Weathered wood.

I love the look of weathered wood in a white room, and now that

our kitchen is sort of whitish, I've been looking to add a few wood accents to

warm up the space.  I wanted an architectural piece to hang over one of the doorways,

and I found just the thing..........

Love!

I have no idea what it was in its former life, but it's the perfect size
 to fill the space over the doorway into the dining room.

I also found this vintage souvenir plate.....

  Spomin iz Slovenije translates to Memories from Slovenia, the country from which
 my great-grandfather (my Baba's father) emigrated.   It's got a pretty woodburned
 and painted picture surrounded by a border of hearts.
  Perfect for Valentine's Day!

My other plate comes from the same region, so it seems I've
got the beginnings of yet another collection.  :o)

Since we're on the subject of wood, the tongue and groove planks are primed,
 permanently adhered to the wall, and trimmed out to hide finish the edges.  Whew!

I was all gung ho and ready to plank the entire house,
but my enthusiasm has waned after this little project.

One of my least favorite things to do is caulk, and there was lots of caulking
involved in this process.  It was nerve-wracking trying to fill the little spaces
above and below the quarter round without smearing caulk all over the tile and the planks.

Then there are all the holes to fill where the knots have fallen out.

Thirty-one holes!

I've got the old warped cabinet shelf propped up so I can play with dishes and accessories.

  The cart before the horse decorating style in play again.

 

The bracket installation should be a snap, but wouldn't you know,
there isn't a wall stud in the location where I wanted to install the brackets on the right.
So, we had to drill half inch holes to insert toggle wall anchors
strong enough to carry the weight of the dishes.
I repeat, big holes in the newly installed wood planking.
Then there's the problem of finding heavy duty bolts to fit the metal hanger on the brackets
and pull the bracket snug against the wall.  We're still working on that.  ugh

Do you  have any idea how much a stack of 12 dinner plates weighs?

18 3/4 pounds!!!!!

The whole set weighs about 55 pounds (and I think we can add a few more pounds
 of vintage accessories I'll be trying to cram on the shelves), so I want to be sure
 the shelves are secure and my dishes don't come crashing down onto the tile floor.

I also found one more wood item for just a few dollars.

Adorable, don't you think?

Mystic Weather Forecaster will join my collection of souvenir chalet music boxes
 in bedroom number 3 when I get around to making a display shelf for them.
After the kitchen is done, that is.


Work in progress.

The planking will remain primed until I repaint the cabinets and decide on a wall color.
  I don't want to muck up the planks with too many coats of paint,
and I sort of like the whitewashed look for now.

If (and it's a big if) we tackle this project and it looks somewhat professional,
it will be a miracle.  A miracle performed by 2 homeowners who don't have a clue
 what they've gotten themselves into.  I say we, but the blame rests entirely on my shoulders
 for opening this particular can of worms.

That's another fine mess you've gotten us into!!!


source
(I'm on the left and I've had that look on my face since I started this fiasco.)


My ideas are much more grandiose than the skills I possess to actually tackle the job,
but that hasn't stopped me yet!  So tell me, have you opened a can of worms lately?

Thanks for visiting!
Vickie

* I'm joining the parties at:
Mod Mix Monday
Tweak it Tuesday
Vintage Inspiration
What's it Wednesdays
Share Your Cup Thursday
Sundays at Home 

These boots are made for walking.

Recent find.

The boots below are not made for walking,

at least not during the coldest winter months in northern Minnesota.

I'd freeze my toes off if I wore them for a walk outdoors this time of year!

These are my fair weather boots.....yet to be worn,
because we haven't had any fair weather!

Our boot lineup at work looks more like this (below) because
one does not want to be stranded on the roadside
wearing stylish unlined boots:

Sorels.

Here on the Range, its the old tomato/tomahto controversy when it comes

to the pronunciation of Sorel.  Sore' ul or sore elle'.  I'm still not sure which is correct,

 but I prefer the latter French pronunciation.

