Faux Mantel Over a Half Wall

Since we live in a bi-level house, we have a half wall that divides our living room from our entrance.  I love the open concept home but I wanted to have a wall behind my fireplace to create a mantel. I was not about to frame out a wall so I lived with a fireplace and no wall for a number of years.  This past summer a friend of mine gave me a wooden frame that may have been intended to be a glass fronted cabinet door.  However, it did not contain any glass but neither did it contain any holes for hinges or knobs either.  She said that I would come up with something to do with it and she was right. 

After a while, I realized this would be the solution to creating a faux mantel!  I do actually have a photo of the frame in the "before" state but it is on an SD card that has mysteriously disappeared!  ** Edited to add that I found the card so here is the before! **

I ordered some mirror to be cut to the correct size then got to work painting the frame.  Ever since I heard about Rustoleum's Heirloom White spray paint, I knew I had to try it somewhere and this was the perfect project.  I gave that frame a nice coat of paint and, once it was dry, sanded down the edges slightly to give it more of an antiqued look.  After a layer of clear coat, it was ready for the hardware. 

I followed the same technique I used to create my trapeze frames, using eye hooks and cable wiring and crimps.  After the eye hooks were installed, I inserted the mirror using glazier points stuck in the back.  What a neat and tidy way to hold that mirror in place.  When it came time to find the rafters that the mirror was to hang from, we ran into a little snag.  We knew that the rafters ran in a certain direction over our entrance.  What we were not aware of, however, was that right over the fireplace, the rafters ran in a different direction to accommodate the roofline, making it impossible to hang the mirror where I wanted it.  Well, difficult, not impossible. 

My dearly loved and super wonderful hunk-of-love husband crawled into the attic for me and held 2x4s in place in the exact location I wanted to hang the mirror, creating studs!  (This is not a finished attic, this is a hop-from-rafter-to-rafter-and-dig-through-the-insulation kind of attic!)  Once I installed the eye hooks in the newly formed studs, the mirror was ready to hang!  I love the new look!  I love the abundant decorating possibilities!  I love the new "wall" it creates! I now have a fireplace mantel complete with mirror!  Let the decorating begin!

As for decorating, well, I used to have 2 of those apothecary jars flanking the candles.  However, my sons thought playing frisbee was an indoor sport and the one jar was the casuality of such foolishness!  Grr.  For now, this will have to do until the Christmas decor comes out!

As usual, linking up to Sandra's Party! 

Lamp Redo - The Base

A bit over a month ago I found the perfect lamp for the nursery makeover I am working on - it was a $5 thrift store find.  It was a beautiful lamp - well, it had potential.  I could imagine a different color base and a different color shade and I knew it was the one. 

And like all things around here, it takes a bit of time before I am either:

A.  Able to start a project

B.  Able to finish a project

C.  All of the above, all of the time!

So, sometime between then and now I spray painted the base silver.  I was hoping for a chrome color - you know, a nice shiny silver.  I wasn't finding the spray paint I wanted so I went with this one from Valspar.

I love the way it turned out.  A very soft, dull silver but with much potential.  Today I finished the base while the kids were doing chores.  I took some charcoal craft paint and a sponge brush and dabbed some paint on the brush then proceeded to dab most of it off so it is almost a dry-brushing technique.  I then rubbed the brush in each of the recessed areas on the lamp.

I would paint three stripes at a time so the paint wouldn't dry too much before I was able to wipe it off.

Then using a paper towel (or in my case, a paper napkin), I wiped most of the paint off, until I liked what it looked like.  I wanted it dark in the depth of the recessed area and lighter on the outsides, if that makes sense.  Since this is a very heavy lamp base most likely made of resin, it is not a smooth surface, so the black paint gets into all the little nooks and crannies of the lamp, which I love.  Gives it an antiqued look.  Very different than the chrome look I originally wanted but I like this even better!  So, I continued to rub black paint over most of the lamp and then wiping it off, making sure there were no definite lines anywhere.  It needed to blend but if some areas were darker than others, that was fine by me. 

