Tired Two Tiered Table

Hey, Froggers! It's been a while since I've last posted, but life has been busy. I've been doing a lot of biking (the kind where my feet actually go around and around and around), and I'm finding that it's taking up a lot of time! My long rides used to be about 10-12 miles, but now I'm up to about 30. I'm pretty excited about my progress, but it's not without its aches and pains. Sheesh!
Here's my latest endeavor.

Got this beaut at benefit yard sale. It has seen better days. My pup, Jessie, is often by my side. She has had a coat of many colors.

My mom always told me to see the potential in something. I really had to use my imagination with this one. It sat in my garage for over a year (I know, I know) before I knew what to do with it.


And this is the final product.

I live in Lancaster County, and this is just a taste of what we're all about here. I used my favorite technique to dress it up.
Here's the top. I'm having lots of fun with the font package I bought a while back.

And, I needed to include a profile picture just for fun.

I want to keep this one as well (I know, I say that all the time) but alas, it will be going to my Howsewears space at BUiLDiNG CHARACTER.
And, it occurs to me that I haven't posted any recent pics of my business, so whether you like it or not, here they are. Sorry they're not the best. They were taken with my cell phone.

My space is rather tiny, but, along with custom orders, it keeps me busy enough for now.
And... if this post wasn't exciting enough, I have a little surprise. Remember my Pottery Barn knock off from this post? Well, I messed up came up with a brand new technique that is really cool! I can't wait to share it with you!
As usual, let me know what you think!
Fondly, Tami

I'm linking to:
Between Naps on the Porch
Under the Table and Dreaming
Sumo's Sweet Stuff
Craftomaniac
Today's Creative Blog
Coastal Charm
Stringtown Home
The Tip Junkie
Thrifty Decor Chick
The Trendy Treehouse
Domestically Speaking
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
Primitive and Proper
Miss Mustard Seed 
Sisters of the Wild West 
No Minimalist Here 
A Diamond in the Stuff 
My 1929 Charmer Blog 
Beyond the Picket Fence 
The 36th Avenue
Embracing Change
Elizabeth and Co. 
2805 
Simple Home Life 
The Southern Institute 
Knick of Time Interiors 
DIY by Design 
Primp Junktion

Culinary Subway Art and a Few More Goodies

Here are some clock signs that I made from images at The Graphics Fairy. I cut them on vinyl using my Black Cat Cougar, then painted them with chalk paint.

 These are my rustic key boards. I painted a base coat of black, a crackle layer, and then white over that. I mounted the keys on the boards and painted them as well, with a little distressing.

Bathroom tiles, decopaged with pages from my old Life magazines, circa 1937. I think they're very vintagy.
And below is one of my favorite Subway Art signs. I think the culinary theme is in keeping with our upcoming Mother's Day.

And I found these charming little bookends at our neighborhood garage sale. They were plain wood, so I jazzed them up a little.

I hope you enjoyed this little tour.
Fondly, Tami
I'm linking to:
Polly Want a Crafter 
My 1929 Charmer Blog 
Primitive and Proper 
The Dedicated House

Custom Subway Art

Here's yet another piece of subway art. Sorry if I'm boring you Froggers, but I'm having so much fun with this art form. This was a custom piece for my daughter's friend who just set up house and is getting married this summer. I wanted to make a piece that was special to her and her fiance, so I told her I'd make her one (knowing that she likes them, of course), and asked what she would like me to put on it. She has a wonderful steampunk theme, so I had to keep that in mind.

I thought Thorn would be appropriate, since that will be her new last name, and it was fitting for the theme.

This piece was quite challenging for me because of the size, but like previous projects, I learned along the way and have a much better idea how to pull it all together for the next one.

I was so tickled with this. I LOVE making custom pieces!
I promise that the next post will be about something else. 
Fondly, Tami
I'm linking to:
Knick of Time Interiors

More Subway Art- Fun With Fonts

Hey, Froggers. I can't believe it's been almost a month since I've posted! Believe me, a LOT has happened. We had a pretty huge medical scare, but all is good, and I'm incredibly thankful that it was the best possible outcome instead of a death sentence. And trust me, I'm not being melodramatic. Whew!

So, after all that, I managed to gather up my crafting strength and create a few more things. I've been using my Black Cat Cougar, and boy, is it ever nice.

My friend, Kate, at the Cozy Crop House, wanted me to make a subway art sign to put up for sale at her scrapbooking retreat. And if that wasn't fun enough, you can see yours truly here. The local news did a spot and they put it up on Youtube. I always did like attention, so this was perfect! I'm the one in the red sweater. The funny thing is that I'm not really working on anything in the video. I'm just shuffling things around. Ha!

There's a local gentleman, who I met at a yard sale, who was selling un-finished, un-drilled cabinet doors. I was thrilled. AND, he said he had a lot more back at his shop. Can you say, "PAYDIRT"? I went and bought several, and plan to go back again. And, don't ask me for his number. I won't give it to you. ;)

I've wanted to do a Penn State piece, and I had no idea what to put on it. However, I asked my good friends, Buzz and Kim, who are PS graduates. Interestingly enough, I looked up some things on the internet, and found out that PS is quite picky about what you can use. You can't use Penn State, Blue Band, their lion, of course, Nittany Lion, or the paw (mine below is a generic paw, not the official logo). In keeping with not wanting to violate copyrights, I didn't use them.

A few months ago, I bought a package of several hundred fonts that were available for commercial use. I so enjoy trying to match the word with the font. I love the grilled stickies font. I believe it was originally intended for Halloween use, but I think it fits in quite well here.

I like the Lion font.

More close-ups:

Let's just say that I'm having way too much fun.
If you want to know how I did these, just check my tutorial here .
Here's to happy crafting!
Fondly, Tami
I'm linking to:
Beyond the Picket Fence
No Minimalist Here
The Trendy Treehouse 
DIY By Design 
Beneath My Heart

Subway Art Bureau

Hey, Froggers. Now that Thanksgiving is over, I can concentrate on what I REALLY love to do, which is painting and designing. I was inspired by some furniture I had seen on some other blogs, and I had the perfect bureau to try it on. I used the same techniques on my other pieces here and here. I'm super excited about how this turned out. It will be for sale as soon as I can transport it to my space at Building Character in Lancaster, PA.  I'm the Howsewears booth (look for the Howsewears banner). If you're interested in purchasing it and are fairly local to Lancaster County, let me know. I can't wait to find a loving home for it.
Unfortunately, I forgot to take a before picture, so use your imagination. It was just a plain old brown bureau with some scratches.

This piece is near and dear to my heart since I spent so much time in Lancaster. Some of the landmarks don't exist as businesses anymore, which gives it a more vintage feel.

I LOVE wooden knobs. I can do so many things with them. These are painted with Paris Gray mixed with a little bit of Graphite (as is the top). They're distressed and waxed with Briwax Antique Oak.

The body was painted with Graphite, with Old White lettering. It was waxed with Clear and then Antique Oak Briwax, followed by buffing for a nice patina.

I love the detail in the upper drawer, and accented it with Old White.

It almost seems at home here next to a field in Lancaster County.
It's a delightful size:
Height- 3'4"
Width- 2' 5"
Depth- 3' 5"
And, as always, let me know what you think. I love hearing from you!!!
Fondly, Tami

I'm linking to:

Skip to My Lou
Embellishing Life
Sisters of the Wild West
Today's Creative Blog
Tip Junkie 
Vintage Wannabee 
Not Just a Housewife 
Hope Studios
A Stroll Through Life
Topsy Turvy 
Domestically Speaking 
Trendy Treehouse 
The Thrifty Home 
Fameworthy Shot
Savvy Southern Style
Blue Cricket Design 
Handy Man, Crafty Woman 
Polka Dots on Parade 
No Minimalist Here 
A Diamond in the Stuff 
House of Hepworths 
The Shabby Creek Cottage 
Brandyscrafts 
Centsational Girl 
Miss Mustard Seed 
The Shabby Nest
My Romantic Home
Tatertots and Jello 
My Repurposed Life 
Fingerprints on the Fridge 
French Country Cottage 
Funky Junk Interiors 
Sisters of the Wild West 
Under the Table and Dreaming 
Homemaker on a Dime
I Heart Naptime
Between Naps on the Porch
Meg and Mum's
Sumo's Sweet Stuff
The DIY Showoff
Craftomaniac
Embellishing Life
Delightful Order 
brandyscrafts
sweetpeasandbumblebees
The 36th Avenue
Somewhat Simple
Primitive and Proper 
At Home With K 
HomeSavvyAtoZ 
Chic on a Shoestring 
Creating Really Awesome Free Things
Crafts Keep Me Sane
boogieboardcottage
The Girl Creative 
The GunnySack 
Homemaker on a Dime 
Polly Want a Crafter 
The Southern Institute 
Knick of Time Tuesday 
Singing Three Little Birds
Beyond the Picket Fence 
I Am Only 1 Woman 
Flamingo Toes 
Ginger Snap Crafts 
It's Overflowing 
One Woman's Haven 
DIY by Design 
Designer Garden 
Finding Fabulous for Less 
Be Different, Act Normal 
Suzy's Artsy Craftsy Sitcom 
My 1929 Charmer Blog
Embracing Change 
The Vintage Farmhouse

