Seeing The Potential

Table Transformation

2012-08-26T21:54:00.000-07:00

Back from my massive sabbatical.

Remember the table that I picked up on Craigslist a couple of years ago? Here are a few pics to refresh your memory.

I had it propped up on two saw horses for a couple of years. It took me several months before I even attempted to do anything with it.

First I stripped the poly coating and stain. Then sanded it. A Lot

Then it sat for even longer. I just didn't have the desire or motivation to deal with it.

Each time I headed out to the garage to do laundry or take out the trash or hop in the car, there it was. I wasn't quite sure what to do with it. I had been hit with some major life changing events and doing refurb projects were the last thing on my mind.

Then several months ago, I got a surge of energy and went to work staining, using a walnut colored stain. Here's the problem. The table has two leaves. The leaves are made out of an entirely different kind of wood than the main part of the table. It didn't even occur to me that it would be an issue... I know, minor details. I can't be bothered with them. So guess what happened - You guessed it! The stain looked entirely different on the various parts of the wood. It was ugly.

I was frustrated. The table again sat untouched for a long time as I was not sure how to proceed next. Then about a month ago, I started toying with the idea of getting rid of it. It was taking up a ton of space in my garage. So to condense things down in my garage, I took out the two leaves and slid the table together. Instant revelation. I looked at the table without the leaves and it didn't seem so overwhelming after all. I contemplated doing something with it. Two weeks later I decided to paint it white. I also decided that the chairs that came with the set were entirely too much work, so they will get sold. Simplify is my motto these days, although I forget it at times.

I went to work. I put a coat of primer on the table and legs using Kilz Primer. Then came the first coat of paint - White Satin Impervo that I already had on hand. When it was ready, I sanded it lightly and applied another coat. I put a total of 3 coats of paint.

Then it was time for some distressing. Using 60 grit sand paper, I randomly sanded the paint off in areas. This was followed by removing all fine dust and paint peelings with a tack cloth.

Up next came a protective finish. My choice? MinWax Polycrylic since it is water based and makes for an easy clean up. Also, a polyurethane tends to yellow and I wanted to keep the white table, white, which is why I chose the polycrylic. First layer went on well. The next morning as I was pulling the car out of the garage, I noticed that the table was insanely bright. Glossy, Glossy. The bright white was akin to someone who had used one two many teeth whitening strips.

I immediately went and checked the can of polycrylic. It was a can that I already had on hand. Semi-gloss... of course. Too bright and reflective for what I had in mind. So I headed to the local home improvement store to be ~~accosted~~ helped by Mr. Not-So-Helpful. It took some fancy footwork, but once I maneuvered past him, I found the satin sheen polycrylic I was looking for. Now the question. Would it tone down the semi enough?

Second coat went on... tiny bubbles and all...and not the Don-Ho variety.

More sanding and a trip to Google to figure out the best way to apply the poly.

A foam sponge applicator was the consensus. Second coat and the sheen was still a bit too bright. Sand some more.

Third layer goes on. A few bubbles, a few drips around the band of the table that I noticed when it had dried. Good enough for me.
I can live with it.

So after much sweating and maneuvering, it made it's way into my house today. There may or may not have been some swearing involved.

Here it is!

I still need to finish two leaves, but I don't plan on hosting a dinner at my house anytime soon.

Now just to find some chairs to match!

Where She Stops, No One Knows.

2010-11-30T18:47:00.000-08:00

My Apologies to those readers that were following my blog with great interest. You probably wondered what happened to me!

I was GUNG-HO for quite sometime in blogging all of my creativity. Then there was the recouping from major surgery, and about the time I was starting to feel a bit better, one of my best friends took her life a month ago. A tremendous blow, as you can imagine. I have been out of sorts for awhile, so creativity and blogging haven't been high on my radar. However, I am forcing myself back into channeling my creative energies, and hope to have some things to show you in the coming month.

As for the "creative" aspect of things in the past 2 months...

Halloween came and went, and my 9 year old was determined to be R2D2 for Halloween. It added a few more grey hairs to my head, but I came up with a feasible idea as to how to pull this costume off.

Using a pop-up hamper, spray paint ( of course) and a stainless steel salad bowl, she was transformed into R2D2. My 11 year old, who happens to have a Halloween birthday, decided to go as Princess Leia. That was an easy one. She has long hair, I bought some white gabardine, made a few cuts here and there, and VOILA! It was done.

I used acrylic paint on the metal salad bowl, so that when I was done, I could just scrub it off and reuse the bowl again. Easy Peasy...

Still Blooming

2010-10-07T11:40:00.000-07:00

I am still in denial that Fall is here. Probably because September was such a blur for me and I am mourning the end of summer. Summer is my favorite season and it went by very quickly.

On the flip side, I walked around my yard and took pictures yesterday of what is still blooming. Crazy!

A lone columbine appeared this week.

Roses are still blooming.

As well as some daylilies.

A delphinium.

canna lilies.

