On my way to a baby shower......

So I left a little early for the baby shower I was attending....

Yes, I am all dressed up on a Saturday morning (which isn't my normal outfit)- you know 3 inch wedge sandals.....

I have to stop by a few garage sales on my way...okay kinda of out of my way....

I was kinda going a little fast by this house....

I have to be at a baby shower soon....

Brakes squealing...

Because I saw this window.....

Trying not to look too excited...

"Hi, how much?"

"Well it was from my sister's house when they were remodeling.....I was going to use it in my garden but I never got around to figuring out what to do with it."

"There is no glass anymore."

"You sure look cute (from a nice lady not a freaky old guy)."

"How about $5?  Does that sound good?"

Me......"Yes it does."

Wiped out my $5 and let her nice husband put it in the back of my car because you know I am dressed up for a baby shower.

My gift for the baby shower?

Drama Queen (age 9 1/2) drew the monsters and told me what material and embroidery thread to use where.     I embroidered / appliqued the monsters on burlap then sewed them onto burp cloths.

These were fun to make and easy since you can't go wrong with monsters! 

MORAL OF THIS STORY.....

Sometimes it pays to dress up on a Saturday morning.

Joining Rhonda at Southern Hospitality

The Journey of a Table

San Diego ~ young couple shopping at garage sales......

short, mahogany table.....legs cut down to use at a preschool.....scribbles underneath....

young couple buys table with hopes of building up the legs and adding a leaf for a gorgeous dining room table....paid $20.

young couple move from San Diego to Sacramento...apartment too small but still hopeful that one day their table will be transformed....

young couple buys a house.....table stays in the garage.....

 couple has children.....no time to work on table..

young couple have a garage sale......decide to sell table.....good bye......sold for $10 to a friend that will use the table as~is for her grandchildren.....

table sits in another garage......

friend decides to have a garage sale.......

young couple ~ not so young anymore ~ goes to friend's garage sale.......table being sold for $10....

wife asks husband.........table bought for $10 and brought back to it's old garage....

couple and family move to Redding.....table moves too....

new garage......table stays...

wife asks husband to paint table white and leave the legs short...

table moves into couple's new house.....

as a coffee table with scribbles underneath.....

table is happy...

couple is happy....

http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com/2010/03/nifty-thrifty-tuesdays-no4.html

White Wednesday at Faded Charm

Thrifty Finds!

Last week I had so much fun participating with Linda at Coastal Charm's Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays, that I decided to hunt around my house for more thrifty finds! Not much of a challenge~the real challenge was how to just pick a few items for this week!

This chalkboard was purchased a few years back at a garage sale for $15.  It's been so much fun playing with it!  It stands by my front door and I change it depending on the season or occasion.  Since I am having my Open House this Friday and Saturday~it will greet visitors!

The basket and letters underneath are all thrift store or flea market finds.  My other "S" is in there too. 

The enamelware pitcher was a garage sale finds years ago.  The apothecary jar was a recent garage sale find for $5.  It was across the street from Drama Queen's school and since they were having the sale on a Friday~I was a little late picking her up from school!  Opps!   I made the tag and added the eggs (TJMaxx).  The cooler is a recent thrift store find.  Can I just say that I love it!  It was one of those times when I bought it and had no idea where I would put it.  I even thought about selling it!  After Mr. Smith painted the kitchen I knew that it would be perfect on top of my kitchen cabinet.  Oh how much did I buy it for?  Glad you asked!  I tell you a little secret~if you don't already know.  I donated some items to the Salvation Army and they give you a receipt.  Well on the bottom of that receipt is a coupon for 10 % off.  So the cooler was $10 but with my coupon it only cost me $9!  Shhhh~Don't go tell everyone!

Boy Wonder wanted a globe so I found this one at a thrift store for $5.  Love the blue color on it.  I stole it!  From Boy Wonder that is!  It was perfect to go in my kitchen.  Sorry!  Not really!

Thanks for visiting!

The Smith Hotel's Master Bathroom

When we moved into this house over 5 years ago now I wanted to do something different.  In our other house, our master bedroom and bath was Americana, denim comforter, navy, red, tan......I liked it and it was "masculine" enough for Mr. Smith too. This house was new, fresh and I wanted a change.

So began the idea of black and white....It didn't take over night but it's been a work in progress.  Picking up things here and there.....

 That's the thing when you are hunting for treasures....My latest addition is this Eiffel Tower lamp that I actually bought 2 of-one is in the kitchen.....I didn't know what to do with the second one plus I didn't have a lamp shade......

I found this black shade at my favorite thrift store for $8.  It stayed at the store for awhile. I wasn't sure it would be the right size.  I didn't really want to spend $8 if it didn't work....  Until it went on sale-25% off.   It came home with me and it worked out just fine.....I always liked a lamp in the bathroom but still didn't think it would work until......Mr. Smith suggested I put it on the counter in between our sinks.....That's right.....my husband comes up with some pretty good decorating ideas (plus he can bake a mean pie)...So I added a rusty, chipped enamelware pan, a ugly gold tissue box that I repainted black with silver details (99 cents-price tag-$29.99 still on the bottom). 

