Announcing our winners

Thanks for all the entrants in our ad giveaway, all of your projects were inventive and thrifty. The votes are tallied and the final two winners are...

The Painted Hive for turning that ugly beat up table into this beautiful beat up table.

and

Tammy from In Stitches for turning that hideous brown thing into this bright shinning beauty.

A new twist on a classic

Cata from Cata's Blog used our tutorial and added her modern twist to the classic vintage feed sack, check out what she made! Thanks for sharing Cata.

Intrigued by Chevron

What do you think of these inspirations? 

You've seen my wierdo fireplace and someday I'll post about my wierdo bathroom. 

I think a little

black and white chevron

tile for the floor could bring my wierdo bathroom out of it's current funk.

  I appoligize for no photo credits. 

Somehow during my search I deleted them.

We've been featured

Kari from Ucreate has featured Jen's amazing weathered bench, stop by and check out her blog!

Bikes

In Peppertowne we love to ride our bikes.

Ride in style.

Photo credit thesartorialist.blogspot.com

Rock n Roll 2

 Many of you have contacted us asking about the details of our little red porch rockers.

You asked...and here it is.

Click here for the original Rock-n-Roll post.

I ask one thing in return...please email me the before and after pictures of your rocker remodel.  I'd love to see all your great ideas post them here on Peppertowne.

Click here to email me your pictures.

Tip, Tricks & a mini-Tutorial

I'm sorry I don't have pictures of the process.

Step #1
Prepare and paint your wood. 
I cut out the lattice cane and the other seat & back material.  If you have a cane seat, leave the ribbon of caning the surrounds the circumference of the seat frame that held the lattice cane in place. The wood on the rockers we found was trashed but with a light sanding and a few coats of red spray paint made a big difference.

Step #2
Create a new seat and back.

Get a thin piece of wood.  We used 1/4 inch MDF but anything will do.  First cut a pattern out of paper or scrap fabic for your seat and back.  Make the pattern slightly bigger than the hole for your seat and back.  This will help when it's time to attach them to the rocker. 

Next trace the pattern onto your wood and cut it to shape.

Step #3
Upholster your seat and back. 

I stapled a thick batting to the top of the seat and back.  Then stapled a lining and then the outdoor upholstery fabric to the top of the seat, trimming away excess and making a tight fit.  Next, cut a piece of upholstery fabric to cover the under side of the seat and back cushion.  Fold the ends of the fabric over and staple tighlty.  You can glue a cute trim around your seam to create a finished look especially if the underside of your rocker will show.

Step #4
Attach the seat and back cushion.

This is much more simple than it seems.  Remember when you cut your board to be a bit larger than the seat and back hole?  Now you can rest the finished cushon on the seat and it will sit on top of the wood of the rocker.  Make sure it fits and position the seat, then add a string of wood glue on the circumference where your cushion and the seat frame meet.  To secure the bond between your rocker

and your cushion add a few L brackets.

That's it!
Do you have other questions?  Send me a quick note, I'm happy to help.
And don't forget to send me your before and after photos!

Love it for Spring

 A lovely idea from Fine Sweet Life

Etsy Finds

1. iphone case: Beautiful Skin

2. Pepter Pan necklace: Papercut Art

3. sculptured dinnerware: Prettyville

4. forest friends clock: Decoy Lab

Back in Time

This little garden bench is ho-hum. 

I don't love it.

Saturday a friend took me to a little shop that featured 

heavily weathered and worn pieces.

I was inspired!

I dragged the bench into my shop and began to work.

Now, I love it!!

 

 

Do you want to make a drop down for your link parties.

Click here for Amy's great tutorial.

-----

And, some of you have asked, "How did you do this?"

It's simple. 

Step #1:  Paint your furniture piece.  Paint layers of different colors.  On this bench I painted it white and then blue.  A friend and I were coming up with ideas for an old black table she has.  She wants to make create this severly weathered, worn and distressed look with layers of paint.  So, were going to paint a layer of pink and then a layer of white...I can't wait to see how this project turns out.

Step #2: Get out your can of paint stripper.  The same stuff Amy used on this beachy dresser remodel.  Randomly brush the stripper over your painted piece of furniture.  Once the stripper begins to crinkle the paint scrape it off in big and little chunks revealing the different colors below.  I was even able to strip down to the bare wood in some spots which gave this a great organic feel. 

Step #3: Use a stain to 'dirty up' the paint job.  I used a dark walnut.  Using a rag, wipe the stain on and let it sit for a few minutes then wipe it off.  Repeat if you want a dirtier look.

Then you can seal your project with a satin clear coat.

And that's it!

Good luck.  And send us any photos of before and afters of your project!

If you have any other questions about this project, email us here.

