The Not So Fun Side of Home Improvement

No, not the show.  That was always fun.  I used to love Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor's shenanigans. (Sidenote: if you want a little chuckle, click on the "via" to go to the source of that photo) 

via

Dealing with issues like an odd smell coming from an outlet and water damage on wood floors is not so fun.  That's what's been going on at my house for the last day and a half.

Thank goodness we haven't had to spend a significant amount of money in order to fix either of these, and we may not have to, but stuff like this (and this is not even that bad) kind of makes me wish we were renters.

In other news, I started a bit of fall decorating....just experimenting, nothing permanent.  This was my moss initial:

It got all dried up from the sun plus it's been sitting in a closet for a couple months.  Most of the moss fell off and now it's going to be getting a make-over for the new season!

I'll be back with a normal post tomorrow...unless we have to keep shutting the power off to deal with our stinky outlet issue!

Have a great Wednesday!

New Prints!

I added a couple of new prints to my Etsy shop!

via

I thought some people might like just a simple name print.  This would be great for adding a shot of color to a gallery wall.  An 8x8 is $7.

via

This format is now available with a bird on it.

Thrifty Abode readers get free shipping for 20% off with the code FREESHIP or THRIFTY.

Don't you just hate it when....

....you get the urge to go thrifting, go to about five different stores, drag your toddler and stroller in and out of the car over and over, and all you can find are big fat duds like this blue velvet sofa?


Me too!

On Friday my son almost knocked over my home-made jug lamp because it's currently perched on a wobbly TV tray that's pretending to be a side table in our living room.  He's getting into that phase where he's into everything and I decided that it was finally time to spend a little money on a real table.

I was certain that I could go to a few thrift stores, find the perfect table for about $15, slap a coat of paint on it, and have a fabulous make-over to show off.

Well, that didn't happen so now I'm checking Craigslist about every 20 minutes for new listings.  I'll keep you posted.

Thrifty Inspiration

Check out the amazing thriftiness these ladies have been up to!

via

Diana at Our Vintage Home stuck foam letters and numbers on old milk bottles and painted them.  They look wonderful!  Our Vintage Home is becoming one of my favorite blogs.  Diana does some amazing projects and takes beautiful pictures of her home. 

via

Rinni at Rinnie's Playground gave an old triple dresser a beautiful blue paint job. 

via

Jennifer at Blissfully Ever After painted letters onto the fabric liners of her industrial baskets for a Restoration Hardware look at a fraction of the price.

via

Speaking of chores...Anne at Hello Newman's came up with this clever and cute solution for keeping up with weekly chores.  She used scrapbook paper and magnets.

All of these projects are fantastic and I'm definitely adding a couple of them to my to-do list!

Any thrifty projects up your sleeve this weekend?

Have a good one!

Affordable Chevron

I love a chevron rug....like this one from the set of the Nate Berkus show...

via

...and this one from Joni's nursery over at lay baby lay. 

via

A rug can be one of he most expensive pieces in a room and it could end up costing a pretty penny to get this look, but I came across a couple of chevron rugs that are reasonably priced.

This 5x7 is from Overstock and it's $80.  It comes in black and tan.

via

This 5x7 is from Urban Outfitters, its $74, and it comes in black, gray, and a fun aqua color.

via

Of course you could always just paint a chevron pattern on a cheap-o rug.

via

I think I like the painted rug.  May have to try it sometime!

70x40 Mirror for $45

I completely forgot to post this last week, but here it is:  my finished mirror in our dining area!  (I use the term "area" loosely, because as you can see, it's tiny.  Our couch is practically in it.  It's more of a dining nook.)  It took me about a year of living in this house to realize that that big wall needed something flat on it like artwork or a mirror.  Since our first floor is so small and only has one window,  I thought that a mirror would help open the space up.  My only problem was finding a giant, affordable mirror.  I'd seen tutorials for how to frame a bathroom mirror all over the blog world, so I decided to try the same thing with a mirror that wasn't in a bathroom. 

It took no time to find someone trying to get rid of a frameless bathroom mirror on Craigslist.  I bought my 70 x 40 mirror for $30, and I had it hung within a couple days (I hung it with mirror clips just like you would hang a mirror in a bathroom).  I wish I could say that it took me the same amount of time to get it framed.  I'm so embarrassed to say that I had that mirror hanging for almost two years before I got around to getting it framed!  I don't know what took me so long!  It was just one of those things that kept getting pushed to the bottom of the to-do list.

When I finally got around to getting it framed it was soooooo easy.  I bought $15 of molding and had my uncle cut it with his miter saw.  I painted the molding with white semi-gloss paint so that it would match the rest of my molding and I used these materials to attach the molding to my mirror.

 Double-sided duct tape, liquid nails, and spackle. 

I alternated beads of liquid nails and strips of duct tape on the backside of the molding.  The duct tape just held the molding in place while the liquid nails was drying.

After all the pieces of molding were on, I filled in the corners with spackle, smoothed them down, and painted over them.

You can't even tell that it's not one piece or that it didn't come ready-made from a store.

 Here's a before shot...before my chandy update, before the table runner, before the framed mirror:

This mirror was the last big project on our first floor.  All I really have left to do now is change out some accessories in our kitchen and I will be "done" with one whole floor of our house.  Yippee!

I'll be linking up to:

Chore Check-Up

It's been over a month since I first posted about this chore chart.  I talked about my intentions of  having a plan and keeping the house clean since I'm at home more and not teaching blah, blah, blah. 

Well, I've only been really trying for about two weeks and I've done a not bad job. 

Just because those boxes aren't checked doesn't mean I didn't complete the task either.  If I hadn't done the dishes for three days our house could have been taken over by the public health department.  I'm just not much of a stickler for checking the boxes for the things that automatically get done.  It does feel really good to check off that bathroom box, though.  I used to be very inconsistent about cleaning the bathrooms because they're so...well...gross.  Now I've realized that if I take some of my time to do basic upkeep they are less gross.  Whodathunk?

I used the chart from the Project Girl as a jumping off point and I tweaked it to make it more suited for my needs.  You can click the blank copy below if you'd like to print one for yourself.

Even though I've already asked, I'd still love to hear any tips and suggestions for keeping a clean house!

Have a great Tuesday!

Pardon My Mess

I apologize in advance if you see some weird stuff going on here over the next couple of days.  I'm switching things up a bit and hope to have everything ready to go by Monday or Tuesday.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

This is not the post that I had planned, but my computer and/or interweb was being uncooperative, so here's a pretty picture instead.

via

Love the aqua, gray and yellow! 

Have a great weekend!

New Prints at Lanie + Lola

Shameless plug alert!  New prints in my Etsy shop!  Free shipping or 20% for off for Thrifty Abode readers with the codes FREESHIP and THRIFTY.

via

via

Dead Ringer: Restoration Hardware Venetian Beaded Mirror & Z Gallerie Omni Wall Mirror

If you've been following this blog for a while then you may be having deja vu right now.  The reason you have the feeling that you've seen this post before is because you have....kind of.  I first posted this Dead Ringer here, but the cheaper mirror quickly sold out.  While I was looking at mirrors last week for this post I came across two different, less expensive versions of the Restoration Hardware Venetian Beaded Mirror.  The first time I posted about his mirror I got a lot of questions so I figured I'd post the new look-alikes in case anyone's interested.

OK.  So here's pricey RH mirror.  30"x40" $425

via

This mirror is from Z Gallerie and it's a bit less pricey. 30"x40" $299

via

Bonus:  This mirror is from JC Penney and it's smaller, but it's way more affordable than the other two.  26"x33" $129

via

Guest Posting at Keller Creative

Second guest post this week!  Today I'm over at Keller Creative, so click on over there and check it out!

Also, if you're not already a reader, you should be!  Kim's blog is really cute and she does great projects like this restored bar cart.

 

 Enjoy your Wednesday!

DIY Burlap Table Runner

This table runner ended up being a lot more plain Jane than I had originally intended.  I already posted a picture of my first failed attempt.  Well, here's a picture of my second:

Not cool.  I think I realized that it wasn't going to work as soon as I put the first stencil on, but I kept going and got about half way done.  By that point it was really obvious that I should just keep it simple.  Since our dining area is practically in our living room, it just didn't look right to try and put a different pattern in there.

This runner was so easy that it hardly needs a step-by-step guide to explain, but I took the pictures so I'm gonna post 'em anyway.

(Here's the short version if you're crunched for time:  1. Cut a strip of burlap and hem it.  2.  Put it on your table.)

I made a pattern out of poster board to trace onto my burlap.  Our table is a 42" square and the runner is about 18" wide and 55" long.

I lined up the the poster board with the lines I drew and folded down the edges of the burlap and ironed them so my hem would be nice a straight.

I tucked the raw edges under to make the hem and pinned, then ironed again.

Then I sewed!

 Done and done!

I know you're all probably amazed by my creativity and sewing skills, but try not to be too jealous. ;)

All joking aside, I like the way my runner turned out even though it's not original or fancy.  I like the neutral color and I like the texture of the burlap.  Now I just need to find some fabric to make some placemats...maybe I'll get a little facy with those.

I ALMOST FORGOT!  I used a yard and a half of burlap which cost a whopping $4.39 and I have some left over.  Way cheaper than this guy.

I'll be linking up at:

Guest Posting at Living on the Chic

I'm guest posting over at Living on the Chic today.  Trissta asked me to share a chic tip so hop over there and check it out!

I failed at my second attempt to make a table runner last night, but I'm hoping to have it finished and posted later today.

Y'all have a good Monday!

What A Difference A Frame Makes

The following picture is still an "in progress" picture of our dining area, but look!  My frame is done...for now.  I still think it needs to be thicker and I've heard that Home Depot has a miter saw that customers can use.  Can anyone confirm?

It was really easy to frame the mirror and the molding only cost $15.  If it's true that Home Depot will cut miters then I want to get all of my bathroom mirrors framed ASAP.

After I got the frame up I started working on my table runner and placemats only to be stopped dead in my tracks by a couple huge mistakes.  I made the runner too short AND it was too matchy-matchy (double fail).  I used the same fabric that I used for my throw pillows because I had a ton of it left over.  I knew that there was just going to be too much of that print in the same space, but I made the runner anyway because I didn't want to spend my precious Craigslist dollars on fabric.  As soon as I got the runner on the table it was obvious that it wasn't going to work even if I made a longer one.  I had to make a trip to Jo Ann which took way longer than I expected and all of a sudden  my afternoon was gone.  I will be working on Plan B for my runner and placemats this weekend and hopefully I'll have a pretty tutorial for Monday.

Have a great weekend!