My Backyard Garden

Today I'm sharing with you a few garden projects. This is the view from my back porch. I've decided to make a few changes this year so I thought I would show you how it used to look.

 A friend of ours was getting rid of some wood boxes and the wood fence so this garden project was very thrifty! Another friend had a pile of dirt in his yard so we got that too. 

This is how it looked before the plants started growing.

Here's some outdoor projects I did for the garden.

First, I picked up this mirror at Salvation Army for cheap, painted the frame, and hung it on the fence.

Then I made a sign to hang above the mirror. I used an old board, stencils, and a black sharpie. 

To make a wreath, I used some dollar tree items to decorate an old worn out soaker hose that we already had. The flowers faded a little over time but it still held up great through the summer.

This chalkboard inspired sign was definitely a keeper. I painted a board with black paint, used stencils and filled them in with paint pens. 

It lasted through the hot summer sun and rainy days. It was still intact when I eventually took it down. 

Here's a peek at our bigger garden. This is out in the field behind our house. I call it the desert. We live on sandy land and it's so hot out there in the summer.

My husband plants peas and corn in the big garden now while I have veggies in the smaller garden. It's so much easier for me! 

My husband likes to plant a lot, because he likes to plow a lot. I guess it's like therapy for him... or maybe just a man thing?

We pick enough peas and corn for us and we give the rest away.

The best thing about planting corn has been the kids playing hide and seek in it. They love it!

I had fun looking back at my garden. I'm ready for a new look and some new projects. 

I know I've been absent the past several months; I think things are getting back to normal. My family has had a lot going on. Several of you have emailed me and I appreciate it so much! 

My blog friends are the best!

I hope you were inspired!
Thank you for stopping by Thrift My House.

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DIY Merry Christmas Sign

Have you seen this cute Merry Christmas sign? 

I saw it, I loved it, and decided to make my own. 

I took apart an old framed picture and used the back of the art for this project. 

It's a black thick piece of foam board.

I made up and painted on some white chalk paint. 

After it dried, I penciled around some stencils.

This is what I had. It's definitely not perfect. It's a little crooked because I didn't take time to measure accurately. But I finished it and it looked fine. It's rustic we like to say :)

I used paint pens to color it in. I then sanded around the edges of the foam board to let some of the black show through.

I think one reason I love to make things is to see nothing turn into something. 

And it doesn't have to be perfect to be pretty. 

I finally brought my husbands old ladder in the house. My friend Carol from Art and Sand is a ladder decorating expert and she inspired me to do this.

 This little spot is in the living room. I might leave the ladder there and see what I can come up with after Christmas.

I hope you were inspired!

Thank you for stopping by Thrift My House.
Sharing here:

Roses of Inspiration  

Tuesdays at Our Home

Wow Us Wednesday

Share Your Style Thursday Link Up

What's It Wednesday

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A Stroll Thru Life

Dollar Tree Sign, Clearance Paint and a Black Window.

and a Target shower curtain...

Did you get all that?

I needed some artwork to hang in the kids bathroom. It needed to be long and narrow for this spot beside the window.

I came across this cardboard sign at Dollar Tree. 

I mounted it on a white board.

I added some rope around the edges just because...

This is a temporary fix until I can do better. Not too bad for a buck.

I've been itching to paint a window black. When I saw my favorite black paint on clearance at Lowe's, I took it as a sign that I should finally go for it. How often do you find a whole gallon of your favorite paint on clearance?

The color is Olympic Black Magic. It's a dark charcoal color, not too black. I made these curtains out of a Target shower curtain. I cut them down the middle, at the bottom, and hemmed them.

I added a tan rug from Ross. I love their prices!

A view from the living room. 

The next time you see this room it will have hardwood floors. They are happening now :)

I hope you were inspired!

Thank you for stopping by Thrift My House.
Sharing with:

Roses of Inspiration  

Tuesdays at Our Home

Wow Us Wednesday

Share Your Style Thursday Link Up

What's It Wednesday

A Sign for my Mom- Happy Mothers Day!

I  have a sweet Mama. Anytime I say goodbye and love you... 

she always says, love you more.

She asked me to make her a sign for Mothers Day. And of course I did. I started with this piece of baseboard I found up in the attic. 

I decided to stain it.

I think this is the first time I've stained a piece of wood... 

I usually paint.

I stenciled the letters on and let them dry for about a hour. 

Tip- if the paint bleeds underneath the stencil, try scraping the paint off with a toothpick.

I then sanded over the letters for a rustic look.

I put a fine coat of Minwax over the whole board.

I think she'll be happy with it.

I love you Mama! Happy Mothers Day!

And Happy Mothers Day to all of you!

I hope you were inspired.

Thank you for stopping by Thrift My House.

Signs made out of floor samples.

How I made 8 different signs 
out of floor samples.

 It all started with a clearance... these wood floor samples were $.08 a piece at our Lowes home improvement store.

Sign #1, Bakery

I stenciled each block with a letter and then I clicked and stapled them together on the back. 

A nice chunky sign. 

I picked these up for $.03 a piece. I did basically the same thing to them except I painted them white and because they are so thin, I used duck tape on the back to hold them together.

Sign #2, Welcome Home

This view is from the foyer coming in from the garage.

This is stick on vinyl. It was around $2.00.

Sign #3, Self Service Only

I stuck the vinyl to a piece of foam board, painted it white, added letters and sanded it. 

And, yes, I mean every single word...

This is another piece of vinyl. I used the same technique here.

Sign #4, Gather

 I made a Gather sign for the dining room.

Sign #5, Joy

One piece was enough to make two signs. I cut it to the size I needed with scissors. 

I really like how it distresses.

This is ceramic tile that looks like wood. It's very heavy.

Sign #6, Chalkboard

I decided to make a chalkboard sign out of it. 

I think it'll make a good prop for any vignette.

I found these laminate floor boards at a Habitat thrift store. They were $.65 a piece. I wish I'd bought more than two! I went back yesterday and they were all gone.

Sign #7, Family Sign

I've been wanting to put something above the TV so I made a family sign. I used little screws and wire on the back to hang it.

Sign #8, Grocery Sign

This one is my favorite! I used six inch letters on this laminate board for my grocery sign. Notice I put my cabinet doors back on. I needed a change... again.

Okay, so I've gone a little overboard with the signs... but I just can't help myself.  

I hope I've inspired you today. 

Thank you so much for stopping by 

Thrift My House!

2014 Summer Mantel and a Guest Post

I am so excited to be guest posting over at Silo Hill Farm!
 For those of you who don't know Danni, she is very funny, creative and makes the most amazing projects. Not to mention, she is so nice!

 Today I'll be sharing with her readers how I made this Beach House Sign. Hop on over to her blog to see how I made it.

But, while you're here, I'll show you where I used the sign. 
It inspired me to create a Beach Themed Mantel this year.

 Nothing complicated... mostly thrift store items, ... and neutral colors.

My husband stopped by a field nearby and picked this rye for me.
Isn't it pretty. I love the color and texture this adds.

These succulents belong to my daughter, Katie. We usually keep these on the back porch. I'll probably replace them with some faux ones from Michael's. They love hot and humid conditions and hopefully that WON'T be the case in my living room. Ha!

I knew I wanted a banner but didn't have time to make one so I clipped seashells to twine. Done.

My very simple 2014 Summer Mantel.

Thank you so much for stopping by Thrift My House.
Don't forget to visit Danni over at Silo Hill Farm!