MOVING AWAY FROM TRADITIONAL

 I have always had a very basic desk to put my computer on.  It went from this, my very first refinish (which I loved for 5 years, but got sick of lately)

to this (which I never even ended up using)

to my current piece of blahness, which doesn't even deserve a full picture

Since I am redoing the office and making it the coolest room in the house (or so I hope), I wanted something completely, totally outside the box for my desk.

Enter kijiji.  I found a desk on kijiji for $20 but I could barely tell what it looked like from the picture.  I asked the man to send me more pics and I hummed and hawed about whether to get it.  It was a teenager's metal desk and multi-coloured, but it was huge and the more I stared at it, the more I fell for it.

I actually googled the desk to see what it looked like before the scratches and dents.

OMG!  It was a $379 desk

First of all, who pays that much for a freaking metal desk???????

SOLD!  My friend Angie drove me in her truck to pick it up (along with a pool, I am so excited).  We also managed to snag 2 free Muskoka chairs!!

I decided to paint the desk red and keep the white, because it is actually whiteboard and I can write things down and then erase them later.  Woot.  Great for when I don't want to waste a piece of paper or my pen stops working.

Here's the finished product.

It is a lot larger than it looks, and I love it.  John even made a comment about how he likes it. I have to put a better chair with it.  I am thinking about redoing my free wingback chair in a white fluffy material, so that it will be comfy for those nights when I am trolling my auction site!

More to come as the room progresses.  Just imagine this red against a nice, soft gray wall, with the turquoise/red/black accents.  I might just sleep in here sometimes! Pin It

NO LONGER DIM

I have a thing for lamps and shades.  It used to be footstools (who am I kidding, I obsess over them as well), but I am really into lamps and shades.  I think it is because there is such beautiful material out there and a statement lamp can really make a room.

I bought this lamp for $2 and it has sat in my garage for quite a while. Then I moved it into the playroom, where it sat for a few more weeks.

It was a boring, typical brass lamp, with no shade, no character, no "ooomph".  I am in the process of turning the spare room into an office type room, with a futon for the guests we never have.  I'll have more on that room as it unfolds.

Anyways, as my friend Angie pointed out the other day, I really love colour, so I decided to make this lamp bright, fun and a happy.

Enter Krylon's Aqua spray paint (to match the end table, of course)

I really really wanted to use the same material that I used on Abby Sue's lamp, but when I went to Fabricland today, they didn't have any left.  Or maybe I couldn't find it.  The set up there is horrible and nobody ever helps, so I chose something else.  I love it too.

I covered one of the many shades that I have laying around the house (it is a sickness).

Isn't that bright and fun?  I am currently refinishing a desk and it is red and white, so the material is perfect.

I love how it turned out.

It's funny, because the material cost more than the lamp and paint put together!  I am so excited to see this room come together.  It has been a mess and boring for far too long.

Next, paint the walls, change the desk, change the light, change the curtains.  Wow, who would think one little room would require so much work?

For now, I can look at my lamp and feel like I have a little piece of sunshine in the room.

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SOFT KITTY, WARM KITTY

I had made my kitty a pretty nifty cat litter/bed/food area a while ago.

And while she loves her bed and I love that we can't smell her cat litter, the dog has become an issue.  I am going to have to make her a bigger covered litter, so that the dog can't stick his head in and (warning, disgusting remark coming) get himself a "treat".  Yes, Diego eats cat poop when he can get it.  It doesn't happen very often, but enough so that I think it is an issue.  Bigger dogs wouldn't be able to get their head thru the opening, but my little puppy grabs the plastic liner, pulls the litter to the edge, and then grabs his snack.  GROSS.

About 2 months ago, I bought 2 really heavy duty end tables off the facebook auction for $3.00.

I wasn't sure what to do with them, so they have been gathering dust (obviously) while sitting in the garage.

I was trying to figure out what to do with Munchkin's bed, when I saw some cool pictures on pinterest and decided to make a kitty bed out of this.

First, I took the doors off.  Sorry, first I cleaned the dirt off, then I took the doors off.

The furniture has a split down the front, but it is so sturdy and not in danger of falling apart, so I didn't even bother to fill it or anything.  I just got out the pink, yes pink, paint and started painting.  John wasn't happy that I was doing it pink, but he will come around when it is finished.

And, since I ALWAYS use my trusty walnut stain, I went about staining and wiping, until my cloth was disgusting and my fingers were brown too.

Of course, I used material on hand for the bedding, and glued some of Abby Sue's jewels over the holes made by the doors.  I wasn't going to spend a fortune on this, just in case my idea sucked.  Well, what do you think?  Does it suck?

I don't know yet if Munchie likes it, because the dog keeps chasing her away from it.  I'll post a pic once she actually gets a chance to try it out.

Now that I see it in pictures, that crack in the front is driving me nuts.  I will have to think of something funky to do (that the cat can't chew off) to hide it.  Any ideas?

