I have no words...letters, but no words

What do you do when you have SO many ideas about projects and blog posts, and yet REAL LIFE seems determined to keep you from completing any of them? What about all the projects I have half-done...with photos even...but none of those "after" pics that we all seem to love?

Well, I'm going to blogland for inspiration. I know that the three people who read my blog (too many? maybe two?) are creative, inspirational, re-purposing, visionary sort of people. SO, here ya go:

I bought ALL of these wooden letters at a garage sale recently for $8 total. Woohoo! They were marked at $1 a piece, and there are about 32 or so of them. I offered $8 for the whole box, and she went for it! I'm almost never afraid to bargain with someone, because if they're like me, they're having a garage sale to get RID of stuff...the making money part is a secondary benefit. (Not ALL people think like this, mind you...but lots of 'em do.)

I bought these intending to do something fabulous with them, and then re-sell them individually for a small profit. Maybe in my Etsy shop, but I'm not really sure. The bigger letters are about 12" tall, the smaller are about 7" tall. And, there are very few actual words I can spell with these, since I'm short on vowels. That's why I thought I would do something artistic and sell them separately. The problem is, all my ideas have already been done before and are not really that unique. I thought of glittering them...I love glitter, but *yawn* it's everywhere (especially at the holidays). I thought of decoupage or even just a different paint color. The finish on them is a creamy white with slightly distressed edges. The letters are new and have never been used (as far as I can tell).

What to do, people? What to do? My creative juices need help to start flowing!

fifty cent masterpiece

So do you like how I make a big announcement ("I'm back!!") and then promptly disappear for a couple of weeks? I just like to keep ya guessin'! On your toes! Well, I have been sooo busy, both with Nesting Instincts clients (yay!!) and with the rest of my real life. I've had so much fun with my clients, handing out opinions left and right (one thing I'm never short on)...but most of them are in the midst of larger, long-term redesigns as opposed to one-day jobs where I can take pictures. Because I know how much you all like a good before-and-after story. I do too! But unfortunately, those haven't been the kind of jobs I've worked on recently, so we will just all have to be patient while my clients do the hard work implementing some of my suggestions.  

But I have made it to a few garage sales recently. For those of us that live in Oregon, there is a definite (though unspoken) garage-sale season which will officially kick off after Memorial Day weekend. But, there have been several brave souls scattered about the city which have taken their fate (or at least the weather) into their own hands and offered their junk...I mean treasures...up for sale. I've nabbed a few of them recently.

At the top of this post is a cute little original oil painting, very nicely done I think, which I scored for...I'm almost embarrassed to tell you this...$.50. In case you get the decimal point mixed up, that's fifty CENTS.

Then, the chandelier in the box...Shiny Boring Builder's Special from 1989. Let there be no doubt, this is a BEFORE picture. I haven't had time yet to make it into an AFTER but I'm hoping I can soon. I can't decide whether to make this a "safe" re-do with white paint and crystals, or a "funky" re-do with...well, I won't tell you with what, but trust me...it would be funky. IF I could pull it off. Haven't decided yet...but it's for my dining room. Confession: there's still a gaping hole in the ceiling where the fan used to be before my big dining room makeover a couple of years ago.

Mostly, recently, I've been spending time with this little hearthrob:

and these two cuties:

but I did get to see her recently:

...and she was just as gorgeous and funny in person as she is in her cookbook and on her blog. The line was too long for me to wait for her to sign my book, so I just lurked for a while and shot this photo on the way to the restroom...just to prove that I was in the same room as the Pioneer Woman! (I know, my photojournalistic skills are...stunning.)

So there you have it, friends! I'm having fun, designing for friends and living life...but man, it's a busy time. Three kids, five and under...need I say more? But I'm not complaining. I feel blessed. Now if I could just get my own house in order! Ah well. That's what tomorrow's for. :-)

I just had to show off one of my (few) finds from this summer's garage sale adventures. I was sick and/or having surgery for much of the summer...so I wasn't on top of my game in the bargain-hunting department...but I did score these beauties! It's a boat-load of serving pieces from the Hexagon collection of Johnson Bros. ironstone. I looked up the pattern and found that they are not necessarily old...as in antique...but the cost to purchase each of these pieces individually would have set me back at least $500 total!

But I didn't pay $500. How much, you ask??

$15. That's right, people...fifteen buckaroos. I was a happy girl the Saturday I scored these. I now have a true "collection" of white serving pieces...ironstone and otherwise. Don't ya just love a good deal?

Ode to the Chair

Rhoda over at Southern Hospitality (a fabulous blog by the way) is hosting a fun blog party. Basically, we all show off our Favorite Thrifty Find Ever and run around (a cyber-run, of course) checking out everyone else's finds, too. You know I ADORE garage sales, so this is right up my alley. The only hard part about this was choosing just one item! I was tempted to throw in a few other things too, but then...where to stop? So here, ladies and gents, is the one...the only...$15 Dollar Aqua Chair!!!

It's sturdy...it's comfy...it's fabulous...it was $15. What more can I say?

(It turns out, a lot more. The following is a blog post I wrote last November inspired by my Aqua Chair - back when the only people who read my blog were my mom, and maybe, oh, one friend. So, I figured I could get away with reproducing it here, just this once! )

Those who know me well know the love-hate relationship I have with chairs. Or should I say…the unadulterated love I have for chairs, and the subsequent hate my husband has for them? Not because of some strange jealousy of the objects, but rather an aversion to the sheer numbers of them I have brought home over the years. Nearly always from garage sales, mind you…I’m not exactly spending hundreds of dollars on these things (I say somewhat defensively). This addiction to The Chair led to my husband proclaiming a few years back, “No more chairs. If you buy another chair, you have to get rid of an old one.” Or this is what he claims to have said. What I HEARD him say was, “…buy another chair”. So the acquisition of chairs has continued.

Orange chair silhouette collage on canvas, by Anne Harwell (one of my favorite artists)

Last summer I bought a beautiful one from my next door neighbor for $15 and didn’t even have to try to cram it into the trunk of my Toyota Camry – I was able to just pick it up and lug it next door. The upholstery is uninspiring – yet inoffensive – beige, but the woodwork is a pale aqua. The chair has great form – which is what always sucks me in, regardless of the paint job or state of the upholstery – and the color is now trendy for the second time in the chair's history. It's actually super-sturdy and equally comfy...one day, my dream is to have it reupholstered.

Retro Gothic Iron Chair print by Anne Harwell

Ah, New Aqua Chair – I love you today, but let’s be realistic – today you’re my favorite treasure, tomorrow you’re in the basement. It’s where all my chairs inevitably end up. Some make it back into the furniture cycle at a later date…others just head straight for my next garage sale. So here’s to you, Aqua Chair – may your stay in the living room be long and your time in the basement short; and should you ever find yourself out of the house, may it be at the reupholsterer’s instead of out on the sidewalk with a “Free” sign!

let's visit Farmhouse Funk, shall we?

So I told you guys I went to Astoria last weekend for a little family getaway, and it just so happened to coincide (okay, maybe it was a little less accidental than that) with the weekend of an antiques/collectibles sale, held outdoors at Farmhouse Funk. As the name implies, it's a farmhouse that's overflowing with antiques, collectibles, and gifts, and every year it plays host to lots of vendors who come to sell more of the same. I had a lot of fun, but have to admit that there weren't quite as many vendors as I'd been hoping for...and the prices weren't as low as I'd been hoping for. Actually, if I had gone back on Sunday, allegedly everything would have been half-price...but I didn't make it back Sunday, so thankfully I'll never know what treasures were left and what bargains I missed. Still, it's always eye candy for me to go to these things, because there are no two items just alike, and there are often such interesting finds. Come along with me and feast your eyes on some of these goodies...

I loved this green metal 3-tier plant stand, but I won't even tell you how much it was. Let's just say I gasped. And not in a good way.

cute little potting bench...

here's the bottom half of that potting bench...

more garden stuff...kinda fun

love these chairs...but they were in bad shape (and the price didn't really reflect that). it would've been taking your life in your own hands to sit in one for any period of time...but they were cute :-)

don't look at the chairs on the ends...just look at the cute green drop-leaf table with matching green chairs. I mean cute.

Quilts. I don't collect them (my mom does), but I can definitely appreciate the crafstmanship and stories behind them.

Ahh...isn't this adorable? My mom went back the next day and bought it (at a discount!). Now my babes will dine in style at her house. :-)

old architectural elements...always fun and get my wheels turning

ooohh...another cute wooden high chair...

and these...I just took a picture of them because they're so quirky...little mugs that are historical men's heads?? go figure.

sweet child's rocker...

...and last, but not least...you gotta love a sale where there are tables piled with stuff and everything's only two dollars on the table. There was even a $1.00 table and a 50-cent table, no joke!

Now that I look back the pictures, I'm thinking, "And why did I not buy anything again?" I think it was that Murphy's law that says, when you have money in your pocket to spend, you can't find anything you want to buy; but when you have no money whatsoever, absolutely everything looks good. Anyone else experienced this, or is it just me?

I hope you enjoyed our little virtual tour. You were a very polite (and quiet) guest. Come again, anytime!

PS - If you're missing my typical Friday's Fabulous Finds posts that feature amazing Etsy artists, never fear...you can read up on past posts or stay tuned for another one next Friday! Have a great weekend and I'll see you back here on Monday!

the thrill of the hunt...

I thought I'd share more fun garage sale finds, this time from last weekend. I went to just a few sales with my parents and found lots of treasures. My husband made the mistake of allowing me to take all the cash in his wallet - $40, people - and I can proudly say I came home with $15 left. Unheard of! (Would have had $20 left but had to loan my dad $5.) You can tell it atually wasn't a GREAT garage sale day or all that money would've been gone. Anyway...enough little details...let's get to the fun stuff:

fun mid-century vase...my color, too...for $1

a little footed bowl - blue Carnival glass, which I've always loved and now can start collecting (provided they are all only $2, like this was!) :-)

four cute little dessert dishes ($2 total), and two matching cake plates in the background (which my mom thinks are Princess glass...I wouldn't know...just think they're pretty) for $6 total

This sweet bowl and pitcher for $3

This Longaberger pie plate for ONE DOLLAR

These small Fire King baking dishes for $1 each

Plus a silk tree for a client for only $4...a small handtruck for $5...man I had a good time. :-)

Let...the season...BEGIN!

I generally refer to the weekend after Memorial Day as "Opening Day". For what, you might ask? Baseball? No. Fishing? No. Garage sales, of course! My friends in warmer climates are probably pitying me right now - as well you should - since you are blessed with garage sales practically year-round, I'm sure. But for Oregonians, we have a very short and focused season. I look forward to it all winter and when it gets here, I have so much fun. The thrill of the hunt...the rush of adrenaline...the eagle eyes as you slowly cruise by...is that a Duncan Fife table? What color could I paint that bench? Would that chair fit in my daughter's room? Can I talk them down from $10 to $5? I never have much cash to spend - but that's the beauty of it. You can get so much for so little at garage sales.

my youngest checking out one of my latest found treasures

The last couple of weekends I've lucked out with a few early garage sales here and there. Weekend before last I was at an estate sale in its last couple of hours. I was wishing I had known about it a day earlier, because even towards the end they had some serious treasures left. I picked up a pair of fabulous - and I mean fabulous - mid-century drapes for $20. Steep for me, but when you see them you'll understand. (That's only if you appreciate mid-century design, I should add.) I'll show you a picture of them later - they're at the drycleaners. (That's where the real investment came in...quiet sob.)



I picked up this child's picture book from 1914, which had part of another picture book inside it, for $9. Again, a bit steep for me, but every single page is perfect for framing. I'm thinking they'd be awesome in a playroom or nursery.



...and this plate for $2. I collect this china pattern. Or rather, I have about six pieces which I got all at the same sale a few years ago. I'm just going to say that means I "collect" it.



Then, this last weekend, I went to a few garage sales in my favorite rich neighborhood - the Irvington/Alameda area, for you Portlanders. (I love garage sales in wealthy neighborhoods, because their junk is most certainly my treasure!) Gorgeous old houses, immaculate yards...I could go on...but instead I'll show you some treasures I found:





...this large basket for $1...at first I thought I'd paint it, but then realized it sorta goes with my new very pale aqua living/dining rooms...



...this vintage overnight bag, again for $1 (love that!) which I plan to use for storage in my home office (which I am VERY slowly putting together...pics to come, one day)...




and last, but not least, this outrageous mirror for $8 (that's all I could get them to go down from $10). I thought I'd paint it white...but...I hate to admit this...but the gold is actually starting to grow on me. There! I said it! Have I been reading too much Elle Decor or something? Seriously, I'm starting to love it's outrageousness as is. But, I may still paint it shabby white. Or red. Ha! Who knows?



All I can say is, three cheers for Opening Day - and Mom, get your van ready!