Mantle Clock and Patriotic Swap Goodies

We have been having some gorgeous weather here in Ohio!! Other than a thunderstorm and a humid 90 degrees on Thursday, the skies have been sunny with a few puffy white clouds and temps in the low to mid 80's!! Needless to say, I'm spending a lot of time outdoors. It's not all relaxation and soaking up the sun, either! (Well, maybe a little bit!)

I've been busy doing yard work and staining a privacy fence that we put up on Memorial weekend. We have my side of the family (25 to 30 people) coming over for the 4th of July and I always set the 4th as a goal to get big projects done. Nothing like having company over to get you motivated!! LOL I work best under pressure.

So among all of the hoopla of getting things done, I realized that it's been awhile since I've posted. And I did say that my next post would be a tutorial on making a mantle clock.

So here it is. . . . .

Supplies:

• 11" x 15" 1/4" sanded plywood
• 1 x 4 15" long (2 pieces)
• 1 x 6 13" long (2 pieces)
• 1/4" x 4" 10" long
• knob
• clock (WalMart)
  

The clock faces at my craft supply stores were smaller than what I wanted and sell for $11-$12 for a complete kit. I found a clock at WalMart for $3.97 that was the size I was looking for.

Remove the plastic cover by using a screwdriver. There are tabs at the 6 & 12 o'clock position.

Carefully remove the hands by pulling on the ends at the center of the clock. I stained my clock face with 2 coats of Minwax Aged Oak gel stain.

Using the lid as a template, trace a circle on a piece of paper.


Cut out the circle about 1/8" past the marked line.



Transfer the pattern onto the 11" x 15" 1/4" plywood. I laid the 1/4" x 4" drawer piece on the bottom and then centered the circle in between.

Drill a 1" pilot hole in the center of the circle to use as the starting point to cut out the circle. Whether you use a jigsaw or scroll saw, make sure to use a fine tooth blade made for cutting thin wood to prevent chipping and splintering. Take your time and go slow!!! You want to cut a perfect circle! I strongly recommend using a scroll saw; you have much better control. (Scroll saw tip - remove the blade and then center the pilot hole over the blade opening and then replace the blade through the pilot hole.)

Sand all of your wood pieces. On the fake drawer piece, I rounded the edges with a sander. Glue and nail the face piece onto the 1 x 4 side pieces. Center the 1 x 6 top and bottom pieces and then glue and nail in place. Center and glue the drawer piece on.

Let dry completely and then finish as desired. Don't forget to finish the knob!

The final step is to glue the clock in place and add the knob. I used Elmer's Stix-All Gel Cement and ran a bead of glue around the opening in the back of the clock base.

It's up to you whether you choose to put the plastic cover back on or not. I chose not to.

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I also wanted to share with you the wonderful goodies I received from Rene from Two Mile Creek Primitives. She was my swap partner in Char's Patriot swap. I was so excited when I got her package in the mail! She had a tutorial on making wood star holders on her blog and I was hoping that she would send me one and she did!!! She also sent me three prim fabric stars, a prim patriotic pear and wooden hang tags. Thank you so much, Rene! I love them!! I know exactly where I'm putting everything and they came just in time for my 4th of July cookout!

Fireplace Makeover

I've mentioned before that I've been doing some major tweaking. One of the areas I've been working on is my fireplace. I've had it decorated this same way for about two years! Can you believe it? I really liked the look of the window frame and I loved the wreath, but the wreath was hard to keep clean. It had some pip berries in it, so I had to watch getting it wet or the berries would split open and lightly batting it with a dust rag caused some of the other berry thingys to break off. So I decided it was time to take it down. And you know how it goes - one little change snowballs into a major makeover!

This is the before picture:


And this is the after:

There's the tavern sign I gave a tutorial on in a previous post. I also made a new game board. The red one with the star was made couple of years ago. The mantle clock was made with a clock I bought at WalMart for $3.97. It was so easy!! I'll share the tutorial in my next post. I still need to find something to put on the left of the clock. I'm thinking something round to soften the hard edges of the boards and mantle clock. I was thinking a couple of the tall canister-shaped stacking boxes but not sure if it would be too many because of the ones on my t.v. (I know, I know.. look at that ancient t.v.! For 20 years old, it still has a great picture, so I can't convince hubby to replace it with a flat screen.)

The chair on the left side of the hearth was Golden Brown and I painted it Territorial Beige. On the right side of the hearth I replaced the small bench with a larger one and placed the crock with twigs that was on the mantle on the bench. I also added a bowl with rag balls. You can see a close up in my header picture. The rag balls were made from suit jackets that I bought at Goodwill. Regular price was $6.00 each, but I went on customer appreciation day and got them for $3.90. I made 3 balls out of two sleeves. I saw some rag balls at one of my favorite prim shops selling for $5.00 a piece!!

