1st "Shop The House" Sunday Party!

Welcome to my very 1st "Shop the House" event!

"Shop" your house (in your pajamas if you wanna!) and create something for free!

Projects can be ANYTHING,  like repurposing an item, moving something to a different room for a new look, a recycled project, painting projects, organizing projects, tablescapes, rearranging furniture...the sky's the limit.

THE ONLY RULE?  

YOUR PROJECT MUST USE ITEMS YOU ALREADY OWN. 

We're sharing projects that cost NO MONEY.  

Can't wait to see everyone's ideas for FREE decorating!

Link up and party!  

1.  Use the link for your POST, not the link for your blog.

2.  Link back to this party, with the button on the right side or a text link.

Linky will be up Saturday morning through Monday morning, to give everyone time to shop, create, show and tell!

Wanna see my project?

 

Yikes!  This is what our study looks like on a normal day.  Yeah, I blame it on Mr. FYN.

 

Okay, okay some of the mess is mine too!

More before...

The hamster has GOT to find a new home!

 

We bought this huge piece of furniture so we could shove as much as we possibly could into it and on top of it!  I think we've succeeded!

And now the AFTER...

 

The room can breathe again!

  

  

  

   

So what were my "purchases" you ask?

1.  The art hung in my master bedroom until last week's mini makeover! 

2.  The lamp was also in the master and I changed the shade to a black one I had in the closet.

3.  I found the photo of Pierce's feet and I had the frame.

4.  The bowl & all its treasures were in a box in the garage:  wooden masks from Cancun vacation, little $1 finials from Dollar Tree, a wooden key from the Natural Science Museum

5.  A reed diffuser I forgot to give as a Christmas gift!

 

  

 The lamp & chair were already in the room.  I stole a pillow from the master bedroom.

 

 Okay, so we still have some "stuff" but I definitely think it's a little neater.  It's....a....process.....

Everything was in the office, except the stuff on top of the unit, which came from all over the house!

These photo boxes were already in here, but they had really tacky "Sharpy scrawled" labels (cuz sometimes I'm lazy!)

I used Word to print words in brown ink.  Instant neat!

Now, let's see your "shopping" trip!

 

Trash pickin'....It's a good thing!

My name is Kendall and I am a trash picker!  The first step is admitting you have a problem right?

  My neighbors (and Mr. FYN) think I'm absolutely nuts!

  I made my rounds this morning and scored some cool stuff.  Check it out...

With a little oil rubbed bronze spray paint and a snappy new fabric on the seat, I think this will be great for my master bathroom dressing area!

2 MDF doors (about 4 ft long each)

I have no clue what I will do with these, but I grabbed them anyway.

Do you have any clever ideas for them?  Lemme hear it!

I have several things in my home that are trash day finds, but some of my most recent treasures are...

The 8x10 rug in our game room!  After a heavy dousing of Febreze and a long hard vacuuming, it's as good as new.  And it was FREEEEEEE!

*Sidenote - Mr. Finesse Your Nest was SO concerned that it was flea-ridden, so he put a white piece of paper on the rug to see if fleas would jump on it.  EWWWWW!  But, no fleas, fortunately!

The entertainment unit in the game room (forgive for the mess of cords, not pretty!)  I want to get a pretty runner to go under the TV, but for now I'm using a flannel blanket to make sure the furniture doesn't get scratched up.

It was an ugly brown '70s throwback before I spray painted with Rustoleum Colonial Red and used a little dark brown stain to "age it up".

So, do you trash pick?

What are some of your best treasures?

Here are my tips for "Trash Pickin' Like a Rock Star"

1.  The trash day right after a weekend will usually yield the best finds (people clean out their junk on the weekends!)

2.  Don't worry too much about examining things at the pickin' spot.  Just throw it in your car and you can inspect it at home.  If it really should have stayed in the trash, it can always go back out with yours next trash day.

3.  Wear comfortable shoes (don't be like me who dropped the entertainment unit on my flip-flopped toe!)

4.  Think outside the box.  Can that rug with the big stain be painted?  Can you pop the broken mirror out of that frame and use the frame for a project?  Can you buy pillow slips or recover ratty throw pillows?  You get the idea.

So let me hear about your trash pickin' adventures!

Coastal Giveaway!

Outer Banks Trading Group is having a 15% off Sale for Bloggers

AND

They are offering a wonderful giveaway at Completely Coastal (like the coolest coastal blog ever!)

The winner gets to choose from one of the 3 items above:  set of 4 beachy signs, set of 3 lanterns or sailboat pillow!

Go check it out!

New Weekly Linky Party (be brave, be brave!)

So, I've decided to brave the world of linky parties again!

I just want to throw a party (*in my Veruca Salt voice*)!  I'm a party girl at heart.  I attend every linky party I can find....I get around....And I'm not ashamed...

In my attempt to be somewhat creative & different, I came up with...

I LOVE shopping my house.  You?

Is it because I'm a closet shopaholic who forgets what she buys, only to find it months later in a closet or cabinet?  

(and I'm sure the intent was to hide it from Mr. Finesse Your Nest and then "casually" incorporate it into the home decor.  Oh come on, I know I'm not alone on that one, right?) 

It's the only place you can shop in your pajamas with a mud mask on your face? 

(well, except Wal-Mart I guess....it takes all kinds folks....it takes all kinds!) 

Or is it because it's FREE?!?!

 Okay, it's all of the above for me, but especially the FREE part!

So, here's how this weekly linky par-tay will work...

I'll share a project (large or small) each week when I "shop my house" and you do the same.

It can be ANYTHING....repurposing an item, moving something to a different room for a new look, a recycled project, painting projects, organizing projects, tablescapes, rearranging furniture...the sky's the limit.

THE ONLY RULE?  

YOUR PROJECT MUST USE ITEMS YOU ALREADY OWN. 

We're sharing projects that cost NO MONEY.  

Can't wait to see everyone's ideas for FREE decorating!

So grab the party button on the right side of the page & come party with me for FREE on the weekends! 

Linky will be up Saturday morning through Monday morning, to give everyone time to shop, create, show and tell!

2nd "Welcome to NEWBIE" Weekly Feature!

Welcome to my 2nd "Welcome to NEWBIE" weekly feature.  Each Wednesday, I will introduce you to a few NEW, or as I like to call us, NEWBIE, bloggers who are fun, creative and just plain COOL!

You, my peeps, get some new inspiration and the NEWBIE gets some new followers!  A win-win for all!

So here we go!

Have you ever stumbled across a blog and while reading thought to yourself, "Man, I could totally hang out with these peeps if they didn't live on the other side of the world"? 

Well, that's how I felt when I found Dolores and Chris at Humble Ablog

Isn't that name just the most clever thing?!

Meet Dolores and Chris, newlyweds sharing their adventures in renovating a 1950's house!

Love the gangsta face, Chris!

I love Humble Ablog not only because of their fun & ULTRA CREATIVE decorating projects, but also for their writing style, which is WITTY, HONEST, and HILARIOUS!  I devoured this blog for an hour when I found it, drooling over their wonderful transformations...and laughing, crying (from laughing so hard!) and laughing some more.

Dolores and Chris purchased their home in June 2008 in Whittier, California (a suburb of Los Angeles). After scouting many homes for sale, they happened upon a short sale and severely neglected home, that called out their names ("Rescue me, love me!")

Instead of spending big bucks on a traditional wedding, Dolores and Chris made a very smart decision to spend their savings on a first home and dedicate their newlywed life to transforming a 1950's house into something amazing (Wish me & Mr. Finesse Your Nest would have been practical like that! Doh!)

Humble Ablog originated when Chris and Dolores were ready to tackle their family room (it had been empty for over a year!) In order to help keep them motivated and on some sort of a timeline, they began blogging about their first major home project.

The Family Room Before....

 

 

And here's the super-hip retreat they created!

 

 

I'm.In.LOVE!!!

Pops of turquoise...beautiful tufted sectional...are those lateral files turned entertainment center?!  Genius!

(read on...I'll be talking more about that awesome paint treatment in a sec!)

I loved their hilarious post about these aluminum blinds.  Yes, so "old school" but they totally "WORK" in this space, dontcha think?

The sad little breakfast nook before....

Now here's a place you WANT to linger over coffee!

What a difference!  So cozy and inviting!

