toy frame

You've seen them, right? Those cute chalkboards for kids rooms, made by gluing old/broken toys to an old frame, then spraying it a bright colour?

Well, I decided to make one when I found a bag of plastic toys for $1 in an op shop some weeks ago even though I don't have kids. It looked like so much fun. I added more toys to the collection from other shops till I had enough to make a large chalkboard.

At the exact same time I was getting ready to do this, an episode of Better Homes and Gardens came on TV and that DIY chick was making the exact same thing. Only she did a 'classy' one. She said it was easy - just get the hot glue gun, glue the toys to the frame, give it a couple of light coats of silver spray paint and voila! Done.

Well I did that. I sat down at my coffee table/work table in front of the TV one night and hot glued toys to the plain pine frame. Though, first, I have to mention that the frame I had wasn't entirely flat so I had to sand and plane it to make it flat. Then I got out my friend and enemy, the hot glue gun.

I let it dry, then took it to the workshop where I set up a spray paint area and started spraying it lime green. Why lime green? It seemed like a cheerful gender neutral colour.

I sprayed it in light coats. I sprayed. And I sprayed. I did a ton of coats from every side and every angle.

I still missed spots where the colour didn't take cause of the texture of one toy or other, or where the nooks and crannies of a toy refused to let the paint in. But that's ok. I dont mind it being imperfect. It actually looks nice with a tiny flash of red or yellow here or there.

In between the million coats of spray paint, I took image that came with the frame and painted over it with store bought chalkboard paint. I gave it 2 coats and it looked great.

Then I put the chalkboard into the frame, put screws in and wire to hang it and it was ready.

I put it in my car to take to a local shop to see about selling it.

That's when the dophin came off.

Quick fix glue job. Touch up of spray paint once the glue was dry.

Back in the car to go to the shop.

There's a new shop in New Norfolk which sells kids stuff - gifts, books, clothing. New and 2nd hand, handmade and not.

When I went to take it out of the car Bugs had come unstuck.

Damn. It worked fine on TV!

Some superglue (which didn't work) later, I was talking to the lady in the shop. She loved it. She was  excited about the idea of selling it in her shop. Great. I'll just take it home and glue it again and bring it back next week.

I feel like ripping the toys off and throwing it away to be honest.

But I won't. I'll glue it again, using cement this time. See how it likes them apples!

And then I'll tell the lady in the shop that its to be sold as a decorative piece, NOT a piece for children to actually USE.

How stupid is that?

It'll work fine as a piece of art on a nursery wall.

So much for following BH&G instructions. Maybe pinterest would have offered more practical suggestions?

z

tomorrow lampshade

I've been buying lamps when I see them in 2nd hand shops lately. When I see one I like the shape of. Sometimes I like the shade, other times the base. Often I get them home and swap shades or paint bases... I think I have too many lamps.

However, when I saw this letter on a lampshade it inspired me to do something with a shade I had removed cause I didn't like the gold trim. There was a little damage too - two of the metal frame spikes inside had come loose and poked tiny holes on the shade. I glued the spikes back into place and the writing camouflaged the tiny holes.

I used a sharpie to write Garth Brook's If Tomorrow Never Comes on the shade as its always been one of my favourite songs. Its one of the best love songs ever in my opinion - for anyone at all in your life.

My handwriting leaves a lot to be desired. I've never used cursive. In schools in Australia children are taught to 'print' not 'write'. That means that we learn to write single letters. Later we're taught to join them up, but the Australian way of 'running writing' is nothing like American cursive. Its simple, economical in stroke and rather plain compared to the flair of cursive.

When we moved to Greece in 1970 I went to Ursuline (an American Catholic school run by the Ursuline nuns) and had to learn cursive.

Funny huh? My printing wasn't good enough so I had to sit in the classroom for many lunchtimes learning cursive.

I used it for about 4 years, till I went to the English Campion School for high school where cursive was knocked out of me by one of my teachers. He had me go back to my 'much neater' printing.

Thus, in my long winded way, I'm explaining that my cursive is very rusty as it never gets out these days.

And bringing it out to write on a round lampshade was a challenge. Still, if you can look past the wonky handwriting, I think the lamp came up well. I paired it with a plain creamy wooden base. Hopefully no one will look too closely at the actual writing.

