Stool Makeover

We have an area in one of our bathrooms where I used to have a 3-tiered wrought iron stand that housed bath and pool towels. This was our kids bathroom and it has a door leading out to the pool so it made perfect sense to have the towels ready and available for the kids. It worked great for years and years but with the kids grown and out of the house now, I thought it was time for a change. I gave the stand to my sister and decided I'd like a stool or chair there instead. I found a nice stool months ago at the Goodwill for $8 and thought I'd give it a makeover.

The stool itself is in great shape, very nice and sturdy, but in desperate need of reupholstering. I was so conscientious...before I started, I made sure to take pictures but yesterday I accidentally deleted the first picture I took where it was stripped down to it's bare bones. So here is the second picture, with foam and batting...


I had already purchased the supplies but had postponed the project because I wasn't sure if I was going to do any restaining so I was waiting for warmer weather. In the end, I just cleaned it up and went for it. I like the look of it with some scratches and worn marks. It gives it character.

My original thought was to staple on the fabric and then use upholstery tacks to hide the staples. Here is the stool with it's new fabric stapled on, waiting for the finishing touch...


I ended up not using the upholstery tacks at all. I wanted to soften it up so I used trim instead. I just hot glued the trim right onto the fabric, working my way around the stool. It hid the staples perfectly...



I'm so happy with my $8 find. I think it's the perfect little addition to the bathroom.

Luckily Sooner, Rather Than Later...

I've been on the lookout for a little side table to go upstairs in our loft area. I didn't want to spend an arm and a leg for something expensive yet I didn't want a piece of junk either. I figured I'd run across something that would work sooner or later. Sure enough, a few weeks ago I found this table at the GW, brand new and still in the box, with the glass top included. Do you remember these tables? I know they used to sell them at Mervyn's but I wouldn't even know where to look for them these days.


I know it was meant to be because would you believe I also found the ivory tablecloth on the same day. These are special tablecloths for these tables, so really, what are the odds!?! It was even the right color!


I knew it needed something else to finish off the look so I went to Joann's and picked up some material to make a small table topper. I bought about a yard of some pretty toile fabric, hemmed the edges with iron on fabric tape, and viola! The perfect little side table. I love it when a plan comes together!

Love That Lilly!

I've seen that many bloggers find the best clothing deals while out thrifting, but I'm not quite there yet. I'm still not sure how I feel about wearing other people's clothes. It never occurs to me to look through the clothes at the Goodwill, yet the clothing racks are the first place my sister heads to when she goes thrifting. I don't have the patience to sort through each item, piece by piece, and that is what you need to do when going through the clothes. I need to develop the patience because my sister has always looked like a million bucks, but for less!

A few weeks back I was walking past the dresses at the GW and the pattern on one particular dress popped out at me. I couldn't believe my eyes! There hanging was a Lilly Pulitzer summer dress, never been worn, tag and all. I don't know if you can see it, but it has an empire waist with piping and bow. Unfortunately, my photo skills don't do it justice. The dress is waaayyy cuter than this picture shows, and it really doesn't look like a tent!



Take a look at the original price tag! I paid $6.50.


Don't you think it would make a darling Easter dress paired with a cute little sweater and sandals. Never been worn, this I'll wear!

My Thrifty Find

I had some time to spare last week after a physical therapy session so I stopped by the Goodwill for a few minutes. Just as I was walking in, they were wheeling out a cart full of items to be put away. Lucky for me, the store was pretty empty so I was the first one to make my way over to the cart.

Right off the bat I noticed a Ray Ban eyeglass case and picked it up thinking it probably had a cheap pair of sunglasses in it. I was pleasantly SURPRISED and SHOCKED to find these in there instead...



A great pair of Maui Jim sunglasses. Maui Jim's are not cheap glasses and these are in perfect condition, with not a scratch on them. I just couldn't believe someone would give them to Goodwill and I couldn't believe the price on the sticker either...$2!

I normally don't show my husband my little thrifting goodies (because I don't want to see him roll his eyes) but I couldn't wait to show him the glasses. He's got a few pair of Maui Jim's and knows exactly what they retail for. Long story short, there was no eye rolling that day!

I think this may just be my best thrifty find ever!

My Kitchen Shelf Metamorphosis

Around this time every year I get motivated to do little projects around the house. I'll get alot done from now until early summer. After that, it's just to darn hot so not much gets accomplished. Then it's the holidays and before you know it, the cycle begins again.

For the first time since November, I went thrifting Tuesday afternoon. I've learned it's either feast or famine when thrifting but Tuesday I was finding things at every turn. More often than not, I go home empty handed but Tuesday was my lucky day!

About 5 months ago I bought this tiered shelf for my kitchen. I had been looking for a few years but could never find exactly what I wanted. I ended up buying this beauty from a man back East who makes them and sells them on Ebay.


I had envisioned big plans for these shelves but truthfully they've pretty much been empty the whole time. I had 5 beautiful green plates displayed on the second shelf but that was about it. It just never seemed to come together, until Tuesday night!

While thrifting I found 3 white plates, a small white creamer, a white medium sized pitcher, and greenery in a planter that perfectly matched the plates I had on the shelf. It was all starting to come together in my mind so as soon as I got home, I got busy accessorizing and pulling out things I already had such as silver and blue and white items. It looked awesome! The shelves looked so beautiful that my husband commented on it first thing yesterday morning, something that he doesn't do very often.

I also bought a new lampshade for the living room. Have you noticed that round lampshades are all the rage right now. Just something as simple as changing a lampshade can make a big difference and freshen up the decor. Although I am sold on the round lampshade idea, I'm not sure if I'm sold on the particular one that I bought. I bought it at Tuesday Morning and it was the only one they had. I think it's just a little to white for me. Most of my lampshades are more of an off white or creamier color. Here is the lamp with it's original shade and then with the new round lampshade, still in it's clear plastic covering. I haven't taken it off yet because I'm not sure it's staying. So tell me, which one of the lampshades do you prefer?



While I was busy in the living room yesterday afternoon mulling over lampshades, I heard the biggest, loudest noise of all time. I ran into the kitchen knowing full well what had just happened. Yes, my beautifully decorated shelf, with all of it's new accessories, had come crashing down off the wall. All of my perfectly placed treasures were in a million pieces, scattered everywhere. After already picking up alot of the mess, I saw my camera on the table and took a picture of the aftermath. I had my camera close by because I had wanted to show you the metamorphosis that had taken place. Unfortunately, I was just a little too late!


I still can't believe what happened. My husband and I are extremely careful when hanging things and we checked and double checked to make certain it was sturdy on the wall. Turns out the hooks that were sent with the shelf weren't strong enough and they bent with the weight, allowing the whole shelf to come crashing down.

The disaster has been cleaned up but guaranteed, we'll be picking up pieces of glass for weeks to come! I immediately brought out the touch-up paint for the wall and chair rail and we'll be hanging the shelf again soon, but with much heavier, stronger hooks, thanks to a trip to Lowe's. I'll be starting my shelf metamorphosis all over again, but at least I now have a vision of what I'm looking for. And truthfully, I'm thankful. Other than broken plates and such, not much was damaged on the walls, chair rail, floor, or shelf. It could have been much worse!

(Although I don't have any pictures of my thrifty finds this week (since they're in the trash can, boo hoo!), I decided to go ahead and link up with Leigh today for Thrifty Thursday. Thank you Leigh for hosting Thrifty Thursday each week. Hopefully next time I join in, I'll have pictures! To join in the fun or to visit other Thrifty Thursday participants, click here.)

Unbelievable and Just My Luck!

How was your Thanksgiving? I've been away from the computer for days and feel so out of the loop. I've got alot of catching up to do!

My Thanksgiving was very nice and relaxing. I was able to spend some time with my son and lots of time with my sister so I was in heaven. This year was definitely different though. My son and I went in one direction and my husband and daughter went in another. Howard wanted to see what Colorado was like in the winter since we hope to be moving there this summer, and wouldn't you know it, no snow! He was able to look around at different areas though and is growing to like Colorado more and more. It was also really nice for my parents to have family there for the holiday.

My sister Debbie and her SIL are veteran thrifters so we had a ball visiting all of Debbie's favorite thrift shops on Friday. It was a perfect girl's day out! Debbie's SIL is a doll and I just love getting together with her each Thanksgiving. So different from my SIL, but that's a whole different story.

Early Sunday afternoon Debbie and I took the dogs outside before we were heading out to do some running around. I don't know exactly what happened but the next thing I knew I was sprawled out on the driveway and I wasn't sure what hurt the most, my left ankle or my right knee. After a few minutes, I hobbled upstairs and right away my ankle started swelling up. This is what it looked like Monday morning. Just look past the scaly leg. My legs are dry and peeling from Hawaii and in need of a good shave.


Stubborn person that I am, I insisted that I could drive Jake and myself home yesterday, and I did. I drove straight to my job to show them my foot and let them know that I wouldn't be in today. I then dropped Jake off at home and headed to the ER. They of course took x-rays and yes indeed, it's broken. I can't believe it! Could the timing be any worse!? I had such plans for this week and for the weeks ahead. Christmas is only weeks away and here I am with a broken ankle. Unbelievable! I go to the Orthopedist either tomorrow or Thursday for my cast. Hopefully I can get a walking cast after 3 weeks and can get things in gear for Christmas. Thank goodness I have alot of my shopping done already. As for work, there goes my perfect attendance. I just may have gotten myself an extended vacation!

I'll keep you posted!

Benefits Of Blogging...

The one thing that I've enjoyed most about blogging is the relationships that have developed over the last year and a half. Although I had hoped for friendships to be made, I never dreamed I'd become close friends with other bloggers like I have. I have blogging friends that feel like family and friendships that I know will last forever!

For me, another benefit from blogging has been learning about other religions. For example, I have met and become close friends with many wonderful blogging women who are Mormon. Honestly, I didn't know much about the Mormon faith and what I did know was incorrect. Through blogging, I have been educated. I now have a new found respect and understanding of the Mormon faith, and I have a great respect for my Mormon women friends. Ladies, I so admire the devotion to faith, family, and service that you have. You inspire me daily!

If I've learned anything, I've learned of the great reverence for the temple, the love of the prophets, and especially the love of President Gordon B. Hinckley. So now knowing all of this, when I saw a VHS tape at a thrift store recently, I knew I had to buy it. The VHS is in it's original wrapper and has never been opened. The tape is called "An Evening of Celebration...with President Gordon B. Hinckley", celebrating his 90th birthday at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City. It features the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square as well as other guests.


I picked up this tape with my friends in mind, thinking you may like to add this to your collection. If you're interested, just leave me a comment. I'd love to pass it on to someone who would enjoy having it.

When I'm out and about and I see something special, I'm always thinking "oh, my blogging friend_______ would love that" or "that would look great in _______ house!" I feel such a connection with many of you. It's a beautiful thing, the closeness and friendships that women develop. The only thing that would make it perfect were if we were all neighbors. Now wouldn't that be awesome!