The Brawn of the Operation Makes Beds

With Valentines Day coming (and my husbands birthday) I was inspired by a post on Miss Flibbertigibbet and how she gave Mr. Flibberti a nice photo of herself as a gift.

Brawn and I have been married for 30 years.  Blissful?  Well mostly yeah, but he's not getting a photo!  Brawn also happens to be one of the only two people in real life who know I have started a blog. 

I'm almost certain he doesn't really know what a blog is or how to find it on the web, he just knows I've been putting stuff on mantels, taking stuff off mantels, putting it back up again, taking pictures and staying up late. And that he's a been a bit neglected.  I'm gonna go to bed earlier tonight.

So in honor of the man who fetches me ladders and moves stuff around for me, all for the sake of the Bliss Ranch blog, I wanted to show you just a couple of the gazillion things Brawn has made for our home.  (Forget that he built the home too.)

I showed you the dining room furniture he made when I posted about gearing up for a country pine redo.  A few years ago when I wanted a new bed, being the cheap son of a gun he is, he said ok, I'll make you one.

OOOkkkaaaa then, can I have a dresser and nightstands too?  Sure.  I don't have those yet, but 25 years ago he did make the night stands we are still using.

It's hard to tell but the enlarged photos next to the bed are of our history..... one is the sign of the town he grew up in and the other is a California road sign from whence the raven haired beauty came.

If Bliss wants it, Brawn builds it

My Fairy Tale

The bedroom mantel is due for an accessories makeover, it's pretty dull, but I'm not up to it after the beginning of the week and the family room mantel re-do.  I also have a 3rd mantel in the game room, but you know..... I just decorate that one with dust.

My mom's Primer, with her coloring, sits on the mantel

At the base of our bed is a crochet bed cover that my mom made.  When I was a little tot- long before internet- that's how she spent her time.  She made three of them.  The detail is wonderful, so much texture with the raised nubbies.  And heavy..... if we ever had an intruder I could throw it at him and he'd be out cold.

My hunk of burning love letting our 3 youngest kids dress him like a pirate.

Arrrrr. I'm linked up at:
Time Travel Thursday @Brambleberry Cottage
Show & Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home
Potpourri Friday @ 2805
Miss Mustard Seed Furniture Feature Friday

Shabby Chic Headboard that started it all....

This morning I posted pic's here of what I do to relax... smash china.  But it wouldn't be complete without the story of what started it all, my first cracked, hammered and smashed project 9 years ago.

If someone would of told me someday I'd want to smash plates with 22 carat gold rims I'd of thunk.... ummmm no...

The story goes like this..... 

Oldest daughter moving in at college (9 years ago).  

Sad after dropping her off so we stop in to visit friends on the way home.  

Friend is making a very detailed mosaic table.   

Me- What is this mosaic thing you are doing?  How do you do that?  Smash stuff?  Glue?  I can do that! 

Friend - Thrift store is having a Labor Day 50% off sale Monday, wanna go?   

Me -  If they have plates... YEAH! 

At the time we were re-doing daughter #2's bedroom and she needed a creative headboard.  So at the thrift store's 50% off sale I buy everything in pink and black.

I wanted to make it personal and added a couple of these lipstick cases.  My mom had given them to my girls to play with and smear all over their faces and my carpet.  I wanted that never to happen to another child in my home again, so I immortalized the lipstick in cement.

This horseshoe is special.  Brawn and I bought it 32 years ago to hang on our wall for good luck.  Did you know you should always turn horseshoes open end up?  Otherwise your luck runs out.

By that night Brawn had made me a form, (because I said NOW and meant it - I'm in the zone - the ready to craft zone). 

Using the pool table as my craft area, I smash everything I bought and bark out orders to the family - "don't anyone talk to me till I finish this.  You want to eat?, make your own... and bring me some". 

Glue, smash, glue, smash.  BRAWN... I NEED MORE BLACK STUFF WHAT 'YA GOT???  Old marble tile?  SURE!

24 hours later the headboard was ready for grout.  The size is about 57 inches wide and almost the same tall.  Two days after grouting it's hanging over daughters bed and she loves it.  After that I was hooked on smashing plates.  I amassed a plate collection of about 200, so many Brawn had to vacate one of his new shelves in the garage for my stash. 

My friend has hundreds more.  Years later I borrow a couple hundred additional plates from her and serve up a wedding using mis-matched patterns for daughter #1.  I also never use paper plates again when company comes.

I grabbed whatever was around, like mugs and cups.  I left the handles in tact.

My plate collection gets around.  I have rented them out for receptions for brides who also want miss-matched plates for a shabby chic look.

Linking the headboard up to:

Cracked, Hammered and Smashed Mosaics

So what do you all do when you want to create something just for the sake of creating?  For me it's smashed china mosaics.  I always have what I need, never have to run to the craft store.  

When the mood hits, I can hit - literally. SMASH. 

Garden tote

 I've been known to show no mercy on any pattern, even Limoges is not safe.

It's the kind of mosaics where you take a pretty plate, chipped or not, and smash it.  I don't do intricate patterns I just randomly glue the pieces on, along with bits of mirror and stained glass pieces and then grout it.

I think what I like about mosaics is that I don't really have to think or concentrate.  I learned to glue when I was 5, and it's like riding a bike.  I'm not really fond of puzzles but as a project nears the end it's a lot like a puzzle trying to find and fit pieces.

Fall Wedding

 I made a couple custom cake pedestals in the colors of the wedding.

Black & White wedding

Over the years I have grouted 9 of these address signs, each one different, all gifts for friends, but have never made one for myself.

I find doing mosaics relaxing, but once I start I like to finish it.  Secretly I think really what I like is collecting pretty plates, and I just hoard them under the ruse of mosaics!

 

Soon the temps will be warm enough to sit outside and smash my little heart out.

Linking this oldie post up at 

Funky Junk Saturday Nite Special: Plates

Linked the tote too:
All Star Block Party @ FullCircleCreations

 Sunday Stop @ Joy2Journey

Blue Cricket Design

Tuesdays Treasures at My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia 
Craft & Tell @ Cherished Bliss 
Some Day Crafts Whatever Wednesdays 
Look What I Made at Creations By Kara

Mantel Take #2 & #3..... & 4

OK, everyone chime in please, I'm looking for opinions.  The moving items around on the mantel portion of this post is finished.  Voting and opinions still welcome, but I'm not moving that stuff around any more today!!!  I messed with the mantel this morning.  One son is home sick and he had to offer up what he wanted to see.  He wants the Seed Sign back up there.  Last night after the sun went down the mantel looked too dark (see post Mantel Take #1).  I sent Brawn out to the back shed with instructions to find me a window.  He supplied.  So this morning I disassembled, and put together a mantel for take #2.  Then I updated this post all morning with #3 and #4.  The big question really ended up being the seed sign or no seed sign?

Take #2

#3 The Fiona

#4 at least till Feb. 14th

 I linked the Mantel Extravaganza to what else...... 52 Mantels party!

I also linked to White Wednesdays at Faded Charm Cottage, #2 is white right?

Mantel, take #1

When I got up this morning I had two things on my list.  Make bagels from a recipe at The Whimsical Wife and put something - anything - on my naked family room mantel.  You can read about bagel making here, it wasn't an easy process for me and the day was perfect for whipping up something new as the kids had a two hour late start due to ice and snow.  They didn't get to try a bagel before they left.  I was challenged.

This is the naked mantel.  At Christmas it looks beautiful.  The rest of the year not so much.  Before work I asked Brawn to take the picture down.  He forgot so I had to do it.  I've been channeling Donna at Funky Junk lately, and today was no exception.  Her morning post was about her mantel which was very appropriate for me today.  Go look at her's I love it.  Now when I started out I had no intention of doing a copy cat, in fact I was going to do a Valentine mantel to share with 52 Mantels but after my sad bagel making attempt I decided to follow the map Donna had laid before me rather than try something new on my own.  I wanted to finish it today, and I was already short those 2 early morning hours, plus the bagel making time.

First step, put on my boots and walk through this......

To get some of these........

I have more junk around this house than I know what to do with, so finding stuff to put on the mantel really wasn't a problem.  I do have a window but I would of had to walk through that white stuff again and hunt it down.  I opted to continue with out a window.

I had a seed sign that never had a home, so it was recruited.  Old wire bakery mixing whip that holds a candle, yup going up there.  Old box, well I have to take out what's in it, but sure.  Bird house - daughter does ceramics so she'll be happy to see that on the mantle.  License plates, ummm hmmm, those are in the closet waiting for a great idea for my son's room.  So I put all the junk I had handy up there, and then sat down and ate a bagel while I looked at it.  I'm not sure I like it (the mantel, the bagel was tasty).  I love the Funky Junk mantel so I'll have to play around with mine for awhile and get used to some stuff up there and not where it's been for 10 years.  Guess I fear change.

I've been telling Brawn I want to take down the log siding.  I would probably like all the "junk" on the mantel if I had a cleaner back ground.  I'm tired of the wood.  I haven't convinced him yet to take it down, so for now this will do.  I think I want to rough up the railroad tie and maybe varnish it to give it some shine like Donna's.  At least it's not empty today, it's a long mantel.  I think I might be more a family photo and frame on the mantel type girl.  Tomorrow I may experiment with that idea, and have Brawn fetch me a window.  But for today this stays.  My favorite part?  Those dog wood branches I trudged through the snow to clip!

Magazine Copy Cat Challenge

OK, I have to start small, I'm new. 

Nothing big and ambitious for my first try at DebbieDoos copy cat challenge.

I was looking through a new mag on my nightstand and saw this little Valentine set up. 

The Mark

I thought how cute- could I do that?  Naaahh.  

Then I learned Debbie has a monthly copy cat challenge.  I'm not good at math but I could put that 2 + 2 together!  

I decided to give it a whirl and duplicate the Country Living magazine vignette.

Inspiration Magazine

I've always wanted to try my hand at those cute little banners.  While I do have an abundance of random playing cards because I am not playing with a full deck, I didn't particularly think the card banner in the inspiration photo was "Valentine cute".

I pulled a couple pages from the 'ol red encyclopedia, printed and cut out BE MINE on the computer, and ransacked the school supply drawer for a glue stick.

I located ribbon and scallop scissors and I was in business.

I think I really could of put this together just like the magazine photo, but we're suppose to put our own twist on it right?

The only things I didn't have a match for were pink spray paint for the tray, or the cool paper straws.

I opted to use a hydrangea since my rose bouquet didn't do a thing for the display - and my white tea pot was buried somewhere in the garage.

I had some left over tags from Halloween specimen jars and made them personal for Brawn and I.  Doesn't everyone make specimen jars?

I even have a couple of the same glass jars but they were packed away in Halloween bins and I wasn't gonna dig through those!  (Notice Brawn's decanter, it's a vintage reproduction from some king that I picked up at a garage sale).

I learned from my first copy cat challenge is that I don't really try new things anymore.  Instead of looking at all the beautiful photos in the magazines (and in blogland) and thinking I could never do that, I realized it's all set up right there in front of me, all I have to do is just as Debbie says...... make it my own.

                                                     

Linking up to DebbieDoos Magazine Copy Cat Challenge

Vintage Mailbox Towel Holder Boys Bathroom

I was inspired by a post on LittleMissMaggie's about her folk art mailbox, so today I'm going to boldly go where no woman should go - my boys bathroom -  so I can show you the vintage mailbox I turned into a towel holder.

16 years ago.

Back then I'm pretty sure everyone who saw it thought I was odd hanging an old mailbox anywhere, let alone in a bathroom.

What's on your toilet?

Call them what you want (I won't go into all the slang terms) but we all have one, or two, or in my case, more..... a toilet. 

As a young woman with a multi butt family I thought how great it would be to have all these bathrooms in our new home.  They're still great to have, cause when 'ya gotta go, 'ya gotta go.... but the joy (if there ever was) of cleaning all of those resting rooms has long since wore off.  

The kids are old enough now to keep their own bathrooms stocked and cleaned (ha ha cleaned).  So I thought as I replenished the main floor with supplies I'd check on them all to find out......

 "Just What's on Their Toilet?".

Danka, Merci, Gracias and Thanks

I'm still new at this, but appreciation is appreciation and I'm feeling it.  I just want to say thank you to the ladies that have hit the "follow me" button so far.  Having 19 people in one week interested enough to tune in to see what I come up with makes me grateful.  Having a few of you checking in on me from time to time might just be what gets me started on some projects (sort of like a cyber kick in the azzz)!  So far I haven't done anything here but dust to take pictures, tried a couple of YOUR recipes (and they were yummy), and stayed up so late every night my eyeballs are red from reading all about you and your homes.  Reading about you is by far more interesting to me, but I can't keep staying up this late!  The Brawn of the operation is feeling neglected, and that doesn't make for a blissful ranch.  If he only knew how long his to-do list is getting...............

Advertising Tins

My name is Bliss, and I am a tin-o-holic.  But I do not want to recover from this, no siree.  Not just tins, but any sort of item that has advertising on it or interesting letters.  If the re-decorating fairy fluttered through my house, she better keep her magic wand away from my tins.  They stay.
No matter what.  But she could drop more off.

 

Not all the tins I have are old.  Well intentioned friends often give me cute ones that look vintage but of course are not.  Doesn't bother me but I do have a fondness for the antique tins.

 

I like the Shinola tin above.  It still has stuff in it and it makes me laugh.  

Sometimes I don't look inside the tins I find because I'm not sure what I might see.  And in the case of the Shinola tin, that old saying had to come from somewhere, so why chance it?

 

Dust mop in a can?  Hmmm.  

I think this is the kind of thing those elixir guys sold out of their traveling wagons along with snake oil.  Look, it even has sort of a snake charmer guy as a mascot.  I haven't read the fine print on it, or opened it.  It has the word "dust" on it, and with my luck I would release what's inside, and Lord knows I don't want any more dust!  If it looks a little familiar to you that's because I turned this 'ol tin into my 

Bliss Ranch Button on the my sidebar. 

 

This Rolled Oats tin isn't even a tin.  It's the old fashioned version of cardboard.  I wonder if someone was sitting around their antique shop when they picked the name for the Golden Gophers Football team in Minnesota.  The oats are from St. Paul.  

This is also one of my favorites from my collection.

The tins I have are far from perfect, they won't be heading to any museums.  But somewhere sometime they were in someone's home, and if they could only talk.  Like this little Baby Talc tin above.  If you look close you can see pencil scratch marks all over.  Some little Victorian tot with a chaffed butt maybe took it out on the tin?  This one has stuff in it too.  

I have fought the urge to smell it.  

Linked up to:

Knick of Time Tuesday