Curbside Creations

Thrown Away Thursday–Did you think I’d forget??

2012-01-25T20:57:00.001-06:00

Since I’ve decided to downsize on all of my collectible junk or should I say…”curbside treasures”, it leaves me less of a selection to do my fun Thursday/Tuesday posts…HOWEVER….that doesn’t mean I can’t transform something I already have!! AHEM… Like this guy for example.

MEET AJ!

He started out looking like this:

Then he was transformed to this:

And now he’s back to this:

As you see, Ashley is modeling this stripped down jewel. It was going to go to my cousin Nora but it didn’t work out so I think I might just repaint it and keep it. I’m undecided at the moment.

And just a note on Ashley’s socks…this usually means one of two things:

1. She is a bright shiny person and her socks reflect her spirit!

2. She has such a messy room, she can’t find a pair that matches!

If you guessed “both” - you’re right!

Don’t forget to sign up for my give away!! You know you want to!

Happy blogging!

Rita

IT’S CONTEST TIME!!

2012-01-24T21:54:00.001-06:00

Are you ready for my contest?!?! Well it's time for me to tell you what it is!!

Have you ever wanted a furniture make over but are just not inspired? Do you have a piece of furniture lurking around the house that has seen better days? ( I know you do!) Do you want a furniture make over but don't know where to start???? (Built up enough for you??)

Well not anymore!! If you want me to do a furniture makeover, all you have to do is ask and you're entered to win a free furniture make over by "Curbside Creations".

HERE'S HOW TO ENTER
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You have 4 chances to enter!
All you have to do is comment (up to 4 comments) on my blog post between Jan.25 - Feb. 1. Each comment will be counted as one entry. The winner will be announced on Feb. 3 which is my birthday!

All you have to do is:
1. Like me on Facebook and comment that you did.
2. Share my link on Facebook and comment that you did.
3. Tell me your favorite quote! (just because it's fun)
4. Tell me your favorite blog post of mine just so I know you're reading!

Remember winner will be announced on Friday, Feb. 3.

RULES
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Of course there are rules...this is a contest!

Comments must be on my blog post, not Facebook! Facebook comments will not be counted.
Furniture must be reasonable in size. Nothing huge like a china cabinet or dresser. rule of thumb is if you can't lift it, it's too big!
Shipping is not included. This doesn't mean you can't participate if you're not local, just that you are in charge of your own shipping.
Make sure you have your email connected to your comment or simply leave it in the comment itself. If your having problems, email me directly at rdmireles@gmail.com so I can get you entered!

Ok, have fun and good luck!!
Rita

Can you say…YUCK!?

2012-01-23T19:27:00.001-06:00

I’ll admit it, if I’m on blogger looking at my reading list and I don’t have a lot of time to blog hop, I’ll look at the pictures and gauge which ones I’ll check out and which ones I’ll save for another time. If you see this picture, I’ll be one of those skips!

So this is my mantle post Christmas Decorations and it’s atrocious!!

I don’t want to put anything up there until I know what it’s gonna be and right now I HAVE NO IDEA.

So I’m asking you for help…..HELP!!!!

If you see something out there on Pintrest or anywhere, send me some help would you please??

Oh and just so you know, the bottom of the fireplace is 1 1/2 feet off the ground so we don’t use it because it we have to install a screen and we haven’t done that yet.

Comments, concerns, ideas, or if you just want to tell me how ugly my fireplace is…you’re all welcome!!

Thanks!
Rita

Just a Touch of Color

2012-01-22T19:02:00.001-06:00

Sometimes a touch of color can add a lot of PUNCH to a room.

Case in point, this decorative piece that my friend Brock brought over for me to paint. He loved the design but didn’t like the the wood finish so much.

Beautiful, right?!

The reason you see blue behind this piece is because I taped off the back before I painted it so it would prevent bleeding:

See as my lovely assistant Brianna models this for me. Of COURSE she asked me not to get her hand in the shot or say her name for that matter, so don’t tell her for me ok (shhhh)

Here is the finished piece in the color Brock chose:

I think it looks great!! Don’t you?

Be ready to read all about my give away this week. Can’t tell you when exactly …you just have to come back and see!

Hope you have a GREAT week!

Rita

(and just incase you think you liked this thing better in a wood finish, I kinda did too but it wasn’t mine and I was paid to paint it. Sometimes we don’t always get what we want. Just thought I’d that in )

I’M IN LOVE…WITH MY COFFEE COZY!

2012-01-18T21:20:00.001-06:00

So I got my coffee cozy from Alaska today and I LOOOOOOVVVVEEE IT!

Isn’t it beautiful!!?

I even got to pick out the vintage fabric! And here she is in USE as of this morning!! (yay!!)

This morning as I was describing it to my husband, Ashley sat cracking up at me because she said the enthusiasm I had while describing it sounded like I was in an infomercial. This got me to thinking…

You know that’s not a half bad idea. IN FACT…I think my infomercial would go a little something like this!!

Have you ever gotten your coffee in the morning and the heat seeps right through the cardboard?? Have you ever cut your finger on the hard ridge of that darn paper holder?? Or how many times have you gone to Starbucks and they are out of these holders and they try to double cup it thinking it will do the trick???

Well not with my new cup cozy from Stephanie’s Masquerade Coffee Cup!!

These delightful and comfortable cozies keep your hand warm and protected from heat. And no more paper cuts!! NAY I SAY.

Can you imagine going to work with one of these one of a kind cozies? Just imagine how bright your day will be when you see it as you enter your office!!

So paper holders be gone!!!

It fits right in your hand, is so soft and comfortable and even comes in the fabric of your choice!!

No more cardboard for these hands..no sir!

THANKS STEPHANIE FOR MY COFFEE CUP COZY! YOU’VE CHANGED MY LIFE!

*I am not paid for this advertisement – just love my gift!

**Person in photo is not (AT ALL) a model so don’t pay her much attention!

LOVE,
Rita

P.S.
Thrown away Thursday will be postponed this week but I have great stuff happening next week! You just never know what you’re gonna get with me!!

Tossed and Turned Tuesday – Squared Away

2012-01-16T21:53:00.001-06:00

I’m starting to get my life back on track after being out of work for a month and then with the holidays, it’s easy to have a month (plus) go by right before your very eyes! I feel like the dust is settling and I’m getting a chance to plan out my life now. Needless to say, I think this post title speaks true on different aspects of my life.

I’ve got some great plans for this year and can’t wait to get started!! First of which being a fun little give away at the end of this month with the winner being announced on my birthday, Feb.3. There is a catch though, so stick around for more details.

On to the square table I picked up somewhere and gave a little transformation to. Subtle changes can make a world of difference!

I even painted inside the drawer with some left over paint I had. I thought that was a good alternative to using paper since this drawer was so big.

Here are the before photos:

Man that drawer is kind of nasty isn’t it? Ewww…but don’t worry I cleaned whatever that spot was. I scrubbed it so much Mr. Clean would have been proud.

All this took was a couple coats of oops paint , some light distressing, and wood stain. Handles were coated in Metallic spray paint since I STILL haven’t gone to get rubbed bronze yet.

On a side note..in case you ever hear me talk bad about nature, it’s because I’m not one with it. Never was, never will be. Today a bird pooped on my hand while I was outside painting. What are the odds?! I think its safe to say nature hates me too!

Happy blogging and stop back by soon,

Rita

Thrown Away Thursday–Square Table and NEWS!

2012-01-12T06:19:00.001-06:00

I’m actually gonna cheat this time because I don’t really have anything new to post about, however I ran across this table I picked up in November and totally forgot to post about it.

So I saved myself on this one *whew* and bought myself some time.

I can’t remember how much I spent on this table, but I’m sure it’s safe to say it wasn’t more than 5 bucks! Here it is before. Not in bad shape at all just needs a little color enhancement.

Well at least most of it anyway. This top seriously needs some work!

Gotta, love my photography skills. Notice the off centeredness and that glare from the sun. It takes a special someone to capture these on every shot!

Stay tuned for the after shot. OH AND NOW FOR MY NEWS!

I’ve decided on a new years resolution for Curbside Creations (still working on my personal ones). I LOVE, LOVE giveaways and since I don’t have any corporate sponsorship and can’t give away any of those awesome toys and trinkets you get from your local hardware or craft stores, I’ve decided to give you something EVEN BETTER!!! BUUUTTTT…You’ll have to wait to see what it is…ooohhhh I’m so bad!

I’ll keep you posted,

Rita (If you want to know really bad, I do take bribes!)

Don’t Shutter at The Thought of Bare Doors!

2012-01-11T07:00:00.000-06:00

So my friend Michelle has a very talented 19 year old Cassie. She is a Freshman in college and a very precious girl, not to mention a girl after my own heart!!

As long as I’ve known Michelle, she’s had these great ideas for vision boards, redoing her bedroom, furniture redo’s, etc. We’ve tackled some of those ideas but when it came to her bedroom door, I think Cassie really hit the nail on the head with this one.

See her mom Michelle, was tired of looking at her plain white door, but what do you do with shutters, right? Well.. You basically take this…

And turn them into this…

WAY TO GO CASSIE!!!!

She took a picture from the web and stenciled it onto these doors. Can you imagine how hard it was to accomplish this and she did it in one day!

I can only imagine what her future holds with an imagination like that!!

If you look close you can see where she painted the poppy plants as circles which totally goes with this tree and brings a girlish flare to these boring white doors.

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Also be on the look out for a contest coming up in the next few weeks!! I’ll be posting it to Facebook and my newsletter as well!

See ya Thursday!

Rita :0

Tossed and Turned Tuesday–Curbside TREASURE!

2012-01-09T20:31:00.001-06:00

I’m feeling pretty good about this one guys!! Might find a place for it in my boring living room!

And the best part is it was ABSOLUTELY FREE!!! Let me define….free!

Table was found on the corner – Free!
Paint was a gift from my mom for Christmas – Free!
The stencil was in a stencil book from my sister – also a gift – FREE!!!
Handles were left over from a project from last year – FREEEEE!!

Now let me show you what I started with and why my girls were afraid to touch it.

Not exactly what you want to pick up off the curb and bring into your home is it? But with a little imagination, colorful paint, and amazing stencils, this is what you can create!

I’m also reminded of when I was in school and my teacher wanted us to color in the lines. I don’t think those rules applied to me. I love painting on furniture or seeing what I can come up with to really make them shine. I think this piece really captures “Curbside Creations”. I mean if you saw this on a corner would you pass it up? I THINK NOT!

Granted, there are some spots that are worn more than others but I love this, bruises and all.

Have to say thanks again to Olivia for my SUPER AWESOME stencil book by Lotta Jansdotter and oops paint from my mom that was packaged so sweetly. You guys are a big part of imagination that went into this table and so I thank you!!

Love,

Rita

Thrown Away Thursday– New Years Curbside Find!

2012-01-05T18:52:00.001-06:00

Did you miss my Thursday postings??? You can be honest. I missed posting that’s for sure.

This Thursday’s post is a “real” curbside find. In fact it belongs to the family down the street. They put it outa few weeks ago and I about died!!

I told the girls to get out of the car and grab it for me but nooooo…the mere look of mortifying terror shot across both of their faces so I came back for it by myself. (KIDS pfff!) They should be lucky it was still there.

FRONT VIEW:

INSIDE DRAWER:

TOP VIEW:

It is missing a pull and has lots of wear and tear but I think I can manage. This is gonna be interesting!!

Welcome back from the holidays!

Rita

Dyandra’s Desk

2012-01-03T19:39:00.002-06:00

First of all I hope you had a wonderful holiday and even better New Year!!

Are you ready for 2012?? I am, and I’m even more super excited that I’m starting it off with furniture orders…be still my heart. I was looking at my calendar from 2011 and I have it written down that I got my first Etsy order on Jan. 19. Isn’t that awesome!!? It doesn’t seem like it’s going on a year now that I’ve had my own shop and “Curbside Creations” business.

I wanted to share a desk I did last year for Dyandra. She sent me the photos of it in her house along with a new clear chair she had ordered specifically for the desk and I for one think it looks great. This is the before and after shot if you need a refresher of what this blue desk looked like before a little dose of TLC! : Blue Desk.

I love the way it matches the crystal knobs! It’s like they’re soul mates who’ve found each other at last!! Haha, sorry for the cheese. This Christmas it’s been nothing but Hallmark Christmas specials! Can we say, magical!?

Expect good things from Curbside Creations in 2012! My ultimate goal for the new year, is to get a professional camera that can deal with the yellow glares in my house; so hopefully I’ll at least be able to deliver some rock star photos!