Stools, Stools, and More Stools

Hey again, Froggers! It's STOOL day (which just sounds wrong). I've had these stools for a few months and finally got around to reverse stenciling them. I'm stoked at how they turned out!



And, remember this piece from the last post? Yes, it is Chalk Paint, but there's a twist.

I am a red fanatic. I LOVE red. I have a red checked couch in my living room. And a red leather chair and ottoman. And I LOVE chalk paint. However, the Emperor's Red color is just a little too SCREAMO RED for me. So, I decided to tone it down.
I played around with the mixture and came up with the perfect ratio. This red is a ratio of 1of Graphite to 8 of Emperor's Red. I like making small amounts for my frames, so I use 1 tablespoon of Graphite to 8 tablespoons of Emperor's Red. In a future post, I'll show you some different colors using Versailles, simply because I accidentally bought 2 quarts instead of one. That'll teach me to check my shopping cart before I check out!
Thanks for reading. And, as always, please feel free to leave comments!
Fondly, Tami
I'm linking to:
Miss Mustard Seed
Kammie's Korner
Home Savvy AtoZ 
Primitive and Proper 
Coastal Charm
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia 
A Diamond in the Stuff 
Days of Chalk and Chocolate 
Sisters of the Wild West 
my1929charmerblog
The 36th Avenue
No Minimalist Here
DIY by Design
Gingersnap Crafts
Beyond the Picket Fence
Saavy Southern Style 
The Southern Institute 
The Trendy Treehouse 
Tatertots and Jello 
House of Hepworths

Subway Art- Part 2

I finished my subway art. If you remember the previous post, I didn't have the swirlies on it. I just thought I should add them for some more visual interest. You see that the letters are red, because after I applied the green vinyl onto the red painted board, I painted over the whole thing, vinyl and all, with Old White chalk paint. I carefully pulled up the vinyl, to reveal the red letters. I really love that effect, and it makes it look hand painted. I waxed it with clear Briwax and buffed to a lovely subtle luster. A sawtooth hanger completed the ensemble, and it's ready to be donated to a charitable cause.

I've had some fun doing these other projects as well:

You can't quite tell in this pic, but the base coat is red but the top is Versailles chalk paint with a dry brush technique.

Can you tell I'm into swirlies lately? You may wonder which color the red paint is. I'll give you a hint. It's chalk paint, but I'll reveal my secret later.

This is a simple wood panel with some scrapbook paper decopaged on top. However, the JOY letters were cut with my Cricut, Sure Cuts a Lot, and cereal box material. Since the cereal box isn't super sturdy, I double each letter up, using Mod Podge as a glue. It's such an economical way to do things! And then, I covered them with silver glass glitter from Meyer-Imports. I LOVE their glass glitter! The pic doesn't do it justice. The letters really sparkle.

These letters were "official" chipboard, bought at the Cozy Crop House, which is also now a Ranger retailer. Woot, woot! Right down the street from me! It doesn't get better than that, Froggers!

A mini sign, done on a wood panel.

This Noel was also cut out of cereal box material. I'm gonna have to go eat more Wheat Chex!

Well, that's it for now. I hope you enjoyed seeing a few of my projects, and that this gave you some inspiration! After all, that's how I roll.

And, PLEASE leave some comments if you enjoyed this!

Fondly, Tami

I'm linking to:

The Brambleberry Cottage

Somewhat Simple

The Shabby Creek Cottage

House of Hepworths