I love toile.  I came across this pair of really nice toile curtains for $30 (at a store that is now sadly out of business).  I had no idea at the time what I would even do with them since I already had white curtains in the bedroom.........They just barely fit between the molding and hang just a little on the tile by the bathtub.   I have a large wall that I hung a candle thingy on but I would really like to put a HUGE picture on canvas of the Eiffel Tower.  I have seen one that is pretty cool at IKEA....No money for it now but I might find something at a garage sale sometime.

At the same store that is now gone-I bought this kitchen cabinet/hutch.  It was shabbily painted black, scratches and dings....I loved it.  You can never have enough storage in a bathroom (in my opinion).  It fit right into the nook where the towel bar was.   I bought a smaller hook for the towels and put it on the little wall that kinda jogs behind the cabinet. 

I was able to decorate the open part of the cabinet with different white items.

Another large wall by the toilet, I tried to fill up with a large black and white print.  The mirror was a garage sale find years ago for $1.  I keep repainting it to go with the current decor. 

Hope you enjoyed this "tour" of the master bathroom.  It's still a work in progress-always on the look out for more unusual things to add. 

Jody (aka Mrs. Smith)

A Little Bit About Me......Master Bedroom

We moved into this house a little over 5 years ago.  I wanted to find a color of water for the bedroom.  We decided to only paint one wall-Mr. Smith painted and he was gone for work the first 7 of the 8 weeks we first moved in here.  It would give us color in a little time. It's called "Rain washed" by Behr.  It still makes me happy even after 5 years.

I wanted to create a "hotel" feel with the white bedding. I bought the duvet cover and matching pillow cases for $40 last year online at Walmart. I made the "Annivesary Pillow" out of burlap to add a little interest to the bed.  I recovered my glidder rocker with an old shower curtain found at a thrift store for $2. 

The night stands were purchased at a garage sale for $18(my dad bought them for me).  I sanded them and painted them white(actually Mr. Smith took that over)  and I had Mr. Smith repaint the drawer handles since I liked the shape of them already. The cedar chest was made by my grandpa for my high school graduation gift.  The quilt rack was made by him as well for our wedding gift.

I just did a simple, clean look on the dresser. A piece of burlap cut with pinking shears and some books I recovered in brown paper bags (like back in high school).  The blue candle sticks were found at a thrift store. The white fleur de lis bowl was purchased at a garage sale (I bought 2-they had ugly rings on the sides that I just removed).

I found the basket that is on the ground hiding the cord for the lamp at a thrift store for $10.  I don't normally spend that much on thrift store baskets but I really loved this one.  Looked very "French" to me.

I originally wanted to create a beachy cottage feel and a few years ago I threw in some Eiffel Tower pictures too.  So you could call it my french, beachy cottage bedroom!  I will post my master bathroom soon.  It's a little unusual........

                                                           Thanks for taking a tour!
                                                            Jody (aka Mrs. Smith)

I am partcipating in Funky Junk Interior's Saturday Nite Special!

Shabby Parisian White Christmas Continued....

So it's getting a little nutty around The Smith Hotel (meaning I can't seem to stop decorating for Christmas). Here is a good example........I bought these tags(about 27 of them-it could keep me busy for awhile) at a thrift store a few weeks back for 49 cents. What to do with them....Well I had to get a squirt bottle because I read somewhere(can't remember) to take instant coffee and water and spray it on stuff to antique it. Outside 2 days ago-in the cold wind-you could find me in my slippers squirting these tags in the backyard. Oh I don't remember reading about how coffee not only stains paper but fingers, slippers, and concrete!!!! Mr. Smith asked today(2 days later) if I was going to clean up the stained concrete........I told him a little rain, a little heat, some pool water and the stain will disappear(in a couple of years). But I digress, so let's see tags, my book stand, a little burlap braid and a picture frame found at the thrift store today($3.99), some stamps found at Tuesday Morning($2.99) and TADA-my french, christmas, coffee smelling sign thingamabob!!! That is my Eiffel Tower lamp and shade that I scored in Portland last week! Dollar Tree silver tree on top of a thrift store urn. Instant Christmas decor for really cheap. That's how I roll folks!!!!

This morning after Mr. Smith and I dropped the kiddos off at school, we hit a couple of garage sales. What you say???? In December????? Hey, it was freezing but I did get 3 different size christmas trees (little ones-okay the biggest one is about 4 feet) for $1 each!!! Mr. Smith thought that I was giving one away to my grandma (yeah right and break up the trio)! Plus I picked up a Longerberger basket and brick for $2. Garland for $1. Oh and picking Drama Queen up from school, I had to stop off at the garage sale across the street from the school(so I was a little late) and got an apothecary jar for $5(it's pretty big too).

So the whole point of this story is...

1. You can garage sale shop in December.

2. Apparently I am still not done decorating for Christmas-need to find a place for those trees.

3. Don't tell your husband that you are keeping something until after you get home from the garage sale! Otherwise he might make you leave it there!