The 3 R’s Recycle, Re-Furbish, Re-Love

Dec 12, 2014

Thanks, Black & Decker For My Big Finish!

Recently, I had heard of a contest sponsored by Black & Decker called Your Big Finish!

Their goal is to get America to finish what they started-“It’s All For Done…And Done For All”! You know all of those projects you have started along the way that are in different stages of completion…like my Hall of Shame...and my mom’s thrifty kitchen makeover? Well, those were not eligible because they are still (unbelievably) in the works. BUT, there is one finished project that I am super proud of…my HI! Rusty Bedspring Marquee Sign.

So I thought, sure why not enter it? Well, I did, and guess what? My mug is now plastered on a billboard in Times Square!

What?!?! Now, since I don’t live in NYC, I have no way of actually seeing my face in lights (ugh, I hope it’s not high def so you can see all those wrinkles), but I am told that it is on the CNN billboard on the corner of 46th and 47th street. So, if anyone happens to be in Manhattan between now and December 27th, could you take a peek? Just look for the giant HI! that is rotating along with the 100’s of other featured projects. You can check out some of the others here (you’ll note that the Times Square featured projects have a little green street sign in the top right corner : )

Like my friend Sarah, from Little Red Brick House’s beautiful Fireplace Makeover.

In the meantime, if you would like to see the now famous Rusty Bedspring Marquee Light in person, it’s hanging in the shop at the Barn at Todd Farm. But right now it says JOY.

Because that’s a little of what I am feeling right now : ) Thanks to Black & Decker for sponsoring this contest and allowing everyday folks the opportunity for their 15 minutes of fame. And for encouraging all of us procrastinators to finish what we started!! You, too can enter for the chance to have your photo plastered on a billboard in Times Square, but also for some great prizes like some new Black & Decker tools and a grand prize of $10,000!! (which I could then use to buy the new cordless drill that I have been coveting-Santa, are you reading this?!?) Have a great finish to your Friday everyone!! xoxo Susan

Filed Under: I've Been Featured On..., Inspiration, The 3 R's Recycle, Re-Furbish, Re-Love, The Barn Workshop-DIY Series, Views From My Back Porch · Tagged: #BlackandDecker, 000, Black & Decker Finished Project Contest, Black & Decker Times Square Billboard, Black & Decker Win $10, Black & Decker Your Big Finish, Little Red Brick House

Dec 6, 2014

Vintage Ski Hat Rack & Wreath

By countrydesignhome · 10 Comments

Oftentimes, Coach will come home with stuff and my first reaction is, “not one more thing-don’t buy anything else!” And I stomp off to go find something to do while I stew about the fact that the barn is no closer to being my workshop than it was six months ago. Because it’s still full of stuff…no matter how much we sell, it never seems to get emptied. So after I get over it, I go back and look at the new stuff that he has brought home…sometimes right away, sometimes a few weeks or months later. Inevitably, I discover some new pieces that I can work with. Such is the project I shall name:

The Vintage Ski Hat Rack On The White Picket Fence With The Stove Burner Wreath.

As with most of the items I refurbish, I have no clue where they came from. All I know is one day they just appear on the porch or the deck or the yard or the basement, where they remain until I decide what to do with them. So here is the story of The Vintage Ski Hat Rack On The White Picket Fence With The Stove Burner Wreath. At the barn last Sunday, one of the other vendors was admiring the skis that we had in our shop. He had recently created a coat rack from a large pair and instructed me on the how-to. So, since I had a white picket fence section (doesn’t everyone?),

Vintage Ski Hat Rack White Picket Fence I decided to mount the skis on the fence to create a functional wall-hanging rack for caps. The skis are on the small side, so I supposed you could hang a kids jacket or two on it as well. Once I mounted the skis to the fence. I added the hooks.

But it just looked so plain, so I decided to add the wreath.

Since I didn’t have a wreath form handy, I used the next best thing: an old rusty burner grill from a stove top. It’s round, it has little hooks for wrapping stuff around it…why not?

So I took some garland and wrapped it around the burner ring and secured with wire.

