tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26069468311338712242024-03-12T19:31:42.470-04:00casa in the countryAmy @ Casa in the Countryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08438588022810766774noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2606946831133871224.post-61818819373214063302014-02-20T12:00:00.003-05:002014-02-20T12:00:36.517-05:00It's Been a While<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I haven’t blogged in well over a year due to a lot of
things. I had a new job, felt like I
didn’t have time to do many new projects, etc.
I kept telling myself that I would blog again, but before I knew it,
time had passed and here we are. Lots of
things have changed since my last blog post – our son was born! Yup, I was
pregnant and had our little boy in November 2013. I’m a little hesitant blogging about all the
details and about our little boy because I’m such a private person. I don’t like putting intimate details online because
I’m not so trusting. So even though he’s
the most important thing in my life, I think I’ll keep this blog strictly home
projects and keep my family life out of it – for the time being, anyway.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We (well, Tim not so much, but I am!) are so excited
to tackle more home projects this spring and summer once all of this snow
melts. So far, our snow totals have been highest in all the state and Spring
cannot come soon enough.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Here’s what we’re hoping to complete:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Downstairs<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">-Kitchen – paint the ceiling, walls, and cabinets
and add new hardware<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">-Office – paint <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">-Bathroom/Laundry room makeover – paint, install new
toilet and vanity, add storage<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">-Sunroom – install new flooring and paint<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Upstairs<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">-Bathroom – paint, install flooring, new vanity, and
toilet<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In addition, we hope to paint our wood trim and
doors in the entire house<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Outside<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">-repaint farmer’s porch<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">-install stone patio and fire pit<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">-fix up the back deck<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Amy @ Casa in the Countryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08438588022810766774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2606946831133871224.post-1091420775185509242012-07-31T15:43:00.003-04:002012-07-31T15:49:48.098-04:00Victorian Chair MakeoverA few months ago my MIL brought over a victorian chair that she had in storage. While I was cleaning it, the top part fell off and shattered on the floor. I was originally planning on keeping the chair natural, but since I had to piece it back together with wood glue and putty, I decided I should probably paint.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6LxczKqwDxpYZCyYxHcoOgpb1FsIplFvBEj5uzsma6x6M5fw9dhXJKnShqYvvACPxs8FkSrEHgw11Nafkvj-TfCsdetNjMSMTDBBFhtqsZDQqFQaQSYoCH7G9zjcxDs7E4UWC2o0jljs/s1600/photo(14).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6LxczKqwDxpYZCyYxHcoOgpb1FsIplFvBEj5uzsma6x6M5fw9dhXJKnShqYvvACPxs8FkSrEHgw11Nafkvj-TfCsdetNjMSMTDBBFhtqsZDQqFQaQSYoCH7G9zjcxDs7E4UWC2o0jljs/s400/photo(14).JPG" width="298" /></a></div><br />
<br />
When the wood glue and putty dried, I lightly sanded to even out the texture of the chair. I didn't prime before spraypainting (I used Valspar's Exotic Sea Gloss) because I didn't mind if some of the wood coloring of the chair seeped through for a more antique look.<br />
<br />
The cushion was full of hay and wool and was fastened to the wooden seat with rusty nails, which definitely had to go. I padded the wooden seat with couple of foam chair cushions from Ikea that I cut to size and stapled a heavy batting over it. I then cut the fabric to size and used my upholstery gun to finish off the seat.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_bLjmuVBslj0prmr1gtte-kP_rcXzxNIFsrEpw4r53lEGKWP7hFt30dtMyqJmXyr02gqDUyGn4yOJ7hwwovT39Ry2kRB1vggi7TgHDRn2K6oDaXt1z_iMUEjvxXASWZBadevok4_G7yM/s1600/photo(15).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_bLjmuVBslj0prmr1gtte-kP_rcXzxNIFsrEpw4r53lEGKWP7hFt30dtMyqJmXyr02gqDUyGn4yOJ7hwwovT39Ry2kRB1vggi7TgHDRn2K6oDaXt1z_iMUEjvxXASWZBadevok4_G7yM/s400/photo(15).JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEweULmvs-wzEpkeqx34zm8X6oc-a8yXrFNuFGs20C5s5CGgamSdQct2H7sKoD-yTZx4JCYR9QKkSB0pL-rzldbGImCkgynNNwhHzxX28w87AuE9upfg8u6puCoDCYH2BfO67pd6n3myU/s1600/DSC_0429.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEweULmvs-wzEpkeqx34zm8X6oc-a8yXrFNuFGs20C5s5CGgamSdQct2H7sKoD-yTZx4JCYR9QKkSB0pL-rzldbGImCkgynNNwhHzxX28w87AuE9upfg8u6puCoDCYH2BfO67pd6n3myU/s400/DSC_0429.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
How cute is the rose detailing?! <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTz8Bfci8l6yQMLONH88B6iigqkYkyPlD4cC8sDbWO3msVj_pqujz4P9TfR4eSutyTB-hzHja7FI8DM2li1ap92HO__6io2m2bxUM1Jk0caSj44bqTXC94fuFFiHR2Xiw_nljfrZZ_eBc/s1600/DSC_0423.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTz8Bfci8l6yQMLONH88B6iigqkYkyPlD4cC8sDbWO3msVj_pqujz4P9TfR4eSutyTB-hzHja7FI8DM2li1ap92HO__6io2m2bxUM1Jk0caSj44bqTXC94fuFFiHR2Xiw_nljfrZZ_eBc/s400/DSC_0423.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBJSM2kxf5bpo4Wr86ySJ6gzjVOdk7fYobrw1VLQdfxYfqr9DUVoH7DeKxommdgPKdY49JXffakSgFL3yxIzbHAiFPR1nH4eOKHB7K7aNQLditeNkSYnsIjOptNZcaxEi0U6rZnzfg664/s1600/DSC_0422.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBJSM2kxf5bpo4Wr86ySJ6gzjVOdk7fYobrw1VLQdfxYfqr9DUVoH7DeKxommdgPKdY49JXffakSgFL3yxIzbHAiFPR1nH4eOKHB7K7aNQLditeNkSYnsIjOptNZcaxEi0U6rZnzfg664/s400/DSC_0422.JPG" width="267" /></a></div>Amy @ Casa in the Countryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08438588022810766774noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2606946831133871224.post-4031796682502050002012-07-30T12:15:00.000-04:002012-07-30T12:15:01.875-04:00Taking the Hot Tub Out of the SunroomThis past weekend my dreams came true - the hot tub was removed from the sunroom all in one piece even if it meant taking apart the room. As you can see from <a href="http://casainthecountry.blogspot.com/2011/03/sprucin-up-sunroom.html" target="_blank">this previous post</a>, we never used the hot tub or the sunroom so it was wasted space in our house.<br />
<br />
In less than four hours, Tim's dad, along with his contractor friend, and Tim tackled taking down a wall, moving the hot tub out, and putting the wall back up. Here's how it went down:<br />
<br />
The windows, interior panels, and side of the house including siding came off:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLi5wGkAkZ6W8DqfRLzAKvwME_ACnzxUR_POK-gCu6Yy1_5z32Oll4wmx69klmNLQ_-gzp6rICVLY6Z2k_oQ78mDrtowsdUX2HwbmTAyVgSsrF2dX0DH8jSx1IzW5rrH3na24dMHoVg2w/s1600/photo(12).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLi5wGkAkZ6W8DqfRLzAKvwME_ACnzxUR_POK-gCu6Yy1_5z32Oll4wmx69klmNLQ_-gzp6rICVLY6Z2k_oQ78mDrtowsdUX2HwbmTAyVgSsrF2dX0DH8jSx1IzW5rrH3na24dMHoVg2w/s640/photo(12).JPG" width="476" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjogldUH7ckkTpLFu9wlZozJNC6LpYKZcv2jABDzVnWmRf9c4-MmMsbF61Bb7iwESirxxl141FebTu8C-YCav6aOk-BpIAXffvKarwfc9KVqfAKrsHEDukYUiItiODDhra3FZ1n1dQvylU/s1600/photo(10).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjogldUH7ckkTpLFu9wlZozJNC6LpYKZcv2jABDzVnWmRf9c4-MmMsbF61Bb7iwESirxxl141FebTu8C-YCav6aOk-BpIAXffvKarwfc9KVqfAKrsHEDukYUiItiODDhra3FZ1n1dQvylU/s640/photo(10).JPG" width="640" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> The hot tub was lifted onto wheels and rolled down a DIY ramp system:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9TbAvkfN4WtBKUITheJDIZKMHvyZEAMPUWaNHYexZDRibfG5xjFpu1m16UILykAz-KrQticEK7Sif5syHq4Bq5_6F5u_6oaM8EbwsKinlQV7GiQ-6X-V_DavyeSdKtfw8YrFC-wYy6PU/s1600/photo(9).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9TbAvkfN4WtBKUITheJDIZKMHvyZEAMPUWaNHYexZDRibfG5xjFpu1m16UILykAz-KrQticEK7Sif5syHq4Bq5_6F5u_6oaM8EbwsKinlQV7GiQ-6X-V_DavyeSdKtfw8YrFC-wYy6PU/s640/photo(9).JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOE-Usw_UETIs-rUDd-uj4RMgKemDjURTQBcVgXDKBkOkTUAvqUiyLOeZvqyllam9XWDqQ2bpNZERSXVFf1A6pKpYl0U91wXOEgwCjuuoP-Tn-YjZSGTAk_5hbNpAzPniuH70IvILRClI/s1600/photo(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOE-Usw_UETIs-rUDd-uj4RMgKemDjURTQBcVgXDKBkOkTUAvqUiyLOeZvqyllam9XWDqQ2bpNZERSXVFf1A6pKpYl0U91wXOEgwCjuuoP-Tn-YjZSGTAk_5hbNpAzPniuH70IvILRClI/s640/photo(2).JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After the hot tub was removed from the room, everything was quickly put back together and the room now looks like this:</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXuvjkUGBfe57TOQG0Qri_bongV1W9fSyDP0bDziIU013xR-JiF6SMy35QchJkUxpHZCYTdrJ7cVLliDRAwE5ZzEFbmtQppKEk4k51JGZVsBLzyye2geU0raoUlyT6kLo2QSdVjoXhFJU/s1600/photo(5).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXuvjkUGBfe57TOQG0Qri_bongV1W9fSyDP0bDziIU013xR-JiF6SMy35QchJkUxpHZCYTdrJ7cVLliDRAwE5ZzEFbmtQppKEk4k51JGZVsBLzyye2geU0raoUlyT6kLo2QSdVjoXhFJU/s640/photo(5).JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
The next step is to replace the flooring, paint, and add bead-board onto the ceiling.Amy @ Casa in the Countryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08438588022810766774noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2606946831133871224.post-13990764296028259682012-07-26T10:22:00.002-04:002012-07-26T10:37:55.031-04:00Getting Rid of the Pool & Dream Patio PlansLast summer we opened our pool and didn't use it at all, so this past Spring we got rid of it. We posted an ad on craigslist and got a ton of responses with offers before people even saw the pool. We wanted it gone fast because we didn't want to waste our money on chemicals to open and maintain the pool and let's face it, we couldn't leave it looking like this all summer:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSwFYdCEa8ydIZ2dG3UmKAZEu2lkSDU8Cd_OBCvJxRPXsLyUpppIepwGe4RCFQMl-DS7GCHcidAISTRytnHCMOp8XAGUpwSUOTGV3jBteqF7a28yN9sIvBYkRSZH1VMwRUDtcdG5m4Fxo/s1600/photo(6).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSwFYdCEa8ydIZ2dG3UmKAZEu2lkSDU8Cd_OBCvJxRPXsLyUpppIepwGe4RCFQMl-DS7GCHcidAISTRytnHCMOp8XAGUpwSUOTGV3jBteqF7a28yN9sIvBYkRSZH1VMwRUDtcdG5m4Fxo/s400/photo(6).JPG" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the pool from our deck</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
The guy we ended up selling the pool to had taken down and put up pools in the past which definitely was a plus because we had no idea where to begin. So on one Spring Sunday, Tim and his dad, along with the pool purchaser dismantled the pool. This is what our backyard currently looks like:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhStTI2nSmVBH0AO7RASyc1fxl2ik99PyiWPx3vstc3gIVKMfH1tSOOy4VIXMc1DwMhl_GlVfpVzV2uzJ4lPHeGgWWEegNdtbvy8Ru0x970vZWyfstARDKuDBvxUTakL2j0CxgmJ4bXqsA/s1600/photo(7).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhStTI2nSmVBH0AO7RASyc1fxl2ik99PyiWPx3vstc3gIVKMfH1tSOOy4VIXMc1DwMhl_GlVfpVzV2uzJ4lPHeGgWWEegNdtbvy8Ru0x970vZWyfstARDKuDBvxUTakL2j0CxgmJ4bXqsA/s400/photo(7).JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
Currently, our bare area in the back yard is being used as a giant litterbox by neighborhood cats. Yup, I'm totally serious. One night when we were admiring our pool-less yard, we spotted three cats in there at the same time. Our future plans for this space include a stone patio with built-in fire pit, which we will most likely do ourselves to cut down on costs. Some inspiration photos: <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_162579421" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="334" src="http://st.houzz.com/simages/506700_0_8-4991-contemporary-landscape.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.houzz.com/photos/506700/Grand-Rapids-Exterior-contemporary-landscape-grand-rapids" target="_blank">source</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.houzz.com/photos/163082/Exterior-Photos-traditional-landscape-minneapolis" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="334" src="http://st.houzz.com/simages/163082_0_8-8474-traditional-landscape.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.houzz.com/photos/163082/Exterior-Photos-traditional-landscape-minneapolis" target="_blank">source</a></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.houzz.com/photos/205009/Atherton-Estate-contemporary-patio-san-francisco" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="332" src="http://st.houzz.com/simages/205009_0_8-3926-contemporary-patio.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.houzz.com/photos/205009/Atherton-Estate-contemporary-patio-san-francisco" target="_blank">source</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div style="color: #444444;"><br />
</div>Amy @ Casa in the Countryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08438588022810766774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2606946831133871224.post-7440283121405987762012-07-25T13:59:00.001-04:002012-07-25T14:01:25.199-04:00DIY Burlap Pin Cushion BoardWhen we moved in, the prior owners left a cork bulletin board above our little desk area in the kitchen. It wasn't really our style, but we left it there untouched for a while. Rather than throw it out, I re-purposed it into a large pincushion board that I could hang on the wall in my sewing nook that's currently in progress.<br />
<br />
It was super easy to do. First, using my upholstery gun, I stapled a layer of thick batting onto the bulletin board.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaseew0L7uMY5pQiSfOWL9XnPrzlW35Mqda9at_iZkrimFohvaxb_5rQAsh48eJbA0ujMQfgWgBhnTMCaWMFGoHODNHdfRxQCUOBk1tKwjIqjOqs8mQrRmxOu0gvSwdZ2VeCtSWXRct-Y/s1600/photo+%25285%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaseew0L7uMY5pQiSfOWL9XnPrzlW35Mqda9at_iZkrimFohvaxb_5rQAsh48eJbA0ujMQfgWgBhnTMCaWMFGoHODNHdfRxQCUOBk1tKwjIqjOqs8mQrRmxOu0gvSwdZ2VeCtSWXRct-Y/s400/photo+%25285%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuekY1SLtC7VB5_R6MA99o5Rs2QeBHMEp11oRczNhL7_tvwPjzNHGCPzffLigWL9G3J3Vw_Vzcd2bs3g9LVVwjLvEPEnaeBwC4FFh9InJPMrAgZHOlYvHQM9c5VZxWm4poPvVbdtM3Fho/s1600/photo+%25284%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuekY1SLtC7VB5_R6MA99o5Rs2QeBHMEp11oRczNhL7_tvwPjzNHGCPzffLigWL9G3J3Vw_Vzcd2bs3g9LVVwjLvEPEnaeBwC4FFh9InJPMrAgZHOlYvHQM9c5VZxWm4poPvVbdtM3Fho/s400/photo+%25284%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I cut my burlap, making sure that there was enough room to wrap it over the batting and securely staple it behind the board. I also glue gunned the corners of the burlap on the back of the board because the staples weren't long enough to go through both the burlap and the batting in the corners.<br />
<br />
Here's the finished product!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoPgFTxFBPvUkfL1AbZVtxo2OX-a6eyyFfGX_FZtOW-QelV0RHXOK4gQI-5b-QSpV_EHgrZOws9s3P0TGWz6DloK4t2lwda2SfriLfH4s7pznyDxm8r5TAjZl-9s1uslpMLXCYEaVVGGU/s1600/DSC_0414.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoPgFTxFBPvUkfL1AbZVtxo2OX-a6eyyFfGX_FZtOW-QelV0RHXOK4gQI-5b-QSpV_EHgrZOws9s3P0TGWz6DloK4t2lwda2SfriLfH4s7pznyDxm8r5TAjZl-9s1uslpMLXCYEaVVGGU/s400/DSC_0414.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Amy @ Casa in the Countryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08438588022810766774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2606946831133871224.post-70806376276591250672012-07-24T15:04:00.000-04:002012-07-24T15:04:08.589-04:00Brimfield FindsAs many of you probably know, Brimfield, MA holds three multi-day antique shows each year. This year, Tim and I met up with my Mom and perused the 5,000+ dealer tents. We went during a scorching hot 95 degree heat wave, but nothing could keep us from trudging through the fields, searching for a good deal.<br />
<br />
I loved the industrial looking lighting, but they were hundreds of dollars. Maybe a DIY project in the future?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkZI_ax_rLcgZeiF72PHxYVhRU9LWkvRtRy8HLdiekG_ZWZXNqAIM4twlN-8fyRjtXugJOdQCOKgWxTiKY-lW2E0Fz097qS5MTRxkvoUC5pndFxcMf5d5tyysZ6T3038SVcHQ_Dv-aEfg/s1600/photo(6).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkZI_ax_rLcgZeiF72PHxYVhRU9LWkvRtRy8HLdiekG_ZWZXNqAIM4twlN-8fyRjtXugJOdQCOKgWxTiKY-lW2E0Fz097qS5MTRxkvoUC5pndFxcMf5d5tyysZ6T3038SVcHQ_Dv-aEfg/s400/photo(6).JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
This burlap lighting would be fun and simple to make.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBSKyp42xEq_lczsOHoJUNB0d2jabgtHMJgN_xPNGra9v5jChF0b59piQyLKd5ovcNguOqyY8UT_0UxVI8RZyZcIGfbDkhB-uLDpIQHrAU1irRCHRaYB39crG66CadUZEb0XB83pJSgz0/s1600/photo(7).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBSKyp42xEq_lczsOHoJUNB0d2jabgtHMJgN_xPNGra9v5jChF0b59piQyLKd5ovcNguOqyY8UT_0UxVI8RZyZcIGfbDkhB-uLDpIQHrAU1irRCHRaYB39crG66CadUZEb0XB83pJSgz0/s400/photo(7).JPG" width="298" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div> And the only use for these that I could think of were futuristic looking small dog/cat houses...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcWGhyphenhyphenAPjNnhgAYyidSu4gFK2_3_lfF6zkBHZdk6anXues66Ja8c8ZsV1Zew0YZh6-vHFU_fh7ANRYZi3td_EzYqZ5z7HxzDX6ITFzeh7bfwBBfLjoif3yDCx54o8rrz0piFP9KU6MmT8/s1600/photo(8).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcWGhyphenhyphenAPjNnhgAYyidSu4gFK2_3_lfF6zkBHZdk6anXues66Ja8c8ZsV1Zew0YZh6-vHFU_fh7ANRYZi3td_EzYqZ5z7HxzDX6ITFzeh7bfwBBfLjoif3yDCx54o8rrz0piFP9KU6MmT8/s400/photo(8).JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I ended up leaving with a ton of inspiration for future projects and with a Sunkist grapefruit box for $10. I discovered that once we got the box home, the little bit of paper that was left on the box fell off, so I applied a coat of modge podge under and over the paper to preserve it on the box.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiluly59tF1HfAKka30kSiFMJEjWUOylAHG4bqdHrmXSEf0qhBF6eHtj2X9xxTt_OHKb6ezDe4KnnRtUjrTs-bkrX7zlsV_dVFp0W_vKCO98XSU0Pj3z4xjhUJA_MAA8EO0gx_REgOuLs0/s1600/DSC_0406.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiluly59tF1HfAKka30kSiFMJEjWUOylAHG4bqdHrmXSEf0qhBF6eHtj2X9xxTt_OHKb6ezDe4KnnRtUjrTs-bkrX7zlsV_dVFp0W_vKCO98XSU0Pj3z4xjhUJA_MAA8EO0gx_REgOuLs0/s400/DSC_0406.JPG" width="391" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbuo6rGMmrXP-NtfyGsTve4Pb7SM07xklOh3Ly8b_ZOGIm4PGjyJ2FCaa9Ejs4MmY1WiJjv4uw5vXLYS8KFHbF29zC_d3gFhyEfkV6AYuBudBaQixBaAndorPijgta7_PkdRFisZG51XQ/s1600/DSC_0407.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbuo6rGMmrXP-NtfyGsTve4Pb7SM07xklOh3Ly8b_ZOGIm4PGjyJ2FCaa9Ejs4MmY1WiJjv4uw5vXLYS8KFHbF29zC_d3gFhyEfkV6AYuBudBaQixBaAndorPijgta7_PkdRFisZG51XQ/s400/DSC_0407.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
I also left with an old key for $2. I love the heart detailing.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCS8ojLfPTwGSUo0DgwGxd9-PxzTPhjL6Lvwnw9RluYlDwulgSxiVFWYdrw-bkVy6cT_lyRGDROVPk6LJvZHsUljsnZndnz3jfRXsyi3ikuWTJA2JQQmxEaWbPIvGjRUEDjMe9Ph51PXY/s1600/DSC_0412.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCS8ojLfPTwGSUo0DgwGxd9-PxzTPhjL6Lvwnw9RluYlDwulgSxiVFWYdrw-bkVy6cT_lyRGDROVPk6LJvZHsUljsnZndnz3jfRXsyi3ikuWTJA2JQQmxEaWbPIvGjRUEDjMe9Ph51PXY/s400/DSC_0412.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
Not a bad day! Who's going to the show in September?Amy @ Casa in the Countryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08438588022810766774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2606946831133871224.post-67906849994062449882012-07-23T15:31:00.002-04:002012-07-23T15:59:51.651-04:00New Outdoor LightingA while back, like seven months ago, we picked up two outdoor sconces that I was originally thinking of using above our fireplace. They didn't quite look right in that spot, so we figured we would use them as our new front lights to spruce up the front of our house since the original lights were builder grade and in serious need of replacing.<br />
<br />
We loved them so much that we recently went back to Lowe's and bought three more for the back deck, and on the two doors on the side of the garage. For under $25 a light, it's definitely a steal! Here's a quick before and after of just the front light swap. If you're wondering, they are the Portfolio Rust Outdoor Wall Light.<br />
<br />
Before:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIi5dVZrVIbfA_M4_6Za86mwZ9KJaRcERK0geeY3ngfaIsC-UMGSa8Pzx11uEdiaJOD7MvGSu8FGvwsYeupDLhRzGtfDQjjnp9x83GKIuau6Jc52DlkSPfxk5nCc4n0C0xtvghyphenhyphen3lN_G0/s1600/photo(5).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIi5dVZrVIbfA_M4_6Za86mwZ9KJaRcERK0geeY3ngfaIsC-UMGSa8Pzx11uEdiaJOD7MvGSu8FGvwsYeupDLhRzGtfDQjjnp9x83GKIuau6Jc52DlkSPfxk5nCc4n0C0xtvghyphenhyphen3lN_G0/s400/photo(5).JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
After:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipTvTQYo4t9CzY86cAjzGSuBg9iq06Iabo_xC3osdegqxhhDHol5vu-9mDVrkCKLTXljsLvj_fuetO8x8R2WjjWd0BwTahF-h8NPd8-92o_eHaqxQA6KPTtB_Fbo0Cy1xyuiZCG2uwsdg/s1600/DSC_0399.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipTvTQYo4t9CzY86cAjzGSuBg9iq06Iabo_xC3osdegqxhhDHol5vu-9mDVrkCKLTXljsLvj_fuetO8x8R2WjjWd0BwTahF-h8NPd8-92o_eHaqxQA6KPTtB_Fbo0Cy1xyuiZCG2uwsdg/s400/DSC_0399.JPG" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Deck light</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqaN1WcbYRfVdENqVS3FnJBKgoTLCTaJGJvxODYwy_Gsr-Wn9drKppq27JDAp0nQGHQ7oMBJJeQupTkqmTobbd8AXhpQxeCAESlQbksQkbS9v15wL64q0aMg08vXi60E-BpMxCxK8krYE/s1600/DSC_0393.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqaN1WcbYRfVdENqVS3FnJBKgoTLCTaJGJvxODYwy_Gsr-Wn9drKppq27JDAp0nQGHQ7oMBJJeQupTkqmTobbd8AXhpQxeCAESlQbksQkbS9v15wL64q0aMg08vXi60E-BpMxCxK8krYE/s400/DSC_0393.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />Amy @ Casa in the Countryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08438588022810766774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2606946831133871224.post-17164115109847408602011-11-03T12:28:00.001-04:002011-11-03T12:29:04.438-04:00Our Wedding in the White MountainsOn 10/23/11 we had a small wedding in the White Mountains. It was a simple, stress-free, and perfect weekend. We mostly DIY'ed our entire wedding which was surprisingly easy and affordable. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQOOQhAQGJDrKL593a7BzlGQKGddpJjJ40oZw9KtULDXawSd9m18_ueLOiDMNcZtUkXv8WZPk1c1zrV0EzaDZoUeX4yvOAlEj8muF5apcM7BPQqpCyQc_ej9xwVwYz8QvXatbdPCvqayk/s1600/whitemtns.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQOOQhAQGJDrKL593a7BzlGQKGddpJjJ40oZw9KtULDXawSd9m18_ueLOiDMNcZtUkXv8WZPk1c1zrV0EzaDZoUeX4yvOAlEj8muF5apcM7BPQqpCyQc_ej9xwVwYz8QvXatbdPCvqayk/s400/whitemtns.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
Up until the day before the wedding, I didn't have a plan for my bouquet or flowers. I didn't want to put a lot of time or energy into stressing about flowers so on our way up to the White Mountains, we headed to our local Hannaford and Trader Joe's to pick up our flowers and just went with whatever looked best. I assembled my bouquet the day of the wedding with the help of my brother, who also served as our photographer. I wrapped the bouquet with some antique lace that I picked up at a boutique and secured it with pearl pins. For the table flowers, I simply placed each bouquet into mason jars tied with raffia. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizZ1iuJNTvsYDURBMnyVh6z2jJKhGlUEmxL2b6qXNVBG_AKcP3wwaHCchqsZtHCfOAbONoc11KjsIUP8Gzv3EtjDJ7WTFJRmAo4d4tZ5R6yh4hderwkeLTcn8kOpf5w6uUX8ygF1Xh45w/s1600/DSC_0249.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizZ1iuJNTvsYDURBMnyVh6z2jJKhGlUEmxL2b6qXNVBG_AKcP3wwaHCchqsZtHCfOAbONoc11KjsIUP8Gzv3EtjDJ7WTFJRmAo4d4tZ5R6yh4hderwkeLTcn8kOpf5w6uUX8ygF1Xh45w/s400/DSC_0249.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Lz-J68uKKulcMggr1udJdgkY2H0FPqBBNxdUQ5VZSVqMckBKYQKhJLTVHc1bK79FjqK-vVhOUuy_5Myl5R4rpdm25cBhD2WbwZqWCs3r44Ijv_9skqZknvewcBC9ZRuc8lOO6iNzPMk/s1600/DSC_0251.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Lz-J68uKKulcMggr1udJdgkY2H0FPqBBNxdUQ5VZSVqMckBKYQKhJLTVHc1bK79FjqK-vVhOUuy_5Myl5R4rpdm25cBhD2WbwZqWCs3r44Ijv_9skqZknvewcBC9ZRuc8lOO6iNzPMk/s400/DSC_0251.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I tackled the flowers, my hair and makeup (thanks to the talented ladies at Sephora who helped me pick the perfect wedding day makeup!), and the place settings which were munchkin pumpkins with name tags tied to the stem with jute twine.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrDidOJ78M0US4atdLGBsVQz8qZZdToeGj96eLpItfEhphXNLGDHw3CdZDBip0o06ZhSCrhyjwCLsaPT6wt4nUckf66qA6bGE4nK2txngfRzZxq-qWTdNKbgW96Ck2bZC5eYwqwd8ZiJ4/s1600/DSC_0901.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrDidOJ78M0US4atdLGBsVQz8qZZdToeGj96eLpItfEhphXNLGDHw3CdZDBip0o06ZhSCrhyjwCLsaPT6wt4nUckf66qA6bGE4nK2txngfRzZxq-qWTdNKbgW96Ck2bZC5eYwqwd8ZiJ4/s400/DSC_0901.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZg9YJwo9T8JGcdH11OId8xgAdHBWBCf7f5eqDMsHia99XdOevB3beslC76G2jn80nAG6cWjaokpskt_ANdieuBvRuo3kFvpDy96NQNgtyTKl7vLXoUwLR5uMIoM-nnWvtAa_na4s5kuk/s1600/DSC_0976.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZg9YJwo9T8JGcdH11OId8xgAdHBWBCf7f5eqDMsHia99XdOevB3beslC76G2jn80nAG6cWjaokpskt_ANdieuBvRuo3kFvpDy96NQNgtyTKl7vLXoUwLR5uMIoM-nnWvtAa_na4s5kuk/s400/DSC_0976.JPG" width="265" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4DAsh5DlX8zLjaynddoxWk1bNxD-ZH-cpGpxKdLaSAoSBub-gNKAt06NcRHKTSBDqH-1qNMClv4eP2OJXzkxvPPscg-E-RINL6wDBYM5a-xi7RYFWYia7ZE0GmNOpib7CAbjtjlSP7hA/s1600/DSC_0866.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4DAsh5DlX8zLjaynddoxWk1bNxD-ZH-cpGpxKdLaSAoSBub-gNKAt06NcRHKTSBDqH-1qNMClv4eP2OJXzkxvPPscg-E-RINL6wDBYM5a-xi7RYFWYia7ZE0GmNOpib7CAbjtjlSP7hA/s400/DSC_0866.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
We had our rehearsal dinner at White Mountain Cider Company, a rustic restaurant in the White Mountains.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4DAsh5DlX8zLjaynddoxWk1bNxD-ZH-cpGpxKdLaSAoSBub-gNKAt06NcRHKTSBDqH-1qNMClv4eP2OJXzkxvPPscg-E-RINL6wDBYM5a-xi7RYFWYia7ZE0GmNOpib7CAbjtjlSP7hA/s1600/DSC_0866.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjab7eDrl2qp2XtgMB4hfFP8dwjS_NVYhXN65-a0e63G4pCIuIg1fTYcvguHdR4h0nKu6oWAAJ2LwSpDMluH103HmiFIdtmZAS35DjEDylcU2i9WVCFUEeo79o7tLofl7L_PBVvty60b58/s1600/DSC_0769.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjab7eDrl2qp2XtgMB4hfFP8dwjS_NVYhXN65-a0e63G4pCIuIg1fTYcvguHdR4h0nKu6oWAAJ2LwSpDMluH103HmiFIdtmZAS35DjEDylcU2i9WVCFUEeo79o7tLofl7L_PBVvty60b58/s400/DSC_0769.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjAFphZe6YVgkxuXTo1gpxgtGLKPBt4YhoNGVJh8Hd8719bZz9M4bd-AdZ_0t6WlTAxeUu4aQSo5n8eN7KT_qLQA5I1iVOGpk7JpYCa7JlkyHECbX4QvjOwK5TB_a_Kimqde7XHBM06s4/s1600/DSC_0785.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjAFphZe6YVgkxuXTo1gpxgtGLKPBt4YhoNGVJh8Hd8719bZz9M4bd-AdZ_0t6WlTAxeUu4aQSo5n8eN7KT_qLQA5I1iVOGpk7JpYCa7JlkyHECbX4QvjOwK5TB_a_Kimqde7XHBM06s4/s400/DSC_0785.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
One of our innkeepers served as justice of the peace and we had a beautiful outdoor wedding amongst the fall foliage. A few photos of the big day:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie6po3Ru7-zzPYgfdBN3BOQA_50KRsQu-s0y12bE2HeMPG_tHrgY2rsOMZoHDyZblwTAcvC3b9ZKYE04HCT6he1N8ewhDBJQYuxnedp1xn-Yq_Y0tgijOci_0L-2AcQgKb7ZgzBEnlcHs/s1600/DSC_0188.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie6po3Ru7-zzPYgfdBN3BOQA_50KRsQu-s0y12bE2HeMPG_tHrgY2rsOMZoHDyZblwTAcvC3b9ZKYE04HCT6he1N8ewhDBJQYuxnedp1xn-Yq_Y0tgijOci_0L-2AcQgKb7ZgzBEnlcHs/s400/DSC_0188.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEico3pFR3AnHfFcgsHuf5i8u4vIyDFdxol-g4rz4kjKDwj7RHtstsKspHruZ2EaaQvLlrha2E_iDzLzEVR_YjzmV-m7b9HaFYym5hIU-tfA9oxuskuH4Bz1rWCvIPS7DDim6vT49mHN2i0/s1600/tumblr_ltlkmh2AEw1r2rou9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEico3pFR3AnHfFcgsHuf5i8u4vIyDFdxol-g4rz4kjKDwj7RHtstsKspHruZ2EaaQvLlrha2E_iDzLzEVR_YjzmV-m7b9HaFYym5hIU-tfA9oxuskuH4Bz1rWCvIPS7DDim6vT49mHN2i0/s400/tumblr_ltlkmh2AEw1r2rou9.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge4-RoJ23yhcSyDQiE4wa7t-5tl9cfozS4PPjRpxcLKD-CxlljyjvBPx6wdkATC35F-A68-DIlvaXtw_ZeE37CNwzurgK5MoomHLw1Z9tkI4uc-FuQsarBeXDHhj5hL4xKIBZ8ZaHY6ZI/s1600/DSC_0331.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge4-RoJ23yhcSyDQiE4wa7t-5tl9cfozS4PPjRpxcLKD-CxlljyjvBPx6wdkATC35F-A68-DIlvaXtw_ZeE37CNwzurgK5MoomHLw1Z9tkI4uc-FuQsarBeXDHhj5hL4xKIBZ8ZaHY6ZI/s400/DSC_0331.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcCKFzKl020YJ8EtwLVJCXptiMUCtrkt5aKMJePbBNz5woq_SzPFY20Lks8aTZxfMaS-KyfKytMMshA8JA14-mC4EVrOxTd1KHRUa4mKJF5RyulGrk9BDpfHB0W_CjEIcxVxs9EIblj6k/s1600/DSC_0176.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcCKFzKl020YJ8EtwLVJCXptiMUCtrkt5aKMJePbBNz5woq_SzPFY20Lks8aTZxfMaS-KyfKytMMshA8JA14-mC4EVrOxTd1KHRUa4mKJF5RyulGrk9BDpfHB0W_CjEIcxVxs9EIblj6k/s400/DSC_0176.JPG" width="265" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhURW-MEf9lhM2KxQZyyV9Mkm7QmkTJL6kjaO-WtdCdP_w8-1Wbuks5pveeFVEJTJ9E2nZt6Rwze3yqrMRhgFv_yBhR8p9mQUxrV_J5wMHdI3sk6zC7hDkXARYLvobIKMcxof7wNUulUbM/s1600/DSC_0034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhURW-MEf9lhM2KxQZyyV9Mkm7QmkTJL6kjaO-WtdCdP_w8-1Wbuks5pveeFVEJTJ9E2nZt6Rwze3yqrMRhgFv_yBhR8p9mQUxrV_J5wMHdI3sk6zC7hDkXARYLvobIKMcxof7wNUulUbM/s400/DSC_0034.JPG" width="265" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcTKLwGW_EOSJNlk1irb6QapjQ4xd2Td1OIwznYMWxhhyphenhyphengJfiBU0PKNwOGLqzu9YrhsIXjLBXFDhyphenhyphenTIMFhJuv0xzNfgyDg7sQaU6LEPsCuG_e1Zu8NLK49rm38wdh7_7XUxKWout2q9Dc/s1600/DSC_0088.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcTKLwGW_EOSJNlk1irb6QapjQ4xd2Td1OIwznYMWxhhyphenhyphengJfiBU0PKNwOGLqzu9YrhsIXjLBXFDhyphenhyphenTIMFhJuv0xzNfgyDg7sQaU6LEPsCuG_e1Zu8NLK49rm38wdh7_7XUxKWout2q9Dc/s400/DSC_0088.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
On our wedding night, we enjoyed a five course meal with our 11 guests at our inn.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhApS_E0d-20dqTu_LyM-QVVWZPMJOsyRHPX0YzcU5BQVy5eK-0lNqjS1CxFw9otCGB5AhSI_ypInDRrVy0_YtDNDpPkxGQYvSYelAAHPOfBm-g7yI_fHtMajDWv4EAZ25GDcBRL8e7mEI/s1600/DSC_0425.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhApS_E0d-20dqTu_LyM-QVVWZPMJOsyRHPX0YzcU5BQVy5eK-0lNqjS1CxFw9otCGB5AhSI_ypInDRrVy0_YtDNDpPkxGQYvSYelAAHPOfBm-g7yI_fHtMajDWv4EAZ25GDcBRL8e7mEI/s400/DSC_0425.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
It was an amazing weekend we'll never forget and hope to spend many anniversaries to come at the inn :)Amy @ Casa in the Countryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08438588022810766774noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2606946831133871224.post-51112024617899455052011-06-06T19:05:00.000-04:002011-06-06T19:05:40.135-04:00Painted Hippo BookendsI recently spotted these hippo bookends at a thrift store and for only $1.99 for the pair, I had to have them! This was a quick and easy project - all I did was add a couple coats of glossy white spraypaint.<br />
<br />
Before:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9dYBeexD3JIXVI7K-Aq3JbYtppq9OGePR4NVUlE4PhkvMly2AhPnC-w_tUDeyJfEBNfxhcOrph8JlOlKxxqoh3iixkCJ1rTho9x8RW_NDyGkCpU-1x6jPGSF2xTff72v2jtq2kuE-ZZk/s1600/229bi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9dYBeexD3JIXVI7K-Aq3JbYtppq9OGePR4NVUlE4PhkvMly2AhPnC-w_tUDeyJfEBNfxhcOrph8JlOlKxxqoh3iixkCJ1rTho9x8RW_NDyGkCpU-1x6jPGSF2xTff72v2jtq2kuE-ZZk/s400/229bi.jpg" width="298" /></a></div><br />
Here they are spraypainted white. The books are vintage - from my grandmother's collection. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgON_jzdGq1DxTbJW8KBclBRZGzwERy77rUyqTlTKLXkgvKdBM4fuIziKfhZ0vk4oZITbdnzoiydGmLcWpSbiA07rqPSge-l14dqNpLn0ugNSkqFeFA-vwiGPLbo5wGaDav0bLL5_14iwM/s1600/DSC_0398.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgON_jzdGq1DxTbJW8KBclBRZGzwERy77rUyqTlTKLXkgvKdBM4fuIziKfhZ0vk4oZITbdnzoiydGmLcWpSbiA07rqPSge-l14dqNpLn0ugNSkqFeFA-vwiGPLbo5wGaDav0bLL5_14iwM/s400/DSC_0398.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Amy @ Casa in the Countryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08438588022810766774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2606946831133871224.post-33316593685989025342011-05-19T17:32:00.000-04:002011-05-19T17:32:21.267-04:00Spraypainted Candle HoldersI've been a little quiet on the blog lately - nothing major has changed, I've still been aggressively looking for jobs without any luck. Here's a quick project I did a little while ago. I found this pair of candle holders at a thrift store for 99 cents each (originally from HomeGoods -- I found a price tag underneath). They were a little tarnished so I decided to spraypaint them "avocado" by Valspar. I love how they turned out and how my tealight votives fit so perfectly in them!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLzjFWxPs_jqoqeGyrLWhV2ecuf2oQdAnf0jOTxKJfXM8exQ-kgfLmZsS1H07gWYZdkBE73B-199vKJL-TmSpgVwqL-NzH91pdGKF76c1_kTWM6G7G-q53d7yE9Hs_onMHw37fbNl6x9U/s400/photo+%25283%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcrXxcyeFwnZyTHghGIf4InsPPh4Jvh_oLCgrp6ngTvBs5nS7k-Eezvo7ix7r93F9sh38FnUTL25KgfzDSqjz0aVUDwvhqSo0nLxHXSqPGri80zvMtQahr-TbsexpbxjaWbUbyNbp-oNg/s1600/photo%25285%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcrXxcyeFwnZyTHghGIf4InsPPh4Jvh_oLCgrp6ngTvBs5nS7k-Eezvo7ix7r93F9sh38FnUTL25KgfzDSqjz0aVUDwvhqSo0nLxHXSqPGri80zvMtQahr-TbsexpbxjaWbUbyNbp-oNg/s400/photo%25285%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Amy @ Casa in the Countryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08438588022810766774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2606946831133871224.post-19696231479815434122011-05-04T15:38:00.002-04:002011-05-04T16:14:21.235-04:00Upcycled Decorative Wine BottlesI love re-purposing items that would otherwise be forgotten about and thrown away. I decided to make some decorative wine bottle vases by using some Scotch Blue Painter's Tape, RustOleum Frosted Glass Spray, and jute twine. (Check out my wine cork button project <a href="http://casainthecountry.blogspot.com/2011/04/easy-cork-buttons.html">here</a>)<br />
<br />
First, I sprayed the bottles with WD40, let it soak in a little, then scrubbed the adhesive off with a damp paper towel. After the bottles were dry, I taped off stripes in the areas I didn't want spray painted.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJZS36RVl4lH21_DxSBLz6haLKaMSF0oLdcN3PZqNjbB1IZhcq1Roa1_hU0NfP97gKqYbnuObtsvpXE27C00UjCTCfFGuEgUke2t9ghnOuEovSCi2KSddUvhPdWxau_gm6RO6AqO72BCs/s1600/DSC_0345.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJZS36RVl4lH21_DxSBLz6haLKaMSF0oLdcN3PZqNjbB1IZhcq1Roa1_hU0NfP97gKqYbnuObtsvpXE27C00UjCTCfFGuEgUke2t9ghnOuEovSCi2KSddUvhPdWxau_gm6RO6AqO72BCs/s400/DSC_0345.JPG" width="267" /></a></div><br />
After a quick coat of spraypaint and some time to dry, I peeled off the tape. I had never used RustOleum's frosted glass spray before and I love how it turned out!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQfg-UrgmtpTXuTm46nSs4ihmzxXDUn-5x1Dyc2xoWS5RjqtK2vjHNgE8XnCrPBGNA6YTta7OmjhmYOTo4q_1SmE1_9K0e4ZYU-CZ56lDnvERjWQyqC3FW7-o33AT8Lk8w9LxjpOeZetY/s1600/DSC_0350.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQfg-UrgmtpTXuTm46nSs4ihmzxXDUn-5x1Dyc2xoWS5RjqtK2vjHNgE8XnCrPBGNA6YTta7OmjhmYOTo4q_1SmE1_9K0e4ZYU-CZ56lDnvERjWQyqC3FW7-o33AT8Lk8w9LxjpOeZetY/s400/DSC_0350.JPG" width="255" /></a></div><br />
Lastly, I applied Modge Podge to the upper part of the wine bottles, then wrapped some jute twine around them.<br />
<br />
Here's the finished product! They'd look great with some fresh cut flowers in them.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHUDtTQcnK8PDaGWhXvyM1bDws4cPYNfCxwDjnLWH79ouJRjn9fKvEbGZZx0kYnA26ncvFqiQhrOPcFaU8D3FpNUsCiujzxG1TbPdb9bwbdoMcKETbjtwwQ7PUMsAdJo5tHK_de96obBQ/s1600/DSC_0359.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHUDtTQcnK8PDaGWhXvyM1bDws4cPYNfCxwDjnLWH79ouJRjn9fKvEbGZZx0kYnA26ncvFqiQhrOPcFaU8D3FpNUsCiujzxG1TbPdb9bwbdoMcKETbjtwwQ7PUMsAdJo5tHK_de96obBQ/s400/DSC_0359.JPG" width="225" /></a></div><br />
<br />
Linked up at:<br />
<br />
<br /><center><a href="http://thriftydecorchick.com/"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vswDWGRlsPw/TZpxoF0cwzI/AAAAAAAAM14/CZOygj6Royw/beforeAndAfterButton_thumb%5B1%5D.gif?imgmax=800"/><img border="0"/><br /></a></center>Amy @ Casa in the Countryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08438588022810766774noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2606946831133871224.post-26695683592016992752011-04-28T17:56:00.000-04:002011-04-28T17:56:33.042-04:00Update: What We've Been Up ToI've been a little distracted lately which explains why there haven't been any new posts. So what have we been up to?<br />
<br />
On Sunday we enjoyed a laid back Easter BBQ with both our families which was a lot of fun. We hosted the past two Thanksgivings at our tiny, old apartment so we decided it would be nice to have everyone over for Easter in the new house. Luckily, the weather cooperated with us and we were able to spend lots of time outside. I meant to take lots of pictures, but between the hosting and hanging out with the family, I forgot. I did manage to take one of my 93 yr old Swedish grandmother and I on my iphone though.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuUYdRyTvmXqNeDadcrbKbnWOOb1zgdnBJtCNyXCeyTH-lUmarD0dEcJFNeDU3xoT7a1Sqa0mn-llF_4nwJMDhryoLECFJOWwA3qxObMrsgH5Ind9iYH9QOGY_YEALMwqq6HVscM8TM6w/s1600/ye4jd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuUYdRyTvmXqNeDadcrbKbnWOOb1zgdnBJtCNyXCeyTH-lUmarD0dEcJFNeDU3xoT7a1Sqa0mn-llF_4nwJMDhryoLECFJOWwA3qxObMrsgH5Ind9iYH9QOGY_YEALMwqq6HVscM8TM6w/s400/ye4jd.jpg" width="298" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Tuesday was my 27th birthday and Tim took the day off from work so we could hang out and enjoy the day together. We went to dinner at Gibbet Hill, a local place. The restaurant is a renovated 100 yr old post and beam barn and it is set on 80 acres of conservation land. We sat right next to a window and during dinner we watched the Angus cattle grazing on the rolling hills. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR40vc-5WOUY1YnhiXuB58mWI51_XGzkaXYYI7q8TcK-d0buXDngDOMDNT1G8r_44KPt8JmBLZVt1rldOlEnalfygRgjgvigl1-P6IOrHPUceYAgPzJv2d36r-XWrhVqsuxLEOeCXPzE4/s1600/gibbet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR40vc-5WOUY1YnhiXuB58mWI51_XGzkaXYYI7q8TcK-d0buXDngDOMDNT1G8r_44KPt8JmBLZVt1rldOlEnalfygRgjgvigl1-P6IOrHPUceYAgPzJv2d36r-XWrhVqsuxLEOeCXPzE4/s400/gibbet.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig5l97vpEUzhv2hDg4P6RIGP4jmriiQU1msxwNpSClqoP6MARXDIM2PUR5CfzWUdlM0K1BdejiBU3Ji0y8xC8U4XyRyEp_QcjrSlXW3-ADv2AtL2MF_mVoMFgaeDVPpCUOCM5LMptsi8M/s1600/photo%25284%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig5l97vpEUzhv2hDg4P6RIGP4jmriiQU1msxwNpSClqoP6MARXDIM2PUR5CfzWUdlM0K1BdejiBU3Ji0y8xC8U4XyRyEp_QcjrSlXW3-ADv2AtL2MF_mVoMFgaeDVPpCUOCM5LMptsi8M/s400/photo%25284%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
I've also been looking for work in most of my spare time, which means not a ton of time spent on my many projects that have been hanging out in the garage. I graduated law school last year, passed the bar on my first try, but am still looking for full time work as a lawyer. Hopefully the job market will get better and I'll find something soon because I'm kinda getting sick of being around the house all day. The plus side is that I never really had a real break before - I went straight to law school from college and law school "vacations" aren't really vacations because they are loaded with the stress of studying and writing papers. The time I've had off has definitely given me some much needed relaxation and has let my creativity flow. I love that I now have free time for creative projects, but I will love it even more when I have a full time job so we will have the money to tackle some bigger projects in the house. <br />
<br />
Here's what I'm working on right now (Pardon the iphone pictures, I'm too lazy to use the good camera):<br />
<br />
Refinishing the nightstands:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGnPPG5jsZTZnQ3BBp_sa3ew4g1h3HHRaF39WYOcxiIIG3GoFjdE16UvZ0K-Hc2N9Z-zy7SZeDa1rjy2mqus-tPlQe9NUxGdrMnRyoh92QphY_P39fnbbfh0YD_UNVFViYHjqwOc06jFI/s1600/photo%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGnPPG5jsZTZnQ3BBp_sa3ew4g1h3HHRaF39WYOcxiIIG3GoFjdE16UvZ0K-Hc2N9Z-zy7SZeDa1rjy2mqus-tPlQe9NUxGdrMnRyoh92QphY_P39fnbbfh0YD_UNVFViYHjqwOc06jFI/s400/photo%25283%2529.JPG" width="298" /></a></div><br />
<br />
A project I've just begun with wine bottles:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYugim1DNMeG6moeRgBupYMwvBhpaxDvKrocTPrO5dpjlnpEFk4ZJjExgKNKhQbLqNk1FOOi6YCndnfDfMBCFBczuAjfTeNMa5Mz9VC1T4ENTkH8RZh9HAQHlKjINIR-nuVjobEgLx7ew/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYugim1DNMeG6moeRgBupYMwvBhpaxDvKrocTPrO5dpjlnpEFk4ZJjExgKNKhQbLqNk1FOOi6YCndnfDfMBCFBczuAjfTeNMa5Mz9VC1T4ENTkH8RZh9HAQHlKjINIR-nuVjobEgLx7ew/s400/photo.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
Refinishing the bar stools:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNVmnX6dclZiXMfRCAsbsoYFYZvk4BBnO0dmK6COlRn3UXbVrUq27W9_4-KMv8F_QuGoFsLgxEhsDP9dx-NsOEl0US4dqC_3tVfq7GjvIK8j21aOHWW7njEXn_d1o32kdnyBEB_s9D13A/s1600/photo+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNVmnX6dclZiXMfRCAsbsoYFYZvk4BBnO0dmK6COlRn3UXbVrUq27W9_4-KMv8F_QuGoFsLgxEhsDP9dx-NsOEl0US4dqC_3tVfq7GjvIK8j21aOHWW7njEXn_d1o32kdnyBEB_s9D13A/s400/photo+%25282%2529.JPG" width="298" /></a></div><br />
<br />
Victorian chair revamp:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimXE0UaGlICEuneu94NEecf6VeDn3nproyf8WYhdwdjouZlnlnEN_Wn4CcaKAzhQxykt9T-sn7MFzJfqiXIK2ft_NaI86UnonKpKBLopFPOZ98Xc7f38CbX5wpZ_sx4k0mm8UHKD_dexM/s1600/photo%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimXE0UaGlICEuneu94NEecf6VeDn3nproyf8WYhdwdjouZlnlnEN_Wn4CcaKAzhQxykt9T-sn7MFzJfqiXIK2ft_NaI86UnonKpKBLopFPOZ98Xc7f38CbX5wpZ_sx4k0mm8UHKD_dexM/s400/photo%25282%2529.JPG" width="298" /></a></div><br />
<br />
