What if I told you..........

I made a gigantic mirror ?   You'd ask me how big is it ???  .right??   so rather than try to convince you of how big it is I might as well show you...

SEE

The actual mirror is 39" x 79" the surrounding frame is aprox 8 inches all around..  This is from a bathroom remodel... The frame is constructed from 1x6's for the outside frame with 1x4's layered on top surrounded by some decorative molding and premade decorative wood peices from the Home Depot lumber department..  The hutch standing next to it is pretty big but it looks dwarfed by this huge mirror...

Holding this giant concoction together is ALOT of corner brackets, screws and MORE corner brackets..and glue..lots of glue..

The back is covered with a 1/4 " sheet of plywood and painted black to match the frame.

I'm not sure that the dining room is the place for this BUT.. .. it's very heavy and I feel lucky to have gotten it that far.  Can you imagine that in a 4600 sq foot house there is not a perfect place  for it.. ?

Seems hard to believe huh..???  Definitely I am not lugging this up the stairs. 

Now do you believe me..??  

 I made a gigantic mirror. ??

Yes??

Super UGLY Dresser

I'm sure..  well kinda sure,,,,??.. you all remember this dresser from St Vincent De Paul..    Yeah,    it's iffy...   but there's hope.


After a coat of white paint and some pretty blue knobs..  I think this patient is going to pull thru.

Yeah.. !!!!   I knew you could do it.

These are 2.99 at Hobby Lobby..  they have a large selection of unique knobs..  a nice change from the typical hardware store knobs.

Maybe it needs a mirror to go with it.. ??  I'll have to look around and see what I can find in the garage..?

Lonley mirror meets Super Ugly dresser and they become a handsome couple..

and even better yet they found a new home.. and helped to finance the plastic surgery for yet another

Super Ugly dresser. 

What is the Best thing you ever got for free..???

There are alot of things I have gotten for free..   some good ,   some not so good.. !!!..
 In this post  I only refer to GOOD..  Really Good..
Do you have Freecycle where you live..????? I am in Phoenix and I love it.. Here  is my best Freecycle Score..ever..The people were clearing out a storage unit and just wanted it gone.. I was the first to respond and it bacame my lucky day. they even loaded it in the truck for me..
.. ... I love this..it's even better in person..  and best of all ... I only had to clean it..  no painting no sanding .. no makeover needed...... just scrubbing..   :)  well ,,,,I tightened a bolt? ..lol..

It looks like a Snow White might sit there singing and some blue birds would land on the top

 and start singing about true love ?? 

 

It's just the best free thing ever.

Look for Freecycle Groups on Yahoo..  the rules are few and it's fun and FREE

I'm linking this to

Southern Hospitality

&

Coastal Charm

Still in the Dining room??

The dining room looked like it was "missing something."??... so I looked around to see what I had to fill the space and "go with" the rest of the furniture
..  There it was all along .. a writing desk I had bought at the Goodwill a long time ago,
 for $19.00 dollars..  

Get out...!!!. Why didn't I see this before.. ???

So out to the garage it went..!!!

Gel Stain works great..  it makes things look "rich",  it's fairly easy to use and it dries quick..especially in Arizona.....This is smart stain, it remembers your brush strokes and takes on a blurry effect that looks like wood grain and it seems to smooth itself all at the same time.

The only drawback is that once it starts to dry YOU HAVE TO LEAVE IT ALONE. .. if you mess with it,   it will get rough and make a mess.. if you do screw it up.. wait till it's dry and then go back over it with  emery paper and  paint  it again.  

Here is the same table on it's return from the garage.  It looks good huh?

And someone made cupcakes to celebrate.     :)

The two tiny lamps are from the Goodwill  2.99 each.. the little shades were on clearance at Ross.. 99 cents each.

So thanks to the Goodwill, Craigslist and some DIY, that concludes the Dining Room...
 table, 6 chairs, lighted hutch, side table, 2 lamps and accessories
 $250.00

ahh yes..The Dining Room??

Last weekend I bought a  Dining Room set I saw on Craigslist.. Very pretty huh?  It has 6 chairs and a lighted hutch...  it's very grown up looking.  Something my mother would just love..  It's funny how when you're young you dont like any of the stuff your mother likes.. and then the older you get the more you start to like all that same stuff.. you can't fight genetics I guess??  
This is a really pretty set and since I have a giant dining room, it makes sense.   I'm not sure what my STYLE is..  I guess I'll just continue to collect things I like and then start weeding out what works and what does not...? Nothing is permanent..  there are so many listings under " Dining" Craigslist.. you can change your style pretty often...the great part is that I sold the dining room set I had to finance some of this set. 

Got Sidetracked

Today I was all set to hurry home and paint my bird houses...  but instead I remembered it was Dollar Day at the Goodwill...  so I made a few stops .  I bought mainly random junk.. but to me it's awesome treasure..

My new favorite things are

Topiaries

 I found these 2 for $7.99 each..  no not a dollar..  still worth it.. they're a little dusty.. but they'll be really cute once they're cleaned up..  they look like they've been in a strong wind.. 

 they need a some poofing or unpoofing or something.. ???? ..

Other than that I got some little lamps.. $2.99 each, a candle stick and a wine rack.. 

It was a pretty good treasure hunt. 

