My mom says, "Hurry up and get something up besides that last depressing blog post about Maggie being gone."  My sister says, "I'm stalking you waiting for something new on your blog!" You want to know what I say to that... jeesh, don't you guys have anything better to do??
Or maybe I'm just a little bit flattered that anyone notices. I don't know what's going on. Life I guess, and not neccesarily the kind of stuff that's all that interesting to write or read about.  But THIS weekend, on the other hand, will be supahfun.  A birthday, a baptism, Easter, a barbeque, and grandparents and cousins coming to town.  I'm totally ready for a little break from the norm.

In the midst of all of life's business, I've recently accomplished one itty bitty fun project - the first one in what feels like a million years.  So for the record, look! Look now.

This little crusty Goodwill table got a makeover. My friend recently moved to Hawaii and when she left she brought me a big box of spraypaint that she couldn't take on the plane.  She was like, "Do you think you'd want any of this stuff?" And I was like, "Do you even have to ask?!" There were some great colors in there.

Including this lovely green...



It isn't nearly as sea foamy colored as it looks in the picture. It matches the window treatments better than it looks. Really.



I'm loving the light fresh color.  And for you detail-oriented people, you might notice I swapped out the window treatments for the ones from the family room.  It feels so much brighter in this room now. Perfect for Spring.

Now I'm off to wash sheets and mop floors. The fun's about to begin!

There hasn't been much time for blogging...I've been too busy picking paint out of my arm hairs and getting to know my new birthday electric sander.  My birthday is still a couple of weeks away, but I needed the sander NOW!  And I love it - I'm pretty sure it's the most romantic birthday present Reas has ever given me.  I've been gathering projects left and right over the last few days that were going undone since last year when our sander quite literally blew up in my hands. Power tools - gotta love them...except when that happens.

I've been anxious to tackle this hand me down side table.  When we were given it 8 years ago, it was pine color.  Then it went black, then all white.

And THEN let it dry some more before bringing it in, so we don't all come away with highs from the fumes.  What was technically supposed to be another 24 hours turned out to be about 8, but it wasn't all that stinky.  Who does things the technical way, anyway?

Staining is actually pretty easy.  And the directions are all right on the cans. Pretty much you just wipe it all on with rags in nice even strokes.  The hardest part is being patient enough to let it dry between steps.  I always skimp on the dry times, but I figure on a warm sunny day with 0% humidity, it's fine.

Here's my almost finished table - it still needs a fresh coat of paint on the legs, but you get the idea. Claire was sure to tell me that she does NOT approve.  She wishes it were blue - way to rain on my parade.  I honestly am a little scared to see the home this girl makes for herself someday.

Recently I found this beauty at Goodwill for $20 in all its crusty glory. It was very well loved, but the solid oak made it impossible for me to just keep walking.



After sanding it down I took my trusty foam roller to it with Behr's paint and primer in one. Now that I've used that paint for a couple of projects I swear by it. Since the cabinet was missing its shelves, I had the saw guy at Home Depot cut some for me (about $5). It looks like there used to be glass shelving since there's lighting at the top of the cabinet, but the idea of glass pretty much freaks me out considering curious little hands are lurking about. I decided to go with wood.

And here it stands...

Lucky for me, the existing hardware looked a million times better after the paint job so I didn't even have to switch it out.



Love it!

And just for fun, I'm going to show the little makeover of that star sitting on the shelf. It used to be brick red. It was really starting to bug me.  I used to have this thing with brick red and it began popping up everywhere in my house.  Everywhere.  And when I say "used to" I mean like last year.  I know, I know...I'm very noncommittal when it comes to color.  Some might think it's a problem.  Say, like a husband who keeps hearing about new ideas for rooms that he thinks were just recently redone.  It's never too soon for a little makeover, honey.

Anyway, now I'm getting bored of red...brick red, not red red. I like red red.  In fact, red red is part of my new plan for the toy room, which I hope to be starting soon.  Sorry brick red.  You were a good friend for a while, but it's time for me to move on.  Unfortunately, I'm going to be un-brickredifying my house for a while. 

The star used to look like this: a lot of red and a lot of boring.

When junk is 100% free it makes it a little easier to look past small cosmetic imperfections...like crusted on Fruity Pebbles which take a chisel to remove.  This table was sitting out on the sidewalk calling to me.  Really.  I heard it say, "Pleeeeeeease take me home with you Carrie!  I'll be perfect for your cute little kids to craft on in the toy room."  How could I resist a plea like that? And honestly, this picture makes the table look pretty good.  Believe me when I say it was beyond sickening.

So first things first.  I knocked on the door because I thought that would be the polite thing to do.  You know, thank the strangers for so generously giving up their disgusting table.  Secretly, I think the lady was thinking, "you really want this? I kind of just put it out there hoping the trashman would take it."   Ohhh no lady.  You don't know half the junk I take pride in owning.  I told her I was going to quick go put Lily down for a nap and then I'd be back to get it.  I left with a "hopefully no one else takes it while I'm gone."  Um. She was probably laughing hysterically after that comment.  I'm pretty sure there was zero chance of anyone even looking twice at this table.  But, you never know how many more of me's are out there.  So I ran home, got Lily to sleep, was just about to head down the street again, and the doorbell rang.  And who do you think it was?  Why, the junky table delivery service of course!  She carried the table to my doorstep...alone!  I don't know how she managed.  The table's not that small.  She was highly motivated though - I think she was afraid I might change my mind. 

So after lots of scraping of grime and fruity pebbles and other unrecognizable gunk, and then bleach and more bleach, and then triple rinsing, and THEN a coat of paint...here stands the unwanted pefect craft table.  Your loss lady.  Maybe I should take her cookies or something.
 


For the record, I used my quart size Benjamin Moore black paint that I used for the front door and Maggie's headboard.  I'm telling you, this stuff never runs out!  It's amazing to say the least.

Now I just need to find some worthy chairs...on the sidewalk of course.  Not sure how long those preschool sized ones are going to cut it.

Just one more story about this table.  Later that day I was so excited to call up Reas and tell him what I found.  I was fully prepared to get laughed at as he is not quite as dedicated to the junk rescuing program as I am.  I said, "Hey!  Guess what I brought home today!"  And instead of the "uuuuh-ohhhh" that I usually get, he said, "Is it that table I saw on the way to work?  I thought it looked like something you'd take and bring home to paint and make it look brand new." 

Ohhhhhh.  Isn't that just the sweetest.  He thinks I do good.

I've been on the prowl for a good long time for a dresser for Maggie's new room. Why are dressers so ridiculously expensive? I could buy like 300 value menu chicken nuggets for the cost of a new dresser. That's why I rarely do new. Besides, new doesn't give me nearly the same rush as transforming does. I'm happy to report that I totally scored a great dresser!

Let me give you the story. This dresser had a $50 price tag at DI. It's super solid, very well built, but still $50 seemed like a lot for a thrift store. Soooo....I decided to have a chat with Lee. You might remember Lee from this post. Back then he was Leland, but since that time our business relations have blossomed and I just call him Lee. I asked Lee when the next mark downs would take place and he said they were trying to clear out everything by that night. So right then and there, he changed the price to $35!!

Seriously. Sometimes you just have to ask.

I love the paint and primer in one - for obvious reasons. Less work and less drying time between coats of primer and paint. It's $15 for a quart at Home Depot which was more than enough for this project. I have plenty left over for touch-ups or even another project!


Now we're one step closer to a finished bedroom.

I'm up to my eyeballs in a full room makeover for Maggie. She's leaving the little girly pink room that she and Claire have been sharing and moving into her own room. I'm kind of feeling all nostalgic-like about it, like it's "Wendy's last night in the nursery" or something. Lots of little things are all adding up to remind me that she's growing up and I'm not sure I like it so much.

I think it spruced up quite nicely.

And I love, love, LOVE the paper. I think I could put it everywhere. I'll try to resist.

One project down, about 28 to go!

I think I must be making up for lost time while being sick because I can't sit still. If I'm not right in the middle of a project, then I feel lost. I'm sure it won't last long, with my growing belly and all. But for now, it's loads of fun.


Last week we had the bathrooms and laundry room tiled!!! After moving in in January, we knew the floors needed to be replaced right away, but there wasn't much left in the budget so we tried those peel and stick vinyl squares. Would NOT recommend them if you can avoid it, even if the fixer uppers on HGTV swear by them. They look nice at first, but don't be deceived - it won't last. So, we SAY we got tile for my birthday, but really it's because the in-laws are coming for Thanksgiving - shhh, don't tell. Being the crazy go-getter that I am, I always love a good excuse to get projects done. So when Reas had to pull the washer and dryer out, I thought it would be good timing to finally paint the very boring white walls.

I hacked the shelf apart and bought some new shelf supports. Cheap-O Wal-Mart ones, but they work.


This is my little red hangy thingy that I am quite fond of. It's actually the front piece of a drawer from my childhood dresser. I had that thing so long that I just couldn't part with it - or ALL of it at least. It pretty much fell apart in my hands, as you can see. But here it is, being all useful like. I glued on an extra knob in the middle.








I found this super cute yellow pot set at DI - not sure what to do with them quite yet, but they make me smile nonetheless.






So with the new shelving originating from the sidewalk, my DI beautifying accessories, and some stuff I already had, I now have a laundry room oasis. If only there were room for a comfy chair.