July 2012 | Vintage, Paint and more...

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Whirlwind

Hi everyone....this post promises to be a lengthy one so pull up a nice comfy chair and maybe a cool glass of sweet tea or iced coffee too help you through.......


What a whirlwind we have been on these past couple of weeks.   It all started with a trip to Illinois...

                                    

to be exact - the St. Louis Area - and what a long trip it was.  It takes us 16 hours to drive
it.  And....they are a long 16 hours.   But - we made it......without any events.


We spent a most of our time with our oldest son S and his family.  They were busy with packing and getting ready for their move to Philadelphia in 6 days. What an exciting time for them - entering a new season in their lives.  We so enjoyed our time with them and had so much fun...We were also able to visit with our siblings - which was awesome - since we only go there about once a year.

After a whirlwind week of visiting we started back with a few more passengers than our trip over -
Our youngest son's girls and their brother are here for a two week visit ... we are loving it.


Miss K. aka Sissy



Miss C aka Mimi

Mr. C aka Bubba


Thank goodness we have a built in DVD player for the trip -
it was a lifesaver.....

We stopped in Metropolis, Illinois for a gas-up
and
guess who we saw there.....


Yep - you guessed it
SUPERMAN

and


WONDER WOMAN


and, of course,
WONDER WOMAN, JR.

In Nashville the kids all decided the AT&T building looked a lot like
Batman.
I admit I have to agree with them on this one.



In Nashville the storms began and
we sat in traffic for over an hour -
thus,
delaying our trip .....


The storms continued through the mountains.



and
Georgia
sometimes torrential and a little scary
out on that interstate.
But, we made it home safe and sound at 5am.
All of us quite beat
but ,
looking forward to all the fun in the next two weeks.....


While we were gone

I was nominated for the Versatile Blogger Award.....

                                                20120708-185741.jpg
Thank you ARod from MakinMy Apt a Home
                                                    found here http://www.makinmyaptahome.com/.
  Check out this amazing coffee table she made - WOW....
                                  how fabulous is that?
   Visit her blog to see what other great things she is up to.....

bnacoffeetable




And now for 7 random facts about myself:

      1.   I was born in Montana and have lived in Illinois, Florida and now South Carolina. I think
               Florida was my favorite state though, South Carolina is beginning to grow on me.

      2.  I have 5 siblings - 3 sisters ( one of who lives in France) and two brothers.  They are all
               younger than me.

      3.  I love to read - all kinds of books and most of the time you can find me reading 2 or 3 books
               at the same time.

      4.  I love afternoon naps - especially when there is a baseball game droning in the background.
               It is so relaxing to listen to and I just drift right off to sleep, lol....

      5.   Frozen cappachino from QuickTrip is the bomb - I absolutely love it but, there are no
                QuickTrips in this state.  Bummer....

      6.   My all time favorite flower is a carnation - I mean I love their fragrance and ruffly blooms
                  it is the only flower that I had in my wedding....

       7.  White, cottage, beachy, vintagey style has been my go to decor for ages.  It all started with a
                  shabby chic magazine and I fell in love.... however, my hubby is not so into the all white
                  look and so I incorporate as much as I can.....


Again thank you so much to ARod for nominating it is an honor to be recognized by your fellow blogging friends......

                    So, how has your week been - traveling?, creating?, or just having fun?
                                               We'd all like to know.

                               Until next time get out there and do something fun
                                                              but,
                                               most of all enjoy your life.....
                                                               I am.
                                                                                                                  


                                                                                                   Lovin' my life in Carolina,
                                                                                                                  Cathy








Monday, July 16, 2012

Little Retro Table



Good day everyone and welcome.

This is the story of a little table that was sitting all alone outside a thrift shop
                  looking quite in despair.....


needing some love and attention....


I almost passed this one up,
with all its water rings, scuffs, and mars
and so not desirable...


I was even in the car and getting ready to leave when I looked back
and it seemed to be calling my name.
So, I went back in the store and asked about it.
At the price of $9.99 - I didn't think I could pass it up.
It was a retro table -
It could be painted -
It might even turn out really cute....
who knows maybe it is redeemable.


What do you think?

After studying it when I got home I decided it was definitely in the family to
become a funky retro piece to go in our funky retro room.

I painted the main table with Valspar's Sweet Rhapsody
made into chalk paint.
The drawer I painted with Valspar's Key Lime
made into chalk paint.
And the legs T spray painted with Rustoleum paint that matches the Key Lime.
Then I put a coat of Johnson's clear wax on it.
And I am so loving it now.
It did have some redeeming features.


