I Did It Myself!!!!

I am SO excited about my new blog background!!!  It might not be as fancy or gorgeous as some of the blogs out there, but I did it MYSELF - that's why I'm so excited!!!!  I read tons of other postings by people who are SO willing to share their knowledge.  Two of the most helpful blogs were "The Cutest Blog on the Block" and "Easy Custom Blogs".  They have TONS of information, and are more than happy to help you when you run into problems.  The beautiful graphics come from Jaguar Woman (who has a boatload of wonderful graphics at fantastic prices), and then I created my own design in Corel Draw.  I hope you like my new look, now that I "kind of" know what I'm doing it will be fun to make new designs.

UPDATE:  I need a favor!  I didn't realize until I asked a friend to pull up my blog on her computer, that it looked COMPLETELY different on HER screen than it did on mine.  I had previously used a background from "The Cutest Blog on the Block" and did not have that problem, but with MY design I'm finding that there seem to be some issues. 

My blog should look like this (or pretty close to it):

It should NOT look like this!!!! 

(Can you see why I was disappointed with the way my friend saw it??!!)

Could you let me know how it looks on your screen?  If you know your screen size or resolution that would help too.  Thanks in advance for helping me out!!

I would love to hear what you think!!

Tuesday Thrifting Treasures!

I decided to stop at a few of my favorite Goodwill stores on the way home from work last night and found quite  a few more items to add to my stash.  For some reason things seemed to be unusually cheap today... spent under $30 for the whole lot.  Let’s see what I came home with…

 

 

1 milk glass vase;
2 deep frames (that I hope to display some keys in);
2 small black mirrors; some small books I needed for stacking (plan to paint and stamp them);
2 nice shaped bottles; and one glass “thingy” that I hope to use as a dome;
1 large bird cage (YES… the flowers are being trashed!!);
2 white glass candle holders;
2 small matching angel vases;
1 bird dish (top comes off);
1 globe (my favorite find... cost $4.95 – going to antique it);
1 decorative shelf (but going to use it in a different way);
1 small bird cage with bird on top;
1 small glass bell with bird on top; and
1 white bird. 

PHEW!!!  Not bad at all for a Tuesday!!!

I’m really excited that I’m FINALLY getting to the point where I can start displaying/using some of these treasures.  It seems like the painting and redecorating has been going on FOREVER!!!  Having been ill for so long, I have had to take it slow and easy to get everything done.  Trying to look through all the boxes I have stashed away has proven to be a bit difficult, so I decided to set out everything in my dining room.  It’s been so long since I’ve seen some of these things that it’s almost like going shopping in my own house!!  LOL  I’m almost embarrassed to show you this, but this is what my dining room looks like right now.  Keep in mind that I am pretty much redoing our entire downstairs, plus a bathroom upstairs, AND I've been collecting this items for quite a while (yes, I’m trying to justify all this stuff!!!)  Plus... there are still a bunch of frames and a couple more boxes in the garage.  And just in case you’re wondering… this is BEFORE I bought the stuff today.  I’m sure that you can understand that I DID need all the junk treasures I brought home. 

  

   

Keep in mind that almost everything you see was bought on sale… either purchased at Goodwill, garage sales, or 80% to 90% off at Hobby Lobby. I would NEVER have been able to get all these things at full price!!  I can’t wait to put everything together!!

I LOVE to read all your comments!!!

Please Don’t Hate Me!

As I have been going through recent posting out there in “blog world”, many of you are embracing the fact that “Fall” is upon us.  You happily talk about the leaves turning all their beautiful shades of yellow, red, and orange.  You’re looking forward to curling up in front of the fire with a good book, all wrapped up in a snuggly blanket or one of your favorite sweaters, while sipping on a delicious cup of hot chocolate.  Well, I guess it’s time I jump on the bandwagon and post my two-cents worth, so here goes…

WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE????

ARE YOU NUTS????

I HATE (with a passion) H-A-T-E – with a capital “H” FALL AND WINTER!!!!!!!!!

Oh my, there… I’ve gone and done it.  I’ve gotten that off my chest, but now I’m sure I’ve offended all my new blogger friends.  But seriously, think about it.  What exactly does “Fall” mean???

• It means FALLING leaves!...They have color for a bit, but you know what?  They quickly turn BROWN.  Why do they turn brown????  Because they are DEAD… D-E-A-D!!
• It means the trees will soon be bare!!!
• The grass will no longer be green.
• The pretty-colored flowers will be replaced with yellow and orange ones (YUCK)
• WINTER will soon set in!
• You will be wrapped up to your eyeballs and still have your shoulders hunched up to your ears because you are so cold.  (In fact, I’m sure I’m about 2 inches shorter during the winter months because my head is scrunched into my neck!)
• Driving will become hazardous!
• Beautiful snow or ice-laden trees will snap under the weight.
• White snow on the roads will quickly be replaced with dirty slush!
• With each new snowfall you must go out and clean off your car and shovel your driveway..
• You have to soak in a hot bathtub just to get the chill out of your bones.
• Your feet are always cold when you get in bed and it takes F-O-R-E-V-E-R to warm up!
• Daily exercise must now be confined to your home instead of enjoying the great outdoors.
• You can’t just walk out the door; you have to take 10 minutes to bundle up!
• You have to stand out in the freezing cold, with the wind blowing 50 mph, just to brush off the snow or scrape the ice off the windshield.  (Only to have it freeze back up on you as you’re driving.)
• Your car just never seems to get warm enough.
• The beautiful tan that you worked on all summer fades to a pasty white.
• Pumping gas is put off as long as possible because you can’t even THINK about getting out there and filling your car up.
• Your car is covered in salt and trying to wash it any time before April will cause the locks to freeze up!
• It’s dark when you wake up, and it’s dark by the time you eat dinner.
• No sun to help your mood!
• And yes, even those nightly cups of hot chocolate can add on a pound or two.
• WORST OF ALL???  WAY too cold to do any spray painting – thus many DIY projects are put off until Spring!!!!!!

I know, I know… there are those of you out there that will talk about all the wonderful smells of the season – pumpkin pie, the pine from the Christmas Tree, gingerbread cookies, etc.  Did you EVER think about buying a nice scented candle???  Heck – you can get almost any smell you want.  Oh, and you talk about the beautiful fall colors.  I honestly think I’m allergic to brown and orange because I used it so much when I first got married in the 70s.  Come on… if you’re old enough to remember “Harvest Gold” and “Avocado Green” appliances you KNOW what I mean!!! GAG ME!!!

Now as for me, I MUCH prefer Spring and Summer.  After all, it brings us:

• New life
• Green grass (ok, this year due to dry weather it’s been rather “brown”)
• Multi-color flowers
• Beautiful GREEN trees
• Being able to open the windows to get some fresh air and hear the birds chirping.
• You can throw on shorts, a t-shirt, and flip-flops and be out the door, into the car, and half-way to the grocery store in the same amount of time you would still be dressing in layers during the winter!
• You can get in the car immediately, open a window or two while the air conditioner cools off the car.
• It is light when you wake up, and you have a WHOLE EVENING to play, exercise or work outside before it gets dark.
• You can choose to work on a tan, sit under a shady tree, or relax in your air conditioned home.
• “Sunshine” makes you happy!!!!!!!

Oh my, I could go on and on with the “Love Spring/Hate Fall” relationship, but I will spare you any more details.  I have to believe that those of you who “love Fall” must live in the south where your evening temperatures drop to an “ungodly” 40 degrees or something.  Try coming to the north and experiencing -10 degrees!!  Why don’t we move you say?  Caring for elderly parents, jobs, kids, grandkids… you know – all those things that make it next to impossible to pick up and move.

Well, now that I’ve offended all my dear blogger friends out there, I hope there is at least one or two of you that agree with me and will perhaps be kind enough to keep visiting my posts. 

I guess I better sign off for now and get a few of those painting projects done while there is still light outside and it’s warm enough to paint, cuz the days are getting colder and shorter every day!!!!!  Oh, how I wish I could just go into hibernation until Spring!!  LOL!!!

No runs, No drips, No errors!!!!

Phew!!!  Our "Labor Day" was really a day of labor!!!  I was FINALLY able to do something that I have been itching to do for a number of weeks... PAINT!!!!!  It has been so blasted hot around here, and I've been so busy, that there just has not been time. 

I've had an idea in my head for a painting booth, so I was anxious to see if I could actually pull it off.  Let me just tell you - before you read on any further - you are going to be EXTREMELY jealous!!  This is definitely a "one-of-a-kind" painting booth.  Perhaps you might have seen one of my "Thrifty Finds" back in July... this is what I posted:

Finally, something I know everyone is going to be extremely jealous about.

