Rain, rain...stay awhile

Wow...I don't remember a July and August with this much rain. Usually I am running my sprinkler 7 days a week by this time of the year! Awesome!

In "good ole' boy" terms, that means a second cutting of hay this fall! For the rest of us, it means more mowing, less watering and HOPEFULLY really awesome fall colors!

Saturday Kaitlyn and I went to an auction...when we left the house around 9 it was pouring and I wondered if they would even have the sale. Fortunately it was a relatively small sale and they had everything under cover, but by the time we got there it had stopped raining. Within an hour the rain jacket came off and by the time the sale ended it felt like a sauna. By the time I finished loading the stuff I had bought, I was soaked...from sweat!

There is a downside to all this rain...humidity and mosquitos!!!

Upside, I don't feel guilty about not washing my outside windows...afterall, they are just going to get all spotty with all this rain!

Anywho, I bought some nifty stuff at the auction this past week. Some awesome crocks, wood sewing nic-nacs, washboards, old leather baseball gloves and some neat iron hooks to use on something!

I only bought one piece of furniture...this little side table. I decided not to paint it since it has the leather top! I immediately cleaned it up and put it in a booth!

As you can probably tell, this is in one of my flea market booths...in Tontitown Flea Market.

I went out there this morning to take this picture and the owner (Kathy) had rearranged everything and "staged" my stuff...TOTALLY AWESOME!!! It looks soooo much better than anything I could do!

I feel like I have "staged" my house pretty well...but flea booths have lots of "stuff" so it is hard for me to arrange it! And this is a small space so she did a super job at maximizing the usable space!

Also, I noticed the little blue oak chair had NOT sold (the blue wicker chair sold)...so I managed to get an "after" picture!

Not a lot of "auction action" advertised for this weekend. But I am sure I will find something on my garage sale trek today. I have worked hard all week at the apartments so I will have some free time tomorrow to work on a few little projects I have in mind!

Maybe I will remember to take "before" pictures!!!

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MORE pillows....from "uh-oh" to "way cool"!

Last week I went to an "estate sale." It wasn't a garage sale and it wasn't an auction...so honestly the prices were a bit much for my purposes. But I did find a few things for myself. I don't mind paying a tad more for something I am going to keep.

One thing I found was a beautiful cotton shower curtain...absolutely gorgeous and really heavy and luxurious. Perfect for my "spa" master bathroom (here).

The only problem was when I got it up it just looked too "heavy" for my small bathroom!!!

What to do...it's not like I could take it back....uh-oh!!!!

I loved the look and the texture! It obviously would take some wear and wash since it is a shower curtain. So I knew I wanted to do SOMETHING with it!

I have SIX feather pillows on my bed. Not decorative pillows, but actual sleep pillows. I use 4 of them (seriously, I sleep with 4 pillows) but 2 of them are just too puffy and firm to sleep with so I just use them to prop up when I read!

But I don't like all the froo-froo of shames and the fact that most have to be dry cleaned, so I have just plain ole' pillow cases on them! I keep my bed pretty simple (for very rational reasons I explained here)

So I got to thinking....what a PERFECT and sensible way to dress things up a bit. So I did what I hate to do...drug out the ole' sewing machine and went to work.

I love the look of the grommets.

I made two pillow cases for the big fat feather pillows and two little decorative pillows...all with the grommets showing. I thought about making "shams" but I like the more informal look of cases. I also made 5 little decorative pillows that went in my flea booth! All out of ONE shower curtain!!!!

They really dress up my bed without the froo-froo of shams and the worry of having something on the bed that I can't toss in the washing machine when I spill my coffee on it (yeah, it happens!) My other four still have the ratty but VERY comfy plain cotton cases, but I can hide them behind these two nice ones!

Way cool.....

And when I dug out the sewing machine I found all this scrap material....and a ton more in another closet....

....guess it is time to make some more pillows!

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Sheetrock repair...

Today I want to share how easy it is to repair sheetrock like a pro! I put the post in my "Tutorial" section and you can read it here.

If you have kids, door knobs or tenants there is a good chance you will get holes in your sheetrock at some point in time!

Follow this tutorial carefully and you should be able to repair your sheetrock like a pro!

Good luck and email me if you have any further questions or need a little help!

YOU CAN DO IT!

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Entry hall makeover (okay, not quite)....

I really don't have an "entry hall." I have a little space by the front door...then you either go up the stairs or step into the living room. But it is enough space that it should have an "identity." A little character...maybe a little "flair."

It has N.O.T.H.I.N.G.

I did replace the terribly boring builder-grade steel front door years ago. It leaked air and was just plain ugly. So I splurged on this really awesome "mission style" door with pretty glass. I like it for several reasons. It's pretty. It doesn't leak air. And I can look out the window when someone is at the front door.

And of course I painted my interior doors black. Seriously, it makes a difference...try it!

I took the light fixture down months ago. I didn't like it and I was certain I could find a replacement. Nope. Haven't found one yet. I actually have several I bought sitting in the entry closet...but they just aren't what I want and since they cost a pretty penny, I don't want to hang them. I just need to return them.

I put a mirror up on the wall for a time. I didn't like it. I took it down.

It is just one of those spaces I wish I could wave a magic wand and it would look like something from Pinterest.

But that doesn't happen in the real world. In the real world you have to have a vision and be creative. I have no vision for this space.

When I switched out my exterior lights (featured here), I had this half-way decent light fixture. Ugly, but might have a little potential.

So after kicking this thing around the garage for the last few weeks, I decided to give it the ole' black spray paint treatment.

And honestly, it's not that bad....

I still need to wave my magic wand and do something awesome on the wall...and maybe an ultra cool rug. And the light is, well.... it will do for now. Maybe I will find something I like better...in another 10 or 15 years. Until then, this one will do and it didn't cost me a dime (okay, maybe a dollar's worth of paint)

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Just taking a moment to be thankful.....

Ahhhhhh, I feel MUCH better today.

First, I woke to the sound of thunder and rain....LOVE IT! It is the end of July and the weather has been awesome. Rain here and there and wonderful temperatures! We still have August to get through, but July has been a really mild month!

I had a major busy weekend projecting in my garage full of projects....refinishing a table, painting an old chair, sewing pillows, making nifty little things out of old windows...lots of projects to share in the upcoming weeks!

Saturday my on-site manager had to have emergency surgery and naturally 3 tenants moved over the weekend....not one vacancy all month and suddenly I have three empty (and very dirty) apartments to deal with! She usually cleans while I repair and paint...so now I'm doing it ALL.

Usually I get kind of cranky when my "work" wears me out and interferes with my "play" time...and as taxing as some projects are, it is indeed my "play" time...because it is what I WANT to do!

But all is well, because the poison ivy is almost gone, I am tapering off the prednisone so I'm not so "weird," and busy weeks like this remind me how grateful I am to God for my health and the fact that he does indeed make sure I have everything I NEED!

So next time you wake up growling because of all you have to do, just take a minute to thank God that you have the ability to do what you need to do!

It's like I tell my kids...life is about doing what you really don't want to do, so you can do the things you DO want to do!

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Decorsteals.com....AWESOME!

If you haven't discovered this great website (decorsteals.com) take time to check them out.

I purchased the linen grain sack material I used to cover this little foot stool from the site.

If you sign up for their email alerts, they will send you their "daily deals." They have awesome prices on some very nifty pieces!

This weekend I ordered two awesome little galvanized steel caddies...

I also ordered some little chalkboard stands and a beautiful bird feeder...can't wait to get them!

The deals usually only last for a day so you will want to sign for the email alerts so you can see what is being offered! Shipping is always $5 per item, so the cost is reasonable! And they take Paypal so buying is (unfortunately) very easy if you have a Paypal account!

You can also "like" them on facebook and their daily deals will show up on your news feed.

It is a great way to find some truly interesting decor elements!

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Little stool before and after....

P.S.Y.C.H.

Actually, I am the one psyched...or rather psychotic. I am so annoyed right now. It doesn't help that I have poison ivy IN MY EYE and after three days of fighting it with drops and topical ointment, (which I KNEW wouldn't work because when I get poison ivy I have to treat it as if it is a terminal disease!) I am now taking massive doses of prednisone which makes me anxious, cranky and just generally weird! Which might all explain why, after a day of taking tons of "before and after" pictures, I didn't notice that my camera said "NO CF CARD." In other words, all the "before" pictures I took of the little foot stool, the light fixtures, the shelves at my booth....EVERYTHING...nothing. I got nothing here!

Sooooo, let me try to share this nifty little foot stool WITHOUT a fricking before picture!.

As usual, it was pretty rough. When I delivered MaryAnn and Kenny their chairs (here), she gave it to me, so I don't want to insult her by saying it was "nasty." (Although, it kinda was.) Old nobby, worn fabric and the little feet were pretty beat up. To her credit she bought it for her doggy so he could get up in the bed. They had two labs, and they were their babies! They lost both several years ago, so anything that is a reminder of Ozzy or Harley is pretty rough on them....so it came home with me.

I have been following decorsteals.com. I found them through missmustardseed.com and I love their stuff. When I saw the grain sack fabric, I knew it would be perfect for this little footstool!.

And it is!!!!

It is hard to see the texture in the pictures, but it has a really nifty soft "vintage" texture. I wanted the blue stripes but they were out, so I got the red. It is more a "reddish brown" but it looks awesome with the little feet I stripped and stained. When I was cleaning out my storage building a few weeks ago, I found a can of "Rosewood" stain. Kind of a reddish brown color... a cross between mahogany and walnut....really beautiful, rich color and perfect for these little feet!

