The Castle

When my older brother was into He-Man, my grandfather built him this custom 'Castle Grayskull' which he played with for years.  It has a working drawbridge, portcullis, and trap doors.  When he outgrew it, my younger brother played with it for many years.  It has been in my parents' attic for more than 15 years.  My plan is to do some minor repairs, give it a fresh coat of paint, and have Santa bring this to Annie for Christmas.  Who says you have to play with Cinderella's castle?

Here are some BEFORE pictures.

Letter plates with fabric

I found this project online and tried it out this week.  Pretty!  They're glass plates, and the cool thing is, you can use any fabric and write anything you want.  Methinks there be some Christmas ones in my future.

If you like them, I'd be happy to take orders!

A couple smaller items

Here's a couple fun things I made from various candlestands.  The plantstand is for my hoya Stix who was given to me for my first dance recital many moons ago.

I had a couple of those wrought iron candlestands too that I glued plates to.  I think they would work great on a buffet or covered with holiday cookies or something. 

 That's real Wedgewood china.  Don't tell my mother.  Currently for sale on Pittsburgh craigslist for $20.

This next one is similar but has autumn-colored plates and pivots. It is also currently for sale on Pittsburgh craigslist for $15.

This is something I made for myself out of a miniature display.  I love, love, love it.  It is not for sale.

Future projects

Here's a look at a few projects sitting in my workshop at the moment.

Plenty to keep me busy this winter!

Windowframe mirror gets a facelift

I found this windowframe mirror at one of my favorite thrifting spots and got it not only half off but had dollar-off coupons as well.  With help from my favorite child laborer, I repainted it a rich chocolate brown and added a saying in the upper left corner that reads, 'You make every day more beautiful.' 

SOLD

Buffet turned kitchen island

This is another flip I did for myself.  I found a buffet with many drawers on craigslist.

With a little child labor, I painted the whole thing including the inside of the drawers, got new knobs and added a countertop piece from Ikea.

It has beadboard wallpaper on the fronts of the drawers and sides of the island to match the kitchen cabinets.  I don't know how we ever lived without it!

First flip - Entertainment center becomes play kitchen

I don't have a before picture of this one, but this was my first major flip.  I found an entertainment center on craigslist and turned it into a play kitchen for my daughter.  I saw this idea online and stole it.

The only real issue was getting it upstairs because it was so heavy!  I love it though.  I'm so proud.

Lane Cedar Chest turned pink toy box

,

Before - I found this 1945 Lane cedar chest posted on craigslist.  When I picked it up, it had some pretty serious water damage to the veneer, but the inside was great. 

The shelf inside was originally a selling point, but I took it off because of the danger found in the combination of little fingers and metal hinges.

 After - I scraped off some of the veneer, painted, papered and polyed it. 

I added safety hinges to keep it from slamming, but I'll probably end up putting a third one on there.  I also opted not to drill a hole in the back but would be willing to if someone requests it.

SOLD