Some of the hydrangeas have changed to a lovely shade of green, others are still pink.

Then of course the flowers that are supposed to bloom in the fall, like asters.

and mums.

I almost gave up on these mums this past Spring, because I thought they hadn't survived those few freezing days that we had last Winter. It came back... and then some. Love the color.

Now I just need to get back outside and do some serious deadheading, weeding, and general cleaning up!

Lavendar Petals Scarf

2010-09-30T13:35:00.000-07:00

I recently completed another quick knitting project. This is a fun scarf that has a slot to slide the other side through. The pattern is aptly named, "Petals Scarf" by Jennifer Fleury, and you can find it on Ravelry. The pattern is suitable for beginners! I loved the pattern and will definitely be making more!

I used some yarn that I already had on hand, Plymouth Yarn, Baby Alpaca Worsted and used size 9 bamboo knitting needles. The yarn is of course super soft because it is 100% alpaca wool. The color number is 6071, and it may be a color that is discontinued, as I bought several skeins of this yarn from WEBS. Alpaca fiber is naturally very stretchy, so it is perfect for something like a scarf. This scarf took approximately 120 yards or about 60 grams of yarn to make, which is roughly a skein, and then some.

Fall is definitely here, as I find myself knitting even more! However, the weather thinks it is still summer! I won't complain though, the wet Winter will be here before we know it!

Keeping The Feet Warm

2010-09-21T23:28:00.000-07:00

Not a whole lot of creativity going on here at the moment. Perhaps in a couple of weeks, I will be back to painting and refinishing furniture. In the meantime, I am lucky to get the laundry done! I finished one of the socks I was knitting.

It's a bit too tight in areas and too long in others. It may end up getting frogged. For you knitters out there, you understand the term "Frogged." I still really liked the pattern, "Flutter-by socks" by Shannon Robalino, which you can find on Ravelry, I just realized after hours and hours of knitting, that I probably should have used size 2 needles and not size 1. I will eventually start all over with the same pattern, but use larger needles. Such is life. Socks are particularly hard as well. I know a few knitters that end up getting "Second Sock Syndrome." They finish one sock, and then have a hard time getting motivated about starting on the second one. I'm there, and then some.

Just for fun, here are some pictures of some other socks that I knitted last winter.

Baby Cardi

2010-09-13T12:55:00.000-07:00

I finished the Baby Cardigan I was working on.

The yarn.

Early in the summer, when I was at St. Vincent de Paul's, I found a Ziploc bag that had 8 skeins of this yarn for only $1.50. I knew a good deal on wool yarn when I see it, no matter how crazy the colors were. The brand is OnLine Linie 157 Tessa Tweed and it is 100% virgin superwash wool.

This probably would have retailed for around $5.00 for a 50g skein. So I got a good deal. Now the colors, I wasn't crazy about, but I bought it anyway. I used about 3-4 skeins to make this cardi, that is supposed to fit a 6 month old baby. The pattern was easy, however the yarn kept splitting, so that was only slightly maddening. I tried multiple skeins and would repeatedly come across sections of the yarn that were split. Grrr. But for $1.50 for 8 skeins that WEREN'T acrylic, I can't complain.

Versatality

2010-09-10T21:40:00.000-07:00

The Cape on the Corner thinks I am a versatile blogger and gave me an award! She is passing on via:

I think I found The Cape's blog through one of the many decor blogs that was featuring a furniture link up party. I clicked on her blog, did some reading and liked what I saw. She makes me laugh and I get her sense of humor. I also like her take on life. She asked me to list 7 interesting things about myself. (Thanks Cape)!

1. I used to be an amateur boxer.

It was fun. I did it for 4 years, and stopped 2 years ago due to too many hand injuries. However, boxing did a number on my nose, and I suffered dearly. So now I am recouping from sinus surgery, a septoplasty and a functional open rhinoplasty. I had constant sinus headaches, infections, and severely impaired breathing that necessitated the surgery. This lead to two doctors, an ENT and a plastic surgeon, spending 6 hours working on my nose that had a septum that had split in two and pieces of cartilage that had collapsed and buckled obstructing my nasal passages.

Now I am sporting a new nose that has multiple cartilage grafts. I am looking forward to the day when things are less swollen inside and out and I can breathe fully and have less sinus issues. I am forever indebted to those two extremely skilled surgeons. I have since sworn off contact sports.

2. My friends and family refer to me as "Dr. Google" or "Internet M.D."

I do a ton of research on medical issues, and drugs... just because it is interesting to me. I have had family members and friends ask for my opinion on something medically related after they have been to their Dr. I find it humorous as in the grand scheme of things, I know absolutely nothing.

However...

Someday I may go back to school and do something health field related.

3. I am a straight shooter and like to "tell it like it is."

I have learned to just be me and not worry about impressing other people.

4. Being popular is not important to me.

I would rather have a few really close friends that I can count on. When I do find a good friend, I am fiercely loyal. I have been let down by friends before, and if I feel like I am getting used or burned, or they are not genuine, I step back quite a bit and take some distance from, or terminate the friendship.

