Seeing Red

I'm finding blogging to be really addicting. I tried it before and lasted a while, but I've finally gotten the hang of it. Blogging about what really and truly interests you is a lot of fun and it really makes me feel like I'm doing something everyday!

This weekend, I decided to take this ...

A couple of these ...

And later this week, we'll see what happened!

As far as my "plans" this week? I need to make my shelves for my tea cups ... finish up my $2 end table ... get my cake stands up on Etsy ... take lots of pictures ... get some rest and relaxation. With all my projects, renovations, and spending time with my family - I've been on the go for the last few weeks! I don't want to crash too hard but it certainly is nice to keep busy. And as long as I have time for some blogging, that's all that matters!

Why is there a car in the bathroom?

As the girlfriend of a car lover, I was super-excited when I saw this on bhg.com! Simply adorable. I am now on a quest to find a cute (red) truck for my wash cloths!!!

Success!

I need license plates ... how awesome is this?

On another note - cleaning, organizing, painting ... all done!!! I'm finishing up my $2 dollar end table this weekend and starting another project. I have 2 curious cats and many dainty, antique tea cups. Passed down from my great-grandmother dainty ... see below. Luckily, I have a bookcase that I just didn't know what to do with so I'm making it into shelving to display my tea cups at a height that kitties can't reach (hopefully).

Hope you have a great, productive (or relaxing) weekend! Stop in Monday for pictures of projects!

El baño

Bathroom complete! It was the one room that I didn't have much say in, but I love love love it! My honey did such a great job. He loves red, which is obvious and it's a huge room so it isn't too overpowering.

All of the accesories were purchased at my go-to store, WalMart! Luckily the bathroom was the one room with updated fixtures so it looked "brand new" and I think now, it looks even better.

Before

I actually liked the grey walls ...

After

But I sure like the red accent wall! He also did another accent wall that matched the print of the shower curtain ... you can see it in the mirror.

Before Kind of blah ...

After

This might just be my new favorite room in the house ...

Mid-week Round Up

Well, I haven't done as much as I thought I would - but I'm doing pretty good on all my projects. I am trying to squeeze a lot into 5 days! However, the bathroom is being painted as I type! Luckily, I had some "me" time, too for this :

I just made this lovely last night ...

This and 2 others will be in my Etsy store soon. I'll be sure to post a link when they're up!

I just picked up this end table for $2. Thank you, Craigslist! Can't wait to get started on refinishing it tomorrow. Notice the hardwood (dining room) that is in the process of being sanded.

My mind is just swirling with ideas ... I'm so happy to have a day off so I can finish cleaning, make a trip to get some milk glass, and hopefully have enough time and energy to hit 2 Goodwill's!

Postage stamps anyone?

There is a long list of blogs I check out everyday. Snippet and Ink is one of them! While I'm far away from wedding planning, there are so many cute ideas - even things you could use for your home decor and I just love the inspiration boards.

One day, I saw this linked and thought it was so creative. I love all things antique and vintage and decided to buy these on Etsy. They are cancelled so you obviously can't put them through the postal system. I happen to adore the fact they are cancelled - much more history. I love to think about who used them and what they mailed with them ... and where the mail went!

Ebay has a lot of uncancelled postage stamps from all over the world. I "watched" about 3 different auctions and found out I'd won all of them! My super supportive boyfriend knew I really wanted them, so he placed bids on all of them. I can't wait til they arrive! :-)

I'll be sure to take some pictures ... of the stamps and the finished product, which will hopefully be an awesome collage that will knock your socks off.

Side note ... check out this blog - love it!

Decisions

I tend to put real projects on the backburner and focus on the decor. I went shopping online for bedding and LOVE the fact that WalMart has Better Homes and Gardens decor goodness! We just got a new mattress and box springs so I kinda want a nice, vintage-looking bedding set.

The boyfriend's favorite color is red ...

But this one is pretty! And its called "Karen" which is my mama's name. Hmm ...

Checklist

What a weekend! After a 4 hour drive to Owensboro, we had family fun - lots of catching up, cornhole and cookies! Now back to reality ... I have a lot to do this week! Enjoy this picture of Kentucky while I create my checklist.

• Finish painting the bathroom
• Organize and clean the bathroom
• Organize and clean the spare room
• Clean the kitchen
• Organize and clean the living room
• Finish painting the ceiling
• Paint the computer desk (?)
• Organize and clean the bedroom

There was a computer desk in the basement - a nice L shape with shelving on one side. Its tan with black legs but I think I might want to paint some part of it. I also wanted to paint the kitchen a nice light green ... but the walls were plaster and need some major work that I just don't think I can get to before the weekend.

I'll update and upload as I "check" off my finished items! Wish me luck!

TGIF!

I work a 9-5 job, just not Monday-Friday ... except this week! I have the weekend off - family reunion in Owensboro, KY and I'm so excited. I love my family!

