A Last Minute Laundry Room Project

Hey y'all - Happy Friday!  Hope you've all had a great week.  I've been so busy trying to get lots of inventory built up for when we move into our booth space at Key City Antique Mall and Shops.  Even I'm surprised at how much I've gotten accomplished because I'm usually such a procrastinator - I create better when I'm under pressure or on a deadline.  And I managed to get a lot done despite the last minute laundry room project we tackled last Saturday.

So here's how this story goes....about three months ago, the Hub saw a little sketch I had done of an idea I had for the laundry room and he really liked it, but that was the last mention that was made of it.  I still had it in the back of mind though as something I'd like to do eventually.  Well, last Saturday, the Hub woke up and declared "Today is the day we re-do the laundry room!" - just like that, out of the blue!  Now I'm no fool - I know when he offers to help me with a project, I'd better jump on it before he changes his mind!  So off we went to look for the materials we needed....

Here's the only before picture I could find of my laundry room and of course, it's a bad one.  I guess I just don't regularly snap pics of the dumping ground it had become - go figure?  And as usual, I forgot to take any pictures until we were nearly done painting and rearranging.  But here it is in some of it's mustard-colored glory...

Not much detail, I know...sorry.  But look how cute those fat kitties are!  The room was painted a color that came from the Oops bin at Home Depot.  All of my laundry and household supplies were crammed on the shelves of the baker's rack and it also served as the cat's feeding station.  We have to keep the food up high enough that the dogs can't get to it or they will devour every morsel.  My washer and dryer were stacked on the other side, making for a very tight fit.  It was pretty ugly and like I said, a dumping ground for everything my family couldn't shove anywhere else.  It's not completely finished yet, but I just couldn't wait to show it off!

First, we purchased paint, stain, two unfinished wall cabinets, and a hollow door from Home Depot.  Hollow door, you ask? Why yes - it will make a wonderful countertop since we're doing this on less than a shoestring budget and it only cost $28.00!  Plus, the counter needed to be 33" to cover the appliances and standard counters are only 25 or so inches.  I started by painting over the mustard yellow with the color Rain Wash from Behr. We unstacked the washer and dryer and placed the door on top after I stained it a lovely shade of gray.  I wasn't sure how the stain color would look, but it turned out exactly like I wanted and I love the color with the blue walls. Hanging the cabinets was a challenge because of something to do with the studs - still not sure what the Hub's issue was, but he got it done with the Bub's help.  The cabinets were $75.00 each, the door was dirt cheap, and the only other things I bought were the jars for the laundry pods and Oxyclean and that adorable laundry basket from Home Goods.  All in all, it cost us about $207.00 to do this little makeover and I think it looks pretty good!

So without further adieu...what do you think so far?

Umm, disregard the laundry detergent and cookbooks...the cabinets will get painted this weekend and the doors put on.  I'm not about to have open cabinets in here!  I will be on the lookout for more attractive containers for the pet food - maybe some tin buckets from IKEA.  This still has to be the cat's feeding station and they are having a harder time hauling their fat selves up because it's higher than the old baker's rack. Oh well, they need the exercise, right?  

There are still a few little decorative touches left to do, like the cutest laundry room signs that I'm making. The washboard is a really old one that I've had for a long time. The white tin holds fabric softener sheets and of course, I have to have a little bowl for all the spare change I find - Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers! Also, the tiny lamp is an awesome little night light.  We're thinking about removing the doors altogether now that it's going to look so lovely.  I know I'm going to love having this surface to fold clothes on too and I've warned my family that this is NOT going to be their catch-all spot!  You don't have that problem at your house, do you?  I didn't think so :)...

Have a great weekend, my sweet readers, and stay tuned for final pictures of the project!

