I Soooo Need These!

Why do you go thrift store shopping?  Is it the thrill of the hunt?  The excitement of that amazing find?  The endless possibilities?  What about that piece you find that makes you stop, stare and think…what the???  You know those pieces I am talking about.  My friends and I always have a great time when we hit the thrift stores.  You never know what crazy ridiculous object you will find that will make you laugh!!!  And we love to laugh!

   My friend Maggie and I saw this and just about died!  Really…who has a red velvet headboard? Hugh Hefner?               And it was sold! Unreal!!!

And really, why would someone get rid of their mermaid?  MISTAKE!!! They are going to regret that decision one day.

                

Now if this mannequin doesn’t make you want to purchase that outfit ASAP, then you need your eyes checked!

When I look at this all I can think about is how comfortable this medieval thingy would be to lounge in on my patio.  I so would have bought it, but I didn’t think I could wheel it all the way home.  Yes, it has wheels! 

Everyone has their own unique style and taste which is great, but really???

What a Hoot!

Junk Removal

Wow!!! I am exhausted!  My parents and I worked 3 days straight for about 7 hours a day emptying, cleaning, and organizing my garage.  I haven’t worked that hard in days…ok, I mean years!

It was great to donate 3 big loads to different charities.  Good thing I did the cleaning out while my son was at school…he hates parting with anything of his.  Can’t let him see this picture.

                                 

How does someone collect so much junk…I mean treasures?

Ok, so I had kept ALL of my son’s baby clothes and toys.  I had so many containers full of his stuff thinking that if we had another child and it was a boy I would already have all this great stuff.  Who was I kidding?  I so would have bought all new stuff anyway!!!

It was so hard to give his baby clothes away.  Kind of made me sad that my baby is growing up so fast.  I kept a handful of his clothes that meant something to me. 

This picture makes me so happy. Why? You ask.  Well let me tell you.  I have so many frames, trays, containers and crafty things to start and complete in that mess! I was able to set up a craft/project area in my garage, which will be another post, that is so cool!!!

Super busy week, but so worth it.  Thanks mom and dad for all your help!

Life’s a Hoot!

                                                                           

A Hoarding Hooter

 

How scary is this garage?  I mean, who would let their garage get this out of control?

       

Look at all that stuff!  Some people may think this person is a hoarder, but I think this person is awesome.  It may look like a bunch of junk, but, if you look closely, you can see a ton of ‘projects’ to be started.   The crazy thing is, the person whose garage this is, knows where everything is in all that clutter!

My husband has finally told me that if I don’t clean out and organize MY garage…yep all that junk is MINE…that is he is going to throw it ALL away!  Whatever!  But, I did decide it was time to unload some of my stuff to make room for more stuff…hehe!  My awesome parents are on their way here to help me organize the garage. 

‘Cleaning out my garage one project at a time’ will be a series in which I show the projects I have ‘found’ in my garage and completed.

I don’t give a ‘hoot’ if I am a hoarder!

                                                                      

Vintage Thrift Store Finds

Thrift store shopping is so much fun!  You never ever know what you will find when hunting through them. I enjoy it so much more now after seeing all the transformations and ideas on blogs.  Finding an old piece of furniture with good bones for a great price is such a thrill!  You know what I am talking about!!!   

This last weekend my mom and I ‘hunted’ in thrift stores and Antique malls in Palm Springs.  Antique malls are fun, but are usually quite expensive.  We found some really fun pieces if you were doing a retro/vintage theme!!!

This is too stinking cute!  Wonder if my husband would go for it? 

So…I just showed my husband this picture and he said “awesome…what is it?” Really????

 

Orange is such a happy color. This would be great in a bathroom!

Sorry, not the greatest picture…but I loved this yellow hutch.  It would be awesome anywhere in MY house!  If this had been in Poway and not Palm Springs, I would have been extremely tempted to purchase it, despite the high price tag.

I just showed you the good pieces, stay tuned for the bad and the ugly!!!

A ‘hoot’ out to thrift stores!

                                                                        

To Copy or Not to Copy?

To copy or not to copy?  That is the question?

I am one of those people who have to copy everything exactly!!!  If a recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of salt, that is what I put into the recipe.  If I see a project done with Krylon Heirloom White paint, that is the paint I use.  

Some people say copying is the best form of flattery.  What do you think?  Most all my projects I have done have been ones I have seen on blogs I read or on Pinterest.  At first I kind of felt guilty copying projects and giving them to friends as gifts, since the project wasn’t originally my idea. But, I realize people wouldn’t post their projects and ideas with instructions if they didn’t want people to make their projects. Just MAKE sure you give CREDIT where credit is due!

The more I copy things the more I come up with my own ideas and ways to do things! Copying is a great way for your own creativity to start growing! 

