Getting My Act Together...and my first offical Saturday Shop Spotlight

So, I've had an idea to add a little structure to my blog. Here's what I had in mind.

Monday will now be deemed: Mock Yourself Out Monday...Knocking off ridicuously overpriced items for a fraction of the price is one of my very most favorite pasttimes. So, I've decided to post a fabulous knock-off project and/or tutorial every Monday...okay let's get real, almost every Monday. Hooray, for copying other people!

Thursday will now be known as: Thrifty Throwdown Thursday... I can't think of anything that makes me giddier than a great deal, a fabulous find, or an awesomely cheap revamp. So, on Thursday's I will highlight some of my favorite thrifty things...might be something as simple as a vintage platter I picked up or something as awesome as a vintage head and footboard from the fifties that Studly "accidentally" backed over in the garage{he says he didn't mean to, but I'm skeptical. I know how he feels about all my precious cargo cluttering his dumb garage} . The thing was totally freaktastic and I purchased it for a mere $8. Awesome, I know. RIP my precious. Pretty much anything goes, so long as it is thrifty.

Saturday shall henceforth be called: Saturday Shop Spotlight...I have really been neglecting the shop lately...almost as much as my kiddies. Just kidding. Okay maybe I hide from them occasionally. But sometimes mama just needs a few minutes alone in the closet to restore health and energy units, by way of scarfing down a cupcake or guzzling down a {insert diet caffienated beverage here}. Anywho, every Saturday I will showcase a project I'm working on for the shop.

What do you think? Sound good? Great.

Well then, now for my first offical SSS, or {Saturday Shop Spotlight}.

Allow me to introduce you to my new beauty...Brie {yes, she is named after the French cheese. I really, really love cheese.}

I love how she turned out and I will be very said to say good bye, I mean au-revoir when I take her down to the shop. But, the hubs would surely divorce me if I tried to sneak in any more furniture.

In case you were wondering, she is painted in Krylon's Ocean Blue...my favorite color of all time.

And I followed the usual steps of sanding, priming then painting.

The thing I love most about her are the little key hole details in the middle of each drawer...such a fun and unique embellishement, methinks.



The hardware was a steal.

I found them at Hobby Lobby for 50% off. I like that they are not a typical cup pull...square instead of rounded. Unlike most hardware, these pulls were screwed on from the front and secured with a washer and nut from the back. Becuase they didn't come with screws I had to use what I could find at the home improvement store. I was left with an unsightly silver screw head on the front of the hardware.

The solution is simple enough...paint them. But I have this thing about wanting my furniture pieces, especially the pieces I sell, to be really durable. I was afraid that regular latex or craft paint would chip off after a few uses, so I racked my brain til the light bulb went off...black finger nail polish.

It is enamel based so it dries super hard and it comes built in with a cute little brush-perfect for painting dainty screw heads. That's my tip of the day...you're welcome.

I love using decals on furniture. They are super easy and can make a piece much more visually interesting. I suppose one could hand paint the piece, but that talent is not part of my skill set so I use big stickers instead.

I'm more of an England fan than a France fan, but I still think the Eiffel Tower looks great.

Well, there she is. If any of you would like to adopt her, feel free to stop by the shop.

I'll see you Monday for my first ever {Mock Yourself Out Monday}.

Au-revoir.

Linking to:

{10} minute curtain rod revamp...and a $3 treasure

Howdy peeps. Life seems to have caught up with me and I haven't had time to post much, so I apologize.


Even on crazy days, though, I try to fit in some kind of project whether it be organizing the silverware drawer or changing out some throw pillows. It just helps me feel like I'm still in control and allows me a little creative outlet for the day...sometimes it's all about the small things, ya know.


Today I've already primed an old picture frame for some turqoise paint and I'm feeling like I still have it together. Granted it's only 11:00a.m. so there's plenty of time for things to still fall apart.


BUT..I also squoze in a little curtain rod revamp in the girls room.



Some of you may remember my mantle/swag made of willow sticks that I gathered from my backyard. As I was dismantling the mantle I was sick at the thought of tossing all of the perfectly useful sticks and then the light bulb went off. I could use them as a curtain rod in the girlie's bedroom. The white rod I was currently using just seemed to get lost on the pink wall. It was the perfect fix...quick and cheap, just the way I like it.



I used two willow sticks that were about the same length and attatched them together using twine.


I don't know about you, but I love willow sticks. I have them all over my house. There's just something about their whispy, curly branches. I love them even more now that I have tree in my backyard and they are free.


I actually left the rod holders up and used them to support the branches. Here's the end result. Not to shabby for a ten minute job. I really like the pop of color and texture.
Doesn't that little bird look right at home in the branches.
It looks better when you can see the room as a whole.


And, in other news, I am still working on the {British Invasion} Bedroom. It's a little slow going, but hopefully it won't be too much longer. I forget that I had this little gem when I posted about the room earlier.

I found this wall decal awhile ago at Target for $3 and completely forgot I had it. I am trying to come up with a new way to utilize it. I don't want to just stick it on the wall. I would love suggestions if you have any.


Stay tuned. I have some awesome projects planned if the kids will let me alone long enough to get to them.