Hello Spring!

I've been waiting on you!

 It is a BEAUTIFUL day here in Georgia, welcoming Spring.

So I decided my porch needed a little Spring-ness.

A trip to Home Depot for a $5 hanging basket of pansies.

To finally change out the basket of huge pinecones that had occupied my bench since before Christmas.

Yes I really have left that there the entire time!

I removed the hanger from the pot so my pansies could sit in the basket.

Found a baby lap quilt my mom made for those still chilly mornings and evenings.

Just in case I actually SIT on my porch bench.

I love my bench.  It was inspired by a post seen over at NewlyWoodwards.

I wanted something cute for my tiny I wish I had a porch.

So a friend of mine constructed it from a photo with $40 worth of wood and a can of paint.

Just the right touch of charm.

Hope the pansy basket makes it for a bit.

I do not have a green thumb!

Now I have a touch of Spring to welcome me home.

 What color is your thumb???
Linking in to great blog parties! Check them out.
Somewhat Simple - Strut Your Stuff Spring Party 

Got Gifts? Idea #3

Nature Twig Frame

For the nature lover on your list.

I found this cute idea over at the Little Red Roost.

When I saw hers I knew it would make a cute gift for a bird loving country gal friend of mine.

I left the top a little more twiggy and uneven for added interest.

Here is the $1 flat frame I picked up at the Goodwill:

I sprayed the frame with Heirloom White.

Then I gathered some twigs from a downed tree.

Get a REALLY good belly laugh giggle!  Because my teen daughter thought this was a FUNNY picture to sneak and snap of me.  Yes that IS my wide load all up in the air! I'm wearing my LUCKY brand jeans found at a consignment shop last year for $20 and I knew you'd want to see them.  Great stitching right?  She never dreamed I would post it.  Hey, butt we can all poke fun at ourselves every now and then right?

She also took this photo.  It's straight from camera to here with no touch ups.

Now that you have spewed your morning coffee on the screen with laughter

Back to the rest of the story...

Hot glue gun, twigs, frame...

Make a huge glue mess in the living room floor while breaking twigs apart for frame.

Just keep layering them til you like it.

I saw a cool idea this week somewhere (sorry can't remember where!) using ribbon inside the frame to 'mat' the photo.  I had this ribbon saved from dishtowels I picked up at TJ Maxx and just glued it directly inside the frame.

Then I printed off a free print from over at The Graphics Fairy.  She has TONS of beautiful vintage prints!

Waited on everything to dry then popped my photo in the frame.

For less than $2 (figuring in paint and glue sticks, that I had on hand) I have a unique, one of a kind gift!

I also think it would make a neat 'manly' gift with a different photo.

The kids can even join in making this one!

I will be linking in to the following blog parties:

Just a Girl is having a huge homemade gift idea "I can Make That" party.  I will be stalking browsing blogs for even MORE homemade goodies.

For makeover ideas on just about anything, check out Met Monday at Between Naps on the Porch.

On Thursdays, check out A Handmade Christmas link party for even more crafty ideas with http://proverbs31living.blogspot.com/.

My 1st spray painted furniture!

Step away from the trigger spray paint can.

I'm hooked!

Finally a beautiful sunny day on the weekend to indulge myself in a bit of spray paint folly.  A few weeks ago I decided my living room needed NOT to be so matchy matchy with all the same color wood.  A desire rose up to paint my coffee table BLACK.  Then there was this tiny little voice that squeaked inside my head saying, "What if you mess it up?", "You've never done a large item".   But I had my new spray trigger and my fingers were itching to point the gun!

So I found an old sheet, grabbed the gun trigger, some sandpaper and my can of Rust-Oleum Canyon Black paint.

Put a chicken pot pie in the oven.

And I sanded.

I locked and loaded my can.  (Can you tell I have a police officer son?)

Took a few minutes to get used to the gun and technique.

Oh what's that?  Major delivery of my 'new to me' Maytag Washer and Dryer.

I am so grateful for a friend that helped install these plus worked on my drain.  I am now washing HUGE loads of laundry with no water running into my floor!  YEAH!  However, the process took more time than I anticipated due to several road blocks with the repairs.  I was able to finish up my spray paint job right before dust.  I brought the table in and waited impatiently for it to completely dry.

Remember this from last weeks vignette post?

BEFORE 

Here she is AFTER today's new paint job

She looks expensive and sleek now!

I think she even makes my old hand-me-down sofa look better.

I LOVE it!  Not sure if I should sand her edges.  What do you think?  Yes to sanded edges or leave her be?

I'm linking in to Between Naps on the Porch, Met Monday.  Be sure to drop by and see tons of fabulous before and after make overs.  Need even more?  Hop on over to Thrifty Decor Chick's Before and After Party!  Then visit Mustard Seed Creations for Furniture Feature Friday.
Also check out DIY Day at a Soft Place to Land's new home!
Check out The DIY Show Off for other fabulous furniture makeovers.
Also edited to add to the Rust-Oleum ReVamp party over at Shanty2Chic!

Junk Hall Decor under $1

Here is my 'new' junk hall decor.  Recently I revealed my kitchen and hall makeovers.  The hall was naked a bit bare.  Several weeks ago I found these shutters? at the Alabama highway sale.

That's correct, they were 25 cents EACH.

I knew I wanted to paint them and use them in the hall.  But I needed something to go between them!  I searched with my 40% coupon in hand at Hobby Lobby to no avail.  For weeks I've stalked visited my local Goodwill, Salvation Army store and my fave junk estate sale store.  Zilch! 

This week my best friend, Jane sent me a text at the office.  "Ended up getting a couple of things (at the Goodwill) one that you might like to see."  She dropped by that evening after work with two beautiful chippy iron framed pieces!  I snatched it up and ran in the house invited her in and we put it together with the shutters. PERFECT! Oh and she GAVE it to me!!!! Thanks Jane!  The other is an arch framed one that she is using in her house over built in shelving.

She sent me this photo by cell phone.  She plans to paint it. I painted the iron part only on mine as my teen daughter liked the chippy look for it.  I agreed.

I painted the shutters today (it was BEAUTIFUL here) with American Accents Espresso and we hung them tonight after dinner. My new junk hall decor was a total of 50 cents and a bit of spray paint!!!!  I love it!

Be sure to check out other makeovers at Between Naps on the Porch, Met Monday.
Love Do it Yourself projects?  Then check out DIY Day at A Soft Place to Land  for tons!
Edited to jump on the "I'm a Flea Marketeer" Party over at Flea Market Style.  Check it out for other flea market/thrift/yard sale finds!

Yard Sale Make Overs

Saturday morning found me in Possum Snout at the annual city wide yard sale.  Wanna take a tour of a town called Possum Snout?  Here is my post with pictures.  This wooden tray ($3) and coat/hat rack ($2) were a couple of my finds. 

This tiered basket was $2.

For now, the wooden tray will remain just as it is.  A damp cloth is all it needed.  The wooden hat rack was sanded (by my daughter), then I sprayed it with American Accents Heirloom White. I love when you spot an item and know JUST where it will 'work'.  I knew this would make a great towel 'rod' for the guest/teen daughter's bathroom. 

We hung it a tad higher than you would a regular towel rod.

I also sanded the edges after the paint job.

This bathroom hasn't had a towel rod in years.  I love this one!

My next project for the weekend was the tiered basket.  Months ago, someone (please let me know if you know WHO, so I can link up) shared one similar on her blog.  She was using it in her kitchen for a coffee 'station'.  I knew I wanted one! But the green just wasn't working for me.  So out came another can of spray paint. I was thrilled with the results!

Oops, the sugar dish is hiding behind my favorite coffee cup.  But isn't she pretty!?!?

It was a beautiful Saturday morning for browsing all the yard sales in one place.  I picked up 7 other items that will be making their way into future posts.  One stop netted four items for a grand total of $3!  Plus a 10 cent item you won't believe once it gets dressed up with spray paint.

For other make overs, check out all the great links on Met Monday at Between Naps on the Porch and Shades of Pink's Room a Month MakeOver.  Love thrifty finds?  Then check out A Picture is Worth a 1,100 words for 2nd Time Around on Tuesday.   Want more inspiration?  How about TONS of DIY Projects?  Check out Kimba's DIY day over at A Soft Place to Land. 

Halls and Hope

~Halls~

Remember my kitchen from last weeks make over?  That ugly wallpaper was throughout my hallway too!  Although my favorite color IS blue ...I hated this stuff for years!  When it was stripped from the kitchen, I also took the hallways down to bare naked ladies.  Being cheap thrifty, I decided to paint the hallway instead of putting up bead board. 

The yellow on top is a bit lighter than the kitchen.  Used the same molding.  Now I have to tell you I LOVE this brown, it's soft and warm.  But the first  brown color I brought home looked like dog pooh! I kid you NOT!  It was WAY too dark.  As I have professed before, I am horrible with picking out paint colors.  Thankfully I could return the paint and it became oops; although I have no idea who would want dog pooh walls! To each their own, I say.

Once the walls were painted I noticed the vent covering my air filter was simply gross.  Rusty, dingy, disgusting.  A 20x20 sore thumb in my new hallway. I didn't know how I would replace it, as I'm not really that handy.  A few weeks ago it finally dawned on me to PAINT it. DUH!  So I picked up some spray paint (Rust-oleum Cream Satin) at Home Depot, pulled off the door and sprayed it.  It's not perfect by any stretch of the imagination.  Yet, it looks cleaner and is a far cry from it's previous state.  Don't look too close, as there is already dust gathering in it!

Please visit over at Between Naps on the Porch for other great makeover projects shared on Met Monday!
Then we have ....

~Hope~

Remember when girls used to have Hope chests?  A hope chest, dowry chest, cedar chest, or glory box is a chest used to collect items of clothing or household linen, by unmarried young women in anticipation of married life. (Wikipedia).  Do young girls collect and fill those anymore?

While out at the annual Highway yard sale with my teen daughter this weekend.  One of our 17 purchases was this:

A very old, very loved solid wooden trunk about the size of a foot locker.  I saw it and said, "Oh this has so much potential, but I have no where to put it.".  My daughter said, "Mom, get it. I will paint it and use it in my room!".  So this little trunk came home with us for a thrifty little price of $8.

There's a lot of hope in this little trunk.  A mom's hope that her almost 18 year old daughter will catch the fix it up, be thrifty, make do, re-do bug.  Wouldn't it be a joy to share and work on projects together?!  A hope that she will also find her own treasures to fill her life.  Hopefully this will be something we can share with you on another Met Monday soon.  Today it will be linked up in Rhoda's (last of this season) Thrifty Treasures party.  Check out her blog for many more wonderful thrifty finds!  Be sure to drop by in throughout the week as I continue to share my yard sale finds.

This blog is linked in to the following parties: