shopping

A New Bookshelf {and a project}

March 18, 2013

I’m working on updating Emmie’s room. When she turned three, she got a big girl bedroom. But four years later, I’m feeling the need for an update. After noticing marker on her comforter {what kind of mom let’s a child have markers in her bedroom?! Ahem, me!} and lack of storage space, it’s time for some changes.

Lately I’ve been looking for a taller bookshelf and have come up empty handed. Then the other day, I found this white bookshelf.

via

I like the clean lines. And I like that it’s white. But I don’t like that it looks like it’s out of a box.

So I have some plans….

Here are a few inspiration photos.

Look at what a little crown molding can do to an otherwise plain piece of furniture!

And see how much character a planked background adds!

via

Now to get the bookshelf assembled! And after a few trips to Lowes for supplies, I should be in business!

Stay tuned in the coming weeks for progress updates!

jen

By Jen 2 Comments Filed Under: Before/After, Home Decor, house, shopping, tutorials

My Barn Sale Purchases

October 9, 2012

Remember when I shopped a few barn sales last week? I didn’t buy much that day. But I did come home with two wooden boxes. I probably have enough wooden boxes, but I always seem to find a use for them! Here is how I put them to use!

The first is like a small toolbox. I’m sure there is an appropriate name for it….something more fancy than ‘box with a handle’. But here it is…

It’s perfect for fall with gourds.

And the use for my second wooden box isn’t nearly as glamorous. It found a home in the kid’s bathroom. We got a new toilet a few weeks ago. And the basket I had on the back of the old toilet didn’t fit on the new toilet. As luck would have it, this wooden box fits perfectly!

I’m hoping that the extra roll of toilet paper will make it easier for the kiddo’s to replace the old roll when they run out. Maybe that’s wishful thinking!

While they’re nothing fancy, I love my new purchases!

jen

By Jen 3 Comments Filed Under: fall, shopping

A Day in the Country {Barn Sale Weekend}

October 5, 2012

Today was the perfect fall day. Cool morning temps. Sun shining. Boots. And barn sales!! So after the kids got on the bus, I headed out to hit a few of my favorites.

My first stop was to the Country Chicks.

{and the address for locals that are interested….13535 Littlerock Rd. SW – Rochester}

There were endless booths of antiques, fun junk, barn wood creations and more .

{succulents plantings}

{pumpkins, pumpkins and more pumpkins}

{old shovels….fun garden art to write on the back of the shovel with chalk}

{rosehip branches and bittersweet wreaths}

I did end up buying two little wooden boxes. I wasn’t sure where I’d use them, but I can always find a use for an old wooden container!

My next stop….The Clement House.

{7420 Lords Lane SW- Olympia}

When it comes to curb appeal, this place takes the cake!

Doesn’t it make you want to have a big red barn in your yard?

I only purchased a few pumpkins at the Clement House, but sure enjoyed walking around their barn and property.

{pumpkins galore outside the barn}

{fun antiques inside the barn}

{and more pumpkins}

I had a fun day buzzing around town, visiting the local barn sales!

Come back next week to see my little wooden boxes being put to use!

Are you heading out to a barn sale or pumpkin patch this weekend?

jen

By Jen 7 Comments Filed Under: fall, shopping Tagged With: fall

Favorite Things…Chalkboard Pens

September 17, 2012

Writing on a chalkboard can be messy. Chalk dust gets everywhere. And the letters sometimes smudge if your hand lays on the writing.

The solution? A chalkboard pen!

I just recently purchased my first chalkboard pen. Maybe I’m slow to be on board with these….but I love them!

The precision that you can achieve with a chalkboard pen is much greater than with regular chalk. Dear Lilly created this on her chalkboard. Surely she used a chalkboard pen!

{source}

I have the pen, and I have several chalkboards… now I just need to practice {and practice and practice and practice} my handwriting so I can create something as beautiful as Dear Lillie.

I recently purchased this cute caddy from Target’s new Threshold collection, and was was able to try out my pen.

Writing with it was so simple! And when I made a mistake, a wet paper towel cleaned if off in no time!

