Country Design Home

Nov 13, 2014

Through the Looking Glass Mirror-A DIY Project!

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

Nov 10, 2014

An Autumn Day on the Farm

By countrydesignhome · 2 Comments

Good morning! First I would like to say that I am soooo happy to be back and writing again! It has been a long month of technical voodoo that has plummeted me into the depths of blogging despair, only to be rescued by Matt from Pixel Junction. He has been patiently answering my (numerous and voluminous) questions and repairing my word press mess, restoring and beautifying my blog. We are not quite there yet, but should be where I really want it to be shortly. In the meantime, there is no reason why I can’t start sharing with you again! Consider this my “soft opening” before the big grand opening. BUT, there is one thing I need from you, dear readers. In the process of moving my blog from wordpress.com to wordpress.org, my entire list of blog subscribers was lost in cyberspace. So that means all of you, even those of you who are reading this right now, only found me via another social media outlet. (or because you’re my family and friends and I begged you to please sign back up so I know at least someone is getting this!)

Yesterday was one of our final days of the season in the Barn at Todd Farm Flea Market.

It has been a lot of fun, and we have met some really great people along the way! But I am looking forward to having the winter off (no more 4:30 am alarm on Sundays!!) FYI- the outdoor flea market season ends on November 30. However, the barn has an annex that is opening on that same day, and will remain open year round (they have heat!) In the meantime, you only have a few Sundays left to see the flea market in full Sunday operation. As we strolled around yesterday, I couldn’t help but notice how beautiful everything looked, not only in the contrast of the bright autumn leaves, but also against the gray November sky in the background. On any given Sunday, there is so much going on at the flea market with shoppers and vendors trading and selling and bargaining. Strolling around, sipping coffee early in the morning is the best time to catch a glimpse of the goods that vendors bring along to sell.

Antique Grates

Mr. Tin Snowman – cute little guy. But he was back in the truck because he lost his arm and needed some fixin’. Happy that he’s made of tin and not real snow!!

Neon Dog Sign– On any given Sunday, the fields and barn are filled with shoppers who are on the end of a leash. Dogs of all shapes and sizes come to visit. They need this sign.

Vintage License Plates. If you had a chance to view my blog post about the giant USA map created by Aaron Foster & decided to give that a try, then this is the go-to place to get your plates!

Rusted Finials. If you look closely, you can see the leaf sitting in the middle of the pile-almost undetectable because the finials have rusted to the color of fallen leaves.

The Antique Wagon. This beauty sits outside the barn door, where we get to look at it all day long. You know when you see something all of the time, you stop SEEING it? I am not sure if it was the sunlight or just the contrast of the blue sky, but this wagon looked especially blue today. Can you imagine what role this wagon played when Todd Farm was a working dairy farm?

The Wheel. Gorgeous rusted, no longer functional.

American Made. The old rusted plate is a testament to the way things used to be made. This one’s from Detroit.

Finally, our Rusty Bedspring Marquee Sign now says “JOY”. Which is exactly what I am feeling right now as I am writing this blog post.

I’m happy to be back and I hope you’ll join my “blog club” again (there is a “subscribe” box on the right side. Just add your email and you are done. I promise, we NEVER use your emails for promotional purposes. Only to hear from me!) Have a great Monday, everyone! Susan

Filed Under: Auctions, Fleas & Fabulous Finds, Outdoor Adventures, Views From My Back Porch · Tagged: Rowley Mass, rusted finials, Sunday Flea Market, The Barn at Todd Farm, Todd Farm Flea Market, Vintage License plates, vintage tractor at Todd Farm

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

Filed Under: Auctions, Fleas & Fabulous Finds, Color Class, The 3 R's Recycle, Re-Furbish, Re-Love, The Barn Workshop-DIY Series, Views From My Back Porch · Tagged: dollar store glue, dollar store raffia ribbon, halloween mason jar, orange crackled mason jar, orange mason jar

Oct 2, 2014

Vintage Mason Jar Wall Sconce -DIY

By countrydesignhome · 5 Comments

I’ve been working on lots of projects, many of which I have simply forgotten to photograph until they were completed! But this one is fun, very inexpensive and pretty simple, so it’s time for a DIY on “How To Transform An Old Broken Drawer Front Into A Hanging Mason Jar Wall Sconce.” You know, HTTAOBDFIAHMJWS.

