Friday, March 30, 2012

New Space at Birdcage Antiques

Hi everyone!  We recently moved into a new space at Birdcage Antiques!!  We are really excited about it.  We have been with Birdcage Antiques for about a year and a half.  We started with a small space to see if we could break even or even make a few bucks.  We were not even sure we could sell our stuff....was it good enough....would somebody else want to actually buy it??  A few months ago a large room opened up (which we had been eyeing up for awhile) and our "landlord" asked us if we wanted to upgrade our space.  We were not able to paint the walls or do anything that was permanent with the first space.  We asked if we could paint the new space and he gave us the go-ahead.  After negotiating the terms....we decided that we wanted it!!!  Here's the space before....The walls were a dark red/beige before....



Here's our new space now!  We couldn't be more pleased with how it turned out.  After a few coats of pink paint on the walls and a few coats of gray for the trim, this is what the room was transformed into. If you notice on the trim we made a few quotes with the cricut machine out of contact paper and put them all around the room.  It took many hours to get our new "space" looking just right and to our liking!  Although, it was fun "work" and good company to be with!!
Here are a few more close up pictures of specific sections of our work around this room. Sometimes the most fun part of having a space is to be able to rearrange and organize our furniture to give people ideas of how to put these pieces together.
 The saying in this picture says "whatever you do in your decorating...be brave". Isn't that so true? We like to try bold and bright colors because they are different and so pretty. We figure that if it's not something we like we can always change it, it's just paint. :)





The quote above this door says, "Every exit is an entry somewhere else". Also another one of our favorite quotes.
We hope that you enjoy seeing where the majority of our projects are being displayed. Maybe you can come visit us someday.  We are having so much fun refurbishing furniture and creating projects!
Have a great weekend!!!
~The Shabby Gals

Linking to these fabulous parties:
Pin It!

Thursday, March 29, 2012

One More Window

Hi everyone. I'm posting a little late this Thursday.  I just got off of work and I had a busy day and this is the first moment I had to tell you about another project that I did with old window.  I just love the shape of this window.  I left the glass and  frame as I found it.  Last Christmas I had painted fun snow scenes for my girls on some similar old windows and gave them as presents.  So this time I thought that someone would enjoy welcoming friends to their home and having it said in an old vintage window.  Here is the before picture of the window frame:
 I started by drawing a design on paper and including the saying Welcome to our home.  When I was satisfied with the final drawing, I taped it to the under side of the glass or the other side of where I was going to paint.  I started painting the design by filling in the lines with Burnt Umber acrylic paint.  It took three coats of paint to fully cover so that the glass would not show thru.  I than dry brushed the wood frame with gold acrylic paint so the wood grain would be noticeable. So here is the after picture: 
I was happy with the results.  What do you think?

Linking to these parties:

Pin It!

SMILE!

Hi!  I can't believe it's Thursday already....I have a simple little idea to share with you tonight.  I have already blogged about these green shutters.  I simply just sprayed them green and currently have them sitting on my mantle in the living room.  Just a reminder that this is what they previously looked like.
I thought they would look cute with a simple banner hanging from them.  I love the color yellow and tied with green just screams spring...(to me anyway).  I thought the word "smile" would be cute spelled out.  I used my cricut machine to cut out the letters.  I used contact paper so that I could just stick them on and take them off when I get tired off the word...smile...although it's a good daily reminder!!  Right?  Here's the after picture....I like the way it looks....although I am partial to shutters and banners.
Have a great night....and remember to SMILE!!

