Wednesday, June 29, 2011

More Future Projects. . .

I have found some pretty neat pieces lately that, if and when I get the time, I anticipate will look pretty amazing!

I absolutely love the scalloped edges on this table.



Here is a coffee table and 2 end tables
that need to be re-done:


And finally, this bookcase/hutch that is
actually in 2 pieces.
This is going to be great all "shabbied" up!


Stay tuned because I have been working on some old doors for a customer with a wedding decorating business.  They turned out shabby fabulous!

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Thrifty AND Chic?

Yes, it is possible to be thrifty and still find amazing items for your home.  You can also find gently-used clothing at an ounce of the price.  Case in point. . . I took 2 of my kids with me to the DI (which is our local version of a thrift store).  The one in particular we went to had just moved to a new, much larger building, so we were anxious to see what treasures we could find there.  I usually have the best luck finding clothes for my girls, in particular my youngest, Ella.  Ella has grown about 5 feet tall in the past year and so all of her pants and shirts are too short for her.  Plus, she needed summer dresses, and we found just that. 

Here's Ella's haul!

She will be darling in her "new" outfits!


This little Downeast Girl dress cost $1!
She informed me that she would be wearing
this on the first day of school.


Here is a set of chipboard letters
from Making Memories, $1!
I thought I might use the outside
as a stencil for some signs.
How can I possibly go wrong for $1?


Now, you might ask, "What do a cute ornate jar
with a red lid and a nutcracker have in
common?"  Absolutely nothing!
Jaggyr is just in love with nutcrackers.
He didn't go with me to the DI, so he
gave me some of his hard-earned cash
just in case I might come across a
nutcracker. . . and I did. . . and
I couldn't pass it up for .75 to make a
little guy happy.
Nutcrackers actually scare me
more than a little.  Their eyes
are so far apart, their teeth are
always showing.  I don't know, they
just seem a little creepy to me.


I got these 2 shelves which were identical,
until I painted Caromal Colours Parchment
over the black on one.
I liked how it turned out, so will
be painting the other one as well.
These shelves were $2 each.
You can't find prices that cheap,
except maybe at a yard sale.
It took me less than an hour
to paint and distress the white shelf.
Total Transformation!



This may look like an ordinary whiskey
barrel with beautiful red geraniums and
sweet potatoe vine, but what you don't know
is that I bought a hanging basket full of
red geraniums from The Home Depot
on clearance for only $5, regularly priced $26.97!
I just separated the geraniums and re-planted them.
So not only do I go to thrift stores, I
seek out clearance prices everywhere
I go!  You just need to be willing to search.



I got a package of the little flags at
Target in their $1 section and placed
them around my yard.


Below is the wood flag I got at a yard sale
for only $2.  I also used this as a pattern
to make more flags.

As you can see, we are so ready for the 4th of July!


Thrift stores truly hold treasures if you
are willing to take the time to search for them.
By now, I have a hard time paying full price
for really anything.

Next stop, Extreme Couponing!

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Summer Fun with the Slip N' Slide

Summer seemed like it was a little late in coming this year.  I'm not complaining because I love spring weather, the thunder storms, the cool nights, highs of about 73.  But, the kids were sure ready for some summer weather so we could pull the ole Slip N' Slide out!  Summer finally came and here are some great shots of the kids with the neighbors.

Here is my Little Guy, Jaggyr!
Jag can make it all the way to the end
on one slide!



Next up is Grace, our neighbor,
and Ella's Best Friend. 


And here is Caybie, Grace's Brother.
(And a little cutie too!) 
Their mommy just had a brand new
baby 2 weeks ago, a little girl named Lucy!
Talk about a little cutie!


Caleb is not quite ready for the belly slide
just yet, so he sticks to the knees
then he crawls the rest of the way!


Here's my sweet Ella!
She is going to hate me when she is older
for putting this picture on here!


Ella decided that was quite fun,
so here she goes again!


Jaggyr likes to make sure the slide
is straight and everything is just
right for the next contestant!


And here are the 2 besties! 
They love to play together!


Fun times were had by all.  I have a feeling this is going to be a summer staple.

I had better stock up on the popsicles.  

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Very First Sunday Showoff Linky Party!


Thanks for participating in the very first Sunday Showoff Link Party!

Here are the rules:

1. This linky party includes fabulous flea market finds, repurposed pieces, painted furniture, hand-crafted treasures and amazing antiques. It is your chance to strut your stuff!
2. Please link directly to your post and not just your blog.
3. Please link back to "A Little Chic" using the adorable "Sunday Showoff" button on my sidebar.
4. Please visit other "linkers" and leave a much-welcomed comment.

Have fun and happy linking!


Saturday, June 18, 2011

Makeover and a Giveaway!


In honor of my adorable blog makeover, I would like to have a giveaway!  Yaa for giveaways!  Who doesn't love free stuff? 


I wanted my blog to have a vintage feel and I think we achieved that!  I love chippy paint!  Can you tell?  I love perfectly imperfect things.  Cracks just add to the character.  Like I said before, vintage stuff has a story to tell, and I love to hear it.  My blog really represents me now and I love that!

Now for the giveaway part of this post:

You know I talk about the paint we use from Caromal Colours, right?  Well, we are giving away a Barnworn Distressed Kit from Caromal Colours to the lucky winner of this contest!  That is a $104 value! That includes 2 quarts of textured basecoat (your choice of colors), chipping creme (the key I tell ya!), a jar of toner,  and a chip brush.  You are going to love this paint as much as I love comfy socks!  There is no stripping, sanding, or priming before painting!  *Heavens open up and sing!*


Photo courtesy of www.Caromalcolours.com



Rules for the Contest:

1.  You must be or become a follower, AND leave a comment saying so (even if you already follow, you need to leave a comment at the end of this post).

2.  Like "A Little Chic" on Facebook, AND leave a comment saying so.

3.  Post about this giveaway on your own blog, AND leave a comment saying so.  I now have a button you can grab.

4.  If you get a friend to enter the contest, you will receive another entry, but you must have your friend leave a comment saying who referred them.

CONTEST ENDS when I reach 100 followers!

Monday, June 13, 2011

I'm Getting A Makeover!



I can hardly wait. . . my blog is getting a makeover soon. . . and I can hardly wait for the reveal!  My makeover will be complete by the end of this week (hopefully, fingers crossed)!  I am like a kid at Christmas!  It's all I think about.  I wonder if Diana from Custom Blog Designs will get the vision I have, or will it be even better than I imagined!  Keep checking back with me to see my beautiful new blog. 

Update on a few of my pieces:  The antique drop-leaf table sold, as did my old wood school desk from Kansas, my yellow metal rolling cart, my "Vacancy" sign, as well as my all-time favorite piece, the white armoire "Kennedy."Until then, happy junking!

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Wood Worker In the Making

Justin and I spend quite a bit of time in our garage repairing furniture, painting, and simply creating.  Our 5 kids also help us when they can.  Our true middle child kind of took more of an interest in what we do when we brought a band saw home from my brother-in-law's house for us to use.  He watched my husband cut out things and was amazed at the detailed cuts my husband could make using the band saw.  Justin and I were painting and Mr. Middle started looking closer at the saw and asking some questions.  Justin told him he could cut something out, so we got him some safety goggles, showed him how to use the saw and sat back and supervised.  He started to cut out his name, but on the last letter my brand new blade broke.  Suffice it to say, I will not be posting a finished product this time, I will just leave you with some photos of the process:



The creative bug strikes even the young!

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Next Up Is Theo. . .

Theo started out with painted stars all over him and the knobs were cut pieces of 2 x 4.  Remember, though, no pictures due to being lost.

We decided we wanted to try a new paint technique and see how it would turn out.

Well, it turns out, we H-A-T-E-D it!
Theo looked like a spotted leopard.

We couldn't let Theo be adopted by someone
looking like this.
We applied Caromal Colours Mustard
textured basecoat over the entire piece and
Theo is so handsome now.
He is actually gorgeous!





Just to re-iterate, we do make mistakes
and have to do re-dos on our re-dos sometimes.

I was Nominated!

My Painted Wooden Flag was nominated for an award from one of my linky parties by LambAround!



{Click Here To Vote For Me}  The voting is on the top right side of her home page.  WooHoo!
 

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