Tractor Steering

 

OK… so I think I have a thing for old tractors now…

I know what your thinking… but nooo…

I didn’t put a tractor in my house. 

Although… Hmmm

((Just Kidding))  I wouldn’t do that!

But I would put an old tractor steering wheel in my home!

I found these three at the local feed and seed store…  aren’t they beautiful?

Beautifully rusty is what they are!!

The owner sold them to me for $3.00 a piece… YAY!

I had no clue what I was going to do with them but I knew I had to clean them up… they were nasty dirty!

First things first… I had to get rid off this dirty, black plastic stuff that covered the wheels… oh… and the water hose… it had to go, too.

I found just the right tool to get it off… my yard clippers.

And while I was clipping away…  it hit me… a white room! 

Or, well, an ivory room.  I’ve been drooling over some white rooms I’ve seen in blogland.

I just can’t do it in my home because I don’t have the furniture for it…  BUT… I could do it on my screened in back porch!!

Eureka!!  That’s it!

So… off to Lowes I went… for this…

 

Color : Soapstone

I don’t know if you remember seeing my porch color in previous posts, but it’s dark brown. 

Next it was off to Hobby Lobby for some fabric… I bought muslin.

Now… you gotta know… 

I don’t sew! 

That’s why I had to use this…

 

Stitch Witchery… it works everytime!

So I “stitched” some hems and made me some curtain panels.

(That sounds really country)

And then I used my steering wheels as…

TA DA…

Curtain rods!

 

OK… BEFORE YOU GO ANY FURTHER…

I WANT YOUR OPINION.

The next few photos are different “looks” of the curtains and steering wheels…

Curtains folded behind the wheel (no overhang), curtains folded out (with overhang), some with flowers, some with ribbon ties and some just loose and plain…  

WHAT IS YOUR FAV?

  (they are numbered 1-6)

1.

 

2.

3. 

 4.

5.

 

6.

 

So you maybe wondering why all the pics are tightly cropped and you can’t see the whole room…

Well, I haven’t finished painting the deck… only the area where these curtains went.

I believe this will be my next BIG project this summer…

making my screened back deck a white room…  I mean an ivory room! :)

To Be Continued…

Linking to 

  

SIMPLY SATIN

Have you ever found something that you just simply fall in love with and want to marry?

I did…

(shhh… don’t tell my husband)

It’s an old candelabra. Yep… I fell and fell hard!

I found it at my mom’s house… she use to sell antiques years ago. I seem to find alot at her house… like the crate I used in “Crate Love.”

Thanks mom! :)

I was so excited about working on this that I forgot to take my before pics. BUT… I caught myself before I sprayed the last arm and was able to take a some! Phew!

So maybe you can get an idea of what it looked like before I started.

To begin… here’s my list of ingredients.

((Ok… the orange was for me to eat while I worked!))

First… I sanded and cleaned. Next, I primed and painted with spray paint.

Finally, I cut some satin ribbon and tied bows on the candelabra.

That’s it! Simple!

Oops… candles… I forgot the candles!!

No I didn’t! :)

I found them at the local Dollar General for $7.00. They are in frosted glass and smell divine!

I used double sided tape (velcro would work) to keep them on the candle holder… something temporary. Of course, I don’t plan to walk around with it. Although, that would be cool!

I think it’s “perty.”

But then I thought…

Could I make it “pertier”?

What about sitting it in a rusty old colander filled with flowers?

Yeaaahhh… I can see this tablescape in my head right now!!

And what would it look like lit?

Awww… It’s romantic!! A little out of focus but still romantic! :) Huh?

Don’t ya think??

Yep… I love my candelabra sooo much I could marry it!!

Hope you love it, too!

P.S. Welcome to my new blog… same name but it has a completely different url than my other one…

Just in case you are wondering and would like to rejoin!

I also lost all those wonderful comments on my previous posts… but looking forward to new ones!! :)

Thanks for stoppin’ by!

Linking to…

Bringing The Outdoors In

I guess you can say that this is

my idea of bringing the

outdoors in.

A made-from-scratch decorative

Metal Awning.

This is what I’ve been up to

this past weekend.

Note: this post may be choppy

because I have lots of pics and

lots to say… so bear with me!

OK… let’s get started.

I bought some galvanized metal flashing… in the roofing section of Lowes. You can use the corrugated metal roofing but I opted out at the last minute for this.

If you make this… wear Gloves

when working with metal… it

can cut you and it cuts deep!

(( And)) Be careful when you cut

that yellow tape you see in the

pic…make sure you hold the roll

together so it doesn’t unravel

really fast...and wear gloves so

you won’t get cut.

I already had several of these L – brackets/corner braces/ angles (they have so many names) left over from my crate table.

Then I had this piece of poplar wood my neighbor just gave me… free wood (the best kind)!

I measured out two long pieces for the top of my frame and bottom of the frame. Next, I measured two shorter pieces for the arms I would attach to the wall.

I spray painted my wood, brackets and screws to match my kitchen.

Yes… that’s my pallet garden bench/ work station! It has come in handy for some of my projects. I love this thing... ((sigh))... it so nice to have a little sitting place...

Ok… STAY FOCUSED KENDRA!

I rolled out the metal flashing and measured my pieces to fit my frame. I left enough on each side to bend up and cut to curve my awning and also make dividers between each metal strip. I have tin snips/ scissors that I used to cut the flashing.

AGAIN… I recommend using

gloves because you can get cut!

Here are some pics trying to

show you how to bend and cut it

to make it concave.

I used my needle nose pliers, regular pliers and my metal scissors to cut, bend and manipulate the metal.

THIS WAS THE HARDEST AND MOST TIME CONSUMING FOR ME!

OH… and I know… my green countertops… ((sigh)).

It did match the old wallpaper that use to be up. But we took that down and painted the kitchen with brown tones. We haven’t changed the countertops yet… and it may be awhile!! UGH!

OK… Kendra… FOCUS!!

I wanted to age the metal some.

I bought galvanized because I like the variation in the metal. But that meant I had to figure out how to break some of that down. Brillo pads and rain. I had plenty of both this past weekend.

Next, I used a solution of hydrogen peroxide, vinegar and salt to lightly rust the areas that the steel wool broke down.

Finally… it was time to build!

I started attaching the L brackets to the arms and one of the long boards. I made a U shape for the bottom part of the frame. I aligned the metal strips of flashing, taped them on the back to keep them together and tacked them to the bottom of the frame.

Now, it was time to attach it all to the wall.

Well, that’s it!

Here is the final awning…

I know… those green countertops just don’t belong in there!! :(

Thanks for stoppin’ by y’all!