Headboard to Blackboard

I wanted a big chalkboard for my kitchen, and wanted something different. Being a teacher, why want a blackboard at home? Because if you have been in most classrooms these days, you couldn't find ANY kind of chalkboard if you tried. Technology has replaced them with first green chalkboards then "white boards" and then "Smart Boards".

I just wanted a plain ol' black dumb board! Keeping an eye out at garage sales and Goodwill, I found a nice, twin headboard for 5 dollars. Here's the after:

Here's the before:

With a little sanding, white paint, and blackboard paint, I was on my way. Legs were cut off and knobs were added.

A litttle votive holder with handle doubles as a chalk holder.

I'm NOT ready!

I am joining

and

 

Drawer Fronts Before and After

My mom and I stopped at a yard sale recently and it turned out to be a kind of estate sale. The people had brought a lot of things from "the farm" to sell. I saw some old drawers full of scrap lumber stacked up on the side of the garage and the man said they were free if I would take it all.  I wasn't even sure what I was looking at in the beginning. There were cobwebs and muddy raccoon footprints on the drawers, and I was thinking that my mom would have a fit if I put that stuff in her car. But I did. I kept the drawer fronts and threw the rest of the scrap wood away when I got home. Believe me, it was scrap wood, not worth saving.

A little research revealed that the drawers were probably from a dresser, walnut, built between the 1860's and the 1880's. Just the hand carved drawer pulls sell for $29.00 each. Yikes! This is an example of what I found online:

Walnut Victorian chest of drawers

Fancy Carved pulls
42" w x 44" tall ~ ca. 1885
$725

 Here are my three drawer fronts before:

I wanted to paint at least one white, but I just couldn't do it to all the drawers.

After:

It seems odd there was a lock for each drawer, not just a small jewelry drawer.

This white one is going to my daughter's house to hang above her white french doors on  yellow walls.

The second drawer I did in a walnut stain.

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Fun with TJ and A & L

Trader Joe's just opened TWO stores in my area this weekend! If you already have one near you, you may just skip this post, but to those who have been exposed to TJ's and have been existing without, well now .... it was a party for myself and two daughters A and L.


Why did we get two? Kansas City sits on the border of KS and MO. MO can have liquor in grocery stores, and KS cannot. One store is 7.7 miles away and the other 8.8 miles away.

What is the big draw about Trader Joe's? Lots of their own brands reasonably priced, and some different things you don't see at other grocery stores.

Here's something TJ's are probably most famous for: 2 Buck Chuck! Two dollar Charles Shaw wine. Only now it is $2.99! A good (drink it while it's young ) wine, if you are not a wine snob. I don't drink wine, so I can't verify this information (I am a Jose Cuervo  limeade girl).

Look at all that chocolate! They have their own huge Belgian chocolate bars.

TJ's is not a big store, and they don't carry everything, but I loved looking at their displays.

People were grabbing the popcorn as quickly as they filled the shelves.

                  In fact, the bread rack was empty Sunday morning.

These are the coolest recyclable grocery bags!

The trip home was fun! We dug around in our bags, got out lots of stuff and passed it around.

What do you buy at Trader Joe's?

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Dog Days of Summer


Dog Days  are the hottest, most sultry days of summer. The name comes from the ancient belief that Sirius, also called the Dog Star,  was responsible for the hot weather.


The weather here has been 100+ and I stand at the door when I let my dogs out so they can  come right back in. SO here is my Dog Days of Summer tablescape.

The placemats are Irish linen tea towels. One towel has the fronts of the dogs and the other has  their backs.

The little black and white spaniel is a planter, so he is holding a copy of the Canine Chronicles.

Little dogs from my collection.

Black napkins stuffed into the black stemmed goblets.

The four little dog plates were a thrift store find for $2.

The  four little square plates spell out

Happy Dog Days!

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for Tablescape Thursday.