5. I am lucky to be the parent of two incredible little girls.

I love being a mom to my two very different girls, one of which has developmental disabilities which has led me to be more patient. I have also learned a ton in researching her issues and how best to help her succeed in the world.

6. On my "Bucket List" is to learn how to fence someday.

This doesn't count as a "contact sport" in my book, since the face is protected and it is less likely that you would take a fist or foot to the face. LOL

7. I love Diet Pepsi.

There is something satisfying about the fizzy bubbles running down your throat. It puts a smile on my face everyday. I particularly like fountain drinks from white trashy gas stations.

Yes, I am addicted, and yes I realize that consuming it in large quantities is not the best thing for my health.

But hey, everybody needs a hobby.

So there you go!

I am passing on the award to:

Lenore at Lather.Write.Repeat

Tiffany at Babes and Kids

Brenda at Cozy Little House

Gail at My Repurposed Life

Knit Picking.

2010-09-07T21:02:00.000-07:00

Hello Dear Blogging Friends. I am enjoying a few lucid moments, so thought I would pop in and type a word or two. This recovering from major surgery is tiring. Sometimes I sleep, sometimes I don't. Fortunately my spouse took the week off of work to help me out, and the kids as well. Speaking of which... my girls started back to school today. Summer went by entirely way to fast.

So... I thought I would delve into one of my other creative outlets that I haven't gone into detail about previously here on my blog.

I like to crochet, and I like to knit.

My grandmother taught me how to crochet a simple chain when I was around 10 years old after Thanksgiving dinner one year. She was very adept at crocheting and made my siblings, cousins and I many toys, afghans etc. out of yarn. Growing up, my mother did a lot of thread crocheting. She made lots of snowflakes, angels, and other delicate and decorative items that she would decorate her Christmas tree with.

Fast forward to 9 years ago. After I had my second daughter, I found myself in need of a hobby, so I took up crocheting and taught myself how to crochet and was hooked! Pun intended.

Then 3-4 years ago, I decided that I wanted to take a gander at knitting. So I taught myself using just a book. I knit Continental Style, which probably comes from years of crocheting.

I think I enjoy knitting even more than crocheting at this point. I have also become a bit of a yarn snob. One of my mantra's is "Life's Too Short to Knit With Cheap Yarn."

If you are on the knit and crochet community Ravelry, you can always sift through my projects. My username is harpfingers. There you can find project details as far as patterns are concerned, needles used, and yarns used.

But for now, here is a sampling of some things that I have knitted.
I am currently working on a pair of socks.

And a multi colored baby cardigan. I picked up some funky wool yarn at the GoodWill several months ago for an incredibly good price. Pictures to come - soon.

The following were some bibs I made for a baby gift several months ago.

A couple of cardi's that I made for my eldest daughter.

Some fun socks.

... and just a tip of the iceberg. As the weather gets cooler, there will be more knitting.

So that's it for now. And if this post seems rather disjunct and all over the place... well, we'll blame it on fatigue and pain meds.

Just Recouping

2010-09-04T01:33:00.000-07:00

No Projects to report of for a bit. You see, I am recouping from nasal surgery that I had done on Thursday.

It was a lengthy process - a 6 hour surgery requiring the skills of both an E.N.T. and a plastic surgeon. The short of it was that I have had chronic sinusitis, constant sinus infections due to obstructions, and severe breathing difficulties resulting from collapsed nasal valves for a few years now... and a septum that had split in two. Both doctors worked their magic, and hopefully when things are all said and done, I will be breathing a lot more freely and no longer have daily sinus headaches.

In the meantime, I am stuffed up, doped up and sleeping for the most part and trying to keep my head elevated.

This may give me some time to get caught up on some knitting projects! But for now, I am off to get some more rest.

Floating Petals Dresser

2010-08-31T11:12:00.000-07:00

I am so excited with how this project turned out! Just to refresh your memory, this is an antique dresser that I bought off of Craigslist for $35.00.

I loved the style and the charming wood casters on the bottom. However, the veneer was bubbling and peeling and needed to come off.

I took a heat gun and a putty scraper and removed the veneer from the bottom three drawers and the top of the dresser. It came off quite quickly on two of the drawers, rather it just snapped, and broke off. It was the same situation with the top of the dresser. The third drawer required more work. After removing the veneer, I had to use the heat gun and putty knife once again to scrape and remove the Hyde glue. I neglected to take a picture of this process.

The veneer was fine on the sides of the dresser. I opted to give it a good sanding all over, then primed it with some primer I had on hand. I also went over individual areas with Kilz Oil Based Spray Primer which always provides great coverage!

I decided that I would decoupage some fabric to the front of the drawers, but was undecided as to what color to use and what style. After weeks of searching, I was drawn to the home decor fabric, Waverly Floating Petals in Blue, that I spotted at my local JoAnn's. Lucky for me, it was 40% off that day and I bought a yard.

