more re-do

This entry is going to be accompanied by less-than-stellar photographs, and I'm kind of bummed about that. But I am not a photographer and I cannot figure out how to make these pictures look any better than what the basic "auto correct" button does in photo shop. I really need to have that middle son of mine give me lessons.

But on to the entry.

So, if you remember, I got a gorgeous new buffet to put our gorgeous new tv on. Really. Unfortunately most of you have not been in my house to appreciate how awesome this furniture is and the fact that it cost $95!!! I'm still admiring it every time I sit down. (see, there's something good about Carolina losing in the Elite 8. I'm no longer distracted by the basketball game and can look at my buffet all night...)

Our old tv (I took it to the recycling "convenience center" today, by the way---and there was nothing convenient about it) was in an armoire I got at a yard sale back when we lived in Montana. It was a pretty mahogany color that I painted with black milk paint ages ago. It was solid wood, but I had not taken good care of it at all and it looked ROUGH.

While we were moving the new buffet in, we scooted the armoire to the side and I realized I kind of liked the idea of a tall piece of furniture in that place. So I left it. And thanks to many blogs and my friend Angela's new purpose for an armoire, I decided to make it into Joshua's craft cabinet.

This was a fun and fairly quick project.

It was only farily quick because when i get an idea in my head I want to do it NOW. Sometimes that backfires. I spray-primed right over the cobwebs. Yes, I am a terrible house keeper. So then I cleaned out the painted cobwebs.

And if you spray primer on a piece of furniture in your house, the dust and tiny paint particles will be EVERYWHERE. So a day was spent dusting and mopping to clean it all up.

Painted the inside a nice mossy green color (the same as the sunroom walls, actually. Someone told me it was hideous, but I am choosing to ignore that remark. And he took it back after sleeping on the couch that night...just kidding ) Joshie LOVES green. We also took the frame off an old bulletin board and stuck that to the back for displaying his artwork.

Used some of my Behr black suede left over from the tables to repaint the outside and the shelves.

The doors are painted with magnetic paint--a fun touch that wasn't as difficult as I had heard.

Tightened up the drawer runners and added new hinges.

This is the one picture that turned out nicely--but I have no idea why.

Added beautiful new knobs from Anthropologie (thanks, Bec, for introducing me to it!)

And began the process of filling it up. The black box is actually a cubby-box thing that we picked up at Goodwill. Joshua unscrewed the little hanging things and we glued felt to the bottom to keep it from scratching up the paint.

The caddy was Americana colors that we spray painted black. I'd like to get some in-boxes to keep his art papers in and we've since put in some magazine files to store things.

It's working great so far-keeping his abundance of art supplies contained and organized and handy. And from the outside it looks great!

Goings On

Joshua sang with the children's choir at church recently. He also signed the song as they sang.

The Cub Scouts delivered food they had collected as part of the annual Scouting for Food program to the local food bank. Our Pack alone delivered over 2200 lbs of food this year!

Nick lost a bet so he got to dress like a pirate all day.

Dave and Joshua climbed on the roof to replace a chimney cover that blew off during a storm. Joshie's first time on the roof! And of course, he went dressed as Link....

The Boy Scout troop visited MD State Sen Ed ("Big Ed")  Reilly's office, had a tour of the State House (to include the tunnels under Annapolis) and sat in on some of a state senate session, where they were introduced. Joshua was the "honorary" Cub Scout in attendance.

Spring color

I've always had a problem with "spring" decorations. The colors in my house are rich (well, since we left the 90's) and so many of the decorations are pastel. I've just never been happy putting pinks and blues around the house because they look like I just stuck them out with no thought, which I did.

but Sarah has some beautiful spring decorations that are right up my alley. Her colors are white (Rustoleum antique white, to be precise), green, and natural (as in burlap, twine, etc.) GORGEOUS.

I've been busy spray painting things white, and covering others with jute. I bought a bunch of the little birds at the Dollar Store and have had fun putting them in all kinds of places around the house. This is spring color I can handle. It looks fresh and clean and the white brightens things up. You would be amazed at what a roll of twine and a bottle of tacky glue can do for idle hands....

Saving Money but not Time

My good friend Jan emailed me a link to this blog a few weeks ago. Since then I have spent HOURS perusing the archives, drooling over what she has done to her home and just how she has done it! She's a real person--not Martha Stewart. She works on a budget, she has good ideas, and she can copy other people's good ideas with the best of them. I'm good at that--copying other people's ideas. So now I am copying her copying other people....it's weird, I know, but it works.

