The final version....

I love my new kitchen. There are a few things I'd change,

but it's so much better than it was.

The "farm house" window frames are a part that I really am pleased with.  I found a tutorial online.
I framed up all the other doors in the vicinity as well.
The drainboard sink was a request of my husband.  We REALLY wanted a vintage one, but they are super expensive.  This new version was $50 on craigslist.  The hanging lights were installed last year and all the appliances are the same.  We pulled up the floor and reused it.  We had purchased 6 extra boxes so we had enough to cover the pantry area.

The backspash is Ann Sacks.
I purchased it on Craigslist for $50.  It was leftovers from a remodeling job in the ritzy part of Portland.  I also found the Ann Sacks bullnose tile at The Rebuilding Center.  I love that place!
the only thing I splurged on was the stainless exhaust fan.  I found a killer deal on ebay!  Shortly after I purchased it they raised their price. 
I'm happy with the results.

I'm sure I will find something to change in the near future.

goodbye to the kitchen

The deconstruction.  Considering the lack of quality of this manufactured home cabinetry, I was very surprised how DIFFICULT it was to tear apart.  On top of the difficulty, I was trying quite hard to keep the dust down.  I didn't plastic it off from the rest of the living room.   BIG MISTAKE.

good bye disgusting fan hood & un-useable corner cabinets

 good bye strange pantry

The stripe is where I repainted with the uppers still intact.  It was kinda funky for a few weeks.  I don't miss that "brown".  Now the hunt for ingredients continues.  Below is my first find.....

Actual wood uppers and lowers.  They were on Craigslist for $60.  I can't believe the guy tore these out to put in "new" from Home Depot. 
I also couldn't believe that we fit them all in my short bed Ford. 

kitchen Re-Do

I hated my kitchen.  We had put in a new floor...again.  The cabinets were pressboard covered with a vinyl.  Standard issue for a manufactured home."Oh I can do that" I said to myself.  So I started collecting ingredients.  That's the way I approach most projects.  I scrounge and "score' before I buy it and sometimes takes a while.  My first find were cabinets from a 60's ranch house that were on Craigslist for $60.  The owner was taking them out to put in cabinets from Home Depot.  How is that and upgrade from Maple to pressboard?

These are the before photos.

left side - pantry door

right side - missing cupboard doors

King sized continued....

If you have the desire to build things for your home you must invest in a nail gun and air compressor.  In this day of carpel tunnel and joint issues you might save yourself alot of pain and physical therapy charges.   I have gone through 2 - 18 gauge guns in my building lifetime (17 years ). My latest and favorite are these made by Porter Cable.  I got a great deal from Overstock.com on a Refurbished set.  The set had a 16 & 18 gauge nailers and a stapler.  I worked with a 18 gauge for years.  The 16 is the best for the actual building and the 18 is good for the final more delicate trim & etc.  This would be a good one......

Well, let finish up this project!  The above tongue and groove wood is what I came up with as ingredients. I wanted to use it because it would give interest in texture and pattern.  it's kinda special.  The bead board stuff came out of a family home that was de-constructed.  I've used it for a wall, and wainscotting.  This is the last of it. Although I don't have enough of either to just use one kind so I came up with this pattern. You could use any wood.  Mix it up.  Use wood that already has paint and make it colorful. Clear coat it with something.  I almost did that myself, but I didn't have time to "dilly dally".  It's freezing out and its time to get a headboard!  
It's easier to show you the photo of the tongue and groove wood laid out and then I can explain your best route of completion. I started by cutting the right and left sides with a random 1x4 that I had.  Cut to be flush with the top and bottom.  Glue and Nail ONE end only.  Then cut a board for the top edge.  When you get those 2 established (nailed) then you have a solid edge to butt up to get the decorative parts settled.  I needed to stretch out my tongue and groove boards so I created "spacers" with leftovers from the top and bottom boards.  I bought cheap pine 1x3's.....the rougher less pretty stuff from Lowe's.  The spacers then now are my template for "height" for the rest of the vertical boards.  Once you get your boards all cut - test them out.  I was in a hurry and didn't change my nail gun.  So I had some go through, but I figured the back side of the HB won't over be exposed so I just clipped them off.  Not always a good option.
You'll see in this close-up photo the small nail hole and some gaps that occurred.  All this type of thing can be filled with nail fill. ( Keep an eye out for an upcoming blog for "Hints and Tips" that I've learned and types of things I use. )

Get your ingredients all laid out before nailing.  This is spoken from experience.  I put the bottom on last to make sure all are forced up.  What I figured was that if there are any flaws I wanted them hidden behind pillows......so if you have a short board, make it short on the bottom side. 