Partying here



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10 MINUTE FIX

So I am pretty sure that I have become the Quick Draw McGraw of refinishing stools.  Less the paint drying time, I can refinish a stool in about 10 minutes flat.  That is either pretty impressive, or I have a major addiction to foot stools.

About 2 months ago, I put a small refinished stool in my daughter's bedroom.

It had storage space for her DS and games and I really thought it was cute.  Anyways, she sat on it, rocked a little, and ended up breaking one of the legs.  I decided that she needed something a little more sturdy.

A new thrift store has opened up beside Goodwill here and it is kicking Goodwill's arse.  I picked up this beauty for $5.

It was in perfect condition and quite sturdy.  Enter aqua blue spray paint and leftover material from her lamp.

 I am a big fan of imperfect paint jobs.  I always take the sandpaper and scrape some of the paint off to make it look like it is older and more "beat up".  And I am absolutely crushing on this material that I bought.  It has all of my favorite colours in it and it is so darn bright and happy that I would probably put it in every room in my house if I didn't stop myself.

So, 10 minutes after I brought the freshly painted stool in, it was finished.

Abbs will love it and it will look great in her room. More importantly, it should last longer than 2 months.  Hopefully.

So, breakdown in costs.

Stool - $5
Paint - $0 (already on hand)
Material - $0 (already on hand)

Five beans for a new stool.  I am liking that price.

What's up next?  Just you wait and see. Pin It

FEELING (AQUA) BLUE

So, we all know by now that I am crazy addicted to the new Facebook weekly auction. Last week was no exception. I scored this from my wonderful pal before it even went into the auction.
 


Yes, there was a top drawer, but I took it out to paint before I remembered my "before" pic.  Yes, I am very anxious to start once I get a project.

Anyways, there was absolutely nothing wrong with this table.  In fact, it had recently been refinished.  However, I wanted a different colour, as I was going to put the table in my new office.

Out with the aqua blue spray paint from Krylon.  I love this colour and how easy it goes on.

Next, I drilled a small hole in the back of each drawer and the back of the cabinet, so that I can store our ipad and tablet (I sold the previous table I had been planning to use.

Then, I spray painted the handles black, and I was good to go.

Isn't she pretty?  I love the pattern and the shape of her.  Perfect!

This is the most expensive piece I have bought in a while.  Total cost $22 (paint was already at my house) Pin It

STAND UP

I have needed a stand for my ipad and tablet since I got them.  They get thrown around, abused, and are very hard to use in the kitchen when I am on pinterest making recipes.  I bought one from the dollar store - piece of crap.  I looked into buying one from Walmart and they want way too much for them.  Enter Shanty II Chic blog.  They made one!

I had some wood lying around, plus a piece that I had taken off the side table that I just refinished.

The back is a piece of wood that I got from Goodwill for $1.  The bottom piece, which just screwed into the back, is the piece that came off the side table.

Then I took a piece that was in my crawl space (no idea why) and gorillia glued it to the front.

Once it was secure, I took it to the garage and debated what colour to paint it.  Since I was already out there painting 2 others projects (more to come on them), I decided to just continue spraying and include the stand as well.

I was making rice crispie squares for the family, so I figured I would try it out with the tablet.  Worked like a charm.

Total cost - nothing, as I already had the wood laying around the house.

Not bad for something I desperately needed but was too cheap to buy.  Thanks for Pinterest and Shanty II Chic for their ideas. Pin It

A SIDE ORDER OF TIME

I got a fabulous little side table from the online auction for - get this - $1.50!!  The top was missing a piece, but I didn't care, because it was $1.50.

Great bones, eh?  I was thinking about going a funky colour and adding some sort of stencil.  While mulling it over, I got an unexpected surprise.  A great friend, who sells my crap, buys my crap and generally puts up with my crap, gave me a gift certificate for my birthday from Michaels.  Yee Haw!!!  Off I went.

I found some absolutely fantastic scrapbooking paper for 99 cents a sheet.  So nice.

I haven't modge podged anything in a long time, so I decided to try something new.  I took the side table apart and began painting with a shiny black paint.  Note to self:  wear gloves next time.  It took me about an hour to paint the table.

I put it outside in the garage to dry overnight.  It drives John CRAZY when I paint in the livingroom.  Oh well, he needs to get used to it.  That is where the tv is.  LOL.

Next, I started to modge podge the shelf.  It was really nice paper and went on quite well.

So very, very pretty.  I was planning on selling this piece, but I fell in love with it.

1/2 way done

It is so shiny and pretty and new!  I LOVE LOVE LOVE this piece.

I just finished it and I can't stop staring.  Even John likes it.  Of course, he thinks I am going to sell it and wants half of the money.  WRONG!  This one is definitely staying at my house.

Let's break down the cost of this project.

Side table - $1.50
Scrapbook paper - $3.00
Paint - $0 (already in the house)

Total cost for this is a whooping $4.50.

I am going to place this where everybody can see it.  I am pretty pleased with this one.




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