tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46998759628147169382024-03-12T18:07:35.413-07:00.....by glow of lamplight“Light is good from whatever lamp it shines” - UnknownGBLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17602321323288608550noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4699875962814716938.post-333943834438364082010-08-30T08:39:00.000-07:002010-08-30T08:39:55.457-07:00Cottage Hill Giveaway!Lindy over at <a href="http://lindycottagehill.blogspot.com/">Cottage Hill</a> is having a wonderful giveaway on her blog. I recently discovered her blog and am now a daily follower of hers. I am amazed at her talents not only in decorating her home but her artistic & crafting talents. I've been inspired by many of her creations and have printed out several 'to-do's for future projects in my own home.<br />
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Once you read her blog, I'm sure you'll become a follower as well!GBLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17602321323288608550noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4699875962814716938.post-75093796674441196772010-07-09T09:36:00.000-07:002010-07-09T09:36:22.137-07:00Make-over hutch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1dXaePBr0pA/TDYbAKpDDpI/AAAAAAAAAFA/eYJH7wsAdcM/s1600/bed+003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1dXaePBr0pA/TDYbAKpDDpI/AAAAAAAAAFA/eYJH7wsAdcM/s400/bed+003.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
I purchased the hutch shown above from a landlord I had about 28 years ago. The house I was renting still contained the belongings of the landlord's mother who had passed away. This hutch was in there and I asked if she wanted to sell it. I bought it for $10. Originally it was just stained wood - mostly plywood I believe. I had painted it white originally and wallpapered the inside of the shelves (where it is now painted yellow) in a pastel blue & white and used it in our daughter's room when she was an infant and kept books & decorations in it. <br />
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With this more recent transformation, I had seen a similarly painted hutch for sale in a magazine - for <i>only </i>$899. Needless to say, I wouldn't be rushing out to purchase it and had to be creative in order to have my own version of the hutch. I painted the inside of the entire hutch in a barn red and then painted it in a light yellow with a crackle finish to allow the red to show through - the rest of the hutch is painted black. I hand-painted the fruit on top of the yellow crackle finish (after much practicing on paper first). Painting that first stroke on the actual hutch was very intimidating!<br />
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The hutch was originally open on the top as well as the bottom. My father-in-law made the cupboard doors for me and also installed the crown-molding on top. The top doors are wire mesh with a fabric insert stapled to the inside of the doors to hide my messy cookbook collection. This was my first hand-painted project and I was happy with the results.<br />
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The four shelves of this hutch are packed with cookbooks that I've collected over the years - including the little metal box on the open shelf (you can see some recipes peeking out from under the lid - oops!).<br />
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I'm new to blogging - this being only my second post. Any helpful hints on improving my blog would be appreciated - thanks!GBLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17602321323288608550noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4699875962814716938.post-38311989505760354052010-07-06T09:47:00.000-07:002010-07-09T07:11:49.578-07:00Asian-style lampshade<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_1dXaePBr0pA/TDYcdBe4bNI/AAAAAAAAAFI/qZqu6BwHi-Y/s1600/lamp3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_1dXaePBr0pA/TDYcdBe4bNI/AAAAAAAAAFI/qZqu6BwHi-Y/s400/lamp3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>This is the second lampshade I have made for a floor lamp in our dining room. It was made from a burn-out velvet scarf purchased from <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">ebay</span>. I hand-dyed the fringe & gimp trim. The beaded trim was also an <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">ebay</span> purchase. Since the wire frame is an Asian style shade, I opted for the same style of finial.GBLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17602321323288608550noreply@blogger.com2