Linking to these parties:
http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/
http://www.firefliesandjellybeans.com/
http://lbratina.blogspot.com/
http://thebrambleberrycottage.blogspot.com/
http://www.houseofhepworths.com
http://www.somewhatsimple.com (My entry into Strut Your Stuff sponsored by Appliances Online and the Bosch Washing Machines)
http://www.yesterdayontuesday.com/
http://rhinestonebeagle.blogspot.com/
http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/
http://www.momontimeout.com
http://sofabulouslyflawed.blogspot.com/
http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com
http://bec4-beyondthepicketfence.blogspot.com/
http://www.gingersnapcrafts.com
http://somedaycrafts.blogspot.com/
http://theshadyporch.blogspot.com/
http://www.gratefulbelly.com
http://herecomesthesun-kelly.blogspot.com/
http://www.domestically-speaking.com/
http://wearethatfamily.com/
http://www.handymancraftywoman.com/
www.uncommondesignsonline.com
http://www.myrepurposedlife.net/
http://www.stuff-and-nonsense.net/
http://funtocraft.blogspot.com/
http://www.findingfabulousblog.com/
http://chiconashoestringdecorating.blogspot.com/
http://www.alittleknickknack.com/
http://romantichome.blogspot.com/
http://shabbynest.blogspot.com/
http://daysofchalkandchocolate.blogspot.com





Pin It!

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Mudroom

So today I repainted the little room that you walk into from the garage.  It is a really little room, it makes it feel a little claustrophobic when everyone is coming in at once.  Also the door went into the wall and we had to re patch the wall.  I also had put this bench with a little shelf underneath, hoping that is where all the shoes that we don't wear on a regular basis would go. 





Well let's just say the bench was just taking up valuable space.


I actually liked the green color on the walls, but that paint was all gone.  So I went with the boring beige, but actually like how it came out.  I feel like it looks cleaner and more open and not so dark.  I also painted the door a white so I think that opens it up even more.  I was pretty impressed that my husband actually appreciated the change too...and let's be honest they don't usually notice the small things.:)

So here are the after....





A little more room to walk in, a little basket for the hats, gloves, and even my son's little shoes.  The shelf is getting used so far...so no tripping over the shoes.  I hope you like it.  Until next time...Kim

Linked to:  Funky Polka Dot Giraffe  Coastal Charm  Making the world Cuter  Skip to my Lou  sewchatty  thegirlcreative

Pin It!

Shutter Love

It is Tuesday morning and March is back in full swing around here. The 80 degree weather has decided to leave us again for a while. Hopefully not too long, I was really starting to get used to it. Today I am going to share with you another use for a shutter. When we moved into our house I didn't realize how large and dark my fireplace was. I had a terrible time trying to lighten it up and make use of the space on my mantle. I took an old shutter that my sister had painted for me and put it up as a backsplash. Since then I have not taken it down because I love how it takes up space and lightens up the entire area. There are many different ways to use shutters in your home, I just love how this turned out. Here are the before and after pictures. Have a fabulous day!! Jessica

linked up to:
Pin It!

Monday, March 26, 2012

Candy/Bubble Gum Jar

Hello and happy Monday!  I wanted to share a craft project with you this morning.  It was a lot of fun to make and I am loving the results.  I saw this idea on pinterest....the direct link is http://karaspartyideas.com/2011/05/diy-tutorial-make-your-own-bubble-gum.html.  I just absolutely fell in love with it!!  So, I went ahead and gathered my supplies and made this bubble gum/candy jar.
I used a glass vase from the dollar store, a terra cotta pot with the bottom saucer, round wooden craft ball, and a doll pin stand.
I decided to paint my terra cotta pot pink and then distress it so the lime green could be seen as well.  It's hard to tell the two colors by my pictures, however, I like how the green and pink work together.  So, basically you flip your terra cotta pot upside down and glue (I used liquid nails) the vase on top of it.  Then glue your wooden craft ball on the top of the upside down saucer.  The saucer is essentially acting as the lid of the bubble gum/candy jar.  The doll pin stand is then glued on to the front of the upside down terra cotta pot.  Then you fill with your choice of candy and/or bubble gum and enjoy it!!  I chose to fill it with jelly beans!!!
So fun....right???

Linking to these parties:




Pin It!

Friday, March 23, 2012

Fall wreath to Spring Wreath

So with the weather being all nice, I had to change up my red berry wreath on my front door.  I think that usually I can leave it up for awhile, especially when it snows.  With the weather being about 80 degrees I think it was officially time to change it up.  So I took my fall wreath that had all the leaves on it, bought a sprig of forsythias at JoAnn's because I officially think that bush means spring.  The bright yellow just makes me smile.

So here is my lovely wreath before, I didn't use the hot glue, because I knew I would eventually want to switch up the leaves for something else.



As you can see the leaves are way over due to come off anyway.....



 On my white front door I think it looks springy and fun...The only thing I am debating on is adding a little more yellow. 



  Nothing beats a welcoming front door right?  Hope you like it...until next time  Kim
 
Linking to:  Funky Polka Dot Giraffe  somewhatsimple.com  katiesnestingspot.com  alliemakes.blogspot.com
shabbynest.blogspot.com  chiconashoestringdecorating.blogspot.com
Pin It!

Thursday, March 22, 2012

A Little More Chicken Wire......

Hi  everyone, its Thursday and I had fun with a little more chicken wire.  Something to try to keep oneself organized, if that's possible.  Had some old windows from the flea market or a garage sale that I had found and thought at the time that the shape was fun and not super large.  Found a little later another old window that had a broken window box to it.  The window was large and too heavy to hang on the wall.  So my husband said that he could add the window box to the other small window and than add some chicken wire where the glass should be.  Here are the before pictures.....

My husband than just made the window box a little smaller and fit it onto the smaller window.  Than he added the chicken wire and we painted it white and shabbied it up.  After the picture was taken I added clothespins to the chicken wire so that you can put pictures, notes or anything to it that you want.  In the windowbox you could use it for anything that needs to be close to the notes or even be decorated.  Here is the after picture of the window and a close up of the chicken wire. 
p://stylishonceagain.blogspot.com/


Pin It!

Monday, March 19, 2012

Old Chair Earns a Red Star

Happy Monday!  Our weekend was delightful and hope yours was too...the weather helped as it has been unseasonably warm!  I have a little chair makeover to share with you this morning.  I found this chair at a local garage sale last summer.  The price was right so I scooped it up and decided that it needed a fresh coat of yellow paint.  Here is the before picture.
After painting the chair a soft yellow, I distressed it and rubbed stain all over to achieve a worn look. I created a star stencil out of contact paper, using my cricut machine.  I stenciled the red star in the center of the chair's seat.  Here's the after picture.
 Have a great Monday!  

Linking to these parties:


Pin It!

Thursday, March 15, 2012

A New Pink Look



Hi everyone.  It's Thursday and I have a fun and pretty look for an old hanging chandelier that used to be brass and ho hum looking.  You could find this anywhere and it looked a little outdated.  Here is the before picture.

The light definitely had possibility and I wanted a different look.  So I started looking at my paint cans and spray cans and decided to spray paint this light with Krylon's Satin Ballet Slipper. It is a soft pink color.  The paint adhered really nice and it made the light look new and delicate.  I decided to paint the light in a soft pink because every light that we have painted in some form of pink has sold and sold fast.  Pink is a fun and a popular color.  Here is the after picture.  I took the picture after it was taken down and before it left our booth.


http://www.shabbycreekcottage.com/
http://thebrambleberrycottage.blogspot.com/
http://bec4-beyondthepicketfence.blogspot.com/
http://www.thevintagefarmhouse.com/
http://www.733blog.com/2012/03/sugar-spice-102.html
http://www.firefliesandjellybeans.com/
http://lbratina.blogspot.com/
http://www.houseofhepworths.com/2012/03/14/hookin-up-with-hoh-91/
http://www.yesterdayontuesday.com/
http://rhinestonebeagle.blogspot.com/
http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/
http://sofabulouslyflawed.blogspot.com/
http://www.savedbysuzy.blogspot.com/
http://missmustardseed.com/2012/03/furniture-feature-friday-link-party-4/
http://romantichome.blogspot.com/
Pin It!

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

"Fan"tastic

Good morning!! Today is going to be a wonderful day. I woke up to the sun shining and I think that it is going to be close to 70 degrees! For all of us that live in Michigan we welcome that weather in March with open arms. I am loving it! It's enough to jump out of bed in the morning and feel ambitious. So here I am feeling ambitious and about to share with you a quick fix for a light fixture. Originally I was just going to get rid of this fan and put up a cute chandelier. I hated the thought of losing the fan though, especially on the hot, spring, muggy days. So I decided to do what my mom and dad had done and paint the fan blades to see what it would look like. I figure what do I have to lose. Anyhow after replacing the original bulb cover, as you can see in the pictures, and painting the blades this is how it turned out. I was pleased and think that I will leave it up for a while. The light bulb cover on this fan was replaced with something we had dug up from our basement. I like how it looked on the fan instead of the old one.
That's it for now, I hope you all have a great Wednesday and enjoy the weather! I know I will! Jessica 

Linked up to:
Pin It!

Delicious Wraps

What a beautiful day!!  I am so excited that the weather is finally getting nice.  I am getting so excited to start my garden going and having fresh veggies and tomatoes again.  So over the weekend I made these tortillas.  They were delish!  I don't know about you, but we are fans of fajitas, tacos, quesadillas, etc...  So I was making the good chicken fajitas, and was thinking if there was a recipe that I could try to make my own tortilla.  The best thing about the internet is that you can find how to make anything! 



Super easy ingredients.  I looked at many recipes, and so many of them either called for lard or shortening.  So I went with the one that only called for 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil.  All you do is mix all the ingredients together and once it all incorporated, you have to let it rest for about a half an hour with a damp cloth over the dough.


Super easy right?  The hard part is the rolling it out.  I would not really consider it too hard, but I have to say mine are not perfect circles.  I tried, but I made them as circular as I could.

 
Then I put a little cooking spray down in my pan, turned on the heat.  The tortilla bubbles up and then I flipped it.




Pretty easy right?  They are soooo good.  They turn out thicker than the average tortilla, almost more like a pita but way more moist.


My husband loved them and so did my kids.  So I guess that is the true test right?  So here goes the recipe.

Two cups of all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of vegetable oil
3/4 cups of warm milk


Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and oil.
Slowly add the warm milk.
Stir until a loose, sticky ball is formed.
Knead for two minutes on a floured surface. Dough should be firm and soft.
Place dough in a bowl and cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap for 20 minutes.
Break off into 8 sections, or six if you want big ones.  Let rest for another 10 minutes, without them touching one another.  After dough has rested, one at a time place a dough ball on a floured surface, pat it out into a four-inch circle, and then roll with a rolling pin from the center until it’s thin and about eight inches in diameter.  Don’t over work the dough, or it’ll be stiff. Keep rolled-out tortillas covered until ready to cook.
In a dry iron skillet or comal heated on high, cook the tortilla about thirty seconds on each side. It should start to puff a bit when it’s done.
 
Enjoy!! Kim

Linked to:
Pin It!

Monday, March 12, 2012

Chalkboard Door

Happy Monday!  We have been working on our kitchen lately and can't wait to show you our progress!  We repainted the walls, ceiling, and the cabinets.  We still need to put in a subway tile backsplash and a new counter.  To be honest....it's driving me CRAZY to have the kitchen in shambles.....I cannot wait until it's completed!  I recently repainted the kitchen door with chalkboard paint.  Here's the before picture of my boring beige door....
Here is the after picture...My walls are now a gray color so the black door compliments it well.  My son seems to enjoy it as well!  It will be a good place to put a few of my favorite quotes, grocery lists, and a great place for my son to practice his name while I am making dinner.  
Have a great day!
Linking up to these parties:
Pin It!

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Saturday's Antlers

Hi everyone.  It's Saturday, March 10, 2012.  I have another creation that probaly appeals to the ladies but the men in their lives would most likely think that this is going a little too far.  Well anyways, this is what I did.
 My husband said that I could have these antlers and I warned him that I was going to paint them and add a little fro-fro to them and make them look girly.  This is the before picture.



 I wanted them to be put in our booth to hang jewerly, hats, scarves or what ever we wanted to hang from them.  I didn't want the normal hangers to hang stuff from and I thought this would be fun and something different.  I base  painted everything white, with acyrlic paint from JoAnns.  Than I painted the background wood a shade of pink and the antlers a different shade of pink.  The pink on the antlers was a bright pink because I wanted them to show up.  The helmet that covers the antlers, after it received the 2nd coat of white was than covered with Martha Stewart's white glitter.  The picture doesn't really show up the glitter that covers the white but I loved the look and it is really fun.  So what do you think????????  See you next Saturday or maybe Thursday........Dianne

Pin It!