Lamp, Finds & a Few Changes!.

Hey kids!  I'm having movie night with Brian and it's a sobering one..The Company Men on Netflix. Pretty good but it's a huge dose of reality.  I prefer to live in lala-land, personally!

I'm making some changes to my blog by adding new pages and getting a little more organized.  It's going to be slipshod for a while, so bear with me.

My sister and her family came to town this past weekend for a visit and we did some junking (woo-hoo).  Here's what I snagged:
 

Picked up another globe for my son's room from an antique shop.  I'm going to paint the stand red.  He really likes his collection!

Now this one, I love!  I found this fixture at Habitat..it was $8.00 and 50% off..yep, $4.00!  I have already spruced it up and I can't wait to show you how it turned out.  We're going to hang it in the hallway that I'm working on now.  I have the walls patched, sanded, trim off..basically, it's a flipping mess!  Now I have to put it all back together - the fun part.

Moving on...remember this?

I'm using it in the den for a little pop of color.

Here is what I did with it...

 I used spray glue and covered the shade with the silk floral print and trimmed the rough edges with a cream ribbon.  This lamp looked like this not too long ago, but I didn't think the blue was working in this space, so I changed it up. I think the orange is MUCH better!

 Another little shot of color. I'm tickled with how the den is turning out. We still have to put up crown molding.  I added my own special touch to the carpet by knocking over my paint tray.  Brian says it looks like a flower...it happened in slow motion and it totally sucked eggs to clean up.  I'll include a shot of it in the "big reveal".

Here are a few of the pillows I made with the other fabric.  (I didn't have the heart to knock Olive out of her comfy spot.)

And you'll never, ever guess what else I'm doing....can you tell what this is?

It's a family of kitties that showed up in my backyard a few days ago!  Apparently, they got the tweet with my address and headed on over.  It's a mommy with her 4 babies.   This picture is taken from far away because they are super skiddish.  I'm not sure if they're totally feral but it's going to take some time to win them over. We are making arrangements to get mommy fixed before she finds herself in a 'family way' again, then the babies.  After all of that, they are going to need to be relocated. 

I'm finding a lot of great resources as I take in all these little guys and I'm going to be sharing them from now on on my Pet Rescue page.  Some of the groups I'm working with have chapters all over, so hopefully it will be useful for others that are stray magnets, like myself.  Please check it for updates.

I was watching the movie while writing this, so if part of this post makes no sense, you know why.

Talk to ya later! Hugs-

Chairs: A success, A FAIL & Finds!

I've been working on chairs..pretty much all chairs all week.  Some pieces I research to find out who made them, when and where. It's been pretty interesting with some furniture.  We're also adding on to our workshop and that's exciting. Just to have the space to really work and the equipment/tools right there when you need them and NOT be all over the living/dining rooms is pretty awesome! 

This seems to be an American Empire chair:

This is one scary before picture.  

Beautiful shape and nice sturdy mahogany wood frame. 

I had to cut out all the upholstery and basically gut it.  This part sucks eggs, that's for sure, but it's a work in progress.  Beer me patience! (Office joke)

I finished this beauty:

Love the lines, wide seat & back..mid-century modern Danish style.

Eww..yeah, this wasn't working.  It reminds me of a nurses uniform from the 50s - FAIL.  I stopped before attaching the seat - back to the drawing board!

 Black distressed paint is much better and I tied in the fabric from the drapes. Yep..this will work!

One more..I picked this up Wednesday and I'm making the slipcover now:

It's a solid frame and super comfortable.  And it reminds me of armchairs I was admiring at Williams-Sonoma.  It has that 30s-40s sitting room style and it's perfect in the den.  So my little den is really shaping up and everyone in my house is diggin' it!

I  celebrated my wedding anniversary yesterday and my sweet, sweet husband gave me a beautiful locket with a picture of him and my son in it.  I just love it!  We're also going on a little trip to celebrate and I am taking plenty of pictures of the cool shops I'm planning on visiting.  Alot of fun stuff to look forward to!  

I'm linking to these parties and Feathered Nest Fridays & Inspiration Friday!

Have a fun Friday! 

Paint rocks & A Winner!

We piled up in our vehicles this past weekend to convoy to my sister's place in Alabama.  There is a fabulous antique mall we hit every time we're out there and here's the loot I picked up.

Vintage train case by Samsonite..I love these & try to get them when I find them.  A lovely bird (some kid's art project but I loved the shape), little bowl, gutter cover wire thing & insulator cap.  All kinds of awesome.

The train case is now my sewing box. 

(Those fabric swatches on top are for the den curtains & pillows.)

The name "Marge" is carved on the bottom with the year 1976.  Marge did a good job but it's time for a change.

And here is the little bird now. A little spray paint goes a long way. 

Now it's time to announce the winner of the $25 gift card to either Home Depot or TJMaxx.  (I used the random generator to choose the winner)..and it's:

  ALLISON from ACT OF SWEETNESS!!!!!

Woohoo, ALLISON!!!!  I'll email you for your info!!

And I also want to say thank you to everyone who reads my blog.  You are all very much appreciated!! 

I'm linking to these parties and hope everyone has a great Wednesday!!

