Stumped by Mesquite

     So you cleared your land from all those Texas Mesquite trees and now you're wondering what to do with the logs and stumps. Of course, you set aside many, MANY bundles of logs for grilling to add that smoky mesquite flavor but there are more ideas.
     Add several coats of amber tinted Shellac to transform your mesquite into a rustic centerpiece, end table, bar stool, candle tray or cutting board. (Shellac is a natural product that creates a safe surface for food.)
     So get shellacking and love your mesquite wood!
~Yvonne

Mosaic Tile: Not Just For Backsplash

Rustic coffee table with mosaic tile inlay

Shabby chic foyer table with mosaic tile inlay

We've all seen the tables with ceramic, cream-colored tile inlays. They have that country look but simple & basic. This is where you can pump up the charm!

Manuel & I had some left over mosaic tile from our DIY kitchen back-splash project. We decided to inlay it into a coffee table he made that we hadn't sold yet. It took some tedious labor but the result was so worth it.

We loved the look so much that we decided to build a customized tile-inlay foyer table. We bought some gorgeous mosaic tile at the home improvement store. Since we only need a few squares, we knew we could splurge on the fancy one. I did a shabby chic paint treatment in turquoise & white on the frame. AMAZING!

A creative twist on the tile top table that has charm to the max!
~Yvonne

Invite Them In

After                                                                  Before

Does your front door lack curb appeal? Does it remind you of that neglected scary house in a horror movie? Or is it just boring and depressing?

It is quick and easy to add charm to your front door! Very little time and money invested will not only give a warm first impression, but adds curb appeal, which will add value to your home.

Make It Bold: Choose a bold color that is completely different from your house colors but that still compliments your home. To really make that bold color POP, paint the door frame white.

Add accessories: The house numbers on the door I saw in a magazine. I purchased the numbers at the home improvement store & re-created the look. Turned out magazine worthy!!

How to get the paint color you want: First-timers sometimes make the rookie mistake of buying colors readily available in the paint cans. These colors are basic & limited. (Guilty here.)

Look at the hundreds of card swatches available at your home improvement store & choose the color you love. Give it to the paint tech & say, "1 quart, exterior paint, semi-gloss." [One room interior would be, "1 gallon, interior paint, matte finish."]
I love the Valspar brand because it always comes out exactly like the paint card.

Exterior designing: To blend the door color into your surroundings, I suggest adding that color into flowers, door mat, throw pillows for porch seating, flower pots & garden statues.

Come on in! The doors open :)

~Yvonne

Feed Your Artistic Side

        

I had painted my living room walls and was not sure what to hang up afterwards. Manuel wanted something rustic & I wanted something artistic. So, until we could find something we both agreed on, the walls were left bare.

Then when we stopped at our favorite, local vintage shop, we saw two burlap feed sacks. They were so rustic that it looked cool. Together we brain-stormed the idea of framing them as wall art. He loved the idea & so did I. It was a definite WIN-WIN!!

How to create the look: We purchased some plywood to stretch & staple the burlap sacks onto and then we framed it with wood. I decided to paint the frame white & opted out on distressing it so that it would stand out against our 'cafe ole' brown walls.

The result: RUSTIC WALL ART that "feeds" our need for rustic charm and artistry.

Rustic Shadow Box

Rustic Shadow Box

Manuel's friend showed us a vintage horse collar that used to belong to his grandfather. It had some replacement parts, wear & tear but that's the stuff that adds rustic charm! He wanted to display it over his mantle in some way. Manuel & I brain stormed and came up with this custom, rustic shadow box. It compliments the horse collar without distracting from the horse collar.
How to get the glass sized for your shadow box or other project:
You can purchase a glass cutter to do your own cutting; remember to wear gloves & eye protection.
You can also purchase the glass at your home improvement store and have them custom cut to the size you need; at no additional charge. I like this option because they do a great job and tape the edges for you to transport. Oh, and free is a price I like very much! ;)

The Lone Star style:
Lone Star coffee table                           Lone Star end table & corner table


I came up with this Lone Star style for that Texas flare. It still has that rustic charm but fits nicely in a western style home, cabin or simply that Texas home with big, bold furniture pieces.

Distinctly different from our farmhouse style, the Lone Star has the chunky legs, end planks on each end of tops and beveled, iron star. You have got to have the star on a Lone Star table! The entire table is stained to reflect that Texas style.

The coffee table has small stars on each end and larger stars on each face. The end table & corner table has one small star on the face. After we made the coffee table, a customer wanted a complete living piece set. The end table & corner table were custom made to match the coffee table & the customers needs: larger to fit over-size couch and bottom shelves for storage. We were all pleased with the results.

Idea! It would look great with longhorn emblem in place of the stars for Longhorn table and Aggie emblem for Aggie table. (Manuel has to make sure his aggies are represented.)
~Yvonne

Bright Ideas for Unique Lighting

The best light fixtures are usually those that are custom, unique & even outside of the box. How do you transform something into a light fixture? A drill and light accessories from the hardware store and even you can create a treasured light fixture.

I found an antique wood planer & pair of vintage canisters at a local vintage shop to transform into light fixtures. Manuel drilled a hole into the wood planer and fashioned a light socket, wire & plug together to create a truly custom light sconce. The canisters we turned into table lamps. Manuel drilled a hole in the back toward the bottom and we bought a table lamp lighting kit that was quite easy to assemble. The results were beautiful!

   Antique Wood Planer Sconce


   Vintage Canister Table Lamp


Get your drill ready, light kits and let your ideas spark! ~Yvonne