Check back often to see what 2012 has in store for curbside bound furniture. So many curbs, so little time!

Happy blogging,
Rita

Christmas 2011 in Pictures and Captions

2011-12-29T21:58:00.001-06:00

I have to say I had a GREAT Christmas. It was at my house and we had a blast! Not to mention I got just about all that I really hoped to get!

On with the show!

They say pictures are worth 1,000 words but just in case you need some background info for the photo, I'll throw that in for you.

Family and friends at my house! My sister(in black) flew in from Chicago on Christmas Eve!

This is my mother in law. She took all of these lovely photos and YES I know she’s beautiful and doesn’t look a day over 25!

This is the mantle. You can’t really tell from here but our initials are SRAB which if rearranged ( and they ALWAYS are) they spell BRAS. The kids arrange them that way EVERY YEAR!

Reese wearing her Christmas tree shirt and as usual, in a bahumbug mood!

This is me, my sister Andrea (dre) and my mom. Oh and yes my bra strap. Sorry, I don’t have photoshop so what you see is what you get. And in case you’re wondering why I didn’t wear a black one, well now I’m asking myself the same darn question!

Ashley and her pumpkin roll… yes it was a Christmas present!

Brianna got a set of Copic Markers she’s had her eye on for a while. Oh and that’s my brother in the background. he currently lives in Phoenix AZ. He’s the yoyo champion of the world!! No kidding!

Brianna also has a HUGE sweet tooth so we thought it would be funny to wrap up this huge chocolate tootsie roll that has tootsie rolls inside. She loved it!

This picture is my favorite! My sister is a good cook and has been dying to get new Paula Deen pots and pans. She’s a single mom and it’s hard to splurge so we got them for her.This is her reaction! Priceless!!

And Yes I got my Purdy Brush Set…Two of them !! haha

Not to mention lots of gift Cards!

Me and Reese Snuggling!

2nd Annual “$5 Gift Card Exchange” which Sammy won!!

And last but certainly not least… The Christmas present KUNU brought in the house AGAIN!! Another dead squirrel…on Christmas Eve…amongst friends… dead squirrel… that he placed…under the tree… ugh!

Sammy the Hero…disposing of the carcass while we all scream in horror!

HOPE YOU CHRISTMAS WAS WONDERFUL AND HOPEFULLY LESS ADVENTEROUS!!

Rita

Tossed and Turned Tuesday - Christi’s Treasures revealed!

2011-12-20T23:28:00.001-06:00

First of all, let me tell you why December is ALWAYS busy for me. I have Ashley’s birthday on the 14th (not including her party on the 17th), my anniversary on the 19th, my mom’s birthday on the 20th and finally Christmas! I’m already pooped!

Without further ado, here’s the Sewing Cabinet:

Her only request was that I make it look modern to go in her modern and clean lined home. She has lots of white and the vintage look it had before was NOT going to work. Now she will use it as a side bar/liquor cabinet.

Reese’s Desk:

Remember this desk that belonged to Christi when she was a little girl?

Her request was to give this outdated desk a Z gallery feel to fit in her daughter's style. The room is currently gray and orange with lots of stripes and symmetry. I apologize for the photos but I haven’t been home while the sun is out so I just snapped a few shots in my dining room for you to get the jist of what it looks like. These were taken a few minutes ago on my phone.

I also kept the cushion the same. She wanted that to stay since her father had reupholstered it himself.

I’ll see if she can snap better photos once it’s in Reese’s room.

Thanks for waiting so long to see my After shots!!

Hope you have a great Christmas and if I don’t talk to you before then, have a safe and Happy New Year!!

Rita

My Christmas Story

2011-12-20T11:21:00.000-06:00

This is my Christmas story which will be long but it’s a good one. It might also make my husband sound bad, but he’s not, I promise! This just happens to take place when we went through a rough spot (like anyone else). This story will also flip flop a lot so try to keep up!

A few years back Sammy and I separated. It was our first year apart and not a good one for sure. I learned a lot that year, but one thing I thought I forgot was the meaning of Christmas. That year Ashley (being the oldest) began to question if Santa was real. This was a big deal for me. She wrote her letter early so that Santa would get her what she wanted and she could test her theory in the mean time. I never saw the letter so I had no idea what she wanted. I was doomed!

That year I told my friend Cindy, who was in charge of the Yorkshire Terrier Rescue at the time, that I thought about getting a dog and she said she had the perfect one. His name was Rascal. This was rare because she always placed dogs in the right home and never felt mine was fitting for her little rescue dogs (rude I know but I totally get it now). He had a limp due to his previous owners breaking his leg in 4 parts. He was malnutritioned and looked like a dog you’d see in Whoville. Perfect!

I’ve been allergic to animals my entire life so I never really wanted a dog but thought he might help the girls with the absence of their father.

The second part of my story has to do with my gift. You see I had wanted an Ice tea maker BADLY that year so when I found out that Sammy had bought one for his family’s white elephant gift exchange, I was devastated and heart broken. I don’t think he ever really knew that it was what I secretly wanted, but it was $20, just the right amount for the gift limit. Regardless, I wanted that dang tea maker!!

CHRISTMAS EVE:
On Christmas Eve, I had my Cindy’s husband Rod deliver Rascal to my house. I gave him the key, a crate and a note from Santa (on Santa’s Stationary of course) that read something to the effect of:

Dear Ashley and Brianna,
I didn’t get you all the gifts you asked for because I hoped you would do me a favor. Rascal needs a loving home and I knew you girls would be just the right owners for him. When I told him, he was so excited that he jumped in the sled and hurt his leg so you might have to watch out for that.
As for your lists, I gave most of the toys to other children in Irving who really needed them. I know you won’t mind.

Take care of Rascal and I know he’ll take care of you.
See you next year!
Santa

P.S.
Ashley- you should never stop believing!

With that Ashley, yelled out “I do believe in Santa! I do believe in Santa!”

My babies were happy and we had a dog!

I don’t quite remember if it was just after Christmas that I was back at work when I went to my car and I saw that I had a white gift waiting for me inside. I didn’t remember locking the doors but still didn’t know how that package got there. Surely it wasn’t for me??? I opened the passenger door and read the note. It said “ Rita – you should never stop believing”. It was my tea maker!! I cried and finally got my friend Debbie to confess to the gift. I honestly thought it was from santa because that’s what it felt like or a Christmas angel…and it was!

I’ve never forgotten that gift and the feeling of how the world around me was falling apart but one friend(or angel) completely turn my world around. Debbie did that for me that year and I will always be grateful for her.

This year I was reminded of that story when I received a note from a blog follower in Alaska named Stephanie Gonzalez. She wrote me this sweet note and asked if she could send me a gift. She makes coffee cup koozies from vintage fabric and told me to choose the fabric and she’d ship it out. She read that there is a Starbucks in the building where I now work and wanted me to have one. I was truly moved to tears! I’m 37 years old and I feel like I’m getting a gift from the North Pole.

I hope you enjoyed reading my longwinded story and I hope I inspire you to do a random act of kindness this holiday because it really is the little things that mean the most!

Stephanie – Thank You, Thank You for being SO sweet!
And Debbie- I’ll never stop believing!!

Rita

Tossed and Turned Tuesday is postponed!!

2011-12-19T22:52:00.001-06:00

Today is my 17 year anniversary and I just got home. I’ll post tomorrow evening sometime!! Oh and I also have an awesome Christmas story that I’m inspired to write about too. Not in the same post of course…

ok gotta go, I promised no computer…I lied!

Until tomorrow…sometime!

Rita

Thrown Away Thursday–Christi’s Treasures

2011-12-14T22:10:00.001-06:00

I met Christi through a client of mine a month or so ago. It just so happened she was looking to restore some old treasures she had but couldn’t find anyone to help her out.

I don’t know how I even came into the conversation, but it’s a good thing I did(good for me any way)! It turns out, my client told her co worker about me and my creations, who then passed it along to his wife! Man try saying that five times fast. Six degrees of separation.

Anyway a few days later she contacted me asking if I could help with these pieces. I’ve worked on one so far and am still working on the desk. It should be ready by Tuesday (I’m hoping!) so I can show you what I have in store.

This is Christi’s old desk when she was little. It needs to be transformed to fit her daughters room.

I’ll also change up this old sewing cabinet she found.

Stay tuned for Thursday’s post to see if this beautiful aged desk will make the cut to to pass from mother to daughter?! And…what will this sewing cabinet now be used for??? You’ll have to come back to find out!

Until then, happy blogging!
Rita

Tossed and Turned Tuesday–Double Feature!

2011-12-12T21:36:00.001-06:00

I’m in a particularly blue mood today which was fitting because today’s feature(s) are…well…blue.

This is what the side table looks like now:

Now I call it my Mor-rockin’ piece. Get it? It looks Moroccan…kind of. Ok well I think it does anyway.

I cracked up when someone asked me if this used to be one of those ugly brown tables you see at thrift stores but would never buy. “Yes” that would be the one.

BEFORE:

PART TWO OF THIS POST:

I took this Mor-rockin’ piece with me to the outdoor market last month and even though I sold NOTHING, I actually got approached by a girl when I was loading up.She said this piece caught her eye. She loved the color and was in need of a desk sooooo… we talked about her needs and within a week or two, I had this for her.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Never underestimate the power of Dollar Store shelf liner!!

Her one request was that she envisioned a desk with crystall knobs. Well I found them at Hobby Lobby for half price!! Woohoo!!

So those are my two blue pieces for today. I hope you enjoyed them!

Oh and my baby is going to be 18 years old in a couple of days so you may see an even bluer post then as I comb through all the baby photos and read her baby journal and stuff and get depressed that she’s aging and I’m never changing. Funny how that happens.

Have a happy December folks and may all the creative Christmas crafts flow!!

Rita

Thrown Away Thursday–My Hunk’a Junk!

2011-12-07T21:25:00.001-06:00

I don’t typically call my treasures Junk but the girl at the yard sale where I found this begged me to haul it off and she looked so relieved when I did! Ha Ha! Her loss! If only she knew who she was talking to. I would have turned her frown upside down

(I love, love, love this knob!! It is the epitome of cool! )

I can’t wait to show you what a little paint will do to this hexagon hurdle!

See you later,

Rita

Tossed and Turned Tuesday–Love Birds

2011-12-06T18:47:00.001-06:00

I realize this is late in the day, however I started my new job today and am a little behind schedule.

Side note: First day was good! Promising, and I can see myself fitting right in…and did I mention they have Starbucks in the building? Yeah, like I said…promising!

On with it:

You remember my Shabby Chic Nightstand from last Thursday right? Well I took it in a totally different direction. In fact I drew all over it! ha ha! Yeah I’ll let you judge for yourself.

The green in the interior of the drawer and cabinet are the same color of the birds and knobs. I know it’s hard to tell on the photo but they match.

I guess the moral is, if all else fails, draw on it!

Shall we see the before photos again? (of course we shall)

Thanks for coming back to see more!!

Love ya,
Rita

P.S.
Thanks to everyone for your well wishes for today! It really meant a lot to have so many rooting for me. I was nervous at first but all in all it was a very good day! So thank you!

AYDEN- THE SUPER HERO!!

2011-12-05T17:09:00.001-06:00

Ok guys this post is probably gonna be long so here’s fair warning, but I PROMISE it is a good one!

So first of all, I’m starting a new job tomorrow and I want to end my hiatus of being jobless with a bang! (do you like my foreshadowing?)

I’ve been working on a Super Hero bedroom set for my cousin this past week. It’s been difficult being that there really isn’t much on the internet to go off of. I found bits and pieces of things I liked from everywhere so I decided to take those and incorporate them the best way I could. Which I’ll show you in a minute.

BUT FIRST…Lets take a look at what I had to start off with.

AYDENS BED:

I received this bed from a friend of mine. It had been in her family and now taking up space in her garage so she had me take it off her hands. Right away I thought of so many colors but waited until something really struck. Well, in the end nothing did so I happened upon a white washed bed and applied the same technique to this bed. This was the result:

This photo was taken at Junkadoodle a couple of months ago. It looked good in white wash ( I think) but even though that actually IS the result I was looking for, Sammy didn’t believe that it was in fact finished. (rolling eyes)

I put it away until I had time to redo it. That’s when NORAH called.

NORAH: I have a cousin that I LOVE because she LOVES all my furniture creations and always tells me so(that’s not the only reason)! But, how can you not love that?? She’s awesome and has the cutest kids. Her son Ayden is getting his first “Big Boy’s” room and the theme she decided on was “Super Heros”. She asked if I had nightstands (which I did) and I told her about the bed as well. Heck, I never thought about pairing the two together but why not, right? She loved the idea and let me run wild with the theme.

This is the nightstands “before”:

The second photo is my favorite because it brings up a good question.

To Contact Paper, or not to Contact Paper? Seriously people this should NEVER be a question!! Unless it’s going in a drawer, it should not be used on furniture. Contact paper…JUST SAY NOOOOO!!!

Thanks I just HAD to get that off my chest!

I think I’ve bored you with enough monolog so let’s get to the fun stuff!! Ready for some pictures??!!

AYDEN’S Super Hero Furniture:

Not bad if I do say so myself!

Also I drew the sides so that the same image faces outward so she can switch them up if she decides and they still match (make sense?).

So, Super Ayden, I hope you like your new Big Boy room and appreciate my mad hand drawing skills!! haha!

Wish me luck getting back to the grind tomorrow and stay tuned for Tossed and Turned Tuesday tomorrow!

Love,
Rita

Dear Santa, from a DIY girl!

2011-12-04T14:03:00.002-06:00

Dear Santa,

I thought I’d write you because the last few weeks I’ve been asked what I want for Christmas. You know I’d love nothing more than my family to be healthy and happy, but no one seems to take this for an answer.

I’ve been asked if I want perfume, clothes, or kitchen appliances. I politely say “no” and simply ask for a gift card to Lowes, Home Depot or Hobby Lobby. (Simple right)…Nope! Still not good enough. :(

I say again “but if you really want to buy something for me, there’s tons of stuff at these stores I can use and would LOVE to have”. Think that’ll do the trick? Nope, uh – uh. Why, because these aren’t stores where you can get something that’s personal. They’re far too home improvement like.

Now Santa I don’t mean to sound rude or unthankful however I was hoping I could get your help since this is your area of expertise. Also I don’t want a lump of coal since I’m hard to shop for so I thought I’d pass along my list to you and you could help me in this area. I’d appreciate it, here it goes:

Purdy Brushes – I have one that I bought so far and am in love with it. Not more than my family but it ranks pretty high up there.
Ann Sloan Paint – Being the frugal person I am I could never see purchasing a thirty dollar gallon of this wonderful paint, but heck if someone wants to by me a pot or pan I’ll never use, I’d rather not see their money wasted, know what I mean?
A Wax Brush-ooohhhh…I’m salivating over here.
Hobby Lobby Gift Card- This is something every DIY gal should have in their purse: wallet – check, lipstick- check, HL gift card – check, Life complete – check!
Circuit Machine – Remember the Red Ryder BB Gun…Need I say more!

Thanks Santa for your help with this matter and if you ever need a new coat of paint on your sled…you know where to find me!

Oh! One more thing, almost forgot about my stocking! If you could pick up some Fast Orange on your way to my house, that would be nice. I think Sammy gets embarrassed taking me places with paint on my hands

Thanks Santa, you’re the best!

Forever Grateful,

Rita (p.s. I make awesome cookies)

Thrown Away Thursday–A little too SHABBY, not enough CHIC!

2011-11-30T22:38:00.001-06:00

Today’s project was given to me by a client who actually purchased one of my nightstands to replace this one.

It’s very cute and small but could really use some sprucing up, wouldn’t you say

Side note:

This week I’m working on a bedroom set in a super hero theme. I’m pretty excited and nervous about it. I’ll show you before and after photos when I’m done. Wish me luck!!

Rita

Kunu The Wonder Cat (The Saga)

2011-11-29T14:40:00.001-06:00

I bet you’re thinking this post will be a long boring one about how I love and adore my cat right? Well it’s not. It’s a long funny tale about a book I’ve never written and it stars Sammy’s cat.

You see I’ve always wanted to write a children's book OR have my name attached to a book somehow so I figure rather than take a creative writing course and submit my work of art to Random House, why not start here and see what my friends think first.

Intro:

The star of this book is Kunu our (crazy, darn) lovable cat that adopted us not too long ago and the apple of my husband’s eye.

On to my story:

Kunu The Wonder Cat

I wonder where Kunu is?
Could he be outside playing with butterflies?

No, he’s asleep in a basket in Mom’s room.
-----------------------------------------

I wonder where Kunu is?
Could he be outside singing sweet songs with the birds?

No, he’s asleep again on Mom’s dresser kicking everything to the floor. He’s so cute!

-----------------------------------------

I wonder where Kunu is?
Could he be flying kites with the dogs?

No, but I found him! He’s in Mom’s furniture she’ getting ready to sell at the flea market!
-----------------------------------------

I wonder where Kunu is?
Could he be hiding under a rainbow?

No. I mean why the heck would he when he can be hiding in a project Mom’s working on. He’s never in the way!

-----------------------------------------

I wonder where Kunu is?
Could he be helping the kids with their chores?

Hell No, he’s standing inside the dishwasher where everyone thinks he looks SO adorable!
-----------------------------------------

I wonder where Kunu is?
Could he be playing hide and seek?

No, he’s just playing HIDE in another of Mom’s chest of drawers she’s trying to work on but can’t because there’s an animal in side!
-----------------------------------------

I wonder where Kunu is?
Could he be helping with Thanksgiving dinner?

OF COURSE NOT! I mean why help when you can sit your behind right smack in the middle of the décor. Right??

-----------------------------------------

So where is Kunu the wonder cat? He’s asleep in and on everything because it’s his world after all. I just pay the bills

I’m not bitter.

THE END

-----------------------------------------

pictures taken by Brianna Mireles via my iphone to capture every moment of Kunu’s precious existence.

Tossed and Turned Tuesday- OmG it looks like Pottery Barn!

2011-11-28T19:26:00.002-06:00

So maybe my title needs a little work but I didn’t know how to incorporate OG (Olive Garden) and still make it catchy…oh well, maybe next time.

This post will be short since I’m in the middle of cooking dinner which I absolutely LOATHE. I’d rather gouge my eyes. Ridiculous but true. I was the kind of mother that was sad when my children got off of baby food because that meant I had to cook. (sad)

Now on to my table.

This is my Pottery Barn Inspired table:

What do you think? Far stretch from red and green huh?!

Here’s what it looked like before again.

I don’t know if anyone noticed but my short post has lots of detail like the text on the before photo. Hence my dinner came out crappy. Story of my life! Guess that’s why Sammy always yells when I’m trying to multitask with dinner and blog reading. Some things I’ll never learn.

Love and always hating dinner,

Rita

p.s.
If you love cats look a post soon about KUNU, the darn cat! He gets on my nerves and is always in and on EVERYTHING.

Linking up to my favorite parties on my side bar!

Thrown Away Wednesday’s Olive Garden Table

2011-11-23T00:38:00.001-06:00

I decided to move Thrown Away Thursday to Wednesday since most of the world will be out shopping getting ready for Thanksgiving.

Now let me explain the reason for my title.

I think the only thing that really screamed out to me with this table is the choice of colors (well that and the horrible paint job). With a few coats of maroon on top and green on the bottom, all I could think of was Olive Garden.

This thing is in desperate need of paint stripper wouldn’t you say?!

Well I’m officially off of blogging for the week, so I’ll catch up with you all on Monday and reveal this O.G. table to you on Tuesday.

Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

Much Love,
Rita

Tossed and Turned Tuesday- The Dashing Duo

2011-11-22T09:43:00.001-06:00

You saw them last week when I found this dashing pair for $5.00 each at a yard sale. I couldn’t believe their sticker price!!

Even in such great shape, a little paint couldn’t hurt this pair.

This is what they look like now!

And before:

Since Thanksgiving is Thursday, I’ll post Thrown Away Thursday tomorrow since I’m sure I’ll be in the kitchen for the next couple of days.

See you tomorrow,

Rita

Fabric Topped Table

2011-11-21T13:42:00.001-06:00

I’ve posted about this table before, then I had some issues with my pictures and I had to take it off! Also, in all honesty they weren’t even great pictures so I’m just going to post about it again!

Below is a photo of the table I stared off with. It’s a $2 garage sale find (those are the best ones, I know!)

Then of course I have great plans for it and it bombed!

I was so excited to use my blue tape but when I pulled it up, up came the paint too. Never underestimate the importance of primer!

So as I say with all my furniture pieces, if it isn’t meant to be, it just isn’t. I decided to do something quite different than the original idea I had.

I found some old fabric at a vintage shop. In my mind it was AMAZING!! It even had an old smell to it….you know the kind that makes your heart skip and your husband gag. That’s the one!!

I used fabric stiffener on it and the end result was a paper like material. I cut it down to size and used spray adhesive to glue it down and believe me it’s not going anywhere.

So now we have this cute retro rocking table. I think it was meant to be this way. If furniture could talk…I think this one would say “Thank You”!

Just look at this freakin’ AWESOME material!!

This table went from unprimed and peeling to Pretty and Perfect!!

It’s currently for sale at my etsy shop. If you’re looking for a piece that is perfect for your room, it is well behaved, house trained, obedient, and loves children!

See you tomorrow!

Rita

Ashley's Senior Pics

2011-11-20T14:12:00.003-06:00

I forgot to post about Ashley's senior pictures. I remembered on Facebook but forgot about it here. There were tons to choose from but these were Ashley's favorite. Hope you like them and remember my friend Susie Otto did them. She's for hire!!!

Ashley's Senior Photos

Thrown Away Thursday- Dashing Duo

2011-11-16T20:26:00.001-06:00

It’s rare that I come across end tables as striking as these. Especially for $5 each (Yes, I said that correctly)!

A few questions rolled through my mind after I asked the lady “how much for the set?”.

Did she just say $5 each….surely not!
Why are they still here? What’s wrong with them?
Could she be on something?
I’m in my car so both won’t fit…where am I going to put Brianna? (kidding- I made two trips…for the table not the kid)
Did I do something totally awesome that I’m being rewarded for?

I accepted #5 and went with it!

Now here they are (with absolutely nothing wrong), ready to get a small facelift.

They’ll be on sale at Deep Ellum this weekend. If you can’t make it out, you’ll have to wait till Tuesday to see how they look now.

Wish me luck this weekend…mama needs some mulah!

Love you all (especially you Debs)

Rita

Tossed and Turned Tuesday- Tuxedo Table

2011-11-14T20:29:00.001-06:00

The reason I call this the Tuxedo table is because of its likeness to a pin striped suit. I guess I should have called it a pin stipe suit table (???) but it just doesn’t roll off the tongue well.

Without further ado, this is the new Tuxedo Table:

Before and after - front shot:

Before and after – side shot:

And just a few more for your viewing pleasure:

UPDATE ON RITA’S LIFE:

ahem…

I totally forgot to post about this earlier but I’ve been out of the old job now for a few weeks. I’ve been busier than I could have ever imagined but thoroughly enjoying every minute of it. And the kids (and dogs) love me being home when they get here after school.

I start a new job the first week of December. It’s working with a special friend of mine so that is always a blessing….and guess what, she says more than good morning when prompted (that’s an inside joke). It’s temporary but it’s sounds interesting. Plus I realize I can’t stay home forever as much as I’d like. So I’m pretty excited

Curbside Creations…this is always a good topic. I’ve been selling furniture just about every week but know it’s not a fulltime gig. NOT YET! It never really was which is why I stayed so comfortably at my old job. I have a child going to college and a child with depression not to mention I have my own meds so between the three of us I know how much I need a month and don’t cut it with my furniture biz. It’s enough to give me spending money and a fun creative outlet, but I just don’t have the following I need to do it alone. I need to start investigating cheap advertising!!

I hope I didn’t bore anyone and if you actually read all of this, I love you!

If you feel you must comment and tell me what an extra special person I am, I won’t stop you.

HUGS!

Rita

Thrown Away Thursday–Tuxedo Table

2011-11-09T18:17:00.001-06:00

You’ll see why this is called the tuxedo table later. For now, I’ve picked this table from the ones I posted about yesterday.

I love the details on this table. Too bad they aren’t more prominent (foreshadowing *wink*).

Front View:

Side View:

See you Tuesday!

Rita

Furniture in the Raw

2011-11-08T18:03:00.001-06:00

I asked, and you guys responded that you wanted to see what I’m working on, so here are some photos of the stuff that I’m going to be reviving in their current raw state.

Hope you guys are as inspired as I am and if you have any suggestions or ideas, let me know! Happy blogging!

Rita

Tossed And Turned Tuesday – Air Puri-what??