Today I'm linking to:

http://www.thededicatedhouse.com/

http://boogieboardcottage.blogspot.com/2014/07/welcome-to-184th-masterpiece-monday-and.html

Toodles,

Exciting News!

source: Oh So Nifty Vintage Graphics

Howdy folks!  Hope it's been a good week for all of you...for me, it's been one of getting back on my feet after a brief and really crappy illness.  Today I finally feel 100% again!  Wassup with the GIANT key, you ask? Well, here it is... I hinted in my last post that I might soon have some exciting news to share and I do!!  My friend and I (together we are Morning Glory's) are opening a booth in a new place called the Key City Antique Mall and Shops in North Wilkesboro, NC - about 40 minutes from where we are based.  It's still being renovated, but should be ready to open by late August - early September.  We went to tour it a couple of Fridays ago, but I was so sick I didn't even take any pictures.  I promise I'll post some as soon as I make my next trip up there.  I had been coughing and had laryngitis for a few days, but had started running a fever that day.  And it was a million degrees in the building too, so that didn't help.  It turned out to be the worst respiratory and throat infection I think I've ever had.  I mean, it seriously knocked me off my entire game for nearly two weeks! 

New site of Key City Antique Mall and Shops
source:  Wilkes Journal-Patriot

Anyway, it's in the coolest old furniture factory - creaky wood floors, overhead beams and ductwork, and lots of charm.  The concept is pretty unique - we have a lot of local vineyards 'round these parts and this place is going to serve as the only central location where you can purchase wine from all of the different wineries. There will be artisan cheeses and breads available as well and they'll have lots of wine tasting events to draw people in. Plus, they're building a craft beer distillery in the back section of the building that will be really neat too.  On the third floor will be studio space for local artisans to work and demonstrate their crafts and we've been asked to host some chalk painting classes there as well.  I'm really excited about doing that. Plus, we scored a great booth.  We'll be right across from the only stairway to the second floor, so you really can't miss us, and it's a space that's a little larger than the others.  We are SOOOOO excited because we've been looking for a place just like this that was affordable for a long time and it just kind of fell into our laps.  The best part is, no one else in the place will really have stuff like ours - vintage items that have been repurposed - so I think we should do really well.  We'll have a few antiques sprinkled in for good measure too.  And if we don't do well, we aren't locked into a long-term contract.  We figure it's worth a shot and will be easier than doing so many craft shows.

So, needless to say, I'm going to be really busy over the next few weeks getting stuff together for the big grand opening.  Our booth needs to be super full when we first open, of course!  Here's a look at one of the items I've been able to get painted since I started feeling better:

Isn't it a cute little cabinet?  It's hard to tell from the picture, but it's a really pretty color called Liberty from American Paint Company.  Just imagine a very faded Statue of Liberty and that's the exact color.  It's my new favorite color and I pretty much want to paint everything with it.  This cabinet is about 24 inches tall and 18 inches wide, so it's a good size.  And it could be used so many ways - in the kitchen, in an office, in the bathroom - just about anywhere!  I just love it.  I'll get some pictures up of our space a s soon as I can and will keep you updated on all the goodies I'm working on.  So, until I see you again, have a great weekend and try to stay cool!

Trash Talk

Howdy folks!  I hope everyone had a great weekend.  I had a lot to do to get cleaned up from the mess I left getting ready for the Farmer's Market Craft Fair.  The sale last weekend went VERY well - I sold almost everything I had!  Seriously.  Aside from a couple of chalkboards, everything I had left fit into two small laundry baskets.  So I was back out to the thrift stores and yard sales looking for more treasures to transform :).  In addition to the those searches, I picked up this "trashy" little dresser off of Craigslist...

And by "trashy", I mean it was in pretty rough shape.  My Dad went with me to pick it up and our conversation went like this: He said, "It looks like something you'd pick out of the garbage".  And I was all like, "I know, I LOVE it!!".  And then he was all, "You're weird.  But if you like it...".  Yes, it was painted a boring gray, was missing some hardware and the track for the middle drawer, but it's exactly what I was looking for.  I guess it just goes to show you - one man's "trash" is his little girl's "treasure"!

We have a student living with us for a couple of months this summer and this will be the perfect small dresser for her clothes.  So I set out Saturday to make it fabulous with some white chalk paint and antiquing wax.  I bought some new knobs for the top drawer and rigged up a fix for the drawer slide.  I think it turned out great and I absolutely ADORE it!  See what you think...







I love the rustic green top.  It looks a lot brighter than it is in the picture above, it's really a soft sage-y green and actually looks great in the blue spare bedroom.  The roughness of it kinda makes it feminine and masculine at the same time.  Bonus - it fit perfectly in the ONE spot I had for it!  If it turns out later that I don't need it or have a place for it, I can sell it or send it off with the Bub to a future college apartment. But I'm pretty sure I'm keeping it :).

Speaking of the Bub, his end of the year band banquet was Tuesday night and I'm super proud to announce that he was presented with the "Blond Bombshell" award.  What a tremendous honor.  Just kidding - the kids give each other silly awards at this thing and I guess that was the best they could come up with!  He's made quite the transformation this year as far as his fashion sense and clothing style.  Finally, no more South Park t-shirts and cargo shorts - he now dresses very nicely and looks so handsome every day.  And now with his blond hair and recent sun tan, I guess he does look like a blond bombshell - to the girls anyway!  But on a serious note, what I'm really super proud of is that he has been chosen as one of two Drum Majors for the marching band next year.  He is SOOOO excited.  Since he's decided on Music Education as his career path, I think it's going to be a great opportunity for him to get some leadership experience.  As for myself, I may have some great news to share later this week or early next week.  Here's a hint...I may be going RETAIL!!

Tell me about your latest "trashy" treasure in the comments - I'd love to hear all about it!

Today I'm linking to the following parties:
http://boogieboardcottage.blogspot.com/2014/06/welcome-to-179th-masterpiece-monday-and.html
http://www.thededicatedhouse.com/2014/06/before-and-after-wednesday-week-18.html

Toodles,

Gettin' My Craft On!!!!

Hey y'all!  The Craft Show at the Piedmont Triad Farmers Market is back for it's Spring/Summer show and my friend Melanie and I, collectively known as "Morning Glory's", will have a booth set up all weekend. The dates are Friday, Saturday, and Sunday: May 30th - June 1st.  Come by and see us if you are out and about near Kernersville/Greensboro, NC.  We aren't doing as many shows as we did last year - it's really hard work getting enough items made for each show, then carting it all around and setting it up multiple times. Plus, for me, it's probably going to be my last real year with the Bub at home.  So I want to spend as much time with him before he graduates next year and rips my heart out by going off to college and building a life of his own.  Sniff, sniff.  So come and get it while it's hot!  

Here are a few examples of the things I have ready to sell:

This bench is adorable - painted a lovely white and re-covered in a shower curtain I picked up on clearance at Tar-jay.

I love how this plain little bread box turned out.  So classy...

This little box had an ugly chicken on it but I fixed it right up with some kitchen-y scrapbook paper.  Add a short candlestick and a drawer pull and you have yourself a cute little canister!

This $6.00 chair turned out great with a little chalk paint.  It's pretty and sturdy too!

Sorry this pic is sideways - it would not cooperate and turn itself around.  If you can't tell what it is, it's an old workbench drawer from an estate sale.  I put little casters on the bottom and a knob to pull it with - it can be used for under-bed storage or for toys or magazines.  Love that adorable owl!

And another adorable owl!  This one is a mail/key holder.  It was ugly brown and missing the hooks when I bought it, but I love the knobs and his new distressed paint job.

This is just one item from Morning Glory's "Beachy Keen" Collection.  There are many more items of the beach persuasion that will be available at the show...but you have to come by to see the whole display!  I turned this old cheese tray into a cute little cloche - I have sea shells in it, but you can use it to display all kinds of pretty things.

Now, this is one of my favorite things I've made.  It's an old window that I turned into a memo board by attaching burlap tightly to the back so the writing is easy to read. There's a dry erase marker attached so you can write on it and wipe it right off.  How cool is that??!!

Some of the other items we will have are chalkboards, small tables and furniture items, jewelry trays, kitchen and home decor - all handmade and/or re-purposed by us.  Everything we make is unique and one of a kind, so if you're in the mood, stop on by.  And even if you don't come see us, I hope you all still have a great weekend!

Toodles,

One Day Of Spring

source: openwalls.com

Hi there my lovelies!  Isn't that picture just gorgeous?  Sitting here at my desk, I can see a few buds and white sprouts on some trees outside and it makes me smile.  I can't wait until there are flowers and blooms everywhere, but at the rate we're going, it seems like those days are never going to get here.  We are forecast to have one fleeting day of Spring this weekend.  Saturday it will be about 75 degrees here!  Woo hoo!!  But by Sunday the high will only be 55 and by Tuesday, well, let's just say Mother Nature is going to rear her ugly winter head again.  At the very least, it sounds like we're going to get another wintry mix, if not a full blown winter storm.  Please Lord, make it stop!!!  Us Southern folks just aren't used to this and we can't take it anymore!

