Remember this project?

Several months ago I wrote about this primitive pie safe that I rescued from the basement at my Mom and Dad's house.

Real life, in the form of a house fire that left my brother seriously injured intruded and while I managed to finish the project, I completely forgot about posting pictures. 

I decided to leave the pie safe in it's original shabby  state as much as possible so I simply gave it a good washing and brushed away some of the loose paint. The whole thing was covered in good old red Georgia dirt and I even had to get rid of a few dirt dauber nests.

 




Don't you just love the tiny bits of screen left around the edges of the openings.

Just look at the fabulous dovetail doors and the old metal latch!








Here it is in my kitchen and filled with some of my favorite things.

 I covered the shelves with some vintage looking fabric I've had for a while.

Inside the cabinet is a mixture of Lu-ray china, some McCoy pieces and some nameless but cool old glasses and bowls.

 

The apron hanging from the drawer pull belonged to my mother. I found it soon after she died last April. It still has the remnants of the last batch of her famous biscuits she made.

I touch it every day.

I wish I could make those biscuits like she could!

Just sayin'.......................

Trash to Treasure?

My next project is this primitive pie safe that has been waiting for me in my parent's basement.

I have been looking for something to display my Lu-ray dishes, McCoy vases and some other old bowls and things I have acquired over the years. 

I like it. Tony isn't so sure. I can tell by the quick intake of breath followed by a just as quick 'Nevermind'. 
His acceptance of my love for things with 'hidden potential' is one way I know he loves me so I just pretend not to notice. 
Smile. 

 The drawer is original but the shelves have been replaced at some point.  Even so, they were pretty dirty.  This picture was taken after I washed them off in the kitchen sink.  My motto has always been: Why work outside in the weather when you can work inside?  With a nice t.v. show in the background.

Heh.

I love the remnants of screen left clinging to the doors and the way the latch has worn a groove in the wood.  I'm not going to replace the screen and I won't repaint it a shiny white. At the most I may give it a wash of blue. I like it just the way it is now.

This is the last thing my mother gave me. My mom was always generous and loved giving. We shared a fascination for all things old and she loved to tell me the history of the treasures she came across.

I grew up surrounded by antique furniture and as a result I find it difficult to purchase something that doesn't have a story.

Each piece of furniture from my childhood had a name...Mamaw's dresser, Nan's spool chest, Uncle So and So's whatchamacallit...I didn't have time to hear the story of this old pie safe.  Mom was already sick when she gave it to me.

I guess it will known as Grandmother's pie safe from the basement.

I miss her so.

Just sayin'.................

Lazy Days of Summer?

I know it has been a long time between posts but it isn't from lack of trying.  I have a few posts in my drafts folder and maybe I can finish them up this week. 


I've been staying busy though...


refinishing furniture
Facebook
mowing the grass here
painting shelves in the laundry room
sweeping up dog hair
unpacking the last few boxes
reading blogs
mowing the grass at Tony's old house
vacuuming up dog hair
crocheting baby hats
driving the mom taxi
checking out craft ideas on the internet 
Facebook
cleaning up dog hair
Mowing the grass at my old house
reading Stephen King's The Dome
painting furniture
rearranging furniture
cursing dog hair
Facebook


You get the picture.


Just sayin'.

Wednesdays Project

Sooooooo, I'm determined to make every day count this summer.  Usually somewhere around July 25 I realize that the summer is almost gone and I haven't started any of the projects I put on my To-Do list back in May. 

This year I have vowed to be productive every lots of days this summer.

One characteristic I have honed to a finely tuned quality is my ability to
procrastinate.  Yeah.  I'm good at it.

Wednesday's project was to take this,

and turn it
into a planter.

Luckily, my fabulous husband
introduced me to this. It's called
an orbital sander and it's way
 better than sandpaper!

 

This is what I ended
up with after about
30 minutes.

After a little black paint
I ended up with this. 
Painting the wheel was
the hardest part of the
whole project.

 

Finally, I used this
to drill holes for drainage,
added some store bought
dirt and some flowers.

 

This is what I ended up with

and I am quite happy with it. 
I had planned to put it next
to our mailbox but I am afraid
it might disappear like the
antique push mower we put
there last month.