My new treasure!

So, I'm at the thrift store yesterday, and was just about to call it quits. I'd found a couple closet rods, and grabbed a couple of forks and spoons (our new house has a bigger dishwasher, and I'm finding we are running out before the dishwasher is full...). I also found a sweet little vase that works perfectly with my "orange" stuff, and Katie found a cute sun hat she had to have. They were all things I needed, but I didn't feel like it was an awesome thrifting experience. On my way out, I noticed a couple big things in the furniture section were being taken to the back...and experience shows that if you wait just a few minutes, they will bring out *something* to fill the empty spot...so I stood right there in case it was awesome and there would be a race for it....after a minute, the nice man showed up with...



Cool, hu?! I was right there, so I was looking at it first, but there were three other people hovering over my shoulder, so as soon as I was sure it was in good condition I grabbed it! I have NO IDEA what I'm going to do with it, but it is beautiful and it awesome condition. the top could use a light sand and maybe a finish...but I like it the way it is, too... I was thinking it would be cool laid flat and used for my computer desk...and it's totally stable enough for that, but Chris thinks it wouldn't work because of the legs and not being able to really get a chair under it. I may insist on it anyway :)

All Mine!

Isn't it a beautiful sight?! This is ALL MINE!!! Ok, well, the orange car and one corner of the garage is Chris'. He needs somewhere for the snow tires to sit...but the rest of it...ALL MINE!!! HAHAHAHA (that was my best over-the-internet evil laugh) The one side with the large door is now full of furniture waiting to be turned into awesome (as well as several boxes needing to be unpacked...), and the other side (with the two doors) is being set up as a workshop (as well as holding a good sized pile of boxes waiting to be unpacked)...The astro van? MINE! And TOTALLY AWESOME!!! Ok, part of it may be that we'd been sharing the orange car for so long, that any car would seem awesome for me to be able to go run errands whenever...but that thing will also haul a TON of stuff! Right now, it's loaded with lumber for my new farm table...including a 12 foot 1x4. I know, you are all totally jealous!

Ok, so now, do I unpack boxes to make room in the workshop, or unload the lumber, or start getting dinner ready? Oh, it's so hard to decide!

Exciting stuff going on

This is one pile of "in progress" projects that are sitting in the middle (yes, precisely in the middle) of my living room. I'm very excited about all of them, so I'll tell you a bit about them.

The blue frame is the frame from this post. Not nearly as boring now, hu? I'm wanting to add some trim to the back so it sits away from the wall and the chicken wire doesn't scratch paint. I'm also not sure how this color will look with our new walls, so the color may change. I'm going to do some fun clothes pins and use it for my idea board.

Notice the white cushion? I have two dining chairs...one painted the same blue as the frame, the other will probably be red...and I have to get to the fabric store to find the perfect print to reupholster the cushions with. (I have before pics, so when they get done, you'll get to see it all)

The other frame is one my sister-in-law picked up and decided she wouldn't be using. It's a really beautiful frame...not sure what *I'm* going to do with it...but I'll think of something :) On top of the desk are pieces of an ottoman (the puffy pink thing is a tutu) that could be put together if I ever got it painted (yeah, check this post again to see where it started)...yes, one of the legs is still waiting to be sanded... On the floor, you see those turned legs??? They are dining table sized and I got all 4 for $15 at the Restore this week! (just for fun, do a search for turned dining table legs...yeah, $15 is an AMAZING deal!) I plan to build the rest of the table to go with them...

The orange chair is one we use, but I plan to reupholster it as soon as I learn how. It was my grandma's...we were at her house once and she'd been purging some of her stuff...I told her that if she ever wanted to get rid of that chair, I'd love to have it...not only is it a great chair with nice lines...it's totally comfy...perfect for curling up and reading a book.

Projects that you don't see...well, my desk is still waiting to be painted. I have a full sized and a toddler headboard in the back, and I'm still planning my new farm table.

So, why are ALL of these sitting only half done or hardly started? Well, because with one car that my husband takes to work, it's been hard to get out and get the supplies I need. Also, I can't paint when it's snowing and raining and the wind is blowing...which it's been doing a lot here lately. This leads to some other exciting stuff going on that is actually related to all of these things. First, I got an astro van!!! It's not pretty or new, but it runs well and I can haul a TON of stuff in it. Plus, I can actually run the errands I need to get supplies to finish my projects! Exciting!!! Next extra exciting thing! We have found a new house to rent. We are on a tight budget, so I was hoping for a single car garage to work in during bad weather, but we've been blessed to find a great place with a 3 car garage already set up with a work bench and lots of storage! I'll have plenty of room for even the biggest projects there! It also has a basement where I can have a corner to put my sewing and craft stuff.

I'm ultra excited about all of this. We're going to be moving this week...I'm doing the littler stuff during the week (thanks to my awesome new van!), and we hope to do the big stuff Saturday, so by next week (If I can wait that long) I should be seeing some of these projects wrapped up. I'm so excited to show you what it will all look like in the end!