Ain't that the TRUTH! 

So, the question is, what all can I squeeze out of Saturday?  I have so much that I need to do!  The back deck is a disaster.  The dogs have had a field day with the chair cushions and empty flower pots out there. Their dog bed has been dragged all over the place, knocking stuff over, and it's just been too cold and miserable to get out there and do anything about it.  Our front porch looks like Fred Sanford's house (Play Sanford and Son's theme song in your head. You know you want to!) - sleds and totes and various other junkery is everywhere.  Besides that, all of my Fall and Christmas decorations are STILL piled up in the garage because of our swampy back yard situation.  That's going to be fixed soon (yes!!!), but I really need to get that stuff out of the garage so I can get to my craft supplies.  I'm not doing as many craft shows this year, but I have a big one coming up at the end of May and I have GOT to get busy since it will be slow going in this wrist brace.  Plus, I'm really itching to create something since I've not been able to do much due to my wrist surgery and I'm just bursting at the seams with ideas and little projects.  The Hub and Bub are in for a real treat - they get to help me move all of this stuff to the storage barn tomorrow!  My plan is to use my big garden cart to pack stuff in, then we can roll it around into the neighbor's yard and hand boxes and totes over the fence so we don't have to trudge through all the muck.  We don't want the cart to get stuck in the muck, now do we?  "Stuck in the muck" - hey, that's a good way to describe what our winter has been like here!

Once that is done, my house needs to be cleaned.  It is bad - really, really BAD.  My wrist feels substantially better this week, so I feel like I can get back to my regular cleaning activities now.  It's a good thing too... The tumbleweeds of dog hair are taking over.  Apparently, no one in my household besides me knows how to use a vacuum or a broom.  The teenage boy funk has spread from the Bub's room into the hall bathroom and that has to be addressed ASAP.  He will be cleaning that up tomorrow and getting a lesson in how to keep the bathroom clean when Mom is out of commission.  He's 16 years old and does his own laundry - I know he can keep a bathroom relatively unpolluted.  I have a lot of clean laundry piled up in the bedroom too.  The Hub's been taking care of our laundry the past couple of weeks and I really appreciate that - now I just have to get it all put away.  I don't think any trash besides in the kitchen has been emptied since I went under the knife either.  And there's lots of clutter everywhere too - I've let that get a little out of hand and I need to get all of it put away/organized.  My Mom's birthday is Sunday and I'm having them over for dinner, so I can't let my Mama come eat at a dirty house, ya know?  Am I the only one whose house has to be pretty spotless when Mama comes over?  It's not her - it's definitely me.  Mine wouldn't care at all if my house was a mess, but for some reason I just want it to be clean when she comes over.

Somewhere in all of this commotion, I would like to find time to do some crafting. Maybe I'll start by painting some picture frames and getting them ready for chalkboards or memo boards.  I also want to get my new sewing machine set up. I promised my niece I would make her an infinity scarf and it would probably be helpful if I actually got the sewing machine out of the box!  Sunday I just want to cook and spend time with the family.

What all will you try to squeeze into your weekend?  I hope the weather's nice where you are and that it will stay that way!

Toodles,

First Attempt At Jewelry Making

Hey Y'all, how's it going?  I'm having a great day so far and I hope you are too.  I get my stitches out tomorrow and might get my brace off too, so I'm really happy about that.  Since my wrist was feeling so much better by Sunday, I attempted to make some jewelry.  It's something I've wanted to try for a while now and I thought it might be easier for me to do since it requires more finger work than wrist bending.  It was a little difficult and slow going because it involved more wrist movement than I expected, but I had fun doing it.  I made these pieces just for me, not to sell, so they're not anything spectacular, but I like them.  I bought all of the trinkets and chains at either Michael's or A.C. Moore and all I had to do was add some scrapbook paper to a couple of them.  Easy breezy!

I made this one to go with a pair of owl earrings that I have.  I just sized the scrapbook paper to the frame and used Modge Podge to secure it.  It's on a pretty short chain, maybe 16 inches.

I did the same thing on this one with the scrapbook paper.  It's on a much longer chain though, probably 30 inches. I glued the bird onto the frame and added this huge safety pin to the chain.  The pin was really more of an office supply I think.  It came from one of the bargain bins at Michael's.  I'm not sure if I like the pin that much, so I might take it off and look for something else to replace it.  But I LOVE the bird! 

This cute little birdcage is on a short chain and I'm thinking about maybe trying to paint the star just to give it a little pop of color.  What do y'all think?  Paint it or leave it?

And I think this simple one is my favorite.  A patient who came to our office recently was wearing a pocket watch on a chain.  It was her grandfather's and her mother had it made into a necklace for her.  What a sweet thing to do!  I just fell in love with it and when I saw this pretty one at A.C. Moore, I just had to have it.  I've worn it twice already!

Now, this next picture has nothing to do with jewelry, or crafting, or DIY, or anything else that I ever talk about here, but I saw it and it really applies to my life right now.  I made a real lifestyle change in early February, just trying to get healthier and in good shape.  I've cleaned up my diet, dropped all diet sodas, added tons of fruits, veggies, and lean proteins as well as adding exercise to my daily routine.  I've dropped a few pounds and some inches, nothing drastic, but I feel so much better.  Anyway, in the past, I've always gotten discouraged when I work out and don't see super fast results.  This time I'm taking it slow and being really patient, but I saw this meme and it just cracked me up...

Is that true for everyone, or is it just me?  That is SOOOO me!  I just keep reminding myself - "patience is a virtue, patience is a virtue".  So, I guess the moral of that story is just one big cliche' - No Pain, No Gain; Rome Wasn't Built In A Day; Good Things Come To Those Who Wait; Suck It Up, Buttercup; etc., etc...

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my jewels and my tales of impatience :)

Toodles,

Where, oh where, has my little blog gone....

Hello my lovelies!  Been wondering where I've been?  Me too!  Well, if you check the picture below, it's pretty self-explanatory... 

I injured my wrist a while back.  My husband, who does Sports Medicine for a living, told me to "rub some dirt on it, it'll be fine" and "don't be such a baby".  Four months later, when I get to the point where I can't turn doorknobs or the steering wheel without excruciating pain, I finally get him to make me an appointment with one of the hand surgeons he works with.  Doc says why in the world did you wait four months to see a doctor about this?  Please refer back to my husband's previous comments...I was trying not to be a baby, dang it!  Anyway, turns out I tore a ligament in my wrist that was allowing the muscle to pop out and rotate across my wrist bone, or something like that.  In other words, it wasn't going to get better on it's own, so it had to be surgically repaired. Fun times.  Of course, it's my right hand, which means I've been pretty helpless lately.  And I've been DYING to do something creative.  So over the weekend, I managed to do a tiny project and even painted a lil' something!

I've been collecting these L's for a while now to fill up this space beside my giant blue window.  On Friday, while off work due to the massive ice storm we got, I discovered that I finally had enough L's!  All I had to do was decoupage some scrapbook paper onto one of them.  But then there was too big of an open space below the L's.  What to do, what to do?  I dumpster dived out in my garage (it really is like my own personal dumpster right now!) to find the wooden tray and thought maybe I'd paint our last name on it. Seriously, girl, who are you kidding?!  You can barely hold a paint brush!  True story, bro.  Maybe a monogram then? More diving...more letters!  I found the three letters that represent, the Hub, the Bub, and me.  I managed to paint the letters and the tray (rather messily) and sand them down a little.  I decoupaged paper onto the letters and glued them to the tray.

It's not perfect, but I think it turned out pretty cute.  Most importantly, it represents our little family in a unique way.  I put my own initial in the middle because it's my favorite place to be - right between my two guys!

I apologize for the shabby photography, but by the time I finished painting and sanding and hanging all of this, I could barely press the button on my camera, much less do a lot of re-shoots!  Needless to say, I was feeling it the next day and my wrist and hand were really sore.  I overdid it a little bit, but I got my DIY/creativity fix for a few days!  Hope you all have a great Hump Day!

Linking this post to:

http://www.commonground-do.com/ 

http://rootedinthyme.blogspot.com/

Toodles,