Welcome to Christmas Town!

Many years ago, when Rite Aide was Thriftys, I would go in the day after Christmas and check out all of the great clearance deals on Christmas decorations.  Thats when I bought my first house....a painted ceramic Clock Shop.  It was on 70% off and I think I paid $5 for it.  I took it home and wrapped it up with the rest of my Christmas decorations, and when I opened it the next year, the day after Thanksgiving, it was like getting a gift.

That year I went back again to Thriftys and picked up another house, this time a Bakery, plus some tiny people, because you can't have a town without people.

So, the town has grown over the years.  I remember when they got electricity.  That was exciting.  Of course, not everyone has that modern convenience, only the ones who can afford it. 

More people have moved to Christmas Town in the last twenty or so years.  They now have a General Store, a School House, an Old Rock Church, and a Cafe, in addition to a Farm House, which is out in the country of course, and a Mansion in town, which is where the mayor of Christmas Town lives.

Since the town has grown so much, it had to spread out.  Here are some pictures, in three different areas.

In addition to Christmas town, I decorate with some vases and glasses that I've picked up over the years.
I put crepe paper, rolled up, inside the glasses, and it looks like a red rose.

I love the Christmas Season!

I don't sew

My mother was a seamstress, and now my daughter is too.
But somehow the domestic gene passed me by.
I don't sew. I've tried.
I couldn't follow a pattern.
The machine made me mad.
So I gave up.
But, the good news is that many
crafty things can be done without
so much as winding a bobbin!

Every once in a while, I will actually do some
sort of craft project, and they usually turn
out pretty good.
Here are some pictures of the old ugly
bulletin board that became a focal point
in our studio.

It was pretty easy.
My daughter had some scrap material laying around.
There was not enough to cover the whole thing,
so I took two coordinating fabrics, and had
MY DAUGHTER sew them together.
If she was not around, I probably would
have just pinned them onto the board
after ironing.
Since the edges were kind of..
well...
edgy...
I trimmed the whole thing
with ribbon.

Nothing on this is permanent.
It is held on by push pins!
If I were really ambitious, I would
paint the frame....
but..ummm..
I'm not.

I had this bulletin board for YEARS,
hanging around, waiting to be used.
Now it commands attention as
soon as you walk in the room.

 By the way...see the really cool antique sewing machine?
My daughter picked it up at a yard sale,
while visiting Navoo, Missouri.
I think she paid about $20.
It came with  a sewing table,
but they had to leave it there
because they didn't have room
in their car! :(

But, now it has become
a decorative
feature in our studio.
How cool is that?

tips and tricks

I come across alot of people who
don't know where to start when
decorating their home.

I'm gonna let you in on a little secret.....

Let a professional designer do it for you!

No, I'm not talking about hiring a designer,
although I'm not trying to talk you out of it
either.  After all, I've made my living helping
people make their homes more beautiful.

But, you can use the advice of a
professional, without even knowing one.

The place to start is the rug
or comforter.
This was designed by a professional,
and it has a color scheme built in.
This is your starting point!

Look at the background color,
which is usually
some shade of white, off-white,
beige, or tan.
Use this color to paint your walls.

By the way, most of the time
any shade of beige or tan is better
on your walls than plain white.

Finding the right color for your
walls can be the trickiest
part because you need to use
the proper shade.

White or off-white can be
warm or cool.
It can have a pinky tone, or be
yellowy. It can lean toward
grey or more towards brown.
If you go yellowy when
you should have gone pinky,
that can be a problem.

If you're having trouble, try
getting some advice from the
associates at  the paint counter
at Home Depot.  They can be
a valuable resource.

Once you have the perfect
neutral color on your walls,
you can contrast it with a
bright creamy white on your
blinds and base molding.
If you have crown molding,
painting it white next to the
color on the walls will make
it stand out.
(I refuse to say "pop :)

Next, what is the dominant
color in the rug or comforter?
Use this color for large areas
in the room, such as curtain
panels and valances.

There will be at least one more
color that is used very little.
Pick one.
This is your accent color.
Use this color for small touches, such as
candles and pillows.

Whatever you do, don't paint your
walls first, then try to decorate
within them.

This is the hardest way to do it
and it is probably why so many
people get stuck.
Even a designer would have
a hard time doing it this way,
because it is backward!

The reason being is that there
are only a certain number of
rugs or comforters out there,
but there are thousands of
paint colors.

Above all, don't be afraid
of color.
I don't know about you,
but I get a little depressed
after I take down my Christmas
decorations.
I think this is because the season
brings so much color into our
lives, and we miss it when it's
gone.

(Did I just bring up Christmas?
Just me longing for cooler
weather I guess....:)

"this kitchen needs an island"

Since the day we moved into our new home
almost 15 years ago, my husband has been
suggesting that our kitchen needs an island.
I don't know why he even cares.... it's not
like he ever steps foot in it!

