Refunk Your Junk: Vintage Frame- "I can do hard things.."

I've been itching to create something with the "I Can Do Hard Things" motto for a long time now. I have always been drawn to those words because ah, such truth in them!

Well, for some reason a creative rush hit me on Monday evening, yes.. Monday night, what was up with that?. D was playing Super Mario with Aspen, and Savannah & Addi came down to the craft room with me where they ended up painting.

I found this beauty of a vintage frame at a thrift store a few months back, $7 little find. (I know, right?) I have been undecided what I wanted to do with it, but just knew that beautiful little sucker would go in my craft room.

Then it happened: the angels began to sing & it was clear what I was to do. Okay, scratch the Angels singing part, but maybe... maybe they did sing. Pfft, you don't know. With fabric that stinkin' cute, how could they not? See? My point exactly. Just roll with it, people..just roll with it.

I know, I know... Girl, what is UP with that horrible picture quality?. Dude, totally not my fault. I can't find my battery charger for my camera anywhere. I have looked at 3 stores for a replacement, no go! So, for the last several weeks I've been relying on my phone. Yeah, I know, it's rough around here. Once I get the camera going, I assure you I will take better shots. But geesh, can't ya cut a Sister some slack? Goodness Gracious!

Ok, super easy project!

- Stalk your fave. thrift store for an awesome frame. (that's the fun part!)
- Remove the ugly picture inside that daaaah-ling frame.
- Slap some Annie Sloan Chalk Paint (Paris Gray) on the frame.
- Wrap frame insert with fabric, hot glue down.
- Bust out some fatty letter stickers
- Call it a day. But first, take one more look and smile because ah... the truth of those words are powerful!! Why? BECAUSE WE CAN DO HARD THINGS!! WE CAN! Never, ever forget that!

Peace Out, Homies!

For the Love of Spray Paint...

My husband must have some kind of inside joke with himself about my obsession with spray paint, I can see it all over his face. Everytime I bust out the spray paint & walk outside he always has this smirk on his face and then pipes up, "Spray painting, again?" Pfft, you know it, buddy!

Today was no exception. Only this time, while I was spray painting, homie (that would be my husband) asked to use one of my spray paint cans so he could spray the yard where the pool is going to go, to get a better visual of it. This was hard for me. It made me realize that I must have some sick attachment disorder with spray paint, because sister didn't want him to waste it. First, he picked up my favorite blue color...."No, not that one!" He kind of rolled his eyes, went back inside and then came back out with my green. "Really? That one? Can you find one that isn't colorful, maybe?" His response was something on the lines of, "Seriously? Can you not just go buy another can?"... "Yeah, but do I really want to go to Lowe's tomorrow if I don't have to?"... so, we settled. He used the white. Compromise is a beautiful thing, don't ya think?

I've had this little white bench in my garage for a good 3 years, at least. I found this little sucker at Goodwill for $4.00, and I knew that it had potential. When I bought it, I was feeling inspired and was planning on sewing Courtney a new "boutique-style" bedding set that I saw online that I just had to make! I went out & purchased all the fabric, but.. got way over my head and ended up bagging the idea. This bench was going to be re-painted, and I was going to use the fabric, which would have matched the rest of her bedroom, on the seating area. So, since the idea was just that... an idea... this little bench has been waiting on me ever since. Well, today was the day!

Here she was before....

and, here she is AFTER.

I distressed her by slopping brown acrylic paint all over her...

then, I spray painted her with ivory paint, waited for it to dry... then used sand paper so the finish would look like this:

I was planning on covering the cushion with burlap (another obsession as of late), and then keeping up with my vintage-y theme in my craft room by adding ivory lace around the bottom. But, I was feeling a little more spunky today and decided to embrace PINK pom-poms instead. :) So so cute!

I transformed these drab candlesticks from Goodwill ($2/ea)....

into these colorful little cuties:

A few days I started on a few other little projects (coming soon).. and this was one of them: I changed this...

into this....

and, I'm in the process of changing this little beauty, too:

We have lots of other "painting projects" in the works over here, you have no idea! So, stay tuned! :) I'm having a blast with it & hope to have a few more things to share with you over the next few days.

I also added a few new things to our family room this past week which I will be sharing with you as well. It's amazing what a few little additions can do to a room. So, be sure to check back soon, ok?

A Little Spray Paint Action...

Since Darryl took the girls fishing both Saturday and Sunday, that left sister over here with a little free time. Sure, lots of cleaning and the organizing of my pantry (which I'm still gloating over...) left me feeling awesome because this chick simply loves the feeling that progress & productivity leaves this little heart of mine. However, there's just something about getting your hands all splattered with colorful paint and watching the transformation of flea market finds come to life.

