I worked at the booth yesterday but I’m staying home today
to work on some things to put in the booth.
Hopefully tomorrow I can show you some of what I’ve accomplished!
For today, I thought I’d show you a couple things I’ve done in small spots
which might give you some inspiration!
One of the best tips I could give you is to think outside the box.
Visualize another way something could be used.
Turn it over, upside down, backwards.
I stand perfectly still in the thrift store sometimes looking at something and
pondering what else I could do with it.
We have an arched doorway that leads into the pantry.
Soon after we moved in (11 yrs ago) I found a wrought iron door mat at TJMaxx
(no Home Goods at the time).
It sat in the closet for a year or so until one day I wondered if it would fit the arch…..
and it did…..been there ever since….
Of course, I painted it white…
It’s one of my favorite things in the kitchen.
Of course, I’ve looked again for one….have I found it….NO
Another rule….strike while the iron is hot…
especially at a thrift shop or at TJMaxx/Marshalls/Home Goods…..etc.
You may not see it again….you can always return it if you decide you don’t want it.
My husband ESPECIALLY LOVES this rule {laugh}
Another thing I do is to really look at the magazine pictures……
I mean REALLY look.
Again, about 11yrs ago, I saw a spread in Country Living
{a GREAT mag btw}
showcasing a home of a pair of collectors….WOW
It was jam packed with all kinds of great stuff
IN THE BACKGROUND
One of them was this old sign from a church hall.
I loved it and copied it right then and there.
It’s been here ever since……
It is so simple and organic isn’t it?
I can imagine the pastor saying to a deacon
“go make a sign for the hall that there is to be no dancing on Sundays”
The guy finds a piece of wood, paints the words,
stripes a border, hangs it up and done.
Sometimes those simple things are the best aren’t they?
We had some friends whose girls were small then and they thought it was
JUST HILARIOUS
To come into the kitchen and start wiggling and jumping around
on any Sunday they were here.
Little rule breakers…….
Maybe I should rename this post
Eleven Years Ago
Because I keep saying it!
Another thing I did when we moved in…
{I won’t say when}
was to start a chart with all the heights of the kids.
Initially, I had 5 grandchildren
EASY…plenty of room…
Now there are 11 people to measure so it’s a bit crowded….
It’s just inside my pantry door…
I just did it on the wall initially because we didn’t build the pantry in until a few years ago.
Then we added beadboard and framed around the existing chart.
I thought about showing you the pantry but here’s what happened…
Right now I have a teen who bears close watching
so I am driving her to and from school each day
JUST GREAT….like I need this….
Anyway, the 10 yr old has to get his breakfast while I’m gone
and I make it back in time to remind him about all the things he didn’t do
and shuffle him off to the bus.
I’m gone maybe 20 min and I get a whiny phone call from the 10 yr old
because the 14 yr old is blocking the pantry door and he can’t eat…..
I tell the 14 yr old to sit in the living room and he
BETTER BE THERE when I walk in the door.
I tell the 10 yr old to eat something and stop whining
because he needs to leave in 15 minutes.
I pull in, find the 14 yr old in the living room
{one small blessing}
and find the 10 yr old with something brown down the front of his shirt
just standing in the kitchen.
Have you eaten?
No
Why not? You have to leave!
{shrug}
Here, microwave this sausage biscuit….
you can eat it on the way to the bus stop.
What’s all over your shirt?
{shocked look……shrug}
OK, fine, it came off with the towel.
You don’t know what that is?
{shrug} No
OK, go brush your teeth.
{I go in the pantry to get a cup of coffee}
What is this?
{14 yr old comes in….SHOCKED look….}
I don’t know.
{a folded, damp paper towel that’s all brown}
Did something happen in here?
{shrug} I don’t know.
{I think about showing the growth chart
and maybe the pantry}
{ I go get the camera and turn on the light}
WHAT is this?
{14 yr old REALLY SHOCKED}
Oh my gosh! I don’t know!
WESLEY…..GET DOWN HERE!
What is all over the floor?
{SHOCKED LOOK….}
{shrug}
This looks just like what was all over your shirt.
{looking down at the floor}
I guess you’ll be doing some cleaning
when you get home right?
{nod}
Take your biscuit and go.
{it’s only 7:15}
Just so you know….it was cocoa powder…….
Now, if I’m going to teach a lesson, I have to leave the cocoa powder
all over the floor all day
so he can clean it up when he gets home.
That’s how I roll so there it will sit….until 4:30.
Back to the growth chart…
No one is allowed to make entries on this but me.
I’m not generally mean but see that smear?
Someone wrote something, misspelled it and tried to wipe it off.
I long for the day when I don’t turn a corner in the house
and have to manage yet another thing!
I even measured the dog….that was before we had the kids
and the dog was our only critter.
Don’t even ask about the color change on that wall.
Adventures in Decorating with my husband.
OK…last item….
Recently I showed you a visit to SAVVY in Williamsburg.
I bought this ivy topiary that was on sale.
My last one (many years ago) died and I had never replaced it.
They were on sale that day and I love having it above the sink.
It didn’t come with a pot.
But I found this Guy Wolff pot at Habitat for Humanity
$1
I'm Lorraine. I have a love for home & design and I enjoy sharing that passion with others. I'm so glad you're here to join me.
email: missflibbertigibbet@gmail.com
I don’t know where to start… but I’m going to say that I love the arch and that no dancing sign! They are awesome! I also love, love, love the life lesson! When my daughter leaves her clothes on the upstairs bathroom floor and I don’t see them before she leaves for school, that is where they stay until she comes home. Sometimes I question if I am just being lazy or really teaching her something! I’m going to say that after reading your post, I am a good teacher!
How lucky to find a Guy Wolf pot at the HH store!
Happy Tuesday! t.xoxo
Ahhh Lorraine, I should have brought my cup of coffee up so we could sit and chat LOL! Great find on the pot!
I laughed. I cried. I cringed, empathsized, I prayed, I laughed again – but mostly I ADMIRED.
I admire your clever tastes – archway, growth chart, pot for topiary…and especially admire you for your courage and stamina and resolve to be a very good parent.
You truly are amazing, in many many ways.
Just sayin.
I’ll keep it simple. Thanks for some humorous entertainment on my lunch hour. :@
Well, you already know how my morning was so we’ll skip to how great that floor mat looks in the arch. an actual wrought iron that size would weigh a thousand pounds! Are you like mega woman or something? 27 grandchildren 45 children, good grief! I can barely function here with just the two of us.
I might have to copy the sign too. Did you add cocoa powder to your grocery list?
Bliss
So glad you like my Umbrella wreath – you are too funny!! The madness never ends – always some new project in the works!
Love your tips – I always try to picture a new use for something while I’m shopping or thrifting. Love that you created that fun sign from seeing it in the recesses of a magazine picture.
I have been wanting to make a growth chart but am afraid we’ll move and I’ll have to leave it there – may need to make one out of an old piece of wood.
Kelly
Your growth chart is so wonderful. I bet you never paint that spot. And the pot you found at Habitat is awesome. I love pots with markings on them.
my goodness my friend — you are truly amazing! this growth chart is simply fabulous! i don’t think it will ever be painted! what a wonderful thing — it actually brings tears to my eyes! you are such a giving and beautiful person and i am sending you extra hugs this morning!!! (HUGS)X20! : )