Monday

Meet The New Dog On The Block


I don't normally dedicate a post to something other than DIY or projects, but it's dog week at Bliss Ranch and I've got a new right hand man.

Right around Mothers Day life around here got a little more energetic.

No I haven't signed up for a marathon, although I might argue that chasing a new puppy around should certainly qualify.

Honest Abe Bliss-Ranch.com

Meet Abe, the new dog in the yard. 

Some of you might recall that I sit other peoples dogs, and you also know that about a year and a half ago our 12 year old mascot Mo moved on as dogs do.  I said I'd give it some time to see if I wanted the responsibility of another dog living here full time.

Well I guess I do.


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Tuesday

Rusty Crusty Antique Milk Cans Refreshed

Around here sometimes yard junk goes to the woods to die.

You know, it's that out of sight out of mind thing.

And such is the case with some antique milk jugs I have had forever that were stashed behind the backyard garden shed where I didn't have to see their rusty crusty-ness.

I hauled them out with the intention of giving them a makeover, I just wasn't sure what sort of a makeover that would be, but it seemed a shame to leave antique milk cans rotting in the woods.

The cans were sporting spray paint in a salmon color with sun signs stenciled on in yellow, from I don't know... maybe 20 years ago.

I picked the cans up at a garage sale and I think they were used on the deck holding plants till they were decommissioned behind the shed to wait for their next makeover.

Antique Milk Can Old Sign Stencils Bliss-Ranch.com


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Saturday

Fusion Mineral Paint Front Porch Update

Summer had seemed to be taking it's dear sweet time arriving in my neck of the woods, but I really didn't mind days with temperatures in the 70's.  Considering we received snow in April, those mild temps felt more like the spring we were cheated out of.

The cooler temps also meant that catching up on a few things on the to-do list would be more enjoyable not to be working in the blazing heat.

Now at the end of June our heat has arrived, and I'm glad I got the front door painted before it did.

Fusion Mineral Paint Front Door Refresh, Bliss-Ranch.com

One chilly day I looked at our brown front door and decided I either had to give it a good scrubbing to remove dirt, webs and bugs, or give it a good scrubbing to remove dirt, webs and bugs then paint it.

I opted for new paint as the end result of the scrubbing.


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Wednesday

June Thrifty Style Team, Rebar Barbed Wire & Junk

Fathers day is right around the corner and here to celebrate the men is the June edition of the Thrifty Style Team.

This month the team is counting on the males for something thrifty - be it dads, husbands, sons or brothers - and the "style" could be just about anything.  

It's gonna be Junk Style at the Ranch.


I'm not sure if the man of this house considered it celebrating his father-ness when he had to add something else to his to-do list, but he did it anyway because he's always a good sport, so he combined weekend tasks for the end product.

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Friday

Rubber Boot Door Wreath Easy Inexpensive

Back before the gnats and mosquitoes hatched, and before our Minnesota weather was stable enough that we could say Winter was actually over, I decided to whip up something to hang on the side door.

I wanted a little color since the trees were not yet in bloom and by the time April arrives, Winter usually has left us in a sea of brown till everything greens up.

I also didn't want to spend much money.

Bliss Ranch has a pin board with tons of beautiful door wreaths, centerpieces and porch deco's, and some day I might make one of the eye popping ones that make a person gasp before knocking, but this was not the day.

And tell me, does a wreath have to be round or is it simply something hung on a door?

When Daughter #1 found out I was looking for some little rubber boots, she gave me a pair of ripped black age two toddler rain boots that were heading to her trash.

Since I am completely out of tiny feet that wear little boots, this was the perfect example of one woman's trash is another woman's treasure.

Rubber Rain Mud Boot Door Wreath Bliss-Ranch.com


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Saturday

Painted Stenciled Galvanized Buckets

It's that time of year when I purchase lush, thriving, spring flowers and plants, only to end up in a couple of months questioning my green thumb.

Painted Stenciled Galvanized Buckets, Bliss-Ranch.com

Sure some years I am able to keep flowers alive and looking good, but more times than not it isn't the case.  I have no rhyme or reason to how I betray plants after the promise of a healthy life, it's sort of hit or miss on the type and location of the ones that will pull through.

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Wednesday

May Thrifty Style Team Wood Box

May flowers have arrived and along with those blossoms the Thrifty Style Team bloggers are blooming too!
You just never know what the other ladies will be thrifting, or how they will redesign an item they already have, so make sure and check out the links at the bottom that point you in their direction.

Some months I might thrift something for my own house, and other months I might  re-thrift something that was thrifted to me, which means I re-thrift a thrifted item back to the thrift-or, essentially going from being a thrift-ee of a thrifty item to myself being a thrift-or.   Clear as mud?

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Route 66 Beer Tote Thrifty Style Team April


It's Thrifty Style Team for April, but I won't be writing about any April showers or May flowers, instead I'm gonna write about beer and one of those wood things that totes 'em.
Having a thrifty style, or thrifting items usually means hitting a garage sale or thrift store to find some treasure to use in a new way or upcycle into something interesting.

But when the occasion arises I like to give homemade gifts that are just as interesting made from junk I already have.  So I basically thrift from my thrifty stash, like old boards I found somewhere (usually on the garage floor).

I like to give homemade gifts, not to be cheap or easy - which I'll have you know I am neither of 😂😂😂😇😇😇 - but because I like to receive those types of things.  So to the people that matter to me I like giving a homemade gift that might be special to them someday, like when I'm cracking the cap on cold ones in the afterlife.  I do hope keeping my beer cold won't be a problem when that time comes.

A couple of years ago for Christmas, the jolly garage elf cobbled up six beer totes to gift to family and friends.  If you do a Pinterest search you can find all sorts of styles and ideas.

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Thrifty Style Team Snowy March Table


Welcome to the March Thrifty Style Team celebrating SPRING.

Except for me, I'm not celebrating it yet.


Spring?

What month does Spring actually start?


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Saturday

Ringing In The New Year With 2018 Favs

I realize every other blogger on the planet has already wished their readers Happy New Year.  Some did it smack dab at midnight on the eve of, some before the new year actually arrived, and then at that stroke of midnight they were all promptly ready to post Valentine's Day projects for 2019 because they are organized like that.

Well I'm not one of those.

I'll leave it for you to ponder if that is because I don't give a darn what everyone else does, fly by the seat of my pants, march to the beat of my own drummer, or that I'm only organized enough -but proud- to get my holiday decorating put away before July.

We're just about midway into the first month of 2019 and I don't think that's so far into the year that I can't still use a Happy New Year greeting.  I guess I could change it up for the occasion..... Happy Mid January?  Happy 2019 that started two weeks ago?

Whatever, 2019 has arrived and twentyeighteen is a thing of the past.

And speaking of the past, below are five 2018 fav's from last year.

The projects are nothing opulent, no exquisite decorating or room staging, which tells me that my readers want to see re-purposing, thrifty finds, and updates they can see themselves accomplishing.

If you want to take a gander at the before and afters, just click on the links.



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