I am a Victorian Soul, who lives in a small townhouse that was built in the mid 1970's, not a huge Mega Mansion!! I just recently lost my Hubby Joe, who was a Retired Letter Carrier. I worked night shift as an RN on a Hospital based Rehabilitation( Physical Medicine) Unit for 37 years before I had Knee Replacement Surgery and officially Retired in 2019 after 41 years working in Direct Patient Care ... I am so glad that we retired at 62 years of age and got to spend that time together before he passed....I still do love Retirement!!!!

I DABBLE IN A BIT OF THIS AND THAT!!!!

" IT IS NEVER TOO LATE TO BE WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE BEEN"
George Eliot
George Eliot was actually a pen name for a woman named Mary Anne Evans......

BLOGGING FOR FUN AND FRIENDSHIP!!!!!!

Sunday, April 11, 2021

A Few Projects in the Craft Room

 

 

 

 

  Welcome to Debbie-Dabble Blog!!

 
I am so happy you decided to stop by!!
 
In my last post, I shared my dear friend Anne Marie's home decorated for Easter/Spring!!! 

 

 

 

 

Click HERE if you missed this post as I am sure you will want to definitely see her beautiful home!!!

 Well, Spring has sprung here in NEPA.....

 These are the forsythias in my neighbor's yard on the end of our row of townhouses.... 
 
 

 

 This is the one in my front yard.....

 They only bloom for a short period of time......

And my Lilac tree has buds on it....

 

Hopefully, we will not get frost now that will kill the buds before they get a chance to open and bloom......

Joe actually thought of a project to do without me telling him about it!!!!!

He decided to paint some posts from an old shelf unit that we had down our storage shed which he replaced....

Again, sticking to my goal of not shopping needlessly and shopping our own house instead, I suggested he use the paint that we had in our storage room which was in a can and not go out and buy black spray paint......

 

 Here he is painting those posts, using paint we already had....

 He wanted to use them to run the electrical cords through for our outdoor lighting that is on a timer.....

 

 This is in the flower bed under our Living Room window.....

 

You can see them on the mulch......

 

He also painted the one part of our rain gutter but did have to buy a new black extension part....

 

Now it blends in with the mulch and does not stick out like a sore thumb like the white one did....
 
He put down new mulch and buried the posts through which the cords had been passed through.....

 

 

 Joe also waited for Lowe's to put their mulch on sale for 5 bags for $10 to do the front slope....

 

 He needs a step stool to get up on the wall and slope.....

 

 Here he is throwing mulch down from the top......

 

I had him buy 3 new phlox plants at Lowe's to plant where the weed killer we have to keep putting down to try to keep the weeds from the yard next to us out of our yard, killed some of the phlox.....
 

 He also put down mulch up at the top of our slope in the flower bed that runs along the front sidewalk......

 

 

 All finished ......





 

 

 Joe also used some of the mulch down by our neighborhood mailboxes.....

 
We have been taking care of this area for a few years now and last year, I dug out and enlarged the area
 
 .....
 
I still want to pull out the rock border that I put down and straighten it out after the Winter along with doing a bit  more clean up.....

I will see what perennials start to pop up and see if there will be any I can add from my yard....

I have been posting that I have been working in my Craft Room....

Not crafting but rearranging , reorganizing and cleaning......

 After I finally packed away all the Christmas decorations, I converted the Tree that I keep up year round in the Craft Room over to my Summer Tree......

 

 

I will be sharing this Tree in a future post....

I also did do several projects that were on that 2-3 Year To Do List of mine that I have post Retirement!!!!

One was to freshen up Joe's Paternal Grandmother's antique Singer Sewing Machine.....

After applying a simple coat of Polyurethane, which my Dad always swore by, on some other items last Fall, I decided to do the same on the Sewing Machine.....

First , I did the drawers....

I liked the way they came out.....

  
Then I applied a coat to the top area on the wood.....

 

 Then I decided to see how it would look on the actual sewing machine itself which is very ornate....

 
 
I think it really brought out the painting on it.....

 I then decided to apply some on the black iron foot pedal and base....


It kept the aged patina, which I wanted, but brightened it up.....

 

 Almost making it look as if I had painted it.....

Very happy with how this turned out!!!!

 So here is a sneak peek of it all finished and with my display of vintage sewing things on it....


 I will be sharing more of this in  my next post.....

Next up was that I wanted to clean the window after taking down the drapes and lace curtains which had been hanging there for more years then I am quite embarrassed to say.....

Another thing on that 2-3 Year To do List...

But to do this, I had to take apart the craft table I created for myself first.....

You can see how small this window actually is....

This was my son, Joey's, room and he insisted on an air conditioner which was almost impossible to fit in this window....

We bought a low profile one and Joe had to go outside to get up on the roof of the Den, while I popped the bottom part of the window out and Joey and I would lift the air conditioner up and out the window which Joe would then hold and stabilize while on the roof and I would pop the window back in and close holding the air conditioner in......

After years of doing this, I am now afraid to even tilt the windows in to clean because I am fearful they will pop out and I will not be able to get them back in.... 

We planned on replacing these windows along with the 2 in my bedroom and one in the Living Room for the last few years now but things kept happening like my knee surgery being moved up, my contractor having surgery and the pandemic.....

Maybe next year, we will finally get these 34 year old replacement windows, replaced once more!!!!

All this stuff is from my craft table......

 

 I washed the drapes and found another pair of white lace curtains that I bought at a yard sale years ago for $1.00 a panel......

 

The pink drapes are actually one panel, again bought at a yard sale, that I was able to cut up the middle and make to fit the window since it is so small........

 

 I also cleaned this light fixture after I kept bumping my head on it while hanging the drapes and curtains.......


It is an old chandy that I pulled the wiring out of and then threaded a swag lamp through it and decorated......

I bought the swag lamp at an Estate sale of a neighbor for $2o.......

Now I was able to move my table back and rebuild it into my craft table......

This is an old computer desk that I bought at a church flea market years ago for $5......

To create a drawer, I glued take out containers and a drawer organization tray to the keyboard shelf......

 
I made a place for all these things.....

To make the desk larger and provide more of a work surface, I had placed a piece of particle board that we had on top.....


You can see how it extends out in front and on the sides......

 

 Since it extends out in front, I was able to store this tub of craft supplies, which is on a board that I had Joe make with casters attached so it can be easily rolled out from underneath the desk and when I sit here, I am not bumping the tub....

 I then covered the particle board with 2 pieces of a vinyl tablecloth, also bought at a yard sale....

 

 

 Ironically, my neighbor Elly had a massive oak desk in her home which she had a piece of glass for the top of it made which fit on that piece of particle board perfectly!!!!!!

What the heck are the chances??????

I placed some of my old business cards from when I sold crafts on Ebay and a picture of a display I had in a local consignment store underneath the glass.......


I then moved this shelf that I bought in Salvation Army of $5 and decoupaged pictures from calendars to the back of the chubby holes, onto the back of the table......

 

Creating my craft table with room to craft on.....

 

Of course, Joe came upstairs after I was finished moving everything back and lifting everything onto the table including that heavy piece of glass!!!!!


When the shopping center next to us was devastated by a tornado several years ago, our favorite restaurant had a sale of things from the restaurant.......

Joe bought this chalk board for a few bucks to help them out where they would write the daily specials on.....

 
I decided to write my favorite quote of all time on it aalong with the name of my blog........
 
I then took it a step further in true "Debbie Dabble" fashion and embellished it with a bit of bling that I had in my stash......



I had pink and green clear butterflies, stars and even a half moon that I glued on around the perimeter.... 



 
Adding a bit of Glitz and Clam.......

 
I hope you enjoyed seeing some of the projects I did in the Craft Room itself while reorganizing, arranging and cleaning it......

In my next post, I will be sharing how I decorated Joe's Grandmother antique Singer Sewing Machine now that I gave it a new lease on Life!!!



So I hope you will stop by to visit again soon!!

Stay safe, healthy and most of all, HAPPY!!

Thanks to those who took the time out of their busy day to spend a little bit of time with me!!

If you do not have a blog, PLEASE  give me some way to reply to your comment, maybe by including your email in your comment.  If I can not find a way to reach you, I will reply on the post where you commented so please check back......


I am linking up to these parties:
 
   Please take some time to visit these terrific hosts and all those joining in on the fun!
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16 comments:

  1. Michele MorinApril 11, 2021 at 5:50 PM

    I have my grandmother's old Singer, but it mostly functions as an end table. Your polyurethane work was amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Miss MerryApril 11, 2021 at 6:07 PM

    Girl, you guys have been BUSY! Your craft room looks wonderful! Your hard work in cleaning and sorting really shows. It is sparkling clean too. I know what you mean about frost. My lilac and my heirloom apple tree have buds. If we can just kiss that frost goodbye I will be a happy girl.

    ReplyDelete
  3. mamasmercantileApril 12, 2021 at 3:45 AM

    Just catching up Debbie so nice to visit. Your craft room is a feast for the eyes with so much to look at and admire. I love the Singer sewing machine and the great job you have done with it. Such a lovely room to create in.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Laura | Everyday EditsApril 12, 2021 at 8:30 AM

    Hi Debbie
    Happy Monday! I missed the Lowe's mulch sale.Doesn't it feel good to organize and clean this time of year.
    The Singer machine looks amazing! laura in Colorado

    ReplyDelete
  5. CreationsbycindyApril 12, 2021 at 2:35 PM

    Girl, you are always up to something fun and exciting. Hope the swelling is much better in your feet. Hugs and blessings, Cindy

    ReplyDelete
  6. Sandi MagleApril 12, 2021 at 2:48 PM

    You have been very busy...and that hill, looks treacherous....hope all goes well. Anxious to see what you do with the drawers! Hugs, Sandi

    ReplyDelete
  7. JeanieApril 12, 2021 at 2:57 PM

    You two have both been busy! That sewing machine is going to be pretty glorious when you are through!

    ReplyDelete
  8. BetsyApril 12, 2021 at 5:10 PM

    Joe did a wonderful job of painting and laying that mulch. That is a steep slope. I can see my behind rolling down it now. I would have to have a metal fence or something at the bottom for me to feel secure. Lot of good work and looks so nice. That singer machine is a beauty, a piece of art. I have singer machine of mama's and would love to find a belt for it. I used to along with mama sew on it and it worked fine. Would love to try again if I can find a belt.

    ReplyDelete
  9. handmade by amaliaApril 13, 2021 at 8:32 AM

    I have a Singer machine just like yours, inherited from my grandmother. It is one of my treasures.
    Amalia
    xo

    ReplyDelete
  10. Julie's Creative LifestyleApril 13, 2021 at 1:56 PM

    Joes did a great job doing yard work and projects outside. I like the old singer machine and you did a good job with painting it. I hope you are enjoying spring time Debbie. Have a nice week.

    ReplyDelete
  11. NinaApril 13, 2021 at 8:58 PM

    Who would have thought to put polyurethane on a sewing machine??? Only you!!! Love it!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Debbie-Dabble Blog and A Debbie-Dabble ChristmasApril 14, 2021 at 10:00 PM

      Nina,
      Thanks so much for stopping by!! I am glad that the polyurethane transformed the sewing machine!! Hopefully, I will be back on face book soon.....
      Hugs,
      Debbie

      Delete
  12. KathyApril 14, 2021 at 8:06 PM

    What you've done in your craft room is amazing! I unearthed my sewing machine this week and will use it on my kitchen table so I can sew whenever I want without having to move boxes, totes, and baskets to get to it. Diverticulitis has flared up after antibiotics from dental infection so sedentary stuff is again my speed; made a 8 pairs of earrings tonite, cut up sewing projects this a.m....I am clearing clutter one project at a time! I love how your curtains made the window look so much larger--great trick!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Debbie-Dabble Blog and A Debbie-Dabble ChristmasApril 14, 2021 at 10:04 PM

      Kathy,
      I do hope to do a lot more sewing now that I have gotten my craft room under control!!Thanks so much for stopping by!! Stay safe, healthy and happy!!
      Hugs,
      Debbie

      Delete
  13. Joanne April 15, 2021 at 2:46 PM

    You two have been BUSY! The gardens look fantastic and I love that you brought the old sewing machine back to life. It looks great.

    ReplyDelete
  14. My thrift store addictionApril 17, 2021 at 5:48 PM

    What a beautiful sewing machine! Thanks for sharing at Vintage Charm!

    ReplyDelete

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