New Year and New Year Resolutions

Wow!  I can't believe it's been almost 6 months since I last posted anything in my blog.  Grant you I've taken a break from most things in life to pursue my CPA licenses but with 2012 comes new resolutions.  One of mine is to post most periodically to my blog (a goal of once per week at least) until I finish my exams.... I've never really been one to be to quite in life (especially if you really know me) so why in the world should I be anything less on here!!

Happy 2012 Everyone!!

Apron Love

Ever since I was little I've had a love for aprons.  Call me old fashion, but I just can't help being drawn to these dynamic fashion statements.  I really have no idea where my love of aprons came from... neither my mom nor my grandma ever worn one.  Maybe it's the dreaminess of seeing them in the old TV shows (although I don't like to admit it, I use to be hooked to TV Land when I was younger).  I can only imagine the many episodes of watching Aunt Bee in Andy Griffith and June in Leave it to Beaver helped to influence my love for these iconic articles of clothing. 

Finding aprons can become rather challenging, but it seems as though they have become more popular (or at least available) over the past few years.  On a past trip to Chicago I was able to find several stores that had a huge selection of aprons and you can imagine how excited i was!!  Here are a few pictures of the selection I enjoyed digging through...

After spending way too much time digging through, I finally settled on the following apron for two reason:

 1.  My kitchen is decorated in a brick red color.

2.  I fell in love with the cut and print of this apron.

(Note this picture was taken in a hotel room - so ignore the olden day decorations!)

Recently my mom (who has always thought I was crazy for my 'Apron Love') boosted my collection with several amazing pieces!!  There are two things that you should probably know before viewing the next picture.  First, my mother (and mother-in-law ) have been anything but subtle about wanting a grand baby.  In fact they take every opportunity to remind me of their wishes.  Second, my brother nicknamed me 'Hoot' when I was nothing more than a toddler and has called me that name (along with my family and now most of my husbands family) to this very day (grant you my brother is now 30).  So, you can only imagine how excited my mom was to give me the following and point out to not only me but everyone that it was a set and she expected them both to be put to good use in the near future (there comes the subtle hint)....  (As a side note, I absolutely love the fact that both of our parents are so supportive and not shy about wanting grand babies... I'm beyond grateful for their love and the support they already show before we have granted their wish)

It's a HOOT OWL set... and yes I was just as excited as my mom about these!! Here is a picture of me holding the 'baby apron' on Christmas morning....

So, as you can see my personal collection is coming right along...  I hope you all enjoy wearing and collecting (or at least looking at) this iconic item as much as I do! 

Happy Apron Wearing Everyone!!

Exploring Chicago - Antiques

My husband and I both share a similar interest in antiques and restoring old/unique items. Therefore it is no surprise that we always jump at the chance to look at any flea markets/antique markets that we find.  It just so happens that during a recent business trip to Chicago (of which I drug him along on) that we were lucky enough to find a local antique hot spot.  You can imagine how excited we were.  Although we didn't buy anything (had we been in our truck there was a buffet that would have been coming home with me!!) we enjoyed browsing the collections.  I hope you enjoy the following items as much as I did.

Location:  Naperville, IL

Store Name:  Affordable Antiques & More  (Here is a link to their website)

The first item that caught my attention was this awesome buffet.  I LOVE the character of this piece, from it's rich tones to craftsmanship and I thought the decorations were unique and charming.  Had we drove my husband's truck, this beauty may have just found its new home in my formal dining room!!  Now I have the challenge of finding something similar closer to home....

The blue and green 'ball' type items caught my attention at first and after a little exploring I realized that these are nothing more than a ball of Styrofoam with yarn wrapped around it in no certain pattern sitting on a couple of candle stands that have been painted gold.  A trip to the local Wal-Mart or Hobby Lobby and $10 to $15 later, a pair of these could be made easily.  I think I'll be adding this to my project/to-do list for the near future.

Walking through the store I quickly was drawn to an old antique window.  Buying one of these last year on a yard sale for $5 (of which is still waiting in my garage for some much needed attention and a finished bathroom to hang it in), I was quickly drawn to this to see just what the value was.  I wasn't shocked to see that the price was $50, but enjoyed boasting to my husband about my great find last year.  (You should probably know that he thought I was crazy when I bought it and had yet to let me live it down)  Rubbing it in only made it that much sweeter!!

