Back To Old Habits. . .

I did something last Saturday that I haven't done since before I was pregnant.  I hit a few garage sales in our neighborhood.  It felt great to be back in the hunt for a steal of a deal.   After twelve garage sales, I had only purchased two things -  a baby backpack to put Ollie in and this: 

 

Personally, I think this made the hour and a half of walking with strollerbaby and scootering kids worth it.  It was only $20 and is going to replace the five dollar desk I bought for Hannie B two years ago.  This piece is solid wood and has some great detailing in the form of moldings and floral appliques and as a bonus, it came with a chair that is badly in need of reupholstering.  Sorry, I'm not a fan of baby blue pleather.

I was able to get the knobs and pulls for this piece from another piece the family was selling.  Now I just need to decide if I should leave it this pale blue color or paint it another color.  We really hadn't decided on colors for her room yet and she loves the color the piece is now.  That could make my life really easy.

If you're in the Northern Virginia area and want Hannie's old desk, drop me a comment or email!

The New Girl In Town . . .

I really am going to post about chores. I think it will have to wait until tomorrow though. We've got a new little lady in our house and I just had to give her a proper introduction.

Every once in a while I hit the few meager thrift stores in our town with a tiny hope that I might find a gem. Yesterday this little sweetheart was waiting for me at "Twice Is Nice". We have become fast friends and she now resides in my bedroom. All I can say is thank you to some stranger who gave away what was they thought was junk and is now a treasure to me for only $15!

We all think she looks like a Charlotte. What do you think?

Controversial . . .

If you are opposed to anything wood or brick ever being painted, turn back now. Do not continue reading. Avert your eyes and protect your children from the horror! I am about to unveil a project that may spark great controversy in the blog world . . .

When we lived in Utah we had a beautiful mantle and fireplace that were custom built for us by our builder. I loved them and was glad they were the centerpiece of our family room. When we moved to Virginia 5 1/2 years ago, we hired a contractor to do some work in the new house. We gave him a picture of our Utah mantle/fireplace and asked him to recreate it on the fireplace in Virginia, which was a sad little box with some fake granite tiles around it and no mantle at all. He told us it would be no problem, a piece of cake, easy as pie, etc.
What we ended up with was a wonky mantle that only semi-resembled our Utah mantle.

For the past 5 1/2 years I have threatened to do something to it, and now I've finally followed through. Though the brick was lovely and very old looking, the red in it just didn't work with my very light cottage decor. So before the in-laws came in October, I taped that puppy off and painted it - and the best part was that I only used supplies that I already had in the house, making this project a complete FREEBIE!

After the painting was done (two coats Kilz primer, two coats semi-gloss) I realized that the gaps between the brick and the woodwork were much more noticeable now that it was all white (remember, it's wonky) so I had the Hubby cut some trim which we adhered with some crazy "sticks to everything" kind of compound you can put in a caulk gun. Here's the finished result, which I love. The mantle has been cleaned off and is ready for the Christmas decor to go up in a few weeks. I'm hoping to throw together a great garland like this one here. Let me know - can you handle the controversy of painted brick?

ps. Any one notice that I've switched out my white slipcovers for my beige corduroy? Gotta love IKEA!

I "Heart" Garage Sales . . .

First, a shout out to Jennie, Peggy and Jami, who are all new invitees to read this silly little blog. Hey gals! I love you all - and by the way, you are three of my most talented peeps. Artistic geniuses each of you. (Just take the compliment and move on.)


Second, I just had to put in a quick pic of this chair I scored at a garage sale this weekend. It was $25 and is in really good condition. I love the shape of it - especially the arms. It is a dainty little chair - and bonus - it has tufting . . . my favorite! Nevertheless, it will be recovered someday, hopefully soon.


On the same day I also got a LiteBrite for Soren for a dollar and some crazy cute clothes for the Banana. I Heart Garage Sales!