tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28150952511630064812023-11-15T22:43:01.274-08:00Kristybelle'sKristybellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08500639235728752833noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2815095251163006481.post-3478330290431031712012-02-29T19:59:00.001-08:002012-02-29T20:08:28.708-08:00Goodbye February!Finally! If not for the fact that Hubs was born in February, I'd find absolutely nothing redeeming about the month whatsoever. So basically, as far as I'm concerned, February should be officially over after the 3rd. Valentine's Day? Puh-leeeeeze. I'll take the sunshine and blossoms of March -- even with the requisite reappearance of the dreaded gnats and mosquitos -- over schmaltzy cards and hearts and flowers and candy any day.<br />
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There was one thing I really, really enjoyed about this particular February, though. Even though <a href="http://kristybelles.blogspot.com/2012/02/valentines-decor-well-sorta.html">I didn't quite get my Valentine's decor up for the holiday</a>, for the first time ever I did some "in-between" decorating. You know, decorating for that odd time in between Christmas and spring? And since I intend to bust out the spring pretties this weekend, I thought now would be a good time to share my most favorite element of my in-between decorations:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHjD5NP0kKNs07Hj9on6IAHE8HGpNOD7qlcwW1SvLblPeUynWGLFi78yf48wj3-_blq_b8G-ohdR_kjw6MxDND6uv-Hfe-TUM8UJTD99yYedxnJVXPWKlGxkls1xLD1C6MIswU5DZAG6Fj/s1600/Light+Cage+Vase1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHjD5NP0kKNs07Hj9on6IAHE8HGpNOD7qlcwW1SvLblPeUynWGLFi78yf48wj3-_blq_b8G-ohdR_kjw6MxDND6uv-Hfe-TUM8UJTD99yYedxnJVXPWKlGxkls1xLD1C6MIswU5DZAG6Fj/s640/Light+Cage+Vase1.jpg" width="554" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Jealous much of my uber-textured walls? Thought so....</span></div><br />
I found the sweet little industrial work-light cage at a flea market near my mom's house back in the summer. It was love at first sight, but then it sat kind of random and forlorn on top of my bookshelf for a couple of months until I hit upon the idea of flipping it upside down to hold one of my Christmas floral arrangements. I liked the look so much I actually went out in search of red-but-non-wintery flowers to use once Christmas was over, and now some pretty yellow spring flowers are waiting their turn to go on display. <br />
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And yeah, I realize that in these pictures you can totally tell that the flowers are wayyyy fake. But from where I sit on the couch, a good 12 feet or so away, it looks pretty darn awesome. So awesome, in fact, that it's possibly my favorite accessory in the whole house. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNYdBgvLJCPhTAmb9L0ORqrrVsjyTvzmnH9BGyEeAJXusn1QeB-c02bjsbbSZjPitTxEMxcnroBUIpCL3wbx2Cuo57KII2nB9g02GkAHrHIELitlZF7vcOxB3hhKpvqYMML7O_l0K8vCKH/s1600/Light+cage+vase+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNYdBgvLJCPhTAmb9L0ORqrrVsjyTvzmnH9BGyEeAJXusn1QeB-c02bjsbbSZjPitTxEMxcnroBUIpCL3wbx2Cuo57KII2nB9g02GkAHrHIELitlZF7vcOxB3hhKpvqYMML7O_l0K8vCKH/s640/Light+cage+vase+2.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Call me cheesy, but I also like to change out the books underneath it according to the season. I read a LOT and have, ahem, perhaps a teeeeeeensy bit of book overflow going on up in here, so books are incorporated into the decor out of both abiding affection and sheer necessity. So for in-between / Valentine's decorating, you can see my light-cage vase is perched on books with a love theme. The one on the bottom, by the way, is a poetry compilation entitled "essential love" which features one of my mother-in-law's poems -- a poem which was written about Hubs as an infant. Collective awwwwwwwww :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm actually in the process of restyling these shelves (there are 2 of them, 1 flanking each side of the tv stand)...or rather, have been in the process for the last 3 weeks or so. I have about half of each done. Previously they were filled with the cd collection of two avid audiophiles with quite eclectic taste, so it's been a big transition to say the least, but I'm loving how much less chaotic the space looks without eleventy-gazillion cd's taking up every square inch of space. Aw heck, as long as I'm here, maybe I'll share a few in-progress shots, since I've gravitated towards putting so many of my other favorite and meaningful things on these particular shelves....</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiexZAv2luUo1E6nN3_Ky9M6QTqggJCArbB6Kna9AkisZWykaGsY3sHk2_SbWtNqQ5BTijWFYZHGyXXqIEI7GTzyQT8yPTq-jdiOWCc3NJY3o-h6P9rUE-9-Smrpc10n9XHaf2DdellHQEQ/s1600/Clyde.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiexZAv2luUo1E6nN3_Ky9M6QTqggJCArbB6Kna9AkisZWykaGsY3sHk2_SbWtNqQ5BTijWFYZHGyXXqIEI7GTzyQT8yPTq-jdiOWCc3NJY3o-h6P9rUE-9-Smrpc10n9XHaf2DdellHQEQ/s640/Clyde.jpg" width="452" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This guy sitson the top shelf, although that may or may not be his final resting place. He began life as a severely chipped, poorly painted piece of ceramic that I paid about 25 cents for at a local thrift. I was compelled to bring him home because my Dad used to sort of collect eagle things, and this one was just calling out to me. My first inclination was to spray paint him, but then inspiration hit in the form of my tube of silver Rub n Buff. Not only does the silver look great AND add a much needed shot of metallic into my living room, it also makes the piece even more meaninful to me, since Dad spent a number of years when I was young working for Silver Eagle Mines. (that's a coal mine, for those unfamiliar with my family history. and yes, I am proud to be a coal miner's daughter -- cue very off-key caterwauling of a Loretta Lynn classic!)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In case you were wondering, the eagle's name is Clyde. Because the most impressive, 2 foot tall specimen in my dad's collection of eagles was named Clyde. In fact, I'm pretty sure that any and all animals in his collections were named Clyde. Probably due to his fondness for the Every Which Way But Loose movies. But I digress. Severely.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJAae2-bEfJmQL0ZAo5mVVRi6t8x__2B_0BI6c3SXonP-a3TrMbAmHV_7-D3-WGMojM8vF0ox_LUVb04V28roRWiU3-3noJONBgoKAMPqzXQ2bIxbHdQ2MudMo3gRRkuSBxqAwfI6BYDj1/s1600/Mason's+rule.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJAae2-bEfJmQL0ZAo5mVVRi6t8x__2B_0BI6c3SXonP-a3TrMbAmHV_7-D3-WGMojM8vF0ox_LUVb04V28roRWiU3-3noJONBgoKAMPqzXQ2bIxbHdQ2MudMo3gRRkuSBxqAwfI6BYDj1/s640/Mason's+rule.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The other side of the shelf has another Dad item -- one of his folding mason's rules. In addition to being a coal miner, Dad was also hands-down the most talented brick mason I've ever seen. Next time I'm in Mom's living room, I'll have to remember to snap a few photos of the triple-arched brick wall he built. A bunch of his old mason's tools were sitting in a 5 gallon bucket in Mom's basement, covered with about 3 solid inches of dirt and grime, so with her permission I liberated a few during one of my visits.</div><br />
Although styling shelves drives me batty because I never seem to be completely satisfied with any arrangement I devise, I'm actually feeling really good about this one right now. Here's a full snap of the top of the left bookshelf:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCvU0v7alg1M2picn-cbbCrfGC8XK3uRhvUZD4xkM2NXutRvMsRny9Z3xxNTsZGJEOCRRd8rhGwawzzwdOnV9-8_jcXS69m_8fIbi-eXoyXWsoK1ivHIg1q8IytuzKkYCObgHTBZojhdeE/s1600/Shelf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="498" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCvU0v7alg1M2picn-cbbCrfGC8XK3uRhvUZD4xkM2NXutRvMsRny9Z3xxNTsZGJEOCRRd8rhGwawzzwdOnV9-8_jcXS69m_8fIbi-eXoyXWsoK1ivHIg1q8IytuzKkYCObgHTBZojhdeE/s640/Shelf.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
The kerosene lantern belongs to Hubs and therefore has lived here for longer than I have. <br />
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The little vintage clock was my great-great Aunt Ardelia's (<a href="http://kristybelles.blogspot.com/2011/10/thrift-score-weekend-part-2-aunt.html">of mirror fame</a> -- and no, I still haven't figured out what to do with that mirror).<br />
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The apothecary jar was a yard sale find that currently houses whatever random detritus I thought might work for in-between decorating time. <br />
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The photograph is one of my all-time faves -- Hubs' family circa 1970. I love the daily reminder of how much my Little Dude looks like Hubs (the littlest dude in the photo) as a boy. He's clearly destined to grow up to be one Handsome Dude!<br />
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The shelf itself (and its mate on the other side) was built by Hubs shortly after we were married. They are a bit rustic but with clean modern lines and Ilovethemsomuch.<br />
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The chopstick (frequently employed as a hot-glue smusher / glue gun burn preventer) and guitar pick are not intentional elements of the decor, just good examples of the kind of random crap that winds up on my shelves in the course of daily living. Sweet Pea's hair barrettes in particular seem to be breeding up there.<br />
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So, yeah, 3 shelves down, 3 more to go....hopefully I'll have completeds to share before the next "in-between" season arrives!Kristybellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08500639235728752833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2815095251163006481.post-15568701853713091762012-02-13T20:33:00.001-08:002012-02-13T20:43:54.293-08:00Valentine's Decor (Well, Sorta)<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">First, let me say thanks for sticking with me through my extended absence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had really, really good intentions about posting some of my cute Christmas décor and handmade Christmas gifts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And then the reality of the amount of time it was going to take me to actually hand-make all those handmade Christmas gifts set in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like, 15 crocheted infinity scarves…and a handful of necklaces…a painted purse…a magnetic chalkboard memo holder…some dang killer (if I do say so myself) crown bookends …I think there was more but clearly I’ve repressed those memories.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And then I was so burned out that I couldn’t bring myself to blog for a while.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bad, bad, blogger.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Although I am hoping that one day I can snag some photos so I can at least post the DIY barn quilt that my mom and I made for my aunt -- on December 23<sup>rd</sup> and the morning of the 24<sup>th</sup>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did I mention that we host the gift exchange for my mom’s family at her house on the evening of the 24<sup>th</sup>?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yeah, can you say cuhrazzzzzy time?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it might seriously be like, the best handmade gift EVER.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">You know what a barn quilt is, right?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Basically a big honkin’ piece of wood with a quilt-type pattern painted on, to be hung on the side of a barn for decoration?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like this?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgivjTALvVRnXMVCs7DUfNezYw1WW76USOTtCUW_Mw9MK2ONYcivLuleJGGdWGlzKQTyiWkhAbCOWAtte3n5ImLN0p4AUStDgofoKlm1gOcjbEFHNmHZwM1xh2gSsmERRiNJsjD51f2yPKF/s1600/barn+quilt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgivjTALvVRnXMVCs7DUfNezYw1WW76USOTtCUW_Mw9MK2ONYcivLuleJGGdWGlzKQTyiWkhAbCOWAtte3n5ImLN0p4AUStDgofoKlm1gOcjbEFHNmHZwM1xh2gSsmERRiNJsjD51f2yPKF/s400/barn+quilt.jpg" width="400" yda="true" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Image Source = </span><a href="http://www.ryanwalshquilts.com/2010/12/barn-quilts-and-american-quilt-trail.html"><span style="color: blue; font-size: x-small;">http://www.ryanwalshquilts.com/2010/12/barn-quilts-and-american-quilt-trail.html</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">. I chose this image because we used basically the same pattern, but with a barn red, green, and off-white color scheme.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I ask because Hubs didn’t know what we were talking about, and honestly thought that we were going to try and make an actual quilt with barns on it in a day and a half.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now that would have been really crazy!!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although in his defense, the fact that we used mod-podged fabric pieces instead of paint probably helped mislead him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The “quilt” will be somewhat sheltered under an overhang if it goes on the barn, and it very well may even go on her porch instead, so I am very very hopeful that a couple of good coats of mod-podge followed by several coats of sealer will help it withstand the weather.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At least we know that if anything happens to it, we can whip up another one in a day or two, ha!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">But I digress.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This post isn’t about Christmas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s about Valentine’s Day, and the decorations that I sorta almost got up in time.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">See, I knew for a long time that I wanted to print some DIY Valentine’s wall art consisting of song lyrics that are meaningful to <strike>the Hubs and</strike> me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I really, really wanted to clip them to some crib springs that I purchased from the local hoarder in my hometown back in the late summer with the plan to hang them over my living room sofa to display photos and such. Kinda like Donna @ <a href="http://funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/">Funky Junk Interiors</a> did -- I've been drooling over this picture of hers since I first saw it about a year ago:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSFnMpXDzRCPQiI_hidRUIECHgN0L9GMe6OVL2XVvNOk1eim_U5xLYIyG0-X6uVJOOmuDP25QHYGkCrMLQ0YALjvzXJ0jcE_6QdI8igk8z9aS-4RQXL2y40wycxwpVtet3apAEzBXS5EgM/s1600/funky+junk+springs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSFnMpXDzRCPQiI_hidRUIECHgN0L9GMe6OVL2XVvNOk1eim_U5xLYIyG0-X6uVJOOmuDP25QHYGkCrMLQ0YALjvzXJ0jcE_6QdI8igk8z9aS-4RQXL2y40wycxwpVtet3apAEzBXS5EgM/s400/funky+junk+springs.jpg" width="263" yda="true" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">I think it goes without saying that this fabulous image is Funky Junk Donna's. But I'll say it again anyway!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">But, I’d had to leave them behind at my Mom’s because we were hauling other things back to GA that weekend and there wasn’t room in the truck for them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, I had to wait for Mom to bring me the springs when we met up in Atlanta a couple of weeks ago (for a Blackberry Smoke concert, say WOOOT!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And then once I got them back here I realized I wasn’t crazy about their au natural rusty patina.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, actually that’s not entirely true -- I was crazy about it, but it just wasn’t working well in my living room….a little too “junk” and not enough “funk” if you know what I mean.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I decided to spray paint them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And as we all know adding steps to the process is not a good thing when there’s a holiday deadline looming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So basically, I have some printed-off song lyrics and partially painted crib springs, and never shall the twain meet….not before this Valentine’s Day, anyway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Still, the song lyrics were so dang cute I wanted to share </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I did at least show them to Hubs, and received a non-commital grunt for my efforts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Clearly, he was moved.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Possibly my favorite – a line from a Shooter Jennings song called, appropriately enough, “Everything Else is Illusion.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No sentimental backstory here, but if you know me then you know I LURRRRRRRRRRRRRVE me some Shooter Jennings!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This might even make it onto the wall after Valentine’s Day….<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBfd4bP8VRHhLsRR-XbYImY4FO8hGE800iqvoozdfpFDaJBWjbT14wkG2KiZG1C_jUSbEnx92Ez0PAgQ-8Nnhlzew57VDs2TTgLB30JmO1skbb5EBn9Ki_urqZ-bxTmy11-310hOyCjho3/s1600/everything+else+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBfd4bP8VRHhLsRR-XbYImY4FO8hGE800iqvoozdfpFDaJBWjbT14wkG2KiZG1C_jUSbEnx92Ez0PAgQ-8Nnhlzew57VDs2TTgLB30JmO1skbb5EBn9Ki_urqZ-bxTmy11-310hOyCjho3/s400/everything+else+2.jpg" width="285" yda="true" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This next one is from The Distillers’ “Beat Your Heart Out.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Good punk love songs are hard to come by, and this one always reminds me of those early days when we first met…</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzv7Y-KKmiPxuX8WNfKrFkspgnVurF1KuYl7TNC93Q7VeXv5p72GL7iFms2tiw8rTSbtDe7D8Qj71GZO_MajiVsEkIOxd53efI0iOkBiZkJmeIdO2CZqHimOu93nfwGJ1_6tkM4ygc7tPj/s1600/heart+beat+faster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzv7Y-KKmiPxuX8WNfKrFkspgnVurF1KuYl7TNC93Q7VeXv5p72GL7iFms2tiw8rTSbtDe7D8Qj71GZO_MajiVsEkIOxd53efI0iOkBiZkJmeIdO2CZqHimOu93nfwGJ1_6tkM4ygc7tPj/s400/heart+beat+faster.jpg" width="400" yda="true" /></a></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The next two are from David Allan Coe’s “You Never Even Called Me by My Name.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not exactly a traditional love song to say the least!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it does have special meaning for Hubs and me…which I won’t go into because it’s a long story and totally one of those you sorta had to be there things…and it was our first dance at our wedding reception.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was going to hand-doodle some cutesy little hearts off to the right side of the first one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can you all say “Awwwwwww”?</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl6E7NkHo7CYqglDlVd6563KoMDo07xVmE11lJz43lR2VovHcaM5dVIrz0Y7Lped4zUKYLbMtviTNvQKoNqabhDcPosGiM0jwSjyrWtZ5cl284Lpg2pHed8nVgkZasVmm9q4KwcXqG791w/s1600/Darlin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl6E7NkHo7CYqglDlVd6563KoMDo07xVmE11lJz43lR2VovHcaM5dVIrz0Y7Lped4zUKYLbMtviTNvQKoNqabhDcPosGiM0jwSjyrWtZ5cl284Lpg2pHed8nVgkZasVmm9q4KwcXqG791w/s400/Darlin.jpg" width="266" yda="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicOJdow0dVVrMsULQfrVvmVvw18xvnzasNM7wBKNfwG9saRNvII_93sGaE3sImztV0HwfOEoKtwi7eQtB4kAY2mKpTebiWbpccGB1yGC6bUWubHfynt0Xd_Puw_JW-yyZxStR-v-VmYp2a/s1600/hang+around.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicOJdow0dVVrMsULQfrVvmVvw18xvnzasNM7wBKNfwG9saRNvII_93sGaE3sImztV0HwfOEoKtwi7eQtB4kAY2mKpTebiWbpccGB1yGC6bUWubHfynt0Xd_Puw_JW-yyZxStR-v-VmYp2a/s400/hang+around.jpg" width="266" yda="true" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">I know I’m missing some apostrophes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This particular font from Picnik (sniff, sadness) wouldn’t put them in.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">So I was going to put those on by hand, too,</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;"> because it would’ve driven me nuts otherwise.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I also printed off some pretty Valentine’s backgrounds and clip art, just because I liked them, and these vintage Valentine card images:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I added the words to this one, because my great-grandmother used to say this and the image just sets off that association for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t even know it was from a song until it I heard it on a Dan Zanes cd I bought for Sweet Pea when she was a toddler!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Fl6T1sBNFLE6xONfdrag50pmPjN9RDaycGfhww_x5CwLH7YpGKqFngWIiZwYIRPBurjZxILWyPWWphcJTTDa8NsxOtgLranRt4-0Wu5JYaU9K2pUKntVm_16m8C3HaTV7RGqNSMz6OrR/s1600/bushel+and+a+peck+w+words.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Fl6T1sBNFLE6xONfdrag50pmPjN9RDaycGfhww_x5CwLH7YpGKqFngWIiZwYIRPBurjZxILWyPWWphcJTTDa8NsxOtgLranRt4-0Wu5JYaU9K2pUKntVm_16m8C3HaTV7RGqNSMz6OrR/s400/bushel+and+a+peck+w+words.jpg" width="285" yda="true" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This one has no lyrics and no song association, but it does totally remind me of Hubs’ “punny” sense of humor!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUfk5aEVyt0OIZwuKNPi4ZzCFegY4QMtA3Iyh3JT69oElM4G_uxRp3vOE07leta6wgYI2lvRjRMJ3GlJNAcOJAjoOaxgr298srb4ARQiwyNL4MOPA09FB4CMUD4gZGmp1YPZpYolA-ASjG/s1600/valentine+cuckoo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUfk5aEVyt0OIZwuKNPi4ZzCFegY4QMtA3Iyh3JT69oElM4G_uxRp3vOE07leta6wgYI2lvRjRMJ3GlJNAcOJAjoOaxgr298srb4ARQiwyNL4MOPA09FB4CMUD4gZGmp1YPZpYolA-ASjG/s400/valentine+cuckoo.jpg" width="330" yda="true" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I’m more than a little bummed that I won’t have a chance to get these up for this year’s Valentine’s Day, but hey, at least I’ll be one step ahead for next year, right??!?</span></div>Kristybellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08500639235728752833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2815095251163006481.post-77878799003628150472011-11-28T21:41:00.000-08:002011-11-28T21:41:32.631-08:00Working HolidayWell, OK, maybe not so much "working" holiday as "playing" holiday, or "hobbying" holiday, or something like that. Point being, we did work off at least a little bit of the turkey we ingested over the 4 day weekend...although sadly none of the pumpkin cake, stack cake, caramel cake, or 2 varieties of cheesecake, I'm sure!!<br />
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For Thanksgiving Hubs, Sweet Pea, the Little Dude and I headed up to my Mom's house in southwest Virginia, as we do every year. My whole family -- on Mom's side at least -- lives there within about a 45 minute radius of one another, so it's always up to us to do the holiday traveling. Not that I mind too much, though, because while I may have lived in Georgia for the last 10 years, it's still the place that I consider "home".<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH_aTmNOqfU5aVOPejxIWO6huyYMDCkIAXJR5PXt-7EcKSza0RFW5xp8UTB9e-WnQ6glavYhgS8yhbktlblq-0DFkL71SGmZpTTL6wfrSs6npjyy7nHoQKVZ1Ma_uDwolTjO80mvRCmOOR/s1600/HKnob.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH_aTmNOqfU5aVOPejxIWO6huyYMDCkIAXJR5PXt-7EcKSza0RFW5xp8UTB9e-WnQ6glavYhgS8yhbktlblq-0DFkL71SGmZpTTL6wfrSs6npjyy7nHoQKVZ1Ma_uDwolTjO80mvRCmOOR/s400/HKnob.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Home Sweet Home </div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">NOTE: This image from the former High Knob Observation Tower was sourced from the<a href="http://www.trailsrus.com/swvirginia/index.html"> Spearhead Trails Initiative</a> -- a local group that is working to expand availability and use of multi-purpose trails in the southwest Virginia area. My aunt does a lot of work for this great cause!!!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>It's just under an 8 hour drive from here to yonder, and Hubs had to work a full day on Wednesday, so we rolled into Mom's somewhere around 1am. Not too shabby considering our usual arrival is an hour or two later...and let's not talk about the fact that children who are sooooo excited to be there, and who have slept a considerable time in the car, are always wayyyyyy too keyed up to actually let Hubs and me go to or stay asleep!<br />
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So anyway, we grabbed a little rest, and while we did manage to talk a lot of shop, Thursday pretty much consisted of: cook, eat, cleanup, chat, eat, cleanup, watch a movie, eat, cleanup. For us girls, at least. Hubs and Mom's Hubs squeezed in quite a bit of garage time, where they tend to disappear for the better part of any visit. Plus, since the last time we were there Mom & Her Hubs have purchased a log splitter, so the menfolk could hardly be expected to contain themselves inside -- including the Little Dude.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX_Ah03imlLETViKM0_SrG5VQGuhavwp9B65Qqa58q_V18hdWzlljlF5sXmMWiBixR9PKytRjZdll2TPDwN83itTwSHSWNjMqN0I_cpggmfzDDr52RYw9URVV3TrSpplQqZK3-6BM8cnwV/s1600/log+splittin+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX_Ah03imlLETViKM0_SrG5VQGuhavwp9B65Qqa58q_V18hdWzlljlF5sXmMWiBixR9PKytRjZdll2TPDwN83itTwSHSWNjMqN0I_cpggmfzDDr52RYw9URVV3TrSpplQqZK3-6BM8cnwV/s400/log+splittin+1.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">He was taking his job VERY seriously. He almost cracked a grin when I gave him a thumbs-up, but he quickly got his "man-face" back on.</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTnsi9mW16d3sLqZblc-LF1j_RUEJ_9dwvc11LFFBgWYKnirUvM3zn2P5gYfd54YTflBNXkwYW-VrVTLxp7iqTGwNgBeCrmODhL2cZoEl8CAsk4a1EpiryEesjyXe0qRU3jpo270iP-OcZ/s1600/log+splittin2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTnsi9mW16d3sLqZblc-LF1j_RUEJ_9dwvc11LFFBgWYKnirUvM3zn2P5gYfd54YTflBNXkwYW-VrVTLxp7iqTGwNgBeCrmODhL2cZoEl8CAsk4a1EpiryEesjyXe0qRU3jpo270iP-OcZ/s400/log+splittin2.JPG" width="323" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK67KzgieEnKamn6M0_Wunt-QWbGEGWODEYLLZ0j9kPghGHOhnCQ5Z-Oqf4GOBXkqclwENihSpRUKRG8_HDyQrERSYNlQRQFotHgZtF2nSuSupZtENehezcDLvN9VkyIE3Y4adMMtN4eKk/s1600/triumph.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK67KzgieEnKamn6M0_Wunt-QWbGEGWODEYLLZ0j9kPghGHOhnCQ5Z-Oqf4GOBXkqclwENihSpRUKRG8_HDyQrERSYNlQRQFotHgZtF2nSuSupZtENehezcDLvN9VkyIE3Y4adMMtN4eKk/s400/triumph.JPG" width="262" /></a></div><br />
I can assure you that the safety features of this machine were reviewed and approved by myself and four other adults before he was allowed to operate that lever, and my grandfather was poised by the emergency shut off switch the whole time. So please, no diatribes on our egregious lack of concern for our son's safety. (Besides, the in-laws took care of that already, thankyouverymuch!!)<br />
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The next day, while every other (in)sane person was hitting the Black Friday sales, Mom and I decided to tackle this beast:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKGN9AXkfFFEq4kaQ56NM9juFDv3n-E2NcYFo5B82mAdjwHqsdiN-gcerEcgkV_60FLXO-mEToduhu_Np-z5T0WPImA52qZmJaHOnRH3ueX1pkUaDBRtuwW9A79kVg-JeW0RbUBu4FfkMO/s1600/before1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKGN9AXkfFFEq4kaQ56NM9juFDv3n-E2NcYFo5B82mAdjwHqsdiN-gcerEcgkV_60FLXO-mEToduhu_Np-z5T0WPImA52qZmJaHOnRH3ueX1pkUaDBRtuwW9A79kVg-JeW0RbUBu4FfkMO/s400/before1.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgePdSHoCmJ0hORgTZlGOJD8xkxAJbSsLId0rrJt8QyBs8m5V_YK5vlWFF7IotQezrD-xWL6cAkBV39Vedi2MaFfA_G-jbcWSFjfPDWIX0c2qNt92wA8TSaMeA1A0Mt9LuRDgY-K8E_gqmG/s1600/before+side.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgePdSHoCmJ0hORgTZlGOJD8xkxAJbSsLId0rrJt8QyBs8m5V_YK5vlWFF7IotQezrD-xWL6cAkBV39Vedi2MaFfA_G-jbcWSFjfPDWIX0c2qNt92wA8TSaMeA1A0Mt9LuRDgY-K8E_gqmG/s400/before+side.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
She bought this dresser way cheap from a local hoarder, with the intent of using it as a media cabinet underneath her tv. She and Her Hubs had already removed the damaged top, and hope to replace it with reclaimed wood. They'll also be replacing the trim on the bottom, which is grody press wood, but for now we left it on and painted it. The sides are that formica-y stuff. The rest is wood, and we both love the original hardware (keyholes! squeal!!) and the grain on the drawers. So, we decided to paint the frame to let the drawers stand out more.<br />
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I suspected there might be some painterly goodness happening this weekend, so fortunately I'd brought my trusty plaster of paris. After mixing some moss green and blue green paint leftover from various parts of the house with a little blue and black acrylic paint and of course the plaster of paris, we wound up with a pretty gray/green color that coordinates great with her tile floor and rug. Once we had it all painted, we distressed and applied dark wax. <br />
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Here's the not-quite-finished product (top & trim still need to be replaced; I suggested she fine sand the drawers a little more; hardware to be put back on; and of course, all the drawers should be put back in -- the bottoms were just too full of ancient VHS tapes for me to have any desire to lift 'em back in for the photo shoot!!):<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga0HirNcXcfPAjxjyELU0PFtQgKEgj8fTXC2GyOmZC1Y6uAthvA7ZqbJpLl1pjiOSW2x-FdgwqJbdvl5u0LQc4XoZ8tN3WVbyucUn2AnhbRfqr-RQ2f2YEAE8fXwzPSHRGMo6-bFhMuEZ3/s1600/after.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga0HirNcXcfPAjxjyELU0PFtQgKEgj8fTXC2GyOmZC1Y6uAthvA7ZqbJpLl1pjiOSW2x-FdgwqJbdvl5u0LQc4XoZ8tN3WVbyucUn2AnhbRfqr-RQ2f2YEAE8fXwzPSHRGMo6-bFhMuEZ3/s400/after.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilsEfhe5mY3OJxAPKn8AdUGHb_eHv-1RFTF-en51KwEp3_gX4e4JyQYosyE88ebRixz40IUYf1oDvQuBwqe3v1qn7hm1ZePvsu3SUbvUu5m708Gcqfp27wUzHYRjNFC_245xq2aCLlZuGs/s1600/after+closeup.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilsEfhe5mY3OJxAPKn8AdUGHb_eHv-1RFTF-en51KwEp3_gX4e4JyQYosyE88ebRixz40IUYf1oDvQuBwqe3v1qn7hm1ZePvsu3SUbvUu5m708Gcqfp27wUzHYRjNFC_245xq2aCLlZuGs/s400/after+closeup.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Ummmm, the newly painted formica-y sides looked the best of all, so why don't I have a shot of those??!?<br />
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After we not-quite-finished her dresser, we packed up the brood (me, Mom, my kids, and my 10 yr old <strike>step</strike>sister, whom I love to pieces and will henceforth call Cowgirl for blogging purposes) and headed to my bestie Holli's house. We were fully expecting to engage in some kind of project since she is kinda the queen of crafty among my circle of friends, and she did not disappoint. We wound up painting her laminate coffee table with my POP mixture in a gorgeous, perfect barn red that we were hella-lucky enough to pluck right off the oops shelf of the local big box discount store. We gave it 2 allover coats, and she's gonna go back and spray the top in chalkboard paint. No pics because we were in a major time crunch (movie date with The Muppets!), so I'm counting on her to at least cough up some good afters once it's all done!!<br />
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Saturday was Flea Market day with Mom...and no kids this time! It was a little windy and only a few sellers were out, but we did come away with a couple of goodies, including a solid wood, two-tier magazine rack for $2! It's still at her house waiting for me to give it a starring role in a future blog post. We also hit up the new Habitat ReStore and came away with quite a haul, including lots of vintage Christmas decor and some things Mom needed to organize her mail (also a huge problem at my house, hopefully to be resolved soon'ish!).<br />
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Saturday afternoon and evening were for hanging with family and taking kids to the fabulous Bristol Motor Speedway for some thrills on the "Chill Hill".<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgDXfKlwx_zFevgTAP44nC5sEwFRVZnUMcbEzxCzPXa7rSV1nJViTBZR9rpUYv0db2kx0s32So2R_K0E5fRM-fX1PqvZeTnAdx9CFYzlLPNe6oel7AgxMLZaHdwJmfQ3uEF6ECgXc-aQjD/s1600/chill+hill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgDXfKlwx_zFevgTAP44nC5sEwFRVZnUMcbEzxCzPXa7rSV1nJViTBZR9rpUYv0db2kx0s32So2R_K0E5fRM-fX1PqvZeTnAdx9CFYzlLPNe6oel7AgxMLZaHdwJmfQ3uEF6ECgXc-aQjD/s320/chill+hill.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">NOTE: Chill Hill image sourced from </span><a href="http://bristolmotorspeedway.com/"><span style="font-size: x-small;">BristolMotorSpeedway.com</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> and in no way represents my actual family or the extreme degree of awesomeness of this contraption.</span></div><br />
What's the Chill Hill you might ask? Basically .... Giant county fair-type slide. Covered entirely in commercial-type plastic dishwashing mat type things. Small children, adults, and all ages in between flying down it on innertubes with a hard plastic? silicone? covered bottom sprayed with mystery slippery-solution. Total awesomeness...especially for those of us who miss all the fun of snow but not the actual, you know, SNOW of snow.<br />
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On Sunday morning, knowing our time was rapidly dwindling, we got right to work on Mom's mail organizers. I tried to make our dresser paint more green to better coordinate with her kitchen, but with a limited supply of paint (too bad we didn't have my GA stock at hand!) and no time or desire to go out and buy some, we wound up sticking quite close to the original gray-green. Some dark walnut stain followed by dark wax helped improve the color, although it of course looks all washed out in my hastily-propped-in-front-of-the-window-because-Hubs-is-loading-the-car-for-departure-even-as-we-speak photos:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1BoeaJNMAVwgvin_eXeyUormjU9TT2b1KQS1HhXEKRsYMZNkDHxy1MxAWV0Syito8e1VZxnN8ijIA0_LUkh6jbldNDEUm9XFU25oVzlNHReht8qmWv8vyVRVwx3Oy04hc3EBKthoAwtUq/s1600/smalls1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1BoeaJNMAVwgvin_eXeyUormjU9TT2b1KQS1HhXEKRsYMZNkDHxy1MxAWV0Syito8e1VZxnN8ijIA0_LUkh6jbldNDEUm9XFU25oVzlNHReht8qmWv8vyVRVwx3Oy04hc3EBKthoAwtUq/s400/smalls1.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjECLtYlkwgA_Waj2rYgM1x8leQ-L_Kn1hrm9jGmxQXf_1UMz1reqc-tJdz3knps7-EnNOyRYCZGrrk4UcXUhZY2u2MBBWbNbnEwATGQ8E5X-Mk1QVEg07j3mdGJOOmvRWUg2Dh1KqW6wxt/s1600/smalls2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjECLtYlkwgA_Waj2rYgM1x8leQ-L_Kn1hrm9jGmxQXf_1UMz1reqc-tJdz3knps7-EnNOyRYCZGrrk4UcXUhZY2u2MBBWbNbnEwATGQ8E5X-Mk1QVEg07j3mdGJOOmvRWUg2Dh1KqW6wxt/s400/smalls2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaMpQaClzGuCYld9lQVhD4kiljnVtZNJzfj8OKzpwKa49sxNThkbDQOC0xF9DFyD9naWrix18mWhyphenhyphenSiIGYgjFVw0pzZlBn7FX9bu1-qaGRgaa5xQNy1xWdU8hGJTgk2AQi3ogfE7wqKbJW/s1600/smalls3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaMpQaClzGuCYld9lQVhD4kiljnVtZNJzfj8OKzpwKa49sxNThkbDQOC0xF9DFyD9naWrix18mWhyphenhyphenSiIGYgjFVw0pzZlBn7FX9bu1-qaGRgaa5xQNy1xWdU8hGJTgk2AQi3ogfE7wqKbJW/s400/smalls3.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>What's that you say? Why yes, the top photo really <em>would</em> have looked better with the tape removed but what can I say, it's really a wonder I wasn't trying to take those shots on zoom as we were backing out the driveway! Mom's going to cover the original green chalkboard with black chalkboard paint. I also think it's cool that she did the paper towel holder (bottom photo) all by herself and in my opinion it looks the best of the three! She claims I'm the "expert" on painting furniture, but I never cease to be amazed by the fact that she can do ANYthing! I'm hoping that the next few times we visit I can remember to snap shots of some of the coolness she's accomplished at her house -- before my young'uns and our being too busy eaking every last smidgen of fun out of a visit trash the place beyond photo-worthiness.<br />
