Finally Finished!

I finally finished up some of the projects I was working on.  You got a sneak peak of some of the materials in last week's post here.  You can definitely see the results of my picture taking spree in San Francisco.  For these creations, some of which may end up in my Etsy shop, I've used two of my favorite photographs. One is of the Golden Gate Bridge and the other is of an architectural corbel found on one of the many beautiful old buildings as we walked down California Street.

Tuesday's Treasury List ~ Headed to Norway!

It seems I keep living vicariously through my children's travels. I am so happy they have opportunities to see the world and to work in amazing, faraway places. I just miss them so darn much! For today's Treasury List, I've chosen Etsy creations with the common them of Norway. My son is growing to love this beautiful country. I can certainly understand why. Have you ever been to Norway? Was it as beautiful as these creations lead us to believe? I hope you enjoy this Treasury and the thoughts of traveling to faraway places....

'Headed to Norway!' by hartleyrowe

It seems all my Treasury Lists lately have had to do with travels to faraway places. This week I've chosen Norway because my son is there now visiting his girlfriend before he continues on to Cairo (next week's Tuesday Treasury?).

Tuesday's Treasury List - A Farewell to Madrid

I found these beautiful Madrid creations while "window shopping" at Etsy.com. I thought I would create this treasury list in celebration of our daughter's homecoming from studying abroad. She loved Madrid!

'A Farewell to Madrid' by hartleyrowe

My daughter is heading home on Thursday. She's saying goodbye to Madrid, Spain, her home for the past four months. She made great friends and had great adventures as she studied abroad. I'm so happy she had this experience....

Treasury tool by StylishHome.

Corbel Close-Up

I've been trying to decide what to do with several photos I took of architectural elements during our last trip to San Francisco.  I finally got to work today to try a new project.  Here is a picture of the first one in a series I have planned.  This is one of my favorite pictures of the elements I took; one of a corbel.  I love corbels and how they've been used in architecture over the ages.  Sometimes  referred to as brackets or cornices, the name's not important, but the beauty is.

I printed the photograph onto regular printer paper and adhered it to three sanded and painted pallet boards.  I used ModPodge and black acrylic paint.  You can see the steps in the picture below.

I had originally thought I would  frame the picture with smaller strips on the front, but  I decided to keep the front flat with the photo being the focal point.

The boards are held together by another pallet board that I split and nailed as braces from the back.  I then attached a saw tooth picture hanger on the back.

                     

It now hangs near our door leading out to our garage.  It will remind us of our visit to San Francisco to visit our son every time we leave the house.   You can read more about the pictures I took on our trip here.  It's my blog post about one of my favorite online photo editing programs....Picasa 3.

I hope this project gives you some ideas for ones of your own.  Please let me know if you have any questions...or suggestions for making this project even better.

Thank you!

~ Alison

This post was linked up at:

The Boogie Board Cottage
Thrifty Decor Chick
Home Stories A to Z

Memories Framed.....

My family says that I love all things vintage. This is true, but I especially love all things vintage if they have a family connection. I've been on a quest this year to try to display, while preserving, some of the old photographs I have of family members. There are so many of my parents, grandparents, and even my great-grandparents. I want to display more of them so my children will be able to feel a connection to the faces in those photographs.

I set out one day to try to find an old vintage frame that I could turn into a bulletin board.  I found the perfect frame at a thrift shop during and afternoon of thrifting with my husband. It cost $3.00! Here's a picture of the frame before I sanded and re-painted it.

It was really a very easy project.  The finish was in decent shape, it just needed to be cleaned up a bit.  Then,  of course, I  had to paint it.  I paint most all things I find I thrift stores and flea markets.  My rule of thumb is if it's a family heirloom, I never paint it.  I want to maintain the same patina that has been with the piece throughout the years.  However, if the piece is "new to me", but still vintage, I love to add a new and fresh finish if needed.  So, the frame got a coat of black paint, followed by a generous sanding, to make sure it looked old again. (My husband just shakes his head when I do this.)

