Fun.: Some Nights [OFFICIAL VIDEO]

I just adore this woman

Audrey Hepburn

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I have always admired her class and beauty, not to mention all the work she did for unicef. She is a truly amazing person and I look up to her more than anyone else. It is amazing the way she was able to overcome all the obstacles she did and still find it in her heart to give back the way she did. For those of you who may want to learn more about her life, there is a documentary on her on you tube. I have uploaded the first vid as a second post or you can link to it here

Audrey Hepburn Biography [Part One]

Shipping boxes = new couches!

So a few posts back I mentioned I was working on turning some shipping boxes into small couches for each corner of out tiny living room. Well I finally finished them, and I'm so so so happy with the results. I'm working on some cushions to go around the back of them right now. Here's a pic of what I've done so far.

P.S. yes I know i'm missing an outlet plate, I just took it off b/c i'm getting ready to paint that wall :) I hope this inspires some of you to reuse some wooden boxes you may have around the house. The only thing I actually purchased for this project was 5 yards of grey heavy duty fabric that I got from the thrift store for $4. The best part of my new cozy couches? Tons of storage space!

iron and vinegar update

As some of you know, I've been experimenting with the iron and vinegar stain mixture. I wanted to let you guys know, I've found that the less time the vinegar and steel wool or other iron sit together, the lighter your results will be. I recently mixed some up and let it sit for about an hour and it came out much lighter and had more of that barn wood grey color I was looking for. It will go on the wood completely clear, but after it sits for about 10 min or so it will start to turn grey. I'm even happier with these results!

lighter grey stain

Besides working on perfecting stain colors, I've also been adding on to our barn; adding a new section and tiding up here and there. I've seen a lot of people using the old garden rake for holding various kitchen supplies, in fact that's where I previously had mine. I took it out after I changed the decor up. It was just sitting in the barn, so I hung it up making sure it was secure and now I use it so hang hammers and such on. they fit in the grooves perfectly, and I can fit quite a few on there. Well there ya go one more way to use the old garden rake :) Hope you all are enjoying every minute your summer!

My "hammer hanger" idea

The only working light in my barn right now...  and yes that's an old metal funnel :)

     ♥Raven

iron and vinegar stain results

Well it's official... I'm in love!

 In love with a stain! Yesterday I mentioned that I was working on my first batch of homemade woodstain called iron and vinegar. Well I used it on one of my smaller shipping boxes that im making into a bookshelf, and I love the color! I wanted a distressed barnwood color, almost like the wooden box had been sitting in a warehouse for years. Now that I know the color looks so great i'm walking around looking fo more things to stain!


before staining




after applying stain,still in the drying process it started out clear, but as it dried it got darker and more grey. I wish my camera would have picked up the color better, it is much more grey than it looks in the pic.

♥ Raven

iron and vinegar

I've really been inspired by the look of the iron and vinegar wood stain here lately. Have you see it yet? It's kind of a distressed cedar color. Think old barnwood. I love the way it looks paired with earth tones. Look at the photo below it's gotta alot of the colors im talking about.

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So.. I was thinking, I've got tons of these huge shipping boxes that Albert brings home from work, I just might stain a couple of them this wonderful shade of grey awesomness. I think I'll put a cushion on the lids to these gia-normus boxes and make them into a new couch for our living room, complete with storage. In this tiny house I can use all the storage I can make!

First I had to brew me up so stain. All you need to make it is a reclosable jar like a spagetti sauce jar, one peice of steel wool and some vinegar.
All I did was place the steel wool in the jar and fill the jar up with vinegar.,and put the lid back on. I've been lettting it sit for about 24 hrs now, and I shake the jar every few hours or so just to encourage chemical reaction. My boxes are sanded and ready to go, so wish me luck, I'm really hoping I like the color! I'll be back later with some results.
One tip I do have for anyone wanting to try the iron and vinegar stain is, your results will depend on the type of wood you are using. If the wood has a bit of a yellow tint when you begin, your stain will look slightly more tan, and the more pure white your woodgrain is, the more of a grey color you will end up with.

♥ Raven