KISS (Keep it Short Saturday) Fan Planter

 

Fans come in pretty handy this time of the year.

They’re really great for keeping us cool.

When they break, do you throw them out?

Next time you might want to rethink that.

Take a broken bentwood coat tree.  The base on this one was still in good shape.

 

Painted my favorite red.

Add a fan cage lined with a cocoa liner mat and some plants.

Makes a great planter.

(Sorry the pictures aren’t better.  I made this for a garden themed bridal shower last year.  The plants inside were part of the gift, to be planted later. I didn’t think to take a picture until after the shower.)

Have a Happy Saturday!

Rose

I’m linking this to Funky Junk Interiors Saturday Night Special # 32 junk themed party!

More Finds and ‘The One That Got Away’

 

That title sounds like a fishing story, doesn’t it?

Notice I haven’t been doing much of anything lately?  Seems that way.  Last week was one big party and I’ve been trying to get back on track since Sunday.  Nothing is ready to show yet.  Almost though, almost.

I will say that I’ve taken over Mike’s half of the garage since Sunday, and he is starting to grumble.  Working on too many pieces at once can be difficult to manage.  I NEED the garage space to store pieces between paint coats….so, all I can say is “Soon honey, you’ll get your parking space back as soon as I can get these things done!” 

It would sure help if I didn’t have to go to work all week. 

Enough of that.  On to my favorite pastime. Curbshopping.  Over the last 2 days I did make time for that.  Have I mentioned before how much I love to curbshop?

Love

Love

Love

Makes my heart go pitter-patter  thump- thump kind of love.

Especially when I see a ladder just laying out at the curb, waiting for me to rescue it.

Check out the patina on this one.

 

It’s perfectly weathered. 

 

And it’s pretty darn tall too!  A 7 footer.

Have I mentioned before that I love ladders?

 

How about dressers?  Have I shared my love of dressers with you yet? 

This blonde cutie of a dresser was getting pretty nervous, the garbage truck was right behind me.

The owner was in the yard, gardening, and was kind enough to help me pull it away from the curb, just in the nick of time!

One drawer has some veneer missing.

And a corner needs repair.

But the piece is very solid and the drawers are all dovetailed construction.  The nice lady named Paula who set it to the curb told me her son wanted matching furniture, so she was going out to buy him a bedroom set for his graduation present.

What a shame!  I’ll bet what she buys this time won’t be nearly as well constructed as this piece. 

I know I was pretty happy to find it!

 

Some miscellaneous pieces….

This little ladder is cute, I think it should be a wall hanging, turned sideways. 

And the wooden folding chair.  Some painted detail would surely give it a new lease on life.  It’s super sturdy.

Wonder why the owners threw it away?

Now this next piece I drove past the first time and didn’t pick up.  Didn’t even stop, just slowed down to take a look.

 

What on earth could I do with that?

 

Then I got to thinking……

The weathered patina is soooo perfect.

Wouldn’t this make a perfect clock face?  It would have to be an outdoor clock, since it is HUGE! I could always cut it down, but what’s the fun in that?

Of course, you know I went back to get it!

And then there was the huge pile of windows.  If I haven’t mentioned it already, you will soon find out just how much I love me some windows!

 

I picked through the pile and came out with a few to take home with me.  The long narrow ones were very intriguing.  I picked up 4 of them. 

And a couple of smaller windows too.

You just never know when you will need a window for a project.

Now the next piece turned out to be a bust.  If you ever looked at the project list on my sidebar, you would have noted that I plan to build an outdoor kitchen on the patio this summer. (along with about 10 other big projects)

So when I spotted this stainless steel gas grill, I nabbed it.  Actually I was giddy with glee over it.

Have you ever priced stainless steel grills?

Granted, the inner works are in bad shape, why else would it have been thrown out?  But I know from experience you can order new replacement parts (Mike has rebuilt our gas grill several times)

I proudly showed it to Mike, who then reminded me that I had PROMISED him a brand new grill, one he could pick out himself.  But if I really wanted him to have a used grill, he would make it work and learn to live with it…….even though he already had his eye on a very special model….

Boy did I feel like a Grinch after that guilt trip.

Well, maybe I can use the stainless doors or parts of the cabinet in my construction.  I’ll find a way to use it.  You watch and see.

Now for the one that got away….

 

Isn’t this bookcase great? I imagine it was lovingly handcrafted in a home workshop.

 

I just love the lines of this.  Painted up it would look so great, don’t you agree?

Alas, it would not fit into my van, it was 49 inches high and 49.5 inches wide.  (Always, always, always carry a tape measure when curbshopping!) There was no way it would fit.

I very sadly drove away, after taking these pictures to share with you.

I hope someone else stopped to rescue it.

Gotta go now, it’s trash day somewhere!

Rose

A Repurpose Repurposed

 

A couple summers ago, a friend went to an estate sale and bought a bunch of stuff all in one big lot.  She had no use for this piece and was going to throw it away, but thought of me instead. 

I think we all know by now, Rose will take anything! (kinda like that old Life cereal commercial…”Get Mikey, he’ll eat anything!”)

Her husband brought it over and apologized up and down for “dumping” it on me.  He even offered to take it back and throw it away! 

I, on the other hand, was totally enamored with this piece.  Just look at it!

It was obviously the cabinet of an old console television.

Check out the legs, the curves are to die for!

What intrigued me most was the fact that someone had already put their hand to this piece and repurposed it into a curio cabinet of sorts.

Check out the paneling.

The metal shelf brackets and the glass shelf.

 

And what about the interior lighting they added?

Pure GENIUS I say!

This piece was obviously well loved and I could just imagine the pride the crafty person must have had in their workmanship.

I was not about to let it go to the dump!  This piece just needed a bit of tweaking to make it useful again.

Some black paint and a wooden shelf (one that could slide out as needed) was all this baby needed to update it.

And of course, a new home…..

at my daughter’s house to hold her TV, cable box and stereo.

This would have been the happy ending to this story, but alas, this bought only a couple years for this piece.

My daughter won a 50 inch flat screen TV in a raffle recently.

It doesn’t begin to fit on this TV stand.

Enter this curb-shopped dresser.  It’s missing some drawers.

 

Time to upgrade to something larger…

I’ve been working on the replacement media center.  (no, I didn’t load the picture wrong, this dresser really is standing on it’s side here)

I’ll post the new piece as soon as it’s complete.

In the meantime, does anyone have ideas for this one? 

I have a couple, but am not sure exactly which direction I want to go in with her. 

She’s just too nice to put down yet.  (maybe this time around I’ll actually trim the raw edges of the paneling so they don’t show up in pictures)

Gotta go now, it’s trash day somewhere!

Rose

Help! A Curbshopping Binge

It seems I can’t drive anywhere this week without finding something to pick up.  And of course, you know I can’t resist.  If I see it, it must go home with me.   So much for self-restraint.

Thank goodness the weekend in almost here.  I NEED Saturday and Sunday to work some of this stuff out!

The latest additions to the pile:

 

An old pine lamp/magazine rack…..

 

 

2 rusty metal barrel rings.  They must have come off a 1/2 barrel planter. 

 

This might just qualify for the worlds ugliest lamp award.

But I bet Deb over at Proper Prim would have some great ideas to make it look nice!

I was excited to find this cast iron park bench at the curb. It was missing some slats on the back and is very wobbly.  I can see taking the sides off and using them for something else….

This piece mystified me, a metal grate type thingy.

It was from the same house as the bench and barrel rings.

Then my sister stopped over and pointed out that the back of the bench was missing the decorative metal insert…

Duh!  That’s what this piece was!

Now I’m thinking I may just refurbish the bench with new wood slats and use it as a bench.

What do you think?

On a more personal note:

Tonight is the last hurrah for my 50th birthday.  We only celebrate milestone birthdays in my family  (16, 21, 30, 40, 50) as there are so many of us it’s tough to get everyone together very often.

As the birthday girl I got to pick how I wanted to celebrate, and I decided I wanted an all girl  Slumber Party!    So my sisters, Mom, my daughter, daughter in law, and a niece  will be spending the night at a local hotel doing the girly thing.  Talking all night, playing games, maybe some waxing (ouch), mani’s, pedi’s, good music, lots of snacking… all the stuff we took for granted while growing up in an all girl household.  I miss those days now.

I also will get to take possession of the 50’s trunk, or “the Ark”.  This is a wicker chest that is filled with I don’t know what yet as none of us get to see inside until we turn 50 and it’s handed down from the reigning 50 year old. It’s rumored to be filled with the sort of nostalgia things we might have had or used in our youth.  Sort of a time capsule.  I’m betting there are some Twinkies in there or something of that sort.  I will get to add things to it while it’s mine, and then pass it on to my next sister when she turns 50.  This goes on until the last sister turns 50, then we get to start a new tradition for the next decade.

Good times!

Rose

And the Winner is……

While at our birthday luncheon yesterday, I had my Mom draw the winning entry for the CSN $50 gift certificate.

By the way, in case you didn’t catch it when I mentioned it in yesterday’s post,  it was  Mom's  birthday too! 

She’s 78, now halfway through her first year of retirement and learning to love it. 

Happy Birthday Mom :)

So now back to our drawing…

And the winner is…..……… 

 Amanda, @ Looking Glass Jewels who won with one of her  5 extra entries for blogging about the giveaway! 

If you haven’t been over to see her blog yet you need to go and check out the great giveaway link party she hosts on her blog.  Everything is right there in one place.  I love it!

Looking Glass Jewels said...

Happy Happy Birthday! :)
I blogged about your great giveaway! I added it to my Giveaway Link Party! :)
Looking Glass Jewels Giveaway Link Party

May 14, 2010 12:23 AM

Congratulations Amanda!  I will send your e-mail address to Jessica from CSN stores.  She will contact you with the promo code for ordering.  Be sure to come back and let me know what you decide on!

Thank you to every one of you who entered the drawing, either on purpose (after it was announced) or inadvertently (by making a comment on any post since my blog began). 

I treasure each and every one of the comments I receive from you. 

And a big thank-you to one and all for your Happy Birthday wishes.  It was the best birthday I ever had. 

50 really is pretty nifty!

{and just look at what I managed to find at the curb on my way back to work from our lunch.  I took a wrong turn and while trying to find my way I spied this at the side of the road!  Sometimes getting a little lost is a good thing…. }

Gotta go now, it’s trash day somewhere!

Rose

My First Blog Award(s)!

Before I start, I want to let you know that the entries for the 50 is Nifty CSN Drawing are officially closed now.  The drawing will be held this afternoon at a birthday luncheon with my Mom, daughter and DIL.  Mom will draw the winner and I will post as soon as I can.  Probably won’t be until tomorrow though, as the birthday festivities for today also include drinks with co-workers this afternoon and going out to dinner with Mike and the kids tonight.   Then Friday night will be the sister party, I’ll tell you more about that one later.

Last Friday I was thrilled to be the recipient of not one, not even two, but Three, count them, Three! blog awards!  Since I hadn’t dreamed of ever receiving even one, you can imagine my delight to have 3 different people think of me all on the same day.  The stars must have been in perfect alignment.  (what I should have done was to go right out and play the lottery now that I think of it. Darn, what a missed opportunity!)

Melissa at those northern skies and Veronica from Veronica’s Korner both received and then passed on to me the Trendy Blog award from The Trendy Treehouse.  Hmmm, don’t think I ever thought of myself as trendy….I kind of like it!

And then  Gina over at 3 Ring Cottage received The Versatile Blogger award.   She got to pass it on to 15 bloggers and was ever so kind to include my blog on her list. 

Thank you so much Gina, Melissa, and Veronica.  I love your blogs and I am truly honored that you chose me! 

 

Of course after getting these awards,  my head got so big I had trouble getting thru doorways.  Every spare moment since then has been spent composing and rehearsing my acceptance speeches. 

(That’s me practicing my speech, almost 40 years ago.  A big kiss to all my fans!)

And of course I went out shopping for the perfect designer gown to wear to the awards ceremony.

What’s that you say?  No ceremony? I don’t even get to do a speech?   Well shucks, what do I get to do?

(This is where she goes back to read the fine print)    

Ok, got it now.  

This is the list of rules that came with the Trendy Treehouse award:

1. To receive this award {Trendy Treehouse} you have to promise to share this with 10 other BLOGS that you think are Trendy too.
2. Post about your award in your blog.
3. List your Top 10 Trendy Blogs.
4. Share with them.
5. Leave a link to the Trendy Blog Button.
6. Tell them they need to give this award out to 10 as well.

Now for the Versatile Blogger Award: 

According to the rules on this one, I’m supposed to now divulge  7 little known facts about myself and pass the award on to 15 bloggers I admire.

Let me see, that's 10 each for the Trendy Treehouse awards, then add 15 more for the Versatile Blogger, that adds up to… what?  is that right? 35 bloggers I need to pass these awards on to .   Wow, I need to really think about who should be on that list.

So let me first go to the fun part where I share some little known facts  more than you ever wanted to know about me.

1. I have 5 sisters. (no brothers)  There are 7 years between the oldest and youngest. (This pic is from 10 years ago, I find that as we get older it’s harder to find pictures of us all together.  As far as I know this is the most current. Check out the look on Mom’s face.  I’m pretty sure one of my sisters goosed her just as the picture was taken)
2. Of the 6 of us I am a middle child, (#4).
3. I was born on Mom’s birthday.  Ever since I can remember I have always tried to be the very first person to wish Mom a Happy Birthday on our day.  It’s our special moment.
4. Growing up you could always find me hiding in the closet or a corner of the basement,  reading.  I used to steal the flashlight and read at night after lights out too.  The school librarian would let me take out 10 books at a time instead of the standard 2.
5. I don’t cook anymore.  I used to when my children were growing up, but when Mike and I married nearly 10 years ago I cooked one meal for him and managed to have 2 fires erupt while making it.  He decided right then and there to take over the cooking in our household.  ;)
6. I don’t grocery shop either.  As the cook Mike prefers to pick up his own ingredients.  I don’t mind. ;)
7. I used to be a Christmas Cookie-aholic.  Not eating, baking.  I would start right after Thanksgiving and bake several batches a day right up to and including Christmas Eve.  I would make like 40 different kinds of cookies and fudge!   I couldn’t stop myself from baking. It would take over my life.   Every year I said I would cut back, but once I started it would snowball from there.  I had to finally quit cold-turkey.  Haven’t baked a thing since.
8. I know it only called for 7, but this one is a bonus fact.  As part of the deal where Mike does the cooking, I agreed that cleaning the house would be one of my jobs.  Well, I cheat.  Every 2 weeks I have the cleaning fairy stop in for a  visit.  Gives me more time to work on my projects!

There! That was fun, right?

Now back to passing it on.  After much thought,  this is what I have decided to do. 

I’ve met so many wonderful bloggers since I began blogging  that I simply cannot bring myself to choose just 35 and leave anyone out.  So I’ve decided to award all the bloggers I follow since I admire each and every one of them and feel they are all equally award worthy.  I would list them all right here but I can’t figure out how to copy and paste the list from my blogger dashboard (believe me, I’ve tried)!

So. hop on over to my blogger profile page to see if I’m following you and if you’re on the list be sure to grab your award if you wish.  I’ll let you pick which one, and if you want one of each feel free to take both.  If you choose not to take one, that’s ok too.  Especially since so many of you have already received multiple awards.  I’ll be looking forward to reading your acceptance speeches! (Granny J, you know I’m especially looking forward to yours!)

I hope that this is acceptable to the awards committee and not considered cheating. I would so hate to be stripped of my new awards…..

Have a great day! 

Rose