End of Season Yardsales

One of my favorite things to do is get a bargain.  I love Fall, but with it always comes the end of yard sale season. No longer can I buy a new shirt for 25 cents or a toy for baby eel for a dollar. But, I did get some fabulous items yesterday.

For the most part, the morning was a bust. I was on the hunt for some new nightstands, since I'm selling the ones that I currently hate! I didn't actually find what I was looking for, but I did find some other things.

My mom and I got a bunch of furniture at one yard sale. It was a fundraiser for a family trying to raise money for in-vitro fertilization treatments. My mom picked up an entertainment stand, and a hutch-type thing. I got a bookcase. We paid $40 for the entire set of furniture.

I also got a coffee table for the family room. Since we rearranged the furniture in our family room, there is a huge open space from the couch to the entertainment unit. When I saw this table, I knew it would be perfect in there. And it was $5!

As you can see, the top is a little scratched and dinged up. I think my plan is going to be to do a little bit of touch up for now, and possibly paint or refinish it next year. I haven't quite decided. Any suggestions?

I also got two gorgeous lamp bases that will go perfectly on the nightstands that I don't have yet.... They were $1 for the pair.

And... I bought a bunch of books. These are very early reader chapter books, but I thought baby eel would like them in a few years, so I picked them up.

I got a few of the Amber Brown series, and the Junie B. Jones series. I also got the first 4 in the Series of Unfortunate Events series. I also got "The Princess Diaries" by Meg Cabot in paperback, not realizing that I actually already own the book. So, looks like I'll be giving that one as a gift.

I also picked up a foam mattress pad for $2. I don't actually need the pad, but it will be great for upholstering the dining room chairs that I am FINALLY getting around to finishing. They should be done in a couple weeks. They are just waiting for seats.

I really love the changes I've been making to my house as of late.  I've also gone on a "de-cluttering" spree. I've been getting rid of a bunch of things either through freecycle or KSL ads. It's a great way to pick up a little extra cash and to declutter all the stuff I've been collecting.

My mom was nice enough to can some tomatoes for me. Now I've got 12 jars, which should last me through the winter. I love canned tomatoes, and I'm always frustrated by how much they cost at the store. Especially given how easy and cheap they are to can yourself.

Last thing I wanted to bring up was the Relief Society General Session last night. It was really phenomenal. If you didn't see it, I would suggest at least listening to Sister Julie. B. Beck's and President Monson's talks.  They were both incredibly loving, spiritual, yet to the point.  I can't wait for conference next week.

Oh, and I've made my blog public again. This is mostly just a way to keep me motivated to post. So, there you have it. You can now stick me in your feed reader of choice. :)

The Great Hutch Makeover

It's time for another fantastic furniture re-do.  Every once in awhile, the itch to fix things gets in deep between my shoulder blades. That was the case with this hutch I inherited from my great-grandfather.

There were a lot of things I liked about this piece. The details are cool, it's solid, and it's big.  But, I didn't like the color, and I really wasn't utilizing it.  For awhile now I wanted to turn it into an entertainment until for our TV.  So, with the help of Daniel, we took it apart, and using this tutorial from All Things Thrifty, I primed the piece.

Believe me, if I had known how much easier it is to paint furniture with spray paint, I would have done it a long time ago.  It's faster, and goes on so much smoother than painting with a brush. Oh, and it's a lot less messy.

Next, I painted the entire thing a teal blue color called "Blue Ocean Breeze." It looked gorgeous, but a little too bright.  So, I decided to put a dark glaze over the entire thing.  I also spray painted the hardware a nice dark bronze color.  Here is the finished product.

I absolutely love it.  It has gone from being a dark piece of hulking furniture, to something that I am really proud to display prominently.  Here is the before and after again:

What do you think?