Outdoor lighting....

I have wanted new exterior lighting for sometime. After all, the existing fixtures have been there for 13 years. It's not that I necessarily "dislike" the fixtures I have. I seriously considered just painting them. Because let's be honest... replacing all 3 fixtures could set me back a tad.

Last Friday I found three pretty ratty fixtures at a garage sale...$5 for all three!!!! Wow...what a deal. And it was exactly what I needed...2 wall mount and a hanging fixture. But they definitely needed some work. So I walked away!

But believe it or not I actually dreamed about the stupid things Saturday morning...so I got up early and went back to the house where they were having the garage sale to see if they were still there....AND THEY WERE!

Of course they were. Seriously, they were pretty ugly.

I think they were originally an antique bronzed finish and someone had sanded the finish off so they were just a grey metal...and seriously dirty. And the glass....major yuk!

I really love the mid century modern style in just about everything. I'm not sure what you would classify these as...not mid-century.... but I really like their "bones." I knew with a little paint, maybe some new glass and a little rewiring, they would be nifty little fixtures!i

The first thing I did was remove all the glass and then removed all the sockets and wiring. They were in pretty bad shape and the worst thing you can do is ignore brittle and charred wiring and electrical sockets. They are easy to replace. Kind of like plumbing,...just take it all to Lowe's and walk around looking stupid...SOMEONE will help you "rebuild" the things you need to replace!

I put all the fixtures in dishwasher....believe it or not it is the easiest way to clean most stuff if it will fit!! After a good cleaning I primed them with auto primer, sanded with steel wool, tack cloth and then painted them with an exterior satin black spray paint!

Then came the challenging part...reinstalling all the electrical elements...sockets, nuts, bolts, wiring....honestly, it wasn't that difficult! Again, just put it all back together just like you took it all apart (taking LOTS of pictures as you dismantle anything is always helpful!)

After it was all back together, it was time to take down the old fixtures and put up the "new."

First rule of any electrical work....MAKE SURE THE POWER IS OFF!

Let me save you a spill off your ladder. ALWAYS assume there will be wasp, spiders and other undesirable critters lurking in holes and crevices. Light boxes are no exception. I found wasp nests and HUGE spiders in all three light boxes after I removed the fixtures. So remove the existing fixtures carefully and always keep wasp spray and spider spray handy!!! Expect a critter or crawler and you won't fall off the ladder from fear (again, I don't tell you things because I THINK it might happen!)

I initially installed the fixtures without glass...because honestly, I kind of knew what I wanted but didn't know where to get it. I checked out a local stained glass store and found EXACTLY what I wanted. A clear glass with little bubbles in it. Not exactly cheap, but considering I didn't pay much for the actual fixtures, it was worth it.

If you notice, I have fallen in love with the new "Edison bulbs" that are all the rage which is why I wanted something clear to show off the bulbs...this "blown glass" look is exactly what I wanted...clear but with a little character.

These bulbs aren't "mid century" but I think they are just soooo cool looking.

But I warn you...they are expensive! Around $9 each so you would probably want to use them sparingly in special places. And I have no idea how they will hold up outside, exposed to the heat and cold. I guess we will see!

But I like the look...and since I don't have a huge amount of money invested in each fixture (new wiring, paint, glass) I won't feel too badly if I decide to switch them out! Probably in another 13 years...

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FINALLY, a chair before and after!!!

I say FINALLY because as I have mentioned I have "upholstery block." I can pick paint, I can pick stain...but I have the toughest time picking out upholstery. Which is becoming a real problem because I have all these chairs in my garage that need upholstery work!

Anywho, I finally picked an upholstery for these little mid century style slipper chairs....

I was a little hesitant to go with something so "funky." But fact is, I don't think these chairs have a tremendous "value" so it was a perfect opportunity to do something fun with a style I love! When I found a "'50's Paris" themed fabric at Hobby Lobby, I decided to go for it. Who wouldn't love the Eifel Tower, 50's fashion and PINK???!!!