Total Score & A MUST Read!!!

Hello, hello!

I have two things I would like to share with you today.  First up, would you like to see what made a grown woman squeal yesterday??

 This beauty!!

I walked into GW for a quick looksy and there it was sitting front & center when you walked in.  I could NOT believe it!  There were a couple of men sitting on it and I asked them how it felt.  It got the thumbs up.  They helped me test it for sturdiness (they were good sports) by wiggling around on it to see if it was wobbly or anything. Nothing...completely solid.  It must have been under plastic or something b/c there are no funny smells and the cushions are like new..nice & firm. 

 I have been shopping around for a sofa for our den and LOVED these...

I love the legs on the second one and the curve in the arms on the first one but the $3500 & up price tags were definitely a bummer.

I know buying a used sofa is a bold move but I couldn't pass this up.On top of it being over 8' long, it was only $48.49!  Can you believe that? I'm going to recover it..I don't know how or with what fabric yet.  I don't want to cover up the beautiful shape, so this will be a challenge for me, as I have no idea how to do this but I'm up for it!

AND

It passed the crap-out test!

The second thing I wanted to share with you is a book called  

"Nubs: The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine & a Miracle"

It is one of the sweetest stories I've ever read! 

"Nubs, an Iraqi dog of war, never had a home or a person of his own. He was the leader of a pack of wild dogs living off the land and barely surviving.  But Nubs's life changed when he met Marine Major Brian Dennis.."

It was given to me as a birthday present from my brother and I just love it. He was named Nubs because his ears had been cut off..how pitiful! But I promise this is a wonderful story and a great lesson for the kids about determination & friendship in humans & animals.

With that, I'm going to run now...take care,

Dish Cabinet & Latest Finds

Since my week has looked like this

 

 And while 

was

I finished this...

Before:

..

I found this cabinet at Salvation Army a few years ago for next to nothing..maybe $10.  I painted & glazed it when I brought it home. It was great storage for blankets and my son used it as a fort & hiding spot but it was time for a change.  I rearranged furniture after packing away Christmas and this look didn't work in the new location.

After:

I love this cabinet EVEN more with the fresh look.

 

I added legs that I picked up at Home Depot.

 

It's pretty heavy with solid construction.

Brian cut a shelf from MDF that I covered in book pages.  I love the extra storage for dishes and it is so organized & neat...stuff like this makes me feel like I have it together on days when I am feeling not so Raven!

 One more thing, I found this lamp & mirror at ReStore last week.   Everything is 50% off most of the time, so it's easy to feel double tingly when you end up paying less than $20 for cool stuff like this. 

I'm linking to White Wednesday at Faded Charm,

 & Hookin' Up with House of Hepworths & FFF with Miss Mustard Seed & Make It For Monday at Cottage Instincts and Making The World Cuter all here.

I truly appreciate everyone who stops by.
Take care -

Valet for the Pink Room & Recent Finds

My mom totally surprised me the other day and brought over something I grew up looking at:

My dad used this valet daily. Change, wallet, keys on top...this was also where he kept his belts.  The belts that I had to choose from when I royally messed up.  Yep, I was spanked as a kid  - my brother & sister were spanked too.  I know people freak out about it now, but I believe it was a necessary tool in my parents arsenal when it came to me & my brother.  My sister, not so much - she was usually framed and I'm still apologizing for some of my stunts.  But I digress....he also kept his shoe polish kit underneath.  Of course, it looked a whole lot different then.  Mom put a lot of work into this & totally refurbished it for me. She had to take it apart to slipcover the back and seat & painted it.  She did a great job - I love you, Mom!

  I love that it offers a hanger, tray & a seat!!  Of course, I have my stuff all over it but it's there if you really wanted to use it.

 

This got bumped out of the corner and it's now floating under the window.  I'll have to find a new place for it..good luck with that!

Here are a couple of recent finds:

I picked up these at Habitat for Humanity.  I like using old serving vessels for my jewelry. 

I've got to share this...a birthday card my sister gave me a few years ago that still makes me laugh..

TTFN,

Scott Antique Market & more beadboard!!

I need a weekend from my weekend. I'm sure you can all relate. This weekend was Scott Antique Market - that's a big deal in Atlanta. I didn't take my camera, so I have no pictures...bummer.  But if you have no idea what it's like and would like to this amazing blogger has some good shots.

It was a family trip out..my sister, her husband, niece, my mom & Brian all piled up for the one hour drive. There is PLENTY of inspiration to be found but man it's pricey...to be more specific, it's INSANE expensive. But I did find a little something that I think is uber cool...

This glove form.

Onto our project du jour -

Brian got busy with the bookcase and it's coming along, but it looks like a tornado hit it the den.  We're reconfiguring my workspace (I work from home), so this is a big, big deal for me.  I'm tickled!!

 
Before I go, let me show you this corkboard...

I found this in a local shop and it was a little more than what I normally would spend.  But alot of work went into this and I appreciate the detail, so I think it's worth it. I have another frame that I'm going to attach to the one on it now that will add even more character.  

I hope this post makes sense..I'm bleary-eyed and still have alot to do..but it's all good stuff!!  Have a good Sunday night, ladies!