Blogging Archives - The Weekend Country Girl

Behr Paint with Primer, Blogging, Dresser, French Provincial, Painted Furniture, The City House

The Purple Nursery Dresser Project

February 12, 2016 Karen

If you are new to my blog, welcome. I am thrilled to have you join us. You might not know a lot about me, but my son, Baby Boy, and his wife, Sweet Amanda, are expecting our first grandchild May 1. We are so very excited to be grandparents.

Our kids asked us if we would mind furnishing the nursery as our gift to them. We were thrilled.

The first order of business was a crib. We found an awesome crib online sort of like this one:

It was very gently used and will be painted gray. It will be so cute for our coming baby girl.

The next order of business was to find a dresser for the sweet baby girl. I know that my daughter in law has a soft spot for French provincial dressers (you can see their bedroom furniture here) so when I spotted this beauty for $40.00 at an estate sale I was thrilled. It is going to serve as a diaper changing station and dresser in the nursery after it has a little love.

After both of us looking online, a lot, I could tell that Sweet Amanda was leaning toward a purple dresser. I was not in the least bit surprised when she started leaning toward purple. Her college home had an eggplant purple kitchen, her efficiency apartment after graduation was painted what my son called Barney purple, her dining room wall was covered in frames that were shades of purple.

That sweet girl loves herself some purple.

There are lots of examples of beautiful purple dressers out there. Sweet Amanda is weighing her options carefully before giving me the “go ahead” on colors to make sure it goes with her bedding.

Project Nursery

By Stephanie Lynn

All Things G & D

Probably My favorite is the brightest purple dresser from Project Nursery below, but I will be happy to do whatever the mother to be wants.

Because the dresser has a formica top, I am going to be trying out a new primer on this project that is supposed to stick to plastic surfaces better. Kilz Adhesion. I had to have it shipped to the house because our local stores don’ t carry it. I will let you know how it works. This weekend the project is to get the dresser cleaned, repaired, hardware removed and the dings fixed so we are ready for primer and paint once the Kilz arrives and we have the color nailed down. It is going to be stunning. When I was a teenager, my parents let me redecorate my bedroom and I ended up with a purple bed, purple headboard, lime green bedding and curtains having a brightly painted dresser is not so unusual in my world. Of course I have done my part to make sure that a few more dressers got a coat of paint along the way, too.

Having a grandsweetheart on the way is exciting. Having a daughter in law who lets me participate in the decorating is awesome.

I am blessed.

I love hearing from you,

Karen

Blogging, Coldspring, Providence Acres, Real Life

A Church for Sale to be Moved

February 2, 2016February 8, 2016 Karen

I have shared with you all that I would love to find an old house to be moved to our property and restore. This past week a new option opened up for me. A church.

Two different people let me know about a church for sale to be moved that is near our place in Coldspring, we have dubbed Providence Acres. One of my readers actually took the time to message me about the church. I loved that. Thank you for taking the time to connect with me the even round up the cell number of someone who could show me the church! Of course I had to see this place. Even better, thank you to my reader for coming over to meet us. Our door is always open to friends.

My Buddy, The Social Planner, did the leg work and hooked me up with the man who could show me the church, Mr. Eldridge, who grew up in the church, and lives on Eldrige Rd. Oh my goodness, the history of this community. This family has been in this area since Sam Houston lived here.

This is what the building looked like when I drove up.

Mr. Eldridge let me know that it was for sale to be moved for $2500, lock stock and barrel.

The church building, which has a cornerstone saying 1899 is just laying on the ground. A new building has been built and the old building is sitting where they need a parking lot.

The building is in amazingly good shape. Wood floors covered with carpet that appears to have protected them, wainscoting around the room is tongue and groove pine. The air conditioning system is fairly new and works great. There is some rot where the a.c. unit cover has caused the water to splash on the wood, but that was all I saw.

The building was added on to sometime in the distant past that added a front entrance/ offices and rear section that includes two small offices and restrooms.

You can see in the photo below how the thickness of the eaves change where the addition is for the front.

The back addition is wider than the front.

The rot is behind this welded unit.

