Category Archives: My Home

Room by room pictures of my home

Annie Sloan Paint Project Day 3

Woo hoo! I am getting very close to having this project done! I’ve been working on it a few days and talking about it in a past post.

My end table began the week looking like this…

Tonight, getting close to the finish line, it looks like this.

It’s not done. I need to find an antique glass knob, and all of the antique stores I’ve visited tell me about the ones they USED to have!! Also, this needs a final coat of clear wax with another good buffing. Maybe a new lamp, too?

Tonight when I went down to the shop, the table was sitting there completely dry with two coats of Annie Sloan’s Chalk Paint in Duck Egg that I applied over the past few days. “Duck Egg” describes a green/blue/gray color. My friend, Sue, tells me it’s green, and I tell her it’s blue.

So following the two coats of chalk paint, this piece was ready for the waxing process. I’d read online tutorials on the waxing process following the chalk paint application, so I knew that the next step was to apply a clear wax. Annie Sloan makes a full line of products, but I had only the paint. I used a different brand of clear wax and it worked fine. With any project, there are a dozen ways to get to the end result. Sometimes just starting is the hardest part.

So, back to the waxing. The clear wax has the consistency of a heavy lotion so I brushed it on. I used a paint brush we had on hand.

Once this clear wax is applied, it needs to dry a set time. For the brand I used, which was Miss Mustard Seed’s clear wax product, the time was 3-5 minutes. I had this wax because it was included in a milk paint kit I won last week at the Southern Bloggers Conference. Use what you have.

After 3-5 minutes, I wiped the wax with a soft lint-free cloth. It was actually a pair of Mike’s old underwear. The next step was to follow with the glaze. It was called wax but it has the consistency of glaze in a pot.

So…Sue and I brushed this all over the end table and let it dry for about 3-5 minutes and wiped it off.

And another view…

The “antiquing” step is the place where your preference weighs in on how you apply the wax. If you want a piece of furniture that looks like you found it in a coal bin, then lay it on thick! If you want something that looks slightly aged, take a lighter approach.

I’ll be showing you the big reveal for this piece when I find the knob. I’m going to cheat on the hunt and look on Ebay tonight. Is the internet great or what?

I’ve had fun doing this project. When we bought this end table, we lived in Acton, Massachusetts, and it was ” hurry, hurry…make a house a home.” I did not make the wisest purchases, but with this new look, I think I can enjoy this table for a long while!

Annie Sloan Paint Project Day Two

Let’s do something together…let’s watch paint dry…

Specifically, let’s watch “Duck Egg” Chalkpaint by Annie Sloan.

My husband almost laid a duck egg when he figured out I was carrying around a piece of “perfectly good” furniture with intent to paint it…not just shifting furniture around.

What does he know? Quack!

Tomorrow is waxing day. I don’t actually have the right wax so I’m using Miss Mustard Seed’s wax as a substitute. I have no expertise in this so I’m just winging it.

If I fail, I can always redo it. I’ll be embarassed, though.

Annie Sloan Paint Project Day One

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint! I have been reading about it in all the pins, blogs and magazines for several months now, and last week I visited the Annie Sloan website to find a local dealer. I found one in Mendota! LIE! JOKE! We don’t even have a store of any kind in Mendota! However, there is someone who carries Annie Sloan nearby–in Johnson City, Tennessee. It’s called “The Sparrow’s Nest.”

Mendota, Virginia is about 45 miles from Knob Creek Road in Johnson City, Tennessee where the Sparrow’s Nest is located….just long enough to be considered an event!

We didn’t have any problem finding it. It’s located in an historic old house that was used in the days of the Underground Railroad! If you visit the Sparrow’s Nest, ask to be shown the trap door that was used so many years ago. Shivers!

I went in and quickly picked out the color of paint I wanted. It is a gray blue called “Duck Egg.” I’ll show it to you a bit further down on this post.

