MAKING AN ELEVATED TRAY FOR BUFFET TABLE

CHERVAL MIRROR UPDATED

I purchased this mirror while we lived in Massachusetts.   It lived in the girls room while they were younger.  Once we moved to Alabama, it didn't fit with either décor.  I moved it into my room and pondered about refinishing it.

At the top of the frame was a resin 3 dimensional geranium.  I asked Mr. Thrifty to take it off but he was busy. 

I pulled out a putty knife and a hammer and took a whack at the resin piece.  It instantly came off.  Now, that was easy.

I took the mirror outside and realized that I couldn't take the mirror off because it was glued to the back.  I taped off the mirror and began sanding the frame with the mouse sander.
To my surprise, it was beautiful maple and not mdf board which I was expecting.

Then I took the legs off and continued stripping and cleaning the wood frame.

After a tedious 4 days of sanding, the piece was ready for paint.  At this point, I decided instead of painting to stain the piece with a driftwood stain.  I researched stain on line and ordered DIY driftwood stain.  It came in packets.  One packet mixed with one cup of water was enough to stain this piece 3 times.  I hoped to get a darker color with the added coats of stain.

This next picture shows the second coat of stain. The directions suggest if at all possible to dry in the sun because it will give you a darker color.  I let it dry overnight.

In the meantime, I took an ornament that my friend Tara had given me and pulled the wooden piece off.  I wanted to glue this to a part of the frame.

I sanded the piece and was very happy with the color of the wood.

I stained this piece with another coat of the driftwood.  It did darken the piece considerably.

I used wood glue to attach the ornamental piece onto the connecting wood at the bottom.

Then using white wax, I gave it a coat.  The white wax lay in the crevices nicely.  I buffed the entire frame.

I placed the mirror in front of the bedroom door to show how well the pediment color matched the mirror frame.

 I really like this finish.  It reminds me of an old European finish that you see on antique furniture.  I'll be using the driftwood stain again.

BIRTHDAY CARD 2019

My annual birthday card is ready for mailing.  This year, I decided on a French theme incorporating food. 

I used black and white French background paper.  I found a fabulous strawberry image online, printed it on cardstock, cut it out and added red glitter to the berries.

For an accent at the bottom of the card, I used a few black and white paper with gingham checks.

I printed off HAPPY BIRTHDAY on white vellum and glued it at the bottom of the card.

I made multiples of the card so I would have them ready.

I'm ready for 2019!



BROKEN FRAME AND PAPER QUILT AUCTION PROJECT 2

I originally made this same project a few years ago, but I couldn't part with it. On a trip to Hobby Lobby, I found a similar frame.  Since it was half price, I didn't mind spending $20.00 on it.

I liked all of the detail.

As I was placing the frame in the car, I noticed a gash out of the side.  I marched back in the store to exchange it but no other frames like this remained.  I approached the supervisor of the framing department and asked her if she could give me a better deal on this damaged frame.  I was thrilled to walk away with a cost of $9.99, which meant I got a refund of $10.00.  I also purchased glass to fit into the frame.

I returned home and pulled out my spackling compound and slapped a bunch on the hole.  The next day, I sanded it and gave it two coats of ultra 2 white glossy spray paint.  Now, onto making the quilt.

I still had a lot of punched out quilt pieces from the last one. While Mr. Thrifty was watching a football game, I pieced and glued the entire quilt before halftime occurred.



After a trip to Hobby Lobby to have the backing and hanger put on, I dropped off the frame for the upcoming auction.

This print could also be used as a dry erase board or a grocery list too.






PEDIMENT FOR THE MASTER BEDROOM 2019

I have always had a thing for door pediments. Here is one that is common amongst home architecture.

While at Hobby Lobby, I spied this one for 50% off.  With the sale, it amounted to about $17.50.  Once the walls in the master were painted eider white, this piece fit perfectly over the bedroom door.

While my sister Sharon was visiting in March, she gifted me with the granite tin embossed heart. It made complete sense to hang it in the middle of the pediment.

I think the 2 items went well together.

The Valentine pediment now graces the bedroom.

I love this new look.

Now that I have the distressed gray added to the bedroom, I am finally going to redo the Cherval standing mirror with the same look.



SPRING MANTLE 2019

💐💐💐Wishing all of you a Happy Mother’s Day!  💐💐💐

And now on to the posting.

I left up the basic frames from my Valentine's Day mantle.  The two Chinese vases came from a special friend in Peoria.  I bought this forsythia garland last year at the end of the season.  The live pussy willow branches came from Kroger. 

From February to April, the mantle needed just a few additions to set the spring look.



MARY AND THE MONTH OF MAY 2019

In the Catholic Church, May is designated as the month of Mary.  I took photos of all of my Marian figures in the house.  It is no wonder I have this devotion to Mary.  She is such a model of motherhood and throughout the years, I feel that she has guided me when I have fallen short of my maternal inclinations.  That being said, each one of these statues hold special memories of Mary in my life.

This first concrete statue was one I refinished a year ago.  Originally, she was put into my upcycled shrine.

The next Madonna is placed in the shrine.  She is my latest acquisition.

This figurine stays in the china buffet.  I have used this piece in many of my Christmas decorations.

This statue/plaque is the exact same one that my Mom received as a wedding present.  It sat in our kitchen growing up.  I found the same plaque on eBay years ago and had to purchase it.  It is now in my kitchen.

This statue was a gift from Lourdes.  It stays in this terrarium in my bedroom.  I have my collection of rosaries and holy cards placed in there.  It is the first thing I see when I wake every morning.

I never realized until  writing this blog what an impact the Virgin Mary has had on my life.  She is the ultimate role model for me as a mother.  She has brought such comfort to me over the years.