Best of 2014 - A Year in Review

You guys, this has been an amazing year for The Altered Past and it's all thanks to you, my readers.  I'm so thankful for your taking time out of your day to read my blog.  It's both exciting and humbling at the same time.  I really do appreciate you all.

As a recap of 2014, I'm sharing my top 6 most viewed posts.  The ones you all chose as the best projects from this past year.  Let's do this David Letterman style starting with #6 first.

The sixth most viewed post for 2014 Is the Patio Set Redo that I made for my daughter's first apartment.  She moved in this past summer and the set has been providing a cozy sitting area for her front porch.  (Click on the photo to read the full post!)

The fifth most popular post from this past year is the Gumball Machine Snow Globe.  I think it's my favorite.  I put the snow globe in my china cabinet this past week instead of storing it away with the rest of the Christmas decorations.

Coming in at fourth is the Take-Out Boxes I made for our Thanksgiving guests.  I was honored to have this post featured in a Huffington Post article.  I'm still amazed that I found the take out trays at the Dollar Tree.  I love that store :)

The third most popular post of 2014 is a project that is somewhat special to me.  It's the Old Window Repurposed into a Chalkboard.  The window came from my in-laws home.  The chalkboard hangs in our den and I change out the message with the seasons or holidays.  

Coming in at number 2 is an easy DIY project that I've done several times and will probably continue to do.  It's the Make Your Own Rubber Stamp post.  It doesn't take a lot of fancy materials.  You probably already have most of them in your home right now.  Click on the photo and check it out.  Then, get to making your own rubber stamps!

And, drum roll please, the most popular post for 2014 is the Pottery Barn Knockoff Grouted Pumpkins.  Another super easy project and the cost was less than $5!  

There you have it!  The top 6 most popular post for 2014!  This could not have happened without you.  I appreciate each of you and I hope you will like what 2015 brings for The Altered Past.  I feel God has some pretty neat things in store for us.  

Thanks for stopping by and God bless!!

Angie

I'm linking here:
THE STYLE SISTERS
JENNIFER RIZZO
HOME STORIES A TO Z
FROM MY FRONT PORCH TO YOURS

COMMON GROUND

HAVE A DAILY CUP OF MRS. OLSON
COASTAL CHARM'S NIFTY THRIFTY TUESDAY

FRIDAYS UNFOLDED

FEATHERED NEST FRIDAY

ONE MORE TIME EVENTS

TWIRL AND TAKE A BOW 
SAVVY SOUTHERN STYLE

STONEGABLE
UNDER THE TABLE AND DREAMING

A DELIGHTSOME LIFE
ART IS BEAUTY

CLEVER CHICKS BLOG HOP DIY SHOWOFF IT'S OVERFLOWING

THREE MANGO SEEDS

ELIZABETH JOAN DESIGNS

WEEKEND CRAFTS

PRETTY PINTASTIC PARTY
THOUGHTS FROM ALICE
HYMNS AND VERSES
MISS MUSTARD SEED
CONFESSIONS OF A PLATE ADDICT
SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY
MAKING LEMONADE BLOG

Old Window Repurposed into a Chalkboard Calendar

Ever since I saw KariAnne's huge chalkboard over at Thistlewood Farms, I've wanted one.  So, I was really excited when my father-in-law mentioned that he had a big, old window frame behind his shop.  He also invited me to pick through his workshop for any junk I might want.  Why, yes!  Thank you, I'd love to!

Here's the supply list for my chalkboard calendar:

Old window frame

hardboard, cut to size

Plaid Chalkboard Paint

Minwax Fast Drying Polyurethane Spray

1" wood screws

2 picture hanging brackets

2 small cup hooks

junk piece for chalk holder

chalk

Equipment used:

cordless drill and screwdriver (used to attach hardboard to frame)

hammer (used to attach picture hanging brackets)

screwdriver  (used to pry out old glazing)

paintbrush

Let's get started!

Here's the window before I began working on it.  It's a little bigger than 4' x 3' and has lots of great chippy white paint.  Since I wanted to make a chalkboard, I removed all 12 of the individual panes of glass, gave the frame a good scrub, and sealed it with Minwax's Fast Drying Polyurethane Spray.  Easy peasy.

Since there was little structure to the frame once the glass was removed, I decided to use 1/4" tempered hardboard.  It's light weight but sturdy enough to use as a chalkboard.  I purchased my hardboard at Home Depot, which they kindly cut to my exact measurements.  I love when they do that!  It saved me so much time and was much easier to transport than the 4'x8' panel.

The actual chalkboard paint is by Plaid.  I painted 2 coats and then seasoned the board with chalk before attaching it to the window frame.  

This project is pretty easy once you find the window frame you want to use.  The hardest part for me what finding the right spot to hang it.  

I finally decided on this wall in our family room.  I also added two cup hooks on each side because I thought it would be fun to hang seasonal garland or banners on it for celebrations.  I couldn't help but sneak a little fall for this post.

I can't forget to show you the chalk holder.  You'll never guess what this is.  Give up?  It's a metal plate from an old 60's iron.  I deconstructed the iron when I was making my JoBots years ago and I still had a few of the leftover pieces.  I did bend it to make the "tray" part perpendicular to the screw.  It fit perfectly! 

