The little cottage that could. Remember when I first got this thing. And then after I hacked away at the front? Well it pretty much stayed in that state for the last couple of months with stumps and weeds doing their things in the front of the house. The lawn was all crazy from where it got ripped up when I had the house waterproofed, and it was growing over all its sides. Bj got a trimmer and went to town last weekend. We had bark delivered and gravel for the side. Oh I feel so much better walking up to the house now when I come home from somewhere. I mean the cuteness on the inside, well you would never even think it existed by looking at the outside, but I think we’re getting there now. We have big plans for the front that will hopefully develop more this summer, including a new porch. Stair pictures coming soon, I promise, have to do a little touch up.

Well it’s a little bit of progress. Painting the stairs is taking a bit more time than I thought it would. Bj came home from work and said, "Oh maybe you should paint the other ones white and it could be like piano keys." That is not the look I’m going for however. Oh and that pile of laundry in the distance? The washing machine was repaired after six weeks of waiting. I did one color load in cold water. Went to take out the clothes and they were steamy hot. Then tried to turn the machine back on and it’s broke again. Like seriously?

Is it wrong to be in love with my own ingeniousness? Okay well this idea isn’t mine, but hey I remembered it! I think it was in a Real Simple magazine a few years ago, or something like that. Totally easy. I’ve been wanting to do this in the stairwell since I moved in, but I didn’t want to go to all the trouble before I painted the ceiling and everything, because that is messy.

Step one: Cut a hole in the box. Hehehe, just kidding. Step one is really to pick out some old silverware. The more random the better. And the more actual silver the better, because it bends a lot easier.

Step two: On a hard surface lay down a few layers of fabric. I used a folded up old sheet and that was just the right amount of padding. Hammer out any bends in the silverwares handle and neck.

Step three: Use your womanly powers to bend the silverware with your bare hands. You will feel like wonder woman when you do this and ponder how you eat day to day with out wrecking every utensil you touch.

Step four: Make a dot with a sharpie where you want to drill. Find a drill bit the same size as your screw (I found that the nice rounded headed metal screws look best) and drill a hole into the silver (do this on a chunk of wood and watch your hands as it can skip around!). A drill press would work great for this, but work with what you’ve got.

Step five: Screw into a board, a wall, side of a cabinet, and admire your handiwork!

Who is going to be wearing a pretty little apron everyday? That would be me!

p.s. I sacrificed a few of my favorite spoons. My brother asked if this one was worth anything, and should I be cutting into it. My personal motto, just enjoy it. What’s a pile of silver really worth if it’s stuck in a box that you never see?