I love my neighbors!

Really, I do!  My neighbors that live next door down are really lovely and kind.  They are the kind of neighbors that have a key to my house and bring in packages off the porch.  They are the kind of neighbors that offer to check on the cat when I am out of town.  The husband retired about a year ago.  He apparently needs things to do because he has started hitting the local auctions and bringing home all kinds of things.  His wife says he is turning into a hoarder.  Well, this time his hoarding paid off...for me!  He stopped me yesterday evening and asked if I would be interested in these

Aren't they fabulous?   The larger of the two looks like it is a fruit bucket.  I love them both.  I have to decide  if I am going to paint the one without the decals.  I may do something like what Suzan at Simply Vintageous did to her bucket.  (What exactly I am going to do with the buckets is a question for which I still do not have an answer!)

Oh, my auction shopping neighbor?  He also cuts my grass.  Best.neighbor.ever!!

Here it is!

I don't know how soon I will use the Modge Podge method of graphic transfer again but I am pretty satisfied with how my little cabinet turned out.

I wanted the graphic to look like a label that had been applied by the manufacturer and I think I accomplished that.

As I have a fondness for wine, choosing this particular graphic from the Graphics Fairy was not difficult!  One of the things I was also trying to do was come close to matching the buffet that my granddaughter and I painted last year.

This is the buffet.  I think it matches up pretty well.  The buffet was painted with real ASCP and the cabinet was my concoction of antique white latex, plaster of Paris and water.  While using the Annie Sloan paint is very convenient and goes on beautifully, I am pleased enough with my version to paint just about anything!

Linking to these parties:  Sew Darn Crafty Link Party, Miss Mustard Seed Furniture Feature Friday, Fabulous Creative Friday, Power of Paint Party, Brag Monday at the Graphic's Fairy.

Pins and needles

When the young man who restored my home put it on the market, his Realtor indicated in the brochures that there would be a pantry in the kitchen.  Since I signed the contract prior to the kitchen being finished I expected a pantry.  One day after I knew the kitchen cabinets had been installed I stopped over at the house to look in the windows.  Pantry?  Where was the pantry?  I called my Realtor who, in turn, called his Realtor.  Two days later a pantry closet was installed...in the middle of the back wall.  There is about a 22" space from the back door to the pantry closet.  22" of bare nothingness.  I have been looking for some kind of a cabinet to fit in that space and I finally found one.  It is an oak cabinet (painted white) with a enamel metal top.  I am pretty sure it was marketed as an "add on" for a Hoosier fitted kitchen.  It has a wire basket just inside the door and a place where a wire cooling shelf was located originally.  It was in pretty rough shape with multi layers of paint including the final layer which was apparently latex over oil paint so it was chipping off in big chunks.  I didn't care.  It was the perfect size and just $20.

She originally had metal casters on the legs but those were rusted beyond repair.  Because the paint was so terribly chipped and totally not stable, I knew I would have to sand so sand I did!  I put on a mask, took the cabinet out to the patio, plugged in my hand sander and made that baby smoooooth!

I had already started the sanding process before I remembered to get the camera.  I am a terrible blogger!

The hinges were pretty rough looking but I decided to just paint over them .  No, I am not lazy.  I just like that look!

I mixed up a batch of (my version) "chalk" paint in an antique white.  According to a chart I found on line, it matches the Old White color from ASCP.  I wanted to match it as best I could to the buffet I painted last year.

I found a wine graphic on the Graphic's Fairy site and did a ModgePodge transfer technique.  Right now the graphic is drying on the cabinet and I am a nervous wreck and sitting on pins and needles!

I am keeping my fingers crossed that I will have the cabinet I have envisioned later this afternoon.  Oh, the joys of DIY!

A little "blog" maintenance

Claiming this blog for Bloglovin!

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Morning garden

My sister came over and helped with the initial weed and dried flower stem removal in my flower garden.  I need to pick up about 12 bags of mulch to dress things up a bit but we did make a dent in the work.  I took a couple of pictures the other morning as I walked through the backyard to my car.

The columbine look beautiful and because I shake the dried seed pods all over the garden I have plants that have popped up here and there.

For the life of me I cannot remember the name of this plant.  The flowers are tubular and the leaves have sort of a "fuzzy" feel to them.. I only have one but it is spreading and the color is wonderful.

This yellow flower sprouts up from deep green leaf ground cover.  The only downside to the plant is that unless you rein it in, the stuff spreads everywhere.  It was a gift to my garden the very first year I planted anything.  See?  Another columbine in the midst!  I love this corner. The flowering shrub in the corner is a weigela and I have no idea which variety.  My sister has one in her yard and I love the way it looked so I needed one for mine!

I am thankful that I didn't have any damage from the frost we had two mornings early this week.  I think it is now safe to go out and pick out my annuals and maybe even pick up a tomato plant.  I LOVE this time of the year!!

Picked this up on the way home from work

2010

90

POINTS

WINE SPECTATOR

BLEND

97% Cabernet Sauvignon

2% Merlot

1% Cabernet Franc

TOTAL ACIDITY

0.56 g/100 ml

PH

3.77

ALCOHOL

14.5%

BARREL AGING

40% new and 60% older French oak for 18 months

Absolutely delicious and on sale at the Pennsylvania Wine and Spirits Store.  (This ends my public service message for today!)

Weeds

Last year

 This year

Clearly I have much work to do.   Time to call in some favors and enlist a little help!