I finally figured out what I wanted to do with one of the big window frames we came across and finished it up yesterday.  Let me tell ya, this sucker is heavy.  Because of that, the only way we could figure out to hang it was from the ceiling joists.  So, thats what we did.  And it was quite a job getting those screwed in and getting that window up there.  We used 2 large screw hooks for the joists, 2 large screw eyes for the window, 

and connected the two with galvanized chain.

We couldnt be happier with the results.

I decided to take down the ledge I built and use it in another room.  It had been there almost since we moved in and I was ready for a change in this little entry area.  This was really the most logical place for the window.  A lot of you suggested using it for a room divider, which I would have loved to do, however, our home is made up of lots of smallish rooms (except the dining room), not an open floor plan, so, there wasnt a room that needed to be divided.

I put together the little shelf in the corner for about 8 bucks using a piece of barn wood and "L" brackets from Lowes.  I like using "L" brackets for shelves much better than using the brackets that are actually made for shelving.  I like the industrial look of these and they are less expensive.  These are 5 1/2 inches and cost 4 bucks each.  You can find these, as well as other sizes, in the hardware section of Lowes or any home improvement store.

 I found the pillow fabric here.  

I really like the combination of the modern fabric pillows with the rustic bench.  

Looking at this window makes me happy because it reminds me 

of the fun bike rides we take every evening.

Now I have to figure out what to do with the others window frames or just 

put them in our upcoming shop.

We have video and photos of that coming soon!

Have a great day!

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I recently replaced 3 large ugly drawers in the middle of an old dresser

with a vintage window turned door and cupboard space behind.

 Here are the much anticipated BEFORE shots.

The first time my daughter saw this dresser she remarked on the ugliness of the middle drawers.

Not to worry they will get used in the future but out they go for now.

This is my sliding compound mitre saw, a tool I use just about every day,

and definitely an asset for this project.

 The interior of the cupboard was lined with the wood from the 4 drawers.

A = drawer back

B = drawer bottom

C = drawer sides

There is a great deal of framing going on behind that beautiful wood interior.

Again most of it was the original framing for the drawers just re purposed.

Its like it was meant to be this way always! 

 

 

You can find all the beauty shots here,

and if you would like to see more BEFORE and AFTER shots

of more projects check them out here.

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Hey there!  I have been an absent blogger lately, right?  Ive been so busy and the weather has been just lovely, so its been hard to plop myself down in front of the computer.  Our kiddos are just about finished with school for the summer and I. Cant. Wait!  No more getting up at the crack of dawn to get everyone out the door on time.  Staying up late and sleeping in.  

But best of all, spending time with my kids.

We love summer!!

So, Ive been busy doing more fun projects around the exterior of our house.  See, after 6 years of wanting needing a privacy fence in our back yard, we finally put one up and couldnt be happier.  It looks so much better and as a result, Ive been adding things weve always wanted to here and there.  Starting with landscaping the side of our home.  Its always been rather dull so we took the plunge there, too.  We waited until shrubs went on sale for half price so landscaping the side wasnt costly, just a little hard work.  

Last year my boys gave me a hydrangea bush for my birthday that I planted along this side, however, it needed some company, so we added some white azaleas, a favorite of mine.  I still thought there was something missing and have always wanted window boxes, but didnt want to spend the money or buy the typical iron variety.  My good friend Lisa, who also happens to be my neighbor, made the coolest window box for her gorgeous front window a few years ago and Ive always admired it.  So, I did what all good friends do, I shamelessly copied it.  :)  Heres how I made mine.

The only thing I bought for this project was the pots and flowers.  Actually, my wonderful hubby bought them for me for Mothers Day. :) 

Everything else was scrap around our house. 

I started with 1 x 12s that I cut to be the same length as the lower ledge of the window.  

Then I took my pots, turned them upside down and placed them on the wood, then traced with a pen.

 For the long double window, I needed 4 pots so I evenly spaced them and traced.  Do NOT cut yet!

The next step is to trace another circle inside that one that is about a 1/4 inch smaller in diameter.  The pot will sit inside the circle at the lip.  Then I cut each circle out with a jig saw.

After lightly sanding the rough edges, I painted the entire piece white.  Notice the almost finished fence!  I also was able to remove the chicken wire fence I put around our veggie garden to keep the deer out.  Yay!

 Set the boards aside and let dry.  Next up are the brackets the ledge will sit on.  I already had 4 of these from another project but I wanted them to be a little sturdier so I added a piece of 1 x 3 to the back of each one and secured with screws.

Then I painted those white, as well.  After they are dry, I attached them right under the window leaving about an inch gap between the top of the bracket and the under side of the window ledge for the top to fit in.  Next I placed the ledges on top of the secured brackets, secured them with screws to the brackets, and placed the pots that I filled with the gorgeous red flowers inside.  Heres how it looks.

And the other window.

I LOVE them!   I think what inspired me to do this was the lovely chocolate terra cotta pots available now.  I am crazy about them and wanted to find a way to showcase them.  Hopefully, the window ledges take your eye away from the ugly electrical garbage on this side of the house.  I cant wait till these bushes have filled in a little and are full of beautiful flowers.

 So thats it!  Thank you to my friend, Lisa for the great idea! 

Happy Summer!

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Window Frame Ideas

Every evening my hubby, our youngest and I go for a bike ride.  Its one of our favorite things to do just before sunset.  On our ride we always pass a house that had these wonderful HUGE old wood windows leaned up against their back garage, not being used for years.  To me, they were lovely and I couldnt believe they had been so easily discarded.  I finally persuaded hubby to go ask the owners about them.  Turns out, they didnt want them any longer so we happily took them off their hands.  Just goes to show, it certainly pays to ask, right?  

Heres one of them before I did anything to it.

There were 4 windows total, each of them 6 feet tall, two of them 4 feet wide and two of them 2 feet wide.  Several of the panes were broken out of a couple of them, but after looking at the windows more closely, I figure they can be easily replaced.  And hopefully, inexpensively.

Im hoping to do something unique with one of the larger windows and 

so I spent the weekend prepping it.

I happen to be in love with black window frames.  Im usually not one to incorporate lots of the color black into my decor but there is something about black window frames that I find stunning.  

Here are a couple of inspiration pics I found while hunting for some inspiration.

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I especially like them in mostly white rooms.

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And I really love them with warm wood accents.

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They really make quite an architectural statement.

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Of course, our house looks nothing like any of these and we arent changing our windows if thats what youre thinking.  I dont think were up for that kind of project.  ;)

But I love looking for inspiration this way.  Most of the ideas I came across for using window frames were a chalkboard, frame for photos, room dividers, mirrors, etc.  Im still not 100% sure what Im doing with this big ol thing but I love it so much I just have to use it, right?  And it is a "souvenir" of sorts to remind me of the relaxing bike rides we take each evening after dinner that have become so special to me.

I gave it a good cleaning and then scraped all the old paint off and painted it a color called Charcoal Sketch from Better Homes and Gardens.  Heres how it looks now.

As you can see, it is huge.  But thats what I love about it.  Ive never been all that into old window frames but this one is a treasure because of the size.  And thats why I really want to do something special with it.  I just have to figure out what that is!  :)

Stay tuned.....

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