Simple Fall Porch Decor

Decorating Your Porch For Fall

Your fall decor does not have to be expensive or time consuming 

Sometimes simple....makes a bigger statement

We all love Mums and White Pumpkins are Simply Beautiful

I have an advantage since we do not use our front door, my options are limitless.  

My house is very close to a well traveled road...

so I like to have a large display that can be seen easily by passer-by's.

 I can center my display on the porch for more impact.

 A couple of galvanized buckets and a wicker rocker

A simple and yet beautiful display 

that will last through the fall

Vintage Drop Leaf Table & Other Stuff

From Drab to Fab

I love the way this vintage drop leaf table came out. 

It was a black, boring, ugly table....now it's fabulous. 

Perfect for any small space, as it folds into such a tiny footprint....

you can virtually fit it anywhere.

 

It was originally a semi gloss black color....yuk!

No need for sanding.  I used Aura flat Matte finish with the primer included in the paint

 

Benjamin Moore #1506 Polar Frost 
It's a soft grey green color
click the link below for the Benjamin Moore website

 http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/polarfrost

 

I only needed one coat and then just a spot touch up coat. 

When that was dry, I sanded the top and the edges until I got the look I wanted. 
The black layer underneath showed through nicely and made it interesting. 

I then put a coat of water based polyurethane on top, for durability....Perfection!

 

 

I am also excited about my recent finds for the Barn. 

 After the Barn Sale, I was kind of  low on merchandise

 but over these last few weeks

 I have managed to restock with tons of exciting and interesting items.

 

These great end tables....a coat of paint and some new handles....Charming

 

Lots and lots of Ironstone

 

I bought out an entire flower frog collection

 

And this metal basket is one of my favorite finds

There is much more to see

so if you are passing by, stop in for a visit

Our Annual Summer Barn Opening This Friday

Finally...the Summer Barn Opening is Here!

(We almost missed the summer....we have been sooooo busy!)

We have had so many sales this summer with 

Long Island Tag Sale Co

But the Barn is Ready to Go....

here are some preview pictures

We have lots of great garden stuff...

Things that are intended for the garden and things that just make great garden art.

The yard scape is just plain fun to walk around

 Inside

The barn is full of new finds....lots of rusty metal,

 industrial, country cottage, garden, farmhouse fresh,

lighting, nautical and Mid century decor. 

 We have many repurposed, transformed, upcycled - Renamed & Reclaimed items!

If you are in the area, drop on by for refreshments and fun

For our website customers....check out our new site

click the link below

Small Holdings Farm

Simple Design - Easy to do Farm Table

This wonderful Farm Table was made from an old plank door

It is a simple way to build a great farm table

I found this unpainted, natural wood, old barn door

I had Walter make an apron and  2x4 legs which he slightly tapered,

 but straight legs are simpler and also look good

One side of the door had 3 wood braces that held the planks together. 

 Walter cut back each of them by 31/2 ".

 When he made the 4" apron he was then able to screw the boards

 to the sides of the cross planks. 

 After cutting the legs at 30" each, he drilled holes and 

bolted the legs and the apron together. 

Painting was easy. Sand lightly with an orbital sander in case there is any grease.  

 For this look, I just thinned down a creamy white latex paint,

 rapidly brushing it in one direction so the grain will come through the thin paint.

I painted the legs and apron straight out of the can for a more solid look.

 As you can see in the photo, I put the table on top of another table to paint it 

so I would not get grass or mud on the bottoms of the legs. 

As a finishing touch, you might want to use a water based poly coating

 for durability or a good coat of wax.

As an added treat.....just LOOK at my find of the week!!!!

I'm struggling with selling it vs keeping it!

Simple - Inexpensive - Trouble Free Garden Tips

It's May, and in our yard, 

on the Eastern End of Long Island,

 the Daffodils and Lilacs have bloomed. 

 They are our earliest bloomers, along with Tulips,

 which I don't plant anymore because the squirrels steal them.

My style of gardening is slightly different from most gardeners...I am lazy but I love beauty!

Here are some of my tried and true's of gardening....

I love to plant my Daffodils within a group of trees, where nothing else will grow easily.

They bloom before the tree leaves block out the sun. 

 If it is hard digging, I just pour dirt on top of the bulbs instead of planting

 them in the ground....works 100% of the time and is much easier. 

(don't tell the professional gardeners)

It's now time to start or to refurbish your flower gardens.

 

 I am a big believer in ground cover for a number of my gardens

When you first buy ground cover, you should buy 3 or 4 different kinds and also find out if they bloom, which I think is a great idea.  In a year or two your gardens will have all the ground cover you want and plenty for re-planting in other spots.

Also, think about buying types with variegated leaves....the shade differences make the garden look more interesting versus just a blanket of solid green.

As the summer goes on, there will be flowering perennials

 that grow up through this ground cover. 

 I also dot the gardens with a few flat stones,

 that will hold pots of annuals for added color.

If you are starting or refurbishing a garden, you should try to get free plants....most people are happy to share what has overgrown in their gardens.  Some people often sell their extras in front of their houses, very inexpensively.  I bought one Columbine

 from a homeowner 2 years ago and this year they have multiplied into 20.

Speaking of a type of plant you can often get free from neighbors etc. are Iris',

 which like ground cover, tend to spread. 

 I just keep making new gardens,

 but some people like to keep their gardens more contained and discard their extras.

This is a common Iris that you find in almost all Grandma's gardens. 

I found some curbside, and have gotten some from neighbors etc...

All Were Free!

 One big thing to remember right now 

 is not to go overboard and buy all your perennials at one time. 

 I know it's easy to get "Spring Fever" and overspend at the garden store.

It is more productive to buy a few, and see how they do....and then try to buy

 many more at the end of the season....

when plants are ON SALE and generally half price

Don't buy any plants in full bloom.  

Try to buy plants that are fully budded but haven't fully bloomed yet.

 Your enjoyment will be longer. 

Clematis is a very showy climbing flower that gives a lot of bang for it's buck

at $12 - $20.  You can buy Spring or Fall bloomers and they come in many colors and sizes.

We will be back with more pictures and tips as our garden changes through the seasons.

Two Amazing Industrial Finds This Weekend

I am in total love with this 

Vintage Industrial Gas Station Metal Cabinet 

with it's great graphics

It actually comes in 3 sections with 2 drawers to a section and then the base

I almost never keep anything I find for the shop but I had to keep this.  Walter loves it too

Another great industrial find this week were these 

vintage GIANT porcelain letters

 

These will be available on the website and in the shop.  They stand a full 24" high

 I have 2 each of R, U, I and O

This Pig Trough is made of cast iron circa 1850

and was made in Pennsylvania

 

 I'm going to have to struggle with myself not to keep it

Now for some other wonderful things I found this weekend 

Isn't this vintage Majolica seashell dish beautiful.  The coloring is so accurate.....I'm in love

And look at this gigantic collection of Amber Glass.... 

I'm trying to sort through all this glass to get some of it up for sale on the website....

I'm sure to keep a piece or two

Looks like I've got my work cut out for me.....I'm still not done sorting all of the vintage Ball Jars and glass bottles from the last find!.......better get to work

Our Driftwood Sailboats are Pictured in Coastal Living Magazine

Our one of a kind driftwood sailboats are pictured 

in the April 2012 issue of Coastal Living.

The article is titled Coastal Dream Town: Sag Harbor, NY

Here is a link to the online article
http://www.coastalliving.com/travel/atlantic/visit-sag-harbor-00414000074059/page2.html

We were so excited that we couldn't wait to tell you. 

 

 Our Driftwood Sailboats can be purchased

 at Kristina's wonderful shop,  Beach Bungalow in Sag Harbor, NY

She Carries a wide variety of coastal home decor

 

All of our sailboats are different....from funky to elegant

Please visit Kristina in Sag Harbor

 A most wonderful and charming seaside town

 with great restaurants, wonderful shops and interesting architecture