A Pixie Dusted Stump

Aren't fairies just about the most imagination inspiring idea? We have an old tree stump that I have been wanting to do something with for a while and it just got pixie dusted!

I have been saving popsicle sticks to build a door and just never got around to it until.....

I found THIS at the Goodwill!!

 A little mini bird bath. I thought it might make a great fairy bathing stand and might help attract a fairy.

This thing is heavy and solid metal so while the girls were playing down the street, I added it to my garden. 

When I went back inside to look for my popsicle sticks......

......a wee fairy house was born!

I couldn't believe my eyes. Our little fairy must have been just waiting for something to show up. How she got inside my house and grabbed those sticks so fast is still a mystery.

Izzy stopped up to change into her bathing suit and she spied it too. I wish I could have gotten a photo of her smile when she discovered it. So worth it times like a zillion! She ran back down the street to let the other neighbor girls know about it. I went back inside to find my camera to try and take some quick photos....

a little window out of a bark ring and some twine appeared!

then the six little girls came running back and went crazy with ideas.... It was so hard to answer all of the questions they were peppering me with! They wanted a way to leave this repurposing fairy some treasures. We came up with a treasure basket out of a napkin ring and then they wanted a mail box to send her letters so we scoured the yard for something to use.....

and spotted a peanut shell and stick. These girls are brilliant! We made one side of the peanut shell more flat and hot glued a cardboard bottom to it before adding the stick. They gave her all kinds of miniature mail.....

and treasures to decorate or use around her house.

She reads her mail by the light of her window......

and used some of the treasures to add some whimsy to her fine homestead....Oh and here she has sent a letter off to the girls. She replied to one of their questions by answering them with her secret name.

Her name is formed from the first initial of each little neighborhood girls name but I am not allowed to tell you or the magic will disappear, along with our little fairy.....

But as you know, you are always welcome here as well.

What magical things have you seen around your garden lately?

Always being renewed,

Please see the link party page to see where I link arms with those blissfully beautiful bloggers that host every week. So gracious they are along with these other sweet ladies!

Read more at http://diyshowoff.com/2013/04/01/that-diy-party-10/#xgMAcRCgRocl5vmh.99       

 

 

Mid-Century Monkey Tape Buffet TV stand.......you'll understand once you read the post!

A home takes time and money to build. It does not happen over night. For example, I have been living with a TV stand that was a mash up of a $5 yard sale book shelf and a free from the trash Pantry door for about a year and a half. See it in the right corner there?

Pure beauty I tell ya'. 

Previously it hung out on the black hutch on the right for 6 years. It was making the rounds on my different pieces of furniture while I waited to find the right dresser, console, etc. that I could put my personal touch on and wasn't too much money.

I was having no luck in my thrifting sprees.

I complain A LOT about how crazy people are when they throw something great out but in reality...I am actually somewhat thankful. I hope people continue to throw out great furniture. Otherwise how else would I have found this baby!

Actually, I am not the one who found this... my middle little is the one who spotted this from the car. She obviously comes from good pedigree. 

She knows great lines when she sees them. After all, she gets up close and personal with my crows feet on a daily basis and still thinks I'm beautiful. 

Kids are great for your ego.

Crows feet not so much but whatever, I earned them right!

So here she is fresh off of the trash.

These handles were actually painted in a "faux" wood grain. Can't make sense of that one.

Now where does the Monkey Tape come in? 

I had used green FROG tape to tape off my lines so I could paint green stripes on the console. 

Here she is all painted up. As it turns out, the green paint is the almost exact same color as the Frog Tape and when middle little, IzzyB, saw the console she said "why didn't you take off the monkey tape?" 

Which of course made me chuckle a bit.  Then my husband said the same thing. It does look like I forgot to remove the tape. I guess with all of my screwy ideas this was definitely not outside the realm of possibilities of what I might do in their minds

.

Why green? I thought I would give it a nod to those great greens from the 50's. Just a touch to not make it too kitschy. And I like color so a little bit of green never hurts.

It was tough going getting these stripes straight as the front of the drawers are curved inward. When you are up close it looks like you are way off but then you have to move back and look at the lines again and they look much straighter.

See what I mean

This drawer front got completely sanded down twice because I grabbed the wrong color stain the first time. Thank goodness for palm sanders and thick veneer. 

Did you see that the hardware is now spiffed up? Just a little mineral spirits and steel wool did the trick to remove the wood grain. I wish it were that easy on all my projects. 

At least it gives me an upper arm workout and keeps the bat wings at bay. 

You know what I'm talkin' bout?!?

I love the white against the wood and green definitely gives my love of orange a run for its money. So far everyone who has seen it loves the green stripes too. 

And this is the reality shot because if you look at the first few pics you will notice that there is no cable box or DVD player in them and the scads of cords are nicely tucked up behind the console. I take those pictures just so the piece can get it's due.But that is not how our life is. We have cords dang near everywhere.

Just thought I'd show you how it will really look.....

This is also a reality check that patience can net you some awesome finds that will help you build a home that is about you and reflects you (even in the TV screen??). Get the word out, let people know what you need, look on the trash even if it makes you uncomforatble at first (the first step outside the car to grab someone's trash is your first step towards creative liberation!), go to thrift stores often.

Look at the lines and form not the color. You can paint anything.

7.5 years for a TV stand.

Yes, and it was totally worth it.

Always being renewed,

Please see the link party page to see where I link arms with those blissfully beautiful bloggers that host every week. So gracious they are along with these other sweet ladies!

Read more at http://diyshowoff.com/2013/04/01/that-diy-party-10/#xgMAcRCgRocl5vmh.99