Thursday, May 28, 2015

Dollar Tree Sign, Clearance Paint and a Black Window.

and a Target shower curtain...
Did you get all that?

I needed some artwork to hang in the kids bathroom. It needed to be long and narrow for this spot beside the window.

I came across this cardboard sign at Dollar Tree. 

I mounted it on a white board.

I added some rope around the edges just because...

This is a temporary fix until I can do better. Not too bad for a buck.

I've been itching to paint a window black. When I saw my favorite black paint on clearance at Lowe's, I took it as a sign that I should finally go for it. How often do you find a whole gallon of your favorite paint on clearance?

The color is Olympic Black Magic. It's a dark charcoal color, not too black. I made these curtains out of a Target shower curtain. I cut them down the middle, at the bottom, and hemmed them.

I added a tan rug from Ross. I love their prices!

A view from the living room. 
The next time you see this room it will have hardwood floors. They are happening now :)
I hope you were inspired!

Thursday, May 21, 2015

Mirror Gallery Wall

About a year ago, I decided to add a mirror gallery wall to my bedroom in the hopes that it would add some much needed light.

I collected these from local thrift stores for cheap. I ONLY bought the cheap ones. I didn't measure or plan where to put them. I just randomly placed them to where they looked good to my eye.

And then I looked at them for several weeks.
Even though I liked how this looked, I decided that for the long haul, I would like them better painted white. Imagine that.

Most of the mirrors had permanent frames so I had to paint around the mirror.  I used index cards to tuck in underneath the mirror frames like this.

Then I taped some paper in the middle like this.


I used my stash of white paint. I painted some of them with gloss and the others with matte. 

Here is the finished look. This wall sits behind a seating area in my room. I have 2 chairs that are getting makeovers... whenever I figure out what I want to do to them.
I really like how this turned out. And best of all, every single mirror came from a thrift store. 

I hope you were inspired!

Thursday, May 14, 2015

No sew dining room turned bedroom curtains on a budget.

How's that for a title?

Remember my dining room curtains? I had a new vision for the dining room but I couldn't get rid of these curtains. I really like them. So I decided to move them to my bed and bath. Only problem is... I needed 6 panels and I only had 4.

These panels are nice and wide so I took a deep breath and cut two of them down the middle. I drew a pencil line with a ruler and the pattern on the front helped me to cut straight.

Next I took apart a few inches of the top rod pocket hem so I'd be able to fold over the whole side of the curtain.

I used this for all of you no-sewers out there.

I ironed the strip down the side of the curtain.

After it cooled for a minute, I pulled the top layer of the strip off. It left a sticky layer that will bond when you fold the fabric over and iron it for the hem.

Like this.

Then I cut and added a short piece of the heat bond for the top rod pocket hem.

Now I had the 6 panels that I needed without spending any more money. 

When you're a blogger, you assume everyone knows all the little tricks of decorating. Just in case one of my readers doesn't know about hanging curtains wider than than the actual window, this is for you. This little tip makes a huge difference.

I shortened these to fit over the whirlpool tub.

I don't close these curtains because I have blinds but I love the way they frame the windows and add interest to the room.
I have lots of changes going on in my bedroom and bathroom. I've already painted the walls gray, painted all the trim white but I have several more things to do. I can't wait to share them with you.
(Because that will mean I'm done :)

I hope you were inspired!

Sunday, May 10, 2015

A Sign for my Mom- Happy Mothers Day!

I  have a sweet Mama. Anytime I say goodbye and love you... 
she always says, love you more.

She asked me to make her a sign for Mothers Day. And of course I did. I started with this piece of baseboard I found up in the attic. 
I decided to stain it.

I think this is the first time I've stained a piece of wood... 
I usually paint.

I stenciled the letters on and let them dry for about a hour. 
Tip- if the paint bleeds underneath the stencil, try scraping the paint off with a toothpick.

I then sanded over the letters for a rustic look.