It has been a long week and I didn't get as much done as I thought I would. That means next week, I have GOT to get my cake stands completed. I've also decided to join the monthly Craftster challenge so that project needs to be completed by June 1. I'm planning to finish up my belated Mother's Day gifts - a picture frame and those cute little tile coasters.

Will I get it all done? I'm surely gonna try.

I promise ...

... to always give homemade gifts (at least to the women in my life). I absolutely adore this super cute gift idea! After I (finally) buy epoxy and make my cakestands, I'm going to make 2 sets of these as part of the belated Mother's Day gifts for my mom and grandma, who are beautiful understanding women!

Mother's Day fell smack dab in the middle of my packing and moving and I did not find the picture I needed to complete part of their gift until 2 days ago! Next time I move, I'm hiring a professional organizer and movers. No. Matter. What.

When reality sets in ...

Have you seen this show? My mom told me about it a couple weeks ago upon discussing how much work/time/money really goes in to renovating a house ... even just a room! I happened to catch the last 4 minutes of an episode last night and you better believe I'm going to set my DVR to record every episode!

~

The house we moved into was clearly in need of lots of refreshments, so luckily the landlords were up for whatever. We were discussing the renovating process last night and I told the landlord that I had no idea how much work some projects could take. I'm the type of person who has HUGE ideas, but when the work starts - I question why in the world I decided to go through with my wild fantasy. (Definitely right now, when I decided I wanted a hardwood floor in my dining room ..... ripping up the carpet exposed some nasty damage that UNfortunately requires the refinishing of said floor). However, the finished product is usually worth it - it is for me. And no matter how hard or time consuming the work was, I still want to do more! It's an addiction!

Living room

The living room was the first project we took on at the new house. In fact, its been so long since I've seen the walls like this ...

Before

Who's idea was wood paneling anyway? Not mine, so it had to go! The living room is huge but I love to brighten things up ...

After

I think that's good, don't you?

Weekend project (hopefully)

This is the inspiration for my Goodwill trip the other day. I love this project!

I searched and searched and found 3 beautiful crystal plates, about salad plate size. They're shaped like a daisy and I fell in love with them. I found 3 different styles of crystal candleholders ... oh my gosh, these are going to be awesome! I'm putting them on my Etsy store once they're finished.

These are really going to be one of a kind pieces. I'm so elated I found the pieces I did. They're completely elegant and would look beautiful with truffles displayed on them! Fingers crossed, they'll be dry by Monday!

sidetracked

9 out of 10 times, I can find something I want at any given thrift store. I love the hunt, the excitement ... the unknown that thrifting offers. It's always good to go with low to no expectations because if you do, you'll most likely have your socks "wow"ed off.

I went to Goodwill on my day off to find some goods that I needed to complete a craft project I'll show you tomorrow. I had to get some china for said project and stumbled upon a little plate and bowl - Noritake, thank you very much - in this beauty of a pattern ... Colburn. I found this picture of it on replacements.com. You can find replacements for just about any kind of china and I'm able to get an idea of what my china may be worth. Love that website!

Back to what I purchased. Wednesday just happened to be half off red sticker day.

I got both pieces for 50 cents!!!

50 cents for two pieces of Noritake China!!!!!

I considered it to be a good investment. What do you think?

Nesting

My boyfriend and I recently rented a house that was a major fixer-upper. We have a few projects to go, but we got a lot done before we moved in. My favorite project was for my favorite room - the kitchen!

Before

These wood cabinets were in serious need of a facelift. The kitchen is the first room you walk in to as well as the main "walkway" of the house. Its a really big space with 2 huge windows so I wanted to keep it bright.

After

Painting cabinets takes a lot of work, but was it worth it? Definitely! I used the same cabinet pulls and hardware - we just cleaned it up so they've got a great distressed copper look. I absolutely love the way the project turned out.

Even though it looks 100% better, the kitchen is not quite finished. The walls need to be repaired ... they're plaster, and then I'll paint. We're also getting new flooring soon and that will hopefully be the finishing touch!

In the sink

How appropriate! The day I decided to do my "cat post", they were chosen for a People Pets photo contest!

I submitted the photo a month and a half ago for the Cats in the Sink contest. They LOVE to sit on the counter while I brush my teeth, wash my hands, etc. Sometimes I even leave the water running so they can get a drink or two.

So, here's V8 (because he purrrrrrrs so loud) and Glory Be (Hallelujah and Glory Be)!

http://www.peoplepets.com/photos/funny/cats-in-sinks/12

Getting to know me ...

And I'll start with my pets. I have 5 ... 3 dogs, 2 cats. They are not, however, named Chester and Donkey. Chester and Donkey are stuffed animals (a bear and a, ahem, donkey) that happened to be my dad's. I slept with them for most of my childhood.

Back to my pets. Here's ...

Hallelujah

Jobin

Tank

These 3 are really just like little kids and are going to be the subject of quite a few posts. I just wanted to you be able to put faces to the names.