What would you do?

I’m trying to decide what to do with one of my recent Estate Sale purchases, namely this little beauty:

I absolutely adore the lines and style of this table, but I just can’t decide if I want to paint it or leave it alone as is.  I’m not sure you can tell from the picture (lighting was horrible and I apologize for that) but it is a goldish yellow color.  It really doesn’t match anything in my home right now.  However I’m seriously considering some color schemes for my future guest room re-do that actually do have this color.  Here they are:

Or this one:

Or perhaps this one:

(the colors don’t look quite right on the page right now but I’m hoping when I publish this post they will come out right…basically they all have the same goldish yellow hue in the pallet).

So, what say you?  What is your vote?  Do I paint it and use it elsewhere in the house or just save it like it is and use it in the guest room when I redo that room?  Please tell me what you think!  I’m very indecisive on this one…

An interruption...

I'm interrupting my series on my entry room for an...interruption! OK, so I'm going to preface this entire post by saying...please don't judge me! Please don't call those Hoarders shows on me! Please don't think so less of me that you quit reading me altogether! I can attest what you are about to witness is not my norm! This is NOT how I live on an every day basis. I promise! But, I'm confessing and actually posting pictures of something that is quite embarrasing in hopes that those of you that actually read my blog will get inspired to tackle something you have hidden in a closet that you've been avoiding for a long time. I'm talking about CLUTTER!!!!! Oh yeah, that stuff you just can't seem to shed! Well, in my case I've taken clutter to a brand new realm! Seriously...here goes...

When we remodeled our house in what I now refer to as "The Great Remodel of 1996" we added a 2 car garage, a hallway into the house from said garage, a big game room, and a storage room. The storage room has a door in from the game room and a door in from the garage, in opposite corners of the room. It also has a small built in closet for the air conditioner. The total size of the room is about 12' X 12' (approximate, I actually have not measured it exactly). We keep a freezer in there and it's our "on-site" storage shed in essence. Well, over time this room becomes the catch-all of catch-alls! It catches everything! Finally it gets to the point where it was, where I have only left myself a small walkway to the freezer. Every other spare inch of space is occupied! I've even gone so far this time that I've actually blocked the door to the garage now. Boo Hiss...Bad BikerCandy!!!!

As I'm working on the entry way and Hot Rod is working on our hall bathroom I have spent more time looking for some tool or the other than I've spent on actually working on my projects! The time had come to take a break in all the projects and clean out the storeroom so I could finally find things when I needed them.

So, step 1, take a before picture. In usual BikerCandy fashion, I remembered to do this after about an hour or 2 of starting. So, you'll have to pretend here yet again!


This is taken from the doorway from the game room. That door on the left goes to the garage. Prior to starting that entire space was covered with stuff. The stuff went all the way around to what you see on the right with just a small walkway to the freezer left.

This is the view from the other side. So, yeah...it all looked like this! Stuff stacked on top of stuff, stacked on top of stuff. Definitely dangerous too. Anytime I did actually find something I was looking for, getting it out was an entirely different challenge. You had to be very careful removing anything because it was all so delicately balanced that one small change and it all came tumbling down!

So, step 1: Clean it all out completely to just an empty room! This meant we moved both of the cars out of the garage and pulled Hot Rod's bike down to the back of the garage by the door. Now the garage was empty and ready to work as my new storage staging area. I created 4 stacks. One was trash to be thrown away. One was stuff that needed to come back into the room. One was stuff I wanted to keep but didn't use all the time (later projects, etc) to be moved to the barn. The last was stuff I wanted to get rid of...either selling on Craigs List or taking to Goodwill or just giving away to anyone that wants it that I know.

The cleaning out part took the better part of day 1. And by better part I mean I didn't finish until 10:30 at night and I started a little after noon on Saturday. Boy was I beat too! But, here is my finished pride and joy!

The stack of stuff to go back into the room.

The stack of stuff to get rid of.

The stack of stuff to go the barn.

And lastly, the stack of trash. (no worries, that ladder you see is not really trash, it was just there already so it snuck into the picture) By the way, see that roll of jute right there? It was molded! Has that happened to anyone else? An entire roll of jute completely white with mold! It was disgusting...but I digress, back to the post.

And...here's the room completely empty with the exception of the freezer and the shelving we have for this room.

