My Little Projects Part 1

Sorry I have been M.I.A. lately. I was uber busy with my husband's return from his one month stay in the desert. Then a trip to my mom's for Thanksgiving, which I completely forgot to take my camera with me to take pics of projects I did while I was there :o( Next time. So now that I am back home with hubby in tow I can finally get so many projects done! I am sooooo excited, yippeeee. I can finally finish the armoire, desk, chest, dresser, dining table, chairs, and sons room. Oh and for Christmas I told the hubby I wanted 3 rooms painted. They will be the kitchen, master bedroom, and son's room. Oh and I have a ton of small projects too. Plus a knock off project of Ballard Design's. Set of 9 prints for $169 (on sale) done for around $20!! So much to show. Here is one of the first "little" projects I have to show. I didn't take any pics while I was doing it, I know shame on me, but I'll explain what I did.

The pic above is the before. I bought two of these heavy resin frames for $16 at the local flea market warehouse place called This Old Place. I find good deals there all the time.

This is the first re-do. I had spray painted (.99c spray paint of course) one frame a flat white and spray painted the matting silver with spray paints I already had. I love Chanel No. 5 perfume bottles so I printed this image off of Flickr. I have four images saved but they're too girly for my husband.

So I took them down out of my room and found a place in the den for them. I spray painted them a flat black ( .99c paint once again) and used white craft paint ( .47c @ walmart) to dry brush all the creases and detail.

I tried to take a closer pic of the detail so you could see where I had dry brushed it. To dry brush I had read about using water to thin the paint, but this didn't work for me. It made the black paint look dirty mixed with the white. So I dipped my brush in the craft paint and wiped it all off. Then I just starting pouncing the brush into the crevices and rubbed it over the "moulding". (Not sure what you call the carved details in the frame, moulding works for me though)

After replacing the matting (bought at Hobby Lobby for $3 ea. I think) I went ahead and hung them. Excuse the dirty glass. I still need to clean them. And I also need to find another picture to put in the bottom frame too. But I think they look just perfect for my den. If I would've used them in my living room I would've done cream with light turquoise craft paint.

Stay tuned for more little projects as well as big ones. Hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving.

T.G.I.F.-Parties & Giveaways

Okay so by now if you have read my blog you have to know I absolutely adore theLENNOXX, no surprise there right? I'm actually redoing some of my home to the tune of the photos they've posted. Anywho what I didn't know is that they did giveaways! Sweet. I encourage anyone who loves great design inspiration to check out their website. Here are a couple of pics of the pillows they are giving away.

They not only give you one chance to enter, but two! I'm sure you can't tell me there isn't at least 2 pillows you would love out the group.

And also thanx so much to my BFF (Blogging Friend Forever) in the making Dayka over at Life + Style for the heads up about The DIY Showoff party. Who doesn't love a good party after a long stressful week.

What's On Your Plate?

And this time I don't mean food ;o) I have an obsession with plates that developed recently. I have been looking for plates to hang over my fireplace that will just jump out at you. That has led me to wandering "What do you guys out there eat off of?" I know at one point a looooong time ago I would eat off of paper plates set on a wicker plate. That was the laziness in me. I hated washing dishes and still do. But since then I have collected dish, with help of course. So here at our house this is what we have been eating off of and drinking out of. (Overlook the ugly cabinets, we are renting so we have no choice. But they will at least be lined soon)

This first picture: 1.Margarita glasses from Aafes (4/$10) 2. Red high ball glasses from eBay (4/$5) 3. Large martini glasses from Pier 1 (6/$12) 4. Reg. drinking glasses from aafes (4/$10) 5. Reg. drinking glasses from Marshalls ($2.99 ea.) 6. Reg. drinking glasses from Old Time Pottery (.50c ea. after Christmas sale) 7. Coffee Mug from Target (from my mom) 8. White milk glasses (from my husbands grandmother) 9.Coffee Mugs from TJMaxx ($2.99 ea.)

I used to buy a lot of red dishes because I just love the brightness in my kitchen. It feels warm and cozy to me. I also used to buy a lot of dishes from Old Time Pottery but we don't have one near us where I live now. They have fabrics, vases, pillows, and so forth and so forth for great prices!

In the above picture: 1.Red Glass Serving bowls from Old Time Pottery (.50c ea. after Christmas sale too) 2.Salsa dishes from Target dollar spot 3.Red serving bowl form Pier 1 ($5) 4. Bowls from TJMaxx ($2.99 ea.)...well all my bowls were 2.99ea. and the plates range from $2.99 for the smaller ones to $4.99 for the bigger ones. All plates and bowls were bought at TjMaxx and Marshalls. Here is a close up of my plates. I just had to have the set with the #9. I loved the colors. Maybe in the future I will change to blues, yellows, oranges, and creams. That would make me happy.

So whats on your plates? What colors do you use? Why? How do you acquire your dishes? Do tell!

Dollar General Haul

Sorry I seem to post tons at one time and then take long breaks from my blog. It's just that when I start to get into DIY stuff I dive head first and work on tons at one time. Yet how is it infamous armoire is still not done?

Well anywho...I bought some frames from dollar general (I am a closet hoarder of frames) for 70% off. So in total I paid about $8 after tax for them. A deal I thought was great because I knew exactly where I wanted to put them. (two little gold frames I already had and will show a DIY later once I finish them)
About a week later I finally got around to taking them apart.

The little molding pieces just pop right off the matting. But be warned it was hell to get them back on. I took the molding pieces and the frame to the garage for a coat of flat black .99c rustoleum spray paint I had on hand.

Then I got out some fabric I had stashed away from a reupholstery project I did earlier this year. Which dummy me forgot to use until I finished the first chair. Anywho it was bought for $5/yd at fabric world. Some spray adhesive from the same chair project, and an exacto knife ($3 @ Lowes).

I sprayed the back of the fabric and laid the matting on it. I cut a square out of the middle and cut from the corners of the matting out so I could fold the fabric over (which was sticky enough from the spray to stick to the back with no help.

Here is the after result.

After the spray paint dried and I finished the matting I put all of the pieces together and stapled the backing into place. This was a bad idea. It pushed the staples with so much pressure it broke the glass. I replaced the glass later with another frame I had stashed away. But to be honest I broke 2 pieces of glass by the time I was done. I'm hard headed as heck so I didn't learn my lesson the first time. I ended up taping the back of the frame on which worked just fine.

Here is the finished result. Before and after. I got this idea from High-Heeled Foot in the Door.

I'll be hanging these in my den which I'll share with you once it is painted!
I do have a couple of more projects to finish in there too though. I'll share with you this secret. Always check Fred's, Walgreens, and Dollar General for household items. You'll be surprised what will turn up at such great prices. (BTW I found some 14x14 ornate shadow boxes (which I need badly) for $6 at Fred's yesterday!)

Let There Be Light

As you saw my bedroom lamps (bought off of ebay for $10 after shipping) in a previous post I'm sure you noticed they were pretty small. I do love them because they seem so boudoirish but loathe them because they are smallish. To my girls room they'll go. So to replace them I pulled out some lamps I recieved from Granma P. I had already gotten some buffet lamps from her I had painted to go in my room, but obviously buffet lamps would've been way to tall. So here are the lamps in all their glory :o)

Here is one of the lamps after I painted it 3 coats of glossy white spray paint and trimmed the bottom in gold liquid leaf (against my mother's advice). Since the chest & desk that will go in my room are going to be white I needed the lamp to have a stopping point so it doesn't just "flow" into the furniture. Plus I like the gold at the bottom paired with the grayish silver shade (purchase at target for the buffet lamps) And also one lamp is shorter then the other so I will fix this problem by stacking a couple of books under one to even out the height difference. I'm thinking some books covered with gold wrapping paper...I know it would be pushing it though. I love a can of .99c spray paint! But then again who doesn't? If any has any advice on whethr I should add any more detail to the lamps let me know! Thanx :o)

Ornamental Frames

I love going to Hobby Lobby & Target every year and looking at their ornaments. They always have them grouped by color and textures. Oh the eye candy. I love handblown ornaments with feathers, mirrored ones with etching, and so forth and so forth. But can we use them for anything else beside Christmas decor? Well of course! So far I have used decorations for at least 2 things.

