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Sunday, July 31, 2011

Darling Coffee Table Redo

Hi All,
Hope you enjoyed the last weekend in July.  Can you believe it?  Time has flown by.
I will share how Hubby and I spent our Saturday, but first up is a sweet redo.
I fought off a lady at a Goodwill a few months ago to snag this baby.
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It is a beautiful, double pedestal coffee table.  It just needed some paint.
Out came the Paris Gray.
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I distressed the legs and just the edges of the table.
Better, but not great.
Out came the Old White.
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Ah, much better. 
Here she sits in my space, painted and waxed and ready for a new home.
Another benefit to chalk paint – if you do not like the first round of paint, simply paint right over it!
Have a great day!
XO-
Shannon
Debbiedoo's blogging and blabbingDittle DattleHome Savvy
Remodelaholic Friday @ Remodelaholic

Friday, July 29, 2011

Good Fortune

I rarely post on the weekends, but I had to share my good fortune!

A few days ago I scored dishes from Goodwill that were Pottery Barn.  The set was incomplete, but it was still available in stores, so I was trying to gear myself up to pay retail and complete my dish set.

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Ooh, they are so pretty!

So today, I pop into a different Goodwill.  And what do I see?

My dishes!

  • 8 more dinner plates for a total of 12 ( I can always have some back up)
  • 8 salad plates
  • 4 more mugs for a total of 6

Yes, my numbers do not exactly match up but I plan to have service for 8.  I left a few mugs at Goodwill, since my cabinet is overflowing with ironstone mugs that I adore. 

My new treasures are washed and put away.  The old dishes are boxed and going to the donation center in the morning!

Just a note: The dinner plates cost me $1.99/each.  If you recall, the other Goodwill only charged 59 cents/each.  Hmmm, interesting.  Apparently, each store sets their own prices. 

Hope you have a weekend filled with good fortune!

Shannon

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Stop & Smell the Lavender

Hi All,

While at the cottage I went to a farmers market.  We had high expectations since we were in Amish Country and they all have farms.  Well, it was almost a total bust.  There was squash, jewelry and misc. stuff that had nothing to do with a farm or a market.

At the end of the row, we spotted a lady with gobs of lavender.  Ooh, all was not lost!  We chatted for a bit, I purchased a few items and we went to the grocery store to get some produce.

Once home, the lavender smelled wonderful in our cozy cottage.  It even looked great.

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Isn’t it delightful on my old door?

Anyway, the next day we drove out to the lavender lady’s farm and store.  The business is officially called, “The Lavender Lane”.  It was wonderful!  She has over 300 lavender plants and 12 varieties.  You can even cook with this stuff!  Who knew?

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Look at all that beauty!  It smells amazing too!

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Lots of choices.

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Part of the farm.

I realize many of you will not make it to Northern Indiana, so I brought it back for you!

Vintage Restyled now carries large and small bundles – which are great for decorating and as I have said many, many times – smell amazing.  The lavender sachets are also available and can be placed in all the vintage furniture you have!

I am thrilled to have met the lavender lady and to be able to support her business while offering local folks authentic products that add beauty to your home.  Ooh and the smell…did I mention the smell?

XO-

Shannon

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Simple Table Makeover

I scored two lovely tables.  Neither one was too pretty to begin with.  But once they were coated in paint, that all changed.

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I liked the detail, but the finish was blah.

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Louis Blue to the rescue!

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Ignore the dead grass, I needed to be outside at this point!

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I love the detail.

The second table is a bit taller and wider than the first.  It can serve as a coffee or a side table. 

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Old White saved this one.

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So are you a blue or a white fan?

XO-

Shannon

Sharing at a few parties:

Power Of Paint @ Domestically Speaking
Swing Into Spring Wednesday @ DIY by Design
White Wednesday @ Faded Charm
Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style
Piece of Work Wednesday @  Primitive & Proper
Good Life Wednesday @ A Beach Cottage

Open House Thursday @ No Minimalist Here
Strut Your Stuff Thursday @ Somewhat Simple
Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Chic Cottage
100 Ideas Under $100 @ Beyond The Picket Fence

Furniture Feature Friday @ Miss Mustard Seed

Remodelaholic Friday @ Remodelaholic

Monday, July 25, 2011

A Thrifty Score!

When I thrift I am usually looking for things that I can sell in my space.  Today, I scored something just for me. Bonus - it needs no work.

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Aren’t they beautiful?

Not a chip or a mark!

I discovered 4 dinner plates, 2 bowls and 2 mugs.  And guess where they are from.

Pottery Barn

And guess what else…

They are current, the Emma line.  So, I will convince myself to pay retail and complete the set.

Retail is a bit hard to swallow. 

Currently, PB has 4 dinner plates for $48.  My 4 cost me $2.40.

Love it when I score!  I promise, I will make a thrifter out of all of you!

Enjoy!

Shannon

PS: This is not a one time score, earlier this year I got a complete Crate & Barrel dish set for the cottage.

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Cottage, Thrifty Finds!

A big benefit to spending a month at the lake, is all the gems that I uncovered. 

We have many Amish farms, farms in general and numerous garage sales to tap.  Most of my finds will end up in my space.

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Lovely rust.

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This Red Wing crock is a collector’s item.  Unfortunately, it’s a bit beat up, but still a great item.

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Child’s shoes.

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An old utility workers tote.

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Great crate.

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A set of these beauties from an old school.

Do you have a favorite? 

Have a great weekend!

XO-

Shannon

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Come on In

I recently shared the outside of our cottage.  Now, we invite you in.
I should mention that the cottage was originally a fishing shack that was added on and then added on again and perhaps a few more times.  Nothing is straight, level or even.  We discovered that when we remodeled last year.
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This is what you see when you enter.  The door on the right is a half bath.
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Our eating area.  Hubby built the seating area and we bought the table and chairs from our dear friends.
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Look at that beautiful oar that my sister-in-law scored for us.  The patina is amazing!
Now you walk into the kitchen area.
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Do you spot the crib spring?  Suz trash picked it for me!  I sprayed it red and now it holds photos and business cards from the lake.  The shutters are from a garage sale.
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This is the kitchen, directly across from the window above.  We scored these great cabinets at the Habitat-for-Humanity ReStore.  The island countertop was also found there.
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I snapped these pics on the way out the door, so there is no staging and random things are lying about.
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Our living area.  As you can see, the fireplace is the focal point!  You can see how we redid that here.
There is a guest room, a bunk room and our bedroom.  When we renovated last year, we did nothing to the bedrooms or bathroom.  We swore that we would come back last fall and attack one room at a time…
Maybe this fall.
We have many, many projects on the list.  But, when we get to the lake, we get in lake mode and somehow the projects don’t seem that important!
Enjoy the day & stay cool -
Shannon

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Lamont’s Sister

Hi All,

Perhaps you’re old enough to remember the tv show Sanford & Son.  If you do, then you know the old man and his son Lamont.  Well, you probably do not recall Lamont’s sister…Shannon.

Let me introduce you.  She likes to find gems, treasures and often just plain old trash.  She has BIG plans when she scoops items.  With her limited time, she usually stockpiles the beauties in the garage, which her hubby loves.

Shannon recently spent time in Northern Indiana and discovered many, many treasures in her new territory.  Some gems were stored in the shed, the cottage and others sat in the driveway.  She never realized how much she had.

Until today.

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The good news is, she made it home with little incident.

The bad – she had to leave items at the cottage.

So, there you have it…Sanford & Son & Daughter.

XO-

Shannon

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Armoire Goes Blue

We have been hooked on World Cup Soccer.  The games have been exciting and intense.  Since I was inside on beautiful days, I decided to paint while watching the games.
I decided the tv armoire needed an update.  Out came the ASCP Louis Blue.
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This is the original ‘90’s armoire.  There was a time when we liked this style (not sure I should admit that), but it was long ago.
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It goes with the knotty pine walls.  I have debated painting these walls for 4 years!  The armoire was a much easier job than the walls, so I got started.
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One coat of Louis Blue was applied right over the factory finish of the knotty pine.  Again, no sanding or priming!
It was still blah. Better but blah.  So I applied the clear wax to protect the paint and then started to apply the dark wax randomly.
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No sanding was used because I did not care for the original color on the armoire.  Instead, all the distressing was achieved with wax.
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Hardware makes all the difference!
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And here she is all nice and blue.
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I do love the Louis Blue with the dark wax.  Goodbye ‘90’s, hello cottage style!
We are wrapping up here at the cottage and heading home.  Back to reality and schedules and such.  Lots of work to be done to restock my space. 
Until next time-
XO-
Shannon
Partying with these gals:
Make It For Monday @ Cottage Instincts
Motivate Me Monday @ Keeping It Simple
Just Something I Whipped Up @ The Girl Creative
Amaze Me Monday @ Dittle Dattle 
Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps On The Porch
Debbiedoo's blogging and blabbingHOG
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm
Tuesday Treasures @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
Power Of Paint @ Domestically Speaking
Swing Into Spring Wednesday @ DIY by Design
White Wednesday @ Faded Charm
Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style
Piece of Work Wednesday @  Primitive & Proper
Good Life Wednesday @ A Beach Cottage

Open House Thursday @ No Minimalist Here
Strut Your Stuff Thursday @ Somewhat Simple
Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Chic Cottage
Furniture Feature Friday @ Miss Mustard Seed
Remodelaholic Friday @ Remodelaholic
Frugal Friday @ Shabby Nest