Uh, yeah, don't mind that ugly pink wall shall we? Let's just say that was my decor of choice when I was using this room as a scrapbook space. Hey, don't judge! It actually matched some wicked scrapbook paper and it did make me smile. I really, really, really wanted to paint over it and all the walls but we just didn't have time to do it this weekend and I wanted to get this done. Next time we reorganize, painting is definitely on the agenda. In the meantime, I just try to ignore the ugly builders white walls covered in dirt and grime and the pink psychadelic wall. :)

Those are the shelves that were there originally. You probably didn't even notice them in the before pictures because they were covered in junk both on them and in front of them! The freezer did get moved to a new wall, closer to the plug and where we needed it for the new arrangement.

Step 2: Build the Ikea shelf units that have been sitting in my entry way for over a year in their boxes. Yep, over a year these puppies have been sitting in my entry way. They were bought for my closet redo last year but they didn't fit and I've been saving them to use in here or the laundry room. Here won out! I absolutely LOVE these units. They are wonderful and big and sturdy to boot!

Hot Rod put the 2 units together for me while I worked on another project. I took one of the rolling wire shelf units that was in my kitchen loaded full of junk and emptied it out. Anything that needed to stay in the kitchen got moved to the other wire shelf I have in there. Anything that I needed to keep but not necessarily in the kitchen got set aside for now. Then I moved the shelf unit to the store room. This is going to serve as my out of kitchen pantry. I don't have a pantry in my house so these wire shelves have been serving that purpose for awhile. But, they made my kitchen look messy and unkept no matter how clean my kitchen was. So, by moving this one out it really opened up the walkway in the kitchen and it brought in some much needed more shelving!

I had 2 rolls of this plastic liner stuff also from Ikea so I was able to line 2 of the shelves, thus making them a semi-solid surface so things wouldn't slip through the wires.

Nothing had to be done to the old shelf units. Just cleaned them off and they were ready to use again.

So, now it was time to start loading things back in. Remember that stack? If not, here is another picture of everything that needed to come back into the room.

So, I just took it slow and worked methodically through the pile. I worked from about noon until about 9:00 pm when I finally called it done. My first step was to load the stuff that was taken off the shelf in the kitchen and then move all of the stuff that should belong in a pantry. Stuff like my roasting pan, my buffet server, my chargers for 20 settings...in 2 different colors, extra martini glasses, pitchers for parties, etc, etc, etc. We do quite a bit of entertaining so I need all of this stuff, I just don't need it in the kitchen on a day to day basis so this was going to work out perfectly. Still handy but not out in the way! Oh, and of course all of the beer making supplies needed to go on these shelves. Everything FIT! Even have a few inches here and there to spare! :)

Next step was to install what little pieces I had for the Ikea shelves. I really didn't have that much left over from the closet install but I made use of what I had. I had 3 shelves, 1 drawer, and one rod. OK...let's make that work until I can make another trip to Ikea which won't be until mid July. I went ahead and hung the rod up at the highest level it would go. I have to get a stool to reach it but for what I'm using it for, it's no big deal. I hung up all of our Halloween costumes there. I also got bags for the accessories and hung them up too. On the bottom of the unit, I just stacked a few of the bigger things, like the ice chest and the crate with all of the extension cords in it.

I put all of the other pieces in the other unit so I basically completed it. This one is used for a couple of things. I put off-season holiday decor on the top shelf (Halloween, Easter, and 4th of July stuff...Christmas stays in the attic because my Christmas stuff would fill this entire room!) The rest of the shelves have all of our tools and hardware type items. Screws, nails, stapler, sander, hammers, etc. I am using the drawer as basically a pull out shelf. All of our highly used things will go in there so you will be able to pull the drawer out and find what you need quickly. Can I hear a "heck yeah!"?

There is a little space left between the new shelves and the freezer. The space was actually perfect for the bigger beer making supplies. All of the buckets, bottles, and CO2 tank was put there. It fit perfectly and all completely out of the way. We angled the freezer for a reason. The shelves from Ikea barely fit on that wall and with the freezer flush against the wall it didn't open completely. By angling the freezer now the door opens perfectly wide open and we still could put the shelves against that wall. Also, the tall dark shelves almost cover the ugly pink wall. So they are pulling double duty! Storage and Coverage all in one. I was able to make use of this shoe shelf I happened to have too. Inadvertently I used plastic shoe size boxes for several things (like nails, screws, sand paper, etc). I put the shoe shelf on one of the shelves and then the boxes stacked in there perfectly and I won't have to pull all of them out to get to something in the bottom box anymore! I love it when a plan comes together like that don't you?

I claimed the larger of the existing shelves as my own. This is going to be my current project staging area. I'm using this as my decorative storage and my trash 2 treasure projects currently being done. I'm in heaven! I loaded it full too! It has stuff that I'm not using right now but I still love and every now and then I change things out and I'll be able to come in here and "shop" here first before heading out to buy anything.

I went ahead and brought my 2 new tables in here too for now. I really plan on working on them next weekend though so they won't be there long. I'm really trying hard to keep the floor completely clear of any and everything! I did put all the spray paint here but once I get to go back to Ikea and get another shelf I'm moving all of my "tools" to that shelf. All of my spray paint, cans of paint, removers, adhesives, etc will go over there. That will free up another shelf here for me which I need. I sort of had to spill over onto one of the shelves next to this one. Yes, I took one of Hot Rod's shelves! But...he had 2 completely empty shelves when all was said and done and mine were chock full! I needed just a little more space. I told him it would just be until we got back to Ikea and I could get the other shelf. He reluctanly agreed. Bless him!

So, this is his shelf unit. I have a few things stacked between the 2 units, these are all the larger art pieces. I do have the second to the bottom shelf with my stuff on it. The bottom shelf has his tool boxes and the top shelf has his motorcycle stuff on it. The only other things he has in here are his old trumpet from high school and a putter. Men? Who can figure them out because I sure can't! ha ha ha

And, here it is...the finished room! All done, all cleaned out, all organized, all WONDERFUL! All it took was a bunch of effort and a weekend at home. No money was spent on this AT ALL! I already had every single thing I used in the making of this store room.

Entry Room Re-Do, Part 1 aka Custom Chalkboard Tutorial

I'm so excited to share this post with you. I'm just really proud of how this project turned out. This is part 1 of my entry-room re-do of 2011. As I've become more and more obsessed with my shabby to chic craze I decided the first room I wanted to tackle was my entry room. I figured it is the very first room that guests see when they come to my house so it should reflect who we are and what we love. In its current state it didn't do either one of those things. So, it was time to put together a plan and get started on it. I'll have a final room reveal eventually but I wanted to share the projects as they are finished.

First of all, by re-do I'm not doing a total overhaul of this room. I'm actually not even painting! Can you imagine? I actually still love the color of the room and I don't want to change that. What I do want to change is what is actually on those walls and the furniture in the room. Since it's an entry way I'm very limited as to furniture placement. While the room is very large for an entry it is still basically the hallway into my house. I'm just blessed by having an 11' X 16' "hallway". :) I like the bones of the furniture in the room, just not how they look right now. More on that in a different post.

My first project is the one very large open wall. It is on the left hand side as you enter the house. There are 2 chairs with an antique table between them and an old china cabinet at the far end. I started by moving my gallery wall. I had started a gallery wall a few years ago but it was located at the end of the wall with a very large picture in the center of the wall. I wanted to move the gallery to the center and have it take center stage in the room. I also wanted to incorporate a custom chalkboard into the plan. So, that brings us up to date before we begin the rest of this post...Creating a custom chalkboard.

First of all, I looked for a frame for the chalkboard. I wanted it to be rather tall so I could put some really long quotes on it if I wanted. (It will be used for quotes and I will change them out monthly.) So, during one of my Goodwill trips I found the frame I wanted. It had a picture of trees in it but the frame was perfect with my color scheme. I didn't even have to paint it. I wanted it as is. The cost of the frame was $20.

The first step was to remove all the staples holding the picture in place. Once that was done I removed the picture and then used it as a template on a piece of wood. I used some scrap lumber my dad had from his currently happening kitchen renovation. I marked the outline of the picture on the wood using just a regular pencil.

After that we (Hot Rod helped with this part) took the wood to the barn and cut along the markings using our table saw. It worked perfectly. The scrap wood just happened to be exactly the width I needed where it was notched out. How's that for being lucky?

After it was cut out I filled all of the nail holes (remember it was scrap wood that had been used so there were numerous nail holes) with caulk (I just use caulk to fill holes, just make sure you get the kind that says "paintable".) Then I took it outside and using my handy-dandy new saw horses I sanded her down. It was really rough wood and if I skipped this part it would have been a very rough surface with splinters galore! I already had the caulk and the sand paper and sander so this step was a freeby for me.

