8.31.2012

a garage in progress

when i first started my blog, i found inspiration for the name based on my workspace at the time.  when it came to projects, the best place for me to work was our old granary.


i loved this old building, especially the red weathered doors. 


it was hardly an ideal workspace.  it had giant holes in the ceiling and no electricity.  which meant it was only usable during the day in the summer when it wasn't raining.  that doesn't leave a lot of time in minnesota!


so as much as i love this building exactly the way it is, husband and i knew it was time to give it a little upgrade.


the inside of the granary was made up of six little rooms with wood walls.  i convinced cody to CAREFULLY take down each board so i could reuse them.  a few of them will have a new purpose shortly while the rest will be saved for use in our next {hopefully forever} home.  apparently it was a lot of work.  i like to think that he will thank me someday in the future :).


cody has been doing the work a long with our carpentry savvy neighbor.  


all the walls inside need to be removed in order for there to be room to park our cars {did i mention this would be our garage?}


the doors were also removed and two new doors were cut in their place.  i have some plans for those old doors as well, i just have to convince a certain naysayer first.


i requested to keep the old tin on the outside in order to maintain somewhat of the original look.  the building also has a lean to on the back that i asked to keep.  i have been warned that if it isn't stable enough, it goes.  i just really love it though so here's to hoping it stays.



i have agreed to make a few concessions on this building in order to have a little more say on that other building back there.  i like to think the two of us are pretty good at compromising :).


unfortunately that means the wood shingles will have to go {insert huge sad face}.  i actually am not sure what is going on the roof at this point.  first things first, it needs to be completely removed and redone {ya know, because of those pesky holes}.


i snapped this picture this morning of the current progress.  i think it is the first picture i was able to capture of those camera shy boys {minus the furry one in front who is the biggest camera hog i know}.  it was strange to see my old building looking so new.  bittersweet really, because i know i will definitely appreciate the functionality of it when it is complete.  

i'm not sure how much more progress will be made with harvest time closely impending, but i plan on updating as we go.



8.27.2012

white distressed buffet

last year i was on the hunt for a buffet to use for extra storage in our kitchen.  after a long search, i was able to find this beaut


i knew the color wasn't for me, but i gave it some time until i decided exactly what i wanted to do with it.  it probably comes as no surprise that i chose white.  it was simply the best choice to blend in with the rest of the kitchen space.  


to spice it up a little, i distressed the edges with sandpaper.


i then used antiquing glaze mixed with dark brown paint and glazed the entire piece.  the process is very simple.  i just brushed the glaze on and wiped off as much as was necessary.  the longer you leave the glaze on, the darker the piece will get.  i found it easiest to start light and add as needed.  in this picture you can see the part of the top that had been glazed and that had been left.


here is the top after it was fully glazed.  i covered the buffet in a couple layers of minwax water-based polyurethane to protect it and keep it from yellowing. 


 i originally planned on keeping the old hardware, but was not a fan of how it looked when the piece was painted.  i purchased some inexpensive knobs and pulls from home depot and coated them with bronze spray paint.


 the white really brings out more of the character in the piece and i love how it looks with the rest of the kitchen.


linking up:
DIY Show Off



Primitive and Proper
Furniture Feature Fridays

8.22.2012

old window pane

old window panes have a certain charm to them and are very popular to use for home decor.  they are even better when you find a free one in your barn.  


it was filthy, but i believe it once lived in our home, which makes it extra special.


after cleaning it up, i chose to paint it white instead of leaving the natural wood color. 


i then {unintentionally} left it sitting outside for a couple weeks until i achieved a beautiful weathered look.  turns out my forgetfulness can pay off at times.  the prints were free downloads provided by the graphics fairy.  free projects are the best kind.

8.21.2012

logan & annie

as many of you know, cody's little brother married his high school sweetheart this summer.  the wedding was absolutely beautiful.  the best way to describe it is through few words and many pictures.



the night before we had dinner on a boat.  it was a lovely evening, followed by a rehearsal for the big day.


the flower girl {cousin of the groom} has the best smile ever.




















looking at these pictures makes me way too anxious to see the professional pictures taken by barclay horner.  i keep checking his website, hoping they will be up soon!  the flowers were all hand picked by the bride and family and were arranged by melissa aker from blessings and blossoms.  congratulations log and ann, i am looking forward to many years of happiness for you two!