Beach Rock Table

Surrounded by so many beautiful smooth rocks everyday,
one must have a slew of projects to do utilizing the beach rocks.
Last summer my friends and I gathered rocks for a one-of-a-kind Beach Rock Table.
The outcome is a stunning piece of art that is the talk of all who enter the cottage.

I started off with a great base that was a planter in it's former life. 

The table top was an old decorator's table I had laying around.

I married the two pieces together for a perfect beginning.

I then strategically laid out my hand-pick beach rocks.

Adding metal flashing to the sides helped to keep the glaze from running off the edge.

A mixture of FAMOWOOD Crystal Clear Glaze Coat 

was poured over the top of the rocks.

After the glaze started to set, I peeled the metal flashing off.

 Now the rocks forever will look like there floating in water!

To complete the look I added this Real Wood Veneer Edging.

 It was so easy to do-just a hot iron glued the wood to the edge of the table top.

I love the completed look- 

It's a perfect addition to our little cottage family room!

The Cottage Family Room

I can't wait for you to see the transformation in this room. 

We've come a long way baby...

BEFORE:

AFTER:

We started by clearing out everything!

Check out those orange curtains! They absolutely HAD TO GO!

We painted all the walls white and then added some of our own personal touches.

We had a white denim slipcover made for our red couch. 

The old window came from a friends remolded house. 

And I made the pillows and the Subway Art just for the cottage.

 I refinished and made new cushions for my grandparents chairs

 (somewhere I have the "before" picture).

 I made the curtains from a light weight linen-like fabric and then added the ribbon trim.

 This lamp was a 99 cent deal at my thrift store. 

I spray painted it and then found this adorable burlap shade at Target.

 The table-foot stool was found at a local antique store. I painted and distressed it...

 And added a tray to the top. Don't you love the double function of it?!

After collecting many rocks and fossils at the beach I created this one-of-a-kind table. 

I'll blog about those details some other day.

The blue sail boat painting is by far my favorite thing in the room. 

My Dad painted it the year I was born. 

My name is on the back of the boat!

Thanks for stopping by!

I ♥ Michigan

I've spent my summer on the shores of Lake Michigan.
To honor my love for my second home I created a little piece of art work for the cottage.

I started out with a plain canvas, you guessed it:Hobby Lobby! 

$4.99-but I bought it when the canvases were on sale, of course!

 Americana Baby Blue, .79

 Painted the whole canvas including the sides.

 Cut out the state of Michigan from my Silhouette.

 Added a little blue tape to keep it from going anywhere.

 And gave it a couple coats of a Lake Michigan Blue.

 Using my ruler, I made a little "dot" with white paint every 1"

 

To complete the look I printed out a little red heart 

and added it to my favorite place in the state of Michigan.

 I ♥ Michigan!

The Kitchen

Welcome to my little kitchen in the cottage!

This space has come a long way from one year ago when we purchased the place. 

Gotta love a BEFORE and AFTER.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

As soon as we closed on the cottage. 

And I mean 1 hour after we left the attorney's office, we painted the entire cottage!

The kitchen was the biggest task.

As you can see by now, I'm going with the Red & White Theme.

I know you're dying to see the other side of the room... 

I've got a little piece of art that I created. I'll share that with you soon. 

The Gathering Place in the Cottage

 Let me take you on a little tour of my summer cottage. 

We'll start with the Eating Area or the Gathering Place.

 Here is the before 

(note the lovely orange window treatments, ceiling light fixture and pull-out sofa. UGH!)

 I made this table last year. For the details see my post here.

  The bench was found at an antique store at home.

 I painted it white and left it outside for a couple weeks to "weather."

 I even let the kids throw water balloons at it! 

I love the look we got!

The only thing I really wanted that was left in the cottage were these red folding chairs. 

They are perfect for my new table.

 This chandelier came from my dining room at home. It was brass and

 I couldn't wait to get rid of it.  I spray painted it with a white with a matte finish. 

And then it was perfect for the cottage.

 The lamp shades were found at IKEA. 

The cute cottage look completed with a little red ric-rack trim.

This picture on the wall was taken a couple years ago on a family walk to the Dunes. 

It's so fun to finally have it displayed!

We're having a great time creating new memories in the cottage.

 I love to entertain and my table has been great-we've actually gotten up to ten people for dinner!

Thanks for stopping by! 

Be sure to come back next week and I show you around some more!

Welcome to the Cottage

Each summer I've been blessed to spend several weeks in a wonderful Christian Community on the shores of Lake Michigan. It's my favorite place in the whole world! Last year Ben and I had the opportunity to purchase one of the last teeny-tiny cottages in the area. 

I'd like to give you a little tour of summer home.

 There's a lot of history in this place.

 We are only the second family in 100 years to have owned it.

As the years go by,
I hope we can continue to keep some of it's unique charm
as we update it and make it our own.

 Many sandy feet have passed through this door. 

And many more for generations to come.

 This is just the beginning of the tour...

 Please come back and visit me soon, 

I'll take you inside and show you a little of what I've done!