Beacause Its The Cool Thing To Do...

What is that ultra, super, fantastic, cool thing you might ask?   The answer: Thrifting...  basically buying someone else's junk that they didn't want anymore to spruce up your house and make it look beautiful.  Of course, us thrifters do not think of it as junk in any way shape or form.  To us the items in the thrift stores are treasures that are waiting to be turned into something fabulous!

Well, at the end of last week I had an opportunity to pack my Little Ladybug up in the stroller and hit some of my favorite thrift stores.  Okay, on Friday we used the stroller... Saturday it was the car... details, details... On Friday we went to Hope's Outlet.  Now, in this store you have to search... they have a lot of genuine junk... but there are also some gems hidden among the junk.  You just have to keep your eyes and mind open.  While there I spend a whole $5.65 and came home with: two cake pans for my cake pan tower, a lamp that came with the lampshade annnnd a light bulb, and a roll of fabric to add ruffles to the shade!  Talk about a good deal!    Then, on Saturday we hit up the Re-store!  Gotta love your local Re-store!  We purchased a GIANT rug for the basement for only $30... let me tell you this rug is amazingly wonderful and soft and comfy!  We also got a cabinet that will be going on the wall for storage and a few candle sticks for cake pan tower.  I could have bought a whole lot more in that store... but I have to leave something for the other people, right?

Here are some pictures of my treasures... most of them are pics of the treasure ready to be painted... because yes, they alllllll needed repainting, except the rug of course... it did not need painting!

And proof of its amazing $7 price...

Candlesticks and lamp

Sorry, I don't have pics of the cake pans, lamp shade, or rug yet... but they will come soon.  Keep in mind what these little gems looked like now, as the next time you see them they will be forever changed!


Off to enjoy some Lake Michigan sun downtown and by the boardwalk... have a great summer day!



Inspiration Time... as promised!

I sit out here on my front porch drinking my version of coffee {I'll have to share that with you sometime} typing away as my Little Ladybug eats her breakfast and watches the kitties play in the windows.... and I think "this is an EXCELLENT start to a morning."  I think we might just do this every morning this summer!

Aside from being on my wonderful front porch, big.... I mean REALLY REALLY REALLY BIG things have been going on around here!  Are you ready for it?  We FINALLY  got the carpet out of the basement!!! I  know this doesn't sound like a huge thing... but believe me it is!  I was starting to get worried that moving my craft room/hubby's computer room downstairs was never going to happen and would be a mistake too.  Why a mistake?  Because it was damp down there... very humid and its was still May!!! 

Weeeell this weekend we solved both of those problems!  We hooked up a dehumidifier and tore out the old NASTY carpet and  wala.... no more smell and no more humidity!  Infact, it feels like we have air conditioning in our basement... it is so incredibly nice. 

Sooooo, I have now been stung by the inspiration bee!  I have been looking all over blog land for the perfect colors and solutions to storage.  Our room is only 144 sq feet and we have to fit a computer desk, a fouton, annnnd all my sewing/crafting stuff in it with it somehow coming out looking nice.  I would also love for most of my storage to have doors or be up higher so we could bring our daughter downstairs to enjoy the area with us. 

Here are some of the pictures that have inspired me... I am sorry that I am a bad blogger in that I can not remember sources for most of these... I simply saved the pic becuase I was so darn excited about it!



This one I do know... it was from Junk Garden

To build in the corner of the room in an L shape for my sewing table.
I have two sewing machines and hopefully at some point a serger to have room for!

Via Apartment Therapy

The Inspired Room

My Sweet Savannah

Via My Sweet Savannah

I have GOT to make this!!! I already scoped out the candle sticks at my local restore..
I just have to get the hubby's permission to buy them!
Via Mary Janes and Goloshes

Via The Inspired Room

Now, as you can see these rooms all (for the most part) have something in common.  They all share the same BEAUTIFUL turquoise color.  Annnd they are all light and airy!  This is the look we want in our basement...as you can tell I am drawn to it.  However, since it is a basement and I don't want it to end up dark we are going for a little bit lighter version of the turquoise color mixed with a tan and pops of the turquoise.  I have a lamp and a basket for starters that I want to spray paint the darker turquoise.  Now, I am really really hoping that I can pull all of this off for under $200 as we really do not have much to spend at all.  The majority of THAT money will go towards some kind of flooring...

Speaking of flooring... any good ideas on basement flooring out there??? We have thought about Laminate, Tile, and now that is cool and not damp down there even more carpet... only not glued down this time... this time it would be more like a rug. 

Well, until tomorrow (hopefully!) I am off to school to do some cleaning and then maybe off to the thrift stores... who knows!  I think you should go find a front porch to sit on... it is glorious out here on mine!!