A thank you and a quick tutorial

I would like to thank Sunny at Sunny’s Life in Rehab, for listing me as one of ten new bloggers (although I’m not that new at it :))

Now on the to tute:

Forgive the crappy photos.

The easiest way to hang pictures, ever! I’m sure others have see this before, but for those of you that haven’t…

I used a piece of trim, screwed in a drywall nail half way

Place your picture on the nail

Decide where on the wall you want it and press the nail into the wall, making a small hole for your more permanent method of hanging photos. Brialliant! Now I should have less holes in my walls, ‘cause I am so lazy when it comes to measuring things out.

I’m going to share this at the following places:

Chrome drum shade pendant light

whoa, that’s a descriptive title.  Anywho, I scoffed this shade from my son’s room.  Sorry if you are tired of my dining room/sitting room, but I had to have some light in there.

I purchased the wiring and the socket from HD, put it all together today and hung it up. I did make a boo boo which you will see in the photo’s; I cut the cord too short. I measured from the outlet in the ceiling to where I wanted it to hang, but didn’t take the drop into account. Pfft, whatever, it’s fine :) Total cost $8.48

With the light on

I’m participating in the DIY Show Off’s DIY project Parade

Coffee table to ottoman

I have been on the look out for a coffee table with similar legs to the chairs that I have.  I found one today at the GW for $10. The only part of it that is real wood are the legs. It’s just awful.

I sprayed it, added a bit of distressing and some fabric. It’s better but I’m not that good of an upholsterer. I think some trim will help :)


Rhoda is hosting a Thrifty Treasures Party at Southern Hospitality.  Always one of my favourite types of parties :)  A girl can never get enough thrift.

Framed photos

I printed a few of the photos that I took last weekend.  This small space above my sofa is difficult to accessorise and I’ve been racking my brain with something to put there.  I have a ton of frames waiting to be used that I picked up for a couple of bucks.
This is the photo of the hosta that I took. Difficult photo to take with the glare.
I am working on getting the old dead tree photo printed on canvas.

Junkin’ finds

I got this today for $2.99

Here is it’s original price tag

Um, not in this life time.
So I sprayed it heirloom white, sanded it a little and voila. Much nicer

And a close up of the detail

I also picked up these almost new (they may have been worn once) Ralph Lauren sandals for $6.99, they retail for $90.00. Steal!


I am linking up to Met Monday's at Between Naps on the porch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

and to Coastal Charm’s Nifty Thrifty Thursday’s

Junkin’ Large clock

I will definitely transform this clock. Besides it doesn’t keep time very well. I’m thinking of adding a mirror, I haven’t decided yet.  Price: $5.00. The water bottle is next to it to give you an idea of the size.

I’m linking up to Thrifty Thursday’s at Tales from Bloggeritaville. Head over and view the great finds this week.

Silver cup and lid

I found this beauty today for $3.99!  I don’t have a clue if it’s silver or silver plated and there are no hallmarks on it, but it does feel fairly light. Silver plate is usually over brass and would be heavy. Also it has an audible ting to it when I strike it with something.  Either way, it’s gorgeous.
































I put up some fabric to see how the room will look with drapes. Whaddya think I should do? I definitely do not want to introduce another pattern into the room. Green may work to help pull in the colour from other adjoining spaces. The rod is temporary but any suggestions are welcome.

Lot's of thrifty treasure are to be found at Southern Hospitality's Memorial Weekend Thrift Treasures

and at Coastal Charm's Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays' party.

Garage sale finds

Slim pickings today, but I did get these new rubber gloves for 50 cents and these pretty holly desert plates for 2 dollars.
Me being silly :)

Flat brown to bright white

A while back I bought this patio set from Kijiji.
 
It had seen better days and I decided to brighten it up. 5 cans of spray paint later.

Here are my thrift store signs, I just love them.


It’s a sad little patio, but it’s mine.  I would really like a deck built, but that’s not an affordable project right now.  At least the furniture helps to brighten it up.
I'm linking up to Furniture Feature Friday at Mustard Seed Creations.

And to CSI’s Spray Paint Challenge

Thrifty Ikea wall lamp

I picked up this wall lamp for $3.99, the shade I already had and the ribbon was off of a blouse.
Now my daughter has a new lamp for reading in bed (which she does, constantly).

Personalized money holder

I have a wedding reception to attend this afternoon (it’s a holiday here today, Victoria Day) and completely forgot to get a card.
I went to the only scrap book paper I have, Amy Butler, which I’ve used for numerous projects.

The bride and groom are very eco-friendly and I believe will appreciate that this was not a bought card.
I added their names with scrabble blocks

I couldn’t find any glue, so I had to use electrical tape to hold the envelope closed. Added a personal message on the back, attached some cash and a pull ribbon and I have a no cost, personalized card. My very first one :)



I’m sure that the scrapbookers out there are cringing, but I’m lovin’ it.
And just for fun, those that have never seen Canadian money before, here it is. (We have a $10 bill too, but I don’t have one)

glam cushion

I should mention that I was inspired by Sunny at Life in Rehab on this project. She is a girl after my own heart. Amazing projects, full of inspiration and a ray of sunshine. GO VISIT HER, you will be glad you did.

I picked up a sequined skirt at the thrift store yesterday for $7.99. The lovely clerk said “there’s a top that goes with that” and quickly ran down the isle to go get it, before I had a chance to say anything. She brought back a hideous sequined black and gold top. Um, I didn’t want to break her heart, after all, she was being so helpful, but I had to tell her that I will only take the skirt as I am using it to make cushions. She took it in good stride and just said “oh”.
Then I picked up 4 placemats on sale for $10.

I picked up this bag of stuffing for a couple of bucks, with the original price written on the bag of $17.98, yikes.
Now I have a glam cushion.  One down, three more to go.



My favourite party of the week is taking place at Southern Hospitality. I love a thrifty find and so do many others, so go and see what they have found or done with their thrifty finds.

Directional signs

A friend turned me on to a fantastic re-use store in a near by city. I thought I knew of all of the great thrifting stores, but boy was I surprised to find this place. It’s a mix of everything with the intention of keeping things out of landfill.  There are some real duds there, but if you pick through enough, you will come out with some treasures.
I instantly knew that I had to have these two signs. They are quite large, the biggest is about 5 feet long and the smaller one is about 4 feet long.  They are road signs that were actually in  use.  The price?  1 dollar for the larger one and 75 cents for the smaller.
Soon they will be hung up on my back fence.

Front door update done

Let me remind you of how it used to look. Snore.

Because this is a condo, I have guidelines by which to live by. If I had my way, the door would be red :)

And now

I put the lights up today, got some new plants although I still have some planting to do.  The light is pretty small but I wanted to keep it that way. By putting in a down light, it accentuates my door number. My door number is above the garage door and is barely visible, so I came up with a new one. The hardware was sprayed with oil rubbed bronze which is much nicer than the greening brass :)
I used a thrift store tin sign that had the word welcome on it. I sprayed it with oiled rubbed bronze. I printed out the numbers in a plain font, rubbed the back of the paper with white chalk, placed it down on the sign and traced it out with pencil.


Then I just painted it in with acrylic paint and a small brush and wiped the chalk away.
The CSI Project is having an Outdoor Challenge. I'm joining my update into the mix :)

And Kristin's Front Door Reveal Party at My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

I am so smrt, s m r t

Ok, I’m not that smart. I put a whole lot of work today into updating my front door, only to realize that I’ve made a horrible mistake.
Here is the before; I live in a condo townhouse and there are rules about what colour the front door can be painted. It is a horrid brown, chipping, peeling and chalky. To top it off, the ceiling in the area was also brown, making it dark and dreary.

So I set to work, primed first, then painted, sprayed the pots, the mailbox and the door handle with ORB.  Much better, now I just have to do some more planting for colour, change the light and put my door number up (I have plans for that).

Ok, so maybe I’m not so smart because I used the wrong paint!  I used an indoor latex!  I’m gutted to think that I have to do the whole thing over. At least the cat likes it :)

Update:  The first coat of oil based exterior paint is on!  It went much faster than the latex paint; creamier and smoother. And bonus, it looks just like this colour :)

Linking up to the Metamorphosis Monday Party at Between Naps on the Porch.

Does this make me look fat?

The gray in the sitting area was overwhelming and much too dark. It looks great in the kitchen, but there is lots of light there with 2 good sized windows.
I tried baby fawn but it was almost white against the gray, so I went back to the store and purchased bleeker beige.
The taping took for ever! Getting it even over those corners was the pits. When they built this house they sure didn’t think the duct work placement out well. The bottom band is wider than the others ‘cause math isn’t my forte and I was tired of trying to figure it all out. Yeah, I’m like that, just jump in :)
The ottoman has found a new spot as it was just too big for the area. I’ll find a smaller footstool. I also purchased a new rug that matches the one in the living room.
 

I’ve made a few changes since this original post