$10 Pedestal

You know how Hobby Lobby sells those faux wood pedestals for about $100? I've always wanted one but there was no way I'd ever spend that much on one, not even with a coupon or sale price so I waited patiently... Remember I worked for Hobby Lobby while waiting for my dream job to be built. My patience was rewarded after 2 1/2 years!

All the furniture items that Hobby Lobby sells comes in boxes which the employees put together. Now some people just naturally have skills at putting together things whereas others do not and whomever had attempted to put together this particular pedestal ending up stripping out the screw parts in the particle board type stuff it was made out of so no amount twisting it was going to hold it together. At this point most store managers would say toss it down the dumpster but fortune smiled on me as I had a repuation for wanting anything broken beyond repair and it was offered to me for $10!!! Naturally I knew my ober skilled hubs could fix it *smiles*

Both ends of this pedestal needed repair and hubs used lots of wood glue and clamps to hold it together while it dried and set up. I waiting patiently...

Here it is looking all pretty and sturdy!

Not bad for $10 huh?

Gosh I miss Hobby Lobby!

Now if only I could get a new Ikea couch for $10...

Where have I been?

You guessed it, Hobby Lobby! So much going on at my store and it's been a roller coaster ride. My blogging has definitely suffered. Then this past weekend while I was walking our new dog Dallas (pictures coming soon!) I found some road graffiti in front of our house.

I wish this was what I found but sadly it wasn't... What I found spray painted at the end of our driveway was so foul, so dispictable, so vulgar that I can't even speak it, I shudder to think of it still... Why would anyone do such a thing? After the police came and later the country road dept, it's slightly better but that's an overstatement. The county worker said in his 16 years on the job he's never ever seen anything like it... NICE All day Saturday cars slowed to read it and most likely wonder why we were "gifted" with such vulgarity. We do not think we were the intended recipients of the graffiti... We're nice neighbors! Honestly! There's a young couple across the road who have been having their own little drama going on and we think it was intended for one of them. But I have to say I wouldn't wish this vulgarity and vileness on anyone!

The upside was several of our neighbors came out to show their support and talk it over with us. We had an opportunity to connect and in some cases reconnect with our neighbors that our commuter job lifestyle has inhibited for the last several years. So I'm focusing on that blessing in the midst of the *other* foolishness.

How was your week?

Cute Chicken Wire Frame

I was inspired by a new piece I saw come off the truck a few weeks ago at my favorite store *wink*wink* So I got a package of this from Lowe's.

I've been hording this piece of burlap for years... why? Frame was purchased dirt cheap because the glass was broken out of it ~ again, from that favorite store of ours..

I had this stuff already so I just cut a piece almost the exact size of the backing board which by the way really REALLY needs to be a bit smaller than original size so everything will fit.Would you look at the size of that glue stick!!!
After I glued my fluffy bit down I cut a piece of burlap slightly larger than the board so I could wrap it around and cover nicely.

Then I wrapped my painted chicken wire around that. I didn't glue that down, why bother?

Get a load of the mess I work in!

Added a decoupaged MDF bird from Mike's with a painted clothes pin attached to the back with hot glue. Bird directions: trace the back side on to the back side of scrapbook paper, cut out. Meanwhile paint what will be backside and sides of bird with paint, let dry, apply paper with Modge Podge, smoothing out, cut off excess with craft knife, sand edges for distressed look, go over entire piece again with Modge Podge, then embellish to your hearts content, hot glue clothes pin to the back of bird... Enjoy your craftiness!

I ~giant sparkly heart~ comments!

Before & After

My home is old, as in 100+ years old & it started life as a simple country church. Then sometime in the 1930's it went onto the tax rolls as a duplex type dwelling complete with two front doors! I can't imagine how a family of 5 & another family of 6 managed to live in this home side by side when our small family of 4 are always bumping into each other! Sometime in the 60's it was remodeled into a single family dwelling & we purchased it in 1992. There's lots of little things that I love about my home like it's solid oh so heavy wood doors & crystal door knobs. And a few odd things like the whiff of pipe smoke I occasionally smell (none of us smoke or have friends who smoke in our home) & this odd little shelf over the stove area of our kitchen. I've decorated it with lots of old jars collected from my husband's grandmother's barn, I've had ceramic pieces displayed, currently it's spices. But whatever I've done it's always been a hodge podge mismatched collection that always looked cluttered, never pretty. I'd sure love me some pretty for a change!

On my day off last week I shopped somewhere else other than Hobby Lobby *gasp* I know! Don't tell on me please! I went to TJ Maxx to look around since so many of y'all rave on & on about the great deals you find there. I found this plate for only $3 !!! I *heart* damask & I especially *heart* black and white. So I was thinking what if...

Sort of bare though so I shopped the house, remember these?Put them together & see what y'all think...Now I'm not going to use plate stands for them. I just wanted to see what it would look like. While at work I picked up some plate hangers and over the weekend hung them up carefully measuring and eyeballing to make sure it would look right. Here's my after picture!
What do y'all think? Good idea?

Where have I been?

Life in retail can be brutal... After suffering thru 3 months of cranky, rude holiday shoppers I was faced with inventory! Each and every roll of trim, ribbon, cording had to be counted... Every bolt of fabric weighed and recorded. After a week of lots of prep work and counting the inventory team arrived bright and early Saturday morning! We all were so happy to see them! And on my one day off I got to go sit in one of these! Lucky me huh? I feel about dentists the same way I feel about doctors, they are to be avoided! There's just something about having my head lower than my feet while reclining in a chair, having a bright light glaring in my eyes and my mouth open all the while with sharp instruments and someone else's hands in it causing me to lose all ability to communicate clearly that bothers me.... Call me crazy!
Remember my Statesboro trip? I lost what I thought was a filling while eating a very sticky granola bar. I just suffered with it, figuring I'd get things checked out sooner or later. A week ago the pain started and didn't stop but due to inventory at the store I wouldn't leave my post to have it checked. Then I discovered my sweet dentist is no longer seeing patients, gosh had it been that long since my last checkup? I guess so... I found a new one who I'm not afraid of *smiles* but now I'm facing a trip to the oral surgeon!

So that's where I've been this past week, at my store doing lots of inventory type things while suffering from the worst toothache you can imagine, popping Advils like crazy just to survive.
I promise I'll be around to visit and leave comments on everyone's blog just as soon as I can. Until then I keep thinking about all I have to be grateful for... a very understanding family and boss who promises to work with me while I take care of this bothersome problem, a healthy baby kitten who is growing by leaps and bounds, a fast internet connection so I don't feel disconnected from everyone, and plenty of Advil *smiles*

ChrisTmas Sideboard!

I am so excited to finally post some pictures for y'all! Sorry about the quality, my digi camera still isn't working properly, there's some sort of trouble with the flash but I took all the shades off my dining room chandy to brighten it up enough to take a few pictures so I hope y'all will forgive the quality - I tried!

Now y'all know how I've dreamed and pined for a sideboard and while it's not fully finished (we're going to do that after ChrisTmas) we're still enjoying it! I have it fully loaded!

Here's my do it yourself covered lampshades I made awhile back using the self adhesive shades I bought from my all time favorite store can you guess it's name? Hobby Lobby! I got them on sale for $6.99 each 50% off so they were cheap-o! The fabric is silk and left over from my dining room window treatment so no cost there, the trims were purchased last year at a greatly reduced price due to an inventory overstock reduction sale and if I told you how much I paid you wouldn't believe me and/or would hate me. Now the lamps were purchased from a church rummage sale for $4 for the pair. I knew when I saw them they would be perfect for my sideboard and I think they turned out very nice! What do y'all think?

Now the self adhesive shades are super easy peasy to cover but and I should capitalize this BUT there's a trick...They tell you in the directions to cut your fabric one inch larger all the way around the pattern which is true, you should do that now here's the big BUT, BUT before you glue the excess to the inside of the shade be sure to trim it first otherwise you will see the shadow of the excess fabric each time you turn your beautiful lamp on! I made that mistake on my first one and since I had hotglued the fabric to the inside of the shade I had quite a time trimming and pulling off hotglued fabric so it wouldn't be visible when the lamp was turned on. For the most part I fixed it but I wouldn't look inside my shade too closely if y'all know what I mean!

My beautiful metal shelf! I bought this last summer along with some other things that I've shown y'all already, things that I used to perform a mini bathroom makeover...Remember? This shelf wasn't purchased with a home in mind other than mine but for $4 how could I not buy it? It's been living in my bedroom on the floor beside my dresser till recently when I had a brilliant idea to hang it here next to my jumbo oversized ober expensive mirror...Regular Hobby Lobby shoppers should recognize this beauty! She was originally something like $149.99 and requires hollow wall fasteners to hang, she's hefty! I didn't pay nearly that much *smiles* More like 90% off so that's about $15 and change... Isn't she gorgeous? I love her!

Here's the view all decorated with mini village buildings, most are from Fred's and were on sale for $4.99 each. The quilted table runner is from Walmart clearance of fall stuff this year. The alpines were also from Walmart several seasons ago from their after ChrisTmas clearance. I don't think I'll put them on the sideboard again next year, normally I put them in front of my dining room mantel but wanted to try something different this time.

Now y'all please tell me what you think! I've had this basic arrangement of sideboard with big thing over it, something on either side with two lamps in my head forever... Now that I have it in reality I'm wondering am I on the right track? Is it semi balanced looking? What am I going to put on that shelf after the holidays??? And what should I put on top of the sideboard? Did I completely get it wrong? Suggestions and comments please!

Home Away from Home

I stayed at a very nice, new hotel while on my Lobby Adventure. We were paired up with roommates and my first one snored... My second one was a young 20-something who grinded her teeth while sleeping, and my third roommate...

Was neatness challenged... !!!
There's no place like home!

The Lobby Part Two

Can y'all stand a few more Lobby pictures? I'm going to spare y'all the other depts and just share my side of the store ~ Fabric and Needlework...

Look at all that yummy ribbon, so pretty and neat...

Total eye candy of ribbon-licious!
You can just imagine how long all of this took to sort out...
The crate is filled with boxes full of glass dividers.
I went thru an entire crate just in Needlework alone.

Needlework up next! A whole lot of nothing... Yarn that I know almost nothing about...

More yarn but I learned quick let me assure you! Oh this pole was a huge problem for me!

Next post ~ My hotel room!