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Oh, and here's a lil snappy of something the guys might typically be disappearing to the garage to work on:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjBueJxgFyNOFsNQPRttir6mKtnyREMgLgiZsnn1EvRfOldxi__aeWt5tDScKGz7HlHabGvLoPk1TZkQWFrp9qgKDXHlE1SGwICMrMDxJ7JUCisJZcw8BlH-QoNuitXgC7tmLKP_JHo8C9/s1600/mountain+doo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjBueJxgFyNOFsNQPRttir6mKtnyREMgLgiZsnn1EvRfOldxi__aeWt5tDScKGz7HlHabGvLoPk1TZkQWFrp9qgKDXHlE1SGwICMrMDxJ7JUCisJZcw8BlH-QoNuitXgC7tmLKP_JHo8C9/s400/mountain+doo.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"> If Hubs were still awake, I'd give ya all the deets on this machine. All I can tell you is that it's a vintage...probably late 60's...SkiDoo. Er, that's a snowmobile for those who might not know :) Hubs loves 'em the same way I love faded old flower sheets and chippy layers of painted wood. I'm pretty sure we're the only people who live in Savannah, GA -- where I've seen it flurry 3 times in 10 years -- who have snowmobiles in our garage.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">And ya know, I gotta give credit to Hubs & Mom's Hubs -- I might occasionally emit just a little smidge of snark about the time they spend in the garage, but they sure do some darn good work down there. Believe me, these machines look nothing like this when Hubs drags 'em home, and their transformation on the "Mountain Doo" (as I just christened this one, since it has been gifted to Mom's Hubs who lives in the mountains and drinks Mountain Dew -- haha, I kill me!) is pretty dang impressive. If we're really lucky, maybe <a href="http://www.jethrosgarage.blogspot.com/">Jethro's Garage</a> might even grace us with some before shots and such if he happens to chance by here!</div>Kristybellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08500639235728752833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2815095251163006481.post-61754375593950274332011-11-09T20:19:00.000-08:002011-11-09T20:23:17.750-08:00Fall Pinterest Challenge<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So, a couple of weeks ago when <a href="http://www.younghouselove.com/">YHL</a> and <a href="http://www.bowerpowerblog.com/">Bower Power</a> announced the <span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;"><a href="http://www.younghouselove.com/2011/10/its-baaaack/"><span style="background-color: white;">Fall Pinterest Challenge</span></a></span>, I got all kinds of excited.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.younghouselove.com/2011/11/fall-pinterest-challenge-ornaments-a-plenty/"><img border="0" height="148" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdYaPhFlw0mRbg3Ve50-BWdAAYqqdsoxfo-P213DOXHLpj0XGfIFVnc2NLPBNmgZCriglGj5mcUc-bzAf1sKk1Z59X9MqlEzabQO0m3JecbKMMGR7Mhp5ajaB1-isLIuhl7jXysKsiy6rS/s400/fall-challenge.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Because like, oh, pretty much everybody, I’ve found that I’m really great at pinning, but notsomuch at doing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Heck, who am I kidding -- even before Pinterest and pinning, I was really great at bookmarking…not so great at doing!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So anyway, what to do, what do do??<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Much like Sherry, I settled on a Christmas-related project.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Christmas is the one holiday I go a teensy weensy bit overboard with, plus we all know what a whirlwind November and December are, so I felt like it was a good chance to get a head start on preparations.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My first thought was stamped clay gift tags I'd pinned from <a href="http://comeonilene.com/2011/04/06/clay-gift-tags/">Come on, Ilene!</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://comeonilene.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/tag7.jpg?w=700&h=403" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" class="aligncenter" height="230" src="http://comeonilene.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/tag7.jpg?w=700&h=403" title="tag7" width="400" /></a></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Image from Come On, Ilene! (obviously!)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I love creating custom tags when wrapping Christmas gifts, and felt ready to branch out from my usual stamped / paper-embellished creations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Plus, I wanted some experience with stamping clay because visions of jewelry and buttons are dancing in my head…</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Here’s what I came up with:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwBRjg2VcoLXN186AakQ03ybgw0z1dqhjYVC5gPSVEKQlTycDoT1td7y8xjYhwKwgbD3wFHzUCM_6YgwR2KHEfUUXFNJeSYFyFMa8BjA6BGa2FI7jUVIS2qAkulM9ft50ZlUy4JE_3Fpym/s1600/tags+after+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwBRjg2VcoLXN186AakQ03ybgw0z1dqhjYVC5gPSVEKQlTycDoT1td7y8xjYhwKwgbD3wFHzUCM_6YgwR2KHEfUUXFNJeSYFyFMa8BjA6BGa2FI7jUVIS2qAkulM9ft50ZlUy4JE_3Fpym/s400/tags+after+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhApjhPthm945yeOXlq0egn47o6zvjgE6-lRAFtaOWXFpD48iF1W6ThKMsuA2jeBNPspLZgxpV4kiDOXfLVqtiltN4RQkKF4dGzqyux7r5hK-rjLU5KOOQPhGXFzerTStOXZCTmrDPAkAQD/s1600/fave+tags.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhApjhPthm945yeOXlq0egn47o6zvjgE6-lRAFtaOWXFpD48iF1W6ThKMsuA2jeBNPspLZgxpV4kiDOXfLVqtiltN4RQkKF4dGzqyux7r5hK-rjLU5KOOQPhGXFzerTStOXZCTmrDPAkAQD/s400/fave+tags.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">My favorites of the bunch. Ignore my uneven rolling, please, thankyouverymuch!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Last time I made a big Michael’s run (and thankfully for my wallet, that was some time ago), I wanted to pick up some white Model Magic “for the kids,” but could only find it in the big, expensive, multi-color packs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I brought home this instead:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiXaWhIcOdW1nB50skmw90VqJLefCx0WlkjrQOzpr5buEJqst7ibo0INtK0SH5IqVL0crIRbIdV4_WJ4PKJScl37NSL5gdLevOn1NEo4-TFf2Ia5-e4MZbYCVVjiN2mBGte6xVmu_5rnZe/s1600/clay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiXaWhIcOdW1nB50skmw90VqJLefCx0WlkjrQOzpr5buEJqst7ibo0INtK0SH5IqVL0crIRbIdV4_WJ4PKJScl37NSL5gdLevOn1NEo4-TFf2Ia5-e4MZbYCVVjiN2mBGte6xVmu_5rnZe/s1600/clay.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It’s messy and a little hard to work with, and I couldn’t find the play-doh rolling pin or large circular cutting tool I wanted to use so I had to make do with other tools at my disposal, but I’m pretty ok with how this first run turned out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I like the simplicity of the white clay, but some of those detailed initial stamps are crying out for paint and glaze.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And that’s where I hit a huge mental block.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because for some reason, I just don’t feel “moved” to bust out the paint and glaze for these tiny little tags just yet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Go fig?!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll get there, though – hopefully I’ll get my mojo back once I get my Christmas stamps down from the attic this coming weekend!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The best part of the whole process was having a chance to use one of these:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmBidyqB0VHGVnf6YyKOyfFzvUM0oERUWt0yvgTS8XufvrjTtPARk6jofSDXyFd8H_GKspMAQ6-LzmM4czWTF9e0op1kyIWMaFLlbW3a6y7casfBQUIApNjSxlv6jebATCvf91Ip6kQFYq/s1600/block.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmBidyqB0VHGVnf6YyKOyfFzvUM0oERUWt0yvgTS8XufvrjTtPARk6jofSDXyFd8H_GKspMAQ6-LzmM4czWTF9e0op1kyIWMaFLlbW3a6y7casfBQUIApNjSxlv6jebATCvf91Ip6kQFYq/s320/block.jpg" width="235" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">OK, OK, so if you look closely you'll note that it was actually the "G" that I stamped on the clay. I just couldn't find the "G" at picture taking time. Just roll with it, mmmkay?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I picked up a big box of printers blocks at a yard sale for $10 over the summer, and my heart sings every time I look them, much less find a use for them!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So then, having WON my own personal Pinterest Challenge (because clearly, 1 almost-but-maybe-not-quite-completed project down and 1,000 to go is totally winning), I was on a roll!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What else could I knock off my Pinterest /Bookmark list (since I’m technically still migrating bookmarks to Pinterest)???</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Well, during that same wallet-busting trip to Michael’s, I had also picked up some tubes of Rub n Buff in Silver Leaf, Grecian Gold, and Patina.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Right around that time I had seen a bunch of bloggers go wild about the stuff, and I really liked the look they were accomplishing with it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here’s one of my bookmarks that made the Pin transition -- <a href="http://betterafter.blogspot.com/2010/05/rub-n-buff-and-giveaway.html">Better After's Rub n Buffed Mirror</a>:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEift5WDw3CkYUKIweRL82zqVkq_fG6Oe6w5GK6WB3MM_UoGTd6LEr3uNxU5vZhtniw5e-F0kxUCAOEwmTiH7WrqpfsQmPIqwbWT6uL_Hm-m3shKGHwTvbeo6FaRlEhyQA42fDCxejLoJGTL/s1600/betterafter+mirror.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEift5WDw3CkYUKIweRL82zqVkq_fG6Oe6w5GK6WB3MM_UoGTd6LEr3uNxU5vZhtniw5e-F0kxUCAOEwmTiH7WrqpfsQmPIqwbWT6uL_Hm-m3shKGHwTvbeo6FaRlEhyQA42fDCxejLoJGTL/s400/betterafter+mirror.jpg" width="385" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Image from <a href="http://betterafter.blogspot.com/">Better After</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So I decided that (finally) trying out my Rub n Buff would be an easy way to knock out two pins with one challenge…sweet!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">First <s>victim </s><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>recipient – cute beaded Christmas star that I picked up a good while back and planned to give to my Mom, who is SADLY lacking in the tree-topper department.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every year I keep hoping to miraculously stumble across another kick-a$$ copper star tree topper like the one I bought at First Friday on the River our first married Christmas together, and sadly, that never happens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(I suppose a really great daughter would just give mom her star, because it would go so great with her decor…unfortunately for Mom I guess I’ll just qualify as a barely adequate daughter because I am not about to part with it! Haha! Love you, Mom!!!)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Anyway, I totally fell for the star, but wasn’t so crazy about the brown discoloration on some of the beads.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Turns out the wire backing had rusted in a few spots and stained the beads.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiupAbIzcJUTRbq29Ckhx59FHh807vjiyPTLTbkEZZZFoiU1SZ8oyNW94I0FqIoTwgP7rdUO00jkdY-IIGfCSzm9v_BRAv6VgtQQz7RGY3LBaUou-IrVnr9KAPwCoWR1aB54dpMOOyt8yZG/s1600/DSC02254.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiupAbIzcJUTRbq29Ckhx59FHh807vjiyPTLTbkEZZZFoiU1SZ8oyNW94I0FqIoTwgP7rdUO00jkdY-IIGfCSzm9v_BRAv6VgtQQz7RGY3LBaUou-IrVnr9KAPwCoWR1aB54dpMOOyt8yZG/s400/DSC02254.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFfIUk4hJpRL5CyN6GAMu3t-4IarJo8kfmrXBtEgabJXP7nVqjOMwhoaGYhp8A2JziJ4Creer_iR1ZqH2EcyGNZ5O15_1KsSvsxF9rAva_eGDCL3WbftACoz4pnylPynimRg-d_Np6krjo/s1600/DSC02255.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFfIUk4hJpRL5CyN6GAMu3t-4IarJo8kfmrXBtEgabJXP7nVqjOMwhoaGYhp8A2JziJ4Creer_iR1ZqH2EcyGNZ5O15_1KsSvsxF9rAva_eGDCL3WbftACoz4pnylPynimRg-d_Np6krjo/s400/DSC02255.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">But a little silver Rub n Buff to the rescue and Voila!!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOJUe7FFZ43NJhkzzbu8oKkrUV8fwm_1G4Kw30AdrDU-R8McTmG7GddoVfaD0AKDiGkhqxULr4bs-P_j9WvrqU1lx_aJlBuUvFjXaVk9vvXYBYGl9h5fob7rJki2I9jwB2PLBZ5UE8oJby/s1600/DSC02264.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOJUe7FFZ43NJhkzzbu8oKkrUV8fwm_1G4Kw30AdrDU-R8McTmG7GddoVfaD0AKDiGkhqxULr4bs-P_j9WvrqU1lx_aJlBuUvFjXaVk9vvXYBYGl9h5fob7rJki2I9jwB2PLBZ5UE8oJby/s400/DSC02264.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf3uOLXnZ7QTnwjyBDVRsLpU_h9R12G5N-nEV1VlBKVA1m2kJQ5ndy5XjTcSUt-feKRV2MwuoY71ygUq82VF-BMCZwMcyaixL5oh2vBykcl0nw6YHfn6wAlugyUDH8zbUWfjQ4LHu455vR/s1600/star+crop2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf3uOLXnZ7QTnwjyBDVRsLpU_h9R12G5N-nEV1VlBKVA1m2kJQ5ndy5XjTcSUt-feKRV2MwuoY71ygUq82VF-BMCZwMcyaixL5oh2vBykcl0nw6YHfn6wAlugyUDH8zbUWfjQ4LHu455vR/s400/star+crop2.jpg" width="292" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">No more rust spots!!!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">For Mom’s fairly rustic décor, I like the fact that the RnB toned down the sparkle a tad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I used a toothbrush to get in all the crevices, and I was very impressed with the coverage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It took a crazy-tiny amount to cover the star, and it was like magic the way it covered the tacky looking clear bead in the center. I hope she likes it – I plan to take her a big bag o’ Christmas stuff when we visit for Thanksgiving, since we traditionally decorate her tree that weekend, and in my opinion she just doesn’t have enough ornaments to satisfactorily fill her big honkin’ tree!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">And then, anyone who’s tried Rub n’ Buff knows what happened next.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I caught the fever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ran around my house like a crazy woman, looking for stuff to Rub n’ Buff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So far I’ve “only” managed to hit a brown hobnail votive and flameless candle with the Grecian Gold, and a vintage painted white mirror in our guest room with Patina…but I assure you, I am only just beginning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, I just have to note, it’s freakin’ unbelievable the magic that Gold RnB worked on an ugly white plastic flameless votive from Dollar Tree!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijYHro0i-S82YFpgU7tU2drejef50GjPbp7yREAIS3zp4f_K3CCDQ0xNRbXpEyAlwV1M1oHfLZJu97okzPmcnT-T01R5x3ck9YyebZjISO4oM8zhNT-zEBC-f9E6RM5IVtyi83plC0RV8w/s1600/DSC02270.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijYHro0i-S82YFpgU7tU2drejef50GjPbp7yREAIS3zp4f_K3CCDQ0xNRbXpEyAlwV1M1oHfLZJu97okzPmcnT-T01R5x3ck9YyebZjISO4oM8zhNT-zEBC-f9E6RM5IVtyi83plC0RV8w/s400/DSC02270.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Too bad the battery of course died on me right after that, haha!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But that’s ok…I still have 3 practically full tubes of magic remaining…and I’m already plotting which colors to buy next!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So how about y’all?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did anyone else take on the Pinterest Challenge?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you did, please comment and let me know what # your link is…because as much as I love trolling linkys for more ideas to pin (!), I think they’re up to nearly 800 links at this point, and that’s too much linky awesomeness even for me to go through!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">PS -- UPDATE -- because I am such a procrastinator, I sadly did not get my blog post finalized in time to make the deadline for the Pinterest Challenge linky party. I guess Sherry and Katie will have to content themselves with their "measly" 800+ entries, haha! I'm just glad for the kick in the butt I needed to cross a couple of things off my list, for sure!!</div>Kristybellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08500639235728752833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2815095251163006481.post-38340357263009824562011-11-05T20:20:00.000-07:002011-11-05T20:20:09.195-07:00Impromptu Fall Photo ShootToday was an absolutely gorgeous fall day, full of sunshine and high temps around 70, so the kids and I were determined to enjoy it to the max.<br />
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Sweet Pea can be such a fashionista, so when she decided to don her favorite red "dress" (actually a woman's size small shirt that we bought in a fit of desperation when she needed something red to wear for her school's Red Ribbon Day) and cowboy boots, I was more than happy to oblige her request for a photo. Even though the sun was a bit to bright for great picture taking, the kids were so darn cute that "a" photo turned into around 200 photos!<br />
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She wanted to pose by the tree:<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I suggested we move over to the slide:</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLCS64ioMQpuA2aYC0j_snbC_9FmR4SiasGrujzNaLjgpgmN8VpiJZP4mjQwwceq-d35SlPed49oqiUQGAeIdW5FO2uOD319CM0MJomUcOMfaPVqc1J8OvzJ2auTjuM8Y2cj2f1onx43Du/s1600/DSC02165.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLCS64ioMQpuA2aYC0j_snbC_9FmR4SiasGrujzNaLjgpgmN8VpiJZP4mjQwwceq-d35SlPed49oqiUQGAeIdW5FO2uOD319CM0MJomUcOMfaPVqc1J8OvzJ2auTjuM8Y2cj2f1onx43Du/s400/DSC02165.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
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Can't leave out the Little Dude!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Sweet Pea always wants to pose and cheese, so I was snapping surreptitiously while pushing the Little Dude on the swing:<br />
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This might be my favorite:<br />
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I was trying to shepherd them over to a particularly picturesque part of the yard, but someone would rather climb over the fence where he knows he's not supposed to go. Look at that mischevious grin!<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And now for the challenge of trying to get a nice posed shot of the two of them together in the spot I liked, when I know I have about 30 seconds' worth of Little Dude patience left:</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEVZyVacPgmCIJdPUA28R3vfpnkU4lm5NoyzmTiyjPq4v0m8wMi4IwQcCyjeonw30wluycYd8YA4_hwx2zn58D-ddTZp7oJwGm0cNvGigMt5BzdBgA7Ce3eGuMM1dg53w2qLg6uzWdKyXE/s1600/DSC02212.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEVZyVacPgmCIJdPUA28R3vfpnkU4lm5NoyzmTiyjPq4v0m8wMi4IwQcCyjeonw30wluycYd8YA4_hwx2zn58D-ddTZp7oJwGm0cNvGigMt5BzdBgA7Ce3eGuMM1dg53w2qLg6uzWdKyXE/s400/DSC02212.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div> The Little Dude is long gone, and even Sweet Pea is getting fed up with me:<br />
