{latitude&longitude}

it's been months since my last post, i was a tad burned out for a bit, BUT it's SPRING! i am mega motivated, so i think you can look forward to a whole series of great outdoor projects in the near future. this is a really simple one i've been thinking about for awhile, and it's finally here.




i picked up this great old window, but really didn't have a plan for it. i knew i wanted it on the porch, and that i wanted it to have a unique finish. i've seen pillows, etc. with latitude and longitude printed on them, and i LOVE the idea of identifying your little teeny tiny piece of the world where you live and where your life happens, and displaying it. 


here are the steps:


1} i googled the latitude and longitude of our house
2} measure the window space where your numbers will go
3} divide that measurement by how many numbers you have to fit in it (you could do far less numbers than i did, even no decimal points, i liked the idea of being very specific)
4} copy/paste the latitude and longitude you're using into microsoft word, choose your font, and modify the text size until it's the size you need for the window.
5} print out the numbers, and trace each number onto the back of the page it's printed on with a thin sharpie
6} tape numbers in order to front of window, letting the tracing show through (this is so you can paint on the back of the window, protecting it more from the weather and giving it a more finished look)

numbers taped to the front of the window with traced side showing through

 7} trace numbers onto back of window using a sharpie

top row is traced, bottom is not yet. please excuse my husband and dog :)

i laid it down to trace the bottom row so i would have a steadier hand and not have to lay on the floor to reach it

sorry, not a phenomenal picture but you can see the outlines of all my numbers are done

i thought for a minute i might just leave it at an outline, but only for a minute.

8} use painter tape to protect your wood from the paint. be careful though, depending on the paint you use, you may have some acrylics trying to stick to your tape and go with it when you peel it off later, like i did.

i chose some cheap paint i found at michael's, patio paint because it's supposed to be weather-resistant, andi mixed it about 1:1 with the multi-purpose sealer (per the instructions) to have it seal more as well. hopefully it will hold up!

9} paint inside your numbers on the back of the window. i did 3 coats (letting them dry between, this paint dried pretty quickly), but depending on the level of 'rustic' or 'weathered' you are going for, you may end up doing only 2 or even 1. up to you! 

10} be careful removing your tape! start slowly by pulling the tape corner by the paint in the opposite direction and trying to cut the connection to the paint early so the paint doesn't want to stretch or drag as you pull.

TA-DA! unfortunately it's too heavy to hang without putting holes in the siding, which i want to avoid, but it looks great where it is! anyway it's a great start to the big plans i have for the porch and front of the house this summer.

  

i'm hoping it will be a nice conversation piece and i love that i can display my affection for my favorite place in the world!

"The towels were so thick there I could barely close my suitcase." -Yogi Berra

Here is a fascinating tutorial on how to make the cutest little storage table out of an old suitcase you've ever seen. You'll need an old, hardback suitcase (check your favorite local thrift or consignment shop, I hit the jackpot at mine and found 3!!), table legs & leg plates (got all mine at Lowe's), and a screwdriver. I also stained and painted my table legs and used a piece of plywood inside the cases to sturdy the legs from the inside. I'll explain later.





a snapshot of my supplies at the beginning. 3 suitcases, a set of legs, and a set of plates for each.

close-up of one of the plates i got at Lowe's. they make angle top plates, where the legs will angle outward, or straight, where they will be totally vertical when attached.

they make table legs in all different sizes and styles. not a fantastic selection at Lowe's, but good enough for what i needed right away.

this suitcase could've done with all 4 plates being smaller, no need for the 2 heavy duty ones at the top, but they didn't have enough regulars in stock

i measured out where each one should go, marked with a pencil, and drilled the holes

i attached the legs before the board on the inside was in, just to make sure i liked the legs

i had 3 boards cut to fit inside the 3 suitcases, round the corners to make sure they'll go into it all the way. i either stained or painted them to match the legs.

painted them while they were attached

to attach the board on the inside, i placed that on a tray table (you can use a stool or anything that will keep the board snug against the bottom of the suitcase. you will screw in the plates at this time, so the board will be attached. sorry, for some reason i don't have any pictures to illustrate this step!!

view from bottom

view for inside after board is attached

now the plates are attached to something other than the thin bottom of the suitcase, and the inside has a nice, neat bottom for storage. no screws sticking out!

finito!!

this one was chosen by my sister as her birthday gift, she is quite happy with it in her living room. they are such unique pieces for any room, great storage and style.






here are some more pics of the other 2 i did at the same time:

i used angled top plates for the big one, i wanted the legs to be angled outward. these were the hardest for me to attach, but i don't think it was because of the plates, it was because the suitcase itself is old and warped.

the long legs just weren't working out at all!! it was way taller than i expected (you know i didn't measure first) and the warp in the bottom was making one of them stick out at the wrong angle.

stained while attached

these are straight plates and 7" legs

anyway, the little one worked out real nice.

i finally finished the big one, and decided on shorter legs. the warp doesn't affect the angle as much and it's the same height as the bed, so it's a nice little storage table at the end!

i just love it. it has all these stickers on it from travel boats in the 50's. it belonged to someone locally, the address card on the side is from here, and the suitcase was purchased by the consignment shop at the estate sale after the owner died at 104! i just love all that history.

January 7, 1954, sailing on the Cunard Line. in a stateroom. so cool!

please keep all tray tables in their upright and locked position...

hello again! this edition is highlighting our fabulous new snack tray-table set! they'll be particularly useful for us because we're not real people and we don't eat dinner in the kitchen, unless it's somethin special i guess. anyhoo- again, i was at a favorite thrift shop of mine, and came across this set of wooden tray table set. we had registered for some for the wedding, but didn't get them, so i went ahead and got em for a deal! PLUS they came with a stand, so that was pure bonus. here's what they looked like at the beginning:

their structure was still very good, but as you can see, they show a ton of use and the finish is coming off the tops. i used my new power-sander (VERY HANDY!!!!!) to sand down the tops of the tables, the legs and everything else were fine, no need to sand down, i knew the paint would stick just fine. i guess i didn't take pics of the sanding part, sorry, it was gettin hot outside again and i wanted to get done with this part of it. i painted them antique white, it took 2-3 coats, 3 coats definitely for the tops and the stand to keep wear and tear minimal.

they were a lot easier to paint in stages- upside down, paint all coats on whatever surfaces you can reach. THEN flip over after those are dry to paint tops. the paint i used was indoor house paint (like you'd get to paint a room) because i wanted it to be durable and wipe-able

pretty, right? but still BORRRRRRRRRRING!

voila! my trusty vintage magazing ads to the rescue

this stuff is FANTASTIC for decoupage projects like this. one coat glues, two coats seals. you can find it at Michael's in martha's section. bring a coupon.


i find myself doing a lot of things for posterity, which is weird at this point given that i have no plans for kids in the near future, but a project like this makes me think about stuff my grandparents had at their houses that i loved as a kid, and especially if one of my siblings also loved it, fights ensued over who got to use what. anyway, long story short, i could see having grandkids at some point who would argue over who gets to use what tray when they come over because the like one or the other better, etc. anyone else like that? just me? mmmk.
here's what i came out with!

all 4 trays as a set

such great color!!

CORN TOASTIES! lol

these are great.

jello was NEW back then! haha. and do people really use alka-seltzer for headaches?

in their place in the corner by the bar

check! now the grandkids can use whichever ones they want ;)