I love how it turned out!  It gives so much definition to the details of the lamp and gives it a beautifully antiqued look.  So much better than the brown clay look of before.  I sealed it with a satin spray sealant and now the base is complete.  Next step - the shade (which I stripped down to the wire so that will be interesting to redo!)!  I cannot promise it will happen anytime soon but I do promise to show you the process and the end result!

Depression-Era Sideboard

When I picture the entrance of our new house, I have always envisioned some sort of buffet or sideboard holding a beautiful lamp, a couple of decorative items placed strategically here and there, welcoming our guests to our home.  I have looked on Kijiji every now and then but didn't see anything like I wanted.  Until a couple of weeks ago.  When I saw this, I knew it was the one!  The guy said it was his grandmother's and he thinks it is late 1800's but it looks more depression-era to me, meaning th 1920's-1930's.  Whatever the case, it is perfect.  Well, it will be once I work on it.  The middle two drawers don't open without being pried from below and the doors on the sides don't close.  The stretcher at the bottom is missing as well as the knobs.  Some of the veneer on the sides is chipping as well.  But, if you can just imagine it all prettied up, it is perfect!

I found a similar one for sale on Kijiji in its finished state!  I didn't need the visual but hubs sure does.  Now he can see that it is not, in fact, junk!  Now I just have to figure out if I want it a traditional white color or maybe do something crazy!  Time will tell since I don't intend to work on it for at least a year.  Should give me plenty of time to mull over ideas, wouldn't you say?

Roadside Treasure

We were actually ready on time for church this morning (a small miracle!) that we biked. Oh, and the weather was sunny and warm which was another bonus. On the way home from church, I insisted on driving home the other way around the crescent since I needed to stop in at a friend's place. As I continued home (the others had gone on without me), I passed a driveway with a bunch of garbage at the end. As I was driving by, I realized that "garbage" was a french provincial desk!! It is in need of some love and repair (the one drawer front is separated from the drawer itself, it needs repainting and general tightening) but how can you leave a french provincial desk on the side of the road? Especially when it is free? So, I went to the house and knocked on the door, ready to ask if it really was garbage and if it would be okay if I took it. No one was home so I biked home and returned with Jay's truck. The neighbour helped me load the desk and now I have this great new project. Will I keep it? I have no idea! But I can certainly test my furniture-refinishing skills now! Oh, the possibilities! I must admit, this is my first "plucked from the garbage" roadside treasure but it just may have fueled a desire for more! Jay, in all his wisdom, reacted well when I told him of my new find: rather than question the need for more furniture to redo, he simple hugged me and jumped up and down squealing, imitating my reaction! What a great man!

Latest Kijiji Purchase

Remember that nice dark brown french provincial dresser & nightstand set I bought? Well, the lady selling it is clearing out her mom's estate and recently posted another gotta-have set on Kijiji! As soon as I saw it, I knew I needed to make it mine! It is an antique empire revival claw foot settee and the matching chair!

The details are just amazing!

The settee has been stripped right down to the frame and requires some regluing of the frame. It is not in perfect condition but is beautiful as it is. The chair still contains some of the upholstery but is in the process of being stripped. The frame itself is in better shape than the settee. An antiques appraiser told the seller that they are from Europe and over 100 years old. From my research online, they are made out of mahogany wood. The price for these two lovelies-in-waiting? $50 for the set! I know, a steal, I think! The boys have already been suggesting various different fabrics and all are some sort of animal print! They know their mom too well! This will certainly be a labor of love as I will have to figure out how to reupholster it without knowing how it was done originally. I also have to figure out how to redo the seat with webbing and springs. I love the challenge that it presents and I am thrilled to have them in my hands. I think I will wait until I find the perfect fabric but, like the boys said, I will probably lean more towards the fun and modern as opposed to the traditional. A long while ago I bought MANY packages of silver nail heads for really, REALLY cheap with no known project in mind. I think this just might be that project!

So, help me out, if you can. Any suggestions on how to reweb the seat cushion area? Suggestions on how to reglue the frame? Suggestions on fabric? If you had these frames, what would you do with them? I would love to hear from you!

Summer Woodworking Projects

At this time of the year, I always tend to get a little antsy for the warmer I weather I KNOW is just around the corner. We have already celebrated Ari's and RJ's birthdays and Pepe's birthday is in the middle of March, just about 3 weeks away. The day after Pepe was born, it was so nice outside, we went for a walk with him tucked inside my jacket. It was the beginning of spring and every year is the same. Right around his birthday the sun shines, the snow melts and my excitement grows. Usually I cannot wait to get into the garden but this year I cannot wait to kick the vehicles out of the garage and get started on some projects. Next year at this time, we should be in the process of building our house. That is the plan anyway. And there are some things that I can make this summer as I won't have time next summer. The major projects this year are beds. 3 to be exact. Ari doesn't own a bed and will need something when we move and the boys bunkbeds are in rough shape. I want to make them each a new bed. So, the plan is to have Ari and Ali share a room and use the bunkbeds the girls currently use. RJ will get a new bed for her own room and this is the bed I will make for her. Check it out - it is just beautiful! It is called the Fancy Arched Bed and I know she will love it. So feminine! I will have to modify it slightly as the pattern is for a queen bed but I only need a twin.

The boys will each get their own room and I will make them the same bed. It is called the Fancy Farmhouse Bed and I really love the simple yet slightly fancy look of it. I am not sure yet if I will make a matching footboard or leave it with just a headboard. I will have to ponder that a little. Once again, I will change it from a queen bed to a twin.

Next summer will see me creating lockers for the mudroom, shelving and cabinets for the laundry room, office and school room. It will be busy! What I can do ahead of time, I certain will. And these beds will be just the thing to satisfy my building itch! Do you have any plans to build something this summer? Please, do share!!

Outdoor Holiday Planter with Branches

I had a vision in my mind of a large holiday planter using various branches so on Saturday I went out to the country property and cut various types of branches. These included Golden Willow, Highbush Cranberry, wild Dogwood and spruce. This morning while the kids worked on school, I put these planters together in the entrance. I made two so I could have one to flank each side of the garage door. I love how they turned out!

First off, I took some scrap metal mesh, like a really small sized stucco wire, with about 1/2" squares and cut a square about the size of the top of the urn.. You could use chicken wire as well. I smushed the wire on top of the soil that was already in the planter. The wire is just to help the branches stay in place.

Then I took my branches and pruners and started cutting and placing the branches. I started with really long willow branches in the center and worked out from there. I made sure to stagger their heights and to provide more fullness as I got closer to the pot. I love the color difference in the gold of the willow and red of the dogwood, the berries on the cranberry branches and the green of the spruce. Once all the deciduous branches were in place, I used the spruce branches to cover all the wire. I used larger pieces to spread out across the bottom and then used really small leftovers and stood them up in the very center of the pot, where all the branches came together. Not sure if that makes sense so just look at the pictures. Stand back often to make sure it looks balanced and to ensure that all your pots (if you are doing more than one) look similar enough. I love the large size of the arrangement and can see it lasting well through the winter. And to think it was completely free!

I am linking up to

How to Turn Brass into Oil-Rubbed Bronze

Well, here I sit eating apple slices dipped in peanut butter and listening to Josh's Groban's Christmas CD while the house is completely silent - ah, 'tis a wonderful time of the day! Anyhow, on to the point!

Seeing as the re-wiring of the chandelier is going absolutely nowhere despite my further attempts (my father has said he could help me figure it out so I must take him up on that offer - I believe that if anyone could do it, he could!) I have moved on to the finish for the time being. Remember how I said the chandelier was solid brass? Yeah, well, I really love the shape of the fixture but the brass color is not really my thing. I was pretty certain I could change that with minimal effort (just like I was sure re-wiring it would be easy, too!). This time I was right! I love love LOVE the look of oil-rubbed bronze so my goal was to change the brass to something darker and more beautiful in my mind. I really had no intention of painting it but as I searched the web for ideas on how to do this I came across this forum where a person named Sandy James from Edmund, Oklahoma suggested this technique. I did not come up with this on my own, this is just copying what Sandy said. However, Sandy didn't post any before/after pictures so I wanted to show the results to you. Sandy, thanks so much for the instructions, it worked perfectly! And for you brass purists, this may not be for you so you can just stop reading here. Don't say I didn't warn you!

