State Flower of Kansas

Since I bought my house, I have been on a kick. I like to take old things and make them useful. Now....this has not been an easy task. My brother and bf like to make fun of my "treasure" hunting trips. They call it junk. They don't know what junk is.

My last trip home, I got a very unwelcome surprise. My very favorite brother (NOT) bulldozed my favorite treasure site. Who needs to make room for a new shed? There was a lot left there to be discovered, but I guess my feelings don't count :)

Luckily my mother loves me so very much, she tried to get as much stuff that I wanted as she could. One of the things she rescued was these old, rusted coffee cans. Of course dad and the bf wondered what in the he** I was hauling home, but I was excited. Here was the before:

Yes, they were rusted, so I just cleaned them up and sprayed a good coat of clear acrylic to keep the rust from coming off.

This is the final result. I think it turned out pretty cute. Even the bf admitted it was neat :) I don't get those compliments about my "junk" much.

They make super cute centerpieces for the dining room table. They are short enough that you don't have to peer around them to talk to someone on the other side of the table.I even put one on the shelf in my office.

I have done several floral arrangement projects with old buckets and cans. I absolutely love to use old cream cans. This cream can was my very first venture into using something old. I got hooked on this project. I do not have a before photo of the cream can, but picture an old rusted cream can, that's what it looked like and I did not change it.

Here, I have it grouped with an old rusted, bent bucket and and old teapot (both found in old barns, too) Here is a distance shot (please excuse the non-painted front door (its on the list)).

That is all I have for this post. I have plenty to post, so stayed tuned for more.

Hasta Luego,

JB

New Venture

Hello friends,

I created this page in September of 2009, thinking blogging might be fun…….. I haven’t posted since September of 2009. I never felt like I had anything worth saying, so I never blogged.

A couple of weeks ago, a friend mentioned I should start a blog to feature all my crafty and design projects, and the light just CLICKED in my head. So here I am again.

My blog is going to be a mish, mash of all different projects from home renovations, to craft projects, recipes, and my design and photography work.

I will start with the single biggest project in the past year. My house. On November 3, 2010, I signed over my life for the change to own a cute little yellow 2BR/1B house.

Since that time, I have changed, well, everything. Almost everything, that is. With the exception of the kitchen cabinets, I painted every surface in the house and replaced all the flooring on the main floor (basement is unfinished and my crafty area). I finally moved in the house in late December.

Here are a few before and after photos.

The front: It has not changed much. I bought some paint, but that a project for this fall.

Now here comes the good part :) The INSIDE, BEFORE!

Entry/Living area

 Bathroom BEFORE- Oh my, I try NOT to remember this tragedy.

 Dining Room/Kitchen Before

Master Bedroom Before:

 

Guest Bedroom Before

 

 

Backyard Before- There is a "backyard" and a "back, backyard" Thhe back part is a garden.

 

 

This is pretty much the grand tour, except for the basement. That is another post in the FAR future.

 

I will soon start posting the AFTER photos. I am by no means completed, but it will at least give you something to compare.

 

Toodles,

JB