Tidy Brown Wren, bringing order to your nest

I'm getting ready for Tidy Brown Wren's Spring Open House. And you're invited! Saturday, May 9, 2015 9:00-4:00 Wren Acres in Chesapeake, Virginia If you missed the Fall Open House, you'll want to make sure that you make it to this one.  Most items are one-of-a-kind, so you'll want to arrive early to get your favorite piece.   Email me tidybrownwren@gmail.com for directions

I recovered a chair for my son's apartment a few months ago and I'm eager to show you the before and after photos.   This was the chair that we've had in our bedroom for at least 20 years.  My father in law originally got it from one of his older neighbors.  It was very sturdy, but very out dated and stained - and pink. I took the cushions off of the chair and removed all of the old fabric.  The cushions were still in good shape.  Then I spray painted the frame with Oil Rubbed Bronze paint.  After that, I stapled the new fabric (left over from a previous project) onto the cushion forms.  I needed to cover up some of the staples on the back of the chair but I didn't want to purchase anything.  Thankfully, I always save extra strings, ribbons, and trim.  Out of my basket of trim, came a wide brown shoe lace.  Perfect! Not bad for using supplies I already had on hand.   I made a pillow to go with it - ag...

 I've been busy preparing for a Tidy Brown Wren Open House this coming Saturday, November 15th.   After all, what's a mom to do when her last child moves out of the apartment over the garage?  It's too great of a space to just leave empty.  Want a sneak peak?  Lots of treasures that are upcycled, recycled, vintage, or just plain cool.   The shop will be open from 9:00 until 5:00.  Stop by and enjoy some delicious goodies and do some Christmas shopping.   Email me at tidybrownwren@gmail.com for directions.

Our little playhouse is finally finished.   It's been a real labor of love and a challenge to keep the budget low and use what we already had on hand. Click on A Playhouse Story if you want to read about our little house.   This was how it started out (minus all of the junk we hauled out of it). And now I'm proud to show off our little playhouse all gussied up and ready for some visitors.   After all of the demo and painting, we only had a few more projects to finish up.  One of the projects was adding a new (old) window to brighten the interior a bit more.   Then the fabulous duo known as Son & Hubs put in a remnant of carpet that our oldest daughter was getting rid of.  She donated it to the cause. A coat of paint on the outside made the two non-matching windows look like they were meant to be together.  By the way, all of the old windows we use in our projects have either been found on the cu...

This past summer, Hubs and I went on a wonderful hike .  I promised you I would write about the MedicAlert bracelet I wore while hiking.          It is important that I have medical information available at all times in case of an emergency.  I researched different types of medical alert companies and felt that Medic Alert was the best organization for me and my family. I like that they are a nonprofit organization and  I can update my information at any time.   If something were to happen to me while I was running errands, emergency personnel could look on my bracelet and find out the 3 most important medical issues I have (I'm allergic to sulfa drugs, I've had a kidney transplant, and I am immune suppressed).  There is also a toll free number for them to call to find out what medications I am taking, who my doctors are, and who to contact in case of an emergency.    I am always wearing one of m...

  I've been having a great time upcycling skirts into fun things to sell in my Etsy shop .   First, this beautiful pillow was upcycled from a teen skirt.      This ballet bag was upcycled from a little girl's skirt.     This bag sold a few minutes after I added it to the shop.  I'm mailing it off  to a sweet little 3 year old who lives a few states away.  It was made from a tutu and lined with a cute cherry fabric.     This cute purse is the perfect size to take to that fun theme park that everyone is visiting right now.  Doesn't it remind you of a certain mouse?  

  In mid December our preschool went to the Children's museum in Portsmouth, VA.  My grandfellas, who attend the school, had a great time.  Their favorite area was the mock fire station, complete with Firefighter costumes.    I decided right then that the boys would be getting firefighter costumes for Christmas even though we had already purchased  gifts for them.    I looked online to quickly order some but was very disappointed to find that they were cheaply made or too expensive to purchase for short term use by two growing boys.   I checked around the web and found a few ideas for making my own.  Here's the results.     I took a few pics at school today to get some close-up shots. First,  I found some dark colored shirts/jackets at the thrift store and went to work.       I used a size 5 kids fabric raincoat for the younger grandson's jacke...

As I pulled out Christmas decorations from the storage bins this year, this sad little tree didn't make the cut.  I had used it as part of a display of lit houses in the past, but lack of room caused me to relocate the houses to my daughter's house (she loves hand-me-downs).   I started to pitch the sad tree, but I needed something with height on a side table in the family room so I thought I would experiment with the tree and see what I could come up with.     I had some berry picks in the greenery bin that I wasn't using so I decided to use those.  I like the natural colors of the berries. I took the picks apart so that all of the berries were separate.  After fluffing the smooshed tree and straightening all of the branches, I wrapped individual berries around each branch. I put the tree in a pot and set in on the side table next to the window seat.  A small reindeer ornament keeps it company.  See the new wi...