What I’ve Been Working On

Besides working in my kitchen , I have been trying to get some stuff made for the craft shows that are fast approaching .

I want to show you what I have been working on and see what you think.

Last year we tried to add some cottage style shabby chic items to our shows and we didn’t sell very much of it . This area is still in the primitive style decor , but I have been noticing more shops with the cottage and shabby chic things in them so I ‘m hoping it does better this year.

I put together some vintage book bundles , I see them all over the place. So I hope they are selling.

And with the book covers I made these…

So . What do you think ?

Will they sell ?

Should I make more ?

Linking up with Faded Charm and White Wednesday .

Last Step in the Island Redo

The last thing I wanted to do for my island redo was change the light fixture .

After pricing the light fixtures I liked I decided I didn’t need to spend the money on a new light fixture right now . It would have to wait .

But I’m not good at waiting…

So I thought , why not change the one I had so at least it would be something different to look at ?

You remember I had this fixture that had a pot rack on it …

I didn’t hang pots on it cause they were in the way , always right there in your face. So what good is a pot rack if you don’t use it ? And I wanted something a little more industrial looking .

So I called my sis to come over and hold on to it while I took in down.

Then I proceeded to take it apart.

I cleaned it up and painted it.

I wasn’t paying much attention when I took it down as to how it was wired.

It was heavy and I was hurrying so Pam wouldn’t have to hold it over her head to long .

Because it has a pull chain and was not connected to a light switch , it didn’t go back together as easy as it came apart . I ended up taking the fixture down to a local electrical supply store and having them show me how to wire it back.

Then Pam came over and held it again while I wired it back up.

And here is what it looks like now.

No pot rack in the way !

And all for the cost of a can of spray paint .

It will do till I find a fixture I like better . I sure like it better than how it was .

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One Step Further Along

Sunday afternoon after having my son-in-law help me cut a piece of plywood , I proceeded to try to cover it with sheet metal to make a counter top for my workbench island .

The 3 x 8 ft. piece of sheet metal only cost me $18.00 from a supply store. and the plywood was free . It was sitting in my son-in-laws carport .

After spending 2 hours cutting the extra 2 ft. of sheet metal off the end .

Yes it took me two hours ! I did it by hand with metal shears. With a lot of breaks in between . but I was determined to do this .

Then I started to cover the plywood with said piece of sheet metal.

Now I’m sure there is a better way to do this , But I’m flying by the seat of my pants here , and like I said , I was determined to do this.

This picture shows 3 sides bent down using a hammer to do the work.

By the time I got to this point I was getting pretty tired , I started this job about one o-clock and it’s now nearly five . So I called son-in-law over , Thank goodness they live next door ! He helped me proceed from there .

Did I tell you I was determined to get this done ?

Getting there !

Ah here we go ! It took us two more hours , but we did it !

Thank you Ryan !

I want to put some brackets on the side that extends out , It doesn’t really need it but I think it will look better .

Now it’s time to dress it up !

Let’s step back into the 50’s .

The stool I have sitting there now is too short for the counter , so I ordered two wooden stools on line that are painted white with wood tops , they are 30 inches tall and will better fit this bar height island .

I love it !!

See what determination can do !

Because there is a lot of white in my kitchen I’m going to link this with Kathleen’s

White Wednesday .

Be sure to stop by Faded Charm and see all that wonderfull white !

And with Miss Mustard Seed for Furniture Feature Friday.

http://www.whisperwoodcottage.com/2012/04/talent-scouting-party-open-call-for-all.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+whisperwoodcottage+%28WhisperWood+Cottage%29

Pink and Red China

I haven’t been posting much lately , since I got back from vacation I have been trying to get some bags , jar covers , windows , altered books and book bundles, to name a few things done , because starting Sept.17th we have 5 weekends in a row that we have craft shows. So I haven’t got much time to spend on the computer. : (

I did hit an antique and flea market this week and found these desert plates and salad bowls for a steal . There were 10 desert plates and 4 salad bowls marked at $7.50 but that’s not all the booth had a 75% off sign on it !!!!

So I got them for $2.00 !

Look at those pretty pink and red roses !

And look how cute they are with my red dishes…

I love a bargain ! Don’t you ?

Linking this with Beverly’s Pink Saturday over at How Sweet the Sound.

Have a Great Weekend !

Island Project

I decided some months ago that the island in my kitchen was too big.

When you are working there , it is hard to get to the refrigerator…

Or the oven…

Or the dishwasher…

Then I saw a picture in Fifi’s book ,Romantic Prairie Style , where someone had used a workbench for an island .

So I headed out to my garage where there were two of these…

Can you see it behind all the junk ?

I decided I didn’t need two of them so I started working on one .

I added the middle shelf and then painted it red and put some dark wax on it to make it all look the same.

While I was away on vacation , my son came over and removed the cabinets and the sink that was there , and left me with this …

So today he and one of his friends , who is a plumber , came and removed the pipes , and added an outlet in the floor so I can add an electric bar to the island for my crock pot and mixer and such .

This is what it looks like now…

It holds all my pots and pans . And there is so much more room to move around .

I want to change the light fixture , I don’t like the pot rack above because anything hanging there is in the way , I’m thinking something like a pendent barn light would look good .

I am also going to add ( if I can find what I want at a price I can afford , which is next to nothing ) a metal covered top that is about 6 to 8 inches wider than the top of the bench so I can pull up a couple of bar stools there .

So what do you think ?

Do you like it ?

Linking up with Debra over at Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday .

Laurie Anna's Vintage Home for Farm House Friday.

Cindy's Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home .

And Miss Mustard Seed's Furniture Feature Friday .

http://www.whisperwoodcottage.com/2012/04/talent-scouting-party-open-call-for-all.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+whisperwoodcottage+%28WhisperWood+Cottage%29

Back Home Again

I warn you , this is a long one for me !

I’m back from vacation and savoring this little wannabe cottage of mine.

I had so much fun, and got to visit with old friends , and make some new ones.

I traveled back in time , drove past the home I lived in from 4th grade till I got married.

Went past ( nearly everyday ) the first home my husband and I bought when we were newlyweds .

It’s so small , and except for the color of the siding , it still looks the same.

Then we went out into the countryside where the first house we built together a few years latter is , there were a few minor changes there.

There were a lot of flowers around it when we lived there, and it was white .

I traveled past the grade school , Jr. and Sr. high schools that I attended .

Visited with some of my late husbands family and talked about good old times .

My class reunion was great , I sat at a table with 6 of my good buddies from high school.

I’m sure we were all thinking the same thing , ( How did we get this old ? ) But you know ,there was no hesitation in the chatter , we talked as if we were together yesterday , giggling and laughing like high school girls .

They are all so dear to me .

I cried when we left my old home town, at my age ( not that I am that old ) you can never be sure you will see these friends again . I lost two friends this last spring .

I thank God for letting me see them and I pray that we will get together again .

The last night there we went out to eat with more friends, The couple in front in orange and in blue are my good friends Nanette and Gary , they are the friends I traveled with . behind them are Pam and Tom Paterson ,( Nan’s cousins ) who’s home the RV was parked at . I will show their home in another post . And on the outsides are Pat and John Guzman , more friends that I have known for 40 years or better.

I did get to visit a few antique places , and found just a few things for my kitchen.

I’ll leave you with one last picture.

The time machine !

Now I can’t wait to catch up with my blog friends !