Confessions Of a New / Old Home Owner

Footing.

2012-01-11T10:45:00.000-05:00

It may be when we no longer know what to do, we have come to our real work, and that when we no longer know which way to go, we have begun our real journey. -Wendell Berry

I live for those moments where your doing the mundane and life suddenly catches up to you, and reality settles in once again. My decision was made nearly two months ago to close the store, and while part of me was relieved to be free of it and back to what I needed to do. An equal part of me was sad to see it all go away. Not just for the hard work put in, but the friends we've made and the good experiences we had.

The last year working in the store had become a full time position. I found myself coming in early to get things done, and leaving late because things still weren't accomplished. Weekends were spent shopping for the store or painting furniture and then the week would start over. I slowly noticed that things I used to truly enjoy doing, took a back seat due to lack of energy. The house. My photography. Blogging. Cooking. Cleaning. Even friends. I guess sometimes its easy to convince your head to keep going at a break neck pace rather then listen to your body tell you this can't last forever.

I'm terribly good suppressing emotions when things need to get done, which is how I managed to get the entire store packed in one day. But it wasn't until I was home walking the dog that I was suddenly hit with the realization that I didn't have anywhere that I needed to be. No one required my help with anything. No one was waiting for me to open the store. I was free to do what needed to be done without any dread for what needed to be done tomorrow.

Its the absolute strangest feeling being free for the first time in months, and it fills me with a hope and energy I've lacked for such a long time I can't even remember when I had it last. I'm picking up the pieces from where I left off and slowly but surely I'll find my footing once again.

White Christmas.

2011-12-27T07:48:00.000-05:00

With Christmas having come and gone its time to do my Christmas dinner reveal. As you know going over the top with decorations is sort of my thing and this year was no exception.

This year I was totally inspired by white- and all its many shades.

I hope that everyone had a wonderfully white Christmas and is looking forward to a New Year!

Baking Packages

2011-12-21T23:57:00.000-05:00

Bake til you drop comes to mind. This year I really wanted to do something nice for our neighbors, friends and family. So I got to baking and pretty much baked until I dropped. With the packages on the way or delivered I figured it was due time I shared with you all the few pictures I took of them. I had way too much fun baking all of the new types of cookies and really found some amazing recipes!

With the packaging this year I really wanted to do something to bring the new year in with some style. So I hunted down a mustache candy mould and got to work making candy mustaches! From there the theme sort of took on a life of its own, but Im really happy with how it all turned out.

Raspberry / Thyme Shortbread Dough

Even pets need a treat now and then! Homemade dog treats, my own recipe.

This year I stuck with a few tried and true cookies as well as a few new ones:

Forgotten Cookies

Raspberry Shortbreads

Samoa Bars

Chocolate Brittle

Best Ever Chocolate Chip

Woopie Pies

Chocolate Mustache

Chocolate Crinkles

Doggie Bag Treats

I found some simple red boxes @ Michaels and decorated them with my tags and stickers. And while I may never want to see a cookie again- I am so happy with how it all turned out.

Happy Baking!

Christmas Decorations.

2011-12-14T21:39:00.000-05:00

Shadow Box Project.

2011-12-06T23:19:00.000-05:00

Big Changes coming to our little 1900's house. Well, technically not the house, more so the detached carriage house. Since we signed our names to our old house nearly three years ago, ( has it really been that long already?? ) Mr. Major had talked about making the carriage house out back into his personal man cave, but with so many on going projects in the actual house the man cave took a back seat to it all.

In the last month or so I have been doing a lot of soul searching and have only recently come to terms with the fact that I want to close my vintage store downtown and switch to an entirely digital store front. Its a big leap and one I have been pining over for weeks but it is something I feel strongly about. While the store has been a lot of fun to run, it has also been all consuming and has really forced the rest of my life to be on the back burner. The things I used to take pride and joy in I barely have energy for at the end of the day, this blog being one of them.

It wasn't until I was flipping through an old issue of Do it Yourself magazine that I came across a article on a woman in California who renovated her detached garage into a studio / office. And then everything clicked. So Mr. Major made the amazing sacrifice to hand over the keys to his man cave so I can still have my shop and be able to work from home. It has to be the best Christmas gift ever, but little does he know he's in for one too. (More on that in later posts).

So we pulled everything from the garage and tossed out most of the junk the previous owners left behind - Which I am happy to say a good 85% never made it to the Garbage man on account of people grabbing things they liked. With that down we are calling in the big guns for the electrical since it all needs to be updated, then insulation and drywall and the rest is up to me.

Hopefully my design and decor ideas will settle down, but for the moment I have a million ideas and color schemes buzzing in my head. Since I know what the room is going to be used for I have a good idea what decor I want on the walls in what sections, if that makes sense?

Over the next few weeks, I will be putting together a whole odd assortment of funky projects to say the least. This next project is going in the sewing section of the garage. I found a whole box of old scissors at the flea market this weekend and knew exactly what I was going to do with them.

This is a super dooper easy project that requires very little but when coupled with other odd collections can be very eye catching.

Shadow Box
T Pins
Backing Paper
Collection of items to display
Needle Nose Pliers
Spray Adhesive

Spray your backing paper of choice once it is cut to fit your back ground and apply it to the back of your shadow box.

Placing your items in their desired spot use the straight pins and pliers to hold them in place. Trim any excess needle ends from the backing.

And viola! A funky little shadow box conversation piece.

Christmas Buzz.

2011-11-30T09:13:00.000-05:00

I have been scrounging the internet for this years new Christmas crafts and ideas- so if your in need of some Christmas inspiration here's your dose to get you into the season!

Birthday Trip 2011

2011-11-29T13:50:00.000-05:00

Our Annual Junking Trip to Tennessee and North Carolina for my Birthday.

Waay too much fun.

Haunted Circus Party 2011

2011-10-31T14:35:00.000-04:00

We had so much fun with this years theme! I hope everyone has a Happy Halloween!

Halloween Ideas and Inspiration...

2011-10-11T21:10:00.000-04:00

As you all know this years Theme is Haunted Traveling Circus and I have been sifting through tons of ideas from various sources online. And here are some of the ideas I'm really lovin'...

Now, the question is how many of these can I do?

Easy Pumpkin Project.

2011-10-06T19:57:00.000-04:00

Last year when Mom and I took a trip to Tennessee we checked out a few local antique shops in the Gatlinburg area. We came across a lady who made the cutest Chenille pumpkins that smelled absolutely devine and I of course had to add it to my never ending to do list.