First off, take your brass fixture and prime it with some spray primer. I used Krylon products since that is what I have on-hand and they are great on metal. I primed it with a gray primer.

Then, spray the entire fixture with a black satin spray paint. Once again, I used Krylon.

You should now have an entirely black fixture. Here comes the fun part, the "wow" part!

Get yourself some Rub 'n Buff in Spanish Copper finish. Never heard of it? It is a wax metallic finish that comes in many color choices that you can use to antique or decorate any surface or material. Apparently Michael's carries it but the only one in our city doesn't. I am sure many other places carry it as well but I had no intention of driving around to find it. I bought mine on Ebay for about $4 total and waited 2 weeks for it to arrive. Take the R'nB and put the tiniest bit on a soft cloth. Gently rub on the raised portions of your fixture and you will begin to see the magic happen. Rub and buff to your heart's content. If you do too much just spray it again and start over. Or I am sure you could spray paint a small artist's brush and touch up that way. Anyhow, once you are done rubbing and buffing apply a clear protective top coat and you are done! VOILA! My brass-turned-oil-rubbed-bronze chandelier (well, actually only one small part of it. I haven't finished the rest yet!). What do you think? I, myself, am entirely pleased. Giddy, really. I imagine the entire chandelier in this dark lusciousness dripping with crystals and I want to hop in the van and drive to my parents right now to get that chandy wired. And it is 11:30 pm! Patience, my lovely, patience!

I'm participating in

Sneak Peek At My Latest Project

I have been fairly silent for a while and I anticipate this trend will continue at least until the snow flies and I can no longer work at the country property on weekends. Schooling takes up a HUGE chunk of my day with cooking, cleaning, laundry and sleep taking up the rest. I rarely have time to sit, never mind blog. However, I do have projects that I continue to pursue since that part of me, the creative part, needs to be nurtured and encouraged. I have been waiting "patiently" for a particular package to arrive in the mail and today was that day. I have been tracking its journey since it left its home in California and when I saw that it was delivered to my mailbox this morning, I packed up the clan (dressed in sweats and a tee, no makeup and hair in a pony - I was too excited to care!) and off we went to the post office! I am giddy with excitement about the final results of this latest project. Here is just a little itty-bitty sneak peek! Hopefully it won't be too long before I can show you the final results!

Bathroom Wall Cabinet

I have been lamenting the lack of storage in our upstairs bathroom for some time. I really wanted to buy some sort of wall cabinet that was dark in color, had frosted glass doors and was big enough to hold a good selection of necessities without being monstrous. And it couldn't cost a small fortune. Yeah, good luck with that. So, me thinks, I could build one. Really, how hard could it be. Then Sandra, of Sawdust and Paper Scraps fame (if you haven't checked out her blog, you really should. I tell you, that girl can build anything. Any.Thing.), decides to host a Build{Hers} Club party and gives me the push I need to design, build and finish that wall cabinet I couldn't find. And, it cost far less than a fortune!

It started out with this - a few lines on graph paper.

Then I headed out the the big box hardware store and bought some primed pine in 1"x6"x7' lengths, a few pieces of trim, some crown moulding, some hinges, knobs and various other things to complete this project. Since I decided to use 1"x6" thicknesses of wood, my cabinet is 5 1/2" deep, which suits me just fine. I wanted it about 32" high and 20" wide. Sandra gives explicit details on how to build a cabinet, how to make cabinet doors, how to make many other things. I spent a lot of time checking out those posts, printing pictures and posts, just to ensure I had the hang of this thing. Then I decided to do it differently. Rather than butt joining the top and side pieces (okay, that sounds wierd - you know, just butting the pieces up against each other?) I cut grooves with my new router. I grooved the top, the bottom and where the middle shelf joins the side pieces. The pictures show what I mean.

