Top Decoration

First, let me say...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Can you believe that it is 2010?

A new year brings the chance for a fresh start - new perspective, new goals and new resolutions.

Will and I have been tossing around ideas for projects that we would like to accomplish in this new year...

some big...

some really big...

and some small -
easy projects that in the grand scheme of things will be a piece of cake to accomplish.

We're going to make a list of 12 projects - one for each month in this new year. Not to bind us to getting them done in that exact order or time frame, but to continually motivate us and keep our creative juices flowing!

Our list is looking pretty good and definitely do-able, but until we're ready to share with you our final draft, I thought it would be fun to look back on our projects from 2009 that you were clearly fans of.

When I say "You know what you like", I mean it!

Here's what we know for sure based on your comments over the past 12 months:

You love a good head-to-toe makeover. If it involves carpentry, it's a clear winner!

Add in a couple of recipes and some DIY crafting modeled after expensive decor, and you've given us our...

Top 12 Posts of 2009


Let's start from the top:

(click on the month or the photo to be taken to the original post)


January

We transformed our ho-hum family room into a space filled with character and light when we created our own easy DIY version of historic Board and Batten.

February

Our outdated 1990's mauve tile fireplace had to go! So we did what we do best...a DIY transformation that required a bit of creativity, carpentry and good old fashioned sweat equity.

March

Ellison's pink and green scalloped bedroom was time consuming, for sure...but the result was definitely worth the effort.

April

A one-of-a-kind FREE STUFF headboard found on the side of the road was transformed into a bench that seats all five of us. Taking something old and making it new is one of my favorite things to do!

May

A series of events twisted what we had originally intended for this little house, and turned it into a cute and cozy Playhouse for our kids.

June

Who doesn't love a good yard sale find?

In this post, I found two great items that I could not pass up!

July

What started as simply changing up the look a bit, turned into a full-fledged makeover and went down in history as my first time ever using the compound miter saw on my own!

August

We were in wedding planning mode during the month of August and, with your help, I decided on several lemonade recipes to make a fresh lemonade stand at my sister-in-laws bridal shower.
Yum!

September

A remodel of our dining room is what made it possible for this storage unit to come to life and it couldn't have come at a better time...just as the kids were getting into the swing of the new school year!

October

After two years of living with a Master Bedroom that functioned poorly for us, we finally made the changes necessary to make it a space we love to be in. All it took was a little creativity and a lot of thinking outside of the box!

November

To celebrate the boys' getting their own bedrooms, we built loft beds for them, which created a significant amount of usable space that didn't exist before. I continually strive to make the kids' rooms easy for them to live in - a refuge for them and a space they want to be in!

December

A little JOY for the holiday season!

Decorating our 3 month old entryway storage turned into a craft project that I wasn't expecting using paint, glitter and Christmas ornaments...I loved the result!

We've accomplished quite a bit this past year...
and as always, our main goal for 2010 is to continue to make the space we have work the very best for us.

I'm ready for a good project!

How about you?




P.S. I am posting this at:

Southern Hospitality's Top Projects of 2009

A couple of weeks ago I posted about some great Thrift Store finds and my plans to change them up a bit.

Want to see what became of them?

First, there was the hand carved wooden bowl that I found for $1.99...

I sanded down some really rough spots...

...and the whole thing got a few good coats of Walnut colored Danish Oil.

I have it sitting on my entry table holding some hand carved wooden balls that I bought a few years ago.

Remember how it looked before?

It was as if someone had carved it, but was unhappy with how it turned out and tossed it in a bag to give to the Salvation Army.

It wasn't finished at all. Just raw wood.

I sure am happy they decided to get rid of it!

I love how it turned out!




Then there were the Shoe Forms, purchased on the same day, also for $1.99...

I could have sat them on a shelf somewhere, simply for display, but I really wanted to make them function in a unique way, so here is what I did...

They got mounted on beaded board and my husband built a frame that I distressed and white washed. I added a quote that seemed appropriate to go along with shoe forms...

It hangs in our hallway which is where all of the dressing for outdoors occurs.
Coats, shoes, scarves, hats, keys. etc...

The knobs on the shoe forms are perfect "hooks"...

...to hold miscellaneous items!

I like how it turned out!

Just a little bit quirky and functional at the same time!



On another note, the headboard project is going better than I could have hoped for! My husband is a Rock Star carpenter and he made it absolutely perfect! I like it even more than I had imagined!

I'm working on getting it painted and finished and then I'll post pics.
Can't wait to show you all what it looks like!
And I really can't wait to find another "FREE Stuff" headboard and do it all over again!

Pictures coming soon!
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Flea Market Style is having a party!

If you're a "Flea Marketeer", link up and show off some of your favorite flea market finds!

An entire week has passed by without a single post...

This break from blogging was entirely unplanned and I have definitely missed it, but sometimes life keeps us busy and we must prioritize.

Last weekend we made a last minute decision to head down to Oregon City and stay with some friends of ours on their farm. It is always fun when we go down there. They have two girls whose ages fall in between the ages of our kids, so it's lots of fun for everyone!

And then Ellison and I spent a few days being sick, always very close to a box (or two, or three) of Kleenex...

Thankfully, we are both feeling much better now, so...

it's time to play catch up!

I need to show you how my $1.99 wooden bowl turned out...

...and what became of my shoe forms that I found last week while thrifting in downtown Seattle!

And there has been a drastic change made in our front yard!

All I will say for now is:

Let there be light!

(In case you are wondering, yes, that is a child at the very top of the tree. That would be Owen!)

And, of course, I have this week's cookie recipe for you!

You didn't think I had forgotten about In The Cookie Jar, did you?

No worries! Even if I had, I have three Cookie Monster's to remind me!


But wait,

there's more...

I have something brand new to show you!
It's in our dining room and it is, easily, one of my favorite things that we have in our home!

Stay tuned...

many more posts to come!

My best friend, Kelly, and I went thrifting again yesterday in downtown Seattle!

She walked away with several pairs of new jeans, a super cute jacket and various other items that were just too good to pass up, and I came away with these...

A hand carved wooden bowl..

...that has a twist to it...

...but I'm calling it "character"!

I rubbed it with Danish oil today and I really like how it turned out. I'll post pics tomorrow!


I was thrilled with that find, but I am

really,

really

excited

about these:

Vintage Shoe Forms!

A pair of them in great condition!

As soon as I picked them up I knew what I wanted to do with them...

...but you'll have to wait to see what I've got going on!

I should be done with the project tomorrow!

I think they're very cool!

The absolute BEST part about these finds were their prices...

*drumroll please*

I paid a whopping $1.99 for each!
My total was $4.00!
Nice!

I had spent time browsing the store, but decided to make another quick go-around through the "home decor" section before we left. These were on the bottom shelf (basically, on the floor!) and I had completely missed them the first time!

Lesson learned!
From now on, I'll get on my knees if I have to because the best finds may be hiding just out of sight!

Can't wait to show you the finished projects and how I am making them even better!
Check back tomorrow to see the "after" pictures!

.................................................................

I think it's safe to say that Kelly and I are definitely Hooked On Thrifting!
To see what Julia is Hooked On this week, head over to Hooked On Houses and visit her weekly blog party!
What are you Hooked On?

Last year I found a small, pink pedestal table at an antique store for a really great price!

I knew it would be perfect as a side table in my daughter's bedroom.

I loved the shape of it, the color was already perfect and the paint was naturally worn in all of the right places.

It lived in her room, just as I had bought it, for quite some time....

...until I decided that it needed an upgrade!

It was lacking the necessary "cute" factor, so I painted a phrase on top and framed it in polka-dots...

"A Spot of Tea For You and Me!"

It is no longer used as a side table, but as a table for her and all of her baby dolls to play tea party!

Much cuter now!

I realized today that I don't have a single picture of her bedroom on my blog, so today I will take lots of pictures and get them posted.

Think pink!

I say "sort of" because, really, only one of these items actually came from a thrift store last week...

On Thursday afternoon, after Kelly and I had our awesome lunch at Sorci's, we headed out to browse some local thrift stores. We didn't come away with a whole lot, but we did come away happy!

Here was my find:

A long wool coat being sold for $30. But, it was my lucky day - it was 50% off! So I got it for a whopping $15!
Sold!

I think the lining is such a pretty color!

Kelly found a super cute pair of shoes for $5!

Like I said, we were happy!

At one of the shops I had found a 5 gallon, blue glass jug. I knew it was perfect because of the color, but also because I had been thinking about starting the boys towards working on a "Disneyland Fund". Growing up, I had several friends whose parents had these big, glass jugs where they would collect all of their loose change and once it was full they would turn it in to find out that they had collected $1000! Ok, I'm sure it wasn't that much, but I know it was a lot! This method is perfect for one little boy in our family who simply cannot resist picking up coins that he finds on the ground, buried in couches, etc. No matter how many times we have the "Don't pick up things off the ground!" conversation, he truly cannot help himself. This is where hand sanitizer comes in handy!

The jug was $30 at the thrift shop. Not a terrible price, but it didn't feel like a great price either. I had never seen a jug like that in blue glass. It was perfect! But, since I had no idea if I was getting a good deal or not, I passed on buying it.
Ughh!
I was kicking myself later. I would much rather have the blue glass, then the typical clear glass. I came home and told my husband about it, to which he replied
"Ya, I know exactly what your talking about. My Dad has several of them!"
What? Really?
He made a quick phone call and said the jugs were sitting under his parents house. My husband went over the next morning (my in-laws live just three doors down) and walked back through our front door carrying a 5 gallon, blue glass jug!
NICE!

Owen has already started saving for that Disneyland trip!

I was thrilled! And so glad that I followed my instincts and did not buy the one at the thrift store!

Then on Saturday, my mother-in-law was over and had mentioned this old school house desk that she had been using as a display table, but wasn't going to be using anymore. This caught my attention because I have been wanting to get an old school desk for our first grader to use when he does his homework. I had found the perfect desk many months ago at a local salvage yard for $5, but when I went back to get it, it was gone.

My mother-in-law told me to come down and check it out and that I could use it if I wanted to.
This is it:

It sits two children and the desk tops lift up independent of one another.

It has a trough (for lack of a better word) to hold pencils. And if you look really closely between the trough and the metal hardware you can see where someone etched the name "Andrew" into the desk.

Can you see the stick figure drawings on the front of the desk?

I am hoping to find two small wooden chairs to sit in front of the desk, but until then I have an ottoman under the left side to use as a seat and a toy basket under the other side.

This is where you will find our little girl playing her piano book many times every day!

My mother-in-law and I have discovered that we're happy to trade things that we may no longer have a use for. This desk being a perfect example! We'll use it for a while and when we're done with it the plan is for it to get passed on to my nephew. A perfect way to re-use items and keep them in the family!

Kelly and I have learned that we are definitely fans of the thrift store bargains! She found a desk, a really great desk, and is still working on her husband to buy it for her! I'll let you know if she gets it! It's worthy of a post all to itself!