And it so fits in this space now.
I am learning to really look at pieces now.
Not just to glance at them and say
"Oh, that's an ugly piece, can't do anything with that."
I am learning that practically every piece has a redeeming quality
and
can be re purposed and new life brought to it.

Such a cute piece now
and to think I almost passed it up.

Have you ever passed up something and came back to salvage it?
Or did you leave it behind and rue the fact that you did?

Until next time get out and do something fun and enjoy your life.  I am

                                                                                             Lovin' my life in Carolina
                                                                                           Cathy




Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Armoir



A couple days ago I showed you the retro guest room we did in the loft.  Today,  I thought I would tell you all about the retro armoir we did to take the place of having no closet in that room.

Vintage, Paint and more... a thrifted armoir painted for a funky and fun retro bedroom

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Retro Loft Guest Room

Good day everyone.  Today I am going to show you the after pictures of what we did with the loft.  If you remember this is what it looked like when we moved in....


Vintage, Paint and more.. loft turned guest room

a very large space with lots of potential...


Vintage, Paint and more... retro teen room, retro guest room, multifunctional room, thrifted furniture

and this is what it looks like now.  WOW....  I love the transformation  It is so bright and cheerful  while also being fun, funky and retro....  The colors we decided on for the furniture are: Valspar's Sweet Rhapsody, Key Lime and Anthem White.  I have absolutely fallen in love with this color scheme.  This room was put together with either flea market finds, things we had on hand and/or T's great ability to build a few things from scratch.   We decided this room needed to be multifunctional as we had many needs for it to fulfill.  The main one being our grandkids are coming in just a couple of days to spend the summer with us and I wanted a fun room for them.  One that also fulfilled all their needs while they were here.


Vintage, Paint and more... retro teen guest room, thrifted and painted furniture for a retro look



A nice little sitting/reading/watching movie area.  The love seat and chair were actually our outdoor furniture that did not fit on our small patio.  So, we decided to use them in this space.  I had an old twin comforter that was exactly a match to our paint colors.  Using that and a bit of lime green cotton I bought, I got out the sewing machine and covered the cushions to match.  I really love it now.   The two small tables were flea market finds that we painted, the lamp is a retro looking floor lamp that we inherited when we moved in.  The bookshelf has yet to get it's makeover but, is also a flea market find of Papa's for $15.  He was so proud when he brought that home to me.  (I think he has also got bitten by the thrift bug.)


Vintage, Paint and more... thrifted furniture for retro teen room



This is opposite the sitting area.  I found this on Craigslist.  It is also waiting for it's makeover.  I am going to paint it the anthem white with the key lime on the back boards - to give it a pop of color. This little unit houses all the gaming systems, games, DVD's, books and board games. Everything in one place - all organized and readily available for them to use while they are here. I love organization and love having a place for everything.

Vintage, Paint and more.. thrifted and painted furniture, upcycled patio furniture, retro teen room


This is a view of the opposite end of the room.  The armoir is also a thrift store find.  I love this piece and will be showing more of it in a later post.  The twin beds were made by T.  One is a trundle and one has under bed drawer storage.  Multifunctional pieces for a multifunctional space.  The trunk is also a thrift store find and  T built the stand for it to sit on so it would be the right height to sit between the beds.  ( T is so handy with his saw and hammer).


Vintage, Paint and more... diyed twin beds, thrifted and painted furniture, teen room

Another view of the room.  We had the comforters on the beds from a previous house and the curtains were inherited with the house.  As you can tell this is just the basics of the room.  We still have the fun stuff to add -art, bling, chatzies, all the things that make a room pop.  I will be working on thrift store finds and budget
ideas to spiff this room right up.  And I will be showing some of the other makeovers of this room.

Vintage, Paint and more... retro room from diy and thrifted furniture



I love this room now and feel like we met our goal - a funky, retro, fun at the beach sort of room for a great couple of teens to spend the summer.  It is also a multifunctional room for all the people that live in this big ole house when the teens go home.  It is a sleepover/guest room, a movie watching room, a game room, a reading room, and a let me get away from the crowd and think room.  I could spend a lot of time up here now and probably will.  What do ya think?


Have you redone anything lately?  Do you have a room that has many functions for many people?


Have a great day - do something fun and most of all enjoy your life.


                                                                                              

I will be linking to the parties listed on the "I Party At" page above.