A vintage table makeover

My mother in law had two sturdy tables that were in need of love. I gave her a few options and ultimately decides to paint them. They aren't antiques or some special maker though that hasn't stopped me before. 

I decided on a really pretty blue from Clark and Kensignton and I was off. Since the tables had uneven wear on the top I had to sand them well. Then I primed them with a good quality primer. Next up were three coats of paint. 

Weather was not my friend so these sat and waited. I finally got enough sun to distress and antique one of the tables using stain. I'm happy with the results and now get to do it again with table two. 

A winter yard....

     Our yard is very sad in winter. The leaves have all fallen from our fruit trees and the vegetable beds have been put to rest. Our greenhouse, which houses so many seed starts and heat loving plants in warmer months, is barren and houses our unused pots. We spent very little time in our backyard when the weather turns cold other than some upkeep. 

Winter

     The good news is that spring is around the corner. It's time to start planning what we want to plant and where. I have grand plans to get the worm bin going early this year and plant corn, a lettuce box, tomatoes, beans, broccoli, eggplant and lots of peppers just to name a few things. I have a large supply of seeds and I'm hoping to use most of them. 

A place for corn! 

     At the beginning of last spring we adopted our youngest son from foster care. Then, through spring and summer we fostered several other short term placements. This gave us time to think about the direction our family was going to take for 2015. It's been a long year and a lot of thinking. The garden took a bit of a back burner but that won't be happening this year. The garden is my love and there is nothing more therapeutic than growing your own food. It's something I'm looking forward to greatly. 

     As for foster care, we've recently moved over from our FFA and gone to county. We hope this will give us a greater opportunity to find our forever daughter. We have our parameters set and we are ready to welcome home another Baby Rural at some point. Now we have to exercise patience. As we wait for the ground to thaw, the seeds to arrive, the worms to get settled and the chickens to begin laying again we will also wait, as patiently as one can, for a new gardening helper. It's going to be an exciting 2015. 

Bunk bed ladder to advent calendar

I've had a tired, old, wood bunk bed ladder for years. I've used it to hang linens, Christmas ornaments and cards. This year, inspired by Pottery Barn's ladder advent calendar I was off to Hobby Lobby.

I found cute burlap bags in the wedding favor section for $3.50 for ten. I picked up a pack of $.99 craft tags and some brass cup hooks $1.99 for ten. 

The rest of the project was simple assembly. I added a strand of Christmas lights (I need a longer strand) and now we are ready to celebrate the season! 

The finished pallet flag...

Stars really did make a huge difference. I'm so happy with how this simple project turned out! 

From dated to fabulous!

A while ago I saw a simple chest of drawers on our local trading post. Brass knobs, knotty pine and lots of imperfections left my heart racing. I love a sad story! 

I picked up the nightstand for $50. It was very strong and only needed a minor repair and a knob. I decided to prime this, give it a light coat of grey and then do a stain over the paint. I also sprayed the knobs in oil rubbed bronze. 

The results are fantastic! I think I might paint my dresser to match! The seller contacted me a week later. She'd even found the knob! Love! 

Patriotic porch...

I've been sprucing things up around the house in preparation for visitors. One spot that had grown cluttered? Our porch! 

I wanted something that would pop. When I came across a flag pallet on Pinterest I knew I wanted one. I found my pallet, which was in amazing shape, at my local school. I donated $10 to the school and a dad there loaded it up. 

The paint I used for this project was all on hand. I love free! The only change I made was to add stain to antique the look. The stars are coming soon. I'm so, so happy with this. 

Road trip- three speckled hens

Over the weekend Mr. Rural took me to the Three Speckled Hens antique fair in Paso Robles. It was so much fun and my mind was spinning at all the amazing stuff. I picked up a few smaller treasures. 

I found this old Navy footlocker for the end of Little Rural's bed.. 

I also found this cool time card holder from a factory. It's now holding bills.. 

I added a broken clock and a few other smalls to the house which I'll show off when they find a home. I highly recommend this show which opens again in May! 

The Goodwill lamp....

My $10 Goodwill lamp received it's simple transformation today. One can of spray paint and a new shade and this lamp is perfect! 

A $10 Goodwill find...

This lamp may no longer be in style. However, at just $10, it certainly fit my budget. The weight, shape and style are just what I was looking for. The brass? Not so much. Time for another makeover....  Also, you can now follow me on Instagram at GirlRural.

The finished desk....

If you've been following my desk redo, thank you! I found this beauty on my local craigslist for free. It's originally from Bombay Company and had already been primed.

I first added a couple coats of Privet Hedge from Valspar with Loire Valley, also Valspar, in the centers. Then the whole piece was distressed and rubbed down with Minwax Wood Finish in dark walnut. 

Then it was knob shopping. I chose green acrylic knobs from Threahold for Target. I don't have to worry about the kids breaking these! I purchases an Ana chair from World Market with a cover that was on sale in Dragon. 

Overall, I'd say this project is a success! The jolly green giant is home in out living room where it will become my design, gardening and blogging command center.