An artist, an engineer, and a home in the Blue Ridge
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— New Videos! —
New decor items with vintage vibes …
French toile, patchwork quilt, and more!
New Garden and Porch Flags
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Images from our Days
my Blog
Colorful Concrete with Fabric Dye and Sealer
See the video …
It's been four months since a wild experiment with liquid fabric dye and concrete sealer. We glazed this patio with color!
We kind of love it!
H O W - T O
Make Stain from Paint and a Water-based Wood Sealer
Here's something NEW in decorative painting — we blended craft paints into acrylic wood finish to make an easy-to-use stain.
the video is here
Our antique toolbox got a bright new start thanks to Behr Waterproofing Wood Finish. It's water-based and wonderful!
We had great success with this product mixed with paint on our lavender footbridge too and now we've used it on concrete, metal, and paper.
Buy Behr Wood Finish at our HomeDepot affiliate link
The benefit of using this waterproofing finish (meant for outdoor use) is that the surface can withstand water, sun, and has built in UV protection.
Check out how we created the stain here.
Make a Pendant Light from a Table Lamp
You may never look at a table lamp the same way again.
Imagine a table lamp upside down as a pendant light.
It's lovely and clever, and it cost less than $20! Click here to read more.
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Blue-Green, Barnwood Porch Ceiling
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Chalk Painted Steps, Sponge & Spatter Paint
We've dressed up our old steps with two shades of brown chalk paint together, with fresh white risers.
You won't believe how poor these steps looked before this makeover!
Sponge painting can be tricky, but with our tips you can reproduce this elegant, understated — and practical — paint effect.
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Preserving Cattails for Autumn Decor
Join us on a walk in the country hunting the perfect cattail.
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No-Dig, No-Mess,
LampPosts for a Bridge Garden
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Easy DIY Leaded Glass Mirror with Metal Tape
We've added a mirror over the window on the stone porch. We used the same Pebeo Vitrail lead tape used on the window below, and it was easy!
The final look was beyond everything we hoped. Super pretty!
Check out our photos and a step-by-step of how we made this mirror project, here.
We truly love this product and are giving away a free roll, a $30 value on our YouTube Channel. Jump to the post about that here.
Make an Indoor-Outdoor Window Hutch
As we worked on this window, adding lead strips, shelves, and styling inside and out, we realized how well it would work as an outside hutch … and how hutches could be made back-to-back … inside AND out! Read the post here —
Now we are searching for the perfect base that will allow us to see the stone wall, if possible. Something like this:
For lots of tips on making an indoor/outdoor window hutch, see our video here:
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Easy Leaded Glass with Metal Tape!
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Birdbath and Garden Ornaments with Real Lace
As sweet as icing sugar, this birdbath is tough enough to stay out in the garden!
We used real crochet cotton lace and our own tinted wax formula to make it.
We hope you'll click the thumb icon on our YouTube channel. You don't want to miss the gnome's upcoming makeover!
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Shortcut to a Fairy Tale Bridge
We've started a bridge garden and here's how it look so far …
Eight feet long and raised on a sturdy bed of cement pavers, it's hard to believe the bridge project began as a cast-off futon!
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Labels of Vintage Textiles for a Sweet, Unique Pantry!
Here are a few new original ideas for using vintage textiles, hankies, artist chalks, chalk paint products … and more.
DIY Indoor Green Salad Garden with LED Lights
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We'd started this garden just a few months before the 2020 Pandemic, thank goodness!
We grow 3-4 fabulous cups of salad each day in a dark corner of our basement!
We share our favorite equipment sources and how to's —here—.
Easy Waterproof Rustic Basket DIY
Make this basket for your garden or porch and leave it outside in any weather …
… we made ours while watching Outlander …
Looking like a basket from Lallybroch …
… but with lots of secrets that will keep it looking good in all sorts of weather, AND help keep mice away too!
Check out the video here …
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Special Savings Today Only! Click for the deal of the day!
Make Gingerbread Trim from Kid's Blocks!
This project was child's play with toy blocks, brackets, and a finial that looks like a juice extractor. See how we made this entry into a beautiful part of our stone porch, here.
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Our Amazing Bark Textured Flower Boxes made with Caulk
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Look how we upcycled our bland flower boxes with caulk and a plastic fork. This craft, also called Faux Bois in France, looks like realistic bark but is durable and easy to do.
We made a total of three of these wonderful rustic boxes. We used chalk paint and wood ash to finish the surface. Here's how …
How to make Victorian-Style Gingerbread Fretwork, from New Materials
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The photo essay step-by-step is here.
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