Simple Design - Easy to do Farm Table

This wonderful Farm Table was made from an old plank door

It is a simple way to build a great farm table

I found this unpainted, natural wood, old barn door

I had Walter make an apron and  2x4 legs which he slightly tapered,

 but straight legs are simpler and also look good

One side of the door had 3 wood braces that held the planks together. 

 Walter cut back each of them by 31/2 ".

 When he made the 4" apron he was then able to screw the boards

 to the sides of the cross planks. 

 After cutting the legs at 30" each, he drilled holes and 

bolted the legs and the apron together. 

Painting was easy. Sand lightly with an orbital sander in case there is any grease.  

 For this look, I just thinned down a creamy white latex paint,

 rapidly brushing it in one direction so the grain will come through the thin paint.

I painted the legs and apron straight out of the can for a more solid look.

 As you can see in the photo, I put the table on top of another table to paint it 

so I would not get grass or mud on the bottoms of the legs. 

As a finishing touch, you might want to use a water based poly coating

 for durability or a good coat of wax.

As an added treat.....just LOOK at my find of the week!!!!

I'm struggling with selling it vs keeping it!

Simple - Inexpensive - Trouble Free Garden Tips

It's May, and in our yard, 

on the Eastern End of Long Island,

 the Daffodils and Lilacs have bloomed. 

 They are our earliest bloomers, along with Tulips,

 which I don't plant anymore because the squirrels steal them.

My style of gardening is slightly different from most gardeners...I am lazy but I love beauty!

Here are some of my tried and true's of gardening....

I love to plant my Daffodils within a group of trees, where nothing else will grow easily.

They bloom before the tree leaves block out the sun. 

 If it is hard digging, I just pour dirt on top of the bulbs instead of planting

 them in the ground....works 100% of the time and is much easier. 

(don't tell the professional gardeners)

It's now time to start or to refurbish your flower gardens.

 

 I am a big believer in ground cover for a number of my gardens

When you first buy ground cover, you should buy 3 or 4 different kinds and also find out if they bloom, which I think is a great idea.  In a year or two your gardens will have all the ground cover you want and plenty for re-planting in other spots.

Also, think about buying types with variegated leaves....the shade differences make the garden look more interesting versus just a blanket of solid green.

As the summer goes on, there will be flowering perennials

 that grow up through this ground cover. 

 I also dot the gardens with a few flat stones,

 that will hold pots of annuals for added color.

If you are starting or refurbishing a garden, you should try to get free plants....most people are happy to share what has overgrown in their gardens.  Some people often sell their extras in front of their houses, very inexpensively.  I bought one Columbine

 from a homeowner 2 years ago and this year they have multiplied into 20.

Speaking of a type of plant you can often get free from neighbors etc. are Iris',

 which like ground cover, tend to spread. 

 I just keep making new gardens,

 but some people like to keep their gardens more contained and discard their extras.

This is a common Iris that you find in almost all Grandma's gardens. 

I found some curbside, and have gotten some from neighbors etc...

All Were Free!

 One big thing to remember right now 

 is not to go overboard and buy all your perennials at one time. 

 I know it's easy to get "Spring Fever" and overspend at the garden store.

It is more productive to buy a few, and see how they do....and then try to buy

 many more at the end of the season....

when plants are ON SALE and generally half price

Don't buy any plants in full bloom.  

Try to buy plants that are fully budded but haven't fully bloomed yet.

 Your enjoyment will be longer. 

Clematis is a very showy climbing flower that gives a lot of bang for it's buck

at $12 - $20.  You can buy Spring or Fall bloomers and they come in many colors and sizes.

We will be back with more pictures and tips as our garden changes through the seasons.

