porch swing

who doesn't love a porch swing? we recently found this and even with the impending change of seasons here in new england, we just couldn't resist!


we shored it up and gave it a new coat of poly to protect it from the elements. perfect for enjoying your morning coffee and watching the neighborhood pass by!

blue collar artisans

we're featuring the work of mike from blue collar artisans in the shop this month. he does custom work for us all the time & we couldn't be more excited about the stuff he has brought in special for the month.

a serious bench.


this wrench is embedded in the wood, and a coat of thick pour poly was applied on top.


and old sewing machine part makes a perfect guitar stand...

this picture doesn't do his bench justice... the stone, steel and reclaimed wood..... you just have to touch it.

honey side table

this little side table was too cute to pass up. i wasn't very excited about the top, so i decided it just had to go!


the sides of this table are this cool bark-like molding that adds a sense of enchantment to he piece. liz immediately started referring to it as the "pooh table" when i brought it into the shop!


that's where we get the name, the honey side table from. there is a secret stamped on here somewhere ;-)


the top was made from a couple of pieces of cool wood we had laying around the shop, finished naturally to enhance it's inherent beauty.

poem trunk

okay so i just can't stop myself from stamping poems, words and quotes into pieces of furniture or other things we are making here in the shop!


this old trunk has a great patina, but needed some new hinges and a sprucing up on the inside.


cute little compartments to hold your cute little things!


for this piece, i chose touched by an angel by maya angelou. in thinking about what would be right, this popped to the front of my mind. as i looked at a few other choices, i just kept coming back to it. the process is painstaking, but becomes quite meditative and i just love the results!

copper top table

we scored this fab table frame at the auction, but it needed something fun on top...

i had a bunch of copper flashing kicking around, so i spent a lot of time cutting it out and using liquid nails to stick it down. by a lot of time, i mean a LOT of time.

i added decorative tacks for fun and where needed and soldered some parts together.

and finally added the thick pour bar top to make the top smooth and easy to clean. now it's ready for drinks- maybe a nice martini ;)

warehouse tables

we've had this warehouse table for a bit, but we wanted to make it a more useful size and height...
so we took the wheels off, cut it in half (almost) added a new end and some blocks to lift it up.

we stained and waxed the top. sanded and cleaned up the rust on the metal and feel in love!

we used the other half and the metal corner brackets to make another table that we like just as much as the first!

the legs are carved to fit into the brackets nice and tight and the whole thing was waxed. yum.

metal cabinet

we have been loving us some steel over here.


now that i've found this attachment that takes the paint of old metal- you can hear the angle grinder going all hours of the day.

the whole cabinet used to be blue- now it's just the surprise inside ;)

many drawers

sometimes this small shop brings out the best creativity.

all these drawers had just been accumulating in the back, waiting for the right project. i finally decided i should spend my time making something with them instead of moving them from one shelf to another every time i needed to get something.


i used up all the scrap plywood i had kicking around.

the bit of brown on the top is a repair where a part of the plywood had chipped- i fit in a piece of cherry veneer.


bits of paper from all sorts of projects.


oh, and the feet are from the dump. (aka put and take)

a new leaf

dear gentle readers ;)
you may have noticed i've been less than consistent in my posting these last weeks. the truth is i've been incredibly busy working on a new cafe that will be opening up next door (practically) in december. while this is super exciting, i don't wanna neglect y'all! so for the foreseeable future i'm making a commitment to you (and to myself) to post every wednesday, thursday and friday about something fun and fabulous. justin is still here upcyling furniture in unexpected fantastic ways, and he's promised to help me. (thank god for justin!)

so for today, here's a quick before and after. and get ready for more!

the before.


and after. we used a 'brilliant blue' spray paint, modpodged this fab paper, and put on a coat of 'super glaze' bar top finish. these trays should be able to hold up to many years of messy tv dinners!