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</div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div> He'd climbed in the plastic swing that's tied to a tree limb. Here he is making his sleepy face while waiting for a push:<br />
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</div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div> But he's never to sleepy to kick the ol' boots off and enjoy a wild barefoot ride in the big swing before nap time!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilCE4Gb8mhSym2wSJKwFhyN118DpuQ40AY0bPyEwnJybg6YNWl4_vRzwCksnRM03v2Xmf78D7QuAOVXPRwDXGHZ0FOddmje4h_tRnltuMgELqnWD1i7C4BToMOjgO7hSSw2Uju1YuqD8Hb/s1600/DSC02242.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilCE4Gb8mhSym2wSJKwFhyN118DpuQ40AY0bPyEwnJybg6YNWl4_vRzwCksnRM03v2Xmf78D7QuAOVXPRwDXGHZ0FOddmje4h_tRnltuMgELqnWD1i7C4BToMOjgO7hSSw2Uju1YuqD8Hb/s400/DSC02242.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div align="left">Picasa didn't feel like letting me edit photos tonight, so these are all straight out of the camera. I'm really looking forward to making a few adjustments and getting some sweet frameables out of today's impromptu photo session. If I'd actually planned it, they wouldn't have turned out nearly this good!</div>Kristybellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08500639235728752833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2815095251163006481.post-29168975615581513222011-10-19T20:09:00.000-07:002011-10-26T19:08:07.037-07:00DIY Chalkpaint Part Deux: Unsanded Grout Mix<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’ve been enjoying my original batch of <a href="http://kristybelles.blogspot.com/2011/09/since-my-last-giddy-post-on-wednesday.html">plaster of paris based DIY chalk paint</a> so much that it’s taken me a lot longer than I thought it would to get around to trying other methods.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Finally, last Tuesday something possessed me to attack a little table I picked up at a church rummage sale a few weeks ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Why now, when I could’ve instead opted to finish one or even two of the several other projects that are near completion?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Beats the heck out of me!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Here’s the before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHpQd8ZD51WKTH8BfV12UhUW2kVGzXSLKt1Y9u6FLzH6t3N5SwiZoOggZjtVwDnmGup4rAaslbQxM-vMLcvGN8ne718nPBod18RhyphenhyphenKDMN_LfOLi5k3h3VNxCXwEmfWatcRc01RSGOw7W4y/s1600/Table+Before.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" rda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHpQd8ZD51WKTH8BfV12UhUW2kVGzXSLKt1Y9u6FLzH6t3N5SwiZoOggZjtVwDnmGup4rAaslbQxM-vMLcvGN8ne718nPBod18RhyphenhyphenKDMN_LfOLi5k3h3VNxCXwEmfWatcRc01RSGOw7W4y/s400/Table+Before.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Good bones, but plenty of gooey, filthy ooook on the top. And because the picture above really doesn't do its stomach-turning nastiness justice: </span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSMNPq7cg8-Gyd402Tf93kVwfDVGGgv3hd3pmOyjeIvOujY-Wn5Xb5JZ2i8sxuksNZHSUjQ2CFPJPvp8pwK9UHtb5YFZeeGsVMeHz2M5PIW00Sx_RciBCLLF792-MUccMi3XP4oO-sthvu/s1600/Before+Closeup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" rda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSMNPq7cg8-Gyd402Tf93kVwfDVGGgv3hd3pmOyjeIvOujY-Wn5Xb5JZ2i8sxuksNZHSUjQ2CFPJPvp8pwK9UHtb5YFZeeGsVMeHz2M5PIW00Sx_RciBCLLF792-MUccMi3XP4oO-sthvu/s400/Before+Closeup.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">All together now .... Ewwwwwww!!!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I scrubbed it down with some TSP and sanded the top...easy peasy because the finish was flaking off if you so much as looked at it crossways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was planning to do another dark stained top and creamy painted legs combo. Apparently, that’s my default “look”.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There were a few white spots on the legs that I thought I should sand off, just in case they were something that would screw with paint adhesion, so I hit those with the sandpaper, too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPAB-_1ktKG9DU00OvEYqQwGcYPcji9yXmJzLZ_XbRGLIuesCbqa4TvNSnoWcNs6lkLdLf4wqFWWXDqmmXENZrmKZzQ3znBaYAz_p-tCmUiOSqICnrJ4XIJiYPCta950eev9G9cXXbD7pQ/s1600/Table+legs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" rda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPAB-_1ktKG9DU00OvEYqQwGcYPcji9yXmJzLZ_XbRGLIuesCbqa4TvNSnoWcNs6lkLdLf4wqFWWXDqmmXENZrmKZzQ3znBaYAz_p-tCmUiOSqICnrJ4XIJiYPCta950eev9G9cXXbD7pQ/s400/Table+legs.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">That’s when I realized that the legs had been painted brown. Ugh, am I the only one who’d like to put out a Public Service Announcement warning the general populace of the aesthetic dangers of brown paint on furniture??<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No wonder this poor little table looked so dull and lifeless!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Anyway, once the paint started coming off the legs, I kind of started loving the look of the wood underneath…especially in the spots where a little of the paint was left behind. So next thing I know, my plan has been turned on its head…instead of dark/creamy I’m thinking super-distressed white top and chippy / natural legs.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Now, y’all know I am not a measurer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just poured the unsanded grout into the remains of the same Valspar oops cream color that I used on my first DIY chalkpaint table, until I felt like I had reached something in the neighborhood of the recommended 2 Tbs / 1 cup ratio.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I again added a little water because this mixture was super-thick, super-lumpy, and super hard to stir.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I loved the way it went onto my table top.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even after adding water and stirring till my shoulder nearly dislocated, there were definitely flecks of grit, but they brushed right out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was like magic, so cool!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The mixture had a nice feel on the brush, and best of all the bright white grout allowed the true, rich creamy color of the paint to shine through.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My one gripe about my plaster of paris mix is that it tends to change the tone of the base paint a little – it makes it look a little cooler, probably because the plaster of paris seems to have a subtle gray tinge.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I didn’t worry about getting even coverage, since I knew I was going to be sanding a LOT of the paint back off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was impressed, though, with how easily the paint dry brushed, and yet how thoroughly it covered when I left my brush loaded.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once I sanded most of the paint off the top, I waxed the whole table with Johnson’s clear followed by a sparse application of light brown Briwax on the top.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Normally I’m not a huge fan of the light brown wax because I think it usually makes pieces look dirty, rather than the antiqued look that the dark wax lends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But in this case I think just a smidge of light brown was just right.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuxkf4O0Vjo36AiwjqVJOQXsB0rkivJtHzSdB0A3Rt_wCdTK9v97igSvrXZTFM8Wv4jzZ9RQXiLdgQRRI45C3Uuo5c_HmQUibZW6Ig7VzMz0RPNUZLWLhCp_xucH3sXlEA_9n4eEiJfzmh/s1600/Table+after.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" rda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuxkf4O0Vjo36AiwjqVJOQXsB0rkivJtHzSdB0A3Rt_wCdTK9v97igSvrXZTFM8Wv4jzZ9RQXiLdgQRRI45C3Uuo5c_HmQUibZW6Ig7VzMz0RPNUZLWLhCp_xucH3sXlEA_9n4eEiJfzmh/s400/Table+after.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Part of me wants is tempted to go back and paint the legs solid white with minimal distressing. What would you do??</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnqBmtOaSItqcXqaEkjuorPyrM7LOYlnBqyd90lhURLUDJpt9Qu-MvaqjJr9fljGPNeOOZZJ_5M4lW1HeeyjIcwW_OqzPHaExasQkk6b4jQUY0qStY8XQi4wbGQeA5pKXHs_iXbRKe1iR3/s1600/Table+after+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" rda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnqBmtOaSItqcXqaEkjuorPyrM7LOYlnBqyd90lhURLUDJpt9Qu-MvaqjJr9fljGPNeOOZZJ_5M4lW1HeeyjIcwW_OqzPHaExasQkk6b4jQUY0qStY8XQi4wbGQeA5pKXHs_iXbRKe1iR3/s400/Table+after+2.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Or maybe sand the legs a wee bit more?</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdtvxmXGNTLwaIQnzIUv1DaA5bBBZIA-_T1_ZTweAbOWIxTaBqvqJjoXdvqUj9a9VlOtIVKfi7BAFDS6GZhse9dHNHxY85cfBy5ZA5UbV6yrdx6V3QesFaMTlucIMzOm4-G168UR4hXHhx/s1600/Table+after+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" rda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdtvxmXGNTLwaIQnzIUv1DaA5bBBZIA-_T1_ZTweAbOWIxTaBqvqJjoXdvqUj9a9VlOtIVKfi7BAFDS6GZhse9dHNHxY85cfBy5ZA5UbV6yrdx6V3QesFaMTlucIMzOm4-G168UR4hXHhx/s400/Table+after+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I was pretty happy with the final look, and with the way the paint performed as well.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">But then I got a little cocky with it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have an awful dark brown laminate storage drawer thingie I bought several years ago as an emergency solution for the overflow of toys into the dining room, and I thought that it, too, would be a good candidate to test my new DIY chalkpaint formula.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Especially since I’m not using it in the dining room anymore, haha. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After all, my plaster of paris mixture handled cheap laminate with ease, and I honestly thought by the “feel” of it that the unsanded grout would adhere even better.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvFtPT1T_s1bwZAcCg6uv44-0DYx3ig6tuqeFb9FIXiSt9qKVdGwQQtqayC-SMvJarL3d18kvA6X5z80WnXc5AaXdGLWgUr-rNdGuYrZbGmeNRQsYj3sW7aMo_vC0BXhOorD9nBKHEpZdL/s1600/awful+laminate.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" rda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvFtPT1T_s1bwZAcCg6uv44-0DYx3ig6tuqeFb9FIXiSt9qKVdGwQQtqayC-SMvJarL3d18kvA6X5z80WnXc5AaXdGLWgUr-rNdGuYrZbGmeNRQsYj3sW7aMo_vC0BXhOorD9nBKHEpZdL/s320/awful+laminate.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Can you say WRONNNNNNNNNNNNG?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">First of all, my experience was that the longer you leave the unsanded grout paint mix exposed to air, the grittier and lumpier it gets. (I painted the laminate right after I finished painting the table top.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe 15-20 minutes air exposure tops??) I stirred like crazy and even added a little more water, but probably should have added more because at this point the grit simply refused to brush out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And then woe of woes, once it was dry and I hit the grit with some 220 sandpaper, that paint peeled right up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I sanded, recoated, and tried again a few days later and same result.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT2dqjguAPsx6_LZCVpGXGmMfNzyYhJU073lOFVBfJ8JVXmxW97cLF3G7PPtD1_nomQniKG6xCwH2vaLWIZDfcxG2HS1qqYxEs1OG4Q1eobh9mK1_fW7pfURrU2H39FhV-t90PTpZxoZRb/s1600/awful+grit2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" rda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT2dqjguAPsx6_LZCVpGXGmMfNzyYhJU073lOFVBfJ8JVXmxW97cLF3G7PPtD1_nomQniKG6xCwH2vaLWIZDfcxG2HS1qqYxEs1OG4Q1eobh9mK1_fW7pfURrU2H39FhV-t90PTpZxoZRb/s320/awful+grit2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Black & white because my camera put a yellow tint on this pic (taken at night) and I wouldn't want some silly discoloration to detract from your enjoyment of the awful lumpy grit.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Bummer, dudes.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Even though I’m disappointed with that outcome, I will still keep the grout paint in my arsenal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For one thing, I still have about 1/3 of a quart left, and it’d have to be really awful for me to waste that much paint!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was very happy with the way the paint performed on my raw wood table top, and I am hopeful that adding a bit more water will help with the grit. Even though technically, yes, I could also use regular old latex on raw wood, I think it dry brushed AND covered better than latex, and it definitely looked more aged than straight latex.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll have to see how it does on unsanded wood, but I suspect it should be fine -- I’ll just make sure I stick to my plaster of paris mix on those rare occasions that I paint fake wood!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Up next – gesso mix, thanks to Friday’s lunchtime jaunt to the art supply place near my workplace!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not sure what I’m going to paint, (alas, that’s what I’d intended <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the Highway Telephone Stand for), although maybe I’ll try it on the awful dark brown laminate cabinet’s drawers just to see what happens …and who knows, maybe I’ll even go a little crazy and measure the gesso or something…all in the name of science, ya know! </span></div><div align="center"><br />
Partying at:<br />
<a href="http://youaretalkingtoomuch.blogspot.com/2011/10/glass-lamp.html">You Are {Talking} Too Much</a><br />
<a href="http://primitiveandproper.blogspot.com/2011/10/piece-of-work-wednesday-furniture-link_25.html">Primitive & Proper</a><br />
<a href="http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com/2011/10/open-house-party_26.html">No Minimalist Here</a><br />
<br />
</div>Kristybellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08500639235728752833noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2815095251163006481.post-78331001816423749632011-10-17T20:13:00.000-07:002011-10-17T20:13:39.626-07:00Thrift Score Weekend Part 2: Aunt Ardelia’s Mirror and Thrift FAIL<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When last I left you, my faithful readers, it was early afternoon on last Saturday and I had just returned home with some <span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;"><a href="http://kristybelles.blogspot.com/2011/10/thrift-score-weekend-part-1-thrift-wins.html"><span style="background-color: white;">yard/estate sale scores that included beautiful milk glass, stinky upholstery, an outdoor sofa frame, and killer boots</span></a></span>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did make it home before my self-imposed 12pm curfew (at about 11:59, hehehe), since I didn’t want to delay Hubs’ departure for Florida.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The kids were unabashedly anxious for Hubs to hit the road, since I’d promised them I’d take them out for lunch after daddy left.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sweet Pea told him “I’m just waiting for you to go, Dad, so I can get some lunch!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once he was gone (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">finally</i>, right Sweet Pea?!) we headed out to lunch at a place that requires us to pass one of my FAVorite thrift stores.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To my credit, I didn’t <s>even think about</s> seriously consider stopping, since I was feeling tapped out from my morning haul.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But then on the way home from lunch, Sweet Pea asked me if we could please go to the “grape” store, and the Little Dude immediately chimed in with, “Grape store, grape store!”. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Y’all, I was so proud.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My babies ASKED to go to the thrift store. I could shed a tear.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As for why it’s the “grape” store -- the store is called Blessingdale’s and features a bunch of grapes on a vine in the logo, as they support a charitable organization called The Living Vine Christian Maternity Home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have a few different locations and my favorite is the one in the somewhat seedy looking strip mall on the industrial side of town. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It looks like it would be grody but it is fabulous!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The children like it there because they have a separate room for children’s items, and no one gets huffy if the kids want to actually touch a toy or book. (Sadly, the same cannot be said for most of our local Goodwill stores).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzf14hj-xnTgjaQb7wqalVbBcw1rJaeEQXkjCHanxX9jc9J-8sl3yDPo9Hs78ljrlA6hcTPOhAiyrOvIp0G9Y4aTDK6GPpVz88fNqGHwYVtZ4bI5xfatGcUwDKcVCfeAVhPWMTfSjZbTPP/s1600/BlessingdalesCrop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzf14hj-xnTgjaQb7wqalVbBcw1rJaeEQXkjCHanxX9jc9J-8sl3yDPo9Hs78ljrlA6hcTPOhAiyrOvIp0G9Y4aTDK6GPpVz88fNqGHwYVtZ4bI5xfatGcUwDKcVCfeAVhPWMTfSjZbTPP/s400/BlessingdalesCrop.