Uggs.
Soft and comfy like slippers.

Mukluks.
The warmest boots I've ever owned!

Since we're on the subject of footwear,
look what I found at the thrift store the other day....

(That's a quarter behind the shoes for size reference.)

So cute for only 99cents,
or as we Rangers like to say, Oh, the cute!
(I have no idea why we say the rather than how,  but that's the way we roll.)
They're miniature versions of the shoes I place on our hearth during the holidays
 so all I need now is a miniature fireplace where I can prop these shoes.

Ha!  Here it is in the dollhouse I keep in the basement

for our grandchildren to play with when they visit.

Mack, why don't you do your little dance for us?

You put your right foot in, you put your right foot out.....

Sorry, I get a bit carried away when I start playing with toys.

As you can see I've gotten off track and the projects I listed in my last post

have been temporarily set aside after a visit to our local yarn shop.  The owner

had a pair of boot cuffs on display along with the pattern she wrote,

so of course I had to buy the pattern and knit a pair!

They only take a few hours to knit up, so unlike home renovation, I get

instant gratification!

Her pattern is copyrighted, so I can't share it, but I found you

a free pattern of basic boot cuffs on here on Ravelry.

Because it's a new year and I'm trying to focus........

hmmm, I've noticed many bloggers have chosen a word for the year

so, what the hey, I'm going to choose focus as mine!

Yes, I think staying focused on one thing at a time

will be quite a challenge for moi.

I had to improvise since I don't have the letter U for focus.

Anyhoo, onto another subject (already losing my focus) just to show you that I can

stay on task and work on my list of projects for the year.  Here's a look

 at my bare kitchen wall awaiting beadboard..............

Thirty minutes, a hammer, a chisel. and a screwdriver and the cabinet is history!

I can't very well leave it looking like this, can I?

Narrow or wide beadboard is the next decision.

Source unknown.

I'm pretty much in love with this kitchen, but

we're focusing on beadboard here.

Serena Crowley design.

I've been toying with the idea of painting our lower cabinets

a vintage green, but once again, we're looking at beadboard.

 

source Husmannsplassen i Hidelsundet

I'm moving to Norway!

Okie dokie, decision made......I think.

Now I've got to do some skim coating on the walls, replace the

window trim that was cut away to fit the cabinet. replace the outlets

with off-white outlets, choose a paint color for the cabinets

and shelves with less yellow........all in due time.

Breathe in, breathe out.

Now that I've covered my mess with an extra large tole tray,

I honestly don't think you-know-who is even going to notice the missing

cabinet when he gets home from ice fishing........until he reaches for a plate.

   Psssst!  They're in the dining room under the buffet.

*We'll be doing lots of deep knee bends until I finish this up.

Okay, back to boots.  How many of you were around in 1966?

Oh, I think you're going to enjoy this blast from the past.  My favorite part

is when the backup dancers are lying on the floor, sleenavutzing around.

Sleenavutzing?

I have no idea if the word is in the Slovenian dictionary (highly doubtful)

but my Baba used it when she watched Kathy Smith perform her workout

routine on Good Morning America in the 80's with her goozie cheeks

 hanging out of her leotard.  I wonder what she'd have to say about twerking?

Turn up the volume and enjoy!

Too sexy!

Thanks for visiting and stay tuned for updates as I

focus on my projects for 2015!

Vickie

Give me some Aerosmith, Walk This Way!

*I'm joining the parties at:
Cozy Little House Tweak it Tuesday
 Have a Daily Cup of Mrs.Olson Share Your Cup Thursday
Mod Vintage Life Mod Mix Monday

Unfocused.

We've been lucky enough to avoid this year's influenza outbreak so far,

but now's the time of year when cabin fever strikes.

One of my many unfinished projects.

We're headed into a deep freeze.  The kind of cold that makes my drive to work

feel like I'm driving a car with square tires and no heat.  As for evenings and weekends?