Coach and I have been collecting and cleaning and selling all kinds of vintage mason jars at the barn, but I really love the way these decorative sconces look, so one may actually end up on a wall in our home-imagine that! I started with a couple of drawer fronts from an old buffet, which create perfectly framed wood panels. Well. One was perfectly framed but the other had two side pieces missing. No matter, art is subjective, right? Each had a nicely-shaped center medallion with the hole already drilled for the bracket that I needed to attach (the hole was originally intended for the drawer knob or pull, but no need for that!).

I painted them with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Graphite, then dry-brushed the medallion and the frame edge with some blue concoction I mixed for some contrast. Next up, the mason jar brackets, which are actually adjustable hose clamps

that are found in the plumbing section at your local hardware store (mine being Home Depot, of course). They are adjustable, come in lots of sizes, with a screw mechanism in the front that you simply loosen and tighten with a flat head screwdriver. I have attached mine at the natural neck of the jar, but you could clamp it in the middle as well. Just make sure its nice and tight!

To secure the bracket to the frame, I drilled a hole in the middle of the band opposite the screw mechanism because I wanted that to be visible in the front. The metal band is pretty thin, so a regular drill bit worked fine. EXCEPT-make sure you wear gloves when doing this because 1.the edges can be sharp, especially where you drilled and 2.the metal gets mega-hot from the friction of the drill bit (my singed fingertips are your DIY tip for this week)

Once it (I) cooled down, I lined up the holes of the band and the board and secured with a nut and bolt.

Make sure you don’t use a bolt that is too long or it will stick out the back when you hang it on the wall. Attached two hangers-these are 50# ones-which is a bit of overkill-unless you are planning on filling your mason jar with lead.

But better safe than a broken antique mason jar! The total cost of this project? $1.20, give or take a dime or two.

Wood frame: Free

Mason Jar: 10 cents (we buy those by the case at yard and estate sales)

Adjustable Clamp & bolt: 10 cents ( we get those at yard sales as well)

Hanging D-Rings: 50 cents

Paint: use just a fraction of the total can, so we will say 50 cents

I filled this one with some autumn stuff I had on hand, but you could use candles or candies or whatever works for your seasonal decor. Out goes the sand and starfish, in goes the berries and leaves. Despite the fact that the stores-and my email inbox-are filled with autumn-inspired decor I, personally have resisted the fall/autumn/pumpkin/Halloween decorating until now. I just cannot believe it is October 2!!! So next time you see an old broken dresser on the side of the road, take a look at the drawers and see if you can repurpose them in another way and follow the three r’s-recycle, refurbish, relove. Have an “I can’t believe it’s October already” Thursday everyone! Susan

Filed Under: Views From My Back Porch · Tagged: Fall Mason Jar Decoration, Mason Jar Autumn Decor, Mason Jar DIY Wall Vase, Mason Jar Fall Decor, Mason Jar Wall Hanging, Mason Jar Wall Sconce, Mason Jars as wall hanging

Sep 19, 2014

Excentrique Design at Old Stone Farm

By countrydesignhome · 1 Comment

The very first time I visited and blogged about the Vintage Bazaar at Pettengill Farm (it’s this weekend, folks!) I featured a company named Excentrique in my blog post. Pretty sure this hot pink vintage table scape caught my eye : )

Since that post, over two years ago, Excentrique has moved from the fields of Pettengill Farm to their permanent home in this impressive two-story barn at Old Stone Farm in West Newbury, Mass.

Although the barn is a new build, it was designed with yesteryear in mind. Solid granite steps lead up to the massive wooden sliding doors that welcome you into the barn where you will be overwhelmed by the sheer beauty of the architecture and the decor as well.

The barn shop is owned and operated by Brenda Lucci Bradley, shown here with her assistant Sam, who is presently studying design in Florence, Italy!

The barn is decorated with a combination of antiques and vintage finds,

along with refurbished mid-century modern pieces paired with eclectic decorative accessories.

In the upstairs loft I discovered these amazing orange crocodile chenille side chairs,

paired with a mid century table and vintage lamps. The perfect spot to kick back, relax and have an afternoon chat.

There are several hand-crafted and painted fireplace mantels, styled for each season with candles and glassware, lanterns and vintage glassware.

Scattered throughout the barn are colorfully co-ordinated corners that allow you to imagine how the pieces would appear in your own home. The mixed blues are striking.

Loving this vintage look aqua fridge with the country-style vintage aprons.

Brenda not only sells at her shop, she is also an accomplished interior designer. Presently working on an historic Vermont country inn, Brenda shared her mood boards with me and explained her overall design concept of the spaces she is transforming, one room at a time. Through her design company, Journey By Design, Brenda offers full service design consultations, offering her expert services from overall design concept and project management to the complete styling of your project.

Excentrique is open by appointment or for special weekend events that highlight each season.

The next open barn is scheduled for Oct 4 & 5. Or, you can contact Brenda to set up an appointment to stop by and shop. She’ll be happy to show you around!

But lucky you! She will also be setting up shop at the Vintage Bazaar at Pettengill Farm this weekend! Make sure you stop in and say hello, and tell her Sue from Country Design Home sent you. Have a great weekend everyone-see you at the Bazaar! Susan

Filed Under: Auctions, Fleas & Fabulous Finds, The 3 R's Recycle, Re-Furbish, Re-Love, Views From My Back Porch · Tagged: Excentrique, Excentrique Barn at Old Stone Farm, Pettengill Farm, The Vintage Bazaar, The Vintage Bazaar at Pettengill Farm, vintage fair in Salisbury Massachusetts

Sep 16, 2014

Polish It Up-Tuesday’s DIY Tip

By countrydesignhome · 4 Comments

Since you all think I am a slacker when it comes to completing my mom’s kitchen project, I just want to share with you one of the other projects I had been working on simultaneously. In the adjacent dining room area, I painted the walls the same color as the kitchen and freshened up the old hutch. We debated about whether to paint it or not, but since the wood is still quite lovely and a honey golden brown, we decided to keep it stained. The problem? It was faded from being next to the sliding glass doors that lead to her deck and scratched from years of daily use. This time, I turned to Old English Furniture Polish with Scratch Cover.

This is an oil with stain in it, so it hides the scratches while it polishes and rejuvenates the surface, bringing back its original glow and shine. Very simple, just put some on a rag (use gloves folks, this stuff stains!) then wipe it over the surface.

For the really deep scratches

I actually just poured a bit right into the area, let it sit for a moment and then wiped it away. This is a door before:

and this is the same door after (these photos are NOT retouched in any way)

Unfortunately, I never took a before photo of the entire hutch. BUT, this is the hutch today:

Deep, rich, glowing color and depth of shine. Super easy and quick. No buffing necessary. Just wipe on

and then wipe off.

Done. And no, I was not compensated in any way for pitching this product. I have been using it for years and think its awesome. I thought you should know about it too. Simple as that. That’s my DIY Thrifty tip for Tuesday. And it just goes to show ya-sometimes you don’t need to start from scratch…just cover them up! Susan

Filed Under: The 3 R's Recycle, Re-Furbish, Re-Love, The Barn Workshop-DIY Series, Views From My Back Porch · Tagged: How to get scratches out of wood furniture, Old English Furniture Polish, Old English Scratch Cover, scratch remover for wood, wood refinished with scratch remover

Sep 11, 2014

Reclaiming Vintage with greenGoat.org

By countrydesignhome · 4 Comments

Remember the vintage kitchen sink I built a few weeks back?

Well, I built the frame, but the beautiful vintage GE porcelain sink came from a company that Coach discovered on Craigslist: greenGoat.org.

Established in 2000 as a non-profit, greenGoat is an environmental conservation, recycling and waste management organization. Their goal? “The Goat saves otherwise discarded building materials and finds new projects that need those materials. In so doing, we save the energy, raw materials, and other natural resources wasted when useful materials are tossed away.”