But, I had to agree with him.  Our U-shaped
kitchen is on the large size, at least for our
home.
When the center of the room is not being
taken up by a baby's high chair or playpen,

it's just a wasted space.
But it is not big enough for a permanent
full-size island. 
So we've been on the look out all these
years for just the right size
something-or-other to put in this vast
expanse of nothingness.

One day, not too long ago, hubby's
buddy was about to trash a
"stainless" commercial table that
had been in his garage forever.
Hubby brought it home and
expected me to be excited about it.
I hated it!
No way was I gonna
let that thing inside my home.

It sat outside for about 3 months,
being used as a catch all by the
back door, until I finally relented
and let him clean it up and bring it
into the kitchen.

I went to Home Depot and bought
some spray paint, to spruce up the
legs and bottom.
This is a specialized "hammered" finish.

 It was looking good!  And the size of it
is perfect for our kitchen....but something
was missing.
I grabbed the wooden stool we had
been using as an end table in the
livingroom.  We decided to use it next
to the island.
But, we'd have to paint it to match.

 This is as far as hubby got with it.
I waited 4 weeks, then finished painting
it myself.






Here is the finished product.  The wooden
stool now looks like it is made out of
metal.

The ugly commercial table has been
transformed into a sit-down space
in my once bare kitchen, and adds a
modern element that was missing.

I use it all the time, sitting down
to read a magazine while I'm
cooking, or eating breakfast.

 
This whole project cost us $12,
for the spray paint.

white paint makes everything look good

Just because something is old and ugly,
doesn't mean it can't look good again.
You've seen makeovers on people. 
The same thing can be done for really
old, seemingly used up furniture.

About four years ago, my husband was
helping his mom move out of her
apartment, and in with her daughter.
She needed to get rid of an old dresser
that she'd had for as long as he could
remember. He called me to see if I
wanted him to bring it home.
Duh. . . . . of course!

I wish I had some pictures to show you
just how ugly this monster was when I
first laid eyes on it.

I was dark wood, with no finish left on
it at all. It had old fashioned pulls which
were a cross between brass and brown. 
The top had taken it's fair share of abuse.

We put it in the spare room that I was
fixing to make into a playroom for our
growing number of grandchildren.

My plan was to paint each drawer a
different bright primary color. . . .
but that never happened.
I even brought it outside once, for
about 2 weeks, but hubby never got
around to sanding it down for me.
So I brought it back into the playroom
and forgot about it.

Until. . . . my daughter and I decided
to convert one of my spare rooms into
our studio for our on-line businesses.

We designed our studio using,
among other things, pieces we found
at IKEA. 

I finally got hubby to sand down the
monster, then paint it white with two
coats of Behr Premium semi-gloss.

We looked all over for pulls that
would fit the holes left by the
old ugly ones.
They were nowhere to be found.
So, instead, I purchased enough to
screw into every hole, so there
are two pulls on some areas that
only had one before.
But this just adds to the makeover!
The dresser now has a modern
flair that it lacked before.

Once it was ready, hubby installed the
cubby on top, and we were in business.
It now resembles a wall unit or hutch,
and it's a beautiful addition to the room.

Now this is my favorite part of our studio!

grey goose

It's Thrift Store Thursday,
only I don't have time to shop,
so I'm going to show you something
I bought at Goodwill
a couple of years ago.

Remember, I love unusual baskets,
so when I saw these
I knew I had to have them.

I guess you wouldn't call these "baskets",
but they are matching rattan suitcases.
How cool is that?!
They remind me of the kind of suitcases that
might have been used in the late 19th or early
20th century, by some rich people going on
safari, or to some exotic locale.
Since the style in my home is what I call
Old World Tropical,
these fit in perfectly.

I don't remember exactly how much I paid,
but it wasn't more than $10 each.
I didn't know what I was going to use them for,
but they were just too cool to pass up.
It turns out that these are great for storing those
odd items that don't really belong anywhere else,
such as items you're just holding
onto for sentimental reasons.

So....just today I decided to look for some
sort of label on these, to see where they were made,
or to get a clue as to how old these might be...

this is what I found....

Ha! So funny. Grey Goose Vodka.  I don't drink,
and I have no idea why they have this stamp.
There is nothing more to tell me anything
about them, so I'm going to assume that these
were made in France, but the rest is a mystery.
Oh well, they are still a great addition to my home,
and a really cool thrift store find.  

It's all in the details

While waiting for hubby to finish painting one of "my" projects (I guess I could do it myself :),
I thought I'd write a little something about the little somethings, that make a house a home.

I'm talking about the details, the accessories that seem to be the hard part
of decorating for most people.

Every good color scheme needs an accent color.  An accent is the little splash of color
that you throw around the room, to catch your eye, such as in.....throw pillows
(Ha, I crack my self up :).
It will usually show up in small items placed on coffee tables, end tables or shelves.
You don't want to use too much of it, or it ceases to be an "accent",
and will overwhelm and ruin the look you are going for.

