the Southern Belle 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.

family, Fun with friends, mid-life, the Southern Belle

Finding Balance

January 17, 2014January 18, 2014 Karen

My sweet baby girl, The Southern Belle, came for a visit this weekend. She is running in the Houston Marathon. This will be her third marathon in a year.

Here she is in Boston this year. She was already headed back to her room when the devastation occurred. We are ~~thankful.~~ blessed.

I have a lot to learn from that very smart young lady. She is already working on, and succeeding at, something that I have always had hard time with and does a waaay better job than I do. She has found ways to balance what is important in her life. She got married this summer to a great guy. We love Big Cat and attribute some of the fun factor in her life to his influence.

In addition to being married, she holds a very demanding job and all the obligations that it entails, has an active membership in a service organization, is still active in her local chapter of her college sorority, and has set aside time for her passion, which is running. She is also the first one to mail a birthday card or post card from her travels, she calls her parents and grandparents regularly, keeps up with her college buddies,

keeps a clean house, and still has time to socialize with her friends.

She is not afraid to tell someone who calls that now is not a good time ( even her mom!), but she will call them back. I feel guilty doing this. She is willing to be the first one up on holidays so that she can go to the gym or for a run before the day gets started, she looks for things to do that are fun but still fulfill her responsibilities or include friends. (We passed out pink ribbons at the Carolina Panthers football game before the game got started on one visit and went to a KIPP academy event on another trip . She planned a Pinterest party on one visit and we ate out at potential wedding rehearsal sites on a pre wedding visit.) As I thought about all she has going on and how she is able to manage it I thought about the rock analogy. You have probably heard this story told before but like me, you may not have seen it. You may also be like me and just need a reminder.

My word this year is focus. I need to focus on what makes my heart sing, and put those the big rocks first then let the rest settle in around what is important to me. I need to stop relinquishing control of my agenda to others who may not have the same priorities I do, and I need to focus on my spiritual, physical and emotional health.

This Weekend Country Girl is going to put marriage, family, faith, and health in her jar first. Oh, and laughter. I need a lot more of that. Doesn’t this picture of my four kids just make you smile? It sure does make my heart sing.

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, 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, 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.

Dresser, Mirror, North Carolina, Ornate mirror, the Southern Belle

The Giant Silver Mirror Has Been Installed

March 11, 2013March 18, 2013 Karen

The giant silver mirror that has been in my possession for almost a year now, finally has a home in The Southern Belle’s home. It was safely transported to North Carolina and Hubby got it hung. The Giant Silver Mirror It started life as a gold ornate mirror I would guess in the 50’s. I found this beauty at a garage sale for $10.00.

I loved the detail and the size. This beauty is five feet wide and three feet tall!

She got a total makeover to modernize and match The Southern Belle’s silver/brushed nickle throughout her beautiful home including a new backing and hanging hardware.

Doesn’t she look beautiful? I love the stenciled wall in the bedroom and the soft blue comforter set.

Do you ever wonder what your dog does when you are at work? This is what sweet Maeby does…pretty much nothing.

milk glass, the Southern Belle

The Trials of Crossing Louisiana at Spring Break

March 10, 2013March 12, 2013 Karen

We loaded up the truck Saturday morning headed for North Carolina.

For those of you who watch Duck Dynasty or Swamp People, I have inserted a photograph of the Atchafalaya swamp. I got such great pictures because we were at a DEAD STOP on this 24 mile long bridge for hours Saturday.

Plenty of time to enjoy the scenery…Grrr. My family is from Louisiana, my parents still own land that was part of a land grant that has been in my family 6 generations so I feel that I can talk about this state without feeling too guilty. Louisiana truly is one of the most spectacularly beautiful, charming, quaint, incredibly frustrating places I have ever experienced. It is such a crazy quilt of old and new, rich and poor, traditional and modern, fixed and broken. The state infrastructure definitely falls in the last category; mostly broken and certainly overwhelmed at this time of the year when spring breakers are headed for Florida.. There are times when Louisiana roadways more closely resemble Texas’ southwest border neighbor more than that of the roads in a state that is part of the United States. On the other hand, the people at the rest stops and visitor’s stations are always gracious, with a smile, clean restrooms and a cup of coffee to offer. I had the opportunity to visit 4 of them in my day long crawl across the state. I never thought I would be happy to see Mississippi but man, it was great to finally turn north toward Alabama. We are spending the night in Mobile instead of our goal of Birmingham, but tomorrow we get to see The Southern Belle, Big Cat, and little Maeby! Yippee.

DIY Furniture, DIY Painting and Glazing Furniture, DIY Projects, Dresser, Painted Furniture, recycled furniture, rescuing damaged furniture, the Southern Belle

The Southern Belle’s Christmas Present- Refinishing a French Provincial Dresser

December 25, 2012December 25, 2012 Karen

Christmas presents for grown up kids were so much fun this year. The Southern Belle asked a while back for a dresser. She wanted it black with brushed nickel hardware. I started looking when we were out shopping, thrifting, and junking. Nothing really struck me until I saw a mistreated piece on Craig’s List. It was covered in layers of really ugly paint with pink showing through. Someone had put cabinet hardware on it that reminded me of a cabin.

To make matters worse, the hardware did not fit ell so the person who thought this hardware would work jammed plastic anchors into the holes.
It took some work on hubby’s part. Getting the hardware off, sanding, filling holes, more sanding before the paint went on.
Hubby got a new paint sprayer, and about the biggest compressor I have ever seen for an early Christmas present. It really made the piece look professionally painted and the Behr paint I love works in this high volume, low pressure sprayer.
Here are the results. For the present she just got a photograph of the piece. It will be getting delivered to North Carolina this spring. Another great reason to visit her.

It was fun making something that our daughter will enjoy.