I measured and cut the fabric all the way around, so that it was about 1/2" larger than the front of the drawer. I then placed the fabric on some wax paper, and applied Mod Podge to the entire front side of the fabric and allowed it to dry.

This was so that it would be easier to cut, and not fray when I went to resize it. This was a tip that I picked up from the blog, Mod Podge Rocks! One thing that I neglected to do, but should have done in hindsight, was to wash the fabric first so that it would have shrunk up a bit.

The next step was to apply Mod Podge to the drawer front, place the fabric on top, smooth any bubbles and let it dry.

Once it was dried, I turn the drawer upside down, with the fabric on top of a cutting board, and took an Exacto knife and cut around the edge of the drawer front to trim off the excess fabric. I initially tried a rotary cutting tool, but couldn't get the angle and found that the Exacto knife worked better.

Then I applied 3 layers of Mod Podge glue to the top of the fabric to seal it. I let it dry between each coat, and used a damp rag to smooth out any bubbles I came across. Had I prewashed the fabric, I am certain that I would have had less issues with the bubbles and the fabric stretching as much as it did.

The top drawer got a coat of Rustoleum's Slate Blue, as well as the drawer pulls on the three bottom drawers. I opted to use the existing hardware since I liked them initially. The drawer pulls on the top drawer were painted white to give it a contrast from the blue, and the entire dresser was just painted with a white latex semi-gloss paint that I had on hand from a project I had done two years ago.

So here it is all finished!

I am pleased with how it turned out. It does have a few bubbles here and there, but I know what to do differently next time.

Here is a close up of the knobs.

Happy to be done with this one, and happy with where my creativity lead me.

Linking to:

Meringue Dresser

2010-08-29T19:35:00.000-07:00

Dresser #1 is done! I told you that I was on a mad dash to get some projects done!

So here is the Craigslist dresser before:

I stripped the paint off of the tops and sides, before I decided I was too tired and lazy to do anymore.

So it got primed with some Kilz Primer, sanded, and then painted with Krylon Indoor-Outdoor Spray Paint - Satin Meringue.

And VOILA!

Here it is!

This dresser went in my youngest daughter's room. There was a bit of a shadow when I took the picture, hence the darker color towards the bottom of the picture. Her room is decorated in greens, pinks and yellows. The storage book bin, was the blue one that I bought a couple of weeks ago. I spray painted it with Krylon's Ballet Slipper and put some books in it.

The knobs on the drawers, I hand painted different designs with some acrylic paint to give it some character.

Then I outlined the details with a black fine point Sharpie Marker.

I like how it turned out. What do you think?

I'm Around!

2010-08-28T21:55:00.000-07:00

This past week has been insanely busy! Sunday we made a quick trip out of state to see my in laws before they flee to the south for Fall and Winter. Lots of driving. In three days we did 1160 miles... too much time spent in the car!

Also on my busy-ness..

I got a Cub Scout Day Camp out of the way today. I am the Committee Chair for our pack and had to plan, delegate, and carry out a Day Camp today. It was long, tiring, but fun! The boys had fun and things ran smoothly. Everyone followed through on their assignments. I am just happy that it is done!

I know what you are thinking, "But you have just girls and no boys?" They asked me to be the Chair for the pack a year ago and I said, "Sure!" At first I was out of my element, but then started to learn the ropes, get more training and feel more comfortable with the Cub Scout program. I have enjoyed it so far. I grew up in a scouting household and my mother has been involved with Cubs and Boy Scouts on some level for the past 20 years or so. All three of my brothers are Eagle Scouts.
So it's kind of fun, in an odd way... for me at least.

And finally, on the creative side, I have been painting a ton! The two dressers and bookcase are just about done and will be revealed in the next few days. I am excited where my creativity, some paint, fabric, and mod podge has taken me with one of my dressers. So much fun!

Just a few more things...

2010-08-21T23:43:00.000-07:00

Garden and flowers are still growing like crazy. I am patiently waiting for the tomatoes to finally turn red. On just one plant, I have counted 21 green tomatoes. I can't remember what variety they are.

My other tomato plant is a golden pear/ cherry tomato. Actually is is more like a small tree, than a plant as it has gotten huge.

The lone pepper plant still just has ONE pepper. But it is getting bigger everyday.

The crookneck squash are doing well and there are several on that plant as well.

I thought I would also share a few of my flowers. My delphiniums really look great! I attribute that to lots of fertilizers. Delphiniums are heavy feeders.

The flowers in the hanging baskets and pots are doing quite nicely as well. However, I am getting to that point in summer, where I am getting a bit tired of yard work.

And on another side note, I broke my promise to my hubby and picked up more furniture... I couldn't help myself.

I saw this dresser advertised on Craigslist for $15.00 and liked it! When I went to go see it and pick it up, the lady that was selling it said that she had a bookcase that I could have for free, if I wanted it.

Yeah, I like free! Then when I came home, I found some loose change in one of the drawers of the dresser. So the bookcase and dresser ended up costing me a grand total of $14.83! Not bad.