I recently stumbled across a tutorial on how to make them and decided to give it a try. Not only are they super easy to make, but they are cute as a button!

Its beginning to look a lot like Fall in the store now that the Halloween bug has bitten me!

If your interested in doing a pumpkin for your own abode, here's a link to the fabulous tutorial I found on how to make them. Happy Fall!

( CLICK HERE )

Halloween Porch Decor

2011-10-04T19:53:00.000-04:00

With each years Halloween theme comes the new challenge of exterior decor. In my opinion the front entrance of any party sets the mood for the entire evening. With this years circus theme I really wanted to make it look like the entrance to a circus tent. And while its no where near being done here is what I managed to accomplish today anyways...

I think when we get closer to Halloween I might tack up tent walls to the sides of the porch and light it from with in with creepy shadows shining out. I have some black pennant flags on order that I am going to stream out from the balcony to the ground below, and I am also going to wrap thick red ribbon around the columns to really create a grand entrance.

But for now this will do. :)

2011 Halloween Invitations.

2011-10-02T21:44:00.000-04:00

With the first few days of October the first of the invites have gone out which means its time for the big reveal! These are the new invites for our Haunted Circus Party this year!

Hope all is well!

Upcycled Calender Towels

2011-09-27T23:20:00.000-04:00

A few months ago (has it been that long?) I did a post on some vintage calendar dish towels I had picked up at a estate sale and didn't quite know what I was going to do with them.

Well several projects later I finally settled and dug them from my never ending project pile and got to work.

TA-DAA!

I love them! Super super easy to sew, no trimming or complicated patterns to fit. It was nice and easy! These babies are going to this Falls Fancy Flea which we will be having a booth at yet again. We had some much fun at the Spring event we couldn't pass up another chance to get out and meet new people!

Seriously, if your in the Tampa area on the 12th of November be sure to check our Florida's premier Flea Market-- all shabby and very chic. :)

And while the Flea is still a month out, I have been running around like crazy trying to get my ducks in a row. October and November are going to be busy months for me, so I best get the hard work out of the way so I'm not entirely overwhelmed.

After wrapping up so many projects, I figured I better take a note from Olive and 'kick the bucket' so to speak. I do hope all is well in your world.

This Years Halloween Theme!

2011-09-23T00:08:00.000-04:00

Today marks the first day of fall and just around the corner October comes bearing my favorite holiday. For a few months now I have already decided on this years theme and have been mulling over ideas on decorations, food and so on. But with my recent creative slump I was a bit worried I wouldn't be able to get my butt in gear to get things rolling.

I started slowly, just playing around with invitation designs and then it began to spiral from there. Its official, the Major house has been taken over once again as Halloween Central. I haven't dug out last years decorations, but I've already made several new ones to add and I can't seem to stop.

With so much traveling crammed in the next six months, I decided to do this years decor as cheaply as possible and I plan on sharing all of my DIY short cuts with you!

So without further hold up- This years Halloween Theme:

Im actually super excited for this one to kick off. What do you think??

Trip to Chicago.

2011-09-20T18:12:00.001-04:00

A vacation is what you take when you can no longer take what you've been taking.
Earl Wilson

Recently my husband had to go to Chicago on a work related trip and since I hadn't been back to the area in about 12 years, I decided to tag along. Not too much has changed since my last visit but since it was Mr.Major's first time in Chicago we decided to check out the night life.

We ended up waking up early to go to a flea market the next morning...

After shopping we were in desperate need of food and stopped in at Lou Malnatis for a slice of their famous Chicago deep dish...

On our last full day, I decided to take Mr.M to Milwaukee where I had spent one of my summers with an Aunt.

It wouldn't be a real visit if I hadn't taken him to a brewery...

We spent some time in their beautiful art museum...

I finally got to see my all time favorite glass artists piece in person! (Dale Chihuly )

We dropped into a pub for a pint...

And then topped of a perfect day with my husbands first custard ever!

All in all we had a lovely weekend trip, and it was certainly nice to get away for a quick minute and take a breather. I hope that you are all doing well.

Taking a Breather.

2011-07-15T18:31:00.000-04:00

“Maybe if I share the path I walk then a little more of your pain will vanish. I want you to heal, whoever you are. I don't care what pain you've brought the world, I just want yours to subside. No matter what, your path is yours. Don't follow misery or worry. Devote every moment of your life to improving your dreams. Love your world. Cherish the good you do. Let go of hatred. Dream of love.” -unknown

For one reason or another I keep finding myself so entirely dizzy from all of the comings and goings lately its been entirely hard to take a breath of air. To sit and enjoy a cup of coffee with a friend, or to not have to think about whats next in the never ending list of things to do before tomorrow.

When my father passed away a few months ago, I said my goodbyes and to be entirely truthful haven't really dealt with much more then that. He was cremated, so the service was put on hold until family and friends could come to the memorial service during the summer.

In those rare moments when I did catch myself drifting off into thought, I would sometimes find myself thinking about my dad. It wasn't until recently when my mother and I were talking that she mentioned still having a voice mail on her phone from him, and broke down crying with want to just hear his voice again.

The realization of entirely how much I had avoided dealing with his loss is still settling in, but for the first time in what feels like forever I'm not pushing it aside to keep busy with something else until the memory has passed. Losing a parent is never an easy thing, especially when there were so many things left unsaid, so many plans yet to be fulfilled together. It can be so entirely easy to allow anger to consume the memory of someone, but when it comes down to it, for what ever the reason we have come or gone- whether it was from our own doing or gods- we all make mistakes. I think as children, its harder to come to terms with the idea that your parents aren't perfect, and even harder to accept they wont be around forever.

Its up to us to embrace the time we have with one another, and to strive to remember the good each person left behind. I am sorry my children will someday grow up never knowing their grandfather, but I know so much of him is in me, that they wont miss him too much. When I see him in pictures now I don't mind the stinging in my eyes, and when I hear his favorite songs on the radio I manage to smile and turn them up.

"Pain is only valuable, once you know what you have learned from it."

KeyWest Vacation Photos.

2011-07-01T00:23:00.000-04:00

Thanks for Joining us! Would love to hear what you all think!

Back from Summer Vacation!

2011-06-30T23:54:00.000-04:00

Every man's life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another.
-Ernest Hemingway

We finally made it back home after a nice long vacation to... *drum roll please*

The Florida Keys!

Congratulations to 'La' for guessing correctly on my Summer Give-Away. Don't be bummed this Fall we will be taking another vacation- so start thinking new destinations!

