Archive for December, 2009
Quiet
We are in the midst of rewiring part of the house, so things will probably be quiet around here for a few more days.
I hope everyone has a wonderful New Year!
1 comment December 31, 2009
Coat of paint
Now that Christmas is over and all our gifts have been given, I’m excited to show you guys what I gave to a good friend of mine. She loves decorating her home with old-fashioned and charming touches, and I thought of her immediately when I spotted this sturdy chair at the thrift store.
After some sanding, priming, and a couple coats of pretty paint, here is what I was able to give her.
A thrifted, inexpensive chair given new life with just a little time and effort–that’s my kind of Christmas.
10 comments December 28, 2009
Tis the season
Baking.
Cleaning.
Wrapping last-minute gifts.
Enjoying moments at home and preparing for loved ones.
Wishing you and yours a very merry Christmas.
3 comments December 24, 2009
DIY Crawl Space
Since Jason is apparently never going to write about this, I thought I’d let you guys know how our crawl space project went last month.
One of the first things Jason wanted to do when we moved in was fix up the crawl space a bit, since jacking up a sagging joist and rewiring were at the top of the projects list and we would need access to the space. He looked into hiring some help, but found out that having someone come out to fix up a “clean space” was in the thousands. So we headed to Lowe’s to purchase $100 of thick clear plastic, and Jason spent a long couple of days rolling it out and taping it up. Now the crawl space is still dark and cramped, but at least it’s a whole lot cleaner.
From this:
In progress:
And, finally, this:
Now didn’t he do an awesome job?
1 comment December 22, 2009
Ask and ye shall receive
Before you head to the store (yes, even the thrift store), remember to ask your friends and family members if they might have what you need and are willing to part with it. Most of us usually have a few things taking up space in our homes that we wouldn’t feel the slightest hesitation to part with if we knew someone was in the market for them. You might know someone who has leftovers from a previous project or materials from a hobby they don’t really pursue anymore. It’s always worth it to spread the word and just ask.
Lately I’ve acquired quite a few things I was looking for just by mentioning them to others; turns out I knew plenty of generous people who didn’t need these things anymore. Here’s just a sampling…
*glue gun
*caulking gun and trim paint
*lots of miscellaneous tools
*art supplies, like watercolors and colored pencils
*paintbrush
And when you’re blessed by the generosity of others, don’t forget to listen in case they mention something they need–you just might have it lounging around in your home somewhere.
6 comments December 17, 2009
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas
This weekend I was finally bitten by the holiday bug and insisted we head outside to find a tree to cut down. We haven’t had a Christmas tree in three years, and Jason was set on having a real tree for our first Christmas in our own home. So we found one on our property, trimmed it up a bit, and voila! A free tree that will be turned into compost once the holidays are over. All the ball ornaments came from the flea market; the feathers were less than a dollar each at a local gift shop.
Thrifted records turned into popcorn bowls…
Some secondhand holiday decorations: glass ornaments in a thrifted serving piece; behind you can see glittery ornaments in a covered serving dish I picked up for $1.50, and, of course, my pear.
More glass ornaments from the thrift store…
So there’s a little bit of my holiday home–now I plan to simply enjoy the season and bask in the glow of holiday lights.
6 comments December 15, 2009
Transformation
As you can see: we are a little short on book storage at the moment:
I used to see inexpensive bookcases all the time at thrift stores, but there seems to be a drought in the area. And as any bibliophile knows, bookcases are usually expensive. So I was thrilled when I stumbled upon this little gem at a flea market for $25:
After some sprucing up, it’s already been put to work in my living room:
14 comments December 14, 2009
Winner!
Thanks for all your comments on my giveaway post. I used Random.org to discover the winning number of…#15: Tales of a Blended Family.
Congrats! An email has been sent to the winner, and I appreciate everyone who left a comment. I hope to have another giveaway soon, so check back for more!
Add comment December 11, 2009
Homestead Project #1
One of the things I was most thrilled about when it came to buying our own property was finally being able to have a compost pile outside. So it didn’t take long for me to pick up some small hay bales to form a square; then I pulled out some of the straw and placed it on the ground to make a nice dry base. Now I finally have a place for vegetable scraps, eggshells, coffee grinds, bread crusts…
I’m going to have to keep a better eye on the weather, though, because I don’t want my little pile getting too wet. I have some carpet scraps I’ll use to cover it up if there’s rain in the forecast. Hopefully by the end of the month I’ll have some composting going on!
And don’t forget to enter the giveaway!
2 comments December 9, 2009
A Thrifted Giveaway
I’ve won some fun stuff here in blogland and thought it was about time I offered up something myself, especially since the holidays are upon us. So this week I kept an eye out for some fun goodies and up for grabs is a copy of the book Nesting: It’s a Chick Thing and two handmade Christmas cards. And the best part? Not only does someone get this little package for free, the money for the book was in support of the local shelter and the cards came from Goodwill.
If you’d like to enter, just leave a comment by midnight on Thursday 12/10. I’ll draw and announce the winner on Friday. Good luck!
21 comments December 8, 2009