2011-11-07T21:49:00.000-06:00

I did it! I finished this, whatever the heck it is! I have to say it nearly ended up in a pile and on fire but I held myself back and stayed with it until the end.

Without further ado (and a warning on lots of pictures), here it is:

I wish I could say this was a piece of cake, and it was, if the cake was made out of a butt load of crap and steel and was uncooperative to say the least! BUT I PREVAILED!!

It has it’s quirks that’s for sure, which I’ll tell you about in a minute. But first let me show you some pictures and tell you the steps I took to get here:

1. I took off the back to expose “stuff” inside which needed to come out

2. SLOWLY I disassembled this piece by piece.

3.This is a picture of it after I took all the crap out of it, which was heavy and dusty and nasty. I even busted out the tools to get it all out!

4. The front was the tricky part. You know how I loved this thing for its grid on the front, right? Well I found out later that the grid part was plastic and attached to this metal mesh thing with velcro. VERY OLD VELCRO. And to make matters worse, it didn’t fit the front. It kind of sat in the middle adhered only by the velcro. (Pay attention here, this will come into play later). Oh and I had to beat the mesh out of there with a hammer. and remove all the rusted nails. ewww.

5. Finally ( and I stress Finally,) I was left with this outer shell with a big whole in the middle. Don’t know if you can tell from this photo.

6. So being the DIYer that I am, I built a shelf! I found an extra piece of thin wood I had and cut it with an old saw to fit. I was like super woman this day!

So what came next was cleaning, sanding, painting etc.

Now here were the problems I encountered with this piece AFTER the initial gutting.

Paint – I originally wanted it a bright orange. I thought that would look really cool. But what I got after buying the spray paint was more of a highlighter orange and not pretty at all. Fail #1
Grid- It was plastic so I couldn’t drill into or put screws in it or it would break. Fail #2
Grid(cont.)- It also didn’t fit the front so I had to come up with an idea to keep it on the front and still make the whole piece accessible to be used as a shelf. Nothing came to mind. Fail #3
Magnets- read on! Fail #4

At the end I found some lime green paint and painted the interior with it. I think it looks great this color and I didn’t even know I had it.

The front never worked the way I wanted to so I bought a pack of brackets and had this great idea that I would mount the brackets and glue magnets onto the grid so that it would come on and off easily. Yeah, well that didn’t work. The magnets didn’t hold at all. It just fell right off.

I ended up gluing (epoxy) the grid to the brackets. I’m hoping it stays. So far, so good!

The bad thing is you have to go in through the back to put anything in or take anything out because the front’s not coming off (that’s the plan anyway).

So in the end, does it look much better? YES!
Did I make a treasure out of trash? Yes!
Is it economical? NO but it looks pretty!

Here they are again! Before and after:

I hope you enjoyed my struggles and like the way it turned out! I’d love to hear what you think!

Rita (saving trash one day at a time)!

Before and After and After Again!

2011-11-06T20:23:00.001-06:00

Sometimes I finish painting a piece of furniture and I realize, I really don’t like it at all. Then it sits there and the more it sits there, the more I dislike it.

When that happens I usually get out my sandpaper, paint stripper, drill, saw, you name it. Anything that’ll get me the end result I want.

So let me take you back about a month or so ago when I found this stool:

It is solid wood, a little bowing on the seat, some dents and scratches, but all in all a small cute little stool! Plus it was two bucks so how could I resist?

I saw this look on different blogs I follow where you tape off part of the bottom of the legs and stain it, while you paint the rest. So you sort of get this awesome two toned look. Like this:

I really liked it at first. But as the days went by I saw too many imperfections and knew it needed a change.

After looking through some fabric scraps I had, I decided to give this masculine looking stool a feminine change.

Now it looks like this:

What do you think? Much better right?

Tomorrow is Tossed and Turned Tuesday and work update!

See ya later,
Rita

Thrown Away Thursday–Truly Trash To Treasure!

2011-11-03T08:33:00.001-05:00

Technically this isn’t trash since I paid three bucks for it and that’s only because I don’t have a poker face and can’t hide my reaction to cool looking stuff! I didn’t know what it was before I asked “how much is this thing?”. Crap! I really need to watch that.

So here it is, my truly trash, trash.

I think it was some sort of air cleaning unit. It turns on and pops (fire hazard) and has a knob on the side. It’s also heavier than heck. I just thought the front grid thingy was cool and that’s what drew me to it.

Here are more so you can judge for yourself.

So far I’ve started to take this thing apart and I’m not so sure what is salvageable at this point. I’m hoping I have more to show you than the grid on the front that I’m in love with. Cross your fingers!

I’ll keep you posted on my progress if my allergies will let me get through it long enough to make progress. It’s pretty yuk!

Got to go paint the town a bright array of colors!

Rita

Tossed and Turned Tuesday- Cute Mod Table!

2011-10-31T18:39:00.001-05:00

Ok guys so I told you I love fun small projects and now you’ll see why!! Here is the small cutesy (odd priced) table that I did over the weekend:

What do you think??

I LOOOOOVVVVVEEEE it!!

I especially love that I can do something quick and get that instant gratification..know what I mean?

I knew I wanted a give the front some sort of print but didn’t know exactly what, so I figured I couldn’t go wrong with shapes, but what shape? I asked Ash and she said squares while I originally thought circles so I compromised. I googled rectangle shapes and found this lamp shade. It was my inspiration for the front.

Total I spent less than $10.00 on the whole thing.!!

Lets see the before and after again shall we…

* A side note from all the blog help I got the other day. I have downloaded Windows Live Writer and I believe (thus far) that it will save my life. I haven’t posted this yet so I can’t say for sure because it’s so easy that it’s almost to good to be true!! I’m going to wait until I hit post and see if I crash my computer or something. But so far so good!! Thanks to all of my lovely blog friends who came to my rescue!!

Oh and in other news we went to visit our last college this past Saturday. Soon we will be sending my baby girl off to college. I’m too young for this!!

Thanks again and yes I’m still LOVIN’ LIFE!!

Rita

Thrown away Thursday - Cuter than ever Cabinet!

2011-10-27T08:35:00.003-05:00

I hope you all are having a fantastic morning!! In Dallas we are having a bit of a weather change and it feels AMAZING outside. I LOVE it!!

This Thursday's treasure is a little cabinet (??) I found at a thrift store one day when I had no money to spend and no time to shop...so what did I do... stop....shop...buy. Story of my life!

Thank goodness I did because it's when your not looking to buy anything when you find the best stuff.

I don't know if you can read this or not but the price was $3.93. I know, why not $3.92 or $3.94 right?? Well regardless that's my cup of coffee money so I think I put it to better use wouldn't you say!

The doors gave me a bit of a problem so I'll be working on those today. After that I'll be enjoying the weather of course and planning my next project to tackle. I have plenty, just got to get them prioritized and see what I need buy in order to finish them.

Also, thanks to my friends to help me with my Blog issues. I'm definitely looking into some of your tips and will see what helps with this darn blogger. So thanks again, I appreciate your comments!

Ok, until you hear from me again!! See you Tuesday!

Blog Help!

2011-10-26T14:49:00.003-05:00

I know I read some where around blog land that there is an easier way to blog than what I'm currently doing now but I can't seem to find it. Don't you hate when that happens?

My current (time consuming) process:

I download my pictures from my camera onto my computer.
Upload my pictures onto picasa so I can fix them if needed and they always need it.
Download my pictures back onto my computer.
Re(freakin) upload them into blogger.

THEN...

I have to upload them onto my new post one by one
I usually start backwards in the order I want them to appear on my blog
Once pictures are uploaded I can start writing my text
If I'm careful, and I honestly don't know what that is exactly, I can move between the "edit html" and "compose" tab at the top without getting a gazillion "div" all over the place which stretches the entire post a mile long.

So my dear friends, if you are so kind as to help me figure this out so I can blog more often and with less effort that would be glorious!!

Or if you could point me in the right direction that would help too!!!

Love you and enjoying my LIFE!

Tossed and Turned Tuesday's TV Stand

2011-10-25T09:47:00.006-05:00

This is my version of Mint Chocolate chip on furniture!

I have to say it looks better in person and now that I have more time, I can actually stage some stuff but this big guy will have to do outside for now!

Here's the top view!! woo hoo!

Side View:

Here's how I accomplished the look.

First I painted it an oops paint color that was in my mind minty.

I left the top alone because I knew I wanted it to be stained dark so after the paint dried I masked it off with my "new" 3M tape that I won. (amazing)

I couldn't adjust the settings in order for you to see the dark stain and green paint so for sake of argument lets just say you can tell that this is Dark Walnut Stain on minty green paint. :)

I just slapped a light coat all over with my sponge brush and wiped away right after.

Next (as in today since the darn thing didn't dry until last night) I'll add some Minwax Finishing Wax to seal it.

And although my before photo probably looks a lot better than my after, I promise it has more character and depth than the 80's look it was rockin' before. Trust me!

linking up at :

Blue Cricket Design

Primitive and Proper

Senior Photos on Sunday

2011-10-24T21:49:00.010-05:00

Where was Susie when I was a Senior in High School? I had a really funky photo with big hair and that's about as generic as it got. Sound familiar?

Well this Sunday we did a photo shoot for Ashley's Senior photos and had such a blast. The whole experience is truly something we'll always remember!! It was awesome!!

Susie and her sister-in-law Paige took us to a couple of locations in Dallas this past Sunday. The weather was perfect and it was overcast that day which apparently makes for a great photo. I had no idea!

Paige helped style Ashley's clothes and accessories. We were pretty impressed with her mad accessorizing skills!!

The thing I liked most about the shoot was that they really shot great pictures of how I see Ashley. She did fun, cutesy, age appropriate ones and not one of them felt generic. I was truly touched and kinda wanted to say "aww you know my baby!!". If that makes sense! I just can't wait to see the final photos and post some here!

I'm attaching some of the photos from my perspective. It was fun and Ashley got sentimental at the wrap of the shoot. Good Times!! Thanks Susie and Paige, you girls are AMAZING!!!

See you tomorrow for Tossed and Turned Tuesday!!! Paint is still drying...

I'm Free!

2011-10-21T16:40:00.004-05:00

beep...beep...beep...This just in....Rita of this here ol' furniture transformation blog just lost her day job today.

Normally I'd say oh no, but it is truly such a relief. It's been a long time coming and I've needed desperately to get out. My soul needed a change and that's just what it got. I called my sister and told her and she was ecstatic. She told me "come to my job, I'll buy you lunch and we'll get through this!" When I got out of the car she was standing there with her arms open and I yelled (from the movie Beaches) "Free at last, free at last, Thank God Almighty I'm free at last". Then we ran to each other and hugged. It was awesome! She knew exactly what I was feeling.

So next on the agenda is getting working on some furniture for next months market!

I'm happy to start a new chapter and if you start to see a change in my blogging demeanor that just means a huge weight has been lifted. A weight that has been weighing me down for quite some time now and literally draining me of my sunshiny excellence!! I really am a positive person... I've just had to get a kick in the pants to find her!

Wish me luck out there!!

Thrown Away Thursday- TV Stand Anyone??

2011-10-20T12:05:00.007-05:00

Back to our regularly scheduled program...

Sorry, yesterday was kind of crazy for me (to say the least)!! I thought I had pictures uploaded that weren't, so I went home during lunch so I could do some uploading. Well that see my pups...what can I say! :)

The TV Stand Project:

I love this! I really kinda want to keep it this way but can't because...well...I'm me. I also loved the sticker price. I found it a church garage sale along with my kitchen island. This was one of the pieces I found early one morning and had to call to wake up Sammy to help the guy delivering it, unload it from his car. If you didn't read that post, lets just say Sammy had been wanting a new car and I wasn't budging. On he way home from the church that day...I finally budged.

The price for this stand was originally $40 I believe, but because it was the last day of the sale I got it for $15. It's in GREAT condition too!!

I'll also tell you that I already have inspiration for this piece. It's a little unorthodox but here it is:

Yep! It's mint chocolate chip ice cream!

See you Tuesday!

Tossed and Turned Tuesday- Keepin' It In the Family

2011-10-17T20:57:00.006-05:00

This plant stand took a totally different turn from what I originally had planned!! I was thinking bright colors, some retro paper... but not this retro... There's a story here folks so bear with me.

My grandparents have lived in their house for over fifty years and this since my grandfathers passing, lets just say things are changing around the house. Changing by way of remodeling. Although there are mixed feelings with the "new" changes going on, I think I've found a way to keep some of the permanent fixtures around!

I was actually quite thrilled when my aunt said she had something for me from the remodel and handed me the wallpaper from my grandparents accent wall for lord knows how many years. I was almost ecstatic!!

I knew then, that this plant stand was meant to be in the house and would dawn what else??? The living room wall paper... :) So here's what I did.

First, I removed those hideous leather circles.

I used them to trace circles onto the back of the wallpaper and cut them out.

I was going to use my mod podge to glue the circles down but this wallpaper was quite thick so I opted for heavy duty spray adhesive instead.

I haven't shown my aunt and grandma the finished product yet but I'm sure they'll be thrilled.

Again, here is what it looked like before:

I have to say even though this isn't what I originally had in mind (not to mention, pretty darn old school) it is very sentimental and I'm glad I can put a piece of history back into the old house~

Thrown Away Thursday- $5 Plant Stand

2011-10-12T23:48:00.006-05:00

I think I'm notorious for making an object appear squished in a photograph. I need to get some advice from my friend Susie on how to make a shot look angled and not distorted! Oh well...

This week I'm taking this $5 find and hopefully (crossing fingers) giving it a great transformation. I hate the dark color. It needs life don't ya think?

Also, you know I'm fond of old furniture and all, but I have a confession to make. I really don't like leather on furniture. Call me crazy but I prefer it on clothing or shoes. I'm just sayin'!
Thank goodness these little leather tortillas came off like peeling a band aid of a scratch.

Off to visit a college for Ashley this weekend so I'll have little time this weekend to work on this. Then to an Indie fair on Sunday, so that's why say "crossing fingers".

Hope you have a great rest of the week!

Tossed and Turned Tuesday- Good bye Miguel- Hello Madison!

2011-10-10T21:41:00.011-05:00

The last time you saw this chair, it came out of my mom's garage and into my hands. She bought it for my brother when he was little and gave it to me to redo! And redo ... I did.

Here it is before:

AND AFTER!

It went home with Megan's daughter Madison from Miss Madison's Charmed Life. She loved it and it fit her perfectly!!

Fit for a princess!!

Linking up here:

Ramblings...

2011-10-07T15:55:00.002-05:00

Hey guys! It's Friday and I have a moment to myself and thought, with no one around to talk to, I just kind of felt like writing. You can choose to leave at this point if your not a reader...I don't blame you. haha!

Just thought since I have new followers and friends I'd give you a little more insight to "me".

I currently work for a trade show company and work on furniture during the weekend or whenever I have available. Usually the way my week goes is Mon - Fri I work, gripe and complain about it, and work some more. Then on Saturday I go garage saling with Brianna. She comes along for the ride and we have time alone to talk about anything and everything. I wouldn't trade those mornings for the world!

KIDS:
I have a high school senior this year "Ashley" who keeps me busy with school stuff all the time not to mention I signed up to be "senior mom" and am now on some committees for the school. Which I LOOOOVVVEE. I've always loved school and welcome any chance to get my hands in it again. We're gonna have a blast this year!! Our goal is to raise $30,000. They've only ever raised $15,000 so we HAVE to hit it this year!! If you have any ideas send them my way please!

My youngest daughter is Brianna. She is precious and this past year was diagnosed with depression. We've had our struggles but thank God she is doing great now! Oh and she has blue hair. Yeah I never thought I'd have a kid with blue hair but I do and I LOVE her uniquity!

My husband is Sammy. He supports all that I do even though he won't let me quit my day job. I guess one day when Curbside Creations really takes off he'll regret his current decision of keeping me working when I don't want to. That aside, I'm very very lucky!

We have two dogs and a cat...all rescues so to speak: Tubby, Reese, and Kunu

That's pretty much the my facts of life but as far as my goal and direction and well wishes, I have tons. I'm an open book and I love all things creative. I love reading blogs or articles where people follow their dreams and are in a place in their lives where they are truly happy and satisfied. I'm almost there but not quite yet. Everyday can be a struggle in some way or another.

Everyday when I drop my daughter off at school I tell her to make her own sunshine. As cheesy as that is, I believe it 100% because you have to. I know I do. The world is too full of nay sayers so I'm happy knowing that I make some kind of difference. However big or small. Whether it's for my kids, my husband, my dogs, my family or even a client. I want to know that I touched someone in a good way. That's what matters to me.

Even though right now it bums me out that I don't have a business of my own or I have struggles at work, I remember I'm so many other things. I'm a shiny happy person dang it!

So if you stop by my blog on Thursday or Tuesday or by my face book page or are even at a flea market I'm attending... Just know that I appreciate the time you took stop and say hello or see what's up my sleeve for next time. And that you come back!! This is how I make my own sunshine!! :)

Have a GREAT weekend and...
say it with me...
MAKE YOUR OWN SUNSHINE!

Thrown Away Thursday- My Baby Brother's Chair

2011-10-05T20:56:00.001-05:00

This chair has been around my family for over twenty years!! It belonged to my brother Miguel, then my sister after that, when they were little. That was over 20 years ago. Since then, they have both graduated from college and are living in Phoenix and Chicago. I'm very proud of them!!
A couple of weeks ago my mom gave it to me and asked if I could do something with it. They didn't want to throw it away especially since they have a "Trash to treasure creative guru" in the family. (way to toot my own horn! toot toot!) haha.

Since I'm a big sis and all, I feel it's my duty to embarrass my younger siblings so here are fun facts for each:

1. Miguel (whom is now one of the best Yo-Yo champions of the world-literally!!) used to spend his days at the supermarket filling his little sweat pant pockets with as much candy as he could fit in them. They would literally protrude out of the sides. When my mom told him stealing candy was against the law, he would run to the next aisle, dump his stash and head back...only to do the same thing the next trip to the store!

2. Olivia (the fashionista in Chicago and my kindred spirit)- used to play hide and seek with us. Only when we found her behind closet doors or drapes, she was completely naked. She was a toddler at the time but always, always nude! We never knew why. Guess she was too good for the store brand clothes she had on. Fashion was in her blood even then.

Ok, guys sorry for the embarrassing memories but I just had to. I love you both and am even more proud of you than you can ever imagine!

The Best Part of Junkadoodle...

2011-10-03T21:42:00.009-05:00

...is the visitors!!

I had two little visitors at the flea market this past weekend (not to mention some great friends) but these little girls are just precious!!

This is Judith! She's my friend Susie's (aka graphic, photographer, website genius) daughter. I love this picture with her tongue sticking out, and look at those legs!! I think she's eyeballing something from another booth!

And do you see a familiar face here? Well if your a big fan of Megan at Miss Madison's Charmed Life then you'll recognize this familiar fist pumping, energetic tot!! I wanted to squeeze her when I saw her but then it hit me that she's never met me and I'm totally a stranger even though I feel like I helped raise her. It still amazes me how friendships grow without even actually knowing someone in person!!

She really liked the little pink swing that is actually a family heirloom so to speak so she took it home with her. In fact a neighbor at the market asked if the cute little girl on the pink swing playing a game (on her mom's phone plying angry birds) got the chair. I told her yes and she said "Oh good! She looked adorable on that swing!".

And lastly here is another look at my mishap from last week:

This is the final outcome. It didn't sell at the market but at least it looks tons better!! I ended up mod podging old vintage fabric to it. What do you think?

Monday Before and After plus Shower Idea!

2011-09-25T22:22:00.006-05:00

Sometimes I run ac cross furniture and I really don't understand the logic. For example, this chest of drawers that a friend purchased. I don't understand the twelve knobs needed for opening the drawers.
Besides the knobs (which are unfinished by the way) the brown paint is really bad.

My friend is more of a shabby chic meets whimsical kind of person and this brown -twelve handled chest wasn't going to work so she asked for my help.

I know you cant see from my one and only picture of it, but I painted the frame white and applied textured wallpaper to the draw fronts. I painted the paper a light pink to make it a little more whimsical. All twelve holes were filled and four new ones were drilled in the centers where I added pink crystal knobs from Hobby Lobby.

Cynthia was pretty happy with it and took it home today.

I was going to get better pictures tomorrow but she sounded excited to pick it up so I the only pic I had to show you was the one I sent her today .

On a different note:

We had a bridal shower for my best friends son and fiance this Saturday and it was so Great!! They had a great time and I was excited that they loved all the small details I added to the decor. I even added a little Curbside Creation to the mix which was one of the biggest hits of the shower!

My friend found this cabinet door in her neighbors trash and picked it up for me. I litterally just got this a week ago. Anyway, the other day as I was shopping at the dollar store, I came accross this decal and immedialtely thought to use it on the door.

I spray painted it an Ivory color I had on hand and applied the decal. This picture was taken before I added some light distressing to the corners with wood stain.

I couldn't belived that this sign that I paid $1 for went over so well. They loved it and to add to the idea, we had everyone sign the back of it and dated it for the new couple to hang in their home. Isn't that hysterical and Great all rolled in one!!

So there you go...maybe you can use this idea on your next shower or party!!

Oh and I never got a chance to work on my small table I showed you on Thursday (what else is new?). Hopefully I'll have something for you on Tuesday but don't hold your breath. Still got to get ready for Junkadoodle too. Busy, Busy, Busy!

See you later!

Thrown Away Thursday and Feature!

2011-09-22T09:55:00.003-05:00

Time for Thrown Away Thursday! For anyone new to my blog, this is where I basically show you a picture of something I found or picked up that can use a little sprucing up by way of a total transformation. I'll show the reveal on Tuesday !! So come back to see what it looks like after I've put some elbow grease into this little guy.
This table was a $2 find at a yard sale. I see possibilities but nothing screams at me just yet.

Also in other news! Remember my nephew Adrian's 3 Dimensional Desk that he designed and left it to his auntie to paint for him? Well today it's featured on "Roadkill Rescue"!!

Adrian's Desk Before:

Adrian's Desk After:

Thanks again and remember to link your email when you comment so I can reply back!

Roadkill Rescue

2011-09-20T20:44:00.003-05:00

Have you been over to Becky's blog "Roadkill Rescue"? If you haven't you NEED TO head over there and check out her stuff. She features all kinds of, in her words 'Roadkill', you know, basically my kind of treasures, and shows what you can do with it with a little imagination. A girl after my own heart!!

My little Rockstar table is featured there today, so stop on over and get lost in all the awesome transformations!!

http://roadkillrescue.net/

or go straight to my feature here:

Rockstar Table Feature!

Tossed and Turned Tuesday- StellaDallas Suit Case

2011-09-20T06:57:00.005-05:00

I wanted to try my hand in completely gutting and modpodging an old suit case and when I stumbled upon this one, the ideas started rolling.

I realize this isn't a great picture with the shadow from the tree ;o but I think the paper and the trim were just what this old guy needed.

The materials I needed for this project was:

Rustoleum's Metallic finish for the handle and clasps.
Rustoleum's Gray for the trim- of course I don't remember which exact color because I tossed the can when I was done (sorry)
Left over Ikea material from another project
StellaDallas patterned paper (love)
Mod Podge!! (what would my life be without you!)

I loved this fun under $10 project!! And although I'm not the sewing type (ain't that the truth), hot glue and spray adhesive worked wonders!

Let's take a look at this $2 beauty before shall we:

Again VERY busy weeks ahead so If I don't see you for a while, have a great week!!

Love,

Thrown Away Thursday - Suit Case

2011-09-15T09:43:00.003-05:00

The next couple of weeks are going to be very busy for me so this will be a rather small transformation.

I picked up this old suite case with hopes of actually making it into a pet bed for the lovable adorable Reese. But for now I'll keep it simple before trying to construct a bed out of it.

Also I want to point out that when I walked up to the lady at the garage sale and asked how much she said "$2". Then a lady after me held up a toddlers Dora the Explorer shirt and said how much and she responded again "$2". I just got a kick out of how the two were priced the same and how she probably thought I paid too much! huh!

Have a great Thursday and remember Gray's Anatomy is starting back up this month!!

Tossed and Turned Tuesday- Mighty Blue Transformation!

2011-09-12T22:27:00.007-05:00

Found this crazy blue oops paint, and decided I had to use it on my itty bitty bench! Because he's so small I figured he needed to POP! And this blue was the perfect way to do that. To add a little extra "oomph!" I decided to use a dark walnut wood stain to add in some stripes to contrast the electric blue.

Also sorry this is just a quick post! I've been swamped ALL weekend and haven't had a lot of extra time to do anything. I'll repost it again with better pictures. Happy blogging! :)

Thrown Away Thursday - Itty Bitty Bench

2011-09-08T09:20:00.002-05:00

If you like to go to yard sales like I do then you know there comes a time when you're at the last of your cash and you think to yourself "I've still got two bucks to burn". Well I do anyway and that's typically when I find pieces like this.

