Swapping Out a Doorknob

All of the doors on the second floor of our castle have the cool old brass doorknobs with tons of character. I love the patina that they have developed from decades of use, and the little bit of shimmer that they lend to the hallway.

However, the mechanism for the brass doorknob on the bathroom door was broken, and the doorknob would routinely fall off and crash to the floor. This usually happened when we had guests over and they went to use the restroom for the first time. ;-) Not exactly the kind of first impression we were going for, you know?

We tried to fix it multiple times, but there were a few parts missing that made it only a temporary fix each time. Not long after our latest fix-it session, the knob would once again crash to the floor.

We have a ReStore near our house, so we swung by one day to see if they had any old brass doorknobs that matched the style of our house for a reasonable price. Alas, they neither had matching knobs, nor were they reasonable! :-)

Then one day I remembered that there were some random house parts sitting up in the attic from before we moved in. I went up and rooted around in the dusty eaves, and found the two ends of a glass doorknob hidden among the cobwebs. After a couple of alterations, and harvesting two screws from the old doorknob mechanism, we now have a working, non-crashing doorknob on the bathroom door. And, the cut glass is just gorgeous! I love how it looks against the dark wood of the door, and the bit more sparkle that it brings to that dark corner full o' doors.

So for zero dollars and cents, and just a bit of ingenuity, we fixed a problem and added some glam on top of that! Gotta love projects that are easy on the eyes as well as the wallet!


Linked to Metamorphosis Monday, DIY Parade, Making Monday Marvelous,, Making the World Cuter Monday

Listography

I know it is only June (far away from Christmas), and my birthday is just past, but on a recent trip to Barnes and Noble I found this book, Listography, and now I must have it. :-)


Um, is this book not totally made for me? I would say so. (I mean, I have an entire category on my blog dedicated to lists). This book has lists of greatest accomplishments, favorite food, best friends, greatest acts of kindness, guiltiest pleasures... sigh. How marvelous would it be to have your whole life categorized into lists? Am I the only person that feels better after making a long list of everything in my head? Yes, it is a sickness. I know.

Makers of this awesome book, if you would be so kind as to send me a copy, I will post a raving review. :-) Pinky swear. :-D



Speaking of lists, here's what I've been working on around the house and yard lately:

• Weeding all gardens, battling Virginia creeper as usual and planting new flowers.


• Installing a brick border around the peony bed


• Removing heavy, concrete based planters to plant grass.


• Planting said grass


• Vegetation killing around house and on patio


• Fixing broken garage door (Ok, this one was Lover. Thanks babe!)


• Painting deck


• Planting gorgeous petunia baskets for front porch


• Adding plants to step garden


• Redecorating living room mantel


• Rearranging master bedroom


• Refreshing guest room


• Adding functionality to office


• Cleaning up debris and mess in basement

Whew! I am exhausted! I love warm, almost-summer days, there is so much to do outside in the lovely weather, and this is definitely the best weather we get all year!

Makayla's One Year Pictures

You've seen this pretty little girl several times before, and this time we were documenting her first birthday! It's hard to believe that just fifteen months ago we were doing a maternity session with her parents! Makayla was in a great mood today, so we got lots of cute captures. She really enjoyed playing with the frosting on her cupcake. but she wanted nothing to do with eating it!

Inspiration Tuesday: Simple Summer Palettes

Country Living

Phoebe Howard

House Beautiful

HGTV

House Beautiful

House Beautiful

Calm, Cool and Collected.

Simple, Neutral and Fresh.

I love quiet, calm neutral toned rooms in the summer, when the outdoors is so beautiful. Let your windows be the art at this time of year, when everything is a showstopper!

What's Better Than Free?

Last fall, on one of my walks around the neighborhood, I spotted a chair in a garbage pile that was definitely worth saving! The chair was already painted, but it was a yellowed cream, and the fabric on the seat, although a pretty pattern, was torn and faded, so it would need to be replaced. I figured it was an easy project and that it would take me less then a day to complete the makeover of this pretty little wooden chair, and then it would look perfect in the guest room.

Later that week, I unscrewed the seat, gave the chair a light sanding, and began it's makeover with white spray paint. The cheap white spray paint that I had purchased did not even begin to cover the yellowy cream underneath. So, I set the chair aside until I had time to work on it. Fast forward more than six months, and I finally returned to this project. After dusting off some cobwebs, I pulled out the trusty Kilz primer and brushed it all over the chairs spindles and curves. One coat of primer was all it took, and then it was easy to spray three light coats of white paint all over to complete the chair's transformation.