I did promise my husband I would get some projects completed soon! My goal is to have the bookcase, dresser, and this dresser :

completed in the next week or so. I am having surgery in a couple of weeks and will be out of commission for doing big projects for awhile.

The dresser that is on casters has had all of the veneer stripped off of it, and I have primed it.

The bookcase is partially primed, and the newest white dresser, I am in the process of stripping the paint.

After getting them all primed, the hardest part is always trying to decide what color to paint them and if I should do some decoupaging or not.

I am going to have to think about that one a bit.

Mirror, Mirror On The Wall.

2010-08-18T14:23:00.000-07:00

Once again, here is the mirror that I picked up at the Goodwill this past Monday for just $9.99. Heavy mirror, plastic frame.

A little bit of primer, some paint, and a bit of distressing, and it was good to go! I hung it in my dining room. It really opens things up quite a bit.

The chandelier shades, I started tweaking last night. I may have something ready to reveal there as well, soon!

But that's it for now.

Cost:

$9.99 for mirror.

Had primer, paint and sandpaper on hand.

Linking to:

Debbiedoos Before and After Party.

Some More Bargains

2010-08-17T09:19:00.000-07:00

Here are some more thrifty finds that I have picked up recently.

This mirrored silver tray - well, not REAL silver, I found at a garage sale a month or two ago for $1.00. I cleaned it up and it makes a great centerpiece focal point on my dining room table.

The hydrangeas are from my garden, and the lead crystal bud vase was a wedding gift from a former university piano instructor that I had over 16 years ago.

Here it is with a different set of flowers.

My brother and father gave my mom different bouquets of flowers for her birthday this past weekend. When it was time to pack up and leave the rental vacation home, my mother put them all in one vase and gave them to me, since she still had around 15 hours of driving to do to get home, and I only had a few hours. I have really been enjoying the bright colors.

Yesterday, on my way home from a Dr.'s appointment, my 9 year old and trusty thrifting sidekick wanted to stop at the Goodwill. She likes to look for clothes. Don't ask me why, she has a lot! However, that is her favorite thing to look for at garage sales and thrift stores.

I picked up this huge mirror for $9.99.

I love how it is reflecting my apple tree in this picture.
The frame is plastic, but nothing that a little spray paint can't fix. There was another mirror next to it, same size and same style, but it was white with some gold trim, and they wanted $20 for it. It was a no brainer, get the cheaper one. It is pretty heavy and I have grand plans of mounting it on the wall in my dining room. I have already primed and painted it, but am in the process of tweaking it. I hope to have it finished by tomorrow to show it to you.

I also picked up this cute little storage bin that can mount on a wall for only $2.99. I am going to paint it and hang it in my daughter's room and put books in it.

I have realized that Mondays just might be the best time to hit the thrift stores as everyone was cleaning out their garages and donating over the weekend. There was a lot of new inventory which I had not seen before.

Here is an awesome apothecary jar that I found at a garage sale two weeks ago for only $1.00.

I filled it with cotton balls and put it in my bathroom.

I always get a thrill when I find something cool for very little money.
Linking Too:

Back From a Blissful Vacation

2010-08-15T21:54:00.000-07:00

Why does vacation always seem to go by so quickly? I just got back from a fun family reunion on the Oregon Coast with my parents, siblings and their families. I thought I would share a few photos from my 4 days of bliss.

Here is the house we rented for the 23 of us.

The view from the balcony. I never got tired of just staring at the ocean. Lucky for us, the weather cooperated and it was beautiful.

The super comfy bed and room that I stayed in.

The kitchen where lots of messes were made, calories eaten and many memories were made.

A shot of a suspension bridge that I crossed on a day hike with my family.

The view of a pier near one of the restaurants that we ate at.

And best of all, spending time with the family enjoying the beautiful Pacific Ocean.

Can't wait to go back.

And it didn't cost a thing.

2010-08-11T13:12:00.000-07:00

The good thing about all of those creative bloggers out there, is that you learn a few tricks and gain inspiration from others. I would like to say that I have some original ideas, but alas, not so many.

In my kitchen, for several years, I had a soap dispenser - a kitchen pump, from Kitchen aid that I loved. It was heavy duty, easy to use with the kids, and easy to clean.

A few months ago, I found that it was leaving puddles of soap on the counter top and realized that the silicon on the bottom was leaking in several spots. I tried to fix it, but it was just a no -go, so it go donated to the Good Will.

I then tried to locate another one just like it in town, but with not much luck. I was too cheap to spend the money to order one + shipping on the Internet.

So out of desperation, I bought a clear soap dispenser out of the bath section at Walmart. It lasted a mere month before it fell into my sink and broke. I tried to Krazy Glue it back together, but it was a lost cause. So the big soap container sat on the counter for a few days. It was a bit harder for the kids to use, without that pump, and they ended up leaving a mess.

Then yesterday, I remembered all of those homemade Mason Jar soap dispensers that are circulating out in the crafting world, and thought about making one.