Here's the bulletin board all finished.  I had the fabric, batting and ribbon on hand, and stopped by Michael's to pick up a piece of form core to use as the base.

The pictures displayed are of my grandparents cooking in the kitchen along with a handwritten recipe from my grandmother.  There is also a picture of my mother with my aunt and  uncle.  The two pictures at the bottom are of my grandfather in World War I in France and my uncle in World War II.  I've blogged about my uncle and aunt in "A Vintage Love"  here before.  Click the title if you'd like to read it again.

I love the end result.  We have it displayed in a small hallway off our foyer that leads to our son's bedroom/guestroom and bath.  There are no windows at all, so I can be assured our photographs aren't being exposed to sunlight.  

I have plans to make another bulletin board like this again soon.  Goodness knows I need several to display all the family photos and papers we have.  There just never seems to be enough hours in a day.........

A Dining Room By Any Other Name is a.....Workshop

How often each year do we really share a meal in our formal dining rooms?  For some of us, we may never dine in our dining room.  Sure it looks beautiful and is situated in a prominent place in our homes as if to welcome everyone around the table. But the truth is, we bypass it almost every day to opt to sit at our kitchen table. For us, that kitchen table is the hub of the house.  We're around it for breakfast and dinner and sometimes even for lunch.  We've had lighthearted conversations around it and we've had heated debates.  But, we always know it is a sacred spot where we will have a wonderful dinner and ample opportunity to participate in family discussions.  Can you tell, I love my kitchen table.


The truth is, I love my dining room table too.  I don't mean to neglect it; it was once our kitchen table.  Two of my favorite homes we have lived in (as you may remember, we moved many times with the Navy) did not even have dining rooms.  We had one table and that was certainly enough.  But since we bought our farm kitchen table eight years ago, our old kitchen table had been relegated to the dining room.  Some would think that was a promotion!   Moving up to the dining room!   No, that is not the case.  The old kitchen table sat in a room where no one pulled up a chair for a meal, except for a large gathering or celebration.  


Well, I am  happy to report that the old kitchen table/now dining room table has a new life!  In addition to the fork marks scratched into the surface by one second oldest son (then age one, now age 23), it now holds drying racks, waxed paper for surface protection, and containers of paint brushes and sandpaper.  The table is the most important piece in my new workshop!  I am so happy to bring it life again.  The fact is, we now have two tables in our dining room.  One is my planning desk, (you saw it in an earlier post after I painted it) and the other is this newly re-purposed work table.  You can see a glimpse of the table top in the photo above.  It is solid oak and will last forever. We bought it in 1989 after losing our first table in a move.
That's another story for another blog post!  


On the table you can catch a glimpse of some of the items I've been making to list in the Hartley Rowe Etsy Shop, which opens on July 8th.  I must admit, I love working in that room now.  It still resembles a dining room, but in its current chaotic state, I am having a blast.  I am so glad we decided to give the room a new sense of purpose and am elated I am not banished to the garage to do all my creating.  This afternoon, my daughter was cooking brownies in the kitchen while our youngest was upstairs playing his guitar.  I was right in between the two, painting away, and loving life.  It is so amazing what a warm, comfortable room can do for your state of mind. Everywhere I look, I see old familiar objects.  There is an old chest of drawers from my grandmother, that once served as a buffet that now houses old photographs and supplies.  The old, wonderfully worn stool that my grandfather made that has followed us all over the world is sitting in a corner with a basket of books on top.  Leaning against the stool are several old shutters I bought at a terrific flea market.  I am thinking of turning them into bulletin boards, but they look so great propped against the old stool,  I may just leave them there.  


I hope our table is happy and that the room is enjoying being used.  I am certainly enjoying its new lease on life.  I just regret taking so long to realize this was the perfect room for a purpose other than dining. We need to think outside the box (or should I say, room) when it comes to finding purpose for our spaces.  So, do not be afraid to dust off your dining room table and get out your work gloves, or your computer;  or even dust off your sewing machine.  I hope you find out what your dining room is just waiting to become.