However, there were so many treasures at the Sparrow’s Next. Here’s a few…

And this…

Lorrie Malcolm, the person who sold me the paint, is also an artist. She both works and sells her things at the Sparrow’s Nest and mentioned that there were several locally made pieces in the shop. She was working on a “felting” project which will result in a Thanksgiving turkey. Here’s a picture of what she has completed so far….

Here’s another whimsical piece that Lorrie made. It’s a really good likeness of “the man in the moon!” If I could afford this, I’d take it home. It was reasonably priced, but I’m on a tight budget right now!

And this…for me…this was an inspiration piece…an old frame, a bit of burlap and a stencil and I could make this. Or I could just go back to the Sparrow’s Nest and buy this one!

And doesn’t everyone need a pair of these? I’ve got my eye on them. Ha!

Now..back to why I ended up at the Sparrow’s Nest. I brought the Annie Sloan chalk paint home.

As soon as I got home with the paint, I went upstairs into the loft area of our house and came down the stairs grunting carrying an end table. Mike looked at me as if I had a third eye and asked, “What are you doing?” I’ve kept him a little in the dark about this project, so I just replied, “Nothing.” He said, “Oh no…not again!”

Here’s the table before I started painting it. Boring.

This paint is so pretty…

My friend, Sue Gardner, is staying with me for a few weeks, and she helped me. Here she is…painting away!

And here I am with phase I of this project done! By the way…can you tell I’ve lost a few pounds? I’m on it baby!

The good thing about this paint is that there is no prep work. I dusted the end table off and started adding paint. Tomorrow morning we’ll add a second coat, and Friday we’ll probably add the wax. Hopefully, this will be beside the bed in just a few days looking all fancy.

Another wonderful thing from today…our beautiful Clinch Mountain. I could not live where this mountain was not at my back. It’s getting fancy, too, all bright and beautiful for fall…

Thank you for reading RiverCliff Cottage.

Rainy Mendota Sunday October 7

It is one gray, rainy Sunday here in Mendota. Mike asked if I wanted to turn the heat on, but I think the gas fireplace will knock the chill off in our house. “Turn the fireplace on”…that is a term that I did not hear until the 1990’s. We used to build a fire in the fireplace, but now we “turn the fireplace on.” We have two gas fireplaces…the one in this picture is a direct vent, and it throws out a very modest amount of heat which is perfect for a day like today.

While the small bit of heat this fireplace throws out is good for today, it’s not enough during the winter. At that point, we use it more “for looks.” There is something about a fireplace and candles that lightens my mood.

I’ve got a candle stuck in one of the bowls of gourds in this picture although it doesn’t show up that well. That’s okay as the prettier part of this picture is one of my dear girls taking a snooze. That’s Princess Gracie Barker Beaule. She a member in good standing with the American Kennel Club…she proudly mentions this to Luckie daily. Luckie, of course, is of questionable lineage, and as Gracie constantly reminds her, she will never be a member of the American Kennel Club.

Here’s Luckie…it’s an old picture you’ve seen before of her eating her Dogster icey treat. She could care less about Gracie’s snobby remarks.

Back to candles… I put tea candles everywhere I can. They burn about four hours.

While everyone was sleeping and all these little candles were burning, I decided to cook up a pot of something…

Mums in a Pot!! Want to eat one?

Possibilities…

My husband Mike knows me pretty well. Gifts from him? That he picked out? I don’t think so. Maybe once in a while. He did get the iPad right a few years back.

However, yesterday he did buy me something, and I ~~like~~ love it. I may like it as much as that iPad! That’s alot!

While I don’t know exactly how this will be used, I know it will be in the Master Bedroom (the room that it’s pictured in).

It was $9 at an antique store in Church Hill, Tennessee.

I may have to go back with him. I may need two. Or even three. Wonder how one without the glass would look with chalkpaint behind it in the garage as a “Reminder Board?”

It’s going to be a Pinterest night.

Mendota Daily October 2

In a post last week, I gave you Muriel’s Mom’s Pumpkin Bread Recipe and I boldly stated I was going to make it that night. Actually, that didn’t happen. I didn’t get it made until today!

I always keep my camera near and on the spur of the moment while starting the bread, I took this picture. Here is what the kitchen counter looks like for someone with the attention span of a gnat. I started getting the ingredients out for the pumpkin bread. See the canned pumpkin, the flour and some baking powder? Apparently, I also started unloading the dishwasher while starting to make the bread. I opened a can of paint to paint on the kitchen foyer, and I was watering a plant. I see a Mason jar which has white vinegar in it, and I recall using that for cleaning. I was doing all of these things at the same time. And…I was taking pictures. Yikes…please get me on medication!!

Actually, I like doing a lot of things at once. It works for me. A few hours later, I was looking at these babies…two little pumpkin breads to take to my neighbor tomorrow morning. There was a third one but it’s not currently wrapped in a bow! We’re eating it!

That pumpkin bread was easy to make and the batter was so light and fluffy. I was licking the spoon the whole time I was working with the batter.

I didn’t do too well getting the batter in the pan. Still, it was delicous when I got it out of the pan! There are bloggers who focus on how to photograph food. I haven’t got to read their stuff yet. I just snap pictures and hope for the best.

So…I had a paint can on the cabinet as I was touching up the walls on the small foyer area off our kitchen. I really like this area of the house. Lisa Snead of Bristol came out a few years ago and painted some lyrics of one of my favorite songs near the ceiling. It’s “Keep on The Sunny Side.” This song reflects how I want to live my life. It’s also a Carter Family song. I love it.

Here’s some not so great picture angles…

Keep on the sunny side of life…always on the sunny side…Keep on the sunny side…it will help us every day…

It will brighten all our way if we keep on the sunny side of life..

It continues on saying…

Let us greet with a song of hope each day though the moment be cloudy or fair..

Let us trust in our Savior…Keep on the sunny side of life.

Also in this foyer is a little whimsey…I like this black cat…she’s after something!

Here’s what she’s after…Mr. Mouse will always be just out of reach!

And when everyone else was in their rooster phase about ten years ago…I joined them..

And I’m still there. I like my roosters, and in my house, they still are working…still crowing! I don’t have too many…just a few.

And then there is this guy…He was so sick last week, but he’s fine now. He still hates everything.

Sam the Cat really hates this pink cat carrier. So girly!

Repurposed Serving Dish

I have not been productive this weekend. At.all. In fact, so the weekend was not a total loss of productivity, I decided to clean the teeniest, tiniest room in my house, the “powder room” (basically commode and sink) and I could not even find the Windex. It was lost! Laid aside due to lack of use.

I did make one fun thing. I could not sleep last night, and at 2:00 am, I decided to work on a little project to pass the time. I’m not sure if I showed you my latest Salvation Army find for $3. It is a little silver-plated serving dish. Kingsport’s Salvation Army on Stone Drive rocks!!

It was a little dull, and I bet that is why it was at the Salvation Army. I tried to brighten it.

While this copper cream works well on copper, it worked only marginally on this. However, no fault found–it does say copper cream after all!

Once cleaned…what to do with it? I decided to try and paint the center and use it for an inspirational quote. A very short inspirational quote, but still….

I had no idea if this would turn out. It either was going to work or not going to work!!

It’s drying in this picture. It took two coats. This was the type of chalkpaint that you brush on which is about $9.50 at Lowe’s (my True Love).

Keep in mind…all this is going on somewhere between 2:00 am and 3:00 am. I was trying to take my mind off the fact that I was so hot!!! (Women of a certain age will understand this.) Watching the paint dry made me sleepy.

Here ya go! I’m working on my calligraphy and I’ll probably redo this or fix it a bit. If you are thinking of learning calligraphy, don’t contact the Washington County Public Library to get any books…I went online last night and reserved them all. They are headed from the Main Branch on a roadtrip to the Mendota Branch.

It’s Punkin’ Time

Happy Monday! We were so busy partying it up at “get togethers” in Mendota that I didn’t get to work on my house projects. Most are UFO’s. Unfinished Objects. Check out this dining room table which has been where I’ve been stashing things. I did clean it after taking this picture!

My day started with a bit of stress as I found a big lump on Sam the Cat. He has a large, hard lump on the left of his jawbone. I’ve called Dr. Steve Dotson and set up an appointment. He’s such a bad cat but I don’t want anything to be wrong with him.

This picture was taken about 10 days ago. Don’t you think his mean little face looks a little swollen on the left? I’m hoping it’s just a tooth, and it can be a quick fix. I don’t like my animals to be in pain, so it’s been on my mind today. However, it still was a good day.

I wanted to make some cloth pumpkins. I’d seen these online and they looked simple enough to make. It’s gotta be SUPER SIMPLE EASY for me to make something with cloth and thread! I needed something round, and the largest round thing that came to mind was a trashcan lid. I decided that the driveway was as good of place as any to work.

Here ya go!

Time for a break. Had to leave my little work space and hang out with Luckie Dog for a minute. The dogs are enjoying these cool days. I love this little dog.

I just left my pile of fabric on the pavement.

While Luckie and I were walking about, I started looking for a stick to act as my pumpkin stem. The woodpile in the meadow behind the house was a good place to look. Bingo!

I moved my little workshop to the kitchen countertop. I did a quick handstitch around the edge of my circle and then gathered it making a little pouch.

It’s now time for my stick and some beans to give a little weight to my pumpkin.

This pumpkin needs some fullness. I had purchased stuffing for this, but since it was going so well, I wanted the stuffing to last for several pumpkins. So…I added Walmart bags!!

In addition to the bags, I added a bit of the fluffy stuff.

Here’s the finished product. The fabric looks brown in this picture, but it’s actually a nice olive green. I added a little burlap to transition the top of my pumpkin and the stem. I also cut a couple of burlap leaves. I used my glue gun to make sure they stayed put, but I did it in such a manner that the glue did not touch the fabric. For some reason, this just screamed “put a button on me!” So I did! Then…I thought…it looks like a pilgrim! I have created a pilgrim pumpkin!

Since the first one was so simple to make, I repeated the whole thing and made a second one.

Working on a third smaller black one tonight. When working with accessories such as this, three always works better than two.

I like the use of fabrics that I have on hand and the different textures. The green one (that looks brown in these pictures) is a soft cordurory. The gold and white polka dot is just cotton. The black fabric that I’ll be using for pumpkin #3 is silky black with gold flowers. I’ll take some pictures of all three when they are all finished, and I’ll do it in early morning light so the colors will be true.

If you try this project, I’d recommend that you use what is on hand and to be sure and use either fishing line or upholstery thread for your stitching. When you gather and tie the knot, you’ll need to pull hard. Just like marriage!

We’re Getting Ready! And Stuff…

Hi everyone! We are loving this beautiful fall weather here in Mendota. I’ve really enjoyed these Susie flowers that have come up during the past month. They self seeded from the Black Eyed Susie baskets that were hanging on my porch last year. They’ve taken over!

Here’s another one..I accidentally put a border on this picture…

This beautiful fall weather reminds us that winter is not far off. Since we heat our house, guest house, and hot water with a wood boiler, we have a barn full of wood. We actually have enough wood to go into the following winter. This is extra wood, and it will be cut, stacked and covered.

Mike recently repaired the bird feeder in the picture below. It had some rot and needed repainting. It’s ready to go. Soon I’ll start filling it with bird seed daily.

We’re are continuing to get our beehives ready for winter.

This is hive # 3 in the picture below. It is a hive that survived last winter. Can you see the space underneath the silver roof at the top of the hive? It is a vent which allows heat to escape the hive in the summer. I’m going to remove the vent this week since we’re having cooler days and nights. We’ll also be closing off a portion of the entry space on the lower portion of the hives. When the bees are foraging heavily, they need the extra space to come and go from the hives — else it becomes like a traffic jam! In winter, they primarily come out to do housecleaning and do not need the space which lets in cold air or possibly mice.

I was a bit lazy today, but I did paint the bathroom baseboard. It just looked dirty and the Magic Erasers weren’t doing the trick anymore. It’s all taped up in this picture. When I look at pictures, I see what is wrong with a room. For instance, that picture hanging beside those plates looks silly. I just stuck it up there today because I like the colors. I saw it on a clearance rack for $7 at Walmart a few weeks ago and tossed it in the cart. I believe it may return to the clearance rack. I may do an arrangement of plates. I actually had an arrangement of plates up there at one time. There are only two left as I broke THREE! In one day!!

The bathroom pictured above has been hot pink, wallpapered in yellow flowers, painted green, painted pink, and now painted this beige color. It has had three floors and two counter tops. All of the original tile was pulled up and replaced last year.

Back to plates…I bought the platter below for $3 at the Salvation Army in Kingpsort. This is one good place to go find bargains that might be trash to treasure” candidates. This is not fine china, but who cares??? I will find a good home for this platter.

The dogs kept bothering me while I was in the bathroom so I gave them some doggy treats to occupy them. Then..instead of working on my paint project, I started taking pictures. Have you ever wondered who buys the Dogsters in the ice cream section at Food City? It’s me!

Luckie really enjoys them.

She usually tears the cup up and makes a mess after she’s finished. She’s just resting before this starts.

This dog was thrown away like trash. She was so scared when she got here that she would not sleep inside the garage or house. She had to be where she could get away. I hope whoever threw her away suffers like she did. She has been a wonderful pet and so much company for Mike. They are together every minute. She is the only dog that ever gets to ride in his Porsche. She is 12 and she’s on Remadyl for her arthritis. She’s had both ACL’s replaced in her rear legs by the great orthopedic vets at the University of Tennessee. Luckie even has her own health insurance. She’s just special.

So…after watching Luckie eat her Dogster, my sister Nancy came up. She’d made this beautiful apron for her granddaughter, Lacy. I would have included Nancy in the picture but she’s all splotchy from poison oak.

Isn’t this pretty?

Mendota Daily September 17

Happy Monday evening! I started back on my weight loss which basically I’ve learned means walking every day. If I walk every day, I lose weight. It’s been less about what I’m eating — although I have been watchful — and more about these feet hitting the road every morning.

Anyway, this morning I walked two miles, came home and showered and headed out. When you live 17 miles from a retail store, trips count! I had the following “mental list” as I headed out….Hancock Fabrics (40% coupon in hand); TJ Maxx (cute black jeans in mind); Hobby Lobby (40% coupon in hand); Whitney’s Closet (15 consignment items to drop off); Salvation Army (stuff to donate); Target (exchanged a shower curtain); nail salon for manicure; dry cleaners; and finally, My Pal Walmart! I started in Kingsport…looped around to Bristol and then home. Whew! It was 3:00 pm when I pulled into the garage.

I bought a few items to work on fall decor projects. Other than the gazillion gourds that are everywhere, I haven’t done as much as I thought I’d have done by now. While I’ve already shown you the foddershocks I cut from the corn patch, I didn’t show you what they look like with a few mums tucked in here and there. I just can’t keep from glancing over at it. So simple and so pretty.

I also made a wreath.

I started not to show it to you because I’m not 100% happy with it. It’s in puberty. It has two little orange boobies that keep staring at me everytime I look at the door.

I tried to make a wreath that was more organic than what I’ve been seeing. I used ribbon, burlap, Spanish moss and Indian corn. However, I needed the little pumpkins (which are absolutely nonorganic). I really needed three, but I only had two so that’s what I used.

Should I add another pumpkin or just put a bra on the door?

Here’s another thing that reminds me of fall. Soup. I made soup last week to take to a family member who has been ill and is now recovering. Bread, soup and a bit of our honey. I think that bringing food to someone who is ill, lonely or sad is one of the best ways to say you care.

I’m having a perfect evening watching “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” with my Gracie Dog beside me. My sister lost her beloved Bailey Dog and it’s reminded me that my time with this dear girl is short. She is on the couch and I can reach out and touch her every few minutes.

Mike is in the kitchen messing around.

I love the sweetness of normal.