In the not too distant past the windows have been changed out. I almost cried. The original windows were just laying on the ground behind the building rotting. They are too far gone to save, but I may try to get my hands on the wavy glass in the frames.

If you look at the picture below, you will see that the metal roof on the tallest part has a newer part on the front. Until recently there was a steeple and a bell but the bell was moved to the new church building and the steeple came down with the bell. I wonder why they made the addition roof lower than the original building?

I would love to have this church. It would make a beautiful wedding venue with a little love. The ceiling would need to be opened to the rafters, the rear section would need to come off and be rebuilt so that it would meet ADA requirements, the steeple would have to go back on, and I would love to see a beautiful window in the end of the building looking over our pond and barn.

The building would fit perfectly right here.

The hand built podium and tables are so cool.

The problem is that the building is 30 feet high. 3-0.

It would cost a fortune to have to have our electric company temporarily move the 19 electric lines that cross our highway and the 5 that cross JJ Lane.

I would love to save this piece of local history but my pockets just aren’t deep enough. My guess is that it would cost $15,000 just to move the building before electric, water, etc was set up. Then the remodeling would begin. I have dreamed about it, driven by it several times, and even counted the number of electric lines down FM 945 between the little community of Evergreen and JJ Lane. In my mind’s eye I can see exactly how it would look, and what an awesome venue it could become. It just isn’t in the cards. Sad days.

Mr. Eldrige let me know about a house that his family had that he thought could be moved. It was his grandmother’s house.

The house wasn’t in shape to be moved, and full of varmits, but I did buy an awesome screen door that I have plans for from this house.

It is going to be cool. I ~~hope~~ promise.

So, the journey continues. We are about to get busy getting our suburban home to sell so most of my upcoming posts will include decluttering, updating, home staging and landscaping. We are also VERY close to finishing the mudroom at Providence Acres. I hope, hope, hope we can get it finished this coming weekend. The live edge cedar seat is done, it is just a matter of getting the board and batten up, buying the cabinets and getting them installed, hanging hooks on the board and batten and getting the seat installed.

Thank you all for following along on our journey to turn our weekend spot into our forever home. I love hearing from you.

Blessings,

Karen

Blogging, Building a Home, Decorating, Decorating with mirrors, Dining Table, French Provincial, home decorating, master bedroom, mid-life, Mirror Display, new home, Ornate mirror, The bedroom, The City House, the guest room, the suburban home

Weekend Home Tour

April 20, 2015April 20, 2015 Karen

i love to visit model homes. Near my sister in law’s house they have 7 model homes open for touring. It was a muddy, stormy Sunday afternoon so she and I headed out to walk through the homes. This builder’s homes are well built and are part of a 55+ neighborhood. Today you get to see the first two.

I have never seen this designer/ builder’s work, and I really enjoyed getting to see their ideas. They had the most creative ceilings I have ever seen. My favorite home happened to be the first home we visited.

The very first room was… Navy and coral with a rustic, modern vibe. I can honestly say it was the only room I could see myself in, but I did take away some ideas.

We didn’t plan on going so excuse the iPhone photos.

House One

I loved this house.

The front bedroom was so cool. I really liked the china cabinet and the matching crib springs. The stripes wet navy, burlap, and a cream color. The art was stenciled canvas.

Loved the coral tailored cloth on the night stands.

Here is the rest of the house:

The master was a little too fussy for me. The side tables were way too full and the picture above the bed was too much. The mosaic tile panels are throughout all the homes.

I had to ask myself if that design in the shower would get old?

I loved the zinc topped hammerd table.

I liked the wood squares on the laundry wall.

I loved the wood flooring!

House Two

This house was totally not my style but still fun to look at and even in this house there were elements I really liked. I called this the mirror house.

Imagine dusting all those mirror frames.

A wall of mirrors in a 55+ guest bedroom?

I really liked this piece.

Loved the formal dining table.

I like the light fixture but two breakfast tables?

The backsplash was fun.

Oh my, the master was sensory overload. Tile and beam ceiling, tile insets on the wall, mirror edged headboard…

I did like the slate look ceramic tile.

Blogging, mid-life, Painted Furniture, reclaimed wood, Repurposed Furniture, The Garagemahal

Welcome to Our Little Corner of the World

February 13, 2015February 13, 2015 Karen

If you are new to The Weekend Country Girl, Welcome! If you are one of my long-time friends, please indulge me as I introduce myself to the newcomers. My blog has literally doubled in readership over the last month.

My name is Karen and I am not a professional blogger or furniture repurposer. This blog and my projects are my hobby. I am a professional educator in a suburb of Houston. I am a high school principal who loves her job, works crazy hours, and has a lot of stress in her daily life. On the weekends, and any other chance I get, I head to the small town of Coldspring, where I wear sweat pants, go thrift store shopping, and work out in the Garagemahal. I am a happy chick when I am covered in paint or sawdust on the weekend. Come visit if you ever in the area. For real.

I am happily married to the love of my life, Mr. Math, who is a small town farm boy from Troy, Texas. We have been married for 33 years and have two great kids. I am lucky enough that both of my parents are still with us and active.

Both kids are married to wonderful spouses and live a long way from us. We miss all four of them terribly.

We also have a rescue dog named Lumi. She keeps me humble and reminds me that I am not in charge of the world.

If this photo looks like a school yearbook photo, that is because it is! Does it take you back to high school?

Here we are in the first ever selfie I took of us. It was on our Christmas cruise this year.

If you are new to my site it is probably because of my recent post about a corrugated tin wall on Remodleaholic, or the Facebook post on their site about our super simple buffet table for the deck, or because of my mudroom bench. That bench has been my most popular post, ever. Whatever the reason, I am thrilled to have you here.

I started blogging as a way to show my friends and family what we were up to at our little cabin in the piney woods near Lake Livingston. We are both ~~cheapskates~~ frugalistas who would rather figure out how to do something ourselves than pay someone a crazy amount of money to do the work for us. Buying a second home eight years ago was a stretch for us financially so we really had to figure out how to furnish a home on the cheap. I never envisioned that my blog would be read by anyone who did not know me personally, in fact, I remember when I had my first post with 50 page views. Man, I thought I was something else.

Along the way I have learned a few things about blogging (okay, not so much here), design, and how to re-imagine furniture but who I am has not changed. This site is still just a hobby and way to show my friends what we are up to and to get input. ( I really do want your input when I ask for opinions. )

Beverage station from sewing cabinet.

Bench from headboard and footboard.

Buffet table from dining table legs and re-claimed wood.

I make mistakes, I am a terrible photographer who can’t take a good shot indoors to this day, I have a hot temper that gets me in trouble more than I like and I get my feelings hurt when people are mean.

I love a variety of styles, I like mixing painted wood with stain. I think every room should have one piece of furniture or accent that makes folks smile when they walk in the room.

We are hoping and praying right now that we can sell our beloved Star Hill so that we can buy 15 acres in Coldspring with several buildings that will be our retirement home. I hope you follow along on our journey into mid-life and beyond.

Thanks for finding this blog and welcome to our little corner of the world.

Blessings,

Karen

Blogging, Repurposed Furniture, resale finds, Thrifting, using bright colors, vintage style

My Most Popular Posts

January 26, 2015 Karen

Well hello there. If you are new to the blog, welcome.

In the last week I have a lot of new friends who have chosen to follow my little bitty minnow of a blog Thank you for choosing to follow along.

It is winter here in southeast Texas. That means high humidity, rain, and lots of days I am not able to do any furniture work. Add to that my full time job is at its busiest an that adds up to not much getting accomplished. The garagemahal is loaded with projects just waiting for a warm sunny day to come along.

I thought you might enjoy some of the most popular posts that you might have missed in the past. If you are one of my long-time followers, indulge me as I take a walk down memory lane. 🙂 If you click on the underlined writing by each number it will take you directly to the post about the piece.

1. Mudroom Bench ( You probably found me through this piece but I am including it just in case you found me some other way.)

2. Beverage Station ( Old sewing cabinet and stainless sink make parties more fun.)

3. Green End Table Makeover (Yes, Virginia, there is a Junk Fairy. From time to time she drops things off at our house.)

4. Buffet Table (My son’s favorite piece.)

I hope that each and every one of you is inspired to look at furnishings differently and see the potential in even junk pieces.

(There may be a treasure hiding in there.)

