If the Walls Of This Old House Could Tell a Story…The Kitchen in the 108 Year Old House.

Over the past month or so, I have been sharing the biggest project I have ever done.  I have been working on a 108 year old house in a tiny little village called Minburn Alberta.   This house is owned by my Cowboy.  It is the house he and his 7 siblings called home since he was born, and it holds a lot of memories for him.
 
We spent some time discussing what this house used to look like…and what he would like to see it as, after we fixed it all up.   He did not want it to be restored…as he wanted it to reflect his personality today.   So…the plan was made…to renovate and fix up this old house to be a rustic retreat, filled with his rodeo/cowboy memories, hunting trophies and comfortable soothing colors, textures and style.   My Cowboy is one of the most gentle, patient, calm people I have ever met.  His personality is not one of an extravagant man…but one of a hard working simple country boy…with a love of family, nature and a heart of gold.
While I have been diligent in  working on the upper level of the house, fixing and fine tuning two of the four bedrooms, Cowboy has been changing the light fixtures, and repairing/ upgrading the electrical, and upgrading the plumbing to the kitchen and bathroom…he has been doing all the parts of this project that I do not know how to do myself, and/or refuse to learn or attempt to do! 
When my Cowboy finally had enough of “his work” done in the old kitchen, I was able to do some of MINE!  Today I am going to share the kitchen.
Lets get started.
I need to say that my photos are lacking in this room…I was excited to get this done, and simply forgot to take as many shots as I should have.   Bare with me…

This is the kitchen…it is NOT pretty.   In this photo, we have got all sorts of tools and supplies laying around…there is a lot of space in this room.  It has great potential.

The fridge and stove still work, but not reliably. They need to go.  The upper cupboards are not overly functional anymore…and are not going to stay either.

There is the start of a nice big window on this wall.  It will stay, and we will have a window made to fit the space.  That porch, if you remember me mentioning it before, is going to be removed in the spring…so that window will look out onto a deck and into the back yard.  It will be wonderful!

I am sure that the Cowboy won’t miss the pink paint or wall paper in this room…lol

This table has seen a lot of family meals, and has been repaired several times…but will not make the cut.   It will be taken out when we get started on the floors.

The floors…I think this photo pretty much says all that needs saying.  There are nails, lifts, tears and damage all through out the kitchen lino.   It will be removed for sure!

The ceiling is just as bad as the floors…so it will need to be changed.
As you can see…this room will offer a challenge.   It needs a lot of work.
We got started…

OUT goes the old damaged linoleum…revealing…

…and equally ugly tile floor.  
This tile floor would not be removed.   It would serve as a base for something much nicer…and more comfortable.

There!   That’s much better!  It is just simple peel and stick tiles from the hardware store.  They were inexpensive and will do what we need them to do!  They will also look great with the wall treatment we decided on.

The walls…are being covered with an overlay of 1x6 spruce boards!   They are treated with the same “brew” of rust, vinegar, baking soda and black tea, that I used on the dresser that I re-dressed to fit into this house.     I brushed the mixture onto each board one at a time, and let them dry.   Once they were dried enough, they were cut and pieced onto the walls to create a wonderful rustic look!
We originally wanted them to look like old barn board…but this is what we got.   We both love this look and decided that it would be a nice treatment for the ceiling too….
So…I got busy and did more walls, and the Cowboy did the ceiling and the remaining walls.  We are very happy with the look.

Now…the cupboards…

We ripped the top cupboards out…removed the old appliances…and finished the wall with the wood treatment.

Where the old appliances and upper kitchen cupboards used to be, I put up plank shelving.  These will be on the walls on either side of the kitchen window, and will hold all kinds of wonderful things. 

My Cowboy installed a couple of new light fixtures, and we are almost ready for furniture!   All that remains, is to put some finishing touches to the wood walls…and clean up the mess that construction seems to create in spite of how careful we try to be!  lol
That’s all I am going to share for today…I can’t hardly wait to share the finished room…it is SO perfect!  I also have lots of great photos!  lol 
Stay tuned…the next chapter of this project is about to get VERY cozy!