I'll be sure to post as the projects are completed!Amy @ Casa in the Countryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08438588022810766774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2606946831133871224.post-75487368476847897412011-04-19T11:07:00.000-04:002011-04-19T11:07:48.231-04:00New England Photography by JMA little while ago I posted some New England photography taken by my brother JM <a href="http://casainthecountry.blogspot.com/2011/03/local-photography.html">here</a>. I thought I'd share just a few more of my recent favorites photos. I can't wait to make some of these into prints and make a gallery wall! Check out more of his work <a href="http://browse.deviantart.com/?order=5&q=zomgjon">here</a>. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYxMRCgpWbbfR6SynkettWyrQIy-6Tjf7jBBI2aRpgDMnvShyphenhyphen0UlwiPD4l4AkYowqyE8JQsg3_xe7MUEB7tQuOgNBDPkhUyY3dEIbIXWtVxMqIzgOz1k-CJ_lA0wT9lObVHJ7z66WqZMQ/s1600/escape__by_zomgjon-d3cdwor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYxMRCgpWbbfR6SynkettWyrQIy-6Tjf7jBBI2aRpgDMnvShyphenhyphen0UlwiPD4l4AkYowqyE8JQsg3_xe7MUEB7tQuOgNBDPkhUyY3dEIbIXWtVxMqIzgOz1k-CJ_lA0wT9lObVHJ7z66WqZMQ/s400/escape__by_zomgjon-d3cdwor.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Escape" © 2011 JM</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHiavm-6uY1nLmu9XknUSjmx3SjirwLR7S_eu9UENIUk6yls8GdMikpuZ8Oj7ROAUiOdoVJBNbm5w_lZf9fi3M36UPIxH8jonfcaQqO0WmvyeIzGQsG9jdeSYPIEXQhLih1_tM05IB39M/s1600/life_is_good__by_zomgjon-d3cjk00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHiavm-6uY1nLmu9XknUSjmx3SjirwLR7S_eu9UENIUk6yls8GdMikpuZ8Oj7ROAUiOdoVJBNbm5w_lZf9fi3M36UPIxH8jonfcaQqO0WmvyeIzGQsG9jdeSYPIEXQhLih1_tM05IB39M/s400/life_is_good__by_zomgjon-d3cjk00.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Life is Good" © 2011 JM</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoifqbldEGQ4RFiD4PTmZPJ6YJFcRLTxjKmgydLfxcZYQYy8VIvJPKqSaqKgt5DmzCRTC6XVKCknD08aNwwxhY4F8t1fSsfAFEJIZf4pCRbYetgUshTJ1mbg7Zw6DhdUU1NsFEqxJeao4/s1600/placid__by_zomgjon-d3dgq6q.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoifqbldEGQ4RFiD4PTmZPJ6YJFcRLTxjKmgydLfxcZYQYy8VIvJPKqSaqKgt5DmzCRTC6XVKCknD08aNwwxhY4F8t1fSsfAFEJIZf4pCRbYetgUshTJ1mbg7Zw6DhdUU1NsFEqxJeao4/s400/placid__by_zomgjon-d3dgq6q.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Placid" © 2011 JM</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhimJE47LEEV0s83e7BBkpw-ahz0D5ojpZYX0ZIFvYlhOKXKr7fT-iENNbENQ1WfX7996-agdvTWNe3Ki-Lk_1AoxWbKiiO0qqdcLAVyKVe8rAmP2PlC8LQeCXSVqVgx42_j9BUJMKGiec/s1600/vision__by_zomgjon-d3dj3en.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhimJE47LEEV0s83e7BBkpw-ahz0D5ojpZYX0ZIFvYlhOKXKr7fT-iENNbENQ1WfX7996-agdvTWNe3Ki-Lk_1AoxWbKiiO0qqdcLAVyKVe8rAmP2PlC8LQeCXSVqVgx42_j9BUJMKGiec/s400/vision__by_zomgjon-d3dj3en.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Vision" © 2011 JM<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>All photos are property of JM. Please ask before using any of the above images. </i> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>Amy @ Casa in the Countryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08438588022810766774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2606946831133871224.post-5904152546385350032011-04-18T19:13:00.003-04:002011-04-18T19:15:33.908-04:00Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate BarsSince it was Marathon Monday in Boston today, Tim sent me this great link on how to make homemade energy bars. The recipe and directions I followed were adapted from Boston.com (which was adapted from Susan Katcher) found <a href="http://articles.boston.com/2011-04-13/lifestyle/29414461_1_peanut-butter-unsalted-butter-bars">here</a>. I ended up modifying the recipe because I didn't have all of the ingredients. <br />
<br />
Here's what I ended up using:<br />
<ul><li>1 stick of softened unsalted butter</li>
<li>3/4 cup of brown sugar, loosely packed</li>
<li>1/2 cup enriched white flour (instead of whole wheat flour)</li>
<li>1 mashed, ripened banana</li>
<li>1 teaspoon vanilla extract </li>
<li>1/2 cup of crunchy store bought peanut butter (instead of all natural peanut butter)</li>
<li>1 1/2 cups of honey granola with sliced almonds (instead of oats)</li>
<li>1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (I didn't add 1/2 cup raisins or 1/2 cup walnuts)</li>
</ul>I thought of drizzling honey over the top, then adding some crushed nuts, but didn't have any nuts.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg91K6F_Iu7EGmBbmolGjrY-VnFzvGEu1kJvQ577BYCRyWhyphenhyphenvMOuKnWUp5OHo3T8rAwcFqNV0NTCJnEhF2APVaOKvRyLK393bTO_8yxatKMYymXqtsIQb6msoySBg4okGqPYEGe8wQniZE/s1600/DSCN1572.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg91K6F_Iu7EGmBbmolGjrY-VnFzvGEu1kJvQ577BYCRyWhyphenhyphenvMOuKnWUp5OHo3T8rAwcFqNV0NTCJnEhF2APVaOKvRyLK393bTO_8yxatKMYymXqtsIQb6msoySBg4okGqPYEGe8wQniZE/s320/DSCN1572.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
Directions:<br />
<ol><li> Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter an 8"x8" pan.</li>
<li>Mix together butter and brown sugar (I don't have a mixer, so I just did it by hand).</li>
<li>Mix in flour and granola.</li>
<li>Mix in peanut butter, banana, vanilla extract, and chocolate chips.</li>
<li>Add mixture to pan and bake for about 30 minutes.</li>
<li>Allow to cool and enjoy!</li>
</ol><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHKMb9iaVaWD5QXVUWI38kGJR_pQyC_r8M5KQGndRcrhe2NC1x7uJp35aPqTsTSBO-KwJLB-m_LGsJmDpTSZhNcxgLRw815I1Z8IcRr8n4Vu38xJMCRUW87caRF2qwUIWMf1xDbQ3wbDo/s1600/DSCN1578.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHKMb9iaVaWD5QXVUWI38kGJR_pQyC_r8M5KQGndRcrhe2NC1x7uJp35aPqTsTSBO-KwJLB-m_LGsJmDpTSZhNcxgLRw815I1Z8IcRr8n4Vu38xJMCRUW87caRF2qwUIWMf1xDbQ3wbDo/s400/DSCN1578.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi99nFYr8yDFBIRUeeFgLVbZMKQ-JydU1oTtoSZNWy8JeUu4WuNB-KAWvL1_CxeC5wy0wwxrm7Fi1r7_fagwrdL8D9PtH4AU8BZBqSo4yvXnmauvsIftvP-OT_ZhvdJO3GronlqZK9GOuw/s1600/DSCN1579.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi99nFYr8yDFBIRUeeFgLVbZMKQ-JydU1oTtoSZNWy8JeUu4WuNB-KAWvL1_CxeC5wy0wwxrm7Fi1r7_fagwrdL8D9PtH4AU8BZBqSo4yvXnmauvsIftvP-OT_ZhvdJO3GronlqZK9GOuw/s400/DSCN1579.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHKMb9iaVaWD5QXVUWI38kGJR_pQyC_r8M5KQGndRcrhe2NC1x7uJp35aPqTsTSBO-KwJLB-m_LGsJmDpTSZhNcxgLRw815I1Z8IcRr8n4Vu38xJMCRUW87caRF2qwUIWMf1xDbQ3wbDo/s1600/DSCN1578.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div>Amy @ Casa in the Countryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08438588022810766774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2606946831133871224.post-11199537223871289692011-04-14T20:31:00.002-04:002011-04-14T20:36:36.740-04:00Thrifty ThursdayToday while thrifting I found these gold painted old wooden frames for $4 each. I HAD to get them and I already have a few ideas of what I'm going to do with them. I was thinking of spray painting them, but I love the antiqued gold paint on them and the wood details are gorgeous.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikCaGLdYPhlLFVvJkhVkVHUjBLjjZyfCNiriN-n_KJ-jTTt0wUOk7lkZbLp4WCIbVeli9uSlitLCEPnHLpca117jwH2krNSkKpX7Sq6wNBcMWit3ApW9xyNlzvd1xmTNAjo_-QcrLixkM/s1600/frames.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikCaGLdYPhlLFVvJkhVkVHUjBLjjZyfCNiriN-n_KJ-jTTt0wUOk7lkZbLp4WCIbVeli9uSlitLCEPnHLpca117jwH2krNSkKpX7Sq6wNBcMWit3ApW9xyNlzvd1xmTNAjo_-QcrLixkM/s400/frames.jpg" width="298" /></a></div><br />
I also came across this sturdy wooden desk chair on wheels. It would look so amazing painted white with a modern patterned seat cushion on it, but for $25 I had to pass on it.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE2XtfcTTOTm_S-Xgz6wYWmiRmZDRRpoPpDuUHE4hgB3f5TAbS4r9EdCow7VlZUGM4qJHPJOkiZgdGiPcHqTKGLBzi0tsntLJyEWTYFRm7cceMvbZ7fjFmcEu4WzkfIi1r_4VdOmWxJgo/s1600/chair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE2XtfcTTOTm_S-Xgz6wYWmiRmZDRRpoPpDuUHE4hgB3f5TAbS4r9EdCow7VlZUGM4qJHPJOkiZgdGiPcHqTKGLBzi0tsntLJyEWTYFRm7cceMvbZ7fjFmcEu4WzkfIi1r_4VdOmWxJgo/s320/chair.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><br />
I'm seriously still thinking about this pair of chairs that I also didn't buy. They aren't real wood and they would have to be reupholstered and painted, but I really love the caning on the back of the chair!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFOL6VGOxWDOZtXdDkA9072IVQbQjfutSlZeZPWmmq56xREuQlUe7t1ysgIrN7mBAEhWvBODxwRK0eghnx9YLaCcYfsdFuGUvlce9QYMlh6S_HmYIxzOF_3yK4wFV3o9PRbYu-F6GylBA/s1600/chairs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFOL6VGOxWDOZtXdDkA9072IVQbQjfutSlZeZPWmmq56xREuQlUe7t1ysgIrN7mBAEhWvBODxwRK0eghnx9YLaCcYfsdFuGUvlce9QYMlh6S_HmYIxzOF_3yK4wFV3o9PRbYu-F6GylBA/s320/chairs.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Anyone else come across any great thrift store finds recently?Amy @ Casa in the Countryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08438588022810766774noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2606946831133871224.post-7277697003003966832011-04-13T13:39:00.001-04:002011-04-13T13:42:13.874-04:00Spring CleaningWe've got so much stuff we don't know what to do with it. This is our 600 square foot above the garage space we'd love to eventually finish off to make into a bonus room. It's so easy to keep this as our storage room and forget about the space, but it would be nice to pare down and live with less. It's hard to believe that all of this stuff was at our old apartment which was only 1100 square feet. There's a little bit of everything in here - a couple bins of clothing we need to go through and will probably donate, some of my old law school books (some of which are listed on half.com), furniture, and basically an assortment of random stuff. We've yet to tackle this room, but when we do we'll probably craigslist some stuff and have a tag sale. Can't wait!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj07rgEehEFQVFihPDWnCrcuVm0I96EMU8RLYhXBC3FDW8OqIqVCra3VwBK6ak7TjbObvzzQcchePnW41ctQYgrFz3bRZTriBFG-ixb8raWw4a0nU5LxkGUIV7QnHufpYYIWA1F2qdFa3M/s1600/DSCN1560.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj07rgEehEFQVFihPDWnCrcuVm0I96EMU8RLYhXBC3FDW8OqIqVCra3VwBK6ak7TjbObvzzQcchePnW41ctQYgrFz3bRZTriBFG-ixb8raWw4a0nU5LxkGUIV7QnHufpYYIWA1F2qdFa3M/s400/DSCN1560.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Room shot from the door</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
When I went into the room to take a picture, I came across an old bookcase and an antique mirror. I love re-discovering what we already have! I'm already thinking about how I can transform the bookcase!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPJssI5NDtDWFwYkHHbfjw1HHqxsX-t5mkbX6Kj1UyEBHIWD5Ozuh3ifY-FEPLKHlDZi0jEWu6MDXuW3HA1_tlvpU6cJfdtLxLQn4EQ4hifIGTDabsl0aUKDIBV0OGBKSRXqtXwM_SS4c/s1600/DSCN1561.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPJssI5NDtDWFwYkHHbfjw1HHqxsX-t5mkbX6Kj1UyEBHIWD5Ozuh3ifY-FEPLKHlDZi0jEWu6MDXuW3HA1_tlvpU6cJfdtLxLQn4EQ4hifIGTDabsl0aUKDIBV0OGBKSRXqtXwM_SS4c/s320/DSCN1561.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtTempGrZyzqaeQV8i4QIcjAiGAAGQETWFi5PWFCXz18pL2xB4dnLZr4N8pgOHJ9A9UlWfL5QqBqxDyOYXv-P9tCAB7silpnLZDqO_p-ZUsed2Bglp2gmYuADKfkImmzbfh43wzmPr7CA/s1600/DSCN1562.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtTempGrZyzqaeQV8i4QIcjAiGAAGQETWFi5PWFCXz18pL2xB4dnLZr4N8pgOHJ9A9UlWfL5QqBqxDyOYXv-P9tCAB7silpnLZDqO_p-ZUsed2Bglp2gmYuADKfkImmzbfh43wzmPr7CA/s320/DSCN1562.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
And this is our walk in closet. Before we moved, Tim and I had donated at least 5 huge garbage bags full of clothing and shoes. While Tim was at work, I decided to tackle the closet so we could actually walk in our walk in closet. <br />
<br />
I can't believe I'm sharing this, but here's a before shot of the closet floor:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6BUGG9hquH3Svw9zduZgWEeKjQgeA5H6NOyzI3egkgR87T-bqaEHxtdqzJ2jLgtZYm_8FEGFmjGhAaoZsto-f9E3nnp8EmWnHrYRo-x0vHmntgRnHJs_ViF-4HmRUEvxElsjLwlwm4Qo/s1600/DSCN1556.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6BUGG9hquH3Svw9zduZgWEeKjQgeA5H6NOyzI3egkgR87T-bqaEHxtdqzJ2jLgtZYm_8FEGFmjGhAaoZsto-f9E3nnp8EmWnHrYRo-x0vHmntgRnHJs_ViF-4HmRUEvxElsjLwlwm4Qo/s400/DSCN1556.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<br />
