Project 20 Decoupaged Key box

Sometimes you just get lucky when your out on the hunt for items to refurbish. I considered myself lucky when I found this old box.

It had some very old paper  decoupaged on it. I knew it would make a perfect key box to hang on the wall.

I wanted to update the image and I had this really pretty French script paper in a soft aqua color,
 I thought would be just the look  I wanted.

So out came the modpodge, and viola!

 I tore the edges of the paper, so it would appear more vintage. and applied with the mod podge.
I added a few vintage keys to the front.
and some cup hooks to the inside.

I love how the inside of the door is green while the rest of the wood is  natural.

I loved the way the back was already so I left it as is. A sweet little angel.

I think the whole thing is just darling! what do you think?
I hated to part with it, but it is in my booth in Cape May now at the North End Garage.

Have you been working on any fun projects lately? Share with us please.

 I love your comments and am always looking for a few good blogs to add to my reading list.

Have a great week, and thanks for stopping by!
Eileen
I will be linking with the parties below:
Metamorphosis Monday
Show off your cottage Monday
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

Project 19 An end table gets a makeover

Just testing the waters of blogger via iphone one more time.
This is a before and after for project 19.
The before was pretty beat up and yukky.
The after with my home made white chalk paint and a tiny bit of distressing.

My first post via my iphone

I haven't done this before but I thought it was time to try posting via my phone. It is always with me and I always take pics with it so why not?

Have you ppsted from your phone yet?
I didnt even know you could until today. 5 minutes ago. On the off chance i googled blogger app foe i phone and viola !! There it was! So i am checking this out with some recent vintage finds.
You can post pics right from this application. You can either access pics on your phone or open camera app and take one to post! Pretty cool.
I think this might be a new favorite app.

Finally finished project 18 The Courtyard Renovation

I am a very lucky lady to have both a home on the Atlantic Coast and a home 1/2 mile from the Gulf of Mexico in Southwest Florida. I do love the sea and always desired to be near it.

The water in this part of the Gulf is warm and clear, and a beautiful shade of aqua, very often like the Carribbean. I swam in it today for at least an hour. I love the variety here. Some days the water is as calm and serene as a sea of glass. Other days there is a current and  waves. I love waves. I also love it calm and clear. Variety, ahhh the spice of life.

So onto the finished project of creating a  courtyard in the front entrance of my home here by the beautiful Gulf of Mexico.

 Finally complete

It used to be a garden entrance full of stone. Dark Grey stone on the sides, with plants. A pathway of pink stone, and diamond shaped stepping stones was how we entered. Everyone grumbled, when pulling their suitcases in, believe me. A real nut test!

 Here it is Before.

And  ouch, ooch, yikes, when i ran out there in bare feet! There were always small rogue pebbles on those stepping stones!!!
So I'll cut to the chase and give ya some other before and after shots! Thanks for tuning in!

The fountain area, now.

The Fountain Area Before:

And when we removed the stone, you can see how bad the concrete was in this shot.... yikes it took a lot of work to fix this concrete with patching and cleaning and a coat of stain before doing the brick stamping pattern.

The Concrete under the stone

And after I stamped it.

And here is the Window Wall now.

Inspired by the clay and white room below

More inspiration photos and us cleaning out the stone are HERE in my previous post

I love these shutters! i found them at Sarasota Architechtural salvage.

You can see the floor pretty good in this pic. I used a sponge and clay color cement stain to achieve this look.

I stenciled some of the bricks for a Mexican tile effect. I used a mixture of grey stain and aqua paint for the stencil, the stain was way too thin for stenciling, so i needed to thicken it up for doing the stencil, once the brick design was dry.

The boring window wall before 

So I am a happy camper now, no more stones under my feet, when I walk out my door I see this pretty courtyard .

A complete do it yourself project and very satisfying.

 A big shout out to Johanna, without who's help, I could never have accomplished removing all that stone or moving those huge pots through Home Depot!

Adios Amigos!

Now I can head back to Jersey for Easter!
Happy Easter.

Linking up to these parties:
The Mommy Club
Good Life Wendesday
Wow us Wendesday
Vintage Inspiration Friday
Feathered Nest Friday

Project 18 Creating a Mexican Courtyard

This project is taking me more time than I thought. A huge project removing a bunch of stone and preparing the concrete floor underneath. So today i am posting some inspiration pictures of Mexican Courtyards, and my progress so far.

First is this fountain. I love the arch around it.

Since I already have a fountain, My plan was to create an arch around it with mexican plates that I have been thrifting for the last year in preparation for this.

So below is what I have done.

The plants will come out when I fill it with water 

Below are doors that I love from the site http://www.haciendastyle.com

I am not in the market for a new door but figured  shutters in this style would be perfect to dress up my boring windows. You see here.

Here we are removing all that stone!

Here is a sneek peek at the shutters I found at the salvage yard.

These will go far in making this entrance over into a Mexican style courtyard.

I Love and adore these,

and you can see we have the stone all removed

Here are some more inspiration photos

Source

 I love the clay with the white!

Source

I love the floors in this shot.

I have concrete under all the stone so I am stamping it in a brick pattern.

Here is a sneek at the work  I do have done on the floor so far.

it is a simple process but time consuming and a lot of work on the knees!

With concrete stain and a sponge I have created the look of brick.

 I will post again about the progress. Hoping to get done and go home for Easter!!

Adios Amigos!
Partying here
Saturday Night Special
vintage Inspiration Friday
Coastal Charm Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays

Project 17 A night stand gets Beachified

Once again I am at the Florida house working on projects. I really wish I could stay longer, but i also have tons of stuff to get done back in Jersey.
So the first week was a vacation, hanging out with my kids. Now it's down to work. I decided to tackle the small courtyard in front of the house. But that will take alot more time.


 So today I have a teeny tiny project. A nightstand makeover.
This simple nightstand had no character.

What it had was good structure, so it seemed like a viable candidate for beachification.

I thought I would give it a nice coat of whitewash and get her looking like some driftwood.

So without further ado here she is.

I just could not get those little white plastic pegs out. See them on top? Anyone know how?
 I couldn't budge them with a plyers.
Anywho, she looks a bit more refreshed in white don't you agree?

i like her beachy look.

 It is also time for the adventures of Picky and Pickier to begin. 

My sis ( who is Pickier) is coming over  from the East coast of Florida, and we will go on a thrifting adventure up and down Tamiami trail.

Stay tuned!

Update on the nite stand, I listened to Bliss and turned it around so the pretty side was more visible.

 And clustered some shells around the plastic things that I can't pry out.

I like how it resembles an old storage crate this way. The inside can still be accessed for remotes and books!
Vintage Inspiration Fridays
Feathered Nest Friday