Charlotte NC Archives - The Weekend Country Girl

Charlotte NC, Country Style, crafting, Fun with friends, Rubbish Rescue, rustic, the Southern Belle

Making a Bottled Drink Holder

June 25, 2015 Karen

Want a quick and easy gift to take when you are an invited guest this summer that even the dudes will like? I have just the project thanks to Rogue Engineer. I love his detailed directions. Check him out.

Here is the link to his very detailed plans including how to cut and assemble.

Beer Carrier

Source: Rogue Engineer

Mr. Math cut four of these puppies out in less than an hour. We used reclaimed scrap wood so we probably had to work a little harder than necessary sanding, and adjusting for the wonky wood sizes but the wood was F-R-E-E. They were totally out of scrap wood left over from the media console.

The carrier works great for small bottles of soda as well as for beer and would be a fun host/ hostess gift for outdoor summer parties.

The total cost of the project for us was for the handle (check out ReStore if you have one close by) I paid two dollars fifty cents for my handles only because my hardware is all locked up in storage right now and our nearest Restore is thirty minutes away.

Bottle opener from Hobby Lobby ($1.49 right now.). They are 50% off at least once a month.

The first one is going to the sweet lady who called me to let me know she had cedar siding that she was getting rid of and wanted to know if I needed it. The wood for the project came off her house. She will enjoy seeing what we did with it. I left a lot of the green paint from her lake house on the cedar.

We added a lot of poly to the knot hole so that it won’t fall out. I love that piece of wood best.

The other three are headed to Charlotte, NC.

I can tell we will be making a few of these in the near future.

Mr. Math has already figured out the dimensions for a four bottle wine holder. I know I will have some takers on that, too.

I think the wine holders may be made from our red cedar hanging out in storage.

Oh how I long to have our shop up and running again! July is coming. Woo Hoo.

July 10 we close on our new spot.

Behr Paint with Primer, Charlotte NC, Christmas, Dresser, North Carolina, Painted Furniture, painting, resale finds, Style

DIY Bar from 1970’s Dresser

November 27, 2013December 2, 2013 Karen

A while back I saw this dresser on a members only Facebook page for $20.00.

She was rough. I mean really rough.

I liked the curvy front doors and was able to work a deal. I do not know why, but I immediately saw this piece as a bar for my son-in-law and daughter. They entertain a lot and have a smallish main room. This small piece will hold drinks and snacks. I knew I wanted a shelf for snacks when company is over.
The Southern Belle asked for stem ware holders in the cabinet. There was a missing drawer so we decided to put in wine storage. It was a matter of adding vertical boards to divide the space. The first step was to sand and prime it.

Please don’t judge me because I am the messiest primer ever. I just work to get the thing covered, but it is not beautiful.

Hubby left me home working and went up to the Garagemahal alone. Before he left, I helped him pick out a navy blue paint color. This did not go as planned. This was not navy. You can read all about it here. Choosing the Right Navy Blue

It took another trip to the store for Hubby but the next color worked. December Eve.

It took a lot of work and I am proud of the work, just not the photos I took. Here is the finished project. Brushed nickel hardware, drop down shelf, bottle storage and all.

Blue is so stinkin hard to photograph. Lessons this fall. For sure. The color is much darker and richer than it looks here.

The interior is Pantone Lunar Rock that I had left over from painting our end tables. It looks great inside the bar.

I love the stem ware rack at the top that Hubby made from corner moulding.

Charlotte NC, Christmas, DIY Art, Maeby, North Carolina, painting, Shelter Pets

Rustic Dog Silhouette

November 22, 2013November 22, 2013 Karen

I have a grand-dog. She is a sweet-tempered rescue pup named Maeby and lives with The Southern Belle and Big Cat in North Carolina.

What do you get a dog for Christmas who has everything she wants? I mean she has all the belly rubs, walks, chew toys and snacks a girl could dream of. She is even famous. Her pretty face is on the cover of Pawblo Picasso custom pet portraits.

That is her on the left side. The happy one!

She really is a happy dog. Her parents ~~love~~ adore her and have a commissioned painting of her pretty face. Recently I was cleaning out a stack of old pictures (under our bed) and ran across this silhouette of me in like third grade. It got me thinking. I remembered that I had a picture of Maeby in portrait.