And here's a shot of the closet after I organized it a little. It's not perfect, but definitely a lot better since you can now see the floor!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh46Vu0Q-agsym_TPLgyLGFtAorjrRiTMqoTc7n4geGd57fWigXi45eSZpXqSXyC0Mj0H2f96p1DrkGViwmAxL6p5oY9pinlQBrLqFvdv3PjNkGrurtmynoaoYconb0BhRiHHRP92mOjAM/s1600/DSC_0322.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh46Vu0Q-agsym_TPLgyLGFtAorjrRiTMqoTc7n4geGd57fWigXi45eSZpXqSXyC0Mj0H2f96p1DrkGViwmAxL6p5oY9pinlQBrLqFvdv3PjNkGrurtmynoaoYconb0BhRiHHRP92mOjAM/s400/DSC_0322.JPG" width="267" /></a></div><br />
I even came across a pair of ugly shoes I've never worn before! I'll definitely be adding these to our consign/donate pile. What was I thinking...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPuuHLvbttPPg4_C1wvrDAVsiQYby0BcctoXfnkQNvbafmt7qonJQnl4ac7MpLyASL0-jxxG2Or3XalJn1cBnmo6O1CRDpMGUOokLLe3YFl_oUz3Pb9qCCAPOPBahE4RPtq3HztYuDMHQ/s1600/DSCN1563.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPuuHLvbttPPg4_C1wvrDAVsiQYby0BcctoXfnkQNvbafmt7qonJQnl4ac7MpLyASL0-jxxG2Or3XalJn1cBnmo6O1CRDpMGUOokLLe3YFl_oUz3Pb9qCCAPOPBahE4RPtq3HztYuDMHQ/s320/DSCN1563.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
I managed to fill a small trash bag of clothing and shoes to consign/donate after this tiny closet clean-out. <br />
<br />
At the beginning of each season I go through all seasonal clothes and shoes to see what I can get rid of following these three steps: <br />
<ol><li>If it's brand new and I still haven't worn it, chances are I don't really like it so I get rid of it to make room for some new items. </li>
<li> If I haven't worn it for the past year, it's time to go.</li>
<li>If it's not comfortable and doesn't fit right. (Like those cute shoes two sizes too small!) </li>
</ol>Amy @ Casa in the Countryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08438588022810766774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2606946831133871224.post-32720788733299941572011-04-12T12:47:00.001-04:002011-04-12T12:53:56.452-04:00Out With the Old, In With the New!Or so I thought. I went to Lowe's to pick up the usual. You know, a dryer vent cap (some little critters totally destroyed ours to pieces), a couple of rollers, and spraypaint. I happened to walk past the blinds aisle and noticed that there was a massive sale annnnnnd we just so happened to need some new blinds for our french doors. Our french door roman shades that came with the house were dirty, but were functional at least until one of the shades broke off.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3vWOA-ual-pkIlPP0HDwifG-XW0jDsGi1mEIinJHbOjbjghZloibx62xKF6hkE_eky8FarhYHrqxtuprJNkPl0d058hZ_OIXSNh9o54fS0OuO3TYKFOiVFBawJfPqdichcDvnqQk6KTY/s1600/DSC_0312.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3vWOA-ual-pkIlPP0HDwifG-XW0jDsGi1mEIinJHbOjbjghZloibx62xKF6hkE_eky8FarhYHrqxtuprJNkPl0d058hZ_OIXSNh9o54fS0OuO3TYKFOiVFBawJfPqdichcDvnqQk6KTY/s400/DSC_0312.JPG" width="267" /></a></div><br />
<br />
We weren't planning on buying new ones anytime soon and were just going to deal with the ones we had 'cause there are just more important things to spend money on around here, but who could say no to four bamboo french door blinds in java mahogany for only $5.74 each?! <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFcMKADQv_OQ2eDdpnTjyJK-ktdRL-199iKmwj_4x9BwOp0TUv99ViY81p3MLjOKviUuv7sccgCLIRY3R6ZyYc-SBoU5C4wh2OB-30YKvYqxwI8P-V-YP1vj32w1Bm9ezpBGLdtJEP7h4/s1600/DSC_0318.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFcMKADQv_OQ2eDdpnTjyJK-ktdRL-199iKmwj_4x9BwOp0TUv99ViY81p3MLjOKviUuv7sccgCLIRY3R6ZyYc-SBoU5C4wh2OB-30YKvYqxwI8P-V-YP1vj32w1Bm9ezpBGLdtJEP7h4/s320/DSC_0318.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFcMKADQv_OQ2eDdpnTjyJK-ktdRL-199iKmwj_4x9BwOp0TUv99ViY81p3MLjOKviUuv7sccgCLIRY3R6ZyYc-SBoU5C4wh2OB-30YKvYqxwI8P-V-YP1vj32w1Bm9ezpBGLdtJEP7h4/s1600/DSC_0318.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div>The only problem is we need 27" wide blinds and the ones I bought were a tad too small at 23". At under six bucks each we thought we should hold onto them in case we find a use for them. Although they won't work out on our french doors, we might use one on this door in our sunroom.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDk0zN-0zhoTi63rijKiT9MMulaQwq38OWvzwyFU2khJAE3fpuKPqo7IYug7copPQbvsY9YzOAe2zuV1DVef_lOkeMCkPdKSLwtVmuAjA75DMnD4vT85EaidiXwVJ1yUsqlrNdLj2Eqds/s1600/DSC_0313.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDk0zN-0zhoTi63rijKiT9MMulaQwq38OWvzwyFU2khJAE3fpuKPqo7IYug7copPQbvsY9YzOAe2zuV1DVef_lOkeMCkPdKSLwtVmuAjA75DMnD4vT85EaidiXwVJ1yUsqlrNdLj2Eqds/s400/DSC_0313.JPG" width="267" /></a></div>Amy @ Casa in the Countryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08438588022810766774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2606946831133871224.post-45764483147194646642011-04-11T11:42:00.000-04:002011-04-11T11:42:44.669-04:00New GrillWhat a beautiful weekend - the sun was shining and it actually felt like Spring. We started to make some progress on our nightstands and they should be done this week. We also checked out one of our town's dairy farm's homemade ice cream. It was so good and since it's only down the road, I probably won't be fitting into my skinny jeans much longer! <br />
<br />
With the milder New England weather finally here, we decided we would check out Home Depot and Lowe's for some gas grills. We were just planning on looking, but Lowe's had an amazing deal we couldn't refuse - a Grill Master four burner stainless steel gas grill on sale for $149.99 (originally $199 and the sale ends today, 4/11). <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCgVlgTWk2-uRC-C4AIgW1ld9A4S_ssCIBXIXZDZfS_k_0HTWYFcIG3DnSWaL2N7vdQY8rs0FTG483X6-MgeFMTHsgbfTREYLLoLoMcwrFWgTCLOGEG_3oQ5P3Shnzj_S5utVM2qYCsH0/s1600/grill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCgVlgTWk2-uRC-C4AIgW1ld9A4S_ssCIBXIXZDZfS_k_0HTWYFcIG3DnSWaL2N7vdQY8rs0FTG483X6-MgeFMTHsgbfTREYLLoLoMcwrFWgTCLOGEG_3oQ5P3Shnzj_S5utVM2qYCsH0/s320/grill.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo from <a href="http://www.lowes.com/pd_134489-40307-720-0697_0__?productId=3085713&Ntt=grill+master&pl=1&currentURL=%2Fpl__0__s%3FNtt%3Dgrill%2Bmaster">Lowes.com</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
The box wouldn't fit into Tim's car, so we had to take everything out of the box and hope that it would fit that way - and it just barely did! It's now sitting in our garage waiting to be assembled. We can't wait to use it, especially when we have our family over for Easter!<br />
<br />
If anyone has any great grilling or marinade recipes, I would love it if you let me know!Amy @ Casa in the Countryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08438588022810766774noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2606946831133871224.post-88143977044450139272011-04-08T11:23:00.002-04:002011-04-08T11:25:08.393-04:00Eww...SOMETHING has been trying to get into our house - maybe a squirrel, or quite possibly rodents. Whatever they are, they aren't welcome. Even though I used to have a pet mouse creatively named "Mousey" when I was younger, I really don't want a whole mouse family as pets. When some friends were visiting over the weekend and we were showing them a tour of the house, we noticed that our dryer vents were disconnected and the dryer was venting into the basement, getting lint everywhere. The vent cap was literally in pieces outside as well.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKHlfo34vuHJz5pKiKMRzr9Wpu7xT_1_K0IS0_Afi88ESbfVLzdJRyIrP5mhRff75ZncRdBmwWl59rmK2gPYe_KS3ifBpGu9Ck8Icxqirt_epWzg049psgMn21CyQXKanMAu74Zj38Af0/s1600/DSCN1548.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKHlfo34vuHJz5pKiKMRzr9Wpu7xT_1_K0IS0_Afi88ESbfVLzdJRyIrP5mhRff75ZncRdBmwWl59rmK2gPYe_KS3ifBpGu9Ck8Icxqirt_epWzg049psgMn21CyQXKanMAu74Zj38Af0/s320/DSCN1548.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRT2cNYTjJPZvgJoxsT-GGXZphtU8Ij7CwQB3ZJZr0K_31R9LqzzPzH4yYaWQcSl4ZGegFd9Tb6kUvadBSBnJRwHzB4_4FC3oVb4z2QFsoOZDkvImzcSLa61OK5AiR4d3uZhI5dI03gfM/s1600/DSCN1529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRT2cNYTjJPZvgJoxsT-GGXZphtU8Ij7CwQB3ZJZr0K_31R9LqzzPzH4yYaWQcSl4ZGegFd9Tb6kUvadBSBnJRwHzB4_4FC3oVb4z2QFsoOZDkvImzcSLa61OK5AiR4d3uZhI5dI03gfM/s320/DSCN1529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
After a trip to Lowe's and for less than $4, we had a new vent cap.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2FcVlIZkWj5BKuT61OGLeovNbISx6ZYu30U1VDvrDm2z4iX-q5xd7Vs1Whk_NkYwdyrnx3vRlFLzphT0o1IGvI_fDzzvoMWEvuRZcZ2GVHUPsypgygWwtFJz6ETsuO-aP2ry1t26KoMg/s1600/DSCN1530.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2FcVlIZkWj5BKuT61OGLeovNbISx6ZYu30U1VDvrDm2z4iX-q5xd7Vs1Whk_NkYwdyrnx3vRlFLzphT0o1IGvI_fDzzvoMWEvuRZcZ2GVHUPsypgygWwtFJz6ETsuO-aP2ry1t26KoMg/s320/DSCN1530.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
I began unscrewing the screws and managed to get three off, but the fourth had some larva that had made their home on top of it. Gross. Of course, I waited until Tim got home and made him do the dirty work and in minutes we had our new vent cap in place.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6cqPXckMvQIS08UQfVDbN9yw61Gz6RII2eUpxWYttZCe0EuPGoDDcHcSsLH_-eBkdWSD7rQUp_QgLYgF9dBtuMVUB7lhL4791_HzaIgG5wK49TI17fEFP0CoqjoUkTT8h7eQoZ9Y3eRo/s1600/DSCN1544.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6cqPXckMvQIS08UQfVDbN9yw61Gz6RII2eUpxWYttZCe0EuPGoDDcHcSsLH_-eBkdWSD7rQUp_QgLYgF9dBtuMVUB7lhL4791_HzaIgG5wK49TI17fEFP0CoqjoUkTT8h7eQoZ9Y3eRo/s320/DSCN1544.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFMVqWKLAJ7wm8nkVJC2qpzGAepAFFrMsbdqUvTlrBpMml5pPs2ZkbGHdLk5kMIXYbf49PmAf31xW6zQSirBwnZLAD_0KMVSG2NE2UeDniFjk1IoP9EZaK_Ur3RJ7GZN4CMBG9bSxjxtg/s1600/DSCN1546.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFMVqWKLAJ7wm8nkVJC2qpzGAepAFFrMsbdqUvTlrBpMml5pPs2ZkbGHdLk5kMIXYbf49PmAf31xW6zQSirBwnZLAD_0KMVSG2NE2UeDniFjk1IoP9EZaK_Ur3RJ7GZN4CMBG9bSxjxtg/s320/DSCN1546.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho5bouTvOodl260Jsojfu2iBUnBK0Gm_X0o8tbp75u0Ja1zqsnoZ76zSFoC2tLxc85S5g6X2PMPDmGVe6pCRiGxvZdx5te_QJYm-iW0tm4HneAIaoRPF-mdjDkMUsr8cJtWPKldy0yoDY/s1600/DSCN1547.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho5bouTvOodl260Jsojfu2iBUnBK0Gm_X0o8tbp75u0Ja1zqsnoZ76zSFoC2tLxc85S5g6X2PMPDmGVe6pCRiGxvZdx5te_QJYm-iW0tm4HneAIaoRPF-mdjDkMUsr8cJtWPKldy0yoDY/s320/DSCN1547.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Amy @ Casa in the Countryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08438588022810766774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2606946831133871224.post-54090071003219939752011-04-07T17:57:00.000-04:002011-04-07T17:57:24.274-04:00Finds of the DayWhile driving through the country back roads today, the cutest store ever caught my eye. I had to turn around and check it out. Good thing I did, because I found the most amazing stuff for only $17!!<br />
<br />
