A Note from Tina | № 12


Hello Sweet Friends! 

Welcome to 'A Note from Tina'. A monthly note where you can catch-up on all the projects, d.i.y.s, crafts, recipes, and life here at MaplesStone. So grab your favorite drink and join me for a few. Thank you for being here! 





Excuse my finger in this picture! One of 3 watermelons in my garden. 

Life Lately

Well summer is not officially over, but school will be starting for my grandson J and granddaughter S the second week of August. So unofficially it's coming to an end for some. 

July was hot and humid, (August will be too) but that's nothing new for here. However, it did make it rough for my garden but it survived...barely.  

We celebrated 3 birthdays this month, Jeff turned 59, granddaughter S turned 10, and oldest grandson D turned 20! My father passed away in '23, if he was still with us he would have been 99! We also babysat our grandfur babies Wolfie 🐶 and Salem 🐱 for a week. 

I was also busy making plans for a quick trip to Florida next month. Other than that we just try to stay cool!

What I Bought 



On the Blog 

  • I love this coffee table DH Jeff made & I share where the inspiration came from...DIY Coffee Table
  • Unfortunately I  didn't finish reading what I wanted to this month; but I did finish something...What I've Read 

That's all for this month! 

Until next time,

❦ Hugs,Tina ❦



you'll find me sharing at the parties listed here

Read This Post →

What I've Read | July 2024


Hello sweet friends and Welcome to 'What I've Read'.

If you're new here this is a monthly post of the books I've read either on Kindle or in physical form, or listened to on Audible or Chirp. Hopefully you enjoy this months books or if you've read any let me now what you thought in the comments below. If you want to see more of the books I've read go here or check out goodreads.

Happy Reading! 

A Year of Puttery Treats (July chapter)

Author: Alison May | ☆☆☆☆ |Available: Kindle HERE | This book covers each month as chapters and has fun ideas/inspiration for each.  


Welcome to A Year of Puttery Treats. One gorgeous, life-enhancing little something to do for each of the 365 days in the year.

Housekeeping you see, can be terribly dull. A monotonous round of chasing dirt and moving objects that we should seek to enhance with the kind of decorative little to-do’s that gladden the heart and help to bring both order and authenticity in to our homes.

While the treats vary from the pretty to the silly, the fragrant and the celebratory, they are each designed to remind us that keeping house is about more than getting busy with a vacuum and a duster and should instead be about enhancing the lives of those that live in our homes. In reflecting the soul of the Mistress of the house and marking the lives of those she shares it with, puttery treats are quite the most lovely way to ritualise life within our own four walls and more than that to celebrate the art of homemaking and bring joy to domesticity.

In a Year of Puttery treats you will find seasonal tasks and little to-dos for annual holidays and national celebrations. You will discover ways to journal your days and create a living museum of family life. You will find tiny pampering treats and scrubby housekeeping tips, and in the midst of it all, right there in the heart of your home you will find yourself…

Thank you very much for being here!

Have a great day!

❦ Hugs,Tina ❦



you'll find me sharing at the parties listed here
Read This Post →

DIY Coffee Table


Do you get tired of furnishings around your home like I do? I really liked the square coffee table I had, but it was just too big and didn't look right once I changed/swapped the furniture around. This led me to search for a new one. I looked on Pinterest, Instagram and anywhere else, but could never find exactly what I wanted.  

The Inspiration 

Then one day I was watching a reel on Deb and Danelle Designs. Deb was building a coffee table and it was love at first sight. I saved the reel and This Post for future reference. (Do you follow Deb and Danelle?)

The Wood

Then some time after finding the inspiration Jeff brought home some free 2 inch pieces of wood. I  loved the grain and color (Jeff sanded a small area), I knew immediately that was my coffee table.




(At first I thought about leaving the rough edge, but decided against it. Knowing my luck I would somehow run into it and get splinters, Nope ain't gonna happen!)

Table Measurements & Sketch

I sat down with the linked post and reel, and drew up a sketch of what I wanted + size/measurements.