Next, it was time to paint. I wanted the board to be the same color as my walls (a deep burgundy) but the left-over paint I had from painting the walls had all gunked up. I took a stir stick to get it matched and it really isn't an exact match but for this, it is close enough. So, following the directions I found on the intranet I mixed one cup of paint with 2 TBSP of sanded grout. I used whatever grout I could find that we had. Turns out we had left over grout from the bathroom floor job. It was a gray color but I just said OK and used it. I mixed the two together and then started to paint using a mini roller for cabinets and shelves. It worked amazing! I got the paint at Lowes and just got a quart for $14.97. The grout was another freeby. I did have to buy the new mini roller and some roller pans but I'm viewing that as a great investment since I know I will use these multiple times. The total cost for the roller, some more rolling covers and the rolling pan was about $20. You just have to remember that eventually that cost should be divided upon at least 9 more projects...so basically a couple of dollars if you look at it like that.

And, there she is all painted and pretty.

So, the next step is to sand it again. This time I used 220 grit sand paper. I discovered a few things here. You really need to leave the surface a little rough. It is the grout (roughness) that actually makes the chalk work on it. So, don't sand until it's completely smooth, that is not the goal here. I did have to buy the 220 grit sandpaper because I didn't have any that smooth. Total cost of that was about $3.00.

Once I was done sanding, I wiped it all off with a damp cloth and let it dry completely. Then I took a piece of chalk and laid it on the side and rubbed the entire board with the chalk. I actually forgot to take this picture as I started so just pretend that the board isn't already kind of whitish already shall we? So yeah, after I coated the board with the chalk I wiped it away with the eraser I have. I bought new chalk at Hobby Lobby for $1.99 and already had the eraser.

I just couldn't wait to see if it actually worked...and IT WORKS! I now have a custom colored chalkboard.

The next step was to insert the board into the frame. I used my electric stapler for this. At first I tried to attach it in the same manner the picture was but that really didn't work out. The board was too thick. So, instead I straddled the stapler over both the board and the frame and that worked and will hold the two together. I already had the stapler and staples so this step was another freeby.

Alrighty then, so the major part of the board is complete. Now it is time to do some accessorizing! I went to Hobby Lobby yesterday because they had all their knobs and pulls on sale 50% off! I've been waiting to get some new knobs for the china cabinet until they would go on sale. I pretty much don't buy anything at Hobby Lobby unless it's at least 40% off. You know they always put things on sale! Well, while I was marveling at all the wonderful choices of knobs I found a few other items (also on for 50% off) that I just loved. I bought all 3 of these and then spray painted them using my favorite Rustoleum Heirloom White (it's the bomb diggity of paint colors I tell you!) The hook was $4.99 and then half off that. The key plate was $9.99 and then half off that. The drawer pull was $2.99 and then half off of that. So, total price for all 3 of them was $9.00. The paint I had but I did buy some more for more projects I just love this paint so much. I found the cheapest place that carries it too I think. It's at Home Depot for $2.97 a can. One can was more than enough for all 3 of these.

After they dried I screwed the drawer handle upside down on the bottom of the chalk board itself.

The little mini hook with the small mirror in it went on the wall right next to the board about half way up. It blended in well with the rest of the wall gallery (still to come later...it's not quite ready to be revealed yet.)

Next I went scrounging through the house and found a small pail that I had bought on the dollar aisle at Target. It was bright white so I painted it in the same Heirloom white. Then I found some burgundy ribbon that came close to matching the walls and inserted it in the holes where it had originally had white organza ribbon. I tied a pretty bow and hung the entire thing from the small hook. The eraser went in there. The chalk is in the upside door handle. So...here it is...

I put my first quote up on the board. I really really wish I had prettier hand writing! I may erase and try harder to get it all even, level, and pretty...or I might not! ha ha ha

Here is a shot from a little further away to give you some idea of the scale of the piece. Don't worry, there is a lot to be changed in this picture still...just pretend the blue chair is not clashing and the welcome post doesn't have a Valentine's Day figurine on it ok?

So, there you have it, my tutorial on creating a custom chalkboard. Total price for me was about $50. That may seem too high but if you are luckier than I am you may still have some left over paint that matches the walls that isn't all gunked up you could use. Savings of $14.97! You also may already have the great frame to use. Savings of $20. You may even already have all the paint supplies and sanding supplies you need...a savings of $5.00. So, if you had all of that already all you would need to spend is the money for the drawer handle to hold the chalk and the small hook to hold the eraser. Total cost theoretically could be a grand total of $10! Just think of the possibilities!