An idea formed in my little brain. A rustic silhouette on barn wood of Miss Maeby.

Hubby cut the boards to roughly the same length. He wanted to clean up the edge but I wanted it to look rough. I painted it my favorite off white, Cinnamon Cake by Behr then sanded the hound out of it to make the wood show through. Next, I glazed the boards with Behr Faux Effects mixed with just a little Behr Revival Mahogany. I wanted another layer so I wiped it all down with dark walnut stain. I liked the look of the wood enough that I could have just stopped at this point really, but the next step was to print the photo of Maeby on an overhead transparency sheet. If I had a projector that would project the picture straight on the wall that would have been awesome. I don’t. I do have access to an overhead projector. ( Check out school district auctions, they go on sale all the time for a few bucks.)

Shine it up on the wood, trace then fill in with charcoal colored paint.

Sounded good huh? I hated the first attempt. Well, I thought I did anyway. It took a few days and looking at the picture to realize that I really needed to rough up the portrait a little to match the background.

I still want to do a different picture that is all of her but this one makes a presentable present for her Christmas present now.

Soooo what do you think?

I know for sure that Maeby does not read my blog so if you see her, don’t spoil the surprise.

One Christmas present done.

Behr Paint with Primer, Charlotte NC, DIY Furniture, Fun with friends, Maeby, North Carolina, painting, Repurposed Furniture, resale finds, the Southern Belle

Choosing “The Right” Navy Blue is Hard

October 29, 2013November 4, 2013 Karen

The Southern Belle and Big Cat are getting a few pieces of furniture that I have collected just for them. A sewing cabinet turned into a beverage station for their awesome screened in porch. The next time we venture up to North Carolina I am going to take pictures of their back yard space. It is amazing.

Big Cat is a die hard Georgia Southern fan so navy for the cabinet was an easy decision. Navy blue. Not the bright sailboat blue the original beverage station is. I also decided to make a bar cabinet for them. They have a small dining space but entertain a lot so any space that they could use to hold glasses, bottles and things that don’t fit in their limited cabinet space. The interior of their home is also navy along with creams browns, and tons of natural fibers. Want to see it? I took pictures last fall Click Here. The cabinet is going to be navy too.

Hubby went to Coldspring without me. We went together to pick our paint, so there is no blame here. We are just learning that navy blue is a tricky color. The first color was WAAAAY too vibrant. Hubby sent the picture to me and TSB. I will bet she almost had a stroke.

The cabinet door confirmed my suspicion that we needed a color change.

Hubby went back to town ( 30 minutes one way) to get a darker color.
Here are the results:

Here is the cabinet in a darker shade:

I am not sure I love it, but I am withholding judgement until we go back to the Garagemahal. I am guessing that a coat of black glaze will tone it down. Hope, hope. I love the 1970’s vibe of the cabinet.
I will let you know about the paint. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Charlotte NC, family, wedding, wedding preparation, Weddings

Two Nephews and a Wedding

June 3, 2013June 4, 2013 Karen

The Southern Belle is now Mrs. Big Cat! A beautiful wedding in Charlotte, North Carolina with Chamber of Commerce weather was held on June 1. The hydrangea were in full bloom, the birds were singing, we got to spend time outdoors with both sides of the family. It was awesome.

Because Mr. and Mrs. BC have 2 sweet nephews and zero nieces they wanted to include them in the big event. What to do with two boys and one wedding? Give them both a job. The Southern Belle turned to Pinterest for inspiration and discovered this:

(Source unknown)
A quick trip to the Etsy Shop told her that she was not the only bride who would have a “herald” in the wedding along with a ring bearer.

The only problem with the signs on Etsy was the price. Customized signs were a little more than TSB wanted to spend. A friend has a machine that cuts vinyl letters and she agreed to make a vinyl sticker to go on a board. It comes as a big ole sticker. Hubby cut the board to fit, I painted it white and applied the sticker then peeled off the covering carefully.

This was the scary part! I only had one sticker and it could have gone bad. I am so glad it worked.

Sweet Maeby had to help her Gramps.

Hubby put handles on the back so that his nephew could hold it.

I do not have any photos of the nephew coming down the isle. I was too busy trying not to blubber.

Here is a picture of the sign with the family. One day next week I will tell you about the ring bearer box.

Charlotte NC, family, the Southern Belle, wedding, wedding preparation, Weddings

An Urban Southern Wedding

June 3, 2013 Karen

My sweet daughter, The Southern Belle, and her fiancée, Big Cat, planned the perfect urban wedding. Her style is clean, modern with a nod to the past. In all things she is elegant. A true southern belle who wears pearls and loves sweet tea. The couple met in Savannah, Georgia and there were shades of the low country in the wedding. The groom and his party wore striped bow ties, and we ate shrimp and grits at the rehearsal. The colors chosen by the couple for the wedding were navy and silver with lots of white hydrangea.

We live a long way from the southern kids so all the planning fell on their shoulders. They planned, coordinated, organized, and contracted all the elements of the wedding and the results were spectacular, if I do say so in my biased state of mind.

When we arrived Wednesday evening we were greeted by our sweet grand dog Maeby and the kids.

Everyone else arrived on Thursday or Friday so we got some quality time with the kids.

Thursday morning while TSB was out for a run the flowers started arriving along with wedding gifts. At one point we had UPS waiting for Fed Ex to finish. The fact that flowers started showing up was a problem because they were supposedly canceled. A few phone calls revealed that an error had been made and the flowers would not be charged to her so they were going to be added to the reception flowers. This is what the man cave room looked like when we were through sorting the flowers and putting them in vases.

The kids attend Hawthorne Lane United Methodist Church. A beautiful old Methodist church in Charlotte. A quick trip to the church confirmed that they were all ready for the invasion. The wedding coordinator, Karen, had it all under control.

Their bridesmaids and groomsmen were a mix of family, high school friends, college friends, and current friendships. The ladies were beautiful. The guys were elusive.

We then set up at the reception venue. They chose Palmer Fire House. A decommissioned fire training station built by the WPA. It is now run by the Charlotte Firemen Union as a fund-raiser for them. If you live near Charlotte I recommend the facility for anyone. The cost is low, the staff of volunteers who run the center are amazing and the service cannot be beat. We loved it from the moment we saw the facility. The outdoor space had a fireplace, a garden, and space for their one desire… a food truck at the wedding.

Yep. They wanted a food truck to drive up and serve food right out of the truck. I told you in the title this was an urban wedding. Here they are ordering from the truck.

The kids wanted a trolley to run between the church and the reception.

It was so cool. Everyone checked it out. Dad, brother and grandparents.

Finally, TSB’s dream was to have a vintage car take her away from the reception all at the end of the night. A check of local car clubs landed her the perfect car, a 1951 Chrysler. The grand parents loved it!

The wedding was stunning… it went off without a hitch. We love her new in laws! TSB now has two sweet nephews to spoil.

The reception was fun. I think everyone had a ball.

The Bride and Groom were beaming, and joking all day. I love the photo bomb.

These two guys have spoiled TSB. They definitely love her more than air.

The evening ended with sparklers lighting the path for them as they made their way to the car.

Enjoy the random shots. We had an amazing photographer. Lauren did a great job along with her assistant, Juliette. They will be sharing photos on the website as they become available.

Charlotte NC, family, wedding, wedding preparation, Weddings

M-O-B Dress Shopping

March 15, 2013August 21, 2013 Karen

The Southern Belle convinced me to go dress shopping with her. I am thrilled to report that I found both the rehearsal dinner dress and the dress I will wear to the wedding! So excited, I just need to make sure I look good in them so I am now on a serious workout plan and back on my weight watchers. This week I got the chance to attend a shower at her office, meet some of the kids’ friends, do a few projects around TSB’s home and spend time with my sweet husband.

updated post

Here I am dancing like a goofball in my MOB dress with Baby Boy.

And with the beautiful, stunning, gorgeous bride!