The Persimmon Perch The Girl Creative Making the World Cuter Skip to my Lou Between Naps on the Porch Sumo's Sweet Stuff The Trendy Treehouse It's so very Cheri Tip Junkie A Soft Place to Land Silly Little Sparrow Today's Creative Blog My Frugal Family Reinvented Domestically Speaking Someday Crafts Blue Cricket Design My Backyard Eden Just a Girl The Shabby Chic Cottage Somewhat Simple Life as Lori Fireflies and Jellybeans Beyond the Picket Fence Miss Mustard Seed The Shabby Nest Fun to Craft My Romantic Home Finding Fabulous Remodelaholic Kojo Designs Funky Junk Interiors

Mother's Day Giveaway

Roses are Red
Violets are Blue
You're my Mum
and I love You

Mother's Day is right around the corner
and we have a $25 gift certificate giveaway from Bella be Jeweled.

Bella Be Jeweled

To win, simply become a follower and make a comment on this post!
Deadline Sunday May 2nd @ midnight

How to use furniture stripper

 Supplies:

Jasco paint stripper, paper towels, rags, putty knife, paintbrush, glass container, sandpaper, electric sander, and gloves

Step 1

 To give this dresser a new stain I needed to get rid of layers and layers of paint and lacquer using furniture stripper. Always wear gloves and work in an open ventilated area, this stuff is toxic, it burns your skin on contact and is not good to inhale. Don't be intimidated to use this stuff, it's easy as pie, this was my first time and it turned out excellent. 

Work in small areas, about one foot square. Shake the can before you use it, but make sure to open it slowly or it will explode in your face. Pour a small amount in a glass container, not plastic it will melt plastic. Use a paint brush and paint on a thick layer, let it sit a few minutes until you see blisters bubbling, then using a putty knife scrape it off and wipe onto paper towels, throw away. Repeat until the whole surface has been done, you may have to do this twice before enough paint is removed. Sand down the surface using an electric sander until the remaining paint is gone and the surface is smooth.

Step 2

Lightly sand the rest of the surfaces, apply a coat of primer, let dry and paint. I used Valspar Sanibel Gray, then stained the top. I used Old Dad's Clearcoat, the best ever but unfortunately they don't make this anymore, luckily my Dad has several cans left of this liquid gold.

Step 3

Spray paint the hardware, I used Rust-Oleum hammered copper for a beautiful rustic finish. I used sand paper to add some distressing and age marks, it really makes the drawers stand out.

The Persimmon Perch The Girl Creative Making the World Cuter Skip to my Lou Between Naps on the Porch Sumo's Sweet Stuff The Trendy Treehouse It's so very Cheri Tip Junkie A Soft Place to Land Silly Little Sparrow Today's Creative Blog My Frugal Family Reinvented Domestically Speaking Someday Crafts Blue Cricket Design My Backyard Eden Just a Girl The Shabby Chic Cottage Somewhat Simple Life as Lori Fireflies and Jellybeans Beyond the Picket Fence Miss Mustard Seed The Shabby Nest Fun to Craft My Romantic Home Finding Fabulous Remodelaholic Kojo Designs Funky Junk Interiors

Weirdo Fireplace

I have a design dilemma.
My house was built in 1950 and it has some charming and some quirky things about it.
This off center weirdo fireplace is on the quirky side of things.

When we first moved in, it was covered with drywall.
Down came the drywall and we discovered the weirdo fireplace.
Don't get me wrong. I love the weirdo fireplace.
I'm just not sure what to do with it.

The architecture of it is so strange and I can't help but think it has some real cool potential.
So, I painted it and added a few things to the mantle but...
months later, I'm still staring at it trying to find my inspiration.

I'm stumped.

Linking up to Decorating Dilemmas at
Serenity Now
---------------------------
Thanks for all your suggestions. 
I'm adding some of the photos you linked so everyone can see these ideas.  I love all this great feedback.

This idea comes from my new friend Kristi @ The Speckled Dog.  I really like this idea of the horizontal wood panels.  Maybe I could do the fireplace floor to ceiling like this...hmmmm.  Thanks Kristi.

This idea is from Anna of The Owl and the Phoenix
Covering the fireplace in stone with a big chunky mantle makes sense.  It would really anchor the room.

The idea to use board and batten details comes from Jen of Tatertots and Jello. 

I like the way this would add some detailing to the fireplace.

This picture comes from Amy (my sister-in-law and Peppertowne partner in crime).  Isn't she sweet to actually photoshop my picture with her idea!!  She's a talented girl.  Thanks Amy!

Beautiful Little Bedrooms

Get inspired by these beautiful springy bedrooms

by amazing design trio Massucco Warner and Miller

(I don't mean bed bouncing springy...I mean spring-time springy.  

Although bed bouncing is great too!)

These corals, oranges and warm colors are just so delicious!
Perfect for a nap.

 

  

This last one's for you baby Zoe!