Tuesday, January 28, 2014

A Twofer Trash to Treasure Tuesday

You guys....the alliteration up there is just astounding, don't you think?

So, remember how I used to do projects all the time? And how I was all thrifty and stuff, and was painting this and that and re-doing? It's weird to me now. Like, how did I do all that? When did I find the time to shop and clean and sand and paint and re-do things? I just don't know. Sort of like, how did I used to blog allll the time? Part of me is sad that I seem to have forgotten how. I mean, Mayzie is seriously the most hilarious and amazing child and I have literally nothing of her short life blogged. Tragic really.  BUT, I totally digress.

Here's the deal. Once upon a time, when my Grandpa died, and then his wife died (NOT my grandma) there was this super awesome, dreamy chair/rocker/glider thing that I wanted. But alas, my Aunt and Uncle claimed it (which is fine, since they bought it in the first place) and I was sad, for a minute.  Fast forward a couple of years and the other day I got an email from my aunt asking if I wanted said rocker.  Umm, HELLO! Yes, the answer is YES! So, I toodled myself on over to their house and picked up the chair.  See, here's the thing, there is nowhere really to put it in my house, but I wanted it. It's comfortable and, well, I wanted it.  That being said, I decided it would go in my music "area" and this started a thought in my head that now I needed a small table to anchor the area, create a scene if you will.  And thus, a new project was born.

Today was the day. My schedule was clear, I had a few extra dollars in my pocket and off Mayzie and I went to seek our fortunes.  I tried a Goodwill first, but no, it was tragic in there.  So, we headed to my amazing and beloved Mesa Thrift. I swear to you, if I say in my head I need "this", I will walk into that crammed place and ALWAYS find it. It's crazy.  Today was no different. I wanted a small side table, a certain size, round would have been great, but not necessary.  In I walked and directly in my path was my table. AWESOME!  Better yet, it was $6.98.  Another reason I LURVE this store.  There was a fantastic, gorgeous table, similar to my kitchen table, but bigger AND with a leaf and it was 25 bucks. If I had the ability to transport it, I woulda bought that too.  Anywhoooo

After a stop off at Home Depot for some Heirloom white spray paint and some colonial red for another project I headed home. Mayzie went down for her nap and literally a 1/2 hour later I had two "new" lovlies.  And you know what? It felt SOOOOO good.  I was so happy to be looking and shopping and finding. And I was so happy to be in my garage cleaning and painting. And then I was happier creating a little seating area. I MISS this.  So, my soul is sparked and I'm determined to get Maxs room done. And now I might be a little sad I passed on the giant cedar chest for 90 bucks at Mesa Thrift today. BOO!

Ok, so first things first.  I had this old wreath that hung on my door for years and was just super faded and tragic and sad. I took it down this fall for a different wreath and then never put it back up after Christmas.  The other day it occurred to me, HELLO, spray paint it red, it'll be fresh and new again.  Awesome!

BEFORE:
 See, just worn out, ready for some pizazz and new life.

AFTER:

 My happy little front door. I LOVE my yellow door. And I love even more, my fabulous flowers from my dear friend Mindy.

Ok, now for my table.

BEFORE:
 It's super cute, and it was pretty beat up. The top had stains, and it's nicked all over. But there is cute detail in the legs.
 I intended to paint the entire thing. But, after cleaning it with TSP it occurred to me that the drawers didn't need to be painted and that I might like the juxtoposition of the white and wood. So, I left them alone.

AFTER:

 Seriously, how adorable is that? It took me 20 minutes and a can of spray paint. EASY SQUEEZY!!

  



 I get that the chair doesn't look all that nice, or like much, but let me just assure you, it is like a little pillowy cloud of heaven.  It rocks, it glides, it carresses your soul. And the kids totally fight over sitting in it. I'd put it in my family room if it didn't totally and completely unmatch anything I have in there.

Anyway, there you have it. My happy little projects for the day. Now, I'm on a quest to find a trunk for Maxs room and other map paraphanelia. It's gonna be super cool, once I find it, oh and paint it and stuff like that.

Happiness and spray paint highs,

Allyson