Transformation Tuesday #3

I have had the itch to put some kind of wall art in the "boys" bathroom upstairs, but I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. My first thought was to have the boys paint some of their own art to go in the room, but then I ran across some frames at the Goodwill for $1 and I had to make them over...NOW! It was not love at first sight I might tell you. They were sporting some Winnie the Pooh, and I am quite sure that neither Ed nor Alex would appreciate having the Pooh Bear in their bathroom. I saw potential in the frames, however.



The frames were a natural wood color, but I used Brushed Nickel by Rust Oleum to give them a more contemporary look. I also wanted the frames to match the fixtures in the bathroom...typical me!

I wanted the pictures to have greens, navy blues, and turquoise in them to match the rest of the present decor. I had never tried spray painting matting before, but I thought, "I paint everything else, what the heck!" So I tried it, and it work beautifully. I used a Walmart brand navy spray paint on the white matting. It took a few coats, but I was patient.

Now, I just had to figure out what I wanted to put inside for the art, and it came to me. I have tons of scrap booking paper (collecting dust) that needed to be used for something, so I dusted it off and used it. I totally lied to myself when I thought I had time to sit down and scrapbook..hehe. The paper is pretty in my craft closet though.


I had one piece with bath like words on it. Okay, the paper was really for swimming, but what's the difference? It's all water right? So, I took that piece and cut some of the words out. Then, I glued them to a piece of polka dot paper that matches the shower curtain. I used the rest of the "word paper" to fill up the other frame. Voila!

This was soooooo easy, and I really do like them. The best part is...I only spent $6.00 total for the frames and paint. That's where I feel the love!!!!


So sorry for the terrible pictures. I need a better camera and this bathroom needs better lighting. It is still a work in progress, so other pictures will be shared later! Stay tuned...

Stop The World

Stop the world, I want to get off!!! The reality of my job has taken over my blogging/decorating time. I am such a bad, bad blogger. So where have I been lately? Not decorating or thrifting much. School has started back, and I have been on a "To Do List" frenzy for a few weeks now. You know it is bad when your daily To Do list has its own To Do list. Does your list ever develop Post-It Note syndrome? Mine has become littered with sticky note mayhem. I tend to add at least three new things for every one thing that gets checked off. Oh well, such is the life of a teacher.

I have really missed this whole blogging/therapy thing for the last few weeks. On top of it all, the cable company decided to "accidentally" cut the lines to our house, and that resulted in a week without Internet. OMG...my techno geek self had no idea what to do. I couldn't even keep up with all of my favorite blogs. I feel like I have been dropped out in the wilderness somewhere, and somebody told me, "Good Luck!"

So, I'm back on the big WWW. Woot, Woot, Woot!!! Unfortunately, I haven't had an ounce of time to do any thrifting or decorating since school started back. I do have an item I found at the end of summer, however, that I thought I would share. I went on a day long Thrifty Thursday with a good friend from school, and we found a few things I need to work on. I have been thinking (thinking isn't doing) about a few of the items I found, and I thought I would ask for some suggestions because my brain is FRIED.



Here is a piece of wall art that I absolutely LURVE. I can't decide on how I want to paint it though. I was thinking about painting it Heirloom White and distressing it. It will be hanging in my entryway over a small dresser (that I haven't found yet). I have been out of the Craigslist loop too, so my perfect small, entryway dresser probably got scooped up already.

I also found this...

Yes, it's sewing machine! No, I don't sew very well. Yes, It does work.

These are the answers to the questions the hubby asked me when I brought this baby home. Why did I buy it you want to know? (So did he!) Well, it was $10 and I loved the way it looked. It was so charming, old, and rustic. Love, love, love! I could see it cleaned up and sitting displayed in my house. Hey, and it works, so I might even sew with it. Oh, the lies I tell myself.

So I cleaned her up! Now it looks like this, decorating some empty space under a hall table.

I doubt it will stay there long. I am not in love with the placement. I have a beautiful entryway dresser in mind that I would love to display it on. I have not found said entryway table as of yet though :(. Have I said that already?

Any other ideas? I really don't like where it is right now (frown). Not the vision I had in the store.

I hope I can figure out what to do with the wall art this weekend. I would really like to work on it. If you have an ideas, please comment and let me know. I would love to hear your thoughts!!!

True Love In a Spray Can

Have I mentioned lately how much I L.O.V.E. ORB spray paint? For those of you who aren't familiar with my best friend in a can, let me introduce you to Mr. Oil Rubbed Bronze by Krylon. O.M.G I love O.R.B.!!!

I thought I would share some items I have painted with my friend. It never gets old seeing something boring, outdated, or just down right U.G.L.Y. transformed with a few little sprays of a can. It has probably gotten out of hand around my house because I love the color so much, but I'm okay with it. My Dad thinks I am inhaling too many of the fumes and it has made me CRAZY. I am always telling him, "I can paint that"! Haha...maybe there is a problem.