The legs were oak...sturdy but not my favorite, so I didn't have a problem painting them....a little primer and black satin spray paint. I added a little batting but otherwise they were in pretty good shape! And really comfy! The chair didn't originally have any piping, but I added a little black around the base of the seat.

I found a black and white diamond pattern fabric I am going to make little pillows out of of...eventually. I stuck my houndstooth pillow on there just to see how it would look...not so great, but I think the diamond pattern will look awesome!

Personally, I think they are pretty cute...we'll see if they sell...

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Hung up on guns....

If you are anti-gun, don't read this post!

Actually, you might like this post...because I managed to "refurbish" a vintage gun in a way that makes it safe and fun!

I know a lot of parents these days "don't like guns!" But your husband or father may have an old shotgun, rifle or pellet gun they hold dear and wish they had a way to display without offending mom's good gun senses! In the south, we cherish our old guns, even if we don't want our kiddos playing with them!

I bought this 1952-1954 (per their website) vintage Crosman 22 at an auction! It was a mess...again, my photography skills are lacking. But trust me, it was a mess. And it was not functioning!

The metal parts on top where actually taped to the stock of the gun! And it wouldn't hold any air pressure! I guess someone could refurbish the gun and make it functional, but I decided to do what I do best and make it functional for my purposes!

Many vintage guns have the most beautiful wood stocks...usually walnut, and very easy to refinish.

IMPORTANT WARNING! This is where I am going to tell you the number one rule of gun safety and handling! ALL GUNS ARE LOADED!!! Even if someone tells you they are not, ASSUME THEY ARE! Check and recheck...and until the gun has been checked and rechecked and disassembled with the barrel facing AWAY from any human or animal or window, just assume it is loaded! Once you are satisfied there are no pellets, bullets or shells lurking in the depths of the gun somewhere should you handle it freely!

After disassembling this air gun, I stripped the finish off the stock with laquer thinner...unfortunately it took the black off the barrel as well! The metal barrel was in pretty bad shape and I was planning on doing something that would render it completely "useless" as a gun, so no biggy. AND once I removed all the bluing (that's the black finish on the gun barrel) I found the model number and the manufacturer's name stamped on pretty brass!

After removing all the old finish, I sanded the stock with 220 grit sand paper. I also sanded the metal parts to remove all the rust spots.

Three coats of tung oil on the wood stock (no stain, that is the natural finish!) and flat black spray paint on the barrel...then I glued the barrel to the gun, glued all the moving parts so the gun is not functioning, added a few little hooks, and....

WHALLA!!

A nifty little hat/coat rack fit for a little cowboy...or cowgirl! Or maybe a hunting cabin!

This is not something you want to do to an heirloom gun...not without permission from the owner! And it is NOT a toy! I plan on putting wall hangers on the back so it can be secured to the wall.

But it is a relatively easy little project and a great way to "disarm" and display old guns lurking in the attic or back of the closet!

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Sit and stay awhile....

I have a thing about chairs and sitting areas...even outdoors. In my yard I have two swing pergolas, two large chairs on the patio, a table and chairs and a wicker settee on the deck, a chair on the little deck outside my bedroom door, and chairs stacked and ready for company.

Funny thing is, I am constantly buzzing around doing something so I rarely just "sit" for long. And it's not like we entertain a lot....

Last month I scored 3 old metal lawn chairs at an auction...I love those things. I have one I bought at a flea market a few years ago and have always wanted a few more. Two of the three are in pretty good shape...minimal rust and still sturdy. One has some "issues" with rust so I didn't do anything with it. And naturally I didn't take "before" pictures of all of them, but this is a picture of the one that I didn't redo....

Even in good condition, these old metal chairs can be a booger to refinish properly. Usually they have been painted a time or two, so you have to sand them pretty aggressively to get rid of all the layers...and drips! They also have rust and that has to be delt with or it will destroy the chair.

I used my little mouse sander with a 40 grit paper, then hand sanded it with a 120 to strip as much old paint and rust as I could.

After sanding and wiping them down with tack cloth, I primed them with automotive primer. I figure if it is good enough for a metal car, it will be great for metal chairs. It is also specifically formulated to stop rust! May be overkill, but might as well use the best! You can buy cans of metal and automobile primer in the spray paint sections at Lowes.

After priming, I hit them again with 220 grit paper and tack cloth. Then I painted the arms and legs with a Rust-oleum satin white and the seats with a really pretty Valspar "peacock blue" color.

I really debated what color to paint the chairs. I love the different greens but my entire yard is green and I try to infuse as many annuals as possible to get color...so I knew I wanted "color."

I like the Peacock Blue. It's pretty....

And while I am showing off my yard, here is a before and after of the area I resodded AGAIN this year. The first two times I put down bermuda but it just didn't do well....too much shade!

It is a little difficult to tell from this photo (my stinking photography skills!) but this area is pretty much dirt with a few blades of grass here and there...and that is after I put down bermuda sod last spring! The rest of the yard is thick, lush grass! (Thanks to weed control and fertilizer by Fairways and lots of water)

So this year I decided to try something different. Zoysia sod. It is SUPPOSE to do better in partial shade areas. I have fescue in an area of my yard that doesn't get a lot of sun and I don't like it because it doesn't go dormant like bermuda...so I have this big green patch in my yard all winter. Zoysia is suppose to go dormant. It can't be any worse than it was. I've decided if this doesn't work I am going to paint the dirt green!

So for now, I have nice grass in our sitting area...and it is a perfect back drop for my pretty new peacock chairs!

This is Molly, my old kitty. She turned 16 this week too! She loves all the "lounging" areas in the yard and loves being outside...as long as it is above 75 degrees!

Someday I will post pictures of all my animals...I think I have already posted one of Simon, but I also have Ms. Kitty (she is a rather cranky, unfriendly calico) and Finley (he is my autistic kitty...another long haired Siamese mix) And then there is Ginger, my old black lab.

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Primitive mahogany chair....

I am always finding nasty old furniture dumped around my trailer and dumpster at the apartments. But when I spied this little beauty sitting by the dumpster I knew it was something special...even in the deplorable state she was in!

When I found her, she was bleached grey/white and was pretty rickety. But I could tell from the construction it was a solid wood primitive chair and from some of the red "bleeding" on the underside, I suspected it was mahogany.

I brought her home and the first thing I tried to do was glue the loose joints. Problem was the wood was sooooo thirsty, it literally sucked the moisture out of the glue, so the glue wouldn't hold!

I knew I was going to have to "moisturize" the chair before I could get the joints to hold.

So I stripped off what little was left of the old upholstery and began sanding her down. As I sanded, the color in the wood really began to shine through!

I called a friend of mine, Caleb, who is kind of a "wood guru." He told me to try Danish Oil on her.

Man, oh, man.

Absolutely breathtakingly beautiful.

No stain in this picture....just oil!

The wood was so thirsty it took an entire can of Danish Oil...maybe 4-5 coats! But the natural color of the wood was amazing!

This is where I need to remind you that I think one of the most beautiful things on earth is wood....I just love the color and the texture and the grain. And the smell!

And it is one reason I have such a difficult time painting over wood....because once you do that you potentially hide something beautiful! Even some finishes can mask the texture of a wood grain...and I hate that!

So I am very careful when deciding what the best treatment is for any piece of wood furniture. Sometimes paint really is your best option. But not always...even if it is all the "rage."

I am sure there are a lot of people who, if they would have even given this chair a second look, would have immediately slapped a coat of paint on her. Because let's be honest, she was pretty nasty to begin with.

But the natural beauty of this chair was there...just waiting for someone to care enough to bring it out!

This is where I really wish I was a better photographer! I am just not doing this chair justice with the pictures!

After oiling and glueing, I set out to find the "right" upholstery. Again, this is a tough process when you are talking about an old chair. I wanted to do something that might resemble what might have been on it originally, but since I have NO idea what time period this chair was, I knew I couldn't even begin to guess. And my research online turned up nothing. I suspect this chair was hand made by someone loooong ago!

The upholstery I settled on is actually an old linen blanket I found at a garage sale. I loved the neutral color and simple texture. Again, I could have painted the piece and upholstered it in a bright, funky fabric....but she is a simple old chair and this is just one of those times I thought the piece needed "simple."

She now sits proudly in my flea market booth....waiting on someone to fall in love with her like I did! But it will take a very special person who will recognize her for what she is.

A VERY special chair steeped in a history we will never know, but will cherish and honor just the same.

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Easy recipe book....

I love recipes. I've collected a lot of recipe books over the years, including one my mother received as a wedding gift in 1961....a church recipe book. It is awesome! Best peanut butter cookie recipe EVER!

My uncle inherited my Grandmother's recipes and I brought them home and scanned EVERYTHING....every handwritten recipe, every newspaper and magazine clipping, every box recipe. Anything she had in her recipe boxes, I scanned. Someday I plan on making a recipe book with all the scans...someday. They have been on my computer for over two years...but someday.

So when I started cruising Pinterest I wanted to keep ALL the recipes that sounded even remotely good. But I discovered that sometimes when you pinned a link, it was no longer there when you went back later. So I had to find a way to organize all the recipes.

I started printing them off, tacking them to the refrigerator and then if we liked them, I would put them in a "recipe book."

I found the easiest way to do this was to "cut and paste" the recipe into an email, email it to myself and then print it off. If it passed the family taste test, I would slip it into my recipe book.

The book is a simple scrapbook with the little clear sleeves with paper inserts...50% off at Hobby Lobby. I can add additional pages to it when I need to and the sleeves make it easy to slip the recipes in and keep them from getting cruddy when I splatter stuff on them.

If I am feeling creative I will put holiday scrapbook paper in place of the white paper inserts.

Pinterest and the internet are loaded with awesome recipes...and I really believe the secret to being a good cook is the willingness to try new recipes, even if you need to change them up a bit!

Keeping up with all those recipes can be daunting and most of us rarely have the time to write them down on nice little cards and file them in nice little boxes like our mothers and grandmothers did.

Print, trim and slip....easy.

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Rocker and pillows...

One thing I enjoy about doing a flea booth is it allows me an opportunity to work on projects I probably wouldn't otherwise if I were just doing for myself.

My first project today were pillows. I bought two large pillow forms at an auction a few weeks ago. I wasn't quite sure what to do with them until Debbie at Midtown Eclectic started decorating with some really nifty looking coffee bean burlap bags. Inspiration!!! They are pretty cool looking, but honestly, they aren't something I would curl up with to read a book...kinda scratchy! But they are neat!

This weekend I bought a precious little rocker at an auction...a lady told me it was a sewing rocker. Evidently it is a little rocker women would sit in and sew. I thought it was just a little "kid's" rocker. It is surprisingly sturdy but was in pretty bad shape cosmetically. (Did I take a "before" picture? Um...no!) It was painted white and had a red velvet upholstery crudely tacked over a busted cane seat. One thing I would like to do eventually is learn to cane...but until then I will just do the best I can upholstering!

First I removed the sloppy upholstery. I sanded the white paint and ended up with the raw wood showing on the edges. I kind of liked the look but the wood was a little light so I hit all the "raw" spots with a pecan stain. I used mineral spirits to get the stain off the white paint. After I 'aged' it by sanding and staining, I coated it with a clear poly to seal it. Then I recovered the seat with this pretty blue fabric. I had a little bit of fabric and piping left so I made a little pillow. Katie thinks it is "too much" of the blue fabric so I will probably try to find another fabric to make a contrasting pillow....maybe...some day when I have nothing to do...lol! It really doesn't need a pillow...I just like pillows and can't stand to waste a scrap of fabric!