Maybe I'll put it back on its original gold base, but for now it sits on the corner coffee table in the living room.

z

farm fresh egg sign

Once upon a time I found a small old chopping board. It had a metal handle and was worn and grimy. So, I did what any self respecting DIY/crafter would do. I took it home and gave it a makeover.

First I sanded it to get rid of the stains and make it pretty again.

Then I experimented with transfering images. I tried various methods I found on Pinterest but to be honest, none of them worked very well. For one thing, what on earth is freezer paper? I don't think I've ever seen it in a supermarket in Australia... Freezer bags, yes, but paper? No. And transfer paper? I asked at Spotlight and they had no idea what I was talking about. Wax paper? We've been looking for what I remember mom using way back when me and Noah were kids, but I haven't seen it around for a long time.

I used a sheet of laminating paper, printed out this image and - ooops. Not exactly right.

So, I sanded it again, got rid of the image, then, while I was at it, cut the metal handle off. I drilled two holes into the board to thread through a rope to hang it with.

Then I tried the image transfer again. This time I added in some type to make it a proper sign. You can see the transfer wasn't perfect.

I touched it up with a sharpie and it came up great. I gave it a couple of coats of water based satin varnish, then gave it a little sand to finish it off.



I used a vinegar/steel wool solution to age the wood a bit (another Pinterest tip).

Not bad. I kinda liked it.

Then, while photographing I had a sudden inspiration. Those burlap flowers I made last week! I think they add that certain je ne sais quoi, don't you?

I'm pretty pleased with it!

So what do you think? Keep? Sell locally or esty shop?

z

DIY - remodelling the dining room

Remember the unfinished dado rail from the living room make-over? Well, the dining room was also painted white (I think the original owners of the house bought it in bulk and used it on everything), with a blue dado rail running around the entire room. And only one tiny corner done in pine panelling.

This is what the dining room looked like when I first saw the house. The grey painted brick on the fire place. The blue dado rail and the white walls.

I apologise for the sizes of the images. I no longer have the original files in some cases and they're all different sizes.

And the mess.



The other side of the fireplace in what is now the purple room - The walls were sponged blue over white. Not a good job. There was a carpet in this bedroom when I first moved in. My first job was to remove the carpet, sand the floorboards and varnish them.



It looked a bit better once I cleaned up, but not much. The dog pen side was to keep the dogs off the floor in the bedroom till it dried.

The fireplace surround was nice timber, but they'd painted the original old bricks a gloss grey. The pantry cupboard was lacquered pine like the entire kitchen.


Having moved in, I started to make the space work for me... Furnishing with dog crates!



When I started the remodelling in the dining room the pine lining was the first thing to go in, tying the room in with the living room just past the kitchen. The colour I chose in this room was Dulux Vast Escape – I can't take credit for choosing this colour. It was chosen by Greg, my partner at the time. I looked at it and was not sure at all, but I trusted his tastes in colour. And I love the colour now. In fact I'm wondering how it would look in my current kitchen...

Below is Greg putting in the pine lining for me. I have to admit, his faults aside, Greg really can do things when he put his mind to it. He is a very talented man.








Back to the dining room make-over. The wood panelling was put up in the living room and dining room at the same time. It made sense.

Similar to the living room, the walls above and the panelling below were both painted the same colour and the dado and all woodwork was painted Antique White USA.

I stripped the grey paint off the bricks using paint stripper and exposed the original bricks and some of the old cream colour used to paint them in the past. It looks a bit messy in the photos but I love the texture of those old bricks.

The built in wood heater in this room works beautifully and is positioned in a way that serves to heat the entire house. I've just replaced the old one with a refurbished 2^nd hand one and now its in better shape than ever.

The fireplace was painted Columbia to match the far wall in the living room to tie the rooms together further.

I painted the pantry and the built-in bookcase the same colour as the walls for a more uniform feeling in the room. 

The floorboards in the dining room and kitchen were all in pretty good condition, they could do with a sand and polish but to be honest, I like the warn, less perfect look.

I always have a rug in the dining room for warmth and with the fire going in winter.

So here it is now. New curtains, re-arranged furniture, my 60s kitchen table and chairs and you have to admit, it looks spectacular.

z