Sometimes you just have to brag...

I'm usually looking for home decor and furniture when I go pickin' but today as I was about to leave Samaritan Center ( a local thrift shop), I decided to walk down an aisle that I usually skip.  This time I spotted something that looked leather...

It was a duffle bag. After a quick inspection I noted that it was like new.  No signs of use.  It was a Rawling leather duffle bag.  Yep... Rawlings, as in Rawlings baseball glove company.  So I bought it.  For.... $19.99.  Here's what is looks like.

I looked it up online. It's hard to find one in stock but when you do...

A little blurry but the price... $559.99.  It's cheaper on Orvis.com.  Only $525!!  

My husband was very excited.  Not about the deal... about keeping it.  After a brief discussion, I convinced him that we were not in need of another piece of luggage!  It's on E-Bay as we speak!   Let's see what happens!   Treasure sales proceeds would be great justification for some new draperies for my bedroom.

NOW... if I could just stumble on a sofa or chair made out of this leather for a good price... now THAT will be a SUPER DOOPER brag day!

AN UPDATE!  It sold for $490!!!

Thanks for stopping by!!

Lori

An impromptu painting class with a new friend!

One of the greatest benefits of my creative outlets would have to be all the great people I meet who have similar interest!  This weekend I enjoyed a great Saturday afternoon with my new friend, Shannon!  She had seen my work online and asked me to paint a couple pieces for her.  

Before and After 

She had also mentioned wanting to learn how to paint so when she dropped them off, I told her she was welcome to have a one-on-one class if she wanted to stay.  Her very sweet husband took the kids and kept them occupied for three hours while we played worked.  Now THAT, my friends, is the sign of a "keeper!"

She initially said she wanted it a solid yellow.  She had a super cute pillow with yellow, turquoise, pink, and green and wanted to match the yellow.  I had a turquoise primer so she decided to use that as a base coat and let a little show through.  We switched out the knobs for crystal knobs and painted the un-exposed parts of the drawer with the turquoise for a fun pop of color when you open it. It turned out very cute! 

She also had a bookcase.  It was stained but had a slightly rough finish.  That makes for a great base for painting and distressing but required a little sanding.  Not my favorite part of the process. (A reason I love Annie Sloan Chalk Paint!)

Before and After  Bookcase

We went with Sherwin Williams "Silvermist" for the bookcase.  It's one of my favorites!!!  A beautiful light blue gray with a touch of green.  She wanted a little white to show through so we sprayed the edges with a light coat of white primer and it worked perfectly!  We finished it off with and oil and beeswax finish.  Love it!  I hope Shannon enjoys it!

Thanks for stopping by!!
Lori

OId frames, old furniture, old lamps, paint and stencils = busy weekend!

When I'm stressed I start creating things.  Obviously it's been a stressful week!

This is a frame I found at Goodwill.  I painted it with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and applied a dark wax finish.  I bought the handles at Lowe's for $2.50 and the fabric at Goodwill.  I stenciled the fabric chalk paint to match some other pieces.  

This is my favorite.  This was another Goodwill frame.  It was red and I painted it with Graphite chalk paint and distressed it slightly.  The handles cost less than $5.  The fabric is actually a napkin I had on hand.

I was on a roll!  I painted a lamp and lamp shade and stenciled it.  I also decided to make a vintage book bundle.  I simply walked through Goodwill's book section and looked for old yellowed paperback books with a tag with the half price color. 

And continuing the theme... I found this striped fabric at Goodwill.  I really like it on these pieces. 

I found this coffee table at a thrift store for $12.  

I painted it, distressed the finish a bit and added the stencils and finished it with an oil finish.

Another frame tray.  I didn't change the frame at all.  I simply added fabric behind the glass, added handles and added a back to support it.  Of course, I added the little rubber bumpers to protect furniture.

This is a ceramic plaque I found at Goodwill.  I tried chalk paint on it. It came out pretty well.

So that was last weekend's accomplishments.  It's Friday night at 7:20 and I've already got my bedroom paint trim cut in.  Tomorrow, we roll!  Can't wait to see the end result!!!   I'll share!

Thanks for stopping by!

Lori

A tassel's worth the hassle!

I love blogland!  So many beautiful homes, so many creative projects, so many great journeys to take without leaving the comfort of my living room.  However... my FAVORITE thing about blogland would have to be the gracious bloggers who share their ideas and encourage the rest of us to try new things.  One of those people is Lyndsey Ballard at Living with Lyndsey!  

Look at her beautiful work  in one of two posts she has on tassels.  
Thanks Lyndsey!  So... here are my first attempts.  Not as professionally executed as Lyndsey's but I like them.  


First up... Mary Englebreit's "Life... Get one!"  I love Mary Englebreit's work and had this little figurine.  I glued some wood pieces together and painted them for her base.  The tassel is just a combination of random ribbon I had on hand.  

 

Next up... Browns and Blues...

I'm working on a few more.  It's addicting!  Tassels are a great way to add a little color and texture to a space.  I hang them on lamps, furniture knobs, bedposts.... just about anywhere I need a little extra!


A little funny...I was looking for a clever title to this post and saw an article titled "Do tassels and motherhood mix?"  I'm thinking that they are referring to a different type tassel!   As the mom of two burly college boys, this type tassel is probably much more likely to mix with motherhood in my world!


Have a great week ladies (and gents!)  I'm glad you stopped in!
Lori

I can TUFT!!!! Ugly stool becomes a charmer!

SOOO excited!  I just finished my first tufting project.  Isn't it cute???

Check out the before !  Can we all agree that this was an ugly little stool??  And it was a dirty little thing too!

 Check out the AFTER version.  Love this little thing!  And you can lift up the cushioned seat for a little storage.

This picture was made in my driveway just before I loaded it up to go to Then & Again Home Marketplace.  It will find a good home there!  Bye bye little bench!  

Thanks for stopping by.  I've got lots going on and will try to share when I have a chance.  Stay tuned for photos from an upcoming class I'm teaching... The ugly frame challenge.  Such cute ideas for those ugly frames we have laying around or find a thrift stores and other places.

I'm linking to:

Open House Party at No Minimalist Here
Tuesday's Treasures at My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
SYS Party and Somewhat Simple
Transformation Thursday at The Shabby Creek Cottage

2012 is going to be a great year!  To God be the glory!

Hugs to all!

Lori

Does staging make a difference? See for yourself!

I recently staged a home north of Nashville.  The video is now on YouTube and I thought I'd share it.  After the video, take a look at the pictures of the home before I started.   Will staging help?  I'd love to know your thoughts!

If you have trouble loading, try this link...   
Click Here


OK... here are the before photos.

The living room...  the worn carpet was making a terrible first impression.  The new hardwood floors are gorgeous!  We also added some furniture, removed some things but mainly tried to keep that view the focus.

The Dining area needed some life.  We removed the rug, set the table and added art.  Ideally, there should be a chandelier above the table rather than recessed lighting.  

The kitchen was a little cluttered with rugs and things so we had the homeowner pare things down  to the bare minimum.  Everything is still a bit white and plain but the homeowner will be painting the walls soon and that will add a little more life.

The first bedroom was quite cluttered.  We pared down the items and  placed the bed in the corner with a simple night stand.

If you need shelves, adding the fabric box type containers (as in the after video) make a huge difference!

The hall bath flooring was very dated so we encouraged the owner to update with tile.  Much better!  We also added some color and coordinated art, shower curtain, etc.

 

The master bedroom didn't have a luxurious feel and the focal point should be the view from the window.  We switched the bed location, removed some of the items on the wall and added a little lux!

 

The master bath needed flooring updates too and to have a more spa-like feel.  The video shows the "after" with  calming gray-blues and browns.

Of course... the dirty laundry had to go!

The basement.  Plants are great. No...healthy plants are great.  It's better to put them in groupings rather than spreading them out.

By the time we staged, the sofa and many other pieces had been sold or moved out.  The shoe rack  and the shelving units remained and we moved to the garage.  We used a few pieces to create a seating group around the fireplace and the owners card table for a game vignette.

The owner did a  lot of work to clean up the patio area.  

 Well... now that you've seen the "before" photos -  maybe you should watch the video over again?   I think it's much more appealing.  I'd love to see the curb appeal improved and add a few more  touches but I believe the home will now hold more appeal for buyers.  In this market, a home like this on 10 acres in a private setting could be hard to sell but the owner has a great agent and the price is very competitive.  Someone will have a wonderful property!!

Thanks for stopping by!~

Lori

Goodwill Finds

I'm trying to limit my Goodwill shopping sprees.  I've got more "treasures" than I can manage but I couldn't resist this little ceramic scissors holder that hangs on the wall.  

This piece was $1.49 less 20% so roughly $1.20.  

I'm tempted to put this in my sewing room but I'll put it on Etsy.  Lots of ladies will appreciate a unique item like this.

I also found this painted rocking horse.  It has a music box that plays "Toyland."  

Very cute.  Don't ya think?

It was $2.99 less a discount of 30% so around $2.00 for this cute little guy!  I'll need to put greenery around the base since the music box cover is missing.  Still plays though!

I'm gearing up for an open house next Monday.  I'll try to take pics and post them!  

Thanks for stopping in!  Be sure to say "hi" in the comments and let me know you were here.  I love to keep up with everyone!

Lori