Cedar Slice Table

Over a year ago, we had the Forest Service come through the yard and thin out some trees.  We were left with quite a few stumps so the ole hubs decided to 'slice' a few pieces off the stumps along with stump grinding... we were left with quite a few of these:

I thought...hmmmmm... what could I do with these? 

Why make a table...of course!  We had to let the piece dry, then sand, and sand and more sanding..

Had Mr. B weld some table legs from rebar we had laying around.  I thought they would be fun to shape into chicken feet :)

So now we have a whimsical and unique end table for ....FREE!

Contacting the Fridge

I was cruising through Blog world this past weekend and got inspired by this wonderful project: Contact your Fridge, by Shoestring Pavilion.

I have a refrigerator that came with the house...that let's just say isn't what I would have picked. It works, so I can't justify buying a new one... So to help 'blend' it into my design scheme, I decided a few months ago to experiment by painting one of the side panels with chalk paint, which turned out fun... It's great for lists, or menus, or my daily motivational sayings..haha.

I purchased some black contact paper from Home Depot, then using a hearth rug as my pattern, I drew a template and began cutting them out. 

After getting quite a few pieces cut, I started at the top of the left panel and just 'eyeballed' the placement.  If you look closely, you will notice slight differences in size of the borders.... this is where my ADD won over my OCD.... this project is tedious!  But so worth it...

Of course looking back at this, it would have been smarter and easier to have contacted the side without the water dispenser. I'm not sure yet if I want to do the whole fridge yet, however I did wrap the pattern around the side of the door.  I am really digging the look.

 

Thrifty Rug Swap

I have been drooling over this rug at West Elm for a while now:

Zigzag Rug /west elm

At $109, not too shabby for a 3x5 wool/cotton rug.... and esp. with the coveted chevron design we see everywhere!  But because I am cheap, eh-hem thrifty, I found a less expensive version at O.co:

Alexa Chevron Rug/ Overstock.com

It's made of synthetic fiber (hence the $38.67 pricetag), but that's okay since it's going to live in my kitchen.  I absolutely love anything from west elm, but for now this will do...

Before and After Chairs

 

I found a pair of chairs at a thrift store recently that pretty much paid me to take 'em home. Granted they looked like something famed, horror hostess, Elvira would sit in...okay minus the red velvet.

I decided to reupholster them but keep the backs, since they were genuine leather and had a beautiful carved design. I purchased a matching, clearance fabric for $6, and spray painted them gloss white (which I had on hand).  Total cost for these lovelies: $16. Not too scary, right?

Rotkohl

With all the bountiful Fall squash, cabbage, onions, potatoes.... I felt it was time to get into my warm, cozy cooking mode.  Being that it is October, I thought I'd bring out the ole German heritage and whip up some Rotkohl (rote-coal), german red-cabbage.

You can find a recipe here: German Rotkohl

Of course depending on what region you or your family is from, the recipe will vary. This recipe is from Bavaria, the southern region of Germany, where my mother hails.  I have made it so often that I usually wing it and add different ingredients depending on what I have on hand. Just by Google-ing(funny how this is now a word), the results are plentiful! Traditionally you would serve this side with Sauerbraten (type of German roast), but tonight I am feeling Bratwurst, fried potatoes and beer....yummy. Just right for the dip in temperature.

Fall Mantel

This year I decorated the mantel very simply for Fall. Madonna wouldn't approve but I did however add some dried hydrangeas from my garden. I only recently discovered that if you cut the hydrangeas as they start to turn a greenish-brown, they will dry naturally in a vase/container. I have 'em everywhere!

Beginnings and Endings

With the Summer coming to an end and Fall beginning, we are busily wrapping up a few projects; one of them being this pergola. The plan is to eventually build a deck off the top of the pergola into the hillside. From there a path that wraps around the back of the house to the 'spa deck'.  Not to mention a staircase to the top deck...Quite ambitious, no?

So far this is what we have completed:

 We were able to 'collect' the slate and rocks for the patio from one of our hikes up here in Montana.  Let me tell you, that sucked!  Free is always a good motivator.

We planted grapes in the background, and hopefully in a couple years they will climb up over the top.