I've been going a little stir-crazy lately, having lived here so long. We did not anticipate living in this area as long as we have (3 1/2 years and counting) and frankly, moving is in my blood. I like moving. I like the new possibilities that come with every new duty station and every new house. I like rearranging what I already have into something new. And now that we're not moving this year I am really getting antsy!

Enter the thrifty decor chick, Sarah. I have been so motivated and inspired to freshen things up and makeover our old stuff into something new! It has not cost much money at all--but I will tell you it has cost time. My family has indulged me--cans of paint laying around, squares of sandpaper, piles of laundry building up in front of the washer. I've spent about a week and a half really working hard on redoing some things and I'm excited to share them with you!

We'll start with the oak coffee tables.
I bought them in Kentucky the year Nick was born--1994. The french country look was very nice then, but not so much anymore. We have updated our sofas and chairs but the tables just couldn't break out of the 90's. Here's a recent photo (with Joshua and an I Spy design he came up with):

But (and you should have clicked on that link above by now or you will not appreciate what I am talking about) Sarah has made such beautiful use of black paint in her house that I decided it was time to make the move.

Enter Behr's black suede paint and the first of MANY trips I would make to Home Depot.

Utilizing what has (until this week) been a pretty useless space in our sunroom, I got to work.

If you look around the site, you can find great advice on how to get a nice smooth finish. I copied her instructions to the letter. Same primer, same number of coats, same number of sandings in between. And they look GREAT.

The room looks newer, fresher. I am thrilled with how they turned out and it made me want to do more...(stay tuned)

Everything looks better....

when it's viewed on top of a beautiful piece of furniture.

So this was going to be a post about how Nick and I went out and found a great new tv-worthy of watching our young Carolina team in the Sweet 16.

But frankly, the gorgeous new tv (Sony Bravia LED HD)  is overshadowed by what it is sitting ON.

Buying the tv required a search for the perfect cabinet to put it on. We did look at Wal Mart (when we bought the tv) and Target. But those were just.......eh.
So the tv sat on this little white country cabinet that I bought in Clarksville TN and that I LOVE. But the white cabinet was too small for the space and I already had other plans for it anyway. (Look for a coming post on the house makeover craziness I've been involved with.)

So I looked. Updated my freecycle membership. Downloaded the craigslist app for my iPhone. And then I found it.
Genuine Cushman Original buffet and hutch. Made in Vermont.  Annapolis. $95.

Me: Hi-I'm interested in your buffet and hutch. Is it still available?
Guy with amazing cabinet: Yes. There's a guy who is a dealer who is driving down from Leonardtown but if you get here first you can have it.
Me: Kids! I'm outta here! Be back in half an hour!!!
(yes, I am a little worried the guy with the amazing cabinet got beat up by the dealer from Leonardtown...)


And here it is. Minus the hutch, which is beautiful and will be stored until we have a "real" dining room again.

in theory our remotes will go in the huge drawer--stop laughing, Mom!

I love this thing. Sometimes I sit here on the couch looking at it and forgetting that I'm supposed to be watching the basketball game that is on.
I found another one on ebay today--selling for $750.

Ah. I love it when things work out the way I want.

March Madness Meltdown

Today was going to be a "finish up projects, upload a gazillion photos, plant Carolina blue pansies, update the blog" kind of day.
Dave and Joshua went camping last night and as Nick and I sat and watched the end of the games last night, there was a click and a buzz and a flash---and this happened to the tv:

No picture, barely any sound. We decided it was best to pat it nicely, turn it off, and go to bed. Surely it would feel better in the morning.
Nope.
Now who on earth has their tv go out in the middle of March Madness? Certainly not this house!! Could there be any worse time for this to happen? Ok, yes. It could have happened during the Carolina game last night--or it could have happened tomorrow afternoon during the next Carolina game.
But now we have a new mission.
A new tv. ASAP.
forget all that other stuff we had planned. There are basketball games being played at this moment and we are missing them.
Time's a-wasting!

Decisions

So, I have a decision to make. Should I buy a dry-clean only rug to put under the table in my new "breakfast area" or is that just inviting trouble? What if its a FABULOUS round wool rug in the exact size and colors I want? A little nagging voice keeps reminding me that I designed this "breakfast area" so that the munchkin would not drip syrup or milk on my family room carpet while he ate his breakfast and watched Funniest Home (as AFV is called around here) every morning. But then part of me (that REALLY LOVES this rug) wants to believe that with a real table to eat at there will be fewer drips!
What if I never find a washable rug this fabulous?
What to do??

Update Soon

I know some of you have been waiting witih baited breath to see what we've been up to! Don't fret-coming soon will be a real live update--with pictures!

Here's a hint, while you wait:
Carolina Blue
Busy Scouts
House beautiful


and here's a cool picture we took the other day--just another promise that spring is on its way!