I love the tassels they sell in Hobby Lobby. They have all sorts of different ones. Long ones, beaded, fabric, and so on and so on. These two I bought to go in my sons room for maybe a few bucks. They have seen better days since they've been in there since he was 4 (He is now 9, well 9 1/2 let him tell it) I have bought some long silver beaded ones too that I haven't used yet.

These sets of frames I spent a total of about $8 +tax on. The red ones came from target (50% off after Christmas) and they sit in my kitchen window sill. The brown wooden ones I got from Hobby Lobby 3 years ago (50% off also) and I do believe they still sell them. Hobby Lobby even has mirrored, silver , or gold frames to suit your fancy! I like to pair little frames with big ones.

This year I am going to invest in some little birdies to put in my jars and cheese trays around the house. I am going through a bird + nest phase right now. If you have any other ideas of how you can decorate with Christams decor please do share!

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A NOTE FROM THE BLOGGER

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Every year over the past few years I have come to love Christmas more and more each year. I used to dread this specific day due to it's exploitation of gift giving. Though now I do like to relish in the joys of my kid's childhood beliefs in Santa Claus, I'm keen to make sure Christ's birth, life , and death is the most significant point of the holiday. So let it be known it's CHRISTmas and not X-mas. Who is X anyways? Sorry just had to get that off my chest :o)

While the Hubby's Away...

His wife will redecorate! Well since my husband has been in the Mojave Desert for war training I decided to re-do our room to my liking. I'm not sure if I had let you know before, but I am not in love with my tropical looking bed. It's not romantic to me. It looks like something I would find in a Florida hotel. Though I must admit it is a Pulaski piece that I bought brand new ($102 total) from a local warehouse online auction site. Sadly that site doesn't have top notch pieces like they used to.
Well while I was desperate to get it out of my room, I knew we couldn't afford another one. So to the garage I went and stumbled upon this....

Our bed from our first place together! Here is what it looks like with all of it's attachments. I can't fit it in our room with all the pieces on. But I do love it again (hubby never did) and am happy it's back in my life. After a couple of white gloss coats here ya go...

It does need some touch up since I banged it around trying to get it up the steps by myself, but all in all I think it's a little improvement. It will look better once I paint the room the right shade of gray (when I find it). Over the bed I hung a heart shaped mirror that reflects my chandelier. I love a mirror over the bed.

And some mirrored frames. The frames and mirror were both purchased on eBay. The frames were about $10 ea. after shipping. I had them hanging on another wall in the room.

I have a chaise at the foot of the bed I bought from an aunt for $80, which she bought at spiegel. It was less than a year old! My daughter keeps pulling the beads off of the bottom for some reason or other.

This is a corner that I dedicated to my little girls. They like to watch when I am getting glammed up. I thought it would be fun for them to have a space to get glammed up also. So this is what it looks like now...(notice there used to be shades on the chandelier. Yeah they're in the kitchen now.)

I found this in our garage when looking for things to repurpose for our house. I forgot all about it.Soon (hopefully this week) I will be painting it as a scaled down version of this..(minus the flowers)

My littlest girl loves sitting here. She even has free range of my perfume as well as her own.

Inside her drawer she has another little mirror her auntie Sarah gave her. There is also play jewelry. Maybe Santa will bring her some pieces that have seen better days, and if she is extra good a little nail polish. Well maybe not nail polish. She's not ready for that yet.

I do have some lamps I am replacing the smaller lamps with. They are currently in the drying process. And I've been wearing down my mom for her fireplace that hangs on the wall (also purchased at that local warehouse for uber cheap). Mom if you are reading this I am making a public plea!! Obviously I have so much more to do in my room. I have so many DIY projects unfolding that I will show as I do them. So stay tuned. I am hoping to get it all done in the next couple of weeks. You heard that one word that defines that sentance...HOPING :o)

Some Inspiration

I haven't finished any of my DIY projects lately because my little girl has been uber sick. I have been blog surfing though. I always spend so much time on one particular blog. theLENNOXX has got to be one of the best blogs for inspiration. Looking through their pictures has got me wanting to re-do or at least finish my living room. Here are some of the pictures I picked out to point me in the directions I would like to go.

