Happy Memorial Weekend!

I hope you all enjoy the long weekend and take a little time to remember our troops -past and present, who so unselfishly secure our safety and freedom. We always take a mini vacation on Memorial and Labor day weekends. Like most of the country, we're trying to watch our pennies these days. That means sticking closer to home. No trip to the beach this year. We both love the outdoors, so my husband suggested that we go camping. We haven't camped in years - since we sold our little pop-up camper. I thought it sounded like a fun idea. Here is my little fantasy of our camping weekend.


Then I found out my husband's idea of camping was much different!We stayed home.

French Country Chair Make-over...Beauty & the Beast!

Let me just start out by saying the "Beast" was the staple gun...not Carolyn, my partner in crime! The "Beauty" was the pretty little chair with the delicate ruffles we created when we were finally through. You may remember my post last week where I found this chair at an estate sale and it was one ugly Betty. I had every intention of dumping her on Carolyn (who is my Seamstress Goddess) and getting her back all gussied up and pretty. Not. It seems my ambitious and enterprising friend thought it was time I learned how to operate more than just a paint brush. So together we tackled the old gal and we became our own version of the "Get Er' Done Girls" We had a lot of fun even though our husbands thought that as long as it took us to do this chair, we surely need to sell it for thousands of dollars. And I learned two important lessons: Staple guns can be considered dangerous weapons in the wrong hands and ruffles are a girl's best friend. They cover up a multitude of sins.

Before Picture: I think my prom dress in 1977 was made out of this shiney mauve material. We decided to ditch the extra cushion and opted for adding foam to the seat. We used fabric glue to glue the back on after an unsuccessful battle with the staple gun. Did I mention I hate staple guns?And she's almost there...just a little rough around her edges. Isn't she pretty? She's hanging out in Carolyn's backyard waiting for someone to buy her for thousands of dollars to make our husband's happy. Just kidding... she is safe and sound in the house waiting to go up for sale in our soon to open etsy store!

Great garage sale Saturday finds!

It was a successful junking Saturday! I'm so excited to share my new found treasures I drug home. Dave is also ecstatic that none of my goodies require his intervention. Oh, by the way, you may have noticed my blog is getting a facelift this weekend. As soon as the renovations are complete, you will be able to click the button that will take you to my online store. Everything I'm working on and brought home today will be for sale. Here's a sneak peak - of course these are all "before's". Don't you just hate it when bloggers do that? Post the before's before the after's are ready? I'll work real quick, ok?

This painting maybe the only find today that I will keep. The colors go wonderfully in my bedroom and I'm just drawn to her face. The painting cost $4.00
I'm a sucker for old glass bottles. I have plans for these! Look for them to show up soon in my online store looking just a tad different.
I just had to buy this cool, old metal piece. I'm going to add two pieces of glass. One in the middle and one on top for a funky repurposed coffee/plant table, don't you think? I picture it on a porch or white room.
Mirrors abound this weekend! Actually the white one I have already done, but have decided to redo it in black for my own bathroom. The other mirrors are awaiting a transformation. I love antique mirrors and have a hard time passing them up at sales!
This is actually an old sewing cabinet. The machine is long gone but I liked the lines and can picture it in a cottage color, glazed and distressed with glass knobs.
Can you believe I found this? A shabby french chair. (okay, maybe it's not really from France!) I had to pay $30 for it. That's way over my comfort zone but it had to come home with me! I'm going to recover it in - get this - painter's drop cloth. Seriously! You'll see... I'll leave the rest chippy and shabby. Here is last weeks haul. I better get busy! They are still waiting patiently with just their primer on.

Updating a farmhouse look

I loved my casual farmhouse dining room but it was just too dark since I have recently gone all white in my living room. The thought of starting over with white furniture was financially impossible and painting everything white seemed daunting. Besides, I still liked the black - it just needed to blend in better with my romantic living room whites. My fix? I purchased white plates and cups to put in the black china cabinet and added chair back slipcovers in a natural light fabric. Lauri Evans over at www.2chippys.blogspot.com made them for me after I saw one in her booth at the Lakewood Market last month. I'm making a few other changes like lighter lamps and accessories. It's been a frugal way to transform to a softer, lighter look.
Before: My dark country lookAfter: A softer and lighter look..

Creating a Shabby Chic Outdoor Patio

After my last post, I received so many lovely emails and comments about my shabby chic porch. But I felt so bad that so many of you didn't have a porch and could only dream of such a room. Well, dream no more! All you need is is a small patio, slab or even front porch. I'll get you started, but don't quit dreaming! Go to your thrift store, garage sales and dollar store. Let's start with the chairs. I bought mine at Dollar General for around $10.00. It's your basic white plastic lounge chair.The I found this featherbed at the Salvation Army for $3.00. I added it for extra cush - but you don't need one!I put the cushion in the chair and purchased a slipcover for my chaise lounge. It arrived all wrinkled to my dismay. After I spent nearly an hour trying to iron the darn thing, my neighbor told me to wash it and put it on wet. That way the wrinkles would hang out and disappear. She was right I have since used that method on all of my slipcovers.
And tah-dah! Now use your imagination and put a little table with some bright red geraniums or some fresh cuttings from your garden. Even your little yard can become a shabby chic little haven. P.S. You can buy your slipcover from a number of sources or make your own. I bought mine from Lavendar Fields @ www.lavenderfieldsonline.com

Creating a shabby chic porch.

My husband finished my new swinging bed this weekend and together in the pouring rain, we lugged it around the back of the house, through the gate (literally crashing through the gate) and in through the small porch door. I didn't need to distress it after that trip - it was so scrapped up and banged that it already looked shabby chic. Maybe just shabby. No worries. I took my magic paintbrush and fixed all the boo-boo's and we hung it. Correction, Dave hung it. Unfortunately, I was in the house and came out when it was done only to report that it was hung too high. (well seriously, I had to jump to get on it!) So an hour later, it was re-hung and finished again. My porch is long and fairly narrow and has always been an awkward porch to decorate. Initially, we just went to Lowe's and bought some brown patio furniture. You know I couldn't live with that very long! So, it's not there yet, but much closer. I'm planning on hanging painter's drop cloth's and tying them back for curtains. I painted the floors brown last summer with garage epoxy paint and while it has held up well, it may need a lighter shade to go with it's new light furnishings.

My house re-do. Adventures in trying to make my home a cottage.

I finally succumbed to my white fetish...even after reading Melissa's post at The Inspired Room" where she lists all of the hassel's of having white slipcovered furniture in your living room. I just needed this house to look like me even if it meant more washing and upkeep. (So far, that hasn't been the case.) I already had all the furniture hiding out in various bedrooms. I just never had the guts to bring it into my living room. I don't know why it was such a scarey thing, but it was. So here are before and after pictures, but please know it is a work in progress. I have only lived with it about two weeks so I'm constantly tweaking and adding and subtracting. It's hard to make a dark, new house look like a bright airy cottage... but I'm trying!
My living room before"living room after
Dining area beforeDining area afterMy husband's one condition: he gets to keep "Ugly Betty" (the recliner)My dog's one condition: She gets to keep her dog bed. So it's even gone shabby chic. (notice where she's laying though!)