For instance, a contractor is set to demolish an old home to build a new one. Once the homeowner has vacated and the furnishings have been removed, there are still tons-literally TONS-of materials left over that normally would be demolished along with the structure. greenGoat goes in prior to the demolition and salvages the leftovers, including antique trims and decorative moldings

vintage light fixtures,

doors and knobs, windows, mirrors (See those fingerprints? Those are mine. Just had to have this old mirror from Beacon Hill : )

piles of wooden shutters,

and old vent pipes, just for starters.

A couple of weeks ago, Coach and I had a chance to visit the Lawrence, Ma warehouse and speak to the director, Amy Bauman about the origins of her company. Amy started the non-profit when she was working on a kitchen project in her own home and recognized the cost and waste of removing and tossing materials in the dumpster and purchasing replacement materials. She believed there was a better way to redistribute the materials, keeping them out of landfills and into the hands of other homeowners who were upcycling and salvaging instead of dumping and trashing. (Kind of like when I grab a bench out of someone’s trash, pretty it up with a new coat of paint or varnish and then re-sell it to someone who appreciates the beauty and quality of old craftsmanship : ) So, why the greenGoat name and logo?

Well, goats eat pretty much everything, and going green pretty much sums up what greenGoat is all about: “saving more than money.” Where can you find greenGoat? The warehouse is in a beautiful turn-of-the-century mill building in Lawrence, MA. It is not a pretty retail outlet, it’s a down and dusty warehouse packed with amazing finds, every one with its own unique story. To visit this salvage nirvana, you need to reach out to Amy to make an appointment to visit for yourself.

Also, you can “like” greenGoat on Facebook or sign up for their email blasts to be notified about upcoming demos at thegoat@greengoat.org.

They do post individual items for sale on Craigslist, in hopes that you will come to their demo site and remove the materials before they have to transport them back to the warehouse. That’s how I found my amazing sink!

What will you find in the Lawrence warehouse? Anything and everything you could imagine that could be salvaged and upcycled. I think Amy said that this was a old bellows, coupled with a cart and salvaged wheels that her partner, who is a photographer built.

This gorgeous 9 burner stainless steel stove-this looked almost new!

a vintage cast iron and blue porcelain stove,

an entire hand-crafted cherry kitchen,

reclaimed flooring of all types,

vintage bathroom sinks and plumbing

giant 350 watt lightbulbs from a gymnasium teardown (we bought a few of these and have them in our shop. People are wowed by them : )

pretty vintage doorknobs from a demolished Beacon Hill home (well, you wont find these because I scooped them up : ).

Need the mechanism for a dumbwaiter? Got one of those too!

Old windows and doors. An entire wall-full.

Remember the Blizzard of ’78? Well, I do. These vintage newspapers say it all. We certainly did.

And this gorgeous pink capiz shell chandelier?

Well, that also made its way into my home, where it hangs in the pink “Be Your Own Kind of Beautiful” bedroom. Which is perfect for a reclaimed, salvaged find. So, if you are in the market for some old/new building materials (they occasionally do have furniture, but primarily their stock is reclaimed building stock) you can reach Amy at this email: thegoat@greengoat.org or by phone: 617-504-2095 or their mailing address: PO Box 441991, Somerville, MA 02144. And make sure you tell her that Coach and Sue sent you! Hope you are salvaging what’s left of this week, everyone! Susan

Filed Under: Views From My Back Porch · Tagged: greenGoat, greengoat salvaging, recycling in Boston, salvage company in Boston, Salvage in Boston, Salvaging in Massachusetss

Sep 9, 2014

Thrifty Kitchen Transformation-The Backsplash

By countrydesignhome · 2 Comments

I know, I know, it’s been so long since my last blog post about the thrifty kitchen transformation.

The reason is because I’ve been doing such other crazy stuff like traveling to Ireland and opening up a retail vintage shop and planning a wedding and building marquee lights…

but, no excuses! My poor mum has been patiently waiting for me to finish the job we started way back in the spring, soooo next up on the to-do list, the backsplash! With all of the available options out there, it was so difficult to make a decision about which type of backsplash to choose. There are many beautiful tiles including marble, glass, silver and tin that each had its own special quality. But hands down, the winner was this gorgeous travertine subway tile we purchased at Grossman’s Bargain Outlet (the same place we got the amazing hardware) for $5.99 a square foot!

Richly textured, with a light terra cotta color that would instantly add a more rustic “French chateau” feel to the newly painted kitchen cabinets and shiny black granite countertops. It has a lovely chair rail at the top between the cabinets that will eventually hold a shelf of some sort.

**Full disclosure: I did not install this tile. If you all remember the glass tile backsplash we installed at my daughter’s condo last year, I believe my final comment was “But in the future, all tile installations will be left to the pros.” Which I did. What would have taken me a week+ took the installer 1 1/2 days. My job was to remove the old black & white tiles and prepare the surface for retiling.

Which was very hard work that included a hammer and a crowbar, Coach,

chisels and a little blood-yuck. (that’s Coach’s, not mine, as I was smart enough to wear gloves during the process).

Did you ever pull an appliance away from the wall to work behind it, then pull it back in, only to be stuck behind it with no way out? No? So that’s just Coach…

My other job (other than pulling Coach out from behind the stove) was to seal the tile using liquid sealer that you brush on. This keeps this very porous tile from absorbing splattered spaghetti sauce and hot fudge : ) I applied one coat before the installation, then a second coat onto the tiles and grout after it dried (48 hours). So this is the black and white tile backsplash before:

And here is the new backsplash. So pretty.

Next up, the trim and crown molding (this oughtta be good…) Hope you’re checking off your to-do list this Tuesday!! Susan

Filed Under: Color Class, The Barn Workshop-DIY Series · Tagged: budget kitchen transformation, installing travertine tiles for backsplash, THrifty Kitchen Transformation, travertine subway tiles, travertine tile backsplash

Sep 3, 2014

Our Summer Vacation, Part 1

By countrydesignhome · 4 Comments

The other day, I mentioned that Coach and I had taken a little trip across the pond for our summer vacation. I haven’t posted a Wanderlust Wednesday for quite awhile, so today I thought I would share a few of my favorite pics with you! Our first stop, glorious London.

The photos speak for themselves. Home of the Queen of England, Buckingham Palace.

It wasn’t tucked away in some remote, inaccessible part of town. (although it did have these rather large gates to keep intruders out)

Nope, it’s right smack dab in the middle of London, where tourists flock daily to view the changing of the guard.

Painting the streets to ensure that pedestrians don’t step off the curb into oncoming traffic! (OK, Coach only had to pull me back once, maybe twice from certain peril)

Portobello Road Market. Shops, restaurants and antiques and collectibles for miles.

Tower of London. Quite a view of the River Thames from the Tower Bridge.

Stunning architecture.

Beheadings, murders, assassinations and such.

Greenwich, England. Greenwich mean time is the clock that sets the world’s timetable.

If you stand on each side of this one thin metal line, you are in both the Eastern and Western Hemisphere. Even in the rain.

Admiral Hardy’s Pub in Greenwich. Our first of many, many pub stops to quench our thirst, as it was quite unseasonably warm for summer in London.

Coach discovered Pear Cider and Crabbie’s Ginger Beer,

and we watched a game of cricket on the telly. I am certain that our puzzlement about the game of cricket is only matched by Europeans’ confusion regarding American baseball.

The London Eye. Spectacular. A gigantic ferris wheel built for the Millenium Celebration with the intent to tear it down once it ended, but it became so popular that it remains today as one of London’s most-visited attractions.

You cannot go to London without seeing vintage red phone booths…

or visiting the legendary Harrods. It is not a store, it’s an experience. Copper dome lighting display.

Finally discovered a use for Coach’s thousands of books!

An evening stroll through Chinatown.

A trip to London is not complete without a Beatles Concert!

I discovered this lighted sign in a window in Trafalgar Square. I think about the message quite often, especially when making a life choice that could go either way. Traditionally I err on the side of caution, but lately I’ve been trying to change just a bit and: