SNS #71 brings you ~ benches and a giveaway winner

  

Welcome to Saturday Nite Special #71, the 'benches' edition!

If you're new here, join in! There are three categories to link to. Home Decor as well as Crafts, Sewing, Recipes, plus the 3rd themed link up which stays open indefinitely. Check below for this weekend's theme.

Party starts Fri night and ends Sunday 11pm pacific, so you have all weekend to join!

I LOVE to highlight inspiring posts during the event on the sidebar, so make sure you check in several times over the weekend. You may be next. :)

this weekend's theme

~ benches ~

This is my most favorite bench in the whole wide world.

I found this gem two years ago and couldn't bring myself to cough up $200 for it. It was huge, vintage, and had the perfect patina. I wanted it for a coffee table. So I just told myself I ought to try and make one.

Well, I'm not afraid anymore. :) However I just couldn't swing whipping it out this week. Instead, I decided to do a little digging in google to see what I could find for further inspiration. And was I ever pleasantly surprised. :)

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Ohhh I love this! Not only do I love the style, but that colour is so fun. I'd have this as a coffee table this very instant if I could!

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Ahh!! This one is so authentically factory. Isn't it wonderful? Love their photo studio too.

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Oh you've got to be kidding me! Although this is a mini bench, wouldn't it be fab in life size? My mind's spinning full tilt now...

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How original are these? I just love the old world vibe they offer.

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I just LOVE a good vintage bench design. Although this one looks a tad tipsy, I LOVE the lines.

Oh goodness... now I want my new coffee table bench more than ever! Guess I'd better start scrounging up looking for wood. :)

Got a cool bench to show? Link'er up in this weekend's 3rd themed linkup! 

~ next up ~

outdoor elements indoors

Be sure to check the themed linkups master list to add your newest creations anytime. They're always open. List HERE.

 

 Winner of The Pleated Poppy giveaway is:

Lorie from Vintage Country Girl!

Congrats! I'll have Lindsey email you so you two can hook up!

 

~ SNS blah blah linkup rules ~

1. Please link up your intended post, NOT your blog homepage url. (post, then click the title of your post, then cut and paste that url) If your post has been deleted, please try again.

 2. Please put a link in your post (button or text) that leads back to the party so others can see what's up. (see BUTTONS label under main blog header)

 3. This party is geared for DIY type projects we can all attempt to make ourselves. Items for sale may be linked up IF your entry is posted on your blog and in tutorial style.

4. For Home Decor and Crafts, Sewing, Cooking, please link projects up that are new to SNS and/or within 1 month old.  This helps keep content fresh.

The 3rd weekly themed link may have older posts and not brand new to SNS and will remain open for your new additions at any time. Click HERE for the main list.

If you can't decide which category to enter yours in, please just pick ONE and go with it. It's all good!

The front entry - Part 2 - Horse gate for coats

I wanted to finish my entry with a slightly unusual twist. I knew I needed coat hooks and a bench at the very least. So I waited until I found just the right 'stuff.' The room simply developed around what I found.

Part One is here. Welcome to Part Two! But I'll do abit of recap anyway with the finds.



So, I scooped up an old horse gate for free from someone's burn pile. Complete with authentic horse bites.


And then found this ugly $15 bench that was prefabbed to go inside a truck.


Put together, this little area creates a unique and productive front entry! Loads of hooks for coats and even more room to stash those shoes.


The hooks you see above are new, but they have an old wrought iron look to them. I fell in love with them instantly but had to buy boards they were already attached to. But no worries, buying hooks that way was unbelievably cheaper than purchasing them separate. Hooks were found at Rona in Canada. Home Depot carried them separately but were out of stock.


The galvanized buckets are ready for quick drop offs or pick ups to and from the vehicle. The cute white pillow is from a local thrift just yesterday.



Another dumping ground for bigger stuff. Right now this little box holds my cordless drill, bank misc., a hockey ball, a bag of screws... just general clutter that gathers at the front door in my house. The LADY tag is an old original cow sign from my parent's farm.


Neglected little $5 dresser that was once used in a barn...


... recieved a fresh coat of white paint...


... along with a little distressing. However it didn't stay like this for long.

