Help Needed!

Hi y'all! I need your help! I got this little beauty at a flea market a couple of weeks ago and I still haven't figured out what to do with it!

 It's in really good condition and appears to be from the 1930's.

This is so rare for me to not be inspired immediately after buying a piece of furniture! I knew I had to have it when I saw it, but I just can't tell what color to paint it. I have toyed with the idea of a white or cream but just haven't felt like that's the look I'm going for....any ideas out there?

Help is much appreciated!!! :-)

"When you lie down, you will not be afraid, when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet." Proverbs 3:24

Unexpected Treasures

Last weekend the Future Hubster and I ventured to the stockyards in Fort Worth to watch my Dad run his first full marathon. As we were pulling into the parking lot I saw this sign...

I thought to myself, "Now this is my kind of marathon!" It turns out that they have this flea market each weekend at the stockyards! I just know that Future Hubster was as thrilled as I was ;-) He was a trooper and went with me as we explored the flea market. He even got the camera and took a few pictures while I was browsing!

Right as we were walking out the door I found this booth...it was completly full of different fabric! I ended up getting several different toile patterns! I spent $11 and got about 6 yards of fabric! Here are two of the toile patterns I got.

To the left is a pale blue and brown and the fabric on the right is a cream and brown toile. I just love both of these. Do I have any idea what I'm doing with these? Nope! I'm sure I'll find something! :-)

Now for the real reason I was at the stockyards...my Dad's marathon!!!

I'm so proud of him! Here he is finishing!

He makes 26.2 miles look easy!

 

Way to go Dad! :-)

The moral to my story is...always keep your eyes peeled for great deals! You never know where they might pop up!

“No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees.” Hebrews 12:11-13



From Trash to Treasure

Today I'm linking up with Kelly's blog, Kelly's Korner, to share what I make. I'm also linking up to Funky Junk, My Romantic Home, and The Shabby Nest! :-)

Although fixing up furniture doesn't technically count as "making" something, I feel that I transform the furniture into a brand new piece each time I restore or fix it! I'm still a newcomer in the furniture restoration business, so I'm going to share the projects I have completed so far. I am going to start with the first piece of furniture I ever fixed up! I wanted a new headboard, and after much research I found this beauty for $40. I knew that I wanted it to be white, and this old brass headboard was the perfect candidate!

{BEFORE}

{AFTER}

I painted it outside, and had to use my planters to hold down the tarp..it was really windy that day!

Here the headboard is in the bedroom. I just love the way it fits! And with this picture I will introduce my next "rescue" project! I don't know if I've talked about my love for Craigslist before...but I LOVE CRAIGSLIST! My favorite pieces of furniture have come from Craigslist. I had been looking for nightstands FOREVER, when one day I was on Craigslist in my favorite section, Antiques, and I saw these beauties...$30 for both, such a steal!

{BEFORE}

Here they are before I gave them a little TLC, can't you see the potential there?

{AFTER}

All these night stands needed was a little bit of sanding and some wood rejuvinating oil.

 

This is the kind I use, WATCO rejuvenating oil, if you fix up furniture at all I highly recommend it!

Another one of my little projects that I am proud of is an unfinished bookshelf that I stained and finished! I sadly don't have a true before picture because it slipped my mind! Here it is mid-staining!

{BEFORE}

I stained it with Minwax Red Oak, before the wood was VERY light...completly unfinished. Here it is after the second coat of stain and with the lining on the backs of the shelves!

{AFTER}

To line the back of this bookshelf I simply got scrapbook paper and used Modge Podge to apply and seal it! It wasn't as easy as it sounds, I had to use several pieces of scrapbook paper and match up all of the vertical lines. It was quite the process, but I love the end result! Here it is in my bedroom.

I love how it turned out! It's just the perfect size!

This next project was a random Goodwill find. Future Hubster and I were running errands and I saw this sitting outside and just had to go look. It turns out it was only $9! Which I think is a great deal for an ANTIQUE Sears & Roebuck sewing machine cabinet! It didn't include the actual sewing machine, but I was fine with that...I had other plans for it :-)

{BEFORE}

{AFTER}

Here it is in it's current location...as a vanity table in my bedroom!

It's just so cute in the corner of my room! :-)

One of the projects that I am the most proud of is the transformation of my kitchen table and chairs.

 I've already done a blog about them...that story can be found HERE!

Here are a few of my non-furniture projects that I've worked on. The first is a cute little frame that I made myself!

For this I used a frame I already had and backed it with scrapbook paper and then added a "Keep Calm and Carry On" image I got from The Graphics Fairy. If you haven't visited her blog yet...YOU SHOULD!!! :-)

I love chalkboard paint and haven't had enough places to use it...but I did create a cute little chalkboard from an ugly rooster hanging.

I've already blogged about it and you can view the transformation HERE!

I hope you enjoyed looking at a few of my transformations! I love fixing furniture and my obsession has only grown since I started. I'm currently working on several projects that I can't wait to share. I posted a sneek peek of an antique High Back chair I'm working on...you can read about that HERE. I also have an antique vanity and highboy dresser I will be working on soon! I hope you'll keep up with my progress and share any tips or tricks you've learned! Thanks for stopping by!

"All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty." Proverbs 14:23

Sneek Peek...

This is just a little sneek peek at my newest project! Now remember, I said "sneak peek" therefore no pictures of the whole chair!

Don't you just LOVE the orange velour seat?! ;-) I bought this little beauty at the flea market a couple of weeks ago. I think..no I KNOW the Future Hubster thought I was insane for wanting this chair, but he was a trooper and carried it all the way back to the car for me! I could see beyond the hideous orange velour seat, chips and cracks. The best part....it was only $5!

Yes, that's right.....$5! The man at the flea market had it listed at $59.00 originally, then $14.50..but I got it for $5!

I just love the detail and coloring!

The back of this chair is to die for, it's just so elegant.

Can you tell a girl was working on this project? ;-) There are some places on the back of the chair that needed to be bonded together again, so I got out the trusty wood glue! Gotta love the pink clips to help hold wood glue together!

I went into the fabric store looking for toile, and I came out with this lovely. I am in LOVE with the boldness of this pattern, I think that I am going to like having this in one spot. It's beautiful and I feel like it will fit in nicely in my future kitchen or living room :-) I am obviously in love with blues and yellows, they just jump out at me! I hope you enjoyed the teaser! I should be finishing up the project soon, I just need to recover the chair and it will be done. I am so excited to show you the final product :-) Have a great week everyone!

"Let love and faithfulness never leave you, bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart" Proverbs 3:3

Fantastic Flea Market Find!

Today was an amazing day to go to the flea market! We had beautiful weather and a ton of people were out. I usually don't find much at my flea market, but today was an exception. There were TOO many things I wanted to take home with me! The problem is that I am obsessed with furniture. Especially older/antique furniture, I love breathing new life into them and finding ways for them to fit into my home. As Future Hubster and I were walking around I saw a vanity that I just adored. It needed to be sanded down and repainted, which is one of my favorite things to do so I wouldn't mind that. It was just very cute and I almost instantly got an image in my head of what I wanted it to look like. The man selling it was askign $40 for it, which I though was a little high. So Future Hubster and I walked around to think. On our way back to take a second look I spotted something I just knew I couldn't live without. The cutest little rocking chair. Funny enough, it was being sold by the same man! He only wanted $15 for it and I said "Deal!". I did some research on rocking chair's and found some interesting information, this is a model similar to the Thonet Bentwood Rocking Chair and they are apparently very valuable and worth MUCH more than $15! 

Do any of you have a Thonet Bentwood rocker, or know more about them?

I found some antiques that are listed for upwards of $3,000! On Ebay there is a painting of one of these chairs that is listed for $625! What in the world did I stumble upon? :-)

I am going to paint and recover this little gem. I am SO EXCITED to get to work on it! I am thinking about recovering it with a brown gingham fabric and I'm not sure about the paint color yet. Possibly dark brown. I LOVE the look of toile and gingham together so my hopes are to have toile curtains someday with a gingham chair in the room.

Here is some more detail of the chair, I just can't get over how beautiful it is! Oh, please excuse the dust bunnies...I was just so excited to take pictures of it, I didn't dust it! :-)

There are a few nicks and dings, but those can be sanded out before painting :-)

I just love all of the curves and swirls. It's official, I'm in love with my newest find!

"The path of the riteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day" Proverbs 4:18

Dream Kitchen in the Making

For a while now I've known that I want a blue and yellow french country kitchen. I can picture the white cabinets with pops of yellow and blue here and there. When I refinished my kitchen table and chairs this summer I just knew that someday they would feel right at home amongst the yellows and blues in my kitchen. My current kitchen is quite small and has wallpaper that has hints of red in it. Therefore my kitchen now does not match my dream kitchen vision. Which I'm fine with, I'm more than happy to hoard blue and yellow items that will make their debut when future hubster and I move into our new house! :-) Here is a picture of a kitchen I ADORE...I want this kitchen!

Aren't those sunflowers to die for? So cute! I also have a slight obsession with toile , my current house doesn't have any...that will all change with my next house. Future Hubster...look out :-) This next kitchen is also SO PRETTY.

I love the chandiler, how fun is that?! I am also in LOVEEE with their curtains!!!