I got my supplies together, all of which I had on hand. The pump I had to dig out of the garbage and the original plastic bottle that it was attached to, a body wash, had been thrown in the recycling.

The jelly jar I had on hand, as well as the canning lid and ring.

This was SO EASY.

I used the largest drill bit that I had and drilled a hole into the lid. It still wasn't large enough to fit the pump through, so I took an Exacto knife and cut a larger "x" to accommodate the size. Then I cut the pump tube way down, so it would fit in the jelly jar. It was a tight fit, so there was no need to glue it.

Filled it with soap, and was good to go.

It's cute, functional, and best of all, I just used items that I already had on hand. It took just a few minutes to make.

Linking to:

A Partridge... Not in a pear tree.

2010-08-09T17:43:00.000-07:00

This one's for the birds.

Inspired by all of those lovely spray painted ceramic birds out there floating around in Blog land, I have been collecting a few birds here and there. It seems that there is no shortage of partridges... particularly this variety.

I paid .75 for both of these guys at a garage sale, brought them home, and with a little bit of spray paint, transformed them into this:

Then this partridge here,

Was transformed as well, into this bird here.

And as a brief side note, I thought I would talk about my tchotchkes in this corner. The plate stand was $2.99 and came from the GoodWill a few years ago. The plates are from St. Vinny's and were only .49 each. The silver candlestick was $1.00 at a garage sale. The lead crystal candy dish was a wedding gift, from 16 years ago. That thing ALWAYS stays out, and typically is filled with candy or gum. Just ask any friend or family member that knows me. LOL. The Gorham Lead Crystal salt and pepper shakers were also a wedding gift. They are pretty, but I have never put salt and pepper in them. They came from a dear friend. The floral "thing" came from Big Lots last year and was $5.00. The candles I had on hand and the other candle holder came from Goodwill and was .50! The table my dad made for me several years ago. It was a honey oak color, and I painted it white a few months ago.

O.K.... back to the birds.

I have no before pictures of this next guy, but he was also spray painted.

And this rather innocent looking owl was .75 at a thrift store and way too cute to paint. He didn't get painted. My youngest daughter, aged 9, is a crack up. We were at a local hardware store the other day and I was in the garden area. I saw a couple of very large plastic birds, one was a hawk and the other was an owl. They were ugly, tacky and meant to serve as a decoy to keep rodents and other pests away from your garden. Nonetheless, I was a bit intrigued by them, thought they were tacky as well and just picked the owl up to look at it.

My 9 year old piped right up. "No MORE birds Mom! We have all these birds in our house and they are just sitting there. Just sitting there staring at our guests. It's creepy."

I stifled a giggle and explained to her that I was NOT going to buy this bird.

She's not a fan of the birds I guess.

I'm linking to:

Some Curb Appeal

2010-08-07T21:12:00.000-07:00

I don't really have any new projects that are completed, although I did manage to clean out and organize my tool shed today. However, it is not worthy of taking a photo to plaster all over this blog. No, I decided to leave you with some nicer photos.

The beautiful plants and flowers that are growing in my front yard. This rudbeckia (black-eyed susan) was originally in the back yard, on the east side where it doesn't get much sun. Yes, I know, a poor choice. It didn't grow hardly at all last summer. I wisely dug it up an transplanted it two months ago, and I am so happy that I did.

Some of my Canna Lilies have begun to bloom. The canna lilies in the back of the house have yet to bloom, but I am delighted with these, as I just transplanted a few there this year. I have tried them throughout the yard and the canna lilies seem to prefer the east side of my house, or here along the North side of the front yard. They do not like the west or south. It is way too hot for them and their leaves seemed to burn. I ended up having to move a few to a new location.

This is what it is like in the summer, if you walk up to my front door... yes, my newly painted front door, and the newly painted light fixture tucked up there by the brick. Someday, the exterior of my house will be another color besides that shade of pink! With the exception of the barberry bush, everything else, I have planted in the past two years since we have lived here.

This area a long the short fence is a favorite for the neighborhood boys to run around, jump over, play pretend warfare and make me just plain angry. On the other side of the fence, which you cannot see, I planted some kinnikinnik, which is native to this area. It is not doing so well, so I am going to dig it up and move it this fall... and plant some barberry bushes there instead. Yes, something nice and prickly that will discourage neighbor boys and girls from jumping over that little fence.

I love how this corner has come alive. The aster is just barely starting to bloom and there are a few tiny purple flowers on it.

Hope you enjoyed seeing parts of my yard.

Digging In The Dirt.

2010-08-04T23:32:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to play catch up this week. So many projects, so little time. Sleep got a bit behind, so I got caught up on that last night. Right now I have about 7 loads of laundry that are staring at me waiting for me to fold and put them away.

In the meantime, I have been outside digging in the dirt. The few vegetable plants that I do have are huge! It's fun to see how big they are getting.

Just a quick glimpse into what I have been working on. It involves this:

This:

And This!

