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1980s Planter Bookcase Update

Last week, I informed you I would be working on a bookcase over the weekend. Originally I was hoping to have it done by Sunday afternoon. Well, two days late and two dollars short. However, its done! Yippee!

What took so long? The dry time was extended because it decided to get a little chilly in these neck of the woods. And since I'm working mainly in the unheated garage I have to wait for it to warm up on most days, which is normally around noon. I'm sure my client was wondering what in the world was going on with her bookcase.

Now, let's go back to the beginning. The only before shot I took was of Mr. Uncluttered sanding her.

She was scratched up pretty bad and there was some water damage on the front.

This is mid-way during the makeover. She's all cleaned up with darker stain, but there were still a few problems.

Remember she was once a planter and was butted up to a wall so her top and side were open. We certainly had to do something to rectify that.

Here, she is in all her glory, even though that glory is still in my unglorified garage. :(

This is now the once open side.

Take a look at the top now. Oh baby! Can you see where we repaired it??? Look closely. Yup, we're that good. Ok, ok... we're good, but not that good. This is what we did. (Don't pay attention to the mess in the background.)

Ta-Dah! We added a false top. My client requested a way for her to conceal her new hiding spot. Pretty genius, right. The moulding on the edge just hides the fact there are two pieces.

The top is attached with two heavy duty hinges because that sucker is heavy! Its 66 inches end to end. Imagine all the secrets that could get lost in there. I wish I could take credit for the idea.

Here Mr. Uncluttered is pointing out his handy work. To tell the truth I could not have finished this without him. Thanks honey!!!

There it is folks from this:

To this:

I think I'll be on the lookout for my own former planter built-in bookcase.

Till next time.

You can find me partying here -
WUW - Savvy Southern Style
Fall into Fall - DIY By Design
Piece of Work Wednesday - Primitive & Proper
Saturday Splendour - Meg & Mum's
Amaze Me Monday - Dittle Dattle
Meta Monday - BNOTP

Happy Friday and A Project

TGIF!!!! I'm so glad it's the weekend, but there's relaxing ahead for this lady. This weekend I'll be finishing up a project.

Do you remember when built-in bookcases with planters were all the rage. Like this one, not the same one, but looks identical to what I have in my garage right now.

Google

My client ripped one out when they had a house fire and the plan is to fix it up!

Here's the Mister doing a fine sanding job. From the picture you can kinda tell that she (the bookcase) is no petite thing, my hubby is 6' 4" and the bench he is on is at least 16" tall. (Note the RayBan "safety goggles." Certainly part of his geek chic attire.)

And here is the former planter box. What was the design industry thinking? Water... wood... in the house... go figure. But anywho, let's have a sneak peek shall we.

Looking good right! No more water stains, but what's next? Well, let me tell you. First, put a panel on the left side and stain. That's where the bookcase met the wall. Second, fix the top planter bed so its usable. I can't wait to share what's happening with the top, genius I tell you, pure genius.

The plan is to have it done for Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps On The Porch.

Till next time (hopefully Monday)... happy blogging, antiquing and of course weekend!

Show You What I'm Working With

Today I thought I would show you what I'm working with in the "master" bedroom. This is the current state of the bedroom. Get ready, its not a looker for sure.

This is looking in from the main door. I definitely am working with a blank slate. And Mya had to take advantage of the photo op! Oh and please note the lovely window AC, just darling isn't it?! And as you can see the bed takes up the whole room.

This still looking in from the main door at the end of the bed. The farthest door is to the bathroom and the one closer is the tiny closet.

Mr. Uncluttered loves this headboard so she's a keeper. If I even suggest replacing it there will be problems.

This is a close-up of the bed. I may decided to use Rub N Buff in Ebony to cover up the gold. What do you think?

There you have it, folks. My currently boring and small "master" bedroom. For the record, I don't the mind size too much, but if the bed is going to take up most of the room I want it to be luxurious. So, my end goal is a glamorous and sexy retreat for me and the hubster.

I don't have a jumping off point, but I have ordered a few samples of fabric.

We'll see which one, if any, makes the cut. I'll keep you posted.

Till next time... happy blogging!

First Etsy Sale and Bedroom Redo Plan

I'm uber excited today! I just had my first sale from my Etsy shop, Uncluttered Farmhouse. In the back of my mind I was hoping I would have a sale soon after opening, but I was trying not to get my hopes up. Less than a month after opening... whoooo hoooo! (You would have thought I won the lottery.)

Anywho, on to this week's projects. I'm working on a plan to redo our "master bedroom." In our little country home there are four bedrooms all with the exact same dimensions... small. Ok seriously, 12.3 x 10.9 = 134 square feet. I guess that's not too bad overall. But of course we have to consider the closet door and bathroom door on one wall, the entry door on another wall, and the windows with the AC on the other wall. That leaves us with one wall to work with, thank goodness its a "long" wall. Oh, did I mention that we have a California King. With the bed on the one free wall we have 33" of space on either side for a night stand.

I've exploring Pinterest for inspiration. This is what I found.

Gorgeous room. Just look at the wallpaper. Maybe that's what I need...?

How can you go wrong with Sarah Richardson? I mean she was designing a farmhouse.

Dear goodness! Words escape me!

So serene. This is the color of my walls right now.

That's just a few for now, but plenty of inspiration. Till next time.

My Apologies and A Roller Coaster Ride

I must first apologies to my dear readers. I know have been MIA for the month of October, but I haven't had the inclination to work on anything inspirational. To be honest I have worked on a few things around our little farmhouse, such as painting all the trim in the kitchen a brighter white. Oh and painting the living room walls a more neutral color. These things qualify as time-occupiers, something you do so you don't sit around and ponder unpleasanteries. Other than that, I have been on what has felt like a wild ride.

Have you ever felt as though your life is a roller coaster of which you have absolutely zero power to stop, let alone get off of? You're slowly climbing to the top of the first peak and then... a huge drop. Of course, that is not the end of the ride, oh no, the momentum only picks up from there taking you in whatever direction it sees fit. To no avail you scream at the top of your lungs, kick your feet, wave your arms, and you may even shed a tear or two the ride keeps on going. What are you really to do but hold on and wait for the end. Have you every felt like this?

Well, we've (Mr Uncluttered and I) arrived at the end of this wild ride, certain not to be the last. Whew! We have regrouped rebooted, and redirected. So, I'm back with more projects in mind and a few in the works.

Also, I'm excited to announce that I have opened an Etsy shop! There will be lots of great antique and vintage inspired items with a farmhouse spin.

There are many more things in the works. I just want to thank you for sticking around during my "hiatus."

Till next time... happy blogging.