I put a fine coat of Minwax over the whole board.

I think she'll be happy with it.
I love you Mama! Happy Mothers Day!

And Happy Mothers Day to all of you!
I hope you were inspired.
Thank you for stopping by Thrift My House.

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Washington DC


Country done gone to town...
This is the last post of our 3 day whirlwind trip. I hesitated to even post about this day because honestly it wasn't my favorite.

After spending a day in Pennsylvania (we stopped by Arlington on the way to PA the first day) and then Lancaster (the second day), a day in DC (the last day) was very different.  I enjoyed seeing the monuments but what I did not enjoy was having no idea where we were going... short on time... the traffic... all the people.... it was overwhelming for a small town girl like me. 

I. like. small. town.

After a spending the afternoon in Lancaster, we headed to Greenbelt, Maryland to spend the night before our final day in Washington DC. After arriving at our hotel, we discovered that our room was not ready. We discovered this AFTER entering the room. There was disgusting evidence in plain sight.... quickly whisk the kids out, call the main desk.... get a new room.... feeling kind of gross... want to go home and sleep in my own bed... I am tired of hotels already. Thank God for sleep and a better attitude the next day...

And you know... the thought crossed my mind.. "Don't you people know I'm a blogger and I will spread this lack of cleaning our room on time to every one of my 126 followers."  LOL!


The hotel staff were very apologetic and gave us a coupon for a free breakfast the next morning. Whatever.
After an okay nights sleep and breakfast without coffeeeee...... (long story) we headed to DC.


OH MY GOSH! Can you say traffic. I don't like traffic. It was unlike anything I've ever been in. We finally made it to the parking garage. Ignorance is bliss they say.... very true.

We walked to Union Station. Not too bad. An interesting place. We had to take the Metro, my first time ever riding on one. 

We stood and stared at the Metro ticket dispenser thing... like deer in headlights.
A nice man came over and helped us. We were so thankful... and then he asked us for money... because he helped us - we owed him... not the southern hospitality that we're used to. 
We gave him 5 bucks.

I have to admit this was cool. 

Kind of like riding on a bus but faster. Don't laugh.

We made it.

I was looking forward to visiting the Holocaust museum.  

This was the only photo I took inside. Photos were allowed but it didn't feel right. You have to visit the museum to understand what I mean. It's hard to believe that people were treated this way. Horrible.

The man that led our tour kept reiterating, they had a choice. He was speaking about the ones who mistreated, tortured and or killed the Jews... lots of examples and photos... very thought provoking.
We were there for a few hours but you could easily spend the entire day. 

After leaving the Holocaust museum, we walked ... and walked ... and walked. We finally made it to the Lincoln Memorial.

I enjoyed seeing this in person.

We sat here for a while. We were disappointed there was no water in the reflection pool. Again... there was no water in the reflection pool....

The Korean War Memorial was something to see. I bet it's cool at night with all the lights shining. 

Now this is something we don't see everyday.

World War II memorial. I didn't take a lot of photos this day... when your feet hurt and your dying of thirst.... you really don't care about photos.

Washington Monument. This was a pretty view.

It was a long day of walking. I think a bus tour would have been more enjoyable. We had only one day to spend here and you can't walk but so fast... lot's of people were riding bikes. All in all, it was okay. If we should go back again, we'll definitely have a better plan.

We finally made it back to Union Station. It's sort of like a mall. They had Starbucks! 
Thank you Lord!

We ate. We rested. We started our journey back to the parking garage... in the WRONG direction. It was getting late, it was about to rain and we found ourselves walking in a residential area.... nothing looked familiar. We looked like idiots.

We turned around, backtracked and finally made it to the van just as it was starting to rain... 

Cue the music....

I like calling North Carolina home!
Thank you so much for taking the time to read. I appreciate you guys so much. It's been a busy time here and I'm behind on visiting your blogs. I promise to catch up with you soon.