I also changed the fireplace screen with the one we had in our family room. I liked the style of the other one, but it didn't fit right, which drove me nuts! I still don't know what I'm going to do with the actual fireplace. We don't build fires in it anymore since we got new carpet a couple of years ago and I didn't want to take the chance of making a mess from hauling in wood and cleaning out the ashes. So, for now, I guess I'll just leave it empty.

Well, that's it for now. I'm still tweaking other areas and will post pics when I get them done.

Blanket Crane Tutorial

Some of you have requested a tutorial on making a blanket crane, so I've tried my best to draw a diagram and come up with step by step directions. I want to point out, though, that mine is stationary, it doesn't swing.

I hope these directions make sense and are easy to follow. Please forgive me - sometimes my methods are a little unusual and trying to explain them is kind of hard. I wish I had Linda's (Behind My Red Door) eloquent way with words!

You should be able to click on the pictures and print out the directions for easier reference.

Making Your Own Stencils

I've mentioned before that when I'm cleaning and tweaking, it usually involves making and/or painting things. I don't know about any of you, but when I get an idea for something, I have a hard time waiting until I get the materials to make them. So when I want to make a sign or a game board, I don't want to order stencils and then have to wait for them to arrive. So I make my own! I use my computer to print out lettering and to find pictures and clip art. I usually use freezer paper because it has a waxy coating on the back and is more durable. But in a pinch, like for this sign, I used regular computer paper. Cut the freezer paper to regular paper size and place it in your printer so that the letters are printed on the paper side, not the waxed side.

These are the steps I took to make a tavern sign.

First, I needed an image of a horse. I would have googled images for a picture of a horse, but I had a Warren Kimble wallpaper print that I used instead. A little tip for you - if you have a picture that's on a dark background and can't see the image to trace a pattern, tape it to a window pane. The sunlight will illuminate the image, making it easier to trace. (See images below)

I have a program on my computer called "Print Artist". (I think it was a free program that came with my printer). You can make all kinds of things like cards, signs, calendars and banners, which is the feature that I used.

Print out your wording. Tape together your paper if you need to.

Next, cut out the letters. I like to use embroidery scissors because they're small and thin. For letters that have centers that aren't attached (like B, A, D, etc.) I leave them attached until all the letters are cut out and I'm ready to stencil. That way I don't lose the pieces. (See below)

After all the letters are cut out, lay the stencils on your board, spraying lightly with adhesive spray. (Follow directions on the can for stencils).

Apply your paint .

And then sand and stain. And . . .

TA DA!! You have a handmade sign! (I dropped the sander above his knee and it removed too much paint! Oops!)

Since I've learned to do this, I don't remember when the last time I bought a stencil. Stencils can be a little pricey, especially for one this size. This sign measures 24" x 28".

You can do so many things; just use your imagination! Later on, I'll show you how to make a checkers game board using this method.

I've Made a Few Things

In between working outside, cleaning house (which you all know what that means) and helping my son with a few end of the year school projects, I found some time to make a few things.

I made this blanket crane for my bedroom. I found this Family Heirloom Weavers throw at Country Gatherings in Berlin last week and really loved it, but wasn't sure where I wanted to put it. I've always wanted a blanket crane, too. I had a huge area of wall going into my bedroom that was bare and knew that would be the perfect place to hang the crane.

I've also been redoing things in the main bathroom. I made this towel holder because I didn't like my old one and also because I bought these towels that I thought would be perfect in this bathroom and needed something nice to hang them on.

I also made this little bench to sit on the bathroom counter to put my wonderful lantern on that I got from Primitive Keepings. I think I need something to the left of the lantern but don't know what. Any suggestions?

And I made these fabric stack boxes to sit on my t.v. next to this new lamp I bought yesterday from Primitive Keepings. If you remember from my previous post, I wasn't happy with the other lamp. Does the pineapple look stupid on top of the boxes? I thought it needed a little something but not sure if this is it.

I also made these fabric boxes to sit next to the $17 lantern I got from Lisa's favorite antique shop in Amish country.

And this is a little display I put together on my living room coffee table. I went to an antique store around the corner from me to look for some old books and thought it was pretty ironic that one of the books I bought had the name of someone from a family I knew from where I grew up at and also had my dad's high school (which later became my elementary school) listed inside the front cover! Pretty neat, huh? My dad then told me that the person listed in the book was actually related to us somewhere down the line (I got lost in the translation!).

I have been doing some major tweaking lately. Ideas have just been coming to me that I'm so excited about. I have a lot of makeovers that I want to do and the list of things I need to make keeps getting longer and longer (not to mention the list of things I want to buy at Primitive Keepings!). It's frustrating because I want it all done yesterday! lol And with the weather finally getting nice, I want to be outside! Like I said in an earlier post, "I need the days to be longer!"