Charlotte NC, Decorating, family, North Carolina, the Southern Belle

What I Learn From My Daughter’s Decorating Style

March 14, 2013March 14, 2013 Karen

I have written before about my daughter’s decorating style. I love her simple elegance. It is a theme that is evident in her whole life, not just decorating her home. As I prepare to move from one home to what will probably (hopefully) be a smaller home, I am glad I have had the chance to spend time in her very peaceful home. I have viewed what she does with fresh eyes and I will be taking what I observed home with me and apply it in my new digs.

Here is what I have noticed about her home that makes it so serene:
1. Keep only what you love. She pares down easily where I struggle with keeping things I do not love because I love who gave it to me or I fear hurting someone’s feelings. As soon as the new mirror was installed the old one went to Restore. Because she only keeps what she loves, her home is a true reflection of her personality. Her home is peacful because it is not too full of stuff.
2. Select a subtle theme and carry it through the home. The Southern Belle loves navy blue. It will be the color of her brides maid dresses. Every room has a touch of navy. Pillows, chair cushions, valance, shower curtain trim, the office walls. It travels through the home without being overwhelming. She lived in costal communities for a few years. That costal vibe is also evident, but not kitchy.

3. Nothing beats white trim work. No matter the wall color, the white trim unifies each room.
4. Dark colors work well in bedrooms, as long as the furniture is minimal and light. It is restful.

5. Nothing fussy. Natural fibers, wood, fruit, fresh flowers.

6. Keep the metals the same throughout the house. In The Southern Belle’s home it is silver, chrome, or brushed nickel. She stays true to that family in everything. Light fixtures, furniture hardware, lamps…

Charlotte NC, Decorating, DIY Projects, home decorating, North Carolina, recycled furniture, Repurposed Furniture, the guest room, the Southern Belle, vintage style

Turning a Ten Dollar Door Into a Headboard

March 13, 2013March 14, 2013 Karen

When we are at The Southern Belle’s home we try to do things for her that she and her fiancée just don’t have the time to do. This trip Hubby replaced the shower head and fixed it so that Sweet Maeby can get her shower without getting TSB (The Southern Belle) all wet too. I decided that my project would be to make a fun headboard for the guest room.
I love the Restore. There is one really near TSB’s home. I am a huge supporter of Habitat For Humanity and I am all about repurposed items.
At the local Restore we picked up a solid wood panel door for $10.00.

It was a bit dirty and I hated the brass hardware, but otherwise it was in good shape. Hubby removed all the hardware,

I gave it a shower and scrub then Hubby cut it down to 61 inches. That meant he had to cut from both ends in order to make the panels even and he did it with a circular saw. I think he missed his table saw on this one. No pictures because I was standing on the end of the door while it was being cut.

The door was painted white on one side and off white on the other. I opted to use the white side and touched it up at the cut ends with white spray paint. I found a can of greenish black called Charleston Green for $2.00 in the oops bin at Home Depot. A can of glazing medium and a cheap paintbrush later I was good to go. This was my project at the Pinterest Party. No pictures of the glazing because I forgot to make sure my SD card was in.

Hubby attached two by four legs to the back of the door and bolted it to the frame. I love how it turned out and I hope my daughter does too. It adds to the eclectic vibe in her guest room.

Total cost of this project was about $20.00.

Here is the finished product:

Charlotte NC, Decorating, Fun with friends, North Carolina, the Southern Belle, Thrifty Art

Pinterest Party With The Southern Belle

March 13, 2013March 13, 2013 Karen

The Southern Belle had a Pinterest party Tuesday night. It was a great way to have friends over, work on projects, and learn new things. I loved most of all the opportunity to meet some of her friends in North Carolina. The projects going on were: a spring wreath, jute/burlap wrapped wine bottles for an upcoming wedding reception (with the coolest hand crocheted roses!), faux milk glass and mercury glass, making rainbow and pot of gold treat bags for coworkers, and a welcome sign for a front entry. I have never been to a Pinterest Party before but I loved it. Every person brings the stuff for their own Pinterest craft idea then works on it. I am SO SAD that I messed up my camera so the only shots I have are from The Southern Belle’s iPhone. There are times when I am really not too smart. I hope that the others took pictures so that I can update this post. Several of them promised to send me pictures of their finished projects and I am holding them to it.

The food was great! Thank you sweet girl for planning this for us.