Mr. Big and the Silver Mirror

Note as of September 2013 - My husband and I are now blogging over at The Home Avengers!  We made the switch because we are looking to move from our small apartment sometime in the near future.  So enjoy this post and then come visit us!

Quite some time ago I purchased this mirror at a yard sale, and got an awesome deal on it too!  Since then it's been sitting in our garage waiting for some LOVE.

Well, this past weekend it definitely got some love, in the way of Silver Rub'n'Buff!

I've been wanting to jump on the Rub'n'Buff wagon for quite some time after having seen some ahh-mazing bloggy transformations with it.

But first I had to buy some.  Here's where it gets interesting.  So Mr. BIG [FAMILY/small apartment] was heading to Home Depot and Michael's is right next door.  On his way out I told him I needed some "Rub'n'Buff", so he spun around all wide eyed and said..."You need some 'Rub In The Buff''?'

Umm, then I found myself in a quandary.  I could crush his manly desires and say 'No dear, that's not what I meant, what I'm really looking for is this silver pigmented waxy stuff...' or I could delicately word my response to ensure he knew he was my studmuffin AND that I wanted to redo my mirror today.  I chose option #2.

After he retrieved the product for me I got to work.  Here are some before shots of this mirror.  I was definitely NOT digging the gold.

It was dark, dreary and looked very dirty, even though it wasn't (cause I washed this little puppy):

So I got to work:

Progress was really slow.  I rubbed...and I buffed...and I rubbed...

All this activity at the kitchen table got Mr. BIG's attention.  Have I told you about Mr. BIG?  He's quite incorrigible.  He said "Oh honey, my shoulder really hurts, do you think it could get the mirror treatment later?" and "You missed a spot" while pointing at his back.  I could tell he wasn't done though and was still thinking about it.  After a while he made his final comment..."Maybe Rub'n'Buff is meant to be rubbed on...in the buff?".

Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

That's it ladies.  That's the answer.  Do you have a man that is less than supportive of your DIY projects?  Well, you are guaranteed to win him over by DIY'ing...in your birthday suit!

Please excuse my PG13 blog digression.  Back to my usual G rating and the mirror.

Here we are half complete - what a difference!

I also had to use a small paintbrush to get all of the details and I was pleasantly surprised with how easy it was to clean up after:

I ran out of steam at the end and had to bring in my staff:

The end result was no less than stunning!  Was a major transformation!

Wow!

So that's the story of Mr. BIG and the silver mirror.  I hope you'll keep following along as we DIY and blog our way through the appropriate and, well, slightly less-than-appropriate projects!

Until next time!

Linked To: Young House Love - Pinterest Challenge!, Ugly Duckling House - Pinterest Challenge!, Our Fifth House - Pinterest Challenge! & Bower Power - Pinterest Challenge!

BECAUSE I AM COMPLETELY AND TOTALLY OBSESSED WITH LINKY PARTIES,

YOU CAN FIND THIS POST LINKED UP HERE:

504 Main - Tickled Pink Fridays, Finding Fabulous - Frugalicious Fridays, Tater Tots and Jello - Weekend Wrap Up Party, French Country Cottage - Feathered Nest Friday, Common Ground - Vintage Inspiration, At The Picket Fence - Inspiration Fridays, Funky Junk Interiors - Saturday Nite Special, Romantic Home - Show and Tell Fridays, Delicate Construction - Delicately Constructed Fridays, Redoux Interiors - Fridays at Redoux, Shaken Together Life - What's Shakin' Link Party, Chic on a Shoestring - Flaunt It Friday, Liz Marie Blog - Link Up With Liz Marie, Miss Mustard Seed - Furniture Feature Friday, Shabby Art Boutique - Shabbilicious Friday, Maiden D'Shade - Maiden D'Shade Fridays, Too Much Time - Get Schooled Saturdays, Passion Parade Friday, 2805 - Potpourri Friday, Rooted in Thyme - Simple and Sweet Fridays, Be Different Act Normal - Show and Tell Saturday, Debbie Doos - Power of Pinterest Party, I Heart Naptime - Sundae Scoop, Flamingo Toes - Think Pink Sunday, My 1929 Charmer - Sunday's Best, Under The Table and Dreaming - Sunday Showcase Party, Twigg Studios - Sunday Showoff Party, Debbie Doos - Newbie Party, Mommy Sweet Confessions - Sunday Link Party, Nifty Thrifty Things - Nifty Thrifty Sunday, DIY Showoff - DIY Project Parade, Homemaker on a Dime - Creative Bloggers Party, Between Naps on The Porch - Metamorphosis Monday, Alderberry Hill - Make The Scene Monday, Thrifty Decor Chick - Before and After Monday, Boogie Board Cottage - Masterpiece Monday, The Dedicated House - Make It Pretty Monday, Krafty Kat - Gettin' Krafty Monday, Mod Vintage Life - Mod Mix Monday, Sewing Barefoot - The Weekly Creative, Coastal Charm - Nifty Thrifty Tuesday, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia - Tuesdays Treasures, Kammy's Corner - Trash To Treasure Tuesday, Domestically Speaking - Power of Paint Party, Our Delightful Home - Show me what you got Tuesday, Savvy Southern Style - Wow Us Wednesdays, Restore Interiors - Restore It Wednesday, Primitive and Proper - POWW, Ivy and Elephants - What's It Wednesday, Between Naps on the Porch - Tablescape Thursday, House of Hepworths - Hookin' Up with the House of Hepworths, The Shabby Creek Cottage - Transformation Thursday, The Crafty Blog Stalker - Blog Stalking Thursday, A Little Knick Knack - EBTKS Link Party, I Gotta Create - Wildly Original Linky Party, Somewhat Simple - Simple Link Party, Colorado Lady - Vintage Thingie Thursday, The Vintage Farmhouse - Creative Things Thursday, From My Front Porch To Yours - Treasure Hunt Thursday, The Charm of Home - Home Sweet Home Thursday, Blissful Rhythm - Home and Garden Thursday, Julie Jewels - Show Your Stuff Thursday, Mamal Diane - The Gathering Spot, Sarahndipities - Make Something Monday, Keeping It Simple Crafts - Motivate Me Monday, Making The World Cuter - Making The World Cuter Monday, Lines Across - The Cure for the Common Monday, Creating Really Awesome Free Things - Making Monday Marvelous, Sumo's Sweet Stuff - Market Yourself Monday, Craft-o-Maniac Monday, Delightful Order - Delightfully Inspiring Thursday, Stuff and Nonsense - Fridays Unfolded, Imparting Grace - Grace At Home, Lamb Around - Not "Baaad" Sundays, Mad In Crafts - Mad Skills Party, Skip To My Lou - Made By You Monday, Be Colorful - Motivated Monday, Cornerstone Confessions - Titus 2 Tuesdays, Cozy Little House - Tweak It Tuesdays, House On The Way - Twirl and Take a Bow Party, Not Just A Housewife - Show Me What You Got Tuesdays, Miss Information - I Freakin' Did It Friday, Happy Hour Projects - Happy Hour Friday, The Shabby Nest - Frugal Friday, Jennifer Rizzo - Fabulously Creative Friday, I Am Only 1 Woman - Check Me Out Saturday, West Furniture Revival - Revival Monday, Home Stories A to Z - Tutorials and Tips, Eye Heart - Anything Goes Mondays, Sew Chatty - Made With Love Mondays, The Girl Creative - Just Something I Whipped Up, Flour Me With Love - Mix It Up Monday, Say Not Sweet Anne - Sweet Sharing Monday, DIY Home Sweet Home - More The Merrier Monday,Mighty Crafty - Mighty Crafty Mondays, A Diamond In The Stuff - Time To Shine Tuesday, The Ironstone Nest - Transformation Tuesday, Uncommon Designs Online - Uncommonly Yours, No Minimalist Here - Open House Wednesday, Beyond The Picket Fence - Under $100 Wednesday, Timewashed - Blissful Whites Wednesday, Cheerios and Lattes - Saturday Show and Tell, Crafty Texas Girls - Cowgirl Up Monday, Today's Creative Blog - Get Your Craft On Monday, Jayson and Ashley - Tell Me Tuesday, Sugar Bee Crafts - Take A Look Tuesday, Reasons To Skip The Housework - Timeout Tuesday, Shades of Amber - Chalk Paint Party, A Bowl Full of Lemons - One Project at a Time, Project Queen - Tuesday Link Up, Southern Lovely - Show and Share Wednesday Someday Crafts - Whatever Goes Wednesday, In The Old Road - All Star Block Party, Whipper Berry - Friday Flair Party, Lil' Luna - Lil' Luna Link Party, The NY Melrose Family - Whimsy Wednesday, Atkinson Drive - Marvelous Mondays, Kathe with an E - You're Gonna Love It Tuesdays, My Repurposed Life, Freckled Laundry - Air Your Laundry Friday, Thirty Handmade Days - Friday Link Party, Michelle Lunt - Fabulous Friday, Fingerprints on the Fridge - Feature Yourself Friday, Kristen's Creations Online - Share Your Creations Thursday, Sew Many Ways - Find a Friend Friday, The Brambleberry Cottage - Time Travel Thursday, Homespun Happenings - Rustic Restoration Thursday, It's Overflowing - Overflowing With Creativity, Petite Hermine - Sunday Linky Party, It's So Very Cheri - It's Party Time Sunday, Marvelously Messy - Marvelous Mess Party Sunday, I'm Topsy Turvy - Topsy Turvy Third Thursdays, Carolyn's Homework - The Inspiration Board, The Stuff of Success - Success U Wednesday, Ginger Snap Crafts - Wow Me Wednesday, The Thrifty Home - Penny Pinching Tuesday, Curb Alert - Friday Block Party, Joyful Homemaking - Think Tank Thursday, Thrifty 101 - DIY Thrifty Thursday, Bloom Designs Online - Wednesday Link Party, Stacey Embracing Change - Creative Inspirations Link Party, Classy Clutter - Spotlight Saturday, We Are That Family - Works For Me Wednesday, Fireflies and Jelly Beans - Show Off Your Stuff Party, Yesterday on Tuesday - Craft Soiree Wednesday, Rhinestone Beagle - Doggone Dirty Craftin Linky Party, The Rose Garden in Malevik - Saturday Show Off, The Grant Life - Financial Friday, Fresh Eggs Daily - Friday Farm Girl Blog Fest, Cupcakes and Crinoline - It's Party Time Sunday, Design Dreams By Anne - It's Party Time Sunday, Three Mango Seeds - It's Party Time Sunday, PJH Designs - Totally Transformed Tuesday, So I Married A Craft Blogger - Man Up Link Up Tuesday

Girlfriend's Yellow Lamps and I WAS FEATURED!

Note as of September 2013 - My husband and I are now blogging over at The Home Avengers!  We made the switch because we are looking to move from our small apartment sometime in the near future.  So enjoy this post and then come visit us!

If you've been following my blog you may remember that on one of my recent thrift store excursions I picked up these lamps:

And Theatre Boy thought they should be orange:

But he didn't get his way :-( See, these lamps were going in Girlfriend's room on her dresser.  And I put them there and they sat for a time while we waited for some inspiration to hit.  And it finally did!

Girlfriend just loves this dress that Grandma found at a thrift store:

She loves it so much, that it's the inspiration for the redo of her bedroom!  It will be the 'Plaid-ish Orange-y, Yellow, Turquoise with just a *hint* of Green Room' when we are finally done!

But back to the lamps.  It took me some time to find the right color of yellow for her cute little lamps, and I finally found it in Rustoleum Painters Touch Sun Yellow in Gloss.  It's the perfect match!

We started by cleaning the lamps really good.  I like to use alcohol wipes and then let it dry.  These lamps weren't metal, they were some kind of composite/resin.  After they were clean we taped off the cords and the top.  Then we gave the lamps three coats of Valspar primer.  I was surprised by how much primer these lamps took, but they were so dark they definitely needed it!

After the primer dried then we gave them 3-4 coats of the glossy yellow.  And they turned out so pretty!

I have seen spray painted lamps all over the blogosphere and have always wanted to try it.  It turned out so much better than I even thought it would.  The paint was so shiny smooth and pretty!  Girlfriend loved them!

They earned a prominent place on her dressing table:

Super duper pretty!

So, Girlfriend has talked about glazing these (must get that obsession from her mother) so this may not be the last post you see about these lamps!

I am having having so much fun with this blog!  It's like incentive to git'er done!  I have some more exciting news to share also.  This past week BIG FAMILY/small apartment featured on not just one - but TWO other blogs!

Our first feature was on Petites Passions where my Awesome Orange Mirror caught the spotlight:

and for that I earned my first *Featured* button:

My second feature was for my Duct Tape Bed Skirt over on Homemaker On A Dime for having the most click-throughs from last weeks 'Creative Bloggers' Party And Hop'!  And then I earned another button:

Isn't that so cool?  I'm gonna have buttons on my blog (as soon as I can figure out how to get them on there - ha!).  I've only been blogging for a couple months and couldn't believe people were reading my blog, let along liking what I was doing.  Woohoo!

We have a great week coming up with more projects that we've been finishing here at BIG FAMILY/small apartment.  We'll hope you'll follow along and join us!

Linked To: Young House Love - Pinterest Challenge!, Ugly Duckling House - Pinterest Challenge!, Our Fifth House - Pinterest Challenge! & Bower Power - Pinterest Challenge!

BECAUSE I AM COMPLETELY AND TOTALLY OBSESSED WITH LINKY PARTIES,

YOU CAN FIND THIS POST LINKED UP HERE:

504 Main - Tickled Pink Fridays, Finding Fabulous - Frugalicious Fridays, Tater Tots and Jello - Weekend Wrap Up Party, French Country Cottage - Feathered Nest Friday, Common Ground - Vintage Inspiration, At The Picket Fence - Inspiration Fridays, Funky Junk Interiors - Saturday Nite Special, Romantic Home - Show and Tell Fridays, Delicate Construction - Delicately Constructed Fridays, Redoux Interiors - Fridays at Redoux, Shaken Together Life - What's Shakin' Link Party, Chic on a Shoestring - Flaunt It Friday, Liz Marie Blog - Link Up With Liz Marie, Miss Mustard Seed - Furniture Feature Friday, Shabby Art Boutique - Shabbilicious Friday, Maiden D'Shade - Maiden D'Shade Fridays, Too Much Time - Get Schooled Saturdays, Passion Parade Friday, 2805 - Potpourri Friday, Rooted in Thyme - Simple and Sweet Fridays, Be Different Act Normal - Show and Tell Saturday, Debbie Doos - Power of Pinterest Party, I Heart Naptime - Sundae Scoop, Flamingo Toes - Think Pink Sunday, My 1929 Charmer - Sunday's Best, Under The Table and Dreaming - Sunday Showcase Party, Twigg Studios - Sunday Showoff Party, Debbie Doos - Newbie Party, Mommy Sweet Confessions - Sunday Link Party, Nifty Thrifty Things - Nifty Thrifty Sunday, DIY Showoff - DIY Project Parade, Homemaker on a Dime - Creative Bloggers Party, Between Naps on The Porch - Metamorphosis Monday, Alderberry Hill - Make The Scene Monday, Thrifty Decor Chick - Before and After Monday, Boogie Board Cottage - Masterpiece Monday, The Dedicated House - Make It Pretty Monday, Krafty Kat - Gettin' Krafty Monday, Mod Vintage Life - Mod Mix Monday, Sewing Barefoot - The Weekly Creative, Coastal Charm - Nifty Thrifty Tuesday, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia - Tuesdays Treasures, Kammy's Corner - Trash To Treasure Tuesday, Domestically Speaking - Power of Paint Party, Our Delightful Home - Show me what you got Tuesday, Savvy Southern Style - Wow Us Wednesdays, Restore Interiors - Restore It Wednesday, Primitive and Proper - POWW, Ivy and Elephants - What's It Wednesday, Between Naps on the Porch - Tablescape Thursday, House of Hepworths - Hookin' Up with the House of Hepworths, The Shabby Creek Cottage - Transformation Thursday, The Crafty Blog Stalker - Blog Stalking Thursday, A Little Knick Knack - EBTKS Link Party, I Gotta Create - Wildly Original Linky Party, Somewhat Simple - Simple Link Party, Colorado Lady - Vintage Thingie Thursday, The Vintage Farmhouse - Creative Things Thursday, From My Front Porch To Yours - Treasure Hunt Thursday, The Charm of Home - Home Sweet Home Thursday, Blissful Rhythm - Home and Garden Thursday, Julie Jewels - Show Your Stuff Thursday, Mamal Diane - The Gathering Spot, Sarahndipities - Make Something Monday, Keeping It Simple Crafts - Motivate Me Monday, Making The World Cuter - Making The World Cuter Monday, Lines Across - The Cure for the Common Monday, Creating Really Awesome Free Things - Making Monday Marvelous, Sumo's Sweet Stuff - Market Yourself Monday, Craft-o-Maniac Monday, Delightful Order - Delightfully Inspiring Thursday, Stuff and Nonsense - Fridays Unfolded, Imparting Grace - Grace At Home, Lamb Around - Not "Baaad" Sundays, Mad In Crafts - Mad Skills Party, Skip To My Lou - Made By You Monday, Be Colorful - Motivated Monday, Cornerstone Confessions - Titus 2 Tuesdays, Cozy Little House - Tweak It Tuesdays, House On The Way - Twirl and Take a Bow Party, Not Just A Housewife - Show Me What You Got Tuesdays, Miss Information - I Freakin' Did It Friday, Happy Hour Projects - Happy Hour Friday, The Shabby Nest - Frugal Friday, Jennifer Rizzo - Fabulously Creative Friday, I Am Only 1 Woman - Check Me Out Saturday, West Furniture Revival - Revival Monday, Home Stories A to Z - Tutorials and Tips, Eye Heart - Anything Goes Mondays, Sew Chatty - Made With Love Mondays, The Girl Creative - Just Something I Whipped Up, Flour Me With Love - Mix It Up Monday, Say Not Sweet Anne - Sweet Sharing Monday, DIY Home Sweet Home - More The Merrier Monday,Mighty Crafty - Mighty Crafty Mondays, A Diamond In The Stuff - Time To Shine Tuesday, The Ironstone Nest - Transformation Tuesday, Uncommon Designs Online - Uncommonly Yours, No Minimalist Here - Open House Wednesday, Beyond The Picket Fence - Under $100 Wednesday, Timewashed - Blissful Whites Wednesday, Cheerios and Lattes - Saturday Show and Tell, Crafty Texas Girls - Cowgirl Up Monday, Today's Creative Blog - Get Your Craft On Monday, Jayson and Ashley - Tell Me Tuesday, Sugar Bee Crafts - Take A Look Tuesday, Reasons To Skip The Housework - Timeout Tuesday, Shades of Amber - Chalk Paint Party, A Bowl Full of Lemons - One Project at a Time, Project Queen - Tuesday Link Up, Southern Lovely - Show and Share Wednesday Someday Crafts - Whatever Goes Wednesday, In The Old Road - All Star Block Party, Whipper Berry - Friday Flair Party, Lil' Luna - Lil' Luna Link Party, The NY Melrose Family - Whimsy Wednesday, Atkinson Drive - Marvelous Mondays, Kathe with an E - You're Gonna Love It Tuesdays, My Repurposed Life, Freckled Laundry - Air Your Laundry Friday, Thirty Handmade Days - Friday Link Party, Michelle Lunt - Fabulous Friday, Fingerprints on the Fridge - Feature Yourself Friday, Kristen's Creations Online - Share Your Creations Thursday, Sew Many Ways - Find a Friend Friday, The Brambleberry Cottage - Time Travel Thursday, Homespun Happenings - Rustic Restoration Thursday, It's Overflowing - Overflowing With Creativity, Petite Hermine - Sunday Linky Party, It's So Very Cheri - It's Party Time Sunday, Marvelously Messy - Marvelous Mess Party Sunday, I'm Topsy Turvy - Topsy Turvy Third Thursdays, Carolyn's Homework - The Inspiration Board, The Stuff of Success - Success U Wednesday, Ginger Snap Crafts - Wow Me Wednesday, The Thrifty Home - Penny Pinching Tuesday, Curb Alert - Friday Block Party, Joyful Homemaking - Think Tank Thursday, Thrifty 101 - DIY Thrifty Thursday, Bloom Designs Online - Wednesday Link Party, Stacey Embracing Change - Creative Inspirations Link Party, Classy Clutter - Spotlight Saturday, We Are That Family - Works For Me Wednesday, Fireflies and Jelly Beans - Show Off Your Stuff Party, Yesterday on Tuesday - Craft Soiree Wednesday, Rhinestone Beagle - Doggone Dirty Craftin Linky Party, The Rose Garden in Malevik - Saturday Show Off, The Grant Life - Financial Friday, Fresh Eggs Daily - Friday Farm Girl Blog Fest, Cupcakes and Crinoline - It's Party Time Sunday, Design Dreams By Anne - It's Party Time Sunday, Three Mango Seeds - It's Party Time Sunday, PJH Designs - Totally Transformed Tuesday, So I Married A Craft Blogger - Man Up Link Up Tuesday

SO IF YOU'VE READ THIS FAR, FIRST OF ALL 'THANK YOU!', AND IF YOU'D LIKE A COPY OF MY LINKY PARTY EXCEL SPREADSHEET CONTAINING OVER 100 ACTIVE DIY LINKY PARTIES, PLEASE BECOME A FOLLOWER OF MY BLOG AND THEN SEND ME AN EMAIL!  I WILL BE OFFERING THIS SPREADSHEET TO NEW FOLLOWERS THAT REQUEST IT BY EMAIL FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER 2012!  WANT YOUR LINKY PARTY ADDED AND FOR ME TO LINK UP?  JUST LEAVE ME A COMMENT WITH YOUR PARTY AND I'D BE HAPPY TO!

I'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU!

A Cold, Sick and Rainy Monday & The {thrifted} Lord of The Rings

Yep.  That's what's going on here today at BIG FAMILY/small apartment.

My teenage boys are participating in their fall high school musical and have had rehearsals and then shows for 14 days straight.  Theatre Boy took his PSAT's somewhere in there too.  My job was to make sure their meals were hot and their laundry was clean throughout the ordeal.  Still they landed sick.  Typical not-able-to-pace-themselves-gung-ho-overachievers.  I wonder who they got that from.  Girlfriend may get the award for most over-achieving though because she sniffled all the way to school this morning so as not to disappoint her adoring fans.

So I'm doing the hunker down and snuggle in thing here because the boys are asleep, the apartment is nice and quiet and the outside looks like this:

Somehow my camera didn't catch the pouring rain.

The inside, however, looks like this:

See?  I know how to make the best of a cold, sick day.

This past week I didn't do a Thrift Store Thursday because of the boys schedule.  But I still took Girlfriend to the thrift store and she picked out a couple of things for her brothers that I wanted to share with you.

I love thrift store shopping with girlfriend.  She'll forcibly drag me away from the furniture section discourage me from buying furniture I don't need and she's got a good eye for the unique, unusual and definitely one of a kind.

Her first purchase was a vintage 1981 Snowflake Shmuzzle Puzzle for 99 cents.

Our family had so much fun with this by the fire last night!  This puzzle has 168  identically shaped pieces that look like salamanders.  It says 'number of correct combinations - 1' and 'number of incorrect combinations - Approx. 2.5 x 10^302'.  Now any kind of challenge involving scientific notation fires my boys up.  So the Shmuzzle got 1/4 of the way finished last night while I made the whole family their sickie food.

Speaking of sickie food, let me share our sick traditions with you.  Doesn't everyone have sick traditions in their home?  We always treat our viruses herbally, and our favorite herb to use is Lemon Balm.  Lemon Balm has been found to have some anti-viral properties and also helps with rest and sleep.  I always make and herbal 'decoction' with it.

First we take organic dried herbs and put them in a teabag.  Then I fill a stainless steel pot with filtered water and bring all of it to a boil.  Then I turn the heat down and let it simmer until the liquid in the pot is approximately 1/2 of what I started with.  Then everyone gets a cup of strong, decocted Lemon Balm tea.

It looks like this in the pot:

After everyone has had their tea then I make something I call "Sick Soup".  It's gluten free noodles (we're all gluten free here), organic chicken broth, butter and a dash of cayenne pepper.  Whatever the Lemon Balm doesn't take care of, the Sick Soup will!

Because this post totally has ADD, I wanted to get back to Girlfriend's thrift store shopping.  She won big points for getting her biggest bro (Theatre Boy) a present.

Any clue what this is?

Well, it's a tree, made out of wire, epoxied to a couple of pieces of granite.  It cost less than a Starbucks, and I thought Girlfriend was insane when she brought it back to the shopping cart at our local Goodwill.  She apparently knew what she was doing though, because when she got it home her brother bowed down to her greatness.  Apparently the wire-tree-and-granite-sculpture was a total depiction of the tree from The Lord of the Rings and thus earned a prominent place on his shelf.

Living proof you can find ANYTHING at a thrift store.

Now to change the subject on you one more time before I go back to my coffee-sipping, laundry-doing, quiet-making, fire-stoking Monday morning life.

I'm currently in a dispute with Mr. Big [FAMILY/small apartment] about the use of these:

Our apartment complex is brimming with them and my girls did some major pine cone gathering yesterday.  Mr. Big wants to throw them in the fire and burn them up with the firewood.  Noooo!  I want to spray paint them and dip them in glitter!  Of course Mr. Big said they wouldn't burn well that way, but he would definitely give it a try.  Grrrr.  Look for some pine cone projects in the future as well as attempts to hide them from Mr. Big.

I'm excited about some up and coming projects this week.  My furniture-painting-enabling-friend and I moved my two projects into their garage before the rains hit.  So I get to work on them inside this week and actually finish them!  So excited!

Have a great Monday and I'll see you back here again soon at BIG FAMILY/small apartment.

A Tale of Two Tables

Note as of September 2013 - My husband and I are now blogging over at The Home Avengers!  We made the switch because we are looking to move from our small apartment sometime in the near future.  So enjoy this post and then come visit us!

Today I'm going to show you what I did with a couple of yard sale tables and a quart of leftover green paint!

This first table I got at a yard sale for $10.  It was all scuffed up and the finish was bad.  It apparently used to have a piece of glass in the middle of it from a former life.  Nonetheless it was a sturdy little bugger and because I love sofa tables I loaded it up and brought it home.

Here's the before:

Good bones!  I like that!

This was a pretty quick job.  First I lightly sanded the whole piece.  I didn't bother to prime because I was going to sand some of the edges and I wanted the dark wood peeking through.  Next I applied a couple of coats of leftover green paint that I had used on this back in July.  After the green paint was on, I lightly sanded the edges so that the wood could peek through, then I lightly glazed the whole piece with Valspar Antiquing Glaze.

I got creative when replacing the center.  I didn't want glass there, but a chalkboard!  I went to Home depot and had a small thin sheet of wood cut to fit the center.  Next I sanded, primed and painted it with chalkboard paint like this.  Then I glued it into the center and used black grout around the chalkboard.  It looked marvelous!

Like this:

My children and even Mr. Big [House/small apartment] loved it too!

It's so neat how chalkboards bring out the kid in all of us.

The next table I don't have a before picture of.  I know, I know - I'm getting better though!  I bought this table at a yard sale for $5.  It's top was beyond repair and it was actually in two pieces.  First I fixed and sanded it, and used the leftover green paint - and it looked like this:

A little boring don't you think?

All those great grooves really called antiquing glaze as well.  So I painted the glaze on and wiped it off with a wet rag, making sure glaze stayed in each groove.  The result was amazing!

Here's a closer look -

We wound up selling this one for a pretty penny too!  I hadn't intended on selling it, but after I got it home it was lower than my couch and awkward as an end table.  So rather than have it go to waste, I became a furniture flipper for this piece!  Too fun!  Need to make a little money here in there to fuel the next project.

Thanks for stopping by today!

BECAUSE I AM COMPLETELY AND TOTALLY OBSESSED WITH LINKY PARTIES,

YOU CAN FIND THIS POST LINKED UP HERE:

504 Main - Tickled Pink Fridays, Finding Fabulous - Frugalicious Fridays, Tater Tots and Jello - Weekend Wrap Up Party, French Country Cottage - Feathered Nest Friday, Common Ground - Vintage Inspiration, At The Picket Fence - Inspiration Fridays, Funky Junk Interiors - Saturday Nite Special, Romantic Home - Show and Tell Fridays, Delicate Construction - Delicately Constructed Fridays, Redoux Interiors - Fridays at Redoux, Shaken Together Life - What's Shakin' Link Party, Chic on a Shoestring - Flaunt It Friday, Liz Marie Blog - Link Up With Liz Marie, Miss Mustard Seed - Furniture Feature Friday, Shabby Art Boutique - Shabbilicious Friday, Maiden D'Shade - Maiden D'Shade Fridays, Too Much Time - Get Schooled Saturdays, Passion Parade Friday, 2805 - Potpourri Friday, Rooted in Thyme - Simple and Sweet Fridays, Be Different Act Normal - Show and Tell Saturday, Debbie Doos - Power of Pinterest Party, I Heart Naptime - Sundae Scoop, Flamingo Toes - Think Pink Sunday, My 1929 Charmer - Sunday's Best, Under The Table and Dreaming - Sunday Showcase Party, Twigg Studios - Sunday Showoff Party, Debbie Doos - Newbie Party, Mommy Sweet Confessions - Sunday Link Party, Nifty Thrifty Things - Nifty Thrifty Sunday, DIY Showoff - DIY Project Parade, Homemaker on a Dime - Creative Bloggers Party, Between Naps on The Porch - Metamorphosis Monday, Alderberry Hill - Make The Scene Monday, Thrifty Decor Chick - Before and After Monday, Boogie Board Cottage - Masterpiece Monday, The Dedicated House - Make It Pretty Monday, Krafty Kat - Gettin' Krafty Monday, Mod Vintage Life - Mod Mix Monday, Sewing Barefoot - The Weekly Creative, Coastal Charm - Nifty Thrifty Tuesday, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia - Tuesdays Treasures, Kammy's Corner - Trash To Treasure Tuesday, Domestically Speaking - Power of Paint Party, Our Delightful Home - Show me what you got Tuesday, Savvy Southern Style - Wow Us Wednesdays, Restore Interiors - Restore It Wednesday, Primitive and Proper - POWW, Ivy and Elephants - What's It Wednesday, Between Naps on the Porch - Tablescape Thursday, House of Hepworths - Hookin' Up with the House of Hepworths, The Shabby Creek Cottage - Transformation Thursday, The Crafty Blog Stalker - Blog Stalking Thursday, A Little Knick Knack - EBTKS Link Party, I Gotta Create - Wildly Original Linky Party, Somewhat Simple - Simple Link Party, Colorado Lady - Vintage Thingie Thursday, The Vintage Farmhouse - Creative Things Thursday, From My Front Porch To Yours - Treasure Hunt Thursday, The Charm of Home - Home Sweet Home Thursday, Blissful Rhythm - Home and Garden Thursday, Julie Jewels - Show Your Stuff Thursday, Mamal Diane - The Gathering Spot, Sarahndipities - Make Something Monday, Keeping It Simple Crafts - Motivate Me Monday, Making The World Cuter - Making The World Cuter Monday, Lines Across - The Cure for the Common Monday, Creating Really Awesome Free Things - Making Monday Marvelous, Sumo's Sweet Stuff - Market Yourself Monday, Craft-o-Maniac Monday, Delightful Order - Delightfully Inspiring Thursday, Stuff and Nonsense - Fridays Unfolded, Imparting Grace - Grace At Home, Lamb Around - Not "Baaad" Sundays, Mad In Crafts - Mad Skills Party, Skip To My Lou - Made By You Monday, Be Colorful - Motivated Monday, Cornerstone Confessions - Titus 2 Tuesdays, Cozy Little House - Tweak It Tuesdays, House On The Way - Twirl and Take a Bow Party, Not Just A Housewife - Show Me What You Got Tuesdays, Miss Information - I Freakin' Did It Friday, Happy Hour Projects - Happy Hour Friday, The Shabby Nest - Frugal Friday, Jennifer Rizzo - Fabulously Creative Friday, I Am Only 1 Woman - Check Me Out Saturday, West Furniture Revival - Revival Monday, Home Stories A to Z - Tutorials and Tips, Eye Heart - Anything Goes Mondays, Sew Chatty - Made With Love Mondays, The Girl Creative - Just Something I Whipped Up, Flour Me With Love - Mix It Up Monday, Say Not Sweet Anne - Sweet Sharing Monday, DIY Home Sweet Home - More The Merrier Monday,Mighty Crafty - Mighty Crafty Mondays, A Diamond In The Stuff - Time To Shine Tuesday, The Ironstone Nest - Transformation Tuesday, Uncommon Designs Online - Uncommonly Yours, No Minimalist Here - Open House Wednesday, Beyond The Picket Fence - Under $100 Wednesday, Timewashed - Blissful Whites Wednesday, Cheerios and Lattes - Saturday Show and Tell, Crafty Texas Girls - Cowgirl Up Monday, Today's Creative Blog - Get Your Craft On Monday, Jayson and Ashley - Tell Me Tuesday, Sugar Bee Crafts - Take A Look Tuesday, Reasons To Skip The Housework - Timeout Tuesday, Shades of Amber - Chalk Paint Party, A Bowl Full of Lemons - One Project at a Time, Project Queen - Tuesday Link Up, Southern Lovely - Show and Share Wednesday Someday Crafts - Whatever Goes Wednesday, In The Old Road - All Star Block Party, Whipper Berry - Friday Flair Party, Lil' Luna - Lil' Luna Link Party, The NY Melrose Family - Whimsy Wednesday, Atkinson Drive - Marvelous Mondays, Kathe with an E - You're Gonna Love It Tuesdays, My Repurposed Life, Freckled Laundry - Air Your Laundry Friday, Thirty Handmade Days - Friday Link Party, Michelle Lunt - Fabulous Friday, Fingerprints on the Fridge - Feature Yourself Friday, Kristen's Creations Online - Share Your Creations Thursday, Sew Many Ways - Find a Friend Friday, The Brambleberry Cottage - Time Travel Thursday, Homespun Happenings - Rustic Restoration Thursday, It's Overflowing - Overflowing With Creativity, Petite Hermine - Sunday Linky Party, It's So Very Cheri - It's Party Time Sunday, Marvelously Messy - Marvelous Mess Party Sunday, I'm Topsy Turvy - Topsy Turvy Third Thursdays, Carolyn's Homework - The Inspiration Board, The Stuff of Success - Success U Wednesday, Ginger Snap Crafts - Wow Me Wednesday, The Thrifty Home - Penny Pinching Tuesday

SO IF YOU'VE READ THIS FAR, FIRST OF ALL 'THANK YOU!', AND IF YOU'D LIKE A COPY OF MY LINKY PARTY EXCEL SPREADSHEET CONTAINING OVER 100 ACTIVE DIY LINKY PARTIES, PLEASE BECOME A FOLLOWER OF MY BLOG AND THEN SEND ME AN EMAIL!  I WILL BE OFFERING THIS SPREADSHEET TO NEW FOLLOWERS THAT REQUEST IT BY EMAIL FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER 2012!  WANT YOUR LINKY PARTY ADDED AND FOR ME TO LINK UP?  JUST LEAVE ME A COMMENT WITH YOUR PARTY AND I'D BE HAPPY TO!

I'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Duct Tape Bed Skirt and the Hidden Stash of Dew

Note as of September 2013 - My husband and I are now blogging over at The Home Avengers!  We made the switch because we are looking to move from our small apartment sometime in the near future.  So enjoy this post and then come visit us!

I have TWO teenage boys (15 & 17) sharing a small bedroom at the back of our apartment.  Somehow we managed to fit 2 twin beds, a nightstand, 2 dressers, a desk and a chair in this room!  There is a 3 ft. walkway between the beds, a 2 ft. walkway between the beds and dressers and a 3 ft. strip of space at the front of the room.  We rearranged things 4 times until we got it this way!  Here's a pic from the doorway looking into their room:

Right away what do you notice?  All the junk under the beds!  Well, we're going to cover that up shortly, but first, let me tell you a little bit about their room.  The picture on the nightstand is actually a picture of Theatre Boy in his first leading role as Shan-Yu in Disney's Mulan Jr. and the Himalayan Salt Candle is because my boys like fire.  The nightstand in the middle was a DIY project from last year.  The 2 dressers match it and we love the vintage square hardware!  This set has been in the family for many years and actually came from my boys Aunt Karyn.  They had been forgotten inside a storage unit and we rescued them!  Here's another pic:

Yep.  Look at all them bare walls.

Under their beds is pretty scary too:

There are the usual teenage boy things.  Chemistry set, box of hot wheels, models of Star Wars things and shoe boxes filled with cards.

Under Theatre Boy's bed things get a little crazy, because that's where he houses his [not so] secret stash of Mountain Dew.  At any given time there are at least four 12-packs in multiple flavors under here.  Original, Throwback, Voltage, Code Red, Dark Berry and White Out can be found and sometimes he doesn't even notice if we steal one!

To make more space under their beds I put each bed frame on risers (actually all the beds in our apartment are on risers) and some beds have the special under bed boxes with wheels on them .  This has presented a problem finding bed skirts because the height of all our beds is definitely non-standard.  I would either have to special order bed skirts (pricey) or have them custom made (even pricier) for them to fit.  And even though I sew I have neither time nor inclination to tackle bed skirts for the whole family right now.

Enter Duct Tape.  The solution for everything.

These no-sew bed skirts are made out of 2 lovingly used King size flat sheets (but you can really use any size sheet for this, this is all I had on hand that I wasn't planning on using ever again), a pair of scissors and a roll of duct tape.

To make a bed skirt, first cut the sheet in half longways.  Like from the middle top of the sheet to the middle bottom.  The next thing I did was iron each piece of the sheet, but you don't have to.

After that take the sheet and fold over one of the edges that borders both the cut side and the uncut side.  Then drape the sheet, uncut long side brushing the floor, at the middle end of the bed and duct tape it in place.  Here's a picture to give you a better idea of what it looks like after this step:

And here it is taped in place:

The next thing I did was drape the sheet around the bed, ensuring the edge was barely brushing the floor, while wrapping the box spring like a present and duct taping it into place, like this:

Once the first side was completely draped I duct taped everything into place (while eating a bowl of Cool Ranch Doritos):

Then I repeated it on the other side:

Once it was all duct taped and done, I tugged and pulled and re-positioned until everything was exactly where I wanted it, then I put the mattress back on and made the bed.  And Voila':

The Mountain Dew stash is finally hidden.  This project actually cost me ZERO dollars!  So exciting!

Thanks for stopping by BIG FAMILY/small apartment today.  I'm gonna go drink a Dew now.

BECAUSE I AM COMPLETELY AND TOTALLY OBSESSED WITH LINKY PARTIES,

YOU CAN FIND THIS POST LINKED UP HERE:

504 Main - Tickled Pink Fridays, Finding Fabulous - Frugalicious Fridays, Tater Tots and Jello - Weekend Wrap Up Party, French Country Cottage - Feathered Nest Friday, Common Ground - Vintage Inspiration, At The Picket Fence - Inspiration Fridays, Funky Junk Interiors - Saturday Nite Special, Romantic Home - Show and Tell Fridays, Delicate Construction - Delicately Constructed Fridays, Redoux Interiors - Fridays at Redoux, Shaken Together Life - What's Shakin' Link Party, Chic on a Shoestring - Flaunt It Friday, Liz Marie Blog - Link Up With Liz Marie, Miss Mustard Seed - Furniture Feature Friday, Shabby Art Boutique - Shabbilicious Friday, Maiden D'Shade - Maiden D'Shade Fridays, Too Much Time - Get Schooled Saturdays, Passion Parade Friday, 2805 - Potpourri Friday, Rooted in Thyme - Simple and Sweet Fridays, Be Different Act Normal - Show and Tell Saturday, Debbie Doos - Power of Pinterest Party, I Heart Naptime - Sundae Scoop, Flamingo Toes - Think Pink Sunday, My 1929 Charmer - Sunday's Best, Under The Table and Dreaming - Sunday Showcase Party, Twigg Studios - Sunday Showoff Party, Debbie Doos - Newbie Party, Mommy Sweet Confessions - Sunday Link Party, Nifty Thrifty Things - Nifty Thrifty Sunday, DIY Showoff - DIY Project Parade, Homemaker on a Dime - Creative Bloggers Party, Between Naps on The Porch - Metamorphosis Monday, Alderberry Hill - Make The Scene Monday, Thrifty Decor Chick - Before and After Monday, Boogie Board Cottage - Masterpiece Monday, The Dedicated House - Make It Pretty Monday, Krafty Kat - Gettin' Krafty Monday, Mod Vintage Life - Mod Mix Monday, Sewing Barefoot - The Weekly Creative, Coastal Charm - Nifty Thrifty Tuesday, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia - Tuesdays Treasures, Kammy's Corner - Trash To Treasure Tuesday, Domestically Speaking - Power of Paint Party, Our Delightful Home - Show me what you got Tuesday, Savvy Southern Style - Wow Us Wednesdays, Restore Interiors - Restore It Wednesday, Primitive and Proper - POWW, Ivy and Elephants - What's It Wednesday, Between Naps on the Porch - Tablescape Thursday, House of Hepworths - Hookin' Up with the House of Hepworths, The Shabby Creek Cottage - Transformation Thursday, The Crafty Blog Stalker - Blog Stalking Thursday, A Little Knick Knack - EBTKS Link Party, I Gotta Create - Wildly Original Linky Party, Somewhat Simple - Simple Link Party, Colorado Lady - Vintage Thingie Thursday, The Vintage Farmhouse - Creative Things Thursday, From My Front Porch To Yours - Treasure Hunt Thursday, The Charm of Home - Home Sweet Home Thursday, Blissful Rhythm - Home and Garden Thursday, Julie Jewels - Show Your Stuff Thursday, Mamal Diane - The Gathering Spot, Sarahndipities - Make Something Monday, Keeping It Simple Crafts - Motivate Me Monday, Making The World Cuter - Making The World Cuter Monday, Lines Across - The Cure for the Common Monday, Creating Really Awesome Free Things - Making Monday Marvelous, Sumo's Sweet Stuff - Market Yourself Monday, Craft-o-Maniac Monday, Delightful Order - Delightfully Inspiring Thursday, Stuff and Nonsense - Fridays Unfolded, Imparting Grace - Grace At Home, Lamb Around - Not "Baaad" Sundays, Mad In Crafts - Mad Skills Party, Skip To My Lou - Made By You Monday, Be Colorful - Motivated Monday, Cornerstone Confessions - Titus 2 Tuesdays, Cozy Little House - Tweak It Tuesdays, House On The Way - Twirl and Take a Bow Party, Not Just A Housewife - Show Me What You Got Tuesdays, Miss Information - I Freakin' Did It Friday, Happy Hour Projects - Happy Hour Friday, The Shabby Nest - Frugal Friday, Jennifer Rizzo - Fabulously Creative Friday, I Am Only 1 Woman - Check Me Out Saturday, West Furniture Revival - Revival Monday, Home Stories A to Z - Tutorials and Tips, Eye Heart - Anything Goes Mondays, Sew Chatty - Made With Love Mondays, The Girl Creative - Just Something I Whipped Up, Flour Me With Love - Mix It Up Monday, Say Not Sweet Anne - Sweet Sharing Monday, DIY Home Sweet Home - More The Merrier Monday,Mighty Crafty - Mighty Crafty Mondays, A Diamond In The Stuff - Time To Shine Tuesday, The Ironstone Nest - Transformation Tuesday, Uncommon Designs Online - Uncommonly Yours, No Minimalist Here - Open House Wednesday, Beyond The Picket Fence - Under $100 Wednesday, Timewashed - Blissful Whites Wednesday, Cheerios and Lattes - Saturday Show and Tell

SO IF YOU'VE READ THIS FAR, FIRST OF ALL 'THANK YOU!', AND IF YOU'D LIKE A COPY OF MY LINKY PARTY EXCEL SPREADSHEET CONTAINING OVER 100 ACTIVE DIY LINKY PARTIES, PLEASE BECOME A FOLLOWER OF MY BLOG AND THEN SEND ME AN EMAIL!  I WILL BE OFFERING THIS SPREADSHEET TO NEW FOLLOWERS THAT REQUEST IT BY EMAIL FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER 2012!  WANT YOUR LINKY PARTY ADDED AND FOR ME TO LINK UP?  JUST LEAVE ME A COMMENT WITH YOUR PARTY AND I'D BE HAPPY TO!

I'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU!