Friday

TV Trays To Patio Tables

Last week Daughter #1 sent me a text asking if I wanted some old TV trays, and I don't think she thought I would say yes. She was cleaning out a closet and if she didn't have a use for them why would I?

But her text was timely, and I did have a use for them.

TV Trays Upcycled To Patio Tables with Old Sign Stencils Bliss Ranch.com

When I was a kid tv trays were made of metal, and in my mind I can still hear my mom's set clanking as they would hit each other on the stand. These days the trays are wood and I don't think they are called trays, the youngsters call them tables, but to me they will always be tv trays.

So a few days after the original text the six tv trays and their stands landed on my front porch.  I knew what I would use them for, and I knew I would paint them but I did have to think on how I wanted them to look.


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Antique Chamber Pot Planter

You never know what you'll get in a box of junk from an auction.

Like a pot to piss in.

Sorry if that's blunt, but back in the day before the advent of indoor plumbing and bathrooms, lots of folks weren't about to take a walk in the snow in below zero temps, just to make a little water in the middle of the night.

And the saying "didn't have a pot to piss in" meant you were pretty broke if you didn't even have a pot to do your business in.

When I went through the box of auction items I hauled home last spring, I pulled out this cute little antique red and white enamelware pot, but really all I saw was a planter.  It wasn't until after it sat on the steps holding a plant last summer that I realized what it really was.

The little red enamelware pot was actually an antique pot to piss in. Gross!

Updated Antique Chamber Pot Turned Planter Bliss-Ranch.com


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Tuesday

How to Make Metal Tags Look Like Mini Enamel Signs


Is it March?  April?  Soon to be June?

The previous months probably seemed long for most folks, and looking back I guess I squandered much of that winter time.  And now that those months are gone, it is still as if they have disappeared in the wink of an eye, but because of that squandered time my to-do list has been left mostly untouched even with all the "stay at home" time.

Metal Tags That Look Like Mini Enamel Signs Bliss-Ranch.com

In December I promised a 'how to' post on cute little eye fooling tags that mimic an enamel look.  I made them for the markers of a 25 days advent calendar.

Metal Tags That Look Like Mini Enamel Signs Bliss-Ranch.com


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Friday

Dog Feeder Project And Elephant In The Room

Sooooo.....

About that elephant in the room.

It's in my room, your room, big brothers room, all the way to the room of a remote isolated indigenous tribe in the rain forest, so I thought I'd just address that prior to sharing a project.

Bliss Ranch has very loyal, engaged, and sweet readers, and I thank you all.  And based on the amount of email I get, (which I finally checked) when you don't hear from me for an extended time via blog posts or on social media, you worry and ask if I'm alright.  I am.  But are you?

Those instant messages and emails have prompted me to acknowlege the elephant in the room; that ever big, ever present, sort of hazy gray cloud hanging over us all in everything we do right now.

Stuffed Elephant Horton Bliss-Ranch.com


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Wednesday

Office Update With A Photowall Mural

I'm pretty excited about today's post for a few reasons....

1)  Something was checked off the to-do list
2) Something looks pretty darn awesome with a mural from PhotoWall (but who wouldn't want to remove a 26 year old teal paisley couch from a room?)
3) The man of the house can quit using the dining room table for paperwork
4) There is a discount code at the end of this post for any readers that would like to order their own mural from PhotoWall.

Back when this house was built it was popular to have a more formal living room area if there was the space, I guess to entertain guests. You know - one room without a TV and toys. 

Fact: with six kids there was never a room that was without toys, and the people we entertained usually brought more kids and more toys.

PhotoWall Office Mural Vintage Letters Bliss-Ranch.com

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Friday

Thrifting At Occasional Shops


It's time for the February Thrifty Style Team lead by Julie from Redhead Can Decorate, and for my thrifty post I got out from behind the computer and thrifted my little out.


I'm sorry Mr. Bezos, there will be no deliveries for me this week.  I no longer need a basket for my mail, which was my thrifting goal.

Thrifting didn't just happen on Saturday, I actually went out twice, once on Saturday and then again on Sunday.  No that's not how I usually roll, but I went to half of the local shops on a date with Daughter #2, and then again to the other half of the shops the next day with a new date.

And I know since today is Valentines Day, that there is a burning question in your heart.... you want to know did I purchase on both days?

Yes I did.  I myself.

I'll be showing you the items I plunked down some dollars for, as well as the lovely stuff I left behind, and make sure to click the links at the end to visit the sweet members of the Thrifty Style Team.  Both they and I would love it if you do.  It's Valentines Day but there is no particular theme to our posts this month, I just felt like including all this love .  

I have written before about the occasional sales in a small town a few miles from me, although I'm not necessarily the kind of shopper the owners want as clientele.

I wander around the 15+ shops to get ideas, then come home and figure out how to recreate the look myself, of course for less.

The shops are all open for four days starting the 1st Thursday of the month, and some are open full time.  I don't go each month, and many times I don't come home with a single thing.  What I really like is going along with someone and watching them spend their money.

Occasional Sale Shops Bliss-Ranch.com

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Thrifty Style Team New Year Giveaway

Update....Friday, January 17, 2020; 
***This giveaway is now closed, thank you to all who entered.  The winner has been contacted and I will be mailing a set of tags #1-10 in the next couple of weeks.***

New Year new stuff going down around Bliss Ranch.

And when I say things are going down around here you can take it literally.....  five walls to be precise are the things that are now gone.  I'm up to my eyeballs cleaning messes and finding temporary locations for items that came out of cabinets that no longer exist.

What we have got going on is the snow ball effect.  One project leading to another to another to another, and before you know it there is an open concept floor plan where a person can see all the way across this 70' long ranch house.

But all that mess are posts for another day, because today it's all about the Thrifty Style Team Giveaway, and when you visit each of the participating blogs you'll have a chance to win something from their thrifty stash. 



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Monday

Top Five Posts of 2019

Another one come and gone.  Year that is - another year is over.

As I get slower the years go faster.  Wasn't it just a couple years ago we were worried about some terrible computer thing when the clock struck midnight and the date changed to 2000? Whattttt that was 20 years ago?  Hmmmm.

Whatever.  I don't alter my life over predictions and I have pretty much quit making New Years resolutions -  both for the same reason; neither usually happens.

But before I move into 2020 I did some reminiscing of the projects past here at the ranch and picked the top 5 fan favorites.

Bliss Ranch Top 5 Fan Favorites
As I looked back on the Bliss Ranch happenings I realized I spent more time outside sprucing stuff up in 2019 by working on little outdoor projects.  I also enjoyed the completed things I spruced and the quiet time painting outside in the sun was nice.


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Friday

Handmade Advent Calendar By A Pint Size Crafter

This year I crafted a bit more than usual and unlike big furniture makeover projects, sometimes I didn't craft alone.

Last year I created three Christmas countdown calendars that took way too much time for what was basically a single use item.

Brown Paper Bag Advent Calendar Bliss-Ranch.com

So this year I wanted to create countdowns that could be reused each year.


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Recycled Metal Seat Holiday Door Wreath Thrifty Style Team

It's the holiday season, so whoop de do and dickory dock and don't forget to hang up your....... metal stenciled front door wreath.

The original version of the song didn't mention a metal door wreath, but socks are overdone right?

It's Thrifty Style Team December Edition and I've got a feeling when you and I visit the other blogs at the bottom of this post, we're gonna see some holiday thrift'n going on.


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From time to time there might be a written review of services or products on this blog for which Bliss Ranch may or may not have received that service or product for free. Receiving a product or service for free or at a discount will never dictate what is written on this blog or guarantee a favorable review. All opinions here belong to Bliss Ranch and Bliss Ranch alone. Bliss Ranch is not monetarily compensated to write anything on this blog... period! For the complete privacy policy please see the tab at the top of the blog.