Whew! Sorry for the long post with so many pictures but I really wanted to share how I did this. It was so easy and really cheap overall. I can't wait to finish the room now. I just walk in there every so often and admire my work.

Hope you have a wonderful (inspired) weekend!

Gone Junkin' Lately?

I tell you I have been on a junkin' craze lately! Hot Rod is getting a little perturbed about it I think even. I've just been so inspired by all the wonderful things I've been seeing on Pinterest and all of the wonderful blogs I follow that I just really felt the need to stretch my creative wings so to speak and get on the Trash 2 Treasure, Shabby to Chic, Ugly to Beautiful bandwagon! I've always been a Trash 2 Treasure girl. I think it comes from growing up incredibly poor and having to be pretty creative to make a house feel warm and inviting on a very low and limited budget. Now that our finances are not so dire anymore I still just enjoy the feeling of turning something that others have cast out as trash into a wonderful accessory for my home.

Unfortunately for me we are in typical May weather for my area which means high heat and high winds every day! Ugh! Does the wind Gods not realize I have some spray painting to get done? If you are unclear why that's a big deal, just trust me on this. Do not even try to spray paint something outside when the wind is blowing 30-40mph. TRUST. ME. All you will do is end up spray painting your fence or something about 5 miles away as the wind carries every speck of paint up, up, and away. Not much lands on the object you are trying to paint and all you end up doing is wasting a precious can of spray paint.

So, as I'm patiently *ahem, or unpatiently waiting as the case may be* working on all my wonderful treasures, I thought I would do a post on junkin' first. Where to go? What to get? What to look for? etc, etc, etc.

First though I need to give a little disclaimer. I've been reading Trash 2 Treasure blogs for several months now and I've seen post after post of "I got this for 50 cents at Goodwill and made this with it". Now, I don't know if I just happen to live in the Goodwill Royalty store area or what but my Goodwill NEVER has prices like that. In fact I would dare to say that my Goodwill charges almost retail for some of the stuff in there. You have to be pretty darn picky about things and REALLY look for the hidden treasures that are actually priced decently. I really envy those other people who apparently have Goodwill's run by people that are actually trying to give people a break instead of my town where I think they must be getting cutbacks they charge so much. *Disclaimer...I am NOT saying they do that, I'm just suggesting that maybe they might be charging a bit much for their wares is all.* But, I still go to the Goodwill about once a week these days and just have a looksee to find that hidden diamond in the rough. I have been fortunate a time or two in fact.

Besides Goodwill though, there are countless other places to find those wonderful transformations just waiting to happen. I went to Amarillo last Saturday (I think I mentioned it already) and we went "Junkin'" all around town. Turns out the Salvation Army Store was the bomb there! I got the best stuff and the prices were AMAZING! They actually wanted to sell their stuff, for reals! I've got so many plans in the making, just hold on to those reins because the posts are about to accumulate BIG time in the very near future showing off all my wonderful powers of transformation.

I've also been stopping by Antique stores lately too. Sometimes you will find something in them priced very reasonably that is just so cute. I've been looking for old salt and pepper shakers for this project I'm working on and the local Antique Mall had about 10 of them for about $1.00 each. Not bad at all.

Garage sales are also a wonderful place to find good stuff. Now if you are like me I always seem to show up a day late and a dollar short for the good stuff at garage sales. Usually by the time I get up and going all of the dealers have hit all the good stuff and basically stole things from unsuspecting and ill prepared rookie garage salers. It makes my heart hurt to know I've lost out on some wonderful things sometimes but that extra hour or two of sleep on Saturdays just means too much to me. I wish with all I had sometimes that I could just work 4-10 hour days and have every Friday off so I could really hit the garage sales when all the good stuff is still there...on Friday! But alas, that won't happen so I just keep trying. I do find good things every now and then at a good garage sale too. The season of garage sales is really on now so if you are new to this, get a Thrifty Nickle and head out on a Saturday and just look to see what you can find.