One of my absolute favorite blogs to copy and read is Shanty 2 Chic.  The Shanty sisters are amazing!  I am always excited to see what awesome project they have come up with.  Their projects are so fun to make because they give simple easy directions to follow!  Which is something I definitely need.  I have ‘copied’ a number of their projects to give as gifts to my family and friends.  I always give credit to the Shanty girls!!!  

This is a frame from the Shanty sisters that I have made twice now.  Here is the link their Shanty 2 Chic frame.

These are the supplies and tools I used:

2x8x10 piece of wood (Home Depot)

burlap (Walmart)

Krylon Smoke Gray and Heirloom White spray paint (Home Depot/Walmart)

a wooden clothespin (Hobby Lobby)

wooden finial (Lowes)

candle wax (I used a Peppermint candle from Bath and Body Works, my hands smelled so good the rest of the day!)

a hook to hang on wall

furniture tacks – black ones

hammer

sand paper

super glue

Follow these simple steps:

                                                   

1. Attach your hook on the back of wood.    2. Screw finial into the top of wood.   3. Spray paint a light coat of the gray.

 

                                                        

4.Take candle wax and rub on edges of wood and finial.           5. Spray paint a good coat of the white paint.

 

 

6. Spray paint your clothespin. 

Spray painting a clothespin can be quite challenging.  You can’t hold it or you will end up with paint all over your hand.  If you lay it down you can’t coat all the sides very well.  After contemplating this dilemma I clipped it on a tiny branch then sprayed it.  I pretty much thought I was a genius! 

                                                 

7. Once paint dries, take sandpaper and sand the wax off.     8. Cut burlap, attach with tacks, hot glue clothespin on.

 

How easy, but totally awesome is that!?!

So to conclude, COPYING is a Hoot!

                                                                      

Countryside Barn

Poway is ‘the city in the country’!  It is only a 25 minute drive to downtown San Diego and a 20 minute drive to the beach.  People who live in Poway LOVE Poway.  Some refer to it as ‘Powadise’!!!   The other day my friend Maggie and I ventured into one of the new amazing stores, Laurie Ann’s Countryside Barn, here in Poway to spend Maggie’s Christmas money on something for her house.  There were so many fun pieces that I just had to share some of them with you!

                       

I love love love this tufted couch!  One day I will have one in my house.  Hopefully sooner than later. 

                

Found a super cute pink desk for that precious little girl you know.  And also a fun piece for your mantel or buffet.  I have been trying to find one of those glass dome thingy’s at a thrift store to make my own, but have had no luck yet. 

Saving the best for last, the adorable lamp that my friend took home with her that day!  Merry Christmas to her!

If you ever find yourself in ‘Powadise’ swing by Laurie Ann’s Countryside Barn to check out her amazing merchandise!

 

Shopping’s a hoot!

  

New Year, New Light

Have you seen all the gorgeous chandeliers that people are repainting?  Have they inspired you to hit up your local thrift stores?  They did me!  I set out to find an inexpensive gold chandelier that I could paint and use above my dining table.  There were quite a few that I found. But, since I am quite cheap, oh I mean “frugal”, I waited til I found one for $1o!  The store didn’t even know if it worked or no. But I thought for that price, I couldn’t pass it up!  Luckily it works!

Before spray painting it with Krylon’s Navy Blue, I covered the light bulb spots with tape for protection.  Spray paint has always intimidated me. However, the more I use it the more I love it!  It dries soooo fast!

This is the cheap Ikea lamp that came with our house when we purchased it 5 years ago!  I can not believe it has taken me so long to replace it.  What was I thinking?  I have no idea how to do anything electrical, so I was not going to tackle this project alone.  My parents came out this weekend and my dad was so excited to have something to work on while he was here.  I think he was more excited about changing this lamp then I was.  Come to find out he hated the lamp! 

Here it is!!!  What do you think?  I LOVE how it turned out.  It really changes the whole feel of the house!  And of course my husband was thrilled that it only cost $10! 
Life’s a Hoot! - Tara

Room for 1 more?

There are so many blogs out there that are amazing which makes it quite intimidating to start one!  My friends have been after me to start my own. So, I have finally caved in and am going to give it a try!  Wish me luck! 

For each of my friends’ birthdays, I have been making their gifts from ideas I have found on blogs or Pinterest!  My friends think I have this great creative talent.  I keep telling them that I am just copying amazing ideas and instructions from my favorite blogs.  But, after talking with my friends, I realize that YES I do have a talent for making things and am going to share it with whomever reads my blog!  Hopefully, that is YOU!!!

I am quite blessed to have a husband who is very encouraging and patient and a son who always wants what I make!  My garage is full of furniture to fix up and projects to start on!  One of my resolutions this year is to start, and finish, the ‘projects’ I have in the garage.  I am lucky enough to have the time and resources to do projects and to start this blog. 

 

I hope you will be back often to follow me on this new, kinda scary adventure I am starting!

It will be a HOOT! - Tara