Here's to Just Going For It!!!

Today's project is a lesson in what CAN work!!!

I picked this footstool out of a neighbor's trash pile...(words I swear to you I never thought I would say...I am becoming one of THOSE people...;-)))



It was a little rough...but the shape drew me in, and it was really solidly constructed with a cute little lid and storage!!



I SO love multifunctional furniture!!!

My initial thought was to just clean this up and spray paint the heck out of it...then I started thinking twice...I worried about the wicker not holding up, the paint not going on well then flaking off right away, and the seat cushion getting messed up in the cleaning process...



BLAH...

...so this sat in my garage for a few months...until the spurt of cold weather (and the growing pile of *projects* in my garage, this being one of the easier ones) convinced me that I needed to do something with this little guy...

I put it in the Goodwill pile, sadly certain that I really couldn't fix this one...

Then after not getting to Goodwill for a week, I decided that if I tried to paint it and it didn't work, it wouldn't really be in any worse shape for Goodwill, right?? (Ummm, logic anyone?!)

So I did it...I got out my handy dandy black spray paint and tarp and went to town...



WOW, WOW, and WOW!!! I couldn't have been more surprised at how well it went!! The paint went on easily, covered well, and looked great!!



So in one of the easiest 15 minutes of spray painting ever, I got a great new-looking little footstool!! Now, I don't even use expensive paint...oh no, I use the cheapest 99-cent spray paint I can find...

(Kindof reminds me of the classic, "Waiter, this wine is old...bring us a bottle of your FRESHEST wine..." :-))) Love me some Steve Martin!!

So anyway...IT WORKED!! GREAT!! I love my cheap spray paint!! And just to give this guy a little more protection, I put on a quick coat of sealer. :-)) Done!!

Here's to Time!!

So here is a fun project I did recently!!



This cute little platter came in a garage sale box of other things that I wanted...I actually tried to leave it there (as I am pretty sure it is missing a glass insert of some kind that fits in the middle), but no dice!!! And I really wanted the other stuff in the box...:-)) That means I get to call this *free*, right!!



Not that I don't appreciate the silvery/flowery cuteness of it all!! But what to do with it? I almost gave it to Goodwill about three times, and just never quite could...Then inspiration hit!! A clock!

I had a hole drilled in the center of the platter (drilling is WAY past my pay grade ;-)) and bought a little clock-making kit at a craft store.



I also bought longer, black hands (that I didn't take a picture of), as the hands that came in the kit were tiny and gold-colored, not so great with a silver back drop...I thought it was HILARIOUS that the kit said I could "create time"...if only, right!!!!!



Not so hilarious were the total lack of instructions regarding assembling of said do-it-yourself time creation dohicky...But after a little bit of fiddling, I got it together...really, it was fairly straightforward and I didn't even break anything!! YES!! :-))

I finished after dark, so here is my cruddy indoor picture of the finished project...



I wasn't sure about it 'til I hung it up on the wall...so cute!! And it was really so easy...will definitely be "creating time" again soon up in here!! ;-))

Here's to ART!!!

Oh how time flies when you're doing laundry, cleaning house, making dinners, learning multiplication, working in the yard, getting out winter clothes, putting winter clothes in the garage sale pile and getting new winter clothes, washing dishes, etc, etc, etc!!! ;-))

I know, I know, everyone's busy, right!!!

This little project took me awhile to complete...I had to figure out some logistical issues, being construction-challenged as I am...but I think it turned out fairly well!!

This is what I started with...



It was the frame of a table umbrella that had gotten hit hard in one of the storms last summer, and I just thought there might be something interesting that I could do with it other than throw it away...

First I dissassembled...



...just took everything apart with screwdriver and pliers...then looked at what was there. I don't know why, but the long thin pieces looked to me like they might make a good easel, so now I had a plan!!

The long thin pieces would be the legs of the easel, and they already had a hole through one end, so I measured how long of a screw I needed to go through all three pieces, then went to the hardware store and totally guessed about the diameter of said screw!!! (It just felt right ;-)))



I also got a length of chain and some "screw eyes" (I just have to say here that that name makes me laugh...don't know why I just giggle at it...teehee!!) and a set of two small L-brackets with screws. I am not professional enough at this to have thought about taking pictures of all of those things before I used them, so let me know if clarification is required!! :-))

The "screw eyes" (teehee!!) and chain were placed on the middle of the easel to assure that the easel won't slip and collapse...



And the L-brackets were used to attach the shelf piece to the legs...



The shelf piece was just an extra bit of left-over board, so the total cost of this project was less than $5...just the cost of the hardware!!

And voila!! Here is the assembled easel...





It's a great height for grade-school kiddos, bigger than toddler-size, but still a bit smaller than adult size. Since the wood used is two different colors, I could paint (or stain) the whole thing to make it more professional looking...(isn't there something inherently ironic about painting an easel?????? ;-))

I kindof like the rawness of it, though, and this way, nothing will be "ruined" if my little Rembrandts decide to become Jackson Pollacks!!!!!! ;-))

Here's to Deals!!...(not the chain store :-))

In my last post I mentioned that my FAVORITE find from the last garage sale-ing expedition was still to come!!

Here it is, TAA DAA!!!





The nice man that sold me this table said that it was his grandma's...and he wasn't the shifty type...so given his info and the fact that it looks like it has original peg construction, it might be quite old. However...it has been repaired and reinforced numerous times, and one leg had broken off, so besides being in generally sad shape, I am under no illusions that it has any antique value...

But guess how much it was!! Come on, come on, guess, guess!!!



SERIOUSLY!!! Get out of town!!! I thought the tag had fallen off of something else!! He really was asking ONE dollar for this beaut!! So I gave him five because I felt guilty about only giving him a dollar for this great table...that had been his grandma's already...

Ahemm...now for the big repair...I glued it.

'K bye.

:-)) Really, it was that simple. The leg had just snapped off horizontally in a narrow spot. There wasn't much surface area, and I could easily fit the two pieces together, so it really was a perfect break for an amateur to fix!!







The fact that the leg was perfectly vertical was also a bonus since it meant that I just sat it right side up after gluing, and put some weight on top...no clamping necessary...

Here it is glued and cleaned...yay!!



Still not perfect, but perfect for what I have planned for it :-)) And I DO know that the price tag is still on...its going to stay for awhile...I think it adds to the charm...:-))