Memorial Weekend Projects... Oh Yeah!

I have always held this weekend as the "first" summer weekend.  Instead of joining the hassle of traffic and fighting to get a camping spot, we chose to stay home.  We did a lot of yard work and got a few major projects completed outside. 

I finally got my Wisteria "tree" and planted it in the front yard.  I am going to train it over an ornate arch that I found.  It will take a few years for it to take shape, but in the meantime I get to enjoy the sweet smell of the blossoms.  I also got my garden out of the green house and in the ground outside.  I really down sized our garden this year.  I usually have five 8 x 8 raised beds and one 8 x 16 bed fully packed with goodies.  This year, I only planted one of the 8 x 8 beds.  There is just way to much to do this summer  and tending a garden is not one of them.  Once the yard work was under control, I hit the scrap room.  I got several projects finished over the weekend and feel like I have accomplished so much.  My Mind is in the right place now and I can forge ahead on other projects that I have been putting off.  Taking time to play and do what you want to do is so good for the spirit.

This is the first of my projects.  All of these items I found while out scavenging around Goodwill or at Pole Barn Primitives.  Lisa always has something there I can play with... I think she likes to see me come in because I very rarely leave without buying something.  (She will not however, sell me her dog. Some things are just not for sale..lol)
This is a little 2 drawer shelf I found while at Lisa's store and ti was perfect for hanging my apron's on.  It was bare and plane, so I changed it up and little bit.

This next project was something I have wanted to do for a long time.  As simple it is, it just never got down until this weekend.  I have several tags that I have on rings and they are samples of ink colors or samples of "how too's"  and I keeping looking around for them.  They are never in the same place and usually buried under some other project (mess) that I have in the scrap room.  Not any more, they are save and secure and all in one place now.    Yeah for me!!!

Now they hang on the wall above my work desk and they are easy to reach and find.  Whew!!!

This last project was a bit more involved.  Once again, Pole Barn Primitives has a goodie that I just had to have and make something pretty out of it.  This 2 drawer chest was a bit rough around the edges and needed a little bit of TLC.  Once I got the "20 pound" monster removed off the back, I could actually lift this darn thing without hurting myself.  Craziest thing, someone used a 1.5 inch of very heavy wood for the backing.  It went all the way to the floor.  Made no sense to me why you would have a back that heavy and it going all the way to the floor. If you look real close at the picture, you can see it.

So, once that back was off, I spent quite a bit of time sanding down the top, sides and drawer fronts to remove as much of the green paint as I could.  Then I took it outside and painted it ivory white.  Next step was remaking the back out of thick chipboard.  I nailed it in place using tiny tack nails and from there I reworked each side and used some favorite paper I have in my stash from Graphic 45.  I so love Graphic 45!!!.. They have the coolest paper lines and we carry some of them in the store at The Hens' Den. 
Ok.. Ok...here is the new front of the chest:

Different looking, isn't it!.. I think it is so cool. Here are a few more pictures of this cute little chest:

          














The top left photo is the left side of the chest.  The top right photo is the right side of the chest.  The next photo is the top and the last picture is the back of the chest.  I used Claudine Hellmuth's Studio Extra Time slow-dry medium to adhere the paper to the chest.  After that layer dried, I layered the other papers and embellishments next.  Then I used the same medium over all the paper and embellishments to give it a sheen.  I did not go over the feather. While the medium was wet I layed the feather down onto the paper and as the medium dried, it held the feather in place.    The paper line is Graphic 45's Tropical Travelogue Collection.  What fun paper!!!


So, digging a 3 foot by 3 foot hole for my Wisteria tree, moving the starts out to the garden and playing in my scrap room, I feel so good inside.
I am ready for anything now.  Bring it on!!!!

Thank you for stopping by!