Well, I need to start tackling those things on that list! :-)

Chicken Recipe and Lisa's Birthday Giveaway Goodies

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a great Mmorial Day weekend. Here in Ohio the weather was absolutely gorgeous - sunny and mid 70's! We got so much done and yet had plenty of time to relax and just enjoy the beautiful weather. It was just fabulous!


We cooked on the grill everyday, which I love, because my hubby does the cooking (although I'm the one that makes the marinades that give them the flavor!). I want to share a great recipe for Tequila Lime Chicken. It is definitely YUMMO! I just want to make a note that sometimes I don't get the full amount of fresh juice called for in the recipe, so I always have concrentrate on hand to make up the difference. I also grate the lime and orange peels and add to the marinade because they add a lot more flavor. This is one of our favorites to cook on the grill and I hope you enjoy it!

Tequila Lime Chicken

• 1/2 c. gold tequila
• 1 c. freshly squeezed lime juice (5 to 6 limes)
• 1/2 c. freshly squeezed orange juice (2 oranges)
• 1 T. chili powder
• 1 T. minced fresh jalapeno pepper
• 1 T. minced fresh garlic (3 cloves)
• 2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Combine all the ingredients and add chicken breasts. Refrigerate overnight. Cook on the grill.

A great side dish is to thinly slice up yellow squash, zucchini, carrots, onions, red and yellow peppers and put in a shallow disposable foil pan. Drizzle with olive oil and then season with salt, freshly cracked pepper and about 2 T. Italian Herb seasoning and toss all together. Cook on the grill or bake in a 375 degree oven for 40 minutes. YUMMO!

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I also want to share with you the great goodies I got in the mail on Friday from Lisa's (Prims From Above) birthday giveaway. I absolutely love everything!! Thank you so much, Lisa!

I apologize for the pictures. They're not that great - I couldn't get the lighting right and I wanted to hurry and get pictures posted to show you all the wonderful goodies.

She gave me a cute towel holder with a gold cotton dish towel.

I hung it in the corner of my living room above my "prehistoric" television along with a Family Heirloom Weavers table runner and a couple of hand dipped candles. I changed the lamp on top of the t.v. with this one, but I don't think it's staying there. I absolutely love the lamp, but it's kind of awkard to decorate with because the lamp shade is offset and, to me, looks funny wherever I put it.

Another thing Lisa sent was this cute little "FAITH" sign. I tried to take a picture with the candle lit to create a warm glow, but that was NOT a good idea! If you look closely, you can see a little spot above the candle where the flame scorched the paint.

And last, but definitely not least, is this wonderful sign that Lisa made. I will always treasure it, Lisa! Again, thank you so much!

I placed it on my bench in my front entry way so everyone will see it when they enter my home.

Dough Bowl Rack and New Goodies

Okay, I'm in big trouble!! I've rediscovered a store that is only 10 minutes away from me and it's my new addiction! I've been there 4 times in the last 3 weeks. It's called Primitive Keepings and it's just amazing! I hadn't been there for about 2 years. At that time they carried mostly upholstered furniture and bigger wood items and very few little items. It's on a main road on the north side of town, but I usually take back roads to where ever I go so I don't pass by it. I have stopped on 2 or 3 occasions in the past, but they weren't promptly open at 11:00 and after waiting 10-15 minutes, I left. Another negative is their opening time at 11:00. I'm a morning person, so I'm out the door by 7:30-8:00 and home from my errands by 11:00-12:00. I've been doing some major tweaking lately and needed alittle inspiration so I thought I'd give them another try. Well, let me tell you! I was in heaven!! They have so much stuff now that you would have to spend a whole day in there just to see everything. Check out their website and on the left hand side, click "Our Gallery" and then click on each picture to enlarge it. They have much more than what is in the pictures, if you can believe it! There are things tucked in every little nook and cranny! My last couple of trips there, I've had certain things in mind that I was going to purchase and end up having a new list of things that I'd have to come back to get later. It's becoming a weekly stop!

Here's what I've bought.


I've been busy making several things. Like I said before, I've been doing some major tweaking which usually involves building and painting things. I've been wanting to make a dough bowl rack for a long time but wasn't sure where I'd put it. Well, I found a spot in my dining room. I was never happy with what I had there before and I think the rack looks good there. I'm not happy with the way the bowls are displayed, I'll pobably change them when I figure out what I want to do. And the black one's a little too shiny! I guesss I shouldn't have waxed it!

Well, that's all for me this morning. I have more stuff I'm hoping to get done this weekend and will post pics later.