Craigs List

So, many of you know my current obsession right now is fixing up furniture. This is no big secret, however if you saw my garage right now you might mistake it for a used furniture store or possibly a dump, either way I have entirely too much stuff right now. Time to get rid of it....Enter in my dear friend Craig.

Craig's List for those of you who don't know what it is, is a online site that allows you to post tings that you want to sell. It is basically a HUGE garage sale. People list things from a candle stick all the way to cars, boats and even houses. They also have a section for people looking for jobs and even more scary are the people advertising themselves....YIKES! Anyway moving on..I'm not even gonna go there.

My neighbor introduced me to Craig's List and was telling me how she sells things she finds at yard sales on Craig's list. Hmm, I thought I can do that. So, my first listing was my King Size bedspread that I had from when I re-did my master bedroom. Remember the grandma green? Oh my...anyway, I listed it on Craig's List and had a few people interested, but nothing ever came of it. I thought, "this isn't that great" But then it happened. My first "real sale" I had picked up a bench at a church yard sale for $3. It was one of those benches that goes with a kitchen table. I painted it black (of course) and I sold it for $45....CHA CHING!!! Sorry I don't have pictures of the bench to show you, it was pre-blog. Anyway...the excitement and rush I got from selling something that I had paid almost nothing for, was amazing. Of course then I was on a mission to buy, fix up and sell anything I could get my hands on.

Remember the little nightstand that I painted...yes, black? The one with the yard sale glass knobs? Yep..sold it $30. Oh Craig how I love you. I recently listed these cute little nightstands that I just finished. They didn't always look so cute. And did you notice what color they are? NOT BLACK!!! I'm so proud.



These two nightstands, I picked up at Goodwill for $7 each. This is what they originally looked like.



I decided that I wanted to try a new technique that I had heard about and seen on TV, but that I was always too scared to try. Its called glazing and it really isn't that scary. So, here is what I did.

First...buy a cheap piece of furniture...check
Second...sand it to rough up any type of smooth surface...check
Third...paint it desired color. I call this color "Vintage vanilla"...check



Fourth...time for the glaze, this is what it looks like. You can get it at Home Depot. It isn't terribly expensive, about $15 for this can, but a little goes a long ways.



The way glaze works is that you mix 1 part glaze to three parts paint. What the glaze does is allow you to have more time before your paint dries. I mixed the glaze with a dark brown, so that when I painted it on the "vintage vanilla" and then wiped it off, it would create the aged look I was going for.

So, you brush on the glaze, wait a few seconds maybe a minute and then take a cotton cloth and wipe off the glaze. Its important to get the glaze into all the little nicks and crannies if you want it to look really aged.



Once it was glazed and wiped off, I let it dry for several hours and then sanded the edges and then applied a coat of sealer. I also took the original hardware off and just spray painted them black and while they were still a little tacky, I took some steel wool and just roughed up the finish, they turned out better than I expected. This may be a new technique instead of buying new hardware.



Here it is again all finished. I love these. If I had room, I would keep them. But obviously that isn't going to happen. So, Craig gets these too. I have them listed on Craig's List right now. I have noticed however, that Craig's List goes in cycles. Sometimes its really busy and I have no problem selling things and others, well things don't move as quickly. So you just have to be patient. Have fun out there and don't overlook something just because it doesn't look cute now, think of what it could look like. Enjoy! Thanks for stopping by.

Love,
Kris

Back to Basics

Recently, I have been trying to simplify my life. On a recent weekend retreat with some wonderful women, I came to the realization that I need to go back to basics. Thus my new life motto for this year. "BACK TO BASICS"

There is something about the 4Th of July that just makes me smile. I'm not sure if it is the meaning behind it or if its the chance to get together with family and friends, or if it is all the cute decorations, but I just LOVE the Red, White and Blue. Since I'm going "Back to basics" I decided this year I was going to really go back to basics with our 4Th of July BBQ.

