Life on an artistic shoestring at Highland Hill::: August 2008

Fun with letters

Click here to play with these letter photos--it's so fun!

Sweet daughter painted these for our growing art collection. Who would guess that these were discarded satellite dishes? I wanted to take a pic before they were varnished because it's hard to get a good pic with a reflective surface. Above the armoire is another T2T project. The curly wood is from a bentwood rocker. Wrapped around that are copper piping, rocks hanging from brown twine and glass fishing balls. The wire sculpture is made from a single roll of hardware cloth and cut into 6 small panels to form each individual cube. Then all wired together.

Caramel colored pantry door with appliqués

I've been thinking a lot about doors lately. (I'm strange in that way) and want to paint them something other than white. Here is the kitchen pantry door that used to be white and I painted it to a caramel color, applied antiquing glaze and added wood appliqués. The treatment really gives it character and charm, no?

T2T Chandy

Have some fun with an old chandy by repainting and gluing tea cups to the candle holders. Some vintage, embroidered napkins are tucked into the cups and crystals, tied with satin ribbons, are dangled from the arms. Black and white toile material covers the chain.

Impossibly Easy Coconut Pie

Today's dessert is from a recipe by Bisquick. It's yummy and quick.

1/2 cup Bisquick mix
2 cups milk
1 cup coconut, flaked or shredded
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
4 eggs

Heat oven to 350. Grease a 9" pie pan.
Stir all ingredients and pour into pan.
Bake for about 1 hour.
Cover and refrigerate any remaining pie.

And this is the result of accidentally getting rid of 2 non-matching beaters. Looks like I found the other set?

Unique picture hanger

The small details in a room are always the finishing touch that makes the design cohesive. The details are a good place to add your personality and whimsy. Here, brass bin label holders are placed upside-down and used as picture hangers. This is repeated with the 3 vertically stacked prints on this wall and on a larger print on the neighboring wall.

Glass ornaments for window treatment

An ornament this pretty should be displayed all year-long. Getting six at Michaels during their after Christmas sale for only $1 each was my special gift to myself. (They were originally $10 a piece!) What a bargain - and I didn't want to put these away for the rest of the year! I love the combination of the veined, green glass and white satin ribbon. These are perfect for the guest bedroom.

Entry closet not for coats anymore

The entry closet is a joke. It would fit maybe 4 coats, top. The house designer must have smirked when he drew this into the plans. Since it was really no good for stuffing winter outfits in it, I'm using it as an additional pantry for my bowls and lids. These are the kind that we use everyday, but they were falling everywhere off the shelves in the food pantry.

This is also a good place for those dang, big bar-b-q utensils that seem to always be either in the way or to disappear when you 're needing them.

Furniture should work for its keep

I am thrilled to pieces! Hubby put in some wooden shelves today in my vintage armoire and now I can use it to store my kitchen appliances. I have a teeny tiny kitchen with almost no storage cabinets. This happens to be in my foyer, next to the kitchen and it will work fine. I'll be covering the shelves with paper and getting my stuff organized and I feel great about this! I love to be organized and maybe other wives would like roses.....but give me a handy hubby any day!

Americana Window

I painted this to put on the garage wall next to my kitchen door. The old window came from a stash in mom's barn. I prefer the 13 star design, though there are many ways to display the stars, and not any "correct" way.

Fantasy landscape on canvas

I painted these in a way that could be hung all 4 across or in an arrangement like the above. Sometimes, it's fun just to let the imagination take over and go with the flow - wherever that takes you. To have fun with a photo, like I just did above, go to: http://www.dumpr.net/

Did a cat toy inspire Crocs?

Couldn't resist this photo op - and the neat thing is that it wasn't posed. The cats rolled the ball to my shoes. I hadn't noticed how many things in the universe have holes. I'll save that concept for another post - just a little teaser - I know you can't wait! Ha!

ladder book shelf

Tonight I was looking at that blank space behind this chair. Hmmm. Got that painted ladder out of the garage, (a curbside treasure, which I cut in half) grabbed some vintage books with interesting fronts - instant cozy library. And do you see that I've got a cushion made to match the ottoman now? Fabrics can help transform a room to get you the look you want - affordably. And I love a great look on a tiny budget!

That's W. Shakespeare's signature on the book below. Great writer, but not so great penmanship?