This was my first thrift store furniture makeover and it left me thinking, 'Why have I not done this before now?!' I suppose the reason is I felt like I would mess it up, or not know how to achieve what I wanted but truth is, there are enough websites and tutorials available to make anyone a professional. So, I found this vintage side table (see the cute lil' wheels!) for $14.99 not knowing what I'd do with it, but knowing it was a total steal and scooped it up without question. Next, I purchased my supplies:
Oil based enamel paint- as it's more durable for furniture that will get heavy traffic (about $10 at Lowes) paint brush ($1 dollar store) and a container of Wipe On Poly (about $10 at Lowes) I already had sandpaper and after the project was done have lots of paint & poly leftover for future projects. So, lightly sand the table and then wipe dust away with wet rag. After dry, get to painting (with gloves!). There is really no right or wrong way to do this. This process took me about an hour start to finish. After the table has fully dried & no longer was sticky, I came back with my sand paper and simple rubbed random places until I got the look I wanted to achieve. Finally, use a rag to apply Wipe On Poly for a seal. Simple as that! If you are like me, you may be your own worst critic. But, if I may say, you will never know the amazing possibilities unless you TRY and may actually surprise yourself. Fun project, supporting small local business, inexpensive new furniture and another wrinkle in my brain....good day.
Wow, I am so excited to have stumbled into this meal and share it with you because it is absolutely delicious! This was not planned, but came out of random ingredients on hand so you can interchange them as to what you have already. I cooked 1 package of rice noodles and then refrigerated them. Next I shaved 1 carrot and steamed 1 package of sugar snap peas. Once the noodles are cold, mix vegetables with noodles and 1 small bottle of sesame ginger dressing. Finally, I tore up 1 package of roasted, seasoned seaweed into small pieces and mixed in along with sesame seeds. I like a little crunch in my salad and happened to have some fried onions to put on top as well. That's it! This fresh and fabulous meal will easily cost less than $5 total and feed 4 people. Some other ingredient ideas that may be nice to play around with are chicken, tofu, pork, peanuts, corn and broccoli. What's your spin on it?
The best way to give your garden an organic boost is to add your own home grown compost to your soil. This is as simple as keeping a container on your kitchen counter to place all of your vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, paper & egg shells in and then carrying it out to your compost bin which would have your leaves and grass clippings in as well. Compost bins can be pretty pricey-until now. We spent $15 on a new trash can and lid then simply drilled holes down the sides and on the bottom for the organic matter to breathe. Every few days, put a bungee cord on the top to secure lid, tip the bin on it's side and roll around in the yard to mix your compost. Easy on the eyes, good for your crop, cheap & good exercise! If you are curious for more information, there is a great book, Composting For Dummies
for a few dollars on Amazon that will educate you on the matter.
Since the warm weather has arrived, my hands have been busy with Spring projects, rather than inside typing blogs. As a result, the gutter garden is finally up and this is what it looks like. Hooray! So, if you have limited ground space, a bad back, or pesky strawberry eating rabbits, you may want to consider gardening like this. So, the price break down is about $6.50 for the gutter, about $3 per end cap, 3 brackets at $1.50 (prevent sagging) each and some aluminum wire for about $2. (I brought my list to Lowes and they helped me find everything as I was clueless.) This brings the total to about $17.50, plus soil and seeds of course. Simply drill hols in the bottom of the gutter for drainage, as well as 2 holes in the back of the gutter to run your wire through to hang. Attach your 3 brackets to the top of the gutter before you hang, and run the wire through the bracket hols that a screw would normally go through. Simple as that! I have planted strawberries, arugula, butter crisp lettuce & collard greens. Once my crop has beautifully peaked for my salad plate, I will report back with photos. In the mean time, merry gardening!
If you are thinking like me, Spring cannot get here any faster. There are 1001 magnificent things about the coming of Spring's dazzling dance, but the one I am on the edge of my seat about is gardening! If you have not already purchased seeds for your vegetable garden, I found an awesome deal you may want to scoop up. Get 13 organic vegetable seed varieties for only $1.22 each and FREE Super Saver shipping with the Ferry Morse Organic Vegetable Garden