Summer finally hit here today and it got a tad warm. After working on the chair and pillows I went out in the garage to tag some things I bought this weekend and it was rather toasty! I finally cried UNCLE and turned on my AC...only to realize after two hours that it was still 84 degrees in my house!!!! Guess I will be calling the HVAC guy tomorrow....curses!

I had to reinstall a sink and grout some tile at the apartments...tomorrow I have to install an AC, paint and finish some bath repairs...this is the time of year I try to hit it reeeeal early and finish up before it gets too warm! I'm trying to finish up some paint projects here at the house and I am saving the bigger upholstery jobs for when it is too hot to work outside....which may be this week!

Did I mention I'm not real fond of summer and the heat?

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More wood window decor....

Recently I featured the old wood windows I have repurposed here.

They are a really neat design element if you can get your hands on a few. Not terribly difficult to repurpose since there isn't much you could do to "enhance" them. I just put a little paint on them, distressed a bit, reinstalled the glass and put on a chain to hang it! The hardest part is getting the old glass out, but you really wouldn't even have to do that!

I bought a wreath to hang over the one on my porch.

I wasn't sure I really "loved" the look of the original wreath...it's pretty, but seemed a bit "heavy" for the window. So I went back and got the "lighter" wreath...

Not a humungus difference but one I like a lot better.

This is a prime example of decorating with what you LOVE. I didn't LOVE the first wreath, but I do this one. And while most wouldn't even notice the difference, I did...every time I looked at my front porch!

So if you don't LOVE what you have done, change it! Having something in your world that isn't what you really LOVE is like having a chipped nail...it will bug you until you do something about it! (My roots can be showing, my clothes are a mess...but I can get real bent about a fingernail...lol!)

Kaitlyn took one of the windows home and she is going to do some kind of paint technique on the glass. I can't wait to see what she does...very crafty girl! And my daughter Sarah has a window waiting for her that I painted black. She is going to feature it in their remodeled game room! And I just thought this stained one was kinda "interesting" behind my swing!

I've made a couple of cork boards out of a few of them. They will be in my mall booth. I'll make sure I post pictures when I get it all set up!

Hopefully THIS week. Today is "organizing and pricing" day...I am exhausted from yesterday but there is much work to be done before the grand opening Saturday!

I am SOOOOOO excited!

So stay tuned...more inspiration to come!

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Mid century side tables...

I have been working hard to find pieces I know others will just love! Problem is every once in a while I find pieces I absolutely fall in love with and I know I will have a hard time letting go! Especially after working on them all day!

I believe these tables are black oak. The tops, sides and drawers were veneer, but the bases were solid. Really beautiful tables with great "bones."

I primed and painted the boxes. Then I stripped and stained the drawers and bases and coated them with 4 coats of tung oil.

Honestly, it will be tough letting go of these two.

But someone, somewhere will love them....hopefully as much as I do!

FOLLOW BECKWITH'S TREASURES ON FACEBOOK! Now if I can just figure out how to put one of those little Facebook widgets on this blog!

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Little stool...

I have bought so much at auctions and sales that I sometimes forget to take before pictures of the little items!

I bought a little stool at an estate auction a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, I wasn't paying attention and hadn't really looked at the little guy...just saw it from a distance and before I knew it, I bought it.

Unfortunately, it was poorly constructed so it required some reconstruction. The wood base was MDF which doesn't hold up well to a lot of wear and tear. So the legs were major wobbly and the fabric was, well, blah. And it had this really disgusting "fringe" stuff on it.

But it had good iron legs....and the nice thing about buying something like this is the "template" is already there. So I deconstructed it, used the MDF base as a template for a new wood base, painted the legs black and recovered the whole thing in a brighter, cheerier fabric!

Cute as a bug. This is one of those items I doubt I recoup my time and materials, but it is a cute little piece that will draw attention and hopefully will go to a home where it will be loved...now that it is sturdy enough to actually sit on!