The next place to find some good stuff is Estate Sales. Now I have to give a HUGE word of warning on Estate Sales though. First of all, depending on who is actually running the Estate Sale you can either get some wonderful things at reasonable prices or you can walk in, hold your breath (for fear they will charge you for the air you breathe) and walk out as quickly as you possibly can. An example: on our trip last Saturday we saw a sign for an Estate Sale so we quickly did a U-ey, and stopped at this magnificent old home. We walked in and they had 2 rooms with stuff in them, the entire rest of this huge house was blocked off. I personally don't count that as an Estate Sale. It was more of an inside garage sale in my book. But, as we looked around I realized VERY quickly that this was not the sale to buy things at. I saw a bread machine (just your average run of the mill bread making machine) for...wait for it...ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS!!!!! Are you freaking kidding me? I could buy a brand new one for half that and one at any thrift store in town for $5 - $10. Needless to say, we walked out of that house very quickly. My idea of an Estate Sale is you walk into a home and just about everything in the house is for sale. You walk from room to room and the things that are not for sale are all pushed into one room that is locked off.

I happened upon one just like that the day before yesterday. I was on my way to Lowes to get some paint for another project during my lunch hour and saw a sign for an Estate Sale. I turned in and to my delight it was wonderful! I ended up spending $220 there but I got some really cool stuff, stuff like an art deco ashtray stand from the 30's, an old music stand (I just can't wait to use as a picture holder), 2 side tables, tons of frames, a few glass pieces, an antique camera, and a few other knick knacks. It was fabulous! I spent my entire lunch hour (and then some...oops!) at the sale. Needless to say the paint run to Lowes had to wait until after work. I even called Brandi and told her about it. She went later in the day and found some cool stuff too. Then she asked me if I noticed this hanging light fixture that was behind the desk they were sitting at taking money and I told her yes I did. It was so cool! It was a 3 light hanging light. Each hanging thing is a metal cylinder shape with 3 candle lights in each of them. The metal cylinders are cut out kind of like a Moroccan flair to it. Well it was $85 so Brandi wanted to wait until the next day (yesterday) to try and get it when they were going to put everything at half price. I told her I would run by there on my way to work and see if it was still there and get it for her if it was. Well, I drove by at 8:00 and there was no one there. I was walking back to my car and the guy running the sale said they would be opening at 9:00 since it was half price day. I should have told him right then and there that I wanted the light and give him the money for it but I just wasn't thinking. I couldn't go back for her until my lunch again. So, I went back and the house was PACKED with people snatching things up left and right! I'm just glad I got some of the stuff the day before because I can guarantee it would not have been there now. Well, I went in the house and the light was still hanging there. I told the guy sitting at the desk that I wanted the light and he said "it's already sold, there is a sold sign on it." Wah Wah Wah! Oh bummer. Oh well, so I started looking around to see if any of the things I wanted the day before was still there (I had to cut myself off eventually the day before!) Well I found 2 glass things (goblets) and this old RCA radio that I had my eye on still there. I was thrilled! Then I saw the guy that was running it and he recognized me from the day before and earlier than morning. He said "oh you're back." I told him yes I came to get the light hanging behind the payment desk but it was already sold. He said "oh, yeah, I bought that myself, I was going to take it back to the store and sell it." Then he said "is it for you?" I said yes, because it basically was, sure my daughter actually wanted it but I wanted to get it for her. Then he said "well since you are such a good customer I will go ahead and sell it to you!" YIPPEE SKIPPY!!!!!!! I walked out with the radio, the light, 2 wonderful glass goblets, and a very cool tin pitcher! Success!!!! So this Estate Sale was what I consider an estate sale. Wonderful things at great prices.

So there you have it, the good, the bad, and the ugly of junkin'! My first suggestion is to google search Thrift Stores in your area. It will list all of the stores that qualify for that. Next, get on the email list of the people that run Estate Sales. I am definitely getting on the list of the guy running this one. The one in Amarillo? I wouldn't put my name on that list if they paid me to do it!

Next, what do I look for? You just need to remember one thing mainly...try to ignore the color of anything. Paint is a wonderful thing so don't be discouraged because something is an ugly avocado green, you can paint it! What you need to look for is things with a unique shape, or some cool detail, or even something with just good clean lines. Also, I've been looking for certain things in particular lately. I am working on my gallery wall so frames are at the top of my list. I also want to make some tiered holders made from candle holders and plates so I've been looking for them. I also look for anything that looks old and antique'ish. I love antiques. I just feel like they talk to you and tell you they have a history. Oh how I wish I had that super power, where anything I touched I could tell you it's entire history. Wouldn't that be a super cool super power?

So, here's a few pictures of some of my recent finds while junkin'. You may think to yourself, "geez that is so damn ugly" and you would be right. But be patient and I will show you how I transform it into something beautiful and wonderful for my home, or for someone else even for gifts. Behold...

This was my haul from the Saturday trip to Amarillo. Frames, frames, frames, glass, some kiddy chairs (for Miss Sidney for later on), and more!

This is the art deco ashtray stand. While I won't use it as an ashtray because I'm not putting it outside and no one is allowed to smoke in my house, I just love the shape of it and I know I can do something cool with it. It was marked $55 but I got it for $40. I still think it was a great bargain.

One of the side tables with the camera and glass pieces on it from the Estate Sale. The glass goblet was $1, the table was $20, and the camera was $20.

The other table, the top of it is really cool even though you can't see it. The center is an antique looking mirror. I'm not sure if I'll keep that on there or not, we'll just have to see! The plates were 4 for $2, the linens were hand stitched and were $1 each. The old rulers at the bottom were a quarter each. You can also see a valet thingy behind it. It is really cool, just a stand that holds a padded hanger. It was $8

The frames and a mirror from the estate sale. The most expensive was the mirror and it was $10. I still think that is a bargain. Mirrors (especially those with a somewhat interesting frame) are really expensive! The total for all of this was $27

This was a Goodwill purchase. I bought it for the frame. I'm taking out the print and using the frame for my chalkboard for my entry way. I'm making a chalkboard to write quotes on it. It wasn't that cheap actually...$20 but I really liked it and the size was perfect and I can't buy one that size for $20 anywhere else so I went for it.

This is an old bed spring from a crib. I got this at the Salvation Army store in Amarillo for...wait for it...$1.99!!!!!! I have big plans for this puppy, just wait and see what I'm going to do with it. I promise you once you see it you will start looking for one yourself to copy the idea.

This is a metal magazine holder that hangs on the wall. I got this at Goodwill for $2. I'm going to paint it and hang it in our bathroom to put reading material close to the toilet. See how ugly this is though? But look at that cool frame surrounding the thing, it's fab!

So, these are just a few of my recent acquisitions! Stay tuned as I transform them. I'm almost finished with the big reveal of my entry way. I am going to finish it this weekend so hopefully that post will be done on Sunday. Come back...I promise it will be worth it! I'm very pleased with my progress thus far.

Whew...finally done!

I know I haven't been a good blogger lately but I've been so busy trying to finish Jessica's wedding scrapbook and basically that is all I have done in every spare moment I've had for the last 2 weeks. But, alas, it is FINISHED! I handed it over to her on Saturday even. Brandi, Sidney, and myself drove to Amarillo on Saturday to spend the day with Jessica and I was actually able to finally give her the album. It's only almost a year late! It was supposed to be the gift for their first anniversary. I was being so clever (or so I imagined) by giving a scrapbook album for the first anniversary because the traditional gift for the first anniversary is paper, thus a paper scrapbook album. But, anyway, it is done and finished and I'm super proud of it. I'm kind of tired of brown and yellow now (they were her wedding colors) but the album turned out amazing and I think they really loved it. Here are a few pictures of some of my favorite pages from the album.

This is the cover of the book. I just bought the book like it is and inserted the yellow tag with their last name and the year of the wedding.

This is the very first page. I love this picture and it gives you an idea of what the album is about, their love story.

This is one of the last pages, with pictures from the video they showed at the reception. I just loved this layout and it was a total copy from a magazine. I'm often asked how to come up with all these great layouts and ideas. The answer is simple...I copy them! There are so many great layouts out there on the web and in magazines and catalogs, I copy quite a bit. Why re-invent the wheel when someone else has already designed a super fantastic uber cool one?

And this is another of my favorite pictures. This picture is actually the same one I had blown up for a big canvas that hangs in my living room. Her eyes are really that blue! Isn't my baby the most beautiful thing you have ever seen? Well, she's kind of tied with my other daughter and now my grandbaby, but they are all drop dead gorgeous!

So, now that the album is done I can move on to all these great projects I have planned. How about a little sneaky poo at my next project? Wanna see?

This is my gallery wall in the making. I'm redecorating my entry room. Not really a total redo, just redoing everything on the walls. Here I'm planning out the gallery wall putting the frames in the order I want them on the wall. I have several to paint at this point first and then hang them up.

To be continued....