Frugal Friday

Frugal Friday

Ahhhh......... Fall, my favorite time to get out and about and do a little shopping. Last Sunday was the final Allegan outdoor Antique Market. My favorite. I finally bought myself an antique butter paddle ($12). I'd say thats about the going rate in my neck of the woods. Heaven knows I waited long enough in hopes of finding a cheaper one, LOL. I also got a reproduction birdcage windsor for $25 at the show. It's a great shape but not a great color. That'll be a future Monday make-over. Here is my butter paddle pictured with a basket I found at a garage sale last Saturday for .25 cents.

This morning I went for a country drive to an orchard and pick up some farm fresh cider, some spies, & several little boo's along with a couple other pale colored little gourds to fill the basket. Their mini gourds are .50 cents ea.

From there I went to Changing Thymes antiques and decor. Lucky me, they were having an anniversary sale. Discounts in every booth and plates of goodies and hot cider all through the store. Cookies, apple bread, red pepper spread on home made french bread, brownies....... Oh My!!!!!  That was my lunch today, LOL.

I bought the beige berry sprig that is in the basket for 20% off ($3.20) and an adorable little sampler (pictured below) stitched in 1988 for $10.80. The frame has got to be replaced. Better sized and maybe heavier. But I love the sampler!

The lantern above is electrified and very weathered. I just love it! I got it off ebay for only $15 and $5.95 shipping. A steal. My hubby, the electrician is going to rewire and add a plug with switch for me since I haven't figured out a good place to hang it. If only there were 2, then I would know right where to put them.

I am still at, buying up wool clothing, cutting it up, and storing it away. Much like a squirrel storing up nuts for winter, LOL. So the last tuesday of the month is always 1/2 price day and I tend to go "a little" crazy. I hit the jackpot this week with some really fabulous colors I didn't have yet - rusty oranges, olive green, eggplant, plus lots of brown and tan - great fall colors.

Finally, I wanted to share some pictures I took last night. We had quite the storms move through west Michigan early last night. As the storm came in it looked like armagedon. The clouds were so black and foreboding and they came in so fast. Then the 40+ mph winds hit followed by hail and heavy rains and some wild lightening. It was an awesome show out the window. But then....... the grand finale. A full double rainbow. I grabbed the camera and ran out the door in my bare feets. Brrr!!!!!!! And there I stood on cold cold wet slab stone along side my pond, in total awe! Rainbows always seem to fade away so quickly and I was snapping away. But that rainbow lasted and lasted and gave me lots of time to just stand and drink in the majesty of it.

Then I noticed everything had a strange glow. I turned aound and looked to the west and this is what I found.

Now I guess it's time to go pick up those branch's and twigs that are spread across the lawn in the wake of it all.





Make-Over Monday

Make-Over Monday

It's been a busy month around here. For starters, I finally re-finished a dovetailed box I got for $2 at a garage sale earlier this summer. It had a very unattractive label and a lot of paint splatters on it.

 The sanding went super fast with my orbital sander. It's a  crafty girls best friend.

I sanded it down just enough to remove the label, paint, and the old finish. But, not so much that I removed the character and age of it. It still has it original saw marks and all it's scars, bumps, and dings. Then I restained and varnished. It is gorgeous if I may say so myself. The pictures just don't do it justice.

We finally got the outside of the pool house done.

This is a picture of the area when we first moved in.

The unsightly chain link, over grown shrubs, and hosta were pulled out as soon as we moved in and the fence re-used elsewhere in the yard, behind a wall of Junipers and out of sight. Then replaced with hydrangea's and evergreens and a split rail fence.

The view from the road. We put in the half round window to match the arches above the bedrooms windows on the front of the house.

The cupola was ordered on-line from Annapolis Weathervanes and Cupola's. It's definately the frosting on the cake.

We are still working on the interior. The drywall needs a little more mudding and then paint. The ceiling is going to be paneled in some old barn wood.

It was ReaLLy ruff so we ran it through the planer to clean it up.





Next I rolled on a light coat of flat, thin, cheap, white wall paint that we got free after re-bate from Menards.

 When the paint was dried I took my trusty orbital sander and sanded the paint way way down. And then I stained over the top with an oil based wood stain.

And set them all out in the sun to dry.

And now they are sitting on saw horses in the garage waiting to get installed. I sure hope I like it after all that work which included 1 day of planing, one day of painting, 2 days of sanding, and 2 days of staining.

Till next time (hopefully with a finished ceiling).................





Happy Birthday!!!!

My adorable little Grand Darlings celebrated their 2nd and 4th birthdays this week.

My Sweetie Pie, Ava, turned 2 today. She's a pip!

And my Honey Bunny, big sister Sienna, turned 4 on the 20th.

Sienna and her bestie, Hannah, were born just a day apart. This year they got to share a princess party in the park for all their little friends. It couldn't have been a more beautiful September day and prince and princess costumes were worn by all as Princess Liz read them princess stories.

They are growing up so fast. Too fast in fact.







Frugal Friday

A Fabulous Frugal Friday

 Make-Over Monday

Combo Day

Busy, busy, busy!!!! Now that it's too cold for swimming the mad push is on to get all our outdoor make-overs done before the snow fly's. A free Craigs List fence to install, a house to paint, finishing the new poolhouse, pruning trees, refinishing an antique dining table and a small end table. Work, work work.

We've been in this house for just a little over 3 years now. One thing I have wanted to do since we moved in was to put a cupola (or 2) on the roof to give my 70's ranch a little personality on the outside. In an ideal world I would have 2 smaller cupola's - one for each end of the house. But I would have settled for one larger cupola centered on the house as well. I discovered cupola's don't come along everyday (or every year) on Craigs List and if I was going to ever get one I'd have to pay. So, giving up on the dream to put one on the house, I ordered a smaller 21" cupola for the poolhouse (according to hubby, still too much $$$). Then, 2 weeks after placing my order, what do I find? A free 36" cupola, copper roof and all, on Craigs List. I quickly e-mailed my request, certain I would never hear back. But, an hour later the phone rang and the cupola was mine. Out of 48 other e-mails I was the lucky winner. So this is, for sure, my most fabulous Frugal Friday EVER!!! A new 36" copper topped cupola would be $1,000 + shipping. So while it isn't exactly the cupola I would have ordered, I couldn't be more thrilled with my find. It is about 40 years old. Hubby re-braced the inside. I scraped and sanded. This weekend (when I finish painting the house) it will get painted. And then............ up to the roof it goes.

Now deciding where to put it. I really always pictured a smaller one on the garage and a second smaller one over the brick end of the house. I'm thinking it is too big for the brick end. And, the solar heating for the pool is on the garage. So now it is between centering over the picture window or the above the front door. Hmmmm............

Now this brings us to Make-Over Monday. We had no plans of taking on this project, but when we got the free vinyl fence for the front of the house it just sort of snowballed.

So this is the house before (ewww) -

and after -

Still needing new front windows, a couple large rocks, and 2 mugo pines but we've come a long, long way.

The garage before and after (the walk-in door is another Craigs List freebie) -

and the hideous bedroom windows -

After -

I still have the back of the family room to get painted and hubby has one peak to paint on the end of the house. I leave him the ladder work as I won't climb higher than my 2-step stool. But I definately have, by far, the most area to cover. So, off to Lowes now, to buy my 4th and final gallon of paint. I just love their Valspar paint.

Monday I'll share my completed poolhouse with it's new little cupola.