It's the simple things, right?

We're off to Cedar Rapids, IA in the morning! My daughter is skating at the Midwestern & Pacific Synchronized ice skating competition. So, it's been a busy practice week! Needless to say, not much got done in the way of home projects. The big ones anyway!

I did manage to keep my nerves at bay with a few smaller projects though. And, well, I still feel like I accomplished something. Probably more so, because it is the simple things that continue to pile up? right?

I managed to make a table runner for the kitchen table. I didn't like ANY of the choices out there...so I made my own. With some left over 'cheapo' unbleached cotton fabric. Which I LOVE!!! The price at less than $3 a yard and the natural look it has! All I did was set it on the table, cut how long I wanted it, folded over the sides, and sewed a straight stitch. I left the ends untouched, but frayed the fabric a bit. I like how it turned out!

My next "easy peasy never got around to it" project was this photo frame. I love gathering frames, but seldom take the time to add MY pictures, so I spent a few hours adding my pics and then added the monogram in the middle. Not a hard project...just one I can check off now!

After this busy fun filled weekend in Iowa, I am looking forward to tackling some bigger projects!

Go KICKS Go!! (that's the name of our synchronized team)

Thrift Store Surprises

I am so excited about my recent Thrit Store finds! Wonderful surprises at each place I went...


It started 'Up North' at our "Cabbage" cottage/cabin. I often get overwhelmed with the thought of trying to decorate not 1 house, but 2! When I go shopping I can hardly remember what I'm supposed to be looking for.

Well, this weekend, the guys were ice fishing and the girls (and by that I mean my daughter and I) took a drive into our little 'Up North' town. My intention was to go to one of my favorite junk stores. You see, in one of my previously overwhelmed visits I passed on an item that I now can not get out of my mind. It was a cute antique toy iron and ironing board made by the Gabriel Toy Mfg. (our last name is Gabriel) It wasn't on my 'list' so I passed it up and have been regreting it ever since. Sadly, this day, the store wasn't open...the sign on the door read "Open by chance during the winter months." and so I moved on to the next thrift store...

where I found these ....awesome Wisconsin Cheese Boxes!


Living in Wisconsin now I thought...I'm not letting these go. I'd regret it!

I only paid $5 for the big one and $4 for the smaller one! They are huge and awesome~ and a great conversation piece.

So, as I'm talking to the nice lady she says "you look like the type that likes these kind of stores." Not sure what that means (I was carrying my Coach purse), but heck yeah! So she told me of a thrift store in the next town 'north'...so off we went! Where I found....this!


It's a nice size piece of fabric. It was marked a $1 and when I went to pay the nice lady said that there's a sale on all non-wearables...so it was 87 cents. I'm turning it into a floor pillow for the Cabbage! Such great colors!


Now my next find was a bit closer to home. I just caught the thrift store bug from the weekend and I wasn't done! I was actually looking for furniture for the Cabbage at the local Salvation Army, but that was kind of a bust. I couldn't believe how pricey it was. But, I did find this....


It was marked $4.99 (totally not worth that price) but I was willing to pay it because the money goes toward a good cause AND it would go awesome w/my pine cone dishes and cake platter (that has no topper) that I have at our Cabbage. I have to admit, I pondered over it...and then this lady SCREAMS "5 mins left to get your items 50% off". What? okay, $2.50 much better!!! Sold! I get up to the counter and the cashier looks and says "$4.99 for this? It has no bottom. I can't do that to you." She wound up charging me 60 cents for it! After what ever price she thought was good minus the 50% off plus tax. Woo Hoo for me!!

I was so thrilled with my Thrift Store finds this week! Now off to 'pretty-fy' them!

Linking Up at:
http://www.coloradolady.blogspot.com/

http://decormamma.blogspot.com/2010/01/frugalicious-fridayand-giveaway-fresh.html

Fa-REE Bed gets makeover!

Don't you just love it when someone gives you something for Fa-REE? It's always even better when it's a piece of furniture, isn't it? Well, my mom had this stored in her garage for ever and well, let's just say I was happy to take it off of her hands. I see potential, don't you?
(Hi husband)
This, is the after. The paint went from a green and yellow w/a gold rubbed glaze to:

A creamy white. It fits the guest room decor perfectly...well, the room is a work in progress.

FREE is good!

I'm linking up to:

http://decormamma.blogspot.com/2010/01/frugalicious-friday-giveaway.html

http://bec4-beyondthepicketfence.blogspot.com/

I've been featured!

Jane at Finding Fabulous http://decormamma.blogspot.com/ is starting a weekly feature called
She's Crafty...Love that Craft!
So, me being the crafty person couldn't wait to see a new craft...one on a budget at that. Much to my surprise...I see MY project!!!
How exciting to open up one of your favorite blogs and see yourself!
Wow!
Thank you Jane, you made my day!

P.S. The button she made is super cute...but, I can't figure out how to bring it over to my blog! I'll try real hard!

check it out!
http://decormamma.blogspot.com/2010/01/shes-craftya-new-feature-adorable-no.html

Fish lamps on the fly!

Okay friends. I've been lurking....but I've been busy. Well, not too busy! but enough to call a project complete. It all started with a trip to Bass Pro Shop. My husband loves it! We have a cottage/cabin...I like to call the 'cabbage' and Bass Pro Shop gives me some great ideas. The kind of store you go in and you just know you can't buy it, but you can make it!


I found myself in the lamp department and was inspired by this shade followed by the thought "I can make that!" A little twine and christmas ornaments....that's what I'm talk'n about!
Here's the inspiration:





I remembered I had these lamps and shades in our basement. Not even the finished part of the basement, but the ready for the GW part of the basement. Not sure what I was thinking when I got them...it may have been the buy 3 lamps for the price of 1 package deal you see so often.
(the floor lamp is not pictured)



So the lamps, virtually free...the Christmas ornaments...clearance! like a buck! So I bought a bunch. You never know when the urge to create for the cabbage might happen. So I bought, well, more than 3!

I did darken/distress them a bit with some burnt umber paint. Just a wash! Actually I did this to the wooden part of the lamp as well. While the fish were drying I added the twine around the top and bottom of the shade using Liquid Stitch. Love that stuff! Make sure to leave the twine longer on the top to hang the ornament from and to tie (just like the inspiration).

Don't you just LOVE?!


Will be linking up:

Inspiration, please?

Oh my! It's been a while since I last posted. Probably because I find so much inspiration on these blogs...I spend more time reading and dreaming and making mental lists than I do making them become reality!

Since we moved last year from a bright and airy cottagey house to "this one" I've been loving blogland and just trying to be, well, inspired enough to make this house our home. There really isn't anything wrong with this house. The only thing 'really' wrong with this house is that it was only a year old when we moved in. You probably are thinking...what's wrong w/that? Well, it's new and well, that usually means that nothing needs to be done with it! It was a 'show home' too. See, not much wrong with it! Faux finishes through out...granite counter tops, stainless steel appliances, upgrades through out! See what I'm talk'n about? (insert pictures here...if I could find them...and well, i'm not taking new ones...'cuz the house is a mess).

My real dilema is that our previous house was bright and airy and cottagey and we lived in it for 10 years...so it really felt like us by the time we moved! This house has the dark trim and no hard wood floors and it just doesn't seem like us...yet!

I'm getting inspired more and more but to be honest, there just isn't much inspiration out there when it comes to darker and more European looks. If you come across a picture or a blog like this...would you please share?

This year, though, I'm going to try real hard to be inspired and not to be afraid to move forward with projects! Less reading maybe and more doing (more posting)!

I'll hope you'll stick with me on this journey.