I promised myself that I wouldn't go and buy ANYTHING to decorate with for our BBQ. So, I set out to recycle things I had used before and find new uses for others. I started by decorating the tables with plain white linen tablecloths. Then I layered a blue floral fabric over the white and then topped it off with a red bandanna. I think the three things together really looked cute.



For the centerpieces, I used scrapbook paper to create these super easy and super cute "Firework" picks. I made a red, white and blue for each table along with a star in each color for each table. I have lots of just plain greenery centerpieces that I keep around just for this kind of project. I simply just changed the ribbon to a red, white and blue stripped ribbon and stuck my homemade picks in the greenery and you have a instant patriotic centerpiece.




For the drinks, I wanted to of course use something that I had a lot of, so I used mason jars for cups. These were a huge hit. The adults and kids alike loved drinking out of them. There is something so refreshing about a big glass of lemonade.



For the food, we kept it really simple. Everyone brought their own meat to grill and also brought a dish to share. We had all the classics. Watermelon, Potato Salad, Corn-on-the-cob (fresh picked) Baked Beans, Every kind of chips, brownies, cookies, cupcakes, 4 different kinds of pie and then the best part of all......HOMEMADE ICE CREAM...YUMM-OOO!! We actually made two different flavors. Classic Vanilla and to spice it up a bit, I made a lime sherbet. The vanilla was gone in two seconds flat, the lime...well, it's still in my freezer. (That's what I get for not sticking to the basics)





We swam in the pool, played croquet, laughed, talked, played cards, and when it was time to watch the fireworks, we pulled our chairs out in the yard and the kids got to watch as much of them as they wanted to and then jump back in the pool.





It was by far the best 4Th of July I have experienced so far. And it was all possible, because I decided to go back to basics. And I feel extremely blessed to be Forgiven, Loved and FREE! Happy Fourth Of July everyone.



Thanks for stopping by

Love,
Kris

Getting caught up

Oh my goodness, I think I may have gone into blog withdrawals. I have been so busy getting caught up on some of my projects that I just haven't had time to update my blog. Notice how I said "some" of my projects. I still have a garage full of furniture that needs to be loved, but it is too stinking HOT. So some of it may just have to wait until I don't melt every time I walk outside. But I do have one very special project to show you.

First, I just have to tell you that this is, by far my BEST find. I got this desk for a $1.00. Yep...ONE DOLLAR! I had been looking for a desk for Scott's office since we moved into our house. The 6ft folding table he had been using did not fit in with my decor! So when I was at Goodwill several weeks ago, I stumbled upon it. And much to my surprise it was the same week that was only a $1.

After several car trades and kid swaps, I finally had it in the garage. Scott came home and said his usual, "What did you find now?" I said, "Oh honey just wait until you see this" and for the first time he actually said to me, "Wow, honey that is nice. What a good deal, good job!" Wait...what? What did he just say, can I quick rewind that please....

Here is the before picture



It had a few water damage spots on the top, but other than that it was in pretty good shape. Of course I sanded it all down and actually used real paint and even a paint brush. No spray paint for this. I took off all the hardware and made sure not to get paint into any of the drawer rollers. Over all, I am super pleased with how it turned out.

Here it is finished, just waiting to be moved inside....(I waited patiently for my husband to help me move it in for two weeks).... I finally got tired of waiting and moved it from the garage into the office all by myself. I'm sure the neighbors got a kick out of seeing me with this huge desk propped up on the dolly dragging it across the driveway. hence the muscle spasms I am now having in my lower back. Next time maybe I'll wait three weeks...:-)



And here it is after it's journey across the front yard. I had to take the door off the office to get it in, but I finally got it in....




Now, that he has a "real" desk, maybe he will let me start decorating the rest of his office. Starting with some color on the walls. And, "No honey, Navajo White isn't a color"

Thanks for stopping by and stay tuned for my next project...

Kris