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The kids picked out a cute wind up helicopter, while I found a vintage sheet set, fall clothes for Sweet Pea (buy 1 get 1 free!), and some 10 cent votives perfect for crafty projects brewing in the back of my mind. And, 3 child-size wooden chairs! I was very excited about this find, since I’ve been contemplating doing something like this:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Yg6vYKfGc48AFCsQzRGqONcDlV7rgGPDxIV1L-K7TTr53eG_n-0Fv-8e89C61KyuY1C86ZEzloQCKtUCg2oOydLIJYmPRwcqn-na8cT_t8yPXSvuITNMcwjXKEomeBx0twjmhx0h7IYV/s1600/tututable+sassy+sancutary" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Yg6vYKfGc48AFCsQzRGqONcDlV7rgGPDxIV1L-K7TTr53eG_n-0Fv-8e89C61KyuY1C86ZEzloQCKtUCg2oOydLIJYmPRwcqn-na8cT_t8yPXSvuITNMcwjXKEomeBx0twjmhx0h7IYV/s400/tututable+sassy+sancutary" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">(Photo from <a href="http://sassysanctuary.blogspot.com/">Sassy Sanctuary</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve seen lots of these but I especially love <a href="http://sassysanctuary.blogspot.com/2011/08/tutu-table.html">her version</a>.)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">And no, we really don’t have room for it at our house, but I am powerless to resist the urge to create something so freakin-adorable, and well, Craigslist has been pretty good to us so far. I already have a table on-hand, and wanted to be able to list a couple of appropriately-sized chairs along with it.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The rest of the evening we spent hanging out at home, working practically every puzzle my son owns (he is obsessed and I think pretty advanced for a 4 yr old, he can put together puzzles with 200+ pieces with minimal assistance from us), decorating for Halloween (more on that later!), and snuggling on the couch to watch America’s Funniest Videos (they love that show and I love hearing them laugh uncontrollably).</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The next day was rainy and yucky, but it did stay dry long enough in the late afternoon for us to meet friends to play at beautiful Forsyth Park and catch part of the Folk Music Festival.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiD4GYsksetDReCzxxRixO5b7q3ZEfCLSIpvZO2t6yHRCkodOOTdIxFzraSHwGfY8i1utqboi8xwO0WZLZa2Q0kLMkgL3TFDnobAtyZDhQ9BwkNAdlbTxdqvP4XsGLkIGFJygKhhqYg6fi/s1600/forsyth+via+georgiahealth.edu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiD4GYsksetDReCzxxRixO5b7q3ZEfCLSIpvZO2t6yHRCkodOOTdIxFzraSHwGfY8i1utqboi8xwO0WZLZa2Q0kLMkgL3TFDnobAtyZDhQ9BwkNAdlbTxdqvP4XsGLkIGFJygKhhqYg6fi/s400/forsyth+via+georgiahealth.edu.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="http://savannahvisit.com/">source</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">One the way home the kids were begging to stop at McDonald’s…ummm, not really what I had in mind guys, plus it’s not even time for dinner yet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sweet Pea pipes up and says “But if we go to the giveaway store for a little while, we could go to McDonald’s for supper after that.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The giveaway store is her name for Goodwill, coined from once upon a time when we would primarily visit Goodwill to give stuff away, without even bringing more stuff home. (Can you imagine that?!!??) The great negotiator – does she know how to work a deal or what?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So, into Goodwill we went.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t mind taking them to this one, since the staff at that particular location tends to be less huffy than others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Almost right away we found this cool old mirror in the Miscellaneous section:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnDdtQMvp7v7OoY6pfuzyccKeRe2L0Q2EuQABFzJ_8GBlj_Wk15OeZfTCJveDFpr0H0W7y9Thhea-gXHEBDZbppEnziXLaYQ4noanmEjpsOjF-ekj5zLIMCCx61AavCrmp90I9yja9_DYd/s1600/DSC02134.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnDdtQMvp7v7OoY6pfuzyccKeRe2L0Q2EuQABFzJ_8GBlj_Wk15OeZfTCJveDFpr0H0W7y9Thhea-gXHEBDZbppEnziXLaYQ4noanmEjpsOjF-ekj5zLIMCCx61AavCrmp90I9yja9_DYd/s320/DSC02134.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Thanks to the horrid glare and reflection of Hubs' work truck, you can't see the awesome age spots on the mirrors. No time to re-shoot as we had company arriving literally as I was snapping this one.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Normally we head straight for the back where the furniture and big items are located, but remember, I was officially out of the market for any more furniture or big stuff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So we took our time and browsed around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">And then we sauntered to the back and I saw it. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">O.M.G.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When I was a little girl, I used to spend a lot of time at my Great Great Aunt Ardelia’s house, while the rest of the family was at my uncle’s high school football games.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have fond memories of eating snacks and listening to the game on the radio with her, and cheering together when they would say my uncle’s name or number (44!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ardelia was my great-grandmother’s sister, and they were just as close as two sisters could be…people often thought they were twins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here’s a picture of the two of them at my wedding in 2002, aren’t they adorable?</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh30BKj6VQqDYqYeAI0mdqpkWQXsPOMf8Ik0_bWApo9LP1o5kj13Hy0VIPqGcSCgLBGiMiqVvFaMt1vsMGRWpeU1eUQGtXLwHMC99Tw7v-t2EF-7sGR7Lp298ylHz9NeZKHFiL53n3oMwSB/s1600/mamaw+and+ardelia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh30BKj6VQqDYqYeAI0mdqpkWQXsPOMf8Ik0_bWApo9LP1o5kj13Hy0VIPqGcSCgLBGiMiqVvFaMt1vsMGRWpeU1eUQGtXLwHMC99Tw7v-t2EF-7sGR7Lp298ylHz9NeZKHFiL53n3oMwSB/s400/mamaw+and+ardelia.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">That's my great-grandmother, Nora, on the left; Great Great Aunt Ardelia on the right</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Anyway, Ardelia’s house was decorated to the max.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She had the most fabulous blue and green mod wallpaper in her kitchen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Clocks (all chiming at a slightly different time!) and fancy little knick knacks were everywhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I remember she liked intricate designs and gold tones…in quantity!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She had 3 gold velvet sofas that were so deep and slippery you’d inevitably plunge right into the crevasse between the cushions and back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And over one of those sofas she had a triple oval mirror <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">just like this one</i>.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOlRRqLkyyfB6FoItjDp2egIoPG4ELrrx8-dx2AQ8cBySb2-mSXvYDKwrYUtkeY459IVUSJkQS74DzvKcELXs4LAvDJhLhj5g9A0oWMlDs7ZQcJETGEU_eq3xsiPii5zx2JNLSJh4eoxcX/s1600/DSC02130.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOlRRqLkyyfB6FoItjDp2egIoPG4ELrrx8-dx2AQ8cBySb2-mSXvYDKwrYUtkeY459IVUSJkQS74DzvKcELXs4LAvDJhLhj5g9A0oWMlDs7ZQcJETGEU_eq3xsiPii5zx2JNLSJh4eoxcX/s400/DSC02130.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Don't you love how it's reflecting no less than 3 other works in progress in that 1 corner of the Garaj Mahal?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It faced another mirror on the opposite wall, so the overall reflective effect was positively mesmerizing. I’m not sure what happened to her mirror after she passed away in 2005, but I like to <s>pretend </s>think that somehow, someway, it made its way from Virginia all the way down to a Goodwill in Pooler, Georgia, just so I could find it.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">To make the find even sweeter, about the same time as I laid myself across the mirror to stake my claim on it, the intercom announced 50% off all furniture items.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Score!!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So naturally, once a staffer had validated my claim on the mirror, I took another cruise around the furniture section to see what else might catch my eye.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No, I didn’t need anything, but 50% off furniture days are a rare opportunity not to be squandered!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I finally decided that for $5 I could find space for a darling little wooden telephone stand that only needed a fresh coat of paint.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">By the time we checked out and headed around back for our furniture pick-up, it had started drizzling again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A worker dude helped me load my items in the truck, and started telling me about a little telephone stand that he’s had for years but has no use for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As he was describing it I realized he was talking about a gossip bench.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before I could stop myself I blurted out, “A gossip bench? Oh my goodness, I’d love to find one of those!”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Next thing you know, his sweet self was offering to give me his bench.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wasn’t sure how I felt about that, and I certainly wasn’t going to go look at it or pick it up without Hubs in tow, but he was insistent that I should write down his address.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, I walked back around to the front of the truck, jotted down his address and directions on the back of a receipt, and jumped back in the truck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was getting soaked, and starting to get concerned about the stuff in my uncovered truck bed.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So, I fired up the Dodge, whipped through the parking lot and up the slight incline at the intersection to the main road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let me go ahead and note here that there were several cars behind me at the light.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The light turned green, I made my left turn onto the highway and I hear “Thu-Thu-Thu-Thu-THUMMMMMP!!!!!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What the….????</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I look in the rearview mirror and see my telephone stand lying in the middle of the highway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because in my distraction with Mr. Sweet Self Worker Dude, I had neglected to put the tailgate of the truck up.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As quickly but carefully as I could, I made another left into a parking lot, stopped the truck, put up the tailgate and headed back the way I’d come.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the rearview mirror I had seen a blue truck stopped in the vicinity of my telephone stand and I was just praying that it hadn’t had some kind of accident because of me and my scatterbrained carelessness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I travelled the few feet back down the road and realized that both the truck and telephone stand were gone!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">All I can figure is that the blue truck capitalized on my dumb-a$$ery and hauled home a perfectly sweet telephone stand (aside from some very recent dings and scratches, I assume).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was a little dumbfounded, but I figured that was better than other outcomes that could possibly have occurred.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I am thankful, so thankful, that no one got hurt because of my carelessness.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I am thankful that no one’s vehicle was damaged, and there were no cops around to give me a big fat ticket for this little bit of negligence, and that apparently the stand found a new home rather than smashing into pieces on the roadway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am thankful that somehow, miraculously, my Aunt Ardelia mirror stayed right where I’d put it (that is one heavy mirror!).</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">But this I must ask you….if you were stopped at a red light, in a parking lot no less, behind someone who had a truckload of stuff and they didn’t have their tailgate up and clearly, obviously, these items weren’t strapped in somehow…wouldn’t you jump out and make sure that person knew?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Believe me, I would have been grateful for a tap on the window and a “Hey, dumba$$, did you know your tailgate’s down?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">What kind of world are we living in that no one cares enough when some dumb-a$$ is about to make a stupid, stupid mistake to try and help them avoid it?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">OK. I’m over it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Plus when I got home I found $5 in the washing machine, so it’s like the universe even gave me a refund on my stupidity.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As for Aunt Ardelia’s mirror – it’s still hanging out in the Garaj Mahal, waiting for a wee little makeover.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m torn between trying out my Rub & Buff on it, or spraying it white.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And no, I have NOWHERE in mind to put this mirror.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yikes is it heavy, and a little wobbly if you don’t pick it up just right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(I unloaded it by myself and for a second or two I feared I was about to have a whole ‘nother fail on my hands.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s going to take 3 people to hang it when I do find a place for it. But I couldn’t, just absolutely could not, leave it behind.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEczy3XPz1NHgTrqTmair9uczKhQtxrX5QqqLlLopgNL390V4bIkkFK69un2Q0xA8QBD9T8VfcrmRH4F0ms6VP6RVrxv1SFRBxocqTPbJtTqzE30S-TKC6ZkZOJ5H0tKp8bKO6pIEq78_O/s1600/DSC02132.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEczy3XPz1NHgTrqTmair9uczKhQtxrX5QqqLlLopgNL390V4bIkkFK69un2Q0xA8QBD9T8VfcrmRH4F0ms6VP6RVrxv1SFRBxocqTPbJtTqzE30S-TKC6ZkZOJ5H0tKp8bKO6pIEq78_O/s320/DSC02132.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Closeup of detail</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Now that I think about it, maybe I’m leaning toward leaving it at least somewhat gold.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
After all, that’s just the way Aunt Ardelia liked it!!!</span></div>Kristybellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08500639235728752833noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2815095251163006481.post-41683581788733526282011-10-10T22:19:00.000-07:002011-10-10T22:24:07.526-07:00Thrift Score Weekend Part 1: Thrift WINS<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I was not planning any major thrifting this weekend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Believe me when I say that I am ALLLLLL stocked up on projects for a good while, and Hubs was busy with preparations for an overnight jaunt to visit a friend in FL.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Still, there were a couple of sales that sounded intriguing, including an Estate Sale (my fave!) that promised lots of vintage items, and a garage sale that promised free art/building materials (even better!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What can I say, I am a sucker for free, so I figured I’d spend a couple of hours on the prowl and be back in plenty of time to take over child care duty so Hubs could hit the road. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Note – usually I take the children with me when I go to yard sales.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>OK, OK – fine, I usually take the “Sweet” well-behaved child when I can pry her away from Saturday morning cartoons, and take both of them when I must.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But as a general rule, I do not take children to Estate sales because that typically means nothing entertaining for them to peruse and too many breakables for their grabby little hands to destroy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hence the reason that I was flying solo on this particular Saturday.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Little did I know that my weekend was going to bring some of my favorite thrift finds EVER!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And of course I have so much to say about all this thrifty goodness that I’ve decided I’d better divide this into 2 separate posts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Estate Sale house was packed with people AND stuff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Aside from some cool vintage goodies, there were many handmade and customized pieces of wood furniture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Prices were a little high for me, plus everything was so nice that there was no need for me to “rescue” anything, so I didn’t come out with any of those neat wooden items, but for $2 I did find this cutie:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It’s currently hanging on the outside fence for a little rain and sun action, since it smelled like … you know what, nevermind what it smelled like, because I’d like us continue with the illusion that I am a really nice person, and I don’t want to go there, ok?!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> And yes, I took this photo while the quilt was actually hanging outside in the rain...in the dark...like, 5 minutes ago. Because I'm a slacker and didn't take the photo in the beautiful Saturday sunshine when I should've. (It's ok, you can totally judge me.)