Confessions of a Curbshopaholic

Erin’s Attic Bedroom project- part 2

2012-01-31T08:11:00.001-05:00

I’ll pick door number one, please.

This teeny tiny door is the entrance to Erin’s attic. It’s at the end of her kitchen, tucked in between the window and the stove. The microwave cart sits in front of the window usually. Unless you want to go upstairs. Then you have to roll the cart back out of the way to fit through.

Methinks we’re going to have to do something different with that microwave cart. But that’s for another day.

Today is all about Day 2 progress on the floor in the attic. Yesterday we stopped just a few rows in.

One of the comments left yesterday was from Gail (My Repurposed Life) who said she had laid down a laminate floor in a similar room at her daughter’s house. Only they laid it lengthwise instead of the way I’m doing it (crosswise). Honestly, I don’t know if there’s a right or wrong on which way it should go. My thought process at the time was that the room is already very long, and laying the planks lengthwise would make it seem longer, drawing the eye to the end of the room. By going across the narrower part of the room I hoped to visually expand the width of the space, making it seem more balanced.

Does it?

I dunno.

But that’s my story and I’m sticking with it! :)

(and then there’s the little theory that I thought I had a better chance of keeping it squared if I started on an outside wall!)

On Saturday we continued working on the floor. Stevie, Erin’s boyfriend, was there to help us out. Together we worked out a system to move along.

Something to note: having some type of a detail saw is important at this phase. There was a heat duct smack dab in the middle of the floor we had to cut around for starters. You can’t do that on the chop (miter) saw!

I left Steve to his own devices for a while so I could add the drywall to the closet framing. I did the inside and outside, except for one piece. The flooring boxes were in my way.

We kept plugging away all day long, into the wee hours of the morning. The goal was to get the floor done by the end of the day, but we finally had to call it. We got just past the bathroom door.

So close to the end!

I found that despite how easy this flooring system is to lay down, it still takes a long time. You have to make sure each piece is butted tightly to the last, and at the start of a row you have to make sure you shim the piece to make sure there is an expansion gap along the wall. You don’t want the floor going tight against the wall!

Trying to make the pieces not show a pattern is a little tricky too, especially in the smaller areas like the hallway.

This floor, being engineered hardwood, is a half inch thick. The advantage to this is that it can be stripped down and refinished if needed. Stain can be used to cover up any scratches too. Important in this application because Erin has 2 dogs!

I’ll leave you with a before and after picture.

That’s it for day 2!

;)

Erin’s Attic Bedroom project- part 1

2012-01-30T09:12:00.001-05:00

I’m a bad Mom. There, I said it. What, you may ask, makes me a bad mom? Why, leaving my daughter in the lurch for a year and a half; waiting to have her new floor installed.

Yep, bad mom. That’s me. I’m pretty sure you would find my picture next to that in the dictionary.

If you’ve been visiting this blog for a long time you might vaguely remember something about me starting my daughter’s bedroom remodel way back when I started building the outdoor kitchen. I had taken a whole week off of work and thought I could do BOTH projects in that time.

Alright, alright, quit rolling on the floor laughing your butt off! I’ve already ‘fessed up to having a warped sense of time….I KNOW it wasn’t realistic. at least NOW I do.

Back then I was really bummed that I couldn’t get it done.

And so, I bet, was Erin.

See, we had found this great deal on some discontinued hardwood flooring that year and I totally convinced her she had to have it for her attic bedroom. The cost of the flooring was almost as low as laminate would have been to buy, and it was so much nicer!

The dark walnut color was beautiful.

Up until recently she had been renting out the space to a “friend“ who had pretty much trashed the room and moved out. (Now an ex-friend.)

So she was ready to fix it up and use it herself. Her house is a small bungalow style with 2 bedrooms. A previous owner had finished the upstairs attic space into one long room with a half bath. Being an attic the ceilings were low, so the usable space is limited. But the room was really cool and she wanted to use it for her master bedroom.

That’s where I came in. I suggested adding a closet along one wall to utilize some of the low ceilinged area better. This might keep one from hitting their head on the ceiling as they walked through the room.

Of course I would build the closet, and then install the floor.

No problem!

The room had been painted a very dark blue on one end and brown on the other. It was like walking into a cave!

This shows the bathroom door in the hallway. It was incredibly dark.

And here’s my Erin; tackling the daunting task of covering up that dark blue paint!

What we did get done that long ago summer was to fix and prime the walls and ceiling, and get 2 coats of paint on (nearly) everything.

We used oops $5 paints to mix up a color that Erin liked, a very pale green. She chose a deeper green as an accent wall along the stairway.

After 2 days I left her on her own to finish the painting and went back to my outdoor kitchen building.

And never came back.

See that sheet in the middle of the floor in the picture above? The hardwood flooring boxes sat under that sheet for the next 1 1/2 years.

Erin’s life changed a lot during that time; she was faced with some difficult choices.

Finishing the attic room was relegated to the back burner as she sorted things out. (And sort she did, I’m very proud of her!)

So here we are, it’s Christmas 2011 and I have just given the kids each a promise of 3 days to work on their projects.

Erin’s choice, of course, was the attic bedroom.

She was itching to get it done and move on up there.

Silly me, I scheduled 3 weekends in a row for the kid’s projects, with no buffer weekend in between. Hers was weekend number 3.

So Thursday night I packed up all my tools from Jason’s house and moved them over to Erin’s, hoping and praying I could muster up enough energy to tackle this project!

Day one (Friday) was spent touching up and finishing that paint job we had started so long ago. I assigned that task to Erin.

My first task was framing the closet.

We then moved everything out of way so we could start the floor.

The closet was the perfect place for moving all the stuff to since we weren’t going to lay the new floor in there. (we had purchased just enough to do the room, but not the closets)

Erin commandeered the camera at this point and got this picture of me. This is what I look like in “project mode”. Hair not done, no makeup, and wearing awful clothes with paint all over them.

We rolled out the underlayment film. This brand was really great because it had the adhesive strips for joining the edges together already on it.

The first row was the trickiest, you really want to make sure it’s square and straight as all the rest of the rows depend on it!

We installed this as a “floating floor”. We could have opted to nail it down too, but thought this method would be easier in the long run.

Glue along the upper groove and then push into place tightly. A hammer and block of wood were essential for this step. If you’ve never done this before, it’s really pretty simple. The piece you cut off on the right side then becomes the starter piece for the next row. I was amazed at how little waste there was! (Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, this was my very first attempt at laying a floating floor.)

The trick is to choose the pieces so that the seams do not match up from row to row.

This is where we called it a night. It was pretty late.

I’ll be back with more for you tomorrow.

;)

Laundry/Mudroom update-part 4

2012-01-28T10:23:00.001-05:00

Well, hello again! I’ve been struggling with some computer issues this week and wasn’t able to get to my Live Writer program.

Don’t you just hate that? The darn computer froze up on me and when I shut down I was unable to get it back up and running.

Grrrr! Got it fixed and here we go with yet another update on J and Yurah’s Laundry/Mudroom!

For the record I want to let you know this is NOT going quite as fast as I planned it. I know, I know, no big surprise there. Now tell us something new, right? I’m fully aware that I have a very warped sense of time. As Mike says, I need to double what I think it will take for a project, then add a month. Nice guy, huh? The sad part is that he’s so often right about it! (but don’t tell him I said that, ok?)

Last post I showed you the cubby/bench part of the project. That is essentially done, just waiting for the final coat of paint and the hooks can be installed. (and the crown molding on top). I left Jason and Yurah in charge of the painting at that point. J tells me they plan to work on it this weekend.

Next I moved on to the corner between the porch door and the kitchen door.

Wasted space.

I mean, really, who needs an empty corner? Right?

So I decided to add a cubby tower right there.

Three of the middle shelves are removable so this could also be used as a broom closet if desired.

Then I moved on to the TV armoire, the inspiration piece for this whole project!

My thought was to build cubbies under it to store the recycling bins. The actual TV armoire was to go on top, reaching all the way to the ceiling. The top open section was going to be a coat closet.

J and I got the cabinet moved inside, lifted it onto the base, (it fit perfectly, I might add) and stood back to look.

Um, there’s a slight problem here. If you wanted to hang up a coat you would need a ladder to reach the bar!

Whoops! It was a good plan on paper, but in real life it just didn’t work out.

Change of plans, take the cabinet down and reverse it.

Much better! After checking, we found that the recycle bins will fit inside the bottom doors, so that takes care of that!

Next step was to add cabinets to the wall. These were curb shopped kitchen cupboards I’ve picked up here and there. They didn’t match, but that’s ok. With a little paint they’ll be fine. On top went another section of cubbies. This one I made differently, I didn’t separate the sections all the way back. This way they can store bigger (wider) items up there if needed.

We’re getting closer!

This is pretty much what it looked like at the end of weekend #2.

Done? No, far from it. But most of the building part is done.

Before:

Now:

Looking at the before and now I would definitely pick the before. It’s not looking so great at this stage.

What’s left?

The base cabinet and countertop to go under the wall cabinets, then the partition wall for the dryer and a set of cubbies to fit over the dryer. That’s it!

Of course there’s still the trim work and all, and then the floor…..

All right already, so maybe Mike was right about needing to add another month to my time estimate!

Especially since the following weekend was reserved for Erin’s Christmas gift.

Yup, you read that right, I had to stop right there, pack up all my tools, and get ready to start my daughter’s project.

But that’s another post.

;)

My Favorite Outdoor Project of 2011

2012-01-21T12:27:00.001-05:00

Recently Donna of Funky Junk Interiors featured favorite outdoor projects of 2011 for her Saturday Night Special theme. She challenged her readers to pick their favorite outdoor project they did last year to link up to the party.

I paused when reading about the themed link and thought, you know, I never did reveal my updated/refurbished Outdoor Kitchen from last summer. I intended to, but the photos were never right and I kept waiting to get better ones.

Well folks, the better pictures never got taken, but I still want to share this project as my favorite of 2011.

The actual kitchen build was my project during the Summer of 2010. I built it with all curb shopped /salvaged materials with the exception of the framing lumber. If you’re interested you can read more about that by clicking on the Outdoor Kitchen Project label in my sidebar.

Here’re a couple pictures from my Outdoor Kitchen reveal post.

Despite my best intentions to preserve the top by covering it and taking off the wood bar top for the winter, I never did get around to it. Winter came too soon last year and caught me by surprise.

By Spring my kitchen was a disaster!

I decided at that point to start over on the countertop entirely, using a different approach.

This time I was going to use concrete so i wouldn’t have to worry about the elements.

No tutorials here, I can address that in another post. All I can say now is that it’s not as hard as you would think, but if I were to do it again I would rent a concrete mixer. I mixed it up in a plastic tub and boy was that ever a workout! The actual concrete part goes fast, it’s the building of the forms for each section that takes time.

Anything you do wrong there will show in the finished concrete!

We added some window boxes behind the sink for an herb garden. This worked well, as the sprayer from the sink faucet was right there to water it with too!

This is what concrete looks like before it’s sealed.

This is after sealing. The sealer adds shine and repels water for easy cleanup.

I love the texture of the concrete!

We found that an E Z UP over the bar end of the kitchen was perfect for shade on sunny days and to hang lights from on evenings we entertained out there.

New metal bar stools from Overstock.com were a splurge but they really went well with the more industrial feel of the concrete. Besides, I was getting complaints about my ladder barstools being too wobbly. :(

We added some galvanized roofing panels in strategic places to tie it all in. A stainless refrigerator was another splurge.

These cafe lights from Pottery Barn called to me. They just needed to be part of our Outdoor Kitchen!

The best part about this project is that my husband enjoys this area so much. I love it when he just laughs out loud with delight when cooking dinner out there and watching a ball game or golf tournament on the TV.

That reaction is better than I could ever have hoped for!

Next summer I plan to add a pergola structure over the top.

;)

Linking up to Saturday Night Special Favorite Outdoor project of 2011 theme party.

Also linking up to Gail”s Catch as Catch Can party, the one where anything goes! Love it!

J’s Laundry/Mud Room; progress part 3

2012-01-20T09:55:00.001-05:00

Last post I caught you up to the end of the first weekend on the laundry/mudroom project.

If you’ve missed any of the earlier posts on this project you can click on these links to catch up.

Mudroom/Laundry project inspiration

The REAL Inspiration for J’s Laundry /Mudroom

J’s Laundry/Mudroom plans and day 1 demolition

J’s Laundry/Mud Room progress part 2

So I hated packing everything up and getting back to real life, but alas, it must be.

Come the next Friday morning I was eagerly pounding on J’s door, trying to get him to answer. (I think he just pulled the pillow over his head and rolled over)

See, he had just worked 11 days straight because he’s in the reserves and the last weekend was his one weekend a month drill.

Add to that me making him work late into the night on the house when he had been working all day long, well, he was pretty worn out!

I’m thinking maybe he wasn’t as excited about starting early as I was! ;)

Well this weekend he was off Friday through Monday and I wanted to take full advantage of every minute we had.

There he is, doesn’t he look thrilled to see me? lol

(I’m really kidding here, he was great about it and I had my own key to get in anyway. But I know he had to have been exhausted!)

Yurah had to work all weekend so it was just the two of us.

As usual I didn’t get a lot of step by step photos…..who am I kidding? I didn’t even pull out the camera until the end of the day! I’ll just have to tell you what we did.

First thing was to attach the side panel to the cubbies.

It was cut to match the depth of the top cubby section but the bench section was a few inches deeper so I had to add a piece to the bottom to go all the way to the front of the bench. (huh? what did she just say? Clear as mud, I know.)

I could have used a saw to cut the plywood for this in one piece, but chose instead to go the easy route when cutting and make it one strip of the same width. I then used my biscuit joiner to “widen” the bottom by adding a strip of plywood to the front. While it seems like an extra step it’s really easier than trying to get the cut right all in one piece. I also could have used the kreg pocket hole jig for this step, but my drill battery was charging and this was just as easy.

I then had to add facing strips to all the raw front edges of the cubbies to finish them off.

The board and batten look on the wall serves 2 purposes. One, a support cleat for the top cubby, and two, a solid place to screw the hooks into without worrying about using anchors or hitting the studs.

The plan is to have 2 levels of hooks, so we went with 2 cross pieces. I thought it would be fun to “mirror” the cubby sections by using the thinner vertical batten strips.

J and I ran over to a nearby hardware store to pick up painting supplies. We also needed to get some 1X boards to use for the facings. Oh, and caulk, lots of caulk! While out we made a stop to look at hooks I had found at my favorite dollar store. This place sells closeouts from other places and everything is a dollar or less. I saw some coat hooks there that I thought would work, J was in agreement so we picked them up and brought them home to try out. $12 for 12 hooks was not bad!

No pictures of them yet, but we quickly discovered we had to add another board under the top cubby to accommodate the size of the hooks. I’m so glad we thought to check before going too far!.

Here’s the final layout.

After lots of filling and caulking and sanding the first coat of primer was ready to go on.

I’m starting to get excited about it now that it’s beginning to look like it’s really supposed to!

That’s it for this progress report.

Until next time….

;)

I’m linking up to Gail’s Catch as Catch can party this week. I’m so excited to finally have something to link!

J’s Laundry/ Mud Room progress part 2

2012-01-18T07:44:00.001-05:00

Hi there! I feel like I’ve been away a long time, yet it’s only been a week. I’m back with a long overdue progress report on J and Yurah’s Laundry/Mudroom project.

So far I’ve spent 2 long weekends working on it. At last report I showed you the final plans and demolition from day 1.

Days 2 and 3 we got the walls patched up and the ceiling and walls primed and painted.

Yurah was the happy painter for this phase of the project.

Isn’t she cute? We had to bundle up to work out there as the room has no heat.

Meanwhile, while she was doing her thing I got to work framing the bases for all the cabinetry.

This one is for the base cabinets on the washer/dryer side of the room.

This one is for the bench/cubby section.

And the little one in the upper corner is for a cubby tower, just to use up the dead space.

We mixed up some oops paint with white to come up with a suitable color for the walls. Yurah chose a light grayish color.

A word to the wise when trying to lighten up a dark paint: start with your light color (in this case it was white) and then add the darker color until you like the shade. We did it the opposite way, pouring about a third a can of the dark into the container and trying to add white to lighten it. We ended up with a gallon and a half of slightly lighter paint than we started with! Finally we poured the white into another container and added some of the other concoction to it bit by bit. It was soooo much faster to get to the right shade and didn’t take nearly as much paint!

On Sunday I started building the cubby boxes. These are really just simple boxes. Once you get the box squared it’s time to add the inner dividers. I used some 1/4 inch paneling I found in the garage for the backing on the box. Alas, no pictures of the process, as usual in the heat of the moment the camera is the last thing I think about!

The bottom cubby was then attached to the base I had built on the floor. (In this photo you can see there are a couple pieces of plywood on top of the bench, those were the pieces for the top cubby unit.)

After putting the upper box together Jason helped me get it up on the wall. We chose to go all the way to the ceiling with it. I had added 2x4’s to the ceiling to attach it to. (also to move it down a bit to make room for the crown molding we plan to use)

A board was mounted on the wall to use as a guide and support cleat.

We soon found that the ceiling was not level. It was off a full half inch on the right! Check out that gap on the corner.

Not to worry. We took it back down and added shims under the 2x4’s on that end to get it level. Problem solved.

This next picture shows what the unit will look like with the side wall added. We leaned it against the side just to get an idea of what it would look like in the room.

This is where I stopped for the 1st weekend. It was just starting to shape up but it was 10 pm on Sunday and we were whipped!

Let me tell you, it was extremely difficult to pack everything away and call it a wrap until the next weekend.

At least you won’t have to wait a whole week for the next progress report!

Stay tuned…..

;)

First curbshopped items of the year!

2012-01-10T05:00:00.000-05:00

If you were driving along and spotted this sign on some furniture at the side of the road, would you stop?

I’m going to take that as a yes, since you’re reading a blog titled Confessions of a Curbshopaholic!

Well you know I stopped, right?

The dresser is nothing special, not real old or well made or anything. But I think it could be cute if painted so I grabbed it.

The table? This would be simply awesome with a new paint job.

Guess I’ll need to take a trip to storage to drop it off.

Hmmm, maybe my son would let me store it at his house since I’m getting that TV armoire out of his garage for him!

Can’t hurt to ask, right? (um, maybe I’d better hold off on that idea….)

I got a new camera for Christmas. It’s slowed me down some, but I’m really liking the pictures it’s taking.

I think it’s because the lens is cleaner.

;)

J’s Laundry/Mudroom plans and Day 1 Demolition

2012-01-09T09:58:00.001-05:00

Curious to see what J and Yurah chose from the inspiration photos?

Here is a rundown of the favorite elements. All the photos came from Houzz.com.

This picture was chosen for the color scheme. They really liked the blue door, the greige walls and the tile color with the white cabinetry.

This next one was chosen for the open back design on the locker system. They loved the cubbies above and below, but opted to have one compartment for coat hooks above the bench. They also decided to have 4 cubbies on the bottom to match the top. instead of the 2 big sections shown here.

We decided that all the cabinets should go all the way to the ceiling, like their kitchen. Their ceiling height in this room is 8 ft, and every inch of storage space needs to be utilized in this small area.

OK, this exact photo was not in the post with all the pictures; we found it later. The appeal of this one is the cabinetry going all the way to the ceiling with the crown at the top. The way the washer/dryer set is enclosed makes it look seamless. The granite counter and cabinetry next to it were also chosen as great elements to incorporate. Picture the cabinets all white!

laundry room design by detroit kitchen and bath Kristen Shellenbarger

Here’s a similar picture in white. This gives a good idea of what the TV armoire is going to look like on the opposite end of the washer/dryer. They won’t have a sink out there, so picture this look without the sink and with the cabinets going all the way up to the ceiling.

OK, so now you have a good idea of what we are trying to accomplish, along with a color scheme.

Now let’s take a look at some of the demolition pictures!

As usual we got to tearing down before I thought to take any pictures. This was the first one I got of the demo. You can see we were nearly done taking out the closet wall!

I was very happy to find that the closet had been framed AFTER the room was dry walled. We were extremely careful to try to keep it as intact as possible in the demolition.

(Had a bit of an oopsie here, the glass globe on the light fixture got hit with one of the pieces of framing and broke. I really should have removed that and the bulb before demo.)

The top piece was the trickiest to remove. We did not want to ruin the ceiling!

Naturally I tried to save as many pieces of wood as I could to reuse in some way.

After cleaning up the debris we pulled out the carpet and got out all the staples we could from the subfloor.

Only one hole to patch! We really lucked out there. I bought the spackle that starts out pink and dries white, just because I never used it before.

It was pretty cool!

This is the space after one coat of spackle.

I had to run a small heater to help it dry better.

While waiting for the spackle to dry we went shopping for a floor. A heated electric mat for under the flooring was purchased at Lowes. It was a big expense; $325 after J’s military discount.

Instead of ceramic tile we opted for laminate tile planks, found on clearance at Bargain Outlet for $1.69 a square foot. Cost was just $100 with the underlayment matting.

Ceramic was our first choice, but the floor had a bit more give to it than I liked and adding cement board to stabilize would have added too much height. We went simple and got the laminate planks. Their kitchen floor is laminate so they are already used to how easy a laminate floor is to keep clean.

These colors will also hide dirt!

While we were at it we took a peek at light fixtures to get an idea of what they would cost. Jason really liked a couple, but we didn’t get one yet. That can wait a week. By then we’ll have a better idea of what this whole project will cost!

I was getting a little bit of sticker shock already.

These next 2 pictures are purely for Gail’s benefit. She couldn’t believe that I could fit full sheets of plywood in my van!

Granted the tailgate wouldn’t shut all the way…..but I got 5 sheets home with it tied down so I could start cutting the pieces for the cabinets.

Jason and I spent a lot of time with the circular saw making all the cuts.

Working with full sheets like that you definitely need a helper to make it doable.

The 3/4 inch sheets were soooo heavy!

That’s it for now. I’ve got more pictures from yesterday still on my camera but that will have to wait for another post.

Right now I’m heading into work.

It was a very satisfying 3 day weekend. I’m a little tired and sore but really happy with how things are shaping up.

The REAL inspiration for J’s Laundry/Mudroom

2012-01-08T09:54:00.001-05:00

So I pinned my son down for a planning session of the laundry/mudroom the other night.

Let me tell you, it’s not his favorite thing to do…you know, look at pictures and decide what you like and don’t from them.

In so many ways he is still that little boy who wouldn’t do his homework I remember from so many years ago. ;)

I, on the other hand, was happy to go on and on (and on and on) over the different options available, poring over each picture’s minute details and dissecting it.

You might recall my last post full of inspiration photos for the space? Well we went through each one picking and choosing the elements desired.

Yep, fun for me, not so much for him.

An hour and a half later I wrap up the session with, “OK, buddy, I think we got a good idea what you want. Just one last thing, you need to get everything out of the area you don’t want me to show on my blog. I’m starting first thing in the morning and will be taking pictures.”

Oh boy, that took me right back to the old days when I would say '”Clean your room before you can go out to play.” Luckily he’s a good sport and spent the rest of the night moving everything out of the way, probably grumbling every minute.

First thing Friday morning I show up and get my first photo. This is the space we are working with.

Now picture it with about a hundred pairs of shoes on the floor.

I kid you not, see this next picture? The blue recycle bins are chock full of shoes that came out of that space!

I really took this picture not to bust on them about the shoes, but to show you the curb shopped piece that started the whole idea to redo this laundry/mudroom.

You should know by now that I don’t do anything without incorporating some of my curb finds into the plans.

Heck, curb shopping is usually what gives me the idea for a project!

Case in point; See the big white entertainment center? It was at the side of the road oh, maybe 2 years ago… before I started blogging.

I saw it, stopped and looked at it, noted the solid wood construction, and the fact that it was a MONSTER of a piece. It’s 36” wide, 24.5” deep, and 6 feet high not including the crown trim. It was in really great shape, but I racked my brain furiously for something I could use it for and came up with nothing at all. I simply had no need for a piece of furniture this size. Sigh.

I drove away, saddened to leave such a cool piece behind.

I remember calling my sister and discussing it with her as I was driving away. Together we still couldn’t find a use for it.

Well the next day it was still there. And I still couldn’t think of anything.

Later on a thought hit me…wouldn’t that be cool in the kid’s house if we took out that awful space wasting closet in their back entry?

They have similar cabinets in their kitchen, it would blend in with them. (kitchen cabinet picture below)

Why I could make a mudroom locker to go with it…oh yeah, the idea sort of sprang to life in my head all at once. I could see it all so clearly.

So the next day I went to get it, hoping it was still there, thinking if it’s not then that’s that. It wasn’t meant to be.

It was!

So I take it to the kid’s house, get J to help offload it into the garage, and proceed to explain my plans for their laundry room.

I showed them some pictures from Pottery Barn and Ballard Design catalogs of mud room lockers

J and Yurah both agreed it would be nice to change that space up, so it went on the “to do someday” project list for their house.

And so the monster TV cabinet sat for 2 years taking up lots of space in J’s garage. Space he could have used for more important storage.

I’m guessing the thought crossed his mind more than a few times that he should just throw it away, after all Mom will never remember it’s here.

Good thing for me that he’s patient. After making him wait so long, I know I have to make this project turn out extra special.

I’m so excited to finally get to work on it!

Here’s a few before photos to give you a good idea of the current space.

They really hated these bi-fold doors. Check out what’s behind them, one little dinky shelf in the entire closet!

Talk about a waste of space!

They have a closet in the kitchen for the washing machine, as this space is not currently heated so water can’t be run out there. (something we will soon change)

Oh yes, after living with this room for nearly 3 years, the kids were more than ready to make a big change.

We are going to pack a lot into this little room, you wait and see!

I had to laugh when I saw this chalkboard window turned coat rack I had made them when they first moved into the house.

The little bench was an old piece I gave them early on to fit in the space too.

Say goodbye to all of it kids, as we are about to begin………..

DEMO!

;)

Mudroom/Laundry project inspiration

2012-01-05T08:28:00.001-05:00

For Christmas this year I gave each of the kids a long weekend. Not for them to go away and relax, oh no. I gave them each a 3 day weekend of my time to work on a specific project of their choosing at their house. This came with a Lowes gift card to start the project off.

It also came with the caveat that they had to be there to help.

He he he, not much of a gift, eh?

So no long vacation type weekend for them, they have to work through it.

I went ahead and scheduled the days off work beforehand and gave them specific dates so that this gift would not go unused all year. (since I’m such a procrastinator this seemed the right thing to do)

My son and daughter-in-law each got one of their own, on consecutive weekends, with the option to combine weekends to get a bigger project done.

It’s their turn coming up this weekend and they decided to go for it and pool their time together to get the back entry/laundry room made over.

This is a tiny area, 7ft wide by 10ft long, and has 3 doors in it. Outside entry on one end, a door to the porch along one side, and the door to the kitchen at the other end.

Currently it is carpeted with indoor/outdoor carpet, not heated, and has a wall of bi-fold doors along one side for the dryer and storage.

They HATE the bi-folds, they are always falling off or sticking or hanging funny, and the space inside this closet is mostly unusable.

I don’t have pictures of it right now, but I will get some and show you what I mean.. I had suggested changing this room the first year they moved into the house. I even had a curb found cabinet that would be the perfect starter for the space. (more on that in a later post)

We’ve been in the planning/dreaming stages all week trying to come up with a plan that will work.

This is the fun stage of the game, when anything is possible.

Tonight we will meet up and finalize the design plan.

Want to see some of our inspiration pics? These all came from the Houzz.com site, one of my favorite sources for inspiration because it has photos of everything imaginable on it.

First off, the locker type area for coats and shoes. This is a must, as they are struggling to keep the shoes in check. There’s no coat closet at this end of the house, so a hang up spot for several jackets is needed.

contemporary laundry room design by other metros general contractor Weaver Custom Homes

traditional entry design by atlanta kitchen and bath Teri Turan

This was picked as a favorite by the kids.

hall design by detroit interior designer Green Apple Design

They also loved this one. The pop of blue on the door really makes this area!

contemporary entry design by new york general contractor Michael Robert Construction

laundry room design by detroit design-build MainStreet Design Build

Shhh, these next 2 are my personal favorites. I’m saving these to MY ideabook!

Love the wood planks on the ceiling and the floating bench!

traditional entry design

Had to throw this one in just because I love the mirror and curved header above the shelf.

traditional laundry room design by chicago kitchen and bath Geneva Cabinet Company

Now for the laundry side of the room. Right now they just have a dryer in the space and the washer is in a kitchen closet, but down the road plan to buy a stacking front load washer/dryer set for the space.

We’ll make it so it works for now with just the dryer, and still can be easily modified for the stacked set and a sink.

contemporary laundry room design by newark interior designer Kingsley Belcher Knauss, ASID

laundry room design by new york general contractor WL INTERIORS

traditional laundry room design by san francisco architect Koch Architects, Inc. Joanne Koch

Must have a bar for hanging up clothes fresh out of the dryer.

laundry room design by calgary general contractor Veranda Estate Homes & Interiors

Can’t forget a foldaway drying rack for delicates!

laundry room design

Under counter cubbies for laundry baskets, definitely needed.

traditional laundry room design by phoenix home staging The ReStyle Group

Built in recycling bins are another must for this space.

traditional laundry room design by charlotte kitchen and bath Sterling Construction, Inc.

Love the clean look of the cabinetry here.

traditional laundry room design by other metros kitchen and bath Mullet Cabinet

Pretty colors here!

traditional laundry room design

Love the crown on the cabinets and the granite on the countertops. Not so much the washer/dryer on the platform though. Takes up too much space.

contemporary laundry room design by other metros interior designer Shane D. Inman

This area packs a lot into the small space. Good example of what we can do.

traditional laundry room design by toronto interior designer Avalon Interiors

Now this one looks so clean and practical!

contemporary laundry room design by other metros kitchen and bath Natalie Du Bois

Here’s an idea for extra shoe storage we may be able to squeeze on the adjacent enclosed porch.

laundry room design

So many ideas and every one of these photo’s are beautiful. It’ll be interesting to see what the kids end up choosing!

I just love this phase of a project, don’t you?

A clean start to the New Year

2012-01-02T07:36:00.001-05:00

Hope you all had a smashing start to 2012.

My New Year’s Day was pretty quiet. As I do almost every year I spent the day cleaning out closets. Something about the new year just makes me want to do that. Lord knows they needed it!

I don’t do the same ones every year so these were long overdue. Last year I did clothes closets so this time I switched to the hall and linen closets. Some years I just do drawers.

First thing when I got up I cleared the bathroom cabinets of old medicines, make up, nail polish and do-dads. Then I turned to the linen closet and discovered I had way too many towels still in use that were only fit to be “dog towels”. Same with sheets, way too many. Did I really need 9 sets of sheets for one bed? No wonder this closet was overflowing! Why, I haven’t been able to get that door to shut in ages.

And how many old shower curtains, pillow shams, and curtains did I really think I was going to use again?

Way too many apparently. I had a huge bag to donate!

Then downstairs to the hall closets. We have 2, a big oddly shaped one under the stairs and directly across from it the coat closet.

Well the coat closet floor was piled high with shoes. Honestly I have not seen that floor in more than a couple years. Once a shoe goes in there it’s considered out of play. Must have been better than 30 pair in there, along with a few oddballs. (I have a tough time throwing out the one good shoe that’s left after Sandy eats one of the pair. You just never know when you might only need one shoe, right?)

Happy to say that now the floor is clear of everything but a lonely pair of roller blades.

The stair closet had been the repository of tablecloths, cleaning stuff like the steamer, mop, duster, old irons, winter gloves and scarves, seasonal decorations, boxes from small appliances, empty shoeboxes, and at least 5 area rugs.

Why on earth was I saving those? They all had chewed up corners thanks to Sandy.

Lots of stuff was set aside for the rescue mission, and lots went out to the curb. Gasp, yes, I do actually throw some things away from time to time!

In the master bath I finally got around to installing a curved shower curtain rod I bought 2 summers ago. Don’t ask what I was waiting for….guess I thought I would remodel the bathroom before putting it up. I hung a shower curtain I had found in the linen closet- I had bought it on clearance last year and here it was, still in the bag- never used. Boy that curved rod really makes a difference when you’re in the shower!

Then I took down all the Christmas decor and put it away.

Aside from Poinsettia plants the house is “over” Christmas and somewhat de-cluttered for the new year!

This means I can officially ignore the rest of the clutter until next year.

What do you do on New Year’s Day?

Do you have any “start the year off right” traditions?

2011 Projects in Review

2011-12-31T13:09:00.001-05:00

Wow, it’s the end of the year already!

The last few weeks have been a blur for me, my job has consumed far more than it’s fair share of time.

No 40 hour workweeks for me, oh no. It’s been more like 70 +. Most weekends have been spent at work too.

It’s been go go go every day.

But enough of that already, Today I am off work and giving myself totally over to home and blog stuff.

I’ve noticed a lot of other blogs are running highlights of the year. As I look a these posts I marvel at all my blog friends achieved in a single year. It seems so impressive to see it all laid out, photo after photo.

So I’m going to go back and look at my year in blogging…..as short as it may be. I do know that I’m disappointed with myself for how little I accomplished this year. I had such grand plans!

I so wanted to be a better blogger this year, and better at completing things.

Alas, it was not to be.

Here’s hoping that if I lay it out it will look like I got more done than I feel like I did.

Worth a try anyway.

Here goes!

One of the first finished projects of 2011 was the dresser turned TV stand for my daughter. She had waited a long time for it!

On the home front I revamped my kitchen floor by removing the white vinyl tiles and inserting grey in their place.

While I was at it I “designed” new curtains from drop cloths for the kitchen and dining room windows.

I repainted the kitchen bead board a new color, touched up the cabinets and finally finished the trim from the kitchen remodel we did 5 years prior.

Then I turned my hand to making drop cloth slipcovers to hide the dog chewed furniture in the living room.

Unfortunately I only got one of the wingback chairs covered this year.

In the spring I brightened up the mantel with a Nest sign, a Faux clock, and then added a vinyl “Create” decal to an old folding table I had.

Let’s see, after the dogs ate my wicker trunk coffee table I had to come up with a new one.

That gave me the opportunity to use this curb found chest and add a door for the top.

I repurposed an old child’s size desk into a nightstand by making a new top out of store-bought unfinished shelving.

The outdoor kitchen had to be totally revamped after going through it’s first winter. As a result I’ve now become an expert on working with concrete!

A headboard bench was made for my daughter’s friend in exchange for lots of cool junk.

This plant stand was one of the junk pieces I got in that deal. A coat of turquoise and some stain on the top transformed it.

It took forever for me to pick out the paint colors for our house, but I’m so happy with the final results! (I’m especially happy I didn’t have to do the painting!)

I even got around to installing a new door in the sun porch entry.

Finally got to start converting the old shed we salvaged from Mom’s camp into my very own garden potting shed.

Got the windows and door in, and added clapboard siding.

And then a coat of paint to match the house. :)

I got to make a second headboard bench; this time for my favorite antiquing friend, Linda.

It was fun to make it and let her do the finishing!

Then I was inspired to make my very own tripod lamp by some of my favorite bloggers.

My son asked for a new coffee table, this is what I designed for him.

I repurposed a headboard to make a mirrored wall hanging for him too.

After winning a Command-Max paint sprayer in Gail’s giveaway I repainted my dining room bead board. (the counter stools were refurbished earlier this year, I had forgotten about them!)

And for Christmas I was inspired by Robelyn at Red Neck Chic to use some of my curb found mirrors to add a mirrored wall behind my tree.

What’s my favorite project of the year?

Hands down, that would be Katy, our foster dog turned family member.

She was a handful in the beginning but now brings us nothing but joy.

(Except she is now convinced that the couch exists solely for her comfort. She doesn’t budge for anyone, not even Sandy!)

That’s my project year in review.

Know what?

After going through all the posts I gotta say it was therapeutic for me to see that I actually did get some stuff done this year.

Funny how easy it is to forget.

2011 turned out to be a good year after all.

We’re ending the year by having some friends and family over for dinner tonight, what are you doing?

;)

Wine Bottle Junk Springs and Bling

2011-12-21T08:48:00.001-05:00

Here’s another project I did that was inspired by yet another awesome blogger.

Laurel from Chipping with Charm first introduced this idea in October and it immediately went on my “must try list”.

You see, I already had all the parts so this was one of those “Duh! why didn’t I think of that!“ moments.

(the answer to that question was “because you’re not as smart as Laurel, that’s why!)

This box of bedsprings had been sitting around for way too long. It was time to start using some up.

The other night I was in need of a quick Christmas gift for my hairdresser and decided this would be the perfect present for her.

I had this rusty chain with pins found inside a curbed tool box.

I’m guessing it’s used to hold fish after it’s caught, if so, then this is really kinda gross come to think of it.

I washed and sanitized the entire chain and then sprayed it with clear coat.

I had a cup full of rusty washers of various sizes and decided they would work just fine for bling.

Everything got a couple quick coats of clear protective finish and once dry I went to town with my wire snips and needle nose pliers.

This was super easy to do. The hardest part was deciding when enough was enough!

I ended up making a dangling “skirt” all around the bottom of the spring.

I was in a hurry to get this done and didn’t take time to do a photo shoot so believe me, I had to do lots of creative cropping to take out the worst of the clutter on the counters!

Total cost?

$15 for the bottle of wine I grabbed out of our wine rack to go with the bling!

Thank you Laurel for all your inspiration. If you haven’t been over to Laurel’s blog yet, go check it out. She is soooo creative.

Music Sheet filled ornaments-

2011-12-14T06:40:00.001-05:00

Ok, so the other night I was doing a quick run through of my reader and happened to see that Stephanie Lynn at Under the Table and Dreaming was hosting a series of guest posts on handmade ornaments.

Now I’m not very crafty, but one in particular just hit me hard, and I simply had to go get the supplies together and make it right there and then.

It was this tutorial by Mandy at Little Birdie Secrets that caught my fancy.

What made me get up off my lazy tush and actually try to do this?

Well……..

a) my tree in the living room was short on ornaments and I needed something white or glass to go with the theme of the tree.

b) On the weekend I just happened to have found a box of a dozen glass craft ornaments I had bought last year and never used.

c) And Mandy’s tutorial promised these would be the easiest ornaments I ever made.

So!

As instructed by Mandy I gathered my ornaments, a pen, and an old church Music Issue hymnal circa 1993, from back in the days when I sometimes played flute at special masses at our church.

They hymnal paper was quite yellowed, which proved to be a good thing.

Anyways, just as promised by Mandy, in less than 20 minutes I had a dozen ornaments to add to my tree!

My music strips were short so they didn’t stay curled up very well, but I still like the effect.

Pardon the dark pictures, I was too excited to wait until the weekend to take daylight photos. (yes, that’s the only time I see my house in daylight anymore!)

I’m now calling my tree decorating done.

I just love the way the mirror wall behind the tree reflects back the lights.

Why, it looks like I have 2 trees in my living room!

Thank you Mandy and Stephanie Lynn for inspiring me to use what I have and get my tree decorated.

If you haven’t seen the Handmade Ornament Series, get on over and check it out. Tons of inspiration there, why Stephanie Lynn even has a link to last year’s ornaments too!

;)

Linda’s Headboard Bench – updated, she got it done!

2011-12-13T06:31:00.001-05:00

A couple months back I showed you the headboard bench I made for my friend Linda.

The deal was that I would build it, but she had to finish it.

Well guess what? She got it finished and brought into the house in record time.

Turns out she liked it so much it’s new home will be in the back entry near the kitchen instead of at the end of her bed.

Looks like someone else at her house loves this bench too.

Linda’s not sure if she wants to keep the high cushion shown in these photos, originally she had planned to use a 3 inch deep cushion, but this one was given to her free and fits the bench exactly too. You can’t beat free, right?

It’s so much fun for me to see the bench all done and being used.

Someday I’m going over to Linda’s and taking pictures of her gorgeous old Victorian home to show you.

Definitely drool worthy! I think I’ve got an “in” now that she has the bench…..

;)

Look what a sweet neighbor gave me!

2011-12-08T06:53:00.001-05:00

The house across the street from us sold recently and the owner’s daughter was clearing out the last things before closing day.

It was her childhood home and had been chock full of stuff when her father passed away a couple years ago. The house stood empty while the family decided what to do with it. About a year ago they had cleaned out and sold everything at an estate sale before putting the house on the market.

Imagine my surprise when Barb came across the street to say goodbye and tell me she had saved a piece of furniture especially for me because she knew I liked to refinish furniture.

I was so touched that she thought of me!

I grabbed my hand cart and trucked it across the road to see what she had.

It was this awesome dresser,

complete with a big mirror!

Some of the decorative pieces had crumbled away. Even more came off while getting it home.

This paper label was nailed to the back of the piece.

And inside one of the drawers I found this receipt for clothing dated 1943.

How cool is that?

On my way out I spied this in the garage and stopped to admire it.

Turns out they were throwing it away and said please take it!

It still had the shipping label on it from when her father sent it home when he was in the Air Force.

Don’t know exactly what I’ll do with these yet, but I’m excited about getting them!

Goodbye Barb, I know it was hard for you to part with your parent’s home. We’ll keep an eye on it for you, don’t you worry.

Christmas Decorating with Mirrors

2011-12-07T06:04:00.001-05:00

I got to spend the weekend getting the house all ready for Christmas.

Guess what? I’m still not done.

But! all 3 (curbshopped) trees are up, in position, and have (most of) their lights. (ran out on the big tree, have to buy more)

It’s a start.

While visiting Robelyn at Red Neck Chic the other day I was admiring her vintage ornaments and then read that she placed a huge mirror behind her tree to make it even more sparkly. I just loved the idea! The wheels started turning in my head and I decided to put some of the MANY mirrors I have laying around this place to good use. (amongst many other things, I have a fondness for mirrors and pick them up from the curb or thrift store whenever I see them)

First I gathered the mirrors that I thought might work, then I took down everything off the wall behind the tree.

I drew out a rough sketch for placement. and started from the top.

(it was awkward to go this way but I wanted to make sure everything fit the way I imagined.)

I decided on this pretty mirror for the top. (can you believe this was a curbfind?)

After a bit of dry brushing with antique white I positioned it to reflect the top of the tree.

In all it took 6 different mirrors to get the coverage I was looking for.

A couple pieces of 2x4 scraps built up a platform for the middle mirror to mount on. It makes it “float” in front of the other mirrors.

I love the way my thrifted and curbed mirrors reflect the tree lights!

Thanks for the inspiration, Robelyn.

I would never have thought to use those mirrors for that purpose if you hadn’t shared it with us.

Now I have to add the decorations.

;)

Since this project cost just $13 for the mirrors I bought at the thrift store I’m linking up to Beyond the Picket Fence 100 ideas under $100 party by Becky.

I Hit the Door Jackpot while Curbshopping with a Friend

2011-11-30T09:03:00.001-05:00

So on Saturday I’m driving down the main street near my daughter’s house and just happen to be chatting on the phone with Gail (My Repurposed Life) at the same time.

We were having a nice chat about our Thanksgiving and discussing our planned projects for the day.

(Mine was to frame out a closet in the attic bedroom at my daughter’s.)

Now in case you didn’t know, we have been “online buddies” for a few years but have never met in real life, not yet anyway. We plan to finally meet each other in February at the Blissdom conference.

Gail and I often chat while I’m on on the road as I drive a great deal for work. If you drive a lot you know it gets pretty boring!

As a result she has “accompanied me” on many of my curbshopping escapades and is rather used to my excited exclamations when I see something at the curb during our chats.

This time was no exception.

I suddenly interrupt the conversation with a shout, “DOORS!”

If she had really been in the car with me she would have been grabbing at the armrest for dear life, as I may have braked suddenly and turned the corner without signaling, not saying I did, but there is a slight chance that was the case. ;)

Without skipping a beat she asks, “What kind of doors?”

Me, “I dunno, looks like door doors. I just saw a pile of them up one of the side streets and I’m heading back around the block now.”

With great anticipation I drive around the block, heart pounding at the prospect of them being the real deal….not the cheap hollow core type they sell these days.

Gail’s on pins and needles on the other end too, waiting to hear if it was a real find or a false alarm.

I slowly approach the pile and as I get closer I squeal, “Oh my gosh, there’s a whole stack of them and they even have the doorknobs on them!”

At this point I said “Gotta go”, and hung up the phone, leaving Gail hanging in my excitement to get out of the car.

I opened the tailgate of the van and surveyed the space I had. Good things doors are flat, ‘cause I was loaded up with tools, my compressor, and 2x4”s for the project I was on my way to work on.

I decided to try to fit them all.

All 7 of them!

About halfway through the loading the man of the house came out and offered to assist me.

I gratefully accepted. He was really nice and wondered what I was going to do with all the doors.

“Are you replacing the doors in your house?” he asks.

Suppressing a giggle I say with a straight face, '’No, but that’s a great idea.”

I consider a moment and then decide to share; “Actually I make things from them. You know, furniture and stuff.”

From the puzzled look on his face I realize he just doesn’t “get it “so I quickly thank him for helping me and drive away leaving him to tell his family the tale of the crazy lady who took all the doors from their curb.

Duh, silly me, of course he doesn’t get it. He wouldn’t have tossed them out if he did!

I immediately call Gail back to report the details.

She’s been waiting and wondering how I was doing and how many I was able to fit.

She answers immediately with “Well?”

“Got them all”, I crow. “Every last one!”

We spent a few minutes more talking about all the things I could make with them.

It’s so fun to have a curbshopping partner to share the excitement of the moment with.

Thanks for putting up with me Gail (oh yeah, and sorry I hung up on you)!

Now for the scoop on the doors…from the above photo.

The door on top is a 15 paned beauty. By it’s width and weight it looks to me like it may be an exterior door.

The one below it is a very skinny door, probably off a pantry or linen closet.

There are 2 that must be bedroom doors and 3 more that look to be from closets.

The panels are horizontal and there are 5 or 6 per door.

Coincidentally they are almost exactly like these 4 doors (pictured below) that I found a couple years ago just a block away from where I found today’s doors. (Except those all had beautiful glass knobs on them, you can read about that find and more in my I Love Doors post.)

The new ones are all painted on both sides and the paint is flaking off in big pieces.

3 of the doors had these knobs and plates on them. The rest had none.

I didn’t get a pic of them outside of the van as I took them all over to my rented storage space until I’m ready to use them. (Mike would have flipped out if I brought these home all at once)

It really does feel like I just won the door Jackpot!

Late to the party with My very own Tripod Lamp

2011-11-28T07:10:00.001-05:00

One of the things I love about blogging and reading blogs is all the inspiration that can be found out there.

I don’t think a day goes by that I don’t see something and say, “I want to make that”.

Only 99.9% of the time I just never get around to it.

Well, 3 weeks ago one of my favorite bloggers, Suzanne from Meridian Road, showed us some tripods she had found at an estate sale.

She said she would make them into lamps and I thought to myself, “That would be a cool thing to do with that silver tripod you curbed last year.”

But it was just a fleeting thought.

Then, 2 weekends ago I open up my Roadkill Rescue email and see where Susan from Homeroad actually made a lamp with a tripod she found.

Ahhh! I love it! I REALLY need to make one!

What am I waiting for? I was totally inspired.

This time I dug out my tripod and started working on it.

My tripod was painted silver, but I wanted it stained so I just sanded it down to (mostly) bare wood.

Then I quickly stained it.

I wasn’t especially thorough or careful either!

(why? well, I figured it wouldn’t really show. Now looking at the pictures I’m kinda rethinking that theory.)

That’s as far as I got that first weekend.

Come the next weekend I pull out my box of dismantled lamp parts and try to find something that works.

After much trial and error this is the configuration of parts I came up with.

I painted all the metal pieces with a hammered silver paint.

Why? because I had a can of it and I didn’t feel like going to the store to pick up something else.

(and I could brush it on rather than taping off the parts to paint with spray paint)

Ok, at this point I stopped taking pictures, but the shade I decided to use really didn’t go with the silver metal.

It’s a fiberglass shade and has a bronze thread swirled throughout. Call me crazy, but I just love these lampshades and pick them up whenever I find them.

I think they are so pretty when lit, the soft glow is awesome.

And it was exactly the right size for this lamp.

Crap! Now I need to paint again.

So the lamp sat for a few days waiting for me to get the right paint.

Meanwhile, out in blogland it turned out to be a week filled with lamp reveals!

Suzanne from Meridian Road actually completed one of her tripod lamp projects. It’s truly gorgeous. As in Restoration Hardware catalog gorgeous.

And Gina from Cottage3 made her own very cool funky industrial version with a windmill base. (It’s totally awesome)

Both girls showed how easy and inexpensive it was to make a lamp out of a store bought kit.

Why it only took minutes to do!

Dang!

If I had only waited a week….think of all the time I would have saved.

So here I am, late to the party yet again.

With my tripod lamp made from reclaimed lamp parts and a shade I already had.

But it wasn’t free, it cost me $7 for a can of ORB spray-paint.

I didn’t staple the cord to the leg like Suzanne did, but I did tuck it between the metal clamps before adding the plug.

I love it! Thanks for the inspiration Suzanne, Susan and Gina.

I may never have finished this without you!

Headboard to Wall Hanging and more for J

2011-11-25T07:22:00.001-05:00

The last project I showed you was J’s coffee table.

What I didn’t show you were the other pieces I made for him that weekend.

Remember this headboard I found a couple weeks ago?

I thought it would make a great piece of wall art.

First I cut the legs off and then I painted it black.

The cutouts were just begging for a mirror. So I grabbed the wall mirror out of my bedroom because it was exactly the right size and proceeded to take off the frame. Only I wasn’t careful enough.

Oopsie!

That’s seven years of bad luck there.

I had to send Mike out to Kmart to pick up another and this time I was very careful to cut the glue seal all the way around before trying to pull the frame off.

It worked and I was able to get the mirror attached to the back with no problems.

At the last minute I added a small ledge at the bottom with a slight lip to it.

Here it is hung on the wall in J’s TV room.

The ledge was to showcase his favorite games, movies, photos, whatever he feels like showing off.

I did one more little piece for him that day.

This little plaster base table was found curbside not long ago. (it must have been a garage sale leftover because that tape on top says $3.)

Apparently nobody thought it was worth that much and it was tossed out and left for me to rescue.

The base is ugly but the top was a nice piece of black slate.

A little black paint and a good sanding was all it needed to make it a set with the coffee table.

The styles were close enough to use together in the same room.

Poor J didn’t know what hit him.

;)

Since both of these were under $100 to make, (actually total cost for both was $5.99 for the mirror, since I already had the paint and scrap wood)

I’m linking up to Becky’s 100 ideas under $100 at Beyond the Picket Fence party. Check it out!

The story of J’s Organic Coffee Table

2011-11-21T08:39:00.001-05:00

What on earth is an organic coffee table anyway?

Got your attention, didn’t I?

My son Jason (we call him J) and I have been discussing the fact that it was time for a new coffee table for his TV room/man cave. The one he had was a curb find I had reworked for him when he and his wife first bought their house and had absolutely no furniture yet.

Let’s see if I can pull up a picture of that.

I had added the slate tiles and painted it. It worked fine, he especially liked the slate top.

On a recent visit I noticed it really didn’t fit with the more modern style of his room.

So I started looking at inspiration pics online and sending them to him to see what appealed to him the most.

This was the winning style, found on Overstock.com. He liked the clean lines of it.

A far cry from the chunky table he had!

About a week later I was excited to find this table at the curb. I immediately saw it as the base of J’s new coffee table.

So I got right to work, fixing the broken off corner,

taking off the top and priming the plaster pedestal,

only to find that the lines didn’t work with the square 2 tiered base I had made for it!

I forgot to take pics of that together, but trust me, there was just a little too much going on.

The clean straight lines of the inspiration table weren’t there.

OK, so that won’t work.

What will?

I cast my eyes around the basement and spied the shelves from this rack, all piled up.

You might remember when I rescued this last spring and made a NEST sign for my mantel.

So I cut the curved fronts off the shelves with the table saw and made a box to form the pedestal of the coffee table.

Ah, yes, this is more like the inspiration photo!

Now for a top.

I had a few leftover 13” square tiles from a long ago project.

The one thing J liked about the old coffee table was the tile top.

This would give him the tile element he wanted.

Perfect!

Much filling and sanding was needed to make the scrap wood I used for the base look like one piece.

Adding some trim around the top gave it that slab look.

Then came paint and lots of sanding…..

I made one of the panels hinged with a magnetic push latch for storing stuff out of the way.

The table was delivered last night.

Here it is in his TV room. (it was really dim in there so all the pics came out terrible)

He’s thrilled with it!

And that’s the story of J’s organic coffee table. (He’s taking the old one to work to give to one of his friends)

Price tag? Absolutely free. Even the magnetic push latch was from a curb find.

So I didn’t get to use the piece I thought I was going to, but at least I repurposed something!

;)

I’m linking up to Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm. Check out the party!

Also joining Becky’s 100 Ideas under $100 at Beyond the Picket Fence

Curbshopping Finds-back at it with a vengeance

2011-11-17T06:59:00.001-05:00

Seems I opened up the floodgates when I ‘fessed up to falling off the curbshopping wagon last week.

The very same day I told you about those finds I took a quick peek (so she says) down around my daughter’s neighborhood.

I’d been steering clear of it for months, but not anymore.

I’ve tasted the sweet rewards of finding something great and now I’m hooked all over again.

First thing I spot was this blond end table.

Nothing really special, it was made in China and has a loose leg and a worn spot on the edge.

Nothing that can’t be quickly fixed.

Hmm, my daughter might like this one.

So I pop it quickly in the back of the van and turn the corner to the next block.

Whoops, it’s an end table. Should I grab it?

Do I need it? Um, that would be a no.

But there’s absolutely nothing wrong with it!

And so it goes, back and forth. Should I? Shouldn’t I?

This would be an easy makeover.

Can’t you just picture it painted white, distressed, and then chalkboard paint applied in the etched squares on both levels?

I can.

I popped that in the van too.

Drive a few houses up and I spy a circle.

It turns out to be an accent table with a broken leg.

Fix it? Nah, too much work.

But, have you seen all the great clock projects out there made with a round table top?

I’ve even done one myself.

It was a great mantel decoration then became the top of my bistro table.

I know how valuable these tops are for projects like that.

Why, Gail from My Repurposed Life just made a Pocket Watch style wall clock with one of these.

She even did a tutorial on it.

No way am I turning this one down. No brainer, right?

Ok, so I should be all happy and satisfied with my haul by now, shouldn’t I?

But I just can’t turn away from cruising the remaining blocks.

I must check it all! I feel compelled.

My instincts were right.

Look here!

It’s a mission oak style desk!

This is sort of old, not solid oak everywhere, but veneered.

It was made before plywood and MDF though.

The top is in awful shape, split down the middle and warped.

But I don’t care!

This one is love at first sight.

Just look at that drawer pull…

I’ve always been a fan of Mission style furniture.

Just look at the bookshelves on the end of the desk. So cool.

It’s missing a piece on this end.

Not to worry, here it is inside the drawer.

I really love it when people keep the parts together even when throwing something away.

They must have cared for this at one time.

Oh, this one is definitely a keeper.

The biggest challenge was moving all my other finds out of the way to get it to fit in the van.

You should have seen me emptying my vehicle in the middle of the street then repacking everything back in with great care.

No curb finds were left behind on this day!

Not even the 9 foot ladder I found on my way back to the main drag.

Didn’t get pictures of that one, but it is currently waiting for me to retrieve it from my daughter’s driveway!

Could there possibly be a better start to my day?

I don’t think so.

Dining Room wainscot gets a new color

2011-11-11T06:18:00.001-05:00

A couple of years back I was on a red kick. As in gotta have pops of red everywhere.

During that phase I thought it would be cool to paint the bottom half of my dining room red.

It was ok for a while, but lately my eyes just want to jump out of their sockets when I look at it.

Time for a change. Now don’t get me wrong, I still like red, just not in such large doses.

But what color should I paint it?

Last January I painted the bead board in the adjoining kitchen a glossy golden green.

I really liked the look, and the best part is that the paint was an oops shade from Lowes and just cost me $5.

I had plenty left so decided to cover the red bead board in the same color.

Only problem, I hate painting bead board! It’s so difficult to get the paint into all the little crevices.

When I did the kitchen it took me most of a day to finish, and honestly, to this day I can see some cracks that I missed.

Luckily now I have the Command Max sprayer from HomeRight to make the job easier.

I immediately added this project to the long list of things I wanted to paint with it.

Yeah, I was a little nervous about painting in the house with a sprayer, but figured it was worth a try.

First things first, I had to tape off all the trim and mask the immediate area.

I purchased a roll of masking paper for this that was 9 inches wide.

It made the masking a lot easier and cost less than $3.

It took a lot, as I had to use it on the top edge and the bottom.

I covered the entire opening to the living room in plastic.

Not because I was scared of overspray, but to keep the dogs from coming in while I was trying to paint.

One of my readers made me promise not to paint the dogs when I got the sprayer. ;)

The taping off took me nearly an hour to complete. I was tempted to cut some corners here, but thought better of it.

Once I got going with the sprayer it took an hour to get the first coat on. I went very slow and made sure that each and every crack was painted.

I had decided to forego the primer, even though I was covering a dark color. Why? Pure laziness. I didn’t want to clean the sprayer twice.

(I know, I’m bad.)

The second coat took a half hour, and the third even less.

There was no waiting between coats because the coats were light and dried quickly. I only had to refill the paint in the spray cup once.

I was done and pulling off the masking paper after just 2 hours!

I love the new color.

Not crazy about the upper wall color with it, but that's on the list to paint later, along with the ceiling, the corner cupboards, etc. (the to-do list gets longer by the minute)

For now I’m happy with how much bigger and brighter the space feels.

Good-bye Red, it was fun while it lasted.

Even the guys on the backs of my dining room chairs are happy with the new color!

They’re positively beaming!

In case you thought I gave up Curbshopping..

2011-11-09T06:46:00.001-05:00

I didn’t.

In spite of all my good intentions I still sometimes cannot stop myself from visiting my old haunts on trash day.

Yesterday morning I ducked down a side street which in the past has been a good source for me.

It did not disappoint!

Within seconds I have popped this wicker coffee table into my van.

The edge on one side is a bit chewed up and it’s unraveling on one of the legs, but it can be fixed.

How on earth did they know I was coming by today and that I’m a sucker for anything wicker?

Just down the street a few houses I find this coffee table.

It’s really heavy, the base is plaster.

See where a corner is missing?

Not to worry, they left the missing piece in a plastic bag taped to the top of the table!

How considerate!

This table has a 1964 date stamped into the base. Obviously it was loved for a long time and even when it broke the owners were careful to keep the pieces so it could be fixed.

The top swivels around, you can kinda see how it’s mounted with a gap away from the pedestal.

Like a lazy susan.

I have a purpose in mind for this piece; my son has been wanting a new coffee table.

With a little changing up this piece might just be perfect for him!

Moving on…..

Just around the corner I spotted this lone headboard.

The cutouts totally captured my imagination.

I think it would look awfully cute on a wall; hanging above a fireplace.

Simply cutting off the legs and adding a mirror, fabric, or wallpaper behind it would totally transform this into a piece of art.

So there you have it, looks like I fell off the wagon yet again.

What’s a recovering curbshopaholic to do when all this great stuff is out there waiting for her to rescue it?

;)

I got to use my Command Max Paint Sprayer!

2011-11-05T10:45:00.001-04:00

In October I was the lucky winner of a Command Max paint sprayer giveaway that Gail from My Repurposed Life was hosting. I was so unbelievably excited to win such an awesome tool.

Well the folks at HomeRight mailed it out to me right away and it came to my house in no time.

I could barely wait for the weekend to roll around so I could paint everything in sight.

I dreamt about it all week long…everything I looked at around my house was earmarked for a new color…..

So what would be the first thing to try it out on?

Well……..

Before I won the sprayer I had started to paint the bead board ceiling in my breezeway. It was green and I wanted to change it to white.

Foolishly I skipped the primer part and just brushed on a coat of paint.

It took me hours to get that coat of paint on with a brush and it didn’t even come close to covering the green.

I was already so sick of painting I couldn’t stand the thought of adding more coats.

When I found out I’d won the sprayer I decided that the ceiling would be the first thing I’d paint with it.

Sorry, no before photos, I was in too big of a hurry to get started.

But this is what it looked like after spraying.

It was so easy to use!

For me the hardest part was straining the paint in the paper cone filters I had bought for it. It wasn’t until after the fact when I was talking to Gail that I found out they make non-disposable straining cones that work much better.

The paper ones were messy and kept collapsing on me. You can bet I won’t be using those again.

It took 3 light coats of paint to cover the last of the green on the ceiling. The best part was that each coat only took me about 20 minutes to spray.

Ok, now that I got the hang of it, on to another paint project. The weather was pretty decent that day, mid 50’s, so I decided to tackle a long overdue outdoor paint job on my “to do” list.

Remember the potting shed makeover I was working on this summer?

Painting the inside still needed to be done. I wanted it to have a whitewashed look.

I had been dreading that task but the sprayer made it soooooo easy. I never had to pick up a brush even once.

Everything got 2 coats from ceiling to floor. I used white primer. If the weather holds I may go over it with a coat of real paint, but for now the primer is good enough.

This wall on the left took about 10 minutes to cover.

Seriously!

What a difference the paint made. The pictures don’t do it justice.

I loved the fact that I didn’t need to wear the big mask like I do for spray painting.

In fact all I needed was a disposable paper dust mask.

However, next time I’ll have to stop and put a do-rag over my hair. I now know what I’ll look like when I go totally grey!

Oh, and my glasses are still spattered with paint.

(Should have worn safety glasses over them to keep them clean.)

Honestly I don’t think that would have been a problem if I hadn’t been painting a ceiling.

The need for masking the area was minimal. I just used some plastic with masking tape around the edges to hold it in place.

I’m totally in love with this sprayer!

Thank you HomeRight.

And of course, thank you Gail, for hosting such a great giveaway!

Just in case you don’t already know this, Gail is giving away yet another Command Max sprayer to celebrate reaching the 3000 follower milestone. Entries are open until Nov 8th, so get on over there to enter.

Whoever wins that 2nd sprayer is in for a real treat.

Now you must excuse me; you see it’s Saturday morning and this blogger has a hot date with a paint sprayer….

;)

Our Painted House Pics at Long Last

2011-10-31T09:02:00.001-04:00

I’m trying to knock some things off my “to blog” list. This one’s been bugging me for a while.

Back in May I told you we were having the house painted and I was agonizing over all the possibilities out there for paint colors.

Believe it or not, the house did get painted, I finally settled on colors and it’s been done since, oh, I don’t know; July maybe?

And still I never got around to showing you!

In my defense, I did try to take pics, several times, and was not really impressed with how they came out. There was always something that didn’t look good, or the sun was shining too bright, or it was too late in the day, or I needed to trim the bushes, rake the leaves, yada yada yada.

And I really wanted to show the house off at it’s best. Really.

Isn’t it funny that I didn’t care what it looked like in the “before” photo I showed you?

Then finally it hit me, so what if everything's not perfect? It is what it is. Why stress over it? If I wait for perfection you will never see a thing from me!

So, here you go, my sort of newly painted house with all the warts showing.

This picture was taken yesterday, we have a ton of leaves on the ground!

This is the “before” photo. (from a couple years back)

Here’s the front of the house right after it was painted. (the dormer on the top right wasn’t even done yet)

I liked it, but something was missing in the front.

I had some metal panels saved from our old gazebo and decided to try a couple as a decorative touch, kinda break up the plain painted brick.

Then I chose some Boston Ivy to add to the urns on the steps.

It grew pretty fast, almost covering the metal trellis on the right side. The left side lagged behind. (but those bushes grew like gangbusters, jeesh, they sure do need another trimming!)

This is why I chose the Boston Ivy, not only is it a fast growing vine, it has beautiful color in the fall!

Daylight was fading fast when I took these. You can see I painted (stained) the fence white to go with the color scheme.

Just love the way the ivy leaves look with the taupe and blue.

Now for the driveway side of the house. The door on the right is the main entrance. I installed that door to match the breezeway doors.

This storm door is what used to be there. Yuck! What an eyesore that was. I was so happy to take it down and put in a real door!

While I was at it, I took some pics of my fall mums.

A close up of a hand painted ice cream churn, sitting on a stump by the breezeway door.

This is the only picture I got to take of Tom, our house paint artist. He was such a great guy.

He was full of great suggestions on how to bring out the details of the house.

So that’s it!

My painted house at last.

Now I can cross that off my list.

Made for Each Other-Bistro Set

2011-10-28T08:17:00.001-04:00

Don’t you just love it when you discover something you have that totally works with something else you have?

Such was the case with these 2 pieces.

You might remember the faux clock I made with a vinyl decal?

It reigned supreme on my mantel all Spring and Summer, along with my Nest sign..

I started moving things around for fall and down it came.

Then there was this little metal bistro set I purchased at an antique show in July.

It was cute and the price was right.

But it had only a metal tray sitting on it for the top.

Well……..

Guess what?

They found each other!

It’s like it was always meant to be.

Now I’m thinking I need to stencil something on the seats to bring it all together.

But that’ll be a project for another day.

Linking up to Gail’s Party at My Repurposed Life

Katy gets a Forever Home for her 9th Birthday!

2011-10-20T08:17:00.001-04:00

You all might remember our houseguest, Katy.

She’s the retired racing Greyhound that came to stay with us in February while she was looking for her very own forever home.

She turned 9 today.

And guess what?

She’s not a houseguest anymore.

Yes, my friends, we are happy to report that Katy has officially been adopted.

Katy is now a member of our “pack”.

That’s right, she decided we would do.

Oh, it wasn’t an easy decision.

She checked us out quite thoroughly, examining every square inch of the house to make sure it was up to her high standards.

After all, if she was going to stay here forever, it had to be just right.

She made sure all the beds were comfortable,

and that the other dogs would be good companions.

She even checked out the neighborhood to make sure the neighbors were friendly.

Click this link to read the story of my little runaway.

Yeppers, she got all the escape routes figured out just in case she decided not to stay.

Oh yea, she took her time deciding.

Many a day was spent deep in thought, debating the merits of our household.

She spent several Saturdays at the local mall, shopping for a new family.

Lots of people stopped to pet her but none were just right.

It was looking more and more like we were her best bet.

But there was one last thing to check out….

Ahh, yes. A good match.

Despite all his protests about having 3 dogs, Mike really loves her.

Yep, this is home.

Happy Birthday to our Katybelle!

We’re so glad she chose to keep us.

A Headboard Bench for Linda

2011-10-18T05:56:00.001-04:00

In August I went to the Bouckville Antique Show with my buddy Linda. We’ve shopped together enough to know exactly what the other likes.

And we have a firm and fast rule. The first to see gets first dibs. It works for us.

Anyhow, while browsing the many booths set up near our parking lot I came across an old headboard/footboard for a 3/4 size bed. (no side rails)

It was marked $10.

It had a very unique style to it, I loved it, but in my opinion it screamed “Linda”.

When I called her over and showed her she liked it a lot, but couldn’t think of anything to do with it.

“Why this would make a perfect headboard bench!” says I. “Do you have anyplace you could put one?”

“Yea, at the end of my bed, but how would I put it together?” she replies doubtfully, trying to visualize what she saw in front of her as a bench.

Well, I proceeded to explain exactly how she could do it, until I looked up at her glazed over eyes.

I knew that look. She didn’t “see” it.

“OK, here’s the deal. You buy this bed, I’ll take it home with me and make it into a bench for you.

But I don’t do any of the finishing, that’s all you. Got it?”

Deal!

She paid the amused vender the $10 he was asking and we went on our merry way.

I finally got around to tackling it, and delivered her bench last week.

(Can you believe I forgot to take pictures of the bed before starting? duh!)

I found a great piece of salvaged wood in the basement that worked for the front support.

She’s quite happy and promises to take pictures once it is finished.

She plans to paint it and make a loose cushion for the seat.

Her husband thinks I’m evil for talking her into it.

Hey, that’s what friends are for, right?

;)

Linking up to

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm

Barn Lights

2011-10-12T10:44:00.001-04:00

(Edited 10/14 – the giveaway at Barn Light Electric is now closed. Waiting to see who won.

I’ve changed the title from the original to avoid confusing people. Thanks!)

It seems that barn style light fixtures are all the rage right now.

Have you ever priced them at an antique sale?

Eek! They’ve become way too expensive for my pocketbook. You can certainly tell by the prices that these are hot items!

Then I found out that Barn Light Electric is hosting a giveaway of barn style lighting fixtures!

Why, they’re giving away one prize each of $1000 or $500 worth of their fabulous lighting!

Lots of my blog friends have entered by blogging about the giveaway.

Today I read Anita’s post (from a couple days ago, sorry Anita, I’m way behind in my reading) and said, what the hey, I should enter this too.

So what if it’s at the 11th hour, right?

So I went browsing through their website and promptly fell in love with these particular models:

This gooseneck sconce in porcelain on steel finish is amazing. I love the look of this!

I’d put one on either side of the fireplace mantel, that’s what I’d do.

Love this Barn Light 10” warehouse sconce in the galvanized finish. It would look so cool on the back of the garage, to go with my updated outdoor kitchen.

This stem mount all weather farm light in galvanized would look great too.

This Ivanhoe pendant was a little fancier, love the peek-a-boo slits on the neck!

The porcelain enamel coated lights in hunter green especially intrigued me.

Look how pretty this is with the brass fixture.

I found this next light on their vintage page. It looked very familiar to me.

See? I have one just like it! Got it for $10 at the Bouckville Antique Festival.

Wonder if I can convert this one to a gooseneck style like the one above?

Good thing Barn Light Electric also sells parts!

It’s got a couple of rusty dings around the edges, but that made me love it all the more.

I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed that I win, but just in case I don’t, I think I’ve come up with a backup plan!

;)

It’s still not too late to enter, you have until 11:59pm EST, TODAY. October 12th. Hurry, you can still make it!

How to Enter:

Look around online at Barn Light Electric and pick lights you’d love to own
Feature your lighting picks on your personal blog, and link to the lights if you can!
Copy/Paste these rules at the bottom of your blog article so others can enter
Once your personal article is up, you must email your blog link to: contest@barnlightelectric.com to be qualified to win. The contest ends Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Don’t have a blog? Find out how you can enter by reading the Official Rules

Good Luck!

Chicken Crate

2011-10-05T08:34:00.001-04:00

I bought this when I was at the Bouckville Antique Festival in August.

Even though it’s not an antique.

I paid $5 for it.

And no; I don’t plan on raising chickens anytime soon.

(although I can’t tell you how many people asked me where the chickens were as I schlepped this back to the car)

I really liked the simple metal latch and corner bands.

When I first saw it I could see it in the office, repurposed into a box for hanging files.

Only when I got it home I discovered it’s about an inch too narrow to hold the folder, and not wide enough to hold 2 rows side by side.

Uh-oh, now I have to find another purpose for it.

It’s too small to use as a coffee table.

Maybe as a side table, possibly with a glass top?

hmm, maybe…

Or how about as an ottoman?

What do you think?

There’s got to be something cool I could use this for.

Or maybe I should just go shopping for those chickens after all.

;)

Linking up this week to

Would you buy it? Wednesday at Junker Newbie’s place

11 years ago yesterday…

2011-10-02T07:38:00.001-04:00

He said “I do”.

We kissed…..

and we danced to our special song

“Fly Me To The Moon”

I wonder if he had any clue back then what he was getting himself into?

(If that wicked face I was making didn’t give him a hint, I don’t know what to tell you.)

Of course, back then I wasn’t bringing concrete trash cans home to repurpose.

We spent a wonderful day together yesterday, celebrating the best decision we ever made.

Guess what?

I’m officially out of the dog house.

He said he has no regrets!

Jason’s Headboard Bench-Done at Last

2011-09-30T20:06:00.001-04:00

Were you wondering if I would ever finish the headboard bench my daughter’s friend Jason asked me to make?

It’s done!

Really and truly.

I just need to deliver it.

Heck, even I was wondering if I would ever finish it!

You see, in case you hadn’t noticed, I have this awful habit of setting a project aside once I hit a snag with it.

And sure enough, with Jason’s headboard bench I hit ~~a few~~ many more snags.

Let me refresh your memory, I had first used a poly shades stain and poly in one, with very bad results. I then had to completely sand the entire bench again to get rid of the ugly botched finish.

The second stain came out great!

That was the last time I wrote about it.

That’s when I started hitting the snags. This time with the polyurethane finish.

After putting the bench in time out for a while (it festered in the far reaches of the garage for many weeks) I finally mustered up the energy to get back to it and finish.

I’ll spare you all the gory details, (hint, they involved even more sanding and re-staining!)

Somewhere along the way I managed to cover the seat cushion with the really beautiful, super heavy upholstery fabric Jason had bought for this piece.

I must say, I was pretty intimidated by the quality of this stuff! (and we all know I can’t sew for beans!)

Here’s a photo of the fabric taken in daylight. The colors are so beautiful.

Jason decided throw pillows in the same fabric would complete the bench, so I picked up a couple pillow forms and sewed a basic cover for each.

Nothing fancy here. My sewing machine didn’t much like going through the heavy material.

Sorry about the glare, I had to do a photo shoot in the living room with some floodlights added.

The house has just been so dark lately and I didn’t want to drag this outside and risk scratching it.

The fabric colors look totally different in this light!

This is how the bed looked originally.

And here she is today.

I don’t think I’ll tackle another refinishing project soon.

This one totally kicked my butt.

I sure do hope he likes it!

Linking up to these fun parties:

Catch as Catch Can at My Repurposed Life

Furniture Feature Friday at Miss Mustard Seed’s

Saturday Night Special At Funky Junk Interiors

Taking Trashpicking to a New Extreme

2011-09-29T08:37:00.001-04:00

I need help.

Seriously.

Mike is ready to have me committed.

It’s bad.

To my credit, I’ve been a good girl lately; I haven’t curbshopped in ages….

and I even got Mike’s side of the garage all cleaned out so he can park in there yet again.

(this has become an annual ritual, I’m afraid)

So I didn’t think he’d be upset when I came home with a ~~300~~ 400 pound trash can the other day.

Oh boy, was I ever wrong!

I kinda had to ask for help getting it out of the van so I HAD to tell him about it.

He totally flipped a gasket over this one.

(and maybe got a hernia too)

It’s just a run-of-the-mill concrete trash receptacle; they were very popular in the 70’s and 80’s at chain restaurants because they couldn’t be stolen or even blow away for that matter.

And it’s soooo heavy. I don’t know what it actually weighs, but I’m betting I’m not too far off the mark when I say 300 to 400 pounds!

They were going to throw it away at work.

That is, until I said I want it!

It took 2 strong guys to slide it into the back of the van.

I can totally see this as a table base with a concrete top on it out next to our outdoor kitchen (which incidentally is sporting a new poured concrete top these days.)

I know, I know, I haven’t blogged about that makeover yet….I’ve been holding out on you.

Here’re a couple sneak peek pictures to give you an idea how it looks.

I thought since I already know how to work with concrete it’d be a no-brainer to make a form and pour the tabletop, maybe stain the base to match the brown base of the outdoor kitchen.

Somehow Mike just doesn’t see it.

Sigh

What about you?

Can YOU see it?

Would YOU have brought this home?

I need some support here.

Help me get out of the doghouse, pretty please?

Linking up to Junker Newbie’s “Would you Buy it Wednesday” party.

Can’t forget to link up to Linda’s Nifty Thrifty Tuesday party over at Coastal Charm. After all, what’s thriftier than FREE, right?

While you’re there, don’t forget to enter her Southern Lady Subscription giveaway!

UPrinting Postcard Winner!

2011-09-27T06:23:00.001-04:00

We have a winner of the 100 postcards from UPrinting.com.

Thank you to everyone who entered the contest, I wish all of you could have won!

But since I had to pick just one comment I ran them through the number generator and it chose number 3.

Linda, from A La Carte is the winner!

Looks like Christmas postcards with Tiger on them will be in the works.

Don’t forget to send me one too Linda! ;)

I’ll send your info in so you can claim your prize!

Have a great day,

UPrinting Postcard Giveaway!

2011-09-24T11:44:00.001-04:00

Did you know that postcards are a great way to send invitations, announcements, or holiday greetings to your family, friends, or shop mailing list? You can save money on postage by sending postcards those times an e-mail blast just will not do!

Online printing through UPrinting .com is a great way for you to create and design your own easily.

Why, Uprinting.com offers just 2 business days print turnaround time.

That’s pretty quick.

And guess what?

Uprinting.com has offered to give 100 postcards to 1 lucky winner right here on my blog!

Here’s the prize details:

The winner of this giveaway (sorry, only 1 winner) will receive 100 5x7 postcards made with 14pt cardstock gloss.

The prize includes standard postcards printed on the front only. (Folded cards not included.)

There’s a 2 business day print turnaround time and free shipping.

Entries limited to US residents 18 years old and above only.

Having a big holiday open house? These postcards would be just the thing to use as invitations.

Or how about an engagement announcement?

There’re so many different ways to use these!

As for me, I think a picture of our 3 dogs all decked out in their best Santa hat (Sandy) and Reindeer antlers (Katy and Yoshi) would make the cutest Christmas postcard to send to friends and family this year.

I’m curious, what would you use them for?

How to enter:

Simply leave a comment on this post telling me what you would use the postcards for if you win!(Be sure to include an email address in your comment if it isn’t on your profile page. )

One entry per person.

That’s it!

Entries will close at 10pm EDT, on Monday, Sept 26. The winner will be announced on Tuesday.

Sorry, but persons who have won a UPrinting giveaway within the last 6 months are not eligible to win.

*FTC Disclaimer: This giveaway is sponsored by UPrinting, no monetary compensation was given and I will receive 100 postcards of my own for hosting. (thinking of those Christmas postcards!)

Good Luck,

Plant Stand from Jason gets a New Look

2011-09-20T13:10:00.001-04:00

It’s not that I haven’t done any projects lately, it’s more the picture taking that’s getting in my way.

I’ve got several things I’ve finished recently, but not a decent photo of anything.

I really hate the fact that summer is coming to an end, why, it’s still dark at 6:30 am here!

And forget about doing anything after work, daylight is gone by 7pm.

Not exactly great conditions for taking project photos, know what I mean?

This little makeover was a quickie, done before I even knew it.

Remember the haul I got from my daughter’s friend, Jason? The one who wanted the headboard bench made in return for the goodies?

(the bench which, btw, is still here, waiting for pillows to be made before I deliver it back to him)

In that assortment was this old plant stand.

He had picked it up from the curb with all intentions of fixing it up.

The top was broken off, if you look at the photo above the round top is on the chair. For the before photos I just balanced the top on the base to take the pictures.

The finish was in real rough shape.

Of course I forgot to take pictures of the fixing; basically I secured the top back on by replacing the broken part with a new piece of wood and gluing it all together.

The base was then painted with Glidden “True Turquoise” in satin finish.

I got a free quart back a couple months ago when Glidden had an online promotion, you could pick any color you wanted.

I really just slapped one coat on, then sanded it back along all the edges to show some of the wood tone. I thought I would have to rub some stain on it too, to tone it down, but the sanding did the trick.

A coat of wipe on poly over the paint to give it a sheen and it was done!

The top got sanded down really well and then stained with a Mahogany gel stain.

Several coats of wipe on poly were added to protect the finish.

After I painted the piece I noticed the base was very wobbly as the pillar part was very loose.

It pulled apart easily.

See all the old glue residue?

It’s important to sand that all away before adding more glue.

I used Gorilla wood glue to reattach the base.

Clamping it and letting it dry overnight did the trick, no more wobbles.

Here it is as a clock stand.

(Nosy Katy decided to get in on my photo shoot.)

Let’s try it now with a plant….

OK, so it’s a fake plant, that’s all I can grow!

Here’s a side by side Before and After:

I’m really not sure what I’ll use it for yet.

Suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

;)

Have a great day!

Linking up to Catch as Catch Can at My Repurposed Life

Check it out!

Joining Stephanie Lynn’s Sunday Showcase party too!

Momma, I’m a Dirty Girl! (blush)

2011-09-12T06:57:00.001-04:00

My mom reads my blog, so I’m making this little confession right here. Something I haven’t been able to tell her in person.

Something I still can’t quite believe myself.

Saturday, September 10th, I became a Dirty Girl by participating in the Dirty Girl Mud run held just south of Buffalo, NY.

Yea, me, running. I’m sooooo not a runner, or a walker, or any kind of fitness buff.

But I stepped outside my comfort zone and signed on to do this 5k race with a group of friends from golf.

(I may or may not have had a drink or 2 the night I agreed to do it; just saying)

The name of our team was “See you at the Finish Wine”.

We had a riot getting together to decorate our tee shirts to wear for the race.

My Silhouette cutter came in handy for cutting out the wine glasses and bottles to iron on to the shirts. (thanks to Gail for helping me get it figured out)

This is a team photo of all of us before the race started. (I’m the one on the far right)

The Dirty Girl race is an event for women only, of all ages. It raises money for breast cancer research, awareness and education.

So, just 4 weeks ago I started training for this run in the early mornings.

Have I mentioned I’m not a runner?

OMG, running is so hard! I started with the couch to 5k program but had to accelerate it since I didn’t have 12 weeks to train.

The 5k course also had 11 obstacles to overcome, the most famous being the mud pit that must be crawled through to get to the finish line.

Yup, a mud pit. (hence the Dirty Girl name)

There's also a cargo net to climb over, tires to high step through, hay bales to climb, tunnels to crawl through, a mud hill to slide down, all in all a bunch of challenges all along the way.

It was fun!

I actually surprised myself by being able to run most of the course with just a couple stretches of walking.

By the end of the race we were all pretty dirty!

Here’s our team “after” photo.

Here’s me before the race……all nice and clean.

And here I am after…..sliding down the mud hill on my belly was a riot!

We spent the night at a hotel in Buffalo and had a fun filled night out. On the way back home we made a pit stop at the Outlet Mall for some bargain hunting.

All in all, it was a great adventure!

Oh, and I almost forgot, somewhere along the way I agreed to run a race in October, and November, and December too.

Not quite sure how that happened……

;)

Letters- would you have taken these?

2011-09-01T06:17:00.001-04:00

Recently I happened to come across some contractors working on remodeling a convenience store.

They were taking down some letters off the top of a wall.

I asked what they were going to do with the letters.

Throw them away, was the answer!

I couldn’t believe my ears.

Of course I then asked if I could have them instead. ;)

And that’s how I got all these large letters.

This is what they originally said.

Would you have asked for them too?

Now of course, the question is, “What should I do with them?”

What would YOU do?

They’re currently all jumbled up in a box.

Are they doomed to gather dust in a corner for the next couple years?

Help me out here folks, I need to use these.

The red ones are my favorite, they are about 4 inches high.

Naturally the first thing I could see was my name.

The medium letters are about 6 inches high.

The largest letter is about 12 inches high. I have 2 sets of Coffee.

I’m not seeing any other good words hidden in these letters.

Do you see any?

What on earth should I do with them?

I’m going to link this up to Junker Newbie’s “Would you buy it Wednesday” party.

I’m hoping for some help here!