Wall Wine Rack

During a yard sale field trip, we found this from a guy on the side of the road. He had the best prices of the day! (I am going to post pictures of all our little treasures in a bit.) So, Nate eyed this not so great hand made wine rack. Someone did an awesome job building this thing but never painted(spray painted) it. It was only $3!!! We figured, why not! If it ends up looking like crap then it is only $3 down the drain.

Okay, now I know she isn't a looker. But can you at least see her potential?

She will hold 3 wine bottles and glasses below. First, I had to vacuum it! It had cobwebs and dust/dirt in the nooks and crannies. The left shelf was loose so I used wood glue and clamp to secure it into place. I then used some wood filler to fill in the seams.

Then I primed her. I ran out of primer so I finished it up with some cheap black spray paint. This is her after coat #1. Nate wanted to paint her instead of spray paint. But since he isn't home...hehehe No, the real reason is because it is made from real wood and when I tried painting real wood with a brush before I had problems going with the grain of the wood. Yes, I know I painted 3 tables but I used a roller. She also isn't a simpole flat surface so I thought spray paint would get into the places I couldn't reach.
This is after coat #2 1/2. I ran out of black spray paint!!!! Didn't I just say you can never have enough black spray paint? I have to respray within 4 hours so I have to run to the store. Why? Because if you wait longer it can cause the paint to buckle and lift. And I am not sanding this biotch...I mean beauty, if I mess it up!

Thrift Store Lamp

We are in desperate need of table lighting in our living room. I found the diamond in a rough lamp at one of mine and Yaritza's favorite thrift store. It is basically a giant warehouse of crap! We have found all kind of great things there. Like this thing. I have named it thing because I honestly don't know what it is. :) I mean ....thing is a official decorating name...absolutely.

$4 It is heavy as shitz and was original concrete gray. I primed and spray painted it Mediterranean blue. We haven't finalized his home yet.

Okay, back to my lamp. I think it was $6. it was chipped and scratched and just needed some TLC.

It was originally brown with silver accents. I wanted it black, of course :)

I taped off the silver, cord, and top. Then I sanded it. Basically just roughed it up a bit.

Primed. This is the primer that I used on our coffee table so it was free :) Oh and the painters tape I had in my "shop" from painting the house.

I spray painted it black satin. $3.44 from Lowes. I probably had enough at home but hey you can never have too much black spray paint :)

This is after I pulled off the tape. I think it looks great. Without the lampshade the project cost around $10. I was thinking of something like the one below. A rectangle lampshade to go with the base. I think that the shade might be more than the actually lamp but I am okay with that because I still saved almost 80% retail cost. And as soon as I find the perfect one it will stand proudly and brightly in our living room

Kitchen Chalkboard

With the boys camping this weekend I decided to tackle a few of my thrift store/yard sale projects. First up was a chalkboard for our Kitchen. I searched and searched for the perfect painting/frame to spray paint. The spot in my kitchen needed some longer and narrow. A few weekends ago Nate, E-Diddy and I went to a handful of yard sales. (Yes, the boys love going to yard sales! It was actually their idea. :) It was a load of fun and we scored some great finds. We do need to work on bargaining a bit. We are too nice!) So, we stumbled upon an estate sale. And we found this painting. It ended up that it was one of the previous owners favorite and she had it over her bed for probably 30 years. We should have paid somewhere around $5 but c'mon it was an estate sale. The ladies mom was in heaven and E-diddy got 20 free Coke-Cola pencils. We felt bad after the lady said it was one of her mom's favorites especially knowing that I was going to spray painted but I am sure the sweet lady would be happy to know that it will be used and loved years to come.

Original Painting & Frame

I sanded the flowers down a bit to get rid of the texture and then primed the whole thing.

Then I used Chalk board spray paint and the canvas. I didn't cover the frame because I wanted to get underneath the edge of the frame. I gave it 3 coats of paint. The CB spray paint was around $4 at Walmart

Then I covered the canvas with newspaper and sprayed 2 coats of red spray paint on the frame. I used the same spray paint on the projects for the cabinet ledge. So it was free :)

And here she is in her glory. There was already a nail hanging but it needs to be lowered when my hubby returns. I am going to attack a string to hang the chalk. This thing is going to be great for messages and To Do List. The entire project cost under $15 bucks. I am thinking about making one for E-diddy out of a full length mirror frame to hang on the wall behind his door.

Check out this similar chalkboard from Ballard Designs for over $100 some up to $329! I think it would be child abuse if I paid this much for a chalkboard!

Art Work & Curtain Idea's for our Master Bedroom

Courtesey of the stamford wife This would also give me something to do with some of our TTD pics..and the other frames scrapbook paper

The look for our bedroom

Doesn't that look like a nice place to shut the door and relax? Check out BowerPower for her look for less

Fear

No doubt that this a-hole has haunted me for years. I still have nightmares that include Jason chasing me around the house and for some reason he never gets me but he almost does everytime. When I wake up I lay perfectly still and listen in the dark bc I just know he is in my house somewhere. (See why I don't watch scary movies)

My biggest fear right now is 1pm-9pm. My husband's new possible hours. For a job opportunity he has decided to close down Innobyte in the middle of April. He was offered a Cisco position that would be the first step to his dream career but the hours are 1pm-9pm. When he told me the other week I started to cry. I love my husband. I want to be with him and have him home with us. And I felt bad for crying in front of him because I don't want him to feel guilty about this. I know he needs to do this and I can't hold him back. Now that emotion is sadness not fear. The fear comes in from this. The ending of my first marriage was during a night shift. He was working 2 to 11pm and I worked 8-5pm. Monday through Friday we didn't spend anytime together. Ethan was in daycare and by the time he came home we were both asleep. And he met another lady that worked with him and they spent 5 days a week together and the rest is history. I am scared it is going to happen again. I know that my husband isn't my ex. He is a better man than X could ever be but I am still scared. Just like I know Jason isn't real, I still have the dreams.

Homemade Cake Stand

LOVE IT

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