staining them.  I added castors to the bottom so I can move it easily to clean under.  I then added some flat L brackets to some corners.  I just love it and I did it for around $25.  Much cheaper than the one I seen.

Please try to ignore my doggies toy laying there, sorry, and my cords.  The things you don't see when your taking the photos lol.

A DIY project

I had seen these letters at Michaels that I just loved but had no idea what to do with them.  You know how you go home and are trying to figure out a project lol.  I knew I wanted to do some sort of a sign, but what kind and what colors.  

My new motto is if I buy, repurpose or take something out of my storage I have to get rid of something else.  I just have too small of a house to have too much in.  I don't want it to look cluttered.
Anyhow this is what I came up with and I found a vertical space to put it. 

I chose the word home because it means so much to us after the last year and a half.  

It has been too long

Hello, I know I have been mia for quite a while.  This last year and a half has been quite a journey for us.  My husband has been sick with a bad heart for several years, Dilated Cardiomyopathy,   This last fall he became real sick and not able to do anything including sleep or eat.  We ended up in the hospital and on his way to a scan he crashed so they rushed him into surgery and he received an LVAD, which is an artificial heart and then was put on the transplant list for a new heart.  He was in the hospital through the holidays because his kidneys had taken a hit and because of insurance reasons he couldn't come home on dialysis.  God was so good to us, he repaired his kidneys to the surprise of the doctors, he came home on January 5th of this year.

He slowly worked on getting healthy again to help his body prepare for a new heart.  On May 5th we got the call!!  We had been praying for God to bring the right heart for him.. Also praying for the family that was losing a family member.  The surgery was 14 hours long, and when the surgeon came out at 4:00am and had such a discouraged look on his face I knew in my heart what had happened.  His new heart was not working, see we had experienced the same thing with our daughter when she was 15.  But God had started hers and she has grown into a beautiful young woman who is married and has two little girls now.  I knew God could do it again.  His heart started beating 5 days later, the longest five days of my life.  After many many complications, another emergency surgery on his intestines, waking up completely paralyzed, he came home miraculously on July 2nd with a walker.  He is now able to do most of what he used to do.  He still has a ways to go, but OH GOD WAS SO GOOD TO US!!  I tell you all of this to give Him the glory for all he has done.  I am so thankful for His love and mercy and grace.  Because it was grace that carried us through.

In saying all of this I hope you can understand the nostalgia I have for decorating for the seasons especially Fall and Christmas.  I didn't get to experience it last year and God has given us  a renewed excitement for it this year.

Here is a couple of photos of some vignettes around my home.


                       My faux fireplace mantle:

Dollar store pumpkins I painted white.

                                              A cute chalkboard pumpkin from Michaels,