Vintage Toolbox Flower Arrangement For Fall
The only thing better than a vintage toolbox is a vintage toolbox with flowers in it! If you want a big bang for your flower arranging buck this fall then create a vintage toolbox flower arrangement. Let’s face it, we all want our buck to go a little farther these days. The rustic vibe of a vintage toolbox lends itself really well to this fall season where we are all about getting cozy. I’m sure fall can be fancy but, in my head, I associate fall with things that are a little more rustic and earthy like apple orchards, haybale rides, warming hands around a firepit, crunchy leaves on the…
In Praise Of: Pretty Bluetooth Speakers
Pretty Bluetooth speakers. That’s what I want. I want to listen to my music and I want it to come from a Bluetooth speaker that looks good in my home. That’s not too much to ask, is it? Eh. Sometimes it feels that way, so I’m on a mission to dispel that myth. If you can design a speaker with killer sound quality, surely you can design a speaker that looks elegant, fun, sleek or any other adjective that fits the style of someone’s home. And I don’t want to use one that comes with a voice assistant like Alexa. No thank you. Just play my music. Don’t try to…
Fall Mantel With Leaf-Stamped Wood Rounds
Last week I shared how to leaf stamp on wood. You know I don’t make crafts unless I plan on using them, so let me show you my fall mantel featuring a grouping of leaf-stamped wood rounds. I do declare that it looks beautiFALL. That probably won’t be the last bad fall pun in this blog post as I’m feeling a bit acorn-y today. Our dining room fireplace is my favorite of our three fireplaces to decorate seasonally. It’s the only one that I change the decor on regularly even though spatially speaking it is the trickiest to decorate. The overmantel, the spot above the mantel where decor goes, is…
When To Match Picture Frames To Wall Color
Selecting frames for artwork can be tricky as frames totally change the look and feel of artwork. So, is there a time and place to match your picture frames to your wall color? The short answer is yes! It’s your house. Do what makes you happy. The short answer doesn’t make a good blog post though, so let me briefly elaborate. Match picture frames to wall color when the frame is too distracting. If the frame is distracting from the real start of the show, the artwork, paint the frame the same color as the wall so that the artwork pops. That’s what I did on our blue sunporch. I…
DIY Wood Acorn Wreath
If fall is your favorite season, you are going to love this DIY Wood Acorn Wreath. Bold words, I know. This wreath might not have pumpkins or spice but it does have an underrated but ready for its moment item – acorns. Yes, acorns. Wood acorns to be precise. If you didn’t know wood acorns were a thing, this craft is going to blow open the door of possibility for you. I, for one, can’t wait to see what you create. But let’s start with this Wood Acorn Wreath. Materials Needed: wood acorns (I used 16 acorns out of a package of 20.) 20 mm wood beads (I used 16…
My Latest Thrift Store Finds: Part 6
Welcome back to the delightful but infrequent blog series “My Latest Thrift Store Finds.” It’s not infrequent because I’m not thrift store shopping. No, no, no. Even I don’t have that much restraint. It is an infrequent series because I forget to write about my thrift store finds unless they are part of a larger story or project. This blog series is my attempt to right (or is it write?) that wrong. Here’s what has come home with me in the last few months. My Latest Thrift Store Finds: Chess Set Did you know chess is really popular with the middle school crowd? It has something to do with TikTok.…
Hide A Router and Modem In An Antique Radio Cabinet
What can you do with an unsightly router and modem? Hide them in an antique radio cabinet. Long before we got our entertainment via apps on our phones, radios broadcasting news, music, and entertainment were housed in ornate wood cabinets. Some sat on the floor. Others sat on tabletops. These radios became obsolete ages ago. Even I’m not old enough to have grown up with an antique radio. I had a boombox with two tape decks AND a CD player. I thought I was so cool. And modern. I see antique radios at thrift shops somewhat regularly for not a lot of money because no one really wants them. Even…
Art Updates In The Carriage House
At first, I was going to call this post “New Art In The Carriage House” but then I realized that none of the art is actually new. Most of it is new to me though. Semantics aside, I have some art updates in the Carriage House to share today. As a refresher, our Carriage House is a building on our property, separate from the main house, that has storage space on the bottom floor and a studio apartment on the top floor. That apartment is also where Handy Husband works and guests stay when they visit. At roughly 200 sq. ft., it’s a small but mighty space that performs multiple…
How To Turn A Clock Into A Picture Frame
What can you do with a clock that isn’t working? You can fix it, you can get rid of it, or you can turn it into a picture frame. Yes, it’s possible, under many circumstances, to turn a clock into a picture frame. Here’s how: First, start with any clock that has the potential to be a picture frame. This will most likely be a tabletop clock or mantel clock. I found this brass clock at the thrift store. Now, take apart the clock so that you can access the clock face. You might need a screwdriver for this part. Pay attention as you go or take a picture of…
In Praise Of Lath Art
Something old has piqued my interest lately – lath art. Broadly speaking, lath art is a type of folk art where pictures are made from thin strips of wood. Originally, these strips came from the lath strips of old plaster walls. Hence, the name. As someone who has removed a plaster wall or two, talk about a labor of love to salvage all those pieces and remove the old plaster in order to make it useable as an art medium. Today, lath art can be made from any strip of wood whether it is reclaimed, cut for this specific purpose, or something in between. Either way, creations like this take…