I'm not even bothering to go out unless it's a chocolate emergency!

Frost pattern on one of our old windows this morning.

In an older house like ours with lots of drafty windows  fresh air, I spend most of

my winter evenings in the living room in front of the fireplace working on knitting or

sewing projects or perusing blogs and Pinterest on my laptop.  I get so many ideas
from the blogs I follow and Pinterest that I'm never at a loss for a new project.

Over the holidays, Kelly at The Essence of Home showed us her cute

Anthropologie snowball garland and it inspired me to make my own.

I found wool roving on sale for $5.24 a skein at JoAnn Fabrics
 and one skein was enough to make 10 pom poms and a 72 inch I-cord.

I knit the I-cord with 3 stitches on size 10 needles.

My garland doesn't have metallic gold thread in the yarn like the original garland,
 but not to worry, we've already got plenty of sparkle on our ceilings.
(A strand of metallic gold thread could be intertwined with the yarn.)

The garland will keep Miss M company over the cold spell.

I bought these candle holders at IKEA to use during the holidays,

but they were a bit much with all of the other color in the room, so I 

packaged them up to return on our next trip to Minneapolis.

After I undecorated our mantel I thought I'd give them one more try,

and Hey Mikey, I like them!

I think they warm up our stodgy old fireplace with a fun pop of color.

Speaking of  stodgy old fireplaces.........

 Oh Joy!

Whilst perusing Pinterest, I happened upon this tutorial by Carla
 of Hammers and High Heels.  She and her husband transformed the fireplace

in their 1924 Dutch Colonial and the tutorial and accompanying photos make it look
  so simple that I think even the Rangers 911 will be able to follow them.
  Woo hoo!

I have so many plans for the new year my head is spinning!

(Or it could be the last of the sugary treats I've gobbled up.)

Here's what's on the docket for 2015:

 I'm ordering curtains (I can return them if they don't work out) for the bedroom

 because I  cannot live with the unruly polyester curtains I made.
I'm now gun shy about purchasing that much fabric again and not liking the curtains.

Also, I vow to finish painting the four windows before summer rolls around.

Open shelving in the kitchen.
 

I didn't think I could install open shelving under our kitchen soffits.....

 .....but Kris at Junk Chic Cottage proved me wrong.

Perfection!

I'd like to remove the upper cabinet in the far right corner
 that houses our dishes and replace it with two shelves *deep breath*
and install beadboard above the tile backsplash.
  Crown molding where the soffit meets the ceiling?

I don't know when (aka what year) this will all get done, but it's on my wish list.

There are also a few projects that need to be attended to
 before the next holiday.


Number 1 & 2

Do you remember what happened to Goldilocks when she
sat on Baby Bear's chair?  If my mother had not been paying
attention, she may have been sitting on a pile of chair spindles
during Christmas dinner!  Yikes!  I will be gluing all the joints
in both of the chairs with my dependable Gorilla Glue.


This next project will be a true test of our carpentry skills or lack thereof.

 Build a new house!!!!
Yes, you read that right, this is not a typo.








he he he  Just havin' a little fun.
When I saw that Danielle (Blessed Serendipity) owned the exact same
dollhouse that we found for our oldest granddaughter (below),
 I started searching online for old dollhouse patterns.

Low and behold, lookie what I found on Etsy.....

Can you believe it?
I honestly thought the dollhouse was much older, but the pattern
is dated 1981.   I'm hoping that we have the skills to put together the dollhouse before
Maggie's 3rd birthday.  The house is solidly constructed to last a lifetime....
the one we already bought, that is.  We've ordered the pattern
 and we've got just under a year to get it done.

Whew!

*I'm beginning to see why Bill says I have
trouble staying focused.

Emma Kate at Paint and Style posted this on her blog and I pinned it because
 it sums up what's going on in my head most of the time....

