craigslist fail...

How sad is this? Look at this poor little table left out in the rain (which is extra-funny because it NEVER rains here):

Here's the listing:

Kitchen table with stone finish. There are some missing pieces on the stone. This table is free. Would not fit on the moving truck

Would not fit??? So they just left it by the side of the road? In the rain? Someone please take pity and go rescue this table!

free invitations!

I just discovered a website called Invys.com. Check out their awesome free holiday invitations...

I just used the blue snowflake template to create our Christmas Open House invitations. I decided not to use evite this year because I needed something I could print or attach as a PDF to emails. The print quality is perfect, and creating the invite couldn't have been easier. I definitely recommend this site.

Enjoy...and Happy Holidays!

look what i made...

I'm SUCH a bad blogger. Inconsistent. Terrible at follow up. Never take pictures of anything I make. So...I was making these little rosette hair clips (to go along with my friend Shannon's tutus and fairy wings for our in-office craft fair today) and they - or at least the first one - turned out pretty cute. Please excuse the poor photo quality, as I took this in my kids' bathroom, with my Droid, while DD was in the tub and crying because I wouldn't give her a) my phone to play with in the tub or b) the cute hair clip which was obviously a thousand times more desireable than the flower clip I made her a few days ago and which she promptly lost. But that's a story for another day...

{p.s. it's way cuter in person!}

linking to these cutie patootie linky parties...

craigslist fail part deux

Today's treasure is a, and I quote, "Nice Black Computer Desk." Um...no, I don't think so. $30? You'd have to pay ME to take it away. I especially love listings where the pictures of the item-for-sale have been taken outside. Like, this is sittin' out back by the tractor - you better come and git it before it rains!

TTFN

craigslist fail...

First, sorry I've been gone so long. I've really got no good excuse except that Fall with kids is crazy-busy!

So...in my perpetual search for something cool on Craigslist, I find LOTS of ugly and often hilarious things. And it's not just the picture, or the description - it's the combination of the two. When a seller describes something as being fantastic, but it's really heinous, I have to wonder is it because THEY think it's fantastic, or because they're just trying to sell something really ugly? I decided to post some of the best, like this one:

Description: Sponge painted blue book case, wood construction. Backing is like a dresser backing shelves and outer area are all wood. Measures 5 feet tall, 2 feet wide and 12" front to back. Looks GREAT!

"Looks GREAT!" is my favorite part. Not just "great" but "GREAT!" But not really...

TTFN

guest room re-do sneak peek...

Our guest room / craft room re-do is almost done. Just a little clean-up and organizing to do. So, for now, you're just getting a little peek. {and can someone please tell me why my pictures look perfectly fine on my camera and then look all blurry and funky when I upload them???}

Stay tuned for my latest furniture rehab!

i've been featured!!!!!!!!!

ACK! I saw a BIG jump in visits to my blog today because I was featured here:




...and I couldn't be more thrilled and flattered!

Thanks so much BA!

And, in case you're interested, that dresser/buffet is now for sale! Check it out HERE on Craigslist.

wish i was here....

The Domes of Elounda resort in Crete. Sigh...

With a good book,

and a little side trip to Knossos to see the ancient palace and labyrinth.

Someday...

I'm thankful for the wind and rain,

the sun and pleasant weather.

I'm thankful for the food we eat,

and that we are together.

weekend inspiration

I'm waaaayhayyy late jumping on the drop-cloth-curtain and burlap-pillow bandwagon. But I'm going there...will share the results soon! Here's a little inspiration:

{from The Lettered Cottage}

{from A Penny Saved}

{from Pottery Barn}

{from My Southern Cottage}

{from Life in the fun Lane}

i'm the woman with the axe...

...not today. But sometimes. Last Thursday. Enjoy!

i {heart} craigslist...

...almost obsessively. I may spend too much time perusing Craigslist, but I've found some pretty good treasures. Sooo...while looking for a great deal on a dresser to re-do, I found this ad that one funny CL'er posted in my area last week:

__________________________________________________

HELPING YOU POST ON CL - $1

I'm here to help those of you who cannot spell, know nothing about furniture and are aggravating beyond belief!

IN YOUR TITLE:
If your piece is NICE and NEW and BEAUTIFUL it'd better be. . . that means no scratches, no stains, no dings (plus remember that this is YOUR opinion - not necessarily the person who is thinking about purchasing it).
If your piece is over 10 years old it is NOT 'contemporary' or 'modern'.
Add the color or finish so people do not waste their time opening your post if the piece is not what they are looking for in the first place (plaid, expresso, floral, green, blue, maple, oak, etc.)
Add the style of the piece: Southwest, retro, mission, Queen Anne, (even add OVAL or OCTAGONAL to make it more clear), etc.

Ok now, SPELLING:
Wrought Iron (NOT Rod iron)
Armoire (NOT armor, armour)
Ottoman (NOT ataman)
Dining table (NOT dinning table)
Wood (NOT wooden)
Chaise lounge (NOT chase)

DESCRIPTION HELP:
Bookcases have shelves - they are NOT called 'shelves'
Console tables or sofa tables are wide and tall (usually to be placed BEHIND a sofa or as an entryway table)
Know the difference between a SLIPPER chair, ARM chair, CLUB chair and CHAISE lounge.
A sofa will easily seat 3 people - that means a large chair or love seat is just that - NOT a sofa.
Tall dining tables are typically known as PUB tables.
A DRESSER is a wide-horizontal piece with drawers side by side.
A CHEST OF DRAWERS (NOT 'chester drawers') is a taller piece with drawers vertically laid out in the piece.