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As I was making my way to the line to hand over my 2 bucks for the baby skunk quilt (ya know, cute but stinky!), I spied this on the giant table of breakables:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I promise you it was not there the first time I walked by, and I may or may not have let out an audible gasp as I snatched it up before one of the other <s>vultures</s> patrons could so much as look at it the wrong way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am convinced it was my reward for persevering through the claustrophobic rooms packed with pushy people (ugh). I</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> love it s</span>o much I even cleared out the “ugly” corner of my kitchen counter to make a home for it, and for me to deal with *that* fright zone is really saying something! (Although you will note that I haven't managed to find an alternate home for the charging cord snaking behind it and it's totally harshing on my milk glass buzz. It's ok, though, because cord, your day is comin'!)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Then I headed over to the “free” sale, saw some ok stuff, nothing that really immediately caught my eye.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But wait, what is this? An outdoor iron sofa with no cushions?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hmmm, Sweet Pea was really getting a kick out of the fancy outdoor sofas we saw on the upper balconies of the houses on the river last weekend…and I did promise her that someday we’d have an outside couch of our own…although sadly not on the upper balcony of a scenic waterfront home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">One of the Isle of Hope houses I like, similar to the sofa'd bacony ones. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/9lives/5/1269889777/tpod.html">Source</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Maybe I could even still find some cushions on clearance like the ones I saw at Lowes?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But wait, what’s this?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The FREE pile!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With a couple of outdoor cushions in it!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And scrap wood and old wood and tile and carpet squares?!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Score!!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So for $20 this came home with me (can you see through the random junk backdrop? I'll do a better before pic when its transformation is imminent):</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">We seem to have achieved the white trash outdoor sofa look rather than the stately waterfront home outdoor sofa look. Hmmm. Want to change this by spring!!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I also came home with some of the free scrap wood, carpet squares for painting on, and some huge terracotta pots that have been begging me nonstop for this paint & graphics treatment, a la <a href="http://heavens-walk.blogspot.com/2011/07/french-flower-pots.html">Heaven's Walk</a>:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqtzcdLKblsQgcrHA8XlGBH-pVDkLKLeHGxJSuYlvhGdBT1cd5W7GQuTnTaLcMq5Bpav2OB21z_EnGhGyFzKbAACZDQMUzlkvIDJGGO-3JPdtV2_RNn5sT33InOVD5lZY524AQh4myFDn_/s1600/pots.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqtzcdLKblsQgcrHA8XlGBH-pVDkLKLeHGxJSuYlvhGdBT1cd5W7GQuTnTaLcMq5Bpav2OB21z_EnGhGyFzKbAACZDQMUzlkvIDJGGO-3JPdtV2_RNn5sT33InOVD5lZY524AQh4myFDn_/s400/pots.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Patience, girls, patience…there are but so many hours in the day!)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">And, the cushions…oh, the cushions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I actually found 4 total…2 outdoor and 2 that look like they might have come from a 90’s era denim loveseat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And they smelled like they had been stored in that grody, creepy, Savannah cellar for the last decade.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Think moisture, lots of moisture…and maybe some cats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eeewwww. They are bad, but not so bad that I didn’t think they were worth throwing in the *back* of the truck and bringing home for free. I remembered <a href="http://youaretalkingtoomuch.blogspot.com/2011/08/pb-sofa-look.html">Rebecca at You Are {Talking} Too Much telling us about how she dealt with some nasty cushions</a>, and I thought it was worth a shot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They, too, are hanging around outside letting the rain and sun work their magic…I hope.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Cute cushion...too bad you can't smell it!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Cute and enthusiastic cushion-squisher. He didn't smell too great by this point, either!!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">And then…do you ever have one of those thrifting moments where it’s like the find of the day was just calling you…leading you to where you needed to be to be united like the kindred spirits you are?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Surely it can’t be just me???</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So anyway, on the way home I was kind of zoned out, probably already daydreaming about what color I was going to paint my cushion-less, white-trash knock-off of a fancy river-mansion outdoor sofa, when I realized I’d accidentally auto-piloted my way toward my son’s daycare instead of taking the more direct route home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Long story short, this takes me past </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">a mega-yard-sale right off the side of the road, and I spy milk glass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Powerless to resist, I pulled in to take a look.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nothing I wanted in the milk glass pile, but I browsed around for a few minutes to be polite.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And then I turned around and saw them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m pretty sure they leaped out from underneath a pile of strewn-about clothing just to fling themselves in my line of sight:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">What, don’t <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>tell me you don’t get this excited about boots? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">And not just any boots, but kick-a$$, perfectly worn leather Durango engineer’s boots in exactly Hubs’s size?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3hB6ekmlCgmkJ4LGUkbZGmBr6hnE69pYai13CuP3D1emwBlH3wKgGiA2iSH3Q7_ItepjB0Lxzg42pz8zLimxtF3hk-3U4r4om0IdKkE-laq1HhdoSKMU51nawJkC2m7aJXQh5HhEduIle/s1600/boots2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3hB6ekmlCgmkJ4LGUkbZGmBr6hnE69pYai13CuP3D1emwBlH3wKgGiA2iSH3Q7_ItepjB0Lxzg42pz8zLimxtF3hk-3U4r4om0IdKkE-laq1HhdoSKMU51nawJkC2m7aJXQh5HhEduIle/s400/boots2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>I mean yeah, it would have been cool to find some in ~my~ size, but it is possible that I might already have a, um, few pairs, while my poor deprived husband had to, gasp, ~borrow~ boots to wear in my mom’s Western themed wedding last year. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I mean, really, what kind of wife am I to allow that to happen? Who cares if he’s more of a Vans guy than a boots guy? He knows I think engineer’s boots are the pinnacle of hot, HOTTTT manliness as far as footwear goes, so I’m sure he’ll find them worth wearing every now and again (wink, wink)!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">And the best part? I figured I was about to hand over some double-digit cash for these babies, but when I asked how much for the boots the lady said, “Boots?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(See, I told you, it’s like they fell from the sky just for me! She didn’t even know she ~had~ boots for sale!) “Oh, I don’t know, $5?” I said, “OK!” and she goes, “Tell you what, give me $4.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Four dollars?! ! I think I might have skipped all the way back to the truck.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">And so, arriving home with a few minutes to spare before wishing Hubs a fond fare-thee-well, this concludes part 1 of our mini-series on this weekends thrifty WINS.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Be sure and stay tuned for part 2, and the story of Great Aunt Ardelia’s mirror and a thrifty FAIL!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">How about you guys?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Have you ever experienced divine thrift intervention, as I did with the boots? Or brought home items so smelly you couldn’t even bring them in the house? And does anyone care to guess the nature of my FAIL?!</span></div>
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Kristybellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08500639235728752833noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2815095251163006481.post-72215292392032764602011-10-02T21:08:00.000-07:002011-10-02T21:13:29.611-07:00This Weekend Whooped My *** !As I mentioned in my last post, I had a busy few days. My best friend came from Atlanta to hang out for the weekend, and we definitely worked as hard as we could to cram in as much fun as possible. And of course, Thursday evening was spent clearing up the furniture hoarding / project working / guest apartment space in anticipation of her arrival!<br />
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Friday evening we headed out to Tybee Island for a beautiful night spent on the back deck of the North Beach Grill. We ate some fabulous popcorn crawfish, indulged in a beverage, or few, and laughed until our sides cried out for mercy.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6LOnr_nFjmcGEb7X_6iStXcgzhf5Z5UPP0i7r5TbrttQOTGL767hxRXLpjHE05rH4b61UJaf9xSLcU_Ar1LwTALM3EwL_3ZUxENPtWLpbMd7Wvjhia7zvtTFpqirKEl5f-8rEItfmbzNl/s1600/north+beach+collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6LOnr_nFjmcGEb7X_6iStXcgzhf5Z5UPP0i7r5TbrttQOTGL767hxRXLpjHE05rH4b61UJaf9xSLcU_Ar1LwTALM3EwL_3ZUxENPtWLpbMd7Wvjhia7zvtTFpqirKEl5f-8rEItfmbzNl/s320/north+beach+collage.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Oh, and I can't forget our main reason for driving out to the island -- listening to <a href="http://thetrainwrecksband.com/">these guys</a>, my most favorite local band:<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://thetrainwrecksband.com/"><img border="0" height="320" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV8ps4BmMIIKIObgbcUGRJTClGgqVnjRb3HJh584kMjqd6Z25vo68O1Ex0HDdDzFs9zM5ZRT1DGhyphenhyphenYYOZZZpB3l6sHUElPMhhL4axT4YUMYRs1vs8ctOdMyY6TW3F8d7KVH0u34yuRMatB/s320/wrex+logo.jpg" width="204" /></a><img border="0" height="212" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU3xcClCPI4eMa0E2djZVKluz_T3qzO8nzbNWkc-mdd5TsRRrW0rVK_U2SP3TUp0BWYnqURqVoAzOp5GO79t83CIurMFonD-xc-tPY4X64YAn5yZZ76x72ziSARnhgCzDmkyot2zt7Faiy/s320/wrex.jpg" width="320" /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">On Saturday we hit a couple of yard sales too late to score any good stuff (I blame you, <a href="http://thetrainwrecksband.com/">Train Wrecks</a>! and maybe the margaritas, too!), and my favorite thrift store. No big ticket items at the thrift, just some cool vintage fabric and other craft supplies. Then we went home, packed up the cooler, loaded up the boat (well, hubs did that part, and I should note that of COURSE our boat is vintage, a 50'something Glaspar that hubs resurrected years ago after it was given to him for free because it was in such bad condition), and headed out on the Skidaway River for the rest of the day. Temps have finally cooled so it was a perfect day to be out riding around for hours.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMN531gt3s65xLYkF68e5NAlzSaXh3b0mIACBLbEyXxn3AKAYb9Kr9md-WBDtwbV1FTsKuQLPMtKldflURQiUt9KdIhMP-uyT78XzebO0r3QxiEogLRpsZlBsPSOnC2wQ_M5WLOdanKM3N/s1600/skidaway.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMN531gt3s65xLYkF68e5NAlzSaXh3b0mIACBLbEyXxn3AKAYb9Kr9md-WBDtwbV1FTsKuQLPMtKldflURQiUt9KdIhMP-uyT78XzebO0r3QxiEogLRpsZlBsPSOnC2wQ_M5WLOdanKM3N/s320/skidaway.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We made it home just in time for fried shrimp and oysters from the best little seafood market in the area. If you ever find yourself in Savannah, don't be suckered into going to a certain famous foodie's brother's seafood restaurant, come find this place instead...trust me on this!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdCHzcU7VSvSJh_Pyl4PVYXF2EjUWZjLmzgB2NmJGOptcw5TD7BCVUzzFLaULi3WWx7qbP1BMbCIKkztq9QeDo0bkFrUH0dsWfIBgpaT85tZdbneEF_6mpMTS6V0RkdYfQBHRuxL6IeXFc/s1600/jackies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdCHzcU7VSvSJh_Pyl4PVYXF2EjUWZjLmzgB2NmJGOptcw5TD7BCVUzzFLaULi3WWx7qbP1BMbCIKkztq9QeDo0bkFrUH0dsWfIBgpaT85tZdbneEF_6mpMTS6V0RkdYfQBHRuxL6IeXFc/s320/jackies.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Once the kids went to bed, we fired up the Netflix to watch The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia. Wow is all I can say about that one! I grew up in far southwest Virginia, so the familiarity was both entertaining and disturbing.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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Today we spent as follows:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Salivating over the merch at <a href="http://www.37aad.com/">37th at Abercorn</a> (too rich for my blood, though!):</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.37aad.com/"><img border="0" height="78" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7sDy8tutjbcqIXzeoYq0EWg5uD6cJDBonBnExyaNiPS5gFdEbeu88Z4giZVKefyW_SOXkCjRIO7ofTaM-tCby_ChEMZG31_Q9K7p2dBHHymc-6BHCgn7iU05zoFYImEuLHE-_XnkBnX7g/s400/37th+aa.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Walking around downtown, including <a href="http://www.shopscad.com/">Shop Scad</a>, where we enjoyed perusing the wares for sale by the local art college's students and alumni, and I drooled over this Vanessa Boulton bag:</div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPjvhTGbe2rABDeZouRVDFWW70OWODqKIHREbQbaOWMi1KQ-3K4WVP59UR9TzfcUn3SdBAKZE_OetDiLrXcnLy8nIH_UEwgg8upckoqnTlsE6db7Ero5_wbwINehEEdOugWxZDjvsZ_bYF/s1600/shop+scad+bag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="141" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPjvhTGbe2rABDeZouRVDFWW70OWODqKIHREbQbaOWMi1KQ-3K4WVP59UR9TzfcUn3SdBAKZE_OetDiLrXcnLy8nIH_UEwgg8upckoqnTlsE6db7Ero5_wbwINehEEdOugWxZDjvsZ_bYF/s320/shop+scad+bag.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">Eating lunch at the historic Pirate's House, which first opened as a seafarers' inn in 1753, became a notorious pirates' hangout, and earned mention in Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf0vDN9361WnhrmRI54R3BBQ393v-Uv-Ds8-niJzGt_DNCW_Ygdn0mJqbYoU1hMMAQtx74pSDCzazHZWxeTy6Xg2gr2xKHN-yQkeiVH210t2V0WfFd-JHLIGgQ8_36CzckAip0sjwMEbHp/s1600/pirate%2527s+house.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf0vDN9361WnhrmRI54R3BBQ393v-Uv-Ds8-niJzGt_DNCW_Ygdn0mJqbYoU1hMMAQtx74pSDCzazHZWxeTy6Xg2gr2xKHN-yQkeiVH210t2V0WfFd-JHLIGgQ8_36CzckAip0sjwMEbHp/s320/pirate%2527s+house.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">And meeting the hubs and kids for some family fun at Oktoberfest / First Weekend down on River Street...of which I sadly have no photos to share at the moment.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I accomplished not one single "productive" thing except hanging out with my bestie and I loved every minute of it...but I am definitely whooped!!!!</div>Kristybellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08500639235728752833noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2815095251163006481.post-26116095952645150062011-09-28T21:12:00.000-07:002011-09-28T21:16:14.325-07:00Excitement Is Abound100 gold stars to anyone who can tell me what song I borrowed my title from! But seriously, I am just so darned excited...my <a href="http://roadkillrescue.net/2011/09/homemade-chalk-paint-table/">DIY Chalkpaint Table is being featured on Roadkill Rescue</a> today! I lurked on Beckie's wonderful blog <a href="http://www.infarrantlycreative.net/">Infarrantly Creative</a> for months, soaking up her fabulous inspiration, so I am definitely feeling humbled and grateful and honored all at the same time. <br />
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I am also way excited about all my new followers! And not just for the sake of, "OMG, there are actually people out there who want to hear what I have to say and see what I am doing??!?" (though there is definitely some of that) -- but also because I have "met" so many cool and creative and nice people already. I might "only" have 11 followers (which is 10 more than I ever really thought I'd have), but seriously, y'all rule! AND I now have your awesome blogs to peruse, which is like the whipped cream on top of the icing on the cake! <br />
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And finally, a brief update -- I'm in the midst of DIY Chalkpaint project #2 and have not had the same problem with slow drying as I had with the table. It occurred to me as project #2 was drying at lightning speed that I usually paint outside during the day, but in my extreme enthusiasm to test my concoction, I was painting at night. No sun + 1000% humidity = slow drying. Duh :) I am anxious to get this project finished and posted, but other things are probably going to keep me busy for the next 3-4 days.<br />
