My 1st "Featured"

So, I should have posted this on Friday but it has been one CRAZY weekend.  Friday night our AC went out and I was in a stinky mood, Saturday some friends and I drove to Raleigh to help with another friends' sisters' wedding, and then Sunday we were gone all day.  I know excuses, excuses.  I will be posting the backyard wedding transformation this week though.

On Friday I was featured on All Things Thrifty! 
YAY!

2 Lives

Remember this mirror I posted about a few weeks ago?  I decided that it didn't want to be a mirror anymore.  When it grew up it wanted to be a chalkboard.

Once again...who lets their kids run wild with stickers?!?!?!?!

I primed the whole thing (mirror included).  I then spray painted the wood parts with Krylon's "Celery" spray paint. 

(I always use paper grocery bags when I need to cover an area...make do with what you have!)

Then I taped off where I spray painted and brush painted on some chalkboard paint.  This stuff is so cool!  It was my first time to the rodeo with it.

So I've learned the hard way to not cheap out when it comes to painters tape.  The kind I used in this project was from the dollar store, and well, it wasn't even worth that.  My paint bled underneth it and I had to go back and touch up in quite a few places.  Can we say pain in the rear?!

To the booth at The Depot it goes!!!

Ashtray turned Plant Stand

Once again, this "ash tray" was found at the estate sale.  $1...yes puhlease.  I think it's supposed to be an ash tray.  Fanciest ash tray I've ever seen.  Blows the ones you used to make in art class out of the water. 

Before:

(please ignore all the yucky crap around it)

Did some (well a lot of) scrubbing, priming, and spray painting and

After:

 Holy crooked picture Batman!

Total cost:

Ashtray $1

Primer $5

Spray paint $1.62 (super on sale!)

= $7.62

Work Space

My garage looks like a bomb went off in it.  Not even exagerating.  There are boxes here and thrifting finds there and oh wait....where's the car....yup...in the driveway.  Meh.  I would go to bed stressed out every night because I like things to be very organzied.  There should be a little home for everything.

My hubby's MawMaw and PawPaw recently had the inside of their house revamped and got rid of an old desk and shelving unit that was built into their bonus room.  PawPaw has a farm and well, farmers don't throw anything away so I luckily ended up with the desk and shelves.  I forgot to take a before picture (I know, shoot me) but I can tell you it was yucky, had wood splitting, and was brass and wood.  Didn't quite fit my idea of a garage workspace area. 

Here's the after:

I primed and then painted the whole thing black.  I spray painted the handles silver.  Put it all together and had hubs and a friend hang it up and ta da! 

Organization! Love it!

Business Cards

It's official!  Starting on June 1st I will be selling my refinished items with Mrs. DeVore in The Depot at Gibson Mill.

I am so excited!!!

Here are my new business cards:

Accidental Craigslist FINDS

My good friend, Melody has been looking for a new dining room table on Craigslist.  She finally found the one she wanted but knew it was going to take some coaxing as far as the hubs was concerned.  She was sweet enough to invite my husband and I to go look at the furniture with them.  Not only was the dining room set GORGEOUS, but the lady was moving and was getting rid of a bunch of other furniture too.

Here is Melody's new dining room set. 

                                                 Check out those amazing chairs!!!

 

It was posted for $350 OBO...so Mel went the OBO route and got it for $275!!! She got the dining table with 6 chairs and 2 leaves, a china cabinet, and a buffet.  So far the plan is to paint it all an antique white and make some cushions for the chairs.  I cannot wait to start helping her with it!

My finds consisted of 2 vanities, a desk, a cabinet/nightstand/sidetable, and an amoire.  I will end up keeping 1 of the vanities for my bedroom and then selling the other one in the booth.  I'm also planing on selling the desk.  The amoire will be going in our bonus room to house all of my crafting supplies.  Here they are a few of the finds I could get good pics of (the garage is a bit cramped right now):

Be still my heart...

Note to self: NEVER EVER LET KIDS PLAY WITH STICKERS UNATTENDED

Rambling Ideas for the Guest Bathroom

Lately I've been trying to work on the guest bathroom.  My goal is to have it almost finished by mid June.  Let's see if you'll hold me to it. 

For the paint color on the walls I want to be bold.  Yes, bold, not like myself at all (just kidding).  My confidence has taken a hit though and I am a bit skeptical about picking out a color after what happened in the master bedroom.  I am leaning towards a light coral color for all of the walls.

                                                          Okay, so probably not the first one, that is just ORANGE!  Maybe not the second one either....see, I'm already doubting myself!  Please comment what color you are thinking!!!  EEK!