This seat is really really small. It actually looks bigger here but it's tiny and petite. Thinking it needs to make a powerful punch so come back to see it Tuesday!

And have a great Thursday. (Gosh can't wait for tomorrow!!)

T&T Table and My Free Jewel Reveal

2011-09-05T21:18:00.004-05:00

(don't mind my html craziness going on here. It goes from blue to black text and some underlining ??? ugh...good ol' html issues!!)

Last weekend I came across this small table and turned it from this:
To This:

But this one... Wow this one really left it's mark on me. In fact when the guy said I could have it free, I ditched my friend and went home to pick up my Explorer and picked it up before he could give it to anyone else!

I think with all the lines and curves and KNOBS(!!) I really couldn't get a handle on what I wanted to do so after my first attempt didn't work out I came up with this.

Since my husband loves Espresso's and dark furniture and I love all things Color, I thought this was nice compromise. I even drew on some flowers with my dremel tool to add to the curves and lines of this piece.

I'm so excited to have it in my entry way and can't wait to come home to it tomorrow rather than the (stupid) computer that was there before!! I can't even begin to tell you.

Let me know what you think. Did I do it justice?

Hope you all had a great long and cool weekend!!

Thrown Away Thursday - table and inappropriate attire!

2011-09-01T10:08:00.003-05:00

This is next up on my list of "To Do's" for the weekend. Have to say with all the heat in Texas it's getting harder and harder to go outside especially after working a full day at work. And let's just say work isn't too pleasant these days. Some days it's just good when someone says more than two words to me :(

On another note, Ashley got in trouble for inappropriate attire at school. YES- it's only been five days into the school year. NO- it wasn't my top (but I do want to borrow it).

She said the reason she got in trouble was that it was showing, in their words "too much arm". It's a top I got her from NY& Co. that has straps, slightly bigger than a bra strap but not too skinny to be considered a spaghetti strap. Anyway they made her wear a purple honor society T-shirt to cover her up. Again, I thought she looked pretty but I guess what the hell do I know???

She honestly didn't look bad at all, I promise.

She said the nice thing about the T-shirt is that it felt like a big hug that she wore all day. Awww...what a way to look on the bright side :)

Should I be upset about this???

Thank goodness it's Thursday.

New Kitchen Island!

2011-08-30T13:23:00.010-05:00

Here she is, my new improved kitchen island!

In her new spot in the kitchen!

...and in case you were wondering...these letters stand for:
Sammy, Rita, Ashley, Brianna, Tubby, Reese and Kunu.

I wanted the top to look like vintage crates so I had fun with all these ideas that crossed my mind and endedu up going with just about all of them. I wont be using this top for cutting but more as an additional space.

This is before the new top:

And this is when I brought it home from the church garage sale!

Also I need to add that the only way I could get inside photos of this island was with the help of my photographer friend Susie. She seems to always be helping me out of binds these days. Check out her site SusieOtto Photography!

Thanks again!

posting here:

2011-08-29T13:37:00.002-05:00

Just in case you were wondering where I've been...trust me not too far. I'm having my friend give my blog a much needed face lift but html hasn't been too friendly. But thank you anyway Susie for helping me out!!

She thinks she's pinpointed it down to an Internet explorer issue so if y'all can help me out and let me know what you see on my blog that would help. The left side bar should be on the left. If it's not would you please let me know? Right now I see it on the bottom but if I look at it through my husbands IPad, it looks just fine.

I wanted to post once everything was up and ready but to heck with it. I warned you that I'm impatient!!

While I've been twiddling my thumbs (yeah right!) I've also gotten my girls into their Freshman and Senior year in high school. Two separate schools, so that's been fun. I've also been elected for two committees at one school which I'm super excited about (Que "Grease" quote where Rizzo says "and we're gonna rule the school!" ) that's me right now. Good times!

Oh...almost forgot to mention the photo above. Thought I'd give you a sneak peak of my finally completed kitchen island. Remember I said the top needed something...well it got something alright. I'll be posting pictures of it in my kitchen soon. Think you'll LOVE it. I know I did and it's not too feminine which is a good thing around my house.

Ahhh...it feels so good to type again:)

Lastly, I have a question for you. Since I've been on a creative slump the past few weeks or as Ashley says "a hiatus", I've been blog hopping for inspiration. My all time favorite gal is Cassie (OF COURSE) where on Wednesday's I can go through her linky party and pick and choose from all of those creative geniuses for ideas. What are some good resources you go to when you're in the creative dump pool too? I want to see what I'm missing out there.

Hope you have a good Monday and I'll be back to show you my island soon.

Construction Zone ---AGAIN!

2011-08-26T15:05:00.002-05:00

Just in case you were wondering, I'm under construction again. This was totally my fault as I completely screwed up my layout and am having a friend try to fix it so that you're not just looking at a stark white background.

I'll be back soon once this gets worked out *sigh* :(

Tossed and Turned Tuesday- Nancy's Modern Mirror

2011-08-22T22:14:00.001-05:00

I don't know if someone will tell me this mirror was worth millions and I ruined it, but I have to say Nancy did look into it and made the decision to repurpose it (so don't hate me).

We both agreed that gold is a little dated unless you really know how to make it work in a room, but with her decor, we knew nickel would work best.

We actually did try different color options from tan, to marble decorative balls, to finally nickel and black. Simple yet strong!
Since Nancy just moved into her new home in Houston,she hasn't sent me a picture of it hanging yet but when she does I'll post it here.

This is what it looked like before.

It's amazing how you take a photo and then later realize what's in the reflection. Like her cat Buddy in this one. In the one above, you can see me all sweated up trying to crop myself out of the picture while getting a good shot...not pretty.

Do you spy a drill in any of these photos?

Also on a good note, the creativity fairy paid me a visit today so I'll have a surprise coming up in a day or so. Yay, can't wait to share!

See you guys with some cool photos very soon!!

The When I Grow Up Coach!

2011-08-22T13:45:00.004-05:00

If you haven't heard of Michelle Ward, You are really missing out on a great (SPECTACULAR REALLY) Gal!!

She is a life coach and if you don't know what that means or think you need one, pop on over to her website and then you'll end up thinking "How do I maintain without her??". I know I do.

I love that she is a cheerleader in her own rite! She makes me want to shake up my life and make things happen because they can and it should be taking place right now!!

Today I was feeling a little overwhelmed, which is seems to be the case a lot these days, and I didn't feel like I had the strength to blog hop so instead I went to her website/blog. She always has these amazing pictures and this one was the one for today!

Talk about my must read for today!! Here's the link so you can read it too http://whenigrowupcoach.com/blog/

So, in case you're feeling overwhelmed with school starting this week, or trying to get your small business off the ground like me :) , or just need a little break, I suggest you take a look. Something will click...trust me...It just does!!

Have a good Monday and hope all you mom's out there have a good back to school week!

Thrown Away Thursday- Nancy's Mirror

2011-08-18T07:06:00.004-05:00

With "back to school" next week, I don't know how much time I'll have to dedicate to projects so I decided to show a mirror I did for Nancy.

She found me through Etsy and asked me to modernize a family mirror since she was moving and wanted to hang it in her new place.

Two days later I received this gold beauty and Nancy and I Skyped until we got the look she was going for.

Come back Tuesday and I'll show you this modern mirror. Hopefully she'll have a picture of it on her wall by then so I can post that too!

See you later,

Wedding Invites!

2011-08-16T11:05:00.002-05:00

My friend Susie (the awesome girl that did my website) needs help choosing a wedding invite for a bridal show she is working.

Please link to her site and help her choose a card and you're entered to win 10 custom invites from her as well!!

Oh and tell her I sent you!! thanks!!

http://papiersanctum.com/blog/new-line-of-wedding-invitations

Tossed and Turned Tuesday- TOTALLY TERRA COTTA

2011-08-15T19:02:00.005-05:00

Pretend this has a beautiful background before continuing on. Got it?? OK now you can continue looking...

This is the kitchen island I picked up at a church garage sale for $25.00. It's more than I ever pay but so needed. And I'm totally loving the way the color looks.

Sammy gave his input to the colors and mentioned it should match our stone back splash so I kept that in mind when painting the shelf. Does it pass for stone ?? Hope so.

I'm not quite finished with the top. Still needs a coat of stain and maybe a little embellishment in the "stencil" field without having Sammy scream that it's too girly. We'll see about it anyway.

Once it's in the kitchen I'll rephotograph it and follow up with a post-post (get it, haha, I crack myself up)!!

Once again, here is what it looked like before it was Terra Cotta transformed...I'm on a roll!!

NEW WEBSITE!!

2011-08-13T20:26:00.001-05:00

Stop by and check out my new website

http://curbside-creations.com

I'm SO EXCITED about this!! thanks Susie!

Thrown Away Thursday- Where's My Mojo???

2011-08-11T11:40:00.003-05:00

PLEASE...let me not screw this one up!! I swear my mojo is around somewhere, I just can't seem to find it at the moment!!

I found this island at a garage sale for $25. More than I ususally pay but I need one for my kitchen and the little table I have there now gets more than it's fair share of laughs!! Or if your like my mom, you'll see it and say "why do you have a small table in the middle of your kitchen??" ...humph. So you see I could use a replacement and this should do it.

I've got a busy weekend with SonsStock 2011 and back to school errands but I hope to fit this guy in.

I'll be back on Monday to let you know how the weekend went so until then, have a safe and happy weekend!!

Tuesday Construction Zone!!

2011-08-08T20:58:00.004-05:00

I thought I could finish by Tuesday but to no avail!! My vintage buffet has really got me spinning my wheels here. I've gone three different routes with it and nothing "speaks" to me. I took pictures of what it looks like now but at the last minute I pulled it from this post. Nope! Just couldn't do it. I can't take another chevron post just yet.

Sorry guys but you'll have to wait until it is picture perfect and my heart is content with it.
...now to start thinking about transformation #4....hmmmm....

Thrown Away Thursday- My FREEEEE Jewel!!

2011-08-04T13:24:00.008-05:00

Once again...I didn't get the memo that today's Thursday!!

Now on to my JEWEL!! Can we say "AMAZING"? I know I did when I spotted this at a garage sale and then I shed a tear when the guy said "you can have it for free if you want". God was smiling on me that day.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE this and can't wait to get it painted and into the house and get my stupid computer out of the way. Yes the computer that ate my pictures and is just a paperweight sitting in living room.

The white blob on the middle drawer was me testing out a color.

(did you see the knob) ...it's gorgeous!!(angels singing, harps playing)

Alrighty, lots of work to do on this for Tuesday.

See you then!

Tossed and Turned Tuesday- Let Me Explain...

2011-08-01T21:10:00.003-05:00

First, let me say this is a work in progress..

I've seen Chevron stripes everywhere and have been dying to try it myself. Well come to find out, chevron stripes don't like me very much. Part of the reason I totally messed up on the drawers is I took them inside to paint (too hot out) and didn't line them up correctly. Turns out there are two top drawers and two bottom drawers that only fit in those sections. I learned that the hard way.

It took me forever to get my stripes straight and at that, they were still not perfect. So after taping, painting, etc, I took them outside and WaaaaWaaaaWaaa... they didn't line up.

Oh and I painted the handles Green (Icing from last post) and yep... still not feeling it. After my long, hot day, I gave up, snapped a shot and called it a day.

Here's my work in progress:

Once I realized they didn't line up, I stopped painting (just incase you were wondering why this looks half done...it is).

The desk before:

Interested to hear your take on this. Let me know :)

This project is killing me...

2011-07-31T22:31:00.003-05:00

I'm never too scared to try out a new idea or try to recreate something I've been inspired by, but today I realized something... just because someone else did it, doesn't mean I'm gonna get the same result.

I've always said you should love your furniture and I don't love this.

Let me give you an analogy. I feel like I just made cake and left out an ingredient so I added a substitute but the subsitute made it dry so I added a really sweet icing and that didn't help so now I'm throwing in ice cream. My end result tastes nothing like the Paula Dean outcome I wanted but some off brand dessert. And you "Paula Dean's" out there will know who I mean Tuesday when you see the reveal.

For now I'm leaving it as is. Maybe I won't feel so beat tomorrow and will fix it up.

:(

Knobs, knobs everywhere- but which one do I choose?

2011-07-29T13:28:00.011-05:00

Today you're gonna get me on kind of a rant, but when it comes to topics that strike my fancy, the flood gates open my friends!!

