There's still time...

Don't forget...


There's still plenty of time today to enter your projects on Modern Craftswoman Monday!The party isn't over until tonight, so grab those aprons ( and hardhats) and show us what you've got!

Here's just a few of the wonderful ideas floating around out there...





When Lacey from Southern Lace replaced her old coffee table with a new one, instead of just tossing a perfectly good table, she got to work and came up with this! This lady is not only talented with tools, but is very creative, as well!






Mandy from Moody Girl Projects had admired a wooden American flag sign from Pottery Barn, but decided to make her own version instead! Not just for the holiday weekend, this sign can be hung out to celebrate the good ol' USA anytime! This girl loves tools, and isn't afraid to use them!

Finally, Kara from Kara's Korner entered several projects this week (I love that!), but my favorite one was this day bed she created with a little help from her husband, just in time for company! She was wanting to purchase one similar, but when that didn't work out, she stepped out believing in herself that she could make one even better! I think she truly succeeded, don't you?

There are truly some really great projects going on out there, whether the tools you happen to use are sewing machines, crochet hooks, paint brushes or power saws. This is a place to celebrate all of our successes, so lets keep sharing our tips and tricks with one another every week on Modern Craftswoman Monday!

Link Party Time! - Modern Craftswoman Monday #9

Let's see those projects! Time to link 'em up!

Really Simple Rules:

1.) Become a follower if you are not one already.

2.) Link back somehow. However you do it is fine.

Here is a button if you want to link back that way...

<center><a href="http://toolsareforwomentoo.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="toolsareforwomentoo" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4001/4565738303_c1f085c93f_o.jpg" /></a></center>Design by Trendy Treehouse

Let's party!

Great Craftswoman Of The Week - Chantelle from Thousand Square Feet

Please meet Chantelle from Thousand Square Feet. She is my pick for Craftswoman Of The Week.

This very special lady is from Manitoba. She lives in a thousand square foot home with her husband and 5 kids. Yet, she still somehow finds time to be a mom, a wife and put on a tool belt to make adirondack chairs. Pretty incredible. My hardhat is off to her.

Here she is with her power mitre saw, tool belt, speed square and hearing protection, hard at work.

And here Chantelle is again putting a few screws into an adirondack chair, with her cordless drill. Gotta love it!

The finished product. This is really, very neatly done. Nice job Chantelle!

4 smiling faces!

Read the full story about Chantelle over at her blog, Thousand Square Feet. Here is the addy.

http://thousandsquarefeet.blogspot.com/2010/06/adirondack-chairs.html

When you visit Chantelle, please remember to congratulate her on being the Tools Are For Women Too,

Great Craftswoman Of The Week.

Way to go Chantelle!

My Latest Country French Bird House - 2 Story Version

Okay, the birdhouse thing may be getting a little out of hand. I admit it. But, I am really having fun doing it. Seems like every time I make one I want to try and out do the last one. The neat thing about it is that most of the materials was stuff I already had in the garage or in the back yard.


My latest one is this cute 2 story model. I love the country french feel of it. I painted it using a whitewash technique.

I made a major improvement in the design of this one. It has a removable floor and roof. Just remove a few screws and they come right off. That way the insides can be cleaned out at the end of the season, before the next occupants arrive.

Here is a tip for you on birdhouses. It may look cute, but never use metal as a roofing or perch material. Wood is a much better choice. It stays cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.

Hope you liked this one!

By the way, I decided to put a few of these birdhouses on Etsy. If you are interested, you can check my sidebar for which ones are available. Just click on the pic of the one that catches your eye.

Dresser Makeover By Guest Contributor Beverly from Green Gracie Home

I would like to introduce all of you to a friend of mine. She is Beverly from Green Gracie Home and it is my pleasure to have her here today as a guest contributor. One of the things that impresses me with this fine craftswoman is that she is not afraid think outside the traditional painting box. Her project today is an example of that.

And, here she is........

I want to thank Rory for allowing me to share my little makeover with you. But also for his belief in every woman's ability to use tools and imparting a little "know how" to us.

This dresser was tired and its yellow color was no longer bright and lemony, but instead looked just plain dirty. But the legs called to me and the pure size. Then I opened the drawers and this beauty was solid and well made. The tag inside said American of Martinsville. I had to dig, but originally it was a company of Amish furniture builders. No wonder it was heavy. So, I bought it and brought it home to my garage until I could find it a home.

It found its home in a master bedroom makeover. The walls in this room are BLUE and to temper it, silvers, taupes and grays are coming in.

The dresser began like this:

So, I used TSP and a liquid deglosser.

The wall paint was Behr Premium that has primer in it. I wanted the same blue to come through in the end, so I used it as my base coat.

Next, I silver leafed all of the drawers and the two doors:

I let a little of the blue "peek" through as I was leafing.

I did not leaf the body of the dresser or the interior drawers. I painted those with Benjamin Moore silver metallic paint. I wanted a very subtle variation in color:

Then a final antique glaze over the entire thing:

Detail shot:

Dresser now that it is done:

I love the knobs the owner selected. They are different than what I had originally envisioned, but they help the dresser bridge the gap between antique and modern.

I hope you enjoyed my little makeover.

Beverly

Beverly, thank you for your great post today. I really enjoyed seeing someone use silver leaf in furniture project. It is one of those techniques that I think every faux finisher should take the time to learn.

To all of my readers:

Please stop by Green Gracie Home and say hello to Beverly. It because of craftswomen and bloggers like her, that Tools Are For Women Too is so relevant and successful.

Here is her link.

http://greengraciehome.blogspot.com/

By the way, If you would like to become a guest contributor for Tools Are For Women Too! like Beverly did, drop me a line. I would love to chat with you about it.

toolsr4women2@gmail.com

Guest Feature Announcement & Link Party Update

I am so pleased to announce that Tools Are For Women Too! will have a very special guest blogger tomorrow. Beverly from Green Gracie Home will be posting with us and showing off some of her great project ideas and photos. She has a lot of wonderful things to share from her own blog, so I hope you will be sure to stop back by tomorrow to see what fun things she has in store for all of our readers. Don't forget that if you would be interested in being a guest blogger yourself, please let me know...there is so much talent out there to be shown off!

Speaking of incredible talent, take a look at just a few of the highlights so far from this week's edition of Modern Craftswoman Monday! I am amazed at all the creative things going on out there in blogland!

You must see this charming bedroom redo from Joy @ Thrifty Parsonage Living! This is a space that features some of the nicest beach house projects with a very personal touch. And from a guys point of view, I especially like that she has incorporated both feminine and masculine elements in the room. Looks like a resort spa by the sea... Makes me want to pack a bag and head for the coast!

Michelle from The Scrap Shoppe shared a few easy ideas using chalkboard paint to help get her home organized! Everything now has it's own special place designated so every family member knows where things go. So no more..."Mom, Dad, where's the (_______fill in the blank here!)" The great thing is, let's face it, it is so much nicer to live and work in a space that is clutter free and these ideas could be adapted to any spot in your own home, from a guy's garage to a baby's room. Run, don't walk, to the store for some of this chalkboard paint, and get started sorting! (I'm headed to the garage/workshop!)

And finally Janet from The Decorating Diaries has a wonderful way to show off her old family photos. I had a chance to really browse her blog recently and she is one amazing lady. She shares many photos of her beautiful home and I must say, every shot is looks like it has been lifted right off the pages of an interior magazine. She has lots of projects, both large and small that I really enjoyed and I think you will enjoy them too!

Don't worry...it's not too late if you forgot to link up your favorite projects this week to Modern Craftswoman Monday! The party will be going on through Wednesday, so just scroll down and come join the fun!

Link Party Time! - Modern Craftswoman Monday #8

Time for another great link party. Last week was full of neat entries. Let's see what everyone's got this week.

Super Easy Rules As Usual.......

Become a follower if you aren't one already.

Grab a button or link back somehow.

Link up to 5 of your projects.

Here is the button if you want to grab it....

<center><a href="http://toolsareforwomentoo.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="toolsareforwomentoo" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4001/4565738303_c1f085c93f_o.jpg" /></a></center>Design by Trendy Treehouse

Okay! Lets see those projects.

Great Craftswoman Of The Week - Katie from A Chirp In The Forest

Time to announce another Great Craftswoman Of The Week. This time the honor goes to Katie from A Chirp In The Forest. Katie describes herself as a "small town girl at heart". She loves decorating. She and her husband of 2 years just bought a home about 6 months ago and it sounds like she is really having some fun with it.

Katie posted her headboard project on Modern Craftswoman Monday, and I was floored by it. This is a lady who was able to use her vision and a few raw materials to make something beautiful for that new home of hers.

This is a picture of her room before.

Here is the room after she installed the headboard that she made with her own 2 hands!

Isn't it fantastic?

Katie gives a step-by-step breakdown of how she did it on her blog. Here is her link to read the full post.

A Chirp In The Forest

http://chirpintheforest.blogspot.com/2010/06/secret-garden-35-diy-headboard.html

Congratulations Katie on being my latest Great Craftswoman Of The Week!

End Grain Maple Cutting Board Project

I have been making cutting boards lately and thought I would show you all one that I just finished. the cutting surface is made of solid "end grain" maple and is just short of 2 inches thick. End grain makes for a superior cutting board and the thickness of the maple will make this one really solid.

I made the stubby feet by turning the wood on a lathe. They are also made out of maple. Instead of using wood screws to attach them I bored 1.25" holes into the bottom of the board and used a waterproof food grade glue to attach them. Good luck getting them off!

I also put rubber pads on the feet to keep from marring a dining table or counter top. That way it can be used on your dining table as a trivet or serving piece, as well. I tried to think of everything.

My goal here was to make a small practical cutting board, inspired by the huge, antique, old time butcher blocks, that I have never had room for in my kitchen. It had to be small enough to stay on a counter and big enough to do most of my cutting jobs. I wanted it to be able to last a couple of decades or longer. I finished it with pure food safe mineral oil.

What do you think of it?

See who I am linking up to today by visiting my Link Party Directory. It lists over 100 parties this week.