I have had two pallets of retaining wall stone sitting on the cement pad on the side of my house for 2 years now, left over from the other retaining wall that I did. When I initially ordered the stones, I had thought about putting a raised bed around the base of the apple tree. I have since changed my mind on that one. Then I thought I would put in a retaining wall/raised bed where the current raised cedar bed is, against the fence. However, the fence really needs to be replaced first, which is why we put in the cedar bed instead. I would hate to put in all of that work and then have to undo it in a year or two when we put a new fence in.

So then I decided that I would put a retaining wall around my existing flower bed that wraps around the side and back of the house. The sod is now all dug up and I have been working on laying the first course. It takes some time to make sure that the ground is level and that the stone block is level with the one next to it. I use a lot of pea gravel underneath, a rubber mallet and a level to accomplish this.

Once the bottom course is all laid out, the rest should go quite quickly. When I am done, I hope to have a mini tutorial in order so I can show you how to do something similar.

Oh Look What I Found!

2010-07-30T22:35:00.000-07:00

Ah Craigslist. It's like visiting a giant garage sale from the comfort of my own home.

Guess what I found on Craigslist a few days ago?

Why a dining room table... a heavy duty 20 year old dining room table with two leaves and 6 chairs.

Just look at that beautiful curvy shape of the table and legs.

The ornamentation on the side of the table I thought was rather pretty as well.

The table without the leaves is 62" long and 43" wide. Each of the leaves are 18" wide.

The good:

1. The entire thing was only $60.00!!!

Yes, you read that right. A table and 6 cane back chairs were only $60.00.

2. I was able to fit 4 table legs, big table, two leaves and all 6 chairs in my Toyota Sienna (a.k.a. The Harpmobile). Impressive, I know. I have loaded harps in and out of it so many times, I am pretty good at packing everything in and utilizing space. I took out the back seats and slid the table down the center between the two captain chairs.

However, on the way home - it was a long 5 mile drive - I got hungry, so I reached back and grabbed a chair and started gnawing on it.

Or perhaps someone let their puppy dog chew on it. Sad day..

I am going to have to find someone who is handy with a lathe. Oh dad - are you there? I have a project for you. ;-)

The cane on a few of the chairs is ripping away from the edge and is coming apart.

Question here for my readers: Do I replace the cane or just ditch it all together and do an upholstered back on the seats?

The table is going to be the easy part, as well as reupholstering the seat cushions.

The bad about this whole project? Well, it will naturally be time consuming, I may pull some hair out in the process and there may be some swearing involved.

After loading up the garage with even more furniture, last night

hubby finally said, " NO MORE FURNITURE UNTIL YOU FINISH THE PROJECTS YOU HAVE IN THE GARAGE ALREADY!"

What a killjoy.... LOL

True, I still have a dresser, a hutch and a twin head and foot board that I didn't previously show you.

I also have a storage shed out back that he rarely goes into. If I come across any more great finds, they may have to camp out there for awhile.

I don't know that I will get started on the dining room set right away, but I was excited about this find and am going to research options on rehabbing the chairs before I get started.

But man - for $60???

The lady that sold it to me, initially told me that she only had 4 chairs. I saw two other chairs there that obviously matched. I inquired about them. She decided that they were in such bad shape that she didn't advertise them. Not wanting to separate the two from the pack, I had to take them.... They were both captain chairs that the arms had been removed from. I will just use wood filler to fill in the spots where the arms used to be.

I have a vision for this set. A very French Provincial vision. Here are some pictures that serve as inspiration.

This card table from Pierre Deux. I like the dark stain on top with the cream colored legs.

And this dining set as well.

Source:Mad Dogs and Englishmen

So there you go. I am excited about my find and had to share it with you.

Come on in!

2010-07-29T12:02:00.000-07:00

I'm done! I'm done! I'm done!

Yes, the door! The only thing left to do is clean up a few dried on paint drips that landed in places that they shouldn't have.

So, just to refresh your memory...

Here is how the front door looked 2 weeks ago.

Ugly, ugly, ugly. Inviting? Uh NO!

Fast forward to 2 weeks later, lots of sanding, lots of priming, more sanding, caulking, cursing, sanding... more cursing... painting... and more cursing.

Here it is!

It no longer makes you want to run and hide! The kick plate I primed and spray painted with metallic spray paint.

That is water on my front porch... Power washing is next on my list - the concrete that is, and not the front door. ;-) I am so happy to be done with this project, I can't even tell you!

Here is the other side of the door - interior.

The interior side was painted with Benjamin Moore's Satin Impervo, that I already had on hand and that matched the paint on the trim and molding around the door. I used a Purdy 2 1/2" paint brush to get in the beveled edges and grooves, and then used a foam roller to roll the paint on the larger sections.

The exterior was primed with Sherwin Williams oil based for wood.

Then I painted it with Benjamin Moore's - MoorGlo® 100% Acrylic House & Trim Paint .

I only needed a small pint of paint. It was a nice paint to work with. In general, I am a big fan of Benjamin Moore paints. They are some of the better paints that I have worked with.

If you get up close, there are naturally lots of flaws and lots of mistakes. It is not perfect, far from it, but this is a huge improvement.
Linking to:

Light Revival

2010-07-28T07:45:00.000-07:00

I love those projects that can be completed in a day. It's even better if it involves spray paint! It's instant gratification. Kind of like vacuuming. Vacuuming the carpets always makes the room look instantly better. Vacuuming and mowing the lawn are my two favorite chores. I like the lines in the carpet, the lines in the grass. That fresh cut look, or that freshly cleaned look.

Having said that, after working on the front door, and seeing how much better it was looking, my eye naturally gravitated upwards.

Yes, up to this eyesore.

An outdated, brassy coach lantern style light, mounted on the exterior of our house. And dirty at that! We have four of them. One is located next to the front entry, two on either side of the garage doors, and one on the back patio.

Yes, something needed to be done and I knew I could accomplish it with a can of Rustoleum black spray paint.

Hubby removed the fixtures, and I got to work pulling them apart and cleaning them. Some were worse than others...

as was the case of this nasty dirty fixture that was on the front of the garage. Hope you are still with me and today's breakfast or lunch didn't just come up.

Hardware was removed, light was taken apart and cleaned. I even took some compressed air and sprayed out the dead bug guts from the areas that I couldn't reach.

Everything got a good coat of spray paint, including the little bits of hardware, and then the lights were remounted.

Ta Da!

Much better! Cost of this project? Approximately $9.00 which included spray paint and a can of compressed air for 4 light fixtures. The cost to replace this exact type of light fixture? Approximately $15.00 per light X 4 light fixtures = $60.00.

That's $51.00 still in my pocket.

Fixtures were updated, I saved some money on NOT buying new and they were saved from being sent to Goodwill.

Linking to:

Shabby Nest Frugal Friday

The End is Almost in Sight.

2010-07-26T22:34:00.000-07:00

Getting very close to finishing the door. I had a mere 4 hours of sleep last night, then had to get up and get my youngest out the door for summer school. I also knew that it was going to be hot, hot, HOT today, so I needed to get some painting done on the front door.

I hopped in the car at 8:00 a.m. and drove to the home improvement store, picked up a can of Benjamin Moore exterior paint, made a quick detour into the garden section to buy a few more plants, and then home!

Eyes were heavy, but I guzzled a couple of cans of Diet Pepsi and just dug in and got to work.

Tired yes.

Done?

No.

But getting close. I am thinking of doing one more coat of paint tomorrow, and then calling that good.

Needless to say, I was a bit crabby and grouchy today, due to the heat and lack of sleep.

Here is just a teaser photo of the interior side of the front door.

Primer and all. It was in MUCH better shape than the other side of the door. I have a few touch up spots to finish, and then it will be done. The only obstacle that I ran into on this side, is that some of the crevices were filled in with clear silicone caulk.

That stuff does NOT like to be painted over.

Grr..

More sanding and more priming and I remedied the issue.

I primed the kick plate yesterday, and now I just need to spray paint it a metallic silver color. The brass was dated.

I also have plan to spray paint the exterior light fixtures and rid them of their brassy color.

Keeping My Cool

2010-07-24T16:38:00.000-07:00

It's a hot one out there. Low 90's for our part of the world. A bit too hot to finish the exterior of the door... too hot for this gal and too hot for the paint. I am thinking I am going to have to wait until early Monday morning to get the final coat of paint on. In the meantime, I will sit inside the air conditioned house and update the blog.

This morning I slept in, and then the girls and I went blueberry picking. We only picked 4lbs. before everyone was too hot to go much further. I am thinking that an apple blueberry pie is in order this weekend! Thankfully, blueberry season will go for a few more weeks at least. We hope to get out and pick quite a few more pounds. Last year we picked 14 pounds, froze most of it, and it still only lasted us 4 months!

My 9 year old pops blueberries into her mouth like they are candy. I can always count on finding her with her hand in the freezer and pulling a few berries out of a Ziploc bag. Needless to say, blueberries are her favorite fruit.

I drug the girls to only 2 garage sales today. They were being a bit non-compliant. I spent a whopping $.50 on a simple peg board/coat rack and $2.00 on this serving tray.

I was drawn to the detail in the wood. I have grand plans for it. They of course involve a can of Kilz primer, some paint, fabric, and decoupage. It is always nice to have a small project like this that can be completed in a day. Instant gratification.

Off topic...

I am the second oldest of 6 children. I have two sisters and three brothers. My youngest sister, Tiffany, is 10 years younger than I am. Tiffany has a product review site called "Babes and Kids." You may have noticed the button on my sidebar. Occasionally Tiffany shoots me an email and asks if I would be interested in reviewing a product for her website. Today I am guest blogging over at Babes and Kids. You can check out my latest review of Fibers.com, at Babes and Kids Review , here.