Front Door Make-Over...Same Door, New Glass!

NOTE: Sorry I have been away for several days. My Grandma passed away so we traveled the seven hours to Kansas for her funeral. She lived a long life and was 93 years old.

Welcome, come in! 

We all want a beautiful front door for the perfect first impression. Did you know that you don't have to buy a brand new door to make it beautiful? If your existing door is in good condition, all you need is a new look and you can get that with decorative glass, a bit of paint and new hardware.

When we moved into our home, this is what our door looked like...

Yes, the stray cat even came with the house. This door was a basic steel door with plain glass sidelights. At first to dress the space, I decided to paint a rug (runner) hoping to distract our company from our Plain Jane door.

We lived with this for a while until I got the bright idea to paint the inside of the front door BLACK!  It sure looked good but man it was dark in our foyer.

Finally, I hated the fact that anyone coming to our front door could look right in the plain glass sidelights. Talk about no privacy!

While shopping for a new front door and getting sticker shock, the salesman said, "We can cut a hole in your existing door and put in any glass you want." WHAT! No kidding!

Then I found out that all decorative glass is rated for privacy. Mine is on the higher end of privacy, I can see out through the tiny pieces of clear glass but the people on the outside can't see anything but maybe a shadow if I get close to the glass! Isn't that great.  Also the lead in the glass is called 'caming' and you can get that in many finishes. So if brass is your thing, then you can get it. In my case, I got antique pewter since I was changing out all the dated gold/brass hardware in the whole house.

The guys came out, took the door off, put it on sawhorses, cut the hole, put in the glass and then took out the plain glass in the sidelights and put in matching decorative glass. All in only a couple of hours! I painted the outside door my Sherwin Williams, Ramie color that matches the upper story siding color. And I painted our house numbers on after seeing this idea on the wonderful creative blogs out there in blogland.

I purchased new hardware on eBay at a much cheaper cost than any of our big box hardware stores. I also had a company come out that puts on a product over the cement that can be cut any way, so I selected a stone motif to go with our stone corners on our house and our porch floor looks great all over. I must admit, I do miss the 'painted rug'. People would try to walk around that rug so not to get it dirty.  I would constantly say..."It's painted, no worry's"!

I realize that this solution was still not cheap. It cost me around $700, (I used the Glass Doctor) but it would have doubled if I would have bought a whole new door.  And the light just streams into our foyer, so my black color inside works too.

I hope this was helpful to someone out there that did not know that they could save their front door and still make it beautiful.

NOTE: You should be able to click on most of the pictures to enlarge to see further details.
These parties I love to link up to or check out my Blog Parties tab
Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps On The Porch
Make It For Monday @ Cottage Instincts
Motivate Me Monday @ Keeping It Simple
Just Something I Whipped Up @ The Girl Creative
Making The World Cuter @ Making The World Cuter
Amaze Me Monday @ Dittle Dattle 
Twice Owned Tuesday @ House Of Grace
Trash 2 Treasure @ Sassy Sites
Tuesday Treasures @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia 
Time to Shine Tuesday @ A Diamond in the Stuff 
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm
Power Of Paint @ Domestically Speaking
Swing Into Spring Wednesday @ DIY by Design
White Wednesday @ Faded Charm
Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style
Piece of Work Wednesday @  Primitive & Proper
Good Life Wednesday @ A Beach Cottage
Open House Thursday @ No Minimalist Here
Strut Your Stuff Thursday @ Somewhat Simple
Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Chic Cottage
100 Ideas Under $100 @ Beyond The Picket Fence
Show And Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home
Furniture Feature Friday @ Miss Mustard Seed
Remodelaholic Friday @ Remodelaholic
Frugal Friday @ Shabby Nest
Vintage Inspiration Friday @ Common Ground
Saturday Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors
Strut Your Stuff @ The Saturday Morning Blog
Show and Tell Saturday @ Be Different, Act Normal 
Sunday Showcase Party @ By Stephanie Lynn

Switching It Up!

Switching It Up!...That's the beauty of seasonal decorating. And I get bored easily.

From this:

To This:

From This:

To This:

Reflection of chandelier and ceiling wreath in mirror

Some of our corbel collection

And This In The Study...

Family photos & clock

NOTE: You should be able to click on most of the pictures to enlarge to see further details.
These parties I love to link up to or check out my Blog Parties tab
Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps On The Porch
Make It For Monday @ Cottage Instincts
Motivate Me Monday @ Keeping It Simple
Just Something I Whipped Up @ The Girl Creative
Making The World Cuter @ Making The World Cuter
Amaze Me Monday @ Dittle Dattle 
Twice Owned Tuesday @ House Of Grace
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm
Power Of Paint @ Domestically Speaking
Swing Into Spring Wednesday @ DIY by Design
White Wednesday @ Faded Charm
Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style
Piece of Work Wednesday @  Primitive & Proper
Whassup Wednesday @ Elements Interiors
Good Life Wednesday @ A Beach Cottage
Open House Thursday @ No Minimalist Here
Strut Your Stuff Thursday @ Somewhat Simple
Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Chic Cottage
100 Ideas Under $100 @ Beyond The Picket Fence
Show And Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home
Furniture Feature Friday @ Miss Mustard Seed 
Vintage Inspiration Friday @ Common Ground
Remodelaholic Friday @ Remodelaholic
Frugal Friday @ Shabby Nest
Saturday Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors
Strut Your Stuff @ The Saturday Morning Blog
Show and Tell Saturday @ Be Different, Act Normal 
Sunday Showcase Party @ By Stephanie Lynn

Another Painted Propane Tank

I have found the most genuine people since I started blogging.  Recently I blogged about my Painted Watermelon Propane Tank that you can see HERE. I got plenty of laughs out of it, as did my readers. Also, I received a sweet email from a lady in Texas that has done the same thing. She painted her propane tank to look like a submarine.  I asked her if I could do a post about it on my blog since she doesn't have a blog and she granted my wish.

Isn't this so cute, so personal for her family and no longer an eyesore!

Here is what Sonia said,
          "When we bought our home, here I was faced with the same issue, our (propane)          tank was so huge and so ugly, and in such a prominent spot. Such an eyesore and my eyes were always drawn to it in-spite of the pretty garden. I knew we had to do something so we made ours into a yellow submarine with our grandchildren (Will and McKenna) and cat Sylvester as silhouettes in the portholes. My husband even got into the action by adding a periscope on top after first thinking I had lost my mind."

  Sonia also went on to say that she used Plaid acrylic paint and sealed it with Valspar outdoor sealer...just as I had. She also stated that it has been a couple of years and it still looks just as good as the day she finished it. So does mine. Just hose it down with water to clean off the dust from being outside.

Sonia's Hubby added a periscope.

Thanks Sonia for these great pictures, allowing me to post about it and giving us another smile!
Now doesn't it make us wonder what other painting Sonia has done that is interesting and fun?

NOTE: You should be able to click on most of the pictures to enlarge to see further details.
These parties I love to link up to or check out my Blog Parties tab
Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps On The Porch
Make It For Monday @ Cottage Instincts
Motivate Me Monday @ Keeping It Simple
Just Something I Whipped Up @ The Girl Creative
Making The World Cuter @ Making The World Cuter
Amaze Me Monday @ Dittle Dattle 
Twice Owned Tuesday @ House Of Grace
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm
Power Of Paint @ Domestically Speaking
Swing Into Spring Wednesday @ DIY by Design
White Wednesday @ Faded Charm
Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style
Piece of Work Wednesday @  Primitive & Proper
Good Life Wednesday @ A Beach Cottage
Strut Your Stuff Thursday @ Somewhat Simple
Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Chic Cottage
100 Ideas Under $100 @ Beyond The Picket Fence
Show And Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home
Furniture Feature Friday @ Miss Mustard SeedRemodelaholic Friday @ Remodelaholic
Frugal Friday @ Shabby Nest
Saturday Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors
Strut Your Stuff @ The Saturday Morning Blog
Show and Tell Saturday @ Be Different, Act Normal 
Sunday Showcase Party @ By Stephanie Lynn

More Feed Sack Stuff

It's raining and what a glorious day for me to spend time in my basement sewing room. Here's what I did in a couple of hours.

Feed Sack Liner for 2-Wheeled cart

Another Feed Sack Pillow

You know how I 'gotta' give the back story, sooooooo, Hubby and I went antiquing on a cold February day. Among the purchases and treasures that I came home with were these feed sacks.

Front Side

Back Side

I then found another large feed sack at my local antique store. With the Bemis A feed sack I made a pillow complete with a comfy down pillow form. It is large and as luck would have it, the pillow form fit perfectly from side to side, so all I had to do is sew the top together, stuff in the pillow form and hand sew the bottom shut. Easy, Peasy! You can read about the other two feed sack pillows on this POST.

My new Bemis pillow with my other two feed sack pillows

In the past, I have made cute liners for the metal two-wheeled carts out of pretty rose fabric. I sold those on eBay. They are really handy for storing dirty laundry, wrapping paper supplies, extra fabrics, toys...actually the storage ideas would be endless.  And I had another cart in my storage room holding pillow forms for future unmade pillows. I decided that I had enough feed sack pillows, so I would combine two feed sacks and make a sweet, shabby liner.

One of my previous made liners - sold

In the thought process

One Side

Another side

Ties to hold the bottom tight

Looking down in at the bottom

Front pleated ruffle I made from scrap feed sack and Buttons to hold it on nicely

I still have the smaller Funk's feed sack for a future project. I'm totally happy with my two projects today. Aren't you?

NOTE: You should be able to click on most of the pictures to enlarge to see further details.
These parties I love to link up to or check out my Blog Parties tab
Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps On The Porch
Make It For Monday @ Cottage Instincts
Motivate Me Monday @ Keeping It Simple
Just Something I Whipped Up @ The Girl Creative
Making The World Cuter @ Making The World Cuter
Amaze Me Monday @ Dittle Dattle 
Twice Owned Tuesday @ House Of Grace
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm
Power Of Paint @ Domestically Speaking
Winter Blues Wednesday @ DIY by Design
White Wednesday @ Faded Charm
Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style
Piece of Work Wednesday @  Primitive & Proper
Good Life Wednesday @ A Beach Cottage
Open House Thursday @ No Minimalist Here
Strut Your Stuff Thursday @ Somewhat Simple
Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Chic Cottage
100 Ideas Under $100 @ Beyond The Picket Fence
Show And Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home
Furniture Feature Friday @ Miss Mustard Seed
Frugal Friday @ Shabby Nest
Vintage Inspiration Friday @ Common Ground
Saturday Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors
Strut Your Stuff @ The Saturday Morning Blog
Show and Tell Saturday @ Be Different, Act Normal 
Sunday Showcase Party @ By Stephanie Lynn
Pillow Challenge @ CSI Project 

A Tribute to the Easter Egg

Years ago I was into cross-stitching but who wasn't? My eyes can no longer stand hours of those tiny x's. So this blog is a tribute to my cross-stitch eggs.

 I started making these eggs the year I became pregnant with my daughter in 1990. I made the first one, then one for Easter, 1991. Oops I skipped a the year 1992, because that would have put her in the 2's and much more to handle and less time for cross-stitching.

 Back on schedule in 1993 and 1994. So what happened to 1995? Aaahhh, a new marriage and you know how that will take up your time...Lastly 1996, then I gave up these eggs and moved on to probably many more projects that I like better. However, I do enjoy opening the Easter box every year and pulling these cute handmade eggs out for a month to enjoy and reminisce on what my life was like back then.

But the story is not over yet. I love to paint. So one year I painted an egg with the sweetest, vintage looking yellow baby chick on it. Now you see why I HAVE to sell some of my creations. I make way too much for one household to display.

NOTE: You should be able to click on most of the pictures to enlarge to see further details.
These parties I love to link up to or check out my Blog Parties tab
Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps On The Porch
Make It For Monday @ Cottage Instincts
Motivate Me Monday @ Keeping It Simple
Just Something I Whipped Up @ The Girl Creative
Making The World Cuter @ Making The World Cuter
Amaze Me Monday @ Dittle Dattle 
Twice Owned Tuesday @ House Of Grace
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm
Power Of Paint @ Domestically Speaking
Swing Into Spring Wednesday @ DIY by Design
White Wednesday @ Faded Charm
Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style
Piece of Work Wednesday @  Primitive & Proper
Good Life Wednesday @ A Beach Cottage
Open House Thursday @ No Minimalist Here
Strut Your Stuff Thursday @ Somewhat Simple
Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Chic Cottage
100 Ideas Under $100 @ Beyond The Picket Fence
Show And Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home
Furniture Feature Friday @ Miss Mustard Seed
Remodelaholic Friday @ Remodelaholic
Frugal Friday @ Shabby Nest
Vintage Inspiration Friday @ Common Ground
Saturday Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors
Strut Your Stuff @ The Saturday Morning Blog
Show and Tell Saturday @ Be Different, Act Normal 
Sunday Showcase Party @ By Stephanie Lynn
DIY Showoff 
Masterpiece Monday @ Boogieboard Cottage
Sundae Scoop @ I Love Naptime 

A Sweet Yellow Dresser Story

This is the story of my daughter, Lisa (she is 20 now) and her favorite number growing up. When we would ask her how many stars were in the sky, her answer was 152! Ask her any question with a number answer and her answer would always be...152. Why? We never knew. It was just her number.

On another note, I always felt that I should teach her the three things that my mom taught me before I left home...how to cook deliciously, clean spotless and sew perfectly.  These lessons have served me well though my adult life. So I taught her all of these.  I also wanted to teach her how to be independent and be able to have nice things by taking junk and turning it into a treasure.  A lot of my home is from garage sales, tag sales, thrift store buys and fixing other peoples junk up for myself and others.

One day, Lisa and I were at a thrift store and happened upon a very tired and dated dresser. I knew the lines were wonderful and when I opened the middle drawer I saw this...

Wow! It's a Drexel

Yes, Drexel, this is a very well made dresser and an expensive furniture company. (Sorry, this was before blogging and I didn't take a before picture).  So just imagine a worn, wood toned dresser with federal style hardware. So then we opened the top drawer but it would only open half way. Very curious! There was some hardware that I pushed and this is what happened...

Original green paint on the desk organizer.

Oh my goodness, the top drawer became a desk!  Then we looked at the price...you got it...it was $152!
I knew that this dresser was meant for Lisa and a lesson that I could teach her.

You see, she didn't need a dresser because her room had a built-in dresser (it is now our exercise room since she has moved out, you can see that post here). But I knew that her years living at home were limited and that when she moved out she would need a dresser. So I made a deal with her. This dresser could NOT come into the house until she painted it her way with me teaching her how, every step of the way...and since she tends to be a procrastinator, I also told her that I would only buy it if she worked on it and finished it that very week.  She agreed. Then I knew I had to make a deal with the thrift store.  I asked if they would take $100 and they said yes right away.  The rest is history. Lisa picked yellow and wanted to distress it. We purchased vintage hardware on eBay. Lisa has moved out, but her dresser is still here until she can get a bigger apartment to make room for it.

My daughter painted the dresser AND the wall.

NOTE: You should be able to click on most of the pictures to enlarge to see further details.
These parties I love to link up to or check out my Blog Parties tab
Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps On The Porch
Make It For Monday @ Cottage Instincts
Motivate Me Monday @ Keeping It Simple
Just Something I Whipped Up @ The Girl Creative
Making The World Cuter @ Making The World Cuter
Twice Owned Tuesday @ House Of Grace
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm
Power Of Paint @ Domestically Speaking
White Wednesday @ Faded Charm
Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style
Piece of Work Wednesday @  Primitive & Proper
Good Life Wednesday @ A Beach Cottage
Strut Your Stuff Thursday @ Somewhat Simple
Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Chic Cottage
100 Ideas Under $100 @ Beyond The Picket Fence
Show And Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home
Furniture Feature Friday @ Miss Mustard Seed
Frugal Friday @ Shabby Nest
Remodelaholic Friday @ Remodelaholic 
Vintage Inspiration Friday @ Common Ground 
Creative Girls Blog Hop Friday @ The Girl Creative
Saturday Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors
Strut Your Stuff @ The Saturday Morning Blog
Sunday Showcase Party @ By Stephanie Lynn
Anything goes party @ Type A
ReStored It Wednesday 
Before & After party @ Thrifty Decor Chick