Two Amazing Industrial Finds This Weekend

I am in total love with this 

Vintage Industrial Gas Station Metal Cabinet 

with it's great graphics

It actually comes in 3 sections with 2 drawers to a section and then the base

I almost never keep anything I find for the shop but I had to keep this.  Walter loves it too

Another great industrial find this week were these 

vintage GIANT porcelain letters

 

These will be available on the website and in the shop.  They stand a full 24" high

 I have 2 each of R, U, I and O

This Pig Trough is made of cast iron circa 1850

and was made in Pennsylvania

 

 I'm going to have to struggle with myself not to keep it

Now for some other wonderful things I found this weekend 

Isn't this vintage Majolica seashell dish beautiful.  The coloring is so accurate.....I'm in love

And look at this gigantic collection of Amber Glass.... 

I'm trying to sort through all this glass to get some of it up for sale on the website....

I'm sure to keep a piece or two

Looks like I've got my work cut out for me.....I'm still not done sorting all of the vintage Ball Jars and glass bottles from the last find!.......better get to work

Our Driftwood Sailboats are Pictured in Coastal Living Magazine

Our one of a kind driftwood sailboats are pictured 

in the April 2012 issue of Coastal Living.

The article is titled Coastal Dream Town: Sag Harbor, NY

The article is in the physical magazine but not showing up in the online version just yet
We were so excited that we couldn't wait to tell you. 

 

 Our Driftwood Sailboats can be purchased

 at Kristina's wonderful shop,  Beach Bungalow in Sag Harbor, NY

She Carries a wide variety of coastal home decor

 

All of our sailboats are different....from funky to elegant

Please visit Kristina in Sag Harbor

 A most wonderful and charming seaside town

 with great restaurants, wonderful shops and interesting architecture

Brewery - Mason - Milk - Soda - Fabulous Bottle Find!

I couldn't believe my luck in coming across this 

many wonderful vintage bottles and jars 

that have been in storage for 25 years

Over 1,000 of them

I am less than halfway through sorting them, cleaning them, displaying them, etc...

The uses for these vintage bottles are endless and the imperfections in the glass make for 

continual color changes as the light varies.

 Here are just a few display options that we put together quickly

Simple and sweet

Loaded with treasures

 

Memories of days gone by......

 

And as for right now....I'm having lots of fun

First Signs of Spring

The first signs of spring are popping up everywhere

 

I think these are called Snowbells

 

The winter has been quite mild here but I was still excited to see these signs of spring popping up in my yard

 

A patch of plump little Succlents

 

My neighbor has set out some organic lettuce for sale

 

 

A shame that he needs the sign about not stealing it!

I guess it's time to start sorting through 

the pile of great junk I've been collecting all winter

Thrifty DIY Farmhouse Display Cabinet

I decided I needed a display cabinet for my shop 

but didn't want to spend much money.  

With all the scrap wood we have around here, I figured Walter could build me something in no time flat.

He used 2 & 1/4 sheets of 3/4" plywood,

16 pieces of tongue & groove

and five 8' fascia pieces

All 4 sides are cut from one piece of plywood.  

The top, bottom and 10 shelves are cut from the other

2 & 1/4 pieces of plywood.

  

The fascia is 1 1/2" wide by 3/4" deep.  Walter ripped them on the table saw but you can purchase them 

at Home Depot for under $10.00.

  

The 16 pieces of tongue & groove cost me 

$12.00 at a yardsale

He built each unit individually 

and then screwed them together so I would 

be able to separate them later, if I so desired.

 

Sorry I don't have more pictures of the process but Walter had them built so fast I didn't get a chance to get photos.

 

Each 12" shelf was nailed in from the sides with a

nail gun and the holes were filled.

The fascia was added.....ready for paint.

The wood is rough but 2 coats gave me the 

look I wanted and covered well.

I mixed the paint color myself to get this soft grey that I had in mind.  Oops paint is perfect for this at $5.00 per gallon in most paint stores. This paint was originally $60.00 per gallon.  I have quite a collection of Oops paint.

(paint that has been mixed incorrectly so they put it on the Oops rack)

 

  When mixing your paint color, always start with the lighter color first and then slowly add your darker colors while stirring.  You can always make a color darker but it is much harder to lighten a color.

It is also just fine to mix different brands and different finishes.  Using some semi gloss will still give you a mostly flat look but be somewhat more durable.

Now the fun part......

Filling them with the items that I had nowhere to display!