This is a little sneak peak at some of the other goodies I picked in my father-in-law's shop, a ring of skeleton keys.  More on my picking finds later.

I hope you've found inspiration to take the old and make it new again.  God bless and thanks for stopping by!

Angie


Join me here:

I'm linking here:
THE STYLE SISTERS
JENNIFER RIZZO
HOME STORIES A TO Z
FROM MY FRONT PORCH TO YOURS

COMMON GROUND

HAVE A DAILY CUP OF MRS. OLSON
COASTAL CHARM'S NIFTY THRIFTY TUESDAY

FRIDAYS UNFOLDED

FEATHERED NEST FRIDAY

ONE MORE TIME EVENTS

TWIRL AND TAKE A BOW 
SAVVY SOUTHERN STYLE

STONEGABLE
UNDER THE TABLE AND DREAMING

A DELIGHTSOME LIFE
ART IS BEAUTY

CLEVER CHICKS BLOG HOP DIY SHOWOFF IT'S OVERFLOWING

THREE MANGO SEEDS

ELIZABETH JOAN DESIGNS

WEEKEND CRAFTS

PRETTY PINTASTIC PARTY
THOUGHTS FROM ALICE
HYMNS AND VERSES

Winter Wonderland Chalkboard

A while back I decided that the walls leading down to our garage would look pretty great with chalkboard paint.  Turning the entire stairwell into one large chalkboard to doodle on :)

Winter Wonderland (close-up)

The graffiti, drawings, sayings, etc. change quite frequently.  A few days ago, I washed the entire stairwell walls and decided to decorate the walls for the holidays.

Downstairs looking up

With the weather most of us are experiencing right now, I think the Winter Wonderland scene is appropriate.

Deer Antler "Mount"

I'm kinda digging the whole deer/antlers/hunting theme decor right now, so I decided to add my own "mount" to the wall.

The lists are for my daughters.  I thought this would be a fun way for them to write down the items they would like for Christmas.  (They are 14, 16, and 22...really hard ages to buy for!)

I hope you enjoyed this post.  I can say that it was a cheap DIY project from the beginning.  I used Martha Stewart's recipe for homemade chalkboard paint.  I added 2 tablespoons of unsanded grout to 1 cup of flat-finish latex paint (multiplying the recipe to make enough to cover the walls).  I picked up the unsanded grout at the thrift store.  It was a partially used box so the price and amount were perfect for this project.  I already had the flat black paint on hand from another project.  The DIY project is pretty cheap but can pack a lot of punch when it comes to decorating!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  I am so thankful to be blogging and creating and I am so thankful for you!

God bless!
Angie

I'm linking here:

COASTAL CHARM'S NIFTY THRIFTY TUESDAY

 

http://www.funkyjunkinteriors.net/themed-linkups

www.frommyfrontporchtoyours.com

www.remodelaholic.com

Mason Jar and Wood Slice Tag

We have an amazing ministry in our town called Greenhouse Ministries.  They offer food, gas vouchers, housing assistance, GED tutoring, and a host of other classes to help those in need in our community.

source

Their current facility is bursting at the seams and in desperate need of more room.  A group of supporters is hosting a Denim and Diamonds Raffle and Auction to help raise funds for Greenhouse's expansion.  I've helped with events at Greenhouse in the past and I was excited to be asked to help with the decorations and displays for this event.

Photos via www.readyvillemill.com

The Denim and Diamonds Raffle and Auction will be held at a historic mill in the Readyville community.  To go along with the theme and the historic, old building, I needed to come up with a container to hold the tickets for each raffle item.  This is similar to a silent auction except that guests will purchase raffle tickets and place them in the container beside the item they hope to win.  The more tickets you place in the container, the better your chance to win!

So, what did I come up with??  Here it is:

A simple wide-mouth mason jar with a wood slice tag to mark the item number, a small envelope that will contain the item description, and jute and denim ribbons.  (The ticking fabric is just for the photo!)

Using my husband's chop saw, I cut the wood slices from a fallen hickory branch.  It went very quickly but you do have to be careful when you're cutting thin slices.  The spinning blade will try to throw the slice backwards once it's cut.  Always wear your safety glasses and keep your hand that is holding the branch at a safe distance from the blade.  Once the branch becomes too short to handle safely, stop.  A natural branch is not level or square and could become difficult to hold securely.

Once I had the slices cut, I placed them on a foil lined cookie sheet in a 200 degree oven...just to make sure there were not any bugs living in the bark.  The limb was still green so placing it in the oven helps dry it out.  After the slices were dried in the oven for about an hour, I painted the centers with black chalkboard paint and drilled a hole in the top to string the jute through.

It's a very simple project but looks great!  These could be used for weddings as table markers, for cookouts to hold utensils, or even as candle holders using tealights.

As you can see from the photo, the branch has lots of lichen and I left it attached.  I like the natural look of it.

Once the evening is over, I will have a nice supply of the wood slice tags to use again.

I had more of the branch left over after the tags.  I made something else but I'll post more on that this week.  Let's just say it involves more gold paint!

Thanks for stopping by and God bless!
Angie


I'll be sharing this project here: