These are a few of my favorite things...

Here are a few things I've come across in recent days that I cannot stop thinking about. You know what that means...time to start hitting up friends for temporary storage...that way when I bring the loot home I can honestly say "heaven's no these things aren't new, I've had them for awhile". Dishonest, slightly. Innovative, absolutely.

1. Owl lamps. I go to sleep every night wishing I could roll over and have those big round eyes staring at me. *sigh*


2. These cool blue orby things I found on Pier1.com. I LU-HUV them so, so much. And again cannot stop thinking about them, or the way they would be so happy in my front room. I would so admire them daily.


3- Massive flatware (they are almost four feet tall) I also found at Pier1. I drive by these shimmering beauts every time I get on the freeway. I cannot stop thinking how freaktastic they'd look in my kitchen. Plus, the ad for them made me chuckle..."great for the kitchen or dining room. Or a really big table"...he he he.



4- flor.com. I hate nothing more than to go to the store looking for an area rug in a certain color or pattern only to find nothing. Well, peeps, look no further. Flor.com has carries carpet tiles of various colors, patterns and price points. I am saving up my dollas so I can design my own one of a kind rug.
These are two of my favorites...zebra print and seafoam blue. I love that you can design the rug however you want, as simple or crazy as you want, as big or as small as you want. Fabulous. You should definatly hop on over to their website and check them out.

Color Reveal

So, the planets must have aligned or something cause I was finally able to decide on a color to paint "my precious".
I know that I threw out quite a few options and coincidentally, I didn't end up using any of them. Though I think any and all options would have looked great, I ended up choosing a color not suggested. Here's why: white would not fare well in a home with five children; turquoise, although my most favorite color currently, would have been a little too bold (for the hubby), rust would blend in too much with the floor and black wouldn't allow for the cool details of the dresser to be seen.
So, the color I decided on is...drum roll please

Avocado green...or Ivy Leaf as labeled on the can.
I know, I know. It's a little bold too, but I think it works. It is most definately a statement piece. I love how you can see all of the spaces between the drawers. Look at her long, slender legs...
I needed to pick a color that would pop against the cinnamony color of the floor and the light wall color. I think this green works well.
Here's what she looks like in the room collectively.


The project ended up costing me $32 total. I spent $20 on the dresser itself, and $12 on four cans of paint. I didn't prime her, but gave her a good two or three coats of paint. Amazing what "one man's trash" can become.
Here's to then next project.

David Bromstad Where Are You?

So, here is my new dresser. I lu-huv her. However, I am noticing that she is a little more flawed that I had first noticed. I am anxious to bring her indoors and give her a cozy place to take up residence. But before I can do that, I have to paint the ole girl. So, now I'm faced with the conundrum of picking a paint color. I think I must overanalyze things, cause it really shouldn't be that hard to do, and yet I feel like I'm the guy from Lost who holds the well being of the world in his hands...I can't handle the pressure.
I thought maybe you guys could help. It's always easier to make a decision when you aren't the one having to live with the results. Am I right?
So, to you I ask, what color should I paint this beautific piece of furniture? I am bouncing between a rusty red, white or maybe a pale or turquoisy blue...or maybe black.
So, if you don't mind taking a minute, maybe you could help me narrow down the choices.



Also, here's a little peek at where she will be staying. Just thought it might help to see the color scheme etc.

I think that red would accent the green nicely, but white would be really nice and crisp, blue is fun and whimsical, plus it looks fab with green and black is always a good fall back when you don't know what to do.


See that blue table, he's going buh bye. That's where the old girl will go as soon as she gets her extreme makeover.

Whoo...goes there?

Okay, isn't this little "hooty" such a cutie. I think I need one...or two. They would be so cute flanking my bed or in my living room or dining nook. See, the possiblities are endless. Guess I'll start begging the hubby now. Good thing I have an anniversary and birthday coming up soon. I love how whimsical, yet sophisticated they are. They would be happy here, methinks.

Blue door...adorned.

I finished my lima bean wreath. I love the door even more with this adornment. A pretty little wreath for under $10...me likey. What's more, the wreath will be absolutely fab for fall/Thanksgiving. And yes, I'm already thinking about it. I will be whipping out the Halloween decorations for the inside come July 25th. A bit too much, possibly. But I love fall. At least I won't be putting up the decorations outside...at least not for a few more weeks.

Little Blue Door

A few days ago I was at Gardner Village. I stopped by one of my favorite stores and upon entering noticed the darling blue door...which gots me to thinkin'.
Skip ahead to today. I was feeling a little anxious, like I needed a little project...cause I don't have enough of them going on right now. Then I remembered the cute little door at Gardner Village and decided I was gonna paint our front door. Our poor entry way has been woefully neglected since we moved in. It wasn't really a priority what with all of the other more pertinant projects needing to get done (i.e. carpet, flooring, painting, lighting etc.) So, off to Wally's I went to buy some paint. Feeling inspired by the little blue door at my favorite store, I decided to honor it by painting my little door the same beautiful hue. I was a little nervous that it might be too in your face, but decided to go with my gut. I quite like the way it turned out. It's definately not subtle, but I like the little pop of color it adds and the way it breaks up the monotony of all the brick. I dunno, whadaya think?
Before. :(

And after. :)


I'm still not quite done. I plan on making a cool lima bean wreath for the front door. I have all of the stuff, but haven't gotten around to it yet. Listen, I can sense some eye rolling even though I can't actually see you. For all of you doubters you can check out my lima bean wreath at one of my favoritest blogspots...allthingsthrifty.com. That's where I got the idea. You'll see how fab it really is.
I'm also thinking I might need to do something to spice up the plain window(s). I'm thinking either shutters or widow boxes. Not sure yet. Suggestions? I haven't decided if I should continue with the turquoise. I may go with a dark egg planty purple so as to not blind any passersby. I think moderation, in this instance, is the way to go. As I said...suggestions kindly welcomed.
Anywho, while I was a paintin' mood, I decided to resurrect a few, old, galvanized metal pots I had lying around. I found some cute little pine trees for $4 at Wally's (Walmart) and thought they would look fab in the newly blue pots. I scattered these little cuties on either side of the garage doors.
Before. :(

After. :)

I sense some concern. Yes, I am planning on removing the poor little trees from their constrictive and unsightly plastic containers. I promise. I was just seeing how they would look with the blue.

I dunno. I think that I stepped up the curb appeal just a titch with these few
enhancements. All it ended up costing for materials was just under $35. That includes $6 for paint , $12 for the trees, $6 for lima beans, $5 for the wreath form and $3 for ribbon for the wreath. Not to shabby, methinks. Surprisingly, the hubby liked the door. Looks like someone is warming up to my little obsession. Perhaps now would be a good time to move my table indoors.

Linkin up to:

Table and Chairs

Listen, I tried to come up with a catchy and creative post title and it just wasn't happening. So, I just went with straightforward instead.
So,here are my chairs and table...finito. I am not completely happy with the way the table turned out. The finish on the top is a little uneven. I suppose I could lie and say that I meant for it to be that way...that it just adds to the rustic charm I was going for. Eventually, I may have to sand the living crap out of the surface to get all of the old finish off and start again, but for now, it's done. Even though I'm not one hundred percent loving the table, I am totally loving the project as a whole. I think it is the perfect blend of funky and sophisticated...just like me-wah, wah, wah.
The poor girl, as you may have gathered however, has still not been invited to take up residence inside the house, but I'm certain the old man and I will come to an understanding soon...and by understanding I mean that me and a couple of gal pals will just move her on in while he's away at work. We all know that the last thing any man wants to do after a long days work is move around and reorganize furniture.
So, the plan is set. I will be sure to take a pic of the ole girl her new surroundings as soon as I can.
Drum roll please...

Now it's on to the next...my bedroom chair. All of the upholstery has been removed...not without a great deal of effort mind you. There were thousands of staples that needed removing and my poor wrist is paying for it now. I am convinced that to become an expert upholsterer you need only to go ballistic with a staple gun...which, I must say, thrills the crap-ola out of me. Reupholstering is gonna be way more fun than...deupholstering?
Also, I have great news! My besty Deni, totally hooked me up with the most awesome dresser. It's mid-century modern and has nine drawers and it cost me a whopping $20. I can hardly wait for you all to meet her. I am going to pick her up tonight and will be sure to introduce you tomorrow. The best part of all is that she is a beautiful dark wood and I am planning on keeping her au naturale...which equals little or no elbow (or wrist) grease.

Coffee, er, hot chocolate anyone?

So, in true ADD fashion I've had several projects goin at once. Along with my awesome table and chairs, I've also been in the process of completing my new "hot chocolate table" for my living room. This little gem cost me $5 and I spent about $20 on paint and primer. The knobbies I already had, so this awesome piece of functionality cost me a mere $25.
She started out a glum shade of brown, so I spruced her up with a bighter of hue of paint, called pebble, and then applied a little glaze to bring out her assets. I don't know about you, but I think she looks fabulous.



The best is all of the storage she provides. Who couldn't use a little extra storage space. I know I could.

Wilkommen!

Welcome to my new bloggy.
This here blog is set up primarily to document the bountiful projects I throw myself into and consequently the hell I put my family through.
In fact, just today, Avery told me that she wished the D.I. would die. She even went so far as to compose a little ditty about it and proceeded to sing it in my ear whilst I recovered a seat cushion. Poor thing. She hasn't yet learned that I mastered the art of selective listening long ago.
She continued on with her song, and I completed the recovering of two fabulous seat cushions...which I'm about to show you.
But first. If you haven't gathered already, I am a teensy bit obssessed with the D.I. and other thrifty establishments. There is something so rewarding about finding a hidden treasure (aka. someone elses refuse) and turning it into something new and beautiful. I love the idea of recycling and giving something old and unwanted new life. The best part is, that is costs next to nothin' to do it.
Here are a few projects that I've been up to. This is my most recent venture...a new table and chairs. In my mind I had imagined them taking up residence in the kitchen. They would look ever so lovely there. However, the hubby has not yet embraced this passion of mine, so I've come up with a backup plan...the deck outside. I know, not very conventional, but then again, I've never really been one for practicality. It's win-win the way I see it.
Here are my most recent loves, my new...old, table and chairs. When I have all the other chairs painted and recovered I'll take another picture...a proper picture of the table surrounded by it's bright and beautiful chairs.

Sorry for the dreadfully disgusting gargage. Please try to look past it and feast upon the beauty that is my new table.


If it were possible to marry an inanimate object I'd marry this chair.


I've never been a supporter of polygamy, but I might would have to marry this chair too.


The best part is, that the table and six chairs cost me a mere $55. I'll end up spending about $40 in paint, and the fabulous zebra print fabric are panels I already had. So, a new table and chairs for under $100. How fah-reakin' fantastic is that. I can't wait to get it all finished and reveal the completed project.