Then I used a simple measuring tape and pencil (note to self - find a shelf hole cutting guide [or some pegboard, as Sandra suggests!]) and marked where I wanted to drill the holes on the inside of each side piece so the shelves could be adjustable. Once those holes were drilled, I glued and nailed the top, bottom and middle shelf to the sides. It was at this point the other "hers" in my life decided this was a group project and came to help out. Ari wants to know where the screws are so she can use the screwdriver for something other than a weapon.

Ali is trying on all the different ear protectors we have (she likes this one best as it plays the radio!).

RJ is actually helping and is my official glue-girl. She did a great job!

I wanted to jazz up the sides of the cabinet and the front of each shelf so I used my miter box to cut some molding.

Once again, I glued and nailed it on (I think the nail gun must be one of my favorite tools, along with the compound miter saw!)

I cut 2 shelves and then I used some scrap wood to cut the two mounting bars that run across the back of the cabinet. I know, normally you would only use one but I knew I would be not able to span the width of 2 studs with this cabinet placement. By putting a brace on the top and the bottom, I could screw into the same stud but in two different places, ensuring good strength.

I used some scrap wainscot as the backing for this cabinet. I didn't have one piece that was large enough to go over the whole thing so I used 2 pieces instead, making sure to line it up. It will be behind doors and will be less noticeable once painted.

So, that's the carcass of the cabinet and it was really easy to do. Now on to the doors.

Sandra talks about using a router to groove the rails and stiles in order to add a wainscot panel. I was doing something similar except I was putting in glass. And I used dowel joinery. So, first I cut the rails and the stiles (tops and sides of the door panel).

Then, using the new Wolfcraft Dowel jig I bought, I very carefully drilled holes in the appropriate places on the rails and stiles. The instructions are quite clear on how to do it. It really is simple. I have only 2 complaints. First, I don't have a proper place to clamp my wood pieces while drilling. Second, the jig doesn't work the greatest for thin pieces of wood. My rails and stiles are only 2" wide, leaving little room to use the jig. It would have worked wonderfully for a larger piece of wood. Nonetheless, I made it work.

This is what the frame of the cabinet door looked like before I glued and clamped it in place. I used 2 dowels at each joint on one door and only 1 dowel at each joint on the other door. I wanted to see if it would make that much of a difference. I like how it lined up better with 2 dowels but it is trickier to do given the small size of the rails and stiles. Now I know.

Then, since I was installing glass, I ordered the glass pieces now that I knew what size I needed. I found out they were 1/8" thick so I routered a groove on the backs of the door panels that was 2/8" thick to accommodate the glass. Once that was done, I glued and clamped the door together. I love those clamps. They certainly can make anything look so much better!

I wanted to have frosted glass so I bought a can of window frosting and sprayed many coats on those pieces of glass. My opinion? If there are options for different glass from the glass company and the difference in price is minimal from the plain glass, get the pretty glass. Spraying it is a pain and totally uneven and I was not the most impressed with it. But it is alright now, I guess.

So, once the doors were assembled (minus the glass), I filled all the holes and painted and painted. Once all the painting was done, I installed the glass on the doors. All I did was lay the doors on their faces with the wrong side up, laid the glass panel in that groove then run a bead of door and window silicone around it. I used my little handy-dandy silicone tool to make a nice clean bead. I love that thing! Best thing ever!

While I was waiting for that to dry, I hung the cabinet (minus the doors) on the wall all by myself (okay, well, I did this whole thing by myself but that was most impressive)! Then I added the hinges to the doors and the doors to the cabinet. I added the pretty little knobs. I installed a magnetic door catch.

Then, last but not least, this morning I added the crown moulding on top to give it that completed look!

All in all, I am quite impressed with myself and thrilled with the amount of new storage we have. I am very critical of myself so some things I really need to improve on. If I am going to be building many things for the new house, I need projects like this to practice on. After all, practice makes perfect. I am far from perfect but I am certainly happy with how this turned out! Thanks for all the encouragement, Sandra, and for answering all my questions! I really appreciate it!

Now check out all the other Build{Hers} and Modern Craftswomen and DIYers!