Then I made a little garland with some berries and twigs and such and attached it to the bottom of the wreath with wire.

Then I added a burlap bow to the top.

Then I hung it on the Vintage Ski Hat Rack On The White Picket Fence.

Cute-right?! This will be at the shop at the Holiday Open House in the Barn at Todd Farm this weekend. Hope to see you there! Sue

Filed Under: Auctions, Fleas & Fabulous Finds, The 3 R's Recycle, Re-Furbish, Re-Love, Views From My Back Porch · Tagged: DIY vintage ski coat rack, holiday decorations with vintage skis, Holiday Wreath, Make a wreath from a stove burner, The Barn at Todd Farm

Dec 5, 2014

Holiday Open House in the Barn @Todd Farm

By countrydesignhome · Leave a Comment

As you might know if you regularly follow my blog, Coach and I, along with Lisa from RitaJo’sVintage, have spent our summer and fall Sundays in the Barn at Todd Farm,

a local antiques and flea market in Rowley, Massachusetts. Lots of 4:30 am Sunday mornings, hanging out with the roosters in dawn’s early light

as we sleepily sold our wares to dealers and hipsters and Sunday shoppers searching for bargains and repurposed junque. The Todd Farm Flea Market

is split into two distinct areas: the outdoor fields, where hundreds of dealers spend their Sundays from March to November offering their treasures (at amazingly discounted prices) and the Barn at Todd Farm

which used to be primarily a junk storage facility, but is now home to various dealers and folks like us

Country Design Home in the Barn At Todd Farm who love to recycle and refurbish furniture and collectibles. This weekend marks the 1st Annual Holiday Open House inside the Barn at Todd Farm. The barn itself is also split in two: the main barn, where our booth is located in an old dairy stall (sans cows)

Dairy Stall in the Barn at Todd Farm and the beautifully restored rustic annex

Inside the Barn at Todd Farm that has been completely refurbished from floors to the rafters. The Holiday Open House will take place this Saturday and Sunday from 10-5 in the annex of the barn, featuring local vendors like JWrobel Studio

and Special Guest Vendor: The Vintage Bazaar!

But the vendors in the main part of the barn will all be there as well! Just wear your flannels because since apparently cows never needed heat, there isn’t any in the main part of the barn (other than our warm greetings, our JOY marquee sign and perhaps some hot spiced cider : )

So bundle up and head on up to the Barn at Todd Farm Holiday Open House at 275 Main Street in Rowley. Hope to see you all there! Susan

Filed Under: Auctions, Fleas & Fabulous Finds, The 3 R's Recycle, Re-Furbish, Re-Love, Views From My Back Porch · Tagged: Antique Market in Rowley Mass, Country Design Home at Todd Farm Flea Market, Flea market in Rowely Mass, Jwrobel Studio in the Barn at Todd Farm, The Barn at Todd Farm, THe Vintage Bazaar at Todd Farm Holiday Open House, Todd Farm Flea Market

Dec 4, 2014

Candy Cane Mason Jars-DIY!

By countrydesignhome · 2 Comments

For the past couple of weeks, I have been spending lots of time working on Christmasy crafts in preparation for this weekend’s Holiday Open House at the Barn at Todd Farm. (Full details on Friday, but it is going to be fun, I promise : ). This Candy Cane Mason Jar

is one that I created last year and it was a big hit. Very simple and quick to make, it only requires a jar, masking tape, red and white paint and whatever holiday embellishments you may have hanging around. Here are the DIY instructions:

1. Clean and dry the mason jar to make sure there is no dirt or dust on the inside or outside.

2. Paint the jars an under color. In this case, these were home made red chalk paint, but you can start with white, since the stripes are the same size.

3. Measure around the neck of the jar.

This one was 9 inches around the narrow part of the neck, which is where I was going to begin taping.

4. Mark off @ one inch intervals all the way around, depending on the width of the tape, which was one inch.

If you have different size tape, you need to figure out the math to make the stripes equidistant.

5. Following those marks, start your tape at the rim and bring it down the jar to the base at an angle, depending on how much of a “swirl” you want to create.

Make sure that you press the tape down firmly along the edges so you don’t get “bleeding” underneath. “Bleeding” is when the paint sneaks underneath the tape and creates little bits of color where you don’t want it to be.

6. This is where you can change your stripes to be as fat or skinny as you would like. Just make sure you start at the top markings so the stripes are the same approximate width. They don’t have to be perfect, just close enough : )

7. Paint inside the taped stripes with the white paint, not too thickly, because you want it to be slightly transparent to allow the candlelight to shine through. On this jar I’m using Chroma Color by Cari Cucksey in a Crisp Linen White.

This is not chalk paint, but a very smooth finish latex that can be painted on any surface, then left with a shine or sanded down for a matte finish. One coat is all you need.

8. Allow the paint to dry completely.

9. Peel off the tape, and you are left with a striped candy cane mason jar…but, you’re not done yet! See all those little jaggedey edges? Those are the “bleeding” dots I was talking about. Very bad. They must go.

10. Take a piece of sandpaper and lightly sand the jar, exposing the raised lettering of the glass and smoothing out any rough areas and dots of paint that my have bled under the tape. The more you sand, the more rustic the jar appears and the more light shines through. Totally personal preference.

11. Decorate the neck of the jar. In this case, a bit of jute rope and some jingle bells completes the look.

12. When you light the votive inside the jar, it glows and shows off the mason jar raised glass lettering. The more you sand the more the light shines through. And there you have it, a pretty perfect Candy Cane Mason Jar to decorate your mantel or tabletop and light up your Christmas decor.

OK, back to my workshop to finish up for the weekend-I know how Santa’s elves must feel right about now : ) Have a sweet Thursday everyone! Susan

Filed Under: Auctions, Fleas & Fabulous Finds, The 3 R's Recycle, Re-Furbish, Re-Love, The Barn Workshop-DIY Series, Views From My Back Porch · Tagged: #BobVilaNation, Candy Cane Mason Jar, Candy Cane Mason Jar by Country Design Home, Candy Cane Painted Mason Jar, Cari Cucksey Chroma Color Crisp Linen White, DIY Mason Jar Candy Canes, painted mason jar candy canes

Nov 30, 2014

Easy No-Sew Fleece Tree Skirt

By countrydesignhome · 19 Comments

This past weekend, my company took part in a charity holiday tree decorating event. For the past couple of weeks my co-workers and I have been collecting ornaments and trimmings to decorate the perfect tree. Saturday morning, we met at the old school building to decorate our tree for the upcoming Festival of Trees. And although we had enough decorations to trim not one, but two trees, we realized we had neglected to bring tree skirts! Even though that wasn’t required, the skirts give the trees a finished look that ours were lacking. So back home I went to see what I had handy in my fabric bin. I found this pretty piece of soft polar bear fleece

which I thought would be perfect with the silver and white snowflake theme of tree #2. So I cut and knotted it and created a cute little skirt for the tree. Here is the HOW-I-DID-IT:

1. Fold the fleece in half lengthwise and make sure it is long enough to go around the base of the tree.

2. Cut the unfolded end into a semi-circle, making sure the edges are even. I happen to have a round dining room table which was the perfect pattern, but you can just do the old pie plate method where you fold it in 1/2 and then cut an arc from corner to corner.

3. Starting at one end of the cut edges, cut strips of the fleece approximately 1 inch apart.

I typically measure these lengths to 5-6 inches, but this time I just used the scissors as my guide and did one cut to the end of the blades for each strip. The deeper the cuts, the longer the fringe.

4. Moving around the arc, you need to cheat in just a bit; the top of the cut will be a bit narrower than the edge.

5. Once the semi-circle is cut, you can start knotting. Take a top and bottom strip that match up.

Tie the ends into decorative knots I use a square knot, but you can do any type you like. I took pics of this, but their not very clear so check out this Animated Decorative Knots by Grog-any type of knot is illustrated here!

6. Knot all the way around the arc, creating the fringe effect, until you get to the other side.

7. Decision time! To have this skirt fit properly you can leave the folded edge as is and just drape it around the tree base to create a “blanketed” look like this. It reminds me of Linus’ blanket wrapped around Charlie Brown’s little tree.

OR you can cut a semi-circle in the middle of the folded half that is large enough to accommodate the tree base. This will allow the skirt to lay flatter on the floor. Either way is great and your holiday tree will look pretty and toasty warm.

8. Step back and admire your decorated tree : ) We did good, ladies!

Total time for the skirt: 45 minutes. And, at this time of year the local craft stores stock an endless style and variety of fleece designs, so you can do anything from a jazzy zebra print to Star Wars to a Frozen theme. Have a warm and toasty Sunday everyone!! Susan

Filed Under: The 3 R's Recycle, Re-Furbish, Re-Love, The Barn Workshop-DIY Series, Views From My Back Porch · Tagged: DIY No Sew Christmas Tree Skirt, No Sew Fleece Christmas Tree Skirt

Nov 23, 2014

Rusty Bedspring Coil Votive Holder-DIY!

By countrydesignhome · 7 Comments

What do you do when you have not one, but two giant, antique, rusty bedspring frames? Well, the first one you transform into a large marquee sign for your shop,

and the second one you mull over for awhile until you come up with a bright solution. So, without further ado, I’m introducing the

Rusty Bedspring Coil Votive Candle Holder!

Now, I have spotted many a rusty bedspring photo with a votive tucked underneath, but I wanted to take it up a notch by adding a second rustic element: the birch log slice. This elevates the rusty bedspring into a lovely woodland mantel decoration, does it not? Here’s the how I did it:

1. Get Coach to drag out the rusty bedspring frame from behind the fence where it had been weathering over the summer.

Have Coach cut off all the rusty bedspring coils during your freezing cold yard sale. Watch the pile ( of coils and $$$) grow.

2. Assemble your ingredients: A rusty bedspring coil (well, you know where I got these, and I have a ton more if you need one!), a birch log slice (this one I got at Michaels for $6.99 using a 50% off coupon, but you could certainly go into the woods and grab a log or two and slice ’em up), a votive candle-whatever style you choose as long as it fits in the bottom of the ring

and a small clamp and screw (these I had kicking around the workshop-but if you need to purchase one, they’re in the plumbing aisle at your local hardware store. And they don’t need to be old and rusty, they’re not going to show anyway.)

3. Place your rusty bedspring coil on the log slice and arrange in a pleasing manner. These springs are not exactly round, but neither are the log slices, so its a win-win. In this case, I kind of liked the little coiled knot in the front, but you could certainly turn that to the clamp side, or the rear of this rustic piece of art.

3. Attach the rusty coil to the log slice with the clamp assuring that you hold the clamp securely in place with the coil underneath the arched part-this will create a hinge effect.

Now, this can be a bit tricky, because in order to attach the screw properly, you need to hold it at a 90 degree angle while you push down. So, just use the spring as a “tunnel” and go right down the middle. Remember, its a spring, so you can push it down to get a better grip on your screwdriver.

4. Test out your mechanism by slowly lifting the coil away from the log slice and you will immediately see the simple brilliance of this design! You’ll note that the coil does not slide off the log, thereby creating a safe cage for your votive to sit inside. So, in the event that somehow your rusty bedspring coil votive holder gets knocked over while the candle is burning inside, the rusty coil and the votive stay firmly in place : )

5. Decorate your holiday mantel with your new rusty bedspring coil votive candle holder and wait for the compliments! So, there you have it. A simple, quick and easy project that costs under $4 (assuming that you have a box full of rusty bedspring coils).

Now you’ll have to excuse my while I go slice up one of my precious birch logs and make a few more of these. I see many potential Christmas gifts in the works! Hope you have a sunny Sunday everyone, Susan

Filed Under: Auctions, Fleas & Fabulous Finds, The 3 R's Recycle, Re-Furbish, Re-Love, The Barn Workshop-DIY Series, Views From My Back Porch · Tagged: Bedspring Coils, Candle Holder from Bedspring Coils, making candle holder from bedspring coils, Michaels, Rusty Bedspring Candle Holder, Rusty Bedspring Coil, Rusty Bedspring Coil Votive Holder

Nov 17, 2014

Pie Is Love

By countrydesignhome · Leave a Comment

I Love Pie.

Chocolate, blueberry, apple, pumpkin-if you bake it, I will eat it, but I’m not always crazy about cooking the filling and rolling out the dough. So, I am ever so grateful each year around this time, when I receive this postcard in the mail from a Boston-based food service called Community Servings. This organization delivers nutritious meals to over 1500 homebound and critically ill patients daily. Their motto: Delivering Meals. Delivering Hope “As New England’s expert in home-delivered nutrition for the critically ill, Community Servings provides meals to the acutely ill, their families, and their caregivers. Our clients live in 18 cities and towns throughout Massachusetts and battle over 35 different types of illnesses, including HIV/AIDS, breast and other cancers, and kidney disease.” The fund-raiser they sponsor each Thanksgiving is called Pie In The Sky, a way for the community to give to those in need and enjoy a tasty pie! The History of Pie in the Sky In 1993, members of the restaurant community — who lost many friends and colleagues to AIDS — conceptualized and launched Pie in the Sky. Knowing how food can improve someone’s emotional and physical well-being, Pie in the Sky was an ideal way for Boston’s chefs, caterers, and restaurateurs to support Community Servings’ clients. As our mission has expanded to serve people struggling with any life-threatening illness, our friends in the restaurant community have stood by us. Through their generosity, Pie in the Sky is now the World’s Greatest Bake Sale — raising 15% of Community Servings’ private fundraising revenue! We are deeply grateful for their ongoing support and encourage you to frequent their establishments.

It’s Your Turn To Buy A Pie!

Ordering is as easy as pie! You go on to their website and order a pie or pies that are baked by some of the best pie bakers in Boston. And let me tell you, these are hands-down some of the most amazing pies your taste buds will ever feast on! You can buy a pie for yourself, for your neighbors, for your friends and especially for someone in need. You get a pie, and you get a pie and you get a pie-everybody gets a pie!! Or, if you really don’t like pie, (seriously!?!?) then you can make a donation here. The day before Thanksgiving, you go to a local “pickup” spot-they are scattered all over the greater Boston area-and pick up your freshly-baked pie to enjoy on Thanksgiving. You can even take it out of the box and pretend you slaved all day making the perfect flaky crust and rich, yummy fillings! But I don’t. Because I want to keep spreading the word about this amazing organization. BUT, here’s the catch. The deadline for ordering pies this year is the 19th-only two days away!!! So please click on the links and order your pies today. If you are so very thankful for the life that you have this Thanksgiving, then this is your chance to make this one holiday just a bit sweeter for someone in need. Thanks, now go order a pie!! Susan

Filed Under: The 3 R's Recycle, Re-Furbish, Re-Love, Views From My Back Porch ·

Nov 13, 2014

Through the Looking Glass Mirror-A DIY Project!

By countrydesignhome · 3 Comments

A few weeks ago, a customer came into the shop at the barn and purchased 6 of our old white, multi-paned windows for a wall installation. Once it was completed, she texted me this pic-which is awesomely creative and sooo Pinterest-worthy!

She took the windows and hung them on her dining room wall, framed by some old shutters, to create an interesting backdrop for her candles-she loves dining by candlelight- and the glass window panes reflect the light for some very romantic dining!! Loving that painted vintage buffet, BTW. Since Coach and I had recently sold our old gigantic dining room hutch, I now have a large blank wall in my dining room that is screaming for some attention. This seemed like the perfect solution, and since we have a bunch of old white windows hanging around,

White multi-paned windows for DIY

I thought it would be fun to experiment. But, I decided that I wanted at least one window to be a mirror, not clear panes of glass. Here’s where the fun started! Rather than going out and purchasing six mirrors to replace the window panes, I decided I would make my own with this can of Krylon Looking Glass Mirror Paint

I cleaned the reverse side of the window (pretty thoroughly, I thought) to make sure there was no dust or streaks.

Then I scraped the paint around the edges to clean it up.