My living room/dining room color scheme is sage green and tan, with an ivory background.
My couches are made from a weave fabric that is all-over tan, but if you look closely,
you will see tiny red threads.  Since green and red are opposite on the color wheel,
red was the obvious choice for my accent color.
Don't worry, it looks nothing like a Christmas theme, because the sage green is used on
large areas and the red is used ever so little.

So, if you remember, it was the details that were missing from my home when my daughter
and her family moved out a couple months ago.  Around the same time, my other daughter
was moving out of her place and was getting rid of lots of good stuff, which she offered to
me! Yay!

She had some glassware that she was going to throw away.  Naturally I brought some home,
fancied them up, and now I pass by them everyday on my way to the kitchen.

You can probably find lots of things to put in glassware, like smooth glass pebbles,
but I have no money, so I ran to my studio and grabbed a few lengths of sheer red ribbon
and swirled it into each glass.
Ta da!  Accent color!

These looked kind of bare, sitting on the piano alone,
so I added some red glass candles that I've had in my bathroom forever.

Here is what it looks like now.

So, I got these champagne glasses from my daughter, but you can find tons of them
at the thrift stores.  I think I bought the glass candles at Walmart for a couple
bucks each.  The ribbon came from Michaels, a spool for about two bucks.

Thrift Store Thursday

There are probably alot of people who have never shopped at a thrift store before.
If you are one of them, then maybe it's time to check it out.
My favorite one is The Goodwill Thrift Store in Santee, CA.
Whenever I am nearby and I have some extra time, I head over there,
just to see if there is anything that I have to have.

Since starting this blog, I thought I'd make a point to go at least once a week,
or at least post about something that I've bought in the past.

Today is my day off, so off I went, with a twenty dollar bill in my purse,
just in case there was something that had to come home with me.
When I got there, the parking lot was so full, I almost had to turn around.
Luckily there was one spot open!

When you walk in, there are racks and racks of clothes,
but I head straight to the back where they keep all of the furniture.

When you're shopping at a thrift store, the trick is to find something
unusual, something that you just can't find in a regular store.
It must be of good quality, such as solid wood, and something that is
either perfect the way it is, or can be painted or fixed in some way,
so as to make it great.

You should also make sure that you can actually use it
 in your home.
Don't become a junk collector!
(this is what I tell myself all the time :)

So, if I find something that fits all of these requirements,
I still won't buy it if it's over-priced, and for me,
that's got to be pretty low.

Here are a few things that I would consider buying:


 Night stand - this wasn't priced - see the solid maple stamp?

 

Unfinished coat hook shelf - $2.99

This would need to be primed, then painted,
which would be pretty easy.  It was a great
price too....but I just couldn't think of where
I would use it...darn!


        
                                                    
 Palm tree plate - $3.99
 This would look awesome sitting on
  the night stand in my guest room, but
  I thought that the price was a little
  high. I really love it though,
  and it was super hefty.
                                            
                                                    
                                                     
                   

This is a really nice, full set of china,
with an unusual print.
At $59.99 I thought it was a good
price,  but I'm not in the market for
dishes right now. 

I love baskets, but not just plain ole
every day baskets that you can find
anywhere. I always look for the most uniquely
 made baskets I can find.

Here are some of the ones I liked.                                   
They were priced from $2.99 to $3.99                 See the one on the left?
I was racking my brain to figure out what
I would use it for....but I couldn't think of anything,
so I left it for someone else to take home and love.


 By the way, if you're a reader like me, you'll want to
check out thrift stores for books. At these prices,
you'll never have to go without something to read.

 So, I didn't buy anything great today.
But I did pick up a VHS tape of An
American Tail.  It looks brand new,
and at .99 cents I couldn't pass it up.
We may be the last household in San Diego
 that has a VHS player, which is in the playroom.
My grandkids will like watching it the next time
they come over.

So if you're new to the thrift store thing, try it,
you might like it. Go in sometime when you have
about an hour to kill.
Walk up and down the aisles, then walk up
and down them again.
With so much stuff it's hard to see things the first time.

HAPPY SHOPPING!

I hate mail

Some people like when the mailman comes. Not me. Maybe it's because all I ever get is bills! Ha!

Anyway, the mail used to pile up on my dining room table, creating clutter, which I can't stand.
So I started looking around for a solution. I went to my favorite thrift store, The Goodwill in Santee, CA, and I found it.

When you are looking around at a thrift store, or garage sale.....or through someone's junk that they are giving away, you can't just look at what's on the surface.  You have to see items through rose-colored glasses. That is to say, you need to see it's potential.
 Maybe it is the wrong color, or it's a little beat up.  Maybe it just needs a new finish.  Or maybe it was used for some certain purpose, but you might use it for something else.

When I came across this little mailbox, it was in pretty good shape.  But the stain color was too light and the finish had worn off.  But for $5, it was perfect!

I sanded it down, which was not too hard, considering how small it is, then I stained it with some left over product that I had from my piano project.  I finished it with the left over satin finish lacquer.

Now, where to put it?  My daughter suggested this spot, which is just inside my kitchen, about 4 steps from the sliding glass door.  Now I put the mail up there, until such time as I force myself to look at it!