Wordless Wednesday

She seriously thinks she's stuck in there.  Who needs a crate when you have a laundry basket!

More Thrift Store Finds!

Well I was at it again.  I stopped by a few thrift store the other day.  I had too, I did!  I had to find a vintage piece to use in my upcoming blog beading project.  SOOOO I had to go.  And I'm always on the lookout for some furniture.  The perfect dining room table would be great.

I did not find the perfect table, but I did find a pair of awesome vintage earrings as well a crap ton of vintage buttons.  And of course I found a bunch of stuff for the house. 

Look at how neat this looks!

First off is this awesome little box thing.  We're guessing it's to check film negatives, but we're not sure.  I haven't done a lot or research on it yet.  It has a magnifying glass on the top and a little light (that works) inside.  It's going to make an awesome addition to our living room.  It's so fun and quirky, I love it.

We also picked up one of those long candle holders for on top of the entertainment center.  It was only FOUR BUCKS.  So for now it will be the perfect addition to the room.  I really should go get some candles for that thing.

Our other finds were some silver candle holder things and this awesome trivet.  It's gonna look awesome on the wall.  I know it. 

J also picked up a brand new pair of snow boarding pants for $6.50 and a whole bag full of t-shirts.  We plan on using some of them to make pillows for the family room (translation = man room).

I just love trifting.  And the best part is spring is finally here, which means, GARAGE SALES.  If you can't tell, I can't wait.  I have picked up some fantastic furniture as well as great vintage jewelry form garage and estate sales.  Oh so much fun!!!!

Good bye blinds!

So we are fortunate enough to have a wonderful sun porch on our house.  All the animals spend most of the day out there just laying in the sun or watching the wildlife.  And it's where I spend a great deal of time.  I like to sit out there and bead.  I also enjoy taking little cat naps out there (just like the animals).  Me and J will just sit out there and enjoy the breeze and relax.  It really is a nice addition to the house.
 
Granted it's a huge mess.  It is less of a mess since I've taken the pictures.  I moved the dog crate and cleaned a bit.  Hey, it's a work in progress.  And if anyone out there wants a large dog create or a southwest themed couch and chair, let me know.  I just might have those things for FREE ;-)

It's a catch all right now, but it has so much potential.  I can't wait to get this room finished.

When we moved in there were the most ugly curtains up on the sun porch.  They looked like they had been installed when the house was built and never ever changed out.  They were faded and dusty.  And did I mention ugly. 

I mean look at them. Blah!!

I'm not even sure why they were out there.  It's not like the porch needs to be shielded from the sun or neighbors.  There are plenty of fences and plant life out there to do that.

There we go, no more ugly blinds!

So I finally just got fed up with them and took them down.  Look at how much better that looks.  It opens up the room and gets rid of the 60/70s vibe.  I still have to take down the hardware, but I'm so happy those babies are gone.  I took them right out to the curb for bulk pick up and now they are no more.

Sorry for the dark gloomy pictures, that's how we role in WI!

Okay, so maybe the room doesn't look that much better in these pictures, but it is.  It was just a super overcast day.  And if you ignore all the other ugly things in the room, it looks better. 

We plan on painting the walls out here a lighter shade.  We don't want to go white, but we know we want to go a lot lighter out here.  Maybe a butter cream or light gray.  Just something to lighten up the room.

We also plan on cleaning the rug and seeing what it looks like.  Hopefully it will be acceptable for a little while so we don't have to replace the whole thing.  Plus we'll be adding some sisal type rug.

And then we'd like to add a patio door to the deck and backyard.  Open it up and make it a lot easier to access the outside.  That way it will be easier for us to have parties, get to the garden, and sit around the fire pit.   

Not much of a looker yet, but it's still spring.  It will look better this summer.

Yay, garden time!!

So, I'm sitting here on the couch feeling like crap.  And I can thank J for that.  I have the black plague of death that everyone here in Madison seems to have right now.  And from the looks of J and all our friends, it's not going away anytime soon.  Great.  That means projects are put on hold for a while.  I mean, I'm still in my pajamas and it's 3:30 in the afternoon.  Not like a lot is going to get done.  Well, I am getting a little bit of beading done here and there, when it doesn't feel like my head is going to explode.  But no house related items.  Booooo.

But spring has started to sprout up here and there.  And I believe it's supposed to be 61˚ by Wednesday.  That's fantastic.  I'm done with winter and done with the cold weather.   It was even warm enough over the weekend to open up the door to the porch and let the animals out there.  They loved it. 

And I'm really getting excited to start my garden.  Now because Toonces will eat anything that even slightly resembles a plant (and then barf it all over everything), I an unable to start seedling anywhere in the house.  So I always have to buy my plants, well as plants.  Which isn't that bad, it's just a little bit more expensive.

And because we have a house now, I can really branch out and start a real garden.  To hell with contain gardening.  I'm joking, it's a really great way to garden, I've just ready for a full on garden.

So what are my plans.  First we have to do raised gardens.  There is so much wildlife around here, they are the only option if we want anything to harvest.  And then J and I have to agree on a location.  I keep telling him I need to plant where the sun will be, he seems to think the back of the yard will be fine.  We'll see when the neighbor's trees get leaves.  Then we'll see who wins this argument.

Pepper plant from last year

 And what will I plant you ask?  Well probably not, but I'm going to tell you anyway.  I'm going to do my staples; tomatoes (roma and heirloom), green peppers, jalapenos, onions (red and green), and fresh herbs (basil, oregano, cilantro, chives).

Picture from Jung's website

I would like to add lettuce.  I think I'm going to go with the Kaleidoscope mix from the local seed company, Jung.  They are located in J's home town and always have a wonderful assortment of plants to pick from.  I mean look at that beautiful picture of lettuces.  And these seeds start direct, so no seedlings in the house for Tonnces to help herself.  I can't wait for this.  I love all kinds of lettuce, and this mix looks so good.

Picture from Jung's website

 I would also like to try broccoli.  This broccoli above is a hybrid that is supposed to be supper easy to grow.  I've never tried to grow broccoli before, so I guess I better start with the easiest one.

I wanted to try cucumbers too, but I'm not sure if we're gong to have any room this year (or time).  I would also like to throw some spinach in the mix and a lot more herbs. 

I love to garden.  I grew up with a large garden, so I can't wait to start my own.  There is nothing like fresh vegetables, especially one's you grew yourself.  So stay tuned, as soon as the weather starts to get just a little bit better, we'll be starting my garden.  WooHoo. 

Do any of you have any gardening plans this spring?       

My Thirft Store Finds

I did my first bit of thirfting since we've moved into the new house and I got a small, yet fantastic bounty.  I love thrift stores, so many things that sometimes surprise you.  And it feels good to give these items that would have been tossed a new life as well as help out a charity while you're at it.

All you little guys need is a bath!!!

First up is this set of fantastic candle holders.  Here is a before picture of what they looked like when I found them.  As you can see they needed a little TLC, but they were very heavy and a great shape.  I mean look at how much potential these little guys have.

Not perfect, but getting there

And here they are after a little bit of cleaning.  Look at those babies shine.  So pretty!!  I'm not done cleaning them up, this is just after a quick cleaning.  Just think of how perfect they will look on our lovely dining room table, sparkling in the light.  And you want to know what I paid? I paid $4 for the pair.  FOUR dollars for two beautiful candle holders.  You can't pass that up.   

Aren't you a cute little guy

Then I picked up this little square mirror.  I thought it was cute and it was only $2, so I couldn't go wrong.  This is after I painted it yesterday.  It was pretty beat up when I found it.  But now it's a cute black mirror. I think I might add a little decorative ribbon or something to dress it up a bit, but that's a future project. 

Look at how cute this is (there are four cup, you just can't see one of them)

And one of my favorite finds of the day.  This adorable little red sake set.  It's so cute and in perfect shape.  You know it was one of those things that someone bought or got as a gift and then it sat in a box until they donated it.  And then I came along and snatched that little set right up.  It was in the original box and there isn't a crack in sight.  And take a guess on what I paid for this set, go ahead, guess. Okay I'll tell you, $1.99.  Yup, I paid two bucks for this whole set.  Awesome.  I love it and we'll actually use it.  We love sake and always have some in the house.  I can't wait to have some friends or family over to share some sake or green tea in these little cups.

I also picked up three small picture frames for my gallery wall.  That's coming along nicely, but I'm not quite ready to reveal it, so you'll just have to wait a bit.  I need to do some more thrifting and shopping to find other things to add to the wall.

In all I spent a little over $15 at the thrift store.  Not too bad for what I picked up.  Now lets just hope my next visit is as fruitful. 

And just because it made me a little sad, here is what our front lawn looks like. Yup, that's snow, snow on April 1st.  That's some April Fools Day.  But tomorrow is supposed to be 50º, so I guess I can't be too sad. Oh how you gotta love the Midwest!!!