Now I Have Some Maps

We'll call them vintage maps. This one is a map of California. 

(thank you, Dagmar!)

 And I have outlet covers. I'm sure you have no idea where this is headed.

 Yes! Custom outlet covers! You guys are good!

FYI~this stuff will work if you have no Mod Podge.

 Cut out part of the map so it's about a half inch bigger than your cover. Make sure it's a part of the map you like.

 Then take a super cheap 1" brush from IKEA 

(do you like how specific I am? Really, a foam brush will work, too.)

 and spread the glue on the backside of your map, making sure you hold the brush at an extremely awkward angle thereby allowing you to take pictures of yourself spreading glue over the backside of a small section of a vintage map.

 Do the same thing with the outlet cover. Again, the awkward angle is a must.

 Then start wrapping the outlet cover like it's a present, trimming off the excess map as you go along.

 Then you want to make some cuts in the paper that covers the hole. I found out that more cuts will mean it will look better on the other side. 

 Fold all those little flaps in.

 Smooth out any air bubbles, and make sure the edges look good.

Once they're dry, spray them with

You could, of course, use a matte or satin clear coat, but I thought gloss would be easier to wipe down. Since I regularly dust my outlet covers. You don't?

 The map index does show through a little. But let's be honest, how often are we this close to an outlet cover?

 But I obviously don't dust my baseboards often enough.
Now I have two outlets that have a cute cover around those little faces 

that look perpetually dismayed, no matter what the angle.

This is such a fast, easy project! I'm going to move on to switch plates next. It only took about 5 minutes to do the cutting and covering. Waiting for the glue and then the clear coat to dry took the most time.

Thanks for reading!

So I Found These Crates

And they were ugly. I was a tad too optimistic when I snatched them up, thinking I could make them into something I'd want to keep. 

But they were so rough, there wasn't much I could do with them. 

Except dismantle them and keep the useful parts.

Which gave me an idea that involved all the flotsam and jetsam you see here. Scrap wood, some old yardsticks

Gel stain

A yellow wash

Wood screws

More wood screws

Some blue paint mixed with

black paint 

(I need to go snap that lid on tight!)
which I mixed and used to paint a piece of beaded board paneling that became the bottom.
Of this.

A crate that a 16 year old boy really likes.
So does his dad. 
Which is good, because it is for a 16 year old boy, and now I know he'll like it when he's into his Dadhood.

(Something new for everybody! Those old slogans crack me up. Everybody did NOT get an new Chevrolet in 1965. I'm pretty sure.)
I made the handle using

some nuts, some screws

and a leftover piece of yardstick.

(And you know you'll enjoy doing business with the Ho First National Bank)
If this were my crate

I'd probably ruin the look by trying to girly it up.

But it's not my crate, so he can put whatever he wants in it. I'm guessing it will be old issues of Popular Science. Perhaps a prom photo or two. 
I think I've finally got crates out of my system. Time to move on!


Tune in tomorrow for an episode of
"Now I have maps~what do I do with them?"


Thanks for reading!

P.S. Someone asked if I've ever done anything with the cabinet thingie my dad gave me. No, not yet! 

P.P.S. If you change your settings in blogger, your email address will show up~and I can answer questions via email, and then we email back and forth. :) Come on, it will be fun! 

Maybe My Slump Is Over

I haven't been feeling very creative lately. Or motivated. 

But I started something new today, and I'm excited about it. I'm waiting on one piece, so I'll show you the whole thing on Monday.

There's no good segue into this next subject, so I'll just ask.

(For sale on WUSLU recently)

Is it just me, or do you wish, 

when you see things like this, 

that the "fleurs" hadn't been added? 

I'd absolutely LOVE these little buckets if the fronts were left plain.

It's just me? 

Oh.

O.K.

 Well now. 

Have a good weekend!

I'm Getting A Beach House!

It's in the best location, and it was designed by one of the best firms out there~Pinterest!

Yeah. 
I know.

It's not real. 
It's one I've made up in my head with the help of some great pictures I found on Pinterest.

Want to see?
This is the entry way.

source
 and this is the other entryway.

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Which will bring us to this living room.

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I love this living room.

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But I also love this one

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and this one. So my beach house has three living rooms. And two entryways. No big deal.

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This is one of the bathrooms.

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And here's another one.

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Another one

And a powder room.
And of course, 

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An outdoor shower.
So my house has two entryways, three living rooms and 3 1/2 baths. Plus an outdoor shower. No big deal!
Want to see the bedrooms?
Here's one.

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I LOVE that iron bed painted aqua!

And here's another one.

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And another

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And another

and one more.

So my house has two entryways, three living rooms and 3 1/2 baths. Plus an outdoor shower. And five bedrooms. I'll probably add more later. No big deal!

Want to see the dining room?

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Gorgeous, isn't it?
We might decide to use this one, too.

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It's just as nice.
So my house has two entryways, three living rooms and 3 1/2 baths. Plus an outdoor shower. And five bedrooms. Probably more later, and two dining rooms. No big deal! 
Want to see the kitchen(s)?

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This kitchen is perfection. 

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As is this one.

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But we'll probably use this one just as often.
(I don't know who that kid is, but I wish he'd go home.)
So my house has two entryways, three living rooms and 3 1/2 baths. Plus an outdoor shower. And five bedrooms. We'll add more bedrooms later. We also have two dining rooms and three kitchens. (and one extra child who thinks he lives here.) All of these rooms are subject to change at any time, and without prior notice.
It's really not a big deal.


Want to come stay for a weekend?