La has won a odd KeyWest assortment of beautiful Sea Shells, One Massively Large Star Fish & Sea Buscuit, A bottle of Blue Parrot Hot Sauce & Sunscreen, A Hemingway House Post Card and Her Choice of any two Prints (8 x 10 or smaller) taken by yours truly.

A Huge thanks to everyone who participated in this Summers Give-Away and Congrats again to La on her winnings!... On to the Pictures!

Summer Give Away Twist!

2011-06-22T12:26:00.000-04:00

For those of you that have been wondering about my Summer Give Away- yes it is still in effect- but the deadline for entries has been moved up to today!

Mr.Major and I had the opportunity to move our summer vacation up a few weeks and we jumped on it! Which makes today the last day for entry to my Big Summer Give Away. A winner will be announced Late next week along with pictures of the gift basket they have won.

I hope that everyone is having a wonderful week and I can't wait to 'see' you all back here next week!

Good Luck!

Trash and Treasure Monday

2011-06-20T22:09:00.001-04:00

We had great success this weekend while out treasure hunting so I thought I would share some of our cool finds with everyone. Some of these I will be adding to my collection- while others will be added to my Etsy since space in our Little 1900's House is becoming a premium.

I found this grubby little rocking chair this weekend and fixed it up to the Yellow Lovely you now see!

A collection of vintage music books...

More Industrial Metal letters for our collection...

This amazing wire crate I got for a steal!

This rusty old Underwood typewriter which is now on my typewriter display cart for all to see....

More vintage letters for the wall...

I forgot to take the before shot of this piece but it was all wood and in rough shape. A few sandings and a coat of paint later its ready to go to a new home.

A collection of cigar boxes...

A fun collection of vintage pie tins...

An awesome vintage milk crate!

I hope everything is going well in your world!

DIY Vintage Calendar Tea Towel: Ideas Anyone?

2011-06-08T09:47:00.000-04:00

I recently picked up some of these cute vintage calendar tea towels at an Estate Sale and haven't quite figured out what I am going to do with them yet.

I found some cute ideas online like this cute change purse...

or this sweet pillow....

or this sweet gingham apron...

What ideas do you like best- or do you have some of your own?

Funky DIY Clock Post

2011-06-07T14:00:00.000-04:00

“Everything happens for a reason. Every action has a reaction. Always remember that whats meant to be will always find a way to come about.” - Unknown

A few weeks ago I stumbled across this reproduction wall mount brass clock. How could I pass up a clock that had my name on it?

And for the last month or so I have been wondering what I was going to do with it. It wasn't until I was flipping through an old magazine that it suddenly hit me! How perfect is this?

So I stopped off to Lowes and got all my supplies and set off to work painting....

Attaching the top finial...

Bracing the brackets...

And after a few minutes of sanding and distressing we brought it into the house to settle into its new home.

I havent quite figured out whats going to go around it but for now this will do.

I hope everything is well in your world.

Summer Give Away!

2011-06-01T22:32:00.000-04:00

Things here have been moving quickly between the store front, home renovations and living a life somewhere in-between. Used to Bees is rounding its 8th month in business- which is still a little mind boggling since it still feels like yesterday we were getting started. May was my one year Etsy anniversary and I have to say after looking at all of the orders I have put out in a years time I am still reeling a bit. (Over 27 states served as well as orders shipping out to Canada, The UK and Australia!)

This summer we are actually planning on expanding to Estate Sale Services and Liquidations. Currently we are laying down the frame work for the new addition but boy are we excited! As things start moving I will try and keep everyone updated with our latest finds and treasure hunting trips.

On a completely different note, Mr.Major and I set a destination for this summers vacation, which will be in early July. Since this post marks my 300+ blog entry I figured I would make it a little interesting with a pre-give away!

Each vacation we take I try to bring a little gift package back for all of my readers. Deborah over at FairField House won last summers give away which was a fun Blue Ridge Parkway gift basket.

This years give away will be even better- certainly not one to be missed! To enter simply leave a comment stating where you think Mr.Major and I will be vacationing to this summer on this post.

All comments must be in my June 30th to be counted. The first person to guess correctly wins the basket! The winner will be announced upon our return (Early July) and their basket shipped out accordingly.

Good Luck to Everyone!

We have a Winner!

2011-05-29T22:24:00.000-04:00

A great big thanks to all who entered my Cottage Charm giveaway. Thanks so much for all of your wonderful comments and feedback.

A big congratulations to Number 59

Suzie Button!

Suzie won a $35 dollar gift certificate to my Etsy shop Victoria's Whimsy. And a big thanks to Kim at The Twice Remembered Cottage for hosting an amazing giveaway!

Simple Abundance.

2011-05-25T15:20:00.000-04:00

"‌In the hills of life there are two trails. One lies along the higher sunlit fields where those who journey see afar, and the light lingers even when the sun is down; and one leads to lower ground, where those who travel, as they go look always over their shoulders with eyes of dread, and gloomy shadows gather long before the day is done." - Harold Bell Wright in The Shepherd of the Hills

Whether your on a high field or a low ground, I hope you take time to enjoy the simple things in life.

Surprise Birthday Party!?

2011-05-19T14:41:00.001-04:00

I never want to do the same things twice. I like surprises.
Audrey Tautou

Mr. Major made the mistake of telling me he had never been thrown a Surprise birthday party a few weeks ago so for the last few weeks I have been secretly planning a Birthday party for him. The only snag I hit really is that I am terrible at keeping secrets! Every-time I would open my mouth I would have to stop myself and make sure I wasn't going to say anything incriminating. Needless to say after three weeks of sweating bullets and secrecy I can now officially say the party was a success.

I decided to a Surprise Party that highlighted Mr.Majors love of all things spicy. Some of my favorite gifts were some that I ordered online...I found some really amazing homemade rubs and spices from Craigs Market on Etsy- since we are getting into the summer grilling months I figured I would suggest him as great gift or a treat for yourself this summer! He also got some of his favorite organic coffee from Larry's Beans (available online!).

Our Menu Consisted Of:

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeños

Best Chili Ever

Pigs in a Blanket

Four Types of Hotwings

Chips

Mango Thai Shrimp skewers

Irish Cream Cake

Coffee icecream

Sangria

We all had entirely too much fun shooting off poppers and sounding our noise makers as he came through the door. Keeping a secret is hard work- which is why I think I have cured myself of ever wanting to do a surprise birthday party again- or... at least for a few years. :)

A Great Find.

2011-05-11T11:19:00.000-04:00

Housekeeping ain't no joke.

-Louisa May Alcott

I recently came across a box of old books and being the book lover that I am I couldn't pass them up. When I got them home I excitedly started rummaging through the box to discover the majority of these books dated back between 1877 and on into the twenties. Some of the books were in such good shape it was hard to believe their true age. At the bottom of the box was a small stack of old news paper clippings.

Clearing off the table I began to piece back the pages.

All the pages were 1913 clippings of stories, recipes and house keeping tips.

Jennie Maitland's Weekly writes: "Half-Crowns are rewarded for the two best hints and Recipes but all published are rewarded with the pretty, useful box shown here."

The pages now are so delicate and brittle I'm almost afraid to touch them too much. And as I sit back I wonder if nearly 100 years later the woman who so carefully saved these would think they would still be around and found to be useful?

"A home was a place where even the everyday things in our lives were held sacred and should therefore be cared for and treated in a special and orderly way." - Mrs. Dunwoody's Excellent Instructions for Homekeeping

In the hopes these live on, I will be testing out these tips and posting my favorites as I complete them, for everyone to test out themselves and enjoy.

Mothers Day Dinner.

2011-05-09T12:55:00.000-04:00

Just a few pictures I snapped of our Mothers Day dinner. I hope everyone had a lovely Mothers Day!

Mothers Day.

2011-05-08T15:14:00.000-04:00

To my best friend:

"M" is for the million things she gave me,

"O" means only that she's growing old,

"T" is for the tears she shed to save me,
"H" is for her heart of purest gold;
"E" is for her eyes, with love-light shining,
"R" means right, and right she'll always be,
Put them all together, they spell "MOTHER,"
A word that means the world to me.
-by Howard Johnson
Happy Mothers Day.

Spring Fancy Flea 2011

2011-05-06T08:58:00.000-04:00

Over this past weekend we decided to set up a booth at the Spring Fancy Flea in Down town Lakeland. This twice yearly street Flea Market has been mentioned in Flea Market Style Magazine as one of Florida's premier Flea Markets to attended. Since Opening Used to Bee's, we don't typically have enough time to setup a booth at a Flea Market but this one was said to not be missed. So after three weeks of prepping and gathering items for the show we finally drug it all over there for the big day.

Used to Bees was so well received by vendors and customers a like and we had such a blast- not to mention we got rid of a ton of junk! I was even so flattered to be mentioned on peoples blogs as they reviewed the show!

Jane from Artfully Graced featured some of my items in her review. Be sure to check it out by

{ Clicking Here }

Shellbelle's Tiki Hut did a nice write up on Victoria's Whimsy Products!

{ Click Here }

I had the pleasure of meeting Gisele from Sue Bee, I'm sure you will hear more from her on my blog later! She had a lovely blurb about us on her review as well.

{ Click Here }

One of my Vintage Jars in its new Home at Sweet Pea Home. How Lovely is that?

{Click Here}

If I missed any please let me know! I would love to add you to the list! I am so impressed that of over 70+ vendors these bloggers thought I was worthy of mentioning! A Big thanks to everyone for their support and blog shout outs!

I will certainly be back this November for the Autumn Fancy Flea!

Cottage Charm Give Away

2011-05-05T11:46:00.004-04:00

Its that time of year again: The Twice Remembered

2011 5th Annual Cottage Charm Giveaway

This is my second year joining in on the fun and I know this year will be even better then last years! On to the Good Stuff!

This years Giveaway will be a $35.00 Gift card to my Etsy store- to which I will be adding new Vintage charm items to each week for your purchasing pleasure. This card includes all vintage items as well as any of the Victoria's Whimsy Botanicals line we have featured.

These are just a few of the items up for grabs- and don't forget each week I will be adding new items to the store!

What do you need to enter you ask?

There are Four Ways to Enter!

1. Simply leave me a comment on this post to be entered for the drawing.

2. Placing my button on your blog will get your name entered again. Simply leave me a comment stating you have put my button on your blog.

3. Mention my blog Giveaway on your blog with a link. And be sure to comment me back with the link.

4. Become a follower and comment me letting me know!

My only rule is shipping within the US and Canada please!

Click here to see what goodies Victoria's Whimsy Holds for you!

Good luck to all of you and the winner will be announced on May 29th!

Livingroom Redo.

2011-05-03T14:49:00.000-04:00

Over the last few weeks I have been gathering items for redoing / updating our living room area. After having the same color scheme for four years- I felt it was high time I implemented a few changes to the palette. I still love earth tone colors, browns and greens especially- so I decided to keep them and add in splashes of bright colors to really bring some life into the room.

I still have some things I ordered off Etsy that haven't come in yet, so its not entirely finished but its pretty darn close. I would love to hear what everyone thinks or if they would change anything- so don't forget to give me a shout out!

Isn't she lovely? Both Mr. Major and I adore our new coffee table / train cart. This is one piece of furniture we don't mind putting our feet on!

Lots of fun vintage finds...

I snagged these industrial sign letters from a awesome little shop out in St.Petersburg.

Fun collections on display.

A grubby milk crate doubles now as a wine bottle holder... how cute is that?

The Apple Painting finally hung on display. Its an original art piece painted by my mother and framed with barn wood by my dad.

Our old coffee table now doubles as a window seat complete with burlap throw pillows.

More vintage collections....

Love to hear what you all think!

Gearing Up.

2011-04-27T21:35:00.000-04:00

I'm still here, if you can believe it!

I have been so swamped at the store lately its crazy- and I am entirely excited to say this weekend I will be partaking in the Fancy Flea in Lakeland, Florida. It was mentioned in Flea Market Style Magazine as being one of Florida's top two Flea Markets. Its held twice a year, once in the spring and once in the fall- and this is my first time so I am excited and nervous and not really knowing what to expect of it all but mostly excited.

Subsequently all of my attentions have been on the store and the show, so my house is a total wreck. Im pretty sure my neighbors think Im a compulsive buyer who gets terrible buyers remorse and returns everything, the way things go in and out here!

Regardless, all of this moving in and out has really made me focus on our living room which has never been all that great to begin with. In our old flat, our furniture fit really well. Since moving to our home (and larger living room) it made everything look sparse and dry.

So the other day I was surfing through Craigs List when I saw IT- and it was love at first sight.

Mr. Major and I are going out this Sunday to pick her up! And of course now that I have seen this piece all I can think about is all of the coordinating pieces I have to find now and how the rest of the room is going to flow.

On Tuesday I was in St.Pete when I stumbled across a small antique store so much like mine it was crazy! So I was browsing around and nearly passed out when I saw these amazing Vintage Letters! So on Sunday when we are picking up our new Coffee Table... I might sneak over and see if I can snag one or two for my living room wall!

Here are a few sites I'm taking inspiration from for our new living room. I am really loving the industrial decor thats really in style right now, but I want to lean more towards the industrial Farm side of things which seems a little more inviting and a little less cold then some of the stuff out there.

Are you in love yet? I know its not everyone style but this is certainly speakin' to me and Im lovin it!

I hope everything is well in your world!

A Face to a Name.

2011-04-19T21:47:00.000-04:00

Since finding the 1913 Deed to our home so many more questions have come to light and have yet to be answered- but I think the one questions that are most resounding throughout my mind is; Who was Mollie Evers and why did she purchase our home?

Womens rights in the early 1900s were still limited- especially so as a married woman. So how could a woman purchase a home in only her name despite the fact that she was married- and had been for nearly 17 years? I knew the chances of me finding out information specifically about her were slim but we still had to try. It seemed like we some how owed it to her- to our home.

Mollie married Jasper Evers in 1896 at the age of 22. Jasper Evers had been previously married, had several children and widowed before he married Mollie at the ripe age of 45. He was the third eldest son of thirteen children born of John Ross Evers & Bethel May Hair.

Jasper Evers Managed the local Farmers Market and was noted as a prominent business man as well as being very active within his community.

I was entirely awestruck when I came across this picture of Mollie, dated 1901.

Pictured 2nd from the Right Standing

(touched up)

She was apparently one of the first members of the Thimble Club! And while the scanned picture isn't the best quality, she was quite pretty.

The Thimble club was known for being ' a group of civic-minded women in the village, who wished to work together for the promotion of community welfare. When a loved one passed away in the community these ladies put on a dinner for the family and friends of the deceased. They visited elderly homes, hosted parties and packed food baskets for shut-ins.

Apart from this intriguing bit of information I couldn't find much more. He husband died 15 years after she purchased our home, and she never married again or had children. She passed away in 1973 at the age of 99.

Having got this far, I am so entirely pleased with the information I have received. It is so much more then I ever expected to find. And sitting here thinking about the rich history of our home I cant help but smile at the fact that history does repeat itself. Nearly Ninety Six years later another woman purchased the big white house on the corner Johnson street.

I can still remember the first time I saw our home, before even setting foot inside I knew we had to get it. I remember thinking I had never been so sure of anything in my entire life. I like to think that it had a little something to do with Mollie.

Imagine That.

2011-04-13T23:42:00.001-04:00

The entirety of this week Mr. Major and I have been driving out to the Tampa courthouse to get more information on our Little 1900's house. When we first started looking through old deeds we just kept hitting dead ends. So we decided to take a gamble and try searching through tax rolls instead, it wasn't too long after that we started getting some big hits on information.

During the early 1930's the house was listed as 'Unknown' ownership, which most likely meant the house was abandoned during the great depression like so many other homes during that time. During the 1940's it was listed as state property before being purchased from the Avery's during the 50's.

So we pushed on even further, through the deeds and tax rolls until we came across a deed from 1913 with a legal description that matched our house. So we pulled up a copy of the deed and were stunned to see a Mrs. Mollie Evers had purchased the home outright for the sum of $200 dollars. Oddly enough her husbands name wasn't listed anywhere on the form- and after doing some research on her we found that she was married at the time she purchased this house. The Evers family is a particularly large founding family in Plant City, and after more research we found that she had married into the Evers family by her spouse Jasper Evers.

" Local legend says that Henry B. Plant never came to Plant City, Florida, the town named for him. That may be true; however, he played a significant role in the development of the city. In the mid-1880s, he extended his South Florida Railroad through Plant City, providing a means for growth and prosperity. Plant City was incorporated in 1885 in Hillsborough County. The original community settlement, known as Shiloh, was north of the current town center. A walk through historic Shiloh Cemetery is a walk through the history of Plant City, with granite markers dating as far back as 1841. There you will find the names of the founding families: Branch, Collins, Cone, Evers, Howell, Hancock, Hawthorne, Knight, Merrin, Wilder, and Wheeler ". - Excerpt from Images of America Plant City, Florida

How very ironic that just a few short months ago I wrote a blog about the very cemetery that my previous owners were lain to rest in.

As we continued to read the deed, we now had a new name to put to the house. The person who sold the house to Mollie Evers was listed as Albert W. Gilchrist. Immediately my head is spinning! Theres a road up the street from us called Gilchrist St- and the park just one road over from us is called Gilchrist park. Surely this was more then a coincidence.

After visiting with the archives and talking with them we found out that Albert W. Gilchrist played a major part in the development of Washington Park (our subdivision) as well as the Historic District of Plant City. He attended West Point College, and later became a Real estate dealer before settling in Punta Gorda, Florida to become an orange grower. During his life time he owned over 2,000 properties throughout the State of Florida for developing. He served in the Florida Militia before leaving to be in the Spanish American War after which he was elected to be in the Florida House of Representatives before stepping down in 1905. Four years later he was elected Governor of Florida before retiring in 1913.

While Mr. Major and I are fairly certain he never lived in our home, the fact that it was owned and developed by him is still entirely extraordinary. Finding a deed older then this one is entirely rare and we will still continue on searching- but even if nothing turns up I am still blown away by everything we have already discovered.

Whats the Hold Up?

2011-04-06T22:42:00.000-04:00

Since opening the store, its been a constant struggle to find time to do all of the things I need to do. Since the shop is open 5 days a week, I take my other two days to cram in shopping for us as well as shopping for the store, working on Our Little 1900's house many renovation projects, and all of the handmade projects that make Used to Bees the wonderful place it is. Balance is key in all of this which is most likely why I find myself so entirely scatter brained lately.

Yesterday I greeted my day off bright and early and ready to do some work on a vintage room screen we had purchased a few weeks ago. Stepping out on to the car port I was faced with a disorganized mess. Well, this simply wouldn't do to work in. So, I spent the next hour cleaning and organizing the car port. When I was ready to begin work I stepped up onto the back porch / laundry cemetery and realized this space too needed cleaning badly. This room is screened in on one side and windowed in on another, with no screen door to keep the bugs out it can get pretty filthy.

So I began organizing and decided that since I was organizing I might as well move the washer and dryer out to the curb since we will be getting new- working ones soon. After moving them off the back porch I realized how entirely dirty the carpeting was and since I have never liked carpeting- and never really understood why the previous owners would carpet outside I tore up the carpeting and spikes.

Under it all a half painted and crackled floor appeared and since I was already this far, I decided to paint the floor a nice shade of gray.

Once the paint was dry I realized how much extra space I had now that the washer and dryer were gone. So I moved all of my power tools and paints onto the back porch and set up a neat organized work space. Of course by this time it was getting dark outside and the car port and back porch were looking better then they have ever looked.

Only trouble is, I can't recall what I came outside for in the first place? :)

Oh bother.

Not too Shabby.

2011-04-05T21:13:00.000-04:00

I recently stumbled across a show on HGTV called Cash and Cari. Needless to say I was totally excited just watching the commercials for the show. It really is a fabulous show- and a total perk that there is someone out there who does what I do and is entirely successful at it! If your in need of great ideas and inspiration- seriously check this show out!

{ Click here for more info }

So after watching this past weekends episode and seeing how she used vintage wall paper to add appeal to a sideboard table she recovered from a shed got me to thinking about a recent piece I picked up for the store. It was entirely run down and filthy as you can see... (this was a PG picture I took! The other side was much worse).

Since It had tons of paint drips I stripped it down to the wood.

Sanded it until it was smooth...

Repainted it white and using some reprinted vintage shelf liner I added a little extra flare to this piece.

So, there you have it! One wallpaper inspired furniture piece. I hope you are all doing well!

Trash and Treasure Monday!

2011-03-28T15:52:00.000-04:00

Been a while since I hosted a Trash and Treasure Monday but I have been on the hunt recently for new items to redecorate our new (or soon to be) newly remodeled bathroom downstairs. One of my friends who owns a store next to ours had this piece out in front of her store and I almost fell out of my chair I was so in love with it! I could clearly see it white and sitting in my new bathroom all loaded up with supplies. It was meant to be! So I snatched it up and took it home and immediately started refinishing it before I remembered I needed to take a before picture!

So its not that impressive right? Just a simple country cabinet right?

But with a little white paint and some sandpaper it looks completely AMAZING!

We also found this beautiful antique desk for the store this weekend, but as the pictures show it took a beating and needed a lot of love.

Four hours worth of sanding later...

Ready to be painted!

I loved this olive green- the picture makes it look yellow but its really a soft green color.

And all finished up and ready for the store!

I hope all is well in your world!

Hitting Gold.

2011-03-23T14:55:00.000-04:00

“The most essential factor is persistence - the determination never to allow your energy or enthusiasm to be dampened by the discouragement that must inevitably come.”
-James Whitcomb Riley

After hours of searching I finally can see a bit of light at the end of the tunnel. I found my first picture of Our Little 1900's house! It only dates back to 1951 or 52 but thats 60 years and a great start! Check out our Palm trees?! If you zoom a lot the house number reads 709 Johnson Street.

This picture was actually listed under my neighbors house since it was her husbands family that were Realtors back in the day. The house was listed with them in 1951!

We also discovered that Peggy Hodges was a Strawberry Festival Queen back in 1949. I am pretty sure she was a cousin of James R. Hodges who owned our home.

We were so excited to get more information that we decided to make the trip out to the Tampa Courthouse so we could search through older records. Our local records only date back to 1965- the Tampa records go ALL the way back.

We discovered Washington Park (Our Subdivision) was plotted in 1907 so most likely the subdivision came after our home was built. We tracked the original deed from when James R. bought it in 1951 from William M. Avery and Mary Frances. When we pulled up the microfilm of the actual deed only the signatures were on the document! All of the legal information and descriptions had been whited out.

So we had to put in a special request to have them bring the original book of documents up from storage, which will be about a week.

So for now things are on hold until next week. I am sure people think I'm nuts for going to this much trouble on the chance I might get a picture or two from the original family. And perhaps I am, but something is pushing me on and I can't ignore it. Its just one of those things that must be done. Somethings never change.

Discoveries.

2011-03-21T21:30:00.000-04:00

Theres a house just a few blocks from our home that I have always loved. I have no idea what it was about the house that made me stare at it every time I drove by. I can't even recall the number of times I told Mr.Major how badly I wanted to go inside and see the layout. It was almost like my own personal ghost house, a place that sent shivers down my spine at the mere thought of entering.

I noticed a few weeks ago that contractors were coming in and removing a lot of the over grown trees, as well as the roof tiles. I was so excited to think that perhaps they were going to renovate it to become a Lawyers office or something similar. Weeks went by, and it seemed like nothing else was happening, the old house sat looking even more dilapidated then before. And then one morning on my way to work I came across the house in shambles with a bulldozer in the middle of the mess tearing away at over 100 years of history. Its the first time Ive cried over a house that wasn't mine. I had never even set foot inside.

Fast forward to the present...

Mr.Major and I went to the photo archives this weekend to see if we could find any information on our house but no one could help us until Tuesday. We were told that the Hodges were a well known family in Plant City, they were involved in a number of trades including Pharmacy, Military, Fruit Packing, and Insurance and owned several properties around town. One of them included the recent house that was demolished just a few blocks from my own.

He went on to tell us that before demolishing the house the contractor went into the attic and discovered an old suitcase full of pictures and documents. He submitted them to the Archives building and they were currently scanning in all of the photos for their records.

I can't help but feel like the pieces of our puzzle are just now starting to come together- and I really owe it all to that old house I loved so much. While I am sorry its gone- I likely never would have heard about that suitcase had it not piqued my interest again in our own old houses history.

I was so eager to get more information I decided to see if I could dig up some on my own at home and actually surprised myself with some of my findings.

The furthest back we could track the deeds to for our home was to James Russel Hodges (b. 1925-2002). I spoke with one of my oldest neighbors who confirmed with me that he was a disabled WWII veteran and needed a lot of help getting around so his mother lived with him for the majority of his years in our home.

I discovered that James was the second oldest child born into his family, and had four other siblings. In 1943 he joined the US Army and by 1945 was discharged due to injuries sustained during combat at the age of 20. He never married or had children.

As far as I can see only one of his four siblings ended up marrying and having children and one of them I am currently trying to track down- James would have been her Great Uncle. I don't expect her to have personally known him but I am hopeful she will have some pictures of the family.

Hopefully tomorrow will bring more answers.

A Ghostly Presence and A Chatty Neighbor.