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And finally, because this has been such a word-heavy, picture-sparse post, a random photo of the 2 little people who totally rock my world -- meet Sweet Pea and the Little Dude:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5i89Xh90xxWPoNcfl8BKxwVk41W8KHzoLd93Op0ur21loGxPwyvhwemkxezOp0h7GMnecTgQ3ENx1wFiLQjwQ0H2xfpSo9e74_HgZG357jex51I4KyeRNFhUlbR6eUm0TFylV2KjwpgOC/s1600/Cam+and+Chloe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5i89Xh90xxWPoNcfl8BKxwVk41W8KHzoLd93Op0ur21loGxPwyvhwemkxezOp0h7GMnecTgQ3ENx1wFiLQjwQ0H2xfpSo9e74_HgZG357jex51I4KyeRNFhUlbR6eUm0TFylV2KjwpgOC/s400/Cam+and+Chloe.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">No, my kids don't drink Diet Mountain Dew. Not their horse = not their Mountain Dew. Pinky swear!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Since I suddenly feel accountable due to having actual readers, let me go ahead and say I'll probably be absent for a few days, so happy early weekend! Hope it's full of creativity and crafts and thriftiness and whatever else floats your boat!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Kristybellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08500639235728752833noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2815095251163006481.post-52196647417377858812011-09-24T19:00:00.000-07:002011-09-29T20:50:34.987-07:00DIY Chalk Paint Project is Finished!<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Since my last giddy post on Wednesday night, I’ve finished the little table that served as my diy chalk paint guinea pig.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did opt to add some blue/green paint on Thursday, and then waxed (clear & dark) last night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know at least a couple of you are anxious to see the finished product, so I won’t keep you in suspense any longer….</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqKkLlVG5xLSzPcwYEsJFuY2Fuk4d0zfqmHEhaukJaR7Y0s5lIF0pVvMhmnBWa1CssLIP1_9ZmnHdehr6H9pKKGCTREOfQncqWfZlRvkbWDcQDyHh4wceiQefiOS15FFdFTGgbECIn9EPF/s1600/KbCP+table+after+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hca="true" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqKkLlVG5xLSzPcwYEsJFuY2Fuk4d0zfqmHEhaukJaR7Y0s5lIF0pVvMhmnBWa1CssLIP1_9ZmnHdehr6H9pKKGCTREOfQncqWfZlRvkbWDcQDyHh4wceiQefiOS15FFdFTGgbECIn9EPF/s400/KbCP+table+after+1.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5I13ApwwmRzXLtV2iqZl5h_l93_qhf-F91nzQxqN1ZF0Cv568tsS8-XOyMwh2yYqYKGg6NRnn9eGmcdufIaAtWNweaj3Hwa_RgNlPrtjIlExuc7JxNY__4bcwdUKJ6m6_eeMbApX2tCml/s1600/KbCP+table+after+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hca="true" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5I13ApwwmRzXLtV2iqZl5h_l93_qhf-F91nzQxqN1ZF0Cv568tsS8-XOyMwh2yYqYKGg6NRnn9eGmcdufIaAtWNweaj3Hwa_RgNlPrtjIlExuc7JxNY__4bcwdUKJ6m6_eeMbApX2tCml/s400/KbCP+table+after+4.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Y’all….I may be just a little in love with this table.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Crazy considering its origin – it was a free Craigslist yard sale leftover, and when I picked it up it was so wobbly it nearly fell apart in my hands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tightening a couple of screws on the legs fixed that problem right up, (amazing how many pieces get dumped just because it apparently never occurs to someone to flip ‘er over and bust out a screwdriver on some loose screws) but I wasn’t completely sure that there was any hope for the red/brown laminate finish that covered it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Here's the before:</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhci9zU_t2P9h_HW4GFqLjKfdw9k1dHOt51QVxz2xJtQcgEjCY2FplN1wpwkPAVsMwgFiNDFY6LPwztI1LsWO2Y-XdI_JnOTuIdJp2fz_EAt3svaKrRaZNPkTr7O3XoQA0Fpl1OUIr27GUF/s1600/KbCP+table+before.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hca="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhci9zU_t2P9h_HW4GFqLjKfdw9k1dHOt51QVxz2xJtQcgEjCY2FplN1wpwkPAVsMwgFiNDFY6LPwztI1LsWO2Y-XdI_JnOTuIdJp2fz_EAt3svaKrRaZNPkTr7O3XoQA0Fpl1OUIr27GUF/s320/KbCP+table+before.jpg" width="287" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">My original intent was to use it as a test piece for the new HVLP sprayer I picked up at Harbor Freight a couple of weeks ago…but that plan changed as soon as I saw<span style="background-color: white;"> <span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;"><a href="http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com/2011/09/make-your-own-chalk-paint-for-400.html"><span style="background-color: white;">No Minimalist Here’s post on making your own chalk paint</span></a><span style="background-color: white;">.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since the main reason I kept eyeing the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint was its ability to bond to a variety of finishes without stripping, sanding, or priming, I thought this cheap laminate table would be the perfect test to the staying power of the diy version.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I used plaster of paris in my mixture since I already had some on hand, at a ratio of approximately 1/3 plaster of paris to 2/3 paint (off white Valspar oops paint in Satin finish), as Sherry recommended.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh, and a few drops of water to thin the consistency a little. You certainly don’t have to be precise with any of these measurements. One coat of my concoction gave me this:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8E9GKscohMRfuPGP5z0UjV1xUc-l6DeAEOb2wQZ4Q0H6g6vu5uMy9OHkfvhaIpCN3f1tCWDQyLcvPuR7srslQQFveI6U9SMp9EsDF4dOAD4iyn7bt4Y8xCthvwkeEWpecAlKESzCXvghT/s1600/KbCP+table+during.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hca="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8E9GKscohMRfuPGP5z0UjV1xUc-l6DeAEOb2wQZ4Q0H6g6vu5uMy9OHkfvhaIpCN3f1tCWDQyLcvPuR7srslQQFveI6U9SMp9EsDF4dOAD4iyn7bt4Y8xCthvwkeEWpecAlKESzCXvghT/s400/KbCP+table+during.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I forgot to mention that I did wind up sanding the top, since I noticed that under its nasty, flaking, red finish there appeared to be actual wood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I gave the top a couple of coats of Minwax Dark Walnut that I had on hand from another as-yet-undocumented work in progress.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlrstNupTIyX7kN6OOhSAMDDN-bdPPUUASWdfIMAmVRCuwmRtjGsIK3fMydORY5JXQ5O7Ns7dlGA7IJAnHwRwQ1vbETSAcnAJ5q3iQKf3nY2gBz0oPN_mQD1jnL_PwIQU_4e6JsIvbSH_l/s1600/KbCP+table+after+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hca="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlrstNupTIyX7kN6OOhSAMDDN-bdPPUUASWdfIMAmVRCuwmRtjGsIK3fMydORY5JXQ5O7Ns7dlGA7IJAnHwRwQ1vbETSAcnAJ5q3iQKf3nY2gBz0oPN_mQD1jnL_PwIQU_4e6JsIvbSH_l/s400/KbCP+table+after+5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I had to make myself walk away and leave the poor thing the heck alone at this point, because the paint was drying slowly, and I’m impatient so I kept touching it and causing smears.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sigh, the waiting really is the hardest part.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anyway, I’m not sure if the slow drying is inherent to the mixture, or a function of the 1000% humidity we have here in Savannah…probably both.</span></span></div><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Once the paint finally dried, I touched up a few streaky spots (mainly where I’d touched it, d’oh!!) with a second coat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although it was looking about a million times better than I’d ever thought this cheap big-box-store piece of furniture possibly could, the dark top and barely off-white bottom was feeling a little stark for my taste.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I considered stenciling something on the bottom shelf and/or top, but in the end my impatience won out yet again (surprise, surprise) and I opted to dry brush the same turquoise blend I had left over from my still unposted living room dresser project.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did NOT mix this layer with plaster of paris.</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnvwSy_oHcS19YGMeHqUcHw8ONv4Losw8AQvj5yD1J_KF2Go9svo57cgpheRZWd9wQNK4VDUpXJnhAIM6plN1a9v7qUGrIKkvNn0RB5ZgsQyEPqB9g8zRKmx_k7gvVddAoaCC9nMBTl13I/s1600/KbCP+table+after+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hca="true" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnvwSy_oHcS19YGMeHqUcHw8ONv4Losw8AQvj5yD1J_KF2Go9svo57cgpheRZWd9wQNK4VDUpXJnhAIM6plN1a9v7qUGrIKkvNn0RB5ZgsQyEPqB9g8zRKmx_k7gvVddAoaCC9nMBTl13I/s400/KbCP+table+after+3.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Next, I hit it with my sanding sponge to distress it a little, and realized that the chalk paint mixture had stuck so well that it was going to take some lower grit sandpaper and some serious elbow grease to sand it off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everything I’ve read about Annie Sloan Chalk Paint notes that it distresses exceptionally well, so this may be one big difference between the high dollar stuff and the diy alternative.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh well, my batwing upper arms need the workout, anyway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I really didn’t intend for the bottom shelf to have quite so much distressing, but after I managed to take out a big gouge of paint with the 60 grit sandpaper I’d resorted to using, I just went with it (you may have noticed by now that this is another recurring theme in my projects!).</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtdeIfoNkHAcXZBBZinMokUNUqSnnB0PPMHkd4YDqUnPWTuQz0UCpdf0f0KxSBYhQ5eaXux6prBJ4fkIrCaR1EFe1LkwvWpBtYLSb_e34drN9oJGrJ5D_OWdSgH-lmprz2I-0HDkB-fM9l/s1600/KbCP+table+after+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hca="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtdeIfoNkHAcXZBBZinMokUNUqSnnB0PPMHkd4YDqUnPWTuQz0UCpdf0f0KxSBYhQ5eaXux6prBJ4fkIrCaR1EFe1LkwvWpBtYLSb_e34drN9oJGrJ5D_OWdSgH-lmprz2I-0HDkB-fM9l/s400/KbCP+table+after+6.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Finally, 2 coats of wipe-on poly and 1 coat of wax for the top, along with clear and dark wax for the bottom finished it off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am so happy with the way it turned out, and if I saw this in someone else’s house I don’t think I’d ever guess its humble origins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">All in all, I am beyond happy with <a href="http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com/2011/09/make-your-own-chalk-paint-for-400.html">Sherry’s diy chalk paint recipe</a>, and I will definitely be using it for future projects – like the 2 twin headboards with the icky spotted 80’s finish that I have no intentions of stripping off their intricate lattice-style designs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also foresee myself trying the <a href="http://theothermeissane.blogspot.com/2011/09/making-your-own-chalky-paint.html"><span style="background-color: white;">gesso method that The Other Me Is Sane has been using</span></a> … in fact, I’m anticipating a future post comparing the relative merits of the various recipes I’ve seen in the past week. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">And in the meantime, I’m off to scan my house for places my little table could live, because I’m not sure I’m going to be able to give this one up!</span></span></div><div align="center"><br />
Linking up to these fun & fabulous parties:<br />
<a href="http://youaretalkingtoomuch.blogspot.com/">http://youaretalkingtoomuch.blogspot.com/</a><br />
<a href="http://tipsfromtheheart.blogspot.com/">http://tipsfromtheheart.blogspot.com/</a><br />
<a href="http://primitiveandproper.blogspot.com/">http://primitiveandproper.blogspot.com/</a><br />
</div>Kristybellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08500639235728752833noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2815095251163006481.post-89250008296833577692011-09-21T20:55:00.000-07:002011-09-21T20:59:33.188-07:00Make Your Own Chalk Paint? Oh Hellllz to the Yes!Can you tell I am excited about my latest project?<br />
<br />
The moment I visited one my of favorite blogs, <a href="http://youaretalkingtoomuch.blogspot.com/">you are {talking} too much</a>, and saw Rebecca's post, in which she shared Sherry at <a href="http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com/2011/09/make-your-own-chalk-paint-for-400.html">No Minimalist Here's guidance on making your own chalk paint</a>, I was anxious to give it a try. And by anxious I mean, perched on the edge of my seat, fidgeting my way through the work day, and rushing home to drag out the plaster of paris and choose the perfect shades of oops paint before the kids were even fed, much less in bed.<br />
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It was a little sad, really.<br />
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But the verdict? So far...pretty freakin' awesome! Here's a poorly lit, shot-with-a-misbehaving-camera-at-night sneak peek of my pilot project:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyzkRtNkbY4Bz7IR1ceVi9Sy7JX0ASQ3_Vutj7ckriJn-ivLcBIeW2wBKKm6-NKBdMmteGP2YUBmf_m_lIVdckaOiZEpgUbEv2josM-KJpPRw4zBVfE5eLTT5Q7jCoTIqPV48p0H9646yX/s1600/KCRCP+Sneak+Peek.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hca="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyzkRtNkbY4Bz7IR1ceVi9Sy7JX0ASQ3_Vutj7ckriJn-ivLcBIeW2wBKKm6-NKBdMmteGP2YUBmf_m_lIVdckaOiZEpgUbEv2josM-KJpPRw4zBVfE5eLTT5Q7jCoTIqPV48p0H9646yX/s320/KCRCP+Sneak+Peek.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
Underwhelming, yes? But I promise that I can already tell, great things will come of this eventually! I could have held out for the stunning final reveal, but I was just too darned excited not to share along the way.<br />
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Now, my opinion is probably less-than-totally-informed because I never did muster the guts to plunk down the cash-o-la required to try out the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, so I can't offer a head-to-head comparison. But I can say that my "Kristybelle Chalk Paint" (henceforth known as KbCP) went on like a dream, with fantastic coverage and a most pleasant feel to the paint. Best of all, I decided to dig right in and throw this paint a real challenge -- the piece pictured above started out as a dark reddish brown laminate freebie that I did not sand or prime first. Because being able to skip those steps was the main reason I was interested in the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, I wanted a hard core test of this mixture's sticking power. All I can say so far is WOW -- once dry, it showed no signs of budging. <br />
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I cannot wait to finish this piece and see how it turns out...I'm thinking of maybe adding a second color of greenish blue KbCP, similar to the dresser I redid and put in my living room (but haven't posted about yet -- shamey shamey) and of course some distressing and wax. Arrrrghhhh....curse you, drying time and my real job for putting me on hold until tomorrow night! (Note to self: lotto tickets...because I can't win if I don't play!)<br />
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Thank you, thank you, thank you <a href="http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com/">Sherry</a> for being brave enough to experiment, and generous enough to share your instructions with the blog world....and thank you <a href="http://youaretalkingtoomuch.blogspot.com/">Rebecca</a> for leading me to her!!!Kristybellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08500639235728752833noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2815095251163006481.post-42273018827827484892011-09-13T19:41:00.000-07:002011-09-13T19:58:01.784-07:00"Driftwood" Finish TableSo...two whole months between posts, that's totally cool, right? It's only because I've been so busy <strike>acquiring</strike> working on new projects that I haven't taken the time to document them. (To my husband. Who is the only one I've been brave enough to show this blog to just yet. Ahem.)<br />
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So anyway, on to the latest project to actually get finished. Sneak peek!!!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxrieSCkgJTGsBfWM4-Z-0RhK9nmW4JEl2x0b1Iq5AsixFQ8Ro0N1ocqoDV0TyMlkvo2L6DE0j-55juGldaUX9u9sTdpKhAl-lrltjVRjJa3UZKMsrDDBBYCGCWYeFboOD1sXb4P0sNTaa/s1600/DSC01914.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" rba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxrieSCkgJTGsBfWM4-Z-0RhK9nmW4JEl2x0b1Iq5AsixFQ8Ro0N1ocqoDV0TyMlkvo2L6DE0j-55juGldaUX9u9sTdpKhAl-lrltjVRjJa3UZKMsrDDBBYCGCWYeFboOD1sXb4P0sNTaa/s200/DSC01914.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div align="center"></div><br />
Although, in more bad-blogger news, I did not take a before picture of this particular table. I was not feeling all that optimistic about how it would turn out, especially since this was a Craigslist curbside freebie. That was set out right before a typical Savannah August afternoon monsoon. Niiiiiice. Just for illustrative purposes, here's some similar tables that I saw on CL recently:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj92YXijkupBbzwt1B8BoIQMwPYmPtNv1lmHPk7k7nDqGuJlf9vr-dQHn2l8gdXk1hida2mkT8ar3Cde5JX8Q5IDmJDmqjNMNW_IZHDiG_04wFMRd_2M33s-z_kVliQ-mDnVKp23EkY_Gte/s1600/3n33m03o45W15X35S5b8i6f1f2bab6c3c114b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" rba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj92YXijkupBbzwt1B8BoIQMwPYmPtNv1lmHPk7k7nDqGuJlf9vr-dQHn2l8gdXk1hida2mkT8ar3Cde5JX8Q5IDmJDmqjNMNW_IZHDiG_04wFMRd_2M33s-z_kVliQ-mDnVKp23EkY_Gte/s200/3n33m03o45W15X35S5b8i6f1f2bab6c3c114b.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQd_69gSHIFgUjJYnM3zkJUSvXIeOSAQd2nianErruWcgb48LjzpYiOkCzgLTVThbUC8tnz8W3NwldcA2shJ1mjxgk09PmZUnbrB9HmBA6BQFms-QABBcZc9n4kON_LH7msZ_qSUbSEQwr/s1600/3m63o73l65T25W25S1b8va6edaecbe4351784.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" rba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQd_69gSHIFgUjJYnM3zkJUSvXIeOSAQd2nianErruWcgb48LjzpYiOkCzgLTVThbUC8tnz8W3NwldcA2shJ1mjxgk09PmZUnbrB9HmBA6BQFms-QABBcZc9n4kON_LH7msZ_qSUbSEQwr/s200/3m63o73l65T25W25S1b8va6edaecbe4351784.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
In fact, the second set is pretty identical, except my coffee table did not have any smoked glass, and it came with only one side table friend. Ahh yes...revel in its round-edged, light wooded, chunky-yet-straight legged 80's glory. Why did I even bring it home? Not to mention brave the pouring rain to hoist this heavy-arsed thing into the truck? <br />
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Well, as it happens, I've been sort of looking for a table ever since the foster dog chewed the corners off my cute-but-particle-board-topped coffee table about 5 minutes after the hubs and I got married, NINE YEARS AGO. I wanted something that looks good, but way cheap, so I wouldn't be upset when the kids inevitably scribbled and sharpied and glitter-glued it to death (RIP, previous dining table). Free sounded just about right. Even though it was the CL equivalent of a blind date (curb alert with no photo provided), I figured worst case scenario I could always refurbish it into usability, or re-free it if necessary.<br />
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When I brought it home and placed in the living room, I was thinking that it was probably a bit too tall to mesh with our sofa and loveseat, but I was prepared to live with it for a day or two to think it over. Then hubs walked in, made the yuck face, and proclaimed that he'd had the exact same table once upon a long, dark time ago when he was married to She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. That did it...this table ain't stayin' in my living room!!<br />
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My next thought was that this would be a good opportunity to test a paint technique I want to eventually try on the monster 90's pine armoire in my bedroom. I absolutely fell in love with the look that Kristy @ <a href="http://4theloveofwood.blogspot.com/">4 the love of wood</a> achieved with <a href="http://4theloveofwood.blogspot.com/2011/04/just-primer-and-some-wax-white-washed.html">this piece</a>:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2IOuV1SQw3GvzYLGiC0feTe1kNJ29M5x7ej80_N2miIrtmp8gUO8ajtsemTZNi-KKbM8WfoSdjAk2SZMCkiSi_XreGc-LNCCCinnVpfDvHsoyx4ZG17ZVSnEC8Y-1OcA8eb7-ov8dwW6t/s1600/1DoveGrey1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" rba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2IOuV1SQw3GvzYLGiC0feTe1kNJ29M5x7ej80_N2miIrtmp8gUO8ajtsemTZNi-KKbM8WfoSdjAk2SZMCkiSi_XreGc-LNCCCinnVpfDvHsoyx4ZG17ZVSnEC8Y-1OcA8eb7-ov8dwW6t/s320/1DoveGrey1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Even though I've seen similar finishes since then, this is still the one that takes my breath away!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The only problem is, I didn't have real grey primer, just some grey enamel underlay from Ace Hardware's mistint shelf. And I didn't have any water-based white primer, just oil-based. Nor did I have gel stain on hand. But what I did have? Impatience to get started, and lots of it. So I used the enamel underlay and watered down off-white latex, along with my trusty clear and dark waxes and a cute jute rope handle and and this is what I wound up with:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglH0C1iXGYfcBvVV_CakYhljoEeY_j8yCEjtgX62MH06YqH5-8HFlu_qDZnXXEFZW2t0UNMjBrMcybDEnOjIiQv23pvdG5JBFlXfKliXvOdSvvTrJ0nS7JCOL_cnAdCZf3FRgT7PA5ERjd/s1600/DSC01916.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" rba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglH0C1iXGYfcBvVV_CakYhljoEeY_j8yCEjtgX62MH06YqH5-8HFlu_qDZnXXEFZW2t0UNMjBrMcybDEnOjIiQv23pvdG5JBFlXfKliXvOdSvvTrJ0nS7JCOL_cnAdCZf3FRgT7PA5ERjd/s400/DSC01916.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Unstaged...pretty cute but kinda, yawn...</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxrieSCkgJTGsBfWM4-Z-0RhK9nmW4JEl2x0b1Iq5AsixFQ8Ro0N1ocqoDV0TyMlkvo2L6DE0j-55juGldaUX9u9sTdpKhAl-lrltjVRjJa3UZKMsrDDBBYCGCWYeFboOD1sXb4P0sNTaa/s1600/DSC01914.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" rba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxrieSCkgJTGsBfWM4-Z-0RhK9nmW4JEl2x0b1Iq5AsixFQ8Ro0N1ocqoDV0TyMlkvo2L6DE0j-55juGldaUX9u9sTdpKhAl-lrltjVRjJa3UZKMsrDDBBYCGCWYeFboOD1sXb4P0sNTaa/s400/DSC01914.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Now that's what I'm talkin' bout! Look at that texture!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhadZ6nOhIScY3R2C-BxpJ85zLzw9Ps1-1g4kvAudvQAmsdTqM3TxHJnOZXOkWWmlG7dMF6ZkTsjNaVOEqgJomoeS2DcnCKadquyLQjzjIBaoZSn3KsAr_g6HbSKv0hprduDNAp-h3wdP-v/s1600/DSC01912.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" rba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhadZ6nOhIScY3R2C-BxpJ85zLzw9Ps1-1g4kvAudvQAmsdTqM3TxHJnOZXOkWWmlG7dMF6ZkTsjNaVOEqgJomoeS2DcnCKadquyLQjzjIBaoZSn3KsAr_g6HbSKv0hprduDNAp-h3wdP-v/s400/DSC01912.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Rope handle + dark wax = making me smile</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmtURqNrxR_2P3HkF83BNCV1YS4TBXIoZUiqW5Z7QH3ELzcNNJHb-ckm0o0bTGzNW51HRcLj-fNweCkr8HnuMZSoaEsry9LoE4iHQPTtRcc5lywFH-9RSCj2j8ZvUcHFJA_b1s6x1gGu-0/s1600/DSC01911.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" rba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmtURqNrxR_2P3HkF83BNCV1YS4TBXIoZUiqW5Z7QH3ELzcNNJHb-ckm0o0bTGzNW51HRcLj-fNweCkr8HnuMZSoaEsry9LoE4iHQPTtRcc5lywFH-9RSCj2j8ZvUcHFJA_b1s6x1gGu-0/s400/DSC01911.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Awww, can't we keep it?!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>After getting the top whitewashed I realized that I wasn't really getting the look I was aiming for -- not surprising since I wasn't using the materials I should have, plus the top of this table was fairly well pre-distressed, and I didn't want to sand all that goodness away. But I was really digging the beachy vibe, so I went with the flow, and wound up with something that reminds me of a driftwood finish. Um, LOVE! Here's hoping that someone else around here in coastal Georgia sees it on Craigslist and loves it, too!!<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">(PS -- major props to my mom, who not only made the 8 hr trip from VA to visit us, but then spent a couple hours of her visiting time helping me wax this table in the oppressive August humidity that stubbornly insists on lingering even at 10 pm. Thanks, Mom!)</div>Kristybellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08500639235728752833noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2815095251163006481.post-33415321013445717772011-07-13T21:32:00.000-07:002011-07-13T21:41:48.242-07:00Upcycled Sequin JewelryConfession time -- we typically have approximately 40 gazillion of these hanging around our house at any given time:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhigcQ6aFpyTp4S45p397xFamAwKaeHJxFMo1NBY2RP8I_IDzRbb-aD6h6OTfIsOzcZu-UFz_52t6pdJwABicKOQgCWBE0T9Vvv82w-20a9ZLfPs67M1oB7Qa_hf-ERHoqPqWIGFfna9WPS/s1600/tops.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhigcQ6aFpyTp4S45p397xFamAwKaeHJxFMo1NBY2RP8I_IDzRbb-aD6h6OTfIsOzcZu-UFz_52t6pdJwABicKOQgCWBE0T9Vvv82w-20a9ZLfPs67M1oB7Qa_hf-ERHoqPqWIGFfna9WPS/s200/tops.bmp" width="200" /></a></div><br />
99.999% of them are from plastic water bottles. I know, I know, how much more environmentally irresponsible can we get than bottled water? But seriously, the way our tap water tastes, we might as well just go on out and drink chlorinated swimming pool water (yechhhh). We've tried the PUR sink filter and the Britta pitcher and even some fancy filtered reusable bottles, but have yet to find a satisfactory long-term solution (hanging my head in shame).<br />
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But as long as I have these things hanging around the house (which tends to happen because we are not supposed to put them in with the recycling), why not ... do...SOMETHING... with them...hmmmm....<br />
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I also happened to come across a random milk carton plastic pull tab thingie on my countertop, and I remembered <a href="http://meetthedubiens.blogspot.com/2010/11/milk-carton-tab-rings.html">this</a> cool project I had bookmarked on <a href="http://meetthedubiens.blogspot.com/">Meet the Dubiens</a> -- pull tab bead rings. Oh so cute with the seed beads, but I have a whole giant jar of different shaped / colored sequins just begging me to do something with them...AND a birthday gift tutu in need of some fabulous accessories...double-hmmmmmm...<br />
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A little Modpodge, some cereal box cardboard, and a lot of sequins later, I wound up with about 6 of these:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3iIicDyCDCEsju7eZqzJBqX2JGa_RQeElkV13r0QPZZLDATxlg85Wh-KnUZYzLDHO54_22Be8C-17CrI96QrUcGwPXFjuyWs_F6Z9TX-liLSdwofdQjnt3VGnx5qDwAiUAmjBkTkWqQZb/s1600/sequin+jewelry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3iIicDyCDCEsju7eZqzJBqX2JGa_RQeElkV13r0QPZZLDATxlg85Wh-KnUZYzLDHO54_22Be8C-17CrI96QrUcGwPXFjuyWs_F6Z9TX-liLSdwofdQjnt3VGnx5qDwAiUAmjBkTkWqQZb/s640/sequin+jewelry.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
The process was so simple. For the pull-tab ring, I just liberally coated the top with mod podge, and placed the sequins on individually, choosing the ones that I thought would coordinate with the birthday tutu. For the bottle top on the lower left I did the same, but traced and cut out a cardboard circle to mount the sequins on the underside of the bottle top, since I want to add some ribbon to the solid part of the top to make it into a necklace. I'm also thinking you could use ring blanks to make these into rings or, hey, who knows, some of those big dollar store kiddie rings might even fit right into the hollow part of the underside!<br />
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For the bottle top in the middle I didn't even bother with trying to pick and choose or lay out the sequins, I just loaded up my cardboard mounting surface with modpodge and dipped it into a litle pile of sequins. I think these randomly placed ones look the best!!<br />
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Once the initial layer of the 'podge had dried, I added a few more coats on top. It gives the piece more stability, and also provides a uniform, slightly reflective (at least with the modpodge finish I used) topcoat. <br />
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I am pretty happy with the way these turned out, and I can't wait to give them to the birthday girl on Saturday. Here's a picture of the tutu with the pull tab ring and soon-to-be necklace (once I add the ribbon):<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-lVyNrjMtMVcySxQx8CHlsMrGbu9RnctSDHcKmsiOkO1kn0xhLfB5YYm7uIS69IjDzNzzgVgvcdf7KJu1jJn3D2aKDbEprlR9TW2FSsUbQO74Jo-RlbJnMEsaxKjly2E1qjB7o6HF0Tro/s1600/gift.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-lVyNrjMtMVcySxQx8CHlsMrGbu9RnctSDHcKmsiOkO1kn0xhLfB5YYm7uIS69IjDzNzzgVgvcdf7KJu1jJn3D2aKDbEprlR9TW2FSsUbQO74Jo-RlbJnMEsaxKjly2E1qjB7o6HF0Tro/s640/gift.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
OK, so you can barely see the "jewelry", but that's just because it coordinates so beautifully with the tutu.(Alas, I know the above photo is really just prime evidence that my blog photo-taking skills need serious work, but it is only my second post -- don't you judge me!)<br />
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And yes, I did make the tutu as well, but since these are all over the internet I didn't see any need whatsoever to give that its own post. I was actually inspired by the gorgeous tutu that my best friend Holli made my daughter for Christmas...my daughter loved hers so much that she has been asking me to make them for her friends' birthday parties. <br />
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Here's the inspiration tutu my bestie Holli at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/doublehcreations#!/doublehcreations">Double H Creations </a>made:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipMzwlm-uykcwXv0JMdvGDZysCApXf5ckEudOgasCmkwOcG5JgXM0OCQ4pEhdVQDO39RJe1BlRMC_9Wbnwz-nhoFu9__jS6PcRAcNSMauNYOfDFwvrH8IMf4rBGQgJdSXFPbQ2uk-4haQU/s1600/Chloe%2527s+tutu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipMzwlm-uykcwXv0JMdvGDZysCApXf5ckEudOgasCmkwOcG5JgXM0OCQ4pEhdVQDO39RJe1BlRMC_9Wbnwz-nhoFu9__jS6PcRAcNSMauNYOfDFwvrH8IMf4rBGQgJdSXFPbQ2uk-4haQU/s320/Chloe%2527s+tutu.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
Annnnd, now that I've posted this, I'm a little embarrassed to showcase mine. Seriously, head over to <a href="http://www.facebook.com/doublehcreations#!/doublehcreations">Double H Creations</a> on Facebook and check out Holli's stuff, she makes beautiful things (and not to mention, she is a beautiful person inside and out, I am so blessed to have her in my life ... sniff).Kristybellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08500639235728752833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2815095251163006481.post-31451972632091963852011-06-28T21:28:00.000-07:002011-07-08T21:33:54.291-07:00Making My Debut: Vinegar Weathered WoodSo, after spending the last couple of months stalking <strike>other</strike> crafty, creative people's blogs full 'o awesomeness, the inevitable has come to pass. Here I am, typing up my first-ever blog post on my first-ever blog. Gulp. <span style="font-size: x-small;">(Hold me!)</span><br />
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Not that I think the blogosphere ~needs~ another crafty, creative(ish, if you count being inspired and copying the truly creative people's creative ideas) blog. It's really more to give me some kind of motivation to, you know, actually FINISH a project every once in a while. Right now no more guests are allowed to visit than can fit inside my house, since the guest apartment off the garage (aka the Garaj Mahal) is chock full of my "works" in various stages of "progress."<br />
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So, without further ado, the first project for which I actually have photo documentation of the before and after, my Vinegar Weathered Wood Side Table. AKA, "Vinnie."<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Before:</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNLUQ8wiSRjoXAU29pLv3KuhRxEIa7orG2FgBUEgAp4sIqW4LxqCbXc9phxA5xmbVoAaF6xnZ7XbzVdXtyGjMjJ6STnkO2FaMS-XCKej52sir4IlwJAjow0dLuIbTLb7uYaZ9qbEhzS5yr/s1600/1+Small+Shelf+Before.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNLUQ8wiSRjoXAU29pLv3KuhRxEIa7orG2FgBUEgAp4sIqW4LxqCbXc9phxA5xmbVoAaF6xnZ7XbzVdXtyGjMjJ6STnkO2FaMS-XCKej52sir4IlwJAjow0dLuIbTLb7uYaZ9qbEhzS5yr/s320/1+Small+Shelf+Before.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
A sweet little shelf I snatched up for 3.99 at the nearest Goodwill. It was clearly handmade, as all those pieces are notched together like a jigsaw puzzle. No screws, nails, or wood glue anywhere. (Man, I wish I had me some woodworking skills like that, but alas, I confess that I am downright scared of power saws.) She is darling, but I am not loving the "new wood" look she's rockin'. I am totally a weathered wood kind of gal, and besides, I want to put her in the Garaj Mahal (you know, for when it's actually allowed to host guests again), which has a semi-beachy theme including a weathered wood shutter headboard that I am totally smitten with. And "new wood" just isn't going to mesh with that lil bit of awesome. Nope, nuh-uh, no-how no way.<br />
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Fortunately for me, Sausha over at <a href="http://showandtell-sausha.blogspot.com/">{show & tell}</a> had a similar dilemma a while back, and showed us all how she weathered her craft table using steel wool soaked in vinegar. She did an awesome job describing the process, which you should totally check out <a href="http://showandtell-sausha.blogspot.com/2011/01/how-to-weather-new-wood.html">here</a>. <br />
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I just used regular old distilled white vinegar that I had on the shelf. I tore my steel wool up into little bits, and intended to soak it for a day, but it wound up being more like a week. When I finally got around to putting the solution on my table, it was the darndest thing...the mixture looked really dark in the jar, but when I dipped in my brush it looked clear like vinegar. And it looked like it was going on clear when I brushed it on the wood. But then as I'm slopping away with this stuff, I look and it's totally turned almost like a cedar color. So cool, my own little science experiment!! Except then I looked down and noticed that where it had splashed on my legs and hands I had dark orange streaks...yikes!!! Fortunately it MOSTLY washed off, except for a light orange tint which left me looking as though I'd had an unfortunate mishap with a bottle of self-tanner. Consider yourself warned that gloves and some old pants...or less slopping around than I'm notorious for...are definitely called for. Once the vinegar'ing was done, I finished it with tung oil -- my first time using tung oil and I love the natural look of it! I don't expect the table to get heavy use so just one coat...for now.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">So yeah, blah blah blah, here's the good part: AFTER!</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie2UURe5chHqWeN-5bfchUy-HbchhuLtL08GuwofAzPI0ZqTXAX-XFzPYyOAzwUcNFilVByy8YFzZbS6W06exoU7ro3VJgsQNbvD3SO4WvKHCFk6gcDK7ju1HnI8HxIKVfw71vPeKk6l_5/s1600/DSC01716.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie2UURe5chHqWeN-5bfchUy-HbchhuLtL08GuwofAzPI0ZqTXAX-XFzPYyOAzwUcNFilVByy8YFzZbS6W06exoU7ro3VJgsQNbvD3SO4WvKHCFk6gcDK7ju1HnI8HxIKVfw71vPeKk6l_5/s320/DSC01716.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
Sigh, isn't she darling?! Here's my most favorite part:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgumdhMc494bhsDxHUK61riz67jm6WQxxiK-RXNKvPuDQdMDmKvAewYSmXEU2MRgEufFhrPcCgKkTo94-7uKv_KGOb6b4GQHzXWqFjhNmE1Qdjvqyx6kS6ykUeAXVaSTEo1kutbxdFKxD_9/s1600/3+Small+Shelf+After.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgumdhMc494bhsDxHUK61riz67jm6WQxxiK-RXNKvPuDQdMDmKvAewYSmXEU2MRgEufFhrPcCgKkTo94-7uKv_KGOb6b4GQHzXWqFjhNmE1Qdjvqyx6kS6ykUeAXVaSTEo1kutbxdFKxD_9/s320/3+Small+Shelf+After.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Love that woodgrain. LOVE it!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">While I confess <span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">that</span> I was maybe hoping for a more gray, weathered appearance, I am happy with the way this turned out relative to how it looked before. It's fun to be able to say I didn't use just any regular old stain / poly to achieve this look. And best of all? It's something I've actually FINISHED. Go meeee!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So what do you think? Have you ever used a non-traditional method of changing up a piece of furniture or whatever? How did it turn out?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Kristybellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08500639235728752833noreply@blogger.com1