My litte Pennsylvania Dutch chest is done!

Thank goodness for rainy days!! If it would have been nice today I would had to mow the lawn instead of doing something fun!

Yesterday I spent all day cleaning and finished that up this morning so I could get back at this little chest. It only took me about an hour total to finish it, that's usually the way it goes though, it's just taking the time to get at stuff.

All I had to do to it was distress and antique it but I loved how it turned out. I don't think the pictures do it justice at all. I actually got this done on Thursday but had to wait for a sunny day so the colors in the pictures were true.

I love painting these boxes, I have tried to paint in different styles but I always come back to these, Pennsylvania Dutch designs. They are simple yet very intricate designs that just appeal to me I guess. I have painted many of these over the years and have sold them to local shops here in Ohio.

My technique is simple, I have pattern books that I get ideas from and I put the patterns together myself. Pennsylvania Dutch chests can be very gaudy and colorful but over the years the colors just mute themselves that look better over time. I use basic colors that they would have used back when they used to paint them, trying to "mute" the colors to what they would look like today, many years later. After I'm finished painting, I distress it and add an antiquing of some sort over the whole thing to make it look years old. 

 

 

 

 

Is there a light at the end of the tunnel???!

Wow, I haven't posted anything since May 30th! I guess I haven't had anything interesting to say or a finished project to share. Not that I don't have things I'm working on, it's just that I can't find the time to do it!

As you know, we have been painting the exterior of our house, and except for the trim, we would have gotten it all finished last weekend but we hit a snag. The peak..........that dreaded peak of the roof. My husband managed to climb up there, but once he was there he discovered it would be impossible for him to safely paint it because the pitch is so steep. He was afraid he wouldn't have a secure enough footing so he decided to rethink the whole thing. I'm not going to lie when I tell you that I was scared to death once he got to the top of the ladder and tried to maneuver his body around the top of the ladder to get a good footing on the roof. And once he got up there he couldn't figure a way to get down! I was watching and not watching, I knew this was it, he was going to fall off the %$#& roof and that would be it. Sooo, as I stood on the ladder to steady it while he twisted his large frame around and hung his leg over the side of the garage roof to "find" the ladder rung with his foot. If he fell, he was going to land on me! All I could think of was, what are the neighbors thinking! Well, he managed to get himself positioned so he could come down safely, but now we are wondering how we are going to get this done. It sucks when your body isn't as nimble as it used to be! So that's where we are on that and I'll let you know when and how we get this peak painted. Like I said before, so close yet so far from being finished, story of our lives.

I was hoping to get the trim done before the weekend but I can't, it's going to rain, so I am working on purging my closet and other areas because I am having a garage sale with my neighbor the end of this month. I also have a small chest that is waiting to be finished so I can get it on Etsy to sell. Plus I have been babysitting for the grandchildren off and on, besides all the everyday stuff that needs to get done.

I'm not making excuses for my absence, I'm just telling you I haven't had time to do anything "fun"! I am so anxious to move on to the next project, but I can't start one more thing until I get these things finished. You know how I get anxious when I have too many irons in the fire. It's driving me crazy because I have the cutest little chair that I purchased sometime ago that I want to repaint and reupholster and put up for sale.

I have windows that need cleaning (so bad since Rick power washed the house to prepare for painting). I haven't gotten any flowers to plant yet, I have to find time to get groceries because there is nothing to eat in this house.......yada yada yada!

You all know where I'm coming from!
 

Decorating with found treasures!

One of my loyal followers sent me a couple of pictures that I wanted to share with you. She collected things over time and has created some cute ideas for her porch and an area in her yard that I think are absolutely adorable! I love it when people send me photos of their ideas so we can all get inspired. 

 

 

This is a picture of her front porch and I love the colors! Gray, white and a pop of buttery yellow!

 

 

 

And this little area beside a tree, love how she brought all of her "treasures" together to create a cute little focal point in her yard!

 

I am always amazed how creative people can be using found objects. If you have a something that you want to share just send me some photos at rkvaudt@neo.rr.com and I will be happy to post your pictures on my blog.

 

I know that some of you in this area of Iowa have been getting some nasty weather lately, raining and flooding. I'm praying for you all that you stay safe and that Mother Nature takes a breather from all these nasty storms.

 

Thank you Max for the great pictures, I love that you sent these for me to share!

My one-of-a-kind corner cupboard is finished!

 

I got my new corner cupboard all painted, actually it was done on Saturday:) but I haven't been on the computer to post a new picture. It doesn't take me long when it's something that just needs to be painted and distressed a little. I wish all my projects were this easy!

 

I painted it my signature Antique White:) and distressed it just a bit

 

 

 

 

It offers me storage for extra knick-knacks

 

 

 

This is what I have in it for now, but I may need to find something more substantial to put in this cubby, but it needed somecandle lights to brighten up the darker area

 

 

 

I love one-of-a-kind pieces of furniture!

 

 

 

 

 

This piece is more in keeping with all my other furniture, large and in charge! I think this home demands large furniture pieces because of it's open floor plan. For me, fewer large pieces are more appealing than lots of smaller ones and they definitely make more of a statement! This corner cupboard fits this space better than the smaller one did and I am so glad it fit, wasn't sure but it JUST made the cut!

 

I thought I would post pictures of the entertainment unit that was built by the same man. We bought this piece a couple of years ago and it is certainly a conversation piece! 

 

 

 

 

This is what it looked like when we bought it

 

 

 

 

 

This is what we did to make it work for our home. I love it because it takes up that whole large wall in the great room.

 

The area that was made to look like a fireplace had to be modified to fit our TV components, so Rick built shelves in that space. It was cute with a set of glowing logs in it though:)