I love these pillows

This would be the perfect place to sit and have a cheerful conversation.

And just to think it is attached to a bedroom, almost like a studio apartment.

I love the cool colors here. I was thinking about doing the mirror and frames over the sofa or maybe in my room. Which would be better? Think it's to much to put over the sofa?

Be sure to check out theLENNOXX's website. You will not regret it.

Goodwill Gives A Good Break

The first saturday of the month in Tennessee are always the best! I'm not sure if they do this anywhere else, but Goodwill has everything in their store 50% off! I am always lined up that first saturday morning of the month to get my deal. Well this saturday wasn't like that. I forgot. As simple as that....Forgot. So believe my surprise when I decided to waste some time this weekend by running by there. Even though I made it late in the day, I believe I got some deals. I spent a total of $24 after tax. Here is what I bought:

A crystal/ quartz clock for $2, A large etched mirror for $12.50 and about 8 skirts/ dresses for my little girl. Be sure and check to see if your local goodwill has the same sale at the beginning of the month!

Who Doesn't Love A Great Deal?

So it's 3:18am and I can't sleep. This is normal for me though. I always have nights where my mind will not shut down. So I decided to do some web surfing. Does anyone say that anymore, web surfing? Any who I came across this website that tracks awesome deals. People log on and upload deals that they have found, whether it be local stores or websites. Within 5 minutes I had made my first purchase after surfing (yes I had the audacity to use that word again) this site. I love Taste of Home magazine. I bought a years subscription for $3.50 w/ free shipping!!



They have all sorts of deals that change daily as the deals expire. Be sure to take time to check them out if you are looking for something and want to save some serious cash.

Sew In Spring Reap In Autumn

The weather has been so lovely, just perfect for eating outside. This is a dining set I bought this past spring on eBay as a local pick-up. I bought it for $26 flat, no tax or pick-up fees. I never intended using it in my house. I had a better idea for it.
The lady who had sold it to me had tried to recover the seats herself. She was aiming for the cafe look. Now I'm not going to criticize bbbuuutttt......I'll leave it at that.

After a coat of rustoleum spray primer and two coats of flat white spray paint I had a bright new (at least for me) white table. The cushions were pretty yucky and I had seen outdoor fabric I had just had to have. Problem was it was 3.5 hours away. And yes I drove those 3.5 hours to get it! The fabric was designed by Laurie Hickson-Smith from Trading Spaces for Hancock Fabrics. You remember the Southern Belle red head? I fell in love with this print called Freer, just in another color that I planned on using in my living room. It was sold out and discontinued :o( But they did have this color left which worked out perfect for me.

Who knew outdoor fabric could be so wild? It totally reminds me of my hometown Key West. I put it on my back deck for al fresco dining.

One day I will have to do a post about how to find local furniture on ebay. I have found tons of furniture and home decor for uber cheap on ebay.

"If you do not sow in the spring you will not reap in the autumn."-Irish Proverb

Coming Attractions

I'm not sure exactly what I am going to do with these 2 chairs I purchased this week for $30 off of CYS. But I know I want them to either be edgy or at least different.

Here is the room that I was talking about in the last post. It has a great pop of yellow! Since this picture we have replaced the bed and....(scroll down to the next pic plz)

added some more storage. I redid 3 of these steel drawers $10 ea. at Habitat for Humanity's store called ReStore (which you can find some of everything for home projects & decorating) and this file cabinet (1 of 3 for $10 total) for the room above.

While I was in memphis a couple of weekends ago I had intended to go yardsaling. Yeah, that didn't happen. But while on my way to goodwill I did see one yard closing up shop and snatched this desk up for $10! It will be going into my room after a complete makeover.

I'm replacing the $20 Bassett chest (which I bought both nightstands to match for $40 more) inbetween my girls bed with this $20 wider one. I purchased both on CYS. If you live near a military base I am sure there is a local CYS for you too. I've been working on it while I work on the infamous armoire.

I purchased 2 of these framed prints for $16 from a local flea market I absolutely adore called This Old Place. I have changed them twice so far, and they will soom be in my den also.