Posts by Barbara Bussey
Spray Painting Like the Pro’s, Part Two!
How much thriftier than free can you possibly get? True confessions time. I picked a table out of the garbage dumpster once, when we had our San Francisco condo. One darling little table, came home to be saved by the master of furniture repair projects. We have a half-house, giving these pieces new life…another chance…
Read MoreSpray Painting Like the Pros!
Months ago, I went to an estate sale at a beautiful home in Sierra Oaks, one of Sacramento’s nicer neighborhoods. I found a number of things to buy, including two small scale, dark cherry chairs, that were in the master bedroom. Do you remember when dark cherry wood furniture was so popular in the 80s?…
Read MorePainting Everything In Sight (Trying Out New Painting Tips)
Warning! If you stand still, in one place, for too long, I just might paint you! It’s a furniture painting marathon over at my workshop, this week! What else are you supposed to do, when it’s a hundred zillion degrees outside? I repainted these two pieces because the lattice piece got banged up, when it…
Read MoreAll My Notes From Haven (Tips to Grow Your Blog!)
Hello again!, Yes, I know, you’ve heard me say several times now, how great the Haven conference was! Not only did I learn tons of wonderful tips to grow my blog, DIY tips and thriftiness secrets, I met some really lovely women! Now, I added some pictures of new friends at the end, you’ll see,…
Read MoreCreating a Design Plan for Your Home
Hello dear friend!, I just had the most fun, on Friday afternoon, at a design consultation, here in town! While I don’t have those fancy letters after my name, designating a design degree, I have years of hands on experience and truly love helping people love their homes! Mary Clare just moved into a smaller…
Read MoreHow Was Your 4th? (More Tips for Easier Entertaining)
Well, after all the planning and anticipation, our neighborhood 4th of July party went on without a hitch! Mr. Wonderful and I had a lot of fun, which is a good thing, because happy hosts make for happy guests. Hostess Rule #1: Nothing’s worth getting all stressed out about! Trust me, I’ve been there! Guests…
Read MoreOur Home Was Featured, in “About Arden”!
Greetings!, My “15 minutes of fame” continues! The feature article, about our home is now in print! I said it before, and I’ll say it again, this is not “Traditional Home or any other great national publication, but it sure was fun and it gets lots of attention on a local level. Tyler, the Wonder…
Read MoreCovering a Hard to Cover Window
Updating our upstairs We’re in the process of another remodeling project and are going to be replacing the blinds in my son’s room with plantation shutters. But there’s this cute little window above the window seat, that probably should have never been placed where it was. That’s because it’s directly facing the west and lets…
Read MoreGetting My 4th On! (No & Low Cost Party Decorations!)
Hello sweet friends!, As I mentioned last week, I wanted to turn our old barn red picnic table into a color that resembled drift wood. At the Haven conference, I saw how they had used Annie Sloan Old White and Paris Gray, to create this look. Once we got it on the back patio, I…
Read MoreNew at Veranda Antiques
Hello again! If you’re a lover of all things French, we have a new beauty, staying with us! From the late 1800’s, this amazing 12-light crystal chandy has been well cared for and in near-perfect condition. There are still crystals to be hung, but trust me, when I say this piece is truly stunning! These…
Read MoreRepairing a Stripped Screw (Giving Our 50 Year Old Picnic Table New Life)
Hi there!, Have you ever tried to repair a piece of furniture, with a stripped out screw? Nope, neither have I. But Mr. Wonderful showed me how and you may want to know how to do this someday. Or, not. This fabulous tutorial, and I use that term loosely, was done on a 50 year…
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