MY DREAM

Ever since I was a little girl, I have wanted a House Shop, hence the name of the blog.  I want an old house on a farm or plot where I can do up every room where all the items in that room are for sale.

Well we can all dream, cant we?

So I started a Pinterest board called House Shoppe which is the look of what I would imagine the House Shoppe to look like

Recently I got lucky and now have 2 floors at Zwartkops Raceway. The first floor I am doing up as a type of Venue for functions.  See more on the page "No Name" Venue at Zwartkops.

Sunset from the workshop window

All the furniture has been done with Pallets.  Now let me tell you a little story about Pallets, this is hard work, everything on the internet looks so easy until you have to do it yourself, yip, many splinters, blisters, bruises, sore muscles and joints later, I am still not done.

I used to have a saying - "I don't do boys things" - I now do BOYS THINGS, I have lots of tools, yes me, of all people, I have sanders, saws - including a chainsaw (The absolute look of amazement in Stefanie's wide as saucer eyes when she saw me using it, was priceless), drills, and am no longer scared of any of them.

I find a picture on the internet and decide that is the project for today, yes well, it certainly doesn't take me one day, try like 3 weeks.  Take the pallet apart, sand it all down, including some skin off my fingers - ouch and does it burn.  Then Big G brings the plasters and gives me  his "I know how you should be doing this look" and puts a plaster on the now turned white piece of finger.  I pretend to be brave in front of him, but damn, does it burn.
Ok, so back to putting the pallet back together........I am busy making a table, so, line up all the sanded planks, but no, they don't want to fit the way I want them to (pallet wood is so skew, it actually could run around a corner)

Eventually when you have them as "straight" as you can get them, it is now time to bash the nails in.
I must say that I haven't really injured myselfing bashing yet, ok, once! Voila, I have a table top.  Cut the legs all the same height, sort of easy part. Turn the table top over and attach the legs, sounds easy, comes out skew - oh well, the table is standing and we had Xmas lunch on them. 

Ok, so you cant see much of the tables, but they are under the overlay

So the pallet world according to me has been conquered.... I know that all the professionals out there probably have a lot to say, but I am happy with the outcome and have now had 3 functions (including Xmas on them and they are still standing) ha - done and dusted

That being said, the pallet project still has a long way to go, stay tuned.............................

I'M NEW TO THIS.....

I have tried creating a blog before with all good intentions and then, well it flies out the window, never to be seen again.

This time however, I am determined to make a go of it.

At 51 I am trying and doing all sorts of things that my daughter, Stefanie, just rolls her eyes at.
"Ma, who would have thought you of all people would be going green?"

Yes that's me, I'm on this major upcycle drive.  I collect everything and then some to be used for "something".  I have a stash of junk that "Don't throw it away, I can make something out of it! - Like what? - I don't know yet, but I will".

I am mother to an awesome daughter, Stefanie, and partner to Big G, for the purposes of this blog, that is how he will be known because he is very scared of the big unknown cyber world. (Strangely though, he can google on his cell and on the notepad, but hell, don't give him a computer.) And yes, believe it or not in this day and age, you do still get people who are technologically challenged, well that's what I tell Big G he is.