Mexican Sunflowers

All summer Mexican Sunflowers sit around and do nothing much.

Then in late July they start shooting up.

They grow and grow and grow and ...

Bloom and bloom and bloom ...

Until there is a wild profusion of them all over the yard.

The bright yellow flowers continue to bloom and grow all the way through October.









Since I like a natural look, I do not attempt to corral them.

Though I must confess to digging them up by the dozens in the spring and tossing them willy-nilly around the yard.

The Mexican Sunflowers love hot, dry, sunny spots so I let them have them.

I have tried to convince them to grow in slightly shaded areas, but they outright refuse!

And what do the Mexican Sunflowers do during the dark of night?

Grow and bloom, of course!



See y'all!

Use this discount code to receive 10% off your purchase at the Distressed Donna Etsy store:

DISTRESSEDDONNA14

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Feathered Nest Friday  

Tool Caddy Triplets

Everyone on the planet knows I love to work with tool caddies.

Today I have triplets for you.

Quite a handsome group.

The black one started life as plain old wood.

Homemade, but not homely.

Unique, in fact.

Love that tall divider and the four compartments inside.

I showed you the gray one before - more about the mirror next week.

A dependable fellow divided into two compartments with a handle inside so he is stackable.

A good trait in a tool caddy.

I thought I showed you the blue one, but, oops, I did not.

So here it is already sanded down.

Love the shape of this one.

The gray one was sanded very heavily.










At this point I must admit to deleting the whole process of painting the wood one with Americana Chalky Paint in carbon which I bought with my own dollars, but you have seen painting before.

I also sanded the black slightly and coated with a spray satin varnish.

Just use your imagination.

Now back to the photos I did take.

I wiped the blue and the gray tool caddies with Mission Oak stain.

See the before and after of the bright blue toned down to perfection.

I spread the stain with a foam brush and wiped it off with a heavy duty paper towel.

 PATINA!

 PATINA!

PATINA!












 

The tool caddy triplets are over at Riverfront Antique Mall. 



See y'all!

Use this discount code to receive 10% off your purchase at the Distressed Donna Etsy store:

DISTRESSEDDONNA14

SHOP HERE! 

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Share Your Cup Thursday #123  
Feathered Nest Friday 
Shabbilicious Friday  
The Cottage Market Presents Junkin' Joe Every Friday  

  

Make It Monday #7

Tamara at Etcetorize, Mitzi at Mitzi's Miscellany, and I are so grateful for all of you who have taken the time to link your wonderful posts.

We are looking for your fabulous painting projects, wonderful vintage finds, delicious recipes, and creative craft ideas.

And don't forget fabric arts - sewing, crochet, knitting, and any others I am leaving out.

I was the lucky one who chose the features from last week's party.  Here they are:

Linda at With A Blast shared her scrumptious Peppermint Crisp Cupcakes

Paula at Locksley Lane shared her mad skills at Gold Leafing.

 

Stacey at The Farmhouse In The Field  shared a tutorial on how to weave a wastepaper basket.

Diana at Adirondack Girl @ Heart shared her Real Life Antique Roadshow-Style Find.  A real treasure!

 I will be posting the features on my Facebook page (HERE) and my Make It Monday Pinterest board (HERE).





If you were featured, grab a button below!

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Pink Chalkboards

 

Which reader looked at the four doors yesterday and thought, "Why didn't she make chalkboards?"



Well, I did!

Sort of.

I took a chisel and a hammer to the two damaged doors to take out the panels in each frame.

Whole doors.

One door on the operating table ready to be dissected.

Dissection is successful on the first door.

The other door was up next and all four panels were ready to be repurposed.

A sanding and cleaning for each.

A quick mixture of my homemade chalk paint - Ballerina Slipper Pink.

Two coats on the front side.

One coat on the back side.

All quickly dried.

Next I sanded each for distressing.

What?  You thought I would leave that step out?

Never.

Remember these doors were oak which means a heavy grain.

So I finished with a coarse paper towel to make the finish as smooth as possible.

Applied two coats of satin varnish to the front.

Chose a nest image from The Graphics Fairy.

Used the waxed paper method.

Thanks for the idea,  Audrey!

It took about fifteen minutes to complete all four transfers.

It is a easy way to transfer images unless you are a perfectionist.

I sealed each nest with two light coats of a spray satin varnish after they had cured for about 24 hours.

I found a frame the size of the chalkboard and traced it lightly in pencil.

I did not tape the edges.

I am rather proud of my ability to paint in a straight line.

 

The trick is in the brush and how you hold it.

After two coats of the commercial blackboard paint, I conditioned each with chalk.

They are now ready to go forth into the world.

No one will ever know they were once plain cabinet doors.


REMEMBER:  Make It Monday starts Sunday (tonight) at 7PM Eastern.  We would love to see your posts linked there!


See y'all!

Use this discount code to receive 10% off your purchase at the Distressed Donna Etsy store:

DISTRESSEDDONNA14

SHOP HERE! 

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You're Gonna Love It Tuesday  
Share Your Cup Thursday #123 
Feathered Nest Friday 
Shabbilicious Friday 
The Cottage Market Presents Junkin' Joe Every Friday