Old Chest Restored

I started this project some time ago (see previous post, July 14, 2013) and finished restoring September 2013.

I Just Did...

What do you think about my twins, are they not beautiful?



While at the beauty salon having my hair cut, I noticed the hair on some of the busts (used by students to learn their cutting skills) was quite short. My first thought was how expensive it must be to have to keep buying new wigs for teaching purposes. So... I had to ask just how expensive it was. Come to find out, the heads are made of rubber. When the hair gets too short to work on, the heads get tossed. My second thought was "I want one". I didn't know why I wanted one--I just did.

I could probably use one (or two) for many reasons.

1. Owing to more people buying homes in our neck of the woods, the deer are liking our veggies more every year. Fencing what we can, scattering hair, soap, and spraying helps. Oh my why not dress up my garden with twins in lieu of a scarecrow?

2. As a passenger in our car?

3. I am about to sew my first bucket hat. Perfect for trying out proper size!

4. Seated somewhere in our home (I love it)?

What Worked For Me

The hardware on my antique chest was in bad need of cleaning. After going online and trying three different solutions, this is what worked for me:

A mixture of baking soda and lemon juice.  I used about one half box of baking soda and added lemon juice until the mix was about the texture of honey. I made enough to cover all my hardware and soaked overnight. The next day I just rinsed, washed in soapy water, using a sponge, and rinsed again. Easy--no toothbrush, no scrubbing .

What didn't work as well:

1. Soaking in coke overnight.

2. Soaking in a mixture of flour, white cider, and salt overnight. I made more of the above-mentioned lemon juice/baking soda mixture (enough to completely cover all the handles).

This as a picture of mixture #2 above:

They came out pretty good!

Sanding done:

Now I am off to Google for some advice on choice of stain...

Behind Schedule!

Oh golly! I do love the Internet. BUT...in seeing a link on "How To Convert VHS Tapes to DVD", I had to purchase a screen capture device. Spent a couple of months converting my tapes to my computer. I am in process of restoring this old chest and catching up with our gardening. I know--excuses, excuses!

Another Garage Sale Goodie

One just can't pass up a chair priced at only one dollar. I sanded and painted this rusty metal chair for our grand girls (in case Mom ever has a need for them to sit for a bit). How silly, right???

There Ought To Be Diplomas for Bloggers

I feel like a senior just starting third grade--blogger has upgraded once again. I am already liking what I see, but now I must try and advance to the next level! Will I ever graduate? What I really want to do is show off my latest project. I, for one, can never have enough cupboards. I didn't like my canned goods being above my kitchen counter; I needed the space for my glassware and such. I dragged out an old metal cabinet from our furnace room and gave it a face lift. Today I spent my morning organizing and reorganizing every cupboard in the house!

OK, So Now I Love Mailboxes

Rather than purchase yet another mailbox, I found this one while dismantling our barn and gave it a once over...

Two more barn finds...This one holds my table paper napkins:

This one for garden gloves:

And a work in progress--my one dollar garage sale find. It is gigantic. I sanded it to the bare metal and have since given it a primer coat. I am trying to figure out what to use it for before I give it the final paint job. Maybe a table doubling as a storage container? Umm, what would I store in it? It is 24" high, 15 inches in depth, 10 inches wide. Any suggestlons would be really, really, appreciated:

One cannot have too many mailboxes (lol).

For the Hats and Mittens

I picked up what looked like a bin for potatoes at a yard sale for one dollar. I painted it and use it for storing our hats and mittens. This summer it will hold our work/garden gloves.

Front View

Inside Cover

Outside Cover

Left Side

Right Side

Found a Use for Cardboard Barrel

First, I drink way too much pop. But, having said that, I finally came across a solution for storing my empties. What was an old cardboard barrel is now my "Bottle Drop".

Jelly Cupboard Makeover

This is one of my favorite kitchen pieces, but I had to give it a facelift--the paint was constantly peeling off (probably lead paint).

Garage Sale Find

I was tired of using fold up card table chairs around my kitchen table--I reupholstered the cushions.

BEFORE (Scroll your mouse over image for update)