Something Accomplished!

We recently finished a major part of our entryway re-do...the coat rack/bench!  It is a very functional part of our house.  In Minnesota, shoes are kicked off when you enter the house...sand, snow, mud, salt...its all dragged in.  And there are always coats, gloves, hats, etc.  The photo below is what the mudroom section looked like in stage one after I removed the old wallpaper, primed, and painted...

 We had this shoe storage bench from Ikea that provided a place to sit down, and some peg racks on the wall.  But I have always felt it was unbalanced in the room...keepin' it real here...

We had nice existing wainscoting...

We decided to make it feel like a built in coat rack/ bench unit!  My husband built a basic shelf with nice pine boards and a couple of  pre-made shelf brackets.  It is nearly 7 feet long... we made it to extend several inches beyond the bench on each side.

It would be fine like that, but we decided to dress it up with crown molding on top, and later on the interior...

We screwed it into the studs for strength, choosing a height we thought looked right...the top would be used for displaying decorative items so we kept that in mind...

Flat decorative moldings were added to each side as a border edge.  The shelf brackets were set to just over the length of the bench, so the molding edge would line up with the bench. 

 

Then it was time to prime and paint!  We really liked the wall color we had chosen and I used the same color on the shelf unit- Benjamin Moore's White Sand in an eggshell finish.

I painted it out all the way to the floor.  You can't see it here, but I painted a pale drop shadow on the line where it crosses the wainscoting for a little more realism there.  The paint brings it together like a single piece!

Then the jewelry...the beautiful black hooks!  We spent about $50 on these, the most expensive part of the project...but OH SO pretty...
 

Finally, the black shoe bench was put back in place... This project cost around $100, mostly due to the hooks and crown molding, but could be done in a simpler way, for much less money!  In the photo below, you can see the interior moldings, too!  We are really happy with this addition to the entryway!  Next post, I will be showing the entire entryway reveal...before and after!  It has taken awhile, but was well worth the effort!

I am joining Pin The Tail On The Bloggy Party with Debbiedoos and Fox Hollow Cottage,

 Kim at Wow Us Wednesday

and Linda at Coastal Charm Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

I am also joining Karianne over at Thistlewood Farm for the Imagine The Impossibilities Challenge~ it inspired me to get this finished!

and 

I am joining Bliss over at Bliss Ranch for the Tis The Season

Personal Year in Review Party 

Until next time...

Fun Finds...And A Great Giveaway...

I had some great finds at the thrift store yesterday!  A vintage group photo is always a find, and with the old canteen I found, makes a perfect vignette...

Look at this great old light fixture...

some test tubes in a rack...

and a fun old book.
 

This vintage velvet bow and feather once adorned a woman's hat!

A vintage French book always comes home with me...

I love the fun pages...

My favorite finds are these charming vintage velvet fruit pincushions... I think they would be lovely gathered in a bowl or basket... 

and this wonderful old French Flow Blue Bowl!  Far from perfect...but it is mine...

Another wonderful find this week is - the Card Keyper- from Suzanne of Privet and Holly!  She is having a great GIVEAWAY to launch her Etsy Shop and the great card organizer she and her mother created!  She is giving away THREE of them, so your odds are good!  I love mine...keeps all my rewards and member cards organized and right at hand when I need them!  She also includes a special punch and cute charms!  I know you will love it, too!  You can click on the photo below to visit her blog and enter the giveaway!

Until next time...hope your weekend is full of fun finds, too!

Have You Seen These?

Have you seen these?  I was shopping in Michaels yarn department when I spotted these (I'm not being paid to share any of this...just what I found this week).  Baker's twine is popular right now for art and packaging.  These are called Sugar 'n Cream Twists- a small cotton yarn, that reminds me a lot of Baker's twine!  They come in some fun colors (look at that pink and white), and at $1.99 for each cute 95 yd skein, I can afford to use these for lots of projects!

I love the grab bins in the store, too!  They have some great new lines for spring...these cute stamps were $1.50 each and went along with some adorable note cards, journals, etc.

At Half Price Books, I bought this fun magnetic stamping kit.  It is made by the Magnetic Poetry people...and sells on their website for $39.95.   If you have a Half Price books nearby, I found it for $14.99 there!

It has 250 magnetic backed stamps that you use interchangeably on a metal backed block.  It also comes with the storage case and an acid-free ink pad.  I love the simple font, and will have a lot of fun with this set!

I used the "Thanks" stamp...

with one of the other stamps I bought, to dress up the tissue paper wrap on an etsy customer's package...cute, don't you think?

Until next time...

An Uplifting Post...

Today over at Privet and Holly , Suzanne shared the uplifting story of Heather Von St. James, a mesothelioma survivor.  If you haven't read it, I hope you will stop by,  read her post, and share Heather's story, too!

Until next time...

Fun Finds and a Winner...

I have a few fun thrift store finds to share this week...don't you love the colors of this embossed Dutch tin?

I found a couple of dainty linens for spring, too.

I love this quilted pillow sham~ the pale gray pattern on soft white... not sure if I'll use it as a sham or just for the pretty fabric...

This old cash book is so decorative~ from the impressed cover...

To the interior...

and page headings...
 

This BIG twig basket will be great holding pots in the garden or out in the porch this spring!

My favorite find this week is this great vintage lamp!  I love the combination of wood and woven, and with the right shade will add to the rustic farmhouse style I am adding to my decor!

I am always amazed at the goodies found in a thrift store...

Also today...I want to thank everyone who entered my Vintage Valentine giveaway over at Knick of Time!  Thanks so much, Angie!  You did a wonderful job of hosting!


The winner is Linda at Coastal Charm  and I am joining her this week at her Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

Until next time...