Halloween Candelabra

I have been keeping my eye out for an old brass candelabra and happen to come across one at a yard sale.

As a teenager and young adult, I loved old haunted mansion horror movies like ones starring actor Vincent Price. 

Those old movies always seemed to have a woman in a long flowing gown, descending a huge staircase at night, holding a candelabra!

I still love fall, Halloween, pumpkins, and a good scary movie.

When I came across this old brass candelabra at a sale in Michigan, it was the end of the day and they took $1.00 for it.  I knew with a facelift, it would work great for our annual fall party!

Upcycled Chalkboard Signs

OK, so yeah, I'm a trash picker.  I will definitely stop along the road if there is something in someone's trash that I think I can repurpose. And that's where I picked up the kitchen cabinet drawers to make these: Vintage Display Shelves,

and where I scored the wood for these Chalkboard signs!

These chalkboard signs are actually the ends or sides of kitchen cabinets. The cabinets already had this old, flaky grayish-blue paint, which really gives them a great vintage weathered look.

But you could also use an old heavy picture frame or mirror. Heavy because you don't want the wind to blow the signs over.

Building a Greenhouse (Part One)

A greenhouse has always been on my list of things I want to help with gardening.  

When we lived in the burgs (city) our house had a 3 seasons room (sometimes called a Florida Room in this area), which was the closest to owning a greenhouse I have been.  

Because of all those windows it was easier to get my seeds going in early spring.  Having an actual greenhouse will give me a head start on planting and will also extend my growing periods. 

How a greenhouse works is simple. Sun streams through the windows and warms the surfaces inside. The glass or glazed panels trap the heat, keeping the temperature inside the greenhouse warmer than outside. 

Because the sun is key, it is best to build the greenhouse on the south – southeast side of the house and away from the shadow of other structures or large trees.

Easy Shelves You Can Build Yourself

Easy Shelf Design For Multiple Use

Recently I finished painting my newest pantry shelves. The shelves were a combination of new and used wood.
When we purchased our small farm the kitchen had a 3’ by 4’ pantry closet, (with 6 inch wide shelves, ugh) and later I converted another closet for more pantry space.  But last year we did a complete kitchen remodel, going down to bare studs so I had to build a new pantry.

I use a pretty basic shelf design which can change slightly depending on the character or purpose of the shelving.  

Storage shelves are more rustic and not always “perfect”. 

Book shelves get a little added trim and detail work and are put together with better wood and more attention to ascetics.

Milking Stand / Stanchion

Building a Stanchion or Milking Stand.
Our goddaughter Shelby and her husband Dave gave us three baby goats last November.

Miss Claudia Milk Mouth, Gretel Buckleberry and Fetus

They are now grown and my youngest goat, the beautiful Miss Claudia Milk Mouth is going to have a baby!

We’re in the middle of a kitchen remodel along with all the other zillion chores around the farm so I just haven’t gotten around to building a milking stand. 
A milking stand is used to immobile a goat for milking and for hoof trimming and vet visits.  The same type of stand can also be used for sheep and sheep sheering.

Hillside Sidewalk and Stairs

We have a slope on one end of our ranch style home.  Our garage is under the dining room on that end of the house.

There wasn't a patio here when we purchased our house 2 years ago.   And no walk from the back door down to the garage.

Nothing but a worn path through the grass, which has mostly turned into DIRT.  Ugh!

Last year we had a stamped concrete patio installed, but that still did not solve the problem of a walk and stairs down to the garage.

A couple months ago my son called from a construction job site where he was working so I could salvage the large 6 x 6 x 10 pressure treated beams from a playground being torn up.

Salvaging Barn Wood

Our Mud Room Is Born:
We sold our subdivision home in the city in June 2011 and purchased our small farm in August, 2011.
But even before we closed the deal, my husband Bill was on the look out,  collecting things for our little farm.

One day, while driving by our not-yet-house just to look at it again, (we did that often) Bill happened upon a yard sale. 
What's really strange about that is, he usually doesn't stop at yard sales.  Me?  I will wear the brakes out, screeching to a halt for a yard sale!
That day he found and purchased a load of old barn wood.  Enough to fill the bed of our pickup truck.
We didn't know what we would use it for at the new house, but he said he just could not pass up all that weathered wood for only $25.00 .
After purchasing our little farm, Bill decided to use the barn wood on one wall in our lower level family room (The Man Cave).