   I think most of you reading this post can relate.  :o)


Many thanks to all of you for the inspiration you provide throughout the year,
and here's to a constructive  2015!
Vickie

*I'm joining the parties at:
Cozy Little House Tweak it Tuesday
 Have a Daily Cup of Mrs.Olson Share Your Cup Thursday

Time flies!

It's been 3 months since I last published a blog post, and
who woulda thunk?  The blog world has survived just fine without me.  : )

I took a much needed break for various personal reasons
and to finish up a laundry list of projects around 911.


  When we bought our house back in 2004, I set a goal for myself to have everything completed
 within a decade, and my deadline is just around the corner.  Ten years sounds like an eternity,
but when you factor in putting our girls through college, two weddings, the arrival of 4 grandchildren,
thousands of miles in our car traveling back and forth to visit them,
  and trying to juggle it all while working full-time most of those 10 years.......
well, the time has literally flown by.

Guest bedroom.  Started Feb. 2011.  Finished May 2014.
(I may be listed in the Guinness Book of World Records
 for the slowest room rehab in blog history.)


Sooooo......have I met my goal?
No, and it's entirely possible I never will.
  I was stuck in limbo for years because my master plan was

 to fix all the plaster walls and ceilings in this old house.

Once I let go of that idea, I started to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Over the past few months, I've painted right over the cracks in the master bedroom above
 (more photos in an upcoming post), so I have only one bedroom left to tackle.
  It's not so daunting now that I've embraced
 the imperfections that are an integral part of this old house.

 Flat finish paint covers a multitude of sins.

It's my new best friend!

 You've seen bits and pieces, but the guest bedroom is finally done.
A six month project that took over 3 years.

Come on in!

My resident carpenter made me a small wood shelf to display my red sewing machine.
The cuckoo clock was a $3 steal from my favorite local antique shop.
Unfortunately, it was a going-out-of-business sale.

I found an old green dress at to "hang out" with the red one.

 I was kind of stumped when it came to dressing the windows.

I tried floor to ceiling curtains, but I didn't like the way they covered the trim detail
 around the windows, not to mention, a guest could get hopelessly tangled in all
that fabric stuffed in the measly few inches between the bed and the wall!

When I came across jumbo red rick rack at Hancock Fabrics last winter,
I bought a few yards and tucked it away for a rainy day.  I cut up a vintage
tablecloth and a few pieces of mismatched fabric and trim and stitched it all together
to make simple valances to cover the roller shades.

  The rick rack grabs your attention so you don't notice
 the vintage food stains on the tablecloth......I hope!

I painted the $1.50 estate sale 1960's wood mushrooms to add a spot
 of quirky landscaping to the dollhouse shelf.

Mini gallery wall featuring Smirky the Bear.

What's that I see reflected in the mirror?

This dollhouse was a $10 fixer shoved in a crate in the basement of St.Paul Antiques.
You know it had to come home with me!
It's painted in my favorite colors (never mind the rust)
 and fits perfectly on top of my old cupboard.

I hope to find an old braided rag rug for the room,
 but other than that, the room is done.  Top to bottom.
 Done.   I love that word!

Sigh.

Lastly, I've come to the conclusion that for me, working 3 or more days a week
 and blogging on a regular basis leaves me very little time to DO the things I love.
Since I'm not retiring in the near future (unless our crew at work wins the lottery),
 I've decided to cut back on computer time at home.
There are just not enough hours in the day to do it all,
 so if I'm gone for weeks or months at a time, I'm not going to sweat it anymore.
 Life is too short!!!

Case in point:

 On Saturday our baby turns 30!!!

Happy Birthday Megan!!!

As always, thanks for stopping by and I hope you do something that makes you happy today!
Vickie

*I'm joining the parties at:

Mod Vintage Life Mod Mix Monday
Cozy Little House Tweak it Tuesday
Savvy Southern Style Wow us Wednesday
Ivy & Elephants What's it Wednesday
Jennifer Rizzo Fabulously Creative Friday