Next was a stain glass picture hanging in the window.  I loved the bright colors but can't imagine where in the world a person would place this in their home.  None-the-less, I liked it enough that it made my post.

Recently a middle/high school friend sent me a link to a really neat blog that used Mason Jars and converted them into solar powered lights as yard decorations.  Ever since seeing this link, I've wanted to incorporate this somehow in my backyard.  Not wanting to pay $8 a jar, I'm back to the hunt of finding these on a local yard sale but thought I would share.  Here is a link to the solar inserts for the jars Esty - Solar Mason Jars.  Thanks Savannah for sharing such a neat idea!!

I would have to say that this is a new one on me.  Old furniture legs painted and priced at $60!!  It's safe to say that if I ever stumble upon any old legs in a yard sale, etc. I will be painting them and trying to make some money.  Although kind of neat, I really don't know how in the world these are worth this much money!!

 

Last but not least, I feel in love with this old trunk.  I hope to own one someday.  Again, had my car had room this may have found a place in my home somewhere…

…..if only we had brought the truck!!

Our Baby Pontoon

My husband loves anything that has to do with the water or outdoors.  Since we have bought our home on the lake he has managed to find/buy 3 different boats.  The most recent is what I refer to as our 'Baby Pontoon'.  Recently it has undergone a mini-makeover.  Enjoy the before and after pictures.

Driving the pontoon home.....

Railing Before the new paint job :-)

Railing after first round of new paint.... (Only one rail is painted fully in this picture, ignore the tape on the bottom rail that needs removed) 

 Side Note - we used Sherwin Williams Acrylic based paint.  This is suppose to be the most durable for items that are near water but not submerged.  We put on three coats for each color.

New marina board covering the toon's... this had to be water sealed (we used Thompson's water seal)

Next we needed to add some outdoor/indoor carpet.



Carpet's done, edging has been painted and re-attached and sides have been placed back on.  All that awaits is the custom seats that are currently being painted, motor to be attached and a day on the lake!!

If you have enjoyed our 'Baby Pontoon' makeover, make sure you check back throughout the winter!  We have our 'Grand Daddy Pontoon' (24' foot, originally a double decker) that will be undergoing a transformation.  Don't worry, this won't be happening in the snow but rather a nicely warmed barn.....  Posts for this boat will be more frequent and detailed!!

Flower's in Your Seat - FINISHED PRODUCT

Here is a quick pic of my new garden chair that I talked about in a previous post.  Thought you all my like to see a picture of the finished product!!

Sidewalk View

We purchased our home nearly four years ago and until recently have not had a chance to touch our landscaping (I suppose we thought the need for a functioning bathroom, laundry and other amenities was much more important!).  Needless to say the 'curb appeal' of our sidewalk has been anything but inviting.  After a previous summer of pulling up dead and mismatched bushes, a harsh winter and a new puppy using our flower bed as her personal running pad, the view from our sidewalk was far from pleasant.  So this weekend my husband finally had enough and began the massive task of re-doing all of our landscaping (grant you this will be an on-going project for many weeks).  After a trip to the local nursery and a quick stop to pick up some landscaping rock the project was under way.  Below are pictures showing the changes so far.

BEFORE

AFTER                                                                                                                                                       

 

Progress to come....... stay tuned!!        

Flowers in Your Seat

I’ve always loved rustic old country landscaping pieces and for over a year now I’ve been eyeing old half dilapidated chairs at a local flea market (usually priced between $20 - $30).  Being as frugal as I am, I couldn’t come to terms with paying that much money for something that would probably fall apart with the next big windstorm.  You can only imagine how ecstatic I was to find this beauty tagged on a yard sale for $5.

In the midst of my excitement and my husband’s continued begging of me not to buy another project (I currently have 5 or 6 things stacked neatly in our garage awaiting some attention) I managed to contain my overjoyed expression and bargain the owner down to $3.  Yes $3, grant you a tag still placed on the chair showed it had been originally tagged $24 in a flea market!!  SCORE

Still being cheap, I refused to pay $10 or $15 for a pan or pot for the center of the chair that still would not fit perfectly.  After a little creativity and hard work from my wonderful husband, a custom planter box was made to fit the chair for under $6.  Below is the finished product, now all that waits is potting soil, flowers and a resting place next to my shed in the backyard.