It was such a beautiful day yesterday, perfect weather to throw down a sheet outside, grab all sorts of thrifting goodies, & just go to town!

The before's...
I scored this little chair at Goodwill about a year ago, yeah... it's been waiting on me for that long. Snatched this baby up for $5.00. I knew it had potential for Aspen.

This is a Ballard Designs "C" that I scored at the Flea Market a few weeks ago for $3.00.

I fell in love with the frame of this mirror at the flea market. My little $5 beauty... I knew she would be beautiful with some color. :)

My $2 ugly picture that I saw the potential in at the flea market. I really liked the frame & since we're fixing up an extra side-room in Aspen's room for her "office area", I knew I could add some paint to this bad boy, and turn it into a cheap cork-board for her.

here's the ugly frame after I removed the ugliness of the 1982 picture :) See the potential? Yeah, me too.

during...

After...amazing what a little spray paint magic can do, no? :) I found a brown cushion at Walmart for Aspen's desk chair for $5.00. It wasn't exactly what I had in mind, looking for something with a little more color, but it will do for now. :) Couldn't beat the price!

Here's the after of the mirror w/ the funky frame. I took out the mirror, & splashed it with some watermellon paint. Loved how this one came out!

This was the ugly 1980 picture. I'm off to Micheal's today to turn it into a corkboard for my girl! She loves it!

and next... sister will be transforming these little beauty's:

I found another mirror (the smaller one pictured above) at Goodwill last week for $6 that looks almost identical to the one I found at GW last year that I ended up painting turqoiuse. I was quite excited :) Have some plans in this mind for both of these little guys. Courtney's dresser is on the agenda soon as well... so, stay tuned!

Progress is a beautiful thing!

Flea Market Finds....

Here's a little peak at the flea market finds I stumbled across. It's so funny that I use to see stuff like this & pass by it, thinking that it was just junk. Oh, how naive one can be. NOW when I pass by this kind of stuff my heart skips a beat & I see POTENTIAL. I see something that might not look so pretty now, but with a little paint & a little TLC, ah... beauty just waiting to be revealed. :) I'm excited.

I've been on a mad hunt for wooden crates like this one. I found several at another Flea Market, but at $40/pop- you must be crazy! This little bad boy was $7. I just need another one the same size and my idea for it can be put into action. There are plenty more at the flea market I found these, but all the other ones I found were at least $15, so I'm holding out until I find another one a little bit cheaper- I'm good like that. :) Do you see the awesome "vienna" picture frame? You may have to click on the photo to enlarge it--LOVE the distressed frame & it's shabbiness look, but the theme of the picture itself isn't what I'm looking for, so I'm thinking about possibly making this a cute chalkboard.. we'll see.



Fell in love with this crochet pillow- $1.50


This mac-daddy thing of lace material... $2.00, steal!


This is a small mirror (for now). I fell in love with the funky frame- such a vintage feel to it. Not sure what color this bad boy will become, but... stay tuned. :)


Wooden crate...


When you find an initial "C", well.. how you resist? It matches the letters of my "ART" sign in my room, but this little guy needs a new look, so... hello, spray paint. I also found this vintage bed skirt with eyelet & lace trim-- (love it). I have alot of uses in mind for this one :) so pretty.


I found this SUPER heavy, and really big mirror for $15--- it was originally marked at $40, but I guess the person wanted to get rid of it (took up a lot of space), and then marked it down to $15.. pfft, she must have known I was coming that day! :) I was a sight trying to pull it off the wall in the booth (hahha), but sister got it down, & used her muscles to carry it to the front of the store. At first, I had plans on spray painting the frame area and putting it in one of the girls bathrooms. But, I'm kinda diggin' the rustic/ornate look of this and may incorporate it elsewhere in the house. We shall see....


More goodies. I love that white picture frame, but... thinking it might need a splash of color, we'll see. :) And if your eyes didn't spot that [ugly-ugly] picture in the background, then I really don't know what's wrong with you. :) The frame (and price) is what caught my eye on this little pretty. We are setting up Aspen's desk area & I knew that this would be perfect for either a cork board or a chalkboard. Spray paint that baby, and bring it to life! At $2.00, how can you go wrong? My point exactly....everything has potential people, everything....




This wire basket stole my heart.... always looking for cute storage solutions for paper crafting goodies, and this is perfect.


love this...