I can’t wait to try my pen out on other chalk boards! And maybe one of these days, I will have mastered some fancy writing to create a piece of art like Dear Lilly!

jen

linking up to:

nifty thrifty things, home stories a to z, my uncommon slice of suburbia, todays creative blog, savvy southern style, primp, aka design, the 36th avenue, the shabby creek cottage, serenity now, shabby nest, at the picket fence, chic on a shoestring

By Jen 9 Comments Filed Under: favorite things, organization, shopping

Second Use Salvage

June 8, 2012

This week, I went to Seattle to have lunch with my dad before he had his radiation treatment. Since I was traveling kid-free and had a bit extra time, I decided to stop in a salvage store that I have dreamed of visiting. The store is called Second Use, and it is seriously a junkers dream! (is “junkers” even a word?)

Here are a few of the really fun things that were selling….

There were a few glass cabinets that had tons of these sparkly doorknobs.

And look at all these fun hinges! I love how they organized them.

And these old chairs for kiddos. They would be darling tucked in the corner of a room…Maybe with a big fern on it. Or in a front yard with a flower pot.

There was even an entire section dedicated to old mantels!

I’ve mentioned before that I’d like to a new door for our shed. I was overwhelmed with their door selection. {This picture only shows one row of their doors. I think they had maybe 4 or 5 rows,} But I had a headache (got a bit lost on the way there) and had to pee (I drank a diet coke on my drive to Seattle. Bad move when there is a possibility of getting lost!) All that to say, I wasn’t in the door shopping mood by the time I got there.

Look at this fun wood!? I’m sure there are tons of projects that this would be perfect for (but they were rather pricey…I think maybe $200 per slab?)

They even had an outside. But you can see it was raining…and I had a headache…and had to pee. So I skipped the outside this time around. But I’m sure there were plenty of other gems out there.

I may have to plan another trip someday when I have more time to browse.

jen

By Jen 5 Comments Filed Under: salvage, shopping

Target Gift Bags

June 7, 2012

A few times a year, Target supplies their dollar section with great little bags. They are made of an fabric that resembles oil cloth. Once, they had the cutest Dr. Seuss bags….and today, I found these!

I always stock up and keep them in my gift wrap bin. They are darling for wrapping a gift….and they are re-usable! So it’s a double bonus!

So if you are in need of gift bag, pop on over to the Target dollar section and stock up!!

Jen

linking up to:

the shabby nest, at the picket fence, my repurposed life, chic on a shoestring decorating, funky junk interiors, tatertots and jello, six sisters stuff

By Jen 7 Comments Filed Under: gifts, shopping

Business Cards

June 6, 2012

On several occasions, I’ve been asked for one of my business cards. I wish I was quick witted enough to lie and say “Oh shoot! I just ran out. I’ll have to get you one when my re-order arrives!” But the truth is, I didn’t have any business cards! {And the second truth is that lying would have been a bad thing. So I guess I should be thankful that my instinct was to tell the truth!}

In a few weeks, I’m heading to the Haven Conference (for those of you wondering “What is Haven?” it’s a blogging conference held in Atlanta). And while I’m not certain I will NEED business cards while I am there, it was the last straw that pushed me to order some.

After shopping on Etsy, I stumbled across some fun designs created by Flair Designery. I placed my order a few weeks ago….and today, they arrived in the mail!!

{I did white out a bit of the info for the sake of privacy.}

I went with orange and brown to coordinate with my blog…and to keep the northwest feel.

I absolutely LOVE getting the mail each day. Especially when something fun like this arrives!!

jen

linking up to:

shabby creek cottage, the 36th avenue, somewhat simple, aka design, house of hepworths, shabby nest, at the picket fence, my repurposed life, chic on a shoestring decorating, tatertots and jello, six sisters stuff

By Jen 7 Comments Filed Under: about me, blog, shopping

Country Chicks Sale

May 4, 2012

There is a great antique/crafts sale here in the NW a few times a year called the Country Chicks. In the spring, there are several vendors in an open field. I dragged Emmie with me today. I repeatedly told her that ‘someday, you will love shopping for things like this’. I’m not sure that she bought my sales pitch. But she survived the excursion.

I was amazed at some of the bargains that I found! And even more amazed that NOTHING came home with me! Even though prices were right, the pieces weren’t necessarily right for me. Here were a few of my finds…

Don’t you love this red bed?! It’s perfect for a kids room. And at a bargain price of $119, it was hard to pass up!! You know how I love bed frames. One of the main things that stopped me from buying this bed is that I’m determined to build a bed someday….soon! And also the fact that this bed might be a bit too juvenile for an almost 9 year old boy.

There were a few of these white tables…for only $20 and $25. Bargain! The bummer is that they were pretty short. At 18″ high, they would look miniature next to our bed.

Look at these fun red tool boxes for roughly $10-$15 each. They would be great to hold remote controls, magazines or dvd’s that are lying around. Maybe even hair accessories in a kids bathroom. Or toothpaste and toothbrushes. The possibilities are endless!!

This was one of my favorite things, and I don’t even think it was for sale! The unfortunate part is that I was trying to be discrete with my iphone photos and thanks to our windy weather, the paper flag banner blew up just as I took my picture! But hopefully you get the idea. The banner was cut out of newspaper. And it can be sewn onto ribbon or rick rack. SUPER easy, SUPER cheap and SUPER SUPER cute!!

Is it sunny or is it raining today in the NW? You’d never know by this picture….Emmie is squinting because it was so bright, yet carrying an umbrella because of our on and off again rainy day!

This church pew caused me purchase anxiety. I’ve always wanted an old church pew in our entry. When I’m lucky enough to find one, they are either the wrong size, wrong price or wrong look. This one was the wrong color, but I could strip it down to it’s original wood or paint it a different color. I wasn’t sure about the size so raced home to measure my entry. The bench ended up being just an inch too long. I measured the front porch, but wasn’t crazy about having it out in the weather. And it wouldn’t fit with our dinner table either. So I passed on the purchase and I’m sure some other lucky customer is enjoying that delightful church pew tonight!!

Lots of fun finds at the antique sale today! And I’m still surprised that I came home empty handed!!

Have a great weekend!

Jen

linking up to:

the southern institute, my uncommon slice of suburbia, home stories a to z, michele raven designs, the shady porch

By Jen 3 Comments Filed Under: Home Decor, shopping

Habitat for Humanity Restore

April 27, 2012

When I was up in Seattle for my dads surgery on Wednesday, I was hoping to stop by a salvage store nearby. But for the life of me, I couldn’t remember the stores name. An Iphone can do a lot, but helping you find “salvage yard in seattle, wa” isn’t one of it’s strong suits. I did find lots of AUTO salvage yards. Not what I wanted. Of course, once I was home, I remembered the name of the store. Anyway, that got me thinking about our little gem of a salvage store near my home, Habitat for Humanity’s Restore.

Restore is both a great place to purchase AND donate. When we added the playroom onto our house last year, I needed a place that would take things like our old doorknobs, hinges and light fixtures. And of course, when you are looking for fun ‘junk’ for a project, Restore comes in handy too!!

I’m on the search for a new door for the shed in our backyard. The door is worn and part of it is peeling back. I’d really love a paned, glass door. Something that let’s in a little light, but also gives the shed more character, like this door.

Unfortunately, this door wasn’t the right size. It was too small, cost $55 and it weighed a ton. Getting that baby home might prove to be a problem, so maybe I’m lucky it was too small.

Since I could’t find the exact door that I wanted, I tried to think out of the box a little. This door could work. Still fun and old. Still has a window. But again, wrong size, which was a bummer because it was only $20!

This next door wasn’t at all what I was looking for, but I was so drawn to it and haven’t stopped thinking about it all day. Here is the view from one side…

Now are you ready to see the other side? For only $15, this door could have been mine….

Don’t you love that greenish-blue color? Or maybe I just love it’s $15 price tag! Dust it off, give it a good cleaning and it would make a great statement propped in the corner of a room. Maybe with a pretty spring wreath hanging on it? Oh why did’t I buy it? But did I really need another door in my garage that didn’t serve a purpose? The door didn’t match any of the colors in my house….so at the store it stays. I think I’m finally over it. Even after calling the store to put it on hold for me. I’m over it, I swear. Kind of…

Here are a few other gems I found today… Some old windows…

The lights below are kind of fun. They’re a bit disco, but in an updated kitchen, they might be interesting.

With a fresh coat of paint, this would make a great kitchen table….

Turn these doors on their sides and you could have a headboard. Or paint them a fun color and hang them on the wall. Or maybe add some chalkboard paint on the recessed sections and hang in your kitchen for your grocery list or weekly menus.

And here is what I brought home with me….Three cabinet doors for a total of $17 ($5, $5 and $7). I have a few projects in mind for these doors. And I’ll be sure to blog about them too!