Measurements: 47¼L x 24W x 18½H




Tools & Supplies 

  • Tablesaw
  • Sander + sandpaper 
  • Wood glue 
  • Kreg
  • Screws
  • Biscuit joiner + Biscuits
  • Tape measure 
  • Stain + polyurethane 
  • Router + router bit

Wood Cuts/Parts (in case you can't read my hand writing) 

  • A - 4pcs @ 2×6×13½ (top & bottom of legs)
  • B - 2pcs @2×12×13½ (legs)
  • C - 2 @2×12×47½ top joined by biscuits to equal 2×24×47½

Assemble (I don't have pictures, so if you need visual go to @debanddanelledesigns , a biscuit joiner is not used in Deb's version)

  • The first part that Jeff assembled after cutting the pieces was the top (C). He used his Biscuit joiner for this and set it aside to dry.
Isn't the grain beautiful? 

  • He then routered the top edges of the legs (A)



  • Give all the pieces a good sanding
  • Measure and mark where A & B will join, use kreg and wood glue to join 
  • Measure and mark where the joined legs will attach to C and attach with screws and wood glue.
  • Stain then Poly and admire!

Excuse the mess!

Here is the finished piece...



What do you think? 

Until next time,
xo Tina

INSTAGRAM  PINTEREST



★I am not affiliated with any company/business shared on this website★

joining:   will blog for comments ,  love your creativity,  senior salon pit stop, tuesday turn about , karins kottage party,  vintage charm party,   farmhouse friday ,    satuday sparks
Read This Post →

Re-use It | 3 Quick, Simple & Inexpensive Ideas


Do you have a need for lighting on your outdoor dining table?Do you need simple tie backs for your outdoor curtains/sheers? Do you need a door stop that can be used indoors or out? Well I have 3 quick, simple, and inexpensive (possibly free) re-use it ideas for you!

If you've spent anytime here you know that I love to reuse things and these diy's are no different, they're all made from reused items around my home. 

So shall we begin? 

Outdoor Dining Table Lighting 

Do you have a small open weave basket you kept but not sure what to do with it? Maybe you have an extra outdoor solar disk light?

That's what I had laying in the garage. Every time I went out there this basket was whispering to me,"what about me?" Then one day I had an idea! You see, I wanted some light on our outside dining table, but I didn't want anything to tall, didn't want a candle (either real or battery operated) . 

So I grabbed the basket & the light...

Pushed the light through the basket top (it was a tight fit)... 

but I got it in...(getting it out when the batteries die is going to be fun)
and there it is...
a quick and easy light!
What do you think?

Bead Tie-backs 

I'm sure there are a lot of us out there that have leftover/ unused Bead garland. I had 2 strands I bought at Hobby Lobby one year to hang Christmas cards from.  I  used them once and they sat in my stash until last summer.  I hung sheers on my back porch but needed tie-backs. At first I was going to use ribbon but I saw this garland first. 



 I grabbed these, scissors, painters tape, and a roll of jute twine.

  1. Cut the twine and remove beads
  2. Divide beads by number of tie-backs 
  3. Cut jute to desired length 
  4.  tie loop at one end and tape other end (this keeps it from unraveling while threading the beads).
  5. Add beads 
  6. Remove tape, tie loop at other end, and hang



Easy and looks good, right? 

And finally...

Kettlebell Doorstop 

I bought a set of Kettlebells but wound up not really caring for them, so I stached them away.

Fast forward to 2020-ish after we replaced the screen and doors on our porch;  I went on the search for a doorstop. You see, we have 3 fur babies and constantly opening and closing the screen door (plus the back door) was a little tiring; so a way to prop it open was needed. I remembered the Kettlebells and the re-using began.
  1. Using an exacto knife remove rubber coating
  2. Wash thoroughly removing any residue and let dry
  3. Grab whatever color spray paint you want and paint Kettlebell(s), let dry 
  4. Choose either rope or jute twine and a hot glue gun and wrap handle, using glue to secure jute in places (especially at the beginning and end) 
And there you are...



Hope this gave you some ideas to re-use some things around your home!

xo Tina

★I am not affiliated with any company/business shared on my website. So I do not receive any form of compensation ★
sharing:   will blog for comments ,  love your creativity,  inspire me monday  inspire me monday,  senior salon pit stop, tuesday turn about  karins kottage party,  vintage charm party,  thursday favorite things, farmhouse friday
Read This Post →
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)