Have a wonderful day. I love hearing from you.

Blessings,

Karen

Blogging, Coldspring, mid-life, moving, new home, Real Life, San Jacinto county, The Garagemahal

Wishing, Hoping, Praying and Dreaming

January 5, 2015January 5, 2015 Karen

This year I become eligible for retirement. Wow! How in the world did that happen? Time has flown by. I will not be retiring this year, but the realization that I could retire is causing my husband and me to give some serious thought to our future. We are both healthy, active, and still full of dreams and plans. There are places we want to visit, things we want to learn, and goals we want to accomplish.

Our biggest decision for the past few years is where to live. We decided two years ago to move to a new school district and community. We know for sure that was a great decision, but at the same time we don’t plan on living in that community after retirement.

My husband and I met in college, and we weren’t from the same part of Texas. Neither of us feels a strong pull to our home towns. We both have friends where we grew up, I have family still in the city I grew up in, but it feels like I am visiting when we go back.

A lot of prayer and self reflection on our parts has helped us to know that our adopted weekend community is home for us.

I am positive that our sweet “near the lake” house, Star Hill, is not our forever home. A week or two is about as long as I can be confined here in the winter. I need a studio and workshop. My creative side cries out for a space to have projects out, to experiment, to think. I also would like to sell more furniture in my retirement. Hubby wants a tractor, a garden, woods to walk in, a pond and outdoor projects.

Star Hill

The Garagemahal

We believe we may have found just the place. 15 acres, with a workshop, a creek, a barn, wooded trails, very near our friends, a garden plot, a greenhouse, a small pond, and several other outbuildings that I would really enjoy doing some neat things with. I am not crazy about the house, but it is solid. well cared for and has a ton of potential. It will take work and money but it can become the house I see in my mind’s eye.

The barn and the pond.

The side yard. The garden plot is in the back of this cleared plot of land. Water is run to the garden area.

My favorite area. The shop is the small building and the outbuildings here will make a perfect paint and furniture area. both have wood burning stoves in them.

The house. The greenhouse is visible behind the house.

The outbuildings. There are some very interesting buildings that I could really have fun with.

The property will come on the market this spring. In order to purchase this property we will have to sell Star Hill. That means we will have to focus on getting all of those “one day” projects done. We will be making sure that this place we love is ready for her close up. We are already praying that a family will buy the place who can love this place as much as we do and will create new memories in this home.

Look for lots of projects that are focused on the house and the property in the next few months. We have things to learn like concrete work and more of Hubby’s favorite: plumbing. (Ha!)

We plan on keeping our home in the burbs for several more years until we both retire so even this new spot will be our weekend home for a while.

I have a few projects in the Garagemahal I have already either sold or promised to someone. Other than that we will be keeping furniture projects to a minimum as we focus on clearing out, fixing up, and moving forward.

We ask you to pray with us that if this property is meant to be ours, everything will work out. If not, that we will have peace and direction in our journey.

Thank you all for continuing with us on another chapter of our journey.

I hope you have a wonderful new year. I would love to hear from you.

Blessings,

Karen

Behr Paint with Primer, Blogging, collecting, DIY Furniture, DIY Projects, Dresser, mantle, new home, resale finds, Rustic Christmas

100 Thousand Thanks

December 16, 2014December 16, 2014 Karen

Ever since I started blogging, I have stopped 25 thousand page views to look over what happened since we started. I just hit 100,000 page views. I had not been paying much attention to the stats so this one was a bit of a surprise. It used to take a long time to reach 25 thousand page views. I mean a really long time. This time took 5 months. I was worried that in the last five months I wouldn’t have much to show you guys. It felt to me like we were sort of stuck and not getting a lot done. The kids moved out of the country, the garage is full of unfinished projects, school got started, life happened.

When I actually looked back over the last five months , I was pleasantly surprised. We got a little more done than I remembered.

My favorites from the last five months are below. If you click on the link below each picture it will take you to that actual blog, complete with DIY and pictures.

Our biggest project was updating our suburban bathroom and figuring out how to get that restoration hardware weathered wood look on a dresser. Board and batten, cool shelf, zinc finished towel rack and chandelier made to look like wood beads.

Bathroom Makeover

Chandelier

The next big thing was creating a fun office at work that included a reclaimed wood wall, suitcase wall and a giant marquee letter.

Suitcase Wall

We made one of my favorite benches from a queen sized bed.

Bench

We finally got started on our pile of cedar and are making headway with projects there. My favorite so far is a cedar barn door.

Cedar Barn Door

I repurposed a 1980’s dresser hutch top to look go with our green buffet table. I now have a place to display my milk glass that makes sense.

Hutch

I worked off and on for a while on a funky dresser that is now 99% complete. I love the look of this piece that is going to be an entertainment center.

Funky Dresser

I tried my hand at painting fabric.

Painted Fabric Chair

and finally…

I enjoyed making a rustic Christmas mantle.

Rustic Deer Head

Not too bad for a “slow” few months. Being a weekend country girl is a great life. I am blessed to have the opportunities that I have.

Thank you all so much for joining my husband and me on this empty-nest, third quarter adventure. Repurposing furniture and blogging has helped me to stay active and has enlarged my circle of friends.

I appreciate you taking the time to read my blog and travel with us on this adventure. We have a lot in store and look forward to the future.

I love to hear from you,

Blessings,

Karen

Blogging, mid-life

The Waiting Place

December 15, 2014December 18, 2014 Karen

Before I take a break from the Internet during the holidays, I wanted to share this post. I actually wrote this blog post while on a work trip to Santa Fe and have been holding on to the post because I wanted to make sure I was ready to share this much about myself. I also didn’t want to sound “lame”.

I decided that I am ready for you all to see my nearing-retirement age, what am I going to do with myself, angst. After the holiday break I will be sharing our dreams (well one dream anyway) and what we are doing to chase that dream.

One of my favorite Dr. Seuss books is Oh the Places You’ll Go. I read it every year to graduating seniors as they head off to amazing places like work, college or the military. I have given it as graduation gifts, too. I put a link to John Lithgow reading the story if you have never heard it before. I hope you take a few moments to listen to the very wise words of Theodore Geisel- Dr. Seuss.

Right now, in this moment in my life I am in ” the waiting place.” You know, that place that according to Dr. Seuss:

And IF you go in, should you turn left or right…
or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite?
Or go around back and sneak in from behind?
Simple it’s not, I’m afraid you will find,
for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.

You can get so confused
that you’ll start in to race
down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace
and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space,
headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.
The Waiting Place…

…for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or waiting around for a Yes or a No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.

Am I alone in the waiting place? Sometimes I feel like I am, but I suspect I am not the only one.

While I write this, I am waiting for a session to begin at a conference. (Fitting, right?) I am waiting for my daughter and son in law to come in at Christmas, waiting for summer when my son and daughter in law return from out of country, waiting for the next chapter in my life… and frankly I am not even sure what that next chapter is or when it will begin.

Life is change. Change is hard. It is a good thing we are tough! 😊

I am lucky enough to be in a good job, with a healthy family, and almost enough resources to do what I want to do. I sometimes wish I had a crystal ball, but I think half the fun is figuring out what the next step is on the journey.

How about you? What are you waiting for?

I would love to hear from you.

I will be taking a break from blogging until January. I hope you have a wonderful holiday break, you can rest, and that you are able to sped time with family and friends.

Blessings,

Karen

P.S. I found another blogger who wrote about the same topic. Funny thing is they have a 2 year old. Oh, and they offered suggestions on what to do when in the Waiting Place. I am happy to report that I am already following his suggestions. Your can read their blog Here

Blogging, Decorating, home decorating, mid-life, Silliness

Why You Gotta Be So Mean? My Thoughts on Blog Bullies

December 6, 2014December 12, 2014 Karen

An Incident recently made my blood boil, and when my blood boils, I get to tell you what I think. Today I am going to tell you what I think about Blog Bullies.

I dislike them.

A blog bully is some who uses the comment section of a blog to tear into someone, put them down, attack their homes and family. Just like any bully, they get their joy making others feel bad.

On the site Apartment Therapy, Dana Tucker did a home tour. People, this lady opened up her home for you to look at. She cleaned, staged, photographed, and took the time to respond to questions.

Apartment Therapy Home Tour
She did not deserve what she got from a select few.

Here are a few pictures of the comments.

I have seen this before. Bullies. They smell blood in the water. It only takes one to bring out all the others. It used to be the playground, now it is the internet. Mean girls. Ever have to deal with them yourself? I have.

I don’t blog for a living. I don’t know Dana Tucker, I have no affiliation with Apartment Therapy, I am not a designer who decorates homes for a living. I blog because I like sharing what my husband and I do to our home, our experimentation with furniture, and our roadside finds. I also don’t publish the comments of bullies on my site. If you write a comment on my blog, I have it set so that I can filter out hurtful words. And I don’t apologize for not publishing mean words. One comment or told me once that nothing I do is any good and I should give up. Guess what? I didn’t publish the comment.

According to what I read, the most offensive comments about Dana and her house were removed but there were definitely some comments left that crossed the line in my mind.

One responder called the color of the door putrid. Did that comment need to be made?

I welcome hearing from you. I welcome suggestions. I am even okay with being told that what I do wouldn’t work in your home. Variety is the spice of life. One example is that I am not crazy about super modern furnishings but I appreciate that they are beautiful in the right home.

As blog readers I am going ask you to speak up when you see bullies posting .

Do you feel me climbing down off my soap box? Thank you for being patient with me when I am “stirred up.”

I hope you all have a wonderful day.

Thank you for taking the time to read what I write. It means more to me than you will ever know.

Blessings,

Karen

Blogging, Dresser, mudroom, Painted Furniture, phot editing, Photography, Repurposed Furniture, The City House

The Fear of Being a One-Hit Wonder

September 29, 2014September 29, 2014 Karen

Okay, here is a quiz. What is Carl Douglas famous for?

How about The Knack?

Do you know what Rednex is famous for?

I will bet you know their work.

Do you remember “Everybody was Kung Foo Fighting. It was fast as lightning”? Kung Foo Fighting was Sung by Mr. Carl Douglas

How about My Sharona? The Knack knocked that one out.

Rednex is famous for a song that is played at least once a night at almost every Texas bar… Cotton Eyed Joe.

After that these bands/singers either broke up, stopped singing, or just never produced another hit. I guess it really ages me that I do remember all of them, and they were pre-music video era.

I jokingly say I am a one hit wonder, too. You see, my mudroom bench is without a doubt the single most viewed and pinned post I have ever done. All the rest of my posts combined would be about half what the other posts have been viewed. I think of the mudroom bench as my one hit wonder. Don’t get me wrong, I love that bench. It is the first thing I use when I walk into the house every day and my last stop on the way out the door. But, I like other pieces I have done just as much. They just didn’t get noticed like that one did.

I think it was the lighting in the photo I took. We are after all visual folk.

Finished Mudroom Bench

I wonder if it would have been as popular if this was what I put out for the world to see?

Here are a few of my other projects that I think get looked over. It may have been when they were posted, how they were photographed, or maybe I really am a one hit wonder who just got lucky the one time.

My Western Dresser for the lake house Bunk room. It makes me smile when I walk in the room, still.

The yellow and gray bedroom. It all started with a table I picked up on the side of the road and a son moving out. In case you are wondering, yes I stenciled the wall. I still love the look. I miss that room the most of all the rooms at the city house.

The green buffet table. This was a thrift store dining table turned into a more narrow buffet with a reclaimed wood top. I love this table. Baby boy says it is his favorite piece in our house. It is about to get an addition. I am adding a hutch to the top for my milkglass that is about 80% complete.

Our farmhouse table. It has at least ten, 1-0 coats of poly on top and I am crazy about this table. It started out life as a white tile and golden oak table and cedar siding from our lake house. I am about to change the color of the legs so that it plays nice with the buffet and hutch.

Finally, the second most popular post is the beverage station. I have now made three of these with numbers four, five and six in the Garagemahal waiting for their turn. I have made a green, bright blue and navy blue. Soon a burnt orange, a green and a cream colored one will be done.

I love showing you all what I do and I really do value your input. Thanks for taking time out of your busy days to see what we are up to in the country. I hope your day is wonderful.

Blessings,

Karen