I am going to make the shower curtain.  This is my inspiration from Urban Outfitters.

L-O-V-E.

I will be hanging this mirror over the sink.  I found it at a yard sale for $8 and spray painted it a gloss white.  Love how the flowers make it a little more girly.

Final reveal to come soon on the mirror...still working on it.  This is what happens when you are "re-purposing on a budget".

The little blue elephant will still live in there.

I have also taken a silk planted orchid I already had and re-painted it to match the room.  I think every room needs a plant of some sort to help give it some life.

I am also planning on spray painting a picture frame with a cute phrase on it.  Maybe something like this.  Thanks to Three Men & a Lady for the wonderful idea!



New hardware stuff:

Coca- Cola

Found this little gem at the estate sale as well.  It is an old Coca-Cola bottle crate.  It will be going to the booth at The Depot. 

It would work well to hang on the wall to display little trinkets or if you take out the bottle separators and use it as a tray (since those are all the rage right now).

Check out this sweet idea:

Coca- Cola Crate with Wildflowers

(Note: The person who took that picture was clearly not in their garage at 10:30 at night taking photos)

Give a Hoot

Found this little guy at Goodwill for a couple bucks.

Freaky, right?  Nothing a little spray paint can't help.

 

Much better.

Now for some owl theory:

A wise old owl sat on an oak

The more he saw the less he spoke

The less he spoke the more he heard

Why aren’t we like that wise old bird?

Edward Hersey Richards

Speaking of spray paint: 

Birds On A Wire

This short makes me laugh every time.  It also might have inspired me a bit to paint my next 2 paintings.  Well kind of...in a Pottery Barn/ Ballards sort of way.

I found these canvas' at Ross.  A 3 pack for $4.99.  Not too bad, especially when you already have the paint!

I used water colors to paint the back ground and then used black acrylic for the wires and birds.

The top one is a turquoise green and the bottom one is blue.

To the booth they will go...

Blue Elephant

On Friday I stumbled across my very first estate sale.  It was amazing.  There is an old house outside of our neighborhood that looks like it should be condemned.  It was built in the late 1800s and has so much character and stories to tell.  If only walls could talk.  They are selling every thing inside and outside of the house because the state has bought it and is most likely going to tear it down.  The old man that used to live there was sitting outside while we were rumagging through his life like a bunch of vultures.  That part made me feel bad but little does he know all the stuff I bought from him is about to get a makover and a new life!

While I was there I really racked up on some loot.  Mrs. DeVore has so kindly asked me to become her partner in crime at The Depot so I am trying to stock up my "inventory". 

I bought this elephant thing for $1! 

The original plan was to put it in The Depot, but after I have painted it I kind of want to keep it for myself! (surprise)  Another reason that makes me feel like I am supposed to keep it (for now) is that on the side, "Mexico" is carved into it.  My husband and I went to Cancun on our honeymoon and have been dying to go back ever since!

Right now his home is in the guest bathroom upstairs.  I am in the middle of redoing the whole bathroom and this is the first of many small projects for in there.

The Headboard...finally.

Remember this?  I finally finished it!!!

I found it at my local Goodwill for $20

Ok, so here's the kicker...it looks like wood right?  WRONG.  The swirly dirlys are PLASTIC!  How cool is that?  AKA....no sanding involved!  WOOHOO!

I primed it and then spray painted it.

I almost wanted to leave it like this.  I thought it looked like lace.

The next step was taking semi-gloss paint and mixing it with some water and then quickly (very quickly) painted it on and then wiped it off with a wet rag.  Note to self: next time wear gloves.

Total cost was probably around $35.

This is going up in our guest bedroom.  I would show you a picture of it on the bed but I don't have bedding yet.  I'm thinking of something with turquoise and yellow.  Maybe some orange and deep purple?  Who really knows?! 

Dumpster Diving

I lied.

There was actually no dumpster and there was actually no diving.

It just sounds a heck of a lot better than...digging through someones garbage can.

It's not as bad as it sounds, I promise.  I was on my way to work and it was trash day and on my way out of the neighborhood I saw a bunch of furniture next to a garbage can.  The garbage truck was about 6 houses away so I knew I had to act fast.  I pulled over to take a gander at the trash treasures.  Low and behold was a mirror that used to go on top of a dresser.  I just knew I could do something with it, so in the car it went.  There was also the dresser but well, as we all know from the headboard post it probably wouldn't fit in my car.

Here she is

Doesn't get much better than free!