Here's one more, just for me to drool over :-) I think my favorite thing about this kitchen is the chair that is seated at the island. I also love the white "brick" tiles above the stove. I don't picture my kitchen with yellow cabinets but overall I love this kitchen too! Here are some of the things I have compiled for my blue and yellow kitchen!

I just love this, it's a little urn with a lid. Don't let the picture fool you, it's actually quite a good size...I think I would love to have some sunflowers in this! :-)

How fun is this bowl?! My mom, knowing I want a yellow and blue kitchen one day, got me a ton of kitchen accessories in these colors! I just love this bowl!

Here are a few of the cute towels my mom got me.

These even came with a cookie cutter! :-)

I got this adorable basket at Marshalls for only $9!

What could be more "French Country" than these plates? I got a set of four of them at $3 a peice....I'm going to go back to get four more to have a whole set... :-) I haven't decided if I am going to use these to eat off of though...I think they might be prettier hung up on the wall! I feel like I'm off to a good start and will hopefully have plenty of accessories to decorate my future kitchen with. On a completly different note...if you weren't convinced by my last post that Gracie is a complete brat then look at the pictures below...

I was attempting to get a cute picture of her...but she decided she didn't want anything to do with that. I thought the tounge sticking out was just a cute coincidence....

I am convinced that THIS was no coincidence, this was intentional...she is such a little stinker! :-) After working with 6 & 7 year olds all day, I come home to this! hehe It makes me smile though, I hope this brightened your day!

This week has been very stressful for me so far, and it's only TUESDAY!

The bible verse I am sharing today really helped me relax and remember that, at the end of the day....I am not in control. So if you're having "one of those days" just take a deep breath, remember that there is a greater plan in place and that everything will work out just the way that he has intended it to.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

Fun Finds!

Why is it that when you go out shopping and you're not really looking for anything, you find plenty to buy?! Today the Future Hubster and I went out to a few of our...okay...my favorite stores. :-) The first stop was to The Liquidators, a neat little store that always has great deals.

It carries overstocked, discontinued, or slightly damaged items and I usually find something interesting!

If you read Shanon's blog, Bless Our Nest, she talks about a store they have in Arkansas called Oops. Her store is so much cooler than my little store, her's is full of overstocked home goods! The Liquidators has a very small section of home goods, but I was lucky and found some beautiful picture frames today!

I just couldn't buy one, I picture these two complementing each other wherever I decide to put them. I doubt they will go up in my current house, I think they might get put with the rest of my "future home decor" that I have in my office closet. I am currently hoarding lots of cute home decorations that I'm saving for after the Future Hubster and I move into our new home as newlyweds! I just can't wait for that.

I am always on the lookout for teaching supplies that I can use when I have my own classroom next year. I was thrilled to find that The Liquidators had some teaching supplies today!!!

This Calendar Kit is SO CUTE! It has a large calendar with adorable month titles, seasonal stickers, cut outs, and even came with books about the seasons and crafts for kids! The best part...it was only $11! Talk about a steal, I am in love...I wish I had a classroom to put it up in now!

I also found this adorable little mailbox that teaches kids how to write letters! It was only $2! I just can't wait to have a classroom of my own to store all of the things I buy! My office is bursting at the seams with teaching supplies, materials, and books! Another plus..The Liquidators is conveniently located right next to one of my favorite places on earth..Hobby Lobby :-)

I love nothing more than strolling the aisles of "HobLob", as I lovingly refer to it! Today I had the pleasure of doing just so with the Future Hubster in tow...let me tell you, there's nothing like going through Hobby Lobby with a man along for the ride. He usually doesn't go with me, and was actually great company and I think he had fun! Although, if you were to ask him I'm sure he would deny that ;-) I was lucky enough to find a pair of iron candle holders that were marked way down.

They were originally $24.99 a peice but I got them for $8.49 each! They are missing the glass section that is supposed to hold the candle, but I think it will be a fun challange to find the perfect glass candle holder to fit them! I have also started to look for blue and white or blue and yellow items beause I want my future kitchen to be blue, yellow and white. For Christmas this year my mom got me a bunch of towels, bowls and other items in those colors for my future kitchen! Today at Hobby Lobby I found the cutest little blue and white decorative jar?(for lack of a better term!)

I'm not sure what it's official name is but it was on sale for $2.50 and I just had to have it! All in all it was a very successful day, and don't worry I got dragged into...I mean went with ;-) Future Hubster to the Army Navy Surplus Store AND Academy Sports and Outdoors.  So he got his fair share of "boy shopping" in! I can't wait for tomorrow to go to...The Flea Market!!! :-) Hopefully this good shopping fortune continues!

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11