Here are some of the things I have painted around my house. Just to show you that the possibilities are endless. I don't have befores of everything because I painted some of them before I started this here little blog.

Hang onto your hats!

I painted a few lamps...hehe...a few.

These were lamps I bought about seven years ago, they were brushed nickel.

This one was a Goodwill find. I paid $2 for the lamp, and I found a shade at Ross for $2.99!

I got these lovelies at a yard sale for $6. They used to a nice shade of gold...not anymore.

The hardware in the guest bath and master bath. They used to be brushed nickel.

A mirror for my vanity. A find out of Dad's attic.

The picture frames on shelves going up the staircase. Some of them were already black, so I just used some ORB to add interest.

Shelves I have found at various thrift stores. Sometimes they are white, sometimes they are brown, but they ALWAYS have to be painted!

The light fixtures. You can read more about how I did that here.

Maybe I do have a spray paint problem. People do crazy things when they are in love!

Transformation Tuesday #2: Classy Glass

Happy Tuesday everyone! I have chosen something VERY simple for this week's transformation. Since I started this thrifting thing, I have developed a love for glass bottles. I have found that they can be used for a simple decorative accessory or for organization. Here are a few I have brought home in the past weeks.

I picked these up for 1.00 each. I just loved the texture they had. I thought about painting them, but decided to just spruce them up a little with some hemp. I took the hemp and wrapped it around the top of one of the bottles, using my handy dandy Tacky Glue to adhere it to the glass.

I just tied some of the hemp around the top, in a bow. Simple and cauuute! I also added another glass jar I had hiding out in my bedroom. I only paid 50 cents for it!

I created a grouping of the three bottles on my hallway table. Groups of three are a MUST when decorating, or I am just that OCD. I added the yellow bottle for some color, and I adore it.

I used a taller triangle jar in the Master Bedroom. We saved some of the sugar Callas from our wedding cake. My mouth is watering thinking about how AMAZING this cake tasted.

I displayed them in this pretty piece of $1 glass.

Our bedroom is a beachy retreat, so it is no stranger to some shells. The hubby and I always bring home shells from the places we visit. They remind us of the wonderful, romantic places we have been. It also reminds us that it's time to take a cruise! Yeah, buddy...it's about time to book again.


Now, being the organizational freak that I am, I definitely had to do some organizing with some of the glass I bought. "I am not OCD, I am CDO, in alphabetical order the way it should be". Here they were before (except for the one small one).

And after....(I added one I didn't take a before pic of.)

Ahhhh....things in a specified place. Makes me smile everytime. :) To top it all off, this whole set only cost me $2.50. Cha Ching!!!!

So, the next time you see a lonely glass bottle on that thrift store shelf, look past it's dullness and think of a way to USE it!

Art Camp to Wall Art

This summer, one of my stepsons has been attending an art camp. A few weekends ago, he brought some of his collection for us to keep at our house. I made a digital portfolio of artwork he has created in the past, and I also have A LOT of his art stored away in a keepsake box, but I really wanted to do something to showcase his work.

When we moved into our house, I painted a magnetic stripe on his bedroom wall to display some of his artwork. The magnetic wall does not work as well as planned. Boo to the Who.

I thought at first I hadn't painted the wall correctly, but after reading around Blogland, I found out that this is a normal occurrence. What a bummer! I was determined not to let this wall hold me back. WRONG AGAIN! This wall has held me back since last August...ugh. I have tried all kinds of magnets...NO GO! I had pretty much given up until I was shopping for some school stuff at Target, and I ran across some magnetic clips that weren't very heavy. I was skeptical, but I thought I would give it one more shot. I figured if they didn't work, I was out a buck and I could use them at school.

I took them home and tried them on the wall. It worked!! I danced around the room, sang a little song, and ran (literally) back downstairs to paint them white. I am so glad I was home alone, my husband would have probably had me committed. Then, I hung some art with them, ahhhhhh...it has been a long time coming.

I also chose to frame one of his larger pieces of work, but I needed a frame. What to do? What to do? Find one on the cheap. So I did.

I found a frame with this lovely picture in at Goodwill for $5. (I forgot to take a picture of the frame before I painted it.)

It was fun carrying it around in my buggy, especially when an 80 year old man stopped me to admire the print. Awesome! He hoovered over my buggy for a good five minutes while I browsed telling me how beautiful it was. Can you say..."Akward Turtle"? Either way, I told him he could have the print, I just wanted the frame. He decided to pass.

The frame was a light wood color before, but I decided to paint it white. I made some matting out of black posterboard and put the frame back together with the artwork.

I think it turned out pretty good. Better than being stuck in a box somewhere. Now this aspiring artisit has his own bedroom gallery.

P.S. More on this room to come! Lots of thrifty finds in this space. Can you pick them out?