So there you go....an awesome "before and after" with no before! So as usual, just trust me...huge improvement!

As for the light fixtures and bookcase, just forget it...heck, I think they look awesome, but I can't see anything right now, so who knows.

And if there are typos in this post, deal with it. When I can see again I will be mortified, but for now I am too cranky to care!

Hate is not an emotion I allow myself to harbor...but I really do strongly dislike poison ivy.....

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Garage sale treasures...

Another man's trash can be your treasure. But like all treasures, you have to hunt for them.

Not only do I love going to auctions, I really enjoy going to garage sales. I usually scout the paper on Thursday evening and see which sales will be up and running early Friday morning. That gives me time to hit the garage sales by 7 a.m. and still get some work done! I don't find a whole lot...after all, there is a reason someone else is selling a bunch of their stuff for a quarter. But I can usually find one or two little trinkets.

Last week I hit about 5 sales and only bought a few little things....

Some little strainers, two white tea pots and a creamer and a nasty little box....

The stoneware and strainers were cleaned up and put in my flea booth...they are wonderful and someone will love them!

But the little box is for me...

I had all my paint brushes, big and small, in a little wood holder I got in a box of stuff at an auction. It was pretty full and when I saw this nasty little box with the holes in it I thought it would be perfect for all my little brushes!

Not painted to my taste, so I painted it with light green chalk paint, hit it with a little sand paper, and then sealed it with a clear poly.

When I sanded the new paint, the little dots from the flowers came through...I thought it was kind of cool looking...kind of like little nail heads or something! So I left it....

When my youngest son decided to move out of the dorm and into a townhouse, we furnished his living room and kitchen entirely from garage sales. It took all summer to track down everything he needed, but I spent very little for a whooooole lot!

Some Friday or Saturday morning, grab a cup of coffee and hit the circuit early. It is a fun and relaxing thing to do (don't take kids!) and you will meet a lot of neat people.

You may even find a few little treasures!

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Old wood level made new....

Recently I featured an old gun I refinished and repurposed as a wall hanger (here) ...

I loved working on this project and I really liked the final results...and evidently so did someone else because it sold in just a few days!

So I look at things a little differently now...what can I do with THAT to make it useful again?

When I spied this old beat up wood level at an auction, I decided it would be perfect for "repurposing."

It really didn't take much to give this piece a new life! I liked the color and it already had the old "chippy and worn" look that is all the rave right now. I didn't have to do anything but clean it up and add a few hooks.....

I love old tools. Had this been my father's or grandfather's, I probably wouldn't have touched it. As a matter of fact, I have an old wood level that belonged to my grandfather...it is displayed with other family heirlooms and featured here....

But I love how this old level turned out. And it took very little effort or money. I think it would be awesome in a shop or utility room...or even a little boy's room!

Thinking outside the box...finding ways to take the old and give it a new purpose...

Super fun....

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Cedar trunk before and after....

I honestly believe the key element to any decor is surrounding yourself with what you truly love. Because in the end, those pieces will become a part of your life rather than just an element of "decor" you will want to get rid of next year! Both are important in design, but you have to maintain a happy balance.

Right now everyone seems to be taking any and every piece of furniture they can find and painting it...which is fine, if that is what the piece needs to ENHANCE it!

But there are some pieces that just need a little TLC. Remove the old mucky yucky and give it a fresh coat of new. Not different...just clean and fresh.

This old cedar chest is a prime example. I know a lot of people would have snatched it up, painted it with a bright funky color or chalk paint...maybe painted the copper straps black. And that would have been cool looking...for a few years. Then it would just be another reminder of a by-gone decor era (like ducks and pastels).

Truth is, the only thing wrong with this old truck was the old varnish. Varnish tends to get "dirty" looking and crackle after a few decades. And of course it gets worn. But it is easy to strip and easy to reapply.

Personally, I like the Formby's brand stripper and tung oil.

It makes stripping old varnish a breeze and it conditions the wood. The tung oil is SUPER easy to apply and unlike poly, it is pretty much fool proof!

I didn't sand the scratches...I didn't strip the old copper straps or nail heads. I didn't do anything but strip the old varnish off and apply 3 coats of tung oil. I know...boring...but I LOVE the wood and the age that shows through the fresh coat of varnish and on the strapping!

I wouldn't fault anyone if they wanted to "jazz" up this piece...to each his own. But while this piece is not yet a family heirloom, I have no doubt it could be in a few generations. As a matter of fact, I have a cedar chest upstairs that has been in my family for who knows how long (and needs a good refinish!). And my daughter has a little cedar chest that my great-grandfather bought from a man during the depression.

So think carefully when redoing old pieces...is it something of value that just needs some freshening up or can you really enhance it by painting it or adding a "rad" design like Chevron?

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