Update: Oct 2009 - this is how the dresser looks now. :) A thin coat of glaze and some jewellry (random house numbers) morph a plain dresser into a room feature!

The layered platters make a wonderful key drop area.


How about a little art in the room? This wreath wrapped in ivy is being held onto a door with a plate hanger.

I smile when I look at these. My buddy Vic yanked these window frames off an old barn and knew I'd figure out something to do with them. He was so right! I adore the outcome. Inside the frames are CNC routered samples I've painted up.

Before.

After.

Part 3 - tile floor HERE.

The room is now light and airy, and ultra productive!

A few more finishing touches are in the works like the (eeep!) tile floor I need to finish, some new lighting and possibly some sheers to cover the two little windows on either side of the door, because one of the windows is cracked. I'll no doubt eventually find something that will work perfectly one day.

What do you have at your front entry? Are you a closet gal or are you a hook fanatic like me?
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~ this post is shared with ~

Pretty Organized Palace is having a 'dresser party!' You must go check this out! They make my dresser look like a big yawnfest. :)

Join Kimm at Reinvented for her Trash to Treasure Tuesday June 16 2009 edition. Check out what beauty others are creating out of... I can't say the T word. No way.

Kimba at A Soft Place To Land is having a DIY July 22 party! With a fabulous postage stamp pillow prize! I LOVE that pillow! Oh please oh please oh please...

The Birdie Hotel - addition to the birdhouse garden

I made a little addition to my bird house garden today. I call this one, The Birdie Hotel.


Thanks to friends Geraldine and Hank, I'm now the proud owner of that old rustic ladder! Cool! And naturally, I ran home and put it right to work within minutes. Thanks guys! I love it! And so will the birds.

I love evening sun photos.

It was just such a beautiful day out today, I couldn't resist snapping a couple shots of the mountain view out back. My property is fortunate to be backed onto a city owned park, so my yard appears much larger than it is. It's a great place to kick a soccerball if you desire abit more space. There is a little creek that runs along the taller grass.

This willow sits right behind my house. It's truely as glorious as it looks. A single rope swing with a loop for one's foot is attached to a branch. I'd so love it if it had a seat swing for the not so adventurous. (that would be me!)

Here's hoping you enjoyed sunshine in your neighbourhood today too!

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Kimba at A Soft Place To Land is having a Garden Party - June 15 2009 edition! Go check out other gardens in the making!

Benches

Benches have long been a love of mine. They are beautifully simple to construct, look at, and have so many uses and spaces you can sneak them into due to their tiny square footage. Whenever I see a bench, I'm halted in my tracks, my mind busy at work wondering where I would tuck it into place.




The above and the next few benches I spotted at The Back Porch. The first bench is my alltime favorite. It's plain in shape, yet old fashioned in construction and just simply talks about a time long ago.



What a glorious backdrop for this little moss covered barnwood special! I hope they don't sell it... it's too perfect right here.



Perhaps a more feminine touch is more of your personal choosing? Pick your colour and you're off!

This little number happens to sit in my own backyard. I purchased it from a feed store long ago. I allowed the wood to grey and age rather than treat it as they instructed me to do. It powerwashes up beautifully and is as sturdy as ever. The soft greys simply blend in to the outdoor surroundings.

Have you ever entertained the idea of making your own bench? I sure have! But I keep finding what I like premade, and in mose cases I can buy cheaper than making. But if I happen to come across the right chunk of wood, I'd certainly love to give it a whirl!

This funky idea comes from Country Living. I'll admit I would have never thought of something like this, but it's clever all the same!

This bench is probably one of the most looked at benches on the net today! Karla at It's The Little Things That Make A House A Home came up with this beauty creating the backing from an old headboard! Click on the pic for the full tutorial of this bench.

Benches have all sorts of purposes. Tucked under a tree, at the foot of a bed, in the entry mudroom, in place of kitchen chairs around the farmhouse table, used as a unique coffee or side table, hung on a wall for a unique shelf, I could go on and on.

So, let's talk benches! Do you have a special one you could never part with? Have you used one in an unusual place? Or perhaps you have a direct link you can share towards a really neat one or one that you have working fulltime in your own home? Benches are meant to be shared! Let's see yours. :)