Baby Birds, Take 2

For some unknown reason to me, blogger decided to eat my baby robin post for breakfast the other day. Well guess what blogger…you can’t stop me that easily. I am writing another post on the babies, and I promise that this will be the last one…maybe.

Just to bring you up to speed quickly – we had 2 robins hatch in a nest by our back door. I was upset when they flew the nest less than a week old.

However, we (my hubby and I) have seen a baby bird twice now. And I was lucky enough to catch one of the times on video:

And snap a few pictures:

I don’t know why I am so interested in some birds. There is a bird that lives inside my house and I am never interested in him. Anyways, this ends the baby bird posts on the blog.

Oh – sorry I have been MIA lately. My real job has had me working 14+ hour days, and then I worked nights this week. Hopefully all disasters and flooding will stay away from the state for awhile and I can use my evenings for remodeling instead of real job work. And I will be able to post some quality DIY posts.

5 Upcycled Remodels

This one's for you, mom and dad, so you can see what I have been working on. All of these pictures are after I have worked my magic on them. However, I don't have any before pics.

$6 stool from the ReStore that had some nasty fabric. I kept the legs as is and only recovered the top.

Free chair we dug out of the tornado house. I painted it with miss matched paint from the Restore. Then I stenciled it and distressed it. I still need to poly it.

Free nesting tables, also dug out of the tornado house. Remember how the glass was chipped on one of the tops? I cut out pieces of wood and then wrapped them in batting and then chevron fabric. I also spray painted the metal bases.

$3 side table from Goodwill. It was cheap looking. I spray painted it gray then stenciled and distressed it. I can't decide if I should leave the legs gray or paint them black - and the spindle thingys too. Opinions?

$7 floor lamp from the ReStore. I splatter-painted it (and got white paint all in my hair). I also recovered the shade with houndstooth fabric. I like it, but don't know if it should have a different color shade...maybe red?!

I need to come by your house and pick up some of the other tornado house freebies since I have already finished the two I kept. I've been on a roll lately.

Roadside Freebies - Ultimate Jackpot

I spent Saturday shopping at flea markets and thrift stores with my parents. And while on the way back to my house, we spot something that looks like a yard sale with a large "free" sign in the middle. Free?! We had to go back and at least look. And guess what the sign really said.... "free, inside and out." What? The house was wide open and there were two other people there gathering up a few items. So, we just make ourselves at home and take what we want...inside the house too.

Now let me explain this free-for-all house. It was damaged by trees and a tornado during the recent storms. The family that had lived there took the items they wanted and then opened up the doors for what was left. It wasn't the cleanest or safest house, but it was a free-for-all, inside and out house. There were a few items that were no-takers, like the stove, refrigerator, or anything attached to the house - windows, hot water heater, etc. Why were they no-takers? Because that is what we were told and we follow the rules.

I am just like my parents - I'm a digger. We all got inside the house and moved trash, opened cabinet doors, dug through piles of stuff, and even had to move some tree branches out of the way. And we came away with an entire truck load of free goodies. It was the ultimate jackpot!

Now for the freebie run down:
1 round dining room table in perfect condition
1 coffee table with fold-down sides
1 fish tank (for my niece)
1 head board
1 foot board
3 wood chairs - none of them match
Water hose
Numerous spindles
Set of dining room table legs - just the legs
Pair of metal nesting tables
1 brown belt for me
Soccer ball (also for my niece)
Victoria's Secret Pink lotion - brand new

I think that is all, but I'm not sure. I would almost bet that my mom or dad found some other things and stuffed them into the truck too. This was the best free pick ever and far surpassed our flea market and thrift store finds from earlier in the day.

Out of respect for the family, I did not take any pictures of the house.

$3 Side Table Makeover

That title makes me happy - $3 for a total side table makeover?! Yes please! And the finished table will probably make you smile too...especially if you are a girl that loves fuchsia-pink and zebra print, like me. As you probably know, I have this strange addiction to thrift stores. I visit them all once a week. And it is a super time for me when I find something cheap in need of a little love. I am always up for the challenge. So, this time it was a $3 side table just screaming for a makeover.

First I lightly sanded the surface so the new paint would stick. Then I painted the legs a bright pink color. The paint was actually a sample bottle I had stored away in the garage, waiting on the perfect project to use it on. And this seemed to be the perfect table for some punchy pink legs.

After two quick coats of pink paint, I used some polyurethane on the legs to protect them. And this poly was free since it was left over from the hardwood floor refinishing project. Bonus points. Then I had to wait an entire day while the poly dried. I hate waiting! Oh - notice my furniture makeover area. It is two large tote tops in the guest bedroom floor. The weather had been ridiculous around here lately and I wasn't waiting on it any longer to get sunny outside. So I improvise and make do with what is on hand.

Final touch to the table was some zebra fabric for the top. This fabric was also free since it is the left over from another project. (The lime green lamp which I have yet to show finished pictures of.) I covered the top of the table just like you do for any other project - line up the fabric and then staple in place on the underside, making sure the fabric is tight. Then I gave the fabric a good dose of Mod Podge to make it more durable.

Done. One three dollar table, a few supplies already on hand, and a little time. This table is so much fun now!

Take That Sewing Machine

I finally have triumphed over the sewing machine. Go me! You might remember the first sewing machine post - the one where I made a dress. Well, I wore the dress, but it wasn't the best made and I knew I needed to practice more. So, what is the easiest thing to make? Pillows. Four straight lines = easy. A few pillows down and I started feeling confident and wanted to spice the pillows up a little.

Enter felt. I used stencils and cut out a few sayings and objects to add to my pillows. I also made my own stencils from coloring pages.

To get the cut outs to stick to the material, I used a little spray adhesive. I easily could rearrange the cut outs into the perfect pattern. Then I got to sewing....very tedious sewing. I made sure to use the same color thread as the felt to help blend in any mess-ups, which there were a few.

And after about 15 minutes, I had a Later Gator pillow:

I was so smitten with my handiwork that I continued to make pillows for the next two hours. And I actually had fun making them.

I sure hope you can tell what the pillows are...but just in case there is any question I'll spell it out - hunt, bike, mustache, hog fan, and 2 later gators. Aren't they darling? And the best part is that I got lots of practice.

P.S. - Dad, make sure that mom sees this post. I want her to know that I have been practicing.