Valentines, Dollar store style...

For whatever reason, I've never been much of a valentines person. I don't decorate for it, and the hubby and I rarely do anything for it. But this year, I have seen SO many cute projects on the craft blogs I decided to give it a go. So, while wandering around the Dollar store (surprise surprise) I found these things and thought it might be fun to do a 3 dimensional wall plaque.

I knew right off the bat that black, white, and red was what I wanted for colors, and I was stoked to find the perfect black and white scrapbook paper at Joannes for a whopping .25 cents!!!!! I know, I know, just call me Mrs. Big Spender.

I took the heart and broke the stick off, and then used a steak knife to shave off the remnants (hey, don't judge me, the tools are in the basement and I just didn't have the energy to run that flight of stairs for the BILLIONTH time in a day!) The steak knife worked great, and with 2 coats of paint and some black detailing, I had the look I was going for.

Once I modge podged the paper to my plaque I used liquid nails to attach the heart. And then I decided it looked kinda plain. Ribbon to the rescue.

I love how it turned out, of course, I'm biased because I love anything that costs $3 or less. So, what Valentines projects are you workin' on?

How do I love thee Dollar Tree...let me count the ways....

I heart the Dollar Tree...like seriously, I HEARTTTTTTTTT it! Lame as this sounds, I absolutely love to go there by myself and wander around. I have found some of the most amazing treasures there, its crazy! So consider this your forewarning...you will probably see many crafts here made from the dollar store, cuz I could live there if they'd let me...seriously...

While wandering around there this week, I spotted something that I thought I could whip up into some perfect decor for my boudoir. I have a turquoise/chocolate brown color scheme going on in there and when I saw these pieces, inspiration just struck!

So, first things first, I gave that hideous gold & black speckled candlestick a nice coat of chocolate brown. Because, lets be real here, EVERYTHING looks better in chocolate brown! Once it dried, it was liquid nails to the rescue!!!!! Squirt it in, place the candle holder on top and VOILA...magic!

So with my rusty looking bird (also a dollar store find), and this sweet sign I received as an anniversary gift from my sister, I was able to make a nice little vignette for my bedroom. I love how it turned out, I hope you do to! What treasures have you found at the dollar store lately?

Furniture Friday!!!!!!!!!!!

This is a project I completed last summer, and forgive me for being such a novice, but I only took one "before" pic. While perusing my local thrift store (when you shop at thrift stores its fun to use big words like "perusing," makes you feel mo' proper like...) I stumbled upon 2 cabinets that were pretty banged up. They were standing on their sides and at first I couldn't tell what they were. When I opened one of the doors I could see they were old file cabinets (the kind that mount to the wall.) Similar to the ones I had when I was trapped in cubicle hell for 5 years before I became a stay at home mom, only mine were carpeted...fancy fancy.

Anywho, I decided to lay them down...big mistake because I ended up dropping it on my finger, can you say OUCH, and it was then that I realized they are solid walnut! (alright, alright, so it helped that the back of the cabinets said "solid walnut.") When I lay them on their sides I instantly thought "bench" and I knew just where to put them. Checked the price tag and for a mere $3.50 a piece they were in the back of my V-150 (That means they were in the back of my mini-van that I treat like its a pickup truck.)

Once I got them home and gave them a good cleaning and sanding, I put on some minwax stain+varnish and they were gleaming. I placed them where I wanted them (at the foot of my bed, and in front of the bay window in the living room) and began to put stuff in them. I quickly realized that being on the ground like that made it impossible to open the doors. Because of the way they open, I really needed some extra clearance.

Enter my mother to the rescue, DUN DUN DUN DUN (why does that sound more like horror movie music? hmmm) My mom used to work for a prominent window treatment manufacturer in town, and well, shes a pack rat. So anything the company threatened to throw away, she took home. And in this instance, I knew just what I needed. I called my mom and had her bring me in one of the BAGS FULL of finials she had, and I got to work. Stained them the right color and screwed them in.

All in all I LOVE how they turned out. They are the best storage for shoes and dvds, and for $7, I couldn't be happier. :) My next addition is to take a curtain that I absolutely love and turn it into a cushion for the top!

My new craft blog...

Well y'all, as I said, it was time to try something different and...here it is. I love crafting, and I've always got a million project swirling around in my head so I thought, why not try a craft blog. I figure it will either a: help me to complete more of the projects I start, b: give me a creative outlet and be a fun way to express my creativity, or c: not change me at all and I shall scare all my readers away because of my procrastination.

Not sure what'll happen next, but stay tuned.

I'm excited to start this blog because, I love to re purpose things. Its such a feeling of accomplishment to take an object and make it into something no one ever thought it could be. Its kind of like how I feel about what God has done with me.

Take for example, my high school homeroom teacher. What a ray of sunshine she was...when my mother asked her why I was getting such poor grades in school (I had a 1.3 GPA), she said to her, and I quote "well, I know this may be hard to hear, but I honestly don't think she can do any better." Never mind the fact that my state test scores were off the charts, and I maintained a 3.6 GPA when I got to college.

That is how I feel about crafting. I mean, that woman must've wondered how I put one foot in front of the other. And look at me now...I have a BLOG! So take that you old hag! ;oP

Anyway, I feel like in my life many people have discarded me, or doubted my abilities and I just LOVE to prove them wrong, and it feels good to take something that someone has thrown out with the trash and make it into something spectacular.

If you're reading this, you're either my mother, or someone else who likes to craft that stumbled upon my humble abode. In either case, I hope you enjoy the journey with me! And if you see a project on here and attempt it yourself, please email me pictures, I'm just as interested to see how your projects turn out!!