For this technique, you spray the reverse side of whatever object you want to transform into mirror so that the finished product has a glassy look. Taking it outside, (this stuff is a wee bit smelly, folks) I used the can of Krylon Looking Glass Mirror Paint and proceeded to spray the reverse side of the window. Following the instructions, I shook the can for 2 minutes, then held the can 8-10 inches away from the surface and lightly sprayed the first coat.

Then I waited a minute, shook the can for 10 seconds, then repeated, adding 5 layers of mirror paint in total. While each layer was drying, you could see the vapors evaporating into thin air, which was like a cool science experiment.

As each layer was added, I could see that the window was becoming more opaque and less transparent. By the final coat, I could no longer see the trunk that the window frame was resting on.

Then I waited for the magic to happen. After the drying period, I flipped it over and discovered that my window was now a mirror-yay! But not a crystal clear mirror, more like an old, dusty mirror, which is perfectly fine for the look I am trying to achieve with this wall installation.

But, why, you ask!? You followed the instructions perfectly! BUT, I didn’t clean the glass properly! Behind the glass, you can see the streak marks that I left behind with my paper towels. Lesson learned. If you want a crystal clean mirror, you MUST start with a crystal clean glass surface! (When I first purchased this can of Krylon Looking Glass Mirror Paint, I started experimenting and sprayed this little candy dish, which came out beautifully mirrored. But I left it outside to dry and then it rained, so this is what happened.

Whoops. In both cases, total user error. But, I still love my mirrored window, and it is the first piece of my new dining room wall installation, coming soon! Have a great Thursday everyone and make it a reflection of the real you : ) Susan

PS: If you are in need of some awesome multi-paned white windows-we’ve got extra!

Filed Under: Auctions, Fleas & Fabulous Finds, My Little Red House, The 3 R's Recycle, Re-Furbish, Re-Love, The Barn Workshop-DIY Series, Views From My Back Porch · Tagged: #BobVilaNation, #Krylon Looking Glass Mirror Paint, #Krylon Mirror Paint, DIY Looking Glass Mirror Paint, DIY Mirror Paint, how to use mirror paint to create mirrors, The Barn Workshop DIY Mirror

Oct 16, 2014

Dye-ing for a Change!

By countrydesignhome · 5 Comments

Back in 2006, when my kids were still in college and blogging was the furthest thing from my mind, Coach and I decided we needed a new couch for our family room. After much deliberation and shopping at various furniture stores, we went with our then-college-age-daughter as a tie-breaker in tow and together we decided on this slip-covered, floral cotton sofa, which was (and still is) super comfy and sturdy with it’s foam and goose down cushions. After a while, as my tastes evolved and the room became more “rustic countrified”, the floral slipcover wasn’t working for me.

Somewhere along the way, I purchased a second slipcover in a brick red color at a discount (a mere $200!) but that became so drab and faded as well.

Back to the furniture store to have a new slipcover made, only to find that $700 price tag (that’s just for the cover, folks, NOT the sofa!) a bit too steep. At that point, I realized that my choices were to 1. Bite the bullet and have the new slipcover made or 2. Bite a bigger bullet and buy a new sofa, but Coach wasn’t buying either of those options. He suggested that I dye the red cover white (Oh, Coach…). So, I decided to try a third option: dyeing the floral sofa blue! What did I have to lose except a faded, floral slipcover? First, I washed the old slipcover in hot water and bleach to remove any stains and sizing in the fabric. You can see how they don’t quite match-over the years, the covers and cushions were washed a lot more than the main slipcover.

Grabbed a couple of bottles of Rit Dye in Denim Blue @ $2.67 each,

plus 2 cups of salt (I guess that helps the fabric accept the dye.)

I threw all of the cushion and pillow covers in the first load, then the main cover in the second load. I was a little nervous when I opened the machine top and saw a sea of indigo blue-the room is dark enough-I was looking for light and bright. But once they came out of the dryer, they were exactly what I had hoped for: a soft, washed-denim blue with a hint of the floral design.

So I redressed the sofa which looked great. BUT, that meant I needed some new throw pillows… and some new lighter drapery panels for the window directly behind the sofa. And a new throw to hang on the back of the sofa. And to paint the side table next to the sofa because that was blue too. Oh, and a new lamp for the table next to the sofa. After all that change, I was so excited about the new look! (You’ll have to excuse the “after” pic. I dropped my phone on the concrete floor while painting some wooden pumpkins this past weekend and am waiting for the replacement to arrive. In the meantime, the photos I’m taking are a bit off kilter and color : (

Then Coach came home and didn’t even notice. And then our daughter (the one who helped us choose the original sofa so many years ago) didn’t notice either. That’s OK- I notice, and the change makes the old sofa look fresh and new(ish), and for $6 (plus a trip to HomeGoods for all the new accessories), that’s a good deal! Have a terrific Thursday, everyone- make one change for the better today-even if no one notices-you’ll be glad you did! Susan

Filed Under: Color Class, My Little Red House, The 3 R's Recycle, Re-Furbish, Re-Love, The Barn Workshop-DIY Series, Views From My Back Porch · Tagged: changing slipcovers, dyeing a slipcover, dyeing an old sofa, dyeing slipcover in washing machine, Rit Dye, slipcover for couch, using Rit Dye

Oct 9, 2014

Cheap Crackled Halloween Mason Jar

By countrydesignhome · 7 Comments

I love to crackle stuff. What does that mean? You take new stuff and make it look like the paint has been on it forever and is cracking and flaking off. Sort of a faux old look. Typically I use different brands of crackle medium available at my local crafts store, depending on the price and my coupon stash. To see a before and after on a piece of furniture I redid for our family room, check this coffee table out.

So, the other morning I wanted to crackle a mason jar or two for Halloween, but when I went to grab the crackle medium, I didn’t have any left! Apparently I have been crackling up a lot, so the bottle(s) were empty : (

I had seen many “pins” on Pinterest about using regular glue to get the same effect as the more expensive crackle medium. In fact, I had I previously attempted said technique, but it was a fail. Painted on the glue, allowed to dry, painted on the paint and waited. And waited. And nothing happened. (Normally I would have pics of this, but I deleted the fail photos. No sense writing about nothing.) But, I’m nothing if not persistant in my awesome DIY attempts, so I tried for round two. Before I did, I rechecked the glue instructions and noted my one fatal flaw: I allowed the glue to dry completely (what you would normally do with the crackle medium), which was so wrong! You only wait for it to get tacky (about 15-20 minutes), then paint over it! So here is the new successful DIY crackle with dollar store glue tutorial.

1. Take a jar, a brush and a bottle of cheap school glue.

2. Paint the entire surface with the glue, wherever you would like the crackle to appear.

3. Allow to get tacky (not like that’s really cheap and gaudy, just sticky), but NOT DRY. This takes about 15-20 minutes depending on how thick you painted the glue on. The thicker the glue, the larger the cracks.

4. Paint the top coat whatever color you would like. I happened to use some orange chalk paint I mixed up for some other projects. But you don’t need to use chalk paint. Make sure when you are painting that you only go over each section once and in one direction. Trying to go back over a section you already painted results in messy clumps of glue and paint. Which also looks old, but not necessarily good.

5. While you watch the paint dry, you check out the other mason jars that you had already painted and applied a watered-down matte glaze to and notice that those are involuntarily crackling as well!! Hmmm. Gonna experiment more on that later.

6. Go to bed and wake up in the morning to run to the basement to check out the dried jar. (Kind of like Christmas morning when you are so excited to see what it under the tree. Except you have to go to the yucky basement. And there’s no tree.) BUT, there is a crackled jar!!

7. Decorate jar with a bit of raffia (also from the dollar store) and place it on your window shelf. Light the candle, but be careful, don’t want to set that raffia on fire and ruin your freshly crackled jar!

So, there you have it. Crackling with cheap school glue really DOES work-the total cost? The mason jar- well you know about the mason jars, we have dozens. The raffia rope and glue, $1 each but I only used a tiny bit so we will say 20 cents. Hope your Thursday is all its cracked up to be! Susan