A few days later, when I had another small block of time, I recovered the chair's seat cushion. I ripped off the old faded floral, and then simply placed the seat on top of the fabric I was using and cut a few inches around it, then stapled the new fabric onto the bottom side of the seat. The whole shebang took less than half an hour. After screwing the seat back into the wooden frame, the chair's transformation was finished!

Check out how much better it looks in the corner of our black and white guest room than the wooden clunker that was there before. Isn't it b-e-a-U-tiful?



The best part was that all I had to purchase was the paint, as I already had the primer and fabric, and the chair itself was free!

Linked to Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch, Thrifty Treasures @ Southern Hospitality, DIY Project Parade @ DIY Showoff, Get Your Craft On @ Todays Creative Blog, Pajama Party @ Life in My PJs, Furniture Feature Friday @ Miss Mustard Seed

Ask Me Anything

I am wondering what my lovely readers would like to see on my blog throughout the next couple of weeks. I have a bunch of ideas, but I am wondering what YOU would like to see here at Words On Wendhurst? Do you want to see more corners of the castle? Pictures of our projects in progress? The mess of a backyard? Would you like to get to know me better, or hear about how Lover and I ended up together? Maybe you'd like to hear some more organizing ideas, or see more pictures of strangers. :-) I'd love to hear your opinions!

Oh, and while we're at it, I'll take any comments/advice/critiques about the blog. Do you hate the font I use? Do you like the cutesy little picture of us crazy renovators? Spill the beans!

Why are you reading this?

It's a beautiful summer-y day here, and I am not going to waste it by sitting inside at the computer. And you shouldn't either! :-) Go outside and enjoy the beautiful weather!

Bye!

Friday Fav: World's Greatest Bean Dip

Today I am sharing a recipe that will change your life. It will also change your body, by adding many, many pounds to your hips. :-) This stuff is the best there is, and it is seriously addictive. I always keep the three necessary ingredients around, as this is a quick and simple dip that is a hit at every party.

World's Greatest Bean Dip


Ingredients:
One can of Hormel Chili with Beans
One 8 oz package of cream cheese
1-2cups shredded cheddar cheese
Tortilla Chips

Directions:

Spread entire package of cream cheese over bottom of a glass pie plate.

Cover cream cheese with bean chili.



Cover chili with shredded cheese.

Place in microwave, heat on high for five minutes or until shredded cheese is melted and dip is bubbling.

Remove from microwave and devour with tortilla chips.

You're welcome.

Smile - It's good for you!

A smile is a curve that sets everything straight. ~Phyllis Diller

The world always looks brighter from behind a smile. ~Author Unknown

Before you put on a frown, make absolutely sure there are no smiles available. ~Jim Beggs

Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been. ~Mark Twain, Following the Equator

A smile is the light in the window of your face that tells people you're at home. ~Author Unknown

If you smile when no one else is around, you really mean it. ~Andy Rooney

Life is like a mirror, we get the best results when we smile at it. ~Author Unknown

Everyone smiles in the same language. ~Author Unknown

Smile - sunshine is good for your teeth. ~Author Unknown

The shortest distance between two people is a smile. ~Author Unknown

Smiling is my favorite exercise. ~Author Unknown

Keep smiling - it makes people wonder what you've been up to. ~Author Unknown

You're never fully dressed without a smile. ~Martin Charnin

Smile Quotes from quotegarden.com

Smiling Teenagers

I did a family session a few months ago for some good friends of mine. They have four smart and funny kids, three of which are teenage boys! Needless to say, I was a little nervous about getting good shots of a bunch of teenagers, who typically do not want to mess around with having their picture taken! But, these kids were champs and we had a blast. We used Wendhurst Castle as the backdrop, and had some fun with some silly poses, as well as some nice family portraits. :-)

ImPOSStor

Last year I attempted to grow a vegetable garden. It was an epic failure, due to a bad location, lack of care (by me) and the rampages of the wildlife in our area. Whenever anything would get even close to bearing fruit, little (and big!) rodents would find them and enjoy a late night snack. I'm thinking that this guy, who showed up in my yard today, (in broad daylight!) was partially responsible. :-)





This dude was FAT! When he finally decided he was scared of me, he began to waddle towards the back of the garage. You really can't call it running, or scampering, or anything remotely fast. ;-)



He came back just a few minutes later and checked out the driveway. I'm thinking he was scoping out future meals. Sorry buddy! No veggies this year! :-)
And by the way, as soft and cute as he may look in these pictures, don't be fooled. This dude was UG-LY. Long, ugly nose, fat rolls, skinny tail. :-)