Dolores and Chris are fans of mid-century modern furniture/style and enjoy incorporating some of those designs into their home.

Exhibit A - This Tanker Desk courtesy of Craig's List!

The poor thing was begging for some lovin'...

And now, look at this beauty!

Exhibit B - Eames Chairs (and if you EVER want to sell these guys, remember your friend in Texas! Somehow, though, I doubt you'll ever part with them....sigh)

 

 

Just look at that beautiful wood grain!

Paint pattern has also been a theme in their home and Dolores and Chris find that paint is an inexpensive way to add pizazz.  They like to say, 'paint is your friend!'  (and I couldn't agree more!)

Check out the paint treatment in their family room!

And the ceremonial "square dance" before tackling this project!  (this represents their humor to a "T" and one of the many reasons I don't go a day without my Humble Ablog "fix"!)

Now THAT'S an ambitious project!  Wow, you guys!

And here's what they call their "Wall of Sound".  Part home decor, part art installation....I just call it freakin' awesome!

Okay, so do either one of you play the banjo?  My little 9 yr old musician son wants to know!

Aside from the typical before and after pictures of their projects, one of the unique things that really sets Humble Ablog apart from other blogs I follow is their use of Google Sketchup to give readers a preview of their projects and really help you see their vision.  I love this!

Sketch of their family room

Loving what you see?  Go check out and follow Humble Ablog!
Oh, and make sure you have about an hour to spare!  You'll get sucked in just like I did!



And here is my 2nd featured NEWBIE!  

Meet my new friend, Diana aka Sissie!  But I'm going to refer to her as Sissie because...well....she's just as cute as the name implies!

 

Sissie's DREAMY and DELIGHTFUL blog...

Sissie's Shabby Cottage!

Sissie has been happily married for 35 years to a wonderful, retired "UPS Man".  They have one son and two kitty babies, Gabby and Gizzard (LOVE the names!)  Sissie has been a business woman most of her life, but when her husband retired and they moved to the coastal south, her life took her on a new adventure!

She stayed busy for about 8 months while the "shabby cottage" was being built, and she played a big role in the interior design, including a beautiful kitchen she designed herself (Sissie, I searched for pics of your kitchen, but couldn't find, so please blog about it if you haven't already...dying to see it)!

So come on in to the "Shabby Cottage"!

Welcoming entry...

The living room...

  

  You had me at "hello"!

The beautiful feminine guest room, also known as "The Kim Room", named for her sister...

 

When can I come visit, Ms. Sissie?

It was fun creating her dream home, but Sissie missed her partner in crime, her equally creative sister.  You see, her sister used to live right down the street and now they live 450 miles apart.  Sissie missed the decorating "pow-wows" they shared, like combing through decor mags and shopping for their homes.  So, in search for a creative outlet to help fill the void, she rented a space in a favorite local antique shop to sell her handcrafted pillows.

(just an example of her handiwork.  Her "Memory Pillow"!  And she's giving one away right now!) 

 

Another yummy pillow creation. 

 Eventually she migrated to a larger booth space and new creations such as painted furniture, candlelabras and anything she could repurpose, restore and give her special "shabby cottage" love!

I could spend some SERIOUS dough in here!

Sissie, like many of us, read decorating blogs for awhile before she started her own.  She started writing, not really expecting anyone to read it (I remember those days, not too long ago!)  After discovering The Secret is in the Sauce, Sissie began networking and the rest is history.  This creative lady has been blogging since August and is approaching 200 followers!

So here's just a few more reasons why I fell in love with Sissie's Shabby Cottage!

 

 

 

 

 

 

RACHEL ASHWELL AIN'T GOT NUTHIN' ON SISSIE!

(*grammatical errors abound, but felt good shoutin' that in my best Texas drawl!)

So go check her out now!  Get ready for some delicious eye candy, from furniture to accessories.  SISSIE.NEVER.DISAPPOINTS!

So that concludes my 2nd "Welcome to NEWBIE" Wednesday! 

From mid-century modern, fresh and funky to beautiful & feminine cottage style, I get tons of inspiration from these 2 very different blogs!

Thanks for stopping by!  Come visit next week to meet my next victims....errrr NEWBIES!