Today, this topic is hardware. What's funny is when I first had Ashley I started to work for a hardware store and till this day, I swear I don't remember if we sold any knobs or drawer pulls. I'm sure we must have, but that just wasn't my thing then.

Now a days, I feel like my eyes have a honing device that go directly toward hardware when I see older furniture or walk into a store that provides such necessities.

Now the reason for my post is because I recently encountered a FREAKIN' AWESOME PIECE OF FURNITURE (for free I might add) and noticed it for it's...what...say it with me..."handles". Yes, that's correct. And when the guy said he'd give to me for free, I nearly cried. It was then that I realized how much I adore older pieces of furniture and the hardware that comes with it.
Don't get me wrong, I love buying newer pieces as well, but the mere fact of the intricacy, durability and craftsmanship that went into making these older pieces, simply amazes me!

This new piece I'm about to work on had these massive chunky handles. I have a thing for chunky...sorry. Anyway, I knew when I got it home, I'd be writing a post about these lovelies.

Here are my subjects: (oh and I made up the names of these handles/pulls by the way)

1. Scrolly- delicate pulls- I love these guys more than words and find them on lots of older furniture. The good thing with this type of pulls is you can paint them any color and they will always look beautiful. They are small enough that they won't engulf the whole piece but exquisite enough to act as a strong accent or pop of color.

2. The Massive Pulls- If these look familiar, you may remember seeing them on my china cabinet I named ABE after my grandpa. You can tell the smaller pulls on the bottom of this photo look a little brassier than the massive pulls. I took this picture after I sprayed the massive pulls with a metalic spray to show the difference. Much better, I think!

3. This is what I call my Darcy Handle- I know some of you are saying "what in the world is she talking about. I name stuff. I just do.
So yes, this is my Darcy handle and I named it so because of it's regalness. I think this could go on just about any piece of furniture and add to its value. I've only ever encountered this type of pull once or twice but since brass isn't my cup of tea, I think a nice rubbed bronze sets it off nicely. Again, not too big to over power, but big enough to make a statement.

4. Circle Pull- I don't know what it is about older furniture or if people back in the day were just more creative but they came up with some wonderful hardware! Not like a lot of what's on the market these days. I'm always curious to see what's out there and how it totally works with the furniture it's on. This was on my "roarin' 20's piece".

5. Mod Pull- This was on the freebie desk in my last post. Again, don't know when it was made but look at the craftmanship!!

I always, always try to use the hardware that is already on the pieces I find. For one thing, I'm frugal, not cheap, but I like to keep things under budget (this rule does not apply to coffee!!).

If I find a piece with a pull like this, it is staying on. It might get a little cleaned up, but it STAYS!

Here are a couple that I cleaned up a bit but still used!

As far as newer hardware, there are still tons of stuff out there that are beautiful in their own rite. My all time favorite come from Hobby Lobby. I'm a frequent customer there!! And yes I go when the hardware is half off or I have a coupon!

If you're buying in bulk, there are lots of online places that'll give you a good deal as well.

So the moral to my story is use what you've got!! If a piece already has great hardware, you can ALWAYS paint it to match your decor. You'll be amazed at how people (not us furniture redo-ers) will actually pay attention to it and compliment you on it. The rest of us will just be jealous of the fact that you own this awesome hardware and wish we had it first.

I hope you have a GREAT Friday and enjoyed my rant!

Thrown Away Thursday- My Freebie Desk!

2011-07-27T22:13:00.003-05:00

I'm thinking about writing a post on hardware. Meaning knobs and pulls that I come across that say so much to me. Part of me says "don't judge a book by it's cover" but come on...how can you not with such intricate hardware that is decades old and simply gorgeous. That's it...this topic is "to be continued".

I got a text the other day from my friend Angie asking if I wanted this desk. I all but yelled "YES" at the phone and typed as fast as my fingers would go. She said she was getting rid of it, and would be willing to give it to me free. Hello?!?!
I almost cried!!

So here it is. I'm already thinking about possibilities. There's lots of techniques I've been wanting to try and one of them just might make it on this piece.

Of course you'll have to wait and see on Tuesday but for now if you have any suggestions, I'm always willing to listen.

Have a GREAT Thursday and be looking for my 'hardware' post soon!

Tossed and Turned Tuesday- Blast from the Past

2011-07-25T22:09:00.004-05:00

I have to say I have a rather large WEAKNESS for older furniture. I love the lines, the AWESOME(NESS) hardware, and the groovy bodies they have. LOVE LOVE LOVE!!

The best way to modernize this piece was to give it a bright face lift. My choice was this Robyn's Egg Blue color!

Here's the before: rather battered and broken and yellow...

On another note, I had a typical Monday. Doctor appointments for the girls which I couldn't go to because the car battery was dead. I had to reschedule but the next available is in October. Oh and I'm out of vacation days so today was unpaid. Yeah...Good Ol' Mondays.

Hope yours was better.

Thrown Away Thursday - $10 Dresser

2011-07-21T09:20:00.003-05:00

Oooohh! I have a Dresser to work on this weekend and I CAN NOT wait to get started!!

Oh and on a quick note: If you're in the Dallas area on August 13, I'll be at the SonsStock 2011 in Deep Ellum. It's supposed to be created on the concept of "Woodstock" from what I hear, but I'll give you more details as I have them.

See you Tuesday!!

Tossed and Turned Tuesday- Deb Inspired Table

2011-07-18T18:00:00.005-05:00

The creative juices came to me by way of Deb from Twice Nice. She heard my plea and gave me a rather unusual idea. " Why not look at coffee mugs for inspiration?" she said. I started googling images of coffee mugs and tumblers and found a design on one that reminded me of paper I had recently acquired at a thrift store. The paper wasn't big enough to decoupage but I loved the print so I 'free handed' it onto this table.

The color on top is Celery Green and the blue is an "oops" paint blue.

I painted the print in off white and outlined it with a white paint pen I purchased at Michael's.

In all I'm very happy with the result and happier that Deb helped me out of my rut.

I'm telling you the ideas started pouring, but this one made the cut!!

Here's the before again for your viewing pleasure.

Thanks so much for stopping by and I realize it's still Monday but I couldn't wait any longer.

Oh and if you haven't checked out my posting of the pets...stop by and leave a comment or caption. The ones so far are hysterical!!

When Life Gives You Lemons... You create a ROCK STAR out of it!!

2011-07-17T16:02:00.009-05:00

My dumpster divin' buddy found this table for me that had been thrown out around his neighborhood.

In need of some TLC but totally doable and a small project...my favorite!

This was the only concern I had. The base is metal and the thick chipping paint went all the way up to the top so if it didn't all come off, I'd have some issues. I went ahead and started chipping away at the loose pieces. Some big chunks of paint came off but not like I thought it would.

I sanded the rough edges and figured when I painted it black as planned, it wouldn't show up. Right?...Wrong!! See the outline of the edges.

After I yelled out "CRAP BALLS", I hung my head, put my paint away and went to bed disappointed. That is until the creative fairy planted an idea in my head that night.

Moral of my story is when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade right? Well in this case, if you have cracks on your furniture that JUST WON'T COME OUT, you work with them and incorporate them in the design.

So that's what I did. I taped off all the cracked edges and painted it to match the blue top.

This is the result. My ROCK STAR TABLE! I don't know why I call it that but it reminds me of something you'd see at the Hard Rock Cafe.

So there it is. Up close it kind of looks like the entire thing was originally painted turquoise and covered in black. When the paint chipped away, it showed the original blue color. Kinda cool I think!

Oh! I'll see you Tuesday for a remarkable transformation. The Creative Juices kicked in by the name of Deb. See what she inspired me to do.

Thanks,

FRIDAY FUN!

2011-07-15T16:44:00.002-05:00

I uploaded this photo of my pets to my Facebook page and my family got a kick out of it. I thought it might be fun to see what caption you can come up with for this photo.

FYI: The yorkie is REESE, the chow is TUBBY and the newest family member is KUNU our cat.

Have fun and let the creativity roll!

Thrown Away Thursday - $5 Friday Find

2011-07-14T08:33:00.004-05:00

Dear Creative Juices,

I found this table last Friday and of course, you know I had to have it. The problem is my creativeness isn't speaking to me yet.

As you know, I write this series where I show my before pictures on Thursday and their reveal on Tuesday which means I only have the weekend to get it done and photographed. And remember I can't take photos Monday night either because I have a crappy camera that only likes to take good pictures midday and in the sun, but that's besides the point... sorry.

Anyway, part of the reason for this series was to challenge myself and also to try to inspire blog friends to get their creative juices flowing. But lately I've been feeling kinda low on the creative stream. I was hoping you could give me a jolt to see the possibilities with this table so I'll have an awesome outcome for Tuesday. Right now when I close my eyes, I only see my bed and pillows. This is NOT GOOD!

Thanks for listening and if you'd please send a picture or magazine article my way, I'd appreciate it.

Thrown Away Thursday - The Missing Link!

2011-07-12T09:19:00.005-05:00

I didn't notice when I purchased these tables that there is A HUGE CHUNK MISSING off of the front of one of them. Crap! How could I miss that??? I think I was distracted by their $3 ea. price tag that I literally snatched them up and didn't take a second look. :(

Oh well! I originally pictured these in a darker gray but when I started painting them, it just didn't feel right. So I asked for help on my Face book page. Nora, my cousin suggested pink for a little girls room. I did like pink however the already dark gray color would mean that I would have to re strip, repaint and hope for a light color outcome. Coreana suggested light gray with antiquing and that worked!

I figured with the missing piece, it screamed "hello, I've led a long life and am worn the heck out", so I painted them that way. What do you think?

Here they are before:

I'm currently having my blog background worked on so bare with me for the time being.

I hope you all had an excellent weekend and didn't get TOO much sun!! I'll see you Thursday for another one of my favorite side tables that I picked up this weekend.

bye!

uh oh!

2011-07-11T13:11:00.003-05:00

Oh no I'm under construction!

Thrown Away Thursday - More End Tables?!?!?!

2011-07-07T08:44:00.003-05:00

Yeah, I don't know what my deal is when it comes to end tables. I just have this fondness and think they are SO underappreciated.

I think if furniture could talk, nightstands and end tables would have TONS to say. They hold our drinks for us, our family photos, lamps for our reading pleasures, what books we read, they hear our phone conversations, they hear our thoughts when we talk in our sleep and how do we replay them??? We let them accumulate dust, get bumped and bruised, get chippy paint, and lose all of their wondrous appeal. I say "not on my watch"!!

Come back Tuesday and see if these white(ish), scraped, marked on, neglected tables make you look twice. I hope they will.

See you then,
Rita

Lampapalooza!!

2011-07-05T12:21:00.006-05:00

*GASP* I found a "Before" photo that I uploaded to Picasa before my computer crashed!!

Sorry it's just one but you'll have to imagine they all looked pretty much like this. This photo is a before shot of the lamp I purchased from my thrift store in order to start my lamp parade!

Here are some of the after's taken with my phone:

1. Bird Lamp- ( my kitchen in the background). Material was purchased on sale at Ikea.

2. Orange Lamp- Material also purchased on sale from Ikea.

3. My personal Fav- The retro lamp. Look at that amazing crystal base! (sold!) Material purchased at Hobby Lobby.

That my friends, are the first inductees to lampapalooza. Again, wish these were better quality but beggers can't be choosers and right now I'm begging for a better camera and a computer that gives me my pictures back.

I hope you had a great 4th of July weekend!
Rita :)

Calgon...take me away....

2011-06-29T13:47:00.004-05:00

I'm posting this today because I'll be around but maybe not around blog land. I lost my computer this past weekend ...meaning he died and took all my photos with him. Therefore, Thrown away Thursday will be lost without me...

Also my sister is coming into town and my mom is throwing her a graduation party. I'm sure that'll keep me busy as well since my mother is already wearing on my nerves. I can say that because she never reads my blog. Needless to say I'll be busy... so I'll be here, just not where my "heart" really wants to be and that's vegging out by the computer or painting. :(

If I happen to break away and paint something I'll surely keep you posted. If not, have a great weekend and I'll see you next week.

Rita

Tossed and Turned Tuesday- Aqua Coffee Table

2011-06-27T22:19:00.003-05:00

I'm happy to say this table found a new home!! I met Kelly at the wine tasting this weekend and knew when she said "this table just spoke to me", that it was meant to be. I kinda feel like I'm finding homes for stray animals and the connection must be there. This in fact was!!

Katie is on the left. She is the AWESOME gal that is helping me get my name out there! She is precious and doing so much for me. I feel like I owe her so much!! Kelly is onthe left. She is the new owner of this coffee table. I have to say I was very happy to meet people who had such nice things to say about my pieces. It was quite wonderful!!

Here are the photos of the table up close. It's aqua with gray on the bottom. I used paper I purchased from, where else, StellaDallas that is gray and white retro patterned. It matched perfectly. I finished it out by trimming the frame of top in jute twine.

Thanks again, Katie for all your help!! And to you for looking for my Tuesday "after's"!!

Rita :)

Thrown Away Thursday - Mad for Mod!

2011-06-23T08:12:00.003-05:00

Let's start the soon to be weekend off right... shall we?

This is what I'll be working on - -

Isn't it great? It has castors as well but they fell off when I moved it so I'll have to work those back in somehow.

And in current news ...beep...beep...beep....I just joined Facebook...my own personal page. Couldn't do much with the one I have now. This one is all interacting and people actually carry on conversations with me...it's amazing! Sorry I doubted you Dre! My sister's been trying to get me on there forever so now I'm on if you want to look me up. Here's my gmail for facebook curbsidecreations@gmail.com Ashley set it up so it's linked to my business page(???) I don't get how that works but anyway, don't email me here, I never check it. If you want to get in touch with me directly use this rdmireles@gmail.com

Ok, got to go have fun on Facebook!

Hope you have a good end of the week and look for me on Ross avenue if your around town Sunday!

Rita

Not my typical post but had to share...

2011-06-22T09:52:00.002-05:00

So this isn't my typical post but thought it was worth sharing for those of you who find humor in others misfortunes. Unfortunately I'm a poster child on that topic.

That said, here's my Redbox story:

The other day Ashley and I were going to return a movie to Redbox. On the way we were talking about how out of shape we are and how we dread the way our jeans fit, etc. You know, typical mother daughter talk. It was Fathers day so I had on a pair of my "best" fitting jeans on. I told her that I liked these jeans because they fit around the waist and in the leg area which usually isn't the case, and she also pointed out that they fit me quite nicely.

Well we get to the redbox and I get out to return my movie. As I walk up to the machine, I hear voices trying to get my attention . I look in the direction of the voices and see a car with these guys all waving me down. So (of course) I turn around to see Ashley sitting in the car and give her the wink and nod of "YESSS... I still got it!!!!".

With that I insert the movie and strut my hot self back to the car. Ashley and I are smitten and look at each other with the nod of approval. My nod, because I'm a hot mama, and her nod , I can only guess because she knows she is blessed with her mothers genes, right

NO... not right. I look up at the machine and see my movie going in...and out...in...and out

Apparently these guys weren't getting my attention because I'm a hot chic....NO...they were just trying to tell me that the redbox machine wasn't working.

s i g h o f d e f e a t

I looked at Ashely and said "I'm not hot...the machine is broken". She looked at me and hugged me and said I was hot in her eyes.

OH and just so you know... the movie finally went in. Thank goodness I didn't have to get out of the car again!!

Enjoy the rest of your day, and make your own sunshine!!
Rita

Tossed and Turned Tuesday- Paintbrush Happy!

2011-06-20T23:49:00.007-05:00

Sometimes I get on a painting kick where I want to paint everything. Not just the base coat...no. I'm talking get the small paintbrushes out and start going to town with designs and what not.

Case in point - this little table!! I figure if someone put it in trash, I can get away with doing some extreme make overs here. So what do I do? I pick out one of my oops paint cans...or two...and start painting whatever my little heart desires. This is all free handed so I have no idea what this design is, in case you were wondering.

Don't forget to tell me what you think!!

See ya later,
Rita :)

PRIMITIVE AND PROPER

2011-06-17T07:06:00.003-05:00

Yay!! Today I'm guest posting at one of my MOST Favorite blogs, Cassie's Primitive and Proper.

I'm super excited. Go visit me there and tell me what ya think!!

Primitive and Proper

Thanks and see you over there!!

Rita :)

Thrown Away Thursday - Dumpster Divin'

2011-06-15T22:24:00.006-05:00

I'm posting this early since I know I'll have a busy day tomorrow and wanted to at least cross one thing off my list!

I had to share the fact that I have good friends of mine dumpster diving too!! I thought it was awesome when my best friend Cindy brought this table to me that her husband found sitting by the dumpster at his job. It was probably a side table sitting in their break room but it looks pretty warn to say the least.

Regardless I have great plans for it. It's a sturdy, solid table and can go just about anywhere. How could someone get rid of it?? But hey, I'll take it. Look for it's reveal Tuesday. I think you'll want to come back for this one!!

See you soon...oh and just a reminder that this Friday I will be guest blogging at Cassie's blog - Primitive and Proper. I'M SO THRILLED!! All I kept saying to her was YAY!!!!

Rita :)

Tossed and Turned Tuesday Boring Porch gets Punch!

2011-06-14T13:16:00.005-05:00

So my porch was lacking some punch and although it's not quite there yet (still needs lots of work!) it's coming along nicely.

My first item of business was to get some cute chairs!! These only cost me $4 each at a garage sale and with some dark brown spray paint and new cushions, they do the job well. For now at least until the get some new throw pillows!!

Remember the wheel barrel pot, well it too got a splash of color and some cute flowers.

These little tea light holders were found at my local thrift store for 95 cents each and they still had the plastic on them. I'm telling you, never underestimate the power of a second hand store!!

...and who do I see peeking through the window...Oh it's Tubby of course!! This is the way I'm greeted when I come home and as soon as I walk out the door, he appears again. He has great ninja skills.
Thanks for checking out my soon to be "Beautiful" porch. It's a work in progress but it's getting there~

Rita

IKEA table gets De-Masked!

2011-06-12T18:22:00.009-05:00

Katie asked me if I could help her change up this IKEA Lack table to fit a little more with her decor. Just so you know, this sleek, straight, new, look isn't her style. So after we brainstormed we came up with the following ideas:
1. It should have some green to pop from the already yellow living room decor.
2. If possible some distressing would be good as she likes the worn, older furniture look.
3. I wanted to incorporate a design she mentioned she loved without making it look to modern.

hmmm. ideas. flowing.OK. think I got it.

So we start out with a way to modern IKEA Lack table.

The concept:

My tools: Green Apple spray paint, yellow accent paint from Martha Stewart, sander, and Damask stencil.

And as you can see below...the finished product. Which was HARD, I tell you, HARD. I remember why I hate IKEA tables. Although they are cheap, the smooth finish is PAPER. You can't distress Paper...only shred it. ugh. I just painted over the peeled paper and called it a day.
This table was the perfect size for her TV in her apartment so I did what I could. OH and the distressed look is just paint that I wiped across it to give it the warn look I wanted.

Let me know what you think.

Rita

White chair finds home with Katie!! Yay!!

2011-06-10T12:22:00.007-05:00

She found a home! I made a special delivery to my friend Katie yesterday to drop off her new chair. It went perfectly with her vanity, don't you think? And check out that amazing chandelier lamp!!

Since this chair had such a low profile back, it was easily added to the already beautiful area! I'm so happy it found a good home!

Here it is before the make over:

And after:

I'm still amazed at the term "One man's trash is another man's treasure". I never see the items I find as trash. They just need to be looked at a little differently and cleaned up a bit.

There are so many wonderful finds out there if you just look. Heck I'll even look for you. You have no idea how many people I'm always on the look out for. In fact I've been wanting to add a "wish list" page so I can offer my services that way too. I could do the hunting for you. I may have to do that on my "hopefully" soon to be web page.

Speaking of, I was wondering, is there anything you've been wanting to see here? I've mainly kept my before and afters here since this was originally started for family and friends to see my transformations. But it's really grown, as have I, and have met so many great people along the way. Some of you with kids (Miss M.) I just want to pick them up and kiss their cute little round faces because I feel I know them already. I know that's a little strange but it's crazy how close you feel to people you've only met over blog land. Some of who you feel closer to than of some relatives(sad but true).

Anyway, before I get too heartfelt, if you stop by and think my Curbside Creations blog could use a little sprucing up, besides my color background which I want to change a bit, please feel to comment and let me know. I won't get my feelings hurt...promise!

Thanks again, and thank you Katie for giving this white chair a home. Oh and did I mention she's throwing a small party for me. Details on that soon!

Rita:)

Thrown Away Thursday ~ Patio Time~

2011-06-09T08:16:00.003-05:00

I know you know where I'm going with these photos. It's time for my porch to get a facelift!!

I found these two green wicker chairs at a garage sale for $4 each. They had nasty cushions on them that didn't match so they were tossed rather quickly!!

I picked up this barrel planter at another garage sale for $1 and it's been sitting in the "I'll use it eventually" pile in my sun room. Remind me to show you a picture of my sun room sometime. It's worse than an horror film. Very Scary in there!

Notice my hammer in the shot. I didn't crop this picture and noticed it after I posted it here. I cracked myself up.

I hope you have a great day and come back to visit!! And welcome to my new followers. Hope you come back Tuesday when I show my after photos of what I hope to be a pretty porch!

Thanks,

Rita

Tossed and Turned Tuesday Take me out to the Mall!!

2011-06-06T22:22:00.004-05:00

Yay! I finished my project and just in the nick of time too!!

So let's rewind to last week when my best friend Cindy brought over a rocking chair and said " I have a project for you and it has to be done by 4pm Saturday for my niece's baby shower".

The Mission- Take a boy's baseball themed rocking chair and paint it too match this Cocoa Coutoure Baby Nursery. With time running out I did what I could (so forgive the pictures below as I took them the day of).

Here's my inspiration- photo taken off the registry:

Now fast forward to Saturday 11 AM, and here is the after. WHAT DO YOU THINK?

The Seat: Free handed I might add. I blew up the photo of the lamp and used it as my guide.

You can barely see the back but I thought a nice touch would be to say it was from "Aunt Cindy" with love.

And lastly, here's what the rocking chair looked like before it went from "Take me out to the ball game" to "Take me out to the mall".

Thanks again for checking out my Tossed and Turned Tuesday creation! I hope you liked it~

Rita

Thrown Away Thursday ~ Take Me Out to the Ball Game~

2011-06-02T17:28:00.009-05:00

Mission: Take this little boys chair and change it up for a little girl without using pinks or pastels!

I accept!

Come back Tuesday to see the reveal.

Rita

Awesome Niece and Nephew!!

2011-06-01T21:32:00.008-05:00

I got a call from my sister today and she told me the cutest thing!! My niece and nephew found this chair while they were playing outside and asked her if they could get it and bring it to me to redo!! IS THAT NOT THE CUTEST??!!

Here is the picture she sent me from her phone. My niece threw in her bunny. She's all about staging photos you know!

I'll have to think of something to do to this little guy!

Just when I think they are spoiled rotten they go and do something like this. It just tugs at my heart strings I tell you!! Those DARLING ANGELS~

Tossed And Turned Tuesday - $5 Chest!

2011-05-31T08:43:00.003-05:00

Hope you all had a great weekend! I didn't get as much done as I'd like to, however we got this chest into it's new home in Ashley's room. Can you believe this is the same $5.00 chest I picked up from that garage sale!!

It is sitting in front of a window and looks great in front of the sheer drapes and adjacent orange accents in the room.

Let's take a look back down memory lane, shall we?

Before:

...and who could forget that blue material lining the drawers. Reminded me of an old pair of scrubs or something. Don't care...they're out!!

Instead I lined them with a great liner I found at the dollar store. The best thing about contact paper from the dollar store is they come in great prints and are cheap!

Lastly, my drawer close up!

Hope you liked my...er..well...Ashley's new chest of drawers!

It's amazing what you can create for under $10 if you keep an open (imaginative) mind!

Thanks for stopping by!
Rita ;)

Thrown Away Thursday ~ My Five Dollar Find

2011-05-26T10:11:00.002-05:00

CAN YOU SAY..."DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH"? I spotted this gem at a garage sale and am in need of one for Ashley's room. She has a newer chest of drawers that is falling apart. I tell you they just don't make things like they used to!!

The only thing wrong with it, is one handle is broken in the corner. It's not shown here because it kept falling off. But other than that it is one heavy, sturdy piece of furniture. And when the girl asked if I'd take it off of her hands for $5, I nearly screamed.

Let's check her out shall we?

Front view:

Top view:

Lovely pre-lined drawers:

She'll be painted a light color I can tell you right now, but you'll have to wait and see for sure!

Have a good Thursday!
Rita