Until Next Time…Happy Junkin’/ Renovating/ Decorating!

*)*)*)… True Love...is giving and asking for nothing in return.

 Today I am linking into Manic Monday with the Mermaid!
What's it Wednesday at Ivy and Elephants We Call It Olde at  We Call It Junkin 

(¯`v´¯)
`*.¸.*´Glenda/Tootsie
¸.•´¸.•*¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•´ .•´ ¸¸.•¨¯`•.
www.tootsietime.com

 
Did you miss a post or two in the 108 year old house series?
Article #1  If The Walls Of This Old House Could Tell A Story…The Saddest Chapter Is About To End.
Article #2   If Walls Could Tell A Story…The 108 Year Old House…On The Inside

Article #3If The Walls Of This Old House Could Tell a Story…The Small Bedroom In The 108 Year Old House

Article #4 If the Walls Of This Old House Could Tell a Story…The Master Bedroom

This post has been proudly sponsored by 

19 8ighty 9ine Clothing House 

and

HCG Warrior Diet  

(it actually works great!   We tried it!)

If The Walls Of This Old House Could Tell A Story…The Saddest Chapter Is About To End.

Hey guys!   I'm here today to re-publish the series many of you know as the 108 year old house series.   It was originally published 8 years ago and shares the story of how the Cowboy and I began our journey to restore/ renovate the old house we have in a tiny town in Alberta Canada.   There is a wonderful reason for refreshing your memory of this process ....we have finally gotten back to work and it is so exciting!

So...sit back, enjoy the next few posts and get ready for the next stage in our journey to revive the old girl. 

Have you ever gone for a drive and focused your attention to the old homes in your area?   Some of them are so grand…and others humble.  Some, when you look at them, almost scream with happiness and pride, and others look sad and forlorn.  If these houses could tell a story, I bet every one of them would have a sad chapter or two within. 
My Cowboy owns a property about an hour from where we live in a TINY little village called Minburn Alberta.  The population of Minburn is at best 75 people.   This property is where he and his 6 brothers and 1 sister grew up.   The old place holds a LOT of memories for my Cowboy, and it has a very special place in his heart. 
About 15 years ago, my Cowboy’s mom decided that she had lived there long enough and moved to a little larger community in Northern Alberta.   It was at that time, that my Cowboy, (the youngest child of the family) decided to purchase this place from his mom.  He had a plan that he would fix it up slowly, and use it as a weekend project place.
Life is hectic…work, kids, rodeos and life made time of the essence and the empty house stood alone for the better part of those 15 long years…and those lonely years took a toll on the place.  Members of the family occasionally would stop by the place to drop off unwanted items…and eventually it started to look a little dumpy.
Last year, when my Cowboy and I started dating, he took me to his old stomping grounds.   I noticed how sad he seemed when he looked at the place…he even mentioned knocking her down, and either leaving the enormous lot empty, or putting some sort of mobile home on it.   Now, if you know me, you know how much I LOVE a challenge…and if it involves junkin’ of any kind…I’M ALL IN!   This old lady does not deserve to be knocked down…she needs to be Tootsified!   It took a little talking, and encouraging, but that is just what is happening! 
I would like to now introduce you to the Cowboy and  Tootsie’s BIGGEST junkin’ project EVER!…and my Cowboy’s childhood home:

This house 116 years old!   She is sound, and pretty much solid as a rock.  The roof doesn’t even leak…(this surprised me as it needs to be re-shingled in the worst way!)  

There is no way my Cowboy should knock down this old lady…She is just way too pretty to send to the dump.  

I adore the little balcony on the upper level…I NEED to stand out here and enjoy the view!

I have a plan…and it’s a big one…that will take a lot of elbow grease and determination…but I do have a plan…and I am absolutely going to see this old house brought back to a beautiful state!   I can’t wait to see my Cowboy smile when he comes here…I hate that sad look he gets in his eyes.

The original house is all covered in ceramic tile shingles…there is a nasty addition on the back there…which will eventually have to go…but can stay for now.   It will become our workshop as we tackle the HUGE undertaking of  fixing up the inside of this house!
We started in the summer of 2012.   We worked on the yard all summer long.  
The following photos are what we started out with AFTER we mowed down the tall grass. 
Cowboy had been paying someone to mow the lawn there…but that person did not take much pride in the job, and slowly the place got over grown and awful!   It took us a long time to get that enormous lot mowed properly!

This is just a portion of the yard…the west side of the yard. 

There is the the east half!  That old skinning shack will be burned this winter. 

This is the back portion right close to the house…

The trees are everywhere…there are some very pretty private areas in this yard…

I am in heaven in such a place…the possibilities are endless …my imagination is getting a great work out!
We worked about 6 days each month last summer getting all the scrap cleaned out of the yard…and thinning some of the Caragana bushes and overgrown Poplar trees thinned out, dead branches pulled, and the tall grasses pushed back to the property line.  
The whole family got involved…me, kids and cowboy…we all worked our little fingers to the bone…but ended up with a beautiful yard to enjoy our visits in…
It looks SO much better now:



I have some flowers in mind for this place…

I have a lot of plans for the whole yard…I just need the time to do it!  lol
When the winter came, I took the opportunity to chat up that Cowboy about the potential inside this old house!   All my chatter and encouragement worked.   I had a bunch of ideas on file, and showed him lots of them…I also kept some to surprise him with when he goes away to work and I am on my own in the project!   I really wanted my Cowboy to restore this old lady. 
To my absolute delight, when spring arrived this year, we got busy and started to work on this place.  We decided to start to work on the inside of the 108 year old house first, and then tackle the outside next year.   If we fix up the inside a little bit, we can spend the night here and not have to drive the 60 minutes home after a long day.  It is finally time to take this old lady from her sad sad look…to something much more inviting…something comfortable, and happy.
Come along with us, as we dive right in and start one of the biggest junkin’ adventures I have ever been on.   We are re-purposing, and salvaging, and creating in every room of this old house.   It is going to be a most enjoyable journey…and I can’t hardly wait to share each time we get a little more done!
Stay tuned for some absolutely scary interior photos of the old lady before the Cowboy and I got our grubby little hands on her!   She is going to end this most saddest chapter of her life, starting NOW.
Until Next Time…Happy Junkin’!
*)*)*) Beauty catches the attention, personality catches the heart <3


(¯`v´¯)
`*.¸.*´Glenda/Tootsie
¸.•´¸.•*¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•´ .•´ ¸¸.•¨¯`•.

www.tootsietime.com

 

This post has been proudly sponsored by 

19 8ighty 9ine Clothing House 

and

HCG Warrior Diet  

(it actually works great!   We tried it!)

 

This is Anything BUT Cheesy.

 

Hello AGAIN!   It feels SO good to be back trying to post again!   Today I am super excited to share my latest!  If my post is a little scattered, it is because I am multitasking.   As I wait for my machines to finish (for my product line) I am posting.  It is also 5AM.   My day started 2 hours ago.   Yes...I am up before dawn for two reasons.   One...the Cowboy had to leave super early to travel to work.   Two...It is supposed to be another hot hot hot day here and I will be using heat presses, ovens and irons again today, so I like to work when it's cool outside and in.   Here in Alberta, air conditioning is a waste of money.   We don't generally have HOT weather for more than a day or two at a time.(except this year where it's been nothing but HOT  lol)    Bare with me.   By the afternoon I should be exhausted!

Lets get on with it.   You guys are about to see what makes a girl like me swoon...I am SO excited.  

The other day I was running a few errands with my "Miss Busy" (AKA Ashlyn) who is now a 16 year old girl who on occasion will go shopping with her mother, but in general she prefers the company of other 16 year old girls...and boys...and they REALLY like to drive around endlessly.  (insert eyeroll here)

Anyway...I ended up in a little  store owned by one of my friends.   She ALWAYS has what the Cowboy and I call 'the good stuff'.   Her dad has a fairly good stash of antiques and what we consider REALLY  good junk that he will on occasion bring into Angie's shop to sell.   When I know he's added new stuff, I rush over to check it out and I rarely am disappointed.  Angie often laughs at my excitement over what she considers ridiculous junk.    Did I mention Angie's daughter is also 16 and is Miss Busy's best friend?

A few days ago I got the tip off that she had new stuff...and I dropped everything, grabbed Miss Busy and we headed over to the shop.   I wasn't in there 2 minutes and I was squealing with excitement!   

I love containers...wooden boxes...crates...anything that I can arrange things in to make displays...but never have I had the chance to buy a round crate until this day.   Did I mention I was excited?   Well that's an understatement!   Not only did I find an old wooden barrel, and an old grape box, but I found a wooden Christmas orange box!  ....and ...AND I found an antique round wooden cheese box!

I did not know Japanese oranges came in wooden boxes!   The Cowboy is only a few months older than I am and he said he remembers this...I do not.   So...I am enjoying this one!
 

It will most likely not get changed in any way, but will become fun storage in my work room.   Have I mentioned that I LOVE boxes and canisters, and containers of all sorts?   Ya.   I have always loved to be organized, and pretty storage containers are an obsession of mine.   I probably have enough canister sets in my possession to outfit an entire apartment building.  Definitely not something my kids needed  to purchase as they struck out on their own.  (insert eye roll from them here lol)

anyway...back to the good stuff....

Angie  told me what she knew of these pieces.   When he was a young man, her grandfather started a grocery store in Hudsons Bay Saskatchewan.   These boxes were saved when he received shipments.   They have been around for decades.   The grocery store business was good to the family.   Eventually, Angie's dad took over for his dad, and then Angie and her husband kept the business in the family and own it to this day.   The barrel, grape box, orange box and cheese box were on display in the store for years.   They have done some changes and no longer needed as many so here I am!   Playing up a storm.

I love grape boxes.   I already have several.   My favourite is one from inside the old house we have and are working to renovate.   I found it in the attic a few years ago.   I have it sitting on my dining room table.   I just picked up a three small flower arrangements and plopped them in it,   I also have a coffee cup in the back that holds pens and paper for quick notes.   The two at the front hide the ugly from the cup of pens, so it works perfectly for us!   There is another one that I hung on the wall in the old house in the bathroom.   It works as a rustic shelf for decorative antique medicine bottles.  

 

I decided to find out a little bit more about my most beautiful find. The round cheese box.    From what I can tell, this box is most likely from between 1930-1950.   Cheese boxes were originally a tool used for transporting cheeses in branded boxes with lids.  The brand on this one seems to be Swift Canadian Co.   I tried for several days to learn about the Swift Candian Co. in Yorkton Saskatchewan, but there was nothing at all that I could find about them online.   Obviously there was  a creamery there, as it says so right on the box, but I could find nothing. 

Round cheese boxes  were first used in 1890 to ship cheese from Europe. These boxes were typically made of maple, ash, or hickory sides which were nailed to pine wood pieces on the top and bottom. The wood was usually printed with the name of the farm or factory and the type of cheese. The box helped protect the cheese from tipping over during transport.

...And now it's MINE MINE MINE!  

Did I mention all the eye rolling Miss Busy did when her mother was excitedly rushing to the till with her treasures?   Oh yes...she was...and still is.  (She was texting Angie's daughter probably looking for someone to rescue her)  

I adore this piece and can't wait to find the perfect location in my house to show it off.   I did consider placing it in the Cowboy's office, but decided that it just didn't mesh with all of the taxidermy and trophy heads he has hanging all over the place in there.   (ya...I am not overly crazy about all the dead things he has in there...but I love that man, and he doesn't complain that my little business takes up a lot of space in our house,  so he can have them.   And... as long as I don't have to touch any of them...I'm a happy girl)  

The lid removes easily, and it is clean and odor free...I can't wait for inspiration to hit and the perfect spot to reveal itself!   It's quite large...I could put one of my bigger sergers in it to store...or a huge silk flower arrangement...I just can't decide.

That's it for me today!   I'm off to get some work done!   I am making some fabulous new giftware pieces to add to my line today!   

Do you have any round cheese boxes?   What did you use them for?    Inspire me!!! 

  Until Next Time...Happy Junkin!

(¯`v´¯)
`*.¸.*´Glenda/Tootsie
¸.•´¸.•*¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•´ .•´ ¸¸.•¨¯`•.
www.tootsietime.com

 

This post has been proudly sponsored by 

19 8ighty 9ine Clothing House 

and

HCG Warrior Diet  

(it actually works great!   We tried it!)

 

 

 

 

TIC TAC TOE...I WIN!

 Today I am sharing a project I have done through my company for one of my biggest accounts.   

I had picked up a few of these for a friend last month, and they were a hit!   

The person for whom I got them,  loved them so much that she asked me to see if the original maker was interested in making some for her gift shop.   Turns out, that the person who made the ones I bought was not interested in making more to sell, so I blurted out "I could TOTALLY make those...they would be simple to do"   ...and here we are!

It's camping, lake, cabin- well  OUTDOOR season here in Canada, and that means we need to have things that are durable and can be left outside, even when it's windy or wet.   We love to sit around and relax and hang out on our beautifully decorated decks ...so why not have something to do?

If you have ever been out to eat with a kid, and the server brings the placemat with all the games on it, you know there will be a game of tic tac toe on there somewhere and it will FOR SURE get played...WHO DOESN'T like to enjoy a quick game every now and then?

Well...now some lucky customers are going to have a rustic wooden version of tic tac toe to play while they hang out in the great outdoors!  What a fabulous way to get us to put our phones down and do something with ourselves once and a while!

I started out with a 4x4 post, and some scraps of fence/deck board.   I measured the width of the deck board, and used that number to determine the size of the 4x4 blocks I would cut.   

I cut 9 blocks and put them in a square.   3blocks X 3blocks.

I then measured the width of the blocks from both directions to be sure that they could be placed in any order, I added 1/2 inch to that number and cut two pieces of the fence board to size.   I then added the depth of the fence board to my measurement of the blocks and cut two more pieces to create the sides of the box.   I screwed them all together in the shape of a square and made sure it fit around the blocks.

I then cut two more pieces of deck board to create the bottom of the box and attached them to the square.  

After I was sure everything fit into the box, I proceeded to add a bit of stain to the cut ends of the wood to make it all look nice.    

I then added an "X" and an "O" to the ends of each block.  (each block got an X and an O)

Done!

I love the look of these!   They are functional decor!  Rustic, and durable and perfect for outside...or inside if your decor allows for that!

This project was SO easy to do too!   Anyone could do it!  The hardest part of this project for me was not making them PERFECT.   They are supposed to look rustic and kind of primitive.  I had to keep reminding myself that a few flaws are important to complete the look! 

Where would you put one?   I think I might need to make one for our family-  just so that we have one around for the grandkid(s) to play with when they visit, or for us to enjoy when we have a minute!!

I have several more sets in various colours to do up for my customer...and she anticipates that they will fly off the shelves in her gift shop!   

Have I inspired you to try to make a set?   If so, I'd love to see photos of your version!   Snap a picture and send it along!   

 

That's it for me today!   I'm off to finish building and then clean up the gigantic mess I've made in my garage.  

  Until Next Time...Happy Building!

(¯`v´¯)
`*.¸.*´Glenda/Tootsie
¸.•´¸.•*¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•´ .•´ ¸¸.•¨¯`•.
www.tootsietime.com

 

This post has been proudly sponsored by 

19 8ighty 9ine Clothing House