Don'tcha just LOVE the pink floral sheet? And the netting canopy is just "to die for"!!!! Ohhhhhh, the PROJECTS I can do with these things.

WAIT!!!!! I can hear your screams all the way through my computer. You're probably saying, "Just when we thought she was getting into this whole blogging and shabby chic thing, she goes and buys this????" Never fret my friends.. DON'T quit following my blog... I DO have something WONDERFUL in mind for this, but it doesn't have anything to do with decorating. Well, yes it does, but not really. Oh, I don't know - you'll just have to wait until I can complete my project and post a blog on it. It only cost me $9 for this project, so if it doesn't work out I haven't lost a whole lot. Guess we'll just have to see how it goes. Be sure to check back!!!

Ok, so today is the day that these little beauties FINALLY came into use and turned into my latest project - a painting booth!!!  YEAH!!!  This is what I did...
 

We own a half acre of woods behind our house.  Several years ago our son went back into the woods and cleared out an area for doing some motor biking.  It has grown up a lot since that time, but I knew my hubby would be able to clean it up enough for my purposes.  This morning, bright and early, my hubby and I made a trek out back to check the situation.  After a bit of clean up, I scoped out some trees that would work nicely to tie some rope on. 

 

We were then able to use clothes pins to hang up my Goodwill Sheets and a tarp.  I ended up with a "U" shaped booth. 

 

Then came the Pièce de résistance (yes, I DID have to look up the spelling for that one)... the netting to catch the falling leaves!!! (I didn't realize how totally "brilliant" this move was until all the leaves started falling as I was painting!!)  We threw a rope over tree limb and pulled up the netting and pulled it out from all sides to form a roof.  Who knew that a netting hoop that is generally used to create a canopy over a bed could be put to such good use!!!???   

We had an old piece of AstroTurf grass that we laid out on the ground. Finally, we went to a place where we could pick up some free skids and put those in the "painting booth" as well so I had a flat surface to work with. 

  My hubby ran a looooooong extension cord out to the woods and hooked up his compressor.  It's pretty old and doesn't hold the pressure very long, but hey, it worked!!!

This was going to be my first time using my brand new spray gun. 

I've got to tell ya people - this spray gun was worth EVERY CENT I paid for it.  One gallon of paint ($22), tinted Heirloom White, used a little water to thin it down, and wha-laaa - we were ready to go!!!  I painted one small table, 2 chairs, and one large mirror frame, and hardly used any paint at all!!  I figure I would have probably used a good 10 cans of spray paint if I had gone the old route.  The paint went on SO MUCH easier.  I didn't have any problem with running or dripping - and it dried really fast. 

Here's my first painting projects using my paint booth...

One little old table.  Purchased at Goodwill for about $4.  I figured that was a good one to use as a test project.

Two chair frames (can't WAIT to get the fabric on them!!!)

And one large mirror frame.

Not bad for my "labor day" projects!!!!  Now I'm quite aware that this "paint booth" is a "fair weather" booth, but hopefully I can get a majority of my painting jobs done before the weather changes too drastically.  It's going to take a little extra work to haul the pieces of furniture out there, but seeing as I don't have anyplace else available that will have to do.

Like I said - I KNOW you're jealous.  I'm sorry, but I'm afraid this one will be hard to duplicate.  LOL!!!  (I'm thankful this is back in the woods where my neighbors can't see it or I would be run out of the development for sure!!) Be sure to let me know what you think of my "ever so brilliant" project!! 

I’m linking up to the following parties:

     

Thrifty Finds

Today I decided to stop at a garage sale that was in it's second week.  You know the kind... not much great stuff left, but practically giving everything away.  There wasn't anything SUPER great, but I did pick up a few things - for a total of only $4.00!!!! 

A little desk light that I figure will look cute with a coat of Heirloom White spray paint. Their dog chewed off the cord, so I was able to pick it up for the low, low price of $.20!!

Four sterling silver spoons and a relish fork.  ($.10 each)

Two white vases and one glass top. Yes, I know the glass top does not belong on there - it's only on there for the picture. I figured at $.10 I couldn't pass it up. The vases were $1.00 for the pair.

Cute little bottle which can easily be fixed up with a picture from the Graphics Fairy and maybe a little twine.  $.10

Nice little clock - $1.00

Roll of textured vinyl wallpaper.  I know of several projects I can use this on. -  $.10

I needed a basket for some towels in my bathroom.  I think this will work nicely.  $1.00

We're getting closer to actually USING all these things as my remodeling is starting to come together.