Let There Be Light!!!!

See this little beauty of a pendant light fixture?

Cute but not real pretty?

(We've all met girls like that.)

Poor thing was on sale at GW for $1.49.

She had no self dignity left.

Insert one junker at heart, a can of Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint,

and an electrician who just HAPPENS to be

your husband.

(Yes that is sweat.. I'm a hard taskmaster.)

And you have one very pretty light.

She just needed a little makeup.

(oh, and a $8 globe from Lowe's.)

For ten dollars, she feels like a million bucks.

I love the soft glow she gives in my hallway now.

Just divine!

PSSSST!!!!!

I'm participating in  Southern Hospitality Thrifty finds

and Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphasis Monday
along with Sanctuary Arts at Home for a Before and After.

Go check them and all the ladies who have participated out!!

Price My $pace

I am linking up with the Nester for a Price My Space party. Let me tell you, I love a good party. I thought that I would share my living room space with ya'll. So here it is.

1. The couch and loveseat were my husband's before we married and they were given to him by his parents so the cost was free. They are a deep burgundy and although they suffice for now, they will be gone by the end of the year and replaced with a nice, deep sectional.

2.I purchased the clock several years ago for $100. It does keep time (when the batteries are not dead.) It's always been a great focal and conversation piece.


3. The shelves are made from a scaffolding plank and mounted to the wall with some brackets that we already had=free! The frames are from Walmart and cost a total of $15.


4. The typography on the wall was from an old taco restaurant sign that I saw on the side of the road so once again the price is free!


5. The coffee table is a trunk that I purchased at Hob Lob about five years ago. I got it on clearance for around $40. I found the tray at GW along with the asian tea set for a total of $6. The pinecones are from our wedding in Colorado. I simply added the fabric from my stash to pull it together.

6. Each of the lamps are from GW that I simply spraypainted in black. Most of the accessories are GW finds totaling around $30 total.
(BTW, supa sweet MIL bought us the rug....fuh-reeee!)

7. One of my crown jewels of thrifting. I bought this mirror at a resale shop for $20. She's now spraypainted with oil rubbed bronze. I love her!

8.My newest find is this buddha candleholder for $30 from Target.

9. The fleur de lis finial is from Hob Lob on clearance for $4. The fleur de lis bookends are a GW find for $5.

10. My supa sweet MIL bought the candleholder in my fireplace (since it's capped off) so it was fuhreeee!!! I purchased the candles at Hob Lob for $8.

11. The pillows came with the couch except for the square one in the previous pic. It was also a GW find at $3.

12. I forgot about the curtains..I got these at Lowes for 100.00...sorry.

So, all in all, my living room came to approximately $361 with perhaps the purchase of spray paint. The overall look to the room is a little masculine for my taste, but it is something that Mr. M and I can both agree on and live with.

Back Door Decor

I am participating in Metamorphasis Monday with Between Naps on the Porch,Thrifty Finds
with Southern Hospitality and Make Your Monday with Twice Remembered.


And Kimm with Reinvented who is hosting a great giveaway along with A Soft Place to Land!

Check these ladies and all of the great posts that they have!!!








Do you see this poor bench sitting at my back door?


His name is Henry.
I found Henry this week while driving home one day. Someone had thrown this poor dear in the ditch. I was squealing into my cellphone to my sister that I had to go. (I'm sure she thought that I had hit a truck or something .)

I brought Henry home and sat him on my very small porch at my back door.
That's when I realized how uninviting my back door was and that something neede to be done.
Henry is a bench of substance. Solid wood. Look at those rusted nails and chippy paint.




Henry has weathered many storms..and probably a few hurricanes as well.




When I rescued Henry, I found this poor thing as well. Can you guess what it is?

What if I pull the covers back for a peek?



It's a wooden tool box!!!!

I know...I know......

For such a small town, it has a treasure for great junk. (No, I will not tell you where I live.)
It has compartments and is a really good size.!!! (Spazzy dance time!!!)

I decided to make my back door more "me."

The first thing I did was make this wreath that I had been putting off for the longest. I got the square styrofoam wreath from Michael's. It was being discontinued so I got it for 75 cents. I got the greenery from Hob Lob at 50% off.

(Is it me or does anyone else have to walk through that store humming "Yield Not To Temptation"?)

I hung it with some gorgeous red toile fabric. I know that toile is passe these days, but I'm french. I can't help it.

Here is my new back door!!!

I painted Henry with Rustoleum Colonial Red. I am giving MAAAAD props to this stuff!!! I thought all the hype about Rustoleum was just that..hype. Oh noooooooo!!!! This is the real deal!!!! I will NEVER go back to the other improvement stores brand of paint again.

(I'm not calling any names, but you know who you are and you know that you sell crappy spray paint.)

I painted the tool box in Rustoleum Heirloom White. Ladies!!!!! Ya'll were soooooo right about this color!!! It is my second BFF. I found it in abundance!!!!!

(You still cannot know where I live...giggle.)

I made the topiary out of an exsisting topiary that I bought at the Salvation Army. Just imagine a very 90's thingy with magnolias all over it....yeah...I know.

I simply removed all of the hideous...and I mean heeedeeeeeooos...flowers and replaced it with greenery that I bought at Hob Lob. I placed it in the terra cotta pot that I found on another curb cruising excursion and voila!

I love typography so much that I couldn't resist putting it by my back door.

I know that I've seen many doors painted with their house numbers on them but I didn' want to commit to performing plastic surgery on my back door under the influence of several Nyquil and Theraflu. That would simply be unethical. So, I tried it on my tool box. I lurve it!!!! I simply added some faux hydrangeas from Hob Lob and there you have it.

I'm very happy with my new back door decor. I definitely think that it gives such a feel for me and my house as well as it brightens up my day when I come home.

I hope that if you get a chance to come by, you'll stop and speak to Henry and feel instantly at home.

A Girl, A Boy, & A Hutch

 

Between Naps on the Porch

Southern Hospitality

and Twice Remembered

My hubby and I recently celebrated our one month anniversary!

( Insert confetti and clapping!)

To surprise me, my hubby told me about a house down the street that was being cleaned out. The owner of the house had passed away and this man had no family so his belongings were being thrown to the curb. Being the good citizen that I am, I jumped up from my chair and drove down the street. The man cleaning out the house kindly informed me that many items were going to be sold, so if I saw something I like, just ask.

I walked through the house and saw a few things that caught my eye. (More to come about that later.) As I was walking out the door, I saw something phenomenal out of the corner of my eye. I tried to compose myself as I ran across the kitchen and asked, "How much for THAT?" The man said " I guess ten bucks is alright." ALRIGHT?!?!?!? Before my husband could blink, I handed the man ten dollars and was backing in the truck. (All while doing my "spazzy dance") So, without further adieu, here she is.

Now, despite her icky green paint and the horrible smoking habit that she once had, I knew that she had potential. She's solid wood and has her original hardware. After much trial and error (and I mean LOTS of error) this fine lady was transformed. Dear hubby sanded her and applied two coats of red paint. I then decided on the candle wax distressing technique and covered her with a coat of black flat paint and rubbed the top coat off to reveal the red in the areas that were rubbed with wax.

So, I now present to the world, my first creation.

I shall call her Tabatha.

I know that this picture doesn't do her any justice as she was an AWESOME model, but she was working with a mere amateur of a photographer who doesn't do well with full body shots, but did get some good close ups.











All she needs now is a good coat of rub on polyurethane and she will have some major gleam!!

Tabatha may not be perfect, but I think she could give the Pottery Barn models a run for their money!