You are welcome for my help. :-)

I am sure this will cut down on the random inquiries you receive from potential buyers and make your selling experience better for all.

Remember too, the more intelligent you sound, the better quality of potential buyers you will get and you will probably be able to make more money.

Thanks for listening.

Sell away!

PS: BTW - it's a garage or yard SALE to SELL product or goods. Do not mix those up.

wish i was here...

{have a wonderful weekend!}

if you don't believe in god...

...this might change your mind...

{click on her picture...it will take you to YouTube}

words to live by...

Just saw this poem on Heather Ross's blog and thought I'd share. So lovely and poignant and true. Make the most of your wild and precious life!

The Summer Day
by Mary Oliver

Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean-
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down-
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?

master bath after pics...

I swear I've been meaning to post the 'after' pics of my bathroom re-do FOREVER! But I just can't seem to take any good pics. I just deleted some old so-so pics, and took some new also-so-so pics. So...I'm embracing my bad camera, posting the after's, and moving on. Enjoy...

These are the before-before pictures. This is what the bathroom looked like when we bought the house. Before we moved in we did some renovating - including stripping the wallpaper in this room, painting and adding a new towel rack and TP holder. Keep in mind that this house was built in 1970 and, um-yeah, decorated in 1970. **SPOILER ALERT** If you have a weak stomach, you might want to skip this part:

niiiiiice...brown and tan tiles {on every flat surface} and pastel-y colored butterfly wallpaper on the walls. It's just wrong. Turns out this is like a $1000 toilet, though...so we decided to keep it. Seems a shame to spend so much money on something you poop on, but there you go.

...and here are the just-befores:

I think the burned-out light bulb is a nice touch...

...the "during" pictures. I {heart} this drill/screwdriver. One of my BFF's

My favorite part was the tiling. It was exhasuting, hard work, but I enjoyed it. And I love love love the tile. Seriously, I sit on the throne and just stare at this tile. (Like the old sock hanging out of the plumbing?)

It never really looked this clean and neat during the installation. I have no idea who snuck into my house, cleaned up the mess and took this 'before' picture. Someone really crazy, I think. Maybe my Mom. Nah.

And...drum roll please...here are the after's:

{the vanity was our big splurge - about $550 at Lowe's. Mirror also from Lowe's}

{this is one of my favorite things...the glass jar - which I'm using to hold cotton balls. LOVE IT. About $3 at a thrift store. It was one of those thrift-store buys that you run out with, feeling like you just stole it. I know. I'm overreacting.}


{since I was going for a earth-tone theme I had pictures of my kids printed in Sepia-tone from Snapfish, bought espresso-colored frames for $5 each at Target and the mats were about $1.50 each at Michael's. Cheap, easy artwork. Plus, every morning when I get ready for work I can look at the faces of my little angels. I'm reminded what sweet little pumpkins they are and how lucky I am. Then I walk out of the bathroom and am instantly brought back to reality by screams of "MOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Tanner hit me!!!!!!!!! Mom!!!! She bit me first!!!!!!!!! It's sad when your happy place is the bathroom}

{I swear this tile looks just like terazzo in person}


{And finally...our former-wine-rack toilet paper holder and Amy Butler toilet scrubber caddy. Told you this was the happiest room in the house}

Thanks for visiting! :)

Good, clean linky fun at...

Between Naps On The Porch

Under the Table & Dreaming

dresser / buffet re-do...

So lately I've been a little obsessed with re-decorating - with an emphasis on painting. Painting furniture, lamps, walls and fabric.

In the midst of this madness, I decided that I needed a buffet in my dining room to hold all of the clutter that normally accumulates on the dining room table and other assorted flat surfaces in the house. In my quest I found this very southwestern-y dresser for $25 on Craigslist. I'm not one of those people who is always finding incredible buys on Craigslist, so this was very exciting for me. I should note that it's owner was on the OTHER side of town, so the drive to and from our new dresser/soon-to-be-buffet was about 1 1/2 hours round trip. DH had other things going on and was fuming.

The dresser was really not my style, but it seem sturdy and full of potential...

{please ignore my disgusting garage - I would blame my husband, but it's not his fault}

I sawed off the zig-zaggy southwestern cut-outs around the bottom, slapped on a coat of paint (or four), added moulding around the bottom to cover the old cut-outs (the moulding was left over from our recent bathroom remodel), and added some brushed nickel pulls (which cost more than the dresser itself!) and here's what I got...

...with so much storage space I can hardly stand it! :)

The lamp was a $1 find at a school rummage sale. "Before," it looked like this - nice lines, but a little worn out:

and with a few coats of brown spray paint it now looks like this...

Not crazy about the shade, but it was handy. And the paint was left over from my recent wheat pillow attempt...which didn't really turn out the way I wanted, but I'll try again.

The botanical prints are actual plates from an old botanical illustration book. I got them on ebay several years ago - they are all originals from the 1860's. They had been hanging in my daughter's room, but I thought they'd look better over the new buffet!

Re-decorating frazzles my husband a little...but he's hanging in there.

I'm linking to: