Behind the Front Door - The Before and the After

     There's a funny thing about this house, it makes people give "the look". When we told our realtor we wanted to go see this house, she gave us "the look". She was very opposed to wasting our time (or hers!) with it. 

       I got "the look" from the nice fellow who came to change my locks the day we bought it.

      I have to admit, I even gave "the look" to my mister the first time he showed me the pictures of the house online...but then we went to see it...and I just knew it could be something beautiful.

      A scrub brush...

      ...and a bit of paint, can go a long way...

     ...to helping "the look" disappear for good. There needs to be a few trips the thrift store and to the flee market, to help round things out, of course.

    The goal? Make it tidy and functional...

     ...keep it personal, tell a story...

     ...make it feel like a home.

      Goal accomplished.

      The nitty gritty details are below, if you are into that sort of stuff! If not, enjoy your weekend!

Silver plates - thrift store
Iron hooks - Hobby Lobby
Shoe picture - My picture of my family's shoes I modpodged to a board
Picture hooks - Plant hooks turned upside down from Walmart
Bench - roadside junk store
Crate - Flea Market
Rug - Walmart, I painted, Tutorial Here
Table - actually a sewing table that was given to me and I painted
Mirror - thrift store, painted and glazed with black
Lamp - salvage shop, painted and glazed with black
Lamp shade - I made, Tutorial Here
Scrolly dodad - Thrift store, painted and dry brushed with silver
Birdcage - Thrift store, painted
Welcome sign - Made from a thrifted cabinet door and letters from Hobby Lobby, painted
Home Sign - Hobby Lobby
Chandelier - Lowes
Walls - Sanded with liquid sander, primed with Zinsser Bulls Eye and painted with semi gloss Behr Antique White from Home Depot (tutorial to come)

Deuteronomy 33:25   ...and as thy days, so shall thy strength be. 

Linking to:
Simple Home Life
Between Naps on the Porch
Funky Junk Interiors
Six Sisters Stuff
Show and Tell Saturday
Someday Crafts
Kammy's Korner
HomeStories A to Z
Chef in Training
Sugar Bee Crafts
My Girlish Whims

New Look for the Mantle

     My mantle makes me happy all year long. It brings warmth to the front room, and it's about the only thing I regularly decorate. Everything else in my house usually stays pretty much the same. I decided the Spring look I had going needed a change.

      I found the huge clock face and the globe bookends a thrift store recently. I love clocks, maps and books, so those were great finds! I'm sure I'll probably spray paint the clock face, and hang it at some point.  For now, though, I like it just the way it is.

      The big letter "F" and the lantern were clearance finds from Hobby Lobby. I can almost always find the funnest stuff for usually five dollars or less by digging through their clearance stuff.

     I do believe I like my new look very much indeed!

     What's your pet spot in your house to mess with?

Psalms 28:7   The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.

Random Little Improvements

   Hello there! How was your weekend? I spent the weekend doing some very much needed cleaning up around here. I do love the feeling of a clean house...for the entire two seconds it lasts that is. So. a while ago, I painted my cabinets. (see the post on it here.) I've been looking for baskets to set on the top of the cabinets for ages, but could never find ones that were the right size. I finally found what I needed at Home Depot...in the form of mettle buckets. I think I actually like them better than having baskets.

      They hold all the extra things that don't fit into my itsy bitsy sized pantry. There are key tags tied on with ribbon, labeling each bucket. I think it works just nicely.

      I also happened to find this super cute little wooden step stool at a garage sale the other day for $5. For now it functioning as a plant stand on my deck.

      I imagine it will get used as a few different things before I decide on just the perfect job for it. I just love wooden ladders of any kind.

      Hmmm, apparently I also happen to love red lanterns since three of them managed to make it into both these spots. Eh well, at least I'm consistent with what I like. So, there's the extent of productivity this weekend...unless of course you'd care to see all the dust rags that are completely black and waiting to washed. I think little fairies come and sprinkle dust around my house while I'm sleeping.
      Have a lovely week!


Psalms 29:2   Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness. 

My latest escapades with white spray paint

     White spray paint. Besides food and fabric, I do believe it is the most purchased item in this household. I love white, and I love spray paint. What a lovely combination. If you've been reading this blog for any time, you've seen me  post about my wall of white. My only criteria for things to hang on it, is that it be something that captures my imagination, and it's pretty to look at. Enter my latest thrift store finds...
      These three little mirrors had lovely frames that were just begging to be freed from that awful gold finish. I used white spray paint, and black glaze to achieve this particular finish.

       Next up, I found this completely awesome ship wall hanging, which also received a nice coat of white paint. It makes me think of books I love, like Treasure Island and Moby Dick. It does have a few broken spots, but I don't mind them. It makes it seem more like a real ship that's been beaten by a storm or something.

       I repainted a clock I had with a deer head (gotta include something manli-ish for the mister's sake!), and spray painted a few other little things to add to my collection.

        Here it is all hung up with my previous collection.

         I really do love my little wall. Its very eclectic, but I still feel it works together nicely.

       I'm not sure what I'll do when my wall gets too full to add more...spread to the roof maybe? Ha! Kidding! What's your favorite little spot to look at in your house?

Philippians 4:6   Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 

Linking to:
Between Naps on the Porch
Singing Three Little Birds
The Southern Institute
Brassy Apple
Boogieboard Cottage
Tatertots and Jello
lollyjane boutique

My Indoors Version of Spring - Mantle Decor

      Is it Spring yet at your house? It is at mine, and I am loving it! Fresh green leaves, and flowers are always going to put me in a good mood, every time. I decided it was high time to add a little Spring indoors. I don't know how you typically go about your decorating process, but mine usually goes something like this...Glance up and catch sight of mantle. Decide I cannot stand looking at the current decorating situation one second longer.

      Dash off madly to the attic and my "junk tote" outside to drag in anything and everything that even remotely makes me think of Spring. Rusty shovel pieces, dusty clay saucers, and musty old seeds in mason jars are all acceptable decor in my domain.

    I typically end up stealing something from some other room in the house, like this scrap wood sign that I made a while ago for my bedroom.

      Of course, no display could possibly be achieved without a quick run outside to douse something in spray paint, usually while burning dinner on the stove. In this case, hot pink Easter eggs, got a nice makeover with some white spray paint.

     My center "wreath" came from the top of a plant hanger that I used here. I twisted on some flowers, and it adds just the right pop of color. I'm not a gigantic fan of fake flowers, but they do have the distinct advantage of not dying on me. We all know how insanely wonderful I am at keeping things alive after all.

       As you know, pretty much all of my high class looks are gathered from thrift stores and garage sales for next to nothing.  Friday, I'm going to show you through an entire store filled with beautiful examples of someone's brilliant use of someone else's castoffs. You will love this, so don't forget to check back in! Have a happy week!
P.S. The winner of the MyMemories giveaway is Mary! Hurray you!! You can still use the code STMMMS77964 to get $10 off your order even if you did not join the giveaway, or are not a follower of this blog.

Ecclesiastes 9:10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might;

linking to:
Between Naps on the Porch
BoogieBoard Cottage
The Girl Creative
The Southern Institute
Kammys Korner
Home Stories A to Z
Chef in Training
Suger Bee Crafts
Not Just a Housewife
Homemaker on a Dime
Brassy Apple
Under the Table and Dreaming
Funky Junk Interiors

De-Stash Your Junk - Plant Stand and a GIVEAWAY

     This is what happens when you take two Excedrin and drink coffee right before bedtime. You lay there for half the night, wide awake...very wide awake...dreaming up projects for yourself to do.

This was an enormously satisfying project to do, because it got rid all sorts of random things I had lying around.

   

      You know, things like this old chicken feeder I got for a dollar from a yard sale. A little rope, and it makes a great bird feeder! I like how it sort of looks like a lantern hanging there from the top too.

      This crazy bird cage/pot thing I got for a quarter and spray painted it. I left the top off, because it was squishing my flowers.

       You know those fake silver platters that are in abundance at thrift stores? Well spray paint, a sharpie, and a stencil can make them a super cute garden ornament! (You can see another idea for those silver plates here.)

      The only things I bought were the pole, flowers, dirt, and this bucket to stand it all in. Mettle is so much cuter than just any old pot, in my opinion.

  

      I had all the brackets laying around too, so this was all basically just a matter of going on a scavenger hunt for what I needed. =)

     I love how it sort of looks like the old time street sign poles...but with junk and flowers instead of street signs! So, what about you? Are you in the habit of collecting randomness? What do you do with it?

       Speaking of randomness....I have a GIVEAWAY today!! Yippee!

       My Memories is a digital scrapbook store that offers software and digital scrapbooking kits. When I was asked if I wanted the opportunity try out the http://www.mymemories.com/digital_scrapbooking_software myself, it took me about 10 seconds to accept! Now, let me just say, I am not a scrapbooker. (Is that a word?)  BUT, I completely love scrapbooking stuff! Weird? Maybe, but did you know scrapbooking "stuff" has all sorts of nifty uses besides the traditional scrapbook page? Well, my dear, it does. Would you like to see what I came up with as my first project with this wonderful program? Of course you do! I decided to design some hang tags for items in my Etsy shop that don't get tags sewn into them, like belts.

     How cute is that??!! I am in love. This program is not hard to use...at. all. I am a computer idiot and I used it with no problems. Here is a screen shot of what the work page looks like.

      See? Lots of fun to be had here girls, even if you aren't a scrap booking whizz! You can enter my giveaway to win this AND, even if you don't win, you get a coupon code! Enter STMMMS77964 at check out to get $10 off! Who doesn't love a discount?!

      Here is how you can win this software all for your very lovely self. Number one is a MUST but the others are bonus entries. Every comment left is a entry. Giveaway will end Sunday at midnight, so hurry hurry!

1. Go to MyMemories and tell me which layout or backgrounds you like best and be a follower of this blog.
2. Like My Memories on facebook
3. Follow the MyMemories Blog
4. Like Abbtique (my Etsy Shop) on facebook 

     Thanks for checking in an have a dandy rest of your week!

Proverbs 15:13 A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance:

****Give away is closed!! Thank you!!*****
Linking to:
Sew Woodsy
Organize and Decorate Everything
Restore Interiors
Sew Much Ado
Someday Crafts
My Girlish Whims
The Vintage Farmhouse
Simple Home Life
Remodelaholic
Tatertots and jello
Funky Junk Interiors
Six Sisters Stuff

Fabric, spray paint, and a little imagination - desk makeover

     
      Have you ever had a nice little idea, which led to another idea, which led to another...until the little idea wasn't remotely close to the small idea you started out with? Ya, I do that...a LOT. Its really rather a bad habit...that often leads to some very fun results. I've explained before all about my little work space in this post. It is certainly not glamorous, but I do try to keep it tidy and a pleasant place to work. I needed a desk of some sort for my toddler to use for her own "crafts" while I'm in there working...and it needed to be cute if I had to look at it every day. I started hunting for a little wooden school desk at garage sales and such. I though a little vintage looking desk would be darling. Except one never showed up, much to my infinite sadness. I finally found this at a thrift store.

     It even came complete with pre-applied scribbles.

     I do not like "generic" and I do not like "plastic". But, it was $5. And, it was half off day, so it was actually $2.50. For $2.50, I decided I could surrender my plans and make this ugly thing work somehow. My first plan was just to spray paint the whole thing and be done with it. But, after spray painting the legs, I decided they looked dull.

       I had some scraps that would be just the thing to add a punch of cuteness. So I modpodged them.

      But while that was drying, I got to thinking about how wasteful it would be to pitch the leftover scraps. So, I made her a pencil pouch to match.

      The baby was sleeping uncharacteristically long...and I had more scraps....which led to sewing an art apron. Which, needed a pocket with cute rickrack, of course.

      Girls still sleeping? OK, lets add some decor to her corner!

      And then, thankfully, they both woke up, which saved me from my own madness. Painting the floor under the desk might have been next. So, here's my $2.50 project. Still plastic, but not so generic.

       I'm happy to report, she is very pleased with the new arrangements.

      Let us hope we can contain the scribbles to the paper, and not repeat its previous look.

     So, just as a recap, $2.50 is never as easy as it sounds.

       Happy Monday!

Romans 13:10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

Linking to:

Brassy Apple

Homemaker on a Dime

The Southern Institute

Between Naps on the Porch

Singing three little birds

Chef in Training

Not just a housewife

Confessions of a Stay at Home Mom

Sew Much Ado

Laugh Love Craft

Someday Crafts

Sew Woodsy

Organize and Decorate Everything

Simple Home Life

Sun Scholars

Freckled Laundry