It's so Fluffy I'm Gonna Die!

Expansion!

We've been busy here at the bookstore in Warner Robins.  We are EXPANDING!  The salon that was next to us moved and so we're moving in!  Shane is busy building bookcases and I can't wait to have more room!

Lampshade in Progress

The Fabulous Fox

Shane surprised me Saturday night by taking me to the Fabulous Fox Theatre in Atlanta.  We saw The Sound of Music--my favorite!!!  The last time we went was in January 2005 to see Beauty and the Beast.  Shane had it all planned out so that I had NO idea where we were going (or even that we were going anywhere!)  Here is his smirky-smirk I-know-everything-and-you-know-nothing face.

Hope came to my store around 3:00 Saturday and told me to leave and follow some directions very carefully.  The directions were to go home, put on my prettiest dress, and pick up Shane at 6:00 at the Macon store where he was working.  I went home and tried on a white linen Ann Taylor dress I bought for my bridal showers FIVE years ago and it fit perfectly!  I was almost as excited about that as I was about going somewhere unknown!

I LOVE surprises but I'm not very good at waiting for them, so I was very curious.  Here's my best I'm-so-curious-I-don't-know-what-to-do-with-myself face.  I think I would maybe make this face if you were about to kill me, too.

The play was WONDERFUL and I enjoyed every second of it.  Thanks, Shane, for the wonderful early birthday surprise!!!

DIY Fern Prints

I found public-domain pictures of ferns I liked on Google images and turned them black-and-white on Picasa.  Then I printed them directly onto pages of an old dictionary I had around (the Random House Unabridged dictionary, it has about 2000 pages!).  The printer didn't like the paper too much and smudged the ink a little bit, but I think it kind of adds to the effect I was going for.

I'd thought about framing them in matching frames or hanging them up maybe with vintage clipboards, but I didn't have either so I went with clothespins instead.  I used some removable adhesive strips from 3M hooks to hang the clothespins on the wall.

Here are the pictures of the ferns I edited if you want to try this!  (Click a picture to enlarge)

Sharing with Transformation Thursday and Frugal Friday!

Inspired by...Winterberry Cottage

I love these prints that Winterberry Cottage sells on etsy...they are beautiful!  Come back tomorrow to see my version!

Lampshade Help

Through a link I found Tracy's ideas on how to improve a lampshade.  I just love what she did!

Looks like something that will be so quick and easy--perfect!  I'm going to try it tonight with my new (borrowed from my MIL) Cricut!

Old Bench Love

How does The Nester do it?  First with the lamps and now with my kitchen table.  Yesterday her post about tables and chairs was so perfect for me...I've been thinking about dragging this old bench inside our house for a couple months now and just hadn't gotten around to it.

 A short history of the bench: I first remember this bench at my grandma's house right outside her door.  It was in the perfect place for setting down her groceries while she fished her keys out of her purse.  It ended up at our house a few years ago, right outside our door, in the perfect place for setting down my groceries while I fished my keys out of my purse.

When we got our new kitchen table a few months ago (after we finished our kitchen makeover), I wondered how it would look inside.  And now, thanks to The Nester, I know.

I love it!  I may eventually sand it down and paint it to look more like the table (or at least to get rid of years-old paint drips), but for now it's practically perfect just as it is!

I also love that when we're not using it (and really, we hardly ever sit at the table to eat) I can scoot the bench under the table and have extra room to move around in the kitchen. 

If you're interested, we got the table at Pier One, it is the Carmichael Table and the chairs were given to us when we got married along with a kitchen table that I loved but was too big for our space.  We bought the cushions when we bought the table at Pier One. 

Check out other tables and chairs linked up at Nesting Place.

Birthday Coming Up!

Last night I worked on a couple parts of my brother's birthday present.  He will be 28 next week, on Wednesday.  Anyway, I made two related but different things for him.  Here's a hint

I also got him a "real" present so he doesn't feel totally gypped, although to be honest I think he'll like my homemade presents almost as much as his real gift.

Here I Am!

I'm not dead and I'm not being totally lazy with my blogging...we've just been extremely busy the last couple weeks getting our new store in North Carolina opened, moving some sections around at our Warner Robins store, and starting our new venture, Walls of Books!


If you know anyone who is interested in opening their own used bookstore, we can help!

Send them to our new Walls of Books! website. 

I hope to be back with a few little projects I've been working on soon!

To Uruguay!

Today my mom and her sister are flying to Conchillas, Uruguay to revisit old friends in the town where they grew up.

Aunt Miriam is leaving from point A, Mom is leaving from point B, and they are meeting up in Santiago, Chile, point C to fly together point D. 

The Sign of a Great Book...

I know I love a book when I'm not even 2/3 through and already dreading ending it...

I love it, April!

Potpourri Lamp: Before and After

Before   &   After

Potpourri Lamp: $5.00 (part of this) + Lampshade: free (from my mom)

Practically perfect for my dresser!

From the left:

Bride and Groom--wedding gift from my friend Julia.   She had a friend make it for us!

I have no idea why that Z has made its way there.

Smoochy picture of Shane and me taken in the Virginia mountains right after our wedding.

Wedding cross given by my cousins' "other grandparents" as a wedding gift (they gave it along with what's become of my favorite books).

Picture of Shane and me the night we got engaged.

Shared with: Frugal Friday, Show and Share Day

A Tiny Lamp Project and a Book

Here's a little lamp I bought for $1.00 and painted Rustoleum Light Sage (on clearance at Hobby Lobby for $1.79, I guess on clearance means it's discontinued?).  It's not a bold color, but I like it better than the stark white.

Here it is in the kitchen!

In other (and much more exciting) news, my friend April from A Writer's Journey has a book coming out in November!  I met her through our bookstores and I guess I could call her a customer, but I'll go with friend, because that's how I think of her.  Anyway, she wrote a book and brought me a review copy to read and I'm probably going to stay up all night reading it because I am so excited!!!  (Hope you don't mind me using your picture, April!)

Bye!  I'm off to read!

The Loot!

While I was up at my parents last week we hit several thrift stores--plus my mom had several things she'd picked up for me.  Nothing is better to me than when my mom says, "I have something I bought for you...at Goodwill!"

This is what I brought home with me!

My mom got these nesting baskets for me--they look pretty new.   They were free to me, I think my mom said she got them for $5.00.

 My mom apparently started hoarding lampshades--she picks them up here and there when they're a dollar or two and in new condition--when she found out I was buying lamps she gave me her stash!  I bought one of those little ones for $1.99.

 I found these plates at a Goodwill that sales wholesale--basically they have huge bins of stuff to go through and they sell by the pound.  Two green plates and three white plates = $2.00 total!

I got these six Oneida mugs for $0.50 each...I'm not sure how much they retailed for, but surely more than that!

This Target frame may not have been worth the $1.99 I paid for, but it called to me!

Big blue lamp=$4.99, small blue lamp=$1.00!  I think the little lamp looks kinda like the ones I got from TJ Maxx a few days ago.  That pink vase there at the bottom was $0.99.

I wasn't crazy about the lamp with the seashells inside, but I do like the glass lamp and I think I'll give the seashells to my mom...I paid $2.99 for it.  The little white lamp was $1.00 and the candlestick was $0.99...it's a nice heavy one, plus I got two other candlesticks for $1.99 each.  The green...planter? urn?...anyway, it's metal and I loved it and it was a total splurge at $5.00!

The lamp with the potpourri is totally ugly...but hopefully will be better when I de-potpourri it (don't worry, I won't give it to my mom!), it was $4.99.  The two brass swiveling lamps were $1.99 each and if they turn out like I hope they will, I may buy 100 more...seems like I found them everywhere!

Let's see...what did I miss?  The glass bowl, originally from IKEA,was another wholesale Goodwill find, it was probably $1.00 or less.

The miniature dresser was actually my grandpa's...it held Samantha's clothes when I was little (Samantha was is my American Girl doll)--and some of her things are still in there.  I found it when I was with my parents and claimed it again.  The green thing on top was a $1.99 find and I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it but I really liked it.

So total that I spent was $34.92 (and a few more bucks on tax, of course).  I think I did pretty well on finding things I love--or will love, after a little work.  Plus, I have a while's worth of projects to work on!  If you're still with me here, you get a gold star!  I personally love seeing other people's finds and knowing how much they paid for thrift store finds!

What should I start with?

Recently Read

I just finished reading Impossible by Nancy Werlin.  I was drawn in by the cover (I love nothing more than a beautiful book cover!) and ended up loving the story.  I don't like true fantasy books, but I like books set in the real world with twists of fantasy in them, like this one.  Rather than write a full book summary or review, I linked the title to amazon (as I always do on my sidebar) so you can read about it there. 

Best of all, she has a new book, Extraordinary, coming out in September, and the cover's just as pretty! 

 Speaking of teen books I love, the third book of the Hunger Games trilogy--Mockingjay--comes out the 24th!  YES!   I've been waiting on this book for two years, since I read Hunger Games as an Advance Reader Copy before it came out--and didn't realize it was a series until the VERY end of the book!

What books are you looking forward to coming out?

I'm Back!

Sorry I've been gone without warning...I left Friday morning to go up to North Carlina to my parents'.  My dad found out Thursday that the college he was working at was closing.  This is the last week he's going to have a job there.  It was a big shock and so I went up to help move his office and library (about 200 boxes of books, I think? Maybe more?).  No worries, my parents are going to be fine--my mom is a teacher so she'll start school in a few weeks and my dad is still pastor of a church.

They have some wonderful thrift stores up in NC so we hit a few of them while I was around...and I got some great deals on some fun things...I can't wait to show you everything!

Julia!

Wednesday I had the day off from work and drove down to Americus to visit one of my best friends from high school, Julia.  It was WONDERFUL to see her--I love how we picked up right where we left off and how she's still the same fun-loving Julia as always!  She's also starting to sew and make cute things for her new apartment, so hopefully we'll get to see pictures of her creations on her blog soon!

How I Updated and Charmed My Den {thanks to The Nester}

The Nester's post about using lamps to "Update and Charm Every Room" couldn't have been more timely for me. 

Our den was in desperate need of extra lighting and I'd been thinking about getting some lamps for a while.  The Nester's post was just what I needed to pinpoint what I wanted.  And then I was so shocked delighted when, Tuesday night, Shane said, "I think we need to get some lamps for the den."  So off to TJ Maxx and Target we went, looking for lamps. (Well, to TJ Maxx, then Target, then back to TJ Maxx.)

We ended up getting these three lamps at TJ Maxx for $28.00, $29.99, and $34.99.  

 Not bad...but not great, either.  I thought maybe I could do better.

So yesterday, I stopped at a couple thrift stores and picked up three lamps at Salvation Army for $1.99, $1.99, and $2.99.  I also got three shades from Target at 50% clearance for $9.98 each (still wish I could have gotten some cheaper ones, but I really liked the ones I picked).

Hello, Rust-Oleum Green Apple Spray Paint.  I love you.  You were only $2.99 at Hobby Lobby after my 40% off coupon and an exact match to the paint sample I carry around with me that is the color of my kitchen cabinets.  You saved me money.  You are lovely.  I love you.

When I got home I got to cleaning and spraying.  I've seen tutorials on spray painting lamps and taping everything up, but I have to admit, I didn't do anything special.  In preparation, I just wiped them down with a damp rag.  I knew the shade would cover the top part where I was spraying so it didn't matter if I got it perfectly painted.  I didn't worry about it when I ended up painting part of the cord.

I love how the lamps turned out!  Total cost of TJ Maxx lamps: $92.98 / Total cost of Salvation Army lamps: $39.90 (including lamps, shades, and spray paint (I only used about 1/2 a can).

I did take the plastic off the shades before I turned the lamps on, just not for the pictures!

We're doing some work in our den (more on that next week, but it involves rearranging everything) so I'm not thinking about the overall presentation here (in other words, ignore our off-center wedding picture and book wreath on the wall).  Just admire my new lamps, ok?  Thanks!

Sharing with Transformation Thursday.

A Finished Kitchen!

Welcome to my kitchen!

Before: Christmas 2009

After: July 2010

Before                                            After

Before                       After

Thanks for visiting!

My best advice on painting a kitchen--just do it!  Don't be worried about getting things perfect and don't be worried if it takes you a few days weeks months longer than you planned!

I'm sharing this with Chelsea at Room to Inspire and Gina at The Shabby Chic Cottage and Chris at Just a Girl.