Lastly I added the top ledge.  Below is a photo from above. From left to right : trim, plywood backing and then the top of the 2x4 leg.  All the boards are flush (even) on the top it was easy to cut a 1x4 to top it all off.  I added 1' hangover to each end.

top view showing layers of wood

Gluing that top board is important.

primer coat on the finished headboard

Most likely it will be lifted by that board so it needs to be strong!  Fill your holes and cracks.  I had one piece of bead board I put a line of caulk between as the gap was a little bigger and obvious.  I often will put one coat of paint on my creation before filling holes because you can see what fills up with paint and what can be ignored. Tomorrow's the final painting day.  I'll show you the results then.

King Size!

Recently we upgraded from a full to a king size mattress.  One thing I didn't take into consideration when I chose a "king" was that everything associated with king sized beds are king sized in price.  I ordered a bargain priced "hollywood" frame on with our Amazon Prime account.  Got my moneys worth on that free delivery!   Having a frame made the bed useable, but we really need a headboard I've scoured Craigslist....nothing.  I'm a little picky and broke.....since I'm handy with wood....I'll make one.  I've got interesting wood, but I did have to buy a nice 2x4 and some 1x3's.  So far I've spent $11.   I chose my desired height and cut the 2x4 legs to that length. I had scraps of plywood that was purchased for the hollywood frame. I used that as the main base for the wood that I will add so it doesn't need to be pretty. Attach with screws (they'll be hidden.)

I got this far and still didn't really know what I was going to create.  I contemplated using 4 cabinet doors I had stashed away but it wasn't quite the look I wanted.  I had built Ana White's Farmhouse headboard a while back so I knew I want a 1x4 flat on top so I made sure the plywood is flush with the top of the 2x4 leg. Always use wood glue at every joint.  My rule is you can never have too much glue.  Next I cut a 1x4 for each end.  Glue, square and clamp.....then nail with whatever you choose to use.  I have a 16 gauge Porter Cable Nail Gun.

Don't slack when it come to square-ing EVERYTHING! Make sure you have legs line up with the frame.  You should measure your frame but also do research about standard sizes. I found out you should add 3" to the width of a frame.  That was one websites theory. Sounds good to me....  continued tomorrow. 

black and white

Rust is the word of the day....

 

Hesitation will get you nowhere.

My love of wood has always led me to burn piles around the neighborhood.  I'm married to a farmer who feels it's important to follow the old school values of farming.  He believes there are "rules" to being a good neighbor.  One of those rules is "Don't bug people."  This means that if I see an interesting pile, I can't just go to the door and ask. (although I have....) There is a protocol and sometimes that takes a few days but not this time.  I didn't wait for anyone else to get this pile.  My latest find is a goldmine! A big pile of red barn wood cannot be passed by.  At least by me.   

Post by Laura Macy Lehman.

another rustic collage

Here I am again with another sculptural piece. It's Friday and I should be in the shower but I wanted to post quick before I'm off to the mountains.  This weekend I'll be providing a crafting experience to middle aged Mennonite women.  My good friend runs a wonderful woodland hideaway in the mountains near Lincoln City.  Drift Creek Camp is unique place and although a winding drive....I never pass up a chance to visit and see my friend.  And.....she makes wonderful espresso drinks!

This composition includes collaged vintage papers on a old box lid with it's original hardware remaining.  It's complimented with 2 contrasting carved walnut furniture adornments.  The sleek glass door knob is paired with the chippy green door handle base.  These are then mounted on a elevated remnant of a agricultural screen found here on the farm.  Created as a wall hanging.  All these elements contrast in texture and orgin.  Embracing many aspects of life. 

On a another note.  This upcoming July I'm attending a artist workshop "camp" all based around the use of hot wax...."Encaustics".  The camp was created to help all types of artist on how to incorporate encautics into your works of art.  I'm thinking that this piece would of been perfect to encase (the base) in wax.....I'm excited to be the host and student of this amazing combination of artists from around the U.S.  I'm happy to know that it will be held at my very own Western Mennonite School Campus so I don't have to travel far. You'll find info about it here....

another try

This one is my favorite.  I salvaged so many square nails and thought I could never use them all...Now maybe I can. This creation is based in a tiny drawer, collaged with vintage papers and some divine paint.  I picked up some divine paint samples at Goodwill....amazing find.  The center wood piece is from a pipe organ salvaged after a flood.  I wonder if anyone can guess what the center black item is?

doors again

I started thinking about how I've used doors and found this photo.  The photo is a bit slanty, sorry.  It's a hall tree.  The legs were purchased on ebay from back east and originally from an old kitchen table.  The top flips up for hidden storage and I added hooks for keys and a vintage garden tool for decoration.  The door was unusually narrow so it wasn't too heavy.  Weight can be an issue. Once I get all the top quality ingredient together sometime the creation ends up weighing a ton! I hated to see this one go.....but I've learned you can't keep every project.  I often wonder how Ana White finds a place for all the things she builds....I'm betting her friends and family get a rotation.  I should of kept this one.  

Another one of my favorites is this bench.  It has a door frame as part of the back.  I will be making another like this soon as I scored the cedar fence boards this week.  All I need now is to finish my current project, but it's been so stinkin' cold. 

it started with the doors

This is the favorite bench.  I really wish I had a better photo of it though. Made with 2x6 scrap legs, half of an old solid door and lovely corbels. I finished it off with a carved embellishment on top.  It was majestic!  A throne.  Made by the Queen....ha,ha. I got started creating as "laura's salvage design" because of doors and corbels.  I was flabergasted (sp?)when beautiful doors were removed from old house when being remodeled and replaced with new ones.....Like new doors were better?  How could they possibly be made with a higher level of craftsmanship or better ingredients?  Old growth wood and actual steel & cast iron hardware isn't good enough?  It's laughable.  I had salvaged all these doors to "do" something with....so I started there.  I just wish I documented it better.  I am learning that i need to consistently take photos....The issue lays with quantity.

The church steeple bird house (on the majestic bench above)is still in my collection.  It was made to be on a column stand. I couldn't part with it.  Here are more that I created for a friends mom....some ask if I am doing my research for correct hole diameter for birds.  Bird experts frown when I tell them I wasn't concerned about it.... In my head I'm saying......"oh geez!...birds don't care.....they'll make their nest in a crack of a tree.  They don't measure and ponder their other rental options." But I refrain....  I don't mention that most often it's the yellow jackets that move in first.

little tiny houses

Add caption

rough cut lumber boxes with hand made metal handles

My Bird house windows are my favorite.  I always sell out at the summer shows.  Each one is different and well thought out.  Switching the hardware and arrangement until it's "just so"....I can't calculate an hourly total to figure the cost. They are labor intensive, but the joy i get in creating them is well worth it.  This summer when I return as "laura's salvage design" and as a vendor to the Cracked Pots  Community hopefully I will be remembered.  I suppose it was foolish of me to walk away.  I had customers looking for me in my "regular" spot....oh well, there will be others.  Also pictured here are my rough cut boxes.  The hubby creates the handles in the shop and I pull the square nails out of the gorgeous 1x12's.  We salvaged the boards from the deconstruction of Aunt Alice's house.  They were a vertical as part of the exterior wall.  I saved as many as I could.  Even the cracked and broken ones.  I cut slats for the bottoms (usually out of cedar scraps) and coat them with clear acrylic.  They are gorgeous for plants and garden tools outside or mail, towels or firewood indoors.  The rough cut marks are sanded a bit but still beautiful.  Lot of history and very multipurpose.

3 days left

As a teacher, I cherish every moment of any and all days off from teaching.  I wonder if that means I'm not the best fit for an educator?  Since I've persevered through 10 years in a classroom, I suppose it's fine.  I haven't strangled any teenagers yet!  That takes me to my count down.  3 more school days until Christmas Break!  That's exciting, but that doesn't mean rest.  This is the time to salvage good wood, start a new project and make a very long list.  My current list of to-do's starts the minute I get up on Saturday.  I need to organize my shop.  It's so small (just small enough to not need a permit to build) that if it's a bit out of whack I'm too distracted to work.  My shop work habits as are well organized as my teaching and house cleaning patterns.....similar to a pin ball machine.....back and forth here and there and back again.  bing, bing!  It doesn't mean I am useless.....if anything I'm super powered- as long as when I get somewhere I jump back into what I was doing.  For some with this "condition" it's a curse, but for me it is multi-tasking at it's finest.  So the race begins.....because it's the off season good wood isn't free, but the pickin's are prime.  My favorite place to pick (and unfortunely have to pay) is The Rebuilding Center in NE Portland.  It's such an amazing place.  Everything you could want to fix up an old home or create with.  I go for drawers, old screens, painted trim, shutters and "Art" Doors ($5) .  I've scored many wonderful things to improve my own home at super prices. Hopefully this time I'll score some carpet tiles for my living room too. So Saturday I'm off and running up to the Rebuilding Center....but not until I sit through the last 2 - 4th grade basketball games of the season. woo hoo!  Thank goodness there are 3 days before "take off " because it might just take me that long to get a list written up. Now if I could just find my favorite pad of paper.....hmm.