What would you do with this?

A few years back, Daniel's grandparents sold their home and moved into a retirement community.  In the midst of moving, they offered Daniel a pile to take if he wanted anything.  Daniel came home with this barrel.

He had planned to put in in the shed outside to store rakes, shovels, etc.  However, when I heard his plan, I protested, saying that I could do something clever with it indoors.  He and his parents still laugh that I wanted to keep it.

I'm still trying to decide what I want to do with it.  I've used it as a bedside table in our bedroom, but now that I found real bedside tables, I had to move it.  Currently, it is holding our brand new Waterford China that we don't have room to put anywhere else.  

Any suggestions?

 I do know I don't want to cover up the original Lenox label.

Another Goodwill Rehab

I just LOVE finding deals at Goodwill and other thrift/ junk stores!  Especially when they are ugly!  I know that sounds crazy, but I love finding the beauty in things that others' might just overlook.

This is another one of my finds.....

The tag says $3.99, but I snagged it on a 1/2 off day.  So, I only paid $2 for it!!!

I know... it looks awaful the way it is.... all scratched up.  The hooks were so bad.  They had all tarnished in some weird way that none of them matched.  There was tape all over it and all kinds of sticky stuff on the glass.

To fix it up, first I took it apart... hooks and all... and gave it a really good bath.

Then, I got out my trusty can of ORB. (You know it's my favorite)

Next, I spray painted the hooks and screws with ORB.

For the frame, I wanted to paint it a nice creamy color.  Krylon makes a beautiful shade called Ivory.

Oops!  But I accidently grabbed the can of Krylon primer.  And I was wondered why it was not looking very good.  Went back inside, got the Ivory paint out and went to town spraying again.

Once everything was dry, I put it back together, cut scrapbook paper to fill in the frames, and here it is.....

I love this rehab!  She'll probably land in our bedroom.  We're in the midst of painting our entire house and I've really been wanting to incorporate some blues in our bedroom.  I think this will be the perfect addition.  Once we're done, I'll post some before and after pics.

I almost always take my pics outdoors because I love the natural light.  Right after I took this pic this morning, I looked to my right and this is what I saw. 

We finally got some rain last night and my irises are finally blooming!  I love spring!

ORB again! Floor diffusers rehab

Have you checked the prices on new floor diffusers lately?  I know, you're probably thinking, how often do you really look at them?  Well, I looked at ours' and thought "I've got to do something with those things!"

BEFORE:

(Hideous.... the color was awful and they were beginning to rust in a few spots.)

                       

While we were at Lowe's a week or so ago, I checked out their prices on diffusers.  Have you checked out the prices of these lately?  The ones that I liked were $28 EACH!  Now way!!!  I don't even want to think about how much that would cost to do our whole house!  What did I do?

Got out my can of Oil Rubbed Bronze again and went to town!

Well, first I had to clean them really good because....

Next, I sprayed two light coats of ORB on the underside and let dry.  Then flipped it over and sprayed two light coats on the top and let dry 24 hours before putting them back on my floor.

So much better!

Oh, and if you have a toddler, be sure to cover the big hole in the floor while you're doing this!  We've already lost a block or two! 

Want to see more items that I've transformed with ORB?  Click here.

Linking To:

Transformation Thursday at The Shabby Chic Cottage

Strut Yourself Thursday at Somewhat Simple

Thrifty Thursdays at Tales from Bloggeritaville

Spray Paint and Burlap

My mom gave me this picture a few years back.  It's not really my style (and we're not coffee drinkers), so I'm finally doing something with it!

                                                                   

                                                                    BEFORE:

I began by taking out the picture so I could paint the frame.  The frame was beautiful and solid wood, but I wanted to add a little color to a large wall in our dining area.  I loved the color Ivy Leaf that I used on my Fruit Stand Rehab, so I decided to use it again.  Plus, I thought it would be a good way to pull it all together.  I sprayed two coats of Krylon's Ivy Leaf.  The next day I distressed it by sanding and applying Mocha glaze by Valspar. 

I've been dying to do something with an old piece of burlap that I've had laying around, so I covered the original artwork with the burlap.  I also had this metal "J" that I got at Kirklands a few years back that had been collecting dust, that I decided to use in this project.

AFTER:

Oh, and there's the Fruit Stand!

It's amazing what a little paint and burlap will do!

Linking to: