Transformation

transformation |ˌtransfərˈmā sh ən|nouna thorough or dramatic change in form or appearance : its landscape hasundergone a radical transformation.
Dan and I have been on a mission for a while-  he needed a headboard for his king size bed and we didn't want to just get any old headboard from a store.  So we of course started brainstorming ideas...old doors, decorative wrought iron pieces, shutters.  We found plenty of all of that at our local antique spots but it was either overpriced or not quite right.  On our second visit to our new favorite place The Queen of Hearts (where I found my perfect tea cup and saucer) we decided to dig through a dealer's "booth" that was basically a big pile of old wood and metal.  We managed to find two windows that when put together would form the ideal headboard shape.  The prices were unbelievable (long window $40, arch window $39).  Then, Dan pulled out two unfinished wooden spindles ($7 a piece).  We cleared a spot right in the middle of all of the junk and laid it out, thinking this would be perfect!

We took everything home and ordered some unique glass finials from ebay to attach to the spindles thinking they would be a nice finishing touch.  After a painstaking session of chipping the old paint from the long window, we primed each piece.  I decided to use spray paint for the initial coat out of ease (and I was nervous having never done spray paint for something like this before).  Thank goodness it turned out!  We chose a texturized indoor/outdoor Rustoleum paint in dark brown.  After everything was covered and dried, we used two different acrylic paints to add some antique detail.  Then came the fun part of roughing them up on the driveway and the side of the house.
Hanging these pieces was another issue.  Luckily between Dan's dad and boss we found a way to safely secure each piece on the wall the way we wanted.  But before we hung them we painted.  Dan had the idea of an accent wall and I ran with it-  choosing a color named "Sunburst" that took minimal convincing because he actually liked it!  I think the color turned out looking great and the headboard a real masterpiece.

        

Replica

replica |ˈreplikə|nounan exact copy or model of something, esp. one on a smaller scale : a replica of the Empire State Building.• a duplicate of an original artistic work.

Dan and I went to Dahlonega a few months ago for a wedding.  We decided to make a weekend of it and rented a fabulous cabin tucked away in the mountains of North Georgia.  We spent our extra time sampling wine from many of the local vineyards and visiting the numerous antique stores in the little town.  At one store we saw several wind chimes that were made from old flatware and tea cups.  Again, I thought to myself, I can do that!  I thought it was a super cute idea and set out to make it happen.

While visiting my friend Kaelan a few weeks ago when she was in town from California, we chatted with one another and I glanced into the dining room of her mom's house and saw the tea cup and saucer chandelier that her mom had made a few years ago.  It sparked my idea about the wind chime!  When I began telling them about it, Kaelan's mom not only offered a set of old silverware to me to use for my project, she also said she would flatten it and drill the holes.  I immediately accepted thanking her for the help-  I don't exactly know how I would have managed that part without her (I am still very slowly growing my craft and tool collection).

The next item on my list was a tea cup and saucer to use as a base for the hanging utensils and I really lucked out when I found this one!  I knew exactly where I wanted to search for it, too-  Queen of Hearts Antiques.  The Queen of Hearts is a new antique store in Buford and it is absolutely fabulous.  The selection they have is endless and the prices are unmatched to any similar store in Atlanta.  The saucer already had decorative holes around its edges which would be perfect to tie each chime to.  Once more I was glad I didn't have to come up with a way to put holes in the china.

First I glued the cup to the saucer with a strong adhesive glue.  Then I took fishing line from my craft drawer and secured each piece of silverware.  Next I strung chunky beads that I have collected over the years to each string then I tied them to the holes around the saucer.  I decided to use the large serving spoon as the middle chime and suspended it from the middle of the saucer with a separate piece of fishing line.  I pulled the extra fishing line that was left from tying the chimes to the saucer up around the cup to act as the support for hanging.

I was able to replicate the look I found in Dahlonega for a fraction of the cost.  The price of the tea cup was just $16 and the rest of the materials I already had on hand.  I'm really excited about it- I think it turned out just perfectly!  The silverware makes a distinct chime when it blows in the wind and the beads catch the light beautifully.

Refashioned (finally)

refashion |rēˈfa sh ən|verb [ trans. ]fashion (something) again or differently.
I finally got around to re-painting my old chairs from an earlier post, picked out some fabric, and am in the process of recovering them (two down, two more to go).
BEFORE
First, I sanded some of the original paint off.  Then I used a caramel color for the first coat.  Next, I applied a weathered wood medium on top of the caramel color.  Once it dried, I painted a cream color on top and let the weathered wood do it's magic cracking the paint.  Then I applied a gloss coat after all of the paint had thoroughly dried.  
I chose fabric from Hancock's that was priced on sale and picked out some decorative upholstery nails.  After cutting the fabric to size for each seat, I got to work hammering away.  The first chair was a total experiment that luckily turned out quite nicely.  With the second chair finished I have managed to get a rhythm of pulling the fabric tight, holding the nail in the line with the others, and hammering it in quickly.  When the last two chairs are finished I know I will have some leftover fabric and I am already thinking of how I can re-use it.

AFTER

Another small project I worked on today was updating a lamp I bought a few years ago-

The lamp was purchased on sale at Home Goods (every now and then you can find something you're looking for here).  It came with no shade and a few nicks and scratches which was fine by me.  Originally, to get immediate use of it, I placed an old cylindrical shade on it that I had actually gotten with the purchase of my Tea Pot Lamp...

The lamp has now been relocated to Dan's house and needed an updated look.  I found this new-to-me shade in my storage closet that has better lines and fancied it up a with a little ribbon trim... Much better!

  

Discover

discover |disˈkəvər|verb [ trans. ]1 find (something or someone) unexpectedly or in the course of a search: firemen discovered a body in the debris | she discovered her lover in the arms of another woman.• become aware of (a fact or situation) : the courage to discover the truth and possibly be disappointed | [with clause ] it was a relief to discover that he wasn't in.• be the first to find or observe (a place, substance, or scientific phenomenon) : Fleming discovered penicillin early in the twentieth century.• perceive the attractions of (an activity or subject) for the first time : a teenager who has recently discovered fashion.• be the first to recognize the potential of (an actor, singer, or musician) : I discovered the band back in the mid 70s
I have been given the most thoughtful and fabulous gift for my impending birthday from my kind-hearted, loving boyfriend Dan .  A Nikon D3100 camera that is helping me discover the world in a whole new way.  I was equally anxious and excited to begin shooting with it.  After reading the manual cover to cover several times I decided that practice makes perfect.  So I set out to get some practice.  It has been two weeks and we have managed to take 500 pictures of just about everything we see.  Through the camera's view finder, life is framed in a way that begs you to capture it.  
Here is a small sampling of the images we've discovered so far...

Views from my front porch

My faithful subjects, Mickey and Kira

The BeltLine Trail through Ardmore Park in my backyard

My favorite place, Fernandina Beach FL

Ana Kathryn, the cutest red-head I know