I had so much fun. I passed on several things that made me smile.. I went back to the same booth no less than (3 times) because I was contemplating a certain idea but didn't want to shell out $20 for it. One of those things that you want, but only if it's at a good price, ya know? I'm funny like that. I also found a really nice shelving unit for $35 that would be perfect for Aspen's desk area--- but, I didn't want to have to deal with loading it up in the car so, I figure if it's still there when I go back then I can snatch it. If not, not a big deal. :)

I am offically obsessed with flea markets now-- such awesome finds. There are several around our area... 2 really big ones that I've been wanting to check out, so.. hopefully I can get to those soon. :) I want to reface these projects before I go & start stocking up on more. :)

So, stay tuned for "before & after" pictures of these suckers.... :) I'm excited.

Recap of the week...

... it's been an entire week since I've sat down at the computer long enough to actually post. This past week was non-stop... I seriously felt like all I did was go-go-go. Some of it was partly due to Darryl moving into his new office, some due to just life as a busy mom, busing kids here, there, and everywhere in-between. But, some of it was brought on myself. I did a lot of extra running around last week that just did me in. Fun, yes... but neccessarly needed? no. I know how much I need down time.. a slower pace, if you will. I find that when I don't allow myself to slow down, it starts to take a toll on me. I've been more tired that usual, a little bit on the snappy side, too. I don't like that. So, hello, new week! I greet you with a smile & welcome the opportunity to slow down as much as possible over the next few days. I find that even one down day does a world of difference, so... hello, Monday... it's very nice to see you!

Bootcamp & Kickboxing kicked my butt again, but.... well worth it in the end. :) Bootcamp class was packed, & I had a new lady next to me on one side, and a girl I talk to quite a bit on the other side. I warned the new lady to hold onto her britches, because this class was pure insanity. I noticed she was struggling in the beginning, so I was worried about if she could hang. I'm telling you, this class is not for the light hearted---> our instructor is all business!. After about 5-7min., when she told us to grab our heavy weights... we get back to our spot and I noticed the new lady was gone. I thought, "hmm, maybe she just went to the restroom, she'll be back". But then another 5min. passes, then she tells us to grab our medicine balls, that we're going out to the gym (lunges w/ the medicine ball, and laps.. lots & lots of laps w/ the medicine ball). I look over at the other girl who I work out beside & said, "Um, I think we lost our new friend" she then proceeded to share that another lady bailed & said, "They're dropping like flies!" Her friend was cracking me up.. we were doing the lunges across the gym & she piped up & said, "This is like an abusive relationship... you just keep coming back for more!" I was laughing so hard.. she was a hoot, such a cut-up you have no idea! Class was tough, as always, but so amazingly exzilerating! I love it! Tomorrow (Tuesday) is bootcamp again... [excited].

Remember how I was inspired by this DIY beauty:

and how I was toying around with the idea of gettin' all funky with some yellow paint & re-facing the Armour that is just sitting out in my garage? This little beauty inspired me & I so wanted something similar for my craft room. I showed the picture to D and he was on board and told me to go for it! Well, mid-week I just happened to go on Craigslist & check out the furniture section. I had just peeked in on a DIY/Decorating blog that I follow and she scored a free dresser on there and refaced it into the most amazing piece. I was inspired, so... onto Craiglist I went. I was going through a few listings that caught my eye & then THIS little cutie just sat there... starring back at me:

It was JUST the color & style I had in mind! Call it fate, if you must! And, the price was too good to pass up! I called the husband, because well... I'm good like that, telling him how I found this beautiful yellow hutch that is distressed, and yellow (yes, I shared that it was yellow at least 10 times in that one conversation), and how it was just perfect! He told me to call the guy and tell him that I wanted it. So, I called & left a message. No answer. I emailed me, no response. I called him again.... basically begging him to call me back. Notta. I wanted that hutch. So, I called him.. again... made some funny about not being a stalker, I swear, but how I really-really-really want that hutch, that it's perfect. After 3 hours, he called me back & sister drove 25min. to a flea market to look at it. LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT! I remember calling Chelcey, squealing that the dude called me back, she was freaking out about him being some Craiglist killer (come on, we all think it....), but I told her relax- it's at a Flea Market and if it looks shady, I'll leave. Promise. :) He wasn't a killer, and the place wasn't shady.. it's now actually my favorite flea market EVER.. and, my beautiful new yellow, distressed hutch was delivered that afternoon. [love].



I woke up Friday just knowing I had to go back to that Flea Market-- they had so much vintage-goodness there that my heart & mind was racing. When I went to go see the hutch a few days earlier, I literally had 10min. to spare before I had to drive back home & start picking up my crew, so... no time to look. I did a quick run through the store & spotted so many awesome things and their prices were AWESOME! So, Friday I stopped by another Flea Market not far from my house called "Peddlers Mall", I have a favorite booth in there-- lots of cool shabby chic/vintage finds. Scored a few more of some chalkboard tags that I bought a few weeks back, then left in a hurry so I would have plenty of time to shop at the Flea Market 25min. away. I found so many good finds while I was there. I swear I was walking around that place with a smile plastured on my face, sister LOVES vintage stuff---> and I LOVE thrifting more than you know. The thrill of the hunt? ah.. nothing like it. :) I looked at my phone & boy, did time get away from me fast! I only made it to half the store, with a cart full of vintage pretties, & it was time for me to go. Several ladies in the check-out line commented on what awesome things I found :) I was bouncing off the walls, big smile on my face, held up my BIG 'ole mirror, announcing in shock, "This is only $15, I have big plans for this beauty!" I had lots of people smiling because they probably have never seen someone so giddy before in all their life. :) I'm excited. Now, I just need to spend less time shopping/hunting, and more time doing/making. I have spray paint projects galore, the decorating of my craft room,... so---> maybe this will be the week. :) I will share all my flea market finds in my next post. I haven't taken pictures yet, so... keep your eyes peeled. :)[giddy].

Friday evening Savannah had a swimming party to go to. She was quite excited about this one, let me tell ya! We were dashing out the door when I realized we needed a card (oops!). I did what any crafter would do, I ran downstairs, and threw one together...in literally minutes. Cardstock & stickers, you saved the day! Nothing fancy, but c'mon.. the thing will get thrown away, anyways. :)

Problem #2: No envelope that the card would fit in I simply used the cellophane that some letter stickers came in, put the card in it, folded over, sealed with a sticker- voila! Perfect fix. Free Card.

After we took Savannah to the party, Aspen & Addi and I headed off to the Mall. Yes, the mall.. on a Friday night. I know, um, shoot me now, already, right? I knew it would be nuts, but the girls asked to go and since Savannah was off swimming, it was the least we could do. We had a good time, though. Lots of smiles and that's what it's all about. We watched Savannah swim for a bit, then headed home.... late, 9:30pm, but everyone had a good time, so all was good!





Saturday morning we had a soccer game. It was FREEZING outside, wet and cold.. but, we all survived. :) Darryl had the Men's Ministry group help over at the new office, and then had their church board meeting there. It was the first game that he missed and wouldn't you know it... the first game that Addison made a goal! Aspen was on fire, too... she scored 4 goals. Addi & Aspen are maniacs out on that field, let me tell you! Aspen even hit the ball off her head, Addi blocks it with her leg, it's crazy! I had several parents come up to me afterwards to tell me how good the girls are :) made me smile. We won, 5-4 and they were so pumped after the game. :) I love soccer season just as much as they do, lots of fun!






We stopped for lunch, headed off to Bullet county to pick up Courtney from a friend (another 20min. drive), then headed off to Darryl's office to help unload/unpack. He has a BIG meeting on Weds. of this upcoming week, so they are trying to get everything set up, functionable, before then. LOTS of work, let me tell ya! He's been working 7am-10pm every night... non-stop. He's SO tired, it's not even funny.

Sunday morning Darryl headed off to the office, so I took the girls to church. After church I had to run out & get all the guys lunch at the office, then I took the girls swimming. :) They had a blast.



That evening, as I was cooking dinner, Chelcey joined me. She found a recipe for lasgana roll-ups, and was excited to try it for her and Sean. So, we both cooked, chatted about life & life plans, and did a lot of laughing :) It was nice.

The Invisible Fence dude showed up on Tuesday to install Sammy's fence. He's doing really well with it. The collar is only set on a beeping sound right now, but Sammy doesn't like it, so he learned real quick not to cross the flags. Even when I don't have the collar on him & I'm walking him in the backyard, he will look at one of the flags, just sit down, and then look around our entire yard as if he's taking in where all the other flags are. He really is a smart dog. Weds. of this week the trainer comes out to work with him & to set the collar on the lowest correction. (eek). Not looking forward to that, to be honest with you. Right now, it's only a beeping noise.. after Weds. it will be a "zap". Then, the next visit will be an increase in the correction. Poor Sam-Sam. BUT, I know how much happier he will be once he's fully trained out there & can run free. Hopefully he will keep up this fast learning pace & he won't have to get zapped more than a few times to "get it", ya know? Poor, puppy....

Okay, have something on my heart that I want to share, but Darryl just called and asked me to come out to the office. So, need to throw myself together (so much for bumming out in a sweatshirt all day, ah... big plans of nothingness, how you failed me so.) Sister needs to bail, so......

enjoy your day... & hopefully I can share more later this evening. It's testing week for the girls this week so you know what that means...no homework!. THAT is a small dose of happiness right there, let me tell ya. :) So, I should hopefully have a little more downtime this week.. wish me luck. :)