Treasures in the Attic

...Or rather the rafters of the garage, which is where I found this old wood and wire birdhouse.

I oiled it up to give it some luster...

And for now it lives in the porch with the plants... sort of a summer conservatory.

Notebook

Most new "consultants" would invest in one of those adult Trapper Keepers - the leather-bound kind with lots of pockets. I did not do that. I made this notebook from some wrapping paper that I'm pretty sure came from Elana. Someone had given me pieces of the Levenger "Circa" system ($74 for a notebook?!) so I used them to make my own.

A Brightly Colored Desk

I bought a beige steel and formica-topped desk off of Craigslist. I like to think it came from the University of Minnesota because I found interoffice mail envelopes wedged behind the drawers. The project started in February in our one-car garage, which means the one car that used to park there was stuck navigating snowdrifts for several weeks. I sanded the desk with an electric sander rented from our local hardware store. Then I read the directions on the spray paint cans I'd bought and realized the paint couldn't be used in temps below 45 degrees.

I managed to heat the garage with a space heater sufficiently to get the primer on. But the rest of the paint wasn't finished until the end of March. Oops.

I used this DELICIOUS spray paint called Montana Gold. I want to paint everything with this stuff. It is so gorgeous and comes in over 200 colors.

I found this lovable '60s era radio (it works!) at a place called Salvage One in the Wicker Park neighborhood of Chicago, a multi-floor warehouse filled with mid-century delights. I'm looking for a dark wood lamp to round it all out. And a shelving system will go above the desk to organize my fabric, craft boxes and files.

Greeting Cards

This month's Martha Stewart featured a vintage bicycle layout with a photo spread of bicycle baskets. I liked the photos so I cut them out and glued them to some blank greeting cards. To make them glossy, I formed a paper frame to protect the paper and sprayed the photos with clear glaze.

Patio Lights

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and I've been admiring a neighbor's strung patio lights for some time. So I finally hung my own.

Target is selling patio lights for about $12 a string. I also purchased a 20' outdoor extension cord, some pond pebbles and an 8' pole at Home Depot. Martha Stewart helped me figure out how to anchor the pole. (She has some other nice outdoor lighting ideas as well).

First I salvaged a 5-gallon pail and drilled holes in the bottom to allow for water drainage.

I had someone hold the pole in the middle of the bucket while I poured the pond pebbles. The bag of pebbles was so heavy I could barely lift it, which seemed ideal for anchoring. But the pole still moved side to side, so I found some large rocks in the yard to buttress the pole.

I left several inches from the top of the bucket for potting soil, where I planted wheatgrass seeds. I like the idea of furry green grass springing from the base of my anchor.

I attached the outdoor extension cord outlet to the house using two screw eyes and plastic fastener strips. I screwed 3 small hooks into the house and used plastic fasteners to anchor the 3 strands apart from one another. I used the same technique to run the extension cord along the eaves to render it less noticeable.

We really enjoyed the lights during our Memorial Day cocktail party last night.

Dresser Dress-Up

I have two large bureaus in my bedroom that belonged to my grandparents in the 1960s. The drawer handles have become very worn and tarnished over the past 40 years, so I removed one and took it to the hardware store in hopes of getting advice about metal polish.

The hardware store employee showed me the dull, black backside of the handle and informed me that they were lacquered "pot metal," and could not be polished. I asked him for other ideas and he suggested spray paint. I removed all of the handles, sanded them down so the paint would take to the surface.

The paint worked beautifully. A nice facelift for my family heirloom.

Christmas Sweatshop Item #6: Balsam Candles

I had a large square balsam-scented candle whose wick had run out, leaving large hunks of lovely, scented wax around an empty core. I melted down the wax and stuck wicks in the middle to make recycled candles.

I also reused a large candle jar from another candle that had run is course. I'm not sure how much of the scent's strength is lost in melting down, but for now the candles still smell wintery and wonderful.