Plum Perfect Friday - A Versatile Vinette

I found this cute tray at a garage sale recently, and wanted to whip up some fun ideas I've had lately...a nice little kitchen table centerpiece that can be removed easily when it's time to eat!

Have a pleasantly perfect Friday!

Rusty Rave Monday - Lovely Lacy Lamp

I needed to come up with an idea to redo this lamp for my guest room make over...I wanted it to be pink, so I looked through my paraphernalia and found a battenburg lace valence...and the light went on! Of course, I repainted the lamp base, then went to work on the shade cover.

I sewed a small casing in between the existing casing on the valence.

Then I ran some narrow elastic through the casing...

...and gathered it up.

Then sewed some ribbon on each end,

...and tied it on!

Tad da! Not to shabby! All in all it probably took me a half an hour...that's my kind of expeditious endeavor!

Hope you have had a lovely Monday, I did!

Rusty Rave Monday - Room Revision Launch

Since my daughter, Kaitlin, began dating her fiancee she has been coming home every weekend because his family lives in the same part of town as I do. Kaitlin goes to ASU which is in the east valley, and Reggie works in the east valley, so they both stay on that side of town during the week, then travel back over here for the weekend. It has been wonderful to have my baby back so often, and, of course, I am absolutely loving it! (It couldn't have worked out better for me!) As a result, it is now necessary to get a room in order for her, hence the room revision! (It's always fun to have a reason to redecorate, right?) Therefore, I am on a mission to get it all spruced up for her...

Time to hit some garage sales, so this weekend I began my quest, and found this pretty chest of drawers for $15...(another fantastic deal that came my way)! It is very sturdy and built well. All I had to do were some minor repairs and then "distress" it up a bit more.

(I love the bun feet.)

I liked the existing drawer pulls that were still attached and in good condition, so I just got a new handle and painted it to match the finish of the ones that "survived". I like the look and think it adds some interest to the chest.

I got this table in December, and had it sitting in the garage patiently waiting for some attention, so I worked on it...

I painted it white,

then off-white,

and tried a different finish than I have done before.

Kind of a whitewash over white...

then a clear coat.

The room has a way to go, but these pieces give it a start!

Have a remarkable Rusty Rave Monday...

Plum Perfect Friday - A Catching Up Post!

I haven't posted in over a week, so I'm playing catch up! Along with my very complicated life, I have, it seems, zillions of projects that are undone that have been neglected for ages! Amazingly enough, I have had a few days this week with nothing major going on, so I decided to tackle one of them.

A new window treatment to add a splash of color! I have had the curtains, rod and paraphernalia for months.

AFTER.
I wanted to try out the "puffball" style...it's pretty cute, but I think I need to pre-wash the ready made curtains so they will be a little more "droopy" at the top. (Maybe next week...)

BEFORE.
It does bring out the lavender in the room and certainly makes it look a little more unified.

On Tuesday, I had to go to the opposite end of the valley so I mixed business with pleasure and explored an antique store while there and subsequently found a few more small treasures! (The cool thing is that they were all marked down, too!)

This sweet, pocket-sized New Testament (Copyright 1946!) was marked $25.

It is in phenomenal condition and was 80% off! (Score!)

Believe it or not, I have been looking for a small, white vintage book to go along with these. How about that? So cool...I love it!

Then, I found another bird bath marked 50% off. It wasn't an antique, so, hereagain, I had to make it look like one with my new found skill of rusting objects...

...then added it to my recently acquired, bird bath collection!

I am really excited about this little $5 gem. I love the pattern, and that it is extremely old and well-used.

You can just see just how lovingly-worn this cup and saucer is, and can tell, by the coffee stains, how often!

It is so endearing to think about the story behind it...and that is almost what I adore most about it.

HISTORIC!

I've got the perfect place for it! I'll be blogging about it on my next "Rusty Rave Monday"...so ya gotta return, I've got big plans for the weekend!

Have a great one!

Cheers,

Rusty Rave Monday - Accelerated Aging

How perfectly appropriate for a "Rusty Rave"...making things rusty!

Last week I blogged about this die cast metal bird bath that I found at Goodwill. I forgot to take a before photo, but in your mind, just picture it plain white. Of course, I had to make it look rust-covered and aged, so I went online and found a rapid, and super easy process to do the job!

First, you will need to rough it up a bit with sandpaper to get through to the metal. A lot of people, I think, use salt water which takes forever on its own. You need an oxidizer to speed up the task, so, in order to achieve a uniform, thick rust quickly (seriously, like, 5 minutes or less), mix up a batch of the following:

half part hydrogen peroxide (drugstore grade is fine), half part vinegar, and a pinch of salt (I mixed it in a spray bottle and sprayed it on!)

The method is, uhm, rather fast, because of the chemical reaction that is created. It was suggested that you spray a coat of lacquer when it's dry, so I guess you could, but I didn't. I want it to look like it's been weathered and mistreated!

When I saw how well it worked, I "shabbied" up some other items in my home!

Pretty cool, huh? Painless evolution!!

Now go make your own "Rusty Raves"!

Cheers,

Rusty Rave Monday - Latest Prodigious Procurements

As you know, my sister came the weekend before Valentines Day. We had a most enjoyable time, and "thrifted" our way through several different places. Following are some of my finest finds:

This AeroPak vintage suitcase is my most favorite item of the week. I am really excited about this one...found it at the Brass Armadillo Antique Mall for $19.99! Woo hoo! From what I can tell it is from the 1940's. How cool is that?

I added to my collection of pretty plates...

...and found another cute silver creamer!

It was my sister's birthday and she brought me a gift! This cute little pouch goes perfect with my frenchy bathroom decor,

and this little gem was inside it. She made the fun little bauble and I plan to attach it to the bathroom window treatment once I get it all sewn up.

Another one of my weaknesses is decorative pillows...these were at a garage sale for about $2 each!

I have been looking for a die cast metal bird bath and found one at Goodwill. It was all white and I found an easy way to rust it up a bit. I will be blogging about that on Friday, so stay tuned.

Cute frames are also something that I collect...This and all the following articles are from Goodwill , as well. I can always find great things there, and it is literally a thrill for me to retrieve these used treasures.

This frame will most likely get painted a different color.

This lamp will probably get re-painted, as well, (and get a new shade)...I don't know what I will do with it yet, but you can always find a use for a cute lamp!

This simple candle stand holds many possibilities, and without question, it will be re-painted white. One of my ideas for its use is as a base for a large platter to become a cake stand!

Lastly, my youngest daughter will be thrilled with this fantastic doll chair. It is in excellent condition and will match her room perfectly. (Shh, it's a mid-week surprise for her!)