DIY Chalkboard Table

Our kitchen table was given to us shortly after the Mister and I moved into our first apartment by my father. It had been passed around various members of my family for years before even he got it, but for a newlywed couple just starting out, it was perfect.

After a few years, however, I found myself wanting to make it my own.

After some browsing around Pinterest, I decided that a chalkboard table would be the perfect thing for a little family with two young kids!

Actually transforming the table was a lot easier than anticipated!

I went to the hardware store and got some sandpaper and some chalkboard spray paint.

In use as a dining table

Then, one evening after the kids went to bed, I dragged the table out to my carport and started sanding away.

I only did a light scuffing of the varnish, to give the paint something to adhere to.

Thankfully, that was all it needed, and even though it was the part of the job that took the longest, it still didn't take very long at all.

The next part was the most fun, painting!

Even though I was outside I still put on a particle mask and went to town!

I ended up emptying the entire can on the table.

After letting the table dry overnight, I was delighted with the results!

Chalk Octopus!!

I now have a beautiful table that my kids can color on during the dreary wet months of winter in western Washington, and I spent less than $20 to get it!

After a few months of use, I have noticed a few spots where the paint has rubbed or chipped off, but it's really nothing that a bit of touch up chalkboard paint that I got at the craft store can't fix! 

Upcycle Challenge: Repurposed Bookshelves

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Every 2nd Monday of the month we get together with a few of our blogging friends to participate in a fun challenge.  This month we were challenged to create a project using cardboard, paper or wood.

This past month, we've been unpacking, organizing and arranging our new apartment, so all my energy has gone into projects that have to do with those priorities - crafting is not really possible until we get this done.

But one challenge we had in our new space was what to do with our bookshelves - we can't get rid of them, because after a deep culling of our book collection, we 'd managed to clear away one, at most, out of four matching bookcases.

We have two of them in the room that will become the craft space, and that left two that needed a place to be. 

Another problem is that some of our dishware needs a home - neither our kitchen cabinets nor our baker's rack will contain it all (we're going to need to cull some of this too, but we aren't there yet). 

After a lot of thought, we realized the two bookcases would need to go along the dining area wall along with the baker's rack, so that they could contain my cookbooks and a few other books, as well as some of our glassware and serving dishes.

I wasn't thrilled with that solution - the 'wall of brown wood' looked tired and darkened up the space. 

At some point I may get very ambitious and paint them - but that won't happen soon. Meanwhile, we needed them in place so we could unpack.

What I decided to do was to paper the back of the shelves to break up all that brown.  I decided to use NextWall Moroccan Style Peel and Stick Mosaic Tile Wallpaper in shades of Blue, Copper & Grey.  The finish is on the matte side, and the colors complement our dining set nicely. (Arranging the room is still a work in progress, so I'll show pictures of the finish another day.)

The roll I bought was more than enough to cover the top portion of the shelves, with more left over for future projects.

With the shelves off, it was easy work to apply the peel and stick to the back once we'd made careful measurements to ensure they were lined up properly (with all those straight lines, I was worried about putting it up even slightly crooked).  But once we'd peeled a little of the adhesive at the top of the paper and got it laid in the right place, it was easy to apply it firmly all the way down, peeling off the backing as we went.   I found that the paper was not difficult to lay flat without bubbles, smoothing it gently as we went.

With just a small bit of overhang on the top and bottom, it was fast work to cut it cleanly with a small box cutter style razor.

The paper itself was about 1.5" more narrow than the back of the cabinet - due to the pattern, I didn't want to try overlapping for full coverage.  At some point I may decide to lay coordinating strips on each side but for now, I don't really mind - especially once the shelves were put back in.

At this point, the shelves aren't arranged at all, but we got a lot of boxes unpacked, are working on deciding what needs to be re-homed and this whole space should look uncluttered soon.

Every time we move, I swear I never want to go through this again - but this little project did make me feel like we are getting somewhere that will make it pretty as well as functional.

The best part is that this brand of paper is meant to be easily removable, so whenever I'm ready to do something different, it should be easy work to make it happen.

Now we invite you to join us in the fun!    Use the links below to hop over  and visit with our blogging friends to see the projects they are sharing today for the Up-cycle Challenge!!

An InLinkz Link-up

SquintBox Miniatures Subscription Box (Review/Giveaway)

For as long as I can remember, I have been enamored with things that are not their normal size. From giant LARPing hammers to dollhouses, not to play dollies with as a child, but to decorate in miniature versions of real furniture and décor.

As an adult, I love the tiny slices of life in fairy gardens. Unfortunately, every time I would go to the store or look online at starting my own mini still life, I would become overwhelmed with all of the options, and have no idea where to start.

This is where SquintBox came to my rescue.

SquintBox is a monthly subscription box that delivers handcrafted miniatures. Every month has a different theme, and you can use the minis to craft, display, and just generally love and squee over.

It is great for those just starting their mini collections as well as people who are already neck deep in adorable tiny things.

Subscriptions are $29.95 for a monthly subscription plan, $80.87 for a three month plan (that's $26.96/box), and $152.75 for a six month plan ($25.46/box).

I received the June SquintBox, which had the theme of Summer's Best!

The little box containing the miniatures was safely nestled in a larger box and wrapped in tissue paper. I like this little extra layer of precaution, as minis can be extremely delicate due to their tiny nature. Inside the little box were five baggies containing the minis, a card detailing the items and the miniaturist spotlight, and a card with the month's theme, a little welcome note, and the website.

The miniatures included in the box were a seashell, towel, and flip flop bundle, adorable picnic plates and paper napkins, a jug of lemon water, egg on toast with bacon, and a fruit pie.

The seashell, towel, and flip flop bundle comes from the featured miniaturist DogMaCreations on Etsy. The towel is a classic blue and is neatly wrapped with the flip flops. As for the seashell, it's a cone shaped shell and I really appreciate the natural coloring that the artist chose to keep.

The picnic plate and paper napkin set came from another featured miniaturist from Etsy, BrownsHandMade. The set of six plates are in various summery prints from pastel polka dots to lush florals. The napkins are in complementary prints and colors, but not exact matches, which lends to a very colorful, yet pleasing, setting. I really appreciated the little ring on each napkin, giving them an upscale vibe.

The lemon water, egg on toast, and fruit pie are all SquintBox creations, and are all also adorable. The glass jar actually has a removable lid and it really looks like little lemon slices are suspended in water. The little egg on toast looks adorably delicious, and the bacon actually looks like real bacon! The plate is finished off with a silver fork. The fruit pie is in a real metal tin, and the blueberries and peaches look so tempting, I just might make a real pie myself when I go to the farmer's market next!

When I first looked at all the miniatures together, I immediately thought of a summer brunch picnic! I finally knew what I needed to get at the store to make my vision come to reality!

So, I went to my local craft store and picked up a couple of tables, some sand and some moss, and a terracotta bowl to put it all in. I made a little beach scene with the sand and moss, placing the rolled up towel and the seashell on the sand, and put the tables on the mossy area.

After deciding where I wanted the settings, I carefully glued the plates and goodies to the tables.

I am kind of a lot in love with my little scene, and it always makes me happy to look at it while I sit outside. I am very grateful that I was able to finally create with adorable minis, thanks to SquintBox giving me a gentle nudge.

If you'd like to try SquintBox for yourself, they are letting us give one of our US readers a SquintBox Mystery Box ($29.95 value), filled with up to six items featured in previous boxes!  Read on to see how you can enter to win!

http://www.mysquintbox.com/
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https://www.pinterest.com/squintbox/
https://www.instagram.com/squintbox/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4ao21UeuZkxjMaHSGKJIfg

One winner in the US will receive the SquintBox Mystery Box.

To enter the giveaway, please leave a comment in this entry as instructed by the Giveaway Tools Entry Form below. This will open up additional optional entries to increase your odds of winning. (If you don't leave a comment, any additional entries will be void.)

This giveaway is open to US RESIDENTS ONLY and will end just before midnight ET on 9/6. 

The winner(s) will be notified by email 24 to 48 hours after the end of the giveaway by email. In order to claim the giveaway prize, the winner will need to respond within 24 hours of notification, or an alternate winner will be selected.

Good luck!

Entry-Form

Review: Neko Box

I received the most charming subscription box in the mail a few weeks ago - the Neko Box, a Japanese-themed subscription box full of ceramics, textiles and stationery goodies.

So many Japanese themed subscription boxes focus on snacks or some version of anime-styled items, and while those are fun, I was very happy to discover that Neko Box focuses on less childlike motifs.  Japanese culture has produced some of the most beautiful artwork in history - and this box reflects that aspect of the country.

The word 'neko' means 'cat' in Japanese, reflected in its logo.

When I opened the February box, I found a well packed collection of items pertaining to the month's theme: Mount Fuji.

Every item in the box has something to do with that famous Japanese landmark, and I was really pleased with the quality and aesthetic value of the set.  I also really liked that it truly was on theme, rather than a random assortment of Japanese trinkets.

Included with the box was a card explaining a bit about each item - what it is, where it's made, and the designer that manufactured it, and the total retail value of the box:

Each month's box also includes a small, slim 'zine booklet called KAWA, which provides a little guided tour of a few Japanese restaurants, attractions and other points of interest for the armchair traveler - I thought this was a really nice touch!

So, let me show you what came in the Mount Fuji box - very unusual for me, but I loved every item that was sent, and have plans to put each one to use!

There were two lovely ceramic pieces, each made in the Gifu region of Japan.  The little bowl, with its blue and white design reminiscent of Mount Fuji  is just the right size for a serving of rice or small serving of soup and it would look equally charming displayed on its own, or serving as a container for a floral floating candle (which is how I plan to use it, at least now and then).

The other piece is a really interestingly shaped sake cup - it is partially glazed in a deep blue glossy finish, and when it's turned upside down it is the shape of Mt. Fuji!

I don't drink sake regularly, and when I do, I'd prefer more than one glass for sociable reasons, so this will be a delightful art piece for me.  At some point, it may find its way into a little fairy garden.

Also included was a square face cloth / cleaning cloth with a cheery blue, white and orange Mount Fuji print that I am enjoying using in the kitchen very much.  It is quite soft and plush, and is holding up to regular use very well.

Moving out of the kitchen area, there was also a lovely little collection of stationery goodies, also following the Mount Fuji theme.

Here again, I found every one of them a winner - they are lovely pieces, on good quality paper, and I can think of several ideas for how to use them.

First, an art quality postcard of Hokusai's woodblock print of Mt. Fuji. This is the well-known Japanese painter and printmaker who worked during the early 1800s and produced many renowned works - in addition to this one and many more, his most famous work was The Great Wave Off Kanagawa, which I think almost everyone is familiar with, whether they know the name of it or not. Mount Fuji was a frequent subject matter of his.

This is far too pretty to send off as a postcard - so I'll be finding a small frame for it to display.

The last two items made me smile - first, a cheery little set of metallic washi stickers of - you guessed it - Mount Fuji!  These will be added to my stationery stash to brighten up envelopes, but one or two might work their way into an art project or two. I like the shimmery sun motif behind the mountain in these.

Lastly was a pack of papers I would have been mystified by if it weren't for the included card, which referred to them as post-its.  Then I understood! The dual sided lightweight paper mountains are loose on one side, with a light adhesive on the other - you can use them as book tabs, write on them if desired and when they're attached to the edge of a book page - you get a mountain range!

The tabs are easy to remove without damage (like post-its) and can probably be repositioned a time or three before loosing all the adhesive.  The packet has  generous number of post-its - at least 20 of each style.

I often am tabbing multiple pages in my cookbooks or craft magazines, so I will be having a lot of fun using these.

I truly loved this box! The cost of a Neko Box subscription is $34.99 - the stated value of this collection is $61, and while there is no easy way to affirm that, I do think it was well worth the cost of the box.

Neko Box ships worldwide from Japan, and does include a shipping charge in addition to the cost of the box.

Savings can be had by prepaying for a 3 month or 12 month subscription, and I think this would make a truly lovely gift for a friend or family member, be they a travel lover, a Japanophile, or simply take pleasure in sweet pottery and stationary accents.

March's theme was Hanami (the picnic one goes on during Cherry Blossom season) and unfortunately, it's too late to receive that one - but April's theme is Edo, which is the ancient name for Tokyo.

I don't know what will be in it, but I am sure it will be full of beautiful things to delight the senses.

You have until February 21st to get your April box, which will get sent out on the first of the month, and Neko Box is offering a $6 discount to our readers.

To claim your $6 discount, insert the code RCH6 at check out!

https://nekoboxshop.com/
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Review: Art of Fabric Burlap & Brocade Table Runners

The holiday season is fully upon us and many of you are setting the scene for a beautiful holiday meal, selecting the perfect center piece, the right dishes, glasses and flatware.

But wait! What's missing from this picture? You need a special tablecloth or runner! That is where Art of Fabric comes in. Art of Fabric is on online source for charming touches to complete your home decor.

During the course of this review, my experience with the folks at Art of Fabric has been very positive. They have been promptly responsive in messages, very polite and accommodating.

Originally, I was scheduled to review a piece that would not have worked well in my home and they were very understanding and allowed me to select a different piece. I went with two beautiful table runners.

The first was a wide burlap runner, which I chose to accent my farmhouse table. I went with the burlap, knowing that it would work well year round for any occasion where I wanted to add a bit more country charm to my table.  If you check their website, you'll see they have several styles to choose from.

To dress it up, I also chose a luxurious, brocade runner in dazzling white with delicate little sparkling snowflakes scattered throughout. This runner is slightly narrower than the burlap so it layers beautifully but also works well on its own.

Each piece is sewn all the way around so I have no concern with fraying. I am very happy with my choices. My table would have been incomplete without them.

Be sure to thoroughly browse their website to find all sorts of wonderful fabric items to accent your home including curtains, throw pillows, full tablecloths and more.  Prices vary depending on fabric, but they are quite reasonable, and Art of Fabric offers a 30-day 'no questions asked' guarantee.

http://www.artofabric.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ArtOFabric
https://twitter.com/Artofabric
https://www.instagram.com/artofabric/
https://www.pinterest.com/artofabricLA/

Simple Halloween Decor

This summer, my husband and I sold our house and moved to a much smaller apartment that was more centrally located to public transportation and an interesting social life.  We're enjoying it a lot, but it is still an ongoing challenge to learn to live smaller and more simply, and we're still creating our 'look'.

But holidays come when they come, ready or not, and while I am not able to totally deck out the place for Halloween, this is still my favorite time of year, and I wanted have a few touches.  I keep a bin of Halloween decorations (now living in an offsite storage room), and rooted through there to see what I could use, and we wound up buying an item or two that caught our eye, and this is what we came up with:

We'd just set up this shelf arrangement near the door shortly before it was time to decorate for Halloween - we needed a place to hang keys and our dog's leash, as well as have a landing zone for my husband's loose change.  So, when it's not Halloween, we have this row of hooks (that are actually dog butts) for the hanging items, the rustic blue crate shelf that holds two little stoneware cups for change (one of them is specifically for quarters for the laundry room), as well as a sign about dogs and a dog motif cross stitched piece I did.

We didn't take down any of it, but I did add an additional cross stitch piece, a couple purchased raven items, some fresh mini-pumpkins (now sitting on the upturned change mugs, so there went that bit of organization), and some artificial autumn sprigs from my Halloween bin.

The thing I like about this is that the shelf and dog butt hooks are fastened to the wall, but everything else just sits on it, letting me change out the decoration without putting any more holes in the wall.

On a small end table that sits to one side of the living room, I tucked some artificial sunflowers and other seasonal sprigs inside our tripod lamp.

A beat up hanging clock (from Michael's), another older cross stitch piece I did, and a small ceramic skull created a nice, shabby Halloween still life that will transition easily into November with the removal of the skull.

On a whim, I covered the shade with a black lacy poncho-style shawl of mine.  It provides a little more atmospheric l

lighting down in  that part of the room.

Nearby, we have an IKEA ladder that is currently rather overflowing with things (we're still deciding what it is we want to do with that space).  I had a length of grapevine garland and several ornaments which I'd normally put up on a year round tree I like to decorate each season.  Here, we just have no space for it, but I was sad to not get to show off my ornaments, so I draped the garland around the top of the ladder and hung them off of that.

Our biggest addition to what we already had came about on whim - while we were at Michaels Arts & Crafts, we came across some of those inexpensive Halloween portraits they have that look like antique photos if you look at them one way, and scary demonic undead things if you look another way.

They are simply glued onto a plastic molded frame, good enough as a disposable ornament, but we decided against them because they looked as cheap as they were.

But then we saw this really nicely made roughed up cabinet-door style picture frame, which I would have wanted with or without a plan.

After the holidays, I'll replace the photos with more personal to us family photos, but for now...

We bought two of the cheap Halloween pics, and, after cutting them out of their molded frames (which was tedious and involved some non-ladylike words), put the one of the twin demon babies into the top section, and the nice gentleman that turns into a half-skeleton monster into the center section.

That left the two smaller panes unfilled.  Well, as it happens we have a really lovely antique store that is a two block walk around from our apartment.

(I  KNOW, RIGHT??! I AM SO DOOMED)

I took a walk down there to see if perhaps they had any old photos I could use for the bottom panes, and they did!  Sadly, not identified, but I selected one of two children looking very stiff and uncomfortable in their finery, and one of a mother for this little family. Her photo had faded with age, giving her a ghostly appearance.

The pictures did not quite fit in the frame, so rather than cutting them up, I scanned and printed them onto photo paper so they would be the right size.

I really like the end result!

My final decorated spot was outside on our balcony, where I was able to use a few more of my favorite goodies from the bin without making our indoor space look overly cluttered.

The Witch plaque hanging on the utility door was bought years ago from a dollar store, and still makes me smile everytime I see it.  Bright orange autumn flower garland is draped overhead, where we took a length of rope and wrapped it around a long metal beam for our various hanging needs - we use large S-hooks from IKEA to quickly add and remove whatever we want up there.

The two tin Witches Hats are also dollar store finds from years gone by - they have little doors so that you can set a tea light inside.  I have some remote controlled battery operated tealights in them to provide a bit of glow in the evening.

Even when it's necessary to keep things simple and easy to switch out, I find that being able to decorate for the holidays goes a long way toward making a new apartment look and feel like 'home'.  I may still be trying to figure out where I'm going to put my spices, but at least I know where the spooky stuff goes.

Review: Asheville Marble Pipes

The bowl of green herbs you see here is NOT marijuana. Let’s be clear about that. It’s a mix of raspberry leaf, catnip and one or two other legal substances, a blend I put together to test two hand-carved pipes from Asheville Marble Pipes.

These pipes could be used to smoke other substances, such as the one being legalized in many states, but not mine yet.

Herbal smoking blends are very popular though, and in different combinations are touted as having a variety of effects, such as relaxation or improving digestion. A tobacco pipe wouldn’t be suitable for that kind of smoking material, but the marble pipes are perfect.

The pipemaker, Gene, provided two for this review: a large marble pipe, which retails on his site for $50, and the $40 small marble pipe.

I was immediately struck by the heft of both of these pipes. They are finished smooth, well-balanced and attractive.

I started trying out the large one first because the small one, shaped something like the planet killer from “The Doomsday Machine” episode of Star Trek, didn’t make sense to me.

Smoking the large marble pipe might not look much different from smoking a tobacco pipe, but it calls for different techniques. You can’t pack the herbs tight like you would tobacco; add a pinch or two to the bowl, loosely packed.

Lighting the material is easy, and the handmade pipe has a very nice and easy draw; that is, the smoke travels from the bowl to your mouth with little effort.

The small pipe continued to baffle me, so I finally asked Gene how to use it. His reply was, let’s say, not all that illuminating: “I do it like a bat but seen folks do it chillum style.”

However, “chillum style” gave me a search term to use, and I found a few helpful videos and websites and learned that basically you just keep it vertical the whole time you’re smoking it. Once I got the hang of it, I found it easy and enjoyable. The small pipe has a small mesh screen over the draw hole to help keep embers from falling through and burning your mouth.

Overall, both pipes are comfortable to use, and the quality of the carving is unquestionable.

I have to admit, though, I am not really a fan of smoking herbs. I have smoked tobacco pipes off and on, but I’ve found herbs to be harsh.  I tried to inhale rather than keep the smoke in my mouth as I would pipe tobacco - once.  The sudden feeling of impending death discouraged a second try!

Any authentic medicinal effect they may have can come just as effectively using them to make a tea. For people who do enjoy smoking herbs, though, Asheville Marble Pipes are an excellent means to do so.

Ashville Marble Pipes makes several other items, including cutting boards, cheese trays, beer tap handles (if ever I get an in-house beer tap, I'll be back for these), a water pipe and the “stonebone,” which is exactly what you are probably thinking it is.

Some items are available on the company’s website, others through its Etsy store. The company also offers made-to-order items. 

Asheville Marble Pipes

AshevilleMarblePipes on Etsy

AshevilleMarblePipes on Facebook