Tidy Brown Wren, bringing order to your nest

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...

  Whew!  I finally have a chance to post an update on our kitchen remodeling project.    There is lots of wood and dust, nails and screws, bricks and sand.    Here is a view into the kitchen from the "keeping room" area in front of the fireplace.  We have an open concept house, so it's hard to describe.  To the right, through the doorway, is our utility room.  The large plaid object to the right is our stove covered with a blanket.    The ceiling is bead board and the walls are being prepped for board and batten.   Here is the same view after the painters came and after Hubs and I removed the brick flooring.  This view was taken from the doorway to the utility room.  Notice the new beams and the board and batten siding.  The old walls and ceiling had been sprayed with popcorn ceiling texture - I'm not kidding - yes, in a kitchen.  Every morning I came down to ...

  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?  

I love looking back on the past year and being reminded of what I accomplished during the past 12 months.  Getting back most of the feeling and function in my right leg was a big help in getting projects done.  Yay for physical therapy! Guest Room Redo : Right after Christmas last year, I started working on the guest room on the 3rd floor our our home.  This bedroom with a sitting area and 3 piece bathroom is perfect for guests.  I was able to finish the room inexpensively by using things I already owned.  I only spent money on paint and a new set of sheets.  Goat Feed Bag Grocery Sack: I finally made use of the goat and chicken feed bags that had been accumulating in our barn.  I turned a few of them into grocery sacks.  I'm still making them and selling them in my Etsy shop, but they quickly sell out and I've had a lot of local customers buying them.  I hope to add a few more into the shop soon. Rocking Chair Int...