2011-03-15T22:54:00.000-04:00

With the recent renovations certain ghostly occurances have been taking place once again in the Major household. Both Mr. Major and I have come to terms with the idea of another occupant in the guest room, and for the most part we leave it go on its ghostly way and for a long time things have quieted down. During the Christmas season we moved our dogs crate into the guest room to keep him calm while we had our feast downstairs. Pretty much the entire time he was up there he was and in the following days he would bark for no apparent reason, so we eventually moved him back downstairs.

A few weeks after that we began to refinish the floors in that room. We started closing the door to keep the pets out when we weren't working in there, but in the morning we would find the door was open. So we started firmly wedging the door closed with a sock but the next morning the door would be open and the sock would be several feet away from the door.

Last Tuesday I was sitting downstairs watching TV when I herd what sounded like moving upstairs. (Directly upstairs from the TV room is the guest room). I wrote it off as the cats chasing each other but it continued on so I went upstairs to check on them but none of the animals were in the guest room. So I wedged the door closed and went back downstairs. Not five minutes later the noise started again, and so I checked again to find nothing. This went on the rest of the afternoon until I finally stopped checking and just accepted my ghost was having a good laugh on my part.

When we finally finished the floors I went in and snapped a few pictures so I could brag on my handy work but after reviewing them I noticed something weird. So I went back and snapped a few more pictures of the room and then a few more of the other rooms for good measure, but I couldn't recreate my original picture. You might have to click to enlarge the photo but I think it might be our ghost.

Typically I would write off something like this as dust but, I had just finished sealing the floor in this room, so any presence of dust had likely been paved over with three coats of polyurethane. Not to mention blue dust seems a bit rare.

Regardless I snapped a few pictures during the day with all of the new furniture in the room for your viewing pleasure.

Since the floors have been redone and the furniture replaced I figured things would quiet down again but no such luck. This bed was neatly made the night before, and the next morning this is what I found. (The door stayed shut all night and the cats were out as well.) So much for things quieting down.

Mr. Major and I ran into one of our neighbors this afternoon who told us she recently came across a picture of our home in the archives. She said we used to have palm trees in our front yard. She also gave us quite a bit of information on the previous owners that explained SO MUCH about the spotty work thats been done here. I am entirely giddy that we might find an actual picture of our home this week! Wish me luck!

Quick Shabby Chic Chair

2011-03-08T20:53:00.000-05:00

Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose. ~From the television show The Wonder Years

When my mom downsized her house over the summer she got rid of a TON of furniture. I snagged a couple pieces from her - one of them being this vintage ladder back chair. When I was little and we were living in South Carolina my parents owned a restaurant and the entire place was decked out with these chairs. I wanted to keep one for old times sake but really wanted it to be a piece that went well in the parlor.

So I picked out a spray paint I liked and got to work. In my shabby chic experience, spray paint can either be a friend or foe- but I have found some tricks to distressing pieces quickly and efficiently. The trick is to lightly sand your piece, spray paint it the desired color and wait until the paint is tacky before sanding in the places you want to distress. You should get something like this...

The entire project takes me about twenty minutes and I really love the country look it added to our Parlor.

Wishing you well.

Trash and Treasure Monday!

2011-03-07T11:11:00.001-05:00

Lately I haven't been finding much for me while out Treasure hunting on the weekends. When you run a store it tends to make you think things are much less hard to come by since you see so much of it every week! This weekend I found some amazing deals for myself and some for the store- both of which I am going to share with you since its been a while since our last Trash and Treasure Monday! So.. here goes nothing!

I found my new favorite Martha Stewart book! She had some wonderful ideas in here on repurposing items you find while treasure hunting. Since I am remodeling my DS Bath I was hoping to come across some ideas I could use for inspiration.

And boy was I right! I immediately fell in love with this assorted bottle arrangement. So I went off searching...

I had bought this cute little Oil lamp a while back but I broke the glass globe that sat on top and never could find a replacement. So I unscrewed the metal part and viola! One ornate repurposed glass vase.

More found bottles... Arent these glass soda bottles too cool?

I am still planning on having a few shelves with various items on them ie cotton, swabs, facial pads. And I figured these would be perfect for them.

I loved this huge apothecary and decided it would look great with some of my bath salts stored in it.

I finally decided on a color scheme for the DS bathroom, dark wood accent, Sage green walls and accents and white fixtures and tile! Were going Au Natural! I loved this carved wood door accent.

I found a set of two wall tins that I am going to repaint a pretty rust color.

A sweet little towel rack for the new bath...

A repurposed window into a new and fun mirror!

For my Upstairs bath a new tub organizer!

I was so thrilled to get in the new faucet for this tub this week but almost cried when I realized I ordered the wrong fit!

A fun vintage wind up clock for display in our bedroom.

And last- a set of two bar stools for my husbands best friends apartment. Remember these.. you will be seeing them again soon!

This weeks find of the week for the Store was this totally awesome Teal Metal Medical cabinet. Its seen its share of rust but I think thats what makes it so charming!

I hope all is well in your world!

Pandora's Box.

2011-02-28T22:58:00.000-05:00

“The major difference between a thing that might go wrong and a thing that cannot possibly go wrong is that when a thing that cannot possibly go wrong goes wrong it usually turns out to be impossible to get at, or repair” Douglas Adams

At this point I am fairly certain that the person who came up with 'When it rains, it pours', lived in Our Little 1900's house. We started the demolition downstairs this weekend and boy oh boy were we in for one surprise after another.

My constant chant throughout this entire process has been 'This needs to be done.' And while smashing through all of that teal tile felt really good- I must say I was a little surprised to see exactly how much work this demo was going to be.

We managed to hit a top layer of teal tile, mortar, mesh wire, a second layer of white tile, mortar, clay sheet rock, 2nd layer of mesh, paper insulation, lathe slats and finally... a wall stud! Thats right people... Nine layers before we even shed light on a single stud.

Galvinized piping under the sink proved easy to remove, since these two pipes didn't have a proper connection, they were just barely touching.

Its a good thing we rarely used this bathroom. The drain pipe literally crumbled in our hands as we were disconnecting it.

Tearing through the layers.

Lots of water damage to the pipes around the sink, not to mention spotty plumbing work.

I was thrilled to see what was under this corner since it had always been tiled in... we will make good use of that space in my new bathroom!

Pittsburgh Steeltex paper insulation.

The brown clay sheetrock makes a huge dusty mess throughout the entire house.

The first load off to the dump weighing in around 1100 pounds worth of tile!

Back to work again on Sunday..

We tore out the mold damage on the ceiling to find that the above bathroom had a pipe in the floor that was leaking down into the ceiling of this one. Its a slow drip but still I was so happy we caught it in time.

A closer look at the leaky ceiling pipe...

End of Day Two for work, still tons to do.

Meanwhile at some point during the demolition the plaster in the theater room decided to fall off.

Today I decided to get crackin' again on the upstairs guest room... A few days ago I repainted the room a soft gray color. I had a little fun too while I was at it. :)

The original color...

The after color! Its much softer and looks lovely with natural lighting (this picture has a flash to it so it looks a bit washed out!)

After Mr.Major sanded the floor.

After I stained the floor.

Tomorrow I will apply three top layers of polyurethane and 24 hours later its as if those icky white floors never existed! Well. In this room at least. The master bedrooms is another story all together.

"Our house... had a heart and a soul... it was one of us, and we were in its confidence and lived in its grace and in the peace of its benedictions." Mark Twain

I hope that all is well in your world.

Bathroom Design

2011-02-24T15:10:00.000-05:00

This weekend is the weekend we will be tearing out the downstairs bathroom and after hours and hours worth of searching I think I have finally gathered enough pictures to get a general direction that I want to steer this bathroom.

Even though we already bought our sink I am still in love with the dark wood vanities that are out. So I figured I would do the rest of the bathroom accents in this dark mahogany wood. (the mirrors, wall decor and built-ins.)

This is the exact same sink we picked up off of CraigsList- the owners had never installed it and we picked it up for $40 bucks! Talk about a steal!

Ideally this is what we are planning on putting in to replace our icky yellow tub.

I mostly liked the general light and dark color scheme in this room, but I especially liked the tile!

Some cute storage ideas for my custom shelving my brother is installing for me!

I adore these built-ins. Behind the door in this bathroom is a nook and Im thinking something like this will be perfect.

If we are able I think having built-ins like these are nice to have too.

Of course I am fully expecting for things to change just as they did with the first bathroom. We had no idea we would be putting in raised ceilings- but six pounds of extra drywall mud and one chandelier later here we are. I think thats part of the fun in renovating an old house, you always find surprises you weren't expecting.

At this point my only hesitation in ripping out our bathroom downstairs is, its our only shower! I suppose that will give us good incentive to get it finished ASAP and not drag it out like we did with the last renovation. This bathroom will be a mite more work considering we will be needing to add in a lot of new features to bring it up to date- My ultimate dream for this bathroom would be to:

Install heated flooring
install shower surround with rain shower head
all new maple wood storage
install a ventilation fan (WE DONT HAVE ONE!)
install a new window
Install a pocket door to save room in this already tiny space.

The heated flooring might be a bit much considering we only have about three months worth of freezing cold here in Florida. But, a girl can dream cant she!?

3 Days and Counting. I hope all is well in your world.

One Big Teal Nightmare.

2011-02-16T15:00:00.002-05:00

Since buying Our Little 1900's House, there has been one room that I cringe to share with anyone. It has been my secret shame since purchasing our house nearly two years ago. The Teal bathroom down stairs. Now many of my friends and family members argue that teal tile is coming back in, or that its a 'retro' bathroom. My goal for our home is to bring it back to a somewhat traditional state of being, and at 111 years old- our home is anything but 'retro' era.

Its not just the teal tile that makes my skin crawl, but the peeling linoleum, yellow fixtures, punched out tile where wires were run, the patchy wall plaster, outdated and dilapidated shelving, bad plumbing, botched caulking, and general wasted space that sends me running every time. Its the one room that I can't stand to be in and no matter how much I scrub- this room still seems dirty.

This bathroom has been hidden and locked away from the public eye, from our own eyes even until we could both find the time to take on a full scale bathroom remodel yet again. It wasn't until a few weeks ago that I peeked into my bathroom to find that Our Little 1900's house was planning on speeding up our process quite a bit.

I came in one morning to find the roof had fallen and black mold had settled in. Needless to say I have been in stress mode with the entire mold issue at hand. And the only way it seems to fix this is to gut the entire bathroom ahead of schedule. I know we are looking at major water damage around the tub, so I am prepared for the worst. But I'm hoping the mold is only what I'm seeing here and not settled into the walls as of yet.

D-day for my Teal Nightmare begins February 26 and who knows where this next adventure will take us.

Day Two- Or is it Three of Floors?

2011-02-15T22:52:00.000-05:00

This stupid paint stripper makes me loopy, so I honestly cant recall if its day two or three of paint scraping. The important part is today was the last day of scraping and boy oh boy am I happy to be saying that! As you can see the floors in the guest room are nearly paint free. I have a touch up scraping for any paint I missed and then we are on to the sanding phase this weekend- which Mr.Major has happily volunteered for.

In the mean time we are having to begin another major undertaking in Our Little 1900's house- more on that tomorrow.

I hope you are all doing well!

Refinishing Floors Part 2:

2011-02-14T21:02:00.000-05:00

Well its been about a year since we took on the upstairs loft area and refinished the floors and I figured it was high time we started a new room. In total we plan on refinishing the master bedroom and guest bedroom floors but for now we are just taking on the guest bedroom.

Refinishing floors is tough work! From my previous experience its one layer of latex, one layer of lead based and the top clear coat.

Boy was I happy to see that old carpet go out the door.

With most home renovation projects, it wouldn't be a proper project without a snag.

No, thats not static your seeing. It seems this was some sort of children's room and at some point they decided to squeeze big globs of paint all over the floor.

Luckily I have my Paint Scrapping team to the rescue.

Were now a day into it all and still have a lot left to do, but things are starting to look up.

Distressed Signs Tutorial

2011-02-09T21:41:00.000-05:00

In my quest for cheap DIY projects I really fell in love with the whole industrial revival decor people are doing in there homes now. I especially love distressed signs / advertising.

And so it was with these in mind that I decided to find a cute saying that went along with my theme and made my own DIY project.

I started by spray painting six boards black, sizing depends on how large you plan on doing your lettering and how large you want your over all sign to be. I want these to be pretty big since they will be sitting over a bar area in their new apartment so I chose to do them on three separate lines.

I took my top coat color and watered it down so it was thin slip and brushed it all on the tops. Once dry I stapled my boards together at the seams. (staple the back side as well.)

Using my stencils I stenciled on my lettering. You don't have to be all too careful with the paint while lettering any paint that smudges or smears can just become part of the overall charm. Remember you don't want things to be too perfect!

Finally using your sand paper distress your finished product and add the hangers to the back for mounting to your wall!