BIG IS BEAUTIFUL

We have a HUGE downstairs rec room, but in the 7 years that I have lived here, we haven't used it all that much.  This Christmas I bought a new sectional couch for our upstairs, so I put the furniture that we did have down in the rec room.  I now LOVE going down there.  Of course, we need a new tv (as we have a 15 year old giant big screen that is very clunky and black), the fireplace needs to be refinished, and the walls need to be painted, etc., etc., etc.

I bought an old night stand from my friend Angie, off of her facebook website.  It was gross brown and old.  I refinished it and put it downstairs.

God I hate the colour of my walls.  I am going to paint a nice deep gray, but until then, please ignore.  Anyways, I love my new end table, but I absolutely detest that lamp.  So, I sold the lamp on the facebook auction and went shopping.

While at Goodwill one Sunday, I got 2 plain white drumshades for $2 - for the pair.  SCORE!!  Sorry, no before pick.  Then, on Friday, at 1/2 price day, I got 2 really ugly lamps - $7 for the pair.

It is hard to tell from these pictures, but each lamp is quite big and heavy.  I love them.  I got out my most trusted can of paint - ORB - and went to town.

Look at my plus sized beauties now!!

I was going to put them upstairs, but decided to take the shades off my upstairs lamps and put them on these lovelies and refinish the new shades for upstairs.  Whew that tired me out just typing it!!!  Here's how they look.

They look great.  Unfortunately, I am beyond ashamed of this room, so I won't show anymore of them.  Wait until I get everything done down there and then you can see the whole thing together.

That left my lamps upstairs quite naked.  The new drum shades are a lot larger than the ones above, and I wanted a bold, printed fabric, since my walls are neutral.  Abby Sue and I went to Fabricland - home of the rudest, nastiest salespeople in the world.  But that's another story.  I had a gift certificate from my niece, and had $6.37 left on it.  I looked around, but some of the material is quite expensive.  I really like the outdoor fabric for lamps, as it is heavy duty and looks nice.  I let Abbs pick out the material, which came to a total of $6.37, so I had to shell a whole $.41 out of my wallet.

Well, didn't my house designer kid pick out the funkiest material ever!!!  I got out the tacky spray, created that lovely choking atmosphere you get when you spray it, and rolled the material on.  Then I got out the hot glue gun and burned the hell out of my thumbs putting the finishing touches on.  I had forgotten how time consuming doing lampshades are.  It isn't hard, but it takes a long time.  However, I am quite pleased with the results.

How's that for a bold statement?

Sorry the picture is so dark, but it is beautifully sunny outside - which is where I am headed.

Hope you love the lamps as much as I do.

Total cost

$7 for the lamps
$0 for the paint (already on hand)
$.41 for the material (I used a gift certificate)
$2 for the shades
= a grand total of $9.41 for two new lamps!!!!

Just call me frugal - or cheap - I am both!!!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend everybody!! Pin It

ANIMAL RESCUE

My child has an obscene amount of stuffed animals.  She knows the name of every single one of them and won't let me get rid of any.  I made her a zoo last year, and that helped with the problem - for a while.

I don't know where they keep coming from.  All I know is that we can barely see her bed for the stuffies.

We just couldn't take it anymore.  It was getting impossible to even make her bed anymore.  I subtly asked if we could donate some stuffies - I got a resounding NO to that suggestion.  When Grandma gave her not one, but two, new bunnies for Easter, I knew I had to do something.  I went browsing through the dollar store and came up with an idea.  Ok, I didn't come up with it, I had seen it on Pinterest, but forgot about it once I pinned it (that happens to me a lot).

Abby Sue also says that she just HAS to have all of the stuffies in bed with her at night.  I decided that maybe they didn't have to be in the bed, but near it.  So I decided to change up her walls a bit.

This wall would help clean up this

and this

I bought 4 of these for $2 a piece

I pulled out the insert and then hung them on the wall using picture hooks - to ensure that they don't fall on her head while she is sleeping.  I like how it turned out and she is quite happy that her pets are close to her at night.

She still has way too many of them, but at least this was a suggestion we could both live with.

Anybody else have too many stuffed animals in their house?

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FOR LITTLE FEET ONLY

I have to admit that I am addicted to the new auction site on facebook that my friend introduced me to.  I have been buying things for cheap and flipping them for a profit.  Nobody spends big on the site.  Over $50 doesn't even get looked at.  So, since I love doing quick crafts, I have been making some nice little extra money over the past month.

Last week, I bought a small "table" for $5.00.  Now remember, you only get to see a picture and you kind of have to take it on faith that what you are buying is what is being sold.  This "table" had a broken top, but cute little legs and I thought I should probably take a chance on it.

My friend Angie goes to the meets and picks up purchases for all of her customers. Yes, she is the best.  I was so excited about my new "table" that I texted her and asked her if it was great.  She said that she didn't know, because it was in a plastic bag.  How the heck could a table, even a small one, fit into a bag?  I had the sinking feeling that I might have been snowed by the picture and that I had wasted my money.

I figured I could at least make something for Abby Sue out of it to put trinkets in.  I picked it up from Angie, and it was smaller than anticipated!!!  When I opened the bag, I saw that the legs had been removed, which explained how it fit into a bag.  However, it wasn't a table - it was a footstool, with storage, for someone with little feet.

It was in horrible condition.  Yay!!  Just what I love.

The top was broken in two pieces, with just the nasty old material holding it together.  I got out my trusty gorillia glue and put it back together.  While I went to get my clamps, my helper sat on top of it and held it together for me.

Of course, she may have just been trying to get away from her arch-enemy, my baby boy with his new haircut

Did you notice that my child is nowhere in the pictures?  That's because she hates helping me.  Anything even remotely like work chases her to her room.  Is she really my kid?

Anyways, I decided that I was going to go the black/white route with this piece, since it was so small.  I figured I would make it really pretty and then maybe people wouldn't notice the size.

I painted it inside and out.  A crisp, bright white.  Then I added some material that I had in the closet.  Can you guess?

That's right, nothing says fantastic like a piece of zebra material.  I love it.  Abby Sue asked if she could bid on it at the auction, because she wants it in her room.

I sandpapered over parts of it, so that it wasn't perfect - you all know how I hate too perfect.  If it was larger, I would definitely keep it for my home.

Oh well, now I can continue to browse the auction for something bigger to keep for myself.

Anybody else unhappy with a purchase, yet managed to make some fab out of it?


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SEW, HOW DO YOU LIKE ME NOW?

I got an old sewing bench, with all of the accessories, for $5 at an online auction.  I don't sew, although I have a sewing machine, and I really don't need any more benches.  But, for $5, I thought I could make a little profit on a flip.

There was nothing wrong with the bench, but there was nothing exciting about it either.

Hmmm, what to do on a so-so day when you don't feel like going outside or cleaning the house.  I know!!!  Pull out the zebra print and GO TO TOWN with it!!

It actually took me longer to clean out the inside of the bench than it did to refinish the top.  I had to slowing pick out all of the pins and needles and then glue the divider tray down.  Total time, about an hour.

Sew, how do you like me now?

Not bad for five smackeroos!  Let's see if somebody buys it at the auction tomorrow night.  If not, I may just keep this puppy for myself!

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GONNA DRESSER UP IN MY LOVE

About a year ago, my friend's friend (so confusing) gave me a dresser that has sat in my garage for that whole time.  Of course, I forgot to take a before picture, so this will have to do.

It looked almost like this, except without the mirror and about 10 years older!  I was going to turn it into one of the really cool benches that can be seen all over pinterest, but I had nowhere to put it.  That seems to be a problem of mine.  Lots of ideas, nowhere to put the finished project.

I debated what colour to paint, until I started seeing the two tone colours - like grays mixed with taupe, or blues mixed with black.  I wasn't sure what colours I wanted to go with, until I found some Oops paint at Home Depot for a buck each.  Made my decision much easier.

So, the base of the dresser was the fabulous celery green that seems to be so popular.

I ended up using a very light gray for the drawers

Once I put it all together, I liked it, but it was a tad boring.

Enter the BRAND NEW BIG LOTS STORE IN ORILLIA!!!  Yes, we got a Big Lots and I am so pumped because it is exactly like the store in the US, with the same prices.  Woot Woot!!  I was puttering around, just checking the new store out and I found my miniwax stain for $2!!!  Can't go wrong for that price, can you?

Cha-ching.  I rang that purchase up and hurried on home.  About 1/2 hour later, my dresser was done.

I debated buying new hardware, because the original was cool and unique.  I ended up keeping it.

I did the top of the dresser quite dark, just for some more added contrast.  Now, it is off to auction.

Spring is here and I am ready to craft.  My friend, Angie, had some stuff for sale on her auction site, and I scored a few really nifty pieces.  Looking forward to showing it all to you as I work on it.

Anybody else scored a freebie and turned it into a profit?  Total for this project?  $4. Pin It