Saturday, April 30, 2011

Vintage shoe shine stool~so cool!!

The other day I told you how my parents are building a new house. On the property there is a very old garage that has to be torn down. My father found two of the coolest things in there while cleaning it out. The first thing was the vintage ironing board I shared with you HERE.

I also mentioned that he found the BEST shoe shine stool with some of the supplies still in it.



I took it out yesterday to clean it up to sell at the flea market this weekend. I wanted to keep it as close to the original state as possible. But, it was a little to grungy for my taste. I got mt palm sander out to sand off any stains, dirt, and paint drips. I was so happy with the outcome.







Oh, and I think I forgot to mention, I AM SO KEEPING THIS NOW!!



Linking to THESE parties....

Friday, April 29, 2011

Pre teens room reveal~Anthropologie appeal

I am FINALLY sharing Sami's room reveal with you. There is still more to do like throw pillows, wall hangings, and accents, but those will come in time. At least you can get an idea of where we are going with this room.

Thank goodness Sami loves Anthopologie as much as I do. So, we agreed to go for that look but on a budget. In reality, the only things actually in the room from Anthro are the knobs on her armoire and desk.











We definitely achieved the look we were going for. It is so bright, airy, and comfortable. In addition, it was a very low cost makeover. I sold her old bedding on ebay. I actually made more money on it than I had originally paid. BONUS!! The walls were painted with OOPS paint for a total of only $8. The armoire was given to me for free, and the desk cost only $5 at Goodwill. The knobs on both are from Anthroplogie but were on sale for only $3 each. The color I used on both of these came from a $1 can of OOPS paint. I have had the mirror forever, so I don't remember what I paid for it, but I do remember getting it very inexpensively at TJ MAXX. The pom poms on the ceiling cost less than $1 to make. The art with the candleabras was a total of $5 for the frame. I painted the candleabras, hence no cost. The chandelier is my favorite piece in the room. I got it at Restore for $5 and gave it a new life. Total cost with materials was $10. You can see how I did it HERE.  The tulle curtains cost only $4.99 for the pair at Ikea.  Lastly the Amy Butler bedding was purchased at Home Goods for $40 and I got the bed skirt for free at CSN using a promotional code I won.

I'll be sure to update photos as we add things to the room.

Have a great day....

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Eclectic chic colored blocks with vintage jars

This Sunday we plan on vending at the flea market again. Unfortunately, I don't have as much stuff as I'd like, so I've been searching around the house looking for projects I can do with recycled materials.

I decided to make some candle holders and flower vases from a fence post and the vintage jars I found in the BOTTLE DUMP at the side of my yard.

I cut the post to the sizes I wanted with a chop saw. Next, I painted each block and distressed it. Here is what they looked like after.


I tied twine to the neck of each jar. Each one was glued to a block with Gorilla glue. Lastly, I added candles and flowers.






Be sure to check out my GIVEAWAY from Pinecone Vintage.





Wednesday, April 27, 2011

How to make a pond for your yard

I don't know about all of you but I was a bit lazy this winter. The amount of snow we got was so depressing. I didn't work out nearly like I should have with the exception of shoveling snow.

So, my motto this spring is, "a project a day keeps the weight gain away". No, I don't mean painting a sign....I am talking intensive yard work. I began about a month ago with all of the leaf blowing. There is still so much to do because the wind and rain have kept this project slow moving. The other day I finally started to tackle my perennial gardens. I showed the messy before photos HERE.

I have to say I love to do yard work. The final results always make me so happy, and like I said, I look at it as a work out. Living in the middle of the woods, yard work is intense. Pulling weeds (some tree weeds take your entire body to pull them out), moving rocks, wheeling wheelbarrows full of "Crap" to the cliff in the back of the yard, leaf blowing, planting, transplanting, mulching, etc.

Today I am going to share with you how I made my man made pond. It's a few days of work but relatively inexpensive.


I can't show you what I did from the very beginning because I put this in ten years ago. But, I'll do my best to explain. I was lucky because I was given a black pond tub. These can be purchased at Home Depot or a garden store. Next, I dug out all of the grass where I wanted it to go plus a surrounding area to plant flowers. Then I dug a huge hole. This was the hardest part. I had to keep putting the tub in and taking it out to see where and how much more I had to dig. Once this was done, I put sand on the bottom of the ground and leveled it out so the pond tub would be level. Once this was done I gathered flat rocks to place around the edge to build a mini wall around it. Other rocks were put in the tub to cover the black.

Now I can share photos of the process I go through each year to clean it. You saw the photo above. The water is filthy and filled with leaves. The surrounding garden is covered in weeds and very unmanicured. I start by taking a bucket and bailing the dirty water out. (sorry about my shadow)



All of the rocks are taken out and thrown to the side.


Once the majority of the water is out, I spray clean water around to get the rest of the dirt and dirty water down at the bottom. I bail out as much as I can and use a shovel to get any remaining dirt out. I used to clean it out perfectly, but over the years have learned that dirt gets in there anyway, so don't go crazy.

Then I hose all of the rocks off and put them back in. I fix the rocks around the pond that have fallen through the winter season. I just stack them in a shabby form around the edge. Next I fill the pond back up. My hose was about a foot to short to reach the pond, so I had to conjure up a contraption for the water to reach.



Once it is filled, I tackle the dreaded surround.


My perennials in this area have become so overgrown that I decide to yank a ton out. I wanted to start the year out with a fresh look. I added a bird bath the was my grandmother's, a bench that I took from another part of my yard, and a headboard and foot board from a vintage crib. They look kind of out of place now, but I plan on growing morning glories up them. Many of you have seen the side rail to this crib that I turned into a magazine rack.

Here is a photo of it done before I put the mulch down.


Today I got around to laying the mulch.






I'll be sure to share a photo in a month once everything starts to fill in. If you decide to build a pond and have any questions, be sure to let me know. I'm sure I left something out.

If you get the chance, be sure to join me in my quest to get back in shape working out in the yard. The past two days I put in about 7 hours each day which is obviously unrealistic on a day to day basis, but I do plan on spending a minimum of an hour a day doing yard work.



Linking to THESE parties.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

15th Etsy seller giveaway~Pinecone Vintage~

Welcome to Serendipity Chic Design's 15th weekly Etsy seller giveaway. Today I will be introducing you to Pinecone Vintage.

Being an Etsy seller myself, I know the hard work, dedication, and love that goes into handmade items. Therefore I would like to promote my fellow Etsy sellers through weekly giveaways. It will give them the opportunity to show off their hard work, and you the opportunity to win or purchase a unique one of a kind item for your home, garden,or personally for yourself to wear.

Today I am so excited for you to meet Jen from Pinecone Vintage. We met last summer when she bought a few signs from me for her shop in the Catskills, Country Weekend. It is the cutest shop with antiques, vintage items, and handcrafted goods. Be sure to check it out. And if you are in the area, stop in and say hello to her.


Today she is generously giving away a vintage apron and a Skeem half-pint candle. The scent is white lotus. I can't even begin to imagine how fabulous it must smell!




In addition to Country Weekend in the Catskills, she recently opened her Etsy shop Pinecone Vintage. She has an eye for perfection and really knows her stuff. Then to top it all off (becasue she wasn't busy enough), she started a wonderful blog, Country Weekend. She shares her knowledge of nature, history, antiques, auctions, everyday life, and her shop. She is a creative writer that draws you right in. And of course you will love how sweet she is. She is also a major bird lover....

Here are just a couple of photos from her Etsy shop:


The rules for the giveaway are short and sweet. You have 4 opportunities to win!
1. Become a follower or subscriber of Serendipity Chic Design (If you already are, just let me know)
2.Visit Pinecone Vintage and let me know which item is your favorite.
3. Tweet, blog about, or advertise this giveaway on Facebook. Just send me the link.
4.Visit Jen's blog Country Weekend and be sure to say hello and follow her if you love her blog as much as I do.

As simple as that....Choose one of the options above, or all three. The more you do, the more chances you have to win. Please leave a separate comment for each opportunity.

The giveaway is open to the US only. It will run from Tuesday April 26th until Sunday may 1st closing at midnight.

Jen's BLOG
Jen's ETSY SHOPJen's SHOP in the Catskill's (New York)

PLEASE NOTE....I have had to pass on a couple of winners because I had no way of contacting them. PLEASE leave your email address in your comment if you do not have a blog I can contact you through...

Click HERE to find out more about being an Etsy giveaway host at Serendipity Chic Design

Good luck to everyone!