I ended up finding a bundle of vintage ribbon for only 6 bucks. It's from an old textile factory that had gone out of business. I'm loving the pattern!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisXcbHy_X64wSSdekXgMED-l8a5mHVAC17CgxN7sAoeUpiuhUmxjVIi5wBpCEdoZuNCvLRcjvt7j1Obtr91ROQ90Fc2tdNo_nvTU5_i1KIVIEdXQbREmToZzYAVLO0e47EtkxcN8WHHkk/s1600/DSCN1538.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisXcbHy_X64wSSdekXgMED-l8a5mHVAC17CgxN7sAoeUpiuhUmxjVIi5wBpCEdoZuNCvLRcjvt7j1Obtr91ROQ90Fc2tdNo_nvTU5_i1KIVIEdXQbREmToZzYAVLO0e47EtkxcN8WHHkk/s400/DSCN1538.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMZYt0VJFWlnNbC96RO7kTXv3cybv5g8HtaNlVNMNsnNH7hXJbAOn8l89PNPsguIRwOu1-BVIuz6Nzc8OwQYY_I4w7J8TpbeIl1Vti58KEpMr8oNmW0S7E0OhspJsb6TtN9QQxT0iZSSA/s1600/DSCN1532.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMZYt0VJFWlnNbC96RO7kTXv3cybv5g8HtaNlVNMNsnNH7hXJbAOn8l89PNPsguIRwOu1-BVIuz6Nzc8OwQYY_I4w7J8TpbeIl1Vti58KEpMr8oNmW0S7E0OhspJsb6TtN9QQxT0iZSSA/s400/DSCN1532.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
And some vintage gray lace for 3 bucks:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf2DiMSHDRWvXw0Mi_oIcrX7Pdfa0o9_HzewXzvCrpb-NHwNX7YUTKSzr57J4LkXhPFCpRLcbtSXEqGwoEpZYvs9VkkThBZddUTI1dbNjKmipq-t1MbxIOP2UH6f_vAmSjPKOAGL-FU40/s1600/DSCN1540.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf2DiMSHDRWvXw0Mi_oIcrX7Pdfa0o9_HzewXzvCrpb-NHwNX7YUTKSzr57J4LkXhPFCpRLcbtSXEqGwoEpZYvs9VkkThBZddUTI1dbNjKmipq-t1MbxIOP2UH6f_vAmSjPKOAGL-FU40/s400/DSCN1540.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<br />
And my favorite, this vintage milk glass creamer and sugar set for only 8 bucks. I LOVE milk glass so I was so excited when I stumbled upon them I could have screamed. We'll probably end up planting some herbs or tiny flowers in them.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVR0NecuEuvOxJ8QfoWSX7m3pK7qKWxJ4i0nOh-IdW0_CSwo-6wQOHvANVmiMA6hK9WbE-Qyqw8PQZupWslM_8k98ka1S8rrRfN2pTrRrROlNQ-BUkXpDgmW8lZGcCUcYzlKjwnriio4k/s1600/DSCN1543.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVR0NecuEuvOxJ8QfoWSX7m3pK7qKWxJ4i0nOh-IdW0_CSwo-6wQOHvANVmiMA6hK9WbE-Qyqw8PQZupWslM_8k98ka1S8rrRfN2pTrRrROlNQ-BUkXpDgmW8lZGcCUcYzlKjwnriio4k/s400/DSCN1543.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Amy @ Casa in the Countryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08438588022810766774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2606946831133871224.post-91134694929911761192011-04-06T12:02:00.009-04:002011-04-13T17:54:28.993-04:00Easy Wine Cork Buttons<div style="text-align: left;">For an upcoming project in the works I wanted to add some buttons, but didn't want to spend any money. So, I figured, why not make them? We had some wine corks floating around so I decided to repurpose them into buttons! </div><br />
You will need:<br />
<ul><li> wine corks </li>
<li>a sharp knife</li>
<li>a cutting board </li>
<li>toothpicks</li>
<li>a pencil (optional)</li>
<li>clear spraypaint(optional)</li>
</ul>Step 1: Carefully use a fairly sharp knife to cut the cork into your desired thickness over a cutting board. Each cork makes roughly 10 buttons. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK-F-UsA7EJOiTjyBAM-Svzr6NMbumJRb3MtfboSnNnKMwGnxtG8plOtoGJcwAOi4OIVwWBP5ikgWLPx-5WrwmclDZI3Up3ZBvsn69Stkmu1UU4rs-Ma7MYCcf-5THTgqPMClpWXbCIZw/s1600/DSC_0240.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK-F-UsA7EJOiTjyBAM-Svzr6NMbumJRb3MtfboSnNnKMwGnxtG8plOtoGJcwAOi4OIVwWBP5ikgWLPx-5WrwmclDZI3Up3ZBvsn69Stkmu1UU4rs-Ma7MYCcf-5THTgqPMClpWXbCIZw/s320/DSC_0240.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhBaOxaryBWxSnJh2QueWTdNmBg5YgZL2_4jWlvlNL9oUs9BLQuJ1FLPMoiNH8y8QF-VJP0yARdN3TTUWJiKBdgDHyFzHKYPLiYOuVbTnx7hgBAkLrieGd4TaUDCs67nEBPSk3BaBYMWw/s1600/DSC_0242.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhBaOxaryBWxSnJh2QueWTdNmBg5YgZL2_4jWlvlNL9oUs9BLQuJ1FLPMoiNH8y8QF-VJP0yARdN3TTUWJiKBdgDHyFzHKYPLiYOuVbTnx7hgBAkLrieGd4TaUDCs67nEBPSk3BaBYMWw/s320/DSC_0242.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
Step 2: Use a toothpick to make button holes in the cork. Pierce the cork with the toothpick and push it through the cork completely. I just eyeballed where I wanted the holes, but you can also use a pencil to mark where you want them.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgACgotQIq4avYaSf4Oxg1DH9f2Y9R5DYQuPmkwwegQBtvXPSgS9oYBftWylxceEtGdv7BdQcrppkg9tCKB7rybSJagNhU2J8IR61vTUHPf0EMNaOkSl8kLmS-n_H4C_5CQhdCqGgnRLUg/s1600/DSCN1515.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgACgotQIq4avYaSf4Oxg1DH9f2Y9R5DYQuPmkwwegQBtvXPSgS9oYBftWylxceEtGdv7BdQcrppkg9tCKB7rybSJagNhU2J8IR61vTUHPf0EMNaOkSl8kLmS-n_H4C_5CQhdCqGgnRLUg/s320/DSCN1515.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
Step 3: To make sure the cork holes stay wide, keep some toothpicks in the holes for a few minutes.<br />
<br />
Step 4: This step is optional, but to seal the cork and for a slightly glossy finish, spray a coat of clear spraypaint on your buttons while keeping the toothpicks in the buttons. <br />
<br />
Here they are all finished without spraypaint:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3891Zx6dR2LPS518Rvbv0PYRUL1mCvnUWiG3MWEAw21L9iTvX8vmhM2dN7jEeIo-t3Ghgs0hDVguud4n2rmjkdeAeKvtKCbg5xqiGcogihXRK7IU2K05o1Yo-J0hS2nhL_EXT9JGeys8/s1600/DSCN1527.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3891Zx6dR2LPS518Rvbv0PYRUL1mCvnUWiG3MWEAw21L9iTvX8vmhM2dN7jEeIo-t3Ghgs0hDVguud4n2rmjkdeAeKvtKCbg5xqiGcogihXRK7IU2K05o1Yo-J0hS2nhL_EXT9JGeys8/s320/DSCN1527.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuF072kLJr6J3W30mrrEQ4faL2HHrjtJwuLxSE9bG8E3kwg3mZCViROR61afDljj0kijYCfQ5i2kpsHXgD2nrlyUud-ZqS7gw2j9dtXA2VWBOS-m-Pcmuxfmp49nKHSh-Dq_E_Gth-xYw/s1600/DSCN1528.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuF072kLJr6J3W30mrrEQ4faL2HHrjtJwuLxSE9bG8E3kwg3mZCViROR61afDljj0kijYCfQ5i2kpsHXgD2nrlyUud-ZqS7gw2j9dtXA2VWBOS-m-Pcmuxfmp49nKHSh-Dq_E_Gth-xYw/s320/DSCN1528.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Linked at:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/2011/04/before-and-after-party-one-of-my.html">Before and After Party: A Favorite! </a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<center><a href="http://thefrugalgirls.com/category/chic-and-crafty"><img border="0" src="http://i617.photobucket.com/albums/tt258/frugalgirls/ChicandCraftyButton-2.png" /></a></center><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://tipjunkie.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="Tip Junkie handmade projects" border="0" src="http://www.tipjunkie.com/images/TipMeTuesdayButton1.png" /></a></div><br />
<center><a href="http://www.mygirlishwhims.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y77/Becca187/YWWsnip.jpg"/></a></center>Amy @ Casa in the Countryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08438588022810766774noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2606946831133871224.post-70602301421482413862011-04-05T12:46:00.004-04:002011-04-05T13:04:58.960-04:00Refinished: Tree Stump TableWe love refinishing what we have. Remember <a href="http://casainthecountry.blogspot.com/2011/03/bringing-outdoors-in.html">this</a> forgotten 60's tree stump table with the poly chipping off? All it took was a little patience sanding it down with the hand sander, one coat of Minwax stain in Dark Walnut, and a thin coat of poly. I also reinforced the branch legs by adding a little carpenters glue. Here's the finished product:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju0i0sS_Vzey3GXDTjEyJ8eGhGxnCB4D6W4aZNysHWYG7BpLGLkdTzfp2XcoSPWvcfcvB802fEZN9_UZGdZXsm738eKSVdtG9mGWryCirySVNblLiYSI8bCuRQm1zxi-JAIUHfa6kD5hw/s1600/DSC_0226.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju0i0sS_Vzey3GXDTjEyJ8eGhGxnCB4D6W4aZNysHWYG7BpLGLkdTzfp2XcoSPWvcfcvB802fEZN9_UZGdZXsm738eKSVdtG9mGWryCirySVNblLiYSI8bCuRQm1zxi-JAIUHfa6kD5hw/s320/DSC_0226.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jessie aka "Curious Georgette" checking it out</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQEyuM-yetxsaMa8aJGcWzgKzab_Gfp7xihCGpWYSIXo_0lywrYcMICTK1swCsm0_B5XurkuDLD_H3i4UyCFvOPowws6ZH3m8BysfXvVZsfg1Tljyv0UQQ1bcxsArO1N5VpXQeBaz5myc/s1600/DSC_0232.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQEyuM-yetxsaMa8aJGcWzgKzab_Gfp7xihCGpWYSIXo_0lywrYcMICTK1swCsm0_B5XurkuDLD_H3i4UyCFvOPowws6ZH3m8BysfXvVZsfg1Tljyv0UQQ1bcxsArO1N5VpXQeBaz5myc/s320/DSC_0232.JPG" width="214" /></a></div>Amy @ Casa in the Countryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08438588022810766774noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2606946831133871224.post-87934911557401204362011-04-02T22:45:00.013-04:002011-04-04T16:36:33.557-04:00Project OfficeWhile Amy was at work I decided to clean up and organize our office. The office has been the room where we dumped a lot of our miscellaneous boxes and things that didn't fit anywhere else in the house. I moved everything that we don't need on a daily basis (pretty much everything) into storage, and set up the room with our computer, desk and bookshelf.<br /><br />Here's some pictures of what it looked like before I organized it (Notice our cat Jessie "helping" and the screen. I had to take the screen off to climb through the window to try and get rid of all our accumulated snow after one of our major snowstorms and was literally hanging on the roof):<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidODwm9y0Sw9n1XbifIa6Uj-jzWulKgDTAcC739pCRW0U971E1w4h6wY6lBL4j9R0GALUvAvw14t6A54jUiymP79V8FryLcCPNGGStqg54bwy8CHg0MoZhZU-6Z1VV0ZE67ZkLnOzqRBQ/s1600/DSCN1495.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidODwm9y0Sw9n1XbifIa6Uj-jzWulKgDTAcC739pCRW0U971E1w4h6wY6lBL4j9R0GALUvAvw14t6A54jUiymP79V8FryLcCPNGGStqg54bwy8CHg0MoZhZU-6Z1VV0ZE67ZkLnOzqRBQ/s320/DSCN1495.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591824702752830898" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb5v9-3e6C8cSBxjYC2tTmygXQezohzriQJ0CHcIrx2p3_v_Ak0uOep7X2NUFGtveL1rrWtWNJ6fCtlO_Vz9cQpkUq9ly60bnv37QD_S3iAskQzSPY3fD1n6pRbtlva0jMeAG69l6gbGw/s1600/DSCN1489.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb5v9-3e6C8cSBxjYC2tTmygXQezohzriQJ0CHcIrx2p3_v_Ak0uOep7X2NUFGtveL1rrWtWNJ6fCtlO_Vz9cQpkUq9ly60bnv37QD_S3iAskQzSPY3fD1n6pRbtlva0jMeAG69l6gbGw/s320/DSCN1489.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591823718258031634" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="font-family: times new roman;" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv1XwSPah08SjeYLuS_s544WAIEisU1n8hrPg1T43IBmiunJqkai4-JQDZiBxS-mTkxzqwWoZ-H9jWlgwyR1Zx27NjrYtQdvf5_A72EM7lvgqE_8xj44PiZs3BrjQ6h_iZmKFVJ-t1pw4/s1600/DSCN1495.JPG"><br /></a>It's not a huge makeover, but it turned out pretty well - very clean and organized. Someday we'd like to replace the flooring with hardwood and put a fresh coat of paint up, but for now we're happy with the end result!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrqC6Sqa33ENhFDKzuXNus38ctIWyqnGYoNMA_SzhfmydTHkiGXNDx60qk9gI2sVyXRdC9u2-zh2sjmDIK82OhAFPFEppL2MQGkErPpQnsQJnOCsPp36JaVuXDOWEKgYlM32mfqBxlAbs/s1600/DSC_0224.JPG"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiguvPW9Vm3NuAmnEhbQ7QfDA-moOxZ5av_VYZAVfmEgMQev9YKvpAKtI2ej9dUrtD6pVhzMQ5X2_goZbsNs9I-XhQE8kyuuU71fL0PMWB7ZcyXEmnyRx8PVXDD715jhOpxbMzk1UoSg4c/s1600/DSCN1498.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiguvPW9Vm3NuAmnEhbQ7QfDA-moOxZ5av_VYZAVfmEgMQev9YKvpAKtI2ej9dUrtD6pVhzMQ5X2_goZbsNs9I-XhQE8kyuuU71fL0PMWB7ZcyXEmnyRx8PVXDD715jhOpxbMzk1UoSg4c/s320/DSCN1498.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591827668368130674" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw_GlLTFjQMy1_WXjo14cTXhObLc3y6eBLHQRoS8zbMjAKkwFn2Vrv0gjmtbPaJfh-w-xnm9XCwjGSkZGWzTuTqaFdyxTwrBAB0tdkdMb3WGDd6C8-YlYDNO770R3InODLZrCts_aUXj4/s1600/DSC_0223.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw_GlLTFjQMy1_WXjo14cTXhObLc3y6eBLHQRoS8zbMjAKkwFn2Vrv0gjmtbPaJfh-w-xnm9XCwjGSkZGWzTuTqaFdyxTwrBAB0tdkdMb3WGDd6C8-YlYDNO770R3InODLZrCts_aUXj4/s320/DSC_0223.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591828671534657010" border="0" /></a>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00979975997236636779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2606946831133871224.post-17982256050115920812011-04-01T15:00:00.000-04:002011-04-01T15:00:08.988-04:00Bedroom Progress: Little by LittleThis past weekend we finally finished painting our walls Benjamin Moore's 'American White.' After painting our first room ever, we can now officially say this: we. realllllly. hate. painting. I was in charge of putting painter's tape around the trim and baseboards, along with edging in, while Tim used the roller. End result? We absolutely love the color and can't wait to paint our other rooms even though it's not our favorite thing to do. <br />
<br />
We left our trim and baseboards unpainted although they would look amazing painted a nice, crisp white next to our light gray walls. The only problem is our whole house's trim and baseboards are unpainted so we don't want to break the consistency. So, instead, we decided that we're going to hang some thick cotton white curtains. We found some inexpensive 84" curtains at good ole' Target in 'sailcloth white' (only 18.99 for two panels!) that will look amazing when we finally get around to hanging them. <br />
<br />
There was one tiny snag in the painting process. Prepping and painting a room is really simple right? So what could possibly go wrong? Before we painted, we applied spackle, let it dry, and then started sanding. Mid-sanding job, Tim read the spackle label. It basically said it may cause cancer and to wear a mask. Most people probably wouldn't think twice about reading the label, because spackling is pretty straightforward, right? At this point we were maskless and the dust was everywhere. With a little research, Tim also discovered that spackle dust can clog vacuums and most vacuum warranties do not cover this. We love our yellow Mr. Dyson, so we went out to Home Depot to buy a shop vac. We went with a Rigid 14 gallon and bought a small particle catching bag so the fine spackle dust wouldn't be blown around the room by the exhaust.<br />
<br />
<b>Tip</b>: To save yourself from inhaling potentially hazardous dust and a messy clean-up, don't use sandpaper. Instead, take a damp sponge and gently rub the spackled area that needs to be smoothed out.<br />
<br />
Before shot: <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrsprtl3YPM6y0ywWO66GTEVQOgN4o5HA23EW2obEq4O05UsDsljQBzDSGK6heGXgFdolnUJODhuu7WFQhSaHbPLczEQMw7KcWq87GS-TtoQxP9P6I_Qv9O04Y4sV_uz9sOvumFdEfPI/s1600/DSCN1344.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrsprtl3YPM6y0ywWO66GTEVQOgN4o5HA23EW2obEq4O05UsDsljQBzDSGK6heGXgFdolnUJODhuu7WFQhSaHbPLczEQMw7KcWq87GS-TtoQxP9P6I_Qv9O04Y4sV_uz9sOvumFdEfPI/s320/DSCN1344.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
Progress shot:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlpOZBId4na1kPEz76Yt3pJsKX1y7aSuIDR_6LazHsoWZkNgBLlyCvL27EjWnXu8LPDwLfj8wSSIStXmz_SRlw7yxwwYUg7GThjklcwAxEKpnKv4pyiNC4ZsPyFtifb5VT6qq9t8bo7ic/s1600/DSC_0216.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlpOZBId4na1kPEz76Yt3pJsKX1y7aSuIDR_6LazHsoWZkNgBLlyCvL27EjWnXu8LPDwLfj8wSSIStXmz_SRlw7yxwwYUg7GThjklcwAxEKpnKv4pyiNC4ZsPyFtifb5VT6qq9t8bo7ic/s320/DSC_0216.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRimSJuFchtdJtJee3wG4HH6ub_fcfXtGFdofYoJTVPWhG-l_YUezzPEmZfccidZwCxkVuagvtF4iu2DG18tLyXBDMjCFLg7IY-yDE1xJ9ZKLdeBJKqJ2NGf5p4BhDWk9gDO3ovumdyDs/s1600/DSC_0218.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRimSJuFchtdJtJee3wG4HH6ub_fcfXtGFdofYoJTVPWhG-l_YUezzPEmZfccidZwCxkVuagvtF4iu2DG18tLyXBDMjCFLg7IY-yDE1xJ9ZKLdeBJKqJ2NGf5p4BhDWk9gDO3ovumdyDs/s320/DSC_0218.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our walls can sometimes look a little white because they're a very light shade of gray, but up against a white piece of furniture you can see their true color.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
We still need to refinish our thrift store nightstands, hang curtains, and get some accent pillows for the bed, but it's coming together!Amy @ Casa in the Countryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08438588022810766774noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2606946831133871224.post-34758676574414898372011-03-29T13:23:00.008-04:002011-03-31T21:16:16.251-04:00Our Three Dollar Table MakeoverI scored this $3 table in need of lots of TLC a little while ago and couldn't pass it up.This is what it looked like when I brought it home:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKqRuLLKqd2rRhxWW3itU8xQRB00l5RC8l3Ox_0mD__nstCbfJMMV0Zj2R93S0FaSkmkzrKFxxLz7vl2myK71dEXDQCb-tkX2ltmZ7qUXjCgqe4JGdUusm3ndHMsYnUFIVL_u8tgzJE8M/s320/DSCN1433.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="239" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKqRuLLKqd2rRhxWW3itU8xQRB00l5RC8l3Ox_0mD__nstCbfJMMV0Zj2R93S0FaSkmkzrKFxxLz7vl2myK71dEXDQCb-tkX2ltmZ7qUXjCgqe4JGdUusm3ndHMsYnUFIVL_u8tgzJE8M/s1600/DSCN1433.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">While sanding I discovered that the laminate layer on the top of the table was falling apart and missing some pieces, so I broke out some wood filler and went to town. Then, I sanded it down and spraypainted a couple coats of Valspar's Exotic Sea in gloss. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVDGT_1uFZkckHgNOnPkCv-8r8r_bK9DJhpxNb-9KsNQFMJnBHcgW_EKfoEB1Znvi6GnAJRNUsP3l8F68C8H-9vgAyLAN0_wV-6dQUFBebMlkW2a6aSIbKkz35gLJxy6rdnu04VKRGLV0/s1600/DSCN1440.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVDGT_1uFZkckHgNOnPkCv-8r8r_bK9DJhpxNb-9KsNQFMJnBHcgW_EKfoEB1Znvi6GnAJRNUsP3l8F68C8H-9vgAyLAN0_wV-6dQUFBebMlkW2a6aSIbKkz35gLJxy6rdnu04VKRGLV0/s320/DSCN1440.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I wanted to do a patterned design on top of the table, but couldn't find any stencils I liked so I used cardstock with a cut out design. I taped it to the top of the table with Scotch blue painter's tape and used a random yellow can of spraypaint we found in the garage when we moved in. I also taped around the perimeter of the table below the cardstock to catch any stray spraypaint. If you're doing two coats of spraypaint like I did, leave the stencil on after the first coat and allow it to dry. Try not to peek because the stencil will move and it's tough to get the stencil back to it's exact place for the next coat when the paint's wet. And don't worry if it doesn't come out perfect because it probably won't! After one coat of yellow spraypaint, I lifted up the stencil to see how it turned out, so I had to completely take off the stencil, wait until the spraypaint had dried, then had to match it up as best I could for the next coat of spraypaint.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKNmKVDUUKs38Iibo-M5lv7XzORSQsNRgvB4IIjs7Mvz6Vh9npaFKJs9jKJ6WO8ky2DJnvSkdDT2qMjwvu4NCrt15JsBB0UPCuJUqqL_2GZx7CdojWoGk4EXvITCIDGwYZmOl7SOECvMA/s1600/DSCN1473.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKNmKVDUUKs38Iibo-M5lv7XzORSQsNRgvB4IIjs7Mvz6Vh9npaFKJs9jKJ6WO8ky2DJnvSkdDT2qMjwvu4NCrt15JsBB0UPCuJUqqL_2GZx7CdojWoGk4EXvITCIDGwYZmOl7SOECvMA/s320/DSCN1473.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After searching four different stores for one cute and colorful knob with no avail, I spraypainted the existing knob with my yellow spraypaint.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi21xwQe8G-pKdzxhOpNhh4rD3dfeWInKdtEEamBIIvhhA7duEfIji-vHALrd8zLBDv7Ngu3K7DXn2FmnSn6L4Nx2VS-WYgYAAk9bMlNva3lVclks6WMalBIsNsTxUtb06KetdCzwcsebY/s1600/DSCN1479.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi21xwQe8G-pKdzxhOpNhh4rD3dfeWInKdtEEamBIIvhhA7duEfIji-vHALrd8zLBDv7Ngu3K7DXn2FmnSn6L4Nx2VS-WYgYAAk9bMlNva3lVclks6WMalBIsNsTxUtb06KetdCzwcsebY/s320/DSCN1479.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Voila! Isn't it cute? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0nFKtnlUN5I_p3awYWmLjWNbbsuwCMM1nUfRQHSugOegrsc9NnqZJNOnb1vypvwcoOwcR9Kyc_U33UMFtZ8c3yOoAvLRkd91bdJBNpzR5dYtiRUvFzqO2veKmxwRDIgsKJFGM318WGK0/s1600/DSC_0209.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0nFKtnlUN5I_p3awYWmLjWNbbsuwCMM1nUfRQHSugOegrsc9NnqZJNOnb1vypvwcoOwcR9Kyc_U33UMFtZ8c3yOoAvLRkd91bdJBNpzR5dYtiRUvFzqO2veKmxwRDIgsKJFGM318WGK0/s320/DSC_0209.JPG" width="214" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkvIvOSeiYcKPBtRctajfA8KEiMVhmPAUR6jVhEKyLdTO1uxgBd1BDYH4GJiyUX7dxdLBnv53EqbQN_eJJFYx93swPmrnCHhcxWQjIKyPTQEcMbXVi4D8HJcyJQPenf-YaWqL3LY-XnGU/s1600/DSCN1478.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkvIvOSeiYcKPBtRctajfA8KEiMVhmPAUR6jVhEKyLdTO1uxgBd1BDYH4GJiyUX7dxdLBnv53EqbQN_eJJFYx93swPmrnCHhcxWQjIKyPTQEcMbXVi4D8HJcyJQPenf-YaWqL3LY-XnGU/s320/DSCN1478.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoxYZh99cTSQqkRwbIVodd2OY6-l5l_hLCcdt7y_XhE59f6NHX3iAPzQvFAFFKYpTkIck0X0fu6f6f3sARnv4R9JJs6bgpHUIyRTF_kHs12EAlVzokjwqs_BuL6pQbaLEQRhdUnCdSQWw/s1600/DSCN1477.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoxYZh99cTSQqkRwbIVodd2OY6-l5l_hLCcdt7y_XhE59f6NHX3iAPzQvFAFFKYpTkIck0X0fu6f6f3sARnv4R9JJs6bgpHUIyRTF_kHs12EAlVzokjwqs_BuL6pQbaLEQRhdUnCdSQWw/s320/DSCN1477.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitSV_zgLfvrogrtrNn9jBNdJMDRraJMWewouDxGJj1UNH-osCRhswF9kbQHqJxLY5QKT5fZdZYURSwggPx98AUZYNrN10DLw1bEz-dVUNTC70KpmQOgIAKlvBNhstrxls64n4H4gJuHFY/s1600/DSCN1481.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitSV_zgLfvrogrtrNn9jBNdJMDRraJMWewouDxGJj1UNH-osCRhswF9kbQHqJxLY5QKT5fZdZYURSwggPx98AUZYNrN10DLw1bEz-dVUNTC70KpmQOgIAKlvBNhstrxls64n4H4gJuHFY/s320/DSCN1481.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Total Cost: $7</b></div><ul><li>Table: $3</li>
<li>Valspar spraypaint: $3</li>
<li>Cardstock w/ cutout design: $1</li>
</ul><br />
Linked up at:<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<center><a href="http://www.beneathmyheart.net/2011/03/best-diy-projects-of-march-linky-party/"><img border="0" src="http://i994.photobucket.com/albums/af61/beneathmyheart/best125_0000s_0004_best-DIY-projects-of-March.png" /></a></center><br />
<ul></ul>Amy @ Casa in the Countryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08438588022810766774noreply@blogger.com5