Birdhouses take flight..

...   ( yes I know ... Bird humor.!!!. yuckty yuck)

Two  very cool things happened today..  well actually 3 if you count these bird houses being so stinking cute..

#1.  My husband suprised me with an electric Miter Saw ..  he said he was walking thru Home Depot and saw it and thought of me.

 Now I know some of you are going..  "awwwww Lucky...  !!" and the rest are going   " Whaaattttttt????? "

Well for the bunch that are thinking how very cool that is..   I totally agree..  picture frames are going to be so much fun to make and all those things from the  Knock off wood blog that I keep wanting to try..  will be alot easier.. so this is really very neato....    For the rest..  ehhh  check back later..you'll see what I mean.

#2.. We had some very necessary laughter at work today..   Laughing at yourself is always so much fun.. ..
 
and #3  Look at how cute my  birdy houses are coming along.... I put a coat of rather neutral..paint on them and painted the stands and now tomorrow I get to do the fun part..  be decorative..and creative.. all that stuff we all like so much..

 I know I know, I was going to get up early on Saturday .. and paint ..
but,,,  .. I was bored and  since I was in the garage playing with my new saw anyway.. and the spray paint was just kinda sitting there handy.. ..  well, you get my drift..

Mostly these are painted with just regular craft paint..  like the Folkart little bottles.
( I found a bag of 10 at Goodwill for a dollar) .. I just slopped it on with a stencil brush,  nothing fancy.. and I painted the candle holders with the same paint.. Some of them are metal some are ceramic and a couple are wood.  the paint seems to work fine on all of them..
I washed them up with soap and water  first and then just globbed on the paint..  A couple I sprayed but mostly I painted them with the craft paint at my kitchen counter..

Doesn't this green one look like the Grinch lives in there.??.  like it should be in Who-ville.?? 

The Chalet of the Grinch... lol.. 

I can't wait to get home tomorrow and work on them ..  Won't they be cute with some sparkly beads  and "gingerbread" trim..?

Fliting from Goodwill to Goodwill looking for treasure.

Today I decided Goodwill is for the birds..  RRR...  well not really ..  I have been admiring the decorative Birdhouses at Hobby Lobby and so when I saw these little cuties at the Goodwill  I figured Why not?  It's much too hot to work in the garage so I need to find some creative fun in the house.

This weekend I'm getting up early and doing a little spray painting.. before it gets too boiling hot out in my garage and then I'll be back in the house to get out my decorative paint and paint brushes and all my cute little stencils and stamps.. I'm gonna have me some paint fun.. Check back to see how they turn out.

$12.00 bucks worth of good entertainment ..

these are going to be so cute.. !!!!!!!!

Great Big Dresser

One day I was late for work.. I had to turn around and go back home for some reason.. anyhow.. when I did I noticed a Yard Sale sign in my neighborhood.. and wouldn't you just know my truck just followed those signs all by itself.. ha...

From the street a couple things caught my eye.. in particular this big old dresser.

the guy said it was 40 bucks .. I said SOLD...!!!

Besides being the heaviest dresser I've ever tried to get in my truck.. it had been painted green at one time ..

This old girl was definitely in need of a makeover.. Look at how cute her feet are tho.. I imagine it dancing around with that broom when nobody's home .. it just has a Disney vibe....?? Each drawer had it's own skeleton key lock... what treasures could have been kept in there.. ?? ughh... I'm dying to know what someone could have kept locked away in those drawers....

Fortunately the person selling it was a bit of a DIYer and had already sanded off the green and done most of the hard work ... so for me it was a matter of finishing sanding the little edges and putting on some kind of stain.. This is really heavy and solid wood but still a veneer so.. my hat's off to the lady that took off all that green paint so carefully.. it was stripped but not damaged at all.. just dull looking.
I am a big fan of Minwax gel stains... they cover really well.. they look good and they are easy to use..

So here is the big old dresser with a coat of Mahogany Bombay.. and a couple of Goodwill lamps.. Next on my list are some better picture frames... isn't that a sad looking bunch.?.?? Well there's always tomorrow. and another Goodwill on my way from work. Hey.I have an actual excuse now to "shop". ( treasure hunt)

Especially for you Elaine. Here's My Goodwill Score today.

So everytime the girls at work ask me to look for something I always say..  no  I don't think I'd ever find one of those and then the very next day Sure enough.. I'm walking thru a Goodwill and there it is.. right there in front of me..  Just like the time I found that mini frig we use all the time for $12.99  you're my good luck shopping fairies....

 Without further ado...
I present my Goodwill find of the day..  and since I have but 1 follower.. this is written especially for you.. you know who you are. 

Look what I found..  for 12.99 with a 20 % off coupon.. making it a total of. $10.40   Are you ready .. are you really ready???     Oh yes it is... Oh yes..  it's the George Foreman Lean Mean Fat Grilling Machine.

FAMILY SIZE  !!!! with all the parts, and I plugged  it in and it works.  ye-aaah....!!!!

But wait that's not all..    included absolutely free!!!! ...  yes!!!!..hold your breath for this one.....  it's a Salton Belgium Waffle maker in pristine condition... 

